Correlación de la Formación Marsawdad, Omán, Mioceno Superior (Turoliense-Ventiense), basada en las de cáscaras fósiles de huevos avianos

The discovery of fossilised struthious eggshell fragments on outcrops of the Marsawdad Formation, Rub’ Al-Khali, Oman, permits estimation of the age of the deposits, indicating correlation to the Late Miocene (Turolian-Ventian: Tortonian-Messinian) ca 8-7 Ma. The eggshells are described and are located within a revised biostratigraphy of the Cenozoic terrestrial deposits of the Arabian Peninsula.El descubrimiento de fragmentos de cáscaras de huevos de tipo avestruz en los afloramientos de la Formación Marsawdad, Rub’ Al-Khali, Oman, permite la estimación de la edad de los depósitos, correlacionada con el Mioceno Superior (Turoliense-Ventiense: Tortoniense-Messiniense) ca 8-7 Ma. Las cáscaras de huevo se describen y se sitúan en una biostratigrafía revisada de los depósitos terrestres de la Península de Arabia

Integrated analytical hierarchy process and grey relational analysis approach to measure supply chain complexity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the drivers that create complexity in the supply chain and develop a mathematical model to measure the level of supply chain complexity (SCC). Design/Methodology/Approach of the paper – Through extensive literature review, we discussed various drivers of SCC. These drivers were classified into five dimensions based on expert opinion. Moreover, a novel hybrid mathematical model was developed by integrating analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and grey relational analysis (GRA) methods to measure the level of SCC. A case study was conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the developed model and analyze the SCC level of the company in the study. Findings – We identified twenty-two drivers of SCC, which were further clustered into five complexity dimensions. The application of the developed model to the company in the case study showed that the SCC level of the company was 0.44, signifying that there was a considerable scope of improvement in terms of minimizing complexity. The company that serves as the focus of this case study mainly needs improvement in tackling issues concerning government regulation, internal communication and information sharing, and company culture. Originality/Value – In this paper, we propose a model by integrating AHP and GRA methods that can measure the SCC level based on various complexity drivers. The combination of such methods, considering their ability to convert the inheritance and interdependence of drivers into a single mathematical model, is preferred over other techniques. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt at developing a hybrid multicriteria decision-based model to quantify SCC.© 2020 Emerald Publishing Limited. This manuscript version is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY–NC 4.0) license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

The Yield of Cardiac Investigations in Patients Presenting with an Acute Ischemic Stroke: A single tertiary centre experience

Objectives: Strokes are a major source of morbidity and mortality. The Aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of routine cardiac investigations in identifying a cardioembolic aetiology for ischemic strokes. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients who had presented with a stroke to our institution between January and December 2019. Results: A total 183 patients (mean age 66.2+13.5 years, 109 or 59.6% male) were included in the final analysis. The common risk factors were hypertension (74.9%) diabetes (61.7%), and hyperlipidaemia (54.6%). The Middle cerebral artery (MCA) was the commonest artery affected (44 or 24%). On admission, 14(7.6%) patients were in atrial fibrillation with the rest being in sinus rhythm. On 24-hour ECG holter monitoring, no abnormalities were noted in 135 patients. Atrial fibrillation was seen in 15(8.1%) patients (inclusive of the 14 who had AF on resting ECG). 32 (17.4%) patients had evidence of non-sustained atrial arrhythmia and 9(4.9%) had non sustained ventricular tachycardia. Thirty patients(16.3%) were also noted to have frequent supraventricular ectopics (>30/hour) while 5(2.7%) patients had a high ventricular ectopic burden (>10% burden). No significant abnormalities were noted in the echocardiograms of the patients, but 10 out of 132 (7.5%) patients had a positive bubble echo. Twenty-four (13.1%) patients had enlarged left atria. Conclusion: The overall diagnostic yield of abnormalities from routine cardiac testing for patients with stroke appears to be low. Targeted screening of patients with crytogenic stroke as suggested by newer guidelines is recommended. Keywords: Cerebrovascular Accidents; Echocardiography; Atrial Fibrillation; Oman

