Overweight Prevalent among Diabetic Patients in Oman
Panorama
E-coli Carry-over Mechanism in Cucumber
Mind Over Matter
SQU-UAEU Joint Committee Meets
News Update
Social Capital: Does
Nationality Matter?
Department of Public
Relations and Information
Sultan Qaboos University
Issue 224
View Point
Which is Mightier?
There is a Japanese saying, “writing and nature often agree”, which means an
individual’s personality comes forth in his writing. People who had beautiful
handwriting were often regarded as intelligent since only the upper class and
intelligentsia enjoyed writings in the ancient times.
Humaid Abdullah Al Adwani
Editorial Supervision & Editor in Chief
M.K. Santhosh
Senior Editor
Younis Al Harrasi
Editor & Translator
Anisa Al Jabri
Design & Layout
Rashad Al Wahaibi
& Photography Dept., CET
Photography
In the past, children worked diligently to refine their handwriting. They held
the pencil properly to allow it to flow smoothly across the page and to join
letters in creating words and sentences. In the present era which is characterised by digital revolution, handwriting has lost much of its appeal because the
computer and other word processing devices present it in a more sophisticated
and modern form. This is the age of technology which does not require human
hands to perform many of its duties.
We use keypads to do a majority of our writing and correspondences with our
circle of colleagues, family, and friends. Everything from email to instant messaging - even sending a text message on our cell phones involves dealing with
some form of digital input or another. The saying is that “the pen is mightier
than the sword”. The question is: “is keyboard mightier than the sword?”
Writing with a pen allows us to do a lot more than just write across a page in
neat and ordered way. It allows us to draw little diagrams and pictures to help
get a point across. By using drawings and doodles, one can allow his mind
to tap into your right-side of the brain. This is the side of human brain where
creativity and conceptual thinking exists. We feel that writing by hand allows
us to spend more time on our words. Unlike typing, which allows us to get
it down before you forget it, handwriting can be more concise and far more
elegant with the right practice.
Writing by hand also adds a personal touch to your material. It’s a lovely feeling to receive a hand-written letter from a friend of a loved-one. Somehow,
hand-writing’s effort seems to directly translate to the words on the page,
and can be much more warm and appreciated than a dry email. “Is keyboard
mightier than the sword?”
Horizon invites contributions from SQU members of staff and faculty. Contributions in the form of articles, news, travelogues, stories of unique and interesting experiences, encounters, etc., are welcome. Contributions may be edited
for the sake of clarity and length. Please send your contributions to horizon@squ.edu.om preferably, as MSWord attachments. Authors will be suitably credited.
Horizon is published three times a month by the Department of Public Relations and Information,
Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 50, P.C. 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Phone: +968 24141045
E-mail: horizon@squ.edu.om
20 October 2011 P2
Fax: +968 24413 391
Website: www.squ.edu.om
SQU-UAEU Joint Committee Meets
News Update
The 24th annual meeting of the Sultan Qaboos University-United Arab
Emirates University Joint Committee was held recently at SQU. In the
meeting, the SQU side was led by Dr. Hamed bin Sulaiman al Salimi, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administrative & Financial Affairs and Dr. Fatima
Saeed al Shamsi, Secretary General of the UAE University headed the
UAEU team. The meeting discussed aspects of cooperation between the
two sides in various fronts. Dr. Hamad Bin Suleiman Al Salmi lauded the
joint activities between the two universities in the neighbouring countries.
The two universities have been continuing research collaboration and exchange of students and academics for more than two decades. Dr. Fatima al
Shamsi said that the continuous collaboration between the two universities
is a model for other universities in the region to emulate. SQU-UAEU collaboration is the only one of its kind that has been existing actively in the
GCC countries without any hindrances for more than 20 years. Dr. Fatima
hoped that this cooperation would continue in the years to come with the
involvement of all colleges and faculties in the two universities in terms of
collaborative research and exchange of experts and students.
Academic Council Meeting Held
HE Dr. Ali bin Saud al Bimani, the Vice Chancellor, chaired the first
meeting of the Academic Council of SQU for the year 2011-2012. The
meeting discussed many topics that have been referred by the boards
of colleges and the University Administration. The Council discussed
the issue of restructuring the master’s programs in the Department of
Educational Psychology, and the Bachelor of Educational Administration program in the College of Education. The meeting discussed the
list of students who complete their academic programs in the spring
and summer of 2011 and also discussed the issue of unification of the
cumulative average for students of the student exchange program.
