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The aim of green production and consumption is to adopt the idea of supplying the consumers with products that fulfill their needs with lower consequences on the environment. This concept was introduced in 1970 aims to protect the environment and to have better control over natural resources. This study is aiming at investigating the consumers’ purchase behaviors toward green products which can help decision makers to identify the tools that may be needed to promote green products in UAE markets.the study was conducted through the distribution of self-administered questionnaire to assess green purchase practices and public knowledge about green products. The study concluded that The quality of green products is the most important factor that the UAE’s consumers will consider for their decision regarding the green purchase. Eco-labeling may not be well understood among the studied population, and more awareness is needed about Ecolabeling among the community. This study showed that social media is a very important and effective tool to spread and influence green purchase practices among the residents.

The aim of this paper is to assess the environmental risks associated with the wastewater reuse with respect to six metals; cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in the city of Dubai. Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) is used for landscape irrigation. Samples of soil and control soil as baseline measurement were collected to calculate the contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), metal pollution index (MPI), degree of contamination (CD) and modified degree of contamination (mCD) of heavy metals in soil. The results revealed that the values of the CF were very high, the PLI and MPI were high, the CD was very high, the mCD was ultra-high.

One of the fundamental principles of contemporary postsecondary education system is that knowledge is rooted in experience. Contemporary andragogy and experiential learning theories recognise the ability of people to learn in a variety of places, times, and styles, thereby challenging rigid, subject-matter-centred pedagogies. Accreditation of Learning Outcomes (ALO) is the assessment of previously unrecognized skills and knowledge an individual has achieved outside the formal education and training system. The ALO initiative is imbued with substantial potential to benefit learners, higher education sectors, employers, and the society at large. This chapter reviews the concept of ALO and successful initiatives for standardising the accreditation process for learning from experience—work experience, in-service training, self-study, or community work—in South Africa. Approaches for addressing the barriers encumbering ALO implementation are discussed.

BACKGROUND There has been a growing awareness that patients are subject to injuries that can be prevented as a direct consequence of health care. Error disclosure is an effective technique to restore the lost trust with the health care system. OBJECTIVE The current study aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale to determine the factors facilitating the disclosure of health professionals in health organizations. METHODS This study had a cross-sectional design that consisted of 722 responses (response rate of 68.3%) from 1 private and 1 public hospital in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The data collection tool included 23 items rated on a Likert scale ranging from 5, strongly agree, to 1, strongly disagree.The internal consistency was established through calculating the split-half reliability for part 1 (12 items), which had a Cronbach coefficient of 0.65, and part 2 (11 items), which had a Cronbach coefficient of 0.62. Scale validity was assessed with the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy, which had a value of 0.62, and the Bartlett test of sphericity (approximated χ = 13012.2, P = 0.0001) supported the factorability of the correlation matrix. The varimax rotation revealed 5 components that explained 77.8% of the total variance. RESULTS The varimax rotation revealed 21 items loaded on the following 5 factors: fear of disclosure and provider image consequences (factor 1), apology (factor 2), organizational culture toward patient safety (factor 3), professional ethics and transparency (factor 4), as well as patient and provider education (factor 5). CONCLUSIONS The disclosure of medical mistakes requires preliminary considerations to effectively and compassionately disclose these events to patients. The validity and reliability of the results support the use of this scale at hospitals as part of the health care providers' disclosure processes.

This study was conducted to characterize the native soil at shrimp Gher and agricultural land in Khulna, Bangladesh. Eight locations were selected and among them five Ghers from south part of Dumuria which is about 60 km away from KUET campus, Khulna, Bangladesh. In the laboratory, various parameters such as salinity, organic content, chloride, pH, alkalinity, conductivity and moisture content were determined by following standard methods. The chloride and alkalinity were determined manually and pH, conductivity and salinity were determined by digital meter. The organic and moisture content both were highest at 30 cm depth for both the cases of shrimp Gher and agricultural land. Chloride was highest at 15 cm depth for both the cases shrimp Gher and agricultural land. Alkalinity was highest at 30 cm depth for shrimp Gher, however, the lowest was for agricultural land. It is concluded that the salinity and organic content vary with depth, age and soil condition.

