Issue No. 3 - August 2015
‫علمي‬
Challenges facing investment in research findings
Researchers call for
workable legislations
The Director of Earth Sciences Research Center to Tawasul:
Gold is available in the Sultanate to
varying degrees as a secondary source
Prof. Hosni Nasr:
New Media .. and
Reinventing the
Wheel!
july 2015 english.indd 1
Dr. Patrick :
Dr. Raed Abed
Existence of Various Types
of Amblyomma variegatum
in the Sultanate
A Study on Bacterial
Secondary Transporters
Living in the Desert of Oman
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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. Charles Leo Campbell
Design and Production
Scientific Publishing and
Outreach Department
‫دائرة النشر العلمي والتواصل بعمادة البحث العلمي‬
4
23
Main news
Microscope
Restructuring the
Scientific Research
Council at Sultan
Qaboos University
13
Can the blood of
young donors help
resist aging for
older adults?
Academic Publication and
Out reach Department
Book at a Glance
Study
Role of Plastic
Arts in Supporting
Academic, Social and
Psychological Practices
16
Feature
The Queries About
the Reality of
Scientific Research
at Sultan Qaboos
University
july 2015 english.indd 2
27
PHOTOGRAPHIC FIELD GUIDE TO THE PLANTS OF THE
WESTERN HAJAR MOUNTAINS, SULTANATE OF OMAN
with a complete checklist of vascular plant species
Annette Patzelt
Photographic Field
Guide to the Plants
of the Western
Hajar Mountains,
Sultanate of Oman
28
Conferences
A Scientific Paper
Reveals the Existence
of Various Types of
Amblyomma variegatum
in the Sultanate
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Editorial
y
The mining sector represents one of the promising sectors for economic growth in the Sultanate as well as a bet and an option for the
future to diversify alternative sources to oil income. Therefore, the
government is keen on giving this sector a great deal of attention,
arising from its belief in its importance and the fact that it contains
multiple investment opportunities.
ell
d
The Mining
Sector … The
Future Bet
The correlation between the Sultanate and mining is not new, since,
over the ages, the Sultanate was well-known for mining and particularly for copper mined in commercial quantities. Studies specializing
in the mining sector have revealed that the Sultanate has a myriad of
resources including chromium, dolomite, zinc, gypsum, limestone,
silica, copper, gold, cobalt and iron, which means that large investment possibilities in this vital sector are possible.
With the depletion of oil and oil price fluctuation, an urgent need
to promote investment in the mining sector emerges so that it will
contribute to the national economy on the one hand and provide employment opportunities for Omani labor on the other, in addition to
achieving other direct and indirect benefits to the overall development of the Sultanate.
Without a doubt, investment in this sector requires studies, explorations, excavations in several areas and taking advantage of opportunities without overlooking the importance of preserving the Omani environment while carrying out this profit-making endeavor. This aim
would be possible to achieve only with the help of scientific research
which offers effective solutions and optimum ways to take advantage
of this important sector.
Since Sultan Qaboos University is keen to promote scientific research
and guide its efforts toward serving the Omani community socially,
politically and economically, it has created the Earth Sciences Research Center to offer studies, to serve as a venue for geological research activities and to contribute to providing available expertise in
the field of multi-directional applied research, particularly with respect to oil and mineral wealth.
The current Tawasul issue includes a dialogue with the Director of
the Earth Sciences Research Center in which he highlights the importance of the mining sector in the Sultanate, the roles of the center in
particular and that of the university in general in conducting studies
and providing consultations in cooperation with competent authorities in a way that guarantees the Sultanate’s profitability from this
important and reliable sector.
Editors
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Main news
Restructuring the Scientific Research Council at
Sultan Qaboos University
Sultan Qaboos University
Council has recently adopted the restructuring of the
University Research Council. The new composition of
the Council developed from
an increase in the number of
research projects supported
by various types of funding,
the need to find a mechanism of work, the formation
of an ever-growing administrative body capable of
interacting with the dynamics of research mobility, the
Scientific Research Council’s need to work alongside
all research activities and
work on developing them,
to face the various challenges and overcome all
difficulties that may hamper
the progress of scientific research activities at the university. Another reason for
restructuring the council is
the need to develop research
policy plans with a view to
identifying the country’s
outline of industry, agriculture and other areas for
the purpose of promoting
research centers and units
which provide outcomes
in scientific research with
benefits in all walks of life.
In accordance with the new
membership, the Scientific
Research Council is headed by the Vice-Chancellor
of Postgraduate Studies
and Research and Council
members include: ViceChancellor of Administrative and Financial Affairs
or a designated alternate,
Dean of Research, Dean of
Postgraduate Studies, Assistant Deans of Postgraduate Studies and Research,
two faculty members with
at least the rank of Associate Professor, and two directors of research centers.
The Scientific Research
Council meets once during
the academic year at the request of its chairman or half
of its members in order to
study research project proposals, their budgets and
recommendations concerning them. The Council will
also consider the establishment of research centers
and chairs and propose scientific research ethics and
engage in other issues.
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News
The Official Inauguration
of the Academic Innovation
Assistance Program
Under the auspices of His Excellency Dr. Hilal Bin Ali Al-Hinai,
Secretary-General of the Scientific Research Council, and in
the presence of His Excellency
Dr. Ali Bin Saud Al-Bimani,
SQU’s President, the academic
innovation assistance program
was inaugurated on Thursday,
the 21st of May 2015. The establishment of this program is the
result of a partnership between
Sultan Qaboos University and
the Scientific Research Council
with the intention of promoting
innovation, entrepreneurial leadership, and creating a university
system that is grounded in leadership, innovation, and is closely
linked to the national economy.
The program seeks to develop
the creative and innovative capacity of faculty members and
students, address institutional
innovation challenges, and facilitate the transfer of innovative
research results. The program
also aims to take advantage of an
integration between the existing
expertise and resources in the
Circle for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership and the
Scientific Research Council’s innovation complex.
Involves the Gulf Cooperation
Council Markets:
A Study to Document the Extent
of Using Manipulation Techniques
in the Cash Component
A research team from the
College of Commerce and
Political Science, headed by
Dr. Khalid Al Amri, is conducting a scientific study
on profit management techniques by private and public
companies. The study aims to
document the extent of using
manipulation techniques in
the cash component by companies in the Gulf market. A
considerable number of studies on companies around the
world proved the existence of
the phenomenon of manipulating profit calculations and
figures. It was also noted that
many of the studies which
addressed this phenomenon
made use of data relating to
accounting firms in America
and Europe. This raises a
concern on the applicability of these studies’ results
to markets with privacy such
as the markets of developing
countries like GCC countries,
since the tax system and disclosure laws in these states
differ greatly from that of
America and Europe.
And on this subject, D r .
Khalid Al Amri says:
“The phenomenon
of manipulation or
profit management can
be related to
companies’
attempts
to
manipulate figures in order to
achieve a particular goal and
most of the time to make profits bigger than they really are.
Profits are composed of two
elements namely monetary
profits and deferred receivables. This is the reason why
the companies can manipulate
earnings by trying to change
one of these elements”.
And on the advantages involving Gulf markets, Al
Amri says: “Gulf markets
represent an interesting and
unique environment with
regard to studies on profit
management. Thus, these
markets lack high levels of
governance, the disclosure
standards and the preparation
of financial statements and
reports may not be applied as
required. There is also lack
of active and strict rules to
control which contribute to a
reduction of the companies’
ability to manipulate its calculation figures. This is in
addition to the fact that the
level of financial analysis in
these markets is limited
and shallow in so far
as it limits the investors’ ability to
detect any frauds
in the companies’
figures”.
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Interview
The Director of Earth Sciences Research Center to Tawasul:
Gold is available in the Sultanate to varying degrees as
a secondary source
Sultan Qaboos University gives tangible attention
to research centers in line with its belief in the
crucial importance of efforts to strengthen
research capacity and pave the way for an adequate
environment for academics and researchers to
conduct their experiments and studies. Thus,
Earth Sciences Research Center is one of the most
recently created research centers at the university
since it was founded in September 2014.
I approached Earth Sciences Research Center,
through an interview with the center Director
Dr. Subhi Nassr, to know about its roles, efforts,
visions and future plans.
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Interview
Q: What are the functions of the University’s
Center?
The rapid growth in geological research methods and the
community’s need for geological guidance and services
together with the geologically
privileged location of the Sultanate, and the crucial importance of scientific, geological
research about it, represent the
main motives for the establishment of a center for earth sciences research. The center will
serve as a research venue for
geologists within the university, and will ,thus, contribute
to provide them with the expertise available in multiple
research trends in the field of
geology, and in the area of petroleum and mineral wealth in
particular. Plenty of geological
research references on the Sultanate are available including
books, journal articles, weather
reports, maps and photos. The
compilation and classification
of these data is only part of
the center’s key duties where
a base for geological data will
be founded in the Sultanate and
where intensive training, workshops and courses in relation to
earth sciences will be provided.
