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Breaking the concrete ceiling: why the UK construction is still waiting for diversity to 'build' itself
No full textThe UK construction industry continues to lag other sectors in achieving diversity
particularly in promoting women from ethnic backgrounds into leadership roles.
Only 20% of the 3.1 million construction workforce in the UK are women. Black,
Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Representation in the industry is 6%. No
statistics is available to reflect Female BAME leaders. Despite national initiatives
and corporate commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), the sector
remains structurally exclusionary with systemic barriers such as cultural stereotypes,
unconscious bias, and exclusive workplace practices. This paper investigates the
barriers that hinder the progression of ethnic minority women into leadership roles in
the UK construction industry. Using a qualitative semi-structured interview approach
grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT), the study explores challenges of systemic
bias, workplace exclusion, and the limited impact of current EDI initiatives. Findings
highlight persistent discriminatory practices, lack of representation and role models,
and ineffective diversity strategies. The study proposes actionable strategies and
recommendations for industry reform including mentoring initiatives, leadership
development programmes, and fostering inclusive cultures
Impact of integrating guidelines into an antimicrobial stewardship smartphone application on outpatient antibiotic prescribing: a segmented interrupted time series analysis
Get PDFIntroduction: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) smartphone applications (apps) have been adopted to promote better antimicrobial prescribing practices. We aimed to evaluate the impact of incorporating an app on AMS metrics and adherence to a local antimicrobial guideline in an outpatient setting.
Methods: A quasi-experimental, segmented interrupted time series design was used, involving three study phases (pre-intervention: 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2021; implementation: 1st January 2022 to 31st December 2022, and post-intervention: 1st January 2023 to 30th June 2024) in a hospital outpatient setting. The effect of introducing an AMS app incorporating local antimicrobial guidelines on AMS outcomes was measured.
Results: A total of 24,424 patients were identified. As per the most simple model, the amounts of the following antibiotics, expressed as defined daily dose (DDD) per 100 patient visits, increased significantly during the post-intervention phase: azithromycin (co-efficient 0.297, p = 0.007), co-amoxiclav (co-efficient 2.608, p = 0.042), and nitrofurantoin (co-efficient 0.908, p = 0.003). The trend in fosfomycin use decreased significantly in the post-intervention phase (co-efficient −0.23., p < 0.001). Guideline adherence increased significantly after implementing the AMS app (trend change co-efficient 0.011, p < 0.001). These changes in antibiotic prescribing represent improved guideline adherence, and are aligned with WHO AWaRe categorisation recommendations.
Conclusion: The app improved the utilization of antibiotic prescribing by increasing adherence to local antimicrobial guidelines, affirming its utility in augmenting AMS in outpatient settings
Exploring the symptomatology and assessment of emetophobia: a comprehensive scoping review
Get PDFEmetophobia, the specific fear of vomiting, is a poorly understood anxiety disorder. Despite a growing body of research, comprehensive reviews on its presentation and assessment are limited and dated. This scoping review maps, synthesises and explores existing literature on the assessment measures and symptomatology of emetophobia. Its purpose is to inform future clinical practices by identifying reliable assessment instruments and facilitating more accurate diagnosis, treatment planning, and research comparisons. Five online databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, PsyArXiy) were searched using terms related to emetophobia. In total, 483 unique articles were located of which 38 were eligible for inclusion (35 described symptomatology; 3 described assessment measures). Among studies exploring symptoms, 17 were single case studies, 11 were cross-sectional surveys and 7 were other designs (e.g., case series, retrospective studies). Findings indicate that emetophobia is a multifaceted condition consisting of physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms. Avoidance behaviours are the most frequently reported symptom, described in 91% of included literature. There is little research exploring the differences in child and adult symptom presentation which may result in misdiagnosis if an adult-centric criteria is applied. Two self-report questionnaires have been created and their psychometric properties assessed but, given numerous studies relied on longer, unvalidated assessment measures, these two measures appear to need further development. This review establishes that emetophobia is a complex and debilitating condition impacting multiple domains of life. Its findings will inform future research into the development and evaluation of tailored interventions targeting the specific presentation of emetophobia
Development of three different anchovy-based fast-food products (toast, burger, and pizza): comparative analysis of sensory and proximate properties
Get PDFThis study aims to develop nutritionally improved alternative fast-food products by incorporating anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), a fish with high nutritional value, into three popular fast-food items (toast, burger, and pizza) frequently consumed by fast-food consumers. Anchovies, due to their rich content of omega-3 fatty acids, high-quality protein, vitamins A and D, and minerals, are a valuable food source for public health. Within the scope of this study, the nutritional compositions (crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, moisture, carbohydrate, energy) and sensory properties of the developed products were determined. According to the results of the analysis, the highest crude protein (18.64%) and crude ash (4.38%) content were found in anchovy-enriched toast, while the highest crude fat content (10.82%) was observed in anchovy burger (p < 0.05). Sensory analyses indicated that the panelists generally accepted all products. Specifically, the anchovy-enriched burger received the highest scores for appearance (90%) and aroma (40%). These findings demonstrate that anchovy-enriched fast-food products are both nutritionally rich and consumer-accepted, nutritionally improved food alternatives. Furthermore, this study identifies significant potential for utilizing aquatic products within the nutritionally enriched, seafood-based product sector
Strong relation between atmospheric CO2 growth rate and terrestrial water storage in tropical forests on interannual timescales
