Natural convection of nanofluids in open rectangular cavity

An investigation of the effect of nano particles on natural convection of water based nanofluids contained in an open rectangular cavity is carried out numerically. The flow pattern and heat transfer characteristics are studied for different values of volume fraction in the range 0   0.2 , Rayleigh number in the range 9 1 Ra 10 and the nano particles with different thermo physical properties. It was found that for low Rayleigh numbers, heat transfer exhibits a decreasing trend for increasing values of volume fraction of oxide nanofluids, whereas for higher values of Rayleigh numbers, an increasing trend of heat transfer was observed due to increase in the volume fraction of nanofluids.

Analysis of heat transfer and fluid flow in a triangular enclosure in presence of an adiabatic fin

Natural convection thermal boundary layer adjacent to the heated inclined wall of a right angled triangle with an adiabatic fin attached to that surface is investigated by numerical simulations. The finite volume based unsteady numerical model is adopted for the simulation. It is revealed from the numerical results that the development of the boundary layer along the inclined surface is characterized by three distinct stages, i.e. a start-up stage, a transitional stage and a steady stage. These three stages can be clearly identified from the numerical simulations. Moreover, in presence of adiabatic fin, the thermal boundary layer adjacent to the inclined wall breaks initially. However, it is reattached with the downstream boundary layer next to the fin. More attention has been given to the boundary layer development near the fin area.

A multicultural nursing workforce and cultural perspectives in Saudi Arabia : an overview

This paper provides an overview of the cultural perspectives and practices in Saudi Arabia that could help expatriate health care providers to understand Saudi culture and enhance cultural competence. The healthcare system in Gulf countries, particularly, Saudi Arabia, is mainly staffed by expatriate nurses, who account for 67.7% of the total number of nurses. This gives rise to a multicultural environment in the hospital, where people of different cultures interact with each other and take care of Saudi patients who are from the dominant culture. In this scenario, a lack of knowledge of Saudi culture among nurses can lead to cultural conflicts and misunderstanding of some of the behaviors and practices of the indigenous Saudi people. Culture is a complex notion; however, being aware of cultural differences and having cultural knowledge can help people to interact safely. Educating expatriate nurses about the cultural heritage of the Saudi people, which is mainly influenced by Islamic teachings, is important to increase cultural harmony.

Sharia-compliant financing in Indonesia infrastructure projects

As the adoption of project financing is gaining momentum, there is a concurrent need of innovation in project financing scheme in order to accelerate infrastructure assets provision in Indonesia. As the largest Muslim population in the world, sharia-compliant financing offers tremendous potential as a source for infrastructure financing for Indonesia. To realize this potential, there is a need of a framework to guide its adoption. Hence this paper discusses the potential implementation of Islamic finance to fund infrastructure projects in Indonesia. Through comparative analysis, this paper illustrates how Islamic principles can be incorporated into Indonesian infrastructure project financing.

Prevalence of depressive symptoms as elicited by Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) among medical trainees in Oman

Background Despite the increasing recognition that medical training tends to coincide with markedly high levels of stress and distress, there is a dearth of validated measures that are capable of gauging the prevalence of depressive symptoms among medical residents in the Arab/Islamic part of the world. Objective The aim of the present study is two-fold. First is to examine the diagnostic validity of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) using an Omani medical resident population in order to establish a cut-off point. Second is to compare gender, age, and residency level among Omani Medical residents who report current depressive symptomatology versus those who report as non-depressed according to PHQ-9 cut-off threshold. Results A total of 132 residents (42 males and 90 females) consented to participate in this study. The cut-off score of 12 on the PHQ-9 revealed a sensitivity of 80.6% and a specificity of 94.0%. The rate of depression, as elicited by PHQ-9, was 11.4%. The role of gender, age, and residency level was not significant in endorsing depression. Conclusion This study indicated that PHQ-9 is a reliable measure among this cross-cultural population. More studies employing robust methodology are needed to confirm this finding.

A high performance feedback active noise control system

In many active noise control (ANC) applications, an online secondary path modelling method that uses a white noise as a training signal is required. This paper proposes a new feedback ANC system. Here we modified both the FxLMS and the VSS-LMS algorithms to raised noise attenuation and modelling accuracy for the overall system. The proposed algorithm stops injection of the white noise at the optimum point and reactivate the injection during the operation, if needed, to maintain performance of the system. Preventing continuous injection of the white noise increases the performance of the proposed method significantly and makes it more desirable for practical ANC systems. Computer simulation results shown in this paper indicate effectiveness of the proposed method.

Australian baby boomers switched to more environment friendly modes of transport during the global financial crisis

The global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008 rocked local, regional, and state economies throughout the world. Several intermediate outcomes of the GFC have been well documented in the literature including loss of jobs and reduced income. Relatively little research has, however, examined the impacts of the GFC on individual level travel behaviour change. To address this shortcoming, HABITAT panel data were employed to estimate a multinomial logit model to examine mode switching behaviour between 2007 (pre-GFC) and 2009 (post-GFC) of a baby boomers cohort in Brisbane, Australia—a city within a developed country that has been on many metrics the least affected by the GFC. In addition, a Poisson regression model was estimated to model the number of trips made by individuals in 2007, 2008, and 2009. The South East Queensland Travel Survey datasets were used to develop this model. Four linear regression models were estimated to assess the effects of the GFC on time allocated to travel during a day: one for each of the three travel modes including public transport, active transport, less environmentally friendly transport; and an overall travel time model irrespective of mode. The results reveal that individuals were more likely to switch to public transport who lost their job or whose income reduced between 2007 and 2009. Individuals also made significantly fewer trips in 2008 and 2009 compared to 2007. Individuals spent significantly less time using less environmentally friendly transport but more time using public transport in 2009. Baby boomers switched to more environmentally friendly travel modes during the GFC.

Managing cost implications for highway infrastructure sustainability

Highway construction works have significant bearings on all aspects of sustainability. With the increasing level of public awareness and government regulatory measures, the construction industry is experiencing a cultural shift to recognise, embrace and pursue sustainability. Stakeholders are now keen to identify sustainable alternatives and the financial implications of including them on a lifecycle basis. They need tools that can aid the evaluation of investment options. To date, however, there have not been many financial assessments on the sustainability aspects of highway projects. This is because the existing life-cycle costing analysis (LCCA) models tend to focus on economic issues alone and are not able to deal with sustainability factors. This paper provides insights into the current practice of life-cycle cost analysis, and the identification and quantification of sustainability-related cost components in highway projects through literature review, questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews. The results can serve as a platform for highway project stakeholders to develop practical tools to evaluate highway investment decisions and reach an optimum balance between financial viability and sustainability deliverables.

Investigating the interplay between transport, land use and the environment : a review of the literature

Integration of land use and transport decisions to achieve sustainable travel behavior has been considered an integral element for sustainable urban development. However, before the popularity of urban sustainability concept, land use and transport interaction had been scrutinized as strictly separate entities in the urban planning and development domains. Fortunately today the concept of sustainability has been pushed to the forefront of policy-making and politics as the world wakes up to the impacts of climate change and the effects of the rapid urbanization and modern urban lifestyles. The paper therefore aims to highlight the importance of the interplay between transport, land use and the environment. This review paper provides evidence from the literature including the Transport, Land Use and the Environment Special Issue contributions and global best practice cases to showcase new empirical approaches and investigations from different parts of the world that contribute to the wealth of knowledge in exploring the interplay between transport, land use and the environment thoroughly.

Challenges facing the application of sustainability to housing in Saudi Arabia

Modern Saudi housing supply is neither sustainable nor efficient in meeting the conservative Islamic culture of the community and the local environmental conditions. This thesis develops a model for successful development of sustainable housing in Saudi Arabia by incorporating multi stakeholder inputs on key barriers, critical success factors and best practice case studies. The model will help create public awareness and education tools for both private and public sectors on sustainable housing. It provides a framework that includes cultural and environmental needs of the conservative Saudi neighbourhood. It may assist the Saudi government to regulate new building codes and regulations.

University life and Australian homes : three case studies of international Muslim students in Brisbane

Despite a significant increase in enrolments of postgraduate international Muslim students within Australian universities, little is known about their perceptions of life within Australian homes while undertaking their studies. The aim of this study is to investigate the ways in which students’ cultural and religious traditions affect their use of domestic spaces within the homes in which they reside. The research found that participants faced some minor difficulties in achieving privacy, maintaining modesty and extending hospitality while able to perform their daily activities in Australian designed homes. The findings suggest that greater research attention needs to be given to the development of Australian home designs that are adaptable to the needs of a multicultural society. Australian society encompasses diverse cultural customs and requirements with respect to home design, and these are yet to be explored.

Development of fourth-grade students’ understanding of experimental and theoretical probability

Students explored variation and expectation in a probability activity at the end of the first year of a 3-year longitudinal study across grades 4-6. The activity involved experiments in tossing coins both manually and with simulation using the graphing software, TinkerPlots. Initial responses indicated that the students were aware of uncertainty, although an understanding of chance concepts appeared limited. Predicting outcomes of 10 tosses reflected an intuitive notion of equiprobability, with little awareness of variation. Understanding the relationship between experimental and theoretical probability did not emerge until multiple outcomes and representations were generated with the software.

Privacy, modesty, hospitality, and the design of Muslim homes: A literature review

Traditional Islamic teachings and traditions involve guidelines that have direct applications in the domestic sphere. The principles of privacy, modesty, and hospitality are central to these guidelines; each principle has a significant effect on the design of Muslim homes, as well as on the organization of space and domestic behaviors within each home. This paper reviews literature on the privacy, modesty, and hospitality within Muslim homes. Nineteen publications from 1986 to 2013 were selected and analyzed for content related to the meaning of privacy, modesty, and hospitality in Islam and the design of Muslim homes. Despite the commonly shared guidelines for observing privacy, modesty, and hospitality within each home, Muslims living in different countries are influenced by cultural factors that operate within their country of residence. These factors help to shape the architectural styles and use of space within Muslim homes in different ways. Awareness of the multifactorial nature of the influences on the Muslim perception of home and the use of space is necessary for architects, building designers, engineers, and builders to be properly equipped to meet the needs of clients.