Expert Weighting Based Dynamic Eco-efficiency Assessment of World Consumption

Optimizing the consumption of natural resources and ensuring the availability of resources for both current and future generations has been the target for sustainability research. This paper aims to assess the eco-efficiency of global resource consumption through the environmental footprint perspective. The study effectively utilized EXIOBASE 3.41, a multi-region input-output (MRIO) database, for collecting data and Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approach for eco-efficiency assessment. Besides, the present paper utilizes expert weighting strategies such as EPP, SAB, Harvard, and EQUAL for assigning relative significance to various environmental indicators. Primarily, the data sample represents the influence of environmental stressors like GHG emission, land use, energy use, material consumption, water consumption. The study expands through three major scenarios in terms of importance to the economic and environmental outcomes. As such, with three scenarios and four weighting strategies, twelve situations are considered for the purpose of the study. The study findings indicate that the eco-efficiency score for given weighting strategies concerning economic and environmental impact demonstrates a significant statistical difference. The countries like China, India, Russia, Mexico, and Turkey are worst performing while Switzerland, Japan, UK, Germany, and France are best performing in terms of eco-efficiency score. Finally, k-mean clustering algorithm has applied to rank the countries centered on eco-efficiency score and weighing strategie

An investigation of sustainability awareness and residential energy consumption in Qatar

Qatar is well-known as a country with abundant natural resources, and this enables the state to distribute energy to its people at little or no cost. This has led to significant over consumption and raised questions about how the country can achieve sustainable energy use. This study explores energy consumption behaviour in Qatar and considers the role renewable energy can play in supporting sustainability. One way to reduce energy consumption and achieve sustainability while promoting the development of renewable energy is to manage domestic demand. This paper draws on a number of motivational theories, notably Maslow's hierarchy of needs, self-determination theory, economic theory, social cognitive theory, the theory of two factors, and planned behaviour theory to assess energy consumption habits in Qatar with the aim of identifying the factors that motivate people to take steps to improve sustainability and support renewable energy use. This study adopts a mixed methods approach. Quantitative data was collected via a survey of members of the public in Qatar which focused on their awareness and behaviour with respect to energy consumption. Another survey of Qataris in the UK, where energy charges are levied, was conducted to establish how energy costs influenced their consumption behaviour. Qualitative data was obtained using interviews with Qatari experts in the energy sector, including energy policy makers, academics, and managers of energy companies. The main finding of the study is that knowledge and awareness development in relation to energy consumption and sustainability in Qatar can be used to influence attitudes and behaviour regarding sustainable energy use. Knowledge development has a significant impact on human and social capital, and these can motivate energy consumers to change their attitudes towards the use of renewable energy. Knowledge about energy enables consumers to use energy more responsibly and understand the long-term negative effects of traditional energy use on the environment and society. Current research on renewable energy in Qatar is still limited. This study provides additional insights into the importance of using renewable energy in the country and highlights the key motivational factors that could drive a transformational approach towards renewable energy and environmental sustainability. This will have significant implications for key stakeholders involved in promoting future sustainability in Qatar, including policy makers and energy users

An investigation into domestic energy consumption behaviour and public awareness of renewable energy in Qatar

Governments around the world are trying to find viable solutions for reducing carbon emissions and pollution, one of the primary sources of which is domestic household consumption. Although Qatar is rich in fossil fuel energy resources, there is a strategic drive towards sustainability to decrease energy consumption overall whilst increasing the nation's dependence on clean and renewable energy. One of the areas to enhance sustainability is through reducing and managing the energy demands and habits of domestic users. This research examines the current energy use in Qatar with a view to making recommendations in regard to challenging and improving consumer behaviour in respect to energy efficiency. A mixed methods approach was untaken consisting of both qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data was gathered from a wide spread survey of n=410 Qatari based consumers in regard to their energy consumption behaviour, investigating avenues for enabling sustainable behaviour change. The qualitative data was been collected by interviewing a panel of energy experts in Qatar. The purpose of this research study is to gain valuable insight into Qatari residents' energy consumption behaviour and perception of renewable energy and sustainability. The results will help to identify solutions to Qatar's high consumption of electricity per capita. This study has further implications amongst similar nations and states to address energy consumptions where there is a natural abundance of fossil fuel energy resources. This study has found that users' education and awareness of the environmental impact is dependent on efficient energy monitoring and usage. However, due to the presence of energy subsidies in Qatar, citizens are not inclined to modify their energy consumption behaviour through economic means. This suggests that a greater awareness of the effects of excessive energy use is required through sustainability education to motivate behaviour change. The results of this study were analysed using self-determination and hierarchal needs theories, indicating that education and public engagement and awareness are the best options for domestic energy conservation in Qatar

