Enhanced Lifetime of Organic Photovoltaics based on P3HT: PCBM

The short lifetime of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) is a key factor that limits the commercialization of this flexible, low-cost PV technology. The sensitivity of OPVs to water and oxygen in the ambient environment has been found to be the major reason for their degradation. Therefore, techniques to protect the devices from water and oxygen are needed. This thesis introduces new methods designed to reduce the impact of water and oxygen on the lifetime of OPV devices. Two different methods were developed, both using insulating polymers. The first was the addition of an insulating polymer, such as poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), or poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG), to a poly (3-hexylthiophene): [6, 6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT: PCBM) OPV blend (ternary approach). It was found that this technique increased the lifetime of the OPVs, due to the ability of the insulating polymers to work as gettering agents for water. The second method that was used is laminating OPVs with an insulating polymer. It was found that this lamination technique enhanced the device lifetime more than the ternary approach due to the creation of a barrier to the ingress of both oxygen and water

The Asthma Cost in Oman

Objectives: This study evaluates the direct costs of treating asthma in Oman. Methods: Asthma prevalence and unit cost estimates were based on results from a panel using the Delphi technique, and were applied to the total Omani population aged 5 and older to obtain the number of people diagnosed with asthma. The estimates from the Delphi exercise were multiplied by the percentage of patients using government facilities to estimate the number of asthma patients managed in Oman. Treatment costs were also calculated using data from the Delphi exercise and the Asthma Insights and Reality for the Gulf and Near East study (reported in Omani riyals [OMR] and US dollars [USD]). Results: The prevalence of asthma was estimated to be 7.3% of adults (n = 96,470) and 12.7% of children (n = 58,344). Of these, 95% of both adults and children were estimated to be using government healthcare facilities. Inpatient visits accounted for the largest proportion of total direct costs (55%), followed by emergency room and outpatient visits (25% and 20%, respectively) and medications (<0.2%). The annual cost of treatment excluding medications, was OMR 34,273,696 (USD 89,111,609) for adults and OMR 27,014,735 (USD 70,238,311) for children. Including medications, the total annual direct cost of asthma treatment was estimated to be over OMR 61,500,294 (USD 159,900,761). Conclusion: Given the high medical expenditures associated with facility visits relative to the lower medication costs, the focus of Oman’s asthma cost savings should be on improving asthma control rather than reducing medication costs

The Burden of Asthma in Oman

Asthma is a common lung disease worldwide, although its prevalence varies from country to country. Oman is ranked in the intermediate range based on results from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. A 2009 study revealed that the majority of asthmatic patients in Oman reported both daytime and nocturnal symptoms, while 30% of adults and 52% of children reported absences from work or school due to their symptoms. Despite these findings, there is little data available on the economic burden of asthma in Oman. The only accessible information is from a 2013 study which concluded that Oman’s highest asthma-related costs were attributable to inpatient (55%) and emergency room (25%) visits, while asthma medications contributed to less than 1% of the financial toll. These results indicate a low level of asthma control in Oman, placing a large economic burden on healthcare providers. Therefore, educating asthmatic patients and their families should be prioritised in order to improve the management and related costs of this disease within Oman

Modelling the Impact of the Oil Sector on the Economy of Sultanate of Oman

This study constructs and analyses a simple macroeconomic model that specifically tailored to model the impact of oil sector on the economy of Sultanate of Oman. The constructed model of the study measures the impact of oil sector on the Oman economy for the last three decades and also provides some forecasting for the major macroeconomics indicators related to the Oman economy. Model simulations indicate that the oil sector has large and positive impact on Oman GDP and its influence spills over to all other non-oil sectors of Oman economy. The study found that largest influence of oil was on the gas sector and the least economic sector influenced by oil was agricultural sector. The findings of the study suggest that Oman economy is far from being diversified and that the proposed model helps the policy makers in Oman to identify and forecast the impact of oil on other components of the Oman economy.  Keywords: Macroeconomic modelling, oil, Oman JEL Classifications: C51; C53; E17; N15; Q4

THE PERSONAL TRAITS OF LEARNING DISABILITIES’ STUDENTS IN THE FIRST AND SECOND GRADES AT BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS: TEACHERS PERSPECTIVES STUDY انغًاث انشخصٛت نهطهبت رٔ٘ صؼٕباث انخؼهى فٙ انحهقخٍٛ األٔنٗ ٔانثاَٛت بًذاسط انخؼهٛى األعاعٙ: دساعت يٍ ٔجٓت َظش انًؼهًاث

