Are non-primary exports the source for further economic growth in the UAE?

This paper investigates whether non-primary exports directly or indirectly cause economic growth in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study performs the Johansen test to examine the presence of co-integration between the variables in an augmented production function. The Granger causality test is performed to investigate the short-run causality between non-primary exports and economic growth, while the long-run causality is investigated by employing the Toda and Yamamoto procedure. The empirical analysis indicates that the variables are co-integrated, and that short-run causality runs from non-primary exports to economic growth; results exhibit no evidence of direct causality from non-primary exports to economic growth in the long-run

A new approach for content-based image retrieval for medical applications using low-level image descriptors

Content based image retrieval (CBIR) has become an important factor in medical imaging research and is obtaining a great success. More applications still need to be developed to get more powerful systems for better image similarity matching, and as a result getting better image retrieval systems. This research focuses on implementing low-level descriptors to maximize the quality of the retrieval of medical images. Such a research is supposed to set a better result in terms of image similarity matching. In this research a system that uses low-level descriptors is introduced. Three descriptors have been developed and applied in an attempt to increase the accuracy of image matching. The final results showed a qualified system in medical images retrieval specially that the low-level image descriptors have not been used yet in the image similarity matching in the medical field

Microbial Metabolite Regulation of Microglial AHR Signaling in Alzheimer’s Disease

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by amyloid-β plaque accumulation, neuroinflammation, and cognitive decline. Recent evidence suggests that systemic factors, particularly the gut microbiota and its metabolites, play a significant role in shaping brain immune responses, including microglial activation. However, the mechanisms linking gut dysbiosis to microglial dysfunction in AD are poorly understood. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-activated transcription factor responsive to tryptophan metabolites, has recently gained attention as a key regulator of neuroinflammation and microglial function. I hypothesize that the loss of beneficial microbial AHR ligands, specifically indole derivatives, during aging and AD progression contributes to a pro-inflammatory microglial state and accelerates AD progression. Methods: The Tg2576 mouse model was used for this study, in which mice develop amyloid plaques and cognitive deficits at 12 months of age. Mice were aged to 9 and 15 months to study the progression of AD from the pre-symptomatic and post-symptomatic time points. Cognitive decline was assessed by Y-maze and novel object recognition test. Mass spectrometry metabolomics of blood plasma measured alterations in tryptophan pathways. Microglial AHR and inflammatory cytokine expression were characterized by flow cytometry. Additionally, human HMC3 microglial cells were treated with indole metabolites and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to assess inflammatory responses in vitro. Results: I assessed behavior, metabolite profiles, and microglial phenotypes across pre-symptomatic (9-month) and post-symptomatic (15-month) time points. Behavioral testing confirmed cognitive impairment in aged Tg2576+ mice. Plasma from aged symptomatic AD mice showed significantly reduced levels of beneficial microbial indole metabolites (e.g. 3-indole acetic acid, indoxyl-3-sulfate) and increased kynurenine. Microglial AHR and IL-1β expression was significantly upregulated in symptomatic AD mice compared to aged-matched controls and pre-symptomatic mice. In vitro, treatment of HMC3 microglial cells with indole metabolites suppressed LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6, though AHR mRNA expression remained suppressed in inflammatory conditions. I also found that microglial AHR expression varies with age and microbiome exposure, with the lowest levels observed in pups and germ-free mice, and highest in aged wild-type mice, underscoring the importance of physiological context when analyzing AHR signaling. Conclusion: My findings demonstrate that AHR expression in microglia is altered by age, disease state, and microbial metabolite availability. Loss of beneficial indole-derived AHR ligands and increased kynurenine levels in AD may shift AHR signaling toward a pro-inflammatory state, contributing to microglial dysfunction. These results highlight the importance of microbiota-derived metabolites in modulating neuroinflammation and identify AHR as a potential therapeutic target for restoring immune homeostasis in the aging and AD brain

Job Analysis and HRM Strategic Decisions: Administrators’ Ethics as Moderating Variable

Job analysis has been identified as a critical issue in human resource management (HRM); little research has focused on the relationship of work-related ethics between JA (JA) and HRM strategic decisions. This study aims to determine the effect of JA on human resource management strategic decisions at Jordanian institutions of higher education. We also examine how the impact of JA varies depending on how prevalent administrators work-related ethics are in each institution. The studys sample includes (420) individuals who work in supervisory academic and administrative roles at four universities. We test our proposed model in both public and private universities in Jordans northern region, using structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the data. According to the findings, JA positively impacts HRM strategic decisions. On the other hand, administrators work-related ethics considerably moderate the influence of JA. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Does export composition matter for economic growth in the United Arab Emirates?

This paper examines the export diversification process and the causality between disaggregated manufactured exports and economic growth in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study develops a model whereby domestic investments, gross domestic product, as well as disaggregated manufactured exports and imports of goods and services, are considered. The results show that chemicals and related products cause short-run economic growth, while a bi-directional causality exists between machinery and transport equipment exports and economic growth both in the short and long run. Therefore, the shift to machinery and transport equipment exports contributes to long-run, sustainable economic growth in the UAE