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To overcome its reliance on burning fossil fuels for energy generation and water desalination, Kuwait has pioneered research and cutting-edge projects in renewable energy since the 1980s. This paper examines the power sector in Kuwait and emphasizes the government’s keenness to diversify the country’s electric power supply. It provides a comprehensive overview of Kuwait’s efforts, to emerge as a leading example in the region, fostering collaboration and matchmaking within renewable energy industries. The country’s goal is to meet 15% of the demand for power from renewable energy by 2030, including a reduction in energy use in the building sector by 12% and a decrease in CO2 emissions by 33%. The country’s initiatives revolve around harnessing renewable sources, particularly emphasizing the exploration of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Challenges and opportunities are presented to provide information for international institutions, technology companies, designers, researchers, and decision makers, aiming to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of PV project implementation in the country and the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to industrialization and an exponential increase in population, the demand for vehicles has increased in Kuwait. Utilizing fossil fuels to power vehicles that are in high demand has posed various environmental and medical implications. Considering the emission-free feature of electric vehicles (EVs), moving towards "EV readiness" is the need of the hour. This can be further enhanced by adopting alternative sustainable technologies such as photo voltaic (PV) charging of EVs, to potentially eliminate or significantly reduce the reliance on fossil fuel while simultaneously decreasing harmful emissions. As Kuwait does not manufacture cars, it imports all vehicles and their parts, including internal combustion engines (ICEs) and EVs. To find out the challenges to uplifting Kuwait's "EV readiness" this study delved into the performance of a typical EV car in Kuwait's weather conditions. This includes the investigation of parameters that influence the energy requirements in an electric vehicle, the change in the energy requirement in relation to several driving scenarios, and the efficiency of the EV battery. The results indicate that a significant amount of energy is being wasted for battery conditioning, which drastically reduces the distance covered during summer. The energy required for air-conditioning and battery conditioning are both positively correlated to the ambient temperature, while the time required to charge the battery has no relationship with the time of the day, traffic, or trip length. Additionally, the paper discusses some major challenges, such as lack of awareness, inadequate charging stations, and absence of policy. The paper recommends the most vital areas to be focused on for meeting the above challenges to make the transition to an "EV ready" state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of regulation corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the return on asset and return on equity. In addition, this paper also investigates the relationship between CSR and accounting performance. This paper extend the previous research in terms of sample coverage and CSR measurement, which is zakat. Sample for this research is 709 observations firm year observation from companies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Malaysia. This research found that highly payment of corporate social responsibility exhibit high level of return on asset (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). Unfornutaly, regulation doesnt affect the relationship between CSR and accounting performance. This suggest that corporate performance affected significantly by social responsibility. This findings of this research lay some foundation for corporate social responsibility regulation formulation. In addtion, this paper recommend the implementation of CSR program benefiting the society, in turn, leads the company to enhances the level of CFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the role of elites in strengthening the relations of cooperation between Kuwait and Qatar in the pre-independence phase, which coincided with the rule of Sheikh Ahmed Al-Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah (1885-1950) in Kuwait, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Jasim Al Thani in Qatar (1880-1957). ), through the study of a set of British correspondence and reports during the Second World War available on the Qatar Digital Library website, in addition to another set of unpublished commercial papers of one of the Qatari families, which were donated to the Qatar National Library. The study argued that food shortages and the food policies pursued by the British at the time of World War II had caused the building of trade alliances between the two emirates. On a larger scale, this study explored the nature of the relations between the merchants of Kuwait and Qatar and how they worked and merged with each other legally and illegally during the Second World War, this helps in drawing a picture of the societies of the Arab Gulf merchants in the pre-oil period. Also, this study is an addition to the history of the Arab Gulf region in the period of the first world economy (1815-1948), when capitalism developed, and the British Empire dominated. The study concluded that during the war period, Kuwaiti merchants played a crucial role in revitalizing Qatar’s economy during this period, and participated in the trade of smuggling supplies, and in creating what they are called “war riches.” Also, the study proved the importance of Kuwait in the Gulf economy during the so-called economy of the first globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, financial inclusion and bank stability have gained attention among researchers, particularly since the 2008 global financial crisis. This study investigates how financial inclusion may have influenced bank stability given differences in banks' structure based on operating principles (Islamic and conventional banks) during the period of 2003–2017, using Kuwait as a high-income economy case. The current paper assesses how bank stability responds to financial inclusion. This work adopts a Linear Mixed Model (LMM), which tracks variables over time while considering other time-invariant variables. The findings show that the adopted measures of financial inclusion, access and depth, are both significant and negatively related to bank stability. Furthermore, the results unveil a slight difference between the response of Islamic and conventional banks' stability to the dimensions of financial inclusion. Additionally, the study concludes that the financial crisis had an inverse and significant impact on bank stability. However, the extent of the impact appears to have been greater on Islamic banks compared to their conventional counterparts. Based on this study, banking with more financial inclusion can improve stability if institutional quality in Kuwait is improved so that these banks can operate more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the potential of wind energy generated in wind farms is statically predicated and assessed. The average speed from four weather stations in Kuwait from 2009 to 2017 is adopted in the investigation, and three of these stations are onshore and one offshore. The value of the dimensionless Weibull shape and scale parameters are calculated. The maximum yearly value for Weibull shape parameter is 4.76, and the maximum yearly value for scale parameter is 8.35 m/s. The highest recorded monthly wind power density is 257.36 W/m2. According to NREL classification, one site is categorized as good/excellent, while other sites are marginal. The analyses indicated that the maximum yearly output energy of 11.71 GW-h can be produced by a 3.0 MW wind turbine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foodborne illnesses result from inadequate food handling practices, but prevention is possible through implementing food safety principles by handlers and consumers. This paper presents an overview of food safety knowledge and practices among food handlers and consumers in the Gulf countries, identifies factors affecting knowledge and practice, and offers recommendations for promoting food safety among handlers and consumers. A literature search was conducted using an integrative review method. Various combinations of the following descriptors were used: (food safety, food hygiene), (knowledge, practice), and (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait). Out of 164 studies screened, 37 met the eligibility criteria. Food handler studies reported insufficient food safety knowledge, with poor translation of existing knowledge into practice. Consumer studies showed varying levels of food safety knowledge, and the translation of existing knowledge into practice was also found to be inconsistent. Training and educational level were the primary factors positively affecting food safety knowledge and practices. Overall, significant gaps in knowledge and practices were identified among food handlers and consumers in the Gulf. These gaps require urgent attention from the Gulf regulatory bodies to