Measuring, Modeling, and Assessing Safety Communication in Construction Crews in the US Using Social Network Analysis

Effective safety communication has been found as a major practice to enhance safety performance. Open discussion from supervisors to employees, immediate feedback and corrections, and implementing a lesson-learned program are examples of practices that help managers to improve on-site safety communication. Yet, safety communication has become more challenging, especially for bi or multi-lingual construction work crews in which Hispanic workers account the majority of the construction workforce in some States. Beside the language barrier, cultural differences have also influenced safety practices for Hispanic workers. This dissertation employs social network analysis approach to quantify and model the weaknesses and potential points of safety communication for small work crews. Additionally, it uses exploratory interview and Photovoice techniques to study safety challenges for Hispanic workers. This dissertation follows a three-journal paper formation. The first paper is an exploratory study that models and quantifies the five safety communication modes of local small construction crews; in addition, it generates visualized networks of communication patterns. The second paper investigates the relationships between personal attributes, communication patterns, and safety performance of 161 participants from 14 different work crews. The third paper proposes research to study and determine the cultural challenge of safety for Hispanic workers. Further, it aims to determine theoretical and practical solutions about existing concerns and issues from Hispanic workers' perspectives

Efficacy and safety of topical minocycline preparations for papulopustular rosacea: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundRosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition. Papulopustular rosacea (PPR), one of the subtypes of rosacea, presents with papules and pustules (Pelle, 2008). Topical minocycline allow the delivery of high concentrations of the medication to the skin while decreasing systemic exposure thereby evading side effects (Jones et al., 2021, Webster et al., 2020). This study aims to review the literature to delineate the efficacy and safety of topical preparations of minocycline in the treatment of moderate to severe papulopustular rosacea.MethodsThis systematic review included randomized clinical trials (RCT) only that compared the efficacy and safety of 1.5% minocycline foam and 1%, 3% minocycline gel versus placebo in patients with moderate to severe papulopustular rosacea. We performed a systematic search in Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Efficacy outcomes included the absolute change in inflammatory lesion counts, the percentage change in the inflammatory lesion count, the percentage of participants achieving Investigator Global Assessment (IGA) with improvement of at least two grades, and the proportion of individuals that achieved an IGA 0/1 score (“clear” or “almost clear”). This paper was conducted in adherence to PRISMA guidelines. Also, we have registered our protocol in PROSPERO (CRD42023447486). Quality assessment of the included studies was conducted using ROB-2 tool. Additionally, we have assessed the level of evidence using GRADE too. The analysis was performed using RevMan.ResultsFive randomized controlled trials with low risk of bias were included in the quantitative synthesis with a total of 2,453 enrolled participants. Minocycline (FMX103) 1.5% foam yielded statistically significant results in terms of IGA score indicating treatment success [Risk Ratio (RR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04–1.66, P = 0.02]. FMX103 and minocycline gel 1% and 3% had significant results in absolute change in inflammatory lesion count (RR = 3.49, 95% CI = 2.61–4.36, P < 0.00001). Change in inflammatory lesion count from baseline with minocycline 1.5% foam was significantly reduced (RR = 9.45, 95% CI = 5.84–13.06, P < 0.00001). Other indicators of symptom reduction were not significant for both foam and gel preparations.ConclusionOur findings suggest that topical preparations of minocycline provide statistically significant results in reducing absolute inflammatory lesion count and having IGA treatment success among patients with moderate to severe papulopustular rosacea. Further studies, however, should assess the efficacy of different concentrations and combinations of minocycline to better delineate the effect of this drug in the clinical aspect.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO, identifier CRD42023447486, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42023447486

