Factors Affecting Smoking Initiation and Cessation Among Saudi Women Attending Smoking Cessation Clinics

Objectives: Smoking is one of the most adaptable risk behaviours associated with increased mortality rates, yet over one billion individuals worldwide are smokers. This study aimed to examine self-reported reasons for starting and quitting smoking among women attending smoking cessation clinics in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study took place between January 2014 and January 2017 in Saudi Arabia using previously collected data. A survey was distributed to 3,000 female smokers attending smoking cessation programmes in 18 clinics from different regions in Saudi Arabia to determine self-reported reasons for smoking initiation and willingness/unwillingness to quit. Results: A total of 2,190 women participated in the study (response rate = 73%). Overall, the most common reason for starting to smoke was friends (31.1%), while the predominant reason for willingness to quit was health concerns (45.5%). The most frequent reason for being unwilling to quit smoking was a fear of mood changes (28%). Conclusion: Most Saudi women are socially-driven to start smoking, while the most common reason for quitting is health concerns. The latter finding is promising in that it shows that smokers are gaining awareness of the adverse effects of smoking.Keywords: Tobacco Smoking; Smoking Cessation; Health Risk Behaviors; Lifestyle Risk Reduction; Primary Health Care; Saudi Arabia

The impact of green economy on sustainable development in the Jordanian Islamic bank environment

The study aimed to demonstrate the impact of the green economy on sustainable development in Jordanian Islamic banks, and to identify the advantages, characteristics and concepts of transitioning to the green economy and its relationship in Jordanian Islamic banks also the study aim to clarify the importance of the banking system supporting the green economy by providing the necessary financing and its effective role as a major financial intermediary between investors and savers, in addition to developing a strategy to enable the transition to the green economy and full support for green projects in the coming years and maintaining sustainable development of Islamic banks environment. The descriptive analytical approach was used, 160 questionnaires were distributed, 149 were retrieved valid for statistical analysis, and the data were analyzed by the SPSS program. The results showed a significant impact of the green economy on sustainable development in its dimensions (environmental development, social development, and economic development) in Jordanian Islamic banks. The study recommended the need to develop comprehensive strategies for transitioning to the green economy shared in all sectors and programs and to adhere to Sharia and ethical controls in all Islamic financing operations in order to reduce economic and environmental risk

Linearly scaling direct method for accurately inverting sparse banded matrices

In many problems in Computational Physics and Chemistry, one finds a special kind of sparse matrices, termed "banded matrices". These matrices, which are defined as having non-zero entries only within a given distance from the main diagonal, need often to be inverted in order to solve the associated linear system of equations. In this work, we introduce a new O(n) algorithm for solving such a system, being n X n the size of the matrix. We produce the analytical recursive expressions that allow to directly obtain the solution, as well as the pseudocode for its computer implementation. Moreover, we review the different options for possibly parallelizing the method, we describe the extension to deal with matrices that are banded plus a small number of non-zero entries outside the band, and we use the same ideas to produce a method for obtaining the full inverse matrix. Finally, we show that the New Algorithm is competitive, both in accuracy and in numerical efficiency, when compared to a standard method based in Gaussian elimination. We do this using sets of large random banded matrices, as well as the ones that appear when one tries to solve the 1D Poisson equation by finite differences.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, submitted to J. Comp. Phy

Technologies and strategies fostering the sustainable development of energy, water and environment systems

Holistic strategies in energy, water, and environmental systems can enhance climate change mitigation efforts. Recent scientific innovations have opened up numerous pathways toward comprehensive human development. This editorial explores the 18th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES), highlighting eight key topics from eight research articles that showcase the latest scientific advancements. The articles that addressed energy saving, energy efficiency, and clean energy, include (1) Bioethanol burner operating parameters optimization: Effects of burner opening area modulation on heat output and flue gas composition, (2) Integration of photovoltaic panels and biomass-fuelled CHP in an Italian renewable energy community, (3) AI-Driven Innovations in Greenhouse Agriculture: Reanalysis of Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Impacts, and (4) Methodology to assess the impact of urban vegetation on the energy consumption of residential buildings. A case study in a Mediterranean city. One article discussed infrastructure planning: (5) Dynamic Reduction of Network Flow Optimization Problem: Case of Waste-to-Energy Infrastructure Planning in Czech Republic. One article reviewed the effects of national policies on renewable energy communities: (6) How do national policies influence energy community development across Europe? A review on societal, technical, and economical factors. Additionally, other two articles discussed the method for projections of wind power: (7) A copula post-processing method for wind power projections under climate change, and comparative analysis on open/closed loop with thermal load in an elastocaloric device: (8) 2D thermo-fluidynamic rotary model of an elastocaloric cooling device: The energy performances

