Evaluating the Impact of Lighting Conditions on Workers' Safety and Health in Industrial Settings

open access articleLighting is a key element of design that plays an important role in affecting workers’ health and safety in industrial workspaces. Given the scarcity of scientific studies addressing visual environments in relation to workers health in industrial buildings, this field study was conducted to explore workers' responses to multiple lighting scenarios inside production halls on their occupational health and safety in six factories in Sadat City, Egypt. Self-assessments of 456 factory workers during day and night shifts were collected and correlated to light measurements collected at the factories. The statistical analysis of data revealed a significant reduction in workers reporting eye strain, alleviating headaches, and enhancing the ability to concentrate under daylight conditions compared to mixed and/or artificial lighting conditions. Moreover, it was found that lighting levels lower than 140 lux led to visual fatigue(p=0.03), headaches (p=0.014), drowsiness (p=0.004), and rapid loss of concentration (p=0.149) among workers. Poor lighting was shown to increase the likelihood of making occupational errors. Despite the health benefits of natural light compared to artificial lighting, glare from sunlight can sometimes cause headaches. This study emphasizes the importance of improving lighting quality in production halls within industrial environments, as it is a crucial factor in maintaining the health and safety of workers and enhancing professional performance

Empowering digital innovation in CMC: A framework for regulatory readiness and confidence

This paper is one of the outputs of the UK Digital CMC CERSI project funded by the MHRA/UKRI/MRC in 2025-26. The project is led by the University of Strathclyde, CMAC in collaboration with DMU and CCDCDigital transformation in chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) is advancing rapidly through technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, modelling and simulation. However, regulatory frameworks and expertise struggle to evolve at the same pace. The absence of harmonised terminology, evaluation methods and credibility standards creates uncertainty for industry and regulators, limiting the use of digital tools in regulated environments. Early regulatory engagement, consistent approaches to data provenance, and clear criteria for assessing model risk and reliability are needed to ensure confidence in digital methods. The Digital CMC Centre of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI) is addressing these gaps through the development of a practical framework, case studies and supporting tools to guide regulatory use of predictive models. This article aims to raise awareness of how realising the benefits of digital transformation in CMC depends on early alignment between innovators and regulators, underpinned by shared language and credible, risk-proportionate frameworks for evaluating predictive models across their lifecycle. It describes how the Digital CMC CERSI, through a harmonised framework, case studies, a sandbox and training, is establishing a practical, science-based approach to increase confidence and accelerate the safe regulatory adoption of digital tools

Good Enough Ethics by Design: AI and Alternative Digital Realities

Good Enough Ethics by Design: AI and Alternative Digital Realities is based on research from the EU-funded SHARESPACE project, the book shows how GEE can be applied across emerging technologies and calls for an iterative, inclusive ethics culture - one that embeds reflection into innovation without stifling it.Good Enough Ethics explores how society can ethically navigate the accelerating complexity of technological innovation. Tracing developments from cave paintings to the industrial age to AI and the Metaverse, the book explores reactive approaches - such as GDPR and the Online Safety Act - and examines proactive strategies like Ethics by Design, which integrates ethics throughout product development. Yet such frameworks often prove too rigid or burdensome in practice. Inspired by Donald Winnicott’s idea of good enough parenting, the authors propose Good Enough Ethics (GEE) - a pragmatic, flexible model that balances ethical responsibility with real-world constraints. Rather than aiming for perfection, GEE emphasises empowering technologists to act ethically without paralysis. Based on research from the EU-funded SHARESPACE project, the book shows how GEE can be applied across emerging technologies and calls for an iterative, inclusive ethics culture - one that embeds reflection into innovation without stifling it

Development of biotechnology for recycling and reuse of wool blended textile waste materials

The rapid growth of textile consumption demands greater use of resources and enormous amounts of energy and water for producing virgin materials and processing into textiles. This results in the depletion of natural non-renewable resources and contributes significantly to carbon emissions, which is unsustainable. The new challenge facing the global textiles industry is to develop technologies for upcycling, recycling, and reuse of textile waste to achieve textile circularity. Blended fabrics have proved difficult to recycle due to fibres being intimately blended and the lack of innovation to enable effective separation of different fibre components, so blended textiles waste often end up in either landfill or incineration. Enzyme-based biotechnology has demonstrated its potential to provide innovative solutions to improve textile performance properties and reduce the negative impact of textile production on the environment. In this current research, enzyme-based biotechnology processes were explored for recycling and reuse of wool/synthetics and wool/bast fibre blended fabrics from post-consumer and/or manufacturing waste streams. Individual fibre components were separated and recovered for re-processing back into yarns for fabric production. Bast fibres such as flax and hemp fibres are regarded as sustainable fibres for textiles due to requiring almost no water or pesticides during cultivation. Recycling and reuse of bast fibres from waste textile materials could not only contribute towards diverting land use for other types of farming, saving energy and water from processing, and also meet the increasing demand for the supply of bast fibres for different sectors. The research work also demonstrates the potential to recover dyes from waste textiles and their reuse for textile coloration. These research outcomes demonstrate potential opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of textile production and support the global textile industry transition to a circular system

