Optimal aquifers and reservoirs for CCS and EOR in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia : An overview

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Delivering Quality Customer Service: the Interactive Effects of Employee Job Resourcefulness and Organizational Support

While front line customer service employees’ motivation and ability to provide high quality customer service is paramount for firm performance, it is unclear how employees’ internal resources may interact with organizational support. This paper advances a theoretical model for the possible interactive effects between customer service employees’ job resourcefulness and the external resource support provided by the organization, in the form of formal training, informal coaching, and rewarding mechanism, in determining the employees’ levels of commitment to customer service quality and the development of customer service skill proficiency. An exploratory study conducted on a sample of 98 student employees at a mid-sized university campus recreation center provided a first insight into the forms taken by such interactive effects and the resultant implications for the customer service employees’ job outcomes. The results of the study found that Job Resourcefulness had a strong positive effect on both the employees’ commitment to Customer Service (CS) quality and CS skill proficiency. CS training had a significant positive effect on both the employees’ commitment to CS quality and CS skill proficiency while the other two forms of support, supervisor coaching and CS rewarding, did not have positive effects. This study also looked at the interaction of the factors. With respect to employees’ commitment to CS quality, job resourcefulness did not interact with CS training, but interacted negatively with supervisor coaching and positively with CS rewarding. There was a negative impact at high levels of supervisor coaching with employees that had high job resourcefulness. However, employees with low job resourcefulness would benefit greatly from supervisor coaching. Employees with low job resourcefulness responded negatively to CS rewarding by displaying a lower level of commitment to CS quality. Finally, as predicted, employees’ commitment to CS quality had a significant positive impact on their perceived job satisfaction and performance. The contribution of the paper is to demonstrate that job resourcefulness is indeed a key determinant of CS employee’s ability and motivation. Managers are encouraged to provide formal CS training to all employees, supervisor coaching to those employees who display relatively low job resourcefulness, and stay away from providing extrinsic CS rewards

The Impact of COVID 19 and Geopolitical Tensions on Small to Midsized Enterprises

