Exploring the Relationship between Green IT Awareness and Adoption: A Case Study of IT Students in the Gaza Strip

Green computing, also known as GIT, has emerged as a crucial field in response to environmental concerns. This study focuses on assessing the level of GIT awareness and adoption among IT students at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza, as well as examining the relationship between GIT awareness and adoption. Data was collected through an online questionnaire completed by 273 participants. The questionnaire covered various aspects of GIT awareness, including understanding, environmental awareness, and e-waste awareness. The collected data was analyzed using statistical techniques such as principal component analysis, mean, and standard deviation. The results indicated that students possessed a satisfactory level of understanding of GIT concepts and the reasons for its adoption. Furthermore, the findings highlighted the significant impact of GIT awareness factors, including GIT understanding, environmental awareness, and e-waste awareness, on GIT adoption. However, it was observed that students did not consistently adhere to GIT guidelines, particularly in terms of frequent internet access and extended computer usage. Interestingly, no significant relationship was found between GIT adoption and students' academic standing. These findings provide valuable insights into the current state of GIT awareness and adoption among IT students and underscore the need for further efforts to promote sustainable computing practices

The value of unenhanced multi-detector computed tomography versus three-dimensional ultrasound in evaluating patients with impaired renal function and hematuria

Introduction: Unenhanced computed tomography (CT) is used to detect urinary tract calculi with high accuracy. The development of multi-detector CT (MDCT) allows reconstructions in coronal, sagittal and oblique directions.Objective: To compare MDCT with three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) imaging in evaluating patients with impaired renal function and hematuria.Patients and methods: A total of 55 patients with hematuria and impaired renal function were examined with unenhanced MDCT and 3D US imaging at Al-Fayoum University Hospital between March 2008 and April 2010.Results: The diagnosis on unenhancedMDCTwas urolithiasis in 25 patients, psoas abscess with perinephritis in 2, chronic cystitis in 3, prostatic enlargement in 4, renal mass lesions in 3, vesical masses in 4, renal trauma in 2, adult polycystic kidney disease in 1, renal vein thrombosis in 1 and no specific abnormality in 10 patients. In diagnosing the cause of hematuria, the sensitivity was 82% for CT versus 73% for US. This can be attributed to the high sensitivity of CT (100%) in the diagnosis of urolithiasis, which is a common cause of hematuria. In the diagnosis of other causes of hematuria the sensitivity was 66% for CT versus 77% for US. The combination of MDCT and US increased the sensitivity to 87%.KEYWORDS: Unenhanced multi-detector computed tomography; Three-dimensional ultrasound; Impaired renal function; Hematuri

Long-term trends in ambient fine particulate matter from 1980 to 2016 in United Arab Emirates

© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. This paper presents the most comprehensive datasets of ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) for the UAE from 1980 to 2016. The long-term distributions of PM 2.5 showed the annual average PM 2.5 concentrations constantly exceeded the EPA and WHO guidelines. They varied from 77 to 49 μg/m 3 with an overall average of 61.25 μg/m 3 . While the inter-annual variability in PM 2.5 concentrations showed relatively a cyclic pattern, with successive ups and downs, it broadly exhibited an increasing trend, particularly, over the last 14 years. PM 2.5 concentrations displayed a strong seasonal pattern, with greatest values observed during warm summer season, a period of high demand of electricity and dust events. The lowest values found in autumn are attributable to reduced demand of energy. Decreased atmospheric temperatures and high relative humidity coinciding with this period are likely to reduce the secondary formation of PM 2.5 . The spatial changes in PM 2.5 concentrations exhibited gradual downward trends to the north and northeast directions. Airborne PM 2.5 is prevalent in the southern and western regions, where the majority of oil and gas fields are located. PM 2.5 /PM 10 ratio indicated that ambient aerosols are principally associated with anthropogenic sources. Peaks in PM 2.5 /CO ratio were frequently observed during June, July, and August, although few were concurrent with March. This indicates that secondary formation plays an important role in PM 2.5 levels measured in these months, especially as the photochemical activities become relatively strong in these periods. The lowest PM 2.5 /CO ratios were found during September, October, and November (autumn) suggesting a considerable contribution of primary combustion emissions, especially vehicular emissions, to PM 2.5 concentration. PM 2.5 concentrations are positively correlated with sulfate levels. In addition to sea and dust aerosols, sulfate concentration in the coastal region is also related to fossil fuel burning from power plants, oil and gas fields, and oil industries. The population-weighted average of PM 2.5 in UAE was 63.9 μg/m 3 , which is more than three times greater than the global population-weighted mean of 20 μg/m 3

Seasonal impact to air qualities in industrial areas of the arabian gulf region

© 2018 Korean Society of Environmental Engineers. Air quality conditions and pollution status have been evaluated in the industrial area between Sharjah and Ajman border in UAE. Daily concentrations of O3, CO, NO2, SO2, PM2.5, PM10, Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) and Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) have been monitored from Sept. 2015 to April 2016. The monthly average concentrations of O3, CO, NO2, SO2, TVOC were within the UAE ambient air quality standards during the survey period. However, PM10 and TSP levels exceeded the recommended limits in Sept. 2015, Oct. 2015 and March 2016. Temporal variations in air quality parameters showed highest levels in March 2016 for PM2.5, PM10, NO2, TVOC and TSP, whereas O3, SO2 and CO showed relatively low values in this month. PM2.5 levels in ambient air were above the EPA guideline of 35 μg/m³ in all months. PM2.5 was the critical ambient air pollutant with Index for Pollutant (Ip) values varying from 103-209, indicating Air Quality Index categories of unhealthy for sensitive groups (62.5%) to unhealthy (25%) to very unhealthy (12.5%). The Ip average values of PM2.5 decreased from Sept. 2015 to reach lowest value in Dec. 2015 before increasing gradually, peaking in March 2016. These results suggest the potential health risks associated with PM2.5 is low in winter, where the prevailing meteorological conditions of lower temperatures, higher humidity, higher wind speed reduced particulate matter. The results revealed the industrial area is impacted by anthropogenic and natural sources of particulate matter

Estimation of Gumbel Parameters under Ranked Set Sampling

Consider the MLEs (maximum likelihood estimators) of the parameters of the Gumbel distribution using SRS (simple random sample) and RSS (ranked set sample) and the MOMEs (method of moment estimators) and REGs (regression estimators) based on SRS. A comparison between these estimators using bias and MSE (mean square error) was performed using simulation. It appears that the MLE based on RSS can be a robust competitor to the MLE based on SRS