American University of Kuwait

The Arabian Peninsula experienced pronounced hydroclimate shifts during the last 20,000 years, driven by orbitally forced changes in insolation that modulated monsoon strength, ITCZ position, and large-scale atmospheric circulation across distinct climate regimes. Using the LOVECLIM Earth system model, we reconstruct temperature and precipitation evolution across northern, central, and southern Arabia from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present, and evaluate the underlying mechanisms using orbital parameters and associated changes in tropical–extratropical circulation. The simulations reproduce key features observed in regional proxy archives, including early Holocene humid conditions, the 8.2 ka monsoon weakening, mid-Holocene aridification, and the establishment of modern desert climates after 4 ka BP. Precession emerges as the dominant control on monsoon intensity and rainfall in central and southern Arabia, whereas obliquity exerts the strongest influence in northern Arabia by modulating meridional temperature gradients and the poleward extent of monsoon penetration. Eccentricity acts as a low-frequency amplifier of precessional forcing, shaping the pacing and amplitude of humid–arid cycles. The modeled ITCZ position shows a major northward shift to approximately 25–28°N during the early Holocene, consistent with enhanced monsoon penetration, followed by a progressive southward retreat through the mid- to late Holocene. These results demonstrate that Arabia lies at the intersection of tropical and extratropical forcing regimes, where the interaction between precession-driven monsoon dynamics and obliquity-driven circulation changes governs spatially heterogeneous hydroclimate responses. This study provides an integrated framework for interpreting regional proxy records and highlights the mechanisms linking astronomical forcing to long-term hydroclimate evolution in the Arabian Peninsula.

Pharmaceutical care can be improved via mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps); however, the engagement of these apps depends on healthcare providers' acceptance. Thus, identifying barriers and facilitators to utilizing mHealth apps is needed to develop and facilitate their use. The objective of this research was to investigate the various elements that influence the acceptability and utilization of mHealth apps in the delivery of pharmaceutical care services, as perceived by pharmacists working in the government health sector of Kuwait. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, and the results were used in the mobile health technology acceptance model (m-TAM) to measure the behavioral intentions of pharmacists with regard to the acceptance and use of mHealth apps. Multiple elements influence the behavioral intention of pharmacists to use mHealth apps, including Compatibility (CO), Performance Expectancy (PE), Personal Innovativeness (PI) and Effort Expectancy (EE) were statistically significant predictors. The mediating role of PE was found to be statistically significant in the link between CO and BI and in the association between EE and BI. The substantial mediation effects of Effort Expectancy (EE) and Performance Expectancy (PE) were seen in the three associations between job-related mental demands (MA) and burnout (BI), professional identity (PI) and burnout (BI), and perceived social support at work (PSA) and Behavioural Intention (BI). The results further demonstrate that EE substantially mediates the connections between MA and PE, MSE and PE, PI and PE, and PSA and PE. These results suggest that the acceptance of mHealth apps by pharmacists in Kuwait is multifaceted and requires evaluating a chain of effects. As a result, developing apps that provide pharmaceutical care requires consideration of each one of these factors. Results can direct policymakers and stakeholders in their efforts to implement mHealth in Kuwait.

This study examines how cloud microphysical parameterizations in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model influence the simulation of rainfall over Kuwait during November 2018, with particular focus on the extreme event of 14 November. The WRF model was configured at 4-km resolution and dynamically downscaled from the Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4) to evaluate the performance of four bulk microphysics schemes: WSM6, Lin, Thompson, and Morrison. Model output was evaluated against observations from the Kuwait Automatic Weather Station (29.22°N, 47.96°E) using cumulative and distributional rainfall characteristics, event-scale analysis, and standard statistical metrics (RMSE, MAE, bias, and correlation). All schemes reproduced the timing of rainfall events, while notable differences were found in simulated rainfall intensity. WSM6 produced rainfall amounts closest to observations, with the lowest error values and a small positive bias. Lin showed moderate overestimation, Thompson produced larger overestimation during heavy-rain periods, and Morrison consistently underestimated rainfall totals. For the 14 November event, which recorded 79.0 mm at the station, simulated totals ranged from 55.6 to 91.6 mm across the schemes, indicating that inter-scheme differences were dominated by rainfall magnitude rather than timing. These results highlight the sensitivity of convection-permitting rainfall simulations in arid regions to microphysical formulation. Evaluation using additional events and seasons is needed to assess whether these results extend beyond the period examined.

