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Assessing the factors of transactional leadership style for construction projects: a case of Nigerian construction industry
Get PDFPurposeThe role of construction industry in harnessing human and material resources of a nation cannot be overemphasised; hence, the emergence of the requirement of leadership. This study aims to assess the usage of factors of transactional leadership style (TSLS) by the project managers (PMs) in the Nigeria construction industry.Design/methodology/approachA survey research design approach with questionnaire as an instrument of gathering data was adopted. Out of 1,233 questionnaires distributed, data from 975 received with acceptable feedback were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics.FindingsThis study revealed the following factors under active management by exception as the TSLS factors often employed by PMs in Nigeria. These factors are the three frequently used factors: they are: “always give clear and final instructions to be implemented in the project”; “always observed the progress of the project, assessed risk and took precaution to avoid mistakes in the project”; and “always closely monitor performance for errors needing correction”. This study concludes that it is imperative for PMs in the study area to adopt and incorporate these factors to ensure continuous successful delivery of construction projects.Practical implicationsTherefore, it is hoped that the findings of this research will help the construction industry managers to address the age-long but unrecognised leadership problem confronting the sector, thereby boosting project delivery.Originality/valueThe findings establish the appropriateness or otherwise of adoption of factors of transactional leadership, either in part or a whole
20mph speed limits and zones for better public health: Meta-narrative evidence synthesis
Get PDFBackground Recently, twenty miles per hour (20mph/30kph) speed limit and zone interventions have been increasingly adopted in various European cities. These 20mph speed limits and zones do not only contribute to road safety but they may also be beneficial for public health outcomes such as active travel, physical activity, and air pollution. We aimed to provide an updated assessment of the evidence for potential health effects of 20mph speed limits and zones. Methods We searched four electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Transport Research Information Service and assessed the grey literature through keywords related to ‘20mph’ or ‘30kph’ and health outcomes. Results A total of 23 publications (13 academic and ten grey literature publications) were identified. Overall, 20mph speed limits and zones have clear effects on injuries, collisions, and casualties. The wider effects of 20mph speed limits and zones on public health outcomes such as active travel, physical activity, and air pollution need further evaluation. Several subgroup analyses suggested differential effects for age groups, gender, neighbourhood deprivation level, ethnic background, employment status, health status, and type of road user (e.g., cyclist). Additionally, methodological limitations of the evidence base were highlighted, including challenges regarding exposure and outcome measurement and description, and the difficulty of evaluating changes in public health variables over long follow-up periods when using natural experimental methods. Conclusions 20mph speed limits and zones have the potential to improve road safety. Whilst the broader public health effects of 20mph remain poorly understood given difficulties in evaluating, the logic path through which 20mph speed limits and zones can benefit public health is clear. Future research should address this gap and consider the broader role that lower speed limits and zones can play in creating healthier cities
Effects of Exercise Training Response on Quality of Life and Cardiovascular Risk Factor Profiles in People With Coronary Artery Disease: Insights From the HIIT or MISS UK Trial
No full textThe objective of this study was to compare the characteristics of responders and nonresponders to 8 weeks of exercise training, to determine differences in key cardiovascular disease outcomes in people with coronary artery disease (CAD). This was undertaken via secondary analysis of data from the HIIT or MISS UK trial, focusing on six outpatient National Health Service cardiac rehabilitation (CR) centers in the UK. In people with CAD attending CR, the HIIT or MISS UK trial reported that short-term, low-volume, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) was more effective than moderate-intensity steady state (MISS) exercise training for improving peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak). The study involved 382 participants with CAD (N=382) (mean age: 58.8±9.6y; mean body mass index: 29.0±4.3 kg/m2). We identified responders and nonresponders based on a meaningful change in VO2peak, using two established methods. Key clinical, quality of life (QoL), and cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)–derived outcomes were compared between groups. The study found that responders were more likely to be younger (P<.05), and demonstrate greater improvement in CPET-related outcomes, for example, oxygen uptake efficiency slope, ventilatory efficiency, and peak power output (all comparisons, P<.001). Responders were more likely to observe improvements in QoL (EQ-5D-5L; mean Δ 13.6 vs mean Δ 9.4; P=.045), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) (mean Δ 0.09 mmol/L vs mean Δ 0.04 mmol/L; P=.004), compared to nonresponders. In people with CAD attending CR, responders to exercise training were therefore more likely to be younger and demonstrate greater improvements in health-related QoL and HDL-c
