How Can Big Data Analytics Improve Outbound Logistics in The UK Retail Sector? A Qualitative Study

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore how big data analytics (BDA) as a potential information technology (IT) innovation can facilitate the retail logistics supply chain (SC) from the perspective of outbound logistics operations in the United Kingdom. The authors’ goal was to better understand how BDA can be integrated to streamline SCs and logistical networks by using the technology, organisational and environmental model.Design/methodology/approach – The authors applied existing theoretical foundations for theory building based on semi-structured interviews with 15 SC and logistics managers. Findings – The perceived benefits of using BDA in outbound retail logistics comprised the strongest predictor amongst technological, organisational and environmental issues, followed by top management support (TMS). A framework was proposed for the adoption of BDA in retail logistics. Contextual concepts from previous literature have helped us understand how environmental changes impact BDA decision-making, as such: (i) SC maturity levels and connectivity affect BDA utilisation, (ii) connected SCs improve data accessibility and information exchange, (iii) the benefits of BDAs also affect adoption and (iv) outsourcing complex tasks toexperts allows companies to focus on core businesses instead of investing in IT infrastructure. Research limitations/implications – Outside the key findings listed, this study shows that there is noone-size-fits-it-all approach for use within all organisational settings. The proposed framework reveals that the perceived benefit of BDA is non-transferrable and requires top-level management support for successful implementation. Originality/value – The existing literature focusses on the approaches to applying BDA in SC and logisticsbut fails to present a deep dive into retail outbound logistics activity. This study addresses the “how” and proposes a social-inclusive framework for a technology-enabled topic. Keywords Supply chain analytics, Big data analytics, Outbound logistics, Retail supply chain management, TOE framewor

A deep-learning model for urban traffic flow prediction with traffic events mined from twitter

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2019-05-03, rev-recd 2019-11-12, accepted 2020-02-06, registration 2020-02-06, pub-electronic 2020-03-14, online 2020-03-14, pub-print 2021-07Publication status: PublishedFunder: University of ManchesterAbstract: Short-term traffic parameter forecasting is critical to modern urban traffic management and control systems. Predictive accuracy in data-driven traffic models is reduced when exposed to non-recurring or non-routine traffic events, such as accidents, road closures, and extreme weather conditions. The analytical mining of data from social networks – specifically twitter – can improve urban traffic parameter prediction by complementing traffic data with data representing events capable of disrupting regular traffic patterns reported in social media posts. This paper proposes a deep learning urban traffic prediction model that combines information extracted from tweet messages with traffic and weather information. The predictive model adopts a deep Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) stacked autoencoder (SAE) architecture for multi-step traffic flow prediction trained using tweets, traffic and weather datasets. The model is evaluated on an urban road network in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. The findings from extensive empirical analysis using real-world data demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach in improving prediction accuracy when compared to other classical/statistical and machine learning (ML) state-of-the-art models. The improvement in predictive accuracy can lead to reduced frustration for road users, cost savings for businesses, and less harm to the environment

Effects of Ethanolic Extract of Brassica juncea (Mustard Seed) on the Brain and Kidney Tissues of Albino Wistar Rats

Mustard seeds (Brassica species) are widely used as medicinal crops and spices. They are a rich source of oil and protein containing as high as 46 – 48% oil and 43.6% protein in whole seed meal. Historically, mustard seeds are mentioned in ancient Sanskrit writings dating back five thousand years. The ancient Greeks and Romans also used  the seeds for medicinal purposes. However, not much has been documented on the neurotoxic and nephrotoxic effects of mustard  seeds.  A study designed to investigate the possible toxicity of mustard seeds on brain and kidney tissues was carried out. Twenty albino wistar rats of mixed sexes, aged two months and weighing 100  - 140g were divided into four groups of five rats labeled A to D. Groups A and B were orally administered different concentrations of ethanolic extract of mustard seeds, 2000mg/kg and 4000mg/kg body weight respectively daily for two weeks while groups C and D served as pre and post-treatment  controls and received no extract.  Kidney and brain tissues of rats were histologically processed and stained using Haematoxylin and Eosin technique and examined microscopically. Sections revealed that the ethanolic extracts of Brassica juncea had visible histological effects and altered the histoarchitecture of the brain and kidney tissues of the test groups. The results suggest that prolonged ingestion of extract is toxic to tissues at the concentrations investigated. Keywords: Mustard seeds, albino wistar rats, ethanolic extrac

Commercial tricycle riders’ perceptions of psychoactive drug use and the risk of road traffic accidents in Uyo, Nigeria

This article reports qualitative interview study on commercial tricycle riders’ perceptions of psychoactive drug use and the risk of road traffic accidents in Nigeria. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit ninety-four (n=94) commercial tricycle riders in Uyo, Nigeria. Data were collected through in-depth, individual interviews. Inductive and thematic analyses were undertaken on the interview transcripts. The tricycle riders reported frequently consuming significant quantities of licit and illicit drugs, including alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and heroin. They attributed drug use to occupational hazards such as stress, fatigue and exhaustion. They recognized the effects of psychoactive drug use on tricycle riding, including impairment of vision, coordination and navigational abilities, and how these increase the risk of traffic accidents. Education, routine screening for drug use, curbing bribery and corruption among road safety officials, and curtailing availability of psychoactive drugs were recommended as measures for preventing drug use and road traffic accidents. Findings indicate significant overlap between lay and expert views on the risk factors for traffic accidents and counter-measures, highlighting the need to integrate lay perspectives into policy and action on road safety to improve outcomes.Keywords: Commercial tricycle riders, psychoactive drugs, road traffic accident