We aspire to a center capable
not only of providing advisory
and analytical services, support
and guidance in excavation
operation and service evaluation, but also able to provide
assistance and advice with regard to engineering and touristic geology, geological natural
reserves, and to offer advisory
services to the community and
The mountains of Oman have
unprecedented geological manifestations
the industry. We also aspire to
be a distinguished and internationally accredited center.
Q. What are the Center’s
main achievements in
relation to research and
studies, one year after its
establishment?
research proposal on the industrial usage of mud is another project submitted to the
scientific research council for
research funding. Two research
projects on Omani meteors
and the economic viability of
Omani carbonate rocks were
completed and project reports
were submitted.
A geological data base will be
established in the Sultanate
Conducting strategic geological research for the development of mineral wealth is the
primary purpose of the center.
Therefore, the center has submitted projects for research
funding and the first proposal
on the study, exploration and
assessment of bricks, marble
and granite received research
funding through His Majesty’s
scholarship fund. The second
Q. There has been much
talk in the Sultanate
about the mining sector
and the inability to make
optimal use of it. What
ideas and visions do you
suggest to achieve an optimal utilization of the
Sultanate’s natural resources?
The development of the Sultanate depends mainly on its petroleum reserves and mineral
wealth, and the adequate development of such reserves is very
important to keep pace with the
increasing demand on energy
resources, industrial expansion
and the developing infrastructure. The Sultanate represents
a natural and geological laboratory which can be used both in
educational and research activities insofar as the mountains of
Oman have geological manifestations unparalleled in the whole
world which involve all aspects
of earth science. The discovery
of oil in Oman led to the provision and dissemination of much
geological research about it. Yet,
there is a need for further research to explore geological raw
materials and sources of energy.
Quarries and open-pit mines
spread all over Oman where Al
Jaber rocks and limestone are
concretized, in addition to chro-
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Interview
mium, copper and gold mining.
The Center will undertake studies, research and consultations
on local efforts given the importance of concretizing, drilling
and mining operations.
ore in the Sultanate and that it
can only be detected through
chemical analysis. As for the
commercial quantities of gold,
they are available when each
ton of copper contains one
gram of gold, and these quan-
We offer services to postgraduate
students so that they become
productive geological nuclei
Q. Many queries were
raised on the discovery
of gold in the Sultanate
in the last few months:
Does the Sultanate have
large quantities of gold,
and if the answer is ‘Yes’,
how can we exploit and
benefit from it?
This subject is not new in the
Sultanate since the Center started a project a year ago in the
area of Wadi Al Jizi and Shnas
to excavate copper and gold.
This project will be completed,
God-willing, end of this year.
So far, we have achieved many
things, such as collecting large
quantities of slag from copper
fuse still containing quantities
of gold (especially secondary old slag). We have always
known that gold is a secondary
product and comes with copper
tities of gold are available, in
varying amounts, in the Sultanate together with copper in
Wadi Al-Jizi, Shnas, Arija and
Al Abyadh. Our study shows
mining excavation since all
stocks of copper in the Sultanate are in the form of horizontally-extended lenses which
expire with the completion of
drilling due to depending on
traditional excavation methods which end upon access to
groundwater.
Q. Academics agree that
media is an important
marketing tool for the
Centers’ academic reQ. What type of connec- search. How closely does
tions exist between the your Center collaborate
Center and societal insti- with media?
tutions outside the uni- A positive correlation exists
versity?
between media and scientific
Connecting with institutions
outside the university reflects
the very nature of the Cen-
Financial support and recruitment of
competent researchers make the challenges
of scientific research more prominent
that a ton of copper in the Sultanate contains between 1 to a
maximum of 5 grams of gold,
with a few rare exceptions
reaching 20 grams in a ton.
What is required to achieve
an optimal utilization of such
commercial quantities is more
investment in mineral sectors,
facilitating investment procedures, the use of modern methods and a focus on underground
pation with strategic research
to become geological nuclei
capable of achieving high performance.
research development. Media
plays a key role in marketing the
Center’s research, highlighting
its functions and showcasing its
research as tangible reality.
Q. Tell us about the main
challenges facing earth
sciences’ research at the
ter’s research activities since university?
strong connections are made
with governmental institutions
in the field of earth sciences;
such as the mining committee,
the Ministry of Oil and Gas,
oil companies and companies
working in quarries and mining.
The provision of adequate
material support and the recruitment of highly qualified
researchers are the most obvious challenges facing research
centers since these centers need
to provide advanced analytical instruments in addition to a
technical staff to operate them.
We need a separate building
equipped with all types of
laboratories
Q. How is it possible to
make optimal use of the
top-performing university students to serve the
Center and its research?
Q. What are the adequate solutions for the
Center to overcome obstacles, face challenges
and achieve its goals?
The Center will provide Postgraduate students with services, graduation projects,
programs and workshops in
their studies program. The
Center will also provide them
with experimental and clinical
training through their partici-
The Center requires a private
building where all laboratories
needed in the initial phase are
provided as well as equipment,
researchers and adequate technical staff.
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News
Palm Trees Environment
in the Sultanate
Dr. Rashid Al Yahyai, from
the College of Agricultural
and Marine Sciences, is
working on a research proposal about the agricultural
environment of traditional
palm farms in the Sultanate.
The aim of this proposal is
to study agricultural environments in traditional farming
systems in order to identify
several aspects related to
their sustainability and the
extent of change caused by
modern agricultural systems
in traditional palm farms.
Throughout the project, field
studies will be conducted to
identify the different components of these environments
and which will include crop
diversity of agriculture under palm trees, the extent of
biodiversity, and the richness
of plant and animal species
Mathematical Models for
Ground Water Management in
Emergency Situations
in traditional farms in the
different governorates with
an aim to assess the current traditional biodiversity
and compare it with modern
farms.
The cultivation of traditional
crops is among the oldest
methods in the Sultanate of
Oman since orchard and field
crops were planted thousands
of years ago and adapted to
severe climate conditions
and scarcity of water for irrigation. With an updated farm
system in our time, such as
the use of modern irrigation
systems, standardizing and
following specific agricultural items and distances, the information on sustainable and
available agricultural roads
has declined gradually.
The scientific project undertaken by Dr. Shafi Triki is
concerned with how to meet
the emergency water supplies in the city of Muscat.
The aim of the project is to
develop a strategy for the
management of ground water
in such situations. Currently,
urban areas are supplied
with water by desalination plants and through the
pumping of ground water.
However, Water desalination could stop due to natural hazards such as cyclones
or the proliferation of harmful algal blooms. It is therefore imperative to develop a
mechanism that supports decision-making to help public
institutions come up with a
strategy for the management
of ground water in emer-
gency situations, a strategy
which relies on the optimal
approach (optimization) and
able to determine optimal
trade-offs between building
new reservoirs or improving
ground water management
and increasing the number
of wells.
It should be noted that the
nature of this interdisciplinary research requires information on an economic
analysis in order to identify
several possible options to
deal with emergency situations and on the techniques
of the optimal approach
for the purpose of building
mathematical models and
working methods to find
an optimal strategy for the
problem.
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News
A Study of the Correlation Between Protein
Degradation and Stomach Cancer Cells
Stomach cancer is ranked second as a main
cause of cancer-related death among Omanis. Cancer treatment includes tumor surgical ablation, chemotherapy and radiation.
These treatments have led to an increase in
the rates of survival but only for a limited
group of patients. Therefore, continuous
efforts have been made to search for other
vital treatments such as targeting organic
materials in relation to cancer.
Planted stomach cancer cells and western
blotting will be used in this study in order
to examine protein expression. The research
project will also investigate the effects of
Pgrmc1protein degradation on the proliferation and growth of planted intestinal
cancer cells by using a compound called
AG205, since no study has been previously
In this respect, Dr. Ikhlas Bint Said is conducting a research project which targets Tyrosine Kinase Receptors (RTK) by degrading a
protein called Pgrmc1 (Progesterone Receptor Membrane Component ) which is connected to the emergence of cancerous tumors.
The Development of Reliable
Indicators to measure acute Kidney
Shortage Disease
Kidney tissues are allergic to toxins including medicines,
which cause a quarter cases of acute kidney shortage disease
in patients with acute renal deficiencies. The traditional clinical kidney function indicators such as keratin start to rise only
when a substantial amount of functioning kidney tissues is
lost. Currently, there are vital indicators for an early and more
accurate detection of kidney functioning and its vulnerability to those medicines. However, the use of such indicators
requires simple, sensitive and economic laboratory methods.
From this standpoint, Dr. Mohammed Al Zaabi is conducting a research work entitled “Ways of Measuring Vital Indicators
in Urine and Plasma for Acute Kidney Shortage Disease”.
