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Purpose: The research objectives were to analyze the role of continuous improvement (CI) techniques in manufacturing in Oman in the CI process and to investigate the crucial factors of CI and the application techniques of CI that have been implemented by the manufacturing companies during the CI process. Design/methodology/approach: A survey questionnaire was developed with the baseline of CI practices used by manufacturing companies in Oman and a convenient sampling method was used to collect the data. 146 filled-in questionnaires were collected from 75 manufacturing units out of the entire Public Establishment database. The data was tabulated, compiled. The robustness was tested along with the ranking tests and the factor analysis using SPSS and AMOS. Findings: The results reveal that the Omani manufacturing companies using structured CI programs had lesser product recalls, leading to increased overall sales, decrease in processing time. Further, it is also revealed that the CI culture and Employee Performance Measurement and Review are instrumental in translating into company savings. Research limitations/implications: This research was limited to the Sohar Industrial estate only. As there are nine industrial estates in Oman, the research can be undertaken to study the CI practices adoption in all the other industrial estates as well. Social Implications: Countries from all over the world are facing numerous challenges due to COVID-19. The paper will help the manufacturing companies in decision making towards the process improvement. Originality / Value: There were not many studies on continuous improvement practices within the Omani manufacturing industry and this paper examines the status of CI implementation in manufacturing companies in Oman. Keywords: Continuous Improvement Practices, Manufacturing Industry, Critical Success Factors, Company Success Factors, Sultanate of Oman.

Be it in academic publications, official speeches or ordinary narratives, the history of Oman and the foundations of its modern nation-state usually appear as a continuous teleological process. The dichotomies such as tradition vis-à-vis modernity and darkness versus enlightenment (or nahḍa) are articulated into a narrative of progression and transformation. This article aims to understand the conception and experience of these notions by looking at how the construction of history and its temporality follows an ethos of continuity. It examines if the vision of modernity selected and incorporated in the national narrative of building a peaceful Oman and creating an Omani identity anchored on Ibadi values is sustainable in the long term. In this process, the Omani citizen emerged, part of the modern citizenship process that requires creating bonds of aggregation through national identity and the relationship between people and state. Finally, the article focuses on the tensions that arise from the way modernisation is framed in the historical trajectory of the state-building, nowadays going through leadership changes and transitioning to a post-oil era. Que ce soit dans les recherches académiques, les discours officiels ou ordinaires, l'histoire d'Oman et les fondements de son État-nation moderne apparaît généralement comme un processus téléologique continu. Les dichotomies telles que la tradition et la modernité ainsi que l'obscurité contre l'illumination, généralement entendu comme “renaissance, ou nahḍa sont articulées au sein d’un récit de progrès et de transformation. Cet article vise à comprendre la conception et l'expérience de ces notions en examinant comment la construction de l'histoire et sa temporalité suivent une éthique de la continuité. Il examine si la vision de la modernité qui a été sélectionnée et incorporée dans le récit national de la construction d'un Oman pacifique et de la création d'une identité omanaise ancrée sur les valeurs ibadites est durable à long terme. Dans ce processus, le citoyen omanais a émergé, ce qui fait partie du processus de citoyenneté moderne qui nécessite de créer des liens d'agrégation à travers l'identité nationale et la relation entre le peuple et l'État. Enfin, l'article se concentre sur les tensions qui découlent de la façon dont la modernisation est encadrée dans la trajectoire historique de la construction de l'État, qui connaît aujourd'hui des changements de son dirigeant et qui passe à l'ère post-pétrolière.

Aiming at providing support for youth integration into the labor market, Y is one of the first companies that have been created to strive for the participation of young people in social life in Oman. Through the description of its audience, its pedagogic programs and the relations between education and the different professional sectors of activity in Oman, this article examines the tensions and contemporary challenges that reside in “becoming an adult” in Oman. بهدف تقديم الدعم في اندماج الشباب في سوق العمل، Y هي واحدة من الشركات التي أنشئت لكي تسعي لأشراك الشباب في الحياة الاجتماعية في عمان، من خلال وصف مفصل عن جمهورها وبرامجها المنظمة وعلاقتها بالتعليم ومختلف أنشطة القطاعات المهنية في المحيط العماني، تتناول هذه المقالة التوترات والتحديات المعاصرة التي تكمن في "كونك شابًا" في عمان. Visant à soutenir l’intégration des jeunes dans le marché du travail, Y est l’une des premières compagnies créées dans un but de participation des jeunes à la vie sociale en Oman. A travers la description de son public, de ses programmes pédagogiques et des relations entre les différents secteurs du travail en contexte omanais, cet article analyse les tensions et enjeux contemporains qui résident dans le fait de « devenir adulte » en Oman.

The objective of this paper was three-fold. The paper highlights the synergies and tradeoffs in the interconnectedness of water-energy-food (WEF) for the agricultural corridor of North-South Al-Batinah, Sultanate of Oman. The study further evaluates the impacts of climate change on the WEF nexus. The results show that by 2099, Al-Batinah’s mean temperature will range from 2.0 to 3.5 °C and 1.0 to 2.5 °C for RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 scenarios, respectively, when compared to 1986–2005 historical simulations. From a precipitation standpoint, the analysis showed drier January and February months with significant heavy precipitation events in March for both scenarios when compared with the historical simulations. Thus, the significance and findings of this study further indicate there will be a persistent reduction in water availability which can affect crop yield. The excess wetness in March can lead to extreme climatic events such as flooding and inundation of farmlands. These impacts can trickle down to affect other links in the nexus such as the energy and food supply as well as Tanfeedh plans for economic diversification in agriculture and fisheries proposed by the central government. The study also recognizes the importance of data gaps and various sources of available data that could be integrated for improved planning and decision making. Therefore, a database system using the Unified Model Language was proposed. This platform, when implemented, will help Oman’s efforts in the next decade in strengthening the links between the WEF nexus, meeting the nexus’s demands as a result of climate change, population growth, etc., and also achieving sustainable development goals.

