Determinants and impacts of digital library usage: a survey among selected Iranian universities / Ismail Samadi

In the age of information, digital library (DL) adoption among Iranian universities and academic higher learning institutions has been very common. It is no longer considered as a lavish technological investment, but rather treated as technological need and necessity crucial to the survival of the university. Various studies have revealed that universities and academic higher learning institutions have benefitted from the installation of the digital libraries. In an academic environment, DL usage is purely volitional or optional. Innovative users would effectively use the DL for some specific reasons and objectives, while others may simply ignore it. This situation simply suggests that there are some determining factors that shape the usage behavior of the users. Given that digital libraries (DL) have been implemented in most Iranian universities and academic higher learning institutions, knowledge regarding users’ usage behavior is still very limited. Not much is really known about the extent users; especially students exploit the DL for the purpose of enhancing their performance and productivity. Similarly, little is really known about the factors that shape Iranian students’ DL usage behavior from users’ lenses. To this effect, this study is aimed to investigate the usage behavior of users in a DL environment in selected Iranian universities. In addition, it is also aimed at investigating the determinants of DL usage behavior. Finally, this study also intends to investigate the impact of DL usage behavior among users. The conduct of this study was using a quantitative approach..

Assessing digital library effectiveness of selected Iranian Universities / Ismail Samadi and Mohamad Noorman Masrek.

Given that digital libraries (DL) have been implemented in most Iranian universities and academic higher learning institutions, knowledge regarding users’ usage behaviour is still very limited. Not much is really known about the extent users; especially students exploit the DL for the purpose of enhancing their performance and productivity. Similarly, little is really known about the factors that shape Iranian students’ DL usage behavior from users’ lenses. To this effect, this study is aimed to investigate the usage behavior of users in a DL environment in selected Iranian universities. In addition, it is also aimed at investigating the determinants of DL usage behavior. The study used the survey research methodology and questionnaire as the tool for collecting data. A total of 750 valid responses was analyzed to test the developed hypotheses and the findings suggest that information quality, systems quality and service quality are significant predictor of DL usage. In addition, DL usage was found to have significant impact on personal sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and talks productivity. The contribution of the study can viewed from both theoretical and practical perspectives. From the theoretical viewpoint, it has developed an empirical based framework depicting the determinants and impacts of DL use. From the practical viewpoint, the developed instrument can be used to gauge the performance of the DL

Dicentrine: The Major Alkaloid of Cyclea laxiflara Miers

The major alkaloid of Cyclea laxiflora Miers. was isolated and identified as dicentrine from its spectral and physical data

Binary effect of fly ash and palm oil fuel ash on heat of hydration aerated concrete

The binary effect of pulverized fuel ash (PFA) and palm oil fuel ash (POFA) on heat of hydration of aerated concrete was studied. Three aerated concrete mixes were prepared, namely, concrete containing 100% ordinary Portland cement (control sample or Type I), binary concrete made from 50% POFA (Type II), and ternary concrete containing 30% POFA and 20% PFA (Type III). It is found that the temperature increases due to heat of hydration through all the concrete specimens especially in the control sample. However, the total temperature rises caused by the heat of hydration through both of the new binary and ternary concrete were significantly lower than the control sample.The obtained results reveal that the replacement of Portland cement with binary and ternary materials is beneficial, particularly for mass concrete where thermal cracking due to extreme heat rise is of great concern

Normal concrete to polymer concrete bond strength: mohr-coulomb theory

This paper discusses an experimental study conducted to evaluate the bonding strength between normal concrete (NC) and polymer concrete (PC) substrate. Ground palm oil fuel ash (GPOFA) was incorporated as micro-filler in this polymer concrete (PC-GPOFA) to investigate its effect on bonding strength. As comparisons, PC containing others filler were prepared, i.e., PC incorporating calcium carbonate (PC CaCO3), silica sand (PC Sand), and unground POFA (PC UPOFA) filler. Two tests were conducted to investigate the bonding between two substrates - slant shear and splitting tensile tests. After critical condition surface (smooth surface) was prepared, the effect of bonding was determined using mohr-coulomb theory. Overall results indicated that PC incorporating GPOFA improved the bonding to normal concrete. This result indicates that the bonding strength of NC to PC at critical condition is affected by self-adhesion of polymer concrete to the normal concrete. The self-adhesive characteristic of polymer concrete to normal concrete can be easily identified in mohr-coulomb analysis. All-in-all, the PC incorporating ground POFA could improve the bonding to the normal concrete

Effect of homogeneous ceramic tile waste on properties of mortar

The subject of reduce, reuse and recycle of waste material either from industrial or agricultural sectors is considered very important in the general attempt for sustainable construction. In relation to that, ceramic materials are widely used in many part of the world and consequently, large quantities of wastes are produced simultaneously by brick and tile manufacturers and construction industry. However, part of these wastes and those produced by the construction industry are dumped in landfills. In this present research, the effect of homogeneous ceramic tile waste on harden properties of mortar was investigated. Mortar mixes were prepared focusing on the effect of ceramic aggregates as river sand replacement. Tests were conducted for compressive strength, splitting tensile strength for all mortar specimens. The cement was partially replaced by ceramic powder by 20 %, 40 % and 60 %, respectively by weight of cement. The sand was replaced by ceramic aggregates ranging from 0% to 100% by weight of aggregates. The size of ceramic aggregates used is modified in accordance with ASTM C-33 while the cement was partially replaced by 40 % of ceramic powder by weight of cement. All specimens were cast in 50 mm cubes and cured in water after demoulding until the age of testing. By replacing 100 % of sand with ceramic aggregates, it was found that the compressive strength was very much similar to the control specimen without showing any negative effect. Similarly, by replacing cement with ceramic powder, the strength of mortar shows 10% increment as compared to control specimen. In conclusion, incorporation of homogenous ceramic tile waste either as sand replacement or cement replacement both can enhance the properties of mortar in fresh and hardened states

Long term studies on compressive strength of high volume ultrafine palm oil fuel ash mortar mixes

The long term characteristics of nano palm oil fuel ash in the mortar were investigated. This study covers basic properties like the morphology, porosity, compressive strength and microstructure properties with regards to the variations in the mix design process of mortar. To get a better performance in terms of strength development, the ash used has gone through heat treatment and was ground up to nano size. The mortar mixes were cast in 70x70x70mm cubes for compressive strength test. The incorporation of more than 80% nano size palm oil fuel ash as cement replacement has produced a mortar having a compressive strength more than OPC mortar at a later age. By treating the palm oil fuel ash to nano size, help reduce the cost of expensive admixture for improving the compressive strength of mortar. The results also revealed that the compressive strength of mortar using nano size palm oil fuel ash shows higher value as compared to initial strength at the later age of 1 year by 25%. The porosity of 80% nano palm oil fuel ash mortar reduced 51% as the age of curing increased. The overall results have revealed that the inclusion of high volume nano palm oil fuel ash can produce a mortar mix with high strength, low porosity, good quality and most importantly that is more sustainable

It is time to define an organizational model for the prevention and management of infections along the surgical pathway : a worldwide cross-sectional survey

Background The objectives of the study were to investigate the organizational characteristics of acute care facilities worldwide in preventing and managing infections in surgery; assess participants' perception regarding infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, antibiotic prescribing practices, and source control; describe awareness about the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and IPC measures; and determine the role of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic on said awareness. Methods A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted contacting 1432 health care workers (HCWs) belonging to a mailing list provided by the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery. The self-administered questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary team. The survey was open from May 22, 2021, and June 22, 2021. Three reminders were sent, after 7, 14, and 21 days. Results Three hundred four respondents from 72 countries returned a questionnaire, with an overall response rate of 21.2%. Respectively, 90.4% and 68.8% of participants stated their hospital had a multidisciplinary IPC team or a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship team. Local protocols for antimicrobial therapy of surgical infections and protocols for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis were present in 76.6% and 90.8% of hospitals, respectively. In 23.4% and 24.0% of hospitals no surveillance systems for surgical site infections and no monitoring systems of used antimicrobials were implemented. Patient and family involvement in IPC management was considered to be slightly or not important in their hospital by the majority of respondents (65.1%). Awareness of the global burden of AMR among HCWs was considered very important or important by 54.6% of participants. The COVID-19 pandemic was considered by 80.3% of respondents as a very important or important factor in raising HCWs awareness of the IPC programs in their hospital. Based on the survey results, the authors developed 15 statements for several questions regarding the prevention and management of infections in surgery. The statements may be the starting point for designing future evidence-based recommendations. Conclusion Adequacy of prevention and management of infections in acute care facilities depends on HCWs behaviours and on the organizational characteristics of acute health care facilities to support best practices and promote behavioural change. Patient involvement in the implementation of IPC is still little considered. A debate on how operationalising a fundamental change to IPC, from being solely the HCWs responsibility to one that involves a collaborative relationship between HCWs and patients, should be opened.Peer reviewe

It is time to define an organizational model for the prevention and management of infections along the surgical pathway: a worldwide cross-sectional survey

Background The objectives of the study were to investigate the organizational characteristics of acute care facilities worldwide in preventing and managing infections in surgery; assess participants' perception regarding infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, antibiotic prescribing practices, and source control; describe awareness about the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and IPC measures; and determine the role of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic on said awareness. Methods A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted contacting 1432 health care workers (HCWs) belonging to a mailing list provided by the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery. The self-administered questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary team. The survey was open from May 22, 2021, and June 22, 2021. Three reminders were sent, after 7, 14, and 21 days. Results Three hundred four respondents from 72 countries returned a questionnaire, with an overall response rate of 21.2%. Respectively, 90.4% and 68.8% of participants stated their hospital had a multidisciplinary IPC team or a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship team. Local protocols for antimicrobial therapy of surgical infections and protocols for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis were present in 76.6% and 90.8% of hospitals, respectively. In 23.4% and 24.0% of hospitals no surveillance systems for surgical site infections and no monitoring systems of used antimicrobials were implemented. Patient and family involvement in IPC management was considered to be slightly or not important in their hospital by the majority of respondents (65.1%). Awareness of the global burden of AMR among HCWs was considered very important or important by 54.6% of participants. The COVID-19 pandemic was considered by 80.3% of respondents as a very important or important factor in raising HCWs awareness of the IPC programs in their hospital. Based on the survey results, the authors developed 15 statements for several questions regarding the prevention and management of infections in surgery. The statements may be the starting point for designing future evidence-based recommendations. Conclusion Adequacy of prevention and management of infections in acute care facilities depends on HCWs behaviours and on the organizational characteristics of acute health care facilities to support best practices and promote behavioural change. Patient involvement in the implementation of IPC is still little considered. A debate on how operationalising a fundamental change to IPC, from being solely the HCWs responsibility to one that involves a collaborative relationship between HCWs and patients, should be opened

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019 : A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC