Development of a Web-Based Human Resource Sourcing System for Labour Only Contracts

Nowadays in some areas of Nigeria, it has been noticed that the search for a satisfactory team of labourers (skilled and unskilled) or even the right amount of people to undertake the job has become a laborious activity. Therefore, there is need to build a two-way partnership system linking construction firms with the required skilled labour and vice versa. The aim of this research is to develop a web-based human resource sourcing system for labour only contracts. The study made use of a questionnaire instrument and developed a web-based interface for skilled labour sourcing. The questionnaire was distributed to fifty (50) construction professionals who were selected through a convenience sampling technique. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS v.21. The design of the system was done using hypertext markup language (HTML) for authoring web pages. The study revealed that contractors’ sourcing techniques for skilled labour on construction projects were mostly by referral from colleagues and workers from past projects. The study identified the major barriers in sourcing for skilled labour on construction projects as the unavailability of trained skilled labour. The study revealed that years of experience, wages charged and behavior of the worker were major criteria considered while sourcing for skilled labour on construction projects. In conclusion, the study developed a web based human resource sourcing system for labour only contracts that incorporated the needs of the skilled labour and requirement of construction firms. It was recommended that construction professionals and contractors need to harness the benefits of web-based technologies. In addition, there is need to increase the information and communication technology (ICT) trainings of workers in the construction industry so has to have a successful integration of ICT and the construction industry

A machine learning approach for predicting critical factors determining adoption of off-site construction in Nigeria

Purpose (limit 100 words) Several factors influence OSC adoption, but extant literature did not articulate the dominant barriers or drivers influencing adoption. Therefore, this research has not only ventured into analyzing the core influencing factors but has also employed one of the best-known predictive means, Machine Learning, to identify the most influencing OSC adoption factors. Design/methodology/approach (limit 100 words) The research approach is deductive in nature, focusing on finding out the most critical factors through literature review and reinforcing the factors through a 5- point Likert scale survey questionnaire. The responses received were tested for reliability before being run through Machine Learning algorithms to determine the most influencing OSC factors within the Nigerian Construction Industry (NCI). Findings (limit 100 words) The research outcome identifies seven (7) best-performing algorithms for predicting OSC adoption: Decision Tree, Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbour, Extra-Trees, AdaBoost, Support Vector Machine, and Artificial Neural Network. It also reported finance, awareness, use of Building Information Modeling (BIM), and belief in OSC as the main influencing factors. Research limitations/implications (limit 100 words) Data were primarily collected among the NCI professionals/workers and the whole exercise was Nigeria region-based. The research outcome, however, provides a foundation for OSC adoption potential within Nigeria, Africa and beyond. Practical implications (limit 100 words) The research concluded that with detailed attention paid to the identified factors, OSC usage could find its footing in Nigeria and, consequently, Africa. The models can also serve as a template for other regions where OSC adoption is being considered. Originality/value (limit 100 words) The research establishes the most effective algorithms for the prediction of OSC adoption possibilities as well as critical influencing factors to successfully adopting OSC within the NCI as a means to surmount its housing shortage

Influenza A virus causes maternal and fetal pathology via innate and adaptive vascular inflammation in mice

Influenza A virus (IAV) infection during pregnancy causes severe maternal and perinatal complications, despite a lack of vertical transmission of IAV across the placenta. Here, we demonstrate a significant alteration in the maternal vascular landscape that underpins the maternal and downstream fetal pathology to IAV infection in mice. In IAV infection of nonpregnant mice, the local lung inflammatory response was contained to the lungs and was self-resolving, whereas in pregnant mice, virus dissemination to major maternal blood vessels, including the aorta, resulted in a peripheral "vascular storm," with elevated proinflammatory and antiviral mediators and the influx of Ly6Clow and Ly6Chigh monocytes, plus neutrophils and T cells. This vascular storm was associated with elevated levels of the adhesion molecules ICAM and VCAM and the pattern-recognition receptors TLR7 and TLR9 in the vascular wall, resulting in profound vascular dysfunction. The sequalae of this IAV-driven vascular storm included placental growth retardation and intrauterine growth restriction, evidence of placental and fetal brain hypoxia, and increased circulating cell free fetal DNA and soluble Flt1. In contrast, IAV infection in nonpregnant mice caused no obvious alterations in endothelial function or vascular inflammation. Therefore, IAV infection during pregnancy drives a significant systemic vascular alteration in pregnant dams, which likely suppresses critical blood flow to the placenta and fetus. This study in mice provides a fundamental mechanistic insight and a paradigm into how an immune response to a respiratory virus, such as IAV, is likely to specifically drive maternal and fetal pathologies during pregnancy.Stella Liong, Osezua Oseghale, Eunice E. To, Kurt Brassington, Jonathan R. Erlich, Raymond Luong ... et al

TLR7 promotes chronic airway disease in RSV-infected mice

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) commonly infects the upper respiratory tract (URT) of humans, manifesting with mild cold or flu-like symptoms. However, in infants and the elderly, severe disease of the lower respiratory tract (LRT) often occurs and can develop into chronic airway disease. A better understanding of how an acute RSV infection transitions to a LRT chronic inflammatory disease is critically important to improve patient care and long-term health outcomes. To model acute and chronic phases of the disease, we infected wild-type C57BL/6 and toll-like receptor 7 knockout (TLR7 KO) mice with RSV and temporally assessed nasal, airway and lung inflammation for up to 42 days post-infection. We show that TLR7 reduced viral titers in the URT during acute infection but promoted pronounced pathogenic and chronic airway inflammation and hyperreactivity in the LRT. This study defines a hitherto unappreciated molecular mechanism of lower respiratory pathogenesis to RSV, highlighting the potential of TLR7 modulation to constrain RSV pathology to the URT

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species contribute to pathological inflammation during influenza a virus infection in mice

Aims: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules generated in different subcellular sites or compartments, including endosomes via the NOX2-containing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase during an immune response and in mitochondria during cellular respiration. However, while endosomal NOX2 oxidase promotes innate inflammation to influenza A virus (IAV) infection, the role of mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) has not been comprehensively investigated in the context of viral infections in vivo. Results: In this study, we show that pharmacological inhibition of mtROS, with intranasal delivery of MitoTEMPO, resulted in a reduction in airway/lung inflammation, neutrophil infiltration, viral titers, as well as overall morbidity and mortality in mice infected with IAV (Hkx31, H3N2). MitoTEMPO treatment also attenuated apoptotic and necrotic neutrophils and macrophages in airway and lung tissue. At an early phase of influenza infection, that is, day 3 there were significantly lower amounts of IL-1β protein in the airways, but substantially higher amounts of type I IFN-β following MitoTEMPO treatment. Importantly, blocking mtROS did not appear to alter the initiation of an adaptive immune response by lung dendritic cells, nor did it affect lung B and T cell populations that participate in humoral and cellular immunity. Innovation/Conclusion: Influenza virus infection promotes mtROS production, which drives innate immune inflammation and this exacerbates viral pathogenesis. This pathogenic cascade highlights the therapeutic potential of local mtROS antioxidant delivery to alleviate influenza virus pathology.Eunice E. To, Jonathan R. Erlich, Felicia Liong, Raymond Luong, Stella Liong, Farisha Esaq, Osezua Oseghale, Desiree Anthony, Jonathan McQualter, Steven Bozinovski, Ross Vlahos, John J. O, Leary, Doug A. Brooks, and Stavros Selemidi

Evaluating the Performance of a Nonelectronic, Versatile Oxygenating Perfusion System across Viscosities Representative of Clinical Perfusion Solutions Used for Organ Preservation

Introduction: On the United States’ Organ Transplantation Waitlist, approximately 17 people die each day waiting for an organ. The situation continues to deteriorate as the discrepancy between harvested organs and the number of patients in need is increasing. Static cold storage is the clinical standard method for preserving a harvested organ but is associated with several drawbacks. Machine perfusion of an organ has been shown to improve preservation quality as well as preservation time over static cold storage. While there are machine perfusion devices clinically available, they are costly and limited to specific organs and preservation solutions. This study presents a versatile oxygenating perfusion system (VOPS) that supplies oxygen and pulsatile perfusion. Materials and Methods: Experiments evaluated the system’s performance with a human kidney mimicking hydraulic analog using multiple compressed oxygen supply pressures and aqueous solutions with viscosities ranging from 1 to 6.5 cP, which simulated viscosities of commonly used organ preservation solutions. Results and Conclusions: The VOPS produced mean flow rates ranging from 0.6 to 28.2 mL/min and perfusion pressures from 4.8 to 96.8 mmHg, which successfully achieved the desired perfusion parameters for human kidneys. This work provides evidence that the VOPS described herein has the versatility to perfuse organs using many of the clinically available preservation solutions

Agonist of growth hormone-releasing hormone reduces pneumolysin-induced pulmonary permeability edema

Aggressive treatment with antibiotics in patients infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae induces release of the bacterial virulence factor pneumolysin (PLY). Days after lungs are sterile, this pore-forming toxin can still induce pulmonary permeability edema in patients, characterized by alveolar/capillary barrier dysfunction and impaired alveolar liquid clearance (ALC). ALC is mainly regulated through Na(+) transport by the apically expressed epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and the basolaterally expressed Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase in type II alveolar epithelial cells. Because no standard treatment is currently available to treat permeability edema, the search for novel therapeutic candidates is of high priority. We detected mRNA expression for the active receptor splice variant SV1 of the hypothalamic polypeptide growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), as well as for GHRH itself, in human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HL-MVEC). Therefore, we have evaluated the effect of the GHRH agonist JI-34 on PLY-induced barrier and ALC dysfunction. JI-34 blunts PLY-mediated endothelial hyperpermeability in monolayers of HL-MVEC, in a cAMP-dependent manner, by means of reducing the phosphorylation of myosin light chain and vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin. In human airway epithelial H441 cells, PLY significantly impairs Na(+) uptake, but JI-34 restores it to basal levels by means of increasing cAMP levels. Intratracheal instillation of PLY into C57BL6 mice causes pulmonary alveolar epithelial and endothelial hyperpermeability as well as edema formation, all of which are blunted by JI-34. These findings point toward a protective role of the GHRH signaling pathway in PLY-induced permeability edema

Drivers of training and talent development: insights from oil and gas MNCs in Nigeria

The paper examines the main drivers, nature and extent of employee training in oil and gas (O&G) multinational companies (MNCs). Using insights from 16 managers in Nigeria O&G industry, we identified three broad levels of factors driving the training provisions and talent development decisions. The study further develops an integrated model of direct and moderating factors of training. The findings suggest that government regulations, health and safety concerns, industry-education outreach programmes and the general level of industry tend to trigger proactive measures in developing relevant training programmes. Moreover, the findings demonstrate that organizations’ strategies, policies, health and safety concerns and technological changes also influence training decision-making. The practical implications of the study as well as implications for training and development research are discussed