This study focused on assessing the impact of using a variety of Al3+ and Fe3+ combinations to prepare modified bentonite adsorbents to remove phosphorous from water. Eight adsorbents with various Al3+ and Fe3+ combinations were used; four where prepared by adding Al3+ then Fe3+ to the bentonite, and four were prepared by adding Fe3+ then Al3+ to the bentonite. The adsorption capacities and kinetics of the eight adsorbents were experimentally assessed and compared. The experimental results best fitted the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model and the kinetic data best fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacities of the various adsorbents were in the range of 5.6–11.3 mg P/g adsorbent. The results suggested that combining Al3+ and Fe3+ in preparing the adsorbents improved the adsorption capacity and adsorption rate compared to using Al3+ alone or Fe3+ alone. Furthermore, equal amounts of Al3+ and Fe3+ resulted in the maximum phosphorous adsorption capacities...

Palm oil is one of the leading agricultural crops in the world, as it dominates 34% of the global vegetable oil market, with approximately 64.6*103 million kgs of production in 2017. However, along with its breakthrough, the generation of palm oil mill effluent (POME) as uncontrolled waste has become a serious matter and requires proper management to reduce its negative effects on the environment. Subsequently, the high organic content of POME makes it possible to convert waste into value-added products, such as biogas. A ratio of 0.5 for biological oxygen demand to chemical oxygen demand (BOD/COD) indicates a high possibility for biological treatment. Recently, the utilisation of POME as a cheap source for biogas production has gained an extraordinary amount of attention, and intensive research has been conducted on the upstream to downstream process. Finding the most suitable and efficient pretreatment technique and reactor configuration are vital parameters for the treatment and conversion of POME to biogas. This review describes existing pretreatment processes for POME and recommends recently manufactured high-rate anaerobic reactors as the most suitable and efficient pretreatment technique for maximising the extraction of biogas from POME.

Experiments were carried out using granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption techniques to treat wastewater contaminated with organic compounds caused by diverse human activities. Two techniques were assessed: adsorbent GAC prepared from coconut shell (GACC) and adsorbent GAC from palm shell (GACP). A comparison of these two techniques was undertaken to identify ways to improve the efficiency of the treatment process. Analysis of the processed wastewater showed that with GACC the removal efficiency of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS) and total dissolved solids (TDS) was 65, 60, 82, 82 and 8.7%, respectively, while in the case of GACP, the removal efficiency was 55, 60, 81, 91 and 22%, respectively. It can therefore be concluded that GACC is more effective than GACP for BOD removal, while GACP is better than GACC for TSS and TDS removal. It was also found that for COD and turbidity almost the same results were achieved by the two techniques. In addition, it was observed that both GACC and GACP reduced pH value to 7.9 after 24 hrs. Moreover, the optimal time period for removal of BOD and TDS was 1 hr and 3 hrs, respectively, for both techniques.

OBJECTIVE: Smoking is considered a major public health problem throughout the world. Although the burden of a disease attributable to smoking occurs among adults yet, the problem originates in the teenage and adolescence when the majority of smokers have their first experience with cigarettes. The objective of this study was to estimate prevalence of cigarette consumption among the University of Sharjah students. SETTING: University of Sharjah, Sharjah campus.PARTICIPANTS: The total undergraduate student population registered at University of Sharjah (UoS) during the period of study.DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was followed and included a sample of the University of Sharjah students based on the assumption of a prevalence of 15% and a degree of precision of 5% at the 95% confidence interval for each of the two campuses within the University city (Medical and Health Sciences campus and Non-Medical campus). The designed data collection tool was distributed based on the stratified sampling technique.RESULTS: The overall prevalence was 28.2% for both sexes. The prevalence of smoking among males accounted for 44.6%, while the prevalence of smoking accounted for 13% in females. The highest percentage of type of smoking was cigarettes 52.2% in males and 78.5% in females followed by medwakh 30.2% in males and water-pipe in females 21.5%. A student at a non-medical college, being a non-national, and having parents who were smokers were the common logistic regression predictors of smoking for both sexes in the sample under study.CONCLUSION: Tobacco control strategies and preventive measures in the UAE should start as early as preparatory and high school education and be directed towards school students as it seems that the problem is escalating in prevalence and magnitude.

