Teachers’ Implicit Theories of Giftedness, Practices and Challenges: An Exploratory Study of Gifted Education in Cycle Two Omani Government Schools (Grades 5-9)

The overall aim of this study is to explore the reality of gifted education in Omani schools. It particularly aims to explore Omani teachers’ implicit theories and beliefs pertaining to the construct of giftedness, the existing practices of gifted education and the challenges it faces at cycle two government schools (grades 5-9). The ultimate aim of this exploration is to construct a deeper understanding of the implications the findings may have for our understanding of how giftedness is perceived by Omani teachers and how this understanding influences their attitudes and practices. Findings related to the current practices and challenges may help the policy-makers in the Ministry of Education (MOE)to rethink about gifted education and how it can be enhanced. The study adopted a multi-case study design by focusing the investigation on four female government schools and devising two methods. First, as subject groups, teachers in each school were asked to generate their closest group metaphors of a gifted learner. To dig more deeply into their metaphors and to reveal more implicit theories, the same teacher groups were interviewed. In addition, a focus group interview was held with a group of administrators from each school to discuss the existing gifted education practices taking place at the four school cases and the challenges they encountered. Analysis of the teachers’ metaphors reveals that teachers overwhelmingly hold a positive picture of gifted learners. The findings also indicate that teachers hold inclusive Implicit Theories of Giftedness (ITG) through which giftedness is not confined to superior intellectual ability but is rather a multi-dimensional construct. The study also reveals that teachers undervalue the role of pre-service education and INSET programs. The findings indicate that the existing practices at the four school cases are influenced by a number of factors including a lack of identification procedures, the school’s location, the school’s administration, teachers’ attitudes and the surrounding community. Three main challenges facing gifted education are identified: challenges associated with students, challenges associated with teachers and challenges associated with schools. Based on these findings, the implications for teachers, policy-makers and practitioners in both the MOE and the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) are considered

Perception of Stigma among Attendees of Tertiary Care Psychiatric Clinic in Oman

Objectives: To examine the level of perceived stigma experienced by people with mental illnesses and its relation to patient's age, gender, marital status, employment status, psychiatric diagnosis, and education level. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among patients attending Psychiatric Clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital. Perceived stigma was assessed using the modified version of the 42 patients’ stigma scale. Data were analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 19. Results: A total of 197 patients participated in the study (49% males and 52% females). Disclosure and discrimination of mental illness subscales were highest factor of self- or perceived stigma compared to the positive aspects. The impact of demographic factors and psychiatric diagnosis on the perception of stigma was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study showed that attendees of the Psychiatry Clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital were less likely to disclose their mental illness and experienced more discrimination of mental illness than the positive aspects

Challenges of small scale entrepreneur's in Sohar Port anyone there to listen?

Investment by its nature looks forward to the highest rate of earnings and which support the development of a country.In order to meet right investment a stable business environment is required.Sohar Industrial Port is one of the major investment and employment hubs of Oman. The emergence of SMEs in Ports of Oman paves way for higher rate of earnings and attracts lot of Entrepreneurs to set up business in the ports of Oman.As it is claimed, this investment has aimed at employment opportunities to the growing educated youngsters.Though such developments are going on, there are very less studies focused on the opportunities and challenges of SMEs in the Sohar port.Con temporarily, a study, which focuses on the challenges of entrepreneurs, that to analyze the development climate in the ports of Sultanate of OMAN, needs to be explored into. This research paper thus extends better insight into Sohar Port as employment and Investment hub of Oman: the challenges of SMEs and entrepreneurs in the “Sohar port”

Effectiveness of an Interactive Educational Video on Knowledge, Skill, and Satisfaction of Nursing Students

Objectives: Nursing education requires innovative teaching strategies for learning fundamental nursing skills to develop proficient nurses for the future. However, nursing educators face challenges in teaching and retaining the skill competency and knowledge of the nursing students given shortages of nursing faculty and scarcity of opportunities for clinical practice. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the interactive educational video-based strategy versus traditional general demonstration for teaching a basic nursing skill. Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study followed 55 nursing students enrolled in a fundamentals of nursing laboratory course during the Spring 2020 semester, at the College of Nursing of Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. The control group was subjected to traditional general demonstration-based teaching of the oral medication procedure, while the experimental group learned the same skill through an interactive educational video. The knowledge, skill competency and satisfaction levels of both groups were assessed post-intervention using standardized questionnaires. Results: There was no statistical difference between the two groups in knowledge level and skill competency scores. Regarding satisfaction, 92% of the students were satisfied with video learning and 87% with the traditional approach. Conclusion: It is evident that the interactive video learning strategy for learning fundamental nursing skills is as effective as the traditional face-to-face general demonstration-based approach.Keywords: Nursing, Video, Knowledge, Satisfaction, Education, Teaching, Oman

