Constructing Grammar Instruction in the Omani ELT System: A Critical Literacy Perspective

Debate in the literature has been ongoing about whether to teach English language grammar explicitly, implicitly or integrate both approaches to achieve optimal learning. This research paper, hence, discusses this issue from an ideological perspective with a particular reference to the Omani English language teaching (ELT) education system. The paper triangulates data from various semi-structured interviews made with different agents involved in the Omani ELT education system, the pertinent literature, The Philosophy and Guidelines for the Omani English Language School Curriculum, which I will herewith refer to as the National English Language Policy/Plan (NELP), other policy texts and the English language national syllabus – Our World Through English (OWTE) Teacher’s Guide. The critical discussion revealed various contesting ideologies about teaching grammar in the Omani ELT system and the crucial role of teachers in the effective policy implementation or otherwise. The study has important implications for other similar contexts around the world

Arab English Language Teaching Candidates Climbing the IELTS Mountain: A Qualitatively Driven Hermeneutic Phenomenology Study

As a high-stakes international language proficiency benchmark, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) requires different and special Language Learning Strategies (LLS), which pose numerous challenges to its takers. Some Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) majoring in English Language Teaching (ELT), have therefore, failed to achieve an overall score of Band 6 on the IELTS as a language proficiency requirement and a condition mandated by the Ministry of Education for selecting English language teachers among. This qualitatively driven hermeneutic phenomenology study, hence, discusses this issue from an ideological perspective. The study triangulates data from semi-structured interviews made with six fourth-year ELT Student Teachers (STs) at SQU and the pertinent literature. The critical discussion revealed various ideologies about the powerful impact of the IELTS on the STs’ English language development. The findings have important implications for the practices of the teachers in the Omani ELT school system and elsewhere

Making a Case for New Directions in English Language Teaching Research at an Omani University: A Critical Qualitative Content Analysis Report

Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) has been the sole English Language Teaching (ELT) research enterprise in the Sultanate of Oman through the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Methods of Teaching English degree program it launched in the early 1990s. Eighty-two theses have been completed so far about topics pertinent to ELT in the Sultanate of Oman. However, a review of those theses has shown that the discussion of these topics lacks a critical dimension that can advance Omani ELT at the micro and macro levels. This critical qualitative study, therefore, sets out to make a case for new directions in ELT research at the M.Ed. in ELT program at SQU. The discussion should lead to better understanding of the multiple ELT problems in the Sultanate of Oman and have implications for other similar contexts

Biosurfactant Production by Pseudomonas Aeruginosa 181

This study involves the screening of biosurfactant producers that have been isolated from crude oil bacteria degraders. The bacteria were isolated by qualitative screening on cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) agar plates and quantitative screening for biosurfactant production in liquid media. A biosurfactant producer identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa 181 was selected for further analysis. Maximum biosurfactant production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 181 was achieved after 120 h incubation at pH 7.0 and 37°C. Static condition and 5.0% bacterial inoculum’s gave the optimum biosurfactant yield. Culture medium containing glucose as the carbon source; and casamino acids as the organic nitrogen source gave the highest level of biosurfactant production. Corn steep liquor and ammonium nitrate on the other hand inhibited biosurfactant production. However, the addition of metal ions such as Fe, Mg and Mn maximized biosurfactant synthesis.The biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 181 was purified to homogeneity by acid precipitation and ammonium sulphate precipitation. Biosurfactant produced byPseudomonas aeruginosa 181 was stable and had a broad range of pH from 3.0 to 12.0 with the maximum activity (Surface Tension reduction and Emulsification Index (E24))exhibited at pH 7.0. The purified biosurfactant had a broad range of temperature and exhibited optimum activity at 30°C. This biosurfactant had high activity compared to many commercial surfactants with 0.1 mg critical micelle concentration (CMC). The purified biosurfactant had a maximum emulsification index (E24) of 86% with hexadecane,followed by 80% with nonane, dodecane,tridecane, pentadecane, octadecane and o- Xylene.Response surface methodology (RSM) was then used to study interactive effects of the parameters (pH, stirring rate, casamino acid concentration and incubation period) on the production of biosurfactants. Generally, simultaneously increasing surface tension reduction and emulsification index (E24) improved yields. Production carried out at larger volumes of 1L using Bioreactor under RSM-optimized conditions yielded 350.22 mg of products after purification by acid precipitation. Identities of isolated products were verified by using TLC, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography–Mass spectrometry (LC-MS), mass spectrometry (MS-MS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and infraredspectroscopy (FT-IR), from analysis carried out the rhamnolipids were monorhamnolipids and dirhamnolipids

Non-verbal Communication across Cultures: a Case Study of Chinese, Polish, Turkish and (Yemeni) Arabic Cultures

To establish for a further study examining the degree of similarity and dissimilarity across cultures through four selected cultures (Chinese, Polish, Turkish and Yemeni) in fifteen identified paralanguage features. A non-experimental study was conducted where four participants from the four different countries took part in the study. Each was either interviewed or engaged in a guided discussion towards collecting the required data. Both reliability and validity within the qualitative research framework - credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability have meet the basic requirement

