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IMPROVING INDOOR AIR QUALITY USING LOW-EMISSIONMATERIALS
Get PDFThe interior design field faces a technological breakthrough in the development of materials and methods of usage and implementation, which requires great attention for supportive studies The aim of this research is to improve indoor air quality by using lowemission materials with control and rationing the use of contaminant products in residential spaces And because human is the goal of every development and has the right to live in a healthy environment and healthy spaces, and mainly the success of any interior designer in all about taking care of this purpose that depends on the professional control and harnessing the available possibilities to achieve this benefit and prevent pollutants that may affect and cause a threat to human health Therefore it was necessary for professional interior designers and researches the interest to turn to the technological study of new materials and identifying their properties, advantages and disadvantages, characteristics and toxicity, and defining the standards to use these materials so as to be in conformist with the good and healthy environment The expected results of this research are to achieve the major goal of good and practical interior design with low emission using requirements to meet the referenced standards of green labeled materials that are generally widely available in the market, and to develop the other necessary contaminant products and materials that are currently and generally used by controlling and rationing usage of these contamination\u27s that negatively affect the indoor air quality and the human health in residential spaces
QUALITY OF LIFE AND WELL-BEING AMONG PALESTINIANAND SYRIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON
Get PDFQuality of life (QOL) is a basic concept in a number of disciplines, including social sciences, politics, economics, the environment, psychology, and medicine. Although the term comprises primarily psychological components, it remains a multi-dimensional concept that has been derived from various fields, the most important of which are biology, medicine, psychology, and sociology. Well-being generally includes global judgments of life satisfaction and feelings ranging from depression to joy. The study sought to (1) investigate the sex-related differences on both quality of life (QOL) and well-being. A convenience sample of 382 adults from the Palestinian and Syrian refugees were recruited. The study used the Arabic version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief (WHOQOL-Brief) scale. Derived from the original 100-item WHOQOL-100 scale, it is a 26-item questionnaire that covers four domains related to QOL: physical health, psychological health, social relationships and the environment. The well-being self-report scale is applied on the research sample. The results of the study are discussed in the light of the previous studies and the theoretical frame work relevant to Quality of life and well-being Based upon the findings of the present study, it was recommended to develop a guidance program aimed to raise the adults awareness of the importance of quality of life and its impact on the well-being
CHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF WELLSAND RIVERS IN LEBANESE URBAN CITIES
Get PDFUnsafe drinking water has been implicated in numerous health problems in developing countries. This latter is a result of the increase in human population and urbanization. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the water contamination in the Lebanese urban cities. Consequently, it has become necessary to monitor the chemical and microbiological parameters of different wells and rivers in Lebanese Urban Cities. In this present study, we analyzed the chemical and microbiological characteristics of water coming from different wells in Urban Cities (Baakline, Hasbaya, Kfarchakhna, Kesrwan, Antelias, Fanar, Lebaa, Tal Amara, Tyre) and seven Lebanese rivers (Hasbani, Rachiine, Kadisha, Awali, Ghzayel, Berdawni, Litani). Heavy metals (Mn, Pb, Cu, Fe, Zn, Cd, Ar, Hg), various chemical elements (Ca, Mg, Bicarbonate, Na, K, Nitrate and sulfur) and different microbial strains were determined for each source. The samples collected from the wells of the different cities were not conform (20 to 82%) in heavy metals, not conform (20 to 85%) in chemical elements as well as not conform (52 to 100%) in the microbial load to the Lebanese standard of water (LIBNOR). The chemical and microbiological characteristics of all river samples were not conform to the Lebanese standard of the water, with some samples even contaminated with mercury. Noting that many cases of bacterial infections were detected in some cities due to the bacterial contamination of the wells, a need of ensuring a reliable access of a safe drinking water is important to sustain our Lebanese cities
PERCEPTION OF LEBANESE WOMEN ON PREFERRED MODE OFDELIVERY AND ITS ASSOCIATED COMPLICATIONS
Get PDFCesarean section, since ancient times, has been known to be an alternative mode to normal vaginal delivery. It is clinically indicated in certain situations. However, nowadays, Cesarean section rates are increased worldwide and in Lebanon, and instead of being an alternative, it has become the primary choice for certain women and physicians, who decide that their patients should go for that option. The purpose of our study was to investigate the perception of Lebanese women towards different modes of delivery in Lebanon. A cross- sectional study was conducted, where participants, aged 18 to 55, were selected in different regions across Lebanon, and were asked to fill a questionnaire with regards to their perception. Data were collected about preferred modes of delivery, women’s awareness towards vaginal and caesarean deliveries and their associated complications. 388 women agreed to participate. The majority were less than 25 years old (around 40%). The majority preferred vaginal delivery (79.5%) over Cesarean section. No significant association was found between age and preferred modes of delivery. The main reasons for preferring vaginal delivery were shorter hospital stay and faster postpartum recovery. 96.3% who underwent C-section stated that it was emergent rather than planned. Of those who preferred Caesarean delivery, main reasons were the fear of pain and believing that it is a safe procedure. As for perception on complications, 50% believed that neither vaginal delivery nor cesarean section increased maternal death. Short term fetal respiratory distress was believed to be less after vaginal delivery than after cesarean section