3D printing of limestone-calcined clay cement: A review of its potential implementation in the construction industry

Data availability: Data will be made available on request.Copyright © The Author(s) 2023. The rapid development in 3D printing applications requires exploring a sustainable printable mixture to decrease the environmental impact induced by the existing Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) mixtures and enable 3D printing technology to reach its peak efficiency. The high-volume substitution of OPC with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) is of significant interest as a promising solution for developing low-carbon feedstock for 3D printing. Yet, those materials share the problem of limited availability. The combination of limestone and calcined clay could be a promising alternative, offering various benefits, including replacing OPC in high ratios. This paper reviews 3D printable limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) mixtures, compositions, and chemical behaviour. The effect of different sand-to-binder ratios, additives content, OPC replacement levels, clay grade and calcination, and admixtures on the fresh, hardened and printing properties of the 3D printed mixtures are critically discussed. The environmental impact and production cost of the LC3 system compared to OPC and other systems are also critically evaluated along with the applications, future directions and research gaps in this field. The findings of this review show that 3D printed LC3 has a similar hardened performance and better microstructure than OPC system. Moreover, cast LC3 system has 30–50% lower environmental impacts depending on the replacement level and better economic feasibility than OPC. Therefore, making it a suitable feedstock for the innovative manufacturing technology of 3D printing

Systemic Oxidative Stress Is Increased in Postmenopausal Women and Independently Associates with Homocysteine Levels

Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Postmenopausal women have an increased risk of developing CVD due to decreased estrogen availability, which is accompanied by increased oxidative stress. Serum free thiols (R-SH) provide a robust and powerful read-out of systemic oxidative stress. In this study, we aimed to establish serum levels of free thiols and explore associations between free thiols and demographic, clinical, and biochemical parameters related to obesity and the risk for developing CVD in both pre-and postmenopausal women. Serum free thiols were measured in a cohort consisting of healthy pre-(n = 223) and postmenopausal (n = 118) Omani women. Postmenopausal women had significantly lower levels of serum free thiols as compared to premenopausal women (762.9 ± 85.3 vs. 780 ± 80.9 µM, age-adjusted p < 0.001). Women′ s age was positively associated with serum free thiol levels in premenopausal women (β = 0.36, p = 0.002), whereas an inverse association was observed in postmenopausal women (β = −0.29, p = 0.002). Homocysteine levels were significantly inversely associated with serum free thiol levels in both pre-(β = −0.19, p = 0.005) and postmenopausal (β = −0.20, p = 0.032) women, independent from known cardiovascular risk factors. In this study, we show that postmenopausal women are affected by increased systemic oxidative stress, which independently associates with homocysteine levels

Inspiratory muscle rehabilitation in critically ill adults a systematic review and meta-analysis

Rationale: Respiratory muscle weakness is common in critically ill patients; the role of targeted inspiratory muscle training (IMT) in intensive care unit rehabilitation strategies remains poorly defined. Objectives: The primary objective of the present study was to describe the range and tolerability of published methods for IMT. The secondary objectives were to determine whether IMT improves respiratory muscle strength and clinical outcomes in critically ill patients. Methods: We conducted a systematic review to identify randomized and nonrandomized studies of physical rehabilitation interventions intended to strengthen the respiratory muscles in critically ill adults. We searched the MEDLINE, Embase, HealthSTAR, CINAHL, and CENTRAL databases (inception to September Week 3, 2017) and conference proceedings (2012 to 2017). Data were independently extracted by two authors and collected on a standardized report form. Results: A total of 28 studies (N = 1,185 patients) were included. IMT was initiated during early mechanical ventilation (8 studies), after patients proved difficult to wean (14 studies), or after extubation (3 studies), and 3 other studies did not report exact timing. Threshold loading was the most common technique; 13 studies employed strength training regimens, 11 studies employed endurance training regimens, and 4 could not be classified. IMT was feasible, and there were few adverse events during IMT sessions (nine studies; median, 0%; interquartile range, 0-0%). In randomized trials (n = 20), IMT improved maximal inspiratory pressure compared with control (15 trials; mean increase, 6 cm H2O; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5-8 cm H2O; pooled relative ratio of means, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.14-1.25) and maximal expiratory pressure (4 trials; mean increase, 9 cm H2O; 95% CI, 5-14 cm H2O). IMT was associated with a shorter duration of ventilation (nine trials; mean difference, 4.1 d; 95% CI, 0.8-7.4 d) and a shorter duration of weaning (eight trials; mean difference, 2.3 d; 95% CI, 0.7-4.0 d), but confidence in these pooled estimates was low owing to methodological limitations, including substantial statistical and methodological heterogeneity. Conclusions: Most studies of IMT in critically ill patients have employed inspiratory threshold loading. IMT is feasible and well tolerated in critically ill patients and improves both inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength. The impact of IMT on clinical outcomes requires future confirmation

