Women as construction professionals: modern day challenges

The ratio of men to women in the construction industry is one that has often attracted great concern for all stakeholders. Although the UK construction sector has enjoyed a significant rise in the number of women, there is undoubtedly more room for improvement. Numerous schemes have been initiated by government and other professional bodies to encourage more women to join the industry. On the surface, many issues such as lack of workplace flexibility and looming discrimination prevent many more women from joining. Using the glass ceiling and the leaky pipeline theories, an in-depth exploration of experiences of female construction professionals is undertaken in this research. A total of six semi-structured interviews were carried out. Although the respondents acknowledged the industry had improved significantly, they nevertheless expressed concerns on many issues that they believed needed to be addressed. It was identified that many women struggle to re-enter the industry after embarking on maternity leave. Furthermore, the respondents believed that some workplace progressions were only due to senior managers’ attempt to demonstrate a level of inclusivity rather than due to merit. Finally, it was revealed that sexism is still rife in the industry and many women are left in very uncomfortable environments with fear of voicing out this horror. This research merely offers a peek at the ordeals that some women have to endure when working in the construction industry. Hopefully by addressing such issues, more women will be encouraged to take up professions in the sector

The effect of photochemical ageing and initial precursor concentration on the composition and hygroscopic properties of β-caryophyllene secondary organic aerosol

The effect of photochemical ageing and initial precursor concentration on the composition and hygroscopic properties of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed during the chamber photo-oxidation of β-caryophyllene/NO_x mixtures were investigated. Nucleation of β-caryophyllene SOA particles occurred almost immediately after oxidation was initiated and led to the formation of fresh SOA with a relatively simpler composition than has been reported for monoterpenes. The SOA yield values ranged from 9.5–26.7% and 30.4–44.5% using a differential mobility particle sizer (DMPS) and an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) mass based measurements, respectively. A total of 20 compounds were identified in the SOA by LC-MS/MS, with the most abundant compounds identified as β-caryophyllonic acid and β-caryophyllinic acid/β-nocaryophyllonic acid. The O:C and H:C elemental ratios of products identified in the condensed phase ranged from 0.20 to 1.00 and 1.00 to 2.00, with average values of 0.39 and 1.58, respectively. The increase in the O:C ratio was associated with a decrease in the saturation concentration of the identified compounds. The compounds identified in the lower initial concentration experiments were more oxidised compared to those that were found to be more abundant in the higher initial concentration experiments with average O:C ratios of 0.51 and 0.27, respectively. Photochemical ageing led to a more complex SOA composition with a larger contribution coming from lower molar mass, higher generation products, where both double bonds had been oxidised. This effect was more evident in the experiments conducted using the lower initial precursor concentration; a finding confirmed by the temporal behaviour of key organic mass fragment measured by an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer. Although the composition changed with both initial precursor concentration and ageing, this had no significant measurable effect on the hygroscopic properties of the SOA formed. The latter finding might have been influenced by the difference in pre-treatment of the semivolatile-containing particles prior to their measurements

Microtermolides A and B from Termite-Associated Streptomyces sp. and Structural Revision of Vinylamycin

Microtermolides A (1) and B (2) were isolated from a Streptomyces sp. strain associated with fungus-growing termites. The structures of 1 and 2 were determined by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Structural elucidation of 1 led to the re-examination of the structure originally proposed for vinylamycin (3). Based on a comparison of predicted and experimental $^1$H and $^{13}$C NMR chemical shifts, we propose that vinylamycin’s structure be revised from 3 to 4

Preparation of sirna-encapsulated plga nanoparticles for sustained release of sirna and evaluation of encapsulation efficiency

Nanoparticles (NPs) formulated using poly (d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), a biodegradable, biocompatible, and clinically approved polymer, have been widely used for targeted drug delivery. Here we provide methods for preparing PLGA NPs that encapsulate small interfering RNA (siRNA). The siRNA NPs are formulated using a double-emulsion solvent evaporation technique with the addition of a small amount of the cationic polymer, polyethyleneimine, which significantly increases siRNA encapsulation. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC