Issue No. 4 - September 2015 - squ.edu.om · tan Qaboos University is participating in the forth-coming Frankfurt Inter-national Book Fair (From 13/10 to 19/10). The Book Fair was

علمي

Fake Medicines Sold through Misleading Propaganda

Herbal Therapy: Between Science and Custom

Issue No. 4

- Septem

ber 20

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Omani Studies Center Director to Tawasul :

There are Good Intentions for an Institutional and Media-Wise

Development of the Center

Dr. Majid Al-Bousafi :The Scientific Aspects of Sports

Study :A Study on Identifying and Isolating Thermophilic Bacteria

Septamber 2015 eng.indd 1 9/29/15 11:42

دائرة النشر العلمي والتواصل بعمادة البحث العلمي

/tawasul.squ/tawasul.squ/tawasul.squ/publicationsqu

Editorial SupervisionProf. Khaled Day

Managing Editor Salim Rabia Al-Gheilani

PhotographyMohammad Zayed Al Habsi Amur Khalfan Al-Kharusi

Cover designIbtisam Al-Harthiya

Editor - in - ChiefAli Nasser Al-Hadrami

Translated and Edited byDr. Mounir Ben Zid

Proofreading by:Dr. Robert Gordon GearDr. Janet Holst

Design and ProductionScientific Publishing andOutreach Department

SQU to Participate in Frankfurt InternationalBook Fair

The Effect of Atomic Hydrogen as a Surfactant and a Cleaning Agent on Semiconductor Epitaxial Growth


A Study on Developing Controlled Environment Agriculture in the Sultanate

A Book on Quantitative Social Science Research with Explanatory Illustrations

Studying the Possibility of Approving the ElectronicSignature as an Alternative to the Traditional Signature

Main news

Study

Feature

Study

Book at a Glance

Conferences

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Editor - in - ChiefAli Nasser Al-Hadrami

Translated and Edited byDr. Mounir Ben Zid

Proofreading by:Dr. Robert Gordon GearDr. Janet Holst

Design and ProductionScientific Publishing andOutreach Department

Humanities:The Gate tothe Future

E d i t o r i a lHumanities were and are still the gate which leads to the future. Despite the considerable development applied sciences have witnessed, the increasing interest in its different domains, and the billions spent annually to support them, it can be said that the stability humankind is aspiring for is not possible to achieve in isolation from its humanitarian counterpart. This is because applied science investigates the concrete, the visible and the specific features of things, while human science investigates the essence of man as the basis of everything. Thus, applied sciences will not be able to advance without humanities, and history is the best witness to the fact that whenever philosophy has developed, applied sciences have developed likewise. Besides, philosophers who believed in man and considered him as the center of their studies were able to pave the way for all great civilizations. Therefore, neither ancient nor modern history records that a given civilizational development started with industry or laboratory experiments because applied sciences were born from the womb ofshumanitis without which applied sciences would deviate from their intended goals and vanish.

There is continued interest of the West in philosophs, sociologs, histors and linguistics.,hwith the practioners of these fields are rewardegm andg their achievements are celebrated. This is clear evidence that people in the West assume that progress is closely associated with the existence of elite researchers and scientists in the field ofshumanitis who endeavor to preserve the spirit of the community and improve its moral dimensios. This makes applied sciences a tool which serves humanity rather than an instrument to spread evil and destruction. What is happening in our Arab societies is quite the reverse;e human science is the road taken by unsuccessful students unable to acquire practical knowledge, and with limited employment opportunities and very low in interest in thet. All of these factors, therefore, have created a negative awareness towardshumanities affecting both the quantity and quality of research studies. When we measure the volume of research produced by SQU colleges of education, arts and law iy comparison with one college of applied sciences such as engineering, we notice a tremendous disparity between them and between the number of research studies the college of engineering produces annually. These studiesh outnumber the total research work produced by all the colleges ofshumanities combiner. This is an alarming indicator of a situation we need to pay attention to and to addresss if we aspire for a better future.

Editors


September 2015 4

SQU to Participate in Frankfurt International Book FairAl-Wahibi: We Aspire to Enhance the Image of the

Sultanate in Scientific Research

Represented by the Dean-ship of Research and the Omani Studies Center, Sul-tan Qaboos University is participating in the forth-coming Frankfurt Inter-national Book Fair (From 13/10 to 19/10). The Book Fair was founded five cen-turies ago and is considered the largest international cul-tural phenomenon dedicated to the book in the world. It occupies six huge halls in an area of 171.790 square meters. The fair is visited by more than 27.000 people annually and has the larg-est complex in the world for property and printing rights. The university corner will include more than 60 pub-lications in religious, liter-ary, social and historical sciences in both Arabic and English. These are part of a strategy to support research efforts in the Sultanate and to disseminate and preserve national culture and history.

The volumes will be valu-able additions to the Omani Library and to the Arab li-brary in general. A number of recent publica-tions will be on display, in particular, the book Scien-tific Implications of Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Said Al-Abri, former Mufti of the Sultan-ate. This is an encyclopedia in four volumes, containing the author’s collected writ-ings, analysis and comments on Bin Hilal Al-Abri, Jumaa Bin Mubarak Al-Sarmi, Su-leiman Bin Saif Al-Kindi and Mohammed Bin Saif Al-Shaili.A second publication is a collection of poems by the Omani poet Al-Sheikh Ahmed Bin Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al-Harthi, collected and edited by Dr Jokha Bint Mohammed Alharthi, Col-lege of Arts. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Abdallah Al-Harthi, who died in 1995, is known as the poet of Eastern Oman. Other

Omani books to be displayed in the University’s corner at the Book Fair include The Sultanate’s Natural Geog-raphy by Salim Al-Hatrushi from the Department of Ge-ography, College of Arts, Ce-ramic Painting by Badr Bin Mohammed Al-M,aamari, Maritime Delimitation Be-tween Oman and Yemen by Abdullah Bin Hamed Al-Badi, and Quantitative So-cial Research Techniques. In addition to books, many refereed and non-refereed research papers written by Omani and non-Omani re-searchers will be on display.Dr. Talal A-Wahibi, Assistant Dean of Scientific Research, told Tawasul: “Participation in this fair is a confirma-tion and an implementation of the University’s plan to promote scientific research and outcomes through expo-sure and publication, and by investing in local and inter-national book fairs, thereby

presenting the University as an educational and aca-demic institution concerned with scientific research and publication, and enhancing the image of the Sultanate in both areas. “We opted for Frankfurt In-ternational Book Fair,” Dr. Talal added, “as our Euro-pean venue for participation, since the Scientific Publica-tion and Communication Department already partici-pates annually in two fairs at the regional Arab level. Frankfurt Fair was selected for being one of the larg-est and most renowned in-ternational fairs which has become the destination of many institutions and pub-lishing houses around the world, thus offering us a real opportunity to be acquainted with current academic pub-lishing issues while building communication bridges be-tween institutions that mesh with the university’s goals.”

Main news


September 20155

A Study on Better Management of Irrigation

Al-Mulla: Recent Techniques will be Used to Achieve The Best Results

Irrigation through water diversion is a key water resource for agriculture in the Middle East. A re-search team headed by Dr. Yassin Al-Mala at the Col-lege of Agricultural and Marine Sciences is seeking ways to improve the way irrigation is managed in agriculture. Crop control and monitor-ing of the environment are powerful tools for improv-ing irrigation management

in agriculture, together with the use of electronic sensors that measure the content of the soil for wa-ter, salinity and flow in the interaction of soil, vegeta-tion and atmosphere. When these methods are combined with data re-cording and remote com-munication over cellular networks, a new dimen-sion is added to irrigation management, enabling surveillance and remote

monitoring (both continu-ous and semi-momentary), which can result in a better use of irrigation water. This approach will be im-plemented and assessed in four different countries that have diverse environ-ments, systems of produc-tion and criteria. It involves cooperation with both the private sector and national research and associated in-stitutions. Other technolo-gies will provide support,

including computer mod-eling and the scheduling of irrigation according to weather conditions. The team hopes to create opportunities for coopera-tion and the exchange of knowledge, technology and experience among oth-er researchers and decision makers that will lead to better management of irri-gation and provide a bank of quantitative data to sup-port enabling policies.

Many researchers spend a lot of time using research engines and digital libraries to look for possible scientific projects. However, they are often unable to locate resources on topics related to their research area. To meet this difficulty, Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamdani plans to carry out research aimed at creating indices for finding science projects by using research titles, researchers’ names, research abstracts, research contents and references. Dr. Hamdani’s project also seeks to

enable researchers to find research studies and references within a given research area, thus making it possible for future users of this system to

assess the importance of a research study and the researchers’ contributions.

Approved Indices for Finding Science Projects

News


The Omani Studies Center at Sultan Qaboos University has a unique function geared to the study and preservation of the material and non-material cultural heritage of Oman, and facilitating communication between societal institutions both within and outside the Sultanate. Its role is balanced between promoting academic research and social activities, between what Prof called “bookshelves, and scientific lounges”, reflecting what the Oman’s aspirations in the areas of knowledge and education.

Tawasul recently interviewed Professor Ali Al Shuaili, OSC’s Director, about his vision of the Center’s role, the challenges it faces and its future plans.

You were appointed as the Director of the Omani Studies Center last year. How have you found the Center, and what ideas do you have to develop it? The Omani Studies Centre was the first research cen-ter established at Sultan Qaboos University. It has made exceptional strides in the last few years in terms of organizing re-search, and initiating in-tellectual and heritage activities in the Sultan-ate. It has contributed to collecting and preserving Omani manuscripts and

is looking for ways to make these available to their users. I envisage it becoming an inter-

national beacon for sci-entific and research and serving Omani society by preserving its identity and

heritage.

