SACM - United States of America
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9668
Browse
2 results
Search Results
Item Restricted Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of School Nurses Regarding Their Role in Childhood Obesity Prevention in Saudi Private Elementary Schools(ProQuest, 2023) Alharbi, Abdullah; Colin, Jessie M.Background: School age children are expected to have a normal body mass index which is commensurate with their age group. The prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight is increasing in alarming rates in developing countries, with the highest rate in the Middle East region. School nurses’ involvement in childhood obesity prevention practices will benefit children and their families in managing the epidemic of childhood obesity. However, there is no research addressing the role of school nurses in Saudi Arabia in preventing and managing childhood obesity. Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the critical factors that influence school nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding childhood obesity prevention in Saudi private elementary schools. Philosophical Underpinnings: The grounded theory is based within the constructivist paradigm and has philosophical underpinnings of symbolic interactionism and pragmatism. Methods: This study was conducted using Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from 11 school nurses from private elementary schools in Saudi Arabia. Data from the interviews were analyzed according to Charmaz’s analytical process. Theoretical sampling was used to saturate developed categories. A focus group interview was conducted with three experts in the research topic to confirm the generated theory. Results: A conceptual theoretical framework was developed from the rich data collected from the research participants. Three categories (Struggling, Avoiding, Competing Priorities) and a core category (Lacking Support) emerged to support the basic social process Jumping Hurdles: A Pathway to Professional Growth. Conclusions: The study findings may be used to guide nursing education, practice, research, and health and public policy. The conceptual theoretical framework developed in this study can help in understanding the critical factors influencing school nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding their role on childhood obesity prevention. Understanding these critical factors can help enhancing school nurses’ role in childhood obesity prevention.34 0Item Restricted OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT AND SIZING FOR BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS FOR GRID APPLICATIONS(University of Denver, 2023-08-03) Alharbi, Abdullah; Gao, David WenzhongBattery energy storage systems (BESSs) play a dominant role in the reliability, resiliency, economics, and operational flexibility of the power grid. As such, the BESS is a promising and reliable green technology for supporting power grid facilities. However, the integration of BESS technology into power projects can be expensive and challenging, both technologically and in terms of regulation compliance. Thus, it is necessary to examine best practices for fully optimizing BESS sizing, operation, and scheduling in the context of benefiting BESS operators and investors by fully exploiting the valuable economic and technical benefits of BESSs. In this research, we identify several factors in regard to BESS's simultaneous participation in the energy arbitration and frequency regulation markets and how certain BESS characteristics must be considered to optimize return on investment and profit for BESS operators/investors. Specifically, we comprehensively investigate and discuss BESS participation in the energy and ancillary services markets using historical PJM data and by utilizing new sizing and management models to overcome the current challenges involved with integrating BESSs into the power grid. Planning models are developed to determine the optimal values for a microgrid-integrated BESS in terms of power rating, energy rating, and reserved capacity when the microgrid in question participates in the PJM frequency regulation and energy markets. The integrated, optimally-sized BESS seeks to minimize fuel consumption from thermal units in the microgrid and to capture renewable energy to then be traded in the grid market. Furthermore, a novel MILP-optimization methodology is developed and proposed to optimally size and operate a grid-scale Li-ion BESS that performs stacked services. In this model, the state of charge after discharging constrains the BESS's operation. The model considers BESS degradation costs and discharging rate. The model determines the cost function of each of these factors with special attention to the life cycle of a Li-ion BESS. Our research fills a critical gap in the literature by providing a comprehensive approach to the optimal sizing and management of BESSs while considering various uncertainties, contributing to the sustainable integration and operation of BESSs in power grid facilities. Moreover, we investigated the size of BESS while considering uncertainties in both market frequency and energy, BESS cost, and the Automatic Generation Control (AGC) signal. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was applied to assess BESS efficiency. Thus, a comprehensive sizing model was considered in order to observe the effects of these uncertainty parameters on the size of the BESS. For BESS management, a scheduling model to operate a BESS performing stacked grid services simultaneously is developed. This model aims to maximize the economic return on investment of the BESS while also prolonging its lifespan. The BESS operational control methodology is simulated and solved using MILP. The approach is designed to maximize BESS revenue by optimally bidding in several markets. Finally, we present a viability assessment of a repurposed battery from an electric vehicle (REVB) performing grid applications, in which we evaluate how economical REVBs can be for providing frequency regulation and energy arbitrage. A 1-year planning model for REVBs is applied to compare an REVB BESS with a BESS with new batteries with consideration of a number of factors, including capital cost. In conjunction with this examination of REVBs, we also investigate the cost and lifecycles of the second life of EV batteries27 0