Occupational Burnout Among Omani Physicians Across Different Stages of Their Career

The occupational psychology literature indicates that physicians are at an elevated risk of burnout and mental distress. Notably, there is a lack of contribution to this field from Arabic and Islamic cultures. This commentary critically analyses the contribution of twelve published papers to the field of occupational psychology, focusing primarily on stress, health, and wellbeing. The overarching aim is to examine the scale and determinants of occupational burnout among Omani physicians across various stages of their careers using quantitative research methods. Following an introduction and contextualisation, the synthesis of published work proceeds in three chapters. Firstly, four published papers report how mental health and psychological distress are conceptualised among Omani healthcare workers and the public. Secondly, five publications address occupational burnout, the overlap with depressive symptoms, and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirdly, three publications focus on burnout moderators among young Omani physicians: personality traits, emotional intelligence, and preparedness for hospital work. The findings revealed that burnout is common among Omani physicians, particularly during residency training. Long working hours and pre-clinical stage predicted burnout in regression analysis. However, the prevalence rates in our setting were lower than those reported in the international literature. Also, the published work highlighted the adverse effects of mental health stigma, prevalent in Oman, on willingness to disclose and seek help for psychological distress. Besides, the results highlighted the relationship between surgical speciality and psychoticism. Also, emotional intelligence correlated with specific demographic, including the female gender, while Omani physicians who graduated from international medical school endorsed a high level of preparedness for clinical work. Considering the methodological and theoretical limitations of the published work, conducting a prospective mixed-methods study is vital to scrutinise the burnout construct and its discriminant validity from clinical depression while paying attention to the cross-cultural factors. Moreover, future work should investigate factors improving work engagement and mitigating burnout in the Omani healthcare setting. The publications make an original contribution to the knowledge by culturally re-contextualizing burnout research and advancing the literature on occupational burnout via analysis of: (i) the magnitude and correlates of burnout in Omani physicians; (ii) moderating variables such as personality traits, emotional intelligence; and (iii) preparedness for clinical work. From a practical aspect, the published work has informed several initiatives and interventions to promote wellness and mitigate burnout at both the individual and organisational levels in Oman

Techno-economic analysis and decision making for PHEV benefits to society, consumers, policymakers and automakers

2012 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are an emerging automotive technology that has the capability to reduce transportation environmental impacts, but at an increased production cost. PHEVs can draw and store energy from an electric grid and consequently show reductions in petroleum consumption, air emissions, ownership costs, and regulation compliance costs, and various other externalities. Decision makers in the policy, consumer, and industry spheres would like to understand the impact of HEV and PHEV technologies on the U.S. vehicle fleets, but to date, only the disciplinary characteristics of PHEVs been considered. The multidisciplinary tradeoffs between vehicle energy sources, policy requirements, market conditions, consumer preferences and technology improvements are not well understood. For example, the results of recent studies have posited the importance of PHEVs to the future US vehicle fleet. No studies have considered the value of PHEVs to automakers and policy makers as a tool for achieving US corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards which are planned to double by 2030. Previous studies have demonstrated the cost and benefit of PHEVs but there is no study that comprehensively accounts for the cost and benefits of PHEV to consumers. The diffusion rate of hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and PHEV technology into the marketplace has been estimated by existing studies using various tools and scenarios, but results show wide variations between studies. There is no comprehensive modeling study that combines policy, consumers, society and automakers in the U.S. new vehicle sales cost and benefits analysis. The aim of this research is to build a potential framework that can simulate and optimize the benefits of PHEVs for a multiplicity of stakeholders. This dissertation describes the results of modeling that integrates the effects of PHEV market penetration on policy, consumer and economic spheres. A model of fleet fuel economy and CAFE compliance for a large US automaker will be developed. A comprehensive total cost of ownership model will be constructed to calculate and compare the cost and benefits of PHEVs, conventional vehicles (CVs) and HEVs. Then a comprehensive literature review of PHEVs penetration rate studies will be developed to review and analyze the primary purposes, methods, and results of studies of PHEV market penetration. Finally a multi-criteria modeling system will incorporate results of the support model results. In this project, the models, analysis and results will provide a broader understanding of the benefits and costs of PHEV technology and the parties to whom those benefits accrue. The findings will provide important information for consumers, automakers and policy makers to understand and define HEVs and PHEVs costs, benefits, expected penetration rate and the preferred vehicle design and technology scenario to meet the requirements of policy, society, industry and consumers

