Thermal Impact of Different Interior Finishing Materials on Energy Consumption in Bahrain

The energy consumption is becoming increasingly important since last years. This has resulted in a movement towards designing more energy efficient buildings because buildings consume a significant amount of the energy. In Bahrain for example, buildings alone consume the largest amount of the total electric energy,it is (about 81%). Specifically, residential buildings consume 54.5% of the total energy use with an increasing rate of 7.5% in energy consumption every year. A large portion of this consumption is used to air-condition buildings for providing thermal comfort. So; the building envelope is one of the most important systems affecting energy efficiency of a building (e.g. walls, windows, roof and finishing).The main purpose of this research is to identify the effect of interior finishing materials on energy consumption for residential buildings in Bahrain and to provide a tool that could help designers to reach better understanding for energy conservation. In order to achieve the research objectives, a building evaluation model (a base case)had been designed and eQUEST 3-64 simulation program was used to evaluate the most common interior finishing materials on energy consumption. Another base case model was developed to simulate the impact of different  orientation of a selected material on energy consumption.The results of the simulation show that, the best material to use as interior finishing for the residential buildings in Bahrain is the plywood material. The results show that using of plywood as interior finishing material will consumes about 7.6% less energy, less cooling demand and around 10% and approximately (14%) less in ventilation fans demand. The annual utility bills can therefore be saved by almost 16% if plywood finishing material is used in comparison to the base case model. In light of these conclusions, further futuristic studies are recommended to ascertain the effect of various parameters of interior finishing materials such as thickness, colors and surface roughness on the thermal comfort. Keywords: Energy consumption, residential finishing, finishing effects, energy simulations

Assessing Stakeholders Perceptions on Private Tuition in Zanzibar

This study investigated the perceptions of key education stakeholders on the issue of private tuition in Zanzibar. The key stakeholders invited to participate in this study were parents, head teachers, Advanced School Students (ASSs) and Senior Education Officer from the Ministerial level. The study sought their perceptions on factors that influence the growth of and access to private tuition, its advantages and disadvantages. The purpose of this chapter is to present a general overview of the study. The chapter has seven sections: the motivation and rationale for conducting this study; the context of the study including my personal working experience with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) Zanzibar; the research aims, objectives and research questions; significance of the study; methodological framework; the organization of the research study; and summary of the main issues articulated in this chapter

Malaria Control Strategies in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania

Malaria is major public health problem in Tanzania and increasing trends have been observed in the last two decades. A significant consequence of repeated malaria infections in high transmission areas is anaemia in very young children. The control of malaria in Tanzania includes both preventive and curative strategies. On the preventive side insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) are a promising tool. ITNs have been shown to be effective in reducing malaria morbidity and mortality in controlled trials. Large-scale implementation of the technology is currently being initiated in many African countries. We report the impact of a large social marketing programme of ITNs on malaria morbidity through a series of studies, in a population of about 55,000 people in Tanzania. The ITNs social marketing programme resulted in a rapid increase in any net ownership (from 58 to 83%) and an increase in ITNs ownership (from 10 to 61%) in children under two years of age within 2 years of implementation. As a result the overall mean haemoglobin levels increased (from 8.0 to 8.9 g/dl) in the study children during the successive surveys. The prevalence of anaemia in the study population decreased from 49% to 26%. Comparison between children with ITNs and those without nets showed that ITNs had a protective efficacy of 63% (95% CI: 38 to 77) on the prevalence of parasitaemia, and 63% (95% CI: 27 to 82) on anaemia (haemoglobin £ 8 g/dl). These results endorse the wide scale implementation of ITNs in Tanzania. ITNs can only reduce the risk of malaria dis ease but cannot eliminate it. Hence, appropriate effective treatment is required. Chloroquine is a cheap and safe antimalarial and it was until recently the first line drug of choice in the National Malaria Treatment Policy. Resistance to chloroquine has been reported with increasing frequency in Tanzania and has been linked to the increasing admissions with severe disease in hospitals. A comparative randomised, open clinical trial of chloroquine against Co-artemâ (fixed combination of Artemether + Benflumetol) an alternative new antimalarial, showed seven-day parasitological cure rates of 94% for Co-artemâ and only 35% for chloroquine. Generally, Co-artemâ showed a superior clearance rate, successfully cleared higher parasite densities and suppressed new infections over a longer period of time. Furthermore, Co-artemâ suppressed more effectively gametocytes in these children, indicating a potential benefit for reducing malaria transmission. The unacceptably high chloroquine failure rates call for an urgent review of the National Malaria Treatment Guidelines. The decision to change the first line antimalarial and the choice of a new drug depend on a number of factors that include the clinical, epidemiological and social-economical factors, as well as the health infrastructure. Considering all of these dimensions, sulphadoxinepyrimenthamine (SP) was identified as a good interim replacement for chloroquine. Further Phase IV evaluation of Co-artemâ and other combination therapy regimens are required before considering their inclusion in the national treatment policy. Much work is also needed to identify suitable compounds to be used for home management of malaria, within the national treatment guidelines. Experience gained with these studies gives a description of the different methodologies and tools that can be used to evaluate different components of the National Malaria Control Programme. For example, it was difficult to assess the impact of the ITNs programme using the case-control approach. Repeated cross-sectional assessments were found to be more suitable for assessing the impact of ITNs under programme conditions, especially on malariarelated anaemia in this area of high transmission. Specific indicators for programme evaluation may need to be identified for specific interventions. These may be different from the ones used in randomised controlled trials. The use of molecular markers for monitoring and evaluation of antimalarial intervention programmes illustrate the need to develop and validate novel tools and approaches for programme evaluation. Better malaria control is expected by combining ITNs and an effective antimalarial, especially combination therapy. The evaluation, implementation, and monitoring of all these control activities requires a partnership between researchers, policy makers, health managers, in close collaboration with other stakeholders in the public and private domain, including the beneficiaries - the community