Some people might think that the center is not playing the role assigned to it, or in a manner that achieves its vision and mission. How do you respond to this? What tangible results has the Center achieved to veri-fy this vision?The center has published studies relating to Oman society on subjects in hu-manities and social sci-ence areas. It has also organized research and academic seminars, such as one on “Common Grounds Between Omani and Al-Azhari Scientists”, and convened forums and discussion circles relat-ing to the Omani context. The Center also has the responsibility to dissemi-nate knowledge in the ar-eas of Omani studies to the widest possible circle of scholars, which it at-tempts to do through its various publications. So far, the Centre has pub-lished 24 volumes, the latest of which is The Im-pact of Science by Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Said Al-Abri. This deals with the scien-tific life and intellectual writings of the Sultanate’s former Grand Mufti, and appears as 4 colored, deluxe folders.

September 2015 6

Omani Studies Center Director to Tawasul :

There are Good Intentions for an Institutionaland Media-Wise Development of the Center

Interview


We Have an Ambitious Plan to Address Photographed Manuscripts

Our Relations are Grounded on Bilateral Scientific Cooperation

At the heart of its mission lies the center’s responsi-bility to develop a collec-tion of manuscripts and improve the mechanisms of serving their users. Has this happened? What progress has been made in this area?The Centre has an ambi-tious plan to develop its collection of manuscripts and perfect the mecha-nisms to make them avail-able to their users. We have already collected and pho-tographed a considerable number of Omani manu-scripts on a variety of sub-jects, from both within and outside the Sultanate. Ef-forts have also been made to restore original manu-scripts, and the Center’s

ambitious plan is to clas-sify photographed manu-scripts so that researchers can benefit from them.

Can you tell us about the connection between the Center and related gov-ernmental and private in-stitutions?The Center has ties with other research centers in the University, and Arab and foreign institutes and universities sharing similar objectives and concerns, both within and outside the Sultanate. The Center

has close association with the Manuscripts Depart-ment in the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, the Archives and Documents Institute and other similar institutions. In addition, it cooperates with the Minis-try of Tourism and with the Directorate General of Me-teorology in documenting exceptional weather pat-terns. Currently, the Cen-ter is considering studies and consultations received from the Royal Court Af-fairs and the Ministry of Social Development.

Some analysts have ob-served that the role of the center overlaps with the role of other institutions. Do you agree?

Some people have argued that the work of the Cen-ter replicates that of other governmental institutions outside the university, but this is a question of corre-lation, rather than conflict or competition. Because the University is a venue for constructing knowl-edge, its role is to enquire into subjects and their dif-ferent aspects and direc-tions with the academic eyes of experts, and so avoid duplication. How-ever, a degree of overlap is unavoidable: the role

of the College of Agricul-ture and Marine Sciences, for instance, may overlap with that of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fish-eries. Similarly, the work of Curricula and Teaching Department at the College of Education may also overlap with that of the General Directorate for curricular development at the Ministry of Education. It is a matter of correla-tion, rather than duplica-tion or competition.

What is the Center doing to market its work and bring it to the attention of the public?Marketing is really the function of the university’s media sections. We trust they work hard to publi-cize the efforts made by the different units of the university. However, se-nior officials in the Omani Studies Centersintend to work towardo improvine the Center’s reputation and building its institutional and media identity.

September 20157

Interview


The High Level of Expectation and Available Means Revealed our

Challenging Power

Deanship of Research and Research Centers Complement

One Another

Despite their Limited Number, our Staff are Fulfilling their Duties with a High

Professional Satisfaction

The university has top students capable of sup-porting the center’s role. How do top students fit into the Omani Studies Center’s activities?The Center has recently cooperated with some col-leges in the University to provide student training programs, and it has also benefited from the student employment program. A seminar held at Sheikh Humoud Bin Hamid Al-Sawafi ‘s on Oman’s Past and Shining Future was organized by the Center in collaboration with the student Islamic Cultural Group. Such initiatives as

these typify the Center’s aspirations and direction.

What Challenges are fac-ing the Omani Studies Center and how do you plan to overcome them?One of the challenges faced by the Centre is meeting the expectations of the Uni-versity with the relatively limited material and human resources currently avail-able at the Center.

What do you think of sci-entific research at the uni-versity? And as the head of a research center, what can you suggest to devel-op it?

There is a correlation be-tween the role of the Dean-ship of Research and that of the colleges and re-search centers in financ-ing research projects and carrying out advisory ser-vices. We strongly hope to be able to enrich the Cen-ter with research experts and to establish more co-operation with specialist

academics in the university with a view to organizing research activities across a number of areas. Promot-ing iconic Omani celebra-tions and the transfer of knowledge by initiating events where scholars can converse under the same roof are other ways of en-riching both science and scientific research.

Your staff are making great efforts to achieve the Center’s vision and objectives. How are they rewarded and how are you refining their skills?It is said that unleashing an individual’s potential is akin to finding gold. It may take a long time to dig deep in searching for such potential, and when

you find it, you should know how to exploit it. We have a small staff in the center, but all working together like one cell, in a harmonious and congenial atmosphere, with under-standing and professional satisfaction, and this de-serves words of thanks and gratitude.

What plans do you have for the Center’s future? The plans of the center are formulated in periodic meetings with members. One ambitious plan is to form an advisory com-mittee for the Center that would include a number of people interested in Omani affairs from both within and outside the Sultanate. It is hoped that this will be of benefit in supporting re-search projects, but also in providing some relief and support for the Center’s staff.

September 2015 8

Interview


September 20159

Using Phytoplankton to Predict Red Tide

New Ways of Enabling Students to Acquire Critical Thinking and

Problem-solving Skills

A research team at the Col-lege of Education is conduct-ing research into whether critical thinking and prob-lem-solving skills are still necessary for 21st century students and to what extent they are compatible with the curricula and teaching at Omani higher education institutions. The study also seeks to ascertain whether enabling Omani students to acquire these skills can equip them with the skills and knowledge required in the workforce. This study is based on the premise that the needs of higher education and the workforce are cur-rently incompatible, leading to a mismatch in meeting

the demands of the work-place, where individuals are needed to think critically and act logically, to evalu-ate situations, understand and solve problems, analyze data, make decisions, and access and apply specialized knowledge from various fields.

It is hoped that the training given in governmental edu-cation institutions to build students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills will ideally enable them to absorb work culture, de-velop the cognitive abilities to meet the demands of the workplace and acquire spe-cific skills that are likely to optimize their success.

Oman’s extensive coasts include the Omani Area in the north and the Arabian Sea in the south. The interaction of seasonal winds and water flow from the Gulf and the Arabian Sea impacts deeply on the biological, physical and chemical characteristics of Oman’s eco-system and sea.

With this in mind, a team from Sultan Qaboos University is conducting research to monitor phytoplankton and use it as a model for forecasting ‘red tide’.

The venue planned for the research study is along the coastal area of Muscat, close to the water desalination station in Barka. Here, samples from the site will be tak-en twice a month for the period of one year. Samples of sea-water from nutritional substances, phytoplankton, will also be taken, together with the temperature, connec-tivity, oxygen, lateral disturbance and chlorophyll mea-sures. Additional samples will also be taken from other sites along the coast of Oman and the Arabian Sea when a bloom of phytoplankton or red tide is detected.

News


Electronic Spot Markets at the Serviceof Transportation in the Sultanate

September 2015 10

Reducing the Effects of Polymer Use inOil-Contaminated Water Treatment

A research team at Sultan Qaboos University is con-ducting research work on designing and running inter-net-based spot markets for the e-procurement of trans-portation services in Oman. The spot market will use Combinatorial Auctions (CAs) as a trading mechanism. CAs have been shown to be very efficient in al-locating such resources as airport land-ing slots, spectrum licenses, trea-sury bills and electrical energy. Even in the logistics sector, the literature has reported several successful accounts of companies using CAs to procure their transportation needs while achieving remarkable cost savings. Participating in electron-ic spot markets provides a number of advantages: carriers , transportation companies and logistics providers can benefit from e-markets by bidding on loads (origin/des-tination pairs) which are likely to reduce the number of truck-empty movements in

their transportation networks. CAs technology thus al-lows them to bid on the packages of loads and maximize their profit, rather than bidding on several single loads separately.

The proposed study will first attempt to select the CAs characteristics that fit the

Omani transportation sys-tem, and then develop op-

timization models and solution approaches to be faced by the differ-ent actors of the spot

market. Finally, the re-searchers will carry out

extensive computational experiments in order to test

the validity of the results ob-tained. Large-scale mathemati-

cal experiments will be used at this final stage to test the validity of the re-

sults obtained in collaboration with major logistic service companies operating in the

Sultanate of Oman.

A research team at Sultan Qa-boos University is carrying out research at the BAUER Nimr Water Treatment Plant (NWTP) into the treatment of oil-contaminated water. This research is aimed at as-sessing the effect of polymer on the performance of plant biological treatments with a view to finding ways to re-duce its side effects.

The one-year research pro-gram aims to compare oil polymer deterioration rates with and without a focus on polymer, and to study the

impact of polymer on the growth of microorganisms, their behavior and capacity to break down oil.

The impact will be studied both within the frame of controlled laboratory experi-ments, and in field settings.

Microbial communities will also be studied using mi-crobiological and molecular tools. Part of this study also involves isolating organ-isms that have the ability to circumvent and destroy polymer, as a step towards exterminating polymer and reducing its effects.

At the end of the study, the results will be sent to BAUER Nimr to help the company improve its water-treatment processes by using the most effective form of biological treatment.