MODELING AND TESTING OF A MAINTENANCE PROJECT USING SIMPHONY: CASE STUDY

Unlike building a new project, the maintenance and rehabilitation of an existing project are complex. The complexity is driven by different factors such as limited access to the site, limited working hours, restricted storage area, a limited number of allowed crews to work simultaneously, etc. Considering all of these factors is essential for construction process planning. Hence, testing the maintenance project under different project scenarios will help to identify the optimum resources configuration. In this paper, we present a  case study of a maintenance project located in Al Khodh, Oman. It is required to model and simulate the maintenance operation, given many client-based work constraints. The project was modelled using a Simphony simulation environment. The simulation model was tested in different resource configurations, including several floor accesses, other tiles breaking and tiles installation teams, and a different number of waterproofing teams. This study demonstrated that the tiles installation team is the most influencing resource in the project.  Given one floor access at a time and using two tiles installation produces the most economical resources configuration. Three tiles installation teams are the best selection for two-floor accesses, and seven tiles installation teams selection is best for three floors

PRODUCTIVITY FACTORS IN CONSTRUCTION SMES IN OMAN- EXPLORATION STUDY

Construction projects are unique and influenced by many external and internal factors hindering the efficiencies of operations. Different construction companies may have different influencing productivity factors depending on the company’s scale. Large construction companies have better resource management systems than the construction small and medium enterprises (SME). The construction SMEs work in small scale projects, and the amount and type of the required resources are different from the large construction companies. Therefore, identifying the factors affecting construction productivity is essential to determine the best action to avoid any unforeseen productivity reduction. This study aims to rank the most influencing productivity factors in small and medium construction (SME) companies. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from small and medium construction companies registered in Oman Tender Board. The relative importance index (RII) was used to evaluate the responses. Sixty-five companies out of the 207 targeted population participated in the survey. It was found that - incomplete drawings and drawing omissions, poor site condition and management, delay in payment, unavailability of proper tools and equipment, and workers absenteeism and turnover were found as the top factors that influence construction productivity

Assisting Educational Change in Oman through Developing School Leaders: the Principals Leadership Training Project

This study is based on researching a national project as a case study: the Principals Leadership Training (PLT), which was initially introduced in 2007 by an international consultancy from the United States, and then scaled up nationally by the Ministry. Throughout the PLT project, over 1,200 school leaders were trained through a cascade model of training delivery from 2008 to 2013. The training programme included two phases: the first on transformational leadership and the second on instructional leadership, with an aim to build the capacity of school leaders to lead change at their schools. The focus of this study is to research the preparation of school leaders from an international, comparative and cross-cultural perspective through the use of the PLT as a vertical case study. Consequently, the study aims to answer four key questions - the first being ‘What motivated the decision to initiate the PLT project, and why did participants want to join?’ The second question is, ‘How and to what extent has the PLT project impacted on the leadership development of school principals?’ The third question asks ‘What cross-cultural insights into school leadership training can be gained from the PLT?’ The fourth question to be answered is ‘What are the implications for leadership development theory, policy and practice from a cross-cultural perspective?’ A vertical case study methodology was used in this study with the purpose of comparing vertically, transversally and horizontally the international, national and local levels. Data were collected from the programme’s participants through five focus groups in each of the three regions selected through purposive sampling, followed by individual interviews with 15 experienced and 15 less experienced school principals from the focus group participants through maximum variation sampling. In addition, interviews were conducted with the providers of training at local level (local trainers), national level (master trainers and policy makers) and international level (PLT designers). The findings have shown changes in how the policy and plan of the PLT were implemented at regional level due to the cascade model of delivery. Also, the findings have shown a misalignment of policy and practice between the levels of national, local authority and schools. Additionally, the data have shown that the theoretical models used in the PLT were not appropriate for the context from a cross-cultural and comparative perspective as they were based on ontological considerations that are irrelevant to the current context of Oman. As a result, the study drew implications for theory, policy and practice. The implications for theory were by claiming the need to adapt the current theoretical frameworks of transformational and instructional leadership to the context of Oman, by considering the level of decentralisation and to the reality of the practice. For the implications policy and practice, by proposing a model for policy and practice for Oman through adaptation to provide more potential to apply the instructional and transformational models. In addition, the study has proposed a model to improve the practice of the progression of school leaders in a way that is linked to a national scheme of professional development

