Issue No. 4 - September 2015
‫علمي‬
Omani Studies Center Director to Tawasul :
There are Good Intentions for
an Institutional and Media-Wise
Development of the Center
Dr. Majid Al-Bousafi :
The Scientific Aspects of Sports
Study :
A Study on Identifying and
Isolating Thermophilic Bacteria
Fake Medicines Sold through Misleading Propaganda
Herbal Therapy: Between Science and Custom
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Editorial Supervision
Prof. Khaled Day
Editor - in - Chief
Ali Nasser Al-Hadrami
Managing Editor
Salim Rabia Al-Gheilani
Translated and Edited by
Dr. Mounir Ben Zid
Photography
Mohammad Zayed Al Habsi
Amur Khalfan Al-Kharusi
Proofreading by:
Dr. Robert Gordon Gear
Dr. Janet Holst
Cover design
Ibtisam Al-Harthiya
Design and Production
Scientific Publishing and
Outreach Department
‫دائرة النشر العلمي والتواصل بعمادة البحث العلمي‬
4
22
Main news
Study
SQU to Participate
in Frankfurt
International
Book Fair
A Study on Developing
Controlled Environment
Agriculture in the
Sultanate
13
27
Study
Book at a Glance
The Effect of Atomic
Hydrogen as a Surfactant
and a Cleaning Agent on
Semiconductor Epitaxial
Growth
A Book on
Quantitative Social
Science Research
with Explanatory
Illustrations
16
28
Feature
Conferences
Herbal Therapy:
Between Science
and Custom
/publicationsqu
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Studying the Possibility of
Approving the Electronic
Signature as an
Alternative to the
Traditional Signature
/tawasul.squ
/tawasul.squ
/tawasul.squ
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Editorial
y
r
d
Humanities:
The Gate to
the Future
Humanities were and are still the gate which leads to the future.
Despite the considerable development applied sciences have
witnessed, the increasing interest in its different domains, and the
billions spent annually to support them, it can be said that the stability
humankind is aspiring for is not possible to achieve in isolation
from its humanitarian counterpart. This is because applied science
investigates the concrete, the visible and the specific features of
things, while human science investigates the essence of man as
the basis of everything. Thus, applied sciences will not be able
to advance without humanities, and history is the best witness to
the fact that whenever philosophy has developed, applied sciences
have developed likewise. Besides, philosophers who believed in
man and considered him as the center of their studies were able to
pave the way for all great civilizations. Therefore, neither ancient
nor modern history records that a given civilizational development
started with industry or laboratory experiments because applied
sciences were born from the womb ofshumanitis without which
applied sciences would deviate from their intended goals and
vanish.
There is continued interest of the West in philosophs, sociologs,
histors and linguistics.,hwith the practioners of these fields are
rewardegm andg their achievements are celebrated. This is clear
evidence that people in the West assume that progress is closely
associated with the existence of elite researchers and scientists
in the field ofshumanitis who endeavor to preserve the spirit of
the community and improve its moral dimensios. This makes
applied sciences a tool which serves humanity rather than an
instrument to spread evil and destruction. What is happening
in our Arab societies is quite the reverse;e human science is the
road taken by unsuccessful students unable to acquire practical
knowledge, and with limited employment opportunities and very
low in interest in thet. All of these factors, therefore, have created a
negative awareness towardshumanities affecting both the quantity
and quality of research studies. When we measure the volume
of research produced by SQU colleges of education, arts and
law iy comparison with one college of applied sciences such as
engineering, we notice a tremendous disparity between them and
between the number of research studies the college of engineering
produces annually. These studiesh outnumber the total research
work produced by all the colleges ofshumanities combiner. This is
an alarming indicator of a situation we need to pay attention to and
to addresss if we aspire for a better future.
Editors
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Main news
SQU to Participate in Frankfurt International Book Fair
Al-Wahibi: We Aspire to Enhance the Image of the
Sultanate in Scientific Research
Represented by the Deanship of Research and the
Omani Studies Center, Sultan Qaboos University is
participating in the forthcoming Frankfurt International Book Fair (From
13/10 to 19/10). The Book
Fair was founded five centuries ago and is considered
the largest international cultural phenomenon dedicated
to the book in the world. It
occupies six huge halls in
an area of 171.790 square
meters. The fair is visited
by more than 27.000 people
annually and has the largest complex in the world for
property and printing rights.
The university corner will
include more than 60 publications in religious, literary, social and historical
sciences in both Arabic and
English. These are part of a
strategy to support research
efforts in the Sultanate and
to disseminate and preserve
national culture and history.
The volumes will be valuable additions to the Omani
Library and to the Arab library in general.
A number of recent publications will be on display, in
particular, the book Scientific Implications of Sheikh
Ibrahim Bin Said Al-Abri,
former Mufti of the Sultanate. This is an encyclopedia
in four volumes, containing
the author’s collected writings, analysis and comments
on Bin Hilal Al-Abri, Jumaa
Bin Mubarak Al-Sarmi, Suleiman Bin Saif Al-Kindi
and Mohammed Bin Saif
Al-Shaili.
A second publication is
a collection of poems by
the Omani poet Al-Sheikh
Ahmed Bin Abdullah Bin
Ahmed Al-Harthi, collected
and edited by Dr Jokha Bint
Mohammed Alharthi, College of Arts. Sheikh Ahmed
Bin Abdallah Al-Harthi, who
died in 1995, is known as the
poet of Eastern Oman. Other
Omani books to be displayed
in the University’s corner at
the Book Fair include The
Sultanate’s Natural Geography by Salim Al-Hatrushi
from the Department of Geography, College of Arts, Ceramic Painting by Badr Bin
Mohammed Al-M,aamari,
Maritime Delimitation Between Oman and Yemen by
Abdullah Bin Hamed AlBadi, and Quantitative Social Research Techniques.
In addition to books, many
refereed and non-refereed
research papers written by
Omani and non-Omani researchers will be on display.
Dr. Talal A-Wahibi, Assistant
Dean of Scientific Research,
told Tawasul: “Participation
in this fair is a confirmation and an implementation
of the University’s plan to
promote scientific research
and outcomes through exposure and publication, and by
investing in local and international book fairs, thereby
presenting the University
as an educational and academic institution concerned
with scientific research and
publication, and enhancing
the image of the Sultanate in
both areas.
“We opted for Frankfurt International Book Fair,” Dr.
Talal added, “as our European venue for participation,
since the Scientific Publication and Communication
Department already participates annually in two fairs
at the regional Arab level.
Frankfurt Fair was selected
for being one of the largest and most renowned international fairs which has
become the destination of
many institutions and publishing houses around the
world, thus offering us a real
opportunity to be acquainted
with current academic publishing issues while building
communication bridges between institutions that mesh
with the university’s goals.”
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News
Approved Indices for Finding Science Projects
Many researchers spend a lot of time using research engines and digital libraries
to look for possible scientific projects. However, they are often unable to locate
resources on topics related to their research area. To meet this difficulty, Dr.
Abdullah Al-Hamdani plans to carry out research aimed at creating indices for
finding science projects by using research titles, researchers’ names, research
abstracts, research contents and references. Dr. Hamdani’s project also seeks to
enable researchers to find research studies and references within a given research
area, thus making it possible for future users of this system to
assess the importance of a research study and the researchers’
contributions.
A Study on Better Management of Irrigation
Al-Mulla: Recent Techniques will be Used to
Achieve The Best Results
Irrigation through water
diversion is a key water
resource for agriculture
in the Middle East. A research team headed by Dr.
Yassin Al-Mala at the College of Agricultural and
Marine Sciences is seeking
ways to improve the way
irrigation is managed in
agriculture.
Crop control and monitoring of the environment are
powerful tools for improving irrigation management
in agriculture, together
with the use of electronic
sensors that measure the
content of the soil for water, salinity and flow in the
interaction of soil, vegetation and atmosphere.
When these methods are
combined with data recording and remote communication over cellular
networks, a new dimension is added to irrigation
management,
enabling
surveillance and remote
monitoring (both continuous and semi-momentary),
which can result in a better
use of irrigation water.
This approach will be implemented and assessed
in four different countries
that have diverse environments, systems of production and criteria. It involves
cooperation with both the
private sector and national
research and associated institutions. Other technologies will provide support,
including computer modeling and the scheduling
of irrigation according to
weather conditions.
The team hopes to create
opportunities for cooperation and the exchange of
knowledge,
technology
and experience among other researchers and decision
makers that will lead to
better management of irrigation and provide a bank
of quantitative data to support enabling policies.
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Interview
Omani Studies Center Director to Tawasul :
There are Good Intentions for an Institutional
and Media-Wise Development of the Center
The Omani Studies Center at Sultan
Qaboos University has a unique function
geared to the study and preservation of
the material and non-material cultural
heritage of Oman, and facilitating
communication
between
societal
institutions both within and outside the
Sultanate. Its role is balanced between
promoting academic research and social
activities, between what Prof called
“bookshelves, and scientific lounges”,
reflecting what the Oman’s aspirations in
the areas of knowledge and education.
Tawasul
recently
interviewed Professor
Ali Al Shuaili, OSC’s
Director, about his
vision of the Center’s
role, the challenges it
faces and its future
plans.
You were appointed
as the Director of the
Omani Studies Center
last year. How have you
found the Center, and
what ideas do you have
to develop it?
The Omani Studies Centre
was the first research center established at Sultan
Qaboos University. It has
made exceptional strides
in the last few years in
terms of organizing research, and initiating intellectual and heritage
activities in the Sultanate. It has contributed to
collecting and preserving
Omani manuscripts and
is looking for ways to
make these available to
their users. I envisage
it becoming an international beacon for scientific and research and
serving Omani society by
preserving its identity and
heritage.