The purpose of current paper is to create a smart and effective tool for telemedicine to early detect and diagnose COVID-19 disease and therefore help to manage Pandemic Crisis (MCPC) in Sultanate of Oman, as a tool for future pandemic containment. In this paper, we used tools to create robust models in real-time to support Telemedicine, it is Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DL), Convolutional Neural Networks using Tensorflow (CNN-TF), and CNN Deployment. These models will assist telemedicine, 1) developing Automated Medical Immediate Diagnosis service (AMID). 2) Analysis of Chest X-rays image (CXRs). 3) Simplifying Classification of confirmed cases according to its severity. 4) Overcoming the lack of experience, by improving the performance of medical diagnostics and providing recommendations to the medical staff. The results show that the best Regression among the five Regression models is Random Forest Regression. while the best classification among the eight classification models and Recurrent Neural Network using Tensorflow (RNNTF) is Random Forest classification, and the best Clustering model among two Clustering models is K-Means++. Furthermore, CNN-TF model was able to discriminate between those with positive cases Covid-19 and those with negative cases.

International audience; Gradually abandoned since the 1970s, the vernacular heritage of the interior region of Oman is experiencing its last fires and there is an urgent need to collect both ethnological and architectural data before they definitely fall into the domain of History and Archaeology.With this in mind, a survey aiming to identify water drainage installations in three traditional mud-brick neighbourhoods in the interior of Oman (Birkat al‑Mawz, Izkī and al‑Ḥamrā') was carried out in March 2020.This survey highlighted the techniques and facilities related to water drainage in traditional Omani neighbourhoods that had never been the subject of any particular attention, but also opened up ethnoarchaeological perspectives, a discipline that postulates that ethnography can enrich the interpretation of archaeological data, or even the absence of the latter.Out of 359 identified installations, gargoyles represent 99% of the sample. The absence of ground installations (e.g. sump, drain, sewer) showed that very simple solutions for water management within a brick architecture made it possible to overcome the dichotomy of absence/failure or presence/performance pairs generated by the bias of archaeological data.; Abandonné progressivement depuis les années 1970, le patrimoine vernaculaire de la région de l’intérieur de l’Oman vit ses derniers feux et il y a urgence à collecter des données tant ethnologiques qu’architecturales avant que celles-ci ne tombent définitivement dans le domaine de l’Histoire et de l’Archéologie.C’est dans cette optique qu’une prospection visant à relever les aménagements dédiés à l’évacuation de l’eau au sein de trois quartiers traditionnels de briques crues de l’intérieur de l’Oman (Birkat al‑Mawz, Izkī et al‑Ḥamrā’) a été réalisée en mars 2020.Cette prospection a permis de mettre en lumière les techniques et les aménagements liés à l’évacuation des eaux dans ces quartiers traditionnels omanais qui n’avaient jamais fait l’objet d’une attention particulière, mais également d’ouvrir des perspectives ethnoarchéologiques, une discipline qui postule que l’ethnographie permet d’enrichir l’interprétation de données archéologiques, voire l’absence de ces dernières.Sur 359 installations recensées, les gargouilles représentent 99 % de l’échantillon. L’absence d’installation au sol (puisard, canalisation, égout) a notamment montré que des solutions très simples en matière de gestion de l’eau au sein d’une architecture de briques, permettaient de dépasser la dichotomie des couples absence/défaillance ou présence/performance générée par la partialité des données archéologiques.

The standards of the International Society of Technology in the field of education as an introduction to formulating the future educational system in the Sultanate of Oman.The study aimed to identify the standards of teachers in the International Association of Technology in the field of education in the Sultanate of Oman. The study used the descriptive method. The analysis of documents was used in collecting data and information. The study found The International Association for Technology in Education is interested in developing and developing professional technology standards for teachers in many fields such as: technological concepts and processes, teaching planning, teaching methods and strategies, evaluation, professional growth and continuous professional development, and ethics in the use of technology; the results also revealed the absence of specialized technological standards. The lack of interest in the standards of the school performance development system in the Sultanate of Oman on the technological aspect of teachers. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman Build technological standards for teachers by benefiting of the standards of teachers in the International Association of Technology in the field of education. Keywords: Teachers - the International Society for Technology - professional Standards- Sultanate of Oman.International Society of Technology standards in the field of science:They are standard levels of technological performance set by the International Society of Technology in the field of education in the United States of America in the fields of school administrators, teachers, trainers and students. These standards focus on teaching, learning and leading the digital age, including the changes and transformations it contains

The use of wind energy worldwide has overgrown in recent years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Wind power is free, but the installation and maintenance of wind turbines remain very costly. The size of the installation of the wind turbine is not only determined by wind statistics at a given location, but also by turbine infrastructure and maintenance costs. The payback time of the turbine is dependent on turbine energy costs. This study estimates the wind power generation capacity of Northern and Southern Oman and discusses the selection of the most economical, efficient and reliable wind turbines in Oman. HOMER Pro Software was used in this paper to evaluate the wind energy data in the north and south of Oman and to provide well-informed guidance on the most suitable turbines for the power needs of each area. Six different standard wind turbines were measured and compared in terms of the cost of energy and performance. The simulation analysis reveals that the DW54 turbine is the best possible turbine to generate electricity in northern Oman at $0.119/kW. Due to the difference in the wind regime between the north and the south of Oman, the simulation showed that the Hummer H25.0–200 kW turbine is the best option for south Oman with power generation at $0.070/kW. The northern wind turbine plant can efficiently contribute to decarbonization of the energy sector in Oman, with a potential reduction of CO2 emission approximately 19,000 tons/year in comparison to natural gas and 28,000 tons/year in comparison to diesel. In the Southern Power Plant, carbon emissions are reduced by 18,000 and 12,000 tons/year compared to diesel and natural gas.

