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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Getting Research Published : An A-Z of publication strategy

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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

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.

Influence of Eysenckian Personality Traits in Choice of Specialization by Young Omani Doctors.

Objectives:The role of personality in occupational specialty choices has been explored in many parts of the world. To our knowledge, there is a dearth of such studies in the Arab/Islamic population and Oman is no exception. This study aimed to explore the relationship between personality traits and specialty choice among residents of Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB). Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among Omani resident physicians working under OMSB. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire–Revised was employed to quantify personality subtypes (e.g., psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism). Specialties were categorized as surgical, medical, and diagnostics as per standard of North American medical specialties. A total of 255 residents in 17 medical specialties participated in the study (m = 40.4%; f = 59.6%) of 300 eligible subjects giving a response rate of 85.0%. Results: Respondents who had chosen surgical specialties scored significantly higher on the psychoticism subscale than those who had opted for medical and diagnostic specialties. As for individual specialties, orthopedic respondents had statistically significant higher mean scores on psychoticism and neuroticism compared to radiologists and psychiatrists who scored the lowest in the two personality traits, respectively. Conclusions: This study found statistically significant associations between personality traits and choices of specialty by young Omani doctors. We recommend more detailed studies that examine further psychological and cultural variables that are likely to affect the choices of specializations by young Omani professionals in both medical and non-medical fields

The Impact of Using Self-Reflection Approach and Academic Advising on Performance of Lower Achieving Students

This is an observational study that aims at identifying students’ behavioral factors that influence their attitude towards learning and the methods used to motivate these students to perform better in their General Foundation Programme (GFP) offered by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Sultanate of Oman. Academic advising and self-reflection approaches were used to motivate students to improve the students’ level. The study is conducted on 17 pre-elementary students. The researchers applied mixed methods approach for this study. The quantitative data includes students’ data retrieved from the Student Information System (SIS) of the institution and a survey to uncover students’ behavioral factors. The qualitative data is derived from a combination of academic advising sessions and a self-reflective approach in which students were encouraged to reflect on their areas of strengths and weaknesses related to their Writing and Speaking skills modules. The researchers have observed several negative behaviors that adversely affect students’ attitudes towards learning which hindered their progression to the next level. The negative attitudes and factors that were noticed include unwillingness to study, coeducation system in HEIs, and poor attendance. The researchers adopted two interventions to help students perform better in their studies namely: academic advising and selfreflection approach. The academic advising sessions gave the researchers an opportunity to know more about the students, counsel, and motivate them towards learning. The self-reflection approach helped familiarize students with the learning outcomes and made them aware of what is required to achieve those learning outcomes. This study will hopefully provide some useful strategies for English Language teachers to motivate and encourage low performers in GFP

Clear Cell Hidradenoma of the Breast Diagnosed on a Core Needle Biopsy: A case report and review of the literature

Clear cell hidradenoma (CCH) is a tumour originating from the eccrine sweat glands. It usually presents in the limbs, axilla or trunk. CCH of the breast is rare and can present as a cystic lesion in the breast that can be easily misdiagnosed as malignancy. We report a 36-year-old female patient who presented at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital Breast Clinic, Muscat, Oman, in 2018 with a lump in her left breast. Ultrasound examination reported a complex cystic lesion with a solid, vascular component. An ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy was suggestive of clear cell hidradenoma. Surgical excision was performed and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of CCH of the breast. This is the first ever case of a diagnosis of CCH made using core needle biopsy. CCH can be challenging to diagnose; therefore, awareness of its histopathological and ultrasonographic features are essential to avoid misdiagnosis and over treatment.Keywords: Eccrine Glands; Breast; Acrospiroma; Sweat Gland Adenoma; Sweat Gland Neoplasms; Case Report; Oman