A comprehensive study on microstructure and tensile behaviour of a selectively laser melted stainless steel

316L stainless steel samples have been prepared by selective laser melting (SLM) using a pulsed laser mode and different laser powers and scanning patterns. The as-fabricated samples were found to be dominated by clusters of nano-sized γ needles or cells. TEM imaging shows that these needles contain a high population of dislocations while TEM-EDX analysis reveals high chemical homogeneity throughout the as-fabricated samples as evidenced by the fact that there is even no micro-/nano-segregation at interfaces between neighbouring γ needles. The good chemical homogeneity is attributed to the extremely high cooling rate after SLM (>106 °C/s) and the formation of Si- and Mn-oxides that distribute randomly in the current samples. The laser-processed samples show both superior strength and ductility as compared with conventionally manufactured counterparts. TEM examination on the deformed specimens reveals a significantly high density of dislocations and a great number of twinning within nano-needles, suggesting that the plastic deformation has been governed by both gliding of dislocations and twinning deformation, which is believed to be responsible for the simultaneous acquisition of superior strength and ductility. Finally, laser power shows a much more dominant role than laser scanning pattern in porosity and grain size development for the SLM-processed 316L stainless steel samples

First Implementation of Transfusion Consent Policy in Oman : Audit of compliance from a tertiary care university hospital

Objectives: Transfusions are a common medical intervention. Discussion of the benefits, risks and alternatives with the patient is mandated by many legislations prior to planned transfusions. At the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), Muscat, Oman, a written transfusion consent policy was introduced in March 2014. This was the first time such a policy was implemented in Oman. This study therefore aimed to assess adherence to this policy among different specialties within SQUH. Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent elective transfusions between June and August 2014 were reviewed to assess the presence of transfusion consent forms. If present, the consent forms were examined for completeness of patient, physician and witness information. Results: In total, the records of 446 transfused patients (299 adult and 147 paediatric patients) were assessed. Haematology patients accounted for 50% of adult patients and 71% of paediatric patients. Consent was obtained for 75% of adult and 91% of paediatric patients. The highest adherence rate was observed among adult and paediatric haematology specialists (95% and 97%, respectively). Consent forms were correctly filled out with all details provided for 51% and 52% of adult and paediatric patients, respectively. Among inadequately completed forms, the most common error was a lack of witness details (20–25%). Conclusion: In most cases, the pre-transfusion consent policy was successfully adhered to at SQUH. However, further work is required to ensure full compliance with the consent procedure within different specialties. Implementation of transfusion consent in other hospitals in the country is recommended

A Triad of Temporomandibular Joint Ankylosis, Mandibular Retrognathia and Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: Case report

The surgical management of paediatric patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis, mandibular retrognathia and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is challenging. We report a nine-year-old boy who presented to the Department of Oral Health, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in 2016 with complaints of limited mouth opening, loud snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. He was diagnosed with TMJ ankylosis, mandibular retrognathia and severe OSA. The patient initially underwent mandibular distraction and, subsequently, release of the TMJ ankylosis and rib graft reconstruction. The overall patient outcome was successful, with improvement in OSA-related symptoms, good facial symmetry and adequate mouth opening. Keywords: Temporomandibular Joint Disorders; Temporomandibular Ankylosis; Retrognathia; Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Case Report; Oman

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

The role of information professionals in global economic crisis

It is now generally agreed that better information use in the financial services sector might have helped to avert the economic crisis which originated in the U.S. in 2007. Similarly, it is clear that improved availability and communication of good information could have helped prevent the types of consumer and investor reactions which spread the crisis around the globe today. Drawing on a range of existing sources, this paper considers the impact of information failure and the role of information professionals in the economic crisis. It then examines how information professionals can make an important contribution to economic recovery and sets out recommendations for the profession. The paper concludes that unless information professionals play a more proactive role in making good economic and financial information readily accessible, the risk of recurrent economic crises will be increased