AUTISM IN OMAN: EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ETIOLOGY
Dr. Yahya Al-Farsi
College of Medicine & Health Science
Until two years ago, little information has been known about autism in Oman.
On September 2008, the newly-formulated Autism Research Group (ARG) at
SQU initiated research activities which resulted in important findings, namely
estimation of prevalence in Oman, quantification of malnutrition among
autistics, and ascertainment of a strong association between suboptimal
breastfeeding and autism. We propose for an array of research studies and
infrastructure development of autism services. The studies are: 1)Situational
analysis of hampering factors in notification and timely-diagnosis of autism,
namely knowledge, attitude, and practice among healthcare providers and
school teachers; 2) Evaluation of the social and economic burden on autism
families in order to facilitate translational research and formulation of a
national policy for autism; 3) Biochemical exploration of the potential role of
breast milk, glutathione, and cysteine metabolism on the occurrence of autism
in Oman; and 4) Exploration of functional genomics of autism candidate
genes among Omani population. Results of these studies are expected to
advance the infrastructure of autism research, clinical management, and
community services in Oman, and to better understanding of autism etiology.
Measuring Against Expectations: Development of a Multidimensional
Profile of College Readiness of Sultan Qaboos University Intake 2010 –
2012
Dr. Thuwayba Al Barwani
College of Education
This is a descriptive and correlational research study that analyzes crosssectional quantitative data from several tests and surveys to identify
statistically significant correlations between and among factors related to
student success in higher education. The study will enhance our
understanding of: (1.) the knowledge, motivation, skills and attitudes of
students entering Omani higher education institutions in 2010-2012; (2.) the
differences in academic performance between the General Education and the
first students to have completed 12 years of Basic Education curriculum; and
(3.) the knowledge and skills that contribute positively to higher education
academic success. The understanding in these areas will enhance the ability
of faculty to design and implement degree programs that prepare graduates
who are ready to meet the social and economic goals of Oman as
documented in 2020Vision (MoNE, 1995).
To identify student knowledge, skills and attitudes, the researchers, using
SQU as a case study, will collect and analyze data from several sources
including school diploma test scores, foundation test scores and the results of
three instruments. These 3 instruments focus on critical thinking skills,
motivation, study skills and social factors that have been shown in prior
research to affect academic success. The data will be analyzed against the
students’ academic performance during the first two years at SQU. With
university GPA as the dependent variable, researchers will use multiple
regression analysis to identify which independent variables most affect or
possibly predict university success. The sample for this study is the population
of all SQU first year students for 2010, 2011 and 2012 (approximately
2700/year X 3 years = 8100 students). Lastly, as a follow-up to an earlier
study, faculty will be surveyed about their perceptions of the students’
readiness skills. By using SQU as a case study, the research team will not
only develop the database about SQU students but will also validate the
research protocol, instruments and statistical programming which can then be
used by all higher education institutions. The analysis of college readiness
will inform SQU administration about its students and will help faculty in
course preparation. Further, it will provide data to initiate dialogues at different
levels of educational system in Oman. The findings will also provide insights
about elementary and secondary curriculum alignment with higher education
entrance requirements and most importantly, will help ensure that the future
Omani workforce is ready to perform as expected to meet the country’s
strategic social and economic goals.
Towards Quality Early Childhood Education in Oman: Moving from
Licensure to Accreditation
Dr. Azza Habib Mustafa
College of Education
Early Childhood Education is a reality of modern life. Following this line, the
researchers strongly believe that quality of care and education for young
children is a priority for all concerned. The researchers in this work maintain a
general trend in Oman, and elsewhere in the region and the Arab world, that
quality cannot be measured with just local standards. Therefore, this
research is designed with the following research purposes :
1- Construct and validate a standardized instrument that measures quality
in Early Childhood Programs in Oman
2- Provide empirical data of the quality of early childhood programs in
Oman.
The study will involve a 50% stratified sample of kindergartens and head
teachers in those classrooms from all regions of Oman. Needed data will
be collected using the following tools:
1- A culturally adapted version of The Early Childhood Classroom
Observation Scale (ECCOS; National Association for the Education
of Young Children, 1991) will be used to collect observational data
from kindergarten classrooms.
2- The Classroom Demography Information Sheet will be used to
obtain information regarding program characteristics.
3- The Teacher Questionnaire and interview will be used to assess
kindergarten practices involving parents.
The following are expected outcomes of this proposed study:
Short-Term Goals:
1- Develop a comprehensive quality profile of early childhood programs in
Oman
2- Identify the best predictor (s) of quality for Early Child Education
programs in Oman
3- Standardize instrument (s) for measuring quality of Early Childhood
programs in Oman based on international indicators.
Long-Term Goals:
1- Pave the road towards a national accreditation system for early
childhood programs based on global quality standards.
2- Provide objective feedback to parents that will help them in their
selection of quality programs for their young children
Provide policy makers with empirical data for incorporating early childhood
education into the current public educational system.