develop targeted food safety training and education programs to enhance awareness and implementation of food safety principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a systematic framework for water-energy-food (WEF) nexus with focus on integrating water desalination (via reverse osmosis and thermal desalination), energy generation (from fossil-based power plants and solar panels), and crop production. Specifically, the paper provides generally applicable and new contributions in formulating WEF nexus problems as multi-objective, multi-period optimization problems with data-driven models based on field work. The paper also established a systematic method for integrating and reconciling farming methods, water technologies, energy-resource selection and operation, carbon footprint, and economic factors. A superstructure representation is used to embed the candidate options and configurations. An optimization formulation is developed to determine the optimal system configuration, water and energy uses and sources, and crop mix selection. A multi-period model is developed to account for the seasonal variability. The optimization model is solved under different carbon-footprint cuts to establish a tradeoff curve between the economic and environmental objectives. To generate the necessary experimental data for a meaningful case study, a year-long field study was carried out to generate experimental data for three fields were constructed in Kuwait using open-field, agrivoltaic, and greenhouse farming methods. The field data were extracted and coupled with the optimization formulation to apply the proposed approach to a case study. First, the optimization formulation was solved to maximize the net profit with no limits on the carbon footprint. The solution of this relaxed formulation gives a maximum profit of 2.127 MM USD/y and an annual emission of 2242 tonne CO 2eq. Next, the optimization formulation was solved with the objective of minimizing the total annual emissions. The result was a minimum annual emission of 363 tonne CO 2eq that corresponded to 1.366 MM USD/y of profit. The ɛ-constraint method was employed to establish tradeoffs between the economic and environmental objectives. The solutions also provided valuable information on the percentage contribution of solar energy and water sources. • A systematic framework has been developed for the optimal design and operation of farming systems. • Three farming methods have been tested: open farm, agrivoltaics, and greenhouse systems. • Two sources of water have been included: centralized and on-site desalination systems. • Fossil-driven power plants and solar panels have been considered for energy generation. • The model identifies economic-environmental tradeoffs, water and energy sourcing, and revenue distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the feasibility of electrical power generation using differently orientated photovoltaic (PV) modules attached to vertical surfaces. The global horizontal irradiance (GHI) has been measured to verify the commonly used corresponding mathematical models. However, the solar irradiances on vertical surfaces are calculated concerning directional orientation using recently validated mathematical models of similar climates. A selected case representing the predominant construction style for houses in Kuwait was used to examine the PV configuration proposed on the house's façade at different promising orientations, east, west, and south. The total generated electrical power from the three promising façades (100 MW) is almost twice the roof's amount (57 MW). A detailed economic evaluation using lifecycle cost analysis (LCC) was conducted through a 25-year plan. It includes a suggested investment plan for the annual cash resulting from avoided conventional electrical power. Promisingly, the economic analysis proved that the vertical façades east, west, and south are feasible at payback years of around 8, 8, and 15, respectively, while the rooftop PV has the best economic feasibility by a payback period of 5 years. The outcome encourages policymakers to incentivize the vertical surfaces to harvest solar energy, particularly with the expectation of a further decline in PV prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kuwait is among the leading countries globally in terms of its per capita consumption of electricity and water based on the energy outlook report released in 2019. In Kuwait, the CO2 (carbon dioxide) emission rates have increased from the energy sector due to the burning of significant amounts of fossil fuels to meet the demands of electricity generation and water supply. Under these circumstances, the demanding analysis methodology to forecasting CO2 emissions from the energy sector, the per capita energy consumption, and CO2 emissions were 8.9 toe per capita and 21.1 tons of CO2-eq emissions per capita, respectively. This paper aims to quantify a comparative analysis model and estimate a numeric magnitude for current and forecasting 2030 CO2 production totals from Kuwait's energy sector and its impact on average atmospheric temperature and energy production. The aggregate carbon intensity (ACI) was used as an indicator to evaluate the current energy situation and predict a model for Kuwait's CO2 emissions situation and identify how the energy demand and supply might evolve by 2030. The CO2 emissions for 2030 and the electricity consumption trend were assumed to be the 'business-as-usual' model using 2nd set of Fuel Analysis USEPA, with five fuel blend scenarios used as the energy sector's predicted fuel blends. The results found that the total CO2 emissions from the energy sector and the ACI of Kuwait in 2016 were 48.6 MtCO2 and 0.69 kgCO2/kWhr, respectively. The 2030 estimations indicated that using an 80% natural gas and 20% gas oil fuel blend in energy production resulted in CO2 emissions of approximately 66 MtCO2, with an ACI of 0.45 kgCO2/kW-hr. The CO2 offset from upcoming renewable energy projects is projected to be approximately 13%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the direct link between sea temperature and aquatic biodiversity, there is a need to analyze the temporal changes in sea surface temperature in various water bodies, especially the semi-enclosed ones. There has been substantial research undertaken on time series analysis as a powerful technique for studying the characteristics of long-term SST changes at regular time intervals. The present paper aimed to examine the monthly-averaged MODIS SST data (2001– 2019) over Kuwait Bay, i.e., the northwestern corner of the Arabian Gulf. Because different approaches can yield different results, the analysis of the SST time series was conducted using time and frequency domains. The preliminary analysis of the time series reported a significant SST peak in August 2010 that reached nearly 34.2 °C (SD = 0.17 °C) due to the moderate-intensity El Niño event in 2010. However, in the preceding year, we observed a cool SST anomaly in the range of –0.5 °C to –2.4 °C. The SMK trend test found that monthly climatological SST in September exhibited a significant upward trend (S9 = 103, r = 0.6, P = 0.0004). Pettitt’s change-point test indicated a significant change in the central tendency of SST data after April 2012. The annual periodicity of the SST in Kuwait Bay was constant over the 19 years. Furthermore, a very weak periodicity of 6-month has been barely noticed. Our present results provide large-scale guidance that affirms the importance of highlighting the severe SST fluctuations in Kuwait’s water to understand and improve its marine environmental status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic (PV) power generation and the types of connected loads both have an effect on protective impedance relays’ readings. This paper investigates this effect in a real distribution system installed in the State of Kuwait. It is found that, both the dynamic loads and the PV plants have considerable effects in the relay impedance value which vary according to the load type, PV connection and fault place. If the fault occurs at the location of the PV system’s bus when no PV power is generated, the dynamic load causes the relay impedance to increase, while connecting the PV decreases the relay impedance. The relay’s resistance and reactance increase from 0.3153Ω and 1.4950Ω, to 0.3456Ω and 1.6617Ω respectively when the dynamic load increases from 25% to 90% of the total load at constant high fault resistance. The relay resistance and reactance decrease from 0.2849Ω and 0.3443Ω (without PV plant), to 0.2195Ω and 0.3137Ω (with PV), respectively. When the dynamic load percentage increases from 25% to 90%, the resistance and reactance of the relay decrease from 1.0488Ω and 0.0051Ω, to 0.9526Ω and 0.0008Ω, respectively. This phenomenon is valid for all expected fault resistances. When considering constant dynamic load percentage and constant fault resistance, the relay resistance and reactance increase from 1.375Ω and 0.0022Ω (without PV) to 1.5745Ω and 0.0726 Ω (with PV), respectively. Based on those results, the impedance relay setting must be adjusted according to the percentage of the dynamic loads percentage, the PV penetration level, and the fault location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of air conditioning in buildings to provide a