Due to the advance of technology a number of tools have emerged for the purpose of language learning. Quizlet, a language learning tool, aims to help students learn vocabulary. This study aims to investigate the impact of Quizlet on English for Foreign Language (EFL) foundation students’ vocabulary acquisition at Rustaq College of Education in the Sultanate of Oman. Specifically, this study answers one research question: How does the use of Quizlet influence EFL foundation students’ vocabulary learning at Rustaq College of Education in Oman? The foundation students were exposed to a series of Quizlet study sets containing certain topics taken from their prescribed curriculum. Within these, they learnt a number of vocabulary individually and collaboratively. Pre-and post-tests were implemented to gauge foundation students’ performances and acquisition in vocabulary. Additionally, focus groups were also conducted to investigate their vocabulary learning experience pertaining to integrating Quizlet into EFL classrooms. The findings revealed that the foundation students’ performances in vocabulary acquisition significantly increased. Although Quizlet has created a challenging and collaborative learning environment, more language skills should be incorporated in Quizlet to help students to learn vocabulary faster and in an interesting way. This study is significant as it can contribute to the English Language Teaching (ELT) literature pertaining to the innovative and technological tools that can enhance students’ language skills in the 21st century. It is also important to English teachers and their students in finding various ways of teaching and learning vocabulary in and outside classrooms.

Single reliance on diesel energy has put a wide range of problems on off-grid power systems operating in remote areas of Oman. The operation of off-grid of an exclave territory of Oman is more complex, costly, and unsustainable. Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems has strongly emerged as a viable alternative to the current diesel generation plants. Proper component selection, optimum grid sizing, and performance evaluation in the economic, environmental, and reliability paradigms are crucial steps in their design process to optimize the intended benefits. This paper uses HOMER software to optimally retrofit a mini-grid power system in an excalved tiny territory of Oman. Medha region is an exclave territory of Oman and enclaved by the United Arab Emirates. Diesel-fueled generators supply the mini-grid of this tiny territory of Oman. Medha Wilyat’s peak demand is 8 MW. This paper investigates the potential utilization of renewable energy to offset diesel fuel consumption, in which the price is persistently volatile and increasing. This study discusses the possibility of integrating renewable energy technologies like solar and wind with conventional power generation systems that use diesel and natural gas. Wind-natural gas-diesel-based hybrid system was found to be the most viable system compared to other combinations in terms of the cost of electricity generation. Wind energy accounted for 52.4%; natural gas accounted for 47.2%, whereas diesel accounted for only 0.44%. Another finding was that operating cost for the wind-natural gas-diesel combination was among the lowest of all combinations since renewable energy integration was highest among all combinations. This study clearly shows that the integration of renewable energy to displace diesel power generation can be cost-effective for off-grids and environmentally friendly through a substantial reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Cost savings from displacing diesel from mini-grids are most likely to increase in the coming years.

Climate change poses a major threat to vegetation and land cover worldwide. The loss of vegetation as a result of climate change can alter the functions and structure of the environment and its ecological systems. In the first part of this study, Sentinel-2 data, normalised different vegetation index (NDVI), and multiple regression methods were used to examine the impacts of the climatic factors of humidity, rainfall, and air temperature on vegetation dynamics from 2015 to 2021 in Dhofar, Southern Oman. In the second part of this study, random forest regression was employed to model the relationships between the NDVI and temperature, humidity, rainfall, soil map, geology map, topographic wetness index, curvature, elevation, slope, aspect, distance to buildings, and distance to roads. The multiple regression values revealed significant associations between the spatial distributions of the NDVI and the abovementioned climatic factors. The findings also indicated an increase of 1 °C in air temperature fluctuations between 2018 and 2021 over all five sites, with a strong tendency over Qairoon Hairiti Mountain. The rainfall records clearly indicated an increasing tendency from 2018 to 2020 due to the impact of frequent cyclones. Therefore, the results revealed a significant increase of 0.01 in the vegetation cover trend in 2018, 2019, and 2020 along the Sadah Mountain range and the eastern part of the Jabal Qara Mountains under the areas directly impacted by the cyclone, whereas there was a decrease along the western mountain range consisting of Jabal Qara and Jabal Qamar Mountains due to the impact of warm, dry air. The results revealed that NDVI values were sensitive to heavy rainfall over Jabal Samhan Mountain. The 12 variables that influenced NDVI levels had different levels of importance. Soil types, elevation, slope, rainfall, curvature, humidity, and temperature had the highest importance, while topographic wetness index, distance to urban area, aspect, distance to roads, and geology map had the lowest. The findings provide a significant foundation for Oman’s planning and management of regional vegetation, water conservation, and animal husbandry.

In this study, we content analyzed chairman’s statements to measure the tone of COVID-19-related disclosure in Omani listed firms for the year ending 2020. We also examined whether audit committee (AC) characteristics influence disclosure tone. After controlling for corporate board and firm characteristics, our regression analysis showed that two AC characteristics (gender diversity and overlapped directors) positively affect good news information and negatively affect bad news information. It also showed that AC size positively affects bad news information. No evidence was found that the AC independence, meeting frequency, multi-directorships, and financial expertise have an impact on the tone of COVID-19-related disclosures. Our paper contributes to the growing literature by being the first study to examine whether AC characteristics influenced disclosure tone during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results indicate that investors and regulatory bodies should take AC characteristics into account in determining the tone of COVID-19-related disclosures.

Despite the long shoreline of Oman, the wind energy industry is still confined to onshore due to the lack of knowledge about offshore wind potential. A spatial-temporal wind data analysis is performed in this research to find the locations in Oman’s territorial seas with the highest potential for offshore wind energy. Thus, wind data are statistically analyzed for assessing wind characteristics. Statistical analysis of wind data include the wind power density, and Weibull scale and shape factors. In addition, there is an estimation of the possible energy production and capacity factor by three commercial offshore wind turbines suitable for 80 up to a 110 m hub height. The findings show that offshore wind turbines can produce at least 1.34 times more energy than land-based and nearshore wind turbines. Additionally, offshore wind turbines generate more power in the Omani peak electricity demand during the summer. Thus, offshore wind turbines have great advantages over land-based wind turbines in Oman. Overall, this work provides guidance on the deployment and production of offshore wind energy in Oman. A thorough study using bankable wind data along with various logistical considerations would still be required to turn offshore wind potential into real wind farms in Oman.