Some of the issues were referred to the University Council to take
final decision.
Media Day Honours
TV Celebrities
Sultan Qaboos University, represented by the Department of Public Relations & Information, organised Media Day 2011 on Wednesday, 12 October at the Grand Hall of the University Cultural Centre. The event hosted
three highly popular television presenters in the region who shared their
professional experiences with the media students and other participants.
The television presenters were Lujain Omran, presenter of “Good Morning Arabs” daily show telecast in MBC television, Mohammed al Shehri,
Regional Director of MBC Group in Saudi Arabia, and Humaid al Balushi, presenter of popular sports programs in Qatar based Al Kass Sports
network.
Other highlights of the Media Day 2011 included talks on different topics such as contemporary changes in media scenario, entertainment and
competition television shows, and media in the Gulf region. The idea
behind organizing this annual event was to give the media students of
SQU, an opportunity to update their skills and knowledge in line with the
latest developments in the media field by directly interacting with media
professionals. During the event, the Department of Public Relations and
Information honoured the celebrity television presenters, newspaper organizations, Oman TV and Oman Radio. Four organizations who have
been regularly sponsoring various events organized by the department,
were also honoured during the event. The organizations were Omantel,
BankMuscat, Omran and Brand Oman.
Information Systems
Conference Concludes
The opening ceremony of the International Information Systems Conference (iiSC) 2011, organised by the Information Systems Department of the
College of Commerce & Economics at Sultan Qaboos University, was held
under the patronage of HE Mohammad Ali Al Wohaibi, Undersecretary at
the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The conference theme was
Information Systems for sustainable business environment. The aim of the
conference was to provide a forum for discussing current and future issues
and challenges as well as recent developments in a wide variety of areas of
Information Systems and Information technologies.
Dr Rafi Ashrafi, conference chair, said that a total of 32 papers were presented in the two day conference that focused on trends in Information Systems,
e-commerce and e-business challenges, knowledge management and IS industrial applications. The other key areas included trends in web technologies, IS Security and Mobile Computing, and e-government issues and solutions. The International Information Systems Conference (iiSC) featured
six key note speakers and one talk on industrial applications. The speakers
are Prof. Dr. Janice Sipior, Professor of Management Information Systems,
Villanova University, Pennsylvania, USA; Dr. Patrick, Brézillon, Professor
and Researcher, National Center for the Scientific Research (CNRS), Paris,
France; Dr. Ray Hackney, Professor, Business Systems, Brunel University,
UK; Dr. Khaled Ghedira, Professor, University of Tunis; Dr. Salim Al-Ruzaiqi, CEO, ITA, Oman; Dr. Amer Al-Rawas, CEO, Omantel, Oman; and,
Martin Farhan, PDO, Oman.
20 October 2011 P3
Insight
Social Capital:
Does Nationality Matter?
By: Dr. Unnikammu Moideenkutty
(College of Commerce & Economics, SQU) &
Stuart M. Schmidt
(Temple University, Philadelphia)
Multi-cultural labor forces challenge the managerial effectiveness of
many Middle Eastern organizations dependent on substantial numbers
of expatriates such as in the Sultanate of Oman. Indeed, historically expatriates, who dominate the labor force, comprise about 28% of Oman’s
population. However, Oman has been actively pursuing a national policy of Omanization that introduced increasing numbers of Omanis into
private sector employment as employees and supervisors.
In The Sultanate of Oman, a firm’s ability to cope with nationality differences among culturally diverse employees and their supervisors is
essential to functioning successfully. The purpose of our study was to
explore how nationally similar and dissimilar supervisor and subordinate dyads influence the association between individual performance
and social capital in Omani organizations.
We use a social capital perspective for understanding the core issues in
developing productive, collaborative workforces composed of an amalgam of nationals and expatriates. Social capital is a key component of
effective organizational functioning and national prosperity. Employees who experience networks of strong relationships (social capital) are
more productive and creative, and their firms are ultimately more competitive. Social capital as characterized by trust, constructive persuasion, positive affect and supportive interactions between supervisors
and their subordinates resides in their mutual relationships. Relationships of this manner facilitate a climate of collaboration that is necessary as all organizations increasingly rely on teams and interactive work
processes. In turn, increased organizational collaboration and coherence lowers transaction costs between organizational participants and
facilitates individual performance. However, as increasing numbers of
Omanis are employed, interpersonal transaction costs may increase due
to cultural and ethnic differences between them and the existing expatriates.