comfortable environment accounts for up to 75% of the electricity consumed in Kuwait for the hot season from April through to the end of October. The widespread adoption of air conditioning systems in buildings has resulted in an increased demand for electricity. This has led to an increased peak load demand that has resulted in a larger carbon footprint and placed the electricity grid under significant strain. Heat-driven air conditioning systems that use solar energy are now emerging as alternatives to electricity-driven conventional refrigerated air conditioners. These systems are more energy-efficient, with lower carbon emissions while also ensuring better indoor air quality and comfort when optimally designed. Among the heat-driven air conditioning systems, the desiccant cooling system is among the systems with the most potential. This paper presents a numerical investigation of the design optimization of solar desiccant cooling systems for Kuwait's climate. The numerical model of the system is developed using validated components. The various design configurations analysed include a solar heating system and regeneration air for the desiccant wheel. It is found that an evacuated tube solar collector in conjunction with return air from the building to regenerate the desiccant wheel provides the best results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular network operators are actively expanding network coverage and capacity by deploying additional base-stations to provide mobile services to customers in rural areas. The increasing deployment of cellular base-stations has increased the power consumption, energy cost, and associated adverse environmental impact. This paper addresses the feasibility of using renewable energy sources to power off-grid rural 4G/5G cellular base-stations based on Kuwait's solar irradiance and wind potentials. More importantly, a hybrid renewable energy system will be designed and modeled to meet realistic energy demands of remote base-stations and determine the optimum size of the hybrid system components. Particularly, the hybrid off-grid system may incorporate wind turbines (WTs), photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, converters, a battery bank (BB), and a back-up diesel generator (DG). Two remote cell-sites are considered, namely: (1) Jal-Alayah and (2) Wafra, where the Jal-Alayah cell-site is characterized with higher average wind speed (and wind potential), while the Wafra cell-site has higher average clearness index and solar irradiance. Various hybrid PV/wind electric system (HPWES) configurations are modeled and simulated via HOMER software, with the aim of determining the optimal configuration—in terms of net present cost (NPC)—in each cell-site. Specifically, the simulations have revealed that the WT-BB configuration is the most economical at the Jal-Alayah cell-site while requiring minimal land area and ensuring 100% renewable energy and zero CO 2 emissions. This configuration is followed by the PV-DG-BB and PV-WT-DG-BB configurations, where the latter configuration incurs a marginal increase in the NPC than the former but with less land area. On the other hand, the PV-BB configuration is the most cost-effective in the Wafra cell-site; however, in the scenario of limited land area, then the PV-DG-BB configuration can be used but at the expense of slight increase in the NPC and CO 2 emissions. This study confirms that utilizing renewable energy sources in two rural areas in Kuwait can be extremely effective in replacing conventional DG-powered base-stations, while minimizing the NPC and CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The minaret is considered the symbol of Islam and a prominent feature in Muslim communities. In Kuwait, almost every mosque, regardless of its size, includes one or more minarets. Minaret architecture has attracted considerable attention, both scholarly and from the public. Previous studies about mosque and minaret architecture have been restricted to architectural styles. The principal objective of this paper was to investigate the minaret's validity as an essential feature in contemporary mosque architecture by analyzing several aspects of minaret’s architecture such as its function, number, prominence, placement of minaret to the mosque, minaret's main components, and minaret's decoration. Based on ten selected case studiesrepresenting the six governorates of Kuwait, the study attempts to understand further essential elements of minaret and the extent to which architects can redesign/transform the minaret without risking its symbolic and historic value. The findings indicate that the minaret continues to play an important role and is considered a significant element in contemporary Kuwaiti mosque architecture. The minaret's prominence within mosque design is dependent on its number, location, size, articulation, and decoration’s subtlety. Furthermore, while the square plan is most common in minaret's base, the octagonal shaft plan is the most common in contemporary minarets. This research provides a timely and necessary study of minaret design that contributes to contemporary Mosque architecture, directing architects, designers, and mosque's patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the beginning of creation, human beings have realized the importance of energy for survival. They have always devoted a significant part of their energy to provide the required energy. Moreover, it can be said that energy resources have an essential role in the life and evolvement of societies. On the contrary, with the depletion of energy resources, severe environmental pollution caused by the consumption of petroleum products, and high cost of energy in the production cycle, allocating these resources must be carried out carefully. This paper aims to look at the connection between energy consumption and sustainable economic welfare in OPEC countries (Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ecuador, and Venezuela) during 2019–2009, utilizing the panel data method. Finally, we presented a CNN architecture for forecasting welfare levels in the case study countries. As a result, the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth among selected countries from energy-producing countries was compared in this analysis, which used the standard Granger causality test and the Granger causality test in several domains. The findings suggest that economic growth and inflation positively impact energy consumption in the countries studied. In addition, energy consumption positively impacts these countries' sustainable economic welfare, while inflation has a negative effect. In addition, the findings of the standard Granger causality test indicate a one-way causal association between energy consumption and economic development in Iran and Venezuela, as well as one-way causality from GDP to energy consumption in Ecuador, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Also, based on the results of the CNN method, the RMSE are 1.75, 3.81, 1.39, 0.52, 0.69, and 1.72 for Ecuador, Emirates, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Venezuela, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The fourth dimension of building information modeling (BIM) plays a significant role in construction planning by linking the construction schedule to the existing building information model. However, a difficulty may arise concerning the ease with which a link can be made and modified. Pattern-based techniques that search for recurring processes can help eliminate this drawback by producing predefined process templates. Methods: This paper critically examines the applicability of generating pre-defined process templates for BIM-based schedules using process pattern recognition techniques to reduce the effort of defining the construction schedules and integrating the templates into the BIM data. The technique estimates the level of recurrence of certain tasks within a schedule by applying several metrics. A real-life construction schedule from a housing project in the State of Kuwait was decomposed into numerous sub-schedules based on a set criterion to estimate the level of recurrence, the sub-schedules were compared based on structural and contextual similarities. Results and Discussion: The generated process templates produced demonstrated that the approach is ideal for projects with repetitive processes and that by utilizing the templates, linking building elements to tasks in 4D modeling can be greatly facilitated, thereby reducing the planning time. Conclusion: This study corroborates the results of previous literature, which found that the improvement in the efficiency of construction planning could be achieved by applying reusable process templates. The generated templates should enable the idea of storing the process templates in data banks for detecting undesired regularities in previous schedules in preparation for future use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This debate paper focuses on available strategies, policies, and challenges of health promotion for combating obesity in the Arab Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar). The paper focuses on the abovementioned countries due to their similarity on many aspects and because of their alarming obesity rates that are on the rise and keep increasing. The