Some people might think
that the center is not
playing the role assigned
to it, or in a manner that
achieves its vision and
mission. How do you
respond to this? What
tangible results has the
Center achieved to verify this vision?
The center has published
studies relating to Oman
society on subjects in humanities and social science areas. It has also
organized research and
academic seminars, such
as one on “Common
Grounds Between Omani
and Al-Azhari Scientists”,
and convened forums and
discussion circles relating to the Omani context.
The Center also has the
responsibility to disseminate knowledge in the areas of Omani studies to
the widest possible circle
of scholars, which it attempts to do through its
various publications. So
far, the Centre has published 24 volumes, the
latest of which is The Impact of Science by Sheikh
Ibrahim Bin Said Al-Abri.
This deals with the scientific life and intellectual
writings of the Sultanate’s
former Grand Mufti, and
appears as 4 colored,
deluxe folders.
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Interview
At the heart of its mission
lies the center’s responsibility to develop a collection of manuscripts and
improve the mechanisms
of serving their users.
Has this happened? What
progress has been made
in this area?
The Centre has an ambitious plan to develop its
collection of manuscripts
and perfect the mechanisms to make them available to their users. We have
already collected and photographed a considerable
number of Omani manuscripts on a variety of subjects, from both within and
outside the Sultanate. Efforts have also been made
to restore original manuscripts, and the Center’s
has close association with
the Manuscripts Department in the Ministry of
Heritage and Culture, the
Archives and Documents
Institute and other similar
institutions. In addition, it
cooperates with the Ministry of Tourism and with the
Directorate General of Meteorology in documenting
exceptional weather patterns. Currently, the Center is considering studies
and consultations received
from the Royal Court Affairs and the Ministry of
Social Development.
Some analysts have observed that the role of the
center overlaps with the
role of other institutions.
Do you agree?
We Have an Ambitious Plan to Address
Photographed Manuscripts
of the College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences,
for instance, may overlap
with that of the Ministry
of Agriculture and Fisheries. Similarly, the work
of Curricula and Teaching
Department at the College
of Education may also
overlap with that of the
General Directorate for
curricular development at
the Ministry of Education.
It is a matter of correlation, rather than duplication or competition.
What is the Center doing
to market its work and
bring it to the attention of
the public?
Marketing is really the
function of the university’s
media sections. We trust
they work hard to publicize the efforts made by
the different units of the
university. However, senior officials in the Omani
Studies Centersintend to
work towardo improvine
the Center’s reputation and
building its institutional
and media identity.
Our Relations are Grounded on Bilateral
Scientific Cooperation
ambitious plan is to classify photographed manuscripts so that researchers
can benefit from them.
Can you tell us about the
connection between the
Center and related governmental and private institutions?
The Center has ties with
other research centers in
the University, and Arab
and foreign institutes and
universities sharing similar
objectives and concerns,
both within and outside
the Sultanate. The Center
Some people have argued
that the work of the Center replicates that of other
governmental institutions
outside the university, but
this is a question of correlation, rather than conflict
or competition. Because
the University is a venue
for constructing knowledge, its role is to enquire
into subjects and their different aspects and directions with the academic
eyes of experts, and so
avoid duplication. However, a degree of overlap
is unavoidable: the role
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Interview
The High Level of Expectation and
Available Means Revealed our
Challenging Power
The university has top
students capable of supporting the center’s role.
How do top students fit
into the Omani Studies
Center’s activities?
The Center has recently
cooperated with some colleges in the University to
provide student training
programs, and it has also
benefited from the student
employment program. A
seminar held at Sheikh
Humoud Bin Hamid AlSawafi ‘s on Oman’s Past
and Shining Future was
organized by the Center
in collaboration with the
student Islamic Cultural
Group. Such initiatives as
these typify the Center’s
aspirations and direction.
What Challenges are facing the Omani Studies
Center and how do you
plan to overcome them?
One of the challenges faced
by the Centre is meeting
the expectations of the University with the relatively
limited material and human
resources currently available at the Center.
What do you think of scientific research at the university? And as the head
of a research center, what
can you suggest to develop it?
Despite their Limited Number, our Staff
are Fulfilling their Duties with a High
Professional Satisfaction
There is a correlation between the role of the Deanship of Research and that
of the colleges and research centers in financing research projects and
carrying out advisory services. We strongly hope to
be able to enrich the Center with research experts
and to establish more cooperation with specialist
Your staff are making
great efforts to achieve
the Center’s vision and
objectives. How are they
rewarded and how are
you refining their skills?
It is said that unleashing
an individual’s potential
is akin to finding gold. It
may take a long time to
dig deep in searching for
such potential, and when
Deanship of Research and
Research Centers Complement
One Another
academics in the university
with a view to organizing
research activities across a
number of areas. Promoting iconic Omani celebrations and the transfer of
knowledge by initiating
events where scholars can
converse under the same
roof are other ways of enriching both science and
scientific research.
you find it, you should
know how to exploit it.
We have a small staff in
the center, but all working
together like one cell, in a
harmonious and congenial
atmosphere, with understanding and professional
satisfaction, and this deserves words of thanks
and gratitude.
What plans do you have
for the Center’s future?
The plans of the center
are formulated in periodic
meetings with members.
One ambitious plan is to
form an advisory committee for the Center that
would include a number of
people interested in Omani
affairs from both within
and outside the Sultanate.
It is hoped that this will be
of benefit in supporting research projects, but also in
providing some relief and
support for the Center’s
staff.
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News
New Ways of Enabling Students
to Acquire Critical Thinking and
Problem-solving Skills
Using Phytoplankton to
Predict Red Tide
Oman’s extensive coasts include the Omani Area in the
north and the Arabian Sea in the south. The interaction
of seasonal winds and water flow from the Gulf and the
Arabian Sea impacts deeply on the biological, physical
and chemical characteristics of Oman’s eco-system and
sea.
With this in mind, a team from Sultan Qaboos University
is conducting research to monitor phytoplankton and use
it as a model for forecasting ‘red tide’.
A research team at the College of Education is conducting research into whether
critical thinking and problem-solving skills are still
necessary for 21st century
students and to what extent
they are compatible with
the curricula and teaching
at Omani higher education
institutions. The study also
seeks to ascertain whether
enabling Omani students
to acquire these skills can
equip them with the skills
and knowledge required in
the workforce. This study is
based on the premise that the
needs of higher education
and the workforce are currently incompatible, leading
to a mismatch in meeting
the demands of the workplace, where individuals are
needed to think critically
and act logically, to evaluate situations, understand
and solve problems, analyze
data, make decisions, and
access and apply specialized
knowledge from various
fields.
It is hoped that the training
given in governmental education institutions to build
students’ critical thinking
and problem solving skills
will ideally enable them to
absorb work culture, develop the cognitive abilities
to meet the demands of the
workplace and acquire specific skills that are likely to
optimize their success.
The venue planned for the research study is along the
coastal area of Muscat, close to the water desalination
station in Barka. Here, samples from the site will be taken twice a month for the period of one year. Samples
of sea-water from nutritional substances, phytoplankton,
will also be taken, together with the temperature, connectivity, oxygen, lateral disturbance and chlorophyll measures. Additional samples will also be taken from other
sites along the coast of Oman and the Arabian Sea when
a bloom of phytoplankton or red tide is detected.
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News
Reducing the Effects of Polymer Use in
Oil-Contaminated Water Treatment
A research team at Sultan Qaboos University is carrying
out research at the BAUER
Nimr Water Treatment Plant
(NWTP) into the treatment
of oil-contaminated water.
This research is aimed at assessing the effect of polymer
on the performance of plant
biological treatments with a
view to finding ways to reduce its side effects.
The one-year research program aims to compare oil
polymer deterioration rates
with and without a focus on
polymer, and to study the
Microbial communities will
also be studied using microbiological and molecular
tools. Part of this study also
involves isolating organisms that have the ability
to circumvent and destroy
polymer, as a step towards
exterminating polymer and
reducing its effects.
impact of polymer on the
growth of microorganisms,
their behavior and capacity
to break down oil.
The impact will be studied
both within the frame of
controlled laboratory experiments, and in field settings.
At the end of the study,
the results will be sent to
BAUER Nimr to help the
company improve its watertreatment processes by using
the most effective form of
biological treatment.
Electronic Spot Markets at the Service
of Transportation in the Sultanate
A research team at Sultan Qaboos University is conducting research work on designing and running internet-based spot markets for the e-procurement of transportation services in Oman. The spot market will use
Combinatorial Auctions (CAs) as a trading mechanism.
CAs have been shown to be very efficient in allocating such resources as airport landing slots, spectrum licenses, treasury bills and electrical energy.
Even in the logistics sector,
the literature has reported
several successful accounts
of companies using CAs to
procure their transportation
needs while achieving
remarkable cost savings.
Participating in electronic spot markets provides
a number of advantages:
carriers , transportation companies
and logistics providers can benefit from emarkets by bidding on loads (origin/destination pairs) which are likely to reduce
the number of truck-empty movements in
their transportation networks. CAs technology thus allows them to bid on the packages of loads and maximize
their profit, rather than bidding on several single loads
separately.
The proposed study will first attempt to select the
CAs characteristics that fit the
Omani transportation system, and then develop optimization models and
solution approaches to
be faced by the different actors of the spot
market. Finally, the researchers will carry out
extensive computational
experiments in order to test
the validity of the results obtained. Large-scale mathematical experiments will be used at this
final stage to test the validity of the results obtained in collaboration with major
logistic service companies operating in the
Sultanate of Oman.
