Emiratization and Workforce Innovation in Banking Sector

This study examines the impact of nationalization in employment towards bank innovation and individual innovative behavior. Using sample from United Arab Emirates, this paper studies the impact of Emiratization on innovation motivation of Emirati employees and compare the innovation degree between Emirati employees and expats. We conduct the investigations from two aspects. First, we survey the innovative behavior at the individual level through sets of questionnaires conducted on selected company managers. The questionnaires are projected to access the interviewees’ opinions about the idea generation, idea promotion, and idea implementation among their subordinates. Second, using sample of 13 commercial banks in the UAE, we construct firm-level innovation index on firm samples. The innovation index is proxied by the technology gap ratio which is estimated using stochastic frontier analysis. Our findings indicate a positive effect of Emiratization on firm innovation. From the individual perspective, a work team with more national employees tends to have positive impact on idea generation and idea implementation but have negative impact on idea promotion

Measuring the Efficiency of Regional Integrated Transport in China: a Data Envelopment Analysis

This paper attempts to evaluate the integrated transport efficiency of provinces in China over the period 1988-2009 based on DEA model. The results indicate that the spatial pattern of three efficiency indexes demonstrates a declining trend from the eastern China to the western China, which coincides with the spatial pattern of economic development in China. The spatial distribution of transport efficiency of provinces in China is mainly determined by pure technical efficiency other than scale efficiency. Since the level of allocating and utilizing transport resources, is relatively low, which means the overall transport efficiency will be greatly improved through improving the ability in the resource utilization process in future. Our findings suggest that future development of transport network in China should be improved by restructuring and optimizing the transport network structure, especially to the necessity of building an open and efficient integrated transport system

Mining Site Reclamation Planning Based on Land Suitability Analysis and Ecosystem Services Evaluation: A Case Study in Liaoning Province, China

Restoration of the degraded ecosystem is a global priority for achieving sustainable development. Although increasing ecosystem service is an important goal of ecological restoration, it is rarely used to inform mine reclamation. This study proposed a reclamation strategy that incorporated land suitability analysis and ecosystem service evaluation for a mining site in Liaoning Province, China. We assessed the land suitability for three reclamation alternatives and identified suitable land uses for each location by comparing their suitability levels. For areas that were suitable for multiple land uses with the same suitability level, the future land uses cannot be identified by land suitability analysis alone, and we employed ecosystem services evaluation to determine the optimal reclamation strategy. The results showed that forest could be restored throughout the entire mining site, agricultural land were most suitable in the western and southern parts, and developed land were in northern parts that were closer to roads and city centers. Our study showed that a large mining site can be reclaimed to different land uses and provided a practical framework for integrating ecosystem services into mine reclamation

Experimental Study on the Factors of the Oil Shale Thermal Breakdown in High-Voltage Power Frequency Electric Heating Technology

We conducted an experimental study on the breakdown process of oil shale by high-voltage power frequency electric heating in-situ pyrolyzing (HVF) technology to examine the impact mechanisms of the electric field intensity, initial temperature, and moisture content on a breakdown, using Huadian oil shale samples. A thermal breakdown occurred when the electric field intensity was between 100 and 180 V/cm. The greater the electric field intensity, the easier the thermal breakdown and the lower the energy consumption. The critical temperature of the oil shale thermal breakdown ranged from 93 to 102 °C. A higher initial temperature increases the difficulty of breakdown, which is inconsistent with the classical theory of a solid thermal breakdown. The main factor that affects the electrical conductivity of oil shale is the presence of water, which is also a necessary condition for the thermal breakdown of oil shale. There should be an optimal moisture content that minimizes both the breakdown time and energy consumption for oil shale’s thermal breakdown. The thermal breakdown of oil shale results from heat generation and dissipation. The electric field intensity only affects the heat generation process, whereas the initial temperature and moisture content impact both the heat generation and dissipation processes, and the impacts of moisture content are greater than those of the initial temperature.© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Herbal Medicine for Hot Flushes Induced by Endocrine Therapy in Women with Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective. This systematic review was conducted to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine (HM) as an alternative management for hot flushes induced by endocrine therapy in breast cancer patients. Methods. Key English and Chinese language databases were searched from inception to July 2015. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of HM on hot flushes induced by endocrine therapy in women with breast cancer were retrieved. We conducted data collection and analysis in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Statistical analysis was performed with the software (Review Manager 5.3). Results. 19 articles were selected from the articles retrieved, and 5 articles met the inclusion criteria for analysis. Some included individual studies showed that HM can relieve hot flushes as well as other menopausal symptoms induced by endocrine therapy among women with breast cancer and improve the quality of life. There are minor side effects related to HM which are well tolerated. Conclusion. Given the small number of included studies and relatively poor methodological quality, there is insufficient evidence to draw positive conclusions regarding the objective benefit of HM. Additional high quality studies are needed with more rigorous methodological approach to answer this question

Flavonoids and its derivatives from Callistephus chinensis flowers and their inhibitory activities against alpha-glucosidase

Inhibitors of carbohydrate-hydrolysing enzymes play an important role for the treatment of diabetes. One of the therapeutic methods for decreasing of postprandial hyperglycemia is to retard absorption of glucose by the inhibition of carbohydrate-hydrolysing enzymes, such as α-glucosidase, in the digestive organs. To investigate the therapeutic potential of compounds from natural sources, Callistephus chinensis flowers (CCF) were tested for inhibition of α-glucosidase, and acarboes was used as the positive control. The 70 % ethanol extract of CCF exhibited significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC50 value of 8.14 μg/ml. The stepwise polarity fractions of CCF were tested further for in vitro inhibition of α-glucosidase. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction exhibited the most significant inhibitory activity. Eight pure compounds, apigenin, apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucoside, kaempferol, hyperin, naringenin, quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol-7-O-β-D-glucoside, were isolated (using enzyme assay-guide fractionation method) from the EtOAc fraction. Among these, quercetin was the most active one (IC50 values 2.04 μg/ml), and it appears that the inhibiting percentages are close to acarbose (IC50 values 2.24 μg/ml), the positive control, on α-glucosidase inhibition. HPLC/UV analysis indicated that the major components of CCF are kaempferol, hyperin and quercetin. The presented results revealed that CCF containing these eight flavonoids could be a useful natural source in the development of a novel α-glucosidase inhibitory agent against diabetic complications