Prevalence of somatisation and psychologisation among patients visiting primary health care centres in the State of Qatar

Background: Medically unexplained somatic complaints are among the most common clinical presentations in primary care in developing countries and they are considerable burden for patients and health care system. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of somatisation in comparison to psychologisation among a sample of Qatari patients who were visiting primary health care (PHC) centres and to investigate the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of somatisers (STs) and psychologisers (PGs). Method: The survey was conducted among PHC Qatari patients during the period from January to July 2007. About 2,320 patients were approached, of whom 1,689 agreed to participate and responded to the questionnaire. Among the studied Qatari patients, 404 patients were identified for clinical interview. The first stage of the study was conducted with the help of general practitioners, using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. The second stage was carried out by a consultant using the Clinical Interview Schedule. A specific operational criterion was used to identify STs and PGs. Results: The prevalence rate of STs among the total studied sample was 12.4%, while the PGs were 11.5%. Among the identified psychiatric cases, the proportion of STs (52%) was higher than PGs (48%). Most of the diagnostic categories were more prevalent among PGs. The dissatisfaction at work and stressful life events within 12 months before the onset of the presenting symptoms were the three postulated determinants which were significantly more among STs than PGs. Conclusion: The prevalence of somatised mental disorder was little higher than the psychologised mental disorder. The prevalence of somatisation and psychologisation is comparable with other reported studies from the Middle-East and Western countries. Dissatisfaction at work and stressful life events were significantly higher among STs than PGs

Surfactant protein D inhibits HIV-1 infection of target cells via interference with gp120-CD4 interaction and modulates pro-inflammatory cytokine production

© 2014 Pandit et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Surfactant Protein SP-D, a member of the collectin family, is a pattern recognition protein, secreted by mucosal epithelial cells and has an important role in innate immunity against various pathogens. In this study, we confirm that native human SP-D and a recombinant fragment of human SP-D (rhSP-D) bind to gp120 of HIV-1 and significantly inhibit viral replication in vitro in a calcium and dose-dependent manner. We show, for the first time, that SP-D and rhSP-D act as potent inhibitors of HIV-1 entry in to target cells and block the interaction between CD4 and gp120 in a dose-dependent manner. The rhSP-D-mediated inhibition of viral replication was examined using three clinical isolates of HIV-1 and three target cells: Jurkat T cells, U937 monocytic cells and PBMCs. HIV-1 induced cytokine storm in the three target cells was significantly suppressed by rhSP-D. Phosphorylation of key kinases p38, Erk1/2 and AKT, which contribute to HIV-1 induced immune activation, was significantly reduced in vitro in the presence of rhSP-D. Notably, anti-HIV-1 activity of rhSP-D was retained in the presence of biological fluids such as cervico-vaginal lavage and seminal plasma. Our study illustrates the multi-faceted role of human SPD against HIV-1 and potential of rhSP-D for immunotherapy to inhibit viral entry and immune activation in acute HIV infection. © 2014 Pandit et al.The work (Project no. 2011-16850) was supported by Medical Innovation Fund of Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India (www.icmr.nic.in/)

Exploring the relationship between energy cost and people's consumption behaviour