This quantitative study discusses the personal characteristics of students with learning difficulties due to their teachers’ viewpoint, in the Sultanate of Oman. The problem is that the difficulty of learning exposes the student to personality disorder and an imbalance in compatibility compared to his colleagues, so it is clear in the behavior and behavior of students during their social interaction. Which requires finding proposals that help them form personal characteristics together, and help them to integrate with teachers and students. The study aims to analyze the personality traits of students with learning difficulties from the viewpoint of their teachers in basic education schools, by discussing the factors that affect the formation of those traits. The researcher followed the descriptive analytical method. A personality traits questionnaire was implemented consisting of (26) phrases distributed in (5) axes: neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experience, kindness, and conscientiousness. The study population consisted of (1134) teachers with learning difficulties, of which a random stratified sample of (291) teachers was selected. Results indicated that all axes came with average degree. When the axis of neuroticism came first, followed by the axis of extroversion, then the axis of awakening the conscience, openness to experience, and in the last place the axis of kindness. The results reached: The factors that influence the formation of these personality traits are: family factors that came first, then school factors, psychological factors, and in the last place came the genetic factors

Pulmonary Hyalinising Granuloma: A report of two cases

ABSTRACT: Pulmonary hyalinising granuloma (PHG) is a rare fibrosclerosing inflammatory lung condition of unknown aetiology. It is characterised by solitary or multiple pulmonary nodules that are usually found incidentally while imaging the chest for other reasons. We report two cases of histologically proven PHG diagnosed at the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman. The first case was a 71-year-old male patient who presented in 2010 with a dry cough, weight loss and bilateral pulmonary nodules. The second case was a 58-year-old male patient who presented in 2012 and was found to have incidental bilateral pulmonary nodules on chest X-ray. Both patients were started on prednisolone and on follow-up the PHG nodules remained stable. Although there is no definitive treatment, PHG generally has an excellent prognosis.Keywords: Granuloma; X-Ray Computed Tomography; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules; Lung; Case Report; Oman

Emotional Intelligence Among School Teachers in Oman

This paper sheds light into the role of emotional intelligence in school teaching. It reports the findings of a study that sought to investigate the emotional intelligence of 4,098 school teachers in the Sultanate of Oman in five dimensions using the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS). The study also measured the relationship between teachers’ emotional intelligence and a number of demographic teacher and school variables. The results showed that teachers’ emotional intelligence was high in all five dimensions. There were variations in teachers’ emotional intelligence based on certain teacher and school variables. Key words: job satisfaction, Sultanate of Oman, teachers’ emotional intelligence. Cet article fait la lumière sur le rôle de l’intelligence émotionnelle dans l’enseignement. L’article fait rapport des résultats d’une étude ayant porté sur l’intelligence émotionnelle, selon cinq dimensions, de 4 098 enseignants dans le Sultanat d’Oman en employant l’échelle de Schutte sur l’intelligence émotionnelle. L’étude a également mesuré le rapport entre l’intelligence émotionnelle des enseignants et un certain nombre de variables démographiques liées aux enseignants et aux écoles. Les résultats indiquent que l’intelligence émotionnelle des enseignants étaient élevée pour toutes les dimensions. Des variations dans l’intelligence émotionnelle des enseignants se sont révélées selon les variables liées aux enseignants et aux écoles. Mots clés : satisfaction professionnelle; Sultanat d’Oman; intelligence émotionnelle chez les enseignants   Saleh Al-Busaidi1, Said Aldhafri12, Marwa Alrajhi1, Hussain Alkharusi1,, Bader Alkharusi3,, Abdullah Ambusaidi1, Khoula Alhosni

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Asthma Control in Oman : National Results within the Asthma Insights and Reality in the Gulf & the Near East (AIRGNE) Study

Objectives: The Asthma Insights and Reality (AIR) study in the Gulf and Near East (one of a worldwide series of surveys conducted in adults and children to assess asthma control) was conducted in Oman to assess how closely asthma control meets international guidelines recommendations. Methods: From January 2007 to March 2008, asthmatics receiving treatment or currently suffering from asthma symptoms were interviewed among nationals randomly surveyed from the most populated urban areas in Oman (Muscat, Sohar and Nizwa). The standard AIR questionnaire was used to assess symptom severity, health care utilisation, limitation of activity and medication use. Results: From 201 asthmatic participants, 21% were under 16 years and 43% were female. Tobacco use was low in our asthmatics. Disparity in asthma perception was wide in Oman; while 57% of asthmatics perceived their asthma as well or completely controlled, actually 54% had poorly or not well controlled asthma. All recommendations for asthma control by the Global Initiative for Asthma were largely unmet, especially in child asthmatics, with 44% reporting night awakenings due to asthma during the previous 4 weeks and 47% exerciseinduced asthma in the previous 12 months. Overall, 32.6% of children and 34.8% of adults reported absence due to asthma from school/work during the previous year. Use of preventive inhaled corticosteroids was only 5.0%, one of the lowest even within the AIR Gulf and Near East study, producing an unacceptable ratio ICS/SABA (inhaled corticosteroid/short acting beta-agonist) of 0.054 in Omani asthmatics. Conclusion: Asthma control in Oman falls far below the goals of current international guidelines therefore corrective strategies are needed