In general, the implementation of energy efficient measures, EEM's can bring down the energy consumption of residential or non-residential buildings by about 30%. The Net-zero Energy Building, NZEB concept is usually applied to newly designed buildings. However, the number of already constructed buildings will always outnumber the newly planned buildings. Therefore, this study focuses on techno-economic feasibility of converting an existing recreational facility, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. KFUPM beach to NZE facility. Its location Al-Khobar, the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, considered as one of the most arid and dry climates in the world. This harsh weather imposes another challenge in minimizing Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning load. The objective of the present study is to conduct feasibility study in two phases. In the first phase, measures will be identified to minimize the energy utilization, mainly in terms of the thermal load. In the second phase, a hybrid microgrid solar photovoltaics (PV's)/wind energy system will be designed and optimized to meet the demand. The study focusses economic feasibility of the hybrid microgrid renewable system design based on cost of energy, net present cost, payback period, reduction in carbon footprint, and initial and operational costs.

Objective: This case study investigates various strategies for the reduction and elimination of grade inflation in the School of Business. Theoretical Reference: This case study is based on existing research regarding grade inflation and the shifts in average grades within educational settings. It also considers the broader context of academic rigor, learning outcomes, career opportunities, and the income of graduates. Method: A qualitative mono-method is adopted with an inductive approach, data collected from previous research, and a rigor index is developed. Results and Conclusion: The findings suggest that evidence-based interventions combining pedagogy, transparency, and cultural awareness can effectively reduce grade inflation while upholding the integrity of business education, strengthening stakeholder trust, and institutional reputation. Research Implications: This case study provides valuable action plans for schools of business that want to move from the current inflated grade situation to the normal grade distribution, which will help in upholding the academic rigor, reputation of the institution, satisfaction of the students and diverse stakeholders, as well as promoting a better future for the graduates. Rigor Index (RI) has been developed in addition to the promotion of multidimensional assessments and culturally adapted policies. Originality/Value: This case study is the first to examine grade inflation in the School of Business at GCC. It provides an original base of action for higher education institutions to progress and compete globally while remaining sustainable.

Urban traffic congestion presents a major challenge in rapidly developing smart cities, where traditional roadside sensors and fixed camera systems lack the spatial flexibility needed for continuous observation of fast-evolving high-traffic zones. This paper proposes a deep reinforcement learning (DRL)–based autonomous UAV surveillance framework designed to provide persistent, hotspot-focused monitoring of urban congestion. A two-dimensional traffic-density model based on Kuwait’s road network was developed, and a Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) agent was trained using a reward structure explicitly crafted to maximize dwell time within congestion clusters. The agent demonstrated strong convergence, achieving a mission-level Hotspot Dwell Ratio of approximately 0.80, meaning that the UAV remained within high-density traffic regions for nearly 80% of its operational duration. These findings highlight the potential of DRL-driven UAV systems to deliver adaptive, real-time hotspot surveillance and represent a significant step toward next-generation intelligent traffic-monitoring solutions for smart-city environments.

Remote surgery promises to expand access to specialist care, yet current robotic systems remain expensive and rely on proprietary hardware and wearable sensors. We present a low-cost, image processing-based teleoperation system that replicates operator arm and hand movements on a 4-DOF robotic arm over a wireless link. Using a conventional USB camera and the MediaPipe framework for robust, sensorless hand and pose tracking, joint angles and gripper commands are computed in real time and transmitted via 2.4GHz Wi-Fi to an ESP32-C3 Mini module that relays commands to an Arduino Nano for PWM actuation. Across repeated trials under typical indoor lighting and network conditions, end-to-end response remained within 500 ms while reproducing static postures and dynamic trajectories with smooth servo motion and reliable grasp/release behavior. The architecture emphasizes a clean separation of perception, transport, and actuation, and adopts IEEE-aligned practices (requirements specification, software testing, environmental considerations). We discuss limitations (lighting, lack of haptics, Wi-Fi variability), safety measures, and future work, and outline integration under study with a digital-health platform to enable secure tele-mentoring and training.