Planning, operation, and design of market-based virtual power plant considering uncertainty

The power systems of today seem inseparable from clean energy sources such as wind turbines (WTs) and photovoltaics (PVs). However, due to their uncertain nature, operational challenges are expected when WT and PV energy is added to the electricity network. It is necessary to introduce new technologies to compensate for the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources (RESs). Therefore, rationally implementing a demand response (DR) program with energy storage systems (ESSs) in a virtual power plant (VPP) environment is recommended as a way forward to minimize the volatile nature of RESs and improve power system reliability. Our proposed approach aims to maximize social welfare (SW) (i.e., maximization of consumer benefits while minimizing energy costs). Our method assesses the impact of the DR program on SW maximization. Two scenarios are examined, one with and one without a DR program. Stochastic programming theory is used to address the optimization problem. The uncertain behavior of WTs, PVs, and load demand is modeled using a scenario-based approach. The correctness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on a 16-bus UK generic distribution system. Our results show that SW and active power dispatch capacity of WT, PV, and ESS are fairly increased using the proposed approach

Status of lobster fisheries and their management in the Sultanate of Oman.

Spiny lobsters constitute an important fishery in the Sultanate of Oman for nearly three decades. The landings declined sharply in the last decade and continuation of poor landings might impact the socioeconomic well being of the lobster fishermen in the country. Hence a decision was made to investigate the causes of decline and offer possible solutions to manage the lobster fishery sustainably. In this regard, the researcher obtained scientific and statistical data to investigate the current status of the lobster fishery and conducted a socioeconomic survey among the lobster fishermen to validate the findings. Management strategies were outlined based on the findings and the researcher's previous experience. In Chapter 1 a review, based on the literature, was made of the general biology of spiny lobsters, their fishery management and stock enhancement techniques. The review included all of the known, published work arising from studies conducted in Oman. In Chapter 2 the history of the Oman lobster fishery was described from its origins to the present. Evidence was presented which showed that the fishery was relatively open to entry and that fishermen can equip themselves for lobster fishing with little capital outlay. These factors make the fishery an attractive option in a region of high unemployment. Current regulations were described and the problems in implementing these regulations discussed. The reasons for the decline in the lobster fishery were documented and shown to be linked to a number of factors. The lack of trained government manpower to monitor the fishery and apply regulations, inappropriate changes in the permitted fishing season and the continued use of illegal tangling nets were identified as major factors in the decline of the fishery. In Chapter 3 a detailed analysis was made of the size structure of spiny lobsters. The data used in the study had been collected by government officials from the four main landing areas for lobsters. The results clearly indicated the scale of the problem relating to the harvest of undersize lobsters. The combined data from these landing areas and over two years revealed that 52% of all harvested lobsters were under the legal size. The problem of harvesting undersized lobsters was discussed within the context of stock sustainability. Chapter 4 detailed the design of an appropriate socio-economic survey and sampling plan to examine the roles of the fishermen in lobster fisheries management. A detailed questionnaire was developed and the practical difficulties of carrying out a survey in southern Oman described. It was concluded that the survey worked moderately well and provided some useful results. There was clearly further scope to elaborate the study in the future in order to investigate some of the unanswered questions. In Chapter 5 the results of the socio-economic survey carried out between August and December 2004 were presented. The main aspects assessed were demographic attributes, gross income, crew numbers and their assets for fishing. The survey revealed an ageing population of fishermen who were largely illiterate and had varying sized families. The fishermen were using small open vessels with 2-3 crew members and powered by 40 HP outboard engines. The survey also revealed the illegal employment of expatriates and the frequent use of illegal tangling nets. In Chapter 6 the attitudes of the fishermen to lobster management issues gathered in the survey were discussed. Ninety three percent (93%) of the fishermen sampled agreed that catch per unit effort was declining and 95% of the fishermen were aware that lobster resources were declining. The majority of fishermen believed that use of illegal nets was the main cause of stock depletion followed by commercial fishing vessels. In Chapter 7 recommendations were made for an improved regulatory framework for the spiny lobster fishery in Oman. This was based on the author's previous fishery experience and knowledge of changes within the lobster fishery, published information and lobster management plans developed elsewhere and the results of the present study. These included recommendations that further biological, environmental, social and economic knowledge must be acquired and integrated into long-term management plans; that all stakeholders in the fishery must be engaged in the development of a lobster management plan; and that public awareness of the benefits of a sustainable spiny lobster fishery must be developed through new educational and extension programmes