paper argues that there are significant efforts to be made in sectors such as policies, intersectoral work, primary healthcare, health promotion strategies development, and qualified personnel for health promotion and health education. Among the six states, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and to a degree Oman have shown some development with regard to the implementation and evaluation of obesity-related health promotion policies, and thus other Arab Gulf countries could be inspired by existing good practices and move from good intentions to using their available wealth to invest in the implementation and evaluation of published policies and strategies. All Arab Gulf countries are in need of more qualified personnel and the development of infrastructure that can help tackle the growing obesity challenge that such countries are experiencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world intention toward open data technology has increased in the past years, and governments started to explore open data technology in the public and private sectors and tried to check its advantages and disadvantages. However, in the Arab world and especially in Kuwait, there is no solid structured attention about the technology in both sectors. As a result, we tried in this paper to determine if business owners in Kuwait have enough knowledge of the open data (OD) concept and if they have the willingness to use it for enhancing their services. The purpose of this research is to measure the acceptance of OD technology in Kuwait and to gather business owners' opinions about the ability to adopt the OD concept. Making online and hardcopy survey was our method for gathering different reactions and points of view about this technology. We intended to focus on the private sector and we targeted people who own a business and wish to introduce better services for their customers. Overall, the results have shown clear features about open data technology in Kuwait and the substantial need of education and awareness of the importance of this technology. The results of this study may positively and directly affect the level of motivation for other existing studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the degree of employing authentic assessment strategies and tools by teachers of Arabic language within the competency curriculum at Kuwait, according to certain variables: gender, and years of experience. The sample consisted of all male and female teachers who teach Arabic in accordance with the competency curriculum for the primary and middle levels in Jahra, for the academic year of 2018-2019. A descriptive research approach was adopted to measure the degree of employment of the authentic assessment and tools. The study also employed a qualitative approach method and involved the use of interviews and surveys to collect the relevant data. Findings of the study revealed that the pen and paper (written test) strategy has scored the first rank in terms of the degree of employment, while the evaluation strategy based on self-review ranked last. The results also revealed that there were statistically significant differences on certain items of the rating scale in the degree of employment of the authentic assessment tools and strategies at (α ≤ 0.05) attributed to the variables: years of teaching experience in favor of the group (1-5) years of experience, while there was no statistically significant differences attributed to the variable of gender. Recommendations were offered in the light of the findings of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose: This paper aimed to examine the impact of learning orientation on organizational performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) via the mediating role of total quality management (TQM) practices and the moderating role of innovation culture. Background: SMEs' organizational performance in developing countries, particularly in Kuwait, remains below expectation due to increasing competition and inadequate managerial practices that negatively impact their performance. Although several studies had revealed a significant effect of learning orientation on SMEs' performance, the direct impact of learning orientation on their performance is still unclear. Thus, the link between learning orientation and organizational performance remains inconclusive and requires further examination. Methodology: This study adopted a quantitative approach based on a cross-sectional survey and descriptive design to gather the data in a specific period. The data were collected by distributing a survey questionnaire to the owners and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Kuwaiti SMEs using online and on-hand instruments with 384 useable data obtained. Furthermore, the partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis was performed to test the hypotheses. Contribution: This study bridged the significant gap in the role of learning orientation on SMEs' performance in developing countries, specifically Kuwait. In this sense, a conceptual model was introduced, comprising a learning orientation, TQM practices, innovation culture, and organizational performance. In addition, this study confirmed the significant influence of TQM practices and innovation culture as intermediate variables in strengthening the relationship between learning orientation and organizational performance, which has not yet been verified in Kuwait. Findings: The results in this study revealed that learning orientation had a significant impact on organizational performance of SMEs in Kuwait. It could be observed that TQM practices play an important role in mediating the relationship between learning orientation and performance of SMEs, as well as that innovation culture plays an important moderating role in the same relation. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study provided a framework for the decision-makers of SMEs on the significant impact of the antecedents that enhanced the level of organizational performance. Hence, owners/CEOs of SMEs should improve their awareness and knowledge of the importance of learning orientation, TQM practices, and innovation culture since it could significantly influence their performance to achieve success and sustainability when adopted and managed systematically. The CEOs should also consider building an innovation culture in the internal environment, which enables them to transform new knowledge and ideas into innovative methods and practices. Recommendations for Researchers: The results in this study highlighted the mediating effect of TQM practices on the relationship between learning orientation (the independent variable) and organizational performance (the dependent variable) of SMEs and the moderating effect of innovation culture in the same nexus. These relationships were not extensively addressed in SMEs and thus required further validation. Impact on Society: This study also influenced the management strategies and practices adopted by entrepreneurs and policymakers working in SMEs in developing countries, which is reflected in their development and the national economy. Future Research: Future studies should apply the conceptual framework of this study and assess it further in other sectors, including large firms in developing and developed countries, to generalize the results. Additionally, other mechanisms should be introduced as significant antecedents of SMEs' performance, such as market orientation, technological orientation, and entrepreneurial orientation, which could function with learning orientation to influence organizational performance effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using expert systems in the medical field has been practiced continuously for the past decades. There are attempts of using expert systems for a diabetes diagnosis. In this paper, we go further by proposing an expert system that not only diagnoses diabetes but also recommends the right medication depending on the location where the patient lives and on the symptoms of the patient and other effective factors. This system can be very helpful to many diabetic patients, especially to those who are not aware of their disease type or how to control it. The system outputs a list of names of locally available brand names of medications that suit the diabetes type of the patient and that do not pose any danger to the health of the patients according to their symptoms, effective factors, and results of the patients’ medical tests. Our expert system is capable of reasoning using either forward chaining or backward chaining. The rules in the knowledge base are collected from several medical textbooks and articles published in scientific journals, periodicals, and international conferences. To verify the content of the knowledge base, a medical expert and a pharmacist working in Kuwait were consulted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the most important issues in public policy and welfare state is health care. Poor management leads to the waste of resources, including money, human resources, facilities, and equipment. Aims: This paper seeks to answer the question of which eastern Mediterranean countries are more effective in allocating their health resources, and does Iran, in relation to those countries, have an effective health