Convergence angles of all-ceramic full crown preparations performed in Dubai private practice

This study aimed to determine the degree of taper and total occlusal convergence angles (TOC) for all-ceramic bonded crown preparations carried out by private practitioners in Dubai, UAE. A convenience sample of all-ceramic crown preparations carried out by private dental practitioners were scanned (Carestream CS 3500) from casts and the digital images assessed. The degree of taper was measured on the axial walls of each crown preparation and the bucco-lingual and mesio-distal convergence angles subsequently calculated. A total of 154 dentists prepared a total of 206 crown preparations (72 anterior, 134 posterior). The mean convergence angles mesio-distally for all preparations was 24.6° (sd 11.8º), and for the bucco-lingual it was 32.6° (sd 15.3°). The mean TOC was 28.6°. In anterior preparations, the mean bucco-lingual convergence angle was 38.8° (sd 12.2°) compared to 29.3° (sd 15.5°) for posterior preparations (p<0.001). Mean mesio-distal convergence anteriorly was 20.6° (sd 10.18°) compared to 26.7° (sd 12.16°) posteriorly (p<0.001). Distal and buccal taper were significantly greater on posterior teeth (<0.001) compared to anteriors whereas lingual taper was greater on anterior teeth (p<0.001). Mesial taper was not different. Premolars had significantly lower convergence values compared to other teeth. Bucco-lingual and mesio-distal convergence angles significantly exceeded the clinically acceptable convergence angle of between 10° and 22°. Greater axial taper is recommended for resin bonded all-ceramic crowns but reliance on adhesion in such preparations rather than parallelism may reduce retention and have increased biologic cost to pulp health

Model of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) Influencing Food Inspection Management in UAE

Muslims abide by strict dietary regulations that specify that the foods must be Halal for the consumption by Muslims. Previous research has shown that there is no definite or appropriate model of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) related to halal food inspection. The success of a project is largely dependent on critical factors, which primarily track the project's development from the ground up (Ahsen et al. 2021). As a result, this study employed a quantitative approach to formulate a structural model of success factors that halal food authorities can use to optimise their inspection model, with a focus on training and development. The factors that affect/influence halal food inspection management, particularly when dealing with packaged food and halal certificates were identified through literature work. Questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data that was used in the formulation of the model. The Critical Success Factors (CSFs) model, which was created, &nbsp;tested and validated using SEM-AMOS software. The model has seven constructs (independent variables) and one dependent variable of the management of halal food inspection, thus having seven hypotheses. It was discovered that five out of seven of the hypotheses are were supported. These findings aid in the discovery of new information to several parties like managers, employees with progressively less experience, and local and foreign halal food inspectors, as well as curriculum and infrastructure beliefs, and how these effects affect opportunities and motivation. The study contributes significantly to UAE and global research community

Success Factors Influencing Food Inspection Management In UAE

Third-party halal certifications are frequently used as the main distribution channels for stunned meat in the UAE and other Muslim societies. Food inspectors are not taught how to interact with these outside parties, which is the main cause of this. This sheds light on the reason why the halal food inspectors were unable to thoroughly check packaged food and certifications. Hence, this paper presents a study on determine the success factors influencing halal food inspection management in UAE. The study identified 48 factors and clustered it into seven groups namely top management commitment; adequate support; halal training and education; employee attributes and management ; policy and procedure ; halal personnel empowerment ; customer focus. These factors were used in the questionnaire development and respondents were request to gauge the influence of these factors based on Likert scale. The data collected from this questionnaire survey was was analysed and found that A total of all of the variables, of which 15 have mean values of 2.68 or higher which are considered as highly influencing factors. In term of the group performance, it was found that the highest group of factors affecting the halal inspection management is halal training and education, followed by top management commitment then by customer focus then by halal personnel empowerment then by adequate support then by policy and procedure and finally by employee attributes and management