News


September 201511

Sivakumar Nallusamy - College Of Science

Cellulose, an important plant polymer, is the most abundant and renewable carbon source on earth. Cellulases are induc-ible enzymes produced by mi-croorganisms to degrade cellu-lose when cellulosic materials are supplied as substrates. Ap-plication of cellulase enzymes in paper, detergent and leather industries demands the finding of highly stable enzymes active at extreme pH and temperature. The search for enzymes from extremophilic microorganisms is one of the ways to obtain en-zymes with suitable character-istic features for industrial ap-plications. Practically there are some advantages in using ther-mostable enzymes in industrial processes as compared to ther-molabile enzymes. The main advantage is the increase in rate of reaction as the tempera-ture of the process is raised. At high temperatures the solubility of many polymeric substances is considerably increased and the risk of contamination is re-duced.Even though a large number of microorganisms are reported for cellulose degradation, only a few of these produce significant quantities of cell-free enzymes to degrade crystalline cellulose in vitro. To date, very few ther-mophilic cellulolytic bacteria have been described for their cellulase activity. Thermophil-ic enzymes play a significant role in bioremediation because higher temperatures applied during waste treatment favor the solubility of the substrates. Hence thermophiles remain an important source of cellulolytic enzymes. The arid environment in Oman is unique in terms of its biodiversity. The probability of getting microbes with distinc-tive features is higher in such environments. The hot springs in arid regions like Oman are a potential source of microbes with novel features. To date, the hot springs in Oman are unstudied resources in terms of

bacterial diversity. Preliminary studies have shown the pres-ence of thermo, acidic and alka-line stable cellulase producing thermophilic and hyperthermo-philic bacteria in the Al Kasfah Hot Spring, Al Rustaq, Oman..The increase of solid wastes is becoming a global problem. Different methods such as buri-al, incineration and recycling are used to dispose of solid wastes. Improper management of solid wastes contaminates air, soil and water. In addi-tion, disposal of solid wastes in landfills pollutes the ground water and causes emission of greenhouse gases, such as car-bon dioxide and methane which in turn cause climatic changes. Municipal solid waste contains high amounts of cellulose, which is an ideal organic waste for the growth of most micro-organisms. Municipal solid waste is composed of 40–50% cellulose, 9–12% hemicellu-loses, and 10–15% lignin on a dry weight basis. Most of the carbon dioxide and methane gases are produced from bio-degradable cellulosic wastes, such as wood, leaves, other agriculture residues and waste papers. Recycling of such cel-lulosic wastes can decrease the greenhouse effect. Today, en-vironmental policies and regu-lation progress have led to the development of biodegradation

processes to turn organic wastes into valuable products using potential microbes. One of the initiatives of the Oman govern-ment is to investigate the pos-sibilities of utilizing alternative renewable resources for energy production. Cellulosic wastes such as paper, wood, agriculture residues and cardboard could be considered as one of the main renewable energy sources. Ac-cording to a 2010 survey, about 1.6 million tons of solid waste is dumped in landfills in Oman every year, of which, 62 thou-sand tons is paper waste. This amount of paper waste could be used as a source to produce an economically important cellu-lase enzyme. In addition, if the cellulase enzyme was used, the paper wastes could be degraded and the degraded product could also be used as a substrate to produce commercially im-portant products. So far, there are no national projects that deal with the bioconversion of wastes..The present project would be conducted with an objective of isolating cellulase producing thermophilic bacteria from the hot springs present in South Al Batinah and Muscat regions of Oman. The selected cellulase potential strains would be used to degrade paper wastes. This would result in the formation of glucose, which could be used in

the production of value-added products. This study will be con-ducted in three phases. In Phase 1, cellulase producing thermo-philic bacteria will be isolated from hot springs and identified using 16SrRNA/Ion Torrent sequencing. The identified mi-crobes will be lyophilized and maintained as a thermophilic cellulase producing bacterial culture collection in the De-partment of Biology, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. In Phase 2, some efficient cellulo-lytic bacteria would be selected to cause cellulase fermentation in a laboratory scale fermentor. Increased cellulase production would be achieved by a gradi-ent feed of substrate and main-tenance of process conditions at their optimal. The produced enzymes would be purified by ammonium sulfate precipita-tion, dialysis, and gel filtration chromatography. The purified enzyme would be character-ized by studying the activity and stability of cellulase at dif-ferent temperatures, pH, salin-ity, different metals, detergents etc. Molecular weight and the amino acid sequence of cellu-lase would be characterized us-ing MALDI TOF TOF. In Phase 3, the characterized bacteria or consortium of bacteria would be used to convert the paper waste to glucose in a laboratory scale fermentor. With the help of suit-able microorganisms the glu-cose would be used to produce biofuel and bioplastic.This proposed research pro-gram represents a unique and challenging attempt to solve the problem of increasing accumu-lation of solid waste which can cause environmental and public health concerns in the country. In addition, this research will provide knowledge about the bacterial biodiversity in the ma-jor hot springs of Oman; it will help in capacity building and will establish a bioprocess re-search facility at Sultan Qaboos University.

A Study on Identifying and Isolating Thermophilic Bacteri

Study

Towards a Safe Way to Get Rid of Solid Waste:

Isolation and Identification of Thermophilic Cellulase Producing Bacteria and its Potential Application in Bioconversion of Waste Paper


September 2015 12

Diversifying Funding Sources for Higher Educationto Achieve Sustainable Development

A Plan for Planting and Cultivating Palm Trees in Oman

A research team at the College of Education is working on a project aiming to diversify the sources of funding for higher education, identify the theoret-ical foundations needed to di-versify the sources of funding for higher education and meet the sustainable development requirements in the Sultanate of Oman. The project is seek-

ing to identify current global trends in funding sources for higher education and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Omani higher education-al system that impact on the diversification of its funding sources. The study also aims to diagnose the different op-portunities and threats within the external environment of

the Omani higher educational system, and determine how the SWOT analysis results of the Sultanate’s higher educational environment could affect its funding sources. Finally, the project aims to create a strat-egy to diversify the sources of funding for higher education in a way that meets the require-ments of sustainable develop-

ment in the Sultanate of Oman.

The project is to be carried out using triangulation, which em-ploys more than one method, other research tools and SWOT analysis. A questionnaire will also be used to assess the ele-ments of internal and external environment, and statistics programs will be employed to analyze the data.

Palm trees are the main components in Oman’s agricultural sys-tem. This research study is concerned with developing a linear programming system for the purpose of determining the most suitable farms for the proposed planting of one million palm trees. The research aims to recommend tree planting as the best option among a group of possible agricultural projects, and to propose the best locations for the cultivation of palm trees.

The study is based on available secondary data and data col-lected from 60 farms in the Dhahirah, eastern and interior re-gions (the area selected to plant the one million trees). The trees will either be cultivated on new agricultural land, or will replace

trees on existing farms. The project will help create opportuni-ties to develop and design farms geared to increased economic productivity, thereby improving farmers’ standard of living and further diversifying the national economy.

News


The Effect of Atomic Hydrogen as a Surfactant and a Cleaning Agent on Semiconductor Epitaxial Growth

September 201513

Faramarz Guard - College of Engineering

Semiconductors are cru-cially important in the man-ufacture of most electronic devices. As one of the key instruments in the elec-tronics industry, they have multiple applications, such as in integrated circuits, microprocessors and other smaller microcontrollers. Semiconductors are cur-rently given considerable attention in the areas of solar radiation exploita-tion for generating electri-cal power through panels, in the use of optical cells and meters to measure X-ray gamma rays, and the Jaeger Tachometer, the ini-tial particle used in particle physics. In this respect, a research team from the Col-lege of Science, headed by Dr. Faramarz Guard, is con-ducting research work to investigate the effect of ap-plying a hydrogen-cracking source in cleaning the semi-conductor substrate at low temperature.

Dr. Guard explained that the preparation of clean and smooth surface of semicon-ductors substrates is a deli-cate process and that one can encounter problems in the absence of the proper facilities available in a sur-face analytical system or in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) chamber. The use of degreasing solvents and

ex situ chemical etching followed by rinsing in de-ionized water may remove most of native contami-nants from the semiconduc-tor surfaces.

At a later stage of the pro-cess, a few last monolayers of contaminate usually re-main, even when chemical etching has been employed as a final step in the sample preparation process, and that a few monolayers of water and C will re-adsorb the semiconductor surface upon exposure to air af-ter ex situ cleaning. These will be physisorbed on the surface even at partial pres-sures well below their satu-ration vapor pressures.

In their study, the research-ers assessed two common in situ methods to remove physisorbed native contam-

inants namely: Ion bom-bardment technique and Thermal cleaning method. One of the standard meth-ods of in situ cleaning of semiconductor surfaces, Dr Gard explained, is cycles of low energy ion bombard-ment and annealing. How-ever, this has been shown to cause severe structural damage, resulting in the introduction of defects, en-hanced carrier concentra-tions and reduced mobilities within the outermost 1000 Å of the material. In a MBE system, the substrates are usually heated in situ (up to 600°C for GaAs substrate) in order to desorb the native oxide and carbon from the surface prior growth com-mencement. The thermal desorption of contaminate, in a III-V MBE system, even in the presence of an

arsenic partial pressure, is not easy. Precise control of substrate temperature is very crucial because the ox-ide and arsenic desorption temperatures are very close to each other.

Dr. Guard believes that “thermal desorption clean-ing of III-V sample at high-er temperature or for longer period than necessary may cause desorption of the As atoms from the surface and consequently result in a rough surface, which can be confirmed by the RHEED pattern (a spotty pattern). This effect is more severe in a surface analytical cham-ber, where an additional As source does not exists in order to produce As over-pressure in the chamber. Therefore, it is important to remove the native oxide and carbon from the surface at low temperature, in order to minimize the probabil-ity of As desorption from samples and to achieve an atomically smooth sur-face”.