Effect of Khat (Catha edulis) Use on the Bioavailability, Plasma Levels and Antimalarial Activity of Chloroquine.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the effect of khat (Catha edulis) on chloroquine (CQ) bioavailability in healthy Yemeni adults and its effect on CQ plasma levels and parasite clearance among malaria patients. METHODS This study took place between January and April 2007 in Bajil and Sana'a, Yemen. Two CQ doses (600 mg each) were given to 15 healthy males on separate occasions; the first dose was followed by a khat-chewing session (phase one) while controls abstained from khat-chewing for the second (phase two). Additionally, 103 patients with Plasmodium falciparum-induced malaria, including both regular khat chewers (n = 57) and non-khat chewers (n = 46), were treated with CQ (25 mg/kg) over three days. Pharmacokinetic parameters were analysed among both controls and malaria patients. Parasite clearance was also investigated for the latter group. RESULTS The mean area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) was 2,108.9 versus 2,797.4 ng/hour/mL, mean peak plasma concentration (Cmax) was 415.6 versus 508.7 ng/mL and mean time to reach Cmax was 3.8 versus 3.6 hours for controls in phase one versus phase two, respectively; both AUC and Cmax levels were significantly reduced by khat-chewing (P <0.050). For khat- versus non-khat-chewing malaria patients, mean plasma CQ concentrations were 266.4 ng/mL versus 427.5 ng/mL (P <0.001). Furthermore, CQ was effective in 71.7% and 75.4% of non-khat and khat-chewing malaria patients, respectively (P = 0.823). CONCLUSION Khat-chewing was found to significantly reduce plasma CQ levels among healthy volunteers and malaria patients. While receiving CQ treatment, patients should be advised not to chew khat

Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Imaging Guided Interventions

We describe multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) encapsulated in thermosensitive, drug-bearing shells and delivered to the tumor site by genetically modified and non-pathogenic strains of bacteria with known affinity to tumors for an effective and minimally invasive protocol for tumor management. The magnetic nanoparticles also serve as a non-invasive imaging contrast agent, heating agent as well as thermometry monitoring agents. We have shown an efficient tumor management on a mouse model utilizing the MNPs. Our studies showed that these novel MNPs significantly reduce the progress of tumor and prolong the animal life and function as an imaging contrast to visually monitor the tumor treatment and evolution

Stability Analysis and Control of a Microgrid against Circulating Power between Parallel Inverters

In grid-connected mode, the grid normally absorbs all the power generated by each inverter in a microgrid. Droop control-based microgrid power management employs the frequency as a wireless communication to determine the power outage. However, in the cases of grid loss, each inverter should receive, from a supervisory controller, new settings of the output power suitable to the microgrid load. Because of the supervisory controllers are slower than the droop control loops, this might produce unstable dynamics caused by the excess generated power circulating between the inverters if the microgrid load is low. This case degrades the microgrid stability leading the DC link voltage of each inverter to rise to trip point. In this paper, a PD voltage control loop is proposed to stabilize the system and minimize the circulating power so providing more time for the supervisory control to respond without tripping any inverter. A detailed small signal model is developed and stability analysis is performed to tune the controller’s gain. Matlab/Simulink results validate the performance of the proposed controller

Design and modelling of permanent magnet fault current limiter For electrical power applications

As the electrical power grids are extending in capacity with connection of distributed generations, the fault current level is increasing and approaching the capacity limits of the circuit breakers. In this paper, a saturated inductor fault current limiter (FCL) based on permanent magnet biasing has been developed to overcome the inherent disadvantages associated with many previous technologies such as superconducting based techniques. A 3D Finite Element Modeling (FEM) is used to develop and validate the proposed design and compared it with air-cored inductor. A lab-scale prototype was built to verify the design. Furthermore, a scaled up model which could be introduced to 11 kV network is introduced and its electromagnetic performance is evaluate

DC microgrid power coordination based on fuzzy logic control

The power coordination in DC microgrids has a vital role in enhancing the performance and management of multi generation units. Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are limited to their available power with intermittent nature. Battery-based energy storage sources have limitations in the charging and discharging capabilities to avoid depleting the battery and preserve the State of Charge (SOC) within its satisfactory limits. The battery balances the power difference between RES and loads. However, in severe cases where the SOC is very low, load shedding is crucial. In this paper, a Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) has been proposed to coordinate the power flow of PV unit and battery to satisfy the load by full use of the available PV power. It controls the PV’s output power and keeps the SOC and charging / discharging power of the battery within their required margins regardless of the variations in load. Furthermore, load shedding of low priority load has been implemented when the battery couldn’t balance the microgrid power flow. Simplicity in managing multi input-multi output system by FLC is the main merit. Matlab/Simulink results are presented to validate the performance of the proposed controller