Psammaplin A and Its Analogs Attenuate Oxidative Stress in Neuronal Cells through Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Activation

Psammaplins are sulfur containing bromotyrosine alkaloids that have shown antitumor activity through the inhibition of class I histone deacetylases (HDACs). The cytotoxic properties of psammaplin A (1), the parent compound, are related to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) activation, but the mechanism of action of its analogs psammaplin K (2) and bisaprasin (3) has not been elucidated. In this study, the protective effects against oxidative stress of compounds 1–3, isolated from the sponge Aplysinella rhax, were evaluated in SH-SY5Y cells. The compounds improved cell survival, recovered glutathione (GSH) content, and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) release at nanomolar concentrations. Psammaplins restored mitochondrial membrane potential by blocking mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening and reducing cyclophilin D expression. This effect was mediated by the capacity of 1–3 to activate PPARγ, enhancing gene expression of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and glutathione peroxidase. Finally, HDAC3 activity was reduced by 1–3 under oxidative stress conditions. This work is the first description of the neuroprotective activity of 1 at low concentrations and the mechanism of action of 2 and 3. Moreover, it links for the first time the previously described effects of 1 in HDAC3 and PPARγ signaling, opening a new research field for the therapeutic potential of this compound family

Malignancy risk analysis in patients with inadequate fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the thyroid

Background Thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is the standard diagnostic modality for thyroid nodules. However, it has limitations among which is the incidence of non-diagnostic results (Thy1). Management of cases with repeatedly non-diagnostic FNAC ranges from simple observation to surgical intervention. We aim to evaluate the incidence of malignancy in non-diagnostic FNAC, and the success rate of repeated FNAC. We also aim to evaluate risk factors for malignancy in patients with non-diagnostic FNAC. Materials and Methods Retrospective analyses of consecutive cases with thyroid non diagnostic FNAC results were included. Results Out of total 1657 thyroid FNAC done during the study period, there were 264 (15.9%) non-diagnostic FNAC on the first attempt. On repeating those, the rate of a non-diagnostic result on second FNAC was 61.8% and on third FNAC was 47.2%. The overall malignancy rate in Thy1 FNAC was 4.5% (42% papillary, 42% follicular and 8% anaplastic), and the yield of malignancy decreased considerably with successive non-diagnostic FNAC. Ultrasound guidance by an experienced head neck radiologist produced the lowest non-diagnostic rate (38%) on repetition compared to US guidance by a generalist radiologist (65%) and by non US guidance (90%). Conclusions There is a low risk of malignancy in patients with a non-diagnostic FNAC result, commensurate to the risk of any nodule. The yield of malignancy decreased considerably with successive non-diagnostic FNAC

Using eye tracking for evaluating web search interfaces

Using eye tracking in the evaluation of web search interfaces can provide rich information on users&#039; information search behaviour, particularly in the matter of user interaction with different informative components on a search results screen. One of the main issues affecting the use of eye tracking in research is the quality of captured eye movements (calibration), therefore, in this paper, we propose a method that allows us to determine the quality of calibration, since the existing eye tracking system (Tobii Studio) does not provide any criteria for this aspect. Another issue addressed in this paper is the adaptation of gaze direction. We use a black screen displaying for 3 seconds between screens to avoid the effect of the previous screen on user gaze direction on the coming screen. A further issue when employing eye tracking in the evaluation of web search interfaces is the selection of the appropriate filter for the raw gaze-points data. In our studies, we filtered this data by removing noise, identifying gaze points that occur in Area of Interests (AOIs), optimising gaze data and identifying viewed AOIs