A hybrid absorption/thermo-electric cooling system driven by a concentrated photovoltaic/thermal unit

This paper presents a novel hybrid solar cooling system driven by a concentrated photovoltaic/thermal unit (CPV/T). The electricity of the PV module is used to power the thermoelectric cooler while the thermal energy is used to run an absorption cooler. The effective cooling of the PV module provides more electricity, but less thermal energy quality (temperature). Thus, there is more cooling effect from the thermoelectric cooler and less cooling effect from the absorption cooler. The major aim of this study is to optimize the performance of the PV panel cooling in order to find the maximum total cooling effect. A mathematical model of the proposed system has been presented. The model is validated and used to investigate the performance of the system under a wide range of operating and design conditions. The results showed that less cooling of PV panel provides the maximum total cooling capacity, so in order to conduct the optimization process, the COP of the thermoelectric cooler should exceed 6.4 which implies the figure of merit to be 70. The overall COP of the system at 1000 W/m2 increases from 0.151 to 0.233 when the PV/T outlet temperature increases from 65 to 90 °C.Scopu

Advanced technological options for sustainable development of energy, water and environment systems upgrade towards climate neutrality

Scientific research development in energy, water and environmental systems is vital for climate change mitigation and adaptation. In this regard, the outcome of the 17th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems was reviewed and presented in this editorial. Examining recent scientific developments, thirteen research articles on this special issue are related to specific topics. The topic of industrial energy reduction potentials and alternative fuels were discussed in the articles 1) Electricity demand reduction through waste heat recovery in olefins plants based on a technology-agnostic approach, 2) Integration of a rSOC-system to industrial processes, 3) Spray combustion of fast-pyrolysis bio-oils under engine-like conditions, 4) Complex aspects of climate change impacts on the cultivation of perennial energy crops in the Czech Republic, while residential and small scale applications were presented in 5) Experimental and theoretical analysis of a micro-cogenerative solar ORC-based unit equipped with a variable speed sliding rotary vane expander, 6) Exergy-Optimum coupling of radiant panels with heat pumps for minimum CO2 emission responsibility and 7) State-of-the-art review of micro to small-scale wind energy harvesting technologies for building integration and 8) Dynamic simulation of a 4th generation district heating network with the presence of prosumers. Potentials of renewable energy increased penetration and measures and strategies for CO2 emissions reduction presented in 9) An evaluation of the synergy between the wave and wind energy along the west Iberian nearshore, 10) Energy efficiency improvement in multi-family houses in Kosovo, 11) Natural lighting performance of vernacular architecture, case study oldtown Pasa, Ecuador, 12) Diagnosis of the building stock using Energy Performance Certificates for urban energy planning in Mediterranean compact cities. Case of study: The city of València in Spain and 13) Carbon insetting as a measure to raise supply chain energy efficiency potentials: Opportunities and challenges

The Effectiveness of a Training Program Based on Group Art Therapy in Developing Social Interaction Skills and Increasing the Aesthetic Sense of An Autistic Child

The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a training program based on group art therapy in developing social interaction skills and increasing the aesthetic sense of the autistic child, as well as detecting differences in the levels of the sample members on the two scales of social interaction skills and aesthetic sense in the light of the effect of the training program. The sample of the study consisted of (8) children with autism who were selected from the Al-Irada Center for Autism Disorders in Gaza (Khan Yunis branch), where their ages ranged from (6-8 years). The study used the two scales of social interaction skills and aesthetic sense (prepared by the researchers). The results of the study showed the following: - There are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental and control group members in the dimensional measurement on the scales of social interaction skills and aesthetic sense in favor of the experimental group due to the effect of the training program. - There are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group members in the tribal and remote measurements on the scales of social interaction skills and aesthetic sense in favor of the post measurement due to the effect of the training program. - There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group members in the post- and follow-up measurement on the scales of social interaction skills and aesthetic sense. In light of the results, the researchers recommend the specialists and researchers to use the techniques, skills and methods included in the current training program in training children with autism, with the aim of achieving social interaction and aesthetic sense for them. Some auxiliary facilities and equipment in the field of treatment

A novel hybrid solar ejector cooling system with thermoelectric generators

A self-powered solar ejector cooling system with thermoelectric generators is presented in this work. The proposed theoretical model was built based on mass, momentum, and energy balances, and then solved using the Engineering Equations Solver Software. The capability of integrating a thermoelectric generation system with a solar ejector cooling system to generate electricity was studied. Furthermore, the performance of the whole system proposed, including the ejector cooling system and the thermoelectric generation system, was investigated from the perspective of the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The coefficient of performance of the conventional system without integrating the thermoelectric modules was 0.3095. However, the use of a thermoelectric generation system for power production to cover the circulating pumps electrical load resulted in increasing the system coefficient of performance by 13.3%. The exergetic efficiency of the proposed SECS is found to be 12.5%.Scopu

