1,257 research outputs found

    Developing A Road Freight Transport Performance Measurement System To Drive Sustainability:An Empirical Study Of Egyptian Road Freight Transport Companies

    Get PDF
    While several road freight performance measurement systems have been developed, only a limited number of quantified performance measurement frameworks encompassing diverse sets of performance metrics from multiple sustainable perspectives are available on a technological platform. These sets of metrics could be integrated as crucial performance indicators for assessing the operational performance of various road freight transport companies. These indicators include fuel efficiency, trip duration, vehicle loading, and cargo capacity. The objective of this research is to construct a conceptual road freight performance measurement framework that comprehensively incorporates performance elements from sustainable viewpoints (economic, environmental, and social), leveraging technology to measure the performance of road freight transport companies. This proposed framework aims to aid these companies in gauging their performance using technology, thus enhancing their operations towards sustainability.Within the road freight transport sector, several challenges exist, with congestion, road infrastructure maintenance, and driver training and qualifications being particularly pressing issues. The developed performance measurement framework offers the means for companies to evaluate the effects of technology integration on vehicles and overall performance. This allows companies to measure their performance from an operational standpoint rather than solely a strategic one, thereby identifying areas requiring improvement. Egypt was chosen as the empirical study location due to its relatively low level of technological integration within its road freight sector.This thesis employs an explanatory mixed methods approach, encompassing four distinct phases. The first phase entails a review to formulate the proposed theoretical performance measurement framework. Subsequently, the second phase involves conducting semi-structured interviews using a Delphi method to both develop a conceptual performance measurement framework and explore the present state of Egypt's road freight transport sector. Following this, the third phase encompasses surveys based on the results derived from Delphi analysis, involving diverse participants from the road freight transport industry. The aim is to validate the developed performance measurement framework through an empirical study conducted in Egypt. Lastly, the fourth phase centres around organizing focus groups involving stakeholders within road freight transport companies. The goal here is to propose a roadmap for implementing the developed road freight transport performance measurement framework within the Egyptian context.The primary theoretical contribution of this research is the development of a road freight transport performance measurement framework that integrates the three sustainability dimensions with technology. Additionally, this study offers practical guidance for the application of the developed framework in various countries and contexts. From a practical standpoint, this research aids road freight transport managers in evaluating their operational performance, thereby identifying challenges, devising action plans, and making informed decisions to mitigate these issues and enhance sustainability-oriented performance. Ultimately, the developed road freight transport performance measurement framework is poised to promote performance measurement aligned with technology, fostering progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030

    Effects of municipal smoke-free ordinances on secondhand smoke exposure in the Republic of Korea

    Get PDF
    ObjectiveTo reduce premature deaths due to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among non-smokers, the Republic of Korea (ROK) adopted changes to the National Health Promotion Act, which allowed local governments to enact municipal ordinances to strengthen their authority to designate smoke-free areas and levy penalty fines. In this study, we examined national trends in SHS exposure after the introduction of these municipal ordinances at the city level in 2010.MethodsWe used interrupted time series analysis to assess whether the trends of SHS exposure in the workplace and at home, and the primary cigarette smoking rate changed following the policy adjustment in the national legislation in ROK. Population-standardized data for selected variables were retrieved from a nationally representative survey dataset and used to study the policy action’s effectiveness.ResultsFollowing the change in the legislation, SHS exposure in the workplace reversed course from an increasing (18% per year) trend prior to the introduction of these smoke-free ordinances to a decreasing (−10% per year) trend after adoption and enforcement of these laws (β2 = 0.18, p-value = 0.07; β3 = −0.10, p-value = 0.02). SHS exposure at home (β2 = 0.10, p-value = 0.09; β3 = −0.03, p-value = 0.14) and the primary cigarette smoking rate (β2 = 0.03, p-value = 0.10; β3 = 0.008, p-value = 0.15) showed no significant changes in the sampled period. Although analyses stratified by sex showed that the allowance of municipal ordinances resulted in reduced SHS exposure in the workplace for both males and females, they did not affect the primary cigarette smoking rate as much, especially among females.ConclusionStrengthening the role of local governments by giving them the authority to enact and enforce penalties on SHS exposure violation helped ROK to reduce SHS exposure in the workplace. However, smoking behaviors and related activities seemed to shift to less restrictive areas such as on the streets and in apartment hallways, negating some of the effects due to these ordinances. Future studies should investigate how smoke-free policies beyond public places can further reduce the SHS exposure in ROK

