Development of Conceptual Motivation Framework to Enhance Construction Labour Productivity in the UK

Motivation is essential because labour performance depends on motivation. The study presents vital motivation factors influencing labour productivity and the relationship between social compliance, motivation, and productivity for decision-making. The construction industry in the U.K. is to become the largest construction market by 2030. However, construction productivity in the U.K. is low relative to other industries, resulting in a skilled labour shortage and low productivity growth. Hence, the opportunities for research to improve productivity in constructing for the future through motivation by social compliance. The study conducts a critical literature review of 32 significant motivation and productivity articles from construction and other industries in an online database to identify 31 factors. The findings indicate that motivation mediates social compliance and productivity. The study developed a conceptual motivation framework that indicates a positive relationship with motivation, social compliance, and productivity. The next stage is empirically testing the framework on sites

Development of Conceptual Motivational Framework to Improve Construction Labour Productivity in the U.K.

The theoretical study presents vital motivational factors influencing labour productivity and understanding the relationship between motivation, social compliance, and labour productivity for decision-making. Labour motivation is essential because the quality of labour performance depends upon motivation. Labour who put forth more effort makes a big difference in company productivity. The construction industry in the U.K. is to become Europe’s largest construction market by 2030. However, the trend of construction industry productivity in the U.K. has been low relative to other industries resulting in a skilled labour shortage, project delays, high construction costs, and low productivity growth as foreign migrants execute most projects. The U.K. serves as a security for the concerns of Middle Eastern and other war-torn countries, including the effects of the Ukraine war. It is the largest market for U.S.A. service exports, thus accepting more migrants. Therefore, demands for housing projects are ever-increasing, leading to a rise in construction projects that present opportunities for research to improve productivity through motivation by enhancing social compliance. The findings indicate that motivation mediates social compliance and labour productivity and that the essential way to motivate labour is by upholding social compliance. The present study conducts a comprehensive literature review to identify motivational factors influencing labour productivity. The findings developed a conceptual motivational framework that indicates a positive relationship between motivation, social compliance, and labour productivity. The next level is to test the framework on construction sites empirically through pragmatism philosophy with quantitative and qualitative approaches

Low Frequency Eddy Currents with magnetic Saturation for In-Line Detection and Sizing of Stress Corrosion Cracks

Under previous programs for the Pipeline Research Committee, Battelle has developed and field tested a low frequency eddy current instrument for characterizing stress corrosion cracks in pipelines. While a significant improvement over conventional magnetic particle inspections, the eddy current method as it was developed in these programs is limited to use for inspections of pipelines from the outside surface. This paper examines the possibility of using this low frequency eddy current equipment to detect and size stress corrosion cracks from the interior of the pipeline by magnetically saturating the pipeline to reduce its permeability and thereby increase penetration of the eddy currents into the pipe

Nondestructive Measurement of Magnetic Permeability

Conventional techniques for measuring magnetic permeability using permeameters require either a thin strip or a ring to be cut from a sample of the material. Obviously, this type of measurement is destructive in nature and cannot be used for in-situ permeability measurements. In this paper, we describe a technique that can be used to measure the permeability of flat plates nondestructively. The method uses a closed-form solution for the on-axis field that is transmitted through the ferromagnetic plate by an axisymmetric coil with a rectangular cross-section, energized by a DC (or very low frequency) current

Benefits and challenges in using sero-prevalence data to inform models for measles and rubella elimination.

Control efforts for measles and rubella are intensifying globally. It becomes increasingly important to identify and reach remaining susceptible populations as elimination is approached. Serological surveys for measles and rubella can potentially measure susceptibility directly, but their use remains rare. Here, using simulations, we outline key subtleties in interpretation associated with the dynamic context of age-specific immunity, highlighting how the patterns of immunity predicted from disease surveillance and vaccination coverage data may be misleading. High quality representative sero-surveys could provide a more accurate assessment of immunity if challenges of conducting, analyzing, and interpreting them are overcome. We frame the core disease control and elimination questions that could be addressed by improved serological tools, discussing challenges and suggesting approaches to increase the feasibility and sustainability of the tool. Accounting for the dynamical context, sero-surveys could play a key role in efforts to achieve and sustain elimination

Binary and Multiple O-Type Stars in the Cas OB6 Association

We present the results of time-resolved spectroscopy of 13 O-type stars in the Cas OB6 stellar association. We conducted a survey for radial velocity variability in search of binary systems, which are expected to be plentiful in young OB associations. Here we report the discovery of two new single-lined binaries, and we present new orbital elements for three double-lined binaries (including one in the multiple star system HD 17505). One of the double-lined systems is the eclipsing binary system DN Cas, and we present a preliminary light curve analysis that yields the system inclination, masses, and radii. We compare the spectra of the single stars and the individual components of the binary stars with model synthetic spectra to estimate the stellar effective temperatures, gravities, and projected rotational velocities. We also make fits of the spectral energy distributions to derive E(B-V), R=A_V/E(B-V), and angular diameter. A distance of 1.9 kpc yields radii that are consistent with evolutionary models. We find that 7 of 14 systems with spectroscopic data are probable binaries, consistent with the high binary frequency found for other massive stars in clusters and associations.Comment: 40 pages, ApJ, in pres

Baltic Salmon, Salmo salar, from Swedish River Lule Älv Is More Resistant to Furunculosis Compared to Rainbow Trout