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Study
Towards a Safe Way to Get Rid of Solid Waste:
A Study on Identifying and Isolating Thermophilic Bacteri
Sivakumar Nallusamy - College Of Science
Cellulose, an important plant
polymer, is the most abundant
and renewable carbon source
on earth. Cellulases are inducible enzymes produced by microorganisms to degrade cellulose when cellulosic materials
are supplied as substrates. Application of cellulase enzymes
in paper, detergent and leather
industries demands the finding
of highly stable enzymes active
at extreme pH and temperature.
The search for enzymes from
extremophilic microorganisms
is one of the ways to obtain enzymes with suitable characteristic features for industrial applications. Practically there are
some advantages in using thermostable enzymes in industrial
processes as compared to thermolabile enzymes. The main
advantage is the increase in
rate of reaction as the temperature of the process is raised. At
high temperatures the solubility
of many polymeric substances
is considerably increased and
the risk of contamination is reduced.
Even though a large number of
microorganisms are reported
for cellulose degradation, only a
few of these produce significant
quantities of cell-free enzymes
to degrade crystalline cellulose
in vitro. To date, very few thermophilic cellulolytic bacteria
have been described for their
cellulase activity. Thermophilic enzymes play a significant
role in bioremediation because
higher temperatures applied
during waste treatment favor
the solubility of the substrates.
Hence thermophiles remain an
important source of cellulolytic
enzymes. The arid environment
in Oman is unique in terms of its
biodiversity. The probability of
getting microbes with distinctive features is higher in such
environments. The hot springs
in arid regions like Oman are
a potential source of microbes
with novel features. To date,
the hot springs in Oman are
unstudied resources in terms of
bacterial diversity. Preliminary
studies have shown the presence of thermo, acidic and alkaline stable cellulase producing
thermophilic and hyperthermophilic bacteria in the Al Kasfah
Hot Spring, Al Rustaq, Oman..
The increase of solid wastes
is becoming a global problem.
Different methods such as burial, incineration and recycling
are used to dispose of solid
wastes. Improper management
of solid wastes contaminates
air, soil and water. In addition, disposal of solid wastes
in landfills pollutes the ground
water and causes emission of
greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane which
in turn cause climatic changes.
Municipal solid waste contains
high amounts of cellulose,
which is an ideal organic waste
for the growth of most microorganisms. Municipal solid
waste is composed of 40–50%
cellulose, 9–12% hemicelluloses, and 10–15% lignin on a
dry weight basis. Most of the
carbon dioxide and methane
gases are produced from biodegradable cellulosic wastes,
such as wood, leaves, other
agriculture residues and waste
papers. Recycling of such cellulosic wastes can decrease the
greenhouse effect. Today, environmental policies and regulation progress have led to the
development of biodegradation
processes to turn organic wastes
into valuable products using
potential microbes. One of the
initiatives of the Oman government is to investigate the possibilities of utilizing alternative
renewable resources for energy
production. Cellulosic wastes
such as paper, wood, agriculture
residues and cardboard could be
considered as one of the main
renewable energy sources. According to a 2010 survey, about
1.6 million tons of solid waste
is dumped in landfills in Oman
every year, of which, 62 thousand tons is paper waste. This
amount of paper waste could be
used as a source to produce an
economically important cellulase enzyme. In addition, if the
cellulase enzyme was used, the
paper wastes could be degraded
and the degraded product could
also be used as a substrate to
produce commercially important products. So far, there
are no national projects that
deal with the bioconversion of
wastes..
The present project would be
conducted with an objective of
isolating cellulase producing
thermophilic bacteria from the
hot springs present in South Al
Batinah and Muscat regions of
Oman. The selected cellulase
potential strains would be used
to degrade paper wastes. This
would result in the formation of
glucose, which could be used in
the production of value-added
products. This study will be conducted in three phases. In Phase
1, cellulase producing thermophilic bacteria will be isolated
from hot springs and identified
using 16SrRNA/Ion Torrent
sequencing. The identified microbes will be lyophilized and
maintained as a thermophilic
cellulase producing bacterial
culture collection in the Department of Biology, Sultan
Qaboos University, Oman. In
Phase 2, some efficient cellulolytic bacteria would be selected
to cause cellulase fermentation
in a laboratory scale fermentor.
Increased cellulase production
would be achieved by a gradient feed of substrate and maintenance of process conditions
at their optimal. The produced
enzymes would be purified by
ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis, and gel filtration
chromatography. The purified
enzyme would be characterized by studying the activity
and stability of cellulase at different temperatures, pH, salinity, different metals, detergents
etc. Molecular weight and the
amino acid sequence of cellulase would be characterized using MALDI TOF TOF. In Phase
3, the characterized bacteria or
consortium of bacteria would be
used to convert the paper waste
to glucose in a laboratory scale
fermentor. With the help of suitable microorganisms the glucose would be used to produce
biofuel and bioplastic.
This proposed research program represents a unique and
challenging attempt to solve the
problem of increasing accumulation of solid waste which can
cause environmental and public
health concerns in the country.
In addition, this research will
provide knowledge about the
bacterial biodiversity in the major hot springs of Oman; it will
help in capacity building and
will establish a bioprocess research facility at Sultan Qaboos
University.
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Ce
A
News
Diversifying Funding Sources for Higher Education
to Achieve Sustainable Development
A research team at the College
of Education is working on a
project aiming to diversify the
sources of funding for higher
education, identify the theoretical foundations needed to diversify the sources of funding
for higher education and meet
the sustainable development
requirements in the Sultanate
of Oman. The project is seek-
ing to identify current global
trends in funding sources for
higher education and identify
the strengths and weaknesses
of the Omani higher educational system that impact on the
diversification of its funding
sources. The study also aims
to diagnose the different opportunities and threats within
the external environment of
the Omani higher educational
system, and determine how the
SWOT analysis results of the
Sultanate’s higher educational
environment could affect its
funding sources. Finally, the
project aims to create a strategy to diversify the sources of
funding for higher education in
a way that meets the requirements of sustainable develop-
ment in the Sultanate of Oman.
The project is to be carried out
using triangulation, which employs more than one method,
other research tools and SWOT
analysis. A questionnaire will
also be used to assess the elements of internal and external
environment, and statistics
programs will be employed to
analyze the data. A Plan for Planting and Cultivating Palm Trees in Oman
Palm trees are the main components in Oman’s agricultural system. This research study is concerned with developing a linear
programming system for the purpose of determining the most
suitable farms for the proposed planting of one million palm
trees. The research aims to recommend tree planting as the best
option among a group of possible agricultural projects, and to
propose the best locations for the cultivation of palm trees.
trees on existing farms. The project will help create opportunities to develop and design farms geared to increased economic
productivity, thereby improving farmers’ standard of living and
further diversifying the national economy.
The study is based on available secondary data and data collected from 60 farms in the Dhahirah, eastern and interior regions (the area selected to plant the one million trees). The trees
will either be cultivated on new agricultural land, or will replace
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Study
The Effect of Atomic Hydrogen as a Surfactant and a Cleaning
Agent on Semiconductor Epitaxial Growth
Faramarz Guard - College of Engineering
Semiconductors are crucially important in the manufacture of most electronic
devices. As one of the key
instruments in the electronics industry, they have
multiple applications, such
as in integrated circuits,
microprocessors and other
smaller microcontrollers.
Semiconductors are currently given considerable
attention in the areas of
solar radiation exploitation for generating electrical power through panels,
in the use of optical cells
and meters to measure Xray gamma rays, and the
Jaeger Tachometer, the initial particle used in particle
physics. In this respect, a
research team from the College of Science, headed by
Dr. Faramarz Guard, is conducting research work to
investigate the effect of applying a hydrogen-cracking
source in cleaning the semiconductor substrate at low
temperature.
Dr. Guard explained that
the preparation of clean and
smooth surface of semiconductors substrates is a delicate process and that one
can encounter problems in
the absence of the proper
facilities available in a surface analytical system or in
a molecular beam epitaxy
(MBE) chamber. The use
of degreasing solvents and
arsenic partial pressure, is
not easy. Precise control
of substrate temperature is
very crucial because the oxide and arsenic desorption
temperatures are very close
to each other.
ex situ chemical etching
followed by rinsing in deionized water may remove
most of native contaminants from the semiconductor surfaces.
At a later stage of the process, a few last monolayers
of contaminate usually remain, even when chemical
etching has been employed
as a final step in the sample
preparation process, and
that a few monolayers of
water and C will re-adsorb
the semiconductor surface
upon exposure to air after ex situ cleaning. These
will be physisorbed on the
surface even at partial pressures well below their saturation vapor pressures.
In their study, the researchers assessed two common
in situ methods to remove
physisorbed native contam-
inants namely: Ion bombardment technique and
Thermal cleaning method.
One of the standard methods of in situ cleaning of
semiconductor surfaces, Dr
Gard explained, is cycles of
low energy ion bombardment and annealing. However, this has been shown
to cause severe structural
damage, resulting in the
introduction of defects, enhanced carrier concentrations and reduced mobilities
within the outermost 1000
Å of the material. In a MBE
system, the substrates are
usually heated in situ (up to
600°C for GaAs substrate)
in order to desorb the native
oxide and carbon from the
surface prior growth commencement. The thermal
desorption of contaminate,
in a III-V MBE system,
even in the presence of an
Dr. Guard believes that
“thermal desorption cleaning of III-V sample at higher temperature or for longer
period than necessary may
cause desorption of the As
atoms from the surface and
consequently result in a
rough surface, which can be
confirmed by the RHEED
pattern (a spotty pattern).
This effect is more severe in
a surface analytical chamber, where an additional As
source does not exists in
order to produce As overpressure in the chamber.
Therefore, it is important
to remove the native oxide
and carbon from the surface
at low temperature, in order
to minimize the probability of As desorption from
samples and to achieve
an atomically smooth surface”.
A third surface preparation
technique is called “Atomic
hydrogen cleaning” (AHC)
which, according to the research, offers an effective
way of obtaining clean,
damage-free, and smooth
semiconductor
surfaces
with uniform step densities.