A third surface preparation technique is called “Atomic hydrogen cleaning” (AHC) which, according to the re-search, offers an effective way of obtaining clean, damage-free, and smooth semiconductor surfaces with uniform step densities.

Study


September 2015 14

Internationalization of Telecom Companies:

The Case of GCC-Based Mobile Telephone Companies

Dr. Golam Khan - College of Arts and Social Sciences

Communication has become a key element in the myriad areas of devel-opment and one of the basic pillars in measuring the development and prog-ress of nations. With this tremendous technological progress and the low price of hardware equipment and ser-vices, communication and informa-tion technology have become acces-sible to each and everyone around the world.

The global telecom industry has wit-nessed major changes over the last decade. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) telecom market is not an exception. Profound changes have also been taking place in the region. Some of the GCC countries have be-come members of WTO (World Trade Organization) while a few of them have initiated FTA (Free Trade Agree-

ment) with the United States. Such moves have facilitated the deregula-tion of industries in the region.

Speaking of telecom companies in a different breath and reexamining the changing nature of telecom and mobile phone companies Dr. Golam Khan argues that many of the GCC-Based companies, which were primar-

ily monopoly operators for decades, are now going international. In Dr. Khan’s view, while some companies are doing well, a few others are facing great difficulties such as Omantel’s acquisition of WorldCall in Pakistan and Etisalat’s acquisition of PTCL (Pakistan Telecom Company Ltd) which have not produced any profits since their acquisition a few years ago.

Critical of the established literature on telecom and mobile phone companies, Dr. Khan demonstrates how most pre-vious scholarly work and surveys on IT Audit and Control area tend to be dispersed and address a multitude of issues and challenges in IT Audit and Control in developed countries. In criticizing this perspective and setting out his position in relation to the lit-erature on the topic, the researcher is at pains to maintain that, to the best of his knowledge, no studies were con-ducted on IT Audit and Control prac-tices, issues and challenges related to developing countries like Oman.

On the primary objective of this re-search project, the researcher said that the aim of the study was to de-velop cases from GCC countries that could be used to enhance teaching at both graduate and undergraduate lev-els. Another aim of the study was to identify the companies suitable for illustrating concepts in strategy and international business namely Oman-tel, Batelco, Saudi Telecom Company, Qtel and Etisalat. Dr. Khan explains that, while the initial drafts of all these

Study


The Scientific Aspects of Sports

September 201515

Dr. Majid Al-Bousafi - College of Education

The principle “sports for all” does not mean for entertainment only. It means rather the rooting of civilizational values related to human health. Also, sport has become one of the manifestations of people’s progress and prosperity and is related to a wide range of investment options. Therefore, implementing the principle “sports for all” can help people to achieve physical and intellectual improvement, serve as an important factor in the development of their activity and work potential and improve their performance and productivity. In addition it provides them with an adequate training environment and a strong base for practitioners, which in turn is likely to create more opportunities for the selection of talented individuals to help form the best sports teams in the future. From this standpoint, we must develop programs able to provide people in urban and rural areas, districts, schools and institutions with the appropriate conditions to exercise sporting activities. We must also offer awareness programs to foster the exercise of physical activities which are neither competitive nor mandatory and which are rather optional programs aiming to help achieve well-being and happiness, and improve health as well as physical fitness.

The emergence of comfort machines , elevators, remote control devices, comput-ers, congestion and pollution of towns, free time, technological progress, watching television, overeating, easy communication and mobility, and other factors have reduced the number of opportunities for physical activity and therefore led to an increase in the incidence of diseases among individuals. All of these factors have contributed to the emergence of human need for sports, for its crucial importance and vital necessity as part of the overall social system, particularly because sport is related to people’s type of motivation to move, play, have pleasure or feel joyful. Sport, accordingly, has been given a deeply influential social value in building indi-viduals and has become one of the most interesting and attractive social activities.

Regular exercise and physical activity are important elements of an individual’s health. Being healthy will help you carry on the work you enjoy and help reduce the risk of certain diseases and disability as you age. In some cases, exercise can become an efficient treatment for many chronic diseases. Studies have revealed, for instance, that people suffering from arthritis, heart disease and diabetes may benefit from regular exercise. Exercise is also believed to help people with high blood pres-sure or who are facing difficulties walking to achieve a balance and live in complete harmony. One of the useful facts about physical activity is that it is possible to be active in different ways, such as exercising for a short period of time during the day or on specific days of the week. You also have the possibility to exercise by borrow-ing a video or joining one of the local fitness centers.

How much exercise do we need to achieve the desired health benefits? There is no specific answer to this question but we can provide examples of researchers’ responses to it. Bus and taxi drivers, for instance, are not very active and with a high rate of heart disease compared to other people in different occupations. Studies have shown that physically active people have a lower death rate than those who are not active. In another study, researchers have measured the strength of old people’s bones aged 75 and who are regularly exercising and performing domestic tasks such as domestic work and gardening. The study also involved non-active older people and has revealed that after five years active people have preserved their determination and strength more than non-active individuals.

cases, except Etisalat, have been present-ed, the Etisalat case is in the final stage of completion, and that the theme in each of the cases centers around the strategy pro-cess, industry environment, leadership and management, internationalization, strategy development, execution and performance analysis.

In his investigation of cases pertaining to GCC, Dr. Khan conducted a survey and collected relevant data and information for this research from a variety of sources in-cluding company records, annual reports, secondary data and literature available from on-line sources. The regional business journals and magazines such as, MEED, Arabian Business, Gulf Business were also reviewed for relevant information. In the case of several companies, personal inter-views were arranged with Omantel and Eti-salat only.

Dr. Khan pointed out that the problematic nature of the researcher’s methodologi-cal approach makes it hard to discuss his scantily reported findings. Nevertheless, Dr. Khan’s initial and tentative findings suggest that foreign operators are now providing telecom services in Saudi Ara-bia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman and that competition is intensifying, the market is saturating and many operators are now exploring opportunities overseas in an at-tempt to maintain their position, market share and reputation.

Remaining cautious regarding the method-ological limitations, the researcher argued that attempts were made to demonstrate that the cases presented in the study pro-vide an opportunity for academics and stu-dents to highlight and illustrate the regional industrial environment.

In conclusion, Dr. Kahn expressed high hope that the results of his study would be of interest to a large number of organiza-tions in Oman and would contribute to developing standards and guidelines for IT Audit and Control suited to their cultural, business and technical environments.

Visions


September 2015 16

Instead of using medicine promoted by well-known pharmaceutical companies, many people all over the world are resorting to herbal medicine for treatment, in the belief that natural herbs are good, reliable and effective. The same herbs are also sometimes used in cooking and as cosmetics. Today, the need to differentiate food from medicine has become a matter of ur-gency. Is green tea, for example, a medicine or an ordinary drink like any other tea? The same question applies to the black pill, and many other herbal medicines that can be used as food. Meanwhile, the promotion of herbs as medicine has triumphed, and now, in the absence of strict controls by proper authorities, there are now many centers in the Sultanate claiming to be specialized and competentsin health practice. Scientific research is the only really reliable means of finding the truth about these herbs and their benefits and disadvantages.

It is in this context that Tawasul, sought the reasons why people resort to herbal medicine cen-ters, and addressed the role of scientific research and competent organizations in this process.

Feature

Fake Medicines Sold through Misleading Propaganda



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Walid Al-Busaidi, a laboratory technician in the College of Agriculture and Marine Sci-ences, believes people go to these centers in search of treat-ment for a number of reasons. “The influence of traditional education in society is one rea-son, and the belief that herbal therapy is not harmful is anoth-er. People also have confidence in these centers: they think that they won’t find the same ser-vices and facilities in hospitals and government health centers. They trust the treatments pro-vided by these centers because they hear of other individuals who have been treated by them. Another attraction is that treat-ments in these centers cost less, compared with the cost of treatment in a modern, specialist clinic, and there’s a lot of advertis-ing claiming that the products used are natural and safe, which persuades people to seek treatment from them, especially when modern medi-cal treatment has proved to be ineffective.”

Al-Busaidi believes that sci-entific research offers a strong basis for solving problems in the community, and that sci-entific research at the univer-sity should play a key role in verifying the sources of herbal

drugs and the chemicals they contain.

“In research, Investigations are carried out in accordance with scientific standards adopted by experts in the field. Research can draw on projects concerned with the study of natural plants growing in the Sultanate, and conduct studies analyzing the functioning mechanisms, ef-fects and side effects of these drugs.” Al-Busaidi says herbal medicines need to undergo accurate analysis in special-ized laboratories so their basic components can be identified, and their suitability for human consumption be tested, along with the correct dosages for different age groups. “If this is

properly done,” he says, “there will be better

access to medicine produced from natural sources, and this will benefit the

whole community. The research findings can then be disseminated through local and international journals, confer-ences and symposia.”

Establishing a relationship be-tween the university and spe-cialized agencies in the Sul-tanate can help prevent people falling victim to fake medi-cines.

Al-Busaidi says universities should work together with the

agencies responsible for en-suring the quality of herbal medicine centers. “The Uni-versity can provide advisory services, needed information, rapid consultations and recom-mendations to the specialized agency. As well as supervising the quality of herbal medicine, the specialist agency would be responsible for ensuring that centers are committed to main-tain legal and health standards, thus ensuring people don’t fall victims to spurious, harm-ful medicines. Cooperation is needed in spreading medical awareness among all levels of society through local media, as well as pamphlets and posters to clarify the advantages and

dangers of these drugs.”

Asmahan Al-Baram, a spe-cialized pharmacist at Sultan Qaboos Hospital, shares Al-Bousaidi’s views and explained further:

“These alternative treat-ment centers benefit from a lot of promotion on satellite TV, in newspapers and maga-zines, beauty salons and fit-ness clubs and through social media, all of which stress the idea that the treatments are natural and harmless. A lot of medicines have appeared for treating chronic diseases, like

medicines to lose weight or to increase sexual potency, and people are desperate for treat-ment, but are not aware of the dangers.”

Al-Baram believes scientific re-search should help unmask the components of these popular pharmaceuticals through ran-dom testing and then dissemi-nate the results to the public. There should be panel discus-sions, she says, and educational programs directed at sensitiz-ing the community through the media. “I also recommend the setting up of laboratories specialized in drugs, herbs and toxins so that any pharmaceu-ticals brought into the country can be examined before being

approved and disseminated. I believe is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health.”

Al-Baram also stresses the need for alternative treatment centers to be inspected by com-petent authorities, to ensure the practitioners employed there have valid medical training and qualifications.”

Asmahan also warned about the components contained in these alternative products:

“Laboratory tests have shown that many of these pharmaceu-ticals are mixed with chemicals not mentioned in the list of

Feature

Al-Bousaidi: Laws and health requirements should be enacted to force these centers to abide by them to protect people from being harmed by these medicines.

Al-Baram: The misuse of herbs can cause complications affecting the liver, the pancreas, and can lead to kidney deficiency and eveo death.


September 2015 18

Feature

Allawati: We have tried to trace companies producing herbal medicine and have had a lot of difficulty finding one.

main components and which may be harmful if misused or overused. Some of these chemicals can cause heart com-plications, or affect the liver or pancreas cells and cause kidney failure and even death. Like-wise, some hair dyes contain mercury, which may cause skin inflammation and sometimes even cancer. Some other diet pharmaceuticals contain a com-ponent called “Senna” which can cause frequent diarrhea and thus loss of vital body fluids and salts which will affect all the main functions of the body. Herbs used to treat sexual im-potence contain a component called “Sildenafil” (Viagra) which may cause heart failure and other complications.”

Dr. Haider Al-Lawati, head of the Chemistry Department at the College of Science ex-plained why we need to be careful taking alternative forms of medication:

“Because many of us prefer to use natural treatments for ill-nesses through the use of herbs or medicine extracted from natural materials, companies are using herbs in the manu-facture of pharmaceuticals, such as pills, in the belief that these herbs are safer than con-ventional medicine, without side-effects, and if they are not

as efficient, at least they won’t do any damage. But you can’t be certain about this, because these medicines are not sub-jected to normal pharmaceuti-cal control, unlike convention-al, “manufactured” medicine

which has to undergo a long and complex process of tests that can extend for decades. Only after examination is the medicine approved and then it goes through rigorous controls in the manufacturing process. Then the medicine is tested to make ensure of its validity and stability. It then has to meet

strict quality controls set by government authorities before it can be taken to the market, and finally there are use-by dates that ensure it is kept in good quality till it reaches the consumer.”

He added: “Unforrunately, herbal medicine is not subject-ed to these kinds of control for many reasons. For one thing, a single herbal product is likely to be made up of many differ-ent materials, which makes it difficult to predict the effect of each compo-nent. Some mate-rials may have nega-tive effects on human health, so the prevailing belief that herbal medicine is harmless is quite wrong. These herbs, in fact, may contain some poisons whose effect is not instanta-neous and direct but which may accumulate over years. How-ever, the main problem with herbal products is that they are not subjected to any scientific

studies based on accurate and familiar scientific methods, because it’s difficult to do this with herbs that contain com-plex materials. Another prob-lem is the primitive techniques used in manufacturing herbal drugs, and the fact they are not subject to an international qual-ity controls. This all means that such alternative herbal medi-cines are really not secure at all, and we need to treat them

with extreme caution.”

Al-Lawati also warned about man-ufacturers’ claims that a product is 100

% safe and had no side-effects. From a scientific standpoint, he said, no product is 100 % safe. Herbal-drugs producers also suggest to con-sumers that their products are safe because they are natural, but this is not necessarily true, since we all know that there natural herbs that are poison-ous, and what guarantee do we have that these herbs don’t


September 201519

Feature

Al-Shikhili: We should work on broadcasting messages through social media to raise awareness in the community.

contain such poisonous sub-stances? How can we be sure that these herbs have been subjected to laboratory analysis, or have un-dergone thorough scientific test-ing? We have tried to trace of some these companies that produce herbal medicines and we have had dif-ficulties finding even one.

On the role scientific research can play in reducing the prob-lems associated with the growth of herbal treatment cen-ters in Oman, Al-Lawati said:

“The Scientific Research Council sponsored a research project that aimed to develop rapid analytical methods for detecting fraudulent medicines. The results, some of which are serious, will be revealed at a later date. The researchers also have to ensure that there are no other pollutants in herbal medi-cines, such as heavy metals and harmful bacteria. This is be-cause herbal drugs are general-ly manufactured in unsanitary environments that do not meet rigorous production standards. It is most probable, he said, that herbal medicines are polluted. Once the production conditions are satisfied, and we can ascer-tain that the drugs are safe, or

at least not polluted, we can move to the next stage, namely identifying the components of

the herbal medicine and its pharma-ceutical impacts. This type of study requires long-term

research and involves high costs.”

Al-Lawati recommend, that women become more aware of the dangers, and that greater cooperation among competent authorities be enforced. He also stressed the urgent need for a governmental body that will be responsible for examining and verifying food and medicine, in cooperation with the expertise available at the University.

Maha Al-Alyan, a pharmacist at Sultan Qaboos Hospital, had another view on the matter:

“Herbal treatment is a very old phenomenon and, while not all herbal centers are profitable institutions, there are, in fact, practitioners who do have ex-perience and expertise in this domain. Unfortunately, there are others who have abused this noble work.”

Elaborating on this point, she claimed:

“In some cases, patients come to the clinic bringing with them

herbal medicine they are using which provides confusing or il-legible, hand-written informa-tion. The absence of clear infor-mation makes it difficult for us to verify the components of the drugs or to say for sure whether they will benefit or harm pa-tient’s health. If we had analyti-cal laboratories that could carry out rigorous studies to examine these medicines, we would be able to give patients a more ac-curate picture, gain their trust and eventually advise them in a proper way.”

Maha also recommended the relevant governmental institu-tions, such as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Ed-ucation, cooperate in organiz-ing workshops for students and instructors, and exhibitions in commercial complexes with a view to raising people’s aware-ness and urging patients, par-ticularly those suffering from chronic diseases of the liver or the urinary system, to check with medical centres whether the medicine is appropriate and safe.”

Juma Al-Shekili, assistant phar-macist at Sultan Qaboos Uni-versity, explained that people usually resort to herbal medi-cine because they have accept-ed an old custom passed down from generation to generation and see alternative medicine as

the only solution. Another fac-tor is the current loss of faith in chemotherapy, which, in their view, is not effective. They ig-nore the fact that the alternative centers mix herbs with chemi-cals and promote the medicines as 100 % herbal”.

Al-Shikili’s view on how to avoid this kind of problem meshes with what other schol-ars have maintained previously. He says that “laws with clear criteria should be enacted to control the manufacture and

preservation of the herbs used.” He would like to see mobile laboratories created to visit and examine the herbal cen-ters from time to time to check the quality of work carried out. “We need to design manuals to inform people about the ad-vantages and dangers of herbal medicine, and also disseminate educational videos on herbs through social media, because it is faster and closer to people in the modern age.”

What needs to be done is for the relevant authorities to establish a mechanism that will protect consumers’ safety, regulate the work and treatments available in these herbal centers and clin-ics, and establish a legal frame-work with clear procedures to prevent the fraudulent market-ing of medicines.


September 2015 20

The Genetic DNA Sequencing Machine

Effective Materials in Omani Marine Biology

Innovation Affairs

Marine biology is a rich source of ma-terials that act as microbial, viral or cancerous anti-bodies. These materi-als are very important in the fields of medicine, biotechnology and industry, and they are the focus of a research project conducted by Dr. Sergei Dob-ertsof, College of Agriculture and Ma-rine Sciences. In addition to exploring new vehicles with anti-bacterial prop-erties able to act against biological tumors found in Omani marine envi-roments, and which can be employed in the field of fish-planting, agriculture and medicine, his study aims to em-phasize the importance of an integrat-ed structure for training young Omani scientists and Omani students at SQU.

A survey of Omani marine biology was carried out with a view to confirming the possible presence of microbial and cancerous anti-bodies and extracting some of these effective marine biol-ogy vehicles that are living in the Ara-

bian Gulf and the sea of Oman. The study also focused on extracting ef-fective materials from minute marine biological creatures, fungi and coral. These organisms were selected on the basis of their use for bio-applications, and the survival of vehicles, bacteria and fungi that the principal investiga-tor and his assistants had collected in previous projects.

The extracted vehicles containing an-ti-bacterial and anti-tumor materials were selected through a biodiversity test. In addition, through collabora-tion with scientists from Germany and the United States, the study aspires to identify effective vehicles and meth-ods for their processing.

Genetic analyzers (3130xl) are machines used in vital research to analyze DNA. The information obtained from analysis can be used for several purposes. It can be used to search for any genetic disorders caus-ing a particular disease by analyzing the gene respon-sible, or to search for any non-natural genetic mate-rial as a probable explana-tion for the rise or decline in the amount of proteins, or a change in its biological form leading to the emer-gence of the disease. The information obtained can also be used to diagnose genetic changes through a study of what are known as DNA markers, which can serve as indicators to trace a specific location of the

chromosome with a view to examining relations be-tween individuals; or to learn the extent of change or consistency of the genet-ic material over successive generations; or to identify the genetic fingerprint and use it to ascertain genetic assets which can be used to

resolve criminal cases re-lated to paternity.

