An investigation into the Attitude and Relational Behaviour in Relationship Based Procurement (RBP): A Conceptual Framework

Session 1AThe notion of relationship-based procurement (RBP) proposes to address project complexity, uncertain environmental conditions in a project. However, it is constantly challenging roles of project participants, participants assume greater responsibility that require them to strive for excellence in a project. There is frequent critique on participants’ attitude and behaviour that leads to low collaboration in a project, despite of relationship approaches. Thus, the role of attitude and relational behaviour becomes important in projects. Divergent attitude of participants can lead to misaligned behaviour and ultimately to low collaboration in a project. This requires clear understanding of participants’ attitude and relational behaviour that can help improve collaboration in a project. This paper presents a conceptual framework with role of attitude of project participants that guides relational intentions and ultimately relational behaviour for collaboration in a project. The relationship of attitude of project participants, relational intentions and relational behaviour is explained from Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991). Further, attitudes of project participants are conceptualised in the dimensions that allows collaborative framework in a relation, relational intentions are conceptualised in practices of project participants and relational behaviour in behavioural aspects that emphasize best for project manifesto and resolving issues jointly. The conceptual framework presented here, provide knowledge on attitude of project participants and their behavioural alignment in a project.published_or_final_versio

Stray current corrosion mitigation, testing and maintenance in DC transit system

Stray current corrosion in direct current (dc) transit systems occurs because of the mechanism of current transfer between metals and a conductive electrolyte such as concrete, soil and water. Stray current reactions can be considered as a special case in that the anode (point of current discharge) may be at a considerable distance from the cathode (point of current pickup). The risk of stray current corrosion arising from the operation of dc-powered transit system is difficult to eliminate completely. However, suitable design of dc traction power systems and structures carrying the railways can significantly reduce the risk of corrosion both to the transit system structures and third-party structures. Stray currents can cause safety risks, thus making the design of stray current mitigation, testing and maintenance an important element of the holistic design for a dc transit system. based on the results of the literature research, interviews with over two dozen dc rail transit systems, and testing of dc rail tracks, this paper presents and analyses various mitigation methods currently in use in the industry to control stray current corrosion. Recommendations for the testing (monitoring) and maintenance procedures to keep the stray current leakage and the related corrosion in control are then presented

Determination of Trace Metals Abnormalities in Patients with Vivax Malaria

Background: In the present study, blood serum level of metals were determined in malarial pa­tients and compared with those in the normal subjects without complication using Atomic Absorp­tion Spectrometer.Methods: For the determination of these metals twelve intravenous blood samples each from re­ferred malarial patients and a group of normal subjects were collected and immediately centri­fuged to obtain the supernatant liquid, serum of both the groups for analysis.Results: The blood serum levels of copper in malarial patients determined to be 2.6917 ppm, which is higher as compared to that found 2.045 in normal subjects. Whereas the blood serum levels of iron, magnesium, and zinc found 2.0708 ppm, 12.2467 ppm and 4.9017 ppm respec­tively in malarial patients, who are lower than those, are determined in the blood serum of normal sub­jects. Blood serum levels of iron, magnesium, and zinc in normal subjects found 3.950 ppm, 19.4892 ppm, and 5.242 ppm respectively.Conclusion: In this study the metal content of copper, iron, magnesium and zinc in vary in malar­ial patients as compared those in the normal subjects. It may suggest that the decreased lev­els of iron, magnesium, and zinc can be maintained by giving as supplement of these metals in therapy

Drawing to Remember: External Support of Older Adults’ Eyewitness Performance

Although healthy aging is accompanied by a general decline in memory functioning, environmental support at retrieval can improve older adults’ (+65 years) episodic remembering. Despite those over the age of 65years representing a growing proportion of the population, few environmental retrieval support methods have been empirically evaluated for use with older witnesses and victims of crime. Here, the efficacy of a novel retrieval technique, the Sketch Mental Reinstatement of Context, is compared with a standard Mental Reinstatement of Context and a no support control (Control). Fifty-one participants witnessed an unexpected live event, and 48 hours later were interviewed using one of three aforementioned techniques. In line with predictions emanating from cognitive theories of aging and the environmental support hypothesis, participants in the Sketch Mental Reinstatement of Context condition recalled significantly more correct information and fewer inaccurate items. The Sketch Mental Reinstatement of Context technique appears to scaffold memory retrieval in an age-appropriate manner during a post-event interview, possibly by encouraging more effortful retrieval and reducing dual-task load. As such, this procedure offers an effective alternative to current approaches, adding to the toolbox of techniques available to forensic and other interviewers

ResearchGate versus Google Scholar: Which finds more early citations?

ResearchGate has launched its own citation index by extracting citations from documents uploaded to the site and reporting citation counts on article profile pages. Since authors may upload preprints to ResearchGate, it may use these to provide early impact evidence for new papers. This article assesses the whether the number of citations found for recent articles is comparable to other citation indexes using 2675 recently-published library and information science articles. The results show that in March 2017, ResearchGate found less citations than did Google Scholar but more than both Web of Science and Scopus. This held true for the dataset overall and for the six largest journals in it. ResearchGate correlated most strongly with Google Scholar citations, suggesting that ResearchGate is not predominantly tapping a fundamentally different source of data than Google Scholar. Nevertheless, preprint sharing in ResearchGate is substantial enough for authors to take seriously

Workers' relational identification with supervisors influences safety behaviour in construction projects