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Study
Internationalization of Telecom Companies:
The Case of GCC-Based Mobile Telephone Companies
Dr. Golam Khan - College of Arts and Social Sciences
ily monopoly operators for decades,
are now going international. In Dr.
Khan’s view, while some companies
are doing well, a few others are facing
great difficulties such as Omantel’s
acquisition of WorldCall in Pakistan
and Etisalat’s acquisition of PTCL
(Pakistan Telecom Company Ltd)
which have not produced any profits
since their acquisition a few years ago.
Communication has become a key
element in the myriad areas of development and one of the basic pillars in
measuring the development and progress of nations. With this tremendous
technological progress and the low
price of hardware equipment and services, communication and information technology have become accessible to each and everyone around the
world.
The global telecom industry has witnessed major changes over the last
decade. The Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) telecom market is not
an exception. Profound changes have
also been taking place in the region.
Some of the GCC countries have become members of WTO (World Trade
Organization) while a few of them
have initiated FTA (Free Trade Agree-
ment) with the United States. Such
moves have facilitated the deregulation of industries in the region.
Speaking of telecom companies in
a different breath and reexamining
the changing nature of telecom and
mobile phone companies Dr. Golam
Khan argues that many of the GCCBased companies, which were primar-
Critical of the established literature on
telecom and mobile phone companies,
Dr. Khan demonstrates how most previous scholarly work and surveys on
IT Audit and Control area tend to be
dispersed and address a multitude of
issues and challenges in IT Audit and
Control in developed countries. In
criticizing this perspective and setting
out his position in relation to the literature on the topic, the researcher is
at pains to maintain that, to the best of
his knowledge, no studies were conducted on IT Audit and Control practices, issues and challenges related to
developing countries like Oman.
On the primary objective of this research project, the researcher said
that the aim of the study was to develop cases from GCC countries that
could be used to enhance teaching at
both graduate and undergraduate levels. Another aim of the study was to
identify the companies suitable for
illustrating concepts in strategy and
international business namely Omantel, Batelco, Saudi Telecom Company,
Qtel and Etisalat. Dr. Khan explains
that, while the initial drafts of all these
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Visions
cases, except Etisalat, have been presented, the Etisalat case is in the final stage of
completion, and that the theme in each of
the cases centers around the strategy process, industry environment, leadership and
management, internationalization, strategy
development, execution and performance
analysis.
In his investigation of cases pertaining to
GCC, Dr. Khan conducted a survey and
collected relevant data and information for
this research from a variety of sources including company records, annual reports,
secondary data and literature available
from on-line sources. The regional business
journals and magazines such as, MEED,
Arabian Business, Gulf Business were also
reviewed for relevant information. In the
case of several companies, personal interviews were arranged with Omantel and Etisalat only.
Dr. Khan pointed out that the problematic
nature of the researcher’s methodological approach makes it hard to discuss his
scantily reported findings. Nevertheless,
Dr. Khan’s initial and tentative findings
suggest that foreign operators are now
providing telecom services in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman and
that competition is intensifying, the market
is saturating and many operators are now
exploring opportunities overseas in an attempt to maintain their position, market
share and reputation.
Remaining cautious regarding the methodological limitations, the researcher argued
that attempts were made to demonstrate
that the cases presented in the study provide an opportunity for academics and students to highlight and illustrate the regional
industrial environment.
In conclusion, Dr. Kahn expressed high
hope that the results of his study would be
of interest to a large number of organizations in Oman and would contribute to
developing standards and guidelines for IT
Audit and Control suited to their cultural,
business and technical environments.
The Scientific
Aspects of Sports
Dr. Majid Al-Bousafi - College of Education
The principle “sports for all” does not mean for entertainment only. It means rather
the rooting of civilizational values related to human health. Also, sport has become
one of the manifestations of people’s progress and prosperity and is related to a
wide range of investment options. Therefore, implementing the principle “sports for
all” can help people to achieve physical and intellectual improvement, serve as an
important factor in the development of their activity and work potential and improve
their performance and productivity. In addition it provides them with an adequate
training environment and a strong base for practitioners, which in turn is likely to
create more opportunities for the selection of talented individuals to help form the
best sports teams in the future. From this standpoint, we must develop programs able
to provide people in urban and rural areas, districts, schools and institutions with the
appropriate conditions to exercise sporting activities. We must also offer awareness
programs to foster the exercise of physical activities which are neither competitive
nor mandatory and which are rather optional programs aiming to help achieve wellbeing and happiness, and improve health as well as physical fitness.
The emergence of comfort machines , elevators, remote control devices, computers, congestion and pollution of towns, free time, technological progress, watching
television, overeating, easy communication and mobility, and other factors have
reduced the number of opportunities for physical activity and therefore led to an
increase in the incidence of diseases among individuals. All of these factors have
contributed to the emergence of human need for sports, for its crucial importance
and vital necessity as part of the overall social system, particularly because sport is
related to people’s type of motivation to move, play, have pleasure or feel joyful.
Sport, accordingly, has been given a deeply influential social value in building individuals and has become one of the most interesting and attractive social activities.
Regular exercise and physical activity are important elements of an individual’s
health. Being healthy will help you carry on the work you enjoy and help reduce
the risk of certain diseases and disability as you age. In some cases, exercise can
become an efficient treatment for many chronic diseases. Studies have revealed, for
instance, that people suffering from arthritis, heart disease and diabetes may benefit
from regular exercise. Exercise is also believed to help people with high blood pressure or who are facing difficulties walking to achieve a balance and live in complete
harmony. One of the useful facts about physical activity is that it is possible to be
active in different ways, such as exercising for a short period of time during the day
or on specific days of the week. You also have the possibility to exercise by borrowing a video or joining one of the local fitness centers.
How much exercise do we need to achieve the desired health benefits? There is
no specific answer to this question but we can provide examples of researchers’
responses to it. Bus and taxi drivers, for instance, are not very active and with a
high rate of heart disease compared to other people in different occupations. Studies
have shown that physically active people have a lower death rate than those who are
not active. In another study, researchers have measured the strength of old people’s
bones aged 75 and who are regularly exercising and performing domestic tasks
such as domestic work and gardening. The study also involved non-active older
people and has revealed that after five years active people have preserved their
determination and strength more than non-active individuals.
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Feature
Fake Medicines Sold through Misleading Propaganda
Herbal Therapy: Between Science and Custom
Instead of using medicine promoted by well-known pharmaceutical companies, many people
all over the world are resorting to herbal medicine for treatment, in the belief that natural
herbs are good, reliable and effective. The same herbs are also sometimes used in cooking and
as cosmetics. Today, the need to differentiate food from medicine has become a matter of urgency. Is green tea, for example, a medicine or an ordinary drink like any other tea? The same
question applies to the black pill, and many other herbal medicines that can be used as food.
Meanwhile, the promotion of herbs as medicine has triumphed, and now, in the absence of
strict controls by proper authorities, there are now many centers in the Sultanate claiming to
be specialized and competentsin health practice. Scientific research is the only really reliable
means of finding the truth about these herbs and their benefits and disadvantages.
It is in this context that Tawasul, sought the reasons why people resort to herbal medicine centers, and addressed the role of scientific research and competent organizations in this process.
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Al-Bousaidi: Laws and
health requirements
should be enacted to
force these centers to
abide by them to protect
people from being harmed
by these medicines.
Walid Al-Busaidi, a laboratory
technician in the College of
Agriculture and Marine Sciences, believes people go to
these centers in search of treatment for a number of reasons.
“The influence of traditional
education in society is one reason, and the belief that herbal
therapy is not harmful is another. People also have confidence
in these centers: they think that
they won’t find the same services and facilities in hospitals
and government health centers.
They trust the treatments provided by these centers because
they hear of other individuals
who have been treated by them.
Another attraction is that treatments in these centers cost less,
compared with the cost
of treatment in a
modern, specialist
clinic, and there’s
a lot of advertising claiming that the
products used are natural and
safe, which persuades people
to seek treatment from them,
especially when modern medical treatment has proved to be
ineffective.”
Al-Busaidi believes that scientific research offers a strong
basis for solving problems in
the community, and that scientific research at the university should play a key role in
verifying the sources of herbal
drugs and the chemicals they
contain.
“In research, Investigations are
carried out in accordance with
scientific standards adopted by
experts in the field. Research
can draw on projects concerned
with the study of natural plants
growing in the Sultanate, and
conduct studies analyzing the
functioning mechanisms, effects and side effects of these
drugs.” Al-Busaidi says herbal
medicines need to undergo
accurate analysis in specialized laboratories so their basic
components can be identified,
and their suitability for human
consumption be tested, along
with the correct dosages for
different age groups. “If this is
properly done,” he says,
“there will be better
access to medicine
produced
from
natural sources, and
this will benefit the
whole community. The
research findings can then be
disseminated through local and
international journals, conferences and symposia.”
Establishing a relationship between the university and specialized agencies in the Sultanate can help prevent people
falling victim to fake medicines.
Al-Busaidi says universities
should work together with the
agencies responsible for ensuring the quality of herbal
medicine centers. “The University can provide advisory
services, needed information,
rapid consultations and recommendations to the specialized
agency. As well as supervising
the quality of herbal medicine,
the specialist agency would be
responsible for ensuring that
centers are committed to maintain legal and health standards,
thus ensuring people don’t
fall victims to spurious, harmful medicines. Cooperation is
needed in spreading medical
awareness among all levels of
society through local media, as
well as pamphlets and posters
to clarify the advantages and
medicines to lose weight or to
increase sexual potency, and
people are desperate for treatment, but are not aware of the
dangers.”