    TeamSTEPPS and Organizational Culture

    Get PDF
    Patient safety issues remain despite several strategies developed for their deterrence. While many safety initiatives bring about improvement, they are repeatedly unsustainable and short-lived. The index hospital’s goal was to build an organizational culture within a groundwork that improves teamwork and continuing healthcare team engagement. Teamwork influences the efficiency of patient care, patient safety, and clinical outcomes, as it has been identified as an approach for enhancing collaboration, decreasing medical errors, and building a culture of safety in healthcare. The facility implemented Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), an evidence-based framework which was used for team training to produce valuable and needed changes, facilitating modification of organizational culture, increasing patient safety compliance, or solving particular issues. This study aimed to identify the correlation between TeamSTEPPS enactment and improved organizational culture in the ambulatory care nursing department of a New York City public hospital

    Modern meat: the next generation of meat from cells

    Get PDF
    Modern Meat is the first textbook on cultivated meat, with contributions from over 100 experts within the cultivated meat community. The Sections of Modern Meat comprise 5 broad categories of cultivated meat: Context, Impact, Science, Society, and World. The 19 chapters of Modern Meat, spread across these 5 sections, provide detailed entries on cultivated meat. They extensively tour a range of topics including the impact of cultivated meat on humans and animals, the bioprocess of cultivated meat production, how cultivated meat may become a food option in Space and on Mars, and how cultivated meat may impact the economy, culture, and tradition of Asia

    The molecular genetics of familial cardiomyopathy

    Get PDF
    Introduction The cardiomyopathies are responsible for approximately 5.9 of 100,000 deaths in the general global population and in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), these myocardial diseases are observed in 21.4% of patients with heart failure. The precise etiology of the cardiomyopathies is currently not well known and through our research we aim to contribute to the genetic landscape and bridge the gaps in knowledge for the different cardiomyopathies as SSA could provide some very important insights into the cardiomyopathies and identify other possible disease mechanisms. Methods Through next generation sequencing techniques such as whole exome sequencing and targeted resequencing we studied three South African families with severe cardiomyopathy. Clinical diagnosis and recruitment of cardiomyopathy patients into the study was done at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town by a panel of experts. Next generation sequencing data was analysed and filtered through various stringent criteria and the final list of variants were validated through Sanger sequencing. Results In the first multi-generational family with severe dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (DCM 334), we identified a pathogenic DMPK c.1067C>T(p.P356L) variant in the proband and her affected father. We also screened a cohort of 542 cardiomyopathy probands though Sanger sequencing of the DMPK gene and identified the DMPK c.1477C>T(p.R493C) variant as a variant of unknown significance. We then investigated a three-generation family with four affected family members who were also affected with severe DCM (DCM343). We used whole exome sequencing and identified the pathogenic BAG3 c.925C>T (p.R309Ter) variant as the cause of disease within this family. Viral infection, anti-hypertensive medication and genetic modifiers in RYR1 and NEB contributed to the variable phenotype among the individuals with the BAG3 variant. Through targeted resequencing we also identified the same pathogenic BAG3 variant in 2 of the 634 cardiomyopathy probands screened. In the third family, we investigated a South African family affected with severe arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). We used whole exome sequencing and targeted resequencing in combination and identified the pathogenic PKP2 c.2197_2202InsGdelCACACC (p.H733Afs*8) as the cause of disease in the proband and his father. We also present evidence of the ALPK3 c.2701C>T(p.Q901Ter) variant modifying the phenotypic manifestation which correlates with the variable penetrance that is seen among ACM families. Conclusion Through this project, we have identified many firsts. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to show that DMPK is associated with primary DCM in severely affected young patients. As a first for South Africa, we not only identified the pathogenic BAG3 variant in a family with severe DCM, but we also identified the same variant in two additional probands, raising the possibility of a founder effect. In the third and final family with ACM, we identified the pathogenic PKP2 variant as the cause of disease within this family with the novel ALPK3 variant acting as a possible modifier. Our research has added to what is currently known about the cardiomyopathies in Africa but there is still much work to be done as we believe we have just scratched the tip of the iceberg

    Health Leadership and Management Practices That Support Accountability for Results

    Get PDF
    Although leaders are expected to nurture and sustain a culture of accountability for results, little is known about how health leaders in developing countries perceive, interpret, demonstrate, and promote accountability in their day-to-day practices. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the management and leadership practices that leaders of public and non-profit health support organizations in Uganda utilize to embody and support accountability for key stakeholders’ results. Data from in-depths interviews with 13 participants at the governance, senior management, and middle management levels were analysed using thematic data analysis. Riggio\u27s conceptualization of using multiple perspectives and disciplines to understand leadership guided the study. The findings indicate that the combination of management and leadership practices that promote accountability results are motivated and sustained by the leaders’ ethical and moral values, character and soft skills; majorly driven by task, relations, change, and externally-oriented leadership behavior; aligned with the leaders’ perceived primary management and leadership roles and responsibilities; and focus on enabling others to identify the right problem to address, recognize and navigate the eclectic ecosystem-wide interests, and mandates. These findings add to knowledge on managing and leading accountability in low-income settings. Implications for positive social change included understanding how to identify, select, develop, promote, and retain managers and staff with the relevant skills, enduring positive intrapersonal accountability motives and practices; this results in building effective organization systems that shape, strengthen, and sustain a culture of accountability for results