Purpose: This research aims to examine the influence of workers' identification with their supervisors on safety behaviour in construction projects. Design/methodology/approach: Employing the job demands–resources theory, this research tested the relationships among relational identification as a personal resource, respectful engagement as a job resource, employee safety voice as a positive work behaviour and safety behaviour as the outcome. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse 120 quantitative data collected using a questionnaire survey. Findings: Relational identification, which reflects workers' identification with their supervisors, is a significant predictor of safety behaviour. Furthermore, respectful engagement and employee safety voice sequentially mediate the relationship between relational identification and safety behaviour. Research limitations/implications: The internalisation of safety norms, values and practices in construction projects is contingent on the identification of workers with their supervisors. Originality/value: Safety behaviour of workers is a significant predictor of safety performance in construction projects. Research on numerous antecedents of safety behaviour points out that leadership is a significant predictor of construction workers' safe behaviour. Contributing to research on construction safety leadership, this research found that leader-subordinate relationship is key to make construction workers more psychologically ready to internalise the importance of safety behaviours at work

Collaborative behavior in relational contracting projects in hong kong—a contractor’s perspective

The construction industry in Hong Kong has adopted relational contracting (RC) as a way forward to address frequent conflicts in construction projects and to promote sustainable development. Despite this effort, adversarial behavior of project team members is still prevalent, stemming from conflicting agendas, which hinders the successful implementation of RC. There is a need to improve collaborative attitudes and behavior among project team members in RC projects, but there is still a lack of understanding of factors that can promote this inter-organizational collaboration. Therefore, using the theory of planned behavior, this research investigates factors that form relational attitudes, collaborative intentions, and collaborative behavior, and their relationships in RC projects in Hong Kong. Quantitative data were collected from experienced practitioners in RC projects and were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results reveal that senior management commitment and relational norms are needed to nurture relational attitudes, which in turn influence the development of collaborative intentions. These intentions can eventually promote collaborative behavior, which is expressed by teamwork, affective trust, and extra-role behavior (striving beyond roles to maintain collaboration). The findings advance knowledge and contribute to practice by providing a structured process to nurture collaboration in RC projects for sustainable development

Bcl-2 protein family: Implications in vascular apoptosis and atherosclerosis

Apoptosis has been recognized as a central component in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, in addition to the other human pathologies such as cancer and diabetes. The pathophysiology of atherosclerosis is complex, involving both apoptosis and proliferation at different phases of its progression. Oxidative modification of lipids and inflammation differentially regulate the apoptotic and proliferative responses of vascular cells during progression of the atherosclerotic lesion. Bcl-2 proteins act as the major regulators of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis signalling pathways and more recently it has become evident that they mediate the apoptotic response of vascular cells in response to oxidation and inflammation either in a provocative or an inhibitory mode of action. Here we address Bcl-2 proteins as major therapeutic targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis and underscore the need for the novel preventive and therapeutic interventions against atherosclerosis, which should be designed in the light of molecular mechanisms regulating apoptosis of vascular cells in atherosclerotic lesions

Five-year publication rate of clinical presentations at the open and closed American shoulder and elbow surgeons annual meeting from 2005–2010

© 2016, The Author(s). Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the five-year publication rate of papers presented at both the open and closed American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons’ (ASES) annual meetings from 2005 to 2010. Methods: Online abstracts of the presentations at the open and closed ASES annual meetings were independently screened for clinical studies and graded for quality using level of evidence. The databases PubMed (MEDLINE), Ovid (MEDLINE), and EMBASE were comprehensively searched for full-text publications corresponding to these presentations and any paper published within five years of the presentation date was counted. Results: Overall, 131/266 papers corresponding to the meeting presentations were identified for a five-year publication rate of 49.2 %. Sixty two (48 %) of the papers were published in The Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, 23 (18 %) were published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, and 20 (16 %) were published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. The mean patient sample size included in presentations with a subsequent full-text publication was higher (154; standard error =27) than the presentations not published (93; standard error = 13) (p = 0.039). There was no correlation (p = 0.248) between the publication rate and the level of evidence of the presentations. Conclusions: The publication rate of presentations at ASES meetings from 2005 to 2010 is similar to that reported from other orthopaedic meetings. Studies with large sample sizes should continue to be encouraged, and high quality presentations must consistently be followed up with full-text manuscript preparation in order to maximize the future clinical impact

Level of clinical evidence presented at the open and closed American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons annual meeting over 10 years (2005-2014)

© 2016 The Author(s). Background: The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) annual scientific meetings are premier forums whereby orthopaedic surgeons are informed of the latest research advances in shoulder and elbow surgery. The purpose of the present study was to assess the Level of evidence (LOE) in the clinical papers presented at both the open and closed ASES annual scientific meetings from 2005 to 2014. Secondarily, the study evaluated whether there were any changes in the distribution of LOE over this period of time. Methods: Two reviewers independently evaluated the abstracts of 532 paper presentations at either the open or closed ASES annual meetings. The independent reviewers first screened the abstracts for clinical evidence and excluded cadaveric, biomechanical, technique, and review studies. The included abstracts were then independently graded for methodological quality using LOE from Level I (highest quality) to IV (lowest quality) based on the classification system created by The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Results: Overall, 421 presentations were included and graded for LOE. In general, 17% of the presentations were graded level I; 15% level II; 25% level III; and 43% assigned a LOE of IV. Chi-square analysis demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the LOE of presentations at the open and closed ASES meetings combined (p = 0.028) between the years 2005 and 2014. In particular, the proportion of presentations graded as level IV significantly decreased over this period (p = \u3c0.001). Conclusions: While most presentations at the ASES annual scientific meetings were of lower LOEs the percentage of level I evidence is greater than that reported at other Orthopaedic meetings. There has been a significant improvement in the LOE of clinical research at open and closed ASES meetings from 2005 to 2014. Specifically, the proportion of level IV studies have dramatically decreased over time