The influence of organisational support, transactive memory system and information technology competencies for facilitating knowledge transfer in enterprise resource planning success

The successes of the ERP system in an organisation depend on knowledge transfer activities made and the effectiveness of the transferred knowledge between the parties involved. It is crucial to determine a set of knowledge transfer activities that need to do besides the efforts taken by the organisation in ensuring ERP success. Currently, there is still a lack of standard knowledge transfer measurement and empirical study on the impact of organisational support towards ERP system success, especially from the context of food manufacturing. Previous research has reported various factors impacted the transfer of knowledge in strategic alliances and joint venture. Nonetheless, organisational support is the least factor mentioned, especially studies from Malaysia. For bridging the gap, two theories employed, Knowledge-Based View (KBV) theory and Organisational Learning Theory (OLT) as the fundamental theories to observe the phenomenon and further incorporate with measurement theories. The main purpose of this study is to empirically validate the KT model with three main factors that influenced the ERP success, specifically for food manufacturing in Malaysia. The study developed a Knowledge Transfer (KT) validated measurement scale based on rigorous steps to increase the reliability and validity values. A total of 56 respondents have responded to the survey from 65 companies that yield 86 per cent response rate. The respondents were selected from the executive level and above from large food manufacturing in Malaysia. Five hypotheses were accepted. The study highlighted that IT Infrastructure (0.304) is found as the most influential factors while Communication (-0.093) and Retrieval (-0.110) factors were insignificant factors that affect KT activities towards ERP success. From the results, it concluded that organisation with better infrastructure leads to increasing rates of ERP success. The proposed infrastructure is any customised system application that helps organisations stay successful in their business. However, the inability to deliver a clear message in the organisation through communication and lack of retrieval practices in Transactive Memory System (TMS) has affected the overall ERP success level whereby the current level is moderate. Therefore, based on the result, it is clear that having the correct system is very helpful in achieving ERP success in an organisation