Social identity theory and its elaboration, self-categorization theory
provide us with a framework for evaluating the relationship between
social capital, individual performance, and nationality. These theories
state that each person has one or more social identities as well as a personal identity. The self-categorization proposition asserts that a person’s
bases his or her self-concept on the social categories they choose for association. In the absence of other normative rules, there is a tendency to
evaluate one’s in-group (e.g. being an Omani) positively in comparison
with a relevant out-group (e.g. being an expatriate).
There are many implications for multi-cultural employment relationships of self-categorization into groups that make an “us” salient and
distinct from “them.” We expect Omani nationals to share a strong national identity and consider themselves a salient “in-group.” Alternately, expatriates may share a common sentiment of being excluded from
citizenship, the Omani “in-group,” and identify with other expatriates
of the same national status. A characteristic such as being an expatriate
employee becomes a self-categorizing characteristic affecting expectation for social relationships and performance. The universal need for
20 October 2011 P4
a positive self-identity causes people have a preference for and, by
suggestion, evaluate positively, those to whom they are similar and
upon whom they base their identity. This phenomenon is known as
the similarity-attraction proposition that proposes that people are attracted and are sympathetic to others who are perceived to be similar
to them. Supervisors and subordinates who perceive that they share a
common national status, language, and religion are likely to develop
working relationships that create social capital.
We collected survey data from supervisors and their subordinates in
several organizations in the Sultanate of Oman including a government export promotion agency, a computer services company, an engineering services company, a ceramic tile manufacturer, a bank, a
construction company, the staff-training department of a university,
and the administrative office of a large hospital. A total of 168 surveys
were administered and 135 matched supervisor-subordinate surveys
were returned yielding a response rate of 80.4 percent.
We expected to find more relational social capital and better performance when both members of a supervisor-subordinate dyad were similar with respect to their national status in Oman than when they were
dissimilar. Generally, we found that specific dimensions of relational
social capital are associated with important dimensions of individual
performance. However, we did not find that similarity between supervisors and their subordinates was associated with higher levels
of social capital or performance. Counter to our expectations derived
from similarity-attraction theory, subordinates in dissimilar dyads
seem to be liked more by their supervisors than in similar dyads. Additionally, expatriates appeared to be more likely to be perceived as
exhibiting organizational citizenship behavior than Omanis.
Other intriguing findings in this study are the relationships between
subordinates trusting their supervisors and their organizational citizenship behavior and the evaluation of their supervisors’ effectiveness. We found that subordinates, Omani or expatriate, who trust
their supervisors tend to rate them effective. However, we do not
know the direction of causality between these variables. Therefore,
effective supervisors, Omani or expatriate, may elicit trust from their
subordinates or trusting subordinates may contribute to their supervisors’ effectiveness.
The negative relationship between subordinates trusting their supervisors and their organizational citizenship behavior toward their
supervisors requires additional consideration. One explanation may
be that subordinates who do not trust their supervisors to look out
for their interests, will more probably exhibit extra-role behavior as a
means of creating a favorable impression with their supervisors.
The results of this study indicate that we need to reassess an assumption that national similarity among supervisors and their subordinates will result in social capital and ultimately enhanced performance. Whether or not the supervisor-subordinate dyads are solely
host nationals (Omani) or outsiders (expatriates), does not determine
workforce effectiveness as defined by individual performance. Rather,
organizational members may be developing social capital (trust, liking, and quality exchanges) on basis other than nationality. Our findings are promising for organizations with nationally and ethnically
diverse workforces because, it appears that performance-enhancing
social capital can develop independent of the nationality of their supervisor-subordinate dyads.
This research originally titled “Social Capital and Individual Performance amongst Host National and Expatriates: Does Nationality
Matter?”was supported by an internal grant from the Deanship of
Research, Sultan Qaboos University.
Mind Over Matter
E-coli Carry-over
Mechanism in Cucumber
In the wake of recent
food-borne E. coli outbreak in Germany and
elsewhere in Europe,
researchers at Sultan
Qaboos University
have embarked on
a research project to
investigate the E-coli
contamination carryover mechanism in
cucumber. A research
group having lead
horticulturists and
microbiologists from
the College of Agriculture and Marine
Sciences, SQU has
already taken initiative in this regard. Dr.