No full textThe atmospheric CO2 growth rate (CGR) is characterised by large interannual variability, mainly due to variations in the land carbon uptake, the most uncertain component in the global carbon budget. We explore the relationships between CGR and global terrestrial water storage (TWS) from the GRACE satellites. A strong negative correlation (r = −0.70, p < 0.01, based on monthly data) between these quantities over 2002–2023 indicates that drier years correspond to a higher CGR, suggesting reduced land uptake. We then show regional TWS-CGR correlations and use a metric to assess their contributions to the global correlation. The tropics can account for the entire global TWS-CGR correlation, with small cancelling contributions from the Northern and Southern Hemisphere extratropics. Tropical America makes the dominant contribution (69 %) to the global TWS-CGR correlation, despite occupying < 12 % of the land surface. Aggregating TWS by MODIS land cover type, tropical forests exhibit the strongest CGR correlations and contribute most to the global TWS-CGR correlation (39 %), despite semi-arid and cropland/grassland regions both having more interannual TWS variability. Tropical forests exhibit the strongest CGR correlations due to their high productivity and sensitivity to water stress, which strongly influences interannual variations in carbon uptake. An ensemble mean of eight atmospheric CO2 flux inversion products also indicate a 66 % tropical contribution to CGR variability, with tropical America/Africa contributing 27 %/28 % respectively. Regarding land cover type, semi-arid/tropical forests contribute most (37 %/28 %) to CGR variability, although tropical forests cover a very much smaller surface area (25 %/10 %). Time series of global and regional TWS and CO2 flux inversions through 2002–2023 also show changing regional contributions between global CGR events, which are discussed in relation to regional drought and ENSO events. Our study advances previous work by providing a more detailed analysis of regional contributions and doing a temporal breakdown of contributions
Reviving China’s global footprint along the Silk Roads and the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’: Chinese overseas industrial park in Egypt
Get PDFAs the main East-West trade routes in ancient history, the Silk Roads significantly influenced Chinese relations with Egypt, an important country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Informed by the history of the Silk Roads, we articulate China’s role in global business history with a focus on identifying key characteristics that underpinned ancient Chinese relations with Egypt. By juxtaposing co-evolution and institutional perspectives as the theoretical framework, our empirical setting comprises the introduction and development of a Chinese overseas industrial park in Egypt. Our findings reveal the salience of the key characteristics with new manifestations associated with Chinese overseas business activity. This study illustrates the impact of co-evolution with institutions on Chinese industrial park development, while reviving China’s global footprint in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative
Creditor-control rights and the nonsynchronicity of global CDS markets
Get PDFWe analyze how creditor rights affect the nonsynchronicity of global corporate credit default swap spreads (CDS-NS). CDS-NS is negatively related to the country-level creditor-control rights, especially to the “Restrictions on reorganization” component, where creditor-shareholder conflicts are high. The effect is concentrated in firms with high investment intensity, asset growth, information opacity, and risk. Pro-creditor bankruptcy reforms led to a decline in CDS-NS, indicating lower firm-specific idiosyncratic information being priced in credit markets. A strategic-disclosure incentive among debtors avoiding creditor intervention seems more dominant than the disciplining effect, suggesting how strengthening creditor rights affects power rebalancing between creditors and shareholders
Sea level rise, claims-making and managed retreat in Fairbourne, North Wales
Get PDFClimate change and sea level rise mean that managed retreat of populations away from coastal areas will be increasingly necessary in coming decades. However, decisions involving managed retreat are often a source of conflict between local communities and public authorities. Law and society literature on naming, blaming and claiming provides important insights into how conflicts emerge and end in litigation. This paper applies this literature to examine claims-making beyond just the courts. Drawing on media stories about Fairbourne, a coastal village in North Wales, it explores how residents have mobilised against managed retreat. Data from these stories is analysed using the above naming, blaming and claiming framework. This reveals eight distinct claims, including three stemming from a naming of climate risk and five concerning economic harms. Paying attention to the claims-making process using this tripartite framework aids understanding and may help avoid conflict around managed retreat caused by sea level rise
“Learning German is like…”: how learner representations, motivational beliefs, and perceptions of public views relate to motivation for continuing German study
Get PDFIn England, motivation for language learning is low, especially for learning German at high school, with potentially negative educational and societal implications. Previous research has tended to overlook the relevance for low motivation of social factors such as negative messages in public discourse (Krüsemann, H. 2018. Language learning motivation and the discursive representations of German, the Germans, and Germany in UK school settings and the press. PhD diss., University of Reading.). This study therefore aimed to provide deeper insights through an investigation of 391 adolescent learners. They completed a questionnaire exploring not only their representations of German and the Germans (German*), their motivational beliefs about learning German, and whether they intended to continue studying it, but also how they perceived public views about German*. Whether all these factors, together with gender and socio-economic status (SES), predicted future German study intentions was also investigated. Findings showed that the negative public views highlighted by previous research were only partly mirrored in learner representations. Learners were more likely to continue German study if they believed others viewed German positively, if they had higher expectations for success, saw German as personally meaningful, and were female and of higher SES. The study thus presents new insights into motivation for learning German, providing empirical evidence for previously unsubstantiated claims of links between public discourse messages and learner motivation for German study
The hidden costs of imposing minimum contributions to a global public good
Get PDFWe study how different types of individuals respond to being forced to make a minimum contribution to a global public good. Participants in our experiment decide how much of their endowment to contribute towards offsetting CO2 emissions. We elicit their contributions when they are free to spend any amount of their endowment on carbon offsets and when they are forced to spend a certain minimum amount on it. We find that those who contribute more than the minimum before it is imposed contribute less overall once the minimum comes into effect. This is true for both a low and a high level of the minimum and appears to be driven in part by pessimistic beliefs about the contributions of others. We show that the lower minimum also reduces overall contributions relative to a situation with no minimum. We do not find evidence that having the level of the minimum determined through a majority vote rather than an exogenous procedure has any material impact on these results