THE IMPACT OF FOSSIL AND RENEWABLE ENERGYCONSUMPTION ON THE ECONOMIC GROWTH IN LEBANON
Get PDFThis study examines the effect of the fossil fuels consumption and the renewable energy to the economic growth in Lebanon using multiple linear regression using time series fixed effect model method over the period 1990–2012. The results showed that the fossil energy consumption has a positive impact on the economic growth while the renewable energy consumption with negative coefficient. Other control variable as the real gross fixed capital formation and the labor force have positive coefficient while the urbanization has negative coefficient and statistically significant. The research data collected from the World Development Indicators then it is regressed using OLS multilinear regression. The results show a statistically significant positive impact of fossil energy consumption and negative impact of renewable energy consumption on the Lebanese economic growth. After testing the stationarity levels, the co-integration tests confirm the existence of co-integrating relationship between the variable
COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE ENERGY CONSUMPTION OFUNDERFLOOR HEATING SYSTEM UTILIZING DIFFERENT PCM
Get PDFThe most global energy that directly related to building sector is the amount of energy consumption in the heating, and air-conditioning. One of the best ways that that enhances the reduction of this energy consumption and maintains the best comfort zone to the occupant is using a phase change material (PCM) with under floor heating/cooling system. In the present work, a new theoretical study involving comparative investigation among different PCMs on the energy consumption of under floor heating system has been performed. The most used organic and inorganic PCMs complete with their specified thermos-physical properties with the melting temperature as the main effective properties are studied. In addition, economical studies for all selected PCMs have been performed. Therefore, the finest PCM is selected carefully to satisfy law energy consumption with low cost. The results show that the organic PCM A39 with melting temperature of 39 °C is suggested the optimum as it has less negative effect on the environment with high power saving. The Cacl2-6H2O PCM is recommended with the restrictions of the impacts on the environments due to the low cost. In addition, it is found that the thickness of the PCM has a remarkable effect on the law energy consumption and so, the small thickness is recommended to give low cost. Unlike using PCM in roofs and walls, in underfloor heating system application PCM melting temperature should be suitable for floor surface temperature and room air temperature
THE IMPACT OF THE MEDIA ON BODY IMAGE PERCEPTIONSAND SELF-ESTEEM AMONG FEMALE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Get PDFUniversity students nowadays face a number of daily challenges. To meet the standards set by the media and other socio-economic influences causes many of them to feel vulnerable and confused. This sense of failure and the decrease in self-esteem often lead students to focus on their personal image, which in turn causes them to seek physical and mental changes. To adapt to a new environment, it is therefore essential to understand what affects an individual in their daily life, as this determines their response to this new environment. In most countries, it is the mothers, female friends and the media who form the most powerful influence on the image of the self and the body image among girls. There is no doubt that the dissatisfaction with the body image is one of the most prevalent problems in society. A large percentage of female university students suffer from severe forms of dissatisfaction with their general appearance, which has become associated with chronic dieting, eating disorders and lowered levels of self-esteem. A number of studies have established that the media plays a major role in determining the ideal body image for adolescents. It is the most powerful conveyer of socio-cultural ideals, since it not only presents recurrently unrealistic images of thinness, but also provides information on how to achieve these ideals. Although there are a large number of studies that have dealt with the impact of media on the perceptions of and dissatisfaction with the body image, usually among females, yet only few of these have examined the impact of the media on boy image perceptions among female university students, in particular in Arab societies such as Lebanon. It is, thus, necessary to conduct this study, in particular in the light of the growing role played by the media in our societies. With the increasing freedom of the media in the Arab World during the last few years, it becomes adamant to evaluate the various roles it plays. The Sample of the Study: The study recruited a sample of 200 female students at Beirut Arab University, who were equally distributed across the faculties of the humanities and the scientific faculties. Instruments of the Study: Three variables were tackled: The body image, using the Body Image Scale, developed by Alaa Kafafi & Mayssah El Nayal. Self-esteem, using the Rosenberg Scale (1989), translated by Ahmed Abdel-Khalek. The media, using a questionnaire with a number of questions that establish the relationship between the respondent and the media