Mumtaz Khan, Senior
Researcher at SQU
Water Research Centre, HH Dr. Fahad al
Said, Associate Professor in the Department
of Crop Sciences, Dr.
Ann Mothershaw, Assistant Professor in the
Department of Food
science and Nutrition,
and, Zahra Sulaiman
al Kharousi, Technician in the Department
of Food Science and
Nutrition, are leading
this project. They said
that study is under
way at SQU Agricultural Experiment
Station greenhouse/
microbiology laboratory facility where
contaminated water
and soil is being monitored to see its role
in transmission of E.
coli or other contaminants from soil/water
to plant parts such as
fruit, stem and leaf.
This summer, world witnessed a lethal outbreak
of E. coli starting in Germany, where death toll
has been risen to 50 and almost 4000 people were
caused serious to minor illness alone in Germany.
This unusual outbreak spread rapidly, and attacked
adults in general compared to elderly people and
young children which are mostly considered at risk
to such diseases. The E. coli has been confirmed of
being the pathogen associated with this horrific
outbreak. According to authors, early reports suspected organic cucumber from Spain as the source
of this deadly outbreak however, later epidemiological investigations into the source of the outbreak have now been confirmed that bean sprouts
are responsible for spreading this killer disease.
Scientific organizations in Germany have jointly
stated that mounting epidemiological and foodchain evidence indicated that bean and seed sprouts
(including fenugreek, mung beans, lentils, adzuki
beans and alfalfa) are the vehicle of the outbreak in
Germany caused by the unusual enteroaggregative
verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia O104:H4 bacterium. People were warned not to eat raw beans or
other seed sprouts from any sources. However, the
outbreak of this fatal pathogen remained primarily
centered in Germany where it caused large number
of causalities and serious health related issues.
Entrohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) can cause
bloody diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Treatment
with anti-diarrhoea products or antibiotics is not
usually recommended, as these may worsen the
situation. People with such symptoms that were
living or have visited Germany, particularly northern Germany, were advised to seek medical advice
on priority.
Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) is a lifethreatening disease characterized by acute renal
failure (uraemia), haemolytic anaemia, and a low
platelet count (thrombocytopenia). It predominantly (not always) affects children and elderly people
because having lower immune system. It results
from Entrohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC)
infection, and it is estimated that up to 10% of
EHEC-affected patients may develop HUS, with a
mortality rate ranging up to 5%. Overall, HUS is
the most common cause of acute renal failure in
young children. It can cause neurological complications (such as seizure, stroke and coma) in 25% of
HUS patients and chronic renal sequelae, usually
mild, in around 50% of survivors.
Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) or
Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are a
severe strain of E. coli bacterium that is commonly
found in the gut of animals, mainly ruminants.
EHEC produces toxins, known as verotoxins or
Shiga-like toxins because of their similarity to the
toxins produced by Shigella dysenteriae. The bacterium can cause severe food-borne diseases which
may give rise to lethal heath related issues.
E. coli Transmission
The primary route of transmission of E. coli is
through consumption of contaminated foods, such
as raw or undercooked ground meat products and
raw milk, contaminated water, direct contact with
animals or contact with infected people. Symptoms
of disease include abdominal cramps and diarrhoea, which may be bloody. Fever and vomiting
may also occur. Most patients recover within 10
days, although in a few cases (particularly in young
children and the elderly), the infection may lead to
a life-threatening disease, such as HUS.
E. coli in Vegetables
The researchers at SQU further said that the contamination of vegetables may be more complex as
there is usually no direct contact with the animal or
meat products. “It may arise with the run-off water
from fields housing grazing animals or domestic
waste water contaminating the vegetable fields directly or its water supply used for irrigation. This
route of transmission is more likely to affect vegetables that are mostly eaten raw like cabbage, carrots,
cucumbers, lettuce, spinach and tomatoes. Salads
and raw vegetables used in fast foods are generally
blamed as carrier of E. coli infection in outbreaks.
The processing and handling of vegetables that are
eaten raw or partially cooked by food workers may
also cause spread to humans”, he said.