The study aims to develop sensitive, reliable and economically feasible methods to measure these vital indicators in urine
and plasma through the use of chromatography and spectrum
measuring instruments. Doctor Mohammed made it clear that
innovative measurement methods will help identify kidney
shortage disease patients early, provide them with the adequate treatment and prevent their entering the chronic kidney
failure stage. Dr Zaabi insisted that the results of the study
will hopefully benefit both Omani and non-Omani patients
worldwide.
conducted on the correlation of this protein
with the development and stimulation of
stomach cancer cells.
It is expected that the results of this research
project will reveal more about protein particles which play an important role in the
cells’ chemical correspondence and, therefore, are likely to be used either as biological indicators in the early detection of stomach cancer or as treatment targets.
Future plans of this research include cooperation with Sultan Qaboos Hospital and the
Royal Hospital to detect biological markers
in cancerous tumors or blood samples of patients with stomach cancer.
A Study on the
Early Detection
of Acute Renal
Patients
A research team from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences headed by Dr. Mohammed Zaabi is seeking to find ways
to measure vital indicators in urine and plasma for acute renal
disease for an early identification of kidney shortage patients and
providing them with the adequate treatment to help them avoid
reaching the stage of chronic renal failure.
Kidney tissues are among the most sensitive tissues to toxin including medicines which represent a quarter of the reasons for
the incidence of acute renal shortage for critically ill patients.
The traditional macro-economic indicators of kidney function
such as creatinine and urea begin to rise only when a substantial
amount of kidney tissue is lost. Currently, new vital signs are
available for an early and accurate detection of kidney function
and the extent of their vulnerability to those medicines, but their
use requires simple, economic and sensitive laboratory methods.
In this regard, attempts will be made to develop sensitive, reliable and economic methods to measure such vital indicators in
urine and plasma through the use of an chromatography and
gauge bloc spectrum.
It should be noted that the results of this research will be useful
for both Omani, non-Omani and all other patients all over the
world.
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Study
Safety profile and therapeutic use of black ink from Omani
fishes in two experimental models of osteoporosis in rats
Toxicity effects:
Toxicity of the ink will be
examined on 4 groups of 10
rats each. One group of rats
(control) will not receive
the ink and the remaining 3
groups will be fed gauged
varying amounts of the ink,
for specific time periods to
evaluate acute, sub-acute
and chronic toxicities. The
rats will be killed and the
effect of the ink on major
organs will be evaluated.
Treatment and prevention:
The efficacy of the ink in
the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis will be
evaluated on 144 rats. The
rats will be divided into 6
groups of 24 rats each:
Dr. Hadia Bererhi, of the
Department of Medical
Physics at SQU Hospital is
conducting a research project entitled: SAFETY PROFILE AND THRERAPEUTIC USE BLANK INK
FROM OMAN FISHES IN
TWO EXPERIMENTAL
MODELS OF OSTEOPOROSIS IN RATS.
Osteoporosis, Dr. Bererhi
explains is a major health
problem affecting millions
of individuals worldwide
and Oman is no exception.
There is strong experimental as well as anecdotal evi-
dence that black ink from
fishes may prevent bone
loss and may therefore be
used for the prevention and
treatment of osteoporosis.
Dr. Bererhi says that the aim
of this study is to evaluate
the toxicity and the efficacy
of the black ink substance
obtained from Omani fishes
in treating and preventing
bone-loss induced by using
two experimental models of
osteoporosis in rats: ovariectomy (OVC) and corticosteroid (COR) administration.
•
Group 1: OVC group
to be compared with
sham operated group
and used to measure the
efficacy of the ink in
prevention
•
Group 2: OVC group
to be compared with
sham operated group
and used to measure the
efficacy of the ink in
treatment
•
Group 3: Sham operated group
•
Group 4: COR
administered
group
to be compared with
normal control (NC)
group and used to measure the efficacy of the
ink in prevention
•
Group 5: COR administered group to be
compared with normal
control (NC) group and
used to measure the
efficacy of the ink in
treatment
•
Group 6: normal control (NC) group
After 6 weeks — the estimated time for osteoporosis to develop in OVC and
COR rats — each group
will be subdivided into four
sub-groups of 6 rats which
will receive either zero,
low, medium or high ink
doses (Note: Groups 1 and
4, the prevention groups,
will receive ink doses immediately following OVC
and COR). Bone biopsies
and blood biochemistry at
baseline and at specific intervals during the study will
be performed to evaluate
the effect of the ink on
bone metabolism.
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News
Improving Production Through
Irrigation and the use of
Machinery and Pesticides
A research team from the College of Agricultural Science and Marine headed by Dr. Michael Deedman is
conducting a study on the decision-making procedure
in relation to pesticides in the agricultural society in the
north of the Sultanate. The study aims to find ways to
increase focus on agriculture revenues and improve production through irrigation and the use of machinery and
pesticides. The research process involves the development of the agricultural policy by the highest levels of
the government including support of international conventions and protocols and the mechanisms implementing such policies and their impacts on farms especially
with regard to the safety of using pesticides.
The Use of Vegetable Remnants
to Feed Omani Animals
High cost of fodder is one of
the main obstacles to animal
production in the Sultanate,
and this problem can be overcome by using non-traditional,
cheap and locally available
fodder. In this respect, Dr Othman Mahjoub is conducting a
research project entitled “The
Use of Vegetable Remnants to
Feed Animals” which aims to
explore the possibility of us-
of vital laboratory methods, the
applicability of fodder digestion to animal body and more
particularly to the belly’s vital and chemical environment.
The third phase would test the
feeding of goats with fodder
made from Suq Al Mawaleh
vegetable remnants as alternative Rhodes grass. Dr Othman
also pointed out that the daily
feeding rate, weight increase
ing fresh vegetable remnants to
feed animals in the Sultanate.
Dr Othman claimed that remnants will be dried, biologically
treated and mixed with other
remnants. The objectives of the
study, he added, will evolve in
three stages. The first stage will
determine the chemical composition of fodder made from vegetable remnants before and after treatment. The second stage
will determine, through the use
and food conversion rate will
be measured, that animal health
will be monitored and that
animals will be slaughtered to
study the impact of nutrition on
them as well as the quality of
meat. It is expected, the Doctor
insisted, that this project will
contribute to reducing the cost
of animal nutrition and shed
more light on the peculiar characteristics of goat nutrition and
digestion.
The process will also seek knowledge about farms, the
safe use of pesticides and the factors protecting and preventing the spread and implementation of such knowledge, in addition to exploring the effectiveness of the
existing extension services with regard to the safety of
pesticides. A survey will be conducted to examine the
existing pesticides and the current legislative systems in
relation to pesticides and awareness and available methods to transfer knowledge among farmers.
It is worth mentioning that in the last few years a number of legislations aimed to promote a more sustainable
production through the prevention of some banned pesticides, the promotion of organic agriculture, a focus on
education, raising awareness among farmers and, more
important given the nature of the labor market in Oman,
relying on migrant non-trained labor.
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Study
A Study on the Role of Plastic Arts in Supporting
Academic, Social and Psychological Practices
Plastic arts play a prominent
role in accelerating students’
creative, academic, social
and cultural skills. Current
studies revealed the deep
impact of arts education on
schools, educational institutions and community education including higher educational institutions.
The new role of plastic arts
is to accelerate skills and attitudes that go beyond technical skills to include other
efficient and adequate performative skills in academic
and non-artistic fields.
From this standpoint, Doctor
Fakhriya Al-Yahyaia is conducting a research project
entitled «The Role of Plastic
Arts in Support of Academic, Social, Psychological
and Art Practices in Omani
Higher Education Institutions». This study indicates
that plastic art education has
positive effects on the development of academic, social
and psychological skills as
well as technical skills in
university students.
as his/her usual academic
study. In order to achieve the
main objective of this study,
researchers will adopt a descriptive analytical approach
and will involve all higher
educational institutions in
the Sultanate. A representative sample of 200 male and
female students will be selected from six governmental and private educational
institutions.
The study will focus on the
quality and impact of the
role of plastic arts activities
on Omani higher education
institutions, with reference
to its impact in supporting
academic, social and psychological aspects of art
practices, thus shaping a
student’s personality as well
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Study
The First of Its Kind
A study verifies: New media occupies
the first place in private and public use
The role of communication in the area of public
relations is one of the main
components of public relation activities through
which an institution’s objectives and activities to
communicate with its internal and external audience
are reflected. Thus, communication is a vital and key
element to public relation
activities because it is the
main tool for institutions
to deliver their messages
to their target audience and
reach a consensus based on
shared interests.
From this standpoint, the
researcher Ahmed Bin Ali
Al Maqbali conducted a research study in fulfillment
of a Master’s degree entitled: “The Role of Communication in Public Relations: A Comparative Study
between Public and Private
Sectors in the Sultanate”.
The study aims to identify
the nature of the communicative function in the area
of public relations and in
relation to both the public
and private sectors in the
Sultanate by identifying the means of
communication
they use, to what
extent
they
make use
of traditional
and new media when communicating with the public,
the myriad communication
patterns and the importance
of public relations’ role and
objectives for both sectors. The study also seeks
to identify the value and
vital role of planning and
research in the communication process for public and
private institutions, in addition to providing recommendations to maximize
communication efficiency
in both sectors in Oman.
The importance of this
study lies in the fact that it
is, to the researcher’s best
knowledge, the first of its
kind addressing the role
of communication in public relation departments of
the private and public sectors in the Sultanate. Thus,
the study’s results provide
a reliable data base for fu-
ture research for the purpose of comparing and
measuring changes in the
area of communication for
public relations in Omani
institutions, in addition to
offering data that can be
used to build on and benefit
from in order to develop the
communicative function of
public relations in public
and private institutions.
Results of the study show
that the number of males
in leadership positions in
the area of public relations is higher than the
number of females in both
private and public sectors.
In the public sector, 80 %
of leadership positions are
occupied by males and 20
% are occupied by females.
In the private sector, 65 %
of males are leading managing positions against 35
leading positions, which
is 15 % higher than in the
public sector. The study results also show that the age
category of the group holding leadership positions
in public relations departments varies from 25 up to
36 and can be categorized
as follows: In the public
sector, the age category
less than 25 years represent 10 %, the age category
group aged 35 years and
above represent 20 %. In
the private sector, the highest percentage for the age
category group from 25 to
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Visions
36 reached 70 % while the age category from
36 to less than 45 years was 20 % and the age
category group less than 25 years was 10 %.
Results of the study also show that the percentage of Bachelor degree holders in the
public sector occupied the first position
reaching 65 % and 80 % in the private sector. Secondary school certificate holders occupied the second position in the public sector with 25 %, while the number of Master’s
degree holders was 5 % in both sectors. Additionally, results show that public relation
employees working in the governmental sector belong to three main study majors as follows: 35.3 % majoring in public relations, 40
% in management and 6.7 % in linguistics.
In the private sector, however, employees
majoring in management reached 42.1 %, in
public relations 31.2 %, in media, journalism, marketing and linguistics 5.3 %.
With regard to communication tools used by
both governmental and public sectors, the
study shows that journalism and new media
are more widely used, while the new tools
used by both sectors to communicate with
their internal and external audience are various .
The study also revealed that the private sector uses communication tools, and that of social networking sites in particular, more often than the public sector, which shows that
its use by the private sector is by far higher
than that of the public sector.
The study also revealed that planning
and research in the field of communication constitute the nerve center and the
main source of job opportunities for the
private sector and that they are of less
importance for the public sector. To illustrate, results indicated that 45 % of
governmental institutions practice planning, while 95 % of sampled private
institutions practice it. The study similarly showed that 85 % of private institutions conduct scientific research
whereas 20 % of public institutions do so.
The study concluded that communication
work in both sectors is facing a number
of challenges related to human resources,
the budget assigned to accomplish activities, and the funding and support from top
management and institutions.
New Media .. and
Reinventing the Wheel!
Professor Hosni Mohammed Nasr
Why do most of our researchers tend to ignore the study of new phenomena surrounding
the use of new media and its impact, be it positive or negative, on its users, especially
among young people. Why are our researchers lagging behind their counterparts in
dealing with the hottest research areas in this field? And why do they focus only on
doing the same research time and again on issues and problems the rest of the world has
stopped researching.
I am raising these questions further to a talk I had with a number of postgraduate students
from the Department of Information Studies who came to discuss their Master’s degree
projects in new media with me. I found out that all their proposals poured into what
some people would call: “reinventing the wheel”, which is an expression used by
researchers when they spend time and energy exploring a dead subject in search of
well-established definitions the world has already stopped investigating. It suffices to
skim through a sample study in the social and human sciences to find that researchers
working in a given field open their research work with a whole chapter on definitions,
concepts, historical development, importance of the study, etc. without contributing to
the field with innovative ideas.
For example, researchers in the field of public relations vainly dedicate a full chapter of
their study to regurgitate definitions offered by the founding fathers of public relations,
while researchers in the press are chewing over the same old ideas on how journalism
developed in the world, although the study is concerned with something else. We are
trying very hard to persuade students to start where others have ended and not to reinvent
the wheel, but this requires more than mere persuasion.
After a long final debate with the students, I managed, with considerable difficulty,
to persuade one of the researchers to focus on internet addiction phenomenon in the
Omani society, the manifestations, misuse of media and communication networks such
as social media and smartphone applications, and their impacts on both the individual
and society.
At the outset, the student said that the topic was difficult and new and I told him that
being so was the main requirement for scientific research. I also told him that the whole
world has shown concern for this phenomenon since the last decade of the twentieth
century, that we have an enormous heritage in this area after researchers have developed
quality scientific standards to measure this new type of addiction. In the Sultanate,
we have no studies dealing with this matter, whether from a psychological or media
communication standpoint.
With the spread of the internet and the escalating number of its users, which reached
billions, researchers directed their attention to the negative and gloomy aspects of
this new medium, with a particular emphasis on those media in relation to excessive
use and the inability to control it, which is scientifically referred to as “internet
addiction”.
This term has attracted researchers from various disciplines such as mental health,
psychology and information studies. At the national level, this international research
interest has not kept pace with such important research matters. We are keen to know
about the activities which represent an addiction for the network user and the causes
of addiction to the internet as a means of communication. We would also like to carry
out a practical investigation relating to other negative psychological effects such as
depression, and find out whether an intensive use of the internet results in a waste of
time which could have been spent with the family or friends and which may lead to
social retreat and thus reduce significant patterns for social support.
The time has come to incorporate scientific research into the field of social and human
sciences, to examine real issues facing the Omani society, to form national research
teams inside and outside the university in order to help young researchers to get out of
the reinventing cycle, joining and strengthening the global research cycle.
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Feature
Challenges facing investment in research findings
Researchers call for workable legislations
Research is the best path for the advancement of nations, as it is instrumental in generating and developing knowledge to produce goods and services that can achieve prosperity, welfare and sustainable development. Given the great development witnessed by the world in all fields of knowledge,
thanks to the investment in scientific research findings, the issue of research proves to be a stumbling
block to growth and development in the Arab world. The system of research can only advance when
freedom, support, funding, research facilities and human resources are put in place so as to ensure
scientific achievements that would contribute to the social progress at all levels. If these elements are
not provided, we will succumb and destine ourselves voluntarily to staying with the scientifically and
technologically underdeveloped countries leaving the theatre for others to invest in research and produce knowledge. On this issue, we had the following interview with some academics and researchers
at SQU who reflected on the major challenges facing the utilization of research findings and available
opportunities in this regard.
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Feature
Dhaif: the
overlap between
administrative
systems and research
centers is one problem
Dr. Ahmed Dhaif, a researcher at the Earthquake
Monitoring Center, has
stressed that research is the
locomotive of industrial,
social and economic development and the yardstick
against which to measure
the progress of nations. “The
disparity between the developed and developing countries is so evident, which
is due to the investment in
scientific research and the
application of its results in
all aspects of development.”
He remarks that the total
expenditures of any country on research and development and the percentage
of GDP (Gross Domestic
Product) spent on research
and development are considered two main indicators
for comparison between the
countries as to their research
and development potentials.
If we examine figures, he
says, we find these two indicators for different countries
score high in the industrialized countries that produce
and use technology and low
in the non-industrialized
countries that consume it.
The developed nations have
long realized the importance
of research and its results for
manufacturing technology,
which has had a significant
impact on achieving the development of societies.
Facts and figures
Dr. Dhaif pointed out that
the amount of money spent
on scientific research and
centers is never associated
with how big a country is in
terms of land or population.
Israel alone spends $6.1 billion while the Arab countries
spend a combined $1.7 billion. This difference made​​
Israel to earn $8 billion from
sophisticated industrial sales
during the period 2003-2005
only. In addition, North
America spends $281 billion on research and Japan
$98.1 billion. These figures
indicate where the leadership and development capabilities lie, which explains
the phenomenon of Arab
brain drain. About 54% of
the Arab students studying
abroad do not return to their
home countries and 31 % of
competent Arab professionals work in the West. Arab
countries urge bright young
students to study abroad and
when those young people see
those stimulating scientific
environments in the West,
they choose to stay there,
and thus the Arab countries
lose tens of billions of dollars every year.
He added that “97% of funding on research in the Arab
world comes from the pub-
lic sector, while in Canada
the public funding is 40%,
in America 30%, and in japan less than 20%. In this
context, the private sector in
Oman contributes relatively
larger funds than in most
Arab countries.”
Challenges
As to the major challenges
facing investment in research results, Dr. Dhaif referred to the legislations that
impede research and the lack
of a clear vision of its importance for the prosperity of
society. He also said that the
overlap between administrative systems and research
centers prevents scholars
to spend more time on research without regard to
those systems, in addition to
the absence of mechanisms
to implement policies of research and lack of interest
in industrial entities by linking industry to scientific research to market and finance
research and encourage researchers and adopt their
ideas. “There is also lack of
financial support necessary
to produce quality research
so as to lower the volume
of expenditure on research
compared to GDP, and no
attention is paid to teaching
mathematics and physics
so as to prepare competent
researchers, and there is no
way to have mutual cooperation between researchers and
international research centers in specific areas such as
space and nuclear energy.”