Steel slag is a byproduct obtained from steel industry. It is generated as a residue during the production of steel. Because of the high disposal cost as a waste material and the overall positive features of steel slag, it has been declared a useful construction material, not an industrial waste by most of the developed countries. Successively, it is recycled as an aggregate for the construction of roads, soil stabilization, and base and for the surfacing of flexible pavement. Despite this, a large amount of steel slag generated from steel industries is disposed of in stockpiles to date. As a result, a large area of land is being sacrificed for the disposal of this useful resource. Many researchers have investigated the use of steel slag as an aggregate in the design of asphalt concrete for the road construction. The best management option for this by product is its recycling. This leads to reduction of landfills reserved for its disposal, saving the natural resources and attaining a potential environment. The purpose of this paper is to review the engineering properties of steel slag and its utilization for road construction in different ways.

Treatability of Alexandria wastewater using pure oxygen activated sludge process Mahmoud F. El-Sharkawy Mekawy M. Akel Linda M. Saad Ghazy S. Abdel-Kerim Mohamed H. Ramadan Moetaz M. El-Sergany Environmental Health Dept., High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University Publisher: Presented in the fifth International Conference "The Role of Engineering in Improving the Environment", 11-13 December 2004, Alexandria University, Alexandria Abstract: Alexandria is the second largest city and main port of Egypt. It lies north west of the Nile Delta. Most of the collected sewage from the city is pumped to two wastewater treatment plants. Both plants are using primary treatment technology and discharge their primary treated effluents into lake Maryut. Therefore the discharges of these plants have resulted in more deterioration of the lake. In Alexandria, the population growth had also led to an increase in land cost due to rarity of land and expansion of residential areas. Accordingly, a suitable wastewater treatment technique characterized by less land requirement, less sludge production, high efficiency, and lower gaseous emissions should be considered. This study was carried out to investigate the treatability and feasibility of applying pure oxygen activated sludge process compared to air activated sludge process. Two pilot scale activated sludge units with internal solids circulation were used. One of these units was operated with compressed air and the second was operated with pure oxygen gas. The units were fed with the primary settled effluent of the East Treatment Plant. Both units were operated at different sludge ages and detention times. At each condition, both units were evaluated. The results showed that a satisfactory effluent quality could be achieved at sludge age of 6 days and detention time ranging from 5.5 to 9 hours, and at sludge age of 6 days and detention time ranging from 2 to 3 hours for air and pure oxygen activated sludge units, respectively. The pure oxygen system produced better effluent quality at higher Food/Microorganism (F/M) ratio than that of the air unit. Pure oxygen can produce a good settling activated sludge compared with the air activated sludge system. Lower sludge quantities could be obtained for the pure oxygen system compared to the air system operated at the same sludge age. Nitrification occurred in both systems during all the applied operating conditions. The feasibility study showed that pure oxygen system is better than air system in both plants in saving the cost of land required to achieve secondary treatment, and in the cost of sludge thickening. Finally, the study ended by some recommendations which are suitable for Alexandria city.

This study represents a few basic steps of municipal solid waste management practiced in the six major cities of Bangladesh, namely, Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal, and Sylhet. A six-month field study was conducted to identify the solid wastes management steps such as storage at source, separation, on-site storage, collection, transportation, treatment, reuse, recycling, and ultimate disposal. This study addresses the role of the city authority to meet the demand of the city dwellers in solving this emerging socioenvironmental issue and the initiatives taken by some nongovernmental organizations and community based organizations. The problems and constraints of the solid wastes management system are also identified to find a sustainable management concept for the urban areas of Bangladesh.