Al-Baram believes scientific research should help unmask the
components of these popular
pharmaceuticals through random testing and then disseminate the results to the public.
There should be panel discussions, she says, and educational
programs directed at sensitizing the community through
the media. “I also recommend
the setting up of laboratories
specialized in drugs, herbs and
toxins so that any pharmaceuticals brought into the country
can be examined before being
Al-Baram: The
misuse of herbs can
cause complications
affecting the liver, the
pancreas, and can lead
to kidney deficiency
and eveo death.
dangers of these drugs.”
Asmahan Al-Baram, a specialized pharmacist at Sultan
Qaboos Hospital, shares AlBousaidi’s views and explained
further:
“These alternative treatment centers benefit from a
lot of promotion on satellite
TV, in newspapers and magazines, beauty salons and fitness clubs and through social
media, all of which stress the
idea that the treatments are
natural and harmless. A lot of
medicines have appeared for
treating chronic diseases, like
approved and disseminated. I
believe is the responsibility of
the Ministry of Health.”
Al-Baram also stresses the
need for alternative treatment
centers to be inspected by competent authorities, to ensure the
practitioners employed there
have valid medical training and
qualifications.”
Asmahan also warned about
the components contained in
these alternative products:
“Laboratory tests have shown
that many of these pharmaceuticals are mixed with chemicals
not mentioned in the list of
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Feature
main components and which
may be harmful if misused
or overused. Some of these
chemicals can cause heart complications, or affect the liver or
pancreas cells and cause kidney
failure and even death. Likewise, some hair dyes contain
mercury, which may cause skin
inflammation and sometimes
even cancer. Some other diet
pharmaceuticals contain a component called “Senna” which
can cause frequent diarrhea and
thus loss of vital body fluids
and salts which will affect all
the main functions of the body.
Herbs used to treat sexual impotence contain a component
called “Sildenafil” (Viagra)
which may cause heart failure
and other complications.”
Dr. Haider Al-Lawati, head
of the Chemistry Department
at the College of Science explained why we need to be
careful taking alternative forms
of medication:
as efficient, at least they won’t
do any damage. But you can’t
be certain about this, because
these medicines are not subjected to normal pharmaceutical control, unlike conventional, “manufactured” medicine
Allawati: We have
tried to trace
companies producing
herbal medicine and
have had a lot of
difficulty finding one.
“Because many of us prefer to
use natural treatments for illnesses through the use of herbs
or medicine extracted from
natural materials, companies
are using herbs in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals,
such as pills, in the belief that
these herbs are safer than conventional medicine, without
side-effects, and if they are not
which has to undergo a long
and complex process of tests
that can extend for decades.
Only after examination is the
medicine approved and then it
goes through rigorous controls
in the manufacturing process.
Then the medicine is tested to
make ensure of its validity and
stability. It then has to meet
strict quality controls set by
government authorities before
it can be taken to the market,
and finally there are use-by
dates that ensure it is kept in
good quality till it reaches the
consumer.”
He added: “Unforrunately,
herbal medicine is not subjected to these kinds of control for
many reasons. For one thing, a
single herbal product is likely
to be made up of many different materials, which
makes it difficult to
predict the effect
of each component. Some materials may have negative effects on human health,
so the prevailing belief that
herbal medicine is harmless is
quite wrong. These herbs, in
fact, may contain some poisons
whose effect is not instantaneous and direct but which may
accumulate over years. However, the main problem with
herbal products is that they are
not subjected to any scientific
studies based on accurate and
familiar scientific methods,
because it’s difficult to do this
with herbs that contain complex materials. Another problem is the primitive techniques
used in manufacturing herbal
drugs, and the fact they are not
subject to an international quality controls. This all means that
such alternative herbal medicines are really not secure at
all, and we need to treat them
with extreme caution.”
Al-Lawati
also
warned about manufacturers’ claims
that a product is 100
% safe and had no
side-effects. From a scientific
standpoint, he said, no product
is 100 % safe. Herbal-drugs
producers also suggest to consumers that their products are
safe because they are natural,
but this is not necessarily true,
since we all know that there
natural herbs that are poisonous, and what guarantee do
we have that these herbs don’t
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Feature
contain such poisonous substances? How can we be sure
that these herbs have been
subjected to laboratory
analysis, or have undergone thorough
scientific
testing? We have tried
to trace of some these
companies that produce herbal
medicines and we have had difficulties finding even one.
On the role scientific research
can play in reducing the problems associated with the
growth of herbal treatment centers in Oman, Al-Lawati said:
“The
Scientific
Research
Council sponsored a research
project that aimed to develop
rapid analytical methods for
detecting fraudulent medicines.
The results, some of which are
serious, will be revealed at a
later date. The researchers also
have to ensure that there are no
other pollutants in herbal medicines, such as heavy metals and
harmful bacteria. This is because herbal drugs are generally manufactured in unsanitary
environments that do not meet
rigorous production standards.
It is most probable, he said, that
herbal medicines are polluted.
Once the production conditions
are satisfied, and we can ascertain that the drugs are safe, or
at least not polluted, we can
move to the next stage, namely
identifying the components of
the herbal medicine
and its pharmaceutical impacts.
This type of study
requires long-term
research and involves
high costs.”
Al-Lawati recommend, that
women become more aware
of the dangers, and that greater
cooperation among competent
authorities be enforced. He also
stressed the urgent need for a
governmental body that will be
responsible for examining and
verifying food and medicine, in
cooperation with the expertise
available at the University.
Maha Al-Alyan, a pharmacist
at Sultan Qaboos Hospital, had
another view on the matter:
“Herbal treatment is a very old
phenomenon and, while not all
herbal centers are profitable
institutions, there are, in fact,
practitioners who do have experience and expertise in this
domain. Unfortunately, there
are others who have abused this
noble work.”
Elaborating on this point, she
claimed:
“In some cases, patients come
to the clinic bringing with them
herbal medicine they are using
which provides confusing or illegible, hand-written information. The absence of clear information makes it difficult for us
to verify the components of the
drugs or to say for sure whether
they will benefit or harm patient’s health. If we had analytical laboratories that could carry
out rigorous studies to examine
these medicines, we would be
able to give patients a more accurate picture, gain their trust
and eventually advise them in a
proper way.”
the only solution. Another factor is the current loss of faith in
chemotherapy, which, in their
view, is not effective. They ignore the fact that the alternative
centers mix herbs with chemicals and promote the medicines
as 100 % herbal”.
Al-Shikili’s view on how to
avoid this kind of problem
meshes with what other scholars have maintained previously.
He says that “laws with clear
criteria should be enacted to
control the manufacture and
Al-Shikhili: We should
work on broadcasting
messages through
social media to raise
awareness in the
community.
Maha also recommended the
relevant governmental institutions, such as the Ministry of
Health and the Ministry of Education, cooperate in organizing workshops for students and
instructors, and exhibitions in
commercial complexes with a
view to raising people’s awareness and urging patients, particularly those suffering from
chronic diseases of the liver
or the urinary system, to check
with medical centres whether
the medicine is appropriate and
safe.”
Juma Al-Shekili, assistant pharmacist at Sultan Qaboos University, explained that people
usually resort to herbal medicine because they have accepted an old custom passed down
from generation to generation
and see alternative medicine as
preservation of the herbs used.”
He would like to see mobile
laboratories created to visit
and examine the herbal centers from time to time to check
the quality of work carried out.
“We need to design manuals
to inform people about the advantages and dangers of herbal
medicine, and also disseminate
educational videos on herbs
through social media, because
it is faster and closer to people
in the modern age.”
What needs to be done is for the
relevant authorities to establish
a mechanism that will protect
consumers’ safety, regulate the
work and treatments available
in these herbal centers and clinics, and establish a legal framework with clear procedures to
prevent the fraudulent marketing of medicines.
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Innovation
Affairs
The Genetic DNA Sequencing Machine
Genetic analyzers (3130xl)
are machines used in vital
research to analyze DNA.
The information obtained
from analysis can be used
for several purposes. It
can be used to search for
any genetic disorders causing a particular disease by
analyzing the gene responsible, or to search for any
non-natural genetic material as a probable explanation for the rise or decline
in the amount of proteins,
or a change in its biological
form leading to the emergence of the disease. The
information obtained can
also be used to diagnose
genetic changes through a
study of what are known as
DNA markers, which can
serve as indicators to trace
a specific location of the
chromosome with a view
to examining relations between individuals; or to
learn the extent of change
or consistency of the genetic material over successive
generations; or to identify
the genetic fingerprint and
use it to ascertain genetic
assets which can be used to
resolve criminal cases related to paternity.
In addition to its multiple
uses, many other research
areas and experiments depend on this machine, such
as gene studies on breast
cancer, colon and other
types of cancer, research
on genetic mutations which
can either be the cause of a
disease or the reason for the
emergence of more symptoms and complications.
Many other studies also employ this machine. These includs studies investigating
parasites causing malaria
disease, how these parasitey
move and resist medicines,
and the evolution of their
genetic sequencing which
enables them to resist the
drugs used to fight against
such parasites. Studies related to diabetes and obesity and others related to
the DNA of plants, animals,
micro-organisms and viruses, are also dependent on
the results of DNA analysis
which can be used to see if
any genetic changes are responsible for the emergence
of a disease.
Effective Materials in Omani Marine Biology
Marine biology is a rich source of materials that act as microbial, viral or
cancerous anti-bodies. These materials are very important in the fields of
medicine, biotechnology and industry,
and they are the focus of a research
project conducted by Dr. Sergei Dobertsof, College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences. In addition to exploring
new vehicles with anti-bacterial properties able to act against biological
tumors found in Omani marine enviroments, and which can be employed
in the field of fish-planting, agriculture
and medicine, his study aims to emphasize the importance of an integrated structure for training young Omani
scientists and Omani students at SQU.
