25 research outputs found
Government supported womenâs leadership development programmes: a case study of Dubai
Since its inception in 1971, the United Arab Emiratesâ (UAE) government has undertaken to develop the capabilities of its citizens (nationals), in order to satisfy the countryâs need for rapid economic growth. One of the seven Emirates, Dubai, has played an integral role in implementing this national objective by leading associated initiatives. Consequently, the government of Dubai emphasizes the importance of developing its people through human resources programmes that focus on specific demographic groups, such as women, and specific aspects of human development, with leadership being an important segment. The purpose of this study is to examine womenâs leadership in the UAE. Specifically, this study attempts to explore the characteristics and behaviours of a group of women leaders who were the first candidates of the UAE Women Leadership Development Programme (UAE WLDP) in Dubai.The study included an on-line survey that was sent to a sample of 35 women leaders. Demographically, all of the respondents were aged between 25 and 35 years. Most of the women were unmarried and held degrees of higher education, specifically from a business background. The survey indicated that respondents believed they practiced a combination of the four categories of leadersâ behaviours: pragmatist, visionary, motivator, and facilitator. Finally, they rated their managerial potential and management performance as very good.The respondents reported that one of the major challenges they faced at work was gender discrimination and issues related to work-family balance. A quarter of the women indicated that they felt some kind of gender-bias towards them. Respondents suggested policies or interventions that could be undertaken in order to improve their performance as leaders. The study concluded that government sponsored leadership programmes enhance the abilities of women who were already progressing in their chosen fields. It highlights other areas in which the government could intervene to improve the capabilities of women in leadership. Overall, although good progress has been made, more could be done to benefit the national population using programmes of this nature
The toarcian oceanic anoxic event (Early Jurassic) in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina: A reassessment of age and carbon isotope stratigraphy
The Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (T-OAE) is recorded by the presence of globally distributed marine organic carbonâ rich black shales and a negative carbon isotope shift, with ÎŽ13Corg values as low as -33â°, interrupting an overarching positive excursion. Here we present new biostratigraphic data and high-resolution ÎŽ13Corg data from two Southern Hemisphere localities: Arroyo Serrucho in the north and Arroyo Lapa in the south of the NeuquĂ©n Basin, Argentina. Previous studies at these localities aimed to provide an accurate numerical age for the T-OAE and characterization of its carbon isotope stratigraphy. The new carbon isotope data and ammonite biostratigraphy presented here from Arroyo Serrucho show the T-OAE to be recorded lower in the section than supposed by previous authors, thus calling into question the published age of the T-OAE in this section. A newly investigated exposure at Arroyo Lapa North shows a complex carbon isotope record with at least three high-amplitude fluctuations in the hoelderi zone (equivalent to the serpentinum zone in northwestern Europe), with ÎŽ13Corg values of <-28â°, and two intervening positive isotope excursions, with ÎŽ13Corg values around -24â°. At Arroyo Lapa South, the characteristic major stepped negative carbon isotope excursion is recorded, with ÎŽ13Corg values of <-30â° and total organic-carbon contents increasing to 11%; above this level an erosional surface of a submarine channel truncates the section. These new data are globally correlative and unambiguously illustrate the global reach of the T-OAE.Fil: Al Suwaidi, Aisha H.. Petroleum Institute University; Emiratos Ărabes UnidosFil: Hesselbo, Stephen P.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Damborenea, Susana Ester. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. DivisiĂłn PaleozoologĂa Invertebrados; ArgentinaFil: Manceñido, Miguel Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. DivisiĂłn PaleozoologĂa Invertebrados; ArgentinaFil: Jenkyns, Hugh C.. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Riccardi, Alberto Carlos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Angelozzi, Gladys NoemĂ. YPF - TecnologĂa; ArgentinaFil: Baudin, François. UniversitĂ© Pierre et Marie Curie; Franci
Results from the United Arab Emirates 2022 report card on physical activity for children and adolescents
Objective: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) 2022 Report Card provides a systematic evaluation of the physical activity (PA) levels of children and adolescents in the UAE. Methods: The 2022 Report Card utilized data from 2017 to 2021 to inform 10 core PA indicators that were common to the Global Matrix 4.0. Results: One in five (19%) UAE school children achieved the recommended amount of moderate-to-vigorous PA (i.e. â„60 min/d; Total Physical Activity Grade F). Less than 1% of school children used active transport to and from school (Active Transportation Grade F). One in four (26%) secondary school children achieved the recreational screen time recommendations (i.e. â€2 h/d; Sedentary Behaviours Grade D-). A quarter of adults reported achieving the recommended PA level (i.e. â„150 min of moderate-intensity PA per week, or equivalent) (Family and Peers Grade D-). All school children are taught physical education (PE) by a specialist with at least a bachelor\u27s degree in PE; however, the duration of weekly PE classes varied between schools (School Grade A-). The UAE Government has invested significant funds and resources into developing and implementing strategies and facilities that will increase PA across the entire population (Government Grade B+). Organised Sport and Physical Activity, Active Play, Physical Fitness, and Community and Environment indicators were graded âIncompleteâ (INC) due to a lack of available data. Conclusions: Overall, PA levels remain low and sedentary behaviours remain high amongst UAE children and adolescents. The UAE Government has sustained investment in further developing PA opportunities for all children and adults which should translate to increased PA and health improvements at a population level