© 2020 The Authors. Resource Geology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Society of Resource Geology. This study demonstrates the use of ASTER data for the mapping of gypsum deposits and associated geological formations that occurred in the Thumrait region of southern Oman. The measurement of spectra over samples of gypsum in the 1,300–2,500 nm wavelength using a PIMA spectrometer showed the presence of distinct absorptions at 1400–1600, 1750, 1940, 2,100, and 2,400 nm characteristics to O-H stretching, H2O combinations, and S-O bending overtones and stretching, respectively. Studying the unique spectral absorption characters of gypsum samples, we developed a false color composite (FCC) and an image by decorrelation stretch using the spectral bands 7, 3, and 2 of ASTER. The results FCC showed the regions of gypsum occurrences, and the decorrelated image discriminated the gypsum occurrences from other geological formations of the area. The study of surface mineralogy of the region using the VNIR-SWIR bands by the spectral angle mapper method showed the presence of sulfate, carbonate, and clay minerals of the geological formations in the study area. We compared the results of ASTER with the results obtained using spectral bands 12, 8, and 4 of Sentinel-2A processed by the same methods. The study showed that the spectral bands of ASTER can be used for mapping the gypsum and associated geological formations.

The study investigates learners’ awareness of their linguistic landscape (LL) and perspectives on the use of LL as part of classroom teaching and learning. It also examines the course instructor’s pedagogical perspective on the use of LL. The study aims to explore the potential benefits of utilizing bilingual public signage representing translational content to develop translation students’ critical literacy, language awareness, and translation skills through reflecting on the use of LL as a teaching and learning material. The study is significant as it addresses the gap in the literature on the use of LL to promote students’ critical literacy, language awareness, and translation skills in the EFL context of Oman. The samples of the study are 58 participants enrolled in undergraduate translation courses at Dhofar University. The data collection methods used in the study consist of focus group discussions, online surveys, and teacher’s retrospective reflection. The quantitative data were analyzed by IBM SPSS V26, while the qualitative data were analyzed by common themes that emerged from students’ feedback and teacher’s reflection. The findings of the study showed positive outcomes on the use of LL as a teaching and learning resource such as improved language awareness, language proficiency, translation skills, creativity, and critical thinking skills. The implication of the study is to draw attention to the existing quality of the learners’ LL and invite them to actively and responsibly participate in improving the linguistic landscapes of their local communities

Dès la plus haute antiquité, les sociétés de la péninsule Arabique ont élaboré des techniques variées d’acquisition et de distribution de l’eau, à l’image des archipels oasiens alimentés par des puits, des galeries drainantes souterraines ou des dérivations d’oued. Ces techniques élaborées et diffusées sur le temps long ont connu un véritable déclin à partir de la seconde moitié du xxe siècle, en raison de la révolution technique liée à la généralisation des forages profonds et de l’irrigation pressurisée. Cette modernisation est consubstantielle de l’ère pétrolière qui a cherché vainement à verdir le désert par le développement de grands périmètres irrigués à grand renfort de capitaux et de techniques importées. From the earliest times on, societies in the Arabian Peninsula have developed various technologies of water acquisition and distribution, such as oasis archipelagos fed by wells, subsurface aqueducts or wadi diversions. These technologies, developed and diffused over the long term, experienced a real decline from the second half of the 20th century on, due to the technical revolution linked to the generalization of deep drilling and pressurized irrigation. This modernization is consubstantial of the oil era which vainly sought to green desert by developing large scale irrigated schemes with a great deal of capital and imported technologies.

International audience; Gradually abandoned since the 1970s, the vernacular heritage of the interior region of Oman is experiencing its last fires and there is an urgent need to collect both ethnological and architectural data before they definitely fall into the domain of History and Archaeology.With this in mind, a survey aiming to identify water drainage installations in three traditional mud-brick neighbourhoods in the interior of Oman (Birkat al‑Mawz, Izkī and al‑Ḥamrā') was carried out in March 2020.This survey highlighted the techniques and facilities related to water drainage in traditional Omani neighbourhoods that had never been the subject of any particular attention, but also opened up ethnoarchaeological perspectives, a discipline that postulates that ethnography can enrich the interpretation of archaeological data, or even the absence of the latter.Out of 359 identified installations, gargoyles represent 99% of the sample. The absence of ground installations (e.g. sump, drain, sewer) showed that very simple solutions for water management within a brick architecture made it possible to overcome the dichotomy of absence/failure or presence/performance pairs generated by the bias of archaeological data.; Abandonné progressivement depuis les années 1970, le patrimoine vernaculaire de la région de l’intérieur de l’Oman vit ses derniers feux et il y a urgence à collecter des données tant ethnologiques qu’architecturales avant que celles-ci ne tombent définitivement dans le domaine de l’Histoire et de l’Archéologie.C’est dans cette optique qu’une prospection visant à relever les aménagements dédiés à l’évacuation de l’eau au sein de trois quartiers traditionnels de briques crues de l’intérieur de l’Oman (Birkat al‑Mawz, Izkī et al‑Ḥamrā’) a été réalisée en mars 2020.Cette prospection a permis de mettre en lumière les techniques et les aménagements liés à l’évacuation des eaux dans ces quartiers traditionnels omanais qui n’avaient jamais fait l’objet d’une attention particulière, mais également d’ouvrir des perspectives ethnoarchéologiques, une discipline qui postule que l’ethnographie permet d’enrichir l’interprétation de données archéologiques, voire l’absence de ces dernières.Sur 359 installations recensées, les gargouilles représentent 99 % de l’échantillon. L’absence d’installation au sol (puisard, canalisation, égout) a notamment montré que des solutions très simples en matière de gestion de l’eau au sein d’une architecture de briques, permettaient de dépasser la dichotomie des couples absence/défaillance ou présence/performance générée par la partialité des données archéologiques.