Accuracy of full-arch scans using intraoral and extraoral scanners

Zielsetzung: Ziel der vorgelegten Arbeit war es, einen qualitativen Überblick über die Genauigkeit der intraoralen Digitalisierung des ganzen Zahnbogens zu geben. Darüber hinaus sollte die Methode der direkten Digitalisierung mit den verschiedenen Möglichkeiten zur indirekten Digitalisierung von Patientenmodellen für die kieferorthopädische Behandlung verglichen werden. Dafür wurden sechs Intraoralscanner, elf Modellscanner und vier DVT-Geräte mit Modellscanfunktion untersucht. Außerdem wurde die anschließende Überführung eines digitalen in ein physisches Modell durch 3D-Druck evaluiert. Methodik: Ein dreidimensional gedrucktes Studienmodell wurde mit fünf Bohrungen versehen, deren Anordnung die Definition der Strecken Intermolarenweite (IMW), Intercaninenweite (ICW) und Zahnbogenlänge (AL) erlaubte. Das Studienmodell wurde in Typ-3-Gips dubliert. Um Masterwerte zu bestimmen, wurden die Strecken mit einem Koordinatenmessgerät (Zeiss O-Inspect 422) vermessen. Das Studienmodell wurde jeweils 37 Mal mit den Intraoralscannern Apollo DI, CS 3500, iTero, PlanScan und True Definition sowie 64 Mal mit dem Intraoralscanner Trios digitalisiert. Das Gipsmodell wurde 37 Mal mit den Modellscannern Aadva Lab Scan, Colori, CS Ultra, D104i, Grande, MDS 400, OrthoX Scan, R500, R1000, R2000 und den DVT-Geräten CS 9300, CS 9300 Select, CS 8100 3D und Whitefox sowie 64 Mal mit dem Modellscanner R700 und dem DVT- Gerät Promax 3D digitalisiert. Die Ganzkieferscans wurden vermessen und Abweichungen zum Masterwert errechnet. Außerdem wurde ein digitales Modell 37 Mal mit dem 3DDrucker D35 gedruckt und jeder Ausdruck mit dem Koordinatenmessgerät vermessen. Ergebnisse: Zwischen den Geräten zeigten sich signifikante Unterschiede. In der Gruppe der Intraoralscanner wiesen Trios und iTero die genauesten Ergebnisse auf. Bei den Modellscannern zeigte der D104i die geringsten Abweichungen vom Masterwert. Bei den DVT-Geräten konnte der Whitefox die genauesten Werte erzielen. Schlussfolgerung: Grundsätzlich eignen sich alle Gerätegruppen zur Herstellung digitaler Modelle für den kieferorthopädischen Gebrauch. Innerhalb der Gerätegruppen zeigten sich aber teils erhebliche Qualitätsunterschiede, sodass eine Empfehlung zum digitalen Workflow nicht verallgemeinert abgegeben werden kann.Objective: The aim of the present work was to evaluate the accuracy of intraoral full arch scans. An additional goal was, to compare direct digitization to indirect ways of generating a digital model for orthodontic use, in terms of accuracy. A total of six intraoral scanners, eleven desktop scanners, and four CBCT devices were investigated. Furthermore, the following printing with a three-dimensional (3-D) printer was analysed. Method: A resin master model was created by 3-D printing and drilled in five places to reflect the ranges of intermolar width (IMW), intercanine width (ICW), and arch length (AL). A duplicate of the master model was made from type 3 plaster. In order to determine a gold standard, the ranges were measured with a coordinate- measuring instrument (Zeiss O-Inspect 422). The master model was scanned 37 times with the intraoral scanners Apollo DI, CS 3500, iTero, PlanScan, and True Definition, and 64 times with Trios. The plaster model was scanned 37 times with the desktop scanners Aadva Lab Scan, Colori, CS Ultra, D104i, Grande, MDS 400, OrthoX Scan, R500, R1000, R2000 and the CBCT devices CS 9300, CS 9300 Select, CS 8100 3D, and Whitefox. It was scanned a further 64 times with the desktop scanner R700, and the CBCT device Promax 3D. The digital models were then measured, and deviations from the gold standard calculated. A digital model was printed 37 times with the 3-D Printer D35 (Innovation MediTech). Results: Significant differences were found between the devices. Of the intraoral scanners, Trios and iTero showed the most accurate results. Comparison of the dekstop scanners showed the D104i achieved the smallest deviations from the gold standard. Of the CBCT devices, Whitefox produced the most accurate results. Conclusion: In conclusion, it can be stated that all types of devices seem suitable for generating digital models for orthodontic use. Nevertheless, significant differences in quality do occur between these types, meaning that a general recommendation for digital workflows cannot be given

Socioeconomic disparities between oral cavity cancer patients in Germany

Objective: In many countries the access to high quality medical service depends on socioeconomic factors. Therefore, these factors are associated with the treatment and prognosis of many diseases. In Germany health care is claimed to be independent from such factors due to obligatory health insurance and a well-developed medical infrastructure. Thus, socioeconomically caused health disparities should be absent. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between socioeconomic factors and the survival of oral cavity cancer in Germany. Patients and methods: In this descriptive cohort study socioeconomic status related factors as well as demographic, tumor-specific, and comorbidity factors of 500 patients treated for oral cavity cancer were obtained in the university hospital of Dresden. Pearson correlation was used to describe associations between continuous variables. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using the chi-square test. Overall and recurrence-free survival were studied using the Kaplan-Meier method. Log-rank test was carried out to test between-group differences. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the risk of death and the risk of recurrence. Results: Significant differences in overall survival were found between the different educational levels and sex. Seventy-nine percent of the patients did not have a university degree or master craftsman/craftswoman. Less discrepancy was observed according to the marital status (49.4% married/engaged vs. 47.8% single, divorced, or widowed). In the multivariable analysis only sex, age at diagnosis, the Charlson score, the number of positive lymph nodes, and the nodal status were identified as independent predictors for overall survival whereas sex and the age at diagnosis were identified as independent predictors for recurrence-free survival. Conclusion: Despite the equitable health system in Germany, significant associations between overall survival of oral cavity cancer and different socioeconomic factors could be found. For elimination of these disparities, health education programs should be established in socially deprived areas. Furthermore, clinicians should keep these factors in mind when determining recall periods for dental check-ups

Organisational support in knowledge transfer activities towards ERP success scale development and validation

The successes of ERP system in an organization depend on knowledge transfer activities being made and the effectiveness of the transferred knowledge between the parties involved. It is important to determine a set of knowledge transfer activities that need to be done besides efforts undertaken by the organisation in ensuring ERP success. Currently, there is still lacking of standard knowledge transfer measurement and organisational support that impacted ERP system. Previous research has reported various factor impacted the transfer of knowledge in strategic alliances and joint venture. Nonetheless, organisational support is the least factor mentioned especially studies from Malaysia. Addresses this gap, the main purpose of this study is to develop a validated scale of organisational support in supporting knowledge transfer activities towards ERP system success. The study has adapted six stages of scale development and validation of measurement items according to legitimate measures. The measurement scales formed are based on literature review and field studies conducted to increase the reliability and validity values. Organisational support constructs were divided into Top Management Support, Communication and User Training and Education. Total of 16 items have been successfully established for further validation

Breast Cancer Subtypes among Iraqi Patients: Identified By Their ER, PR and HER2 Status

Background: Breast cancer ranks the first among the Iraqi population since three decades and is currently forming a major public health problem being the second cause of death women. Novel management of breast cancer depends upon precise evaluation of their molecular subtypes; identified by Hormone (Estrogen and Progesterone) receptors and HER2 contents of the primary tumor. Objective: To assess the rates of the different molecular breast cancer subtypes in the examined tissue specimens belonging to females diagnosed with breast cancer in Iraq; correlating the findings with those reported in the literature at the regional and global levels. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study documented the findings of tissue biopsy examination belonging to 686 female patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Formalin fixed paraffin-embedded blocks were utilized to assess the availability of Estrogen receptors (ER), Progesterone receptors (PR) and HER2 expressions through semi quantitative immuno-histochemical staining technique. Breast carcinomas were classified into four main molecular subtypes: Luminal A: ER/PR(+) / HER2(-), Luminal B/Triple Positive: ER/PR(+) / HER2(+), Non-Luminal HER-2 enriched: ER/PR(-) / HER2(+) and Non-Luminal/Triple Negative: ER/PR(-) and HER2(-). Other phenotypes included: ER(+)/PR(-) / HER2(+), ER(-)/PR(+) / HER2 (+), ER (+)/PR (-) / HER2 (-) and ER (-)/PR (+) / HER2 (-). Results: Out of the exanimated cases of breast carcinomas, the registered rates of positive ER, PR and HER2 tumor contents in this study were 67.8%, 65.3% and 29.4% respectively. The main identified phenotype was the Luminal A in 309 cases (45%). That was followed by the Triple Negative in 107 cases (15.6%) and Triple Positive/Luminal B (96 cases, 14%), while 71 cases (10.3%) were HER2 enriched. The corresponding rates of the (E+/P-/H+), (E-/P+/H+), (E+/P-/H-) and (E-/P+/H-) subtypes were 3.1%, 2.0%., 5.7% and 4.2% respectively. Differences in in the expressions of these IHC molecular markers are illustrated among different countries. Conclusions: Due to the displayed variations in the socio-demographic characteristics and biological risk factors among patients in different populations, it is mandatory to identify the molecular marker subtypes of breast cancer expressions in order to assess the impact of management and response to therapy. The routine documentation of their patterns in the cancer registry reports and published research ensures the validity and reliability of the presented clinical data. الخلفية: سرطان الثدي يحتل المرتبة الأولى بين السكان العراقيين منذ ثلاثة عقود، ويشكل حاليا مشكلة صحية رئيسية حيث يعتبر السبب الثاني للوفاة عند النساء. تعتمد أسس العلاج الجديدة لسرطان الثدي على التقييم الدقيق لأنواعها الفرعية الجزيئية و التي تحددها مستويات مستقبلات هرمون (الاستروجين والبروجسترون) ومحتويات  HER2 في الورم الرئيسي. الهدف من الدراسة: تقييم معدلات مختلف الأنواع الفرعية لسرطان الثدي الجزيئي في عينات الأنسجة التي تم فحصها والتي تخص الإناث المصابات بسرطان الثدي في العراق؛ وربط النتائج مع تلك المسجلة على الصعيدين الإقليمي والعالمي المرضى والطرق: وثقت هذه الدراسة بأثر رجعي نتائج فحص خزعة الأنسجة التي تنتمي إلى 686 مريضة مشخصة بسرطان الثدي. واستخدمت لتقييم توافر مستقبلات الاستروجين (ER)، مستقبلات البروجسترون (PR) والتعبيرات HER2 من خلال تقنية الطيخ المناعي شبه الكمي. تم تصنيف سرطان الثدي إلى أربعة أنواع فرعية جزيئية رئيسية: Luminal A:  ER/PR(+) / HER2(-), Luminal B/Triple Positive:    ER/PR(+) / HER2(+), Non-Luminal HER-2 enriched: ER/PR(-) / HER2(+) and Non-Luminal/Triple Negative:   ER/PR(-) and HER2(-). و انواع اخرى ER(+)/PR(-) / HER2(+), ER(-)/PR(+) / HER2 (+), ER (+)/PR (-)  / HER2 (-) and ER (-)/PR (+) / HER2 (-). النتائج: من بين حالات سرطان الثدي المهددة، كانت المعدلات المسجلة لمحتوى الأورام الموجبة ER, PR و   HER2 في هذه الدراسة 67.8٪ و 65.3٪ و 29.4٪ على التوالي. وكان النمط الظاهري المحدد الرئيسي اللمعية A في 309 حالات (45٪). وأعقب ذلك السلبي الثلاثي في 107 حالات (15.6٪) وثلاثية إيجابية / لومينال B (96 حالة، 14٪)، في حين أن 71 حالة (10.3٪) كانت HER2 المخصب. وكانت المعدلات المقابلة من (E + / P- / H +)، (E / P + / H +)، (E + / P- / H-) و (E / P + / H-) فرعية 3.1٪، 2.0٪. ،   و 5.7٪ و 4.2٪ على التوالي. وتظهر الاختلافات في التعبير عن هذه العلامات الجزيئية بين مختلف البلدان. الاستنتاجات والتوصيات: نظرا للاختلافات المعروضة في الخصائص الاجتماعية الديموغرافية وعوامل الخطر البيولوجية بين المرضى في مختلف السكان، فمن الضروري تحديد الأنواع الفرعية الجزيئية من تعبيرات سرطان الثدي من أجل تقييم تأثير الاستجابة للعلاج . ان التوثيق الروتيني لأنماط سرطان الثدي في تقارير سجل السرطان والبحوث المنشورة يضمن صحة ودقة البيانات السريرية ذات العلاقة