Ashraf Ahmad Zaghloull,1 Moetaz Elsergany,2 Nagwa Abou El-Enein,1 Hamda Alsuwaidi,3 Mohamed Ayoub3 1Health Administration and Behavioral Sciences Department, High Institute of Public Health, University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt; 2e-School Health and Environmental Studies, Hamdan Bin Mohamed eUniversity, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 3College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Background: Self-medication and acquisition of over-the-counter (OTC) medications are emerging community health issues. Besides being a cheap alternative for treating common illnesses, the behavior entails serious ramifications, such as medication wastage, increasing pathogen resistance, and adverse drug reactions. The present study was conducted to explore the extent of OTC medications in households in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), including native UAE and expatriate families. Methods: The study employed a population-based, cross-sectional, analytical study design. The study population included native and expatriate households residing in the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE. The snowball sampling technique was used, and the sample included a total of 335 households. Results: Expatriate households acquired more OTC medications than did native households (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.7). The demographic determinants for expatriate households were number of family members (aOR=1.6), age of children in the family (aOR=1.8), and annual income (aOR=0.5). Expatriate households purchased more OTC medication practices than did native households (aOR=2.2). In the statistical sense, expatriate household practices were buying medication upon relatives' advice (aOR=0.3), storage condition of medication (aOR=2.4), and disposal of expired medication (aOR=0.6). The highest percentages of OTC medications in native and expatriate households were those related to gastric and ear, nose, and throat illnesses. Conclusion: The presence of OTC medications in expatriate households was two-fold more common than in native households in Sharjah, UAE. There were significant associations for behaviors related to the reasons why OTC medications were purchased and stored within the household for both native and expatriate families. Keywords: over-the-counter medication, pattern, odds ratio, household, Sharjah

Introduction: Frequent touch surfaces encountered in shopping malls can play a role in transmission of microbial pathogens and the dissemination of infectious diseases. This study aims at assessing the bacterial contamination of such surfaces in 4 large shopping malls in Sharjah, UAE. Materials and Methods: A total of 224 samples were collected from 4 different malls in Sharjah, UAE, in 2014, using sterile cotton swabs. The swabs were transferred and spread on Nutrient agar plates and incubated for 48 hours at 37°C. Colony forming units (CFUs) were counted for each plate, then isolated and identified using colony morphology, differential staining, and growth capabilities on different types of media. Results: Out of all collected samples, 192 (amounting to 86%) were positive (contaminated with bacteria). In each mall, more than 80% of all sampled surfaces were contaminated with bacterial growth. The highest bacterial density was found on food courts’ trays, food courts tables’ surfaces, and food tray handles. Comparing the average bacterial count from all surfaces in the 4 different malls under study, a significant result was observed, with one-way repeated measures ANOVA yielding the following: F(3) = 3.42, p = 0.024. The highest mean bacterial counts were in the malls with the highest numbers of visitors/m2. Conclusion: Nearly, every single sampled surface yielded a moderate to heavy degree of bacterial contamination. This is cause for concern, because infection risk depends to a large extent on infectious doses of pathogens. Consequently, cleaning services in shopping malls should be improved, and the public should be educated on the best hygiene-related precautions to be taken in malls.

In this study, Al-Qateef wastewater treatment plant was selected as a case representing the upgrade of carrousel technology with tertiary treatment. This technology is applied in many cities in the Eastern province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The use of chemical treatment alternative for phosphorous removal was evaluated versus the newly implemented tertiary treatment unit. The study showed that chemical phosphorous removal has an additional advantage of reducing the final effluent total phosphorus concentration to less than 1 mg/L at an alum dose of 50 mg/L without any significant alteration of the expected final effluent quality that could be achieved by the newly installed sand filters. Furthermore, the study showed that the use of chemical treatment for phosphorous removal could reduce the chlorine dose required for the treated effluent disinfection.