The international drive to reduce carbon emission and improve energy security is focusing the attention on consumer behaviour, where significant energy savings are expected by a simple modification in attitude at minimal costs. Energy consumption in buildings in most countries accounts for 20% to 40% of the total consumption, as a result this makes household energy conservation an opportunity to reduce energy consumption. Most countries try to drive behavioural change via different strategies such as educating the public, improving feedback to consumers, enhancing building insulation, the use of smart meters and in some cases by increasing energy prices. This paper investigates the relationship between energy cost and people's consumption behaviour. Normally, energy cost is changed incrementally in most societies which makes the relationship between energy cost and behaviour a complex relationship; because it is linked to many factors such as inflation and the increase in average household's income. The increase in energy prices risks the introduction of fuel poverty which could result in many social and health concerns. In order to address the relationship between energy cost and people's behaviour, a unique case study is addressed by focusing on a group of Qatari students living in the UK. The reason behind this is that Qataris have a distinctive situation where they enjoy subsidised electricity in their own home country, but when they move to UK, they are expected to pay for their electricity consumption. When their energy bill becomes a significant part of their monthly income, would this have an influence on their behaviour in comparison to living in Qatar? This paper has addressed the above question through a survey to Qatari students living in the UK and the results show that electricity cost was a main factor in their behavioural change; however, other factors also play an important role in their consumer behaviour such as values, education, culture and independent life style

Cystobasidium halotolerans sp. nov., a novel basidiomycetous yeast species isolated from the Arabian Gulf

Two strains, 1Y129 and 3Y383, which represent a single novel anamorphic yeast species, were isolated from the Arabian Gulf surrounding Qatar. The two strains have identical sequences in the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (LSU) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the rRNA gene. On the basis of this sequence analysis the two strains were found to be closely related to Cystobasidium slooffiae CBS5706T with 97. 3 % nucleotide substitutions (12 nt; four gaps) in D1/D2 regions of the LSU rRNA and 97.0 % nucleotide substitutions (14 nt; two gaps) in ITS regions. In contrast to Cystobasidium halotolerans sp. nov., the related species Cystobasidium slooffiae, Cystobasidium minutum and Cystobasidium fimetarium were unable to assimilate d-galactose, soluble starch, galactitol, methanol or nitrate, and grew at 37 °C. The name proposed for this undescribed species is Cystobasidium halotolerans sp. nov. The ex-type strain is QCC/Y31/17 (=MUCL057192=CGMCC2.5570)

Endocrine Complications and the Effect of Compliance with Chelation Therapy in Patients with Beta Thalassemia Major in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Fatema Habbash,* Wegdan Al-Bati,* Howra Al-Hashim,* Maryam Aldossari,* Ahmed Alali, Khalid Alalyani, Zainab Al-Ebrahim, Nouf Hamed, Samma Eraqe, Ziyad Binayfan, Azzam Al Marri, Thamer Aljaber Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Maryam Aldossari, Tel +966 558322420, Email [email protected]: Endocrinopathies and metabolic complications are common in beta thalassemia major patients receiving blood transfusions. Chelation therapy has a role in preventing or delaying such complications. However, patients may face difficulties adhering to chelation therapy for several reasons.Aim: To evaluate endocrine complications in beta thalassemia major patients (2– 30 years) in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and compare the onset of endocrine complications among compliant and noncompliant patients. Moreover, we assessed the barriers that hinder compliance with chelating therapy.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 89 patients (43 males and 46 females) aged 2 to 30 years attending different hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect demographic data and medical histories. The questionnaires were completed by face-to-face interviews with the patients or their caregivers, and the required laboratory data were retrieved from the medical records of patients.Results: The most prevalent abnormality was underweight detected in (40.9%) of patients, followed by subclinical hypothyroidism (37.7%), short stature (35.2%), hypothyroidism in (17.0%) and diabetes mellitus in (13.6%). A significant difference between those who were compliant with iron chelation therapy and those who were not in terms of the prevalence of short stature (P value= 0.05) and hypothyroidism (P value= 0.05). The percentage of patients who were not compliant with chelation therapy was 21.6% and 9.1% of patients were not taking them at all.Conclusion: Despite the role of chelation therapy in the management of iron overload, the risk of secondary endocrine and metabolic complications remained considerable. Subclinical hypothyroidism and short stature were the most frequent endocrine complications encountered in this study.Keywords: iron overload, metabolic complications, hereditary blood diseases, blood transfusion