He underlined that the lack
of support for researchers
who tend to focus on leading
a decent life could be one
reason why the investment
in research results seems im-
possible. Researchers must
have interest in science only.
The failure to disseminate
a culture of research and
knowledge may be attributed to illiteracy, incompetent
educational system, poor
economic conditions, low
standard of living, absence
of teamwork, focus of researchers on doing research
for promotion purposes rather than on knowledge itself,
and absence of the media
that can commercialize the
results of scientific research
and contribute to the dissemination and transfer of these
results to those who can apply and benefit from them.
Strategic choice
Looking for a more prosperous future, Dr. Dhaif
goes on, the Arab world
should adopt scientific research as a strategic option
to take advantage of its human resources and natural
wealth and turn them into
manufactured products of
double value that can contribute efficiently to national
economies. That can only
be possible with a national
plan aimed at technology
innovation and production
not transfer and carried out
by all sectors, planning for
a quality educational system that would promote research, and providing the
infrastructure necessary to
guide cultural values to​​
wards research and development, rather than receiving
and dictating.
Challenges in the
Sultanate
Dr. Saeed Al Ismaili, Assistant Dean of the College
of Agricultural and Marine
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Feature
Sciences for Undergraduate
Studies, sees that the progress of nations cannot be
measured by how much they
spend on research only, but
more important is how much
research is put to application and invested in the various development sectors.
No doubt, he says, there are
many challenges facing the
investment in the results of
scientific research in the
Sultanate, including the lack
of mechanisms or clear legislations which would deal
with the implementation
of the recommendations
and outputs of scientific research and means of executing them. Very few research
works address the community service and development and offer solutions to
existing problems, whereas
the majority of research is
of purely theoretical or scientific nature. Other challenges have to do with lack
of contribution of the private
implementation of many research outputs, particularly
applied research, in addition
to the acquisition of information by state institutions
which would impede the
use of many of the research
Al Ismaili: lack
of support for
researchers is
another problem
sector in investing in the research outputs, the lack of
cooperation, coordination
and information exchange
between the public organizations and research and academic institutions, the insufficient human resources and
the inability of many public
institutions to manage the
outputs and in particular the
results of scientific research
that present facts and figures.
Proposals
Dr. Al Ismaili suggests for
delivering investments in
research findings the establishment of a professional or
government agency which
would be concerned with
monitoring the implementation of findings and submitting recommendations of
scientific research to decision-makers in the competent authorities, linking research polities with research
strategies for the overall development, and creating an
effective partnership with
the private sector to provide
partial or full funding so as to
promote some research studies, such as those of an innovative nature or economic
benefit for the society. He
also wants to see the private
sector taking charge of investing in the development
of some important research
results, more attention to
applied research that could
contribute to the development plans and solve some
problems, while not neglecting research of purely scientific nature, such as that
aimed at achieving progress
in a particular field of knowl-
edge; the establishment of
a database and education
workshops for all segments
of society to disseminate the
results of the most important
scientific research in a plain
language, which may enrich
the thinking and culture of
individuals and young generations in the fields of scientific research, and providing incentives and rewards
for researchers or research
projects which are of vital
benefits for the community.
Professor Riad Bayoumi, at
the Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine
and Health Sciences, states
that in order to overcome
the challenges facing the use
of the results of scientific
research for national development, academics and researchers should be aware
that research subjects should
be carefully selected so that
they address the actual needs
of the community, seek to
solve practical problems,
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Feature
find solutions to the everyday issues and set new foundations in the field of technology. In order to translate
research findings into useful products close cooperation must exist between industrial enterprises and the
academia that provide innovative scientific solutions.
is witnessing an increase in
populations, a shift in the
patterns of the population,
globalization,
shrinking
natural resources, climate
change , automation, manufacturing,
environmental
pollution and life changes,
all of which would make
new challenges for develop-
Mumtaz Khan:
the private sector
contribution should
be bigger
It is essential that priority
should be given to funding
applied research. Incentives
should also be provided for
researchers to collaborate
with industrial enterprises,
he concludes.
Lifeline
Basic scientific and applied
research is the lifeblood of
any sector of the economy to
achieve sustainable growth
and development in any
country. Progress and development we see today is only
the fruit of investment in research results, which should
be targeted by joint investments. This is the view made
by Dr. Mumtaz Khan, at the
College of Agricultural and
Marine Sciences. He says
that “if we look at the world
around us, we find a small
number of countries making huge investments in research results, whereas most
countries invest in marginal
areas. Nowadays, the world
ment and food security. As
a result, an acute need will
emerge to invest in the results of research, which does
not appear to be the case in
the short run.”
According Khan, research
is supported by public funds
and resources, but in most
cases investment in research results, especially in
industry by companies, is
designed to achieve commercial gains rather than
creating a good atmosphere
for utilizing the innovative
research results; therefore,
more focus should be made
on scientific research, which
is not the case now in the
world and in the developing
world in particular. It could
be argued that there are now
systems seeking to make
way for academics to do research supported by private
industry and marketing innovative research to attract
industry. But there should
be public policies that would
impose on companies and
industrial enterprises to cut
part of their profits for investing in scientific research
and thus increasing the utilization of research findings
and creating a supportive
environment for innovative
research.
Educational value
In her opinion, Dr. Isra AlKhasawneh, Assistant Dean
of the College of Nursing for
Postgraduate Studies and Research, believes that research
requires professional and
comprehensive knowledge
in the practical field concerned, which is approached
by researchers from an academic perspective, which
creates a gap between the
theoretical research problem
and practical application of
the research results. In ad-
investment in research results through training, development and cooperation
among stakeholders, and the
existence of policies for the
dissemination of these results, in addition to a link between researchers and users
of research results. She also
calls for developing policies
to solve existing problems
by using scientific research
to build a social culture of
research at all levels and
introducing a system which
would provide an environment conducive to collaboration between scientists and
the community.
“Research is the main gate
to enter the world of change.
Generating new knowledge
is not that easy, but with
hard work and practice, everything is possible; and as
knowledge is accumulated,
Dr. Isra:
there is a gap
between theory
and application of
research results
dition, the culture of scientific research itself needs to
be supported and created in
the community from early
stages. Thinking, questioning and learning the proper
ways to ask questions and
give answers are acquired
by individuals together with
other values while interacting with their community.
To overcome the challenges
facing research, she emphasizes on the importance of
we can provide productive economic investments
which would contribute to
the social progress. So we,
as academics and educators
should strengthen a culture
of research by developing
our teaching methods so as
to encourage students to reflect, question, and find out
the right approach to questioning and to finding solutions to such questions”, AlKhasawneh concluded.
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Innovation
Affairs
PULSE AND PULSE-REVERSE
ELECTRODEPOSITION USING
pe86CB 3HE
Electrodeposition is one of the manufacturing processes
used for developing functional coatings for several applications such as wear resistance, corrosion resistance,
electrodes for battery and supercapacitors and others. In
the typical electrodeposition process, direct current (DC)
is supplied to the plating bath as straight DC current. In
pulse plating, the DC power is applied to the bath in a series of short pulses. These pulse cycles can be controlled.
There are several advantages of using pulse cycles such as
: Denser deposit, Lower porosity, Finer grain (nanostructured) deposit, Reduced stress, Reduced hydrogen embrittlement, Improved adhesion of deposit, More uniform
thickness, Better control of alloy composition, Reduction/
elimination of additives, Reduced process (plating) time
and so on. Especially with precious metals , reduced metal
consumption helps in reducing the manufacturing cost of
the deposit. The picture (figure 1 and 2) below shows the
POWER PULSE pe86CB 3HE brought from plating electronic GmbH. This power supply is also capable of pulse
reverse conditions which also have the several advantages
of pulse plating that have been listed above along with
more process control parameters by which the mechanical
properties could be further enhanced.
Controlling Blood Sugar Levels
During Pregnancy Among Omani
Women
Previous studies have found that diabetes accompanies pregnancy among 5 to 9 % of women and that high blood sugar during pregnancy may lead to many negative effects on the health
of both mother and child. Therefore, controlling and balancing
blood sugar level will lead to reducing the percentage of negative effects. Several methods are usually adopted to achieve such
results, such as healthy diet, exercising and the use of treatment
including insulin.
Studies also found that a high blood sugar level in a pregnant
mother would lead to a higher percentage of insulin in the blood
of the fetus, which results in an increase in the growth and weight
of the child and negative effects on the process of metabolism
such as lack of sugar level, calcium, magnesium in the blood and
an increase of the yellowish fluid.