EXTENDED ABSTRACT Small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a potentially important role to play in the global economy (SBA, 2019). International business, however, has long been considered the domain of large multinational corporations; however, a growing number of SMEs engage in some form of international business. Many SMEs may not be fully exploiting their potential to grow in international markets despite reductions in transportation and information costs that have occurred due to technology improvements and globalization that have greatly reduced the cost of international market entry (Delehanty, 2015 and Wood et al., 2015). These costs are particularly important for SMEs who lack scale economies that allow large firms to negotiate cost reductions on large shipments. SMEs also typically have a small staff (if any) that can be dedicated to developing international markets and exploring different methods of shipping (Drzeniek-Hanouz and Doherty, 2013). While many SMEs have exploited the reduced search costs associated with locating customers over the Internet, and the general growing prevalence of e-commerce activities to generate international sales, many SMEs appear to be falling short of their potential (Shooshtari et al., 2017 and Wright et al., 2017). With respect to challenges, SMEs often consider competing domestically tough enough and firms may not have the additional resources, capacity, and wherewithal to take on international markets. They considered international trade more complicated because of higher documentation requirements such as shipper\u27s letter of intent, commercial invoices, etc., and other complexities such as compliance with NAFTA/USMC rules and language barriers in dealing with foreign entities. Other internal barriers include resource constraints on managers\u27 time and a lack of managerial expertise that is needed to develop foreign markets. Many SMEs cannot afford to conduct their own market research and instead they must rely on personal contacts or experience, often operating opportunistically rather than pursuing a comprehensive international strategy (Rundh, 2015, Francioni et al., 2015). Flexibility in both production and marketing may be needed when proceeding into international markets and many SME managers lack the experience needed (Love and Roper, 2015). COVID 19 and the Geopolitical Tensions The small to midsized enterprises generally face greater challenges in entering global markets compared to larger more resourceful firms. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global operations with significant health and business consequences. Many firms continue to face supply chain disruptions, but SMEs are more vulnerable than many larger firms. In a recent report by Mckinsey & Company, Dua et al., (2020) find that many small businesses entered the COVID-19 crisis with low financial resilience. Among respondents to their survey, close to a third were operating at a loss or just breaking even before the crisis. Humphries et al., (2020), OECD, (2020), and ITA, (2020) indicate that many small businesses were operating on very small cash reserves that would quickly be depleted. SMEs faced both demand and supply shocks due to the pandemic. Furthermore, what were once thought of as global supply chains turned out to effectively be Chinese supply chains for many SMEs. Thus, some SMEs were overly exposed to China and were hurt by the shutdown there. Adapting to new business conditions is likely to require a significant investment in technology and the creation of digital platforms for all firms. Baumgartner et al., (2020) maintain that in recent months, structural supply-chain fragility has become a chief business concern as the ongoing repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic continue around the world. Because of COVID, companies are looking to add flexibility and resilience to their supply chains and not have them centered on China. Making these changes is not an easy process. They offer three major recommendations to firms to deal with this crisis, including rethinking the traditional business models, securing value-chain competitiveness, and digitization of their supply-chain network. According to the Dua et al., (2020) study, even if SMEs can use technology and new business models as a means of survival in the post-COVID-19 world, many lack the capital, people, and access to technology that their larger counterparts have. SMEs also disproportionately operate in industries hardest hit by the pandemic and the shutdowns (Prasad, 2020, OECD, 2020). Eggers, (2020) argues that if SMEs can react appropriately the pandemic may allow innovative small businesses to take advantage of changing opportunities. Many will still need assistance. In short, the pandemic is likely to be an existential crisis for numerous SMEs and many are likely to require financial and technical assistance from both government and private-sector sources to survive (ITA, 2020, Prasad 2020, OECD, 2020). Given the inherent disadvantage of SMEs in operating in international markets, the current geopolitical tensions have only exacerbated their ability and willingness to conduct business internationally. In the current climate, many SMEs may simply conclude that the added risk and uncertainty of doing business internationally is just not worth it. It may not be a significant loss for SMEs to pull back from doing business internationally especially if their global operations were only tangential to their domestic operations. The combined impact of COVID 19 and geopolitical tensions could be mutually reinforcing in dissuading SMEs from doing business internationally or to pull back their current international operations. As stated before, the fact that global supply chains turned out to effectively be Chinese supply chains for many SMEs have made the current political tensions with China even more challenging for these smaller firms. Thus, some SMEs were overly exposed to China and were hurt by the shutdown there. The indications are that we may be in the early stages of geopolitical tensions with China so the problem is not likely to go away for many years to come. According to Shih (2022), the COVID 19 pandemic and the geopolitical tensions plus the war in Ukraine have put the fragility of the global supply chain top of mind. The global shortage of advanced semiconductor chips and the dependence of U.S., European and Japanese economies on foreign supply chains have raised protectionism and the push toward domestic resilience and the rapid growth of industrial policy initiatives. With regard to logistics, larger firms fared better than smaller firms that suffered disproportionately and were slower to see the wave of problems coming their way. Adapting to new business conditions is likely to require a significant investment in technology and the creation of digital platforms for all firms. This isn\u27t particularly surprising as Sharma et al. (2020) indicate that most small businesses don\u27t engage in international risk assessment. In terms of government assistance to these smaller firms, state and federal programs should broaden their marketing to SMEs to better show them the assistance they can provide. They should also facilitate more venues to share success stories and challenges in their region among firms in similar lines of business. The growth of the Internet and social media may provide new means to virtually deliver low-cost programs aimed at providing market and legal knowledge, assisting in trade leads, etc. via these media rather than by holding trade promotion events aimed at SMEs that may require travel time and costs. Some SMEs that can succeed in global markets won’t try unless they are encouraged and trained to break through psychological barriers to that cause them to exaggerate the risks and undervalue the opportunities. The role of small and medium enterprises in international business has been growing and becoming more important (Torres-Ortega et al., 2015). Programs that encourage mentoring of SMEs interested in international business by those already successfully engaged in international activities may provide benefits that generic programs offered by federal, state or local agencies do not. States in particular may wish to make available local mentors to SMEs to help overcome perceived barriers due to lack of knowledge, exaggerated belief in the risk of doing business internationally, or perceived poor ROI from such activities. The combined effects of COVID 19 pandemic and rising geopolitical tensions are discouraging to SMEs operating in international markets but they can be overcome or in the least mitigated. Some of the obstacles facing SMEs are structural and may be difficult to overcome. Others are psychological and can be addressed with appropriate and targeted assistance measures, both public and private, which combined with SME agility and entrepreneurial ability could pave the way for greater international success

Localisation humérale d’une tumeur à cellules géantes récidivantes (à propos d’un cas)

Les auteurs rapportent un cas de localisation rare d'une tumeur à cellules géantes au niveau de la palette humérale du coude droit chez unmilitaire de 36 ans de sexe masculin, la radio standard montrait une image kystique ne soufflant pas la corticale. L'examen anatomo-pathologiquea permis d' établir le diagnostic et le traitement a fait appel: au début a une Exérèse chirurgicale totale et une greffe osseuse par un greffon iliaquede la totalité de la palette huméral qui s'est compliquée à 6 mois de recule d une récidive locale

Dynamical Theory of Artificial Optical Magnetism Produced by Rings of Plasmonic Nanoparticles

We present a detailed analytical theory for the plasmonic nanoring configuration first proposed in [A. Alu, A. Salandrino, N. Engheta, Opt. Expr. 14, 1557 (2006)], which is shown to provide negative magnetic permeability and negative index of refraction at infrared and optical frequencies. We show analytically how the nanoring configuration may provide superior performance when compared to some other solutions for optical negative index materials, offering a more 'pure' magnetic response at these high frequencies, which is necessary for lowering the effects of radiation losses and absorption. Sensitivity to losses and the bandwidth of operation of this magnetic inclusion are also investigated in details and compared with other available setups.Comment: 34 pages, 3 figure

Global well-posedness for a Smoluchowski equation coupled with Navier-Stokes equations in 2D

We prove global existence for a nonlinear Smoluchowski equation (a nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation) coupled with Navier-Stokes equations in two dimensions. The proof uses a deteriorating regularity estimate and the tensorial structure of the main nonlinear terms

Comparison of methods for the detection of biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine subclinical mastitis.