Estimating natural groundwater recharge and discharge in North Oman
Dr. Abdalla Osman
College of Science
Groundwater recharge and discharge fluxes are important components in any
hydrologic cycle and they are necessary for water budget analysis, especially
in arid areas like Oman. Reasonable assessment of these fluxes will provide
key information for water development/management plans and water
legislations and abstractions. The envisaged research project will assess
natural groundwater recharge and discharge fluxes for the first time in
northern Oman using multiple techniques. Hydrochemical and modelling
approaches are employed
to
estimate
temporal and
spatial
recharge/discharge rates and to assess the water quality and its chemical
evolution along its flow path. The study also intends to quantify groundwater
residence time and identifies areas of replenishment and depletion to suggest
zones of sustainable/endangered resources and enhance the feasibility of
water management plans.
The impact of the New Media on Socialization: An Interdisciplinary study
on Oman
Dr. Anwar Mohammad Al-Rawas
College of Arts & Social Science
Socialization is one of the most important processes in all societies. It has,
therefore, been an essential topic of inquiry in different fields of social
sciences. With the enormous scientific and technological developments in
media and telecommunications in the last quarter of the twentieth century and
the beginnings of the new millennium, new media means (satellites, the World
Wide Web, and mobile phones) and their multiple applications have emerged
as a serious challenge for the family and other institutions of socialization.
Based on General Systems Theory, Cultivation Theory, and Gratification
Approach, the current study seeks to achieve the following objectives:
1- to identify Omani families patterns of use of the new means of
communication.
2- to explore the cultural impact of new media (satellite channels, internet,
and mobile phones) on the young generation.
3- to examine the impact of some demographic variables such as family
size and level of education on the socialization process.
4- to set criteria and standards that can direct new media to play a more
positive role in the socialization process.
The present study is a descriptive study based on a survey distributed in all
regions and governances of the Sultanate of Oman to a random sample of
8000 students in the age group (6-16), 2000 parents, represented in the
parents’ boards, and a number of experts in the fields of media and
socialization.
Value Added Functional Products from Less Utilized Biomaterials
Locally Available in the Sultanate
Prof. Mohammed Shafiur Rahman
College of Agricultural and Marine Science
In order to address the food security and sustainable production it is important
to explore the possibility of developing value added functional products using
waste or less utilized local bio-materials. The development of these types of
functional products usually does not require mass production and does not
utilize excessive resources since the source of raw materials already exists
locally. However significant research activities need to be conducted in order
to develop the new technology and to assess its structural characteristics,
functionality and safety for human consumption. The objectives of this
research project are to develop functional products using less utilized biomaterials available locally in the Sultanate. In this project only 3 locally less
utilized bio-materials (date-pits, seaweeds, and pomegranate skins and
seeds) will be used to develop value-added functional ingredients or products.
The developed technology and materials’ characterizing techniques could
also be used for other bio-materials processing. Several functional products
(such as food ingredients as fibers, biodegradable packaging materials, and
fuel source for fish smoking) will be developed using less utilized date-pits.
Different treatments will be performed on the date-pits in order to change its
structure for desired functionality. The potential polysaccharides from sea
weeds will be extracted from the treated or untreated sea weeds, and extract
will be precipitated or dried by different methods as compared to the
conventional methods. The structural/functional characterization of the dried
polysaccharides will be performed in order to determine its potential
functionality in food products as well as health functional products related to
immune system. The functional components will be extracted from
pomegranate skin using different solvents. The extracts will be further dried
with or without additives by different methods. The health functionality of the
dried extracts will be evaluated considering in-vitro and animal model.
Structural characteristics at molecular, nano and micro levels will be analyzed
by HPLC, FTIR spectroscopy, NMR analysis, Differential Scanning
Calorimetry (DSC) and modulated DSC (MDSC) thermal analysis, rheological
analysis by Oscillatory, Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) and
Texture Profile Analysis (TPA), Dynamic Vapor Sorption (DVS) analysis and
GC-MS methods. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity risks will be monitored using
standard battery of biological assays to assess the suspected mutagenicity or
carcinogenicity of the developed products. Short-term mutagenicity assays
such as Ames test will assess the DNA damage resulting from exposure to
the sample. The genotoxic effects will be further evaluated using
chromosomal aberrations assay by examining dividing bone marrow cells. In
order to explore the beneficial health effects of the developed products
different assays in-vitro and animal model will be used for studying the
biomarkers, such as antioxidant activity, insulin sensitivity, glucose
homeostasis, glycated hemoglobin levels, plasma lipid profile, markers of fat
deposition, systemic inflammation and oxidative stress as well as body
composition changes in animal models for different targeted diseases. The
project will develop scientific and research skills and expertise within the
Sultanate, which is needed to flourish the food and bio-processing industry.
This will be achieved by providing training to the graduate students, technical
staffs, research assistants; and developing laboratory and pilot scales
facilities in the department. The scaling up of this process will be studied in
order to define a relevant industrial technology, valorization through adequate
IPR and industrial policy. The main results will be communicated to the foods
and bio-processing industry by organizing workshops and developing related
flyer and brochures. The developed scientific knowledge will be published in
the refereed journals related to food and health sciences. An attempt will be
made to make new international links for collaboration and fostering existing
collaborating institutes in different countries.