It became clear in the last few years that “peptide – S” could
be evidence of insulin production and secretion, which makes
it a distinguished diagnostic device in the field of blood sugar
disease. The level of “peptide – S” in the fetal umbilical cord
blood is the best indication of insulin level in the fetal blood
and is more stable than insulin itself in the samples stored.
It is in this spirit that Dr. Mariam Mathew is studying the correlation between “peptide – S” level in the fetal umbilical cord
blood and the condition of the baby at birth and then comparing
it to hemoglobin level in the mother’s blood.
Dr. Mathew will examine 200 Omani patients suffering from gestational diabetes and compare the results with 200 other sound
women not suffering from gestational diabetes through measurement of sugar level and “peptide-S” in umbilical cord blood at
birth, as regards the two groups of women. The purpose of this
examination is to find out about the relationship between the
child’s measurement, blood sugar level, magnesium, bilirubin
level at birth and the percentage of the mother’s blood sugar at
birth and comparing the results with blood sugar hemoglobin
level.
The study will help better understand the way to control blood
sugar levels during pregnancy and thus will result in better pregnancy results among Omani women suffering from gestational
diabetes.
Figure 1. Pulse plating setup for electrodeposition
of Ruthenium oxide
Figure 2. Front view of pe86CB 3HE pulse
reverse power supply
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Study
The Impact of Social Media on Omani Youth:
A Multi-Methodological Research Project
Since its inception, social
media has aspired to attain
growth, vigilance, cultural
and civilizational compatibility and to upgrade, educate and enlighten public
opinion. Social media also
opened a new field of interaction and human friction
and created the opportunity
to think, learn, converse and
exchange information in various fields. Therefore, it is essential for readers, viewers
and news browsers
to keep up with
and obtain current
information
in
mass media news
articles, to verify
its effects, discover
who is standing behind it, and determine
its broadcasting objectives.
From this standpoint,
Dr. Najma Al Zidjaly,
from the College of Arts
and Social Sciences, is
conducting research work
as part of the strategic
projects selected for
His Majesty’s research grant.
In her research entitled “The
Impact of Social Media on
Omani Youth”, Dr. Al Zidjaly stresses the importance
of Omani youth and their important role in creating plans
for sustainable development,
representing the future generation of participants in national decision-making and in
being the first generation directly and inevitably affected
by media and social media.
Touching on the aims of the
study, Al Zidjaly points out
that “the study seeks to examine the impact of social media
use on Omani youth aged 20
to 35 years, lay bare the effects social networking sites
have left on their families,
experiences and social lives,
identify the best social media practices (mainly by the
government) for an effective
participation of Omani youth
in a new kind of world. The
study also aims
to
analyze
mainly Twitter and What’s
Up use among young Omanis within a broader cultural
context through qualitative
methods (such as discourse
analysis, ethnographic notes
and group discussions) and
quantitative methods (such
as a questionnaires and interviews). Another key concern of the project is to better
understand the role of social
media in the daily lives of
Omani youth, while attempting to identify the strategies
likely to facilitate social
media use and thus improve their lives both as
members of their families
and as Omani citizens as
well.
Elaborating on the early stages of the project, Al Zidjaly
says:
“We have hired a team of
dedicated local researchers
and experts from different
fields (linguistics, research
methods in social sciences,
education, communication
media and sociology). A
number of methods of data
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Microscope
collection will be used, including the analysis of qualitative survey data providing insight into practices and behavior. Then discourse participants’ ethnographic notes on
different social networking sites and group
discussions revealing various views will be
analyzed to demonstrate how social media
is embedded in our daily lives.
“Due to the qualitative and quantitative nature of the collected data” she adds, “the
project adopts the most developed analytical framework in social sciences, namely
the multi-methodological approach. Omani
M.A. and Ph.D. students from Sultan Qaboos University will take part in the project,
and the direct relationship of the project to
students’ needs and aspirations will be delineated. After this phase, students will be
invested in the project’s success, will benefit from it, in addition to acquiring experience in the formation and designing of
a project, in collecting and analyzing data
and learning about novel analytical frameworks.
The expected results indicate that the project will leave practical effects including
strategies and practices which have been
tested and can be implemented by governmental institutions to communicate effectively with the next generation of Omani
leaders and thus facilitate their efficient
participation in society through social media. The project, accordingly, serves as a response to the appeals made by the Ministry
of Information and as an international contribution insofar as it enables Oman to become a pioneer in the study of such impacts
in the Gulf region. More importantly, the
project will create a participatory research
environment benefiting Oman and its youth
graduating from governmental institutions
and participating in the study, and will enable them to acquire valuable research experiences and become familiar with the crucial link between social media and family
(or private) and public (or governmental)
participation. This project will eventually
enable young Omanis and students to play a
significant role in the building of the Omani
nation, to work closely with local and international scientists, to develop their knowledge about the role of social media in Oman
and their practical communication skills,
in addition to developing deep knowledge
about their roles as Omanis in the overall
development of their country and the future
of Omani family life.
Can the blood of young
donors help resist aging
for older adults?
By. Dr. Jumana Saleh
Can young blood reverse the signs of aging? This question has been
recently revived by scientists showing that when the blood circulation of
young mice is linked to that of old mice, the old mice show signs of age
reversal. These findings stem from experiments performed 150 years
ago when researchers stitched together the skins of two mice to join
their blood circulation. In these experiments, the older rats that were
joined to younger rats lived longer than old rats joined together. Also,
the effects go both ways where old blood caused premature aging in the
young mice.
Joining the skin circulation of two mice
If these findings could be applied to people, an idea currently being
investigated by prominent researchers, there is hope that young blood
may slow down signs of aging and provide hope for humanity to discover the fountain of youth. Recent work published in 2014 strengthened evidence that factors in young blood can reverse several signs of
aging. Two molecules have been proposed to reverse signs linked to
aging: one called GDF11 (Growth Differentiation Factor 11) and oxytocin. Both molecules usually decline with age, and injecting them in
old mice improved stem cell function. GDF11 was found to rejuvenate
the heart, strengthen muscle and improve neuron growth in the brain.
Another team reported that young blood, or plasma can positively affect
the memory of aging mice. However, many more unknown factors may
also contribute to the rejuvenating abilities of young blood. In 2014,
scientists at Stanford University in the United States determined that
plasma alone is sufficient to restore tissue function. Currently, their first
clinical trial is underway, 18 middle-aged and elderly Alzheimer’s patients received blood transfusions of plasma donated by healthy young
males under the age of 30. They are hoping that year 2015 will witness
promising findings that young blood could fight one of the most feared
diseases of old age (Alzheimer’s), and hold promise to reverse signs of
more adverse events associated with aging.
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Family Violence in Oman: a New Field Study
Causes: irresponsible husband and abusive wife
Violence between spouses
has long been considered a
global serious problem. In
GCC societies where a conservative family pattern is
widely thought to be dominant and abuses happen behind closed doors, there is
ample evidence provided by
court cases, divorce litigation, the press, and police
statistics that shows ongoing domestic violence. On
the other hand, an increasing number of studies and
conferences address this
problem through suggesting preventive procedures,
solutions, and even mental
and social rehabilitation of
domestic violence victims.
The problem should not be
underestimated, for, such
socio-cultural practices as
physical and verbal abuses
can only be viewed as part
of a broader phenomenon
that could destabilize the
security of both the family
and the society.
Addressing this issue, Dr.
Shaikha Bint Salem AlMusallamiyya and Dr.
Manal Farouq Sayyid, at
the Department of Sociology and Social Work, SQU,
have conducted a joint
study which involves the
application of a number of
variables in examining violence in the Omani family.
The research work is aimed
concerned with conceptualizing the role assumed by
sociology and social work
in addressing the problem.
Being descriptive in nature,
it aims to gather accurate
information using all possible research tools about
current realities of a specific
social class, phenomenon,
situation, set of conditions,
group of people, or certain
events.
Al-Musallamiyya:
Religious values
and the media
to fight this
phenomenon
at identifying domestic
violence within the Omani
family and explaining the
various forms of family violence so as to come up with
a tentative and preventive
framework for defining the
problem in terms of causes,
effects, and solutions.
Significance of the
study
This study is an important
endeavour made from a
sociological
perspective,
given the small number
of studies that have addressed the phenomenon in
the GCC region and par-
ticularly in the Sultanate. It
also comes at a time when
forms of family violence
are increasingly witnessed
in Arab countries. The two
researchers apply tools of
sociology and social work
in an attempt to enrich the
theoretical framework of
the problem and find professional solutions.
Objectives of the study
The two academics have
investigated
manifestations and factors of family
violence in Oman so as to
come up with possible ways
and means that would help
eradicate it from the society.
Academically, the study is
The study has applied the
case study methodology in
the local cultural context including common social attitudes. It attempted to classify the basic facts of social
behavior relative to an individual, family, institution,
or a community within a
certain period of time. The
field work is based on a
sample of 300 families, i.e.
10% of the Omani families
in the governorate of Muscat.
