Economic Diversification and Government Sustainable Supply Chain Governance: An Empirical Approach on Government Expenditure of Iraq

This paper examines and analyses evidence pertaining to economic diversification and government sustainable supply chain governance in the Iraqi government expenditure from 2004 to 2016. The purpose of the paper is to test to what extent the government has recognized the importance of economic diversification and government sustainable supply chain governance in the process of growth of government revenue and hence what are the measures adopted aiming at improving government revenue. Based on evidence, the paper goes on to identify the determinants of economic diversification and governance in the Iraq. This paper uses recent growth theories and statistical techniques to empirically test for the association between economic diversification (gross domestic product (GDP), importation, exportation and total fixed capital formation), governance (political stability, quality regulation, effective government, control of corruption, rule of law and accountability) and government expenditure. Results obtained from data analysis indicate a strong relationship between economic diversification and government expenditure. However, the relationship between Iraqi governance and government expenditure revealed a significant relationship which shows that increase in the budget for effective governance did not apparently lead to quality improvement in the government expenditure. Iraq as part of the countries under the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) shares specific structural economic features. The country depends heavily on the hydrocarbon sector despite the huge accumulated financial surplus and the governments investment on the economy; outcomes have fallen short of targets set out for the national visions, while the challenges of economic diversification and governance continue. The overarching focus will be on the challenges of diversification in terms of strategic planning, policy-making, implementation, and global best practices. This study revealed that to achieve these goals, the government in the whole world needs to improve and maintain the government expenditure by diversifying into the economic gross domestic product (GDP), importation, exportation and total fixed capital formation

Approach for Diagnosis of Complicated Traumatic Reticuloperitonitis in Cattle using Ultrasonography

The current study indicated that the complicated sequellae of traumatic reticuloperitonitis (TRP) in cattle could be efficiently diagnosed by using of ultrasonography and some other diagnostic tools. The affections in these cases included reticulum and spleen with extension to one or more of the other organs such as rumen and abomasum. This study included two groups of animals; one of them kept as a control one (n.=16) and the other was a diseased group (n.= 12). All animals were subjected to clinical examination, whole blood profiling, blood serum biochemical assay, radiography and ultrasonographic examination. Rumenotomy was carried out in some cases. The reticulum was mostly displaced in cases of complicated TRP by a distance of 3-6 cm. Sometimes, the reticulum was not displaced such as in case of diaphragmatic hernia. The reticular contractions in the complicated traumatic cows were either reduced to 2 or 1/3mins, or completely reduced to 0/3mins. Reticular abscess and peritoneal effusions were imaged in all these diseased cases. Here, Vagus indigestion syndrome and diaphragmatic hernia were successfully diagnosed by using of ultrasonography with the aid of radiography and rumenotomy. Ultrasonography was useful in imaging non metal objects (Ropes and plastic tubes) within the rumen especially in cases of severe ruminal distension

Building capacity for clinical research in developing countries: the INDOX cancer research network experience

Transnational Organisations increasingly prioritise the need to support local research capacity in low and middle income countries in order that local priorities are addressed with due consideration of contextual issues. There remains limited evidence on the best way in which this should be done or the ways in which external agencies can support this process

IFRS adoption, cost of equity and firm value: evidence from Iraq

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of adoption of IFRS on the Iraqi environment by studying the relationship between the adoption of international financial reporting standards and the cost of equity and the effect of the cost of equity on the value of the company.   Theoretical framework: The international financial reporting standards (IFRS) are becoming special driver for the convergence of management and financial accounting and as the leading principles for over 120 countries in the world including those that voluntarily adopted the standards.   Design/methodology/approach: The population of the study comprises 17 commercial companies listed in the Iraqi Stock Exchange for the periods of 2011-2013 and 2016-2018 with the exception of Islamic companies due to the difference in the privacy of the applicable regulations   Findings: The results from the data collected through questionnaire survey showed the distinctive effects of financial and management accounting standards before and after the adoption of IFRS. Therefore, there are inconsistencies in the results of the value of the companies between the samples for the periods before and after the application of international financial reporting standards.   Research, Practical & Social implications: The study examined the differences in the outcomes of the years when IFRS was yet to be adopted when the standards are adopted by considering the control variables such as age of the companies, size of the companies and leverages.   Originality/value: the value of the study's originality by measuring adopting IFRS for the first time in Iraqi Banking for the periods of 2011-2013 and 2016-2018 with the exception of Islamic companies due to the difference in the privacy of the applicable regulations

Numerical Analysis of Settlement of a Piled Raft Foundation on Coastal Soil

There is a growing demand for multi-story buildings for residence and commercial purposes in coastal areas of Sindh, Pakistan. Such types of soils are generally considered more compressible with high groundwater levels, which may cause lower shear strength and higher settlement. The computation of the settlement of foundations requires the use of advanced constitutive models, which are not commonly used due to a lack of field or experimental data. This study is carried out to illustrate the use of an advanced soil model, i.e., Hardening Soil Model for the computation of settlement. For this purpose, numerical modeling was carried out using Finite Element Program PLAXIS 2D. Initially, the MC Model was utilized for the calculation of the settlement of a 10-story building in the coastal soil. In addition, parametric analyses for the effects of modulus of elasticity, permeability, and dilatancy angle were carried out. The results mainly suggest that the settlement of the building constructed on a piled raft foundation, predicted with the MC model, was 40% higher than that of the HS model. For prediction of settlement of the piled raft foundation, the results suggest that the HS model can be given preference as compared to the MC model. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-02-05 Full Text: PD

Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Associated Factors among Female Migrants in the United Arab Emirates

Vitamin D is important for bone health, and vitamin D deficiency could be linked to noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its associated risk factors among female migrants from Philippines, Arab, and South Asian countries residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We used a cross-sectional study to recruit a random sample (N = 550) of female migrants aged 18 years and over in the city of Al Ain, UAE. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations ≤20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L). We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency. The mean age of participants was 35 years (SD ± 10). The overall prevalence rate of vitamin D deficiency was 67% (95% CI 60–73%), with the highest rate seen in Arabs (87%), followed by South Asians (83%) and the lowest in Filipinas (15%). Multivariate analyses showed that low physical activity (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 4.59; 95% CI 1.98, 10.63), having more than 5 years duration of residence in the UAE (aOR = 4.65; 95% CI: 1.31, 16.53) and being obese (aOR = 3.56; 95% CI 1.04, 12.20) were independently associated with vitamin D deficiency, after controlling for age and nationality. In summary, vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent among female migrants, especially Arabs and South Asians. It is crucial that health professionals in the UAE become aware of this situation among this vulnerable subpopulation and provide intervention strategies aiming to rectify vitamin D deficiency by focusing more on sun exposure, physical activity, and supplementation

Numerical modelling of shallow foundation on multi-layer soil with varying stiffness

The load-deformation observation under the footing is essential for foundation design. Either experimental methods or numerical modelling generally determines this phenomenon in engineering practices. This study determined the settlement of shallow foundations on Multi-layer soil profile numerically. The settlement behavior was investigated through numerical modelling with Plaxis 2D. This study site was Jamshoro region, located in province Sindh, Pakistan. From the geotechnical investigation, the soil of Jamshoro region consists of a combination of different soils, mainly shale and limestone. This type of soil shows common challenges for the serviceable and sustainable design and construction of structural foundations. The standard penetration test conducted accompanied by other geotechnical tests on shale and limestone to determine the input parameters for the model and observe the soil profile. The Mohr-Coloumb model used for shale and linear elastic for limestone. The settlement of the foundation is attended by varying the limestone layer’s depth. In this research, the settlement reduced under the footing by increasing the thickness of the limestone layer. The study observed that stiffness of lower layer significantly reduces the settlement of shallow foundation. Therefore, the effect of lower layer should be considered for the designing of foundation on multi-layered soil

Inequalities in SARS-CoV-2 case rates by ethnicity, religion, measures of socioeconomic position, English proficiency, and self-reported disability: cohort study of 39 million people in England during the alpha and delta waves

Objective: To examine sociodemographic inequalities in people with SARS-CoV-2 during the second (alpha) and third (delta) waves of the covid-19 pandemic. / Design: Retrospective, population based cohort study. / Setting: Resident population of England. / Participants: 39 006 194 people aged 10 years and older who were enumerated in the 2011 census, registered with the NHS, and alive on 1 September 2020. / Main outcome measures: Age standardised SARS-CoV-2 case rates (ie, the number of people who received a positive test result per 100 000 person weeks at risk) during the second wave (1 September 2020 to 22 May 2021) or third wave (23 May to 10 December 2021) of the pandemic. Age standardised rates were calculated by sociodemographic characteristics and adjusted rate ratios were estimated using generalised linear regression models with a Poisson distribution (models were adjusted for covariates including sex, age, geographical variables, and sociodemographic characteristics). / Results: During the study period, 5 767 584 people (14.8% of the study population) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. In the second wave, the fully adjusted relative risks of having a positive test were highest for the Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups compared with the white British group, with rate ratios of 1.75 (95% confidence interval 1.73 to 1.77) and 1.69 (1.68 to 1.70), respectively. Muslim and Sikh religious groups had fully adjusted rate ratios of 1.51 (1.50 to 1.51) and 1.64 (1.63 to 1.66), respectively, compared with the Christian group. Greater area deprivation, disadvantaged socioeconomic position, living in a care home, and low English language proficiency were also associated with higher relative risk of having a positive test. However, the inequalities among groups varied over time. Being Christian, white British, without a disability, and from a more advantaged socioeconomic position were associated with increased relative risk of testing positive during the third wave. / Conclusion: Research is urgently needed to understand the large sociodemographic inequalities in SARS-CoV-2 case rates in order to inform policy interventions in future waves or pandemics

Stages of change, smoking behavior and acceptability of a textmessaging intervention for tobacco cessation among cigarette, dokha and shishasmokers: A qualitative research study

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. To explore: (A) the underlying motivators and barriers to smoking cessation among young Arabic speaking smokers and (B) to examine the suitability and preferences for tobacco cessation interventions (specifically text messages) and study the possibility of enrollment methods for a randomised controlled study using text messages as an intervention for tobacco cessation. Design Qualitative research using focus group discussions and content analysis. Setting(s) Two universities, one of them is the first and foremost comprehensive national university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The third setting is the largest hospital in the UAE and the flagship institution for the public health system in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Participants Six focus group discussions with a total of 57 participants. Forty-seven men and 10 women. Fifty-three of them were current smokers. Results The analysis of six focus groups was carried out. Main themes arose from the data included: preferences for tobacco cessation interventions and acceptability and feasibility of text messaging as tobacco cessation intervention. Different motives and barriers for quitting smoking including shisha and dokha were explored. Conclusion Interventions using text messaging for smoking cessation have not been used in the Middle East and they could potentially be effective; however, tailoring and closely examining the content and acceptability of text messages to be used is important before the conduction of trials involving their use. Social media is perceived to be more effective and influential, with a higher level of penetration into communities of young smokers