Precautions
Prevention involves multiple measures particularly for those who are considered to be at higher
risk of exposure to contaminating foods and water. This includes farm workers, slaughterhouse
workers, meat packers, food workers, green grocers and those exposed to farm soil even if not on
a regular basis. Dr. Khan and Dr. Fahd explained
that washing hands regularly with an antibacterial
soap particularly after using the toilet is very important to prevent the infection. “Vegetables that
are to be eaten raw or uncooked should be washed
thoroughly with a suitable sterilizing fluid for food
or soak in salt water prior to consumption. Meat
products and fresh produce (vegetables and fruits)
should not be allowed to make any contact in the
preparation stage. Meat and vegetables should be
cooked properly/thoroughly. Only treated water
should be used for drinking. Regular use of hand
sanitizers that do not require water may be helpful
particularly prior to eating a meal,” they said.
20 October 2011 P5
News Round Up
Symposium Focuses on Child Rights
US Academic
Delivers Talk
on Media
Revolution
Prof. Yahya Kamalipour, Head of
the Department of Communication and Director of the Centre
for Global Studies in Purdue
University Calumet, USA, recently visited the Mass Communication Department of the
College of Arts & Social Sciences
at SQU and delivered a talk on
“The Social Media Revolution:
Empowering People”. In his talk,
Prof. Kamalipur listed development of language, invention of
alphabets, invention of printing
press, radio-wireless broadcasting, satellite technology, global
positioning system and the Internet as the milestones in the evolution of communication.
The Internet revolution which
started in 1980s changed every
aspect of our lives. In the economic front, the mankind is globally interconnected through the
advent of internet technologies.
In the political arena it opened
new ways for citizens to communicate, congregate, and share
information of a political nature.
In the cultural front, it opened
new ways for citizens to communicate, congregate and share
information of a social nature. In
less that three decades, the Internet has revolutionized all aspects
of our lives,”, he explained.
Commenting on the freedom of
information, Prof. Yahya said
that it is very good for the people
and not good for those in power.
“The less people know, the easier
for those in power to manipulate
public opinion. The more people
know, the more difficult for those
in power to manipulate public
opinion”, he observed.
20 October 2011 P6
The opening ceremony of the symposium on “Omani
Child Culture”, organized by the College of Arts &
Social Sciences and the College of Education at SQU,
in association with the Ministry of Education, was
held under the patronage of HE Sheikh Hamed bin
Hilal al Ma’amari, Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs
at the Ministry of Heritage & Culture.
The symposium sessions shed light various aspects
such as children’s rights for better living conditions,
child culture in Oman, the influence of modern technologies in children’s way of living and attitudes,
and, care for children with special needs. The sym-
posium featured 35 working papers presented by
academicians and researchers from SQU, private universities and higher educational institutions in Oman.
The event hosted three international experts who
delivered lectures of children’s rights and disabled
children and their adaptation to society. The opening
ceremony included a speech by Prof. Dr. Mohamed
Najeb Al Sarayrah, Chairman of the symposium organizing committee, in which he stressed the importance of the child culture. He added that the aim of the
event was to facilitate provision of suitable cultural
environment for Omani Children to become better
citizens in future.
Symposium Sheds Light on Software Licensing
The Free and Open Source Software Society, FO3S,
functioning under the Communications & Information Research Society (CIRC) at Sultan Qaboos University, recently organised a symposium “Unlicensed software, the implications and the alternative”. The event
was held under the patronage of Prof. Amer bin Ali al
Rawas, SQU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Postgraduate
Studies & Research.
Through different sessions, the symposium gave an
outline on non-licensed software, their threats and
guided the participants on appropriate alternatives.
Khalid Salman al Balushi, Engagement Coordinator
from Exceed IT Services & Training Company gave a
talk on Software Privacy and its implications. Khalid
said that software privacy often happens as a result
of lack of awareness among users about possible and
available alternatives.
Mr Fahad al Saidi, Project Specialist, Information Technology Authority of Oman, gave a talk on the benefits
of using free software. He outlined that better security,
savings in software costs, ability to change modify the
software for individual or community needs and high
performance are the benefits of free software. He elaborated on the freedoms associated with open source software.
Dr. Rashid Al-Balushi spoke about the legal issues following the use of pirated software by companies and
individuals. His presentation shed the light on the con-
cept of intellectual property and its relationship with
the Free and Open Source Software. He elaborated
on cybercrime with special reference to the Omani
legislation on IT-related crimes and software piracy
and destruction. Dr Rashid concluded that the Omani
legislators have made a significant effort for the organization of IT in general and combating against
cyber crime in particular. He stated that the Sultanate
is among the leading countries in this area, especially
after the promulgation of the law 12/2011 for combating cyber crimes.