Triumph and tribulation for shallow water fauna during the PaleoceneâEocene transition; insights from the United Arab Emirates
This is the final version. Available on open access from Borntraeger Science Publishers via the DOI in this recordThe PaleoceneâEocene transition was a time of short-term rapid climatic and biotic change,
superimposed on a long-term warming trend. The response of shallow tropical carbonate systems to
past rapid warming is important to understand in the context of ongoing and future anthropogenic
global warming. Larger benthic foraminifera (LBF) were abundant and important components of
shallow water ecosystems throughout the early Paleogene and are sensitive to environmental
change, making them ideal organisms to track shallow marine biodiversity. Furthermore, through the
use of integrated bio- and chemostratigraphy it is possible to correlate the shallow (<100 m) and deep
water realms to create a regional stratigraphic framework for the time period. Here we present a new
LBF biostratigraphic and high-resolution carbonate carbon isotopic record spanning the Paleoceneâ
Eocene transition from the onshore sub-surface of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Results show a
turnover event in the LBF assemblage during the early Eocene, wherein there are a number of first
and last occurrences of species. However, assemblages remain generally stable coincident with the
large negative carbon isotope excursion interpreted to be the onset of the PaleoceneâEocene thermal
maximum (PETM). Turnover in the LBF assemblage in the early Eocene likely occurred due to the
crossing of a long-term climatic and oceanographic threshold. The impacts of this long-term climatic
change on the overall biotic assemblage at this site are significant, with LBF outcompeting a
previously diverse community of corals, gastropods, and bivalves to become the dominant carbonate
producers through the PaleoceneâEocene transition. Despite this, modern studies suggest that LBF
are not immune to impacts of anthropogenic climate change, perhaps due to the significantly higher
rates of change in the modern compared to the PaleoceneâEocene transition.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)European Research Council (ERC
New age constraints on the Lower Jurassic PliensbachianâToarcian Boundary at Chacay Melehue (NeuquĂ©n Basin, Argentina)
The PliensbachianâToarcian boundary interval is characterized by aâ~â3â° negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE) in organic and inorganic marine and terrestrial archives from sections in Europe, such as Peniche (Portugal) and Hawsker Bottoms, Yorkshire (UK). A new high-resolution organic-carbon isotope record, illustrating the same chemostratigraphic feature, is presented from the Southern Hemisphere Arroyo Chacay Melehue section, Chos Malal, Argentina, corroborating the global significance of this disturbance to the carbon cycle. The negative carbon-isotope excursion, mercury and organic-matter enrichment are accompanied by high-resolution ammonite and nannofossil biostratigraphy together with UâPb CA-ID-TIMS geochronology derived from intercalated volcanic ash beds. A new age ofâ~â183.73â+â0.35/ââ0.50 Ma for the PliensbachianâToarcian boundary, and 182.77â+â0.11/ââ0.15 for the tenuicostatumâserpentinum zonal boundary, is assigned based on high-precision UâPb zircon geochronology and a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) stratigraphic age model
Population response during an Oceanic Anoxic Event: The case of Posidonotis (Bivalvia) from the Lower Jurassic of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina
Benthonic marine species show a wide range of biological reactions to seawater chemical changes through time, from subtle adjustments to extinction. The Early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) was recently recognized in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, confirming its global scope. The event was identified chemostratigraphically on the basis of a relative increase in marine organic carbon and a characteristic negative carbonisotope excursion (Ύ13Corg) in bulk rock and fossil wood in the upper Pliensbachian-lower Toarcian interval in the Arroyo Lapa section (Neuquén). Simultaneously with collection of lithological samples, a high-resolution biostratigraphical survey was carried out, and the scarce benthonic fauna was collected in order to check the biotic response to changing marine geochemical conditions. We present here an analysis of size and abundance data from the T-OAE interval in the Neuquén Basin for the dominant bivalve species, the paper-clam Posidonotis cancellata (Leanza), and relate these data to geochemical proxies (%TOC and Ύ13Corg) obtained at the same locality. The abundance of P. cancellata increased when the rest of the benthos diminished, reaching a maximum at the onset level of the T-OAE, and then decreasing. Size-frequency distributions show a noteworthy lack of juvenile shells. Shell size shows a positive correlation with %TOC in the whole section, though over the T-OAE interval proper, it decreases below the level where the maximum %TOC value is attained and increases above it. Posidonotis cancellata shows features of opportunistic species, such as high tolerance to hypoxia, strong dominance in impoverished environments and a strong dependence on primary productivity, but at the same time had a reproductive strategy more similar to equilibrium species, with relatively low juvenile mortality rates. Several anatomical features suggest adaptation to permanently dysaerobic environments. The species disappeared just before the minimum negative carbon-isotope value was reached; and by the same time the genus became extinct worldwide
