Burden of Disease from Soil and Groundwater Contamination

Background With the global outbreak of coronavirus in 2019 (COVID-19), governments across the globe faced the challenge of outlining policy capacity to contain the spread of infection and overcome human tragedy. To overcome this global public health emergency, the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) used a rigorous approach to mitigate the consequences of this non-communicable pandemic through effective approaches. Therefore, the study aimed to explore the role of the leadership of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in controlling COVID-19. It figured out the practical policy steps and outcomes. Methods This study used a comparative analysis approach to observe the policies and strategies initiated by the UAE and China governments to control COVID-19-associated public health crises in the UAE from September 2020 to March 2022. Results The study reported outcomes or improvements as a result of UAE government-based policies or interventions. The UAE government used recent technology in the healthcare sector to attain maximum benefits during the pandemic. Further, the comparative analysis of integrated management policy systems is discussed between China and UAE. Conclusions The study concludes that the use of appropriate and proactive approaches by the UAE government and healthcare authorities can be used as a commendable model for the rest of the world to be followed to deal with any public health crises.

Results from the United Arab Emirates 2022 report card on physical activity for children and adolescents

With cancer being the third leading cause of mortality, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has been investing heavily to advance cancer care. There has been a significant investment from both the government and private healthcare institutions to improve and enhance the quality and accessibility of cancer care in the UAE. While data regarding the incidence is becoming more accessible and centralized through the national cancer registry, survival and outcome data for cancer in the UAE are still lacking. Creating a reference book about cancer care in the UAE will not be complete without the historical background. In this introduction, we will summarize the history of cancer care in the UAE over the last 50 years since the UAE was established. This chapter is very important for anyone who is interested in learning about oncology care in the UAE. This book will map the way forward for healthcare providers, regulators, decision-makers, patients, and other stakeholders to advance cancer care in the UAE.

This paper assesses the strategies of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to instill leadership values and to encourage youth to take leadership roles as a solution for the future sustainable economic growth. In recent years, the UAE government has stepped up initiatives to encourage the Emirati youth to become leaders, as seen in the establishment of, among others, the UAE Youth Global Initiative, the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Emirates Youth Council, the National Youth Agenda, and the UAE Youth Programme launched under the UAE Government Leaders Programme (UAEGLP). Such steps are accompanied by country’s support for high quality education on a tertiary level available to every citizen willing to pursue their education. This article examines in what ways such attempts at social engineering may provide solutions to the country’s future needs and serve as a model abroad. The research was conducted using data collected from governmental agencies, and interviews with representatives of youth government initiatives.

Public-sector green procurement in the United Arab Emirates: Innovation capability and commitment to change

Background: Many patients with rheumatic diseases are immunosuppressed and take forms of immunomodulator medication. Hence, these patients might be at a heightened risk of Covid-19 and have special concerns in regard to vaccines, such as safety and efficacy. Vaccines have been available for the population of UAE as of January 2021, these being Pfizer (the United States and Europe), Sinopharm (China), and AstraZeneca (United Kingdom). The aim of our paper was to examine the rate of vaccine uptake among our patients with rheumatic conditions in the United Arab Emirates. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed among patients with rheumatic diseases attending a rheumatology specialised clinic in the United Arab Emirates. We collected data on 149 consecutive patients who were seen during a one-month period from 10/06/2021 to 10/07/2021 in Dubai. Results: The mean age of the patients was 45.9 +/- 41.3. The majority of the patients had underlying rheumatic diseases (86.9%), the rest having conditions such as soft tissue pain or to rule out rheumatic conditions. 48.5% were taking immunomodulators. 41.7% of respondents had other chronic diseases. It was also found that 18.9% had Covid-19 previously, all of whom recovered, with the average duration of the illness being 11 days. 99.1% of individuals reported that receiving the Covid-19 vaccine was extremely important, and 95.0% had already received the vaccination. Their reasoning for receiving the vaccination varied from medical advice (17.5%), general worry about infection/ reinfection of Covid-19 (65.3%), in order to travel (8.4%), employee requirement (5.6%), and other reasons (3.2%). Specifically, 48.3% chose the Pfizer vaccine, 39.8% had Sinopharm, and 11.9% had AstraZeneca. These decisions on which vaccine to choose were influenced by the availability of the vaccine (35.1%), medical advice (16.9%), effectiveness (15.5%), safety and side effect profile (18.2%), age restrictions (2.7%), experience/ advice from friends and family (8.1%) and other reasons (3.4%). Conclusion: Overall, an overwhelming majority of our patients (95.0%) with rheumatic diseases in the specialised muscular-skeletal clinic in the UAE have received the Covid-19 vaccine. This reflects good public health service messaging and concentrated efforts from the medical community, UAE government, and the patient’s rheumatologists.

