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With the integration of a large number of microgrids in the power distribution network operation, economic and strategic challenges arise. To address these challenges, this research provides a comprehensive investigation into the operational, economic, and strategic dynamics of microgrids. Through careful data analysis, the study interprets the complications of microgrid responses to seasonal changes. It also investigates energy consumption patterns and production dynamics. The detailed analysis of microgrid configurations reveals the unique attributes and challenges of PV, wind, and hydropower microgrids. Moreover, the research explains the financial implications of microgrid integration, from setup costs to potential ROI. It is also examining the cooperative relationship between microgrids and conventional grids. Key findings highlight that solar microgrids contribute 3.2% to 5.3%, wind microgrids provide 5.9% to 7.4%, and hydropower microgrids contribute 24.4% of total power. Energy purchase peaks at 850,000 kWh in August and declines to 580,000 kWh in May. 170,000 kWh of energy is sold back to the grid in May. Moreover, the grid energy costs reduced from $0.178 kWh to $0.30 kWh. The total net present cost of the system is achieved at $37,880,023.33. Renewable energy production ranges from 480 kW to 2,300 kW, with a penetration level reaching 160%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how financial innovation affects consumer attitudes toward the use of technology in financial products and services. This study uses a bibliometric technique to analyze 34 years of publications from 1989 to 2023 on marketing strategies and financial innovations. Data were extracted from the Scopus and Dimensions databases to perform coauthorship and co-occurrence analyses. The VOSviewer software package, version 1.6.16, was used to analyze the data and analyzed the publications by identifying the most prominent journals, authors, articles, countries, keywords, citations, subject areas, and content analysis. The results show that innovation is the most trending keyword, followed by sustainable development, in the past 34 years. Moreover, the United States is in the first position, with most publications related to the field of financial innovation and marketing strategies, and 'Marketing Strategy' is a trending research topic in this field. The findings of this study will help policymakers in industries and government agencies take up financial innovations in distinct untapped areas and develop marketing strategies for the full development of the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The integration of electric vehicles (EVs) into the power network challenges the 1) grid capacity, 2) stability, and 3) management. This is due to the 1) increased peak demand, 2) infrastructure strain, and 3) intermittent charging patterns. Previous studies lack comprehensive integration of renewable energy and battery storage with EV charging. Methods: To address these challenges, this study explores the effectiveness of incorporating renewable energy resources (RERs) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) alongside the traditional grid. The proposed study utilizes the HOMER Grid® and conducted a comprehensive analysis. Results: The proposed study compares two grid integrated scenarios: 1) Case-1 (grid and photovoltaic (PV) systems), and 2) Case-2 (grid, PV systems, and BESS). Both these scenarios are compared against a Base case relying solely on grid power. The evaluation employed techno-economic analysis while focusing on 1) net present cost (NPC), 2) cost of energy, and 3) annualized savings. Additionally, the proposed study analyzed 4) seasonal variations in EV charging demand, 5) grid interactions, 6) PV production, and 7) the operation of BESS in both summer and winter. The comparative analysis reveals that the Base case incurs a net present cost (N PC) of $546,977 and a cost of energy (COE) of $0.354 per kWh. In contrast, Case-1, which integrates a 100 kW PV system, shows a significantly lower NPC of -$122,962 and a reduced COE of -$0.043 per kWh, with annualized savings of $61,492. Case-2, incorporating both the 100 kW PV system and a BESS with a capacity of 9.8 kWh, has a higher NPC of $309,667 but a COE of $0.112 per kWh and provides annual savings of $51,233 compared to the Base case. Discussion: Seasonal analysis highlights that Case-2 achieves the lowest carbon emissions in summer, ranging from 2.0 to 2.5 tons, while Case-1 shows the lowest emissions in winter, ranging from 3.2 to 3.4 tons. This model 1) reduces operational costs, 2) minimizes carbon emissions, while 3) making it compelling for future energy systems in increasing EV adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on how remittance outflow shapes the economic growth (EG) performance in leading remittance-sending nations, considering the role of trade, ICT, and human and physical capital as control variables. It utilizes panel data from 1990 to 2021 and utilizes second-generation econometric methods. Our findings reveal a cointegration among variables and show that remittance outflow is growth-enhancing in leading remittance-paying countries. Trade, capital formation, and ICT deployment positively impact economic performance and appear to be a blessing for EG. While the role of HC is insignificant, indicating that it does not affect EG. The outcome suggests that remittance outflow is not an economic problem for the remittance-paying nations; instead, they must utilize the talent and skills of migrant labor to achieve EG. Our results suggest that policymakers should concentrate on using the talent and skills of migrant labor, consider trade as a source of