This research focuses on courtship and representations of love among young adults in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, concerning the social transformations that occurred since the 1970s. Through the observation of different spaces of the city, the thesis presents various types of encounters between young people, in order to analyze how a “geography of distance" is set up. The prohibition of an out-of-wedlock relationship places flirtation in a space-time of secrecy, which the online sphere strengthens. The Internet also participates in the sublimation of the beloved and announces the entry into the “love career”, a status by which the individual recognizes his feelings and builds intimacy and trust with the other. Love is also analyzed as an object of speech and transmission. With the observation of the conditions of marriage, the thesis also analyzes the outlines of the ideal spouse in relation with the national policies of the family and the couple, but also through the discourse of elders and religious and academic institutions.A distinction appears between two categories called “love marriage” of “traditional marriage”. By analyzing the contexts of their evocation, these categories reveal issues of reputation or class belonging. Finally, love is analyzed in its representational and symbolic dimension, through weddings and Valentine's Day celebrations. These “shows of love” highlight the cosmopolitan aspect of the Mascatis youth love experiences., Cette recherche porte sur les relations et représentations de l’amour chez les jeunes adultes de Mascate, capitale du sultanat d'Oman, au regard des transformations sociales observées depuis les années 1970. En s'attachant aux différents espaces de la ville, la thèse présente les formes de rencontres entre les jeunes et analyse la manière dont se met en place une « géographie de la distance ». L’interdit d’une relation hors-mariage place le flirt dans un espace-temps du secret, que la sphe re online vient renforcer. Internet participe également de la sublimation de l’aimé.e et annonce l’entrée dans la « carrière amoureuse », autrement dit un statut par lequel l’individu reconnaît ses sentiments et construit intimité et confiance avec l’autre. L’amour est également analysé comme un objet de discours et de transmission. En revenant sur les conditions du mariage, la thèse analyse les contours du conjoint idéal en rapport avec les politiques nationales de la famille et du couple, mais aussi au travers du discours des aînés et des institutions religieuses et universitaires. Une distinction apparaît entre mariage d’amour et mariage traditionnel : en analysant les contextes de leur évocation, ces catégories révèlent des enjeux de réputation ou encore d’appartenance de classe. Enfin, l’amour est analysé dans sa dimension représentationnelle et symbolique, à travers les fêtes de mariage et de Saint-Valentin. Ces « spectacles de l’amour » font ressortir l’aspect cosmopolite dans laquelle s'inscrit les expériences des jeunes Mascatis.

The NeoArabia project tries to understand how environmental, social, economic and technological factors work in concert to influence settlement and abandonment along a latitudinal transect of 1200 km from UAE to southern Oman. This region was affected by wide north–south variations in the Indo‐Arabian monsoon, marine upwelling activity and eustatic variations in the Mid‐Holocene. On the local settlement scale, this transect is based on fine stratigraphic excavations and permits the reconstruction of the site formation processes and site catchment analysis. A large number of studies have been conducted on the Ruways‐1 site, focusing on a deep stratified sequence corresponding to three millennia of occupation. These studies include on‐site climate‐environmental signal analysis, local palaeogeography and environmental reconstruction, reservoir effect studies, typo‐technological studies, palaeoeconomic strategies, anthropological studies, sclerochronological studies and, finally, site formation processes, the understanding of which makes it possible to explain the potential and limits of the archaeological excavation. The first results confirm the richness of these archaeological archives for documenting the socio‐environmental dynamics, but also the richness of its complex sedimentary structure and the importance of conducting fine and multidisciplinary excavations to answer questions about the rhythms and functions of occupations and the causalities of socio‐environmental changes., Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Grant/Award Number: ANR‐16‐CE03‐00007; French National Research Agency; Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication

We present the results of the geomorphological mapping of a region of the Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman) including two contrasting physiographic units sharing a common drainage system into the Arabian Sea: the Jebel Qara limestone massif and the coastal plain of Salalah. Neogene to Quaternary tectonic activity controlled the formation of an extensive system of faults and caused the uplift of the Jebel Qara, forming structural escarpments. The massif underwent karstification and subsequent linear erosion. Today the Jebel is cut by a dendritic net of dry valleys, occasionally dammed by calcareous tufa dams. The transition between the southern escarpment of the Jebel and the plain below displays flat alluvial fans, bordered by a strip of beachrock, coastal dunes, and coastal lagoons, located in correspondence to estuaries. Dramatic soil erosion is evident, linked to intense human-triggered zoogeomorphological processes started in the Mid-Late Holocene after the introduction of pastoral land-use.

Entrepreneurial orientation is one of the most crucial and reliable means of achieving a sustained competitive advantage in organizations. This is done through an ongoing process of highlighting new opportunities that arise now and then in a typical business environment. This study examines the impact of organizational culture (group, hierarchical, rational, and development) on entrepreneurial orientation (EO). The study also explores the effect of EO on organizational learning, innovation and firm performance, and the mediating role of both organizational learning and innovation and performance in the relationship between EO and firm performance. It applies to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in an Omani context. The study employs quantitative method to gather information and data which are imperative for any typical study of a firm’s performance. A questionnaire was distributed to gather data from 418 managers of SMEs in Oman. Structure Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the collected data. The findings of the study indicated that organizational culture is a key determinant of EO in SMEs. Further, only hierarchical, rational and development culture bear direct correlation to EO whereas group culture has almost no effect. The results also depicted how EO contributes positively to the performance, organizational learning and innovation of a firm. Learning organization and innovation performance were also seen to deeply influence a firm’s overall output. Finally, the results concluded that organizational learning and innovation performance play a mediating role in the relationship between EO and firm performance. This study contributes to the current available theoretical knowledge pool and stresses the understanding and knowledge about the relationships that typically exist between the four different types of attributes, namely: organizational culture, EO, organizational learning, innovation performance and firm performance. The study also confirms the requirement of at least two mediators that further enhance the relationship between EO and firm performance, particularly in the context of small and medium enterprises in Oman. In practical terms, this study examines the role of organizational culture on supporting EO in the context of SMEs belonging to Oman. The research also investigates how organizational learning and innovation performance enhance the impact of EO on SME performance. Additionally, this study will help the Omani SMEs in enhancing their performance by encouraging correct EO behaviours that support organizational learning practices, thereby improving innovation and performance. Further, it will help SMEs to improve their performance through the support of an outstanding organizational culture, thus enhancing EO and, in the process, encouraging managers and employees to follow a continuous learning approach. Therefore, existing good organizational culture that enhances EO by supporting organizational learning and innovation performance will further motivate SME managers to take calculated risks in planning and expanding their enterprises in a competitive business setup in order to achieve supremacy in the marketplace against competitors and at the same time grow in a sustained manner.

