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A self-lubricant surface composite including Al matrix and Babbitt alloy 11 reinforcement has been fabricated via friction stir processing (FSP).

The optimum processing condition is estimated by statistical analysis of a L9 Taguchi design of experiment. The results of Taguchi analysis suggested four passes of FSP, traverse speed of 40 mm/min and rotational speeds of 1,250 rpm as the optimum parameters to achieve higher hardness and wear resistance.

The needle-shaped particles are fragmented into the finer particles after FSP. There is uniform distribution of precipitations after FSP. The microhardness of manufactured surface bearings has been increased. Finer particles, smaller grains and in situ formed intermetallic precipitations (AlSb) can be responsible for hardness enhancement. Wear resistance of base metal also has been remarkably enhanced after FSP.

The originality of this paper lies in the following: new self-lubricating surface composite; a tough and resistant to wear sheets; and using a solid-state method to fabricate a surface bearing.

Life insurance is a kind of long-term investment; hence, the purpose of buying life insurance is to cover both current and future damages for the insured. Although insurance plays a crucial rule in fiscal and economic development, in MENA countries, insurance, especially life insurance, remains undeveloped, with a low penetration rate. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to determine the factors that affect life insurance demand.

To analyze the determinants of life insurance demand during 2004-2012, a panel data model was estimated with Eviews software. Data on population, gross domestic product (GDP), interest rate, inflation rate, and human development index are extracted from the World Bank, and data on life insurance premium are gathered from Sigma International reports.

Results show that the price elasticity of life insurance demand is −0.77, the elasticity of life insurance subject to HDI is 1.68, the elasticity of life insurance subject to GDP is 0.92, and the elasticity of life insurance subject to interest rate is −0.33. The demand for life insurance has a positive significant relationship with population size.

The low elasticity of life insurance demand subject to GDP, interest rate, and inflation rate shows that the life insurance penetration rate in MENA countries is due to the dominance of compulsory insurance, and not due to voluntary purchasing of life insurance. The higher effect of HDI on the life insurance demand illustrates that, for developing the life insurance market, it is first necessary to improve the standard of life, education status, and the economic base.

As in the MENA region life insurance has remained undeveloped and there are no related studies in this area, it can be hypothesized that the life insurance penetration rate in MENA is due to the dominance of compulsory insurance and not due to voluntary purchasing of life insurance. The higher effect of HDI on life insurance demand illustrates that, for developing the life insurance market, it is first necessary to improve the standard of life, education status, and economic base.

Valid and reliable measures are required for assessing patient satisfaction meaningfully. The purpose of this paper was to develop and validate a Persian-language in-patient satisfaction questionnaire for patients discharged from Iranian medical and surgical services.

The cross-sectional survey included 400 patients randomly selected from six Tehran hospitals. A total of 405 patients responded to the questionnaire (76.3 percent response). To assess inter-item reliability and construct validity, factor analysis was carried out. Items belonging to each factor and their Cronbach's alpha coefficient were calculated.

A total of seven dimensions were identified: doctor-patient communication; nursing care; convenience; visitors; cleanliness; costs; and general satisfaction. Together, these dimensions explained 60 percent of the variance. All items, except three, revealed loadings above 0.4, while Cronbach's alpha exceeded 0.8 for all dimensions, except visitors (0.66). Patient satisfaction levels were relatively high.

Results must be interpreted cautiously owing to high satisfaction, which should not be considered as comprehensive evidence of high performance without important additional service-performance information. Qualitative studies are recommended to complement the authors' quantitative satisfaction study.

The patient satisfaction questionnaire strives to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing in-patient satisfaction with hospital services in Iran.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new tool called the elderly caregiver questionnaire for COVID-19 (ECQC-24) that helps to assess caregiver attributes toward best possible care for elderly during this pandemic.

ECQC-24 was developed based on international team of experts and draw upon latest advice from reliable governing bodies such as World Health Organization and the US Centre of Disease Control. Psychometric analysis was applied to ensure the newly developed ECQC-24 is valid and reliable.

Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.72 to 0.87, and construct validity by exploratory factor analysis was acceptable. The results provide good estimates for the reliability and validity of ECQC-24.

More evidence is urgently needed to better inform clinicians, health and social policymakers and related stakeholders and organizations involved in caring for the elderly. ECQC-24, the manual to use and analyzing tools are freely available for download and use at https://sites.google.com/view/the-elderly-caregiver-covid19/home.

Protecting households against financial risks of healthcare services is one of the main functions of health systems. The purpose of this paper is to provide a pooled estimate of the prevalence of catastrophic healthcare expenditures (CHE) among households in Iran.