system. Methods: This study examined technical efficiency among eastern Mediterranean countries in 2018. Data were extracted from Global Health Observatory data World Health Organization. We applied input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models to estimate efficiency scores. Inputs are Physicians density per 10,000 populations, Total hospital beds per 10,000 populations, Current expenditure on health, % of gross domestic product and outputs are infant survival rate and Life expectancy. Results: The most efficient health systems in the eastern Mediterranean were Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. The inefficient countries are Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. Conclusions: Among the efficient countries, one category of high-entry countries such as Bahrain and Qatar with high input especially in health expenditure had higher output. The second group of countries with lower inputs such as Iran and Morocco has been able to produce similar output with other countries. Also, inefficiency in countries such as Saudi Arabia can be attributed to this with higher input such as health expenditure has lower output such life expectancy and infant survival rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data usage on mobile networks has been increasing exponentially in the State of Kuwait, where current 4G network speeds no longer meet the demands of the average users. This created the need to improve the system performance to increase the downlink data rate. In this paper, current 4G network performance and limitations are presented, and a wireless system, which uses the concepts of cell densification, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna, beam forming, and Point-to-Multipoint (PTM) communication, is proposed to improve the data rate in residential areas in Kuwait. The proposed system is simulated, and the performances of the existing network and the proposed system are compared in terms of the user downlink data rate. The introduction of the concepts of cell densification, MIMO, beam forming, and PTM has increased the data rate substantially. The performance of the wireless network of a typical town in Kuwait called Qortuba has been investigated. Based on the data collected, the average user data rate is 5.33 Mbps in the existing network. With the proposed system, if the number of cells is kept the same (12 cells), the data rate will increase to 20.4 Mbps. If the number of cells increases (43 Cells) to explore the full potential of the proposed system, the average user data rate will increase from 19.01 Mbps to 73.36 Mbps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic models are of foremost importance in the planning of any transportation infrastructure. This importance lies in the ability to predict future behaviour of users and, therefore, the demand on each link of the network. In order to properly study the demand patterns and characteristics of the city of Kuwait, a detailed modelling of these phenomena is required. The purpose of this modelling is to create a useful tool, with which to objectively evaluate the alternatives proposed in this paper research. Future demand on the proposed public transport network had been forecasted based on the transportation model developed by Atkins for Colin Buchanan & Partners in the framework of the 3rd Kuwait Masterplan Review. This model, built on a SATURN platform, was translated to a CUBE environment. This step involved reproducing both the data (networks and demand), then also the model algorithms, and checking the output results after running the model on this new platform matched those obtained by Buchanan. That initial model, built for a 2003 base year, was then updated to the current situation, where both road and public transport networks were concerned. The current road network was checked, and amended or completed when necessary, as well as the public transport services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses an important era of women's activism in Kuwait. In the 1950s, when the government recognized women's rights for education, the wave to obtain other civil rights clashed with culture, tradition and religion which became serious obstacles facing women in their struggle for basic rights. This historical study focuses on the establishment of two women's organizations -- the Arab Women's Development Society in December 1962 and the Kuwait Women's Cultural and Social Society in February 1963. To sway the negative image of women in a patriarchal society, women used activism as a public relations tool to achieve their social, civil and political rights. The study uses cultural-economic model (CEM) to illustrate how activism and public relations were articulated as synonymous to foster women's rights in Kuwait. Archived documents and content analysis of media content published in the 1960s reveal that activism played a vital role as a public relations strategy and that social activism was more effective than political activism. The study highlights the implications of culture within the context of both public relations and activism. • Study adopts the cultural-economic model of public relations to analyze activism in the womens rights movement of Kuwait. • Content analysis of newspapers and magazines suggests public relations and activism were synonymous to the women's rights movement in Kuwait. • Women's activism for social rights was more emancipatory than for political rights in an Islamic society such as Kuwait. • Study provides insight into public relations, activism and the Middle East. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A 12 month mixed-method longitudinal study of energy demand in Kuwaiti villas. • Building energy models grounded with physical and social empirical data. • Space cooling accounts for 50% to 75% of total energy use in the case study villas. • Air conditioning thermostat settings are a key driver of energy use. • Insulation and double glazing contribute to more uniform internal temperatures. Abstract This paper investigates the physical and social determinants of energy use in four case study villas in Kuwait. The investigation consisted of a 12 month mixed-method longitudinal monitoring and surveying study followed by building energy modelling. Monitoring and surveying provided empirical data about household energy use, internal temperatures, building and system characteristics and occupant energy-use behaviours. This data was used to ground models to better predict energy use. Models grounded with empirical data show that space cooling accounts for 50% to 75% of total energy use in villas. Results suggest that drivers of cooling energy are varied, with 30% of cooling energy in some villas attributable to heat gains from appliances. Furthermore, while the study found no distinct reduction in measured and modelled annual energy use intensities of villas with improved levels of efficiency (insulation and double glazing), such measures did contribute to more uniform internal temperatures. The study also identified key occupant energy-consuming behaviours including a tendency not to adjust air conditioning (AC) thermostat settings during periods of summer travel and lack of regular AC maintenance. The approach and findings of the study can inform future studies in Kuwait seeking to understand energy use in a nationally representative sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation focuses on the unique Island of Umm al Maradim that represents the largest and southernmost coral island in Kuwait. Thirty-seven stations around the Island were sampled for living benthic foraminiferal analyses. Relatively high values of diversity for both total and living assemblages, 101 and 96 species, respectively, have been documented. These figures are sensibly higher than those documented in most of the previous studies around Kuwait territorial waters. Porcelaneous test in terms of abundance dominates the foraminiferal assemblages followed by hyaline tests and only a minor part of the assemblages was represented by agglutinated foraminifera. The high dominance of porcelaneous tests might be explained by the peculiar physiographic setting and the presence of coral reef around the Island. Very low foraminiferal abundances were associated with shallower environments, like the subtidal zone around the island, whereas higher values were found at deeper and more distal stations. Planispiral morphotypes were found dominant at the more shallow-proximal stations, while milioline morphotypes dominated at intermediate depth and trochospiral morphotypes were more abundant at greater water depth. This paper contributes towards the documentation of benthic foraminiferal diversity around the islands in the Kuwait territorial water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers teaching British canonical texts such as William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, the Moor of Venice in multicultural settings. The author discusses her experiences with teaching Shakespearean drama to a group of undergraduate students who are not essentially interested in Western texts. Making connections to the students' immediate lives proves to be essential in drawing the students into a more active learning environment that brings Shakespearean texts closer to home. By localizing Shakespeare's