In addition to its multiple uses, many other research areas and experiments de-pend on this machine, such as gene studies on breast cancer, colon and other types of cancer, research on genetic mutations which

can either be the cause of a disease or the reason for the emergence of more symp-toms and complications. Many other studies also em-ploy this machine. These in-cluds studies investigating parasites causing malaria disease, how these parasitey move and resist medicines, and the evolution of their genetic sequencing which enables them to resist the drugs used to fight against such parasites. Studies re-lated to diabetes and obe-sity and others related to the DNA of plants, animals, micro-organisms and vi-ruses, are also dependent on the results of DNA analysis which can be used to see if any genetic changes are re-sponsible for the emergence of a disease.


September 201521


September 2015 22

Seeking to Establish the First Comprehensive and Up-to-Date DatabaseA Study on Developing Controlled Environment

Agriculture in the Sultanate

Study

Like all other dryland areas in the world, Oman suffers from significantly high temperatures and severe water shortages. These two factors, in turn, affect agricultural production in arid areas. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA), and greenhouses in particular, are an alternative option for overcoming these two factors by providing a relatively cool atmosphere and increasing land and water productivity in comparison with open-field cultivation. In a study conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, it was found that greenhouse cultivation increased land productivity by almost 12 times, and nearly doubled water productivity. As a result, farmers have become noticeably more willing to shift from open-field cultivation to CEA. From 2001-2008, the number of greenhouses increased three-fold, to 782 from 249 (MAF, 2009) and by 2010 had reached 4740, an annual greenhouse growth rate of approximately 40%.

Given the advantages of CEA, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) has been keen to encourage use of this technology through subsidy programs and awareness campaigns. The subsidy programs have proved very successful, to the extent that every 1.000 OMR invested as a subsidy has increased agricultural net returns by 1.690 OMR. Farmers have clearly benefitted from MAF’s policies, and the number of farmers who have built greenhouses at their own expense now exceeds those who received support. However, it has been reported that many farmers still face difficulties in regard to CEA, notably in marketing their agricultural products and dealing with external competition. Apart from scanty statistical data collected through agricultural census, there have

been no comprehensive and in-depth studies on the status of controlled environment agriculture in the Sultanate.

For this reason, a research team at Sultan Qaboos University, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, is carrying out a project aimed at collecting comprehensive and up-to-date information about all relevant aspects of CEA facilities in the Sultanate with a view to proposing strategic plans and techniques that will increase the production and water use efficiency of CEA. It is expected this will lead to increased economic returns for farmers and improve food security of the country, thereby increasing the contribution made by the agricultural sector to the national income, in alignment with the Government’s plan, Vision 2020.

In addition to SQU research personnel, the research team also includes researchers from three Oman governmental institutes (MAF and Agricultural & Fisheries Development Fund), Al-Batinah and Al-Dhahira farmer associations, as well as three postgraduate students and research assistants. A number of agricultural engineers working in CEA at MAF will

participate during the data collection phase, as surveyors, and will be trained by a specialist from MAF on methods, techniques and skills required for field surveys.

Data collection will be conducted through a single-visit field-survey approach comprising two parts: In Part I, measurements and samples will be taken from CEA facilities covering a. coordinates, shape and dimensions; b. cooling, irrigation and ventilation methods; c. quality of cooling and irrigation water; and d. soil quality; In Part II a survey will be carried out by questionnaire. The questionnaire will be designed, verified and tested by the graduate students in consultation with the research team and CEA stakeholders. It will include a. introductory and general questions about the farm, ownership and laborers; b. questions on source of funding, the number of CEA facilities and their utilization; c. questions on seed cultivars, types of crops, their sources and number of seasons; d. questions on advanced techniques used in CEA facilities such as soilless cropping, hydroponics, aeroponics, and


September 201523

It has long been recognized that females achieve higher academically in medical and health fields compared to males. Attempts to explain this observation have in-cluded social, cultural, psychological and emotional factors. Some have described women pursuing health sciences as having an instinct for helping humankind. Oth-ers have attributed women’s superior academic performance to their conscientious-ness in following traditionally structured curricula with discipline and determina-tion. Conversely, said it has been claimed, males favor extracurricular learning and exposure in less constrained environments. However, considerable scientific evidence indicates that gender-related skills are linked to significant differences in brain structure and function. It seems that males and females have brains that are biochemically and neurologically programmed to perform different tasks. Interestingly, a recent comprehensive study has shown that the neural connections in male and female brains are different.Female brains have been found to have more connections between the two hemi-spheres of the brain. Males have more connections within each hemisphere. These findings confirm previous studies showing that males prefer to execute individual tasks and are better in performing motor activities than women. Moreover, tes-tosterone (the male hormone) enhances spatial and visual acuity of sense organs, affecting activities that require spatial skills, such as in geometry, physics and engi-neering and navigation. This may explain why more men become pilots and archi-tects. Also, specific areas of the brain in boys mature about four years earlier than girls. A recent study of around 500 children showed that the brain development of a 12-year-old girl was similar to that of an 8-year-old boy regarding performance in mathematics. This is possibly a reflection of the fact that males have more gray matter (‘thinking matter’) than females, which is linked to tasks involving problem solving.On the other hand, increased inter-hemispheric neural connectivity and significant-ly increased white matter in females renders women more capable of coordinating analytical reasoning and intuition. Therefore, women tend to excel in multitasking, which requires usage of both hemispheres, such as handling various housework chores and responding to various family needs simultaneously Also, the cerebral cortex in women is highly organized in a pattern linked to empathy and creative expression. The areas of the brain that are linked to language skills mature about six years earlier in girls than in boys, probably explaining dominant language skills that encourage communication and building relationships. Differences in brain function may also be explained from a human development perspective. In a hunter-gatherer society, men had to exhibit intense sensory reflex-es to be able to detect their prey and kill it without feeling sympathetic, as women mighd. Strong motor function also helped men design hunting tools and weapons. Conversely, women exhibit greater emotional intelligence, se can intuitively re-spond to the needs of babies, who cannot express their needs verbally.When considered in the light of gender differences in brain structure, the recent adoption of ‘team-based’ and ‘problem-based’ learning in medical training could represent a major fair shift for males, who will now be able to demonstrate their problem-solving skills in an academic setting that encourages and nurtures their inherent abilities and skills; though females who can efficiently project their profi-cient communication skills will still have the advantage. Gradually, problem-based and team-based learning approaches may reduce the female academic bias that has been prominent in traditional medical training settings and eventually bridge the gender gap in medicine. However, we should keep in mind that there are more simi-larities than differences in human brains, and most differences are complementary: team-based learning projects can assist both genders to reach their academic goals.

Men from Mars and Women from Venus :

Bridging the genderlearning gap

Dr. Jumana Saleh - College of Medicine and Health Sciences

Microscope

aquaculture; e. questions on management practices such as quantity, frequency and the type of irrigation water, pesticides and fertilizers used; f. questions on diseases and treatment techniques; g. questions on seasonal crop yield and postharvest management and losses; questions on marketing (personal consumption, farm-gate sale, local market sale, central market sale or export) and economic returns, and finally questions on the problems facing farmers, such as technical support and guidance from MAF and governmental arrangements in marketing and coping with foreign.competition..

A number of outcomes are expected from the study: 1. It will create the first up-to-date, comprehensive and easily updatable database of CEA in Oman; 2. A detailed study of the geographical distribution of greenhouses and the external factors affecting this distribution, such as proximity to markets and outlets, and to streets and service roads, and water quality and availability. The study is also expected to produce the first detailed map of CEA in Oman using GIS (MSc. student project). 3. A detailed study on agricultural production, land-use efficiency and water-use efficiency of CEA, aimed at investigating positive and negative factors affecting the profitability of CEA (MSc. student project). 4. A comprehensive and extensive assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of CEA in Oman, together with strategic plans and mechanisms for developing CEA agribusiness and overcoming the obstacles (PhD student project). 5. Capacity building - three graduate students will complete their degrees through this study. 6. Agricultural engineers trained in field-survey techniques for CEA. 7. Dissemination of research findings through articles published in peer-reviewed journals and through presentations at international conferences, as well as a book publication entitled, “Controlled Environment Agriculture in Oman”. 8. Extension Work through technical and awareness workshops to help CEA farmers increase production. 9. International Outreach through organizing and holding an international conference on CEA at SQU.


September 2015 24

Student Project Wins the Gold Medalin an International Fair in Malaysia

Sultan Qaboos University continues to achieve at the local and international levels through the efforts of its academic faculty and students. A research project by engineering students from the University recently won the gold medal at “itex 2015”, a fair featurinn international inventionsrs held recently in Malaysia.

The project, “Separating oil from Water Through Nanotechnology”, was the work of six team members: Hilal Bin Mohammed Al-Ghefili, Al-Zahraa Bint Mohammed Al-Hinaiya, Harib Bin Nasser Al-Azri, Sibai Bin Ali Al-Badawi, Binan Bint Salim Al-Hadabiya and Hager Bint Hmid Al-Sayadiya.

Al-Ghefili: We Created a Novel and Economic Method to Seperate Oil from Water

Creativity

The idea of the project, Hilal Al-Ghefili said, was to devel-op a very novel and economic method to separate oil from water by using a membrane that would allow oil to pass through but would prevent the passage of watet. Hilal said this meant modifying the membrane and cultivating a surface layer made of small nano-sized particles. “Be-cause this method increases

the purity of oil, he said, “it can be used to separate oil from water at petrol stations and to absorb oil leaks in lakes and rivers.”