BACKGROUND: Furunculosis, caused by Aeromonas salmonicida, continues to be a major health problem for the growing salmonid aquaculture. Despite effective vaccination programs regular outbreaks occur at the fish farms calling for repeated antibiotic treatment. We hypothesized that a difference in natural susceptibility to this disease might exist between Baltic salmon and the widely used rainbow trout. STUDY DESIGN: A cohabitation challenge model was applied to investigate the relative susceptibility to infection with A. salmonicida in rainbow trout and Baltic salmon. The course of infection was monitored daily over a 30-day period post challenge and the results were summarized in mortality curves. RESULTS: A. salmonicida was recovered from mortalities during the entire test period. At day 30 the survival was 6.2% and 34.0% for rainbow trout and Baltic salmon, respectively. Significant differences in susceptibility to A. salmonicida were demonstrated between the two salmonids and hazard ratio estimation between rainbow trout and Baltic salmon showed a 3.36 higher risk of dying from the infection in the former. CONCLUSION: The finding that Baltic salmon carries a high level of natural resistance to furunculosis might raise new possibilities for salmonid aquaculture in terms of minimizing disease outbreaks and the use of antibiotics

Changes in Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotype 1 Following Introduction of PCV10 and PCV13: Findings from the PSERENADE Project.

Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 1 (ST1) was an important cause of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) globally before the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) containing ST1 antigen. The Pneumococcal Serotype Replacement and Distribution Estimation (PSERENADE) project gathered ST1 IPD surveillance data from sites globally and aimed to estimate PCV10/13 impact on ST1 IPD incidence. We estimated ST1 IPD incidence rate ratios (IRRs) comparing the pre-PCV10/13 period to each post-PCV10/13 year by site using a Bayesian multi-level, mixed-effects Poisson regression and all-site IRRs using a linear mixed-effects regression (N = 45 sites). Following PCV10/13 introduction, the incidence rate (IR) of ST1 IPD declined among all ages. After six years of PCV10/13 use, the all-site IRR was 0.05 (95% credibility interval 0.04–0.06) for all ages, 0.05 (0.04–0.05) for <5 years of age, 0.08 (0.06–0.09) for 5–17 years, 0.06 (0.05–0.08) for 18–49 years, 0.06 (0.05–0.07) for 50–64 years, and 0.05 (0.04–0.06) for ≥65 years. PCV10/13 use in infant immunization programs was followed by a 95% reduction in ST1 IPD in all ages after approximately 6 years. Limited data availability from the highest ST1 disease burden countries using a 3+0 schedule constrains generalizability and data from these settings are needed

Cheating the locals: invasive mussels steal and benefit from the cooling effect of indigenous mussels

The indigenous South African mussel Perna perna gapes during periods of aerial exposure to maintain aerobic respiration. This behaviour has no effect on the body temperatures of isolated individuals, but when surrounded by conspecifics, beneficial cooling effects of gaping emerge. It is uncertain, however, whether the presence of the invasive mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis limits the ability of P. perna for collective thermoregulation. We investigated whether varying densities of P. perna and M. galloprovincialis influences the thermal properties of both natural and artificial mussel beds during periods of emersion. Using infrared thermography, body temperatures of P. perna within mixed artificial beds were shown to increase faster and reach higher temperatures than individuals in conspecific beds, indicating that the presence of M. galloprovincialis limits the group cooling effects of gaping. In contrast, body temperatures of M. galloprovincialis within mixed artificial mussel beds increased slower and exhibited lower temperatures than for individuals in beds comprised entirely of M. galloprovincialis. Interestingly, differences in bed temperatures and heating rates were largely dependent on the size of mussels, with beds comprised of larger individuals experiencing less thermal stress irrespective of species composition. The small-scale patterns of thermal stress detected within manipulated beds were not observed within naturally occurring mixed mussel beds. We propose that small-scale differences in topography, size-structure, mussel bed size and the presence of organisms encrusting the mussel shells mask the effects of gaping behaviour within natural mussel beds. Nevertheless, the results from our manipulative experiment indicate that the invasive species M. galloprovincialis steals thermal properties as well as resources from the indigenous mussel P. perna. This may have significant implications for predicting how the co-existence of these two species may change as global temperatures continue to rise

Global landscape review of serotype-specific invasive pneumococcal disease surveillance among countries using PCV10/13: The pneumococcal serotype replacement and distribution estimation (PSERENADE) project

Serotype-specific surveillance for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is essential for assessing the impact of 10- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV10/13). The Pneumococcal Serotype Replacement and Distribution Estimation (PSERENADE) project aimed to evaluate the global evidence to estimate the impact of PCV10/13 by age, product, schedule, and syndrome. Here we systematically characterize and summarize the global landscape of routine serotype-specific IPD surveillance in PCV10/13-using countries and describe the subset that are included in PSERENADE. Of 138 countries using PCV10/13 as of 2018, we identified 109 with IPD surveillance systems, 76 of which met PSERENADE data collection eligibility criteria. PSERENADE received data from most (n = 63, 82.9%), yielding 240,639 post-PCV10/13 introduction IPD cases. Pediatric and adult surveillance was represented from all geographic regions but was limited from lower income and high-burden countries. In PSERENADE, 18 sites evaluated PCV10, 42 PCV13, and 17 both; 17 sites used a 3 + 0 schedule, 38 used 2 + 1, 13 used 3 + 1, and 9 used mixed schedules. With such a sizeable and generally representative dataset, PSERENADE will be able to conduct robust analyses to estimate PCV impact and inform policy at national and global levels regarding adult immunization, schedule, and product choice, including for higher valency PCVs on the horizon