The combined use of biological investigations, bio chromatographic and in silico methods to solve the puzzle of badge and its derivative's toxicity
Get PDFBisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) is a pre-polymer of BPA widely used in manufacturing of epoxy resins and plastics; due to its high reactivity, unintended by-products, such as chlorinated and hydrolysed products, can reach the human body. This research integrates multiple approaches such as computational predictions, chromatographic experiments, biological assays, and human biomonitoring studies to comprehensively evaluate the toxicological profiles of the parent compound and its derivatives. In silico predictions were first utilized to estimate the toxicological properties and interactions of BADGE derivatives, providing insights into their bioactivity. Biomimetic liquid chromatography was then used to simulate membrane permeability and biodistribution, predicting how these chemicals might cross biological membranes and accumulate in tissues. In vitro experiments assessed cellular toxicity through viability assays, identifying BADGE·2HCl as the most cytotoxic derivative. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production evaluation was performed to assess the oxidative stress induced by these compounds, revealing elevated ROS levels in cells exposed to BADGE and BADGE·2HCl with a consequent significant oxidative damage. Similarly, BADGE and BADGE·2HCl were able to induce cellular death by apoptosis activation. Human serum analysis in a population sample (N = 96), showed BADGE·2H2O as the most frequently detected metabolite, indicating a considerable human exposure and metabolic processes. The findings highlight a toxicity of BADGE derivatives similar to that of BADGE; BADGE·2HCl resulted particularly cytotoxic and BADGE·2H2O is the most frequent detected in human serum, underscoring the need for regulatory measures to mitigate potential health risks associated with these compounds
The RESIST Project Report. Effects of, and Resistances to 'Anti-Gender' Mobilisations Across Europe: A Report on Nine Case Studies
Get PDFThis report explores the lived experiences of encountering ‘anti-gender’ politics, its effects, and resistances in nine case studies: Belarus, people living in exile in Europe, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Spain, Switzerland. We used the term ‘anti-gender’ cautiously recognising that it is not used, or only used in very specific ways, across the case studies and there is no agreed definition of the term. In this research, we focused on anti-LGBTIQ+, anti-feminism, anti-abortion and anti-sex work, as well as sexualised/gendered racisms and other intersectional marginalisations. We analyse how communities understand, experience, negotiate and resist ‘anti-gender’ politics, discourses and actions in their everyday lives
Bisphenol A and its analogues: from their occurrence in foodstuffs marketed in Europe to improved monitoring strategies—a review of published literature from 2018 to 2023
Get PDFIn this review article, the research works covering the analytical determination of bisphenol A (BPA) and its structural analogues published from 2018 to present (February 2024) were examined. The review offers an overview of the concentration levels of these xenoestrogens in food and beverages, and discusses concerns that these may possibly pose to the human health and scrutinises, from an analytical perspective, the main biomonitoring approaches that are applied. This comes as a natural evolution of a previous review that covered the same topic but in earlier years (up to 2017). As compared to the past, while the volume of published literature on this topic has not necessarily decreased, the research studies are now much more homogeneous in terms of their geographical origin, i.e., Southern Europe (mainly Italy and Spain). For this reason, an estimated daily intake of the European population could not be calculated at this time. In terms of the analytical approaches that were applied, 67% of the research groups exploited liquid chromatography (LC), with a detection that was prevalently (71%) afforded by mass spectrometry, with over one-fourth of the research teams using fluorescence (26%) and a minority (3%) detecting the analytes with diode array detection. One-third of the groups used gas chromatography (GC)–mass spectrometry achieving comparatively superior efficiency as compared to LC. Derivatisation was performed in 59% of the GC studies to afford more symmetrical signals and enhanced sensitivity. Although the contamination levels are well below the threshold set by governments, routinely biomonitoring is encouraged because of the possible accumulation of these contaminants in the human body and of their interplay with other xenoestrogens
Establishment of Clinical Exercise Physiology as a regulated healthcare profession in the UK: A Progress Report
Get PDFIn 2021, a `call to action` was published to highlight the need for professional regulation of clinical exercise physiologists to be established within UK healthcare systems to ensure patient safety and align training and regulation with other health professions. This manuscript provides a progress report on the actions that Clinical Exercise Physiology UK (CEP-UK) have undertaken over the past four years, during which time clinical exercise physiologists have implemented regulation and gained formal recognition as healthcare professionals in the UK. An overview of the consultation process involved in creating a regulated health profession, notably the development of policies and procedures for both individual registration and institutional master’s degree (MSc) accreditation is outlined. Additionally, the process for developing an industry-recognised scope of practice, a university MSc level curriculum framework, The Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) Practitioner Standards of Proficiency (SoP) and continued professional development (CPD) opportunities is included. We outline the significant activities and milestones undertaken by CEP-UK and provide insight and clarity for other health professionals to understand the training and registration process for a clinical exercise physiologist in the UK. Finally, we include short, medium and long-term objectives for the future advocacy development of this workforce in the UK