Abstract: Biofilm formation is considered to be a selective advantage for Staphylococcus aureus mastitis isolates by facilitating bacterial persistence in the udder. It requires attachment to mammary epithelium, proliferation and accumulation of cells in multilayers. The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of three techniques for the detection of S. aureus biofilm-positive strains. Two phenotypic tests, including growth on microtitre plates and Congo red agar, were compared with a PCR technique using 94 S. aureus strains obtained from cows with subclinical mastitis from two farms in the state of São Paulo. These strains were characterised by in vitro slime production on Congo red agar, biofilm formation on microtitre plates and the presence of the icaA and icaD genes. The results revealed that 85% of the isolates tested produced slime on the Congo red agar, 98.9% of the isolates produced biofilms in vitro by adhering to sterile 96-well "U" bottom polystyrene tissue culture plates, and 95.7% of the isolates carried the icaA and icaD genes. The results of the phenotypic tests for biofilm formation were compared with those of the molecular analysis, and the sensitivity and specificity of the Congo red agar test were 88.9% and 100%, respectively, while those of the microtitre plate test were 100% and 25%, respectively. When the phenotypic methods for the detection of biofilm producers, namely growth on microtitre plates and Congo red agar, were compared, the sensitivity and specificity were 86% and 100%, respectively. Therefore, growth on Congo red agar and the microtitre plate test are methods that could be used to determine whether an isolate has the potential for biofilm production

Mid-infrared frequency comb generation and spectroscopy with few-cycle pulses and chi((2)) nonlinear optics

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPThe mid-infrared atmospheric window of 3-5.5 mu m holds valuable information regarding molecular composition and function for fundamental and applied spectroscopy. Using a robust, mode-locked fiberlaser source of < U fs pulses in the near infrared, we exp1241316FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2018/26673-5The authors acknowledge support from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the DARPA SCOUT Program, the National Science Foundation (Grand No. 1708743), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grants No. FA9550-16-1-0016 and No. FA

CYP1B1 and myocilin gene mutations in Egyptian patients with primary congenital glaucoma

Purpose: Primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) accounts for 26–29% of childhood blindness in Egypt. The identification of disease causing mutations has not been extensively investigated. We aimed to examine the frequency of CYP1B1 and MYOC mutations in PCG Egyptian patients, and study a possible genotype/phenotype correlation.Methods: Ninety-eight patients with PCG diagnosed at the Ophthalmology department ofAlexandria Main University Hospital were enrolled. Demographic and phenotypic characteristics were recorded. Patients and 100 healthy subjects (control group) were screened for two mutations in CYP1B1 gene (G61E, R368H) and one mutation in MYOC gene (Gln48His) using polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP). Phenotypic characteristics pertaining to disease severity were compared.Results: Nineteen patients (19%) with PCG were found positive for one or more of the mutations screened for. Seven patients (7%) were homozygous for the G61E mutation. Ten patients (10%) were heterozygous; 6 for the G61E mutation, 2 for the R368H mutation and 2 for the Gln48His mutation. Two patients (2%) were double heterozygotes harboring a R368H as well as a Gln48His mutation. The most common mutation observed was the G61E in 13 patients; 7 homozygotes and 6 heterozygotes for the mutation. The control group were negative for all mutations screened for. No significant correlations between the mutations and phenotype severity were detected. A statistically significant positive correlation however was found between the different mutations andeach of the IOP and the cup/disk ratio.Conclusion: The current study further endorses the role of CYP1B1 mutations in the etiology of PCG among Egyptian patients and is the first study to report MYOC gene mutation in Egyptian patients with PCG

Isospin violation and the proton's neutral weak magnetic form factor

The effects of isospin violation on the neutral weak magnetic form factor of the proton are studied using two-flavour chiral perturbation theory. The first nonzero contributions appear at O(p^4) in the small-momentum expansion, and the O(p^5) corrections are also calculated. The leading contributions from an explicit Delta(1232) isomultiplet are included as well. At such a high order in the chiral expansion, one might have expected a large number of unknown parameters to contribute. However, it is found that no unknown parameters can appear within loop diagrams, and a single tree-level counterterm at O(p^4) is sufficient to absorb all divergences. The momentum dependence of the neutral weak magnetic form factor is not affected by this counterterm.Comment: 26 pages including 9 figure