text, the students were able to find literary value that resonates with their own lived experiences. The classroom thus becomes a place of safety and finding one's voice both inside and outside the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kuwait receives annual total radiation of roughly 5; 280 MJ=m2 with nearly 3,347 h of sunshine. The potential for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions motivates widespread of renewable energy systems. In the research reported in this paper, a numerical model is developed to study the effect of different collector parameters and operating conditions on the performance of parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) in Kuwait climate. The proposed model considers all thermal losses which have been neglected in existing models. New equations were developed and used in the present model as well as reviewing the equations for convective heat transfer losses. The effects of heat conduction in the collector tube wall and mixed convection in the inner tube neglected in previous studies are included in the proposed model. In addition, a case study is presented to examine the feasibility of integrating renewable energy systems in existing buildings. Solar energy absorption system is considered in the research reported in this paper to satisfy cooling load of an existing building. The program conducted on an existing institutional building intending to convert it into near-net-zero energy building. The 2-story building under consideration is the main building at the College of Technological Studies, Kuwait. Computer software is adapted to simulate the performance of different solar system components. The economic calculations for the present study are based on lifecycle savings method. In addition, a numerical model is developed to assess the environmental impacts of building integrated renewable energy systems. The present results indicate that convection loss from the absorber tube to supporting structures is the largest between the other losses. The integrated parabolic trough collectors (PTC) satisfy nearly 73% of the building cooling load under all climatic conditions of Kuwait. The annual avoided CO2 emission at the optimum conditions is about 980 t/year which confirms the environmental impacts of these systems in Kuwait. The solar system net cost is almost equal to the current cost of producing electricity in Kuwait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper models the political districting of Kuwait as a multiple objective combinatorial optimization problem, where each political system is assessed in terms of population and voting equity, geographical contiguity, and social, religious, ethnic, family size, and educational homogeneity. First, it proposes four constructive heuristics and a specialized simulated annealing to generate alternative non-dominated districting plans that may "guarantee" a national consensus. Second, it searches for a districting plan that optimizes a set of criteria (classified as hard and soft constraints) using a tree-search based heuristic. The heuristic takes advantage and combines the orthogonal but complementary strengths of constraint and integer programming. Finally, it compares the proposed solution to both the existing and the previously applied patterns. Thus, this paper offer politicians a multiple criteria evaluation method that they may apply to choose the most "appropriate" political districting pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential buildings in Kuwait account for almost 60% of the country's national electrical power generated, considerably greater than all other sectors or building types. This paper identifies key drivers of energy use in Kuwaiti villas based on a survey of 250 households undertaken throughout the six districts of Kuwait. The survey consists of a cross-sectional interviewer-administered questionnaire designed to gather detailed information about building physical characteristics, occupants’ socio-demographic background and energy-use behaviours. Survey data is analysed using both statistical descriptive methods and multiple linear regression analysis to identify key determinants of energy consumption in a sample of Kuwaiti villas. Analysis indicates that an occupant driven cooling behaviour (air-conditioning thermostat temperature set points) is the major driver of energy use, followed by the number of rooms and the number of occupants. Together, such drivers significantly explain 32% of the variability in energy consumption Survey findings provide descriptive information about Kuwaiti households and insights into the key drivers of energy use to better inform further research and policy interventions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The reformulated continuous kinetic lumping approach is an alternative method to predict the composition of a hydrocracking reactor. • With the developed method the steady-state and the dynamic behavior can be investigated. • The normal hydrocracking trends are predicted well with respect to the residence time. A novel modelling approach that captures the complex chemistry of the hydrocracking process and its detailed solution is reported in this paper. The fundamentals of the developed model are coming from the well-known continuous lumping approach. The further development of the continuous lumping approach is that yield of each component in the different cracking reactions were estimated with three different yield distribution functions, moreover the originally applied skewed-Gaussian type yield distribution was reformulated and all three approaches were solved as partial differential equations. With the developed method not only the steady-state but the dynamic behaviour can be investigated. The unknown parameters of the models were estimated, and the model predictions were validated using previously published experimental data collected in pilot-plant VGO-hydrocracking reactor in Kuwait VGO at four severity levels. Based on the model error and predicted hydrocracking trends the skewed-Gaussian type yield distribution was the best for prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of ongoing efforts to develop the data base required for the gamma dose rate baseline in Kuwait, a survey of ambient outdoor gamma-ray dose rates was carried out in 112 locations within the country. Measurements were performed, during the period from August 2013 to March 2016, in various undisturbed open areas in the desert using a NaI dosimeter/spectrometer. The dose rates were recorded along with the corresponding gamma-ray spectra for in-situ relative contribution of the primordial radionuclides and 137 Cs in the outdoor environment. Soil samples were also collected from the surface layers in a few locations for laboratory gamma spectrometric analysis and dose rate calculations. The dose rates obtained range from 31 to 59 nSv/h with a mean value of 46.5 nSv/h. There was no anomaly in the relative contributions of the primordial radionuclides to the dose rate values, while 137 Cs was not detected within the investigated locations. The significance of using the NaI-based dosimeter in the present survey is discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Produced water is a large waste product generated during oil production in the oil and gas industry. Worldwide, there is a lack of expertise and knowledge in the management of produced water, due to the costly treatment methods and large amounts involved. Kuwait is one of the world's leading oil-producing countries, with an estimated oil production capacity of three million barrels per day. Produce water management poses a severe threat to the sustainability of the Kuwait oil company in terms of cost control and environmental safety. The company's oil extraction activities involve different produce water management operations that incur high costs and result in the emission of large quantities of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, which profoundly affect the environment. This paper uses life cycle and economic assessment and presents a framework for trade-off analysis between the financial cost and environmental impact of produce water management operations. A multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming framework has been formulated for Kuwait oil company's produce water supply chain management with different operational and regulatory constraints. A model solution for sustainable operations over short, mid, and long-term reflecting the strategic policy at the Kuwait oil company is presented. The results shows that approximately 50% of total system costs are incurred by treatment operations, which are the most costly of all operations, and that the consumption of electricity accounts for approximately 90% of the environmental impact and is the most important environmental factor affecting the sustainability of the produce water supply chain. The research results and their expected outcomes concur with the company's most recent development policy plans related to produce water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive education is an aim for all nations. To achieve that goal, countries such as Kuwait need to focus on educational policies and strategies designed to ensure that all students benefit from an appropriate educational