The First World War and Ford Madox Ford’s Short Stories, 1914–1920
Get PDFThis article analyses together, for the first time, Ford Madox Ford’s short stories about the First World War. A surprisingly unfamiliar form for Ford, who valued allusion, subtlety, and omission as narrative devices, we see in these stories his first attempts to parse his experience of wartime and, subsequently, military service. It is also an aspect of Ford’s writing which has received little previous critical comment. The wartime and post-war short stories are approached chronologically: ‘The Scaremonger: A Tale of the War Times’ (1914), ‘Fun!—It’s Heaven’ (1915), ‘Pink Flannel’ (1919), ‘The Colonel’s Shoes’ (1920), ‘Enigma’ ([1920–1922] 1999), and ‘The Miracle’ (1928). The contemporary debates in which Ford intervened are highlighted by returning to their original periodical publications, and extensive reference to a range of his non-fictional periodical contributions establishes new connections among his wartime writing. Here I bring together for the first time these short stories, arguing that Ford’s refracting of the war through the lens of his impressionism is distinctive as an early response to war, trauma, and neurosis and is vital to the genesis of his later successes in prose, notably the Parade’s End novel tetralogy (1924–1928)
Mangrovimonas cancribranchiae sp. nov., a novel bacterial species associated with the gills of the fiddler crab Cranuca inversa (Brachyura, Ocypodidae) from Red Sea mangroves
Get PDFTwo bacteria, UG2_1T and UG2_2, were isolated from the gill tissues of the mangrove fiddler crab Cranuca inversa collected on the east coast of the Red Sea (Thuwal, Saudi Arabia). The cells are Gram-negative, rod-shaped, orange-pigmented, motile by gliding with no flagella, strictly aerobic, and grow at 20–37 °C (optimum, 28–35 °C), at pH 5.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 6.0–7.0), and with 1–11 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2–4 %). They were positive for oxidase and catalase activity. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that isolates UG2_1T and UG2_2 belong to the genus Mangrovimonas, showing the highest similarity to Mangrovimonas spongiae HN-E26T (99.4 %). Phylogenomic analysis based on the whole genomes, independently using 49 and 120 concatenated genes, showed that strains UG2_1T and UG2_2 formed a monophyletic lineage in a different cluster from other type strain species within the genus Mangrovimonas. The genome sizes were 3.08 and 3.07 Mbp for UG2_1T and UG2_2, respectively, with a G+C content of 33.8 mol% for both strains. Values of average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization between the strains and closely related species were 91.0 and 43.5 %, respectively. Chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that both strains had iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C15 : 1 G as dominant fatty acids, and the primary respiratory quinone was identified as MK-6. The major polar lipids comprised phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified glycolipid, one unidentified phospholipid, two unidentified aminolipids, and four unidentified lipids. Based on phylogenetic, phylogenomic, genome relatedness, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomical data, the two isolates represent a novel species within the genus Mangrovimonas, with the proposed name Mangrovimonas cancribranchiae sp. nov., and the type strain UG2_1T (=KCTC 102158T=DSM 117025T)
SACNN‐IDS: A self‐attention convolutional neural network for intrusion detection in industrial internet of things
Get PDFIndustrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a pervasive network of interlinked smart devices that provide a variety of intelligent computing services in industrial environments. Several IIoT nodes operate confidential data (such as medical, transportation, military, etc.) which are reachable targets for hostile intruders due to their openness and varied structure. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) based on Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) techniques have got significant attention. However, existing ML and DL‐based IDS still face a number of obstacles that must be overcome. For instance, the existing DL approaches necessitate a substantial quantity of data for effective performance, which is not feasible to run on low‐power and low‐memory devices. Imbalanced and fewer data potentially lead to low performance on existing IDS. This paper proposes a self‐attention convolutional neural network (SACNN) architecture for the detection of malicious activity in IIoT networks and an appropriate feature extraction method to extract the most significant features. The proposed architecture has a self‐attention layer to calculate the input attention and convolutional neural network (CNN) layers to process the assigned attention features for prediction. The performance evaluation of the proposed SACNN architecture has been done with the Edge‐IIoTset and X‐IIoTID datasets. These datasets encompassed the behaviours of contemporary IIoT communication protocols, the operations of state‐of‐the‐art devices, various attack types, and diverse attack scenarios
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