growth, develop policies to improve the skills and competencies of the local workforce and deploy and utilize ICT facilities effectively to achieve sustainable EG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ICTuse has significantly increased over the years across the world, including Saudi Arabia. This study links ICTwith economic growth (EG) in Saudi Arabia, controlling human capital (HC) and COVID-19. We employ time-series annual data from 1990 to 2021, a nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) approach, and a cointegrating regression analysis to look at the asymmetric effects of ICT diffusion on EG. The NARDL assessment establishes a cointegrating relationship among variables; the effect of ICT negative shocks on EG is favorable and relatively larger. In contrast, the positive shocks of ICT generate a negative and somewhat less impact on EG with an overall positive impact. The findings imply that the ICT, during its expansion stage, cannot contribute positively to EG, perhaps because of a lack of required skilled human capital to administer and utilize the ICT instruments. The positive and insignificant coefficient of HC supports this conclusion. Despite Saudi Arabia's generous efforts, physical and human capital have no significant impact on EG. COVID-19 has hindered the usual economic activities in the Kingdom and impaired EG. The cointegrating regressions authenticate the robustness of the NARDL findings. The outcomes suggest policymakers should appraise the existing ICT infrastructure and initiate raising the capability of HC through practical training and education to benefit from ICT diffusion and positively impact EG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to investigate the associations among brand price, brand advertisement, brand image, brand trust and brand loyalty of the Malaysian car. In addition, the objective of this study is to determine the mediating effect of brand satisfaction on those associations. Questionnaire is used to collect data. 319 usable responses were received from respondents in the Northern Region of Malaysia (Kedah, Perlis and Penang). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is employed in the data analysis. The findings reveal significant associations among brand advertisement, brand image, brand trust and brand loyalty. However, this study does not find any significant associations among brand price and brand loyalty. This study observes that brand satisfaction mediates the effects of brand price, brand image, brand trust toward brand loyalty. However, brand satisfaction does not mediate the associations between brand advertisement and brand loyalty. The study conducted for the locally operating car manufacturers this is why the findings are not general for other car manufacturers and certain international brands. The research contributes in the research work available for automobile market and is significant for automobile manufacturing firms, automobile sellers, consumers and government in emerging economies, like Malaysia, for market expansion strategic plans. This research revealed that loyalty toward the locally operating Malaysian car brands based on various determinants, with some directly attributed to brand satisfaction. The significance of this study can be seen in the incorporation of brand satisfaction as the mediating variable to explain the associations among brand price, brand image, brand trust and brand loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Meningococcaemia is a serious bacterial disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis resulting in septicaemia and meningitis in previously well individuals and is associated with serious consequences including mortality. As the data from our region is scarce, the study was conducted with an aim to highlight the disease manifestations and outcomes so that appropriate interventions are devised. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted in Paediatrics A Unit from 1st March 2020 to 30th September 2021 after approval of institutional review board. Children admitted with features of meningococcaemia in the form of fever and typical petechial purpuric rash were included in the study. Results: A total of 46 patients with meningococcaemia were included in the study. Of these, 24 (52.2%) were male. Majority of the patients 22 (47.8%) were in the age group of 1 year to five years, Major complications were meningitis in 39 (84.8%), septic shock in 26 (56.5%) and purpura fulminans in 12 (26.1%) patients. Mortality was documented in 6 (13%) patients. Outcome was associated with age. (p= 0.039). There was a significant difference in outcome in patients with prolonged PT/APTT (p=0.031), purpura fulminans (p=0.000) and septic shock (p=0.021). Conclusion: Meningococcaemia is prevalent in our region in paediatric population. The disease has a fulminant course with a myriad of complications and potentially fatal outcomes especially in children under one year of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on Saudi domestic tourists visiting Hail province. The objectives of this study are to explore the perception of tourists regarding Hail province and to identify the main motivational factors that attracts them to travel to Hail. This study was conducted in Hail region located in north of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Visitors over 18 years of age in attraction sites in the destination were potential respondents for the present study. Convenient sampling technique was applied to gather data from respondents. Over 650 questionnaires were distributed among visitors in Hail region, out of which 380 were used for analysis as the remaining questionnaires were not fit for use due to their incomplete responses. Factor