A survey of Omani marine biology was
carried out with a view to confirming
the possible presence of microbial and
cancerous anti-bodies and extracting
some of these effective marine biology vehicles that are living in the Ara-
bian Gulf and the sea of Oman. The
study also focused on extracting effective materials from minute marine
biological creatures, fungi and coral.
These organisms were selected on the
basis of their use for bio-applications,
and the survival of vehicles, bacteria
and fungi that the principal investigator and his assistants had collected in
previous projects.
The extracted vehicles containing anti-bacterial and anti-tumor materials
were selected through a biodiversity
test. In addition, through collaboration with scientists from Germany and
the United States, the study aspires to
identify effective vehicles and methods for their processing.
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21 September 2015
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Study
Seeking to Establish the First Comprehensive and Up-to-Date Database
A Study on Developing Controlled Environment
Agriculture in the Sultanate
Like all other dryland areas in the world,
Oman suffers from significantly high
temperatures and severe water shortages.
These two factors, in turn, affect
agricultural production in arid areas.
Controlled environment agriculture
(CEA), and greenhouses in particular,
are an alternative option for overcoming
these two factors by providing a
relatively
cool
atmosphere
and
increasing land and water productivity in
comparison with open-field cultivation.
In a study conducted by the Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries, it was found
that greenhouse cultivation increased
land productivity by almost 12 times, and
nearly doubled water productivity. As a
result, farmers have become noticeably
more willing to shift from open-field
cultivation to CEA. From 2001-2008, the
number of greenhouses increased threefold, to 782 from 249 (MAF, 2009) and
by 2010 had reached 4740, an annual
greenhouse growth rate of approximately
40%.
Given the advantages of CEA, the
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries
(MAF) has been keen to encourage
use of this technology through subsidy
programs and awareness campaigns.
The subsidy programs have proved very
successful, to the extent that every 1.000
OMR invested as a subsidy has increased
agricultural net returns by 1.690 OMR.
Farmers have clearly benefitted from
MAF’s policies, and the number of
farmers who have built greenhouses at
their own expense now exceeds those
who received support. However, it has
been reported that many farmers still face
difficulties in regard to CEA, notably in
marketing their agricultural products and
dealing with external competition. Apart
from scanty statistical data collected
through agricultural census, there have
been no comprehensive and in-depth
studies on the status of controlled
environment agriculture in the Sultanate.
For this reason, a research team at Sultan
Qaboos University, in collaboration
with the Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries, is carrying out a project aimed
at collecting comprehensive and upto-date information about all relevant
aspects of CEA facilities in the Sultanate
with a view to proposing strategic plans
and techniques that will increase the
production and water use efficiency
of CEA. It is expected this will lead to
increased economic returns for farmers
and improve food security of the country,
thereby increasing the contribution
made by the agricultural sector to the
national income, in alignment with the
Government’s plan, Vision 2020.
In addition to SQU research personnel, the
research team also includes researchers
from three Oman governmental institutes
(MAF and Agricultural & Fisheries
Development Fund), Al-Batinah and AlDhahira farmer associations, as well as
three postgraduate students and research
assistants. A number of agricultural
engineers working in CEA at MAF will
participate during the data collection
phase, as surveyors, and will be trained
by a specialist from MAF on methods,
techniques and skills required for field
surveys.
Data collection will be conducted
through a single-visit field-survey
approach comprising two parts: In Part
I, measurements and samples will be
taken from CEA facilities covering a.
coordinates, shape and dimensions;
b. cooling, irrigation and ventilation
methods; c. quality of cooling and
irrigation water; and d. soil quality; In
Part II a survey will be carried out by
questionnaire. The questionnaire will
be designed, verified and tested by the
graduate students in consultation with
the research team and CEA stakeholders.
It will include a. introductory and general
questions about the farm, ownership
and laborers; b. questions on source of
funding, the number of CEA facilities
and their utilization; c. questions on
seed cultivars, types of crops, their
sources and number of seasons; d.
questions on advanced techniques
used in CEA facilities such as soilless
cropping, hydroponics, aeroponics, and
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Microscope
aquaculture; e. questions on management
practices such as quantity, frequency and
the type of irrigation water, pesticides and
fertilizers used; f. questions on diseases and
treatment techniques; g. questions on seasonal
crop yield and postharvest management and
losses; questions on marketing (personal
consumption, farm-gate sale, local market sale,
central market sale or export) and economic
returns, and finally questions on the problems
facing farmers, such as technical support
and guidance from MAF and governmental
arrangements in marketing and coping with
foreign.competition..
A number of outcomes are expected from the
study: 1. It will create the first up-to-date,
comprehensive and easily updatable database
of CEA in Oman; 2. A detailed study of the
geographical distribution of greenhouses and
the external factors affecting this distribution,
such as proximity to markets and outlets,
and to streets and service roads, and water
quality and availability. The study is also
expected to produce the first detailed map
of CEA in Oman using GIS (MSc. student
project). 3. A detailed study on agricultural
production, land-use efficiency and wateruse efficiency of CEA, aimed at investigating
positive and negative factors affecting
the profitability of CEA (MSc. student
project). 4. A comprehensive and extensive
assessment of the strengths and weaknesses
of CEA in Oman, together with strategic
plans and mechanisms for developing CEA
agribusiness and overcoming the obstacles
(PhD student project). 5. Capacity building
- three graduate students will complete their
degrees through this study. 6. Agricultural
engineers trained in field-survey techniques
for CEA. 7. Dissemination of research
findings through articles published in peerreviewed journals and through presentations
at international conferences, as well as a book
publication entitled, “Controlled Environment
Agriculture in Oman”. 8. Extension Work
through technical and awareness workshops
to help CEA farmers increase production. 9.
International Outreach through organizing
and holding an international conference on
CEA at SQU.
Men from Mars and Women from Venus :
Bridging the gender
learning gap
Dr. Jumana Saleh - College of Medicine and Health Sciences
It has long been recognized that females achieve higher academically in medical
and health fields compared to males. Attempts to explain this observation have included social, cultural, psychological and emotional factors. Some have described
women pursuing health sciences as having an instinct for helping humankind. Others have attributed women’s superior academic performance to their conscientiousness in following traditionally structured curricula with discipline and determination. Conversely, said it has been claimed, males favor extracurricular learning and
exposure in less constrained environments.
However, considerable scientific evidence indicates that gender-related skills are
linked to significant differences in brain structure and function. It seems that males
and females have brains that are biochemically and neurologically programmed to
perform different tasks. Interestingly, a recent comprehensive study has shown that
the neural connections in male and female brains are different.
Female brains have been found to have more connections between the two hemispheres of the brain. Males have more connections within each hemisphere. These
findings confirm previous studies showing that males prefer to execute individual
tasks and are better in performing motor activities than women. Moreover, testosterone (the male hormone) enhances spatial and visual acuity of sense organs,
affecting activities that require spatial skills, such as in geometry, physics and engineering and navigation. This may explain why more men become pilots and architects. Also, specific areas of the brain in boys mature about four years earlier than
girls. A recent study of around 500 children showed that the brain development of
a 12-year-old girl was similar to that of an 8-year-old boy regarding performance
in mathematics. This is possibly a reflection of the fact that males have more gray
matter (‘thinking matter’) than females, which is linked to tasks involving problem
solving.
On the other hand, increased inter-hemispheric neural connectivity and significantly increased white matter in females renders women more capable of coordinating
analytical reasoning and intuition. Therefore, women tend to excel in multitasking,
which requires usage of both hemispheres, such as handling various housework
chores and responding to various family needs simultaneously Also, the cerebral
cortex in women is highly organized in a pattern linked to empathy and creative
expression. The areas of the brain that are linked to language skills mature about
six years earlier in girls than in boys, probably explaining dominant language skills
that encourage communication and building relationships.
Differences in brain function may also be explained from a human development
perspective. In a hunter-gatherer society, men had to exhibit intense sensory reflexes to be able to detect their prey and kill it without feeling sympathetic, as women
mighd. Strong motor function also helped men design hunting tools and weapons.
Conversely, women exhibit greater emotional intelligence, se can intuitively respond to the needs of babies, who cannot express their needs verbally.
When considered in the light of gender differences in brain structure, the recent
adoption of ‘team-based’ and ‘problem-based’ learning in medical training could
represent a major fair shift for males, who will now be able to demonstrate their
problem-solving skills in an academic setting that encourages and nurtures their
inherent abilities and skills; though females who can efficiently project their proficient communication skills will still have the advantage. Gradually, problem-based
and team-based learning approaches may reduce the female academic bias that has
been prominent in traditional medical training settings and eventually bridge the
gender gap in medicine. However, we should keep in mind that there are more similarities than differences in human brains, and most differences are complementary:
team-based learning projects can assist both genders to reach their academic goals.
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Creativity
Student Project Wins the Gold Medal
in an International Fair in Malaysia
Sultan Qaboos University continues to
achieve at the local and international
levels through the efforts of its
academic faculty and students. A
research project by engineering
students from the University recently
won the gold medal at “itex 2015”, a fair
featurinn international inventionsrs
held recently in Malaysia.
The project, “Separating oil from
Water Through Nanotechnology”, was
the work of six team members: Hilal
Bin Mohammed Al-Ghefili, Al-Zahraa
Bint Mohammed Al-Hinaiya, Harib Bin
Nasser Al-Azri, Sibai Bin Ali Al-Badawi,
Binan Bint Salim Al-Hadabiya and
Hager Bint Hmid Al-Sayadiya.