APPLYING LEARNING METHODS WITH ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS TO IMPROVE INDOOR QUALITY FOR HEALTH ANDWELLBEING IN BUILDINGS CASE STUDY: ENHANCING LIGHTING EFFICIENCY OF PUBLICSPACES
Get PDFThe teaching-learning methods and techniques that can be applied in architecture are various, such as project-based learning, problem-based learning, research-based learning, problem-solving, simulation-based learning, designbuild and others. The researcher aims at experimenting and applying such methods in a design class at Faculty of Architecture to manage and improve the environmental quality of the public spaces that will increase the awareness of health and wellbeing aspects of the students. Therefore, the study aims to produce a new methodology for integrating different teaching- learning methods in the interior design course and evaluate the outcomes of the students according to the indoor lighting performance. The case study is based on a real problem in a realistic situation - City Complex Shopping Mall in Tripoli, Lebanon - in which the instructor and the students will analyze and measure the intensity of lighting within the mall atrium, and the extent of its reflection on the validity and functional efficiency of the building. The students with the aid of their instructor will use the Testo Light Meter/Logger and the Echotect Analysis 2010 Software as tools of measurement, simulation and development. The paper proposes successful methods to achieve special criteria for developing indoor quality to increase health and wellbeing aspects of building in general, and produce solutions for improving lighting efficiency of public spaces in particular. Through integrating different teaching-learning methods, the instructor develops and integrates appropriate techniques that will help in monitoring, improving and achieving optimal outcomes of the students\u27 designed proposals, thereby ensuring high educational performance
LANGUAGE CHANGE TO ENHANCE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING:A SOCIOLINGUISTIC APPROACH
Get PDFThere is no doubt that language change is strongly related to social change, and this is always associated with an essential change in the socio-cultural meaning adopted by the relevant speech-community. It is also a fact that a speechcommunity’s perception of a concept or a phenomenon depends largely on their linguistic encoding thereof, i.e. the lexicalization and/or grammaticalization of the concept. When a social institution, therefore, seeks to influence the community’s conception and behavior, it becomes essential to introduce relevant changes in the language used by the community. If such process does not follow adequate language planning policies and mechanisms, the outcome may lead to a clash in discourses. Considering the issue at hand – health and well-being – it thus becomes first of all adamant to map the expressions and terms used by the community. Second, to examine the social and cultural meanings/values associated with these expressions. Third, to compare between these expressions and those terms established in the academic domains (health and psychology). Lastly, to introduce the adequate language planning policies and mechanisms needed to effect the required change in the speech-community’s awareness. This paper, therefore, seeks to answer the following questions: 1) What are the different lexicons and discourses relevant to health and well-being used by a) the speechcommunity and b) the academic disciplines? 2) What factors affect the introduction of language change to produce the desired socio-cultural meanings? 3) What language policies and mechanisms need to be adopted to effect the required change towards an enhanced awareness of health and well-being? In answer these questions, the paper will be a theoretical outline of the raised issues, in preparation for later applied studies
PRINCIPLE BARRIERS TO INTERNATIONAL TRADEAND IT’S EFFECT ON LEBANESE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Get PDFThis paper provides an overview of the principal barriers of international trade and the sanctions imposed on countries and its effect on the Lebanese economy. Illustrating the barriers effect by two examples one related to decreasing tariffs on imports from Latin America and the other on protectionism system implemented in Europe. Then studying two other cases in the Lebanese market where barriers leave a huge effect on the businesses in Lebanon and giving examples faced in two different businesses in Lebanon in the financial sector. International trade promoted high standard of living for trading nations. Hence, despite its various unpleasant effects to some, it is still the best to practice free international trade since it is being a stimulator of the rise of global economies leaving economies having economic and social benefits. This paper attempts to bring to light to the free-trade and the general barriers international trade faces presently and some examples of the unions between two countries to form the best trade with fewer obstacles. Moreover, I would be lightening on Cash+; money transfer company and relate it to the barriers it faces in everyday business. As well as, giving a quick overview of the banks in Lebanon, we will talk about the offering of trade finance products which cut the risk of exporting products; the substantial risk between the buyer and seller. These cornerstones (banks) are a major pillar in the country leaving space for the neighbor countries’ citizens to benefit from their services too. As well as, relating that to the bans and the sanctions imposed on the Syrian country and the Syrians and concentrating on the effect of the international barriers on Syria as a country and on Syrian citizens and their work relating it to the banking sector in Lebanon. In the last part, an example on a closed versus open economy is mentioned with numbers to end up with why recommendations and solutions listed are important to all nations