Hinders of Cloud Computing Usage in Higher Education in Iraq: A Model Development

Cloud computing (CC) is a trendy technology that is being used in business and daily life. However, limited studies is found on higher education usage. The barriers and obstacles that confront the usage is not clear and in particular in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to examine the barriers and obstacle that confront the usage CC services in Barash University in Iraq. Using the technology organization environment framework and the internal external factor (IE-TOE), the study proposed the conceptual framework. The data was collected from academic, non-academic staff and students using convivence sampling technique. The data was analyzed using Smart PLS. The findings showed that organizational obstacle followed by technological, internal and external factors, and environmental factors are the most severe obstacles that confront the university in using CC services. Decision makers can benefit from the developed model to ease the implementation of CC

Investigating the relationship between knowledge management practices and organizational learning practices in the universities’ environment

The concept of knowledge management (KM) and organizational learning (OL) has been embraced by organizations to complement each other. Higher education institutions have embraced KM and OL as a means to improve organizational efficiency. This research explores the link between KM and OL. The target population included all the 432 academicians and administrators from 35 public universities in Iraq. The sampling was selected using a stratified random sampling technique. The correlation among the components of KM and OL was tested as well as the effect of KM components on OL. The findings were derived using smart partial least square. The findings showed that there is significant correlation between components of KM and components of OL. The regression analysis showed also that the effect of KM and its components; knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, knowledge storage, knowledge application and knowledge acquisition on OL are significant. These findings provide insights to universities management on strategies to implement KM practices that can align with OL practices to assure dynamic lifelong mechanisms for the basic daily activities such as teaching, learning, researching, and supervision

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Properties of Modified Warm-Mix Asphalt Mixtures Containing Different Percentages of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

The Rapid reduction of energy resources and the escalated effects of global warming have created a strong motivation to find some new techniques in the field of paving construction. Adopting new technologies, such as warm-mix asphalt (WMA) or the recycling process of asphalt can be very helpful for the economy and have a significant impact on the environmental footprint. Thus, this research aimed to study the mechanical and durable characteristics of modified WMA mixtures using (1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0%) Sasobit REDUX®, (0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.5%) Aspha-Min®, and (0.07%, 0.1%, and 0.125) ZycoTherm® additives corresponding to three percentages of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) (20%, 40%, and 60%). Three mixing temperatures have been conducted in this study to generate WMA mixtures at (135 °C, 125 °C, and 115 °C) corresponding to three compacting temperatures (125 °C, 115 °C, and 105 °C). The mechanical properties of the developed WMA mixtures have been evaluated using the Superpave volumetric properties (air voids, voids filled with asphalt, and voids in mineral aggregate), while the durable properties have been investigated using the resilient modulus test (MR) at 25 °C, resilient modulus ratio (RMR), and Hamburg wheel-track test in terms of permanent deformation, moisture susceptibility, and rutting resistance. To make the WMA mixtures accept high quantities of RAP (>25%), an insignificant increase in the amounts of WMA additives was needed to produce mixtures carrying sustainability labels. Results indicated that all the used additives had pushed the WMA mixtures to achieve considerable mechanical properties, whereas the best properties for the WMA mixtures containing 0%, 20%, 40%, and 60% of RAP have been achieved by mixing with (1.0% Sasobit REDUX® @ 125 °C), (1.0% Sasobit REDUX® or 0.3% Aspha-Min® @ 135 °C), (1.5% Sasobit REDUX® @ 125 °C), and (2.0% Sasobit REDUX® or 0.5% Aspha-Min® @ 135 °C), respectively. On another hand, the best durable properties have been achieved by mixing the mentioned WMA mixtures containing 0%, 20%, 40%, and 60% of RAP with 0.07%, 0.07%, 0.1%, and 0.125% of ZycoTherm® at 153 °C, respectively. Using such additives in the recycled WMA mixtures made it possible to activate waste recycling in the paving industry

Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries

Background: Pancreatic surgery remains associated with high morbidity rates. Although postoperative mortality appears to have improved with specialization, the outcomes reported in the literature reflect the activity of highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following pancreatic surgery worldwide.Methods: This was an international, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional snapshot study of consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic operations worldwide in a 3-month interval in 2021. The primary outcome was postoperative mortality within 90 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore relationships with Human Development Index (HDI) and other parameters.Results: A total of 4223 patients from 67 countries were analysed. A complication of any severity was detected in 68.7 percent of patients (2901 of 4223). Major complication rates (Clavien-Dindo grade at least IIIa) were 24, 18, and 27 percent, and mortality rates were 10, 5, and 5 per cent in low-to-middle-, high-, and very high-HDI countries respectively. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 5.4 per cent (229 of 4223) overall, but was significantly higher in the low-to-middle-HDI group (adjusted OR 2.88, 95 per cent c.i. 1.80 to 4.48). The overall failure-to-rescue rate was 21 percent; however, it was 41 per cent in low-to-middle-compared with 19 per cent in very high-HDI countries.Conclusion: Excess mortality in low-to-middle-HDI countries could be attributable to failure to rescue of patients from severe complications. The authors call for a collaborative response from international and regional associations of pancreatic surgeons to address management related to death from postoperative complications to tackle the global disparities in the outcomes of pancreatic surgery (NCT04652271; ISRCTN95140761)