Findings
The study has come up with
interesting results concerning spousal abuse. As to the
causes of violence attributed
to the wife, the researchers
have found that the problem
is to do with a commanding
wife having her husband
under her thumb, ignoring
her role in the family, disrespecting her husband and
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Study
his relatives, and children,
and neglecting herself. On
the other hand, a violent
husband shows signs of
wife abuse, disrespect, lack
of communication, volatile
temperament, sense of irresponsibility, and excessive
force against wife and children. Most families have
pointed to general causes of
violence including lack of
awareness of spousal obligations, acrimonious marriages, others poking into
family affairs, economic
burdens, and negative models highlighted in the media
and surroundings.
Lack of awareness
The study suggests that
there is insufficient societal awareness of the family
violence, which calls for all
societal organizations to exert more efforts in order to
define the mechanisms of
dealing with this problem.
More emphasis is placed on
conducting further research
in this area.
Specialized institutions
The majority of those surveyed in the study have
confirmed that there are no
professional services and
only few family counseling and awareness centers.
Up to 95% of the divorces
are due to family violence.
Most of the surveyees have
underlined the significant
role of religion, the media,
and the family counseling
programmes to put an end
to this problem. Further research is also needed for the
purpose of educating spouses ahead of marriage so as
to overcome hurdles.
The role of society
The findings have accentuated the important role of
society in tackling family
violence. What is acutely
needed is awareness among
family members and spouses of techniques and skills
of communicating and interacting. Lectures, educational workshops and symposia are also a welcome
in this regard. At a wider
scope, legislations are also
called for to address the
phenomenon, and social associations must be in place
to defend abused individuals.
Suggestions
For tackling family violence, the study calls for an
effective part by clergymen
to educate families and
spouses of their rights and
responsibilities. It also encourages further research,
collaboration between civil
societies and civil society
groups to cater for counseling programmes, and
developing
regulations
and legislations on family
violence. Heed should be
given to training courses
and curriculums to teach
individuals skills of leading
a peaceful life and building
a family.
A Study on Bacterial Secondary
Transporters Living
in the Desert of Oman
Dr. Raed Abed is conducting a research project on bacterial secondary transporters living in harsh environments
in the desert of Oman where large areas are inhabited
by a high proportion of micro-organisms capable of
bearing high temperatures and ultraviolet radiation.
Although many scholars know about the diversity of
micro-organisms in the desert, scanty research has been
conducted to explore secondary transporters which are
of much importance for biotechnology. Thus, this research seeks to make use of existing organisms, isolate
and check on new strains including anti-bacteria, antifungi, antibacterial layers and anticancer.
This project will be implemented in close cooperation
with the University of Applied Sciences in Austria and
will benefit from their long experience in medical discoveries. Throughout the course of this project, an exchange of students between the Sultanate and Austria
will take place. Researchers are also planning to try using a combination of species and brewing them in order
to discover new medicines.
It is expected that the project will lead to the discovery
of new bacterial transporters. Results will be published
in international scientific journals.
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Device
«Injaz Oman» Launches the Third Season of Sharikati Competition
Sultan Qaboos University has
recently signed an agreement
with Injaz Oman to launch the
third season of Sharikati competition for the year 2015 at
the university. The competition program aims at enabling
students to engage in pioneering work by creating and
running a real company with
capital, an administrative staff
and an expert whose duty is to
refine the individual and collective skills that no pioneering project can do without.
The program addresses a
wide range of principal subjects and skills, including the
formation of the company’s
major sections and the task of
each department, the composition of capital, the study of
economic feasibility, the identification of the product, consumers and prices, planning
and implementing administrative processes and productivity within the company. In
addition, the program covers
sales, company liquidation
and, finally, the distribution of
profits.
This year 27 companies from
the university participated in
the competition, which is the
largest number in the three
seasons since the establishment of the Sharikati program
in the university. Among the
companies taking part in the
competition this year, we find:
1. SkyMix:
SkyMix was established under the auspices of the Honorable Mohammed Bin Hilal AlSawafi and derives its name
from the ambitions of the
company’s employees which
embrace the sky. The second
part of the name “Mix” reflects the company’s concept
of merging and duplication.
The company’s mission can
be summed up as follows: to
work in order to exploit the
unlimited industrial boom and
growth in productivity, to integrate the largest possible number of simple and single objective products, to come up with
products with dual investment
and dual aims. The company
has a vision to expand duplication and production as the
first company of its kind to
integrate simple products and
to find more dependable and
efficient products. The company’s product is a device to
solve a problem most societies
are suffering from namely that
of children forgotten in cars
and school buses, resulting in
death in many cases.
2- Washak Company:
Formed under the supervision of Professor Dalal Bint
Jumaa Al-Khatiriya, the company was named Washak, a
name derived from the Arabian lynxes’ powers of flexibility and smooth movement.
The company includes about
20 male and female students
from various colleges and ma-
jors in the university sharing
the goal to learn and serve the
community with their competencies.
The wide variety of the members’ specialties has contributed to the convergence between staff duties and their
academic specialization in
fulfilling their tasks efficiently
and creating a fertile environment for work.
The most recently invented
company product, WT-15, is
a private table that can be attached to any chair to satisfy
people’s needs and especially those of individuals with
physical disabilities, who are
seeking a table appropriate to
their needs. The table invented by Washak company has a
number of advantages such as
the possibility to fix and unfix
the table to any type of chair,
to control height and how far
it is from the user. In addition,
there is a space designated to
put a cup and another for pens,
as well as flexible folding of
the table at the end of its use.
WT-15 is also symbolic of
an abbreviation of the words
‘washak’ and table, with the
number 15 referring to the
type of table and indicating
the anniversary of the actual
founding of the company.
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Book
Book at a Glance
PHOTOGRAPHIC FIELD GUIDE TO THE PLANTS OF THE
WESTERN HAJAR MOUNTAINS, SULTANATE OF OMAN
with a complete checklist of vascular plant species
The book, entitled Photographic Field Guide to the Plants of the
Western Hajar Mountains, Sultanate of Oman, presents the results
of a research funded by His Majesty’s Strategic Research Project ‘Al Jabal Al Akhdar’ Initiative. Speaking of the plants in Oman in
a different breath and with a new fragrance, the author elegantly
offers a groundbreaking analysis of the Western Hajar mountains
with a particular focus on the flora vegetation. Based on in-depth,
comprehensive, up-to-date and empirical research, the main goal
of the book is to make the topic interesting and accessible to both
specialist and non-specialist readers thanks to a simplified and vivid
description of the plants, substantiated with records, figures, and
recent, colorful photographs.
In the introduction, the author briefly
describes some of the most attractive
and unique features of the mountains
of Oman and maintains that they represent a distinct ecological and botanical unit.
In part one of the book, and counter
to the traditional and stereotypical
method of describing plants, the author locates, historicizes and describes
the unique setting, climate, soil, natural vegetation and landscapes of the
impressive Hajar mountains of Oman
which extend from southern Arabia
into southwest Asia and which represent, according to the author, the backdrop to the city of Muscat and a reservoir for natural resources.
In the next part, the author moves to argue that, in a country like
Oman, plant and habitat conservation is a real challenge, and he
sensitizes readers to the urgent need for the protection of the environment and the threatened plant species of the Hajar mountains in
general and of the flora in particular. This goal, in the author’s view,
can be achieved by repurposing the existing agricultural system.
In the concluding section of the book, the author provides readers
with a conveniently accessible guide which makes it easy for them
to identify different plants. The author also offers guidance to different parts of the book: how to follow its organization, understand
its photographs, find figures and identify
different plant names. In short, he shows
us how to benefit from the book.
Academic Publication and
Out reach Department
PHOTOGRAPHIC FIELD GUIDE TO THE PLANTS OF THE
WESTERN HAJAR MOUNTAINS, SULTANATE OF OMAN
with a complete checklist of vascular plant species
Aspiring to deconstruct the prevalent
and redundant method of describing
plants, the author focuses in part two on the different features of
the Hajar mountains in relation to its location, length, width, height,
climate, soils, landscapes, topography and natural resources.
Through scientific enquiries, photos and figures in the third part of
the book, the author classifies key habitats of the Hajar mountains
mainly the montane zone, the high montane zone and the agricultural terraces. The author’s other concern here is to showcase how
the flora enables the survival of plants in a harsh landscape.
Annette Patzelt
In general, reviewers of Photographic
Field Guide to the Plants of the Western
Hajar Mountains, Sultanate of Oman believe that the book is well-written and that
the research elegantly presents a very attractive and accessible study of the different plants of Oman.
The study, reviewers continue, is quite
beneficial for both knowledgeable specialist researchers and non-specialist readers
who are interested in becoming more familiar with the landscape, the climate, the
habitat and the features of different plants
in the Hajar mountains of Oman.
