Getting Research Published : An A-Z of publication strategy

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Climate Projections Indicate Catastrophic Consequences in the Middle East and North Africa Region: Why healthcare workers are conspicuously absent in climate change discourse

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Occupational therapy in Oman: the impact of cultural dissonance

Occupational therapy theory and philosophy are broadly considered to be based on Western cultural values. In contrast, the application of theory and practice in the Sultanate of Oman, historically based on traditional Middle Eastern and Islamic cultural values, provides a case exemplar, which highlights both paradigmatic differences andcultural dissonance. Drawing on the experiences of occupational therapists working in Oman, this study found that the application of therapeutic goals aimed at patient independence and autonomy were difficult to achieve in an environment where family duty and responsibility for care were highly prized. Dressing and cooking assessments werechallenging, and issues related to gender proved problematic. Therapists found the need to adapt practice to acknowledge these differences, and to adopt pragmatic problem-solving strategies, without resolving the underpinning philosophical contradictions. Occupational therapy in Oman is under-researched; further work is needed to confirm the cross-cultural validity of specific assessments and practice models

Investigating the impact of nicotine on executive functions using a novel virtual reality assessment

Aims Nicotine is known to enhance aspects of cognitive functioning in abstinent smokers but the effects on specific areas of executive functions, and in non-smokers are inconclusive. This may be due in part to the poor sensitivity of tests used to assess executive functions. This study used a new virtual reality assessment of executive functions known as JEF (the Jansari assessment of Executive Functions) to address this issue. Design 2x2 design manipulating group (smokers and never-smokers) and drug (nicotine [4mg for smokers; 2mg for never smokers] vs placebo gum). Setting School of Psychology; University of East LondonParticipants 72 participants (aged 18 to 54). 36 minimally-deprived (2 hr) smokers and 36 never-smokers.Measurements Components of executive function were measured using the virtual reality paradigm JEF, which assesses eight cognitive constructs simultaneously as well as providing an overall performance measure. Results Univariate ANOVAs revealed that nicotine improved overall JEF performance, time-based prospective memory and event-based prospective memory in smokers (p < 0.01) but not in never-smokers. Action-based prospective memory was enhanced in both groups (p < 0.01) and never-smokers out-performed smokers on selective thinking and adaptive thinking (p < 0.01). Conclusions. Overall executive functioning and prospective memory can be enhanced by nicotine gum in abstinent smokers. That smokers were only minimally deprived suggests that JEFis a sensitive measure of executive functioning and that prospective memory is particularly susceptible to disruption by abstinence

Biomedical Publications Profile and Trends in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Objectives: There is a dearth of studies examining the relationship between research output and other socio-demographic indicators in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). The three interrelated aims of this study were, first, to ascertain the number of biomedical publications in the GCC from 1970 to 2010; second, to establish the rate of publication according population size during the same period and, third, to gauge the relationship between the number of publications and specific socio-economic parameters. Methods: The Medline database was searched in October 2010 by affiliation, year and publication type from 1970 to 2010. Data obtained were normalised to the number of publications per million of the population, gross domestic product, and the number of physicians in each country. Results: The number of articles from the GCC region published over this 40 year period was 25,561. Saudi Arabia had the highest number followed by Kuwait, UAE, and then Oman. Kuwait had the highest profile of publication when normalised to population size, followed by Qatar. Oman is the lowest in this ranking. Overall, the six countries showed a rising trend in publication numbers with Oman having a significant increase from 1990 to 2005. There was a significant relationship between the number of physicians and the number of publications. Conclusion: The research productivity from GGC has experienced complex and fluctuating growth in the past 40 years. Future prospects for increasing research productivity are discussed with particular reference to the situation in Oman

Outcomes in acute decompensated chronic heart failure patients discharged with and without ivabradine: Advantages beyond heart rate control

