5324 research outputs found
Sort by
A system dynamics approach for hospital waste management in a city in a developing country: the case of Nablus, Palestine
No full textHospitals and health centers provide a variety of healthcare services and normally generate hazardous
waste as well as general waste. General waste has a similar nature to that of municipal solid waste and
therefore could be disposed of in municipal landfills. However, hazardous waste poses risks to public health, unless it is properly managed. The hospital waste management system encompasses many factors, i.e., number of beds, number of employees, level of service, population,
birth rate, fertility rate, and not in my back yard (NIMBY) syndrome. Therefore, this management system
requires a comprehensive analysis to determine the role of each factor and its influence on the whole system. In this research, a hospital waste management simulation
model is presented based on the system dynamics technique to determine the interaction among these factors in the system using a software package, ithink. This model is used to estimate waste segregation as this is important in the hospital waste management system to minimize risk to public health. Real data has been obtained from a case study of the city of Nablus, Palestine to validate the model. The model exhibits wastes generated from three types of hospitals (private, charitable, and government) by considering the number of both inpatients and outpatients depending on the
population of the city under study. The model also offers the facility to compare the total waste generated among these different types of hospitals and anticipate and predict the future generated waste both infectious and non-infectious and the treatment cost incurre
URBAN INTERVENTIONS Reshaping The Public Space In Palestine
No full textThe Royal College of Art is proud to host the TRADERS project’s closing conference
‘MEDIATIONS - Art & Design Agency and Participation in Public Space’.
The notion of citizen participation has (re)gained momentum over the last decade,
both in the realm of national and local politics – partly driven by advances in digital
technologies such as civic platforms – as well as outside the institutional domain.
Several art and design practitioners have embraced this participatory turn, aiming
to empower citizens to reclaim agency in the public realm. At the same time,
various (conceptual) models of participatory democracy have been explored
through numerous political theories1
. There are, however, still very few theories
that mediate between such conceptual models and actual participatory art and/
or design practices in a meaningful and rigorous way [i]. The TRADERS2
project,
and the MEDIATIONS conference as an extension of it, aims to operate within this
ambiguous territory.
TRADERS focuses on enabling an exchange of experiences and knowledge in
the field of participation in art and design. Working collectively and individually
through workshops, performances, exhibitions and publications, six early-career
researchers have explored different approaches including intervention, mapping,
data mining, play, dialogue and curating. While these six research projects vary
in their thematic approach and deploy different art and design-based research
methods, they all contribute to a collective deconstruction and problematisation of
the notion of citizen participation in art and design, particularly within the context of
public space.
Conversely, public space serves as a valuable context and pedagogic tool to
develop critical awareness in art and design. As such this conference (re)connects
with historic reflections on art and design education held in July 1968 by the
‘Movement for Re-Thinking Art and Design Education’ (MORADE) in London’s
Roundhouse, where contributors - drawn almost equally from staff and students
of art colleges - tackled the recurrent theme of the relationship of ‘Art’ to ‘Society’.
Calls for abolition of decrepit authority in the microcosm of those schools lead to a
turning point in design education in 1968, when staff joined students in occupying
art schools at Hornsey (north London) and Guildford (south London)
Contrasting cardiovascular mortality trends in Eastern Mediterranean populations : contributions from risk factor changes and treatments
No full textBACKGROUND:
Middle income countries are facing an epidemic of non-communicable diseases, especially coronary heart disease (CHD). We used a validated CHD mortality model (IMPACT) to explain recent trends in Tunisia, Syria, the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and Turkey.
METHODS:
Data on populations, mortality, patient numbers, treatments and risk factor trends from national and local surveys in each country were collated over two time points (1995-97; 2006-09); integrated and analysed using the IMPACT model.
RESULTS:
Risk factor trends: Smoking prevalence was high in men, persisting in Syria but decreasing in Tunisia, oPt and Turkey. BMI rose by 1-2 kg/m(2) and diabetes prevalence increased by 40%-50%. Mean systolic blood pressure and cholesterol levels increased in Tunisia and Syria. Mortality trends: Age-standardised CHD mortality rates rose by 20% in Tunisia and 62% in Syria. Much of this increase (79% and 72% respectively) was attributed to adverse trends in major risk factors, occurring despite some improvements in treatment uptake. CHD mortality rates fell by 17% in oPt and by 25% in Turkey, with risk factor changes accounting for around 46% and 30% of this reduction respectively. Increased uptake of community treatments (drug treatments for chronic angina, heart failure, hypertension and secondary prevention after a cardiac event) accounted for most of the remainder.
DISCUSSION:
CHD death rates are rising in Tunisia and Syria, whilst oPt and Turkey demonstrate clear falls, reflecting improvements in major risk factors with contributions from medical treatments. However, smoking prevalence remains very high in men; obesity and diabetes levels are rising dramatically
Palestinian Arabic conventional orthography guidelines
No full textThis technical report describes a general template for Conventional Orthography for Dialectial Arabic creation regardless of dialect and specific details and guidelines for Palestinian Arabic creation. The technical report serves two purposes: defining the general and specific Conventional Orthography for Dialectial Arabic information as well as being the base for a Palestinian CODA.