This paper discusses a unique rock inscription found during the 2011 survey conducted by the author in the area of Ja’alan Bani Bu Hasan in the Southern Sharqiyah Province, Oman. This type of inscriptions is not recorded in the northern part of Oman, and is frequently found in the south. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, several amateurs and travelers have reported the discovery of many of these inscriptions in the Province of Dhofar. Several of these inscriptions have been found near tombs and triliths in Dhofar. This is also the case with the Ja’alan’s rock inscription which was found near one of the triliths recorded in the area of Saih al-Sa’ad. This type of inscription was not previously found by any traveler or researcher working in the northern and central parts of Oman. For example, in 1970s, the British expedition carried out an archaeological survey in the eastern region of Oman and documented a number of archaeological features, including a large number of prehistoric tombs and triliths, but did not find such an inscription. Hence, the discovery of Ja’alan rock inscription with its letters or symbols is the first of its kind in the eastern region of Oman. Although they have been frequently found, their symbols or characters have not yet been fully decoded. Therefore, the available information does not help understanding several related aspects including their content, meaning, purpose, as well as their dating, and who executed them; all of which remain unanswered. This paper attempts to present the Ja’alan inscription, and compare it with similar inscriptions from other areas, particularly Dhofar. This will be done in order to understand its content and dating, as well as the distribution of this type of inscriptions in Oman.

This study aimed at explore the reality of Organizational socialization for new teachers in public schools in Sultanate of Oman and to know the impact of gender, the educational governorates and the school's principal academic qualification variables. The study used a descriptive approach. To reach the objectives of the study, the questionnaire was developed utilizing the Organizational socialization content scale, and the organizational socialization methods scale. It was distributed to a random sample consisted of (304) teachers "males and females" whom have been appointed at the school year (2013-2014) in five educational Governorates in the Sultanate of Oman. The study used averages, standard deviations, Independent Sample T-Test and One-way ANOVA analysis and found out the following: The responses of the participants regard the reality of organizational socialization of new teachers in Omani public schools as a whole were "medium". The degree of responses in all dimensions of organizational socialization was "high" except for "the school’s history" dimension, which was "medium". As for the Organizational socialization’s methods, the degree of the participants' responses was "medium". There is no significant statistical significant difference at the level of significance (α≤0.05) between the participants towards Organizational socialization of new teachers in public schools in Sultanate of Oman in terms of sex, educational governorates and the academic qualification of the school's principal. Based on the findings, the researchers proposed several recommendations to activate Organizational socialization of new teachers in public schools in Sultanate of Oman including: converting Omani schools into professional learning communities, activating the role of the school as a unit for professional development, forming a qualified team to support new teachers, and adopting an introductory program for new teachers by school's administrations.

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.

Increasing demands of the contemporary labor market environment are having a direct bearing on the courses offered by higher education institutions worldwide, and Sultanate of Oman is not an exception. One of such responses verbalized by many educational policy makers and curriculum developers in the country is an expected high level of critical thinking and problem solving skills from the students who take ESP foundation program courses. This paper reports on a study that examines to what extent ESP foundation program courses at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman impart critical thinking and problem solving skills intended for empowering our students and developing their personalities. Broadly speaking, it aims to present a comprehensive view about how critical thinking and problem solving skills teaching and learning approaches, models and practices are adopted in the context of the ESP foundation programs in Oman. More specifically, using the example of English for Science foundation program courses, it focuses on a variety of issues and context-specific factors related to ESP and critical thinking skills teaching, learning and outcomes.

The Blanford’s Fox Vulpes cana is known to be distributed in the Hajar Mountains and the mountains of Dhofar in northern and southern Oman, respectively. We report the first record of the Blanford’s Fox in Al Wusta Wildlife Reserve in central Oman. Despite a large survey effort of 169 camera traps set for 53,524 trap nights in an area of 5,400km2, only two camera traps detected Blanford’s Fox in a small area covering 46km2. The survey suggests that the population is small and possibly isolated, as the northern and southern Blanford’s Fox populations are 310km and 330km away, respectively.

Hydrogen production using renewable power is becoming an essential pillar for future sustainable energy sector development worldwide. The Sultanate of Oman is presently integrating renewable power generations with a large share of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The possibility of using the solar potential of the Sultanate can increase energy security and contribute to the development of the sustainable energy sector not only for the country but also for the international community. This study presents the hydrogen production potential using solar resources available in the Sultanate. About 15 locations throughout the Sultanate are considered to assess the hydrogen production opportunity using a solar PV system. A rank of merit order of the locations for producing hydrogen is identified. It reveals that Thumrait and Marmul are the most suitable locations, whereas Sur is the least qualified. This study also assesses the economic feasibility of hydrogen production, which shows that the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) in the most suitable site, Thumrait, is 6.31 USD/kg. The LCOH in the least convenient location, Sur, is 7.32 USD/kg. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to reveal the most significant influential factor affecting the future’s green hydrogen production cost. The findings indicate that green hydrogen production using solar power in the Sultanate is promising, and the LCOH is consistent with other studies worldwide.

Omani citizens participate in building the culture of democracy through the implementation of the legal deposit or the Law of Printing and Publishing. Legal deposit is the law that requires individuals and agencies who are responsible for printing and applying the law in Oman, whether they are publishers, printing houses or authors, to submit certain copies of their work or publications to a repository, usually a library. The present study aims to explore the reality of the Omani Law of Printing and Publishing and discover how the law defines the term "publications". In addition to the role of this law in building the Omani culture of democracy, the study uses an interpretive research paradigm of applied unstructured interviews and content analysis. Twenty-four printing houses were interviewed. The findings determined that definition of the term "publications", according to the law, is very general and covers different items, and the Law of Printing and Publishing plays an essential role in the building of Oman’s culture of democracy. The study also found that all of the printing houses interviewed participated in creating the Omani culture by depositing the requested copies of their publications, although four of them had negative beliefs about the law of "Printing and Publishing". In addition, the study found (19=79.1%) of the sample interpreted the term "culture of democracy" in a positive way.

