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Buildings use approximately 40% of global energy and are responsible for almost a third of the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. They also utilise about 60% of the world’s electricity. In the last decade, stringent building regulations have led to significant improvements in the quality of the thermal characteristics of many building envelopes. However, similar considerations have not been paid to the number and activities of occupants in a building, which play an increasingly important role in energy consumption, optimisation processes, and indoor air quality. More than 50% of the energy consumption could be saved in Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV) if accurate information about the number of occupants is readily available (Mysen et al., 2005). But due to privacy concerns, designing a precise occupancy sensing/counting system is a highly challenging task. While several studies count the number of occupants in rooms/zones for the optimisation of energy consumption, insufficient information is available on the comparison, analysis and pros and cons of these occupancy estimation techniques. This paper provides a review of occupancy measurement techniques and also discusses research trends and challenges. Additionally, a novel privacy preserved occupancy monitoring solution is also proposed in this paper. Security analyses of the proposed scheme reveal that the new occupancy monitoring system is privacy preserved compared to other traditional schemes.

The impact of diet quality on mental health has gained strong ground. However, most studies on this relationship were performed before COVID-19, a pandemic that was accompanied by high levels of psychological stress. Stress disturbs normal physiology, which makes studying diet quality and mental health under high stress a necessity. In addition, COVID-19 has been associated with disturbances in sleep and has increased the prevalence of mental health issues in women more than in men. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess food group consumption and sleep during different stages of the pandemic in relation to mental distress among men and women. Secondary data collected from adults 18 years or older between September 2018 and November 2021 was analysed. Temporal stages were divided into pre-COVID-19 (as a baseline), during the lockdown, and after the ease of restriction (two periods of different psychological stress levels). Regression analyses using a Difference-in-Difference (DID) event study or a Dynamic DID modelling were used. COVID-19 seemed to have a modulatory effect on food groups and mental health. The pandemic appeared to have either magnified the negative impact of certain food groups or changed the tolerance threshold for the beneficial ones. Across the board, women’s moods exhibited higher sensitivity to several food groups. COVID-19, a period of high psychological stress, differentially altered the impact of food on the mood of men and women; which proposes the need to further evaluate diet quality and mood under stressful conditions.

In this chapter, the author attempts to sketch the phenomenon of internationalization as manifested in the literature on academic mobility. Internationalization is commonly seen as a process contributing to the quality in higher education while academic mobility is often regarded as the most critical dimension of this process. By providing a review of the literature on internationalization and mobility, the chapter highlights rationales for inbound and outbound mobility for higher education systems and institutions in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). It further portrays how Georgia – a small country in the Caucasus and a member of EHEA responds to the global phenomenon employing several reforms, support schemes, and institutional initiatives. Lastly, reflecting on current trends and policies, the author attempts to map the prospects for internationalization of Georgian higher education. This chapter offers a promising area for comparative and international research on internationalization and contributes to the literature on academic mobility in Europe.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the views of librarians in Iran academic libraries about the extent of their familiarity, application and knowledge of the cloud computing in libraries.

This was a survey research. The statistical population of research consisted of librarians working in five universities in northeastern Iran. The sample (83 librarian) selected by using random sampling method.

The findings showed that in 2019 librarians familiar with cloud computing was low, but their use of cloud computing services was moderate. Also the findings showed that the item of providing enough computers in the library had the lowest effect on promoting the use of cloud computing and the items. Cloud computing training for librarians and users and broadband Internet were best strategies offered by librarians to promote the use of cloud computing.

Cloud computing has received less attention from librarians and researchers. However, based on the results of the present study, the broader use of cloud computing in libraries requires specialized and trained staff. Librarians need to broaden their knowledge in this technology.

The main purpose of this paper is quality assessment of services provided by the MUMS libraries and determining member satisfaction and expectations of library services in the LibQUAL dimensions.

This research used the survey method for collecting data. Library service quality was measured by using 22 items taken directly from the 2004 version of the LibQUAL scale.