Competition and Sustainability Development of a Multi-Airport Region: A Case Study of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area

new era in the development of multi-airport regions (MARs) has been in China, especially in the construction of global urban areas such as the Guangdong&ndash Hong Kong&ndash Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). In order to better understand competition and provide significant advice to support sustainable development of Chinese MARs, this paper takes the GBA-MAR as an example, and then explores the competition between airports in this multi-airport region based on route level and its impact on passenger airport choice using three liner models. According to our findings, competition is concentrated on a few air routes in the Northeast&ndash East Coastal region and the Asia-Pacific region, in which all three airports operate. Although the domestic market of the GBA-MAR has been relatively mature, the international air transport market is still left with considerable room, which is also reflected in connections to the world&rsquo s cities and tourist destinations. In addition, the research also found that different airport brands created by route type significantly affected passenger airport choice. Overall, the study revealed that whether from a supply or demand aspect, competition between airports in a multi-airport region&mdash not just airline competition in a single airport&mdash is an important topic. Document type: Articl

Evaluating Teachers and Schools Using Student Growth Models

Interest in Student Growth Modeling (SGM) and Value Added Modeling (VAM) arises from educators concerned with measuring the effectiveness of teaching and other school activities through changes in student performance as a companion and perhaps even an alternative to status. Several formal statistical models have been proposed for year-to-year growth and these fall into at least three clusters: simple change (e.g., differences on a vertical scale), residualized change (e.g., simple linear or quantile regression techniques), and value tables (varying salience of different achievement level outcomes across two years). Several of these methods have been implemented by states and districts. This paper reviews relevant literature and reports results of a data-based comparison of six basic SGM models that may permit aggregating across teachers or schools to provide evaluative information. Our investigation raises some issues that may compromise current efforts to implement VAM in teacher and school evaluations and makes suggestions for both practice and research based on the results. Accessed 9,761 times on https://pareonline.net from December 17, 2012 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right

Study on Wear Resistance of Nickel Cladding Layer with Imitation Shell Convex Strip Structure on the Surface of 7075 Aluminum Alloy Drill Pipe

In this study, a nickel cladding layer with a bionic convex strip structure was applied to the surface of an aluminum alloy drill pipe, and laser cladding technology was used to improve the wear resistance of the aluminum alloy drill pipe. Firstly, by observing the morphological characteristics of the shell surface, the ratio of the width of the convex strips to the spacing between the convex strips was obtained as 0.39–0.53, and thus a model of the bionic structure was constructed. Numerical simulations were performed, and the results showed that the wear of the bionic structure was reduced by 77.6% compared with that of the smooth structure. Subsequently, the cladding layers of both structures were coated on the drill pipe using nickel powder as the material, and wear tests were performed. The microstructure, composition, and hardness behavior of the cladding layers were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, an X-ray diffractometer, and a microhardness tester. It was found that the cladding layer mainly consists of Al3Ni2, and there is a transition layer between the cladding layer and the aluminum alloy matrix, whose hardness is lower than that of Al3Ni2. In addition, the groove space can be formed between the convex strips, which effectively reduces the frequency of the debris flow. The results of the wear tests show that the wear of the cladding layer with the bionic structure is reduced by 74.0%. Similar results in numerical simulations and experiments verified that the designed cladding layer with a bionic convex strip structure can significantly improve the wear resistance of aluminum alloy drill pipes.© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Drug-herb interactions between Scutellaria baicalensis and pharmaceutical drugs : insights from experimental studies, mechanistic actions to clinical applications

Whilst the popular use of herbal medicine globally, it poses challenges in managing potential drug-herb interaction. There are two folds of the drug-herb interaction, a beneficial interaction that may improve therapeutic outcome and minimise the toxicity of drug desirably; by contrast, negative interaction may evoke unwanted clinical consequences, especially with drugs of narrow therapeutic index. Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is one of the most popular medicinal plants used in Asian countries. It has been widely used for treating various diseases and conditions such as cancer, diabetes, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Studies on its extract and bioactive compounds have shown pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions with a wide range of pharmaceutical drugs as evidenced by plenty of in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies. Notably, S. baicalensis and its bioactives including baicalein, baicalin and wogonin exhibited synergistic interactions with many pharmaceutical drugs to enhance their efficacy, reduce toxicity or overcome drug resistance to combat complex diseases such as cancer, diabetes and infectious diseases. On the other hand, S. baicalensis and its bioactives also affected the pharmacokinetic profile of many drugs in absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination via the regulatory actions of the efflux pumps and cytochrome P450 enzymes. This review provides comprehensive references of the observed pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic drug interactions of Scutellaria baicalensis and its bioactives. We have elucidated the interaction with detailed mechanistic actions, identified the knowledge gaps for future research and potential clinical implications. Such knowledge is important for the practice of both conventional and complementary medicines, and it is essential to ensure the safe use of related herbal medicines. The review may be of great interest to practitioners, consumers, clinicians who require comprehensive information on the possible drug interactions with S. baicalensis and its bioactives