In comparison to the other Arabic counties, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has positively and effectively progressed, in a short space of time in educational innovation. A brief overview of the United Arab Emirates and the structure of the educational system will be presented and a more detailed analysis on how the usage of Information Technology in Educational Management (ITEM) has developed over a decade will be explained. ITEM utilization has grown enormously in UAE; various modifications within the educational system have been done, specifically towards innovation, modernization and school management decentralization. Nonetheless, a certain improvement and maturity has been reached in using information technology in school management. Two major School information systems are accredited in the UAE government (public) schools. The first School information systems (SIS) is used by the Ministry of Education (MOE), and the other, Enterprise School Information systems (eSIS) is used by Abu Dhabi the capital of UAE. The paper will focus on the SIS which is implemented recently by the MOE and then conclude the challenges, future ambitions and issues facing MOE school information systems.

Subject area International business and/or strategic management. Study level/applicability This case is useful for undergraduate and postgraduate level students majoring in international business management and/or strategic management. Case overview Etihad Airways was established in 2003, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the UAE government as sole owner. It is the national carrier of UAE with Abu Dhabi as its centre of operations. Etihad is recognized as a fast-growing player in the aviation industry, and has become one of the dominant international players in the industry in a relatively short time. Etihad's fleet now contains more than 67 planes, with more than 1,300 flights per week to diverse destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. The company describes its business strategy as “sustainable growth”. Looking through a practitioner's lens, strategic partnerships have been the critical activities through which Etihad has delivered its strategy. The purpose of this case study is therefore to elaborate on its major and successful partnerships and the critical benefits of these. Secondary data were collected from credible sources including academic studies, relevant Etihad publications and industry reports published by official aviation associations. Expected learning outcomes Students will be able to understand the theory of strategic partnerships, their roles and benefits and critically evaluate the pre-staging “requirements” of such partnerships. In this case, the specific learning outcome of it is to help students to understand the importance of successful strategic partnerships for Etihad Airlines and how partnership strategies can improve the performance of Etihad Airlines. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Healthcare Industry has taken a center-stage in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Which affected many countries globally to rethink and strengthen its healthcare infrastructure. The student nurses experienced various emotions during the pandemic period which may impact their attitude towards choosing nursing as their career choice. For that, this study aimed to determine the nursing students’ attitude towards the chosen nursing profession and its image during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, to investigate the impact factors that may affect the students’ attitude on choosing nursing as their career choice in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A descriptive quantitative, cross-sectional design was used. A quantitative survey instrument was developed, piloted, factor analyzed, checked for reliability, validity and implemented. The survey was conducted in a nursing institution in the UAE and received 372 responses. In general, there seems to be a positive attitude towards choosing the nursing profession as a career choice and the nursing profession image. In conclusion, this study showed that the pandemic has not affected the nursing students negatively on the attitude towards their career-choice. The students’ families and the government of UAE have been very supportive during the pandemic.

The concept of integrating technology and the application of the World Wide Web to bridge the gap between people and the government and the reduction of bureaucratic barriers has become a popular trend in the Middle East as many Arab nations have now developed portals that extend e-services to their users (Al-Nuaim, 2009). United Arab Emirates (UAE), in particular, has been participating in and developing models of E-government to facilitate its citizens with high quality service (Dutta et al., 2011). Previously known as e-government the name of the department that handled E-government initiatives in Dubai was changed to Dubai smart government starting from June 30, 2013. The new name was given by Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai. The new name was consistent with the smart government initiative as it showed the government's outlook on the future (Gulf News, 2013). Instigation of E-government programs is also part of the same vision, E-government programs are aimed at increasing the competence and efficacy of government and governance system. The E-government programs aim to assist in policy making, governance and service delivery. One of the major postulates of the strategy of the UAE Government is to enhance and improve the delivery of public services and become more citizen centric. They aspire to meet international standards of service quality and service delivery to their citizens and the major focus of government is on improving standards of education, health-care, judicial system, innovation inculcation, and sustainability and government services. The research problem that this paper aims to address and explore is formed on the grounds that there is less usage of transformation E-government in UAE's public sector and there is still more room for improvement. The public sector must adopt and engage citizens through the use of e-services. Henceforth, the objective of this study shall be based on the investigation of barriers and problems responsible for the failure of the implementation of projects pertaining to Dubai E- government in UAE. Until such time that the barriers and hurdles have been identified and removed there would be no chance of achieving the full success in E-government implementation. As a result of this investigation, the study aspires to develop a guiding framework that addresses such barriers in future projects. The secondary literature and academic journals contain a vast amount of research on various barriers and CSF however unfortunately they are not specific to UAE or the GCC region, creating a vacuum in the knowledge base for UAE and other gulf countries. There is a need to understand that UAE, being a multicultural melting pot is different from other countries, while it has a strong Arab cultural rooted in its base at the same time it has adopted western practices of diversity and inclusion. The research aims to investigate the current situation of E-government in U.A.E and examine the barriers to successful implementation of E- government in U.A.E public sector with specific reference to Government employee users. To achieve the above aims, the following objectives have therefore been considered. i. To identify, examine and measure the extent and significance of barriers hindering the implementation of e-government in public sector in Dubai. ii. To develop a road map for successful implementation of e-government in UAE public sector.