Initial results of coring at Prees, Cheshire Basin, UK (ICDP JET project): Towards an integrated stratigraphy, timescale, and Earth system understanding for the Early Jurassic
Drilling for the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) Early Jurassic Earth System and Timescale project (JET) was undertaken between October 2020 and January 2021. The drill site is situated in a small-scale synformal basin of the latest Triassic to Early Jurassic age that formed above the major Permian-Triassic half-graben system of the Cheshire Basin. The borehole is located to recover an expanded and complete succession to complement the legacy core from the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole drilled through 1967-1969 on the edge of the Cardigan Bay Basin, North Wales. The overall aim of the project is to construct an astronomically calibrated integrated timescale for the Early Jurassic and to provide insights into the operation of the Early Jurassic Earth system. Core of Quaternary age cover and Early Jurassic mudstone was obtained from two shallow partially cored geotechnical holes (Prees 2A to 32.2gÂŻm below surface (mgÂŻb.s.) and Prees 2B to 37.0gÂŻmgÂŻb.s.) together with Early Jurassic and Late Triassic mudstone from the principal hole, Prees 2C, which was cored from 32.92 to 651.32gÂŻm (corrected core depth scale). Core recovery was 99.7gÂŻ% for Prees 2C. The ages of the recovered stratigraphy range from the Late Triassic (probably Rhaetian) to the Early Jurassic, Early Pliensbachian (Ibex Ammonoid Chronozone). All ammonoid chronozones have been identified for the drilled Early Jurassic strata. The full lithological succession comprises the Branscombe Mudstone and Blue Anchor formations of the Mercia Mudstone Group, the Westbury and Lilstock formations of the Penarth Group, and the Redcar Mudstone Formation of the Lias Group. A distinct interval of siltstone is recognized within the Late Sinemurian of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, and the name "Prees Siltstone Member"is proposed. Depositional environments range from playa lake in the Late Triassic to distal offshore marine in the Early Jurassic. Initial datasets compiled from the core include radiography, natural gamma ray, density, magnetic susceptibility, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). A full suite of downhole logs was also run. Intervals of organic carbon enrichment occur in the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) Westbury Formation and in the earliest Hettangian and earliest Pliensbachian strata of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, where up to 4gÂŻ% total organic carbon (TOC) is recorded. Other parts of the succession are generally organic-lean, containing less than 1gÂŻ% TOC. Carbon-isotope values from bulk organic matter have also been determined, initially at a resolution of g1/4gÂŻ1gÂŻm, and these provide the basis for detailed correlation between the Prees 2 succession and adjacent boreholes and Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) outcrops. Multiple complementary studies are currently underway and preliminary results promise an astronomically calibrated biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and chemostratigraphy for the combined Prees and Mochras successions as well as insights into the dynamics of background processes and major palaeo-environmental changes
A pedâs story: Weathering out climatic change during the mid-Cretaceous
Thesis (M.S.)--University of Kansas, Geology, 2007.The upper Ruby Ranch Member and basal Mussentuchit Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation in the vicinity of the Price River II Quarry (CEU-PR2) in the Price River area, East Central Utah, consists of fluvially derived sediments in a floodplain environment with a seasonal xeric regime. Bulk organic matter carbon isotope chemostratigraphic profiles ÎŽ 13Corg for measured sections in the CEU-PR2 area are constrained by detrital zircon ages ranging from 109 to 116 Ma (Burton et al., 2006). These ÎŽ13Corg profiles show prominent excursions and structure that have been correlated with global ÎŽ13C org chemostratigraphy of Bralower et al. (1999) and show carbon excursion events C10-C13. This correlation suggesting that the Aptian-Albian boundary is captured by the Ruby Ranch Member and makes the upper most Ruby Ranch Member and Mussentuchit Member strictly Albian in age
A southern hemisphere record of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event from the Neuquén Basin, Argentina
The Toarcian, Early Jurassic, Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE: ~183 Ma) was characterized by globally synchronous deposition of sediments rich in organic carbon (black shales), and is associated with an abrupt negative carbon isotope excursion, disrupting a positive carbon-isotope excursion during the tenuicostatumâserpentinum ammonite Zone boundary. The T-OAE has been extensively studied in northern and southern Europe, but evidence from the southern hemisphere is limited. New geochemical data from the tenuicostatumâhoelderi (~serpentinum) Andean ammonite Zone, from the NeuquĂ©n Basin, Argentina provides evidence for the global imprint of the event. The event is recorded in bulk-sediment from Arroyo Lapa (North and South) and Arroyo Serrucho with ÎŽ13Corg values of -30â° â -32.5â° and ÎŽ13C values from fossil wood fall to -30.7 â°, isotopic ratios that are comparable to those identified in Europe for the T-OAE. Hydrogen Index (HI) data for the T-OAE in Argentina give values ranging from 12 to 425 mg HC/ g TOC, indicating a mixture of terrestrial and marine organic components. Pristane/Phytane ratios and pyrite framboid distribution data indicative of anoxic conditions occur at some levels, and new ÎŽ98/95Mo data, with values ranging from ~ -0.2 to 0.78 â°, which contrast with previously published molybdenum-isotope values from T-OAE black shales of northern Europe. Sedimentological data also reveals a marine transgression during the tenuicostatumâhoelderi Andean ammonite zone