Educational attainment and screening potential of the 12 item general health questionnaire: a reassessment

Introduction: The General health Questionnaire (GHQ) is the most popular instrument for screening psychopathology globally. It is widely used locally and has been translated into a few Nigerian languages. Research on the relationship between educational attainment and the screening ability of the English version among Nigerians is scanty.Aims: This study aims to determine the effect of educational attainment on the screening potential of 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) among persons in Ilupeju, Lagos.Methodology: A random sample of 399 participants was drawn from worshipers from some churches in Ilupeju in Lagos state. Socio-demographic questionnaire and the English version of the GHQ-12 were administered to the selected church members. Participants who had a GHQ score of 2 or greater than 2 and 20% of those that had a GHQ score less than 2 had Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) administered to them. The data was analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, 21st edition (SPSS-21).Results: The sensitivity and specificity of the GHQ-12 among those who had secondary education or less (non-tertiary) was 82.0% and 64.2% respectively, while the sensitivity and specificity among those who had tertiary education was 89.1% and 81.4% respectively. A comparison of correctly classified and misclassified cases in both groups yielded a statistically significant difference (p=0.04). Subjects with low education were found to be 3.23 times more likely to be misclassified as false positive (95% CI 1.11-9.34, p=0.03) and 2.27 times more likely to be misclassified on the whole (95% CI 1.009-5.107, p=0.04).Conclusion: The performance of the English version of the GHQ 12 is poorer when used among persons with lower educational attainment. Standardization of the GHQ 12 for use among this demographic may need to be given research prioroty in order to improve its screening potential. A locally developed alternative in simplified English may also be considered.Keywords: GHQ 12, Education, Educational level, screening, ValidityRunning Title: Educational attainment and GHQ 1

The childhood trauma questionaire: validity, reliability and factor structure among adolescents in Calabar, Nigeria

Introduction: Child abuse is a cause of increasing concern globally and is known to have significant negative effects on the physical and psychological well-being of children. Validated instruments for screening child abuse in Nigeria are scarce.Aim: This study aimed to determine the validity, reliability and factor structure of the 28 item version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire among Secondary School students in Calabar South, Cross River state, Nigeria.Methodology: In a cross-sectional study, a sample of 161 students was drawn from two secondary schools in Calabar South, Cross River State, using multi-stage technique. A socio-demographic questionnaire, the Childhood Trauma questionnaire (CTQ-28), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Self-reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) were administered to the selected students. Convergent validity between CTQ and other scales, reliability using Cronbach alpha and the factor structure of CTQ using principal component analysis were assessed. The data was analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, 21st edition (SPSS-21).Results: Cronbach alpha was 0.80. Internal consistency for the subscales were 0.69 for emotional abuse, 0.60 for physical abuse, 0.60 for sexual abuse, 0.79 for emotional neglect and 0.21 for physical neglect. For convergent validity, correlation coefficients with the GHQ-12 and the SRQ-20 were 0.39 and 0.45 respectively (p<0.05). Principal Components Analysis yielded a four factor solution.Conclusion: The 28 item version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire has acceptable reliability and validity and can be useful as a screen for child abuse among adolescents in Nigeria.Key words: CTQ, validity, reliability, factor structure, adolescent

Isolation and characterization of antioxidant constituents of the fruit of Telfairia occidentalis Hook F (Cucurbitaceae)

Purpose: To evaluate the antioxidant property of the fruit of Telfairia occidentalis and isolate the components responsible for the antioxidant activity.Methods: The fruit pericarp was macerated with methanol and the extract obtained successively partitioned with n-hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the extract and fractions was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, reducing power, nitric oxide scavenging, total antioxidant and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays. The n-hexane fraction, which had the highest DPPH scavenging and total antioxidant activities, was subjected to column and thin layer chromatography to isolate the components. The isolated compounds were identified by ultraviolet-visible (UV), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.Results: Among the fractions tested, n-hexane had the best total antioxidant activity of 99.44 % at 20 mg/ml (p < 0.05) compared to ascorbic acid at 99.71 % of 20 mg/ml. This fraction also had the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity of all the fractions (p < 0.05) at all test concentrations. For nitric oxide scavenging activity, the whole extract, and the chloroform and aqueous fractions exhibited activity ranging from 92.29 to 97.66 % compared to 98.93 % for ascorbic acid. The hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity of the extract and fractions ranged from 92.60 to 96.23 % compared with of the standard, ascorbic acid (101.68 %). The major components of the n-hexane fractions were α- amyrin and β-amyrin.Conclusion: The fruit pericarp of Telfairia occidentalis possesses good DPPH radical scavenging activity. This is the first time the antioxidant activity of the fruit (pericarp) and the presence of α- and β- amyrins in Telfairia occidentalis have been reported.Keywords: Telfairia occidentalis, Fluted pumpkin, Amyrin, Antioxidant