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1 – 10 of 304The Baghdad government is stabilising Ramadi after the coalition and Iraqi government forces recaptured it from ISG last month. Once this operation is complete, the focus will…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB207962
ISSN: 2633-304X
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Geographic
Topical
The Iraqi government-led offensive against IS in Mosul has so far resulted in lighter-than-expected refugee flows. However, it has become bogged down as an increasingly…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB216574
ISSN: 2633-304X
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Geographic
Topical
Mostafa Alani and Akel Ismail Kahera
This paper aims out to analyze the confluence of spatial analysis and computational design strategies to support the reestablishment of Mosul's city housing fabric. According to a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims out to analyze the confluence of spatial analysis and computational design strategies to support the reestablishment of Mosul's city housing fabric. According to a UN-Habitat report, Mosul suffered from catastrophic losses on an urban scale, resulting in a housing crisis that requires a large-scale response. However, the need for immediate shelters might lead to a rapid, uninformed reconstruction process, causing the loss of the architectural identity that the city accumulated over the years.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilizes a two-phase sequential research method. In Phase 1, the study applies space syntax techniques to transform the floor plans of the collected traditional and contemporary houses into “quantifiable data.” This phase aims to identify design criteria that capture the “spatial configuration” of both types of houses. In the subsequent phase, the study utilizes the identified design criteria to develop a genetic algorithm inspired by traditional and contemporary practice that facilitates an informed design process.
Findings
The outcome of the study indicates that informed computational synthesis can assist in generating multiplicities floor plan layouts that mimic the inner spatial configuration of existing traditional courtyard houses and contemporary noncourtyard houses. In addition, the developed genetic algorithm was able to generate hybridized design solutions that have been spatially validated.
Originality/value
The study concludes with observations linking informed computational synthesis to the postwar construction process as a remedial methodology to analyze and redesign Mosul's city fabric in an informed, affordable and accessible fashion.
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His comments come shortly after Iraq's parliament impeached Defence Minister Khalid al-Ubaydi on August 25. As a result, Iraq now has two key security portfolios unfilled…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB213312
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
The value assessment process of the built heritage is a multipart procedure that includes diverse aspects with overlapping requirements. This process requires various measures to…
Abstract
Purpose
The value assessment process of the built heritage is a multipart procedure that includes diverse aspects with overlapping requirements. This process requires various measures to obtain better results, making it a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) process. In post-disaster cases, a management system is required to promptly evaluate the degree of risk and damage and to set the preservation priorities in order to effectively supervise and protect the heritage places. MCDM is utilized for configuring and solving decision and planning problems encompassing multiple criteria, to assist decision-makers.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper suggests an approach as a tool to be used in the development of the Built Heritage Record for Mosul Old City. It proposes a D&C technique as an MCDM effectual tool for solving multifaceted problems of heritage significance assessment process in post-conflict cities, adopting the conservation of the traditional houses of Mosul Old City as a case study.
Findings
The research results showed the need for a method to solve the complexity of the decision-making problem regarding the process of determining the value and significance of heritage buildings and sites in the old city of Mosul, and how to develop a methodology to facilitate decision-making within databases related to such a multi-criteria issue.
Research limitations/implications
For an effective judgment of the expert or participant in the evaluation process, and to contribute to the decision-making more objectively, exploiting digital management programs including an interactive user interface with the ability to share on the Internet is the focal next intention of the project.
Originality/value
The paper shows that by using specific software, a database for heritage places of the old city of Mosul could be generated to apply the proposed system. The expert can utilize the software to calculate and define the total value of the place automatically according to the entered data.
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He stated that the Iraqi army and police "are the ones that will enter Mosul, not others", emphasising the exclusion of the Shia Popular Mobilisation Units (PMUs), which have…
This study investigates patterns of violence employed by insurgents killing civilians living in small ethnic enclaves located in Ninewa Province, Iraq from 2003 to 2009. The…
Abstract
This study investigates patterns of violence employed by insurgents killing civilians living in small ethnic enclaves located in Ninewa Province, Iraq from 2003 to 2009. The ethnic minorities in these communities include: (1) Yazidis in Sinjar District, (2) Chaldo-Assyrian Christians in the Ninewa Plains and, (3) the Turkmen enclave of Tal Afar. To date, there has been little investigation into violence directed toward small ethnic enclaves during civil war, though some have suggested that ethnic enclaves might insulate civilians from violence (Kaufmann, 1996). Using fatality data from the Iraq Body Count, this study compares the patterns of insurgent violence directed toward these enclave communities to co-ethnic and mixed-ethnic communities. The experiences of the enclaves were varied – some were largely insulated from attacks – but when attacked, the average number killed was greater and more indiscriminate as compared to communities with significant Arab populations. One possible explanation for these differences is that insurgents did not regard these citizens as being “convertible,” which caused them to employ violence in a more indiscriminate manner. When insurgents did act to secure control of enclave communities, they used indiscriminate forms of violence against civilians, as compared to more selective forms of violence employed when controlling co-ethnic communities.
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Abdulkareem H. Dbesan, Amir A. Abdulmuhsin and Abeer F. Alkhwaldi
This study aims to investigate the key factors that influence the behavioural intention of doctors to adopt the knowledge sharing driven blockchain technology in government…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the key factors that influence the behavioural intention of doctors to adopt the knowledge sharing driven blockchain technology in government hospitals. The study is based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2, with the addition of trust as an independent variable and knowledge sharing as a mediating variable between trust and behavioural intention.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for the study was collected through a correlation and cross-sectional study using a survey, with a sample of 322 responses being used for the final analysis. The initial analysis of the data was conducted using SPSS v.26, followed by a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis using SmartPLS v.3.9 to test the validity and reliability of the measures and to examine the hypothesized relationships.
Findings
The results supported the proposed framework. The results of PLS-SEM indicate that all proposed pathways support the model. In particular, the results of the study reveal that performance expectation, effort expectation, social influence, facilitation conditions and trust are drivers of blockchain adoption and have a significant impact on the behavioural intention of clinicians in hospitals. Furthermore, the study found that knowledge sharing mediated the relationship between trust and behavioural intention.
Practical implications
The present study sheds light on the challenges facing blockchain technology, such as privacy and trust concerns and proposes a more sustainable approach based on knowledge management to enhance the effectiveness of blockchain technology and overcome these challenges.
Originality/value
The significance of this paper lies in the limited literature examining the relationships between blockchain technology and knowledge management processes. Furthermore, a hypothetical framework that includes the knowledge sharing process as a mediating variable between trust and behavioural intention to adopt blockchain technology has not been presented or developed in any previous studies, particularly in the context of Iraq. Thus, this work is novel and unique in its approach.
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IRAQ: Mosul offensive unlikely until later in 2015
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-ES197820
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
IRAQ: Sunnis face risks after Mosul campaign