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

EXPLORING THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON OMAN'S ELECTRICITY SECTOR

This article reviews the recent trends of Oman's electricity sector before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The impacts of the pandemic on the Main Interconnected System (MIS) of Oman were analyzed using hourly load data. The analysis shows that the MIS demand declined as a result of the decrease in economic activities during the lockdown. In addition, the MIS demand experienced temporal and geographical variations: the former is demonstrated by a shift in peak demand hours, while the latter is represented by a reduction in Muscat's urban areas' load compared with those of other areas

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

The Effect of Antepartum Depression on the Outcomes of Pregnancy and Development of Postpartum Depression: A prospective cohort study of Omani women

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the relationship between antenatal depression and pregnancy outcomes, including the risk of developing postpartum depression in Oman. Methods: This follow-up prospective longitudinal cohort study included pregnant women attending primary healthcare institutions in Muscat, Oman from January to November 2014. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to screen for antenatal and postnatal depression. Pregnant Omani women with a gestational age ≥32 weeks attending 12 local health centres for antenatal care in Muscat were invited to participate. Recruited women were followed-up at 6–8 weeks after delivery. The following pregnancy outcomes were assessed: mode of delivery (normal or Caesarean section [CS]), gestational age at delivery (preterm or fullterm), baby’s birth weight and development of postnatal depression. Results: A total of 959 women participated in this study (response rate: 97.3%). In total, 233 women (24.4%) had antenatal depression with a score of ≥13 on the EPDS. Of the 592 participants (61.7%) who attended postnatal clinics at 6–8 weeks post-delivery, 126 (21.3%) were positive for postnatal depression. Logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that antenatal depression was associated with increased risk of CS (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20–2.66) and postnatal depression (OR = 8.63; 95% CI: 5.56–13.39). Conclusion: Screening women for antenatal depression and providing appropriate management may reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes and the risk of developing postnatal depression.Keywords: Depression; Postnatal depression; Women Health Services; Maternal Health Services; Pregnancy; Primary Health Care; Oman

Sero-Survey of Equine Infectious Anemia in the Sultanate of Oman during 2007-2009

Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a fatal and relapsing infectious disease of equines caused by the lentivirus of Retroviridae family which occurs world-wide. It tends to become an inapparent infection if death does not result from the acute clinical attack. The virus persists in infected animals for life and can be detected by serological tests like enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) tests. Keeping in view the importance of EIA, a sero-survey and passive surveillance was designed to establish the status of EIA in Oman. For the current study, ELISA was carried out on 331 random horse serum samples collected from all over Oman and 262 serum samples submitted from race horses. Four (0.67%) out of total 593 serum samples were found positive on ELISA. These samples were further tested by agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for the confirmation and were found negative. Based on the analysis of the samples, it can be assumed that the horse population in the Sultanate was free of the disease during the study period (2007-2009)

Clinical Pathways for Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome in Oman: An Oman Heart Association Protocol for Hospital Quality Improvement Initiative

In 2012, Oman Heart Association (OHA) published its own guidelines for the management of patients with unstable angina/non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction, the aim was not to be comprehensive but rather simplified and practical in order to reduce the gap between the long comprehensive guidelines and our actual practice. However, we still feel that the busy registrars and residents need simpler and direct clinical pathways or protocol to be used in the emergency departments, coronary care units and in the wards. Clinical pathways are now one of the main tools used to manage the quality in healthcare concerning the standardization of care processes. It has been shown that their implementation reduces the variability in clinical practice and improves outcomes in acute care

A parallel cellular automata Lattice Boltzmann Method for convection-driven solidification

This article presents a novel coupling of numerical techniques that enable three-dimensional convection-driven microstructure simulations to be con- ducted on practical time scales appropriate for small-size components or experiments. On the microstructure side, the cellular automata method is efficient for relatively large-scale simulations, while the lattice Boltzmann method provides one of the fastest transient computational fluid dynamics solvers. Both of these methods have been parallelized and coupled in a single code, allowing resolution of large-scale convection-driven solidification problems. The numerical model is validated against benchmark cases, extended to capture solute plumes in directional solidification and finally used to model alloy solidification of an entire differentially heated cavity capturing both microstructural and meso-/macroscale phenomena

Feasibility of growing Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) at Jabal Al-Akhdar, Sultanate of Oman

Oman is one of the top nine countries in the world with highest prevalence of diabetes. There is therefore more awareness among the people to take necessary precautions to preserve their health by reducing their sugar consumption and replacing it with low calorie sweeteners. Stevia is a natural herbal sweetener that is safe and does not have the neurological or renal side effects associated with some of the artificial sweeteners. A feasibility study to grow Stevia was undertaken after obtaining the seeds that were initially planted in greenhouse to study their growth habits under controlled conditions. The plants were then transferred to the field in Jabal Al-Akhdar at an elevation of 1079 m above sea level where temperatures were appropriate for Stevia growth in summer since it was within its tolerant temperature range. Two types of Stevia plants were transferred to JA for the three months field study; those that originated directly from seeds and those from transplant cuttings. Drip irrigation system with timer was installed with two laterals each having six emitters spaced 60 cm apart and each supplying 2 liters of water per day. Moderate fertilizer NPK was applied. Five out of six plants in each of the two plots grew very well to the end of the season. Some insects were attracted by the sweetness of the leaves but proper measures were taken to prevent damage. Results show that it is feasible to grow Stevia in JA in summer

Exploring the Influential Factors of Entrepreneurial Intention among Private Sector University Students in Oman

Purpose: Entrepreneurship is a key driver of the modernization of the world economy due to its contributions to the creation of new businesses and jobs, the fostering of competition, and even productivity increase through technical improvements. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to identify the factors that affect entrepreneurial intention (EI) among Oman private sector university students and to evaluate the implications for the graduate students' attitude towards entrepreneurship in the Sultanate of Oman. Design/ Methodology/ Approach:  The research has used primary data from Students from several private higher educational institutions and colleges in the Sultanate of Oman through a questionnaire by the researcher that consists of several questions via WhatsApp and email. The researcher then analyzed the data using PLS-SEM (partial least squares structural equation modeling) software. Findings: The first and second hypotheses (Attitude toward behavior and Perceived behavioral control) are supported by EI, while the third hypothesis (Subjective norms) is not. This result suggests that attitude toward behavior and perceived behavioral control have a positive influence on EI. However, subjective norms do not have any relationship with EI.

Vitamin D Status in Pregnant Omanis: A disturbingly high proportion of patients with low vitamin D stores

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the vitamin D status of pregnant Omanis by measurement of their circulating 25 hydroxy vitamin D levels. Methods: Blood samples were obtained from a cohort of 103 consecutive healthy pregnant Omanis at the Armed Forces Hospital, Muscat, on their first antenatal visit. The study took place in May, June and July 2010. Results: Vitamin D deficiency was present in 34 (33%) of patients (25OHD3 <25 nmol/L), ‘at risk’ levels were found in 67 (65%) patients (25OHD3 25–50 nmol/L); two patients (1.9%) had values between 50 and 75 nmol/L, and no patients in the optimal range >75 nmol/L. Conclusion: If confirmed, these findings indicate the need for vitamin D replacement during pregnancy and lactation. Although not evidence based we recommend at least 1000 IU of cholecalciferol, (vitamin D3) daily