The highest average score was “Service affect” with 6.39 and the lowest score 5.75 belonged to “Library as place”. Total results emphasised the importance of librarians' specialised knowledge level in presenting appropriate services in circulation and reference sections. A significant outcome, is in the “information control” dimension, and appropriate working hours; classification system for searching and accessing to information and appropriate time for loaning resources. The biggest gap related to updated multimedia databanks, appropriate number of computers and adequate facilities like laptops/PCs and broadband networks for better access to subscribed electronic resources through the MUMS central library web site.

The results of this study emphasise the importance of librarians' specialised knowledge level in presenting appropriate services in circulation and reference sections as well as identifying strengths and weaknesses of MUMS schools and hospitals libraries for improving decisions affecting the library service quality.

The findings show all highly important aspects of the “Service affect” dimension in academic libraries such as understanding user needs and presenting perfect service.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) and the dietary inflammatory index (DII) with inflammatory status in children recently diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). As the relationship between diet quality scores and inflammation remains uncertain in this population, the authors carried out a hospital-based cross-sectional study.

The study used a cross-sectional design involving 54 children recently diagnosed with ALL. Dietary data was collected using a 147-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire developed for the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Inflammatory status was evaluated using various indicators like C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) and Complete blood count-based inflammatory score.

The authors found no significant relationship between DII with inflammatory indices and length of hospitalization in patients. However, a significant inverse relationship was observed between the antioxidant indices ferric-reducing ability of plasma, total reactive antioxidant potential and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity with the inflammatory index MLR, respectively (ß: −0.19, p = 0.001), (ß: −0.42, p = 0.02), (ß: −0.53, p = 0.005). Also, a significant inverse relationship between FRAP and CRP was observed in the crude model (ß: −0.13, p = 0.05). FRAP was also inversely correlated with GPS and PLR, respectively (ß: −0.08, p = 0.02), (ß: −0.26, p = 0.03). No additional significant links were discovered between food scores and the outcomes studied.

This study found no link between DII with inflammatory markers or hospitalization duration in children with ALL. However, the authors did observe a noteworthy inverse relationship between DTAC and certain inflammatory markers like MLR. To achieve more dependable findings, further research in this area is necessary.

The study aims to synthesize findings from over two decades of research, highlighting key trends, progress, innovations, methodologies and challenges in bioclimatic design strategies and their interconnection with building environmental performance across the world.

This systematic review examines advancements in bioclimatic design strategies aimed at enhancing the environmental performance of buildings from 2000 to 2023 (n = 1,069). The methodology/approach involves a comprehensive analysis of literature from the SCOPUS database using bibliometric analysis, identifying trends, thematic evolution, keyword clusters and pivotal strategies such as passive solar design, natural ventilation, green roofs and thermal mass utilization.

The review highlights significant progress in several areas, including improved simulation/modeling tools for passive solar design, advanced computational fluid dynamics models for natural ventilation optimization, and the integration of green roofs with photovoltaic systems for increased building energy efficiency. Additionally, the use of phase change materials and high-performance glazing has reduced heating and cooling loads, while real-time optimization technologies have enhanced building performance and led to energy savings.

The study recognizes limitations where the effectiveness of bioclimatic strategies varies across different climates. For example, passive solar design is highly effective in temperate climates but less so in tropical regions. Global differences in design preferences and building types and practices impact the applicability of bioclimatic strategies and traditional building methods in some cultures may not easily integrate with modern approaches, affecting their implementation and effectiveness. Furthermore, practical implications highlight the potential for reduced reliance on artificial heating, cooling and lighting systems, while social implications underscore the role of bioclimatic design in promoting sustainable construction practices.

Practical implications highlight the potential for reduced reliance on artificial heating, cooling and lighting systems.

Social implications underscore the role of bioclimatic design in promoting sustainable construction practices.

This review offers a detailed analysis of bioclimatic design evolution, highlighting trends such as adaptive building designs and smart materials. This study serves as a crucial resource for architects, engineers and policymakers, advocating for innovative, climate-responsive design solutions to mitigate the environmental impact of the built environment and address challenges related to climate change and urbanization.