Adapting the Pore Size of Individual, 3D-Printed CPC Scaffolds in Maxillofacial Surgery

Three dimensional (3D) printing allows additive manufacturing of patient specific scaffolds with varying pore size and geometry. Such porous scaffolds, made of 3D-printable bone-like calcium phosphate cement (CPC), are suitable for bone augmentation due to their benefit for osteogenesis. Their pores allow blood-, bone- and stem cells to migrate, colonize and finally integrate into the adjacent tissue. Furthermore, the pore size affects the scaffold’s stability. Since scaffolds in maxillofacial surgery have to withstand high forces within the jaw, adequate mechanical properties are of high clinical importance. Although many studies have investigated CPC for bone augmentation, the ideal porosity for specific indications has not been defined yet. We investigated 3D printed CPC cubes with increasing pore sizes and different printing orientations regarding cell migration and mechanical properties in comparison to commercially available bone substitutes. Furthermore, by investigating clinical cases, the scaffolds’ designs were adapted to resemble the in vivo conditions as accurately as possible. Our findings suggest that the pore size of CPC scaffolds for bone augmentation in maxillofacial surgery necessarily needs to be adapted to the surgical site. Scaffolds for sites that are not exposed to high forces, such as the sinus floor, should be printed with a pore size of 750 µm to benefit from enhanced cell infiltration. In contrast, for areas exposed to high pressures, such as the lateral mandible, scaffolds should be manufactured with a pore size of 490 µm to guarantee adequate cell migration and in order to withstand the high forces during the chewing process

Removal of COD from petroleum refinery wastewater by adsorption using activated carbon derived from avocado plant