According to reviewers, the book is a
finely honed and fresh perspective on the
plants in Oman and the author was successful in his attempt to shed new light on
an old phenomenon. Although much ink
has been spilt on plants in Oman, reviewers contend, the author made intensive efforts to go beyond the traditional, stereotypical descriptive methods. Another important part
of the study conducted is that he strived to use more representative
and up-to-date samples of plants , figures , photos and empirical
data that few other studies have used.
While they enjoyed reading the author’s insightful description of
plants in the northern part of Oman, however, reviewers argue that the
only weakness of the book lies in the conservative method of describing plants through the use of flower color as an identification guide.
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Conferences
A Scientific Paper Reveals the Existence of Various
Types of Amblyomma variegatum in the Sultanate
Britain on
2015.
April 14th,
The conference brought
together academics and
researchers from many
parts of the world including Australia, New
Zealand, USA, Mexico,
China, and Africa.
Dr. Patrick Boubadi,
from the College of Agricultural and Marine
Sciences, participated in
the “Science Impact Annual Conference” on animal health and diseases
which
was
held in
Dr. Patrick presented
a challenging paper
entitled “Geographical Distribution and Ixodidae Family
Ticks of Animals
in the Sultanate”. The paper provoked great interest
and discussion from
conference attendees
on amblyomma variegatum and its impact on the
environment. The audience were also surprised
to find out that some types
of African Amblyomma
variegatum exist in the
Sultanate, which urged
the researcher to
elaborate upon the
differences in climate in the northern and southern
parts of the Sultanate
and clarify that the adequate environment of
Dhofar region is most
likely the main reason
for the existence and
proliferation of this
kind of ticks in
Dhofar
during
the
spring season.
Apropos the scientific
paper he presented, Dr.
Patrick points out that “
ticks are external parasites which feed on animal and human blood.
They are of particular
interest because, through
their feeding on blood,
they transfer many diseases to animals and humans. Thus, organisms
transmitted by ticks can
cause dangerous diseases
and even the death of animals”.
Dr. Patrick added: “We
conducted a research
study at Sultan Qaboos
University to detect the
presence of ticks as carriers of diseases to the
Sultanate. So far, 348
ticks were collected in
their various stages
of growth among
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mature and non-mature
goats, sheep, cows and
camels in 29 locations in
the northern and southern parts of the Sultanate.
Upon their classification,
it has been revealed that
the ticks collected belong to 12 different tick
families (Ixodidae). Only
3 of the 12 types of tick
species examined in this
study infested one type
of host species, while the
nine remaining species
infested more than one
tick family. More than
one type of ticks were detected in goats, cows and
camels but not in lambs.
Also, at least nine types
of ticks identified in this
study are able to transmit
harmful organisms causing diseases of drastic
effect in animals. Three
types of ticks detected
in the north and south
of Oman are capable of
transmitting an organism often causing Congo Hemorrhagic Fever
which is a severe and fatal disease to humans. In
addition, one of the types
of ticks is a carrier of the
African Tick-bite Fever
to humans”.
Dr. Patrick insists that
“there is an urgent need
to find effective means
of controlling this type of
ticks and preventing them
from becoming a major
source of diseases and
thus a major cause of animal and human mortality
in the Sultanate.
A Study on the Correlation Between
Internet Addiction and Key Variables
in Omani Youth
Professor Naima Hassan Jabr Razouki presented a paper entitled “The Correlation
Between Internet Addiction in Terms of
Self-Control and Key Variables: The Case of
Omani Youth” at the Second World Conference on “Trends in Bilateral Scientific Research” which was held in the Holiday Inn
Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, from 25th to
26th March 2015.
The paper has attempted to investigate the
relationship between Omani high school
students’ self-control when using the social
media network and considering a number of
variables which reflect their demographic
characteristics including diversity, educational achievement, information technology
skills and parents’ level of education.
To achieve this goal, two male and female
high schools in Muscat were designated by
the Ministry of Education and a questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 237 students among whom 118 were male and 119
were female.
The overall results of the study showed no
significant differences between male and female students in self-control ability when using the social media network and no impact
on their academic achievement. Meanwhile,
the level of technical skills affected the use
of various social network applications. Thus,
the more the students’ skills improved, the
more their use of applications increased,
which has affected their degree of self-control. On the other hand, parents’ level of
education plays an insignificant role in the
students’ self-control ability when using the
internet through available social network applications.
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Creativity
The University Has Received the Second Patent
Registered in His Name.
Muadh Al Rakadi: The idea seduced me when I was a stu�
.dent and I am implementing it now
Showing a strong belief in his abilities and determination to succeed, he invested his
patience to reach his goal; and the achievement he attained he presented on behalf of
Sultan Qaboos University and his country Oman.
This is Muadh Al Rakadi, an administrator at the College of Arts and Social Sciences,
who invented a tool for desk extension. Thanks to this achievement, Sultan Qaboos
University was granted the second property patent for this invention which was
registered in the American Patent Office.
Tawasul approached Muadh to talk to him about this achievement and inquire about
the different stages he went through to reach it, his partners and other issues.
On the idea behind this invention, Muadh Al Rakadi says:
“The idea of this invention
started when I was a student at the university. Tables used in the classrooms
were too small and the space
they provided was insufficient to perform multiple
tasks. Gradually, I started
to think about a device that
could solve this problem in a
manner commensurate with
students’ needs. I created
dozens of designs before
arriving at the tool’s final
shape”.
And on the importance of his
invention, Muadh explains:
“The importance of this invention lies in the fact that
it is a solution to thousands
of problems experienced by
students and other users of
this type of classroom table.
What makes the desk distinguished are its flexibility
and high efficiency, making
its user capable of performing several duties without
the need to use wide tables”.
As regards the steps he followed to arrive at this inven-
The patent solves a
problem thousands of
students are facing
tion and achieve success, Al
Rakadi says:
“At the very beginning,
I presented this project
to the University Innovation Department and then
to the University Students’
Project Assessment Committee. It was selected as
one of the many projects
presented to the Patent and
Innovation Office. With regard to procedure, I had to
fill in a number of required
documents which involve
detailed information on the
project, its importance and
distinguishing features, in
Muadh Al Rakadi
addition to providing illustrations about its main
components and explaining how the device works.
After this stage, all of these
details had to be checked by
the Patent and Innovation
Office which provided me
with some feedback on the
project. And the procedure
went on till the final version
of the project was presented
and eventually adopted”.
Elaborating the different
parts of his invention and
its mechanism, the inventor
says:
“The device is made of plastic
and consists of several parts:
the first part is a piece used to
fix the tool at the end of the
right or left side of the table
since this device can be used
on both sides and can adapt
to almost all kinds of tables.
This tool is equipped with a
table clip which goes up and
down in accordance with the
table’s thickness. The second
part is the flat surface of the
table which can be used either
for books or to use the mouse
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Creativity
Achievement is to remain
patient, determined and
resolute to achieve your goal
when using a laptop. This surface can also be used to hold a
cup of coffee, in addition to a
rolling and extending column
used to fix paper when printing and reading. Another part
of the table allows easy rolling and folding of the table to
become the quarter of its size
when used. Another advantage of this device is that it
has a ballast to keep it steady.
When the classroom table is
unfolded, for instance (i.e.
chair with table attached), the
ballast keeps the table steady
and prevents relapse and falling objects”.
Evoking the important role
of the Department of Innovation and Public Works
in supporting the project,
Muadh Al Rakadi says:
“I believe this achievement
is primarily attributed to this
department because without
their support, follow-up and
continuous
coordination,
I would not have received
the patent. In this respect, I
would like to mention Professor Sheikha Al Akhzamia, the department manager, who motivated me to
present my project to patent
offices outside the Sultanate
and whose ambition was to
see the university make a
lasting mark among other
international patents. I owe
her sincere words of thanks
and appreciation. Speaking about the difficulties he
faced when he was working
on this project, Muadh points
out that “the main difficulties encountered were in cre-
ating a table design compatible with various classroom
tables and that can also be
used as laptop tables. Table
design took more than a year
because I had to create dozens of designs till we came
achievement is in remaining
patient, steadfast, resolute
and determined to achieve
your goal no matter how
many times you have failed
and how long this may take.
Our belief in God and that
Without the support of
the Innovation Circle and
Business Affairs, I would not
have received the patent
up with the final design”.
As regards the way to overcome these difficulties, Al
Rakadi explains:
“It is a question of strong
will. I believe that the real
He is capable of everything
strengthen our will, and
belonging to this country
makes us feel that it is a duty
to offer a token of appreciation and a fitting tribute to
the generosity of this country”.
Muadh Al Rakadi concludes
with words of thanks saying:
“My thanks and gratitude
go first to Almighty God
who bestowed will and determination upon me. My
thanks extend to my family which supported me in
achieving many of my ambitions, and to my friends
who spared no effort to assist me. Sincere words of
thanks and appreciation are
also due to Sultan Qaboos
University’s administration
for its initial support of the
project, and special words
of gratitude to the university Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Department
for embracing this project
and serving as a link with
patent offices outside the
Sultanate.
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