Both international (PubMed, Scopus and Clarivate Analytics (previously known as the Institute for Scientific Information)) and Iranian (Scientific Information Database, Iranmedex and Magiran) scientific databases were searched for published studies on CHE among Iranian households. The following keywords in Persian and English language were used as keywords for the search: “catastrophic healthcare costs,” “catastrophic health costs,” “impoverishment due to health costs,” “fair financial contribution,” “prevalence,” “frequency” and “Iran” with and without “health system”. The I²-test and χ²-based Q-test suggested heterogeneity in the reported prevalence among the qualified studies; thus, a random-effects model was used to estimate the overall prevalence of CHE among households in Iran.

A total of 24 studies with a cumulative sample of 301,097 households were included in the study. The estimated pooled prevalence of CHE among households was 7 percent (95 percent confidence interval: 6–8 percent). Meta-regression analysis indicated that the prevalence of CHE was inversely related to the sample size (p<0.05). The results did not suggest a significant association between the prevalence of CHE and the year of data collection.

The findings revealed that the prevalence of CHE among Iranian households is significantly higher than 1 percent, which is the goal set out in Iran’s fourth five-year development plan. This warrants further policy interventions to protect households from incurring CHE in Iran.

The purpose of this paper is to verify and estimate the impact of the antecedents of Programme satisfaction and to explore its link with student loyalty in the higher education (HE) sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A Programme Experience Questionnaire (PEQ) was developed, based on the National Student Survey (NSS), which surveyed 187 graduates at a British university based in the UAE. Cronbach alpha tests were conducted to test the reliability of the variables and correlation and regression analysis were used to estimate the relationship and significance of the variables.

Teaching quality and variables directly associated with the students’ programme of study had the most significant impact on student satisfaction; thus emphasizing the need for recruitment and development of high quality academic faculty members. Academic feedback, library and IT resources did not have a significant impact. The link between Programme satisfaction and satisfaction with non‐academic services and facilities had a positive impact on student loyalty.

In the competitive UAE HE sector, it is important to identify the antecedents and their variable impact on student satisfaction with their programme and its impact on loyalty. A comparison of results of the PEQ across a number of years and across other universities within the UAE, would help validate the results obtained in this paper.

Studies of this kind, whilst in their infancy within the UAE context, are important given the UAE HE market is attracting more entrants and becoming very competitive. The results may provide valuable insights for universities in developing appropriate strategies to improve student satisfaction and thus enhance their competitiveness.

In the ever-increasing competitive market of private hospital industry, creating a strong relationship with the customers that shapes patients’ loyalty has been considered a key factor in obtaining market share. The purpose of this paper is to test a model of customer loyalty among patients of private hospitals in Iran.

This cross-sectional study was carried out in Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2010. The study samples composed of 969 patients who were consecutively selected from eight private hospitals. The survey instrument was designed based on a review of the related literature and included 36 items. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling.

For the service quality construct, three dimensions extracted: Process, interaction, and environment. Both process and interaction quality had significant effects on perceived value. Perceived value along with the process and interaction quality were the most important antecedents of patient overall satisfaction. The direct effect of the process and interaction quality on behavioral intentions was insignificant. Perceived value and patient overall satisfaction were the direct antecedents of patient behavioral intentions and the mediators between service quality and behavioral intentions. Environment quality of service delivery had no significant effect on perceived value, overall satisfaction, and behavioral intentions.

Contrary to previous similar studies, the role of service quality was investigated not in a general sense, but in the form of three types of qualities including quality of environment, quality of process, and quality of interaction.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate leadership competencies of expatriate managers working within the UAE and identify if these competencies are unique from those needed in their home country. Additionally, the paper aims to identify how new competencies expatriate leaders have developed while in their current position and how this enhances their ability to better manage staff in the UAE. Leadership competencies are skills and behaviors that contribute to enhanced performance. While some leadership competencies are essential to all firms, some distinctive leadership attributes may be particularly relevant to organizations possessing a large expatriate community.

Personal interviews and stratified sampling were used to examine the qualities and skills relating to expatriate managers’ success in leading UAE organizations. The research design did not differentiate between the origins and ethnicities of the leaders. The leaders, whether American, European, Indo-Pakistani or Asian, were treated as one entity.

Factors such as communication ability, team building qualities and ability to handle local nationals were found to have a significant effect on expatriate adjustment and success in managing UAE organizations.

By investigating specific competencies and skills that expatriate managers need to lead organizations in the UAE and the broader Gulf region, the study informs organizations on how they can better identify and develop leadership skills that lead to enhanced performance.

The study focuses on leadership competencies within the expatriate community of the UAE.