The technical report describes the variations generated by Palestinian Arabic speakers and the sub-dialects of the Palestinian Arabic, and sets guidelines on how to deal with these variations. It also describes the structure of a word and states the clitics and affixs associated with the base word. Moreover, it adds clitics and affixs which are specific to the Palestinain Arabic. the technical report also provides a list of exceptional list that has words with its variations and which variation to be used as the CODA form.Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research Council
Just add a verse from the Quran : effects of religious rhetoric in gain- and loss-framed anti-alcohol messages with a Palestinian sample
No full textThis experiment investigated the effects of message framing (gain vs. loss) and religious rhetoric (religious vs. non-religious) on the expression of anti-alcohol civic intentions with a sample (N = 80) of Palestinian young adults. Results showed that the main effects of message framing (gain > loss) and religious rhetoric (non-religious > religious) on anti-alcohol civic intentions were significant. Furthermore, the study showed that viral behavioral intentions were strongly and significantly associated with expressing anti-alcohol civic intentions, with larger explanatory power for gain-framed PSAs that used a religious rhetoric. Additionally, a serial mediation model showed that the effect of religious rhetoric on anti-alcohol civic intentions was successfully mediated by the serial combination of attitudes toward the PSA and viral behavioral intention for gain-framed PSAs, but not for loss-framed PSAs. Findings are discussed within the framework of persuasion models
Student attitudes towards active learning methods in a senior-year computer engineering course
No full textActive Learning is gaining momentum as a method to ensure best use of class time in science and engineering classrooms by focusing on the intended learning outcomes rather than the traditional focus on coverage of material via lecturing and homework sets. Active Learning is not the same as the Flipped Classroom approach, where the students are expected to read the material or watch lectures at home and then solve problems in class. Active Learning utilizes class time to introduce the material by engaging the students in exercises that aim at two things: 1) to discover new concepts by bringing out misconceptions that might have previously been held by individual students, and 2) to gain practical skills in design and problem solving. This study presents the results of student surveys which evaluate the students’ experiences with various teaching/learning methods, and show a clear advantage for methods that depend more on active learning within the class, and student one-on-one discussions, while the students thought least of slide-based lectures and homework problems
THz Frequency Spectrum of Protein-Solvent Interaction Energy Using A Recurrence Plot Based Wiener-Khinchin Method
No full textThe dynamics of a protein and the water surrounding it are coupled via nonbonded energy interactions. This coupling can exhibit a complex, nonlinear, and nonstationary nature. The THz frequency spectrum for this interaction energy characterizes both the vibration spectrum of the water hydrogen bond network, and the frequency range of large amplitude modes of proteins. We use a Recurrence Plot based Wiener-Khinchin method RPWK to calculate this spectrum, and the results are compared to those determined using the classical auto-covariance-based Wiener-Khinchin method WK. The frequency spectra for the total nonbonded interaction energy extracted from molecular dynamics simulations between the β-Lactamase Inhibitory Protein BLIP, and water molecules within a 10 Å distance from the protein surface, are calculated at 150, 200, 250, and 310 K, respectively. Similar calculations are also performed for the nonbonded interaction energy between the residues 49ASP, 53TYR, and 142PHE in BLIP, with water molecules within 10 Å from each residue respectively at 150, 200, 250, and 310 K. A comparison of the results shows that RPWK performs better than WK, and is able to detect some frequency data points that WK fails to detect. This points to the importance of using methods capable of taking the complex nature of the protein-solvent energy landscape into consideration, and not to rely on standard linear methods. In general, RPWK can be a valuable addition to the analysis tools for protein molecular dynamics simulation
The importance of Fostering alignment to ensure sustainable nation building: The role of HRD in large Palestinian
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings of a study exploring the challenges
confronting the provision of human resource development (HRD) in large Palestinian organizations.
Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methods approach was used to gather the data.
The quantitative data were analysed using statistical programme for social sciences. Qualitative data
were analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings – The first challenge pertained to the need for large-scale investment in human capital while
at the same time facing serious resource constraints. Additional challenges were; the operational nature
of the HR function, the limited training and development expertise and the lack of alignment between
educational institutions and employers’ needs.
Research limitations/implications – This exploratory study provides recommendations for future
explanatory research to contribute to the literature examining national human resource development
(NHRD) in high-conflict societies.
Practical implications – The findings have implications for both policy makers and the HRD
profession. There are also implications for the prioritization of development funding.
Social implications – There is an identified need for closer alignment between the country’s
education system, the needs of the workplace and the HRD function in organizations. The overarching
recommendation is that the HRD function be considered from a NHRD and human capital theory
perspectives.
Originality/value – This study is the first of its type to be conducted in Palestine. The findings
highlight the importance of NHRD to the sustainable nation-building process in Palestine