This study aims to investigate low-carbon footprint travel choices, considering both destination attributes and climate change perceptions, and examine the impacts of nudging (a communication tool to alter individuals’ choices in a predictable way) on tourists’ preferences for carbon mitigation in destinations.

A discrete choice experiment questionnaire was administered to a sample of 958 Hong Kong respondents. Hybrid choice modeling was used to examine the respondents’ preferences for destination attributes and to explain preference heterogeneity using tourists’ climate change perceptions. The respondents’ willingness to pay for the destination attributes was also calculated to measure the monetary value of the attributes.

Destination type, carbon emissions and travel cost had significant effects on tourists’ choices of destination. Nudging increased tourists’ preference for low-carbon footprint choices. Tourists with higher climate change perceptions were more likely than others to select low-carbon destinations with carbon offset projects.

The findings of this study provide an impetus for destination management organizations to support local carbon offset projects, implement policies that mitigate carbon emissions and develop sustainable tourism to fulfill tourists’ demand for low-carbon footprint travel choices. Based on the findings, policymakers could promote sustainable tourism by publishing relevant climate change information on social media.

This study addressed a gap in the literature on tourist travel choice by considering carbon emission-related attributes and climate change perceptions and by confirming the role of nudging in increasing the choice of low-carbon destinations.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the joint effect of persistency in innovation and export on firms’ total factor productivity. In particular, the aim is to determine if exporting in international markets along subsequent periods, and being also continuously innovating over the same periods, can be associated with increases in firms’ productivity. The underlying idea is that time recurrence of these strategies is related to the firms’ ability to optimize external knowledge flows enhancing their productivity.

By using data on Italian manufacturing firms over the period 1998–2006, the authors distinguish between repeated and temporary exporting firms, as well as repeated and temporary innovators, to test (through two-step system generalized methods of moments) the existence of any combined learning-by-exporting and learning-by-doing effects.

This paper provides empirical findings about persistent innovation efforts being better associated with a permanent presence in foreign markets. More in detail, persistently innovative and exporting firms have better productivity results than persistently exporting (innovating) firms with non-persistent innovation (export). Combining both strategies could be an opportunity to internalize knowledge flows coming from long-lasting exposure to foreign markets. These results hold especially for small firms.

The novelty of this paper is twofold. First, the authors argue that the temporal dimension of firms’ exporting and innovating activities may influence firms’ productivity. Second, while previous studies explored the role of export and innovation on productivity in isolation, the authors consider the joint effect of this relationship and also explore it across the temporal dimension finding evidence that they have a positive, reinforced effects if firms implement these activities continuously and jointly. In this case, the effect of innovation and export on productivity is significantly higher than if firms with intermittent strategies do not have the time to internalize knowledge flows coming from participating in export market.

This study aims to investigate the association of vitamin D intake and the risk of depression, anxiety and stress among Tehranian female adolescents.

This cross-sectional analysis included 263 participants. A valid and reliable food frequency questionnaire was used to determine dietary intake of vitamin D. Depression, anxiety and stress scores were characterized by Depression Anxiety Stress Score-21 questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for the occurrence of depression, anxiety and stress according to the tertiles of vitamin D intake.

The mean ± standard deviation age and body mass index (BMI) of participants were 16.2 ± 1.0 years and 22.2 ± 4.1 kg/m², respectively. Mean score of depression, anxiety and stress of participants were 9.8 (low-grade depression), 8.4 (low-grade anxiety) and 14.0 (borderline for stress), respectively. In the final model, after adjustment for age, BMI, physical activity, mother/father’s education level, dietary fiber and total energy intake, the OR for depression in the highest compared to the lowest tertile of vitamin D intake was 0.53 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24–0.98) (p for trend: 0.040). Moreover, based on the fully adjusted model, participants in the highest tertile of vitamin D intake had lower odds of stress (OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.23–0.93), in comparison to those in the lowest one (p for trend: 0.021).

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to assess the association of vitamin D intake and risk of psychological disorders, including depression, stress and anxiety in Middle East and North Africa region’s female adolescents.