Climate change mitigation by means of sustainable development of energy, water and environment systems

Integrated approaches in energy, water and environmental systems can improve the climate change reduction process. New scientific developments and advancements have provided numerous opportunities in the comprehensive human progress direction. In this regard, we have reviewed the 16th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems presented in this editorial. Examining recent scientific developments, eight research articles on this special issue are related to eight main topics. The solar energy technology and storage section reviewed the first four articles. These articles include topics such as: 1) advanced technologies to form a new TT PS-TIM window system for adaptive daylight control and advanced thermal insulation combination, 2) using experimental data for field testing located in an area with Mediterranean climate conditions, of newly installed FPVS in these areas, 3) possibilities described in short rotation of willow type and energy crop Miscanthus cultivation dedicated to former coal mining areas, 4) using solar and geothermal energy with boiling water purification and reverse osmosis. Furthermore, the following four articles are reviewed in the energy management systems section. These articles include topics such as, 5) deep analysis of facial expression and eye tracking using samples of non-expert participants to determine emotions caused by electricity consumption graphs in different time scales, 6) studying the electric vehicles (EVs) main life cycle activities using an exploratory survey and their potential inequities, 7) the biodiesel fuel production from waste sardine fish oil using methanol, ethanol or isopropanol and a solid heterogeneous catalyst prepared using eggshell and copper oxide [CaCu(OCH3)2] is analyzed. Finally, 8) biotechnology microalgae have been studied in 70-litre vertical photobioreactors that use unsupplemented secondary brewery wastewater as growth media using two collecting cells mechanically methods under hydrothermal (autohydrolysis) and dilute acid hydrolysis

The relationship between board characteristics and social responsibility with firm innovation

Purpose – The present study aims to assess the potential impacts of board members' characteristics, including connectedness and independence, on the level of the firm's involvement in innovation and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Design/methodology/approach – Variables of board members' interlock and independence are selected for measuring the board characteristics and their association with innovation. The range of disclosure of social responsibility (SR) of the firms inside and outside the industries is also analyzed through descriptive-correlational. The selected sample includes 280 firm-years listed firms on Iraq Stock Exchange during 2012–2017 and 1,026 firm-years on the Tehran Stock Exchange. The hypotheses are examined using multivariate regression models and panel data. Findings – The observations show that board interlock and independence in both countries are willing to improve firms' innovation. Moreover, having controlled the industry index, the authors find that business environment innovation is willing to be transmitted into the firms through outside industry sources in Iran. In the Iraq country, regardless of industry index, the positive association between interlocked boards and firm innovation is established. Further analyses also articulate that board interlock is not considered a mechanism to transmit information and experiences about CSR activities. Originality/value – This paper is a pioneer study to assess the relationship between board member characteristics and the firms' innovation and SR both in Iran and Iraq. Also, it extends the literature by considering the industry index as a significant source of knowledge and experience to gain more precise results. Therefore, the current paper may contribute to the development of knowledge in this field of study. 研究目的 – 本研究擬評估董事會成員的特性 (這包括其連通性及自主性) ，如何潛在地影響公司投入創新和承擔企業社會責任的程度。 研究設計/方法/理念 – 董事會成員的相互扣連和自主獨立這些變數、被挑選來量度董事會的特性以及其與創新的關聯。本研究亦以描述性關連性研究法、來分析和透視公司在企業內外參與企業社會責任的範圍。被挑選的研究樣本包括於2012年至2017年間在伊拉克股票交易所280公司年上市公司，以及在德黑蘭股票交易所1026公司年。各假設均以多變量迴歸模型和縱橫資料來作分析研究。 研究結果 – 觀察的結果、證明在這兩個國家，富連通性和自主性的董事會均樂意改善公司的創新；而且，我們在控制行業指數後，發現在伊朗、企業環境創新會積極地透過外部行業資源訊息而發送至公司。在伊拉克，相互扣連的董事會與公司創新之間的正面關聯得到確立。而這關聯是不受行業指數影響的。而且，進一步的分析、明確顯示董事會的相互扣連不被認為是一個發送關於企業社會責任的資訊或經驗的機制。 研究的原創性/價值 – 本研究乃為先鋒研究、來評估在伊朗和伊拉克兩地董事會成員的特性，與公司創新和企業社會責任之間的關係。再者，本研究使有關的文獻得以伸延，方法是把行業指數當作是一個能提供更準確的研究結果的知識和經驗的重要來源；因此，本研究會為有關的研究領域、提供更多知識