Project management leadership progression : a conceptual framework for Abu Dhabi

The government of Abu Dhabi made a decision to change the focus of the government from executer of the project to manager of projects in 2008. More and more work was sub-contracted and government departments just project managed the operations. Due to this change in focus the demand for project managers increased. Most of these project managers were not specially trained or educated in project management competencies. They primarily were employees from older operations who were reassigned for project management purposes. What has been realised now is that it is important to have a look at the competencies of these employees and make sure they are suitable to be project managers. In addition to them being suitable for project management positions, it is also important that there is a specific progression path and well defined expectations to be promoted to the next level. Therefore, there is a need to clearly identify the career path of a project manager from the inception of their careers until they retire. The path has to have identifiable objective points which could be used to decide if the project manager is ready to move to the next level. A framework is needed that can facilitate the progression of a project manager in their career paths in the Abu Dhabi government departments; and therefore, is the main aim of this thesis. In order to accomplish the aim, a mixed methods approach was taken. The Use of initial interviews established the context for Abu Dhabi. Use of statistical techniques such as multiple regression and mathematical technique of DEMATEL helped identify the career path from an entry level project coordinator position to a programme director position through the end of the career. The major findings of this research in addition to the development of the framework are: 1) the career path of a project manager is quite linear; 2) it is not an add-on role but a career in itself; 3) At the entry level of a project an individual should have high level of behavioural competencies; 4) There is a relationship between project success criteria and programme success factors; Since project success leads to programme success, this relationship could be used to establish the transition between a project manager and a programme manager’s role. 5) The technical and contextual competencies of a project manager should be used to promote them during their time as project managers; and 7) Within the programme management there are some competencies that can be regarded as the cause group of competencies and others that could be regarded as the effect group of competencies. There are several major implications of this work. First of all, the framework developed will act as a good starting point for all the government departments to establish their own project management progression framework which could be modified with their own discipline specific information. This research also establishes the importance of behavioural competencies for project management at the outset of the career itself. The framework also provides an objective way of assessing when an individual is ready to move to the next level of responsibilities within the organisation. This framework will further make the promotion process more transparent and the job of evaluating a promotion application easier

DESIGN IMPROVEMENT OF THE VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINE WITH APPLIED FLAPS THROUGH CFD ANALYSIS

This research aims to optimise VAWT power generation capabilities through the design alteration of blades by the addition of flaps. The application is aimed to be applied in the United Arab Emirates, specifically at Abu Dhabi University campus in Al Ain to replace a margin of the consumed electrical energy (15%) powered by the typical nonrenewable energy means. To study the effects of design alteration, relevant design parameters on the aerodynamic properties of the wind turbine, a typical standard design with standard dimensions were considered and used as a benchmark for comparison. Two aerodynamic simulation software were adopted, namely ANSYS FLUENT and QBlade, while the designs were drawn through AutoCAD. As per the simulation results, the addition of flaps resulted in an overall increase of 3.11% in power generation. The simulation results were then scaled up using dynamic similarity to obtain a total power consumption of 6 kW for each turbine suggesting that the newly built Al Ain campus would require 43 turbines to cover 15% of the total electricity consumption in a year. The building of a control system for active pitch control was not feasible due to increased complexity

Global prevalence and genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus infection in 2015 : A modelling study

Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Elsevier LtdBackground The 69th World Health Assembly approved the Global Health Sector Strategy to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by 2030, which can become a reality with the recent launch of direct acting antiviral therapies. Reliable disease burden estimates are required for national strategies. This analysis estimates the global prevalence of viraemic HCV at the end of 2015, an update of—and expansion on—the 2014 analysis, which reported 80 million (95% CI 64–103) viraemic infections in 2013. Methods We developed country-level disease burden models following a systematic review of HCV prevalence (number of studies, n=6754) and genotype (n=11 342) studies published after 2013. A Delphi process was used to gain country expert consensus and validate inputs. Published estimates alone were used for countries where expert panel meetings could not be scheduled. Global prevalence was estimated using regional averages for countries without data. Findings Models were built for 100 countries, 59 of which were approved by country experts, with the remaining 41 estimated using published data alone. The remaining countries had insufficient data to create a model. The global prevalence of viraemic HCV is estimated to be 1·0% (95% uncertainty interval 0·8–1·1) in 2015, corresponding to 71·1 million (62·5–79·4) viraemic infections. Genotypes 1 and 3 were the most common cause of infections (44% and 25%, respectively). Interpretation The global estimate of viraemic infections is lower than previous estimates, largely due to more recent (lower) prevalence estimates in Africa. Additionally, increased mortality due to liver-related causes and an ageing population may have contributed to a reduction in infections. Funding John C Martin Foundation.publishersversionPeer reviewe