Al-Zahra Al-Hinaiya, anoth-er participant, explained the steps followed in the project: “The first step was to design a surface that could separate a mixture of oil and water through nano-technology.” He said that several types of


September 201525

Al-Azri: The Project Succeeded because it was Unique and Thought-Provoking

Al-Badawi: It has Taken us Much Time and Effort to Achieve these Results

Creativity

materials were trialed without success, due to difficulties cultivating nano-par-ticles on the carbon surface. “We exam-ined the reasons behind the failures,” he said. “We thought about possible solu-tions and the best way of adapting the preparation of nano-particles and sur-faces and its cultivation.”

In the second phase of the project, through trialing appropriate materials and conditions, the students were able to get positive and successful results, separating the oil from water. The third phase completed the earlier stage of the experiment by studying the efficiency of nano-particles and the extent to which they could resist high temperature. In the fourth phase of the experiment, the stu-dents designed a mini-model unit for the separation of oil from water, using the designed nano-surface and producing an electronic simulation of the process. The fifth phase of the project, still to be completed, aims to im-prove the efficiency of the oil and water separation unit and raise the standards and quan-tity of production.

Harib Al-Azri said “Itex 2015”, was an annual event in Malaysia at which numer-ous student projects in dif-ferent scientific fields were presented. During the exhibi-tion, the most distinguished and thought-provoking proj-ects on display were selected to compete in a contest to choose the best projects. “Our project, ‘Oil-water separa-

tion using nano’ received the gold medal”, he said.

Sibai Al-Badawi elaborated on the difficulties the team faced in accom-plishing the project: “The main difficul-ty was finding the type of material to use for cultivating nano-particles. We

had to experiment with several types of material, and this took a lot of time and effort, because the preparation of the solutions for cul-tivating and pro-cessing required a high degree of accuracy, both in the quantities used and the timing. Any failure in any stage of the experi-ment”, Al-Badawi explained, “would lead to a waste of long hours of work.” He said all the team members had to work hard to keep up to date with the latest developments in nanatology, the features of different ma-terials and how to deal with them, and

with other experimental equipment re-lated to nano-technology.

Hager Al-Sayadiya pointed out that the project required organized team work, and without that the project would have never succeeded. He praised Professor Duta’s assistance and Dr. Butih’s fol-low-up. “Their valuable support helped us overcome obstacles and achieve suc-cess. Our Sultan Qaboos University also played a key role by providing equip-ment and the required material.”

As for their future steps to improve the project or implement it on the ground,

Banan Al-Hadabiya said, “We’ll be con-ducting many experiments on the mem-brane to develop and improve its effi-ciency in accordance with the specific features of Omani oil”.


September 2015 26

Sultan Qaboos University in WIPO Patents’ Data Base

SQU’s Part in Preparing for the National Innovation Strategy

A blood bank slogan has been deposited at Sultan Qaboos University as a governmental slogan of the University. It is still in the process of being reg-istered as a trademark in the Intellectual Property Circle at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Pursuant to the law of industrial property rights is-sued by H.M Sultan Qaboos’s decree of 2008/67, the logo will be protected for a period of 10 years from the date of depositing the registration request. Registration of the trademark can be renewed for the same period upon request. Besides issuing the protection certificate, the University is entitled to prevent others from using logos or signs without its prior approval. The university is also entitled to prevent others from using similar products or ser-vices related to the blood bank in case of any likely confusion or ambiguity arising from that use.

The University Blood Bank seeks to expand pub-lic awareness of the importance of its blood dona-tion programs by disseminating messages aimed at instilling a culture of donation and helping other members of society. The Blood Bank’s endeavors require extensive use of the logo to assure the pub-lic of the authenticity of its messages. For this rea-son, blood bank officials took the initiative to reg-ister the logo to prevent the possibility of its logo being used by others and confusing the public.

SQU’s Innovation and Business Leadership Circle is currently participat-ing in preparations for the National Innovation Strategy, which is headed by Oman’s Scientific Research Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and other governmental and private authorities, including the Foundation of Intellectual Property. The university is playing an integral part of the team in charge of preparing the national intellectual property strategy. This seeks to build institutional research and development capacities and attain greater economic returns from research through the transfer of technology from research institutions to the industrial sector. Receiving and Assessing Invention Disclosure Requests The University’s Innovation and Business Leadership Centre has received a number of invention disclosure requests for patent protection. Twelve ap-plications have been received since last April and includdrequests in the fields of Nano-Technology, Networks, Mechanics, the Environment, Com-merce and Education. These inventions were evaluated for their novelty through a preliminary search in the refereed and non-refereed patent and scientific publications and databases of Becker and Poliakoff, legal and business strategists, and Thomson Reuters, a major intellectual property company. Applicants have been notified of the assessment outcome and the possibility of further registration procedures for invention requests satisfy-ing the requirement of novelty.The initial examination of the applications is a key step in receiving in-novation disclosure requests and provides a picture on the possibility of accepting the invention as a patent well before placing it in the intellectual property registration office. It is also beneficial for inventors to know what his counterparts throughout the world have achieved in his field of expertise and use this to enhance development of his innovation.

Blood Bank Deposit Protection Logo

Device

Sultan Qaboos University was included in the World Intellectual Property Organi-zation database (WIPO) for the first time through Muadh Al-Rakadi’s invention of a tool to expand tables. Sheikha Bint Nasr Al-Akhzamia, chair of the Intellectual Property Department and in charge of the Innovation and Business Leadership Circle at Sultan Qaboos University, explained that SQU’s inclusion in the WIPO patent data-base (PatentScope) resulted from receiving a patent from the American Patent Office, one of the many intellectual property regis-tration offices in the world - including the patent registration office in the Sultanate of Oman - that are associated with WIPO.

WIPO is a self-funding agency of the United Nations’ agencies whose duty it is to establish an international, balanced and effective system for safeguarding intellec-tual property and fostering innovation and creativity for the benefit of all. WIPO was formally established in 1967. Its headquar-ters are in Geneva, Switzerland, and it has 188 member states. Al-Akhzamia also explained that the Uni-

versity’s inclusion in the global patent database is one of the key criteria used to rank universities and countries for innova-tion and creativity; and that the registra-tion of patents through the WIPO data-

base provides opportunities for inventors to find investors and business leaders to capitalize on technological innovations. This database represents an important des-tination for those seeking to invest in new technology, (‘invention brokers’), and for any company seeking to develop its tech-nologies and ultimately issue technology license contracts.

Al-Akhzamia said that Muadh Al-Rakadi’s achievement was not only a breakthrough for Oman, but it was an incentive to mo-tivate other innovators to present their inventions to the Innovation Circle. This latest achievement, she said, was an indi-cation that SQU was heading in the right direction towards making Oman an inno-vative country and bringing the Sultanate into the world arena of inventiveness. The University has recently submitted other patent applications to the US Patent Of-fice in the area of engineering education, and these are under consideration. Further inventions in the field of electronics and nanotechnology are currently being as-sessed for their novelty.


September 201527

A Book on Quantitative Social Science Researchwith Explanatory Illustrations

Focused on reading and interpreting results, with a glossary of translated technical terms

Book

Book at a Glance

The book Quantitative Social Research Technique, published by the Deanship of Research Scientific Publishing Service, offers a technique serving social sciences and the area of quantitative research in particular.

The book’s author, Dr. Abdullah Al-Misrati, starts from the assumption that the reader or the trainee has some computer skills as well as a solid background in the concepts used in research methods. Focusing on examples from research that he and other sociologists have carried out, the author focuses his discussion on the use of statistical programs in the area of data processing and field research in connection with social and human sciences.

Chapter One of the book starts with an overview of different social research techniques, their use, advantages and different aspects, and concludes with a set of basic concepts in the area of data analysis, such as ‘variables’, ‘hypotheses’, ‘scheduling’, ‘significance levels’, and other such concepts.

Chapter Two focuses on data entry methods and data-base creation and provides a detailed discussion of the steps researchers should follow to enter their research data into the computer. He explains how to decode answers, identify variables using the Arabic language, encode data and calculate new variables by using the SPSS program with ease and accuracy.

Chapter Three explains in detail the use of qualitative techniques in presenting social research data. It discusses data classification, the use of percentages in tables, as well as giving a detailed explanation of types of charts and graphs and the use of data to reveal quantitative as well as qualitative social variables.

Chapter Four deals with methods of dealing with quantitative data through available quantitative modalities, such as measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion. In addition, it reviews data exploration techniques and other techniques for testing and transforming homogeneity and deriving contrast measures among groups.

Chapter Five addresses hypothesis testing techniques through the use of statistical analysis methods available in the SPSS program, taking the type of data, its nature and level of

measurement into account.

Chapter Six focuses on the use of non-restricted or non-barometric statistics in analyzing transactions in sociology and social sciences, since most social research does not meet the conditions of restricted statistics.

In the seventh and final chapter of the book, the author instructs readers how to determine the link between simple and control variables, while showing equal concern for linear, non-linear and logistical regression with all its different types.

The book is important, not only because it provides actual examples taken from social science, analyzes these and applies them to the SPSS program, but also in the method it

adopts, which consists of reading and analyzing the program results,esthus making it easier for trainee researchers to benefit from the large amount of numerical information offered by the program at the time of any statistical process. The author has also included a glossary of technical terms translated for the benefit of those who aspire to Arabize such a program in the future.