Al-Ghefili: We
Created a Novel and
Economic Method
to Seperate Oil from
Water
The idea of the project, Hilal
Al-Ghefili said, was to develop a very novel and economic
method to separate oil from
water by using a membrane
that would allow oil to pass
through but would prevent
the passage of watet. Hilal
said this meant modifying the
membrane and cultivating a
surface layer made of small
nano-sized particles. “Because this method increases
the purity of oil, he said, “it
can be used to separate oil
from water at petrol stations
and to absorb oil leaks in
lakes and rivers.”
Al-Zahra Al-Hinaiya, another participant, explained the
steps followed in the project:
“The first step was to design
a surface that could separate
a mixture of oil and water
through nano-technology.”
He said that several types of
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Creativity
Al-Azri: The
Project Succeeded
because it was
Unique and
Thought-Provoking
materials were trialed without success,
due to difficulties cultivating nano-particles on the carbon surface. “We examined the reasons behind the failures,” he
said. “We thought about possible solutions and the best way of adapting the
preparation of nano-particles and surfaces and its cultivation.”
In the second phase of the project,
through trialing appropriate materials
and conditions, the students were able
to get positive and successful results,
separating the oil from water. The third
phase completed the earlier stage of the
experiment by studying the efficiency of
nano-particles and the extent to which
they could resist high temperature. In the
fourth phase of the experiment, the students designed a mini-model unit for the
separation of oil from water, using the
designed nano-surface and producing an
electronic simulation of the process. The
fifth phase of the project, still
to be completed, aims to improve the efficiency of the oil
and water separation unit and
raise the standards and quantity of production.
tion using nano’
received the gold
medal”, he said.
Sibai Al-Badawi
elaborated on the
difficulties the team
faced in accomplishing the project:
“The main difficulty was finding the
type of material to
use for cultivating
nano-particles. We
had to experiment with several types of
material, and this took a lot of time and
effort, because the
preparation of the
solutions for cultivating and processing required
a high degree of
accuracy, both in
the quantities used
and the timing.
Any failure in any
stage of the experiment”, Al-Badawi
explained, “would
lead to a waste of
long hours of work.” He said all the team
members had to work hard to keep up
to date with the latest developments in
nanatology, the features of different materials and how to deal with them, and
with other experimental equipment related to nano-technology.
Hager Al-Sayadiya pointed out that the
project required organized team work,
and without that the project would have
never succeeded. He praised Professor
Duta’s assistance and Dr. Butih’s follow-up. “Their valuable support helped
us overcome obstacles and achieve success. Our Sultan Qaboos University also
played a key role by providing equipment and the required material.”
As for their future steps to improve the
project or implement it on the ground,
Al-Badawi: It has
Taken us Much
Time and Effort
to Achieve these
Results
Banan Al-Hadabiya said, “We’ll be conducting many experiments on the membrane to develop and improve its efficiency in accordance with the specific
features of Omani oil”.
Harib Al-Azri said “Itex
2015”, was an annual event
in Malaysia at which numerous student projects in different scientific fields were
presented. During the exhibition, the most distinguished
and thought-provoking projects on display were selected
to compete in a contest to
choose the best projects. “Our
project, ‘Oil-water separa-
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Device
Sultan Qaboos University in WIPO Patents’ Data Base
base provides opportunities for inventors
to find investors and business leaders to
capitalize on technological innovations.
This database represents an important destination for those seeking to invest in new
technology, (‘invention brokers’), and for
any company seeking to develop its technologies and ultimately issue technology
license contracts.
Sultan Qaboos University was included
in the World Intellectual Property Organization database (WIPO) for the first time
through Muadh Al-Rakadi’s invention of
a tool to expand tables. Sheikha Bint Nasr
Al-Akhzamia, chair of the Intellectual
Property Department and in charge of the
Innovation and Business Leadership Circle
at Sultan Qaboos University, explained that
SQU’s inclusion in the WIPO patent database (PatentScope) resulted from receiving
a patent from the American Patent Office,
one of the many intellectual property registration offices in the world - including the
patent registration office in the Sultanate of
Oman - that are associated with WIPO.
WIPO is a self-funding agency of the
United Nations’ agencies whose duty it is
to establish an international, balanced and
effective system for safeguarding intellectual property and fostering innovation and
creativity for the benefit of all. WIPO was
formally established in 1967. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland, and it has
188 member states.
Al-Akhzamia also explained that the Uni-
versity’s inclusion in the global patent
database is one of the key criteria used to
rank universities and countries for innovation and creativity; and that the registration of patents through the WIPO data-
Blood Bank Deposit
Protection Logo
A blood bank slogan has been deposited at Sultan
Qaboos University as a governmental slogan of the
University. It is still in the process of being registered as a trademark in the Intellectual Property
Circle at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Pursuant to the law of industrial property rights issued by H.M Sultan Qaboos’s decree of 2008/67,
the logo will be protected for a period of 10 years
from the date of depositing the registration request.
Registration of the trademark can be renewed for
the same period upon request. Besides issuing the
protection certificate, the University is entitled to
prevent others from using logos or signs without
its prior approval. The university is also entitled to
prevent others from using similar products or services related to the blood bank in case of any likely
confusion or ambiguity arising from that use.
The University Blood Bank seeks to expand public awareness of the importance of its blood donation programs by disseminating messages aimed at
instilling a culture of donation and helping other
members of society. The Blood Bank’s endeavors
require extensive use of the logo to assure the public of the authenticity of its messages. For this reason, blood bank officials took the initiative to register the logo to prevent the possibility of its logo
being used by others and confusing the public.
Al-Akhzamia said that Muadh Al-Rakadi’s
achievement was not only a breakthrough
for Oman, but it was an incentive to motivate other innovators to present their
inventions to the Innovation Circle. This
latest achievement, she said, was an indication that SQU was heading in the right
direction towards making Oman an innovative country and bringing the Sultanate
into the world arena of inventiveness. The
University has recently submitted other
patent applications to the US Patent Office in the area of engineering education,
and these are under consideration. Further
inventions in the field of electronics and
nanotechnology are currently being assessed for their novelty.
SQU’s Part in Preparing for the
National Innovation Strategy
SQU’s Innovation and Business Leadership Circle is currently participating in preparations for the National Innovation Strategy, which is headed
by Oman’s Scientific Research Council in collaboration with the Ministry
of Commerce and Industry and other governmental and private authorities,
including the Foundation of Intellectual Property.
The university is playing an integral part of the team in charge of preparing
the national intellectual property strategy. This seeks to build institutional
research and development capacities and attain greater economic returns
from research through the transfer of technology from research institutions
to the industrial sector.
Receiving and Assessing Invention Disclosure Requests
The University’s Innovation and Business Leadership Centre has received
a number of invention disclosure requests for patent protection. Twelve applications have been received since last April and includdrequests in the
fields of Nano-Technology, Networks, Mechanics, the Environment, Commerce and Education. These inventions were evaluated for their novelty
through a preliminary search in the refereed and non-refereed patent and
scientific publications and databases of Becker and Poliakoff, legal and
business strategists, and Thomson Reuters, a major intellectual property
company. Applicants have been notified of the assessment outcome and the
possibility of further registration procedures for invention requests satisfying the requirement of novelty.
The initial examination of the applications is a key step in receiving innovation disclosure requests and provides a picture on the possibility of
accepting the invention as a patent well before placing it in the intellectual
property registration office. It is also beneficial for inventors to know what
his counterparts throughout the world have achieved in his field of expertise
and use this to enhance development of his innovation.
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Book
Book at a Glance
A Book on Quantitative Social Science Research
with Explanatory Illustrations
Focused on reading and interpreting results, with a glossary of translated technical terms
The book Quantitative Social Research Technique, published
by the Deanship of Research Scientific Publishing Service,
offers a technique serving social sciences and the area of
quantitative research in particular.
The book’s author, Dr. Abdullah Al-Misrati, starts from the
assumption that the reader or the trainee has some computer
skills as well as a solid background in the concepts used in
research methods. Focusing on examples from research that
he and other sociologists have carried out, the author focuses
his discussion on the use of statistical programs in the area of
data processing and field research
in connection with social and
human sciences.
Chapter One of the book starts
with an overview of different
social research techniques, their
use, advantages and different
aspects, and concludes with a set
of basic concepts in the area of
data analysis, such as ‘variables’,
‘hypotheses’,
‘scheduling’,
‘significance levels’, and other
such concepts.
Chapter Two focuses on data entry
methods and data-base creation and
provides a detailed discussion of
the steps researchers should follow
to enter their research data into
the computer. He explains how to
decode answers, identify variables
using the Arabic language, encode
data and calculate new variables by using the SPSS program
with ease and accuracy.
Chapter Three explains in detail the use of qualitative
techniques in presenting social research data. It discusses
data classification, the use of percentages in tables, as well
as giving a detailed explanation of types of charts and graphs
and the use of data to reveal quantitative as well as qualitative
social variables.
Chapter Four deals with methods of dealing with quantitative
data through available quantitative modalities, such as
measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion.
In addition, it reviews data exploration techniques and other
techniques for testing and transforming homogeneity and
deriving contrast measures among groups.
Chapter Five addresses hypothesis testing techniques through
the use of statistical analysis methods available in the SPSS
program, taking the type of data, its nature and level of
measurement into account.
Chapter Six focuses on the use of nonrestricted or non-barometric statistics
in analyzing transactions in sociology
and social sciences, since most social
research does not meet the conditions
of restricted statistics.
In the seventh and final chapter of the
book, the author instructs readers how
to determine the link between simple
and control variables, while showing
equal concern for linear, non-linear
and logistical regression with all its
different types.
The book is important, not only
because it provides actual examples
taken from social science, analyzes
these and applies them to the SPSS
program, but also in the method it
adopts, which consists of reading and analyzing the program
results,esthus making it easier for trainee researchers to
benefit from the large amount of numerical information
offered by the program at the time of any statistical process.
The author has also included a glossary of technical terms
translated for the benefit of those who aspire to Arabize such
a program in the future.