DETECTION OF PNEUMONIA BY USING NINE PRE-TRAINED TRANSFER LEARNING MODELS BASED ON DEEP LEARNING TECHNIQUES

Pneumonia is a serious chest disease that affects the lungs. This disease has become an important issue that must be taken care of in the field of medicine due to its rapid and intense spread, especially among people who are addicted to smoking. This paper presents an efficient prediction system for detecting pneumonia using nine pre-trained transfer learning models based on deep learning technique (Inception v4, SeNet-154, Xception, PolyNet, ResNet-50, DenseNet-121, DenseNet-169, AlexNet, and SqueezeNet). The dataset in this study consisted of 5856 chest x-rays, which were divided into 5216 for training and 624 for the test. In the training phase, the images were pre-processed by resizing the input images to the same dimensions to reduce complexity and computation. The images are then forwarded to the proposed models (Inception v4, SeNet-154, Xception, PolyNet, ResNet-50, DenseNet-121, DenseNet-169, AlexNet, SqueezeNet) to extract features and classify the images as normal or pneumonia. The results of the proposed models (Inception v4, SeNet-154, Xception, PolyNet, ResNet-50, DenseNet-121 DenseNet-169, AlexNet and SqueezeNet) give accuracies (98.72%, 98.94%, 98.88%, 98.72%, 96.2%, 94.69%, 96.29%, 95.01% and 96.10%) respectively. We found that the SeNet-154 model gave the best result with an accuracy of 98.94% with a validation loss (0.018103). When comparing our results with older studies, it should be noted that the proposed method is superior to other methods

The differential mediating roles of resilience in the relationship between meaningful living and stress among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

The current literature, mostly Euro-American based, indicates that the presence of meaning in life (MIL) improves resilience and lowers stress. However, the differential mediating roles of resilience in the relationship between the search for and presence of MIL, and stress have not been explored. This study aimed to investigate the differential mediating roles of resilience in the relationship between the presence of and search for MIL, and stress among Omani college students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study consisted of the Brief Resilience Scale, Perceived Stress Scale 4, and Meaning in Life Questionnaire, as well as socio-demographic questions. A path analysis model was used to examine the hypothesis. A total of 970 Omani college students responded to the questionnaire. Findings indicate that searching for MIL was significantly associated with a high level of stress directly (β = 0.023; p < 0.001) and indirectly, through a negative effect on resilience (β =  0.006; p < 0.001). Conversely, the presence of MIL was significantly associated with a decreased level of stress directly (β = − 0.045; p < 0.001) and indirectly via a positive effect on resilience (β = − 0.151; p < 0.001). In keeping with the proposed hypothesis, this study contributes to the current knowledge, by extrapolating the effect of searching for MIL on resilience and stress, and culturally re-contextualizing MIL research. University counseling centers could adopt meaning-based strategies to mitigate stress by promoting meaningful living and resilience

Antifungal Activity of Shirazi Thyme (Zataria multiflora Boiss.) Essential Oil against Hypomyces perniciosus, a causal agent of wet bubble disease of Agaricus bisporus

Wet bubble disease (WBD) caused by Hypomyces perniciosus is a major constraint of button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) cultivated worldwide. A few synthetic chemical fungicides are used to control WBD. In our study, the potential of essential oil (EO) from Zataria multiflora in inhibition of H. perniciosus was evaluated as an alternative to chemical fungicides. An isolate of H. perniciosus was isolated from wet bubble diseased A. bisporus and pathogenicity of the mycoparasite was determined under artificially inoculated conditions. The mycoparasitic fungus was identified using sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA. The EO was extracted from the aerial parts of Z. multiflora by microwave extraction method and evaluated in vitro for its antifungal activity against H. perniciosus. The EO of Z. multiflora (ZEO) at the tested concentrations (50% and 100%) inhibited the growth of H. perniciosus in the agar diffusion test. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ZEO was 0.04% as assessed by the poisoned food technique. The chemical composition of ZEO was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. A total of 23 compounds were identified. Among them, the most abundant compounds were Linalool (20.3%) and Bornyl acetate (15.5%). Linalool at the tested concentrations of 0.25% and 0.125% completely inhibited the mycelial growth of H. perniciosus in an in vitro assay. These results suggest that ZEO can be exploited for control of WBD