Domestic laundering of healthcare textiles: Disinfection efficacy and risks of antibiotic resistance transmission

open access articleHospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are a major public health concern, with the evidence base for the potential role of textiles as fomites in microbial transmission growing. In the UK, domestic laundering machines (DLMs) are commonly used to clean healthcare worker uniforms, raising concerns about their effectiveness in microbial decontamination and role in AMR development. This study aimed to evaluate DLMs’ ability to decontaminate microorganisms and their potential impact on AMR. The performance of six DLMs was assessed using Enterococcus faecium bioindicators under various wash cycles and detergent conditions. Shotgun metagenomics was used to analyse the microbiome and resistome of DLMs. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of domestic detergents were determined for Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and detergent tolerance and antibiotic cross-resistance were assessed. Results showed only 50% (3/6) of DLMs achieved sufficient decontamination (≥5 log10 CFU reduction) at 60°C during full-length cycles, with rapid cycles performing inconsistently. Microbiome analysis revealed the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Mycobacterium sp. Pseudomonas sp. and Acinetobacter sp.) and antibiotic resistance genes, including efflux pumps and target modification genes. Detergent tolerance assays showed increased bacterial tolerance to detergents, with cross-resistance to antibiotics observed in S. aureus and K. pneumoniae, including carbapenem and β-lactam groups. Whole genome sequencing identified mutations in genes encoding efflux pumps in S. aureus (MrgA) and K. pneumoniae (AcrB) after detergent exposure, which could impact efflux pump function. Findings suggest domestic laundering of healthcare uniforms may be insufficient for decontamination, posing risks for HAI transmission and AMR. Revising laundering guidelines to ensure effective DLM performance, detergent efficacy, and considering alternatives like onsite/industrial laundering are crucial to enhancing patient safety and controlling AMR in healthcare settings

Prediction of Urban Growth and Sustainability Challenges Based on LULC Change: Case Study of Two Himalayan Metropolitan Cities

open access article Research England, grant number QR GCRF2020/21- IG.0070.02.19, titled “Capacity building for monitoring nature-based engineering projects for mountainous region incorporating spatial imaging”.Urbanization, characterized by population growth and socioeconomic development, is a major driving factor of land use land cover (LULC) change. A spatio-temporal understanding of land cover change is crucial, as it provides essential insights into the pattern of urban development. This study conducted a longitudinal analysis of LULC change in order to evaluate the tradeoffs of urban growth and sustainability challenges in the Himalayan region. Landsat time-series satellite imagery from 1988 to 2024 were analyzed for two major cities in Nepal—Kathmandu metropolitan city (KMC) and Pokhara metropolitan city (PMC). The LULC classification was conducted using a machine learning support vector machine (SVM) approach. For this study period, our analysis showed that KMC and PMC witnessed urban growth of over 400% and 250%, respectively. In the next step, LULC change and urban expansion patterns were predicted based on the urban development indicator using the Cellular Automata Markov chain (CA-Markov) model for the years 2040 and 2056. Based on the CA-Markov chain analysis, the projected expansion areas of the urban area for the two future years are 282.39 km2 and 337.37 km2 for Kathmandu, and 93.17 km2 and 114.15 km2 for PMC, respectively. The model was verified using several Kappa variables (K-location, K-standard, and K-no). Based on the LULC trends, the majority of urban expansion in both the study areas has occurred at the expense of prime farmlands, which raises grave concern over the sustainability of the food supply to feed an ever-increasing urban population. This haphazard urban sprawl poses a significant challenge for future planning and highlights the urgent need for effective strategies to ensure sustainable urban growth, especially in restoring local food supply to alleviate over-reliance on long-distance transport of agro-produce in high-altitude mountain regions. The alternative planning of sustainable urban growth could involve adequate consideration for urban farming and community gardening as an integral part of the urban fabric, both at the household and city infrastructure levels

Do we measure what should be measured? Towards a research and theoretical agenda for STI measurement in Africa

open access articleA persistent critique of standard science, technology and innovation (STI) indicators is that they remain reliant on concepts and theories transposed from the literature on STI in high-income countries. It is widely recognized that their relevance for African countries is limited, so we may not be measuring what we should be measuring, to promote development goals. To inform a shift from critique to building meaningful alternatives, the paper conducts a systematic review of the literature on STI measurement in Africa. The analysis highlights that STI measurement in Africa is under-researched, but the knowledge base is growing. The strongest trends relate to the adoption and extension of traditional standard STI indicators. More recent is a focus on environmental sustainability, digitalization and the informal sector, with most scholars based in South Africa and Nigeria. The main contribution is a research agenda to facilitate theory building as a foundation for designing contextually relevant STI indicators

Tubulin targeting agents and their implications in non-cancer disease management

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Microtubules act as molecular ‘‘tracks’’ for intracellular transport of accessory proteins to enable them to assemble into various larger structures, such as spindle fibers formed during the cell cycle. Microtubules provide an organizational framework for healthy functioning of various cellular processes which work through the process of dynamic instability, driven by hydrolysis of GTP. In their role, tubulin proteins undergo various modifications and in doing so modulate various healthy or pathogenic functioning of physiological processes within cells. In this review, we provide a detailed update of small molecule chemical agents which interact with tubulin, along with their implications, specifically in non-cancer disease management

Testing for contagion in international financial markets: to see more, go higher.

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Traditional measures of financial contagion rely on correlation shifts, overlooking higher moments such as skewness and kurtosis. We examine contagion during two major financial crises, incorporating lower- and higher-moment measures. We analyze stock market returns from 22 major markets at different frequencies, offering a global perspective often missing in previous studies. Employing higher-order dependence measures, we demonstrate that conventional methods risk losing valuable information. Our contagion networks highlight how shocks travel outward. We find no systematic differences between developed and less developed economies’ vulnerability and stress the need for utilizing higher-order measures when assessing financial stability to avoid underestimating contagion risks