Precipitation is a critical variable for comprehending various climate-related research, such as water resources management, flash flood monitoring and forecasting, climatic analyses, and hydrogeological studies, etc. Here, our objective was to evaluate the rainfall estimates obtained from Global Precipitation Mission (GPM), and Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP) constellation over an arid environment like the Sultanate of Oman that is characterized by a complex topography and extremely variable rainfall patterns. Global Satellite-based Precipitation Estimates (GSPEs) can provide wide coverage and high spatial and temporal resolutions, but evaluating their accuracy is a mandatory step before involving them in different hydrological applications. In this paper, the reliability of the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for the GPM (IMERG) V04 and GSMaP V06 products were evaluated using the reference in-situ rain gauges at sub-daily (e.g., 6, 12, and 18 h) and daily time scales during the period of March 2014–December 2016. A set of continuous difference statistical indices (e.g., mean absolute difference, root mean square error, mean difference, and unconditional bias), and categorical metrics (e.g., probability of detection, critical success index, false alarm ratio, and frequency bias index) were used to evaluate recorded precipitation occurrences. The results showed that the five GSPEs could generally delineate the spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall while they might have over- and under-estimations of in-situ gauge measurements. The overall quality of the GSMaP runs was superior to the IMERG products; however, it also encountered an exaggeration in case of light rain and an underestimation for heavy rain. The effects of the gauge calibration algorithm (GCA) used in the final IMERG (IMERG-F) were investigated by comparison with early and late runs. The IMERG-F V04 product did not show a significant improvement over the early (i.e., after 4 h of rainfall observations) and late (i.e., after 12 h of rainfall observations) products. The results indicated that GCA could not reduce the missed precipitation records considerably.

Depuis 1970, Oman relève le défi de façonner une « communauté imaginaire » et d’unifier un territoire ancien mais tiraillé dans le passé par des sécessions ou des guerres civiles. L’aménagement du territoire a été le cœur de sa politique, guidée par une identité nationale soigneusement définie pour intégrer largement les composantes physiques et humaines du pays. Avec l’insertion dans la mondialisation et l’accent mis sur le tourisme pour diversifier l’économie trop dépendante des hydrocarbures, le « récit national » devient une marque ou brand. Quels sont les effets réciproques du branding et de l’aménagement du territoire ? Le tourisme révèle particulièrement ces interactions mais aussi les effets sur la gouvernance du sultanat tandis que le patrimoine joue un rôle complexe, qui ancre le branding dans un projet politique profond. L’image de tolérance, véritable « marque » d’Oman dans un environnement régional de fractures religieuses, s’inscrit clairement dans le territoire du pays, associant fortement branding et aménagement du territoire. Since 1970, Oman has taken up the challenge of shaping an "imaginary community" and unifying an ancient territory that was torn apart in the past by secession or civil wars. Spatial planning has been at the heart of its policy, guided by a carefully defined national identity to broadly integrate the physical and human components of the country. With the integration into globalization and the emphasis on tourism to diversify the economy too dependent on hydrocarbons, the "national narrative" becomes a brand. What are the reciprocal effects of branding and spatial planning? Tourism particularly reveals these interactions but also the effects on the governance of the sultanate, while heritage plays a complex role, anchoring branding in a deep political project. The image of tolerance, a true "brand" of Oman in a regional environment of religious divisions, is clearly part of the country's territory, strongly associating branding and spatial planning.

The CALSA Project (Central Archaeological Laboratory and Storage Area) led to the complete reorganization and rationalization of the management and storage of the materials resulting from forty years of archaeological research under the Ministry of Heritage and Cultural of the Sultanate of Oman.

The purpose of the study is to explore the impact of gender differences on investment decisions in Sultanate of Oman. A questionnaire was prepared and administered which included psychological factors, economic factors, corporate governance and ethical issues and decision making process. Responses are collected on a 5 point Likert scale. Factor Analysis was conducted and found that there is a significant differences between male and female respondents in psychological factors, economic factors and decision making process. The results extracted has briefly concluded that female are conservative and analyse things based on past performance whereas male are confident about themselves and explore new investments. As per the findings of this study male focused only on the profitability, whereas female examined the growth and reputation of the company. Male investors feel that increasing income level of an individual persuade to invest more which is not observed in female investors. Male feel more market experience is what is required to make a good choice of investment unlike female.

The artisanal fishery in Oman contributes over 90% of the total marine catch. The fish stocks in this fishery suffer from an increase of exploitation pressure due to open access system[1,2]. In that fishery, small fiberglass boats powered with engine dominate the fleets constituting about 99%[2]. The boats are less than 12 m length fishing with gears such as traps, bottom gill nets and hand lines. These boats obviously increased in the fishery during the last decade[3]. This is expected to have direct effect on the fish stocks and exploitation status. The production of artisanal fishery composed of some different categories of fish groups classified as large pelagic fish, small pelagic fish, demersal fish, sharks and rays, mollusks and crustaceans. Demersal fish category includes some important fish species which are selected for the present study. These fish include emperors (Lethrinus lentjan and Lethrinus nebulosus, family Lethrinidae), groupers (Epinephelus areolatus, Epinephelus chlorostigma and Epinephelus tauvina, family Serranidae), sea breams [Acanthopagrus bifasciatus (A. bifasciatus) and Argyrops filamentosus (A. filamentosus), family Sparidae], rabbit fish (Siganus canaliculatus, Siganus rivulatus, Siganus spinus and Siganus javus, family Siganidae), croakers [Atractoscion aequidens (A. aequidens), family Sciaenidae], sweet lips (Plectorhinchus pictus and Plectorhinchus schotaf, family Haemulidae), snappers (Lutjanus ehrenbergii and Lutjanus malabaricus, family Lutjanidae), jobfish [Pristipomoides typus (P. typus), family Lutjanidae], ribbonfish [Chirocentrus dorab (C. dorab) and Trichiurus lepturus (T. lepturus), family Trichuridae] and catfish [Arius polystaphylodon (A. polystaphylodon), family Ariidae]. Because of their importance, the exploitation of these species should be well managed. Generally to manage human exploitation of resources, it is necessary to know how much can be safely taken without depleting them, and without otherwise negatively impacting the environment. In case of fishing when discussing the limits of exploitation of the fish stocks, the concept of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) should be considered as a key tool for fisheries management. MSY for a given fish stock means the highest possible annual catch that can be sustained over time, by keeping the stock at the level producing maximum growth[4]. The MSY refers to a hypothetical equilibrium state between the exploited population and the fishing activity. MSY as a tool for stock evaluation being easily adopted when data on fishing effort and catch are available from which catch per unit effort (CPUE) could be analysed over a range of fishing season[4]. In Oman, data on catches in weights and number of fishing boats (fishing effort) are available in statistical fishery book issued annually by ministry of agriculture and Fishery Wealth. MSY and surplus production models were discussed and adopted in fishery management in many previous studies[5-20]. One objective of the present study is to investigate the effect of the increase of fishing boats in artisanal fishery on the catch of demesral fishes per boat. Another objective is to estimate the MSY of these fishes. Then it is possible to have an evaluation of their exploitation status. ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