Prof. Hadj Boudourcen, Director of CIRC, gave a talk
on “Free and Open Source Software Deployment: Experience and Future at SQU”. He indicated that after
a year and half of the MOU signed between SQU and
ITA, a number of objectives have been realized to contribute to the national initiative to support free and
open software source. He said that lots of efforts need
to be taken to develop FOSS at the University and establish a sustainable development and use of these
products as this will reduce the cost of the proprietary
software used at SQU and outside SQU. In this regard,
he stated that the first mirror server for FOSS in Oman,
supported by ITA, is being installed at SQU to ease the
distribution of FOSS within the university, the Sultanate and the region. The establishment of research lab
at CIRC will also contribute to the national initiative
together with the expected conference which will be
a forum for all interested developers and researchers
on free and open source software in Oman and the region.
Panorama
Dr. Mostafa Waly
Overweight Prevalent among
Diabetic Patients in Oman
A study conducted by Food Science and Nutrition researchers at
Sultan Qaboos University indicates that obesity and overweight are
prevalent among Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in the
Sultanate. The case-control study led by Dr. Mostafa Waly, Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science & Nutrition of the
College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences at SQU, proved that patients with T2DM showed significantly higher daily intake of total
fats, carbohydrates and energy as compared to non diabetic healthy
subjects. The mean serum levels of leptin and insulin in patients
with T2DM were also significantly higher than controls. Serum leptin was positively correlated with body mass index, serum insulin
level and total energy intake.
in adipose tissue. Obese subjects are thought to be resistant to the
effects of leptin in a similar way as the insulin resistance in patients
with T2DM. Adiposity, gender differences, and insulin resistance
have been considered as the major determinants of serum leptin
levels in both normal subjects and patients with T2DM.
T2DM is a metabolic disorder of multiple aetiologies and is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia associated with a disturbance of
carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism resulting from a defect
in insulin secretion or action. It is usually associated with long term
damage and dysfunction of various organs especially the eyes, kidneys, and nerves. The main etiological factors that synergize with
spreading of global epidemic of T2DM are sedentary life style, unhealthy eating habits including the consumption of energy dense
foods and genetic predisposition. Dr. Waly said that, in Oman, there
is an accelerated increase in the incidence of T2DM, and it is more
prevalent in urban population. “It has been estimated that T2DM
cases accounted for 12% of all newly diagnosed non-communicable
diseases in 2010”.
All participants were recruited on voluntary basis and signed consent forms for the study enrollment. Inclusion criteria were: (1)
nonsmokers and non-alcoholics; (2) free of endocrine disorders and
non communicable diseases; (3) females were neither pregnant nor
lactating; (4) not receiving any vitamins or nutritional supplements.
Fifty patients (25 males and 25 females) participated in the study;
they were all newly diagnosed with T2DM and did not receive any
anti-diabetic medication. Controls were non-diabetic healthy subjects and were randomly selected from those attending the outpatient departments at the SQU Hospital. The controls were matched
with patients based on their age (± 5 years), gender ratio, and body
weight (± 5 kg).
Obesity is a well known risk factor for chronic diseases including
T2DM, and its rate is increasing in the Arab-Gulf region as a result
of adopting Western lifestyle, high consumption of fast foods and
decreased physical activity. Leptin is an adipose derived hormone
(16 kDa protein) that circulates in the serum in free and bound form
and plays a key role in regulating energy balance, including appetite and metabolism.
Leptin plays an important role in the pathogenesis of obesity, and
obese subjects have high circulating concentration of leptin in the
blood, and serum leptin level reflects the amount of energy stored
This case-control study, included one hundred Omani adults (50
patients newly diagnosed with T2DM and 50 controls, non-diabetic
healthy subjects), they were evaluated from 1st June 2009 to end of
June 2010 in the outpatients Diabetes Clinic of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), a tertiary referral hospital and the principal governmental center for T2DM care in Oman.
Dr. Waly further said that the results of their study are in line with
the reported results and in conclusion, among the studied T2DM
Omani patients, serum leptin level was significantly higher as compared to controls and the increase in serum leptin was directly correlated with the average daily total energy intake, body-mass index
and serum insulin level. “This increase in serum leptin level might
be one of the triggers in the development of T2DM”, he added. Dr.
