The emergence and spread of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) in the environment pose a significant ecological and public health challenge. This study investigated the prevalence of CRKP in waste-water from hospitals and the receiving river water. A total of 210 environmental samples were analysed from raw hospital sewage, treated sewage effluents, and upstream and downstream river water. K. pneumoniae was isolated and identified by selective culture, biochemical characterisation, and PCR confirmation. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed with the VITEK-2 system and the detection of carbapenemase genes by PCR. A total of 78 K. pneumoniae isolates were isolated; 29 (37.2%) were CRKP. The most frequent carbapenemase gene identified was blaNDM (62.1%), followed by blaOXA-48 (44.8%). The most contaminated source was raw sewage from a hospital, and the least contaminated one was river water that is upstream. These findings indicate the environmental role of hospital wastewater as a source of clinically relevant determinants of antimicrobial resistance dissemination within aquatic environments.
Despite rapid urbanization across the Middle East, studies examining the spatial organization of cities in the region remain limited. Dubai ranks among the fastest-growing cities in the region, with a population growth from 183 000 in 1975 to nearly 4 million in 2024. Expatriates comprising most of the population reflecting cultural diversity and globalization. In 2019, the UAE introduced the Golden Visa policy to diversify its economy around knowledge and innovation. The policy has attracted professionals and investors and contributed to flourishing of various sectors such as education and healthcare. In this study, private schools are taken as an example to assess the impact of the policy on their distribution. By integrating spatial data with policy analysis, this study examines the evolution of private schools in response to demographic shifts and policy changes. The analysis provides an empirical basis for evaluating contemporary educational coverage and for identifying potential future sites that improve accessibility and spatial equity. Comparing pre- and post-2019 patterns (Golden Visa Policy) indicates that new openings predominantly reinforced the existing belts, suggesting that Golden Visa intensified demand within already serviced neighborhoods rather than creating new poles. This study aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number four (Quality Education).
Urban heritage destinations play a crucial role in sustainable city development yet understanding of how tourists perceive these sites remains fragmented. This study presents a systematic literature review of 95 peer-reviewed articles from Scopus and Web of Science, following PRISMA guidelines and adopting an integrative approach. The review examines tourists’ perception dimensions, dominant theoretical frameworks, research methodologies, and key influencing factors. Findings conceptualize perceptions as a four-part system encompassing cognitive appraisals, affective responses, experiential meaning-making, and social co-presence. Four recurring theoretical frameworks are identified: authenticity-based meaning-making, value-satisfaction-loyalty chains, experience- and emotion-centred perspectives, and behavioural-intention frameworks. Survey-based quantitative designs, particularly SEM/PLS-SEM, dominate the field, while qualitative and mixed-methods studies remain limited. Influencing factors span visitor characteristics, destination attributes, situational conditions, and digital mediation. Persistent gaps include single-lens modeling, limited cross-context understanding of authenticity, and scarce longitudinal or integrative studies on social and technology-mediated interactions, highlighting avenues for future research. The review further reveals persistent gaps, including single-lens modelling, limited cross-context understanding of authenticity, insufficient integration of social and technology-mediated interactions, and limited attention to temporal dynamics. By synthesizing current knowledge and identifying future research directions, this study contributes to a more integrated understanding of tourist perception formation in urban heritage destinations.
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is developing into a recognized global brand representing economic cooperation, strategic autonomy, and multipolarity. This work analyses the growing attraction of BRICS and its recent enlargement to include Gulf states. It examines the changing face of BRICS as a collective power, transcending the group’s economic roots to consider its influence on a global stage. Focusing on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it considers how the Gulf states read and adopt the BRICS brand in relation to their economic as well as geostrategic aspirations, in particular on issues of innovation, sustainability, infrastructure and global repositioning. Comparing them demonstrates that both countries share the BRICS goal of increasing economic diversity and strategic independence while also capitalizing on the group’s rising institutional frameworks, such as the New Development Bank. Drawing on qualitative discourse and mediaframe analysis, this analysis demonstrates how the Gulf’s expansion benefits the BRICS global reputation while also reflecting larger shifts in geopolitical connections and economic strategy. It also identifies “brand risks”—decisionmaking friction, currency dilemmas, and competing information campaigns—that could limit BRICS’s communicative effectiveness. This research details how BRICS functions as a fluid and responsive player in the emerging multipolar order, emphasizing its focus on innovation, sustainability, and infrastructure. Crucially, the study asks whether the media narratives that accompany Gulf accession amplify BRICS’s reputational power or expose its internal fractures, thereby shaping global public perception of contemporary conflicts such as the Ukraine and Gaza wars.
Enhancing walkability improves public health, mobility, and social equity. Pedestrian level of service (PLOS) is a key tool for evaluating the quality of pedestrian facilities, using a six-level scale from A (best) to F (worst). Originally developed through a quantitative approach based on the concept of capacity, PLOS methodologies have gradually incorporated qualitative factors that reflect pedestrians’ perceptions. Early studies were conducted in the United States, shaped by its specific urban and cultural settings. Efforts to adapt PLOS have appeared in Asia but are still missing in North Africa and the Middle East. This paper reviews existing PLOS studies related to street segments to examine how they account for local urban contexts, while considering the approach used. Findings show that studies using the capacity-based approach, relying on a clear definition of pedestrian comfort, measure local flow characteristics to establish context-specific PLOS thresholds. Conversely, studies adopting a qualitative approach utilize factors from existing studies, often with limited local tailoring. The paper suggests improving contextual relevance by using pedestrian perception surveys, applying theoretical frameworks that explain pedestrian behavior to guide factor selection, and considering street types to refine attribute choices. It also highlights the need for more PLOS research in North Africa.