September 2015 28

More than 300 Scientific Papers Presented at International Conferences in 2015

Studying the Possibility of Approving the ElectronicSignature as an Alternative to the Traditional Signature

Conferences

Dr. Rashid Bin Hamed Al-Belushi, from the College of Law, presented a paper entitled “The Crime of Electronic Signa-ture Forgery in Omani Legislation” at the Eleventh College of Law Conference on Informatics Crimes, held in Jordan, 5th - 7th May, 2015.

Dr. Rashid made it clear in his paper that, given successive developments in the field of modern computer sciences and infor-mation technology, there was an urgene need, especially among legislators and people involved in informatics or electron-ic crimes, for the study of the drawbacks and risks associated with electronic signa-ture. Technological advances have made

the electronic transfer and dissemination of information and documents faster and easier, but a number of legal problems and abuses have emerged as a result, for exam-ple, in the area of electronic trading Such problems did not arise when authorization with the traditional signature method pre-vailed.

The traditional signature in the law of evidence, Al-Belushi explained, is a paper document only; the electronic signature raises a number of issues. It is not consis-tent with the traditional signature in terms of evidence. On the other hand, the hand-written signature is not accommodated by modern means of information transfer, for

it cannot keep pace with the speed associ-ated with electronic processing of infor-mation.

Dr. Rashid also pointed out that the key is-sues to be resolved are first, the possibil-ity of approving the electronic signature as an acceptable alternative to the traditional signature under the Law of Evidence, and secondly, how to protect such signatures from criminal forgery. These issues cald for a review of legal rules applicable in administrative and commercial penal leg-islation, and for a reconsideration of infor-mation transfer and an enactment of the re-quired legislation to sanction the electronic signature and give it penal protection.

Regional and international conferences are a platform for publish-ing scientific papers and a venue for meeting researchers and aca-demics from different parts of the world. This year, more than 300 scientific papers have been presented by SQU academics from the different colleges, units and research centers in the university, a significant increase on the number of presentations made in 1014.

The College of Education leads with 51 scientific papers present-ed at conferences in 2015, closely followed by the College of Arts and Social Sciences. The Colleges of Engineering and Sciences

come next, with the College of Nursing lagging with three confer-ence presentations.

Other research centers and units in the university also presented papers at conferences in 2015. The Language Centre was a clear leader in 2014 with 27 scientific papers; other centers presented 5 papers. This year, the Language Center has made 12 presenta-tions, and other research units have made 13.

The overall increase in the number of papers presented reflects the intensified focus on conducting scientific research in the University.


September 201529

Grid-Based Communication Schemes for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

Basil Arafa - College of Science

Study

Given the importance of oceans and seas for human life, discovering the unexplored underwater regions has become more important in the last de-cades. Traditional methods of moni-toring underwater environments have several drawbacks. The underwater en-vironments are inhospitable to human presence because of the unpredictable nature of underwater activity, high wa-ter pressure, and the vast areas of unex-plored territory.

For these reasons, unmanned tech-niques are increasingly used for moni-toring and exploring deep-sea regions. Recently, Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) have attracted the interest of many researchers. UWSNs consist of a variable number of sensor nodes, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) that are deployed to perform collaborative monitoring tasks over a given area. UWSNs are envi-sioned to become the enabling technol-ogy for a broad range of aquatic appli-cations.

However, UWSNs are different from terrestrial sensor networks (i.e., ground-based sensor networks). The major dif-ference is in using acoustic signals as a transmission medium. Acoustic sig-nals are the only feasible medium that works satisfactorily in underwater en-vironments, compared to radio signals or optical links.

Routing is a fundamental problem that needs to be solved for large-area cov-erage in energy-limited UWSNs. The current routing protocols for terrestrial mobile and ad hoc networks are usually categorized into proactive, reactive, or geographic routing protocols. Proac-tive and reactive protocols are not suitable for underwater sensor net-works, because they incur exces-

sive reliance on flooding techniques. On the other hand, geographic routing protocols can be a possible solution for UWSNs. These protocols rely on the availability of information to each sensor node of their neighboring nodes, and the location of the destination for forwarding data packets. However, al-though very promising, these protocols

provide some challenges in underwa-ter environments. The main problem is that localization facilities based on Global Positioning Systems (GPS), as in terrestrial sensor networks, are not available for underwater environ-ments, because a GPS frequency band cannot propagate in water. In general, most of the existing proposed routing schemes suffer from low performance with node mobility, low packet deliv-ery ratio in sparse networks, and high energy drainage in dense networks and at nodes near the sinks.

The main objective of this project is to design and evaluate the performance of new efficient geographic communica-tion protocols for UWSNs that solve major weaknesses in existing proto-cols related to reliability, scalability and energy conservation. The project will include the design and evaluation of multipath routing algorithms and

broadcasting algorithms based on new efficient mechanisms for node clustering, localization and energy conservation.


September 2015 30

Aiming to Build Human Capacity

Emerging Applications to Verify Nanaofluid Thermal Conductivity Techniques

Mohamed Mansour - College of Sciences

Study

Nanofluid: Emerging Applications in Nanoscience

and Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology plays an important role in the development of modern, 21st-century devices for practical use. One very important aspect of nanotechnology con-cerns the heating, cool-ing and cleanliness of nano-devices, crucially important for their prop-er functioning. The term nanofluid is applied to any given fluid (such as water, ethylene, glycol or engine oil). Nano-fluid is known as a ‘ba-sic fluid’ and consists of nanometric particles (such as aluminum, cop-per, titanium, gold and silver), or contains ox-ides (such as aluminum oxide or titanium diox-ide), or features carbides (such as silicon carbide), or includes nitrides (such

as aluminum or silicon nitride) and nonmetals (such as graphite or na-no-carbon pipelines).

The suspended particles in nanofluid produce a phenomenon known as thermophoresis, which means that small-size particles suspended in a non-fixed fluid tempera-ture will acquire speed in the direction of decreas-ing temperature. This is what provides nano-par-ticles with a high thermal load connection and high thermal transmission, in comparison with a basic fluid. The thermopho-retic force in nano-fluids has a number of practical applications in connec-tion with thermal trans-mission in fields such as micro-electronics, fuel

cells, pharmaceutical processing or hybrid en-gines.

A research team working in this field at Sultan Qa-boos University is inves-tigating convective heat transfer thermophoresis with different flow and thermal conditions in various geometries. The mathematical model of the proposed nano-fluid problem will be exam-ined analytically and/or simulated numerically. The results will be in-terpreted physically and their implications will be identified.

Because a number of relevant aspects of nano-fluids are being inves-tigated, the project will provide opportunities for training personnel at

different levels of edu-cation to carry out the project, thereby contrib-uting positively to ca-pacity building in an im-portant and topical area of scientific research. The project will employ one Post-Doc researcher, one PhD and two MSc students, and several undergraduate students. Involving undergraduate students in the project will develop their inter-est in the field.

Successful completion of the project is expect-ed to produce some un-derstanding of the role boundaries of nano-de-vices and of the various types of nanoparticles instrumental in the heat-ing and cleanliness of these devices.


September 201531

Abdominal Body Fat and its Correlation

with Heart Diseases in Women

Dr. Jumana Saleh - College of Medicine and Health Sciences

Study

After Verifying the Seriousness of the Caseon the Grounds of Global Research

As women age, biochemical and hor-monal changes occur in their bodies leading to abdominal fat accumulation and increased waist circumference, a feature typically found also in males.

Many studies have shown that abdomi-nal body fat is strongly linked to the de-velopment of heart disease, stroke and diabetes both in men and in postmeno-pausal women. These disorders occur as a result of metabolic disturbances, including dyslipidemia, insulin resis-tance and increased levels of harmful biochemical markers in serum, which contribute to endothilial injury, leading to cholesterol accumulation and hard-ening and blockage of blood vessels that supply the heart and vital organs. These events constitute the atheroscle-rosis process that happens slowly over time without clear consequences until the patient develops life-threatening symptoms of heart attack or stroke. The common perception that heart disease is a man’s problem is not true. On the con-trary, more women die from heart attacks than men, and heart disease is number one killer of women worldwide. It has been reported that one in three women die from heart disease, mostly attributed to atherosclerosis, while one in 30 die of cancer. During menopause, women become more vulnerable to atheroscle-rosis. It has been recently reported that the death rate from cardiovascular dis-eases has decreased among men, but continues to increase in women. This is mainly due to poor follow-up of initial (atypical) symptoms of a heart attack in women that often go unnoticed, as many

women do not recognize the symptoms of a heart attack. Omani women are no exception: 53.5% of Omani women are abdominally obese, compared to 19.7% abdominally obese men, and many of these women suffer from metabolic consequences of this prominent health problem. Unfortunately, most women in Oman fail to understand that obe-sity, particularly abdominal obesity, is linked to increased cardiovascular risk. In this regard, a research team at Sultan Qaboos University is examining major cardiovascular risk serum markers and exploring their association with body fat percentage and fat distribution patterns in reproductive, perimenopausal and postmeno-pausal women.

This study will be conducted with the participation of 400 Omani women including reproductive, peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women. It will focus in particu-lar on the menstrual cycle phase, when samples will be collected and investigated. A 6 ml sample of venous blood will be taken from each patient, together with anthropometric measures to deter-mine fat percentage and waist and skinfold thickness the women. A questionnaire will be distributed to all women, and laboratory analysis of the biochemical parameters of the blood samples will be carried out, including cardiovascular and meta-

bolic risk factors and fat storage hor-mones. The key concern of this study is to identify disease markers which can contribute to an early detection of car-diovascular risk, thus enabling women to undertake preventive measures, such as adopting healthy lifestyle habits, ex-ercising and taking appropriate treat-ments at the right time.


September 2015 32