environment. Factors needed to create inclusive schools are leadership, vision, commitment, professional development and effective instructional practices centered on individualized and differentiated curricula. First, the authors of the paper describe the United States (U.S.) experience with inclusion and how Kuwait can reshape, import, and adopt the U.S. special education model. Second, the authors present recommendations for implementing inclusive education. It is hoped that the recommendations made in this paper move Kuwait forward in a speedy manner as they design and implement inclusive education policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive education is an aim for all nations. To achieve that goal, countries such as Kuwait need to focus on educational policies and strategies designed to ensure that all students benefit from an appropriate educational environment. Factors needed to create inclusive schools are leadership, vision, commitment, professional development and effective instructional practices centered on individualized and differentiated curricula. First, the authors of the paper describe the United States (U.S.) experience with inclusion and how Kuwait can reshape, import, and adopt the U.S. special education model. Second, the authors present recommendations for implementing inclusive education. It is hoped that the recommendations made in this paper move Kuwait forward in a speedy manner as they design and implement inclusive education policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to investigate bank customers' attitudes toward various bank services. Design/methodology/approach -- The design includes a survey, which looked into determinants of customer satisfaction in the retail-banking sector in the Middle East, with particular attention to the State of Kuwait. A total of 605 usable questionnaires were randomly distributed to retail customers at various banks within the country. Findings -- Using descriptive statistics methods and ANOVA test, the findings of this paper suggest that in general customers in Kuwait (Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti customers) are satisfied with services provided by the retail-banking sector. Research limitations/implications -- The research does not include samples of customers represented among all the bank branches in Kuwait due to cost and time limitations. Practical implications -- The paper has implications for management in the banking sector in the State of Kuwait. Originality/value -- The paper presents original research for determining customer satisfaction of bank services in Kuwait. The results can be of much value to bank managers using these data to retain customer satisfaction and maintain their competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to report and discuss the manufacturing competitive priorities (cost, delivery, quality, flexibility, and innovativeness) practiced by Kuwaiti manufacturers. It also investigates the possible impact of plant size and type of industry on the level of focus at different priorities. In addition, the level of association between different pairs of competitive priorities was investigated. This allowed testing the traditional competitive priorities trade-off model which was frequently argued by early operations strategy researchers. Design/methodology/approach -- The data collection method used in this study is that of the questionnaire that was administrated in 62 Kuwaiti plants working in two different industries, food processing and refractors. Level of focus (on a five-point Likert scale) at each of the five competitive priorities, type of industry and number of employees were the main research variables. Since ordinal scales are used in the current study to measure the plant focus on the five competitive priorities, Mann-Whitney test for two independent samples was used to test for the effect of type of industry and Kruska-Wallis test was utilized to investigate the relationship between plant size and the level of focus on each competitive priority. In addition, testing the level of associations between degrees of emphasis on different pairs of competitive priorities was through the Goodman and Kruskal's γ coefficients. Findings -- Empirical evidence is provided that plant size is a useful indicator of the emphasis on some competitive priorities. It shows that small and medium plants place significantly more emphasis on on-time delivery while medium and large plants are distinguished by their strong emphasis on flexibility. However, difference size groups indicate the same level of focus on quality improvement, cost reduction and innovativeness. Noticeably, the two industrial sectors do not differ significantly in their level of focus on each of the five competitive priorities. The two industries focused on on-time delivery and quality improvement strategies as the two main competitive priorities, Both flexibility and innovativeness were the least emphasized priorities in both sectors. The preliminary findings do not seem to support the main argument of the competitive priorities trade-off model. Research limitations/implications -- Owing to the limitation of data, only employment was the only indicator of plant size. Total revenue and total assets could be used in future studies to verify or deny these findings, Moreover, using a better multidimensional construct in measuring the level of focus on each competitive priority represents another way of improving this study. Originality/value -- The paper adds to the scarce body of empirical studies of manufacturing strategies in newly emerged economies. This is especially true in the Middle East and the Gulf areas. The findings augment the development of a better contingency theory of plant competitive priorities to capture the complexity of different plant characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the case of a developing nation--Kuwait--for analyzing its corporate job market for developing and knowledge professionals. The paper is based on the analysis of a body of research that has cumulated over the last 5-6 years. These studies were focused on the status of information management operations in Kuwaiti corporate companies, manpower and organizational issues related to information technology (IT) and information professionals, information management activities of finance companies, and information and knowledge management education. It has been noted that this corporate market is aggressive in pursuing strategic initiatives in employing latest technologies and management approaches. These organizations also appear to be in need of qualified human resources, equipped with befitting competencies, who can assume key managerial and professional roles for information and knowledge positions. There is also a need for creating meaningful partnerships between industry and trade and the higher education institutions, which might be instrumental in designing suitable programmes of education and training in information and knowledge management. Based on these findings, this paper analyses the needs of the corporate job market of Kuwaiti corporate sector for the areas of information and knowledge management. Strategies for developing appropriate competencies have also been outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social Change has transformed societies globally through the spread of education, the evolution of formal labor markets and the new roles individuals now play in the development of their societies. Just as economic institutions have been affected so have social institutions like the family, been transformed. Urbanization has led to the disintegration of the joint family to the independent, small, nuclear family. With residential autonomy and lack of control from the joint family elders, divorce rates have been rising universally. This paper studies the trend of Divorce in Kuwaiti Society. Kuwait is an oil rich Gulf state where rapid economic development has been witnessed for over four decades. Urbanization and the Governments' Welfare policies have helped young married couples to move to new areas and establish their homes. While social allowances for wife, children, etc were intended to help the Kuwaiti family, cope with the rising cost of living, divorce rates did not decline. Through Vital Statistics, data from the court of Justice and past research, the paper tries to examine the characteristics of those getting divorced. What factors have had an effect on this trend -- education, age at marriage, women's labor force participation? How has the State attempted to help divorced women to readjust? Modernization has led to contradictions and challenges -- weakening of the family support systems, legal reforms and a new awareness of rights and duties among the two sexes. How can these changes shed light on the problem of divorce? This study attempts to explain why divorce is a problem in Kuwait and some possible solutions to reduce the negative impact of divorce on future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to investigate the differences in choosing the conflict management style with regard to some personal characteristic. Design/methodology/approach -- Using a questionnaire, survey data were collected from 420 full-time employees working in five different government organizations. Findings -- The result indicates that there were significant differences found, in choosing the conflict management style, with regard to years of experience, managerial level, and gender, meanwhile these differences could not be found with regard to age. These results and its implications were discussed. Research limitations/implications -- The research did not include employees in the private sector. Practical implications -- The paper has implications for management and management development in Kuwait. Originality/value -- This paper presents original research into an unusual but serious problem facing the employees working in the Kuwaiti Government organizations. It investigates employee's choice of the conflict management style among employees working in the public sector and the personal characteristics that may affect it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the impact of heavily subsidized energy prices is evaluated for the residential building sector in Kuwait. The analysis compares the impact on both the Kuwaiti government and households of the existing building Energy Conservation Code of Practice as well as of a more stringent energy efficiency code. The stringent code is developed using an optimized life cycle cost analysis approach based on a wide range of design and operating energy efficiency measures suitable for Kuwaiti residential buildings. Specific policies are suggested and discussed to improve the energy performance of residential buildings while reduce the financial burden associated with the high energy subsidies. The analysis indicates that both households and the government would benefit from a stringent energy efficiency codes even under the current highly subsidized energy prices. Moreover, it is found that by doubling the electricity prices relative to the current levels and establishing a rebate program to cover the implementation costs of the energy efficiency measures required by a more stringent building energy efficient code, both the Kuwaiti government and the households would benefit. The energy bills would be reduced by 21% for the households while the energy subsidies incurred by the Kuwaiti government would be lowered by 28% relative to the current policy. The expenses associated with financing the energy efficiency program can be recovered within 2 years due to the income from the increase in electricity prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire and explosion accidents of oil-filled electrical transformers are leading to negative impacts, not only on the delivery of energy, but also on workplace health and safety as well as the surrounding environment. Such accidents are still being reported, regardless of applying the regular maintenance strategy in the power plants. The purpose of this paper is to integrate a sustainability perspective into the maintenance strategy. The problem addressed is: how can we approach the relevant cost-effective sustainable maintenance for oil-filled electrical transformers? For this purpose, an empirical study in a power plant in Kuwait was introduced. The first stage was to carry out a sustainability assessment using the ABCD procedure. In this procedure, gaps to approach sustainability were identified and actions prioritized to close these gaps were demonstrated. Applying this procedure yielded an early fault diagnosis (EFD) model for achieving cost-effective sustainable maintenance using a fault trend chart based on a novel numerical method. Implementing this model resulted in an extension of the lifetime of transformers with suspected failure propagation, leading to a deferral of the replacement investment costs. The principal conclusion of this paper is the importance of viewing the maintenance strategy of transformers from a strategic sustainability perspective, in order to approach relevant cost-effective sustainable maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principal aim of our study is to investigate the contribution and/or the influence of Foreign Trade (FT), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and Financial Development (FD) on the Energy Consumption (EC)-Environmental Pollution (EP)-Economic Growth (EG) link for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over the period 1971–2019. To realize the study aim, we develop an augmented growth model to examine the long-run relationship between the mentioned variables by applying the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) procedure and the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to capture direction causality. The empirical results suggest that the variables concerned are cointegrated. Further, the coefficients estimated are mixed across countries. In the long-run, EC, FT (except Kuwait), and FDI (except Oman and KSA) are related to a rise in EG for all countries. Besides, the findings support that EC generates EG in the short-run for all GCC countries, implying economic expansion. Moreover, the major conclusion of this research paper has an impressive value for the policymakers to advance comprehensive trade, investment, financial, and energy policies that enable to achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes Mellitus is one of the major public health challenges, affecting more than 347 million adults worldwide. The impact of diabetes necessitates assessing the quality of care received by people with diabetes, especially in countries with a significant diabetes burden such as Kuwait. This paper aimed at piloting an approach for measuring Type II diabetes care performance through the use of a diabetes quality indicator set (DQIS) in primary health care. The DQIS for Kuwait was adapted from that developed by the National Diabetes Quality Improvement Alliance and the International Diabetes Federation. Five key care domains/measures were employed: (1) Blood glucose level measurement, (2) Cholesterol level measurement, (3) Blood pressure measurement, (4) Kidney function testing and (5) Smoking status check. The sample included the four major primary health care centers with the highest case load in Kuwait City, 4,241 patients in 2012 and 3,211 in 2010. Findings revealed the applicability and utility of employing performance indicators for diabetes care in Kuwait. Furthermore, findings revealed that many of the primary health care centers have achieved noteworthy improvement in diabetes care between 2010 and 2012, with the exception of smoking status check. The DQIS can help policymakers identify performance gaps and investigate key system roadblocks related to diabetes care in Kuwait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Kuwait has not joined the Arab Spring wave, there is considerable political and social turmoil in the tiny emirate. The turmoil is, for the most part, contained within the framework of Kuwait's indigenous democratic institutions but the lines that used to clearly delineate acceptable public norms of speech and action are becoming increasingly blurred. One factor contributing to the changes is the influence new media technologies have on Kuwaiti society, especially on youth. The paper focuses on the meanings and democratic potentials of the internet for youth in the context of the Gulf Arab country of Kuwait. Through an ethnographic approach and in-depth interviews, it explores how new media reconfigure complex social, cultural, and political relationships, potentially enabling different forms of public engagement in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet the rapid-growing demand for electricity in Kuwait, utility planners need to be informed on the energy consumption to implement energy efficiency measures to manage sustainable load growth and avoid the high costs of increasing generation capacities. The first step of forecasting the future energy profile is to establish a baseline for Kuwait (i.e., a business-as-usual reference scenario where no energy efficiency incentives were given and the adoption of energy efficient equipment is purely market-driven). This paper presents an investigation of creating a baseline end-use energy profile until 2040 for the residential sector in Kuwait by using a bottom-up approach. The forecast consists of mainly two steps: (1) Forecasting the quantity of the residential energy-consuming equipment in the entire sector until 2040 where this paper used a stock-and-flow model that accounted for the income level, electrification, and urbanization rate to predict the quantify of the equipment over the years until 2040, and (2) calculate the unit energy consumption (UEC) for all equipment types using a variety of methods including EnergyPlus simulation models for cooling equipment. By combining the unit energy consumption and quantity of the equipment over the years, this paper established a baseline energy use profile for different end-use equipment for Kuwait until 2040. The results showed that the air conditioning loads accounted for 67% of residential electrical consumption and 72% of residential peak demand in Kuwait. The highest energy consuming appliances were refrigerators and freezers. Additionally, the air conditioning loads are expected to rise in the future, with an average annual growth rate of 2.9%, whereas the lighting and water heating loads are expected to rise at a much lower rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]