The study is a questionnaire based purposive sampling of 100 respondents in Oman. The Arab world is a patriarchal society with unwritten rules and the objective of the study is to uncover the opportunities available to Omani women and the obstacles which they face as an entrepreneur as well as in the process of becoming an entrepreneur. The study also looks into the basic differences in the perception of women who are entrepreneurs and women who would like to become entrepreneurs in the future. ANOVA is used for hypothesis testing. Factor Analysis is used to explore the motivational factors, obstacles faced and success factors of women entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs in Oman.

Depuis son accession au pouvoir en 1970, le Sulṭān Qābūs b. Sa‘īd s’efforce de promouvoir l’égalité des droits entre les Omanais, toutefois fondée sur la préférence nationale. Le registre politique tire également sa légitimité du religieux, en s’appuyant sur un idéal de la tolérance issue de la confession ibadite, religion d’État, jusqu’à pénétrer dans les représentations individuelles quant au choix du conjoint. Les fondements de l’identité nationale interrogent la notion de modernité, comprise comme un processus de transformation du mariage, où les choix individuels priment sur les préférences familiales. Cet article s’attache à observer comment s’opère une politisation du désir et de l’alliance à partir d’idéaux tels que l’égalité et la tolérance, en opposition à ceux de la préférence et l’exclusion. After coming to power in 1970, Sultan Qaboos bin Said has been striving to promote equal rights among Omanis, based on national preference. This political discourse also draws its legitimacy from religion; based on an ideal of tolerance born of the state religion, Ibadism, to the point of pervading individual representations when choosing a spouse. The foundations of national identity question the notion of modernity, perceived as a process of transformation in marriage, where individual choice takes precedence over family preferences. This article endeavors to observe how the politicization of love and matrimonial alliance is taking place, based on ideals of equality and tolerance, as opposed to preferences and exclusion.

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London This thesis explores in depth the factors influencing growth in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from a supply chain perspective and examines how entrepreneurship affects them in Omani SMEs. The study is undertaken in order to complement the scarce literature on SMEs related to supply chains and improve the understanding of what factors are crucial in determining growth in them. The research is focused on the role of entrepreneurial qualities and behaviours for the growth of SMEs in developing countries, as their economies are more dependent on smaller companies. The context of this research is within Oman, which represents a typical developing economy containing a large number of active SMEs. The main factors for SMEs growth are identified through a literature review of past and contemporary research studies on supply chain networks, SMEs, growth and entrepreneurship. The factors are divided into areas related to the positions of the company (market position of the firm, negotiating power, Supply chain relationships and firm’s image), and to SMEs' value-adding capabilities (cost optimisation, and innovations). The review also reveals that the critical entrepreneurial traits are: managers' culture and motivations, strategic thinking, sense for opportunities, risk-taking, continuous learning, their leadership abilities and networking skills. Based on the literature review findings a conceptual framework is proposed. This research is exploratory and explanatory in nature and relies on a qualitative approach to find out how entrepreneurship relates to growth in SMEs. Primary data is collected from in-depth semi-structured interviews with managers in 25 Omani SMEs from various industrial and service sectors 10 representing different supply chain positions. The data is processed through content analysis using the factors identified from the literature review as initial themes. The findings affirm the importance of SMEs' supply chain positions and their value adding capabilities for growth. Furthermore, all elements of entrepreneurship are found to affect growth factors. Results show positive attitude and growth aspirations lead to more proactive market behaviour, while strategic thinking helps managers choose more sustainable market positions. Results indicate leadership improves company costs by increasing employees' motivation and productivity and also facilitates the implementation of innovations. Learning orientation is stated to be crucial for exploring new ideas for innovations, while a good sense for opportunity helps managers evaluate them and choose the right ones. Finally, risk-taking propensity emerges as instrumental in the actual undertaking of innovation projects as it is needed for initiating them.

Few archaeobotanical studies have been undertaken on Islamic period sites in eastern Arabia. Excavations conducted by Dr. Axelle Rougeulle (UMR 8167) at Qalh?t in the framework of the Qalh?t Project, have provided the opportunity to improve our knowledge on plant consumption and supply strategies. Samples from the workshop B39 (14th-16th century AD) excavated in 2014-2015 have provided a substantial amount of seed and fruit remains that are the object of this study. First, the distribution of plant remains within B39 provides us with hints to the use of the different spaces. Thus it is suggested that some domestic activities such as food preparation and the cleaning of crops prior to their consumption took place in room E. Most of the remains correspond to crops of tropical origin such as Asian rice (Oryza sativa), finger millet (Eleusine coracana ssp. coracana), mung bean (Vigna cf. radiata), mat bean (Vigna cf. aconitifolia), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and sesame (Sesamum indicum). Their presence at the site raises the question of their origin, either as imported goods or crops cultivated locally. In the case of an importation, the Indian subcontinent seems to be the most probable centre of origin although other regions, notably Yemen, may also be considered. Further, we discuss the possibility for the introduction of tropical crops into local agrosystems present near the site.

Background and objective: Elevated LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol is a major cause of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and LDL lowering therapy reduces the risk for CHD. The study was conducted with the aim of assessing the prescribing pattern of statins based on cardiovascular risk factor category, pattern of lipid monitoring followed among the patients and extent of attainment of goal Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL-C) observed among the patients. Methods: A group of patient files (among those on statin agent during the year 2011) from the Department of Medicine in Nizwa Hospital were selected for targeted evaluation on the