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Conferences
Studying the Possibility of Approving the Electronic
Signature as an Alternative to the Traditional Signature
Dr. Rashid Bin Hamed Al-Belushi, from
the College of Law, presented a paper
entitled “The Crime of Electronic Signature Forgery in Omani Legislation” at the
Eleventh College of Law Conference on
Informatics Crimes, held in Jordan, 5th 7th May, 2015.
Dr. Rashid made it clear in his paper that,
given successive developments in the field
of modern computer sciences and information technology, there was an urgene
need, especially among legislators and
people involved in informatics or electronic crimes, for the study of the drawbacks
and risks associated with electronic signature. Technological advances have made
the electronic transfer and dissemination
of information and documents faster and
easier, but a number of legal problems and
abuses have emerged as a result, for example, in the area of electronic trading Such
problems did not arise when authorization
with the traditional signature method prevailed.
The traditional signature in the law of
evidence, Al-Belushi explained, is a paper
document only; the electronic signature
raises a number of issues. It is not consistent with the traditional signature in terms
of evidence. On the other hand, the handwritten signature is not accommodated by
modern means of information transfer, for
it cannot keep pace with the speed associated with electronic processing of information.
Dr. Rashid also pointed out that the key issues to be resolved are first, the possibility of approving the electronic signature as
an acceptable alternative to the traditional
signature under the Law of Evidence, and
secondly, how to protect such signatures
from criminal forgery. These issues cald
for a review of legal rules applicable in
administrative and commercial penal legislation, and for a reconsideration of information transfer and an enactment of the required legislation to sanction the electronic
signature and give it penal protection.
More than 300 Scientific Papers Presented at International Conferences in 2015
Regional and international conferences are a platform for publishing scientific papers and a venue for meeting researchers and academics from different parts of the world. This year, more than 300
scientific papers have been presented by SQU academics from the
different colleges, units and research centers in the university, a
significant increase on the number of presentations made in 1014.
The College of Education leads with 51 scientific papers presented at conferences in 2015, closely followed by the College of Arts
and Social Sciences. The Colleges of Engineering and Sciences
come next, with the College of Nursing lagging with three conference presentations.
Other research centers and units in the university also presented
papers at conferences in 2015. The Language Centre was a clear
leader in 2014 with 27 scientific papers; other centers presented
5 papers. This year, the Language Center has made 12 presentations, and other research units have made 13.
The overall increase in the number of papers presented reflects the
intensified focus on conducting scientific research in the University.
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Study
Grid-Based Communication Schemes for
Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks
Basil Arafa - College of Science
Given the importance of oceans and
seas for human life, discovering the
unexplored underwater regions has
become more important in the last decades. Traditional methods of monitoring underwater environments have
several drawbacks. The underwater environments are inhospitable to human
presence because of the unpredictable
nature of underwater activity, high water pressure, and the vast areas of unexplored territory.
For these reasons, unmanned techniques are increasingly used for monitoring and exploring deep-sea regions.
Recently, Underwater Wireless Sensor
Networks (UWSNs) have attracted the
interest of many researchers. UWSNs
consist of a variable number of sensor
nodes, and Autonomous Underwater
Vehicles (AUVs) that are deployed to
perform collaborative monitoring tasks
over a given area. UWSNs are envisioned to become the enabling technology for a broad range of aquatic applications.
However, UWSNs are different from
terrestrial sensor networks (i.e., groundbased sensor networks). The major difference is in using acoustic signals as
a transmission medium. Acoustic signals are the only feasible medium that
works satisfactorily in underwater environments, compared to radio signals
or optical links.
Routing is a fundamental problem that
needs to be solved for large-area coverage in energy-limited UWSNs. The
current routing protocols for terrestrial
mobile and ad hoc networks are usually
categorized into proactive, reactive, or
geographic routing protocols. Proactive and reactive protocols are not
suitable for underwater sensor networks, because they incur exces-
sive reliance on flooding techniques.
On the other hand, geographic routing
protocols can be a possible solution
for UWSNs. These protocols rely on
the availability of information to each
sensor node of their neighboring nodes,
and the location of the destination for
forwarding data packets. However, although very promising, these protocols
provide some challenges in underwater environments. The main problem
is that localization facilities based on
Global Positioning Systems (GPS),
as in terrestrial sensor networks, are
not available for underwater environments, because a GPS frequency band
cannot propagate in water. In general,
most of the existing proposed routing
schemes suffer from low performance
with node mobility, low packet delivery ratio in sparse networks, and high
energy drainage in dense networks and
at nodes near the sinks.
The main objective of this project is to
design and evaluate the performance of
new efficient geographic communication protocols for UWSNs that solve
major weaknesses in existing protocols related to reliability, scalability
and energy conservation. The project
will include the design and evaluation
of multipath routing algorithms and
broadcasting algorithms based on
new efficient mechanisms for
node clustering, localization
and energy conservation.
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Study
e
Aiming to Build Human Capacity
Emerging Applications to Verify Nanaofluid
Thermal Conductivity Techniques
Mohamed Mansour - College of Sciences
Nanotechnology plays
an important role in the
development of modern,
21st-century
devices
for practical use. One
very important aspect
of nanotechnology concerns the heating, cooling and cleanliness of
nano-devices, crucially
important for their proper functioning. The term
nanofluid is applied to
any given fluid (such as
water, ethylene, glycol
or engine oil). Nanofluid is known as a ‘basic fluid’ and consists
of nanometric particles
(such as aluminum, copper, titanium, gold and
silver), or contains oxides (such as aluminum
oxide or titanium dioxide), or features carbides
(such as silicon carbide),
or includes nitrides (such
as aluminum or silicon
nitride) and nonmetals
(such as graphite or nano-carbon pipelines).
The suspended particles
in nanofluid produce a
phenomenon known as
thermophoresis, which
means that small-size
particles suspended in a
non-fixed fluid temperature will acquire speed in
the direction of decreasing temperature. This is
what provides nano-particles with a high thermal
load connection and high
thermal transmission, in
comparison with a basic
fluid. The thermophoretic force in nano-fluids
has a number of practical
applications in connection with thermal transmission in fields such as
micro-electronics, fuel
cells,
pharmaceutical
processing or hybrid engines.
A research team working
in this field at Sultan Qaboos University is investigating convective heat
transfer thermophoresis
with different flow and
thermal conditions in
various geometries. The
mathematical model of
the proposed nano-fluid
problem will be examined analytically and/or
simulated numerically.
The results will be interpreted physically and
their implications will be
identified.
Because a number of
relevant aspects of nanofluids are being investigated, the project will
provide
opportunities
for training personnel at
different levels of education to carry out the
project, thereby contributing positively to capacity building in an important and topical area
of scientific research.
The project will employ
one Post-Doc researcher,
one PhD and two MSc
students, and several
undergraduate students.
Involving undergraduate
students in the project
will develop their interest in the field.
Successful completion
of the project is expected to produce some understanding of the role
boundaries of nano-devices and of the various
types of nanoparticles
instrumental in the heating and cleanliness of
these devices.
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Study
After Verifying the Seriousness of the Case
on the Grounds of Global Research
Abdominal Body Fat and its Correlation
with Heart Diseases in Women
Dr. Jumana Saleh - College of Medicine and Health Sciences
As women age, biochemical and hormonal changes occur in their bodies
leading to abdominal fat accumulation
and increased waist circumference, a
feature typically found also in males.
Many studies have shown that abdominal body fat is strongly linked to the development of heart disease, stroke and
diabetes both in men and in postmenopausal women. These disorders occur
as a result of metabolic disturbances,
including dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and increased levels of harmful
biochemical markers in serum, which
contribute to endothilial injury, leading
to cholesterol accumulation and hardening and blockage of blood vessels
that supply the heart and vital organs.
These events constitute the atherosclerosis process that happens slowly over
time without clear consequences until
the patient develops life-threatening
symptoms of heart attack or stroke. The
common perception that heart disease is
a man’s problem is not true. On the contrary, more women die from heart attacks
than men, and heart disease is number
one killer of women worldwide. It has
been reported that one in three women
die from heart disease, mostly attributed
to atherosclerosis, while one in 30 die
of cancer. During menopause, women
become more vulnerable to atherosclerosis. It has been recently reported that
the death rate from cardiovascular diseases has decreased among men, but
continues to increase in women. This is
mainly due to poor follow-up of initial
(atypical) symptoms of a heart attack in
women that often go unnoticed, as many
women do not recognize the symptoms
of a heart attack. Omani women are no
exception: 53.5% of Omani women are
abdominally obese, compared to 19.7%
abdominally obese men, and many of
these women suffer from metabolic
consequences of this prominent health
problem. Unfortunately, most women
in Oman fail to understand that obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, is
linked to increased cardiovascular risk.
In this regard, a research team at Sultan
Qaboos University is examining major
cardiovascular risk serum markers and
exploring their association with body
fat percentage and fat
distribution patterns
in
reproductive,
perimenopausal
and
postmenopausal women.
bolic risk factors and fat storage hormones. The key concern of this study
is to identify disease markers which can
contribute to an early detection of cardiovascular risk, thus enabling women
to undertake preventive measures, such
as adopting healthy lifestyle habits, exercising and taking appropriate treatments at the right time.
This study will be
conducted with the
participation of 400 Omani
women including reproductive, perimenopausal and post-menopausal
women. It will focus in particular on the menstrual cycle phase,
when samples will be collected
and investigated. A 6 ml sample
of venous blood will be taken
from each patient, together with
anthropometric measures to determine fat percentage and waist and
skinfold thickness the women. A
questionnaire will be distributed to
all women, and laboratory analysis
of the biochemical parameters of the
blood samples will be carried out,
including cardiovascular and meta-
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