Development of cluster-based energy management scheme for residential usages in the smart grid community

Several efforts have been taken to promote clean energy towards a sustainable and green economy. Existing sources of electricity present some complications concerning consumers, utility owners, and the environment. Utility operators encourage household applicants to employ residential energy management (REM) systems. Renewable energy sources (RESs), energy storage systems (ESS), and optimal energy allocation strategies are used to resolve these difficulties. In this paper, the development of a cluster-based energy management scheme for residential consumers of a smart grid community is proposed to reduce energy use and monetary cost. Normally, residential consumers deal with household appliances with various operating time slots depending on consumer preferences. A simulator is designed and developed using C++ software to resolve the residential consumer’s REM problem. The benefits of the RESs, ESS, and optimal energy allocation techniques are analyzed by taking in account three different scenarios. Extensive case studies are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed cluster-based energy management scheme. It is demonstrated that the proposed method can save energy and costs up to 45% and 56% compared to the existing methods. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Blockchain Applications in Smart Sustainable City Context—A Systematic Mapping Study

The advancement in blockchain applications in the smart sustainable city infrastructure is evaluated in this paper through a comprehensive mapping review. The evaluation is carried out by posing four research questions that address current developments in blockchain technology in the context of smart cities and point out areas where additional study is needed. This study also includes a scoping of blockchain applications in a smart city context to highlight the obstacles to incorporating blockchain technology into smart city infrastructure. Finally, some suggestions for overcoming the problems of incorporating blockchain technology with smart city infrastructure are offered. This research will help researchers and policymakers gain a better understanding of blockchain applications in smart cities

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice toward COVID-19 among the Population attending primary healthcare centers in Makkah Al-Mukarramah Saudi Arabia 2022

Background: Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic, it has become a major challenging public health problem worldwide. This pandemic has affected all aspects of Population life in almost all nations and among all socioeconomic groups. Population of all types are facing an unprecedented crisis with the rapid spread of COVID-19 and severity of the disease in many infected individuals.  As such many healthcare systems have been overwhelmed and HCWs presented with work load . There is a potential shortage of physical resources, such as ventilators and intensive care unit beds, needed to care for surges of critically ill patients, however, additional medical supplies and beds will be of limited help unless there is an adequate medical workforce, as the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) continues to occur in small outbreaks in Saudi Arabia. Aim of the study: To assessment the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice toward COVID-19 among the Population attending primary healthcare centers in Makkah Al-Mukarramah Saudi Arabia 2022.Method: Cross sectional study, was conducted among Saudi Arabia population in primary health care center in Makkah Al-Mukarramah. The questionnaire collected socio-demographic characteristics, assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice toward COVID-19 Our total participants were(200).Results: show the relation of participant to Attitude, knowledge, Practice score towards COVID-19 regarding the Attitude the most of participants high attitude were (78.0) heave a significant relation were P-value <0.001 and X2 187.240, regarding the knowledge the most of participants high knowledge were (61.0%)  P-value <0.001 and X2 70.360, the Practice the most of participants high Practice were (77.0%) a significant relation were P-value <0.001 and X2 174.040. Conclusion: Study participants from KSA, not adequate knowledge, positive attitude, and acceptable practices towards COVID-19 Knowledge. Electronic and social media should be effectively utilized to spread awareness of COVID-19 among the public, the Population worry levels regarding transmitting for COVID-19 during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent awareness campaigns that were conducted were associated with increased knowledge, adherence to protective hygienic practices and reduction of anxiety toward the COVID-19 pandemic

العوامل المؤثرة في التوافق بين مخرجات التعليم و سوق العمل

تزايد الاهتمام برأس المال البشري باعتباره أحد القوى المحركة للتنمية الاقتصادية وتزايد معه الاهتمام بدراسة  كيفية سد الفجوة بين مخرجات التعليم العالي ومدخلات سوق العمل. ومن هنا تبرز أهمية البحث في تحليل مشكلة عدم التوافق بين مخرجات التعليم العالي واحتياجات سوق العمل في سورية ، تم  تحليل مشكلة عدم التوافق بين مخرجات التعليم العالي  في "جامعة تشرين" (عينة البحث)  واحتياجات سوق العمل للتعرف على متطلبات سوق العمل وتحليل العوامل التي تحكم العلاقة بين عرض العمل والطلب عليه وذلك لتقديم آلية تمكن من التوفيق بين التخصصات الجامعية المتاحة ومتطلبات سوق العمل من حيث نوعية التخصصات الجامعية، والمهارات المكتسبة للخريج ومدى مواءمتها مع متطلبات سوق العمل.  تم تصميم استبانتين بهدف جمع البيانات، الاستبانة الأولى لقياس رأي أصحاب العمل بشقيه (العام والخاص) و الاستبانة الثانية لقياس رأي الخريجين الجامعيين وتوصلت الدراسة إلى مجموعة من النتائج من أهمها : يتمتع الخريجون الجامعيون بقدرة جيدة على الالتزام بالعمل ومتطلباته وتعلّم المهارات التي يحتاجها، ويعانون من ضعف تأهيلهم من ناحية المهارات العملية المتممة لشهاداتهم العلمية التي يطلبها سوق العمل، و ذلك لضعف التنسيق بين المؤسسات التعليمية ومنظمات سوق العمل. ويركز القطاع العام بشكل كبير على تأمين فرص عمل لمختلف شرائح المجتمع، كما أنه يميل لتوظيف أعداد تفوق حاجته، عكس القطاع الخاص الذي يعمل على توظيف عدد محدد وفق حاجته دون زيادة أو نقصان وأوصى فريق البحث  بضرورة التركيز على الجانب العملي لتحقيق التكامل مع الجانب النظري في التعليم (الجامعي والتقاني) واستحداث وحدات تدريبية خاصة بكل كلية ومعهد تقاني. إدخال الجامعات كبيوت خبرة واستشارة وخاصة فيما يتعلق بتوطين المشروعات ذات الطابع الاقتصادي. وإعادة النظر في الاستثمارات الموظِفة لليد العاملة في الساحل خاصة بعد التغير الديموغرافي الحاصل بسبب الحرب على سورية من خلال: التشجيع على إقامة (المشاريع الصغيرة - المشاريع الانتاجية التكاملية (زراعية – صناعية) المولِدة لفرص العمل وخاصة للخريجين.

Clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory characteristics of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia: an observational cohort study

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) emerged from China in December 2019 and has presented as a substantial and serious threat to global health. We aimed to describe the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory findings of patients in Saudi Arabia infected with SARS-CoV-2 to direct us in helping prevent and treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across Saudi Arabia and around the world. Materials and methods Clinical, epidemiological, laboratory, and radiological characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of pediatric and adult patients in five hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were surveyed in this study. Results 401 patients (mean age 38.16 ± 13.43 years) were identified to be SARS-CoV-2 positive and 80% of cases were male. 160 patients had moderate severity and 241 were mild in severity. The most common signs and symptoms at presentation were cough, fever, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, aspartate aminotransferase, C-reactive protein, and ferritin were higher in the COVID-19 moderate severity patient group. Mild severity patients spent a shorter duration hospitalized and had slightly higher percentages of abnormal CT scans and X-ray imaging. Conclusions This study provides an understanding of the features of non-ICU COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. Further national collaborative studies are needed to streamline screening and treatment procedures for COVID-19

Clinical Characteristics of Non-Intensive Care Unit COVID-19 Patients in Saudi Arabia: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health concern. It has affected more than 5 million patients worldwide and resulted in an alarming number of deaths globally. While clinical characteristics have been reported elsewhere, data from our region is scarce. We investigated the clinical characteristics of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Data of 401 confirmed COVID-19 patients were collected from 22 April 2020 to 21 May 2020 at five tertiary care hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The patients were divided into four groups according to age, Group 1: 0-60 years; and their clinical symptoms were compared. Results: The median (IQR) age in years was 10.5 (1.5-16) in group I, 34 (29-41) in group II, 53 (51-56) in group III, and 66 (61-76) in group IV. Most patients were male (80%, n = 322) and of Arabian or Asian descent. The median length of stay in the hospital was 10 (8-17) days (range 3-42 days). The most common symptoms were cough (53.6%), fever (36.2%), fatigue (26.4%), dyspnea (21.9%), and sore throat (21.9%). Hypertension was the most common underlying comorbidity (14.7%), followed by obesity (11.5%), and diabetes (10%). Hypertensive patients were less likely to present with shortness of breath, cough, sputum, diarrhea, and fever. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the symptoms among different age groups and comorbidities were mostly seen in the older age group. Interestingly, hypertensive patients were found to have milder symptoms and a shorter length of stay. Further larger collaborative national studies are required to effectively understand clinical characteristics in our part of the world to efficiently manage and control the spread of SARS-CoV-2

Examination of sleep in relation to dietary and lifestyle behaviors during Ramadan: A multi-national study using structural equation modeling among 24,500 adults amid COVID-19

Background Of around 2 billion Muslims worldwide, approximately 1.5 billion observe Ramadan fasting (RF) month. Those that observe RF have diverse cultural, ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds and are distributed over a wide geographical area. Sleep is known to be significantly altered during the month of Ramadan, which has a profound impact on human health. Moreover, sleep is closely connected to dietary and lifestyle behaviors. Methods This cross-sectional study collected data using a structured, self-administered electronic questionnaire that was translated into 13 languages and disseminated to Muslim populations across 27 countries. The questionnaire assessed dietary and lifestyle factors as independent variables, and three sleep parameters (quality, duration, and disturbance) as dependent variables. We performed structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine how dietary and lifestyle factors affected these sleep parameters. Results In total, 24,541 adults were enrolled in this study. SEM analysis revealed that during RF, optimum sleep duration (7–9 h) was significantly associated with sufficient physical activity (PA) and consuming plant-based proteins. In addition, smoking was significantly associated with greater sleep disturbance and lower sleep quality. Participants that consumed vegetables, fruits, dates, and plant-based proteins reported better sleep quality. Infrequent consumption of delivered food and infrequent screen time were also associated with better sleep quality. Conflicting results were found regarding the impact of dining at home versus dining out on the three sleep parameters. Conclusion Increasing the intake of fruits, vegetables, and plant-based proteins are important factors that could help improve healthy sleep for those observing RF. In addition, regular PA and avoiding smoking may contribute to improving sleep during RF

A Survey of Bayesian Statistical Approaches for Big Data

The modern era is characterised as an era of information or Big Data. This has motivated a huge literature on new methods for extracting information and insights from these data. A natural question is how these approaches differ from those that were available prior to the advent of Big Data. We present a review of published studies that present Bayesian statistical approaches specifically for Big Data and discuss the reported and perceived benefits of these approaches. We conclude by addressing the question of whether focusing only on improving computational algorithms and infrastructure will be enough to face the challenges of Big Data