Background and Aim: Ivabradine is indicated in chronic heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction (EF) of &lt; 35% and resting heart rate (HR) of &gt; 70 bpm. However, role of Ivabradine in acute decompensated chronic HF (ADCHF) is not well known. The aim of this study was to evaluate one-year outcomes of ADCHF patients discharged with and without Ivabradine. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective observational cohort study of ADCHF patients from January 2016 to January 2018. Main exclusion criteria was new onset de-novo acute HF, those with EF &gt; 50% and atrial fibrillation. Data were analysed from 130 patients who were discharged with (62 patients) or without Ivabradine (68 patients). The primary end points were one-year re-hospitalization and cardiovascular mortality between two groups. Results: The mean age of patients were 56 ± 15 years and 61 ± 17 years between Ivabradine and Non-ivabradine groups. EF upon discharge was 37.48% ± 5.34% vs 40.01% ± 8. 12%, with p-value of 0.036. At discharge, higher HR was noted in patients with Ivabradine 84 ± 13 bpm compared to 77.84 ± 12. 13 bpm in patients without Ivabradine (p-value = 0.006). After a year, HR in Ivabradine group was low compared to non-Ivabradine group, but was not statistically significant, 66.15 ± 8 vs. 69.29 ± 11.3 bpm, respectively. In the Ivabradine group 27.4% of patients visited emergency room (ER) more than once compared to 60.2 % without Ivabradine (p-value = 0.0001). 9.7% of patients in Ivabradine group required one readmission compared to 55.9% without Ivabradine (p-value = 0.0001). Conclusions: In ADCHF patients there was significant reduction in ER room visit and re-admission rate in patients discharged with Ivabradine. Hence Ivabradine therapy may be considered in patients with ADCHF with EF &lt; 50% and HR &gt; 70 bpm to prevent re-hospitalization and save hospitalization costs

Penerapan media komik bunyi untuk meningkatkan pemahaman konsep siswa pada materi ajar bunyi: Penelitian quasi eksperimen di Kelas VIII 1 MTs. Nurul Bayan Kec. Cikalongkulon Kab. Cianjur

Komik merupakan bacaan yang menarik dan lucu. Berbagai macam komik yang bersifat hiburan beredar luas. Banyak orang yang menganggap para pembaca komik sebagai orang yang kurang kerjaan atau malas. Namun, para peneliti mulai melirik komik sebagai salah satu sumber belajar yang menarik. Berbagai penelitian dan pengembangan telah dilakukan oleh para ahli. Pada penelitian ini penulis bermaksud menerapkan komik bunyi pada pembelajaran fisika. Sehingga komik dapat dimanfaatkan untuk meningkatkan pemahaman siswa pada materi bunyi. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada siswa kelas VIII-1 MTs. Nurul Bayan Cikalongkulon Cianjur. Instrumen yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah, lembar observasi keterlaksanaan pembelajaran, tes uraian yang terdiri dari 10 soal yang memuat enam indikator pemahaman dan angket skala sikap yang terdiri dari 10 pernyataan negatif dan 10 pernyataan positif. Hasil yang diperoleh dari penelitian yang telah dilaksanakan diantaranya: 1) rata-rata keterlaksanaan pembelajaran mencapai 89 % dengan kategori sangat baik; 2) terdapat peningkatan pemahaman pada materi bunyi setelah pembelajaran dengan menggunakan komik bunyi peningkatan N-Gain rata-rata mencapai 0,76 dengan interpretasi tinggi; 3) penerapan komik bunyi pada pembelajaran fisika mendapatkan respon positif dari siswa, hasil respon siswa pada angket skala sikap mencapai 76,75 %, sehingga media komik ini direkomendasikan untuk digunakan pada pembelajaran fisika materi bunyi dengan sedikit perbaikan pada metode pembelajarannya

Developing intercultural competence in EFL: a qualitative enquiry into the beliefs and classroom practices of a group of Omani EFL teachers in a higher education institution in Oman