Waly conducted this study together with Dr.Masoud Al-Maskari
(Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences), Dr.Amanat Ali and Mrs.Yusra Al-Shuaibi (Department of
Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Marine
Sciences).
20 October 2011 P7
Straight Talk
Mohammed Abu-Risha
Horizon: How did you establish links with the Translation Group at SQU?
Mohammed: I found the active Translation Group at SQU while I was searching for translation activities on the web. I understood that there are a number of
students at SQU who are very active in translation and related activities. This is my
second visit to Oman. During my first visit, I gave a training for translators in Muscat, which was attended by a few students from the Translation Group. This is how
I established close ties with the group. Subsequently, they invited me to attend the
symposium.
Horizon: Your presentation was on using Arab heritage in supporting translation
theories in which you mentioned Holy Quran as an inspiring source for translation
studies. How would you explain this?
Mohammed: Our present day witnesses lots of development in all facets of
life, including studies in the field of translation theories. It is deplorable, however,
that pedagogical studies in translation, particularly those pertaining to training of
translators, lack adequate reference to Arabic heritage, though it has the potential
of advancing studies in this field. Through my presentation, I was trying to shed light
on several issues hailed by theorists of translation, who unfortunately refrain from
using the wealth of cognitive sources already provided by the Arabs hundreds of
years ago. The Holy Quran, in particular, contains verses that use the most refined
rhetorical and language techniques that should be amply discussed by theorists in
supporting their propositions.
Horizon: To what extent, verses for Holy Quran can serve as examples for translation theories?
Mohammed: In my presentation, I highlighted some major theories in translation, particularly the problem of equivalence, and other related disciplines such as
pragmatics and semiotics, that can be understood clearly by students of translation
in the Arab world if only they could use the verses from the Holy Quran. My attempt
was to highlight those areas where verses from the Holy Quran can be used for theoretical translation purposes. For translation students who are native speakers of Arabic, the rich heritage of the their mother tongue could be well used to explain translation theories in a far better manner than learning from examples from another
language or culture. Since Arabic language and literature is very rich, they would get
more examples to explain translation theories. Holy Quran is just an example with its
rich content in metrical form.
Horizon: You led a workshop on teaching strategies in translation training at
SQU. Could explain on it?
Mohammed: My idea was to familiarise translation students and potential future teachers of translation with translation training and teaching strategies. If you
know something, you can teach it to others, how simple the thing is. There are many
people who are there to learn from you even the simplest of the things. However,
many people think that it is very difficult to contribute to the teaching process. I
encourage the translation students to gather as often as they can and teach among
themselves; something like peer teaching. I explained to the students various strategies in training including general translation, simultaneous interpretation, legal
translation, etc. We should encourage teaching because if you teach somebody, you
would learn more.
Horizon: What are the major challenges in simultaneous interpretation?
Mohammed: Simultaneous interpretation is a highly specialized area of trans-
Mohammed Abu-Risha is a Training Manager with
Talal Abu Ghazalehy Translation, Distribution and
Publishing in Jordan, and an expert in simultaneous
interpretation. He gave a talk on translation theories
and led a training workshop on teaching strategies in
translation training during the 8th annual symposium of the Translation Group organised by the English
& Translation Society at SQU.
lations, which requires accurate and complete translation, orally and at the same
rate of speech as the speaker, with only a few seconds of lag time. Simultaneous
interpreting is one of the most common kinds of interpreting. But also the most difficult. Very few translators-who are used to getting the time to really think about
their translations can do it, and not even all interpreters can do it well. Simultaneous interpreters must have, not only complete mastery of the languages, but also
of their cultures. In addition, they must have technical knowledge of the subject to
be discussed, as well as the required simultaneous interpretation training, skill, and
experience. Sound vocabulary and good Voice are also important. It needs a lot of
experience to become an established simultaneous interpreter. Extensive reading
and basic knowledge about different subjects are essential for the making of a good
simultaneous interpreter. We have a shortage of simultaneous translators in the Arab
countries. One of the reason for this is the lack of enough academic programs in
this discipline. To the best of my knowledge, well structured academic programs in
simultaneous interpretation are not offered in any of the Arab universities except
some Lebanese universities.