In the present work, removing of COD from wastewater generated via Al-Diwanya petroleum refinery plant located in Iraq by adsorption with activated carbon (AC) derived from avocado seeds was successfully performed via a two-step approach. In the first step, AC was prepared from avocado seeds via impregnating with H3PO4 at 400 °C where effects of H3PO4 concentration and calcination time on the specific surface area of AC were studied. Additionally, properties of the prepared AC were examined by XRD, SEM, and FTIR to knowledge the features of the internal structure of AC. Results showed that the prepared AC has mesopores structure with pore diameters in the range between 30.07 and 50.8 µm. Increasing the weight percent of H3PO4 led to an increase in the specific surface area of AC to reach a maximum value beyond which a decrease in the specific surface area was happened with further increasing in H3PO4 percent. Increasing the time resulted in an increase in the AC specific surface area to reach a maximum value beyond which a decrease in specific surface area was happened. The best value of AC specific surface area was 436.6 m2/g which obtained at 70 %H3PO4 and 4 h. At the second step, the performance of the prepared AC in removing of COD by adsorption process was evaluated via studying the effects of three operating parameters, namely adsorbent dosage (1–5 g/L), pH (3–9), and shaking speed (100–400 rpm) on the removal of COD(RE%) using a response surface methodology (RSM). Increasing AC dosage led to an increase in RE% while increasing each of pH and shaking speed resulted in lowering RE%. The optimum conditions for higher RE% were AC dosage of 5 g/L, pH of 3, and shaking speed of 100 rpm in which a removal efficiency of 94.54 % was obtained. The degradation of COD with time was found to obey a second order kinetic confirming the chemisorption is the rate limiting step in the adsorption process

Thermo-Rheological Investigation and Modeling of the Shear Viscosity of Polypropylene above the Melting Temperature

The increasing use of polymeric materials in the daily life, leads to challenges in the processing industry to deliver high performance materials with affordable terms. However, new processing techniques lead to high costs. In order to reduce processing costs it is necessary to understand the non-Newtonian behavior of the polymers in their molten state to be able to simulate the processes before the construction of the plants starts. Here the shear thinning behavior of the viscosity of polymeric melts is essential. Thus, this paper deals with the experimental investigation of the thermo-rheological behavior of the viscosity of one of the most used polymers (Polypropylene) over a wide range of temperatures and shear rates. Furthermore, a modeling approach of the viscosity via a generalized non-Newtonian law combined with an Arrhenius model is done

3D bioprinting in plastic and reconstructive surgery

Background: Bioprinting is one of the most rapidly developing fields in medicine. Plastic and reconstructive surgery will be affected enormously by bioprinting, due to its original purpose of restoring injured or lost tissue. This article in particular has the purpose to analyze the current state of bioprinted tissues as well as research engagement for its application in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Material and methods: A systematic search for the time span between 2000 and 2022 was performed on EMBASE, Pub-Med, Scopus, and Web of Science databases according to the PRISMA Guidelines. Criteria for the selection of publications were in vitro, animal in vivo, and human in vivo studies where three-dimensional bioprinting of tissue was performed. We extracted data such as (a) author’s country of origin, (b) in vitro study, (c) animal in vivo study, and (d) human in vivo study and categorized the publications by topics such as (1) neural tissue, (2) vascularization, (3) skin, (4) cartilage, (5) bone, and (6) muscle. Additionally, recent discoveries of in vivo animal trials were summarized. - Results: Out of a pool of 1.629 articles, only 29 publications met our criteria. Of these publications, 97% were published by university institutions. Publications from China (28%, n=8), the USA (28%, n=8), and Germany (10%, n=3) led the publication list on 3D bioprinting. Concerning the publications, 45% (n=13) were in vitro studies, 52% (n=15) in vivo studies on animal models, and 3% (n=1) pilot clinical studies on humans as reported by Zhou et al. (EBioMedicine 28: 287–302, 2018). Regarding the classification of topics, our study revealed that publications were mainly in the field of 3D printing of cartilage (n=13, 39%), skin (n=7, 21%), bone (n=6, 18%), and vascularization (n=5, 15%). - Conclusions: To this date, it has not been yet possible to bioprint whole tissue systems. However, the progress in threedimensional bioprinting is rapid. There are still some challenges, which need to be overcome regarding cell survival before and during the printing process, continuation of architecture of bioprinted multilinear cells, and long-term stabilization and survival of complex tissues. Level of evidence: Not ratable