Intercultural education, which promotes principles of respect, mutual understanding, and harmonious functioning between individuals and social groups, is increasingly acknowledged as a desirable educational goal across almost all national contexts. The Omani educational context, with its current strategic educational imperatives, is no exception. However, research on intercultural education within the Omani EFL teaching context is largely negligible. Even though the country’s Philosophy of Education, an educational policy that articulates the country’s overarching educational objectives for all institutions, recognises positive intercultural dialogue as a key educational principle, our understanding of Omani EFL teachers’ beliefs of intercultural competence (IC) and other culturally-related issues in relation to their teaching context is surprisingly non-existent. By responding to this gap, the current thesis aims to explore and understand how a group of Omani EFL teachers, considering their learning and teaching experiences, perceive and implement IC within the unique, yet underexplored, intersection of Omani social, institutional, and EFL classroom contexts. Situated within the intersection of two main research areas, language teacher cognition and intercultural education in EFL, the current study draws on two theoretical models, namely Borg’s model of language teacher cognition and Byram’s model of Intercultural Communicative Competence; both anchored in the constructivist philosophical paradigm. Borg’s model serves as the theoretical backbone of this study as it is utilised to explore how Omani teachers’ former schooling, professional coursework, and contextual factors mediate the IC-related beliefs into classroom practice. Byram’s characterisation of IC is drawn upon in operating the term IC in this study particularly in interpreting the participants’ IC-related beliefs and practice. Considering these theoretical underpinnings, alongside the study’s overarching purpose, three main questions were developed to guide this enquiry which are (1) How do Omani EFL teachers perceive and implement Intercultural Competence (IC) in relation to their EFL teaching practice? (2) How do Omani EFL teachers’ educational and teaching experiences inform their beliefs and practices which are related to IC? and (3) How do identified contextual factors influence Omani EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices of IC? To answer these questions, a multi-method qualitative design was utilised by deploying four data collection methods which are semi-structured interviews, vignettes, classroom observations, and stimulated recall. In terms of recruitment, ten Omani EFL teachers were purposefully selected from a General Foundation Program (GFP) in one government-owned university in Oman. The collected data were analysed thematically using NVivo software generating the themes and sub-themes which constitute the key findings of this research study. The study found that the development of IC exhibits a peripheral position within the manifested pedagogies of the selected participants in spite of its perceived theoretical significance. It is also found that the Omani teachers’ former schooling, pre-service teacher education programmes, and accumulative teaching experience together inform, although in various ways, the way IC is perceived and practised by teachers. Additionally, three contextual dimensions are found to intervene substantially in the enactment of teachers’ IC beliefs - categorised into socio-cultural, institutional, and classroom-based. By positioning Borg’s framework within the curricular area of intercultural teaching and by situating it within the yet unexamined Omani EFL teaching context, an expanded version of the model is proposed acting as the main theoretical contribution of this study. The expanded model offers nuanced insights into (a) the significant role of the cultural composition within the schooling and teacher education environments in formulating teachers’ beliefs of IC, (b) the key role of teachers’ general pedagogical beliefs in informing IC-specific beliefs, and (c) the unique contextual factors which mediate Omani teachers’ IC beliefs into classroom practice. The theoretical implications are discussed setting the agenda for future versions of the expanded model by highlighting the need to examine the way IC is perceived and implemented in different institutional environments in Oman and to investigate the IC-related beliefs among non-Omani teachers who teach EFL in Omani educational institutions. The practical implications are also discussed offering some recommendations for key stakeholders, namely educational policy makers, teachers, teacher trainers, professional development planners, and curriculum developer

The Use of Laparoscopy in the Management of Trauma Patients : Brief review

 Laparoscopy is one of the most effective intervention modalities, resulting in improved outcomes for major surgeries. In the past decade, the laparoscopic approach in trauma patients has shown better diagnostic outcomes than traditional laparotomies. Furthermore, this approach is cost-effective, significantly reduces the length of hospital stay and contributes to reduced complication rates. However, the use of laparoscopies in trauma cases is generally restricted to patients with normal haemodynamic parameters and is contraindicated for individuals with head injuries. With advances in knowledge and improved training, laparoscopies can also be used in the treatment of other conditions, such as diaphragmatic injuries and organ lacerations. This article briefly reviews the extent of laparoscopy use and its significance in the management of trauma patients

Reasons for Consultation among Patients attending Primary Healthcare Centres in Oman

Objectives: Pathways to care or care-seeking, which translate into healthcare utilisation, have been investigated in many parts of the world, but there is a dearth of studies in the Arabian Gulf. The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of attendees at primary healthcare centres in northern Oman and their reasons for visiting. Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 676 participants attending 12 primary healthcare centres between June and July 2006. The catchment area was selected to represent the population structure in Oman. The 12-item questionnaire was read to every fifth eligible patient entering each healthcare centre for a routine appointment. Analyses were conducted using univariate statistics. Results: About a third (n = 200; 29.6%) of the participants had a history of chronic illness; 231 (34%) were on regular medications; 211 (31%) were taking part in health education programmes; 130 (19%) were open to complementary medicine. The majority of the participants mentioned physician's advice (n = 570; 84%) as the strongest reason for seeking consultation. Conversely, physician's advice was strongly related to particular demographic factors.Conclusion: This observational study identified some characteristics and reasons for visiting healthcare facilities in northern Oman. These are discussed within the context of prevailing sociocultural factors. The implications for the prevention and detection of ill health in Oman are also discussed.