The circular economy is an economic system designed to rebuild capital, enhance resource returns, and maximize their utility by minimizing waste through the recycling of products and raw materials at all stages. This approach represents a fundamentally different way of conducting business. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is rapidly advancing toward the adoption of a circular economy model. In collaboration with the World Economic Forum for the Middle East and North Africa, the UAE government has signed the "Accelerating the Circular Economy 360" initiative, positioning itself as one of the first countries globally to support this initiative. By implementing the circular economy model in its urban areas, the UAE is projected to realize savings of up to $28 billion from 2020 to 2030. The National Energy Strategy targets an increase in the contribution of clean energy to the national energy mix to 50% by 2050 and aims to enhance consumption efficiency by 40%. This strategy encompasses projects for converting waste to energy and transforming industrial waste into resources for other industries within the framework of the circular economy.

BackgroundThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) is faced with a rapidly increasing burden of non-communicable diseases including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The UAE Healthy Future study is a prospective cohort designed to identify associations between risk factors and these diseases amongst Emiratis. The study will enroll 20,000 UAE nationals aged ≥18 years. Environmental and genetic risk factors will be characterized and participants will be followed for future disease events. As this was the first time a prospective cohort study was being planned in the UAE, a pilot study was conducted in 2015 with the primary aim of establishing the feasibility of conducting the study. Other objectives were to evaluate the implementation of the main study protocols, and to build adequate capacity to conduct advanced clinical laboratory analyses.MethodsSeven hundred sixty nine UAE nationals aged ≥18 years were invited to participate voluntarily in the pilot study. Participants signed an informed consent, completed a detailed questionnaire, provided random blood, urine, and mouthwash samples and were assessed for a series of clinical measures. All specimens were transported to the New York University Abu Dhabi laboratories where samples were processed and analyzed for routine chemistry and hematology. Plasma, serum, and a small whole blood sample for DNA extraction were aliquoted and stored at −80 °C for future analyses.ResultsOverall, 517 Emirati men and women agreed to participate (68% response rate). Of the total participants, 495 (95.0%), 430 (82.2%), and 492 (94.4%), completed the questionnaire, physical measurements, and provided biological samples, respectively.ConclusionsThe pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of recruitment and completion of the study protocols for the first large-scale cohort study designed to identify emerging risk factors for the major non-communicable diseases in the region.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government paid a lot of attention to enhancing its e-government services, including the e-government procurement platform (E-GPP). Due to lack of study regarding the efficiency of E-GPP implementation, this research aimed to develop a PLS-SEM model of organizational factors affecting the efficiency of Emarati Electronic Government Procurement Platform (EEGPP)of UAEgovernment. This study adopted the quantitative research approach where the survey data from 206 participantswere used to developand analysethe model using SmartPLS software.The model was evaluatedand found thatit achieved GoF value of 0.690which indicate havinghigh validating power. Futher analysis on the model, found that planning, policy formulation, change management, and human resource managementconstructshave significant effect on the efficiency of theEEGPP. Mediating effect of innovation construct alsorevealed that innovation has a significant mediating effect on the relationship between the four independent variables (planning, policy formulation, change management, and human resourcemanagement) and the efficiency of the EGPP of the UAE. This model and the outcomes of this research can contribute significantly to policy and decision-makers during focusing on the planning, policy formulation, change management, and human resource management in theimplementation of the EGPP.

Predictions of UAE's renewable energy mix in 2030

Environmental contamination from improper disposal of hazardous industrial and municipal wastes has long been recognised as an issue of public concern, regulatory activity, and scientific investigation. Such disposals have resulted in the occurrence of in excess of 80,000 potentially contaminated sites in Australia (Natusch, 1997) and over 3 million such sites in the Asia region. In the United States (US), there are estimated to be about 400,000 waste disposal sites where soil and groundwater contamination is deemed to be of sufficient extent and magnitude that some type of remedial action is warranted to protect public health or to minimize adverse environmental and ecological impacts (Rao et al., 1996; USEPA, 2004, http://www.epa.gov/superfund/news/30years.htm). Remediation of contaminated sites to the extent practicable is expected to cost approximately $5 to 8 billion in Australia (Powell, 1992;