    Política lingüística en Luxemburgo y en la Comunidad germanófona de Bélgica: Ideologías lingüísticas

    Get PDF
    The language policy discourses of Luxembourg and the German-speaking Community of Belgium (GC) exhibit fundamental differences, yet interesting similarities that so far have not been subject to a discourse analysis from a mixed framework of linguistic anthropology and discourse linguistics (Diskurslinguistik). On the basis of a corpus consisting of current language policy texts and semi-structured interviews with key actors involved in current policy design and implementation, this research aims to answer the question regarding the interplay of ideology and discourse in the design and implementation of the language policy of Luxembourg and the GC. The bulk of the analysis is made up of three layers for each case. Starting point of the analysis is a historical overview that identifies ideologies and language policy discourses that emerged, predominated, and transformed from the 19th century until the 21st century in each case. The second layer is a discourse analysis of current language policy texts with a focus on the ideologies informing current discourses about Luxembourgish in Luxembourg and German in the GC. Finally, the third layer is a discourse analysis of interview extracts with equal focus on ideologies. Through a combined thematic and discourse analysis based on the social semiotics of language, this research provides a description of the discursive patterns of the linguistic structure of passages of each text and interview with the aim of linking these patterns to the identified ideologies that inform the policy discourses. It was found that the connecting node between Luxembourg and the GC lies in the tension between the two themes of standardization and multilingualism. It is shown that standardization and multilingualism are thematic centers from which discourses about language, identity, and nation emanate in these two cases. Through the combination of the historical overview and the meticulous analysis of discursive patterns identified in the linguistic structure of language policy texts and interview extracts, it is not only shown how ideology informs current language policy discourses in Luxembourg and the GC, but also why language policy discourses transform or sediment through time

    Health Leadership and Management Practices That Support Accountability for Results

    Get PDF
    Although leaders are expected to nurture and sustain a culture of accountability for results, little is known about how health leaders in developing countries perceive, interpret, demonstrate, and promote accountability in their day-to-day practices. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the management and leadership practices that leaders of public and non-profit health support organizations in Uganda utilize to embody and support accountability for key stakeholders’ results. Data from in-depths interviews with 13 participants at the governance, senior management, and middle management levels were analysed using thematic data analysis. Riggio\u27s conceptualization of using multiple perspectives and disciplines to understand leadership guided the study. The findings indicate that the combination of management and leadership practices that promote accountability results are motivated and sustained by the leaders’ ethical and moral values, character and soft skills; majorly driven by task, relations, change, and externally-oriented leadership behavior; aligned with the leaders’ perceived primary management and leadership roles and responsibilities; and focus on enabling others to identify the right problem to address, recognize and navigate the eclectic ecosystem-wide interests, and mandates. These findings add to knowledge on managing and leading accountability in low-income settings. Implications for positive social change included understanding how to identify, select, develop, promote, and retain managers and staff with the relevant skills, enduring positive intrapersonal accountability motives and practices; this results in building effective organization systems that shape, strengthen, and sustain a culture of accountability for results

    Frequency and function of lymphocytes in labouring compared to non-labouring decidua

    Get PDF
    The uterine mucosa, known as the decidua during pregnancy, contains a unique immune microenvironment. Decidual immune activation has been hypothesised to initiate labour, the end of pregnancy when the muscles contract to excel the baby. Understanding this process could facilitate the development of medications to delay labour and prevent preterm birth. Prior research examining decidual immune cells during labour lacked known decidual markers. Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) data has provided more information about the uterine immune landscape e.g. identifying three uterine NK subsets (uNK1-3). Using existing scRNAseq data and novel flow cytometry data, I examined decidual immune cells during labour. I integrated existing uterine scRNAseq datasets, from throughout the reproductive cycle. The data showed the immune environment is dynamic, suggesting roles for particular cells at different stages e.g. uNKs in the first trimester. uNK1 were thought to aid placental implantation, due to their receptor expression profile. However, I noted an upregulation of these receptors in all uNK subsets in the first trimester, suggesting they are all involved. I optimised a protocol to isolate immune cells from term decidua. The scRNAseq and flow cytometry data suggests that uNKs and Tregs do not have a significant role initiating labour. My examination of an existing scRNAseq dataset found a cluster of chemokine producing myeloid cells which expanded in the decidua parietalis during labour. This, along with insights from rat models, suggests these myeloid cells are potential initiators of labour. The integrated analysis of uterine immune cells could be used as a guide for investigating abnormalities throughout the reproductive cycle. For the labouring data, uNK and Tregs have been excluded as having a large role in initiating term labour and myeloid cells put forward as potential candidates for this role. Also, this term data could guide future studies on preterm birth.Open Acces
    corecore