analysis and cluster analysis were undertaken to identify travel motives or intentions of tourists. The identified motivational factors illustrated that "taking part in new adventures", "relaxation", "increasing tourism knowledge", and "escaping routine" were the most important reasons of Saudi tourist to visit Hail region. The cluster analysis result shows that "relaxation" is the top motivational factor for tourists who visit Hail followed by "increasing tourism knowledge". This study gives important recommendations for planners in the Saudi Tourism Commission and National Heritage and Entertainment Authority to take development of Hail destination as priority for domestic and international tourism travelers. The decision and policy makers should create tourism packages, products and programs based on push and pull factors which impact the motivation factors of the travelers to make Hail as the major tourist destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today emotional intelligence is increasingly relevant to the success of management as well as employees in every respect, be it internal issues like conflict resolution, group dynamics, leadership and motivation or the external issues like customer relationship management, brand loyalty and corporate social responsibility (CSR). There is limited research on the impact of emotional intelligence on job stress and workplace conduct. The objective of the article is to understand the relationship between occupational stress and emotional intelligence. It also attempts to study the impact of some demographic variables (gender, age, work experience) on occupational stress. Simple random sampling was used to collect data from teaching and non-teaching staff working in universities and educational institutions in Uttar Pradesh, India. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis using statistical tools like correlation, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests. Results show a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and occupational stress. The female employees were found to have greater stress levels as compared to their male counterparts. Age is found to have an impact on occupational stress of university teachers. The employees in their forties were found to have higher stress levels than younger employees. Work experience is also found to have an impact on occupational stress of university teachers. It was observed that employees with a work experience of more than 30 years have maximum levels of occupational stress. Based on the findings of this study, the managers should take special measures to take care of female employees and minimize factors which lead to their stress. The policies and work culture of the organization should create a conducive ambience for female employees. The organization should provide support and counselling to employees in their forties to sort out their stress-related issues which would eventually enhance their productivity. The employees with a work experience of more than 30 years (usually older ones) should get support and any stress-causing issues such as post-retirement benefits should be explained and clarified. This study adds to the current body of knowledge from a theoretical perspective. It enriches the understanding of the relationship between emotional intelligence, demographic variables and occupational stress. The top management of the organization can enhance their organization's effectiveness by learning from the findings of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has recently emerged as a major political & economic power in the world. The financial crisis that engulfed the world in 2008 needed developing countries like India to lead the rescue and recovery, instead of G7 westerns countries who dealt with such crisis in the past. Recently, discussions and negotiations are going amongst G20 countries regarding a new global financial architecture (G-20 Summit, 2008). The outcome whatever has happened till date and how it will affect the relevant industries in India has been taken a focal study and has been recommended with a notional trends that how could it a gear up for a public interest issue through the actuarial profession in the country. Its overall Incremental trends with more intrusive and costly regulations and red tapes how could help has also been considered in accordance with (Economic Survey 2009-10). The objective of this paper is to study the perception of higher level authorities in Insurance sector regarding the role of regulator in minimizing the impact of global financial crisis. The primary data has been collected from 200 authorities in insurance industry. The data has been analyzed with statistical tools like MS-Excel. On the basis of the findings, various measures and policy recommendations for insurers have been suggested to minimize the impact of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute Epiploic Appendagitis is a rare self limiting disease that represents ischaemic infarction of an epiploic appendix. It is usually discovered incidentally on imaging of abdomen done for other causes of acute abdominal pain. It is difficult to diagnose clinically due to the lack of pathognomonic clinical features, since it is characterized by a sudden onset of sharp localized pain either in the left or right iliac fossa with minimal gastrointestinal symptoms, which can simulate a surgical clinical picture. Awareness of imaging findings of this entity is important to arrive at a correct diagnosis and to avoid unnecessary hospitalization and surgery. We report cases of three male patients presenting with acute flank pain who were diagnosed as case of Primary epiploic appendagitis. All 3 patients were treated conservatively.