Incidence of upper respiratory tract infections with biological therapies in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition affecting 5%−20% of children and 2%−10% of adults worldwide. Treatment for moderate-to-severe AD includes biologics like dupilumab, tralokinumab, lebrikizumab, and JAK inhibitors (abrocitinib, upadacitinib). However, upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are commonly reported adverse events for these therapies. This meta-analysis aims to estimate the pooled incidence of URTIs associated with these treatments compared to topicals.MethodsA systematic search was conducted across PubMed, MEDLINE, DOAJ, and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving AD patients treated with dupilumab, tralokinumab, lebrikizumab, abrocitinib, or upadacitinib, excluding studies of patients treated with topicals, Studies on other dermatitis types and biologics. Data on URTI events, sample sizes, and incidence were extracted. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool (RoB 2). A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted using the Netmeta package in R, calculating odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsFrom 413 retrieved records, 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. URTI incidence of the treatment group in the included studies ranged from 0.35% to 41.5%, while control groups showed rates between 0% and 40%. Across all studies, URTI incidence was 9.70% in intervention groups and 8.03% in placebo groups (MH OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.98–1.42). Heterogeneity was low (I2 = 20.14%), with no evidence of publication bias (p = 0.83). There were no significant subgroup differences between patients taking different biological therapies (Q = 3.90, p = 0.42).ConclusionWhile URTIs are common adverse events for AD therapies, their incidence in intervention groups is similar to control, suggesting no significant increase in risk. These findings provide critical insights for clinicians in balancing efficacy and safety when selecting therapies for AD patients. Further research should explore patient-specific risk factors for URTIs.Systematic review registrationProspero registration code: [392093]. PROSPERO, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination: CRD42023392093

Types and Functions of Reduplication in Palembang

In this paper, we study the morphosemantic aspects of reduplication in Palembang (also known as Musi). In Palembang, both content and function words undergo reduplication, generating a wide variety of semantic functions, such as pluralization, iteration, distribution, and nominalization. Productive reduplication includes full reduplication and reduplication plus affixation, while fossilized reduplication includes partial reduplication and rhyming reduplication. We employed the Distributed Morphology theory (DM) (Halle and Marantz 1993, 1994) to account for these different patterns of reduplication. Moreover, we compared the functions of Palembang reduplication to those of Malay and Indonesian reduplication. Some instances of function word reduplication in Palembang were not found in these languages, such as reduplication of question words and reduplication of negators. In addition, Palembang partial reduplication is fossilized, with only a few examples collected. In contrast, Malay partial reduplication is productive and utilized to create new words, especially words borrowed from English (Ahmad 2005)

Screening and Characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis Stock Cultures from Middle Tennessee for Production of Chitinase Enzyme

Chitinases are secreted by Bacillus thuringiensis strains (Bt). They serve as an alternative to chemical pesticides. Chitin products obtained by the action of chitinases on chitin polymer for different purposes such as clinical, industrial, and pharmaceutical Bt is a Gram-positive soil bacterium, with a genome size of 2.4 to 5.7 million base pairs. Bt strains are used in this research because it is a safer bacterium for humans and the environment. The spatial occurrence of this organism is not restricted and has been isolated worldwide from many habitats, including soil, stored-product dust, insects, and deciduous and coniferous leaves. Sixty-Six strains of B. thuringiensis used in this research were collected isolates from Middle Tennessee. PCR amplification was used to obtain the chitinase gene from Bacillus thuringiensis isolates and analyze by agarose gel electrophoresis. We found some strains have chitinase gene with both primers used in this research, and some strains just produced chitinase gene with degenerate primer. The sequence aligned with corresponding sequences of both primers specific and degenerate from the database by using BLASTX and the sequences compared with the sequence in the data gene bank. Bacillus thuringiensis strains were screened on colloidal-chitin agar medium. Then, after incubation for 72h at 30°C, Chitinase production was determined by the zones that hydrolysis produced. Chitinase production was determined by zones of hydrolysis produced after 72, 96 and 120 h of incubation at 37°C. After four days of incubation, 41 bacteria isolates obtained from Middle Tennessee were selected as chitinase-producing bacteria based on the clear zones of hydrolysis produced. The result with both primers concludes that Bt 8 does not produce the chitinase gene and, it is not secreted in the colloidal chitin agar plate. Bacillus thuringiensis strains will be very important for chitinase production in biotechnology and biocontrol of fungal pathogens and harmful insects

Needs Analysis in ESP Context: Saudi Engineering Students as a Case Study

Needs analysis can be a vital asset for teachers of English for specific purposes (ESP) to identify their learners’ key requirements or needs and determine the areas in which they are lacking skills. Against this background, this study was undertaken during the academic year 2015-16 to define the English language needs of engineering students (N= 200) majoring in civil engineering and industrial engineering. The data of this study was collected from different sources, including a classroom observation protocol, a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview with both ESP and subject-matter teachers (SM) at Umm Al-Qura University. Results of the data analysis offered significant insights as to the teaching of ESP course. The study revealed that receptive skills (i.e., reading and listening) were mostly focused on in ESP classes. It has been also reported that writing and reading along with speaking skills were needed more than others. The data analysis helped to determine the most important language tasks in the context of engineering studies. Finally, a call was being made by both ESP and SM teachers to enhance the quality of the ESP course taught to engineering students by offering relevant suggestions. Based on these findings, the present study concluded with implications for course designers and recommendations for future studies

Dictogloss in Saudi EFL Context: Potential Effects on Students’ Writing Skill and Attitudes towards Learning English

This quasi-experimental study investigates the effects of dictogloss strategy on Saudi EFL writing skills and attitudes towards learning English. It also measures students’ attitudes towards learning English using dictogloss activities. The study opens doors for teachers of EFL towards new teaching methods and techniques for writing skills and the English language in general, away from traditional teaching. In order to answer the two main questions of the study, a sample of Saudi EFL college-level students was randomly selected and divided into an experimental group and a control group. The researcher used the dictogloss strategy when teaching the experimental group for five weeks, whereas the students in the control group were taught using the traditional way. Students were matched according to their writing proficiency, instructed by the same teacher (the researcher), and were similar in age. After five weeks of instruction, both groups completed another writing post-test and the attitude questionnaire. Measures of the means, standard deviations, and ANCOVA were used to determine the differences between the two groups. The results revealed a significant statistical difference in students writing skills, including their engagement and motivation in the class and their language output, favoring the experimental group. The study concludes with recommendations for training EFL teachers on using dictogloss when teaching writing and that dictogloss texts should be topic-based materials to integrate different language skills collaboratively

Characterization of Plasmids prepared from Bacillus thuringiensis strains obtained from Middle Tennessee

Bacillus thuringiensis is a gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming soil bacterium, which produces different insecticidal toxic proteins that are commercially used in controlling agriculturally important insects. B. thuringiensis strains are known to carry large plasmids on which genes for insecticidal proteins are often housed. Plasmids are self-replicating extra chromosomal DNA molecules found in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The objectives of this study were to characterize strains of B. thuringiensis isolated from soil, dust from grain storage, and water samples collected in Middle Tennessee based on their plasmid content and to characterize the plasmids from these strains using restriction digestion analyses. In this research, plasmid DNA preparations were carried out on a total of 48 strains using QIAprep® Spin Miniprep Kit and analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis in order to separate mixed DNA fragments. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed that all the B. thuringiensis strains contain at least one plasmid, and some strains contained as many as five (5) or more plasmids. In addition, three types of restriction enzymes (EcoRI, EvoRV, and HindIII) were used to digest the plasmids. The first enzyme EcoRI digested the plasmids of all the strains except B. thuringiensis18. The second enzyme was EcoRV, digested all of the plasmids of the B. thuringiensis strains except 13. Furthermore, HindIII digested the plasmids of all the strains except B.thuringiensis13, 14, 15, and 17. The plasmids were determined to range in size from 1,517 bp to 10,500 bp or larger. In conclusion, it was found that the Bt strains studied in this project were not unique in their plasmid content. Further studies should involve characterizing individual plasmids of these strains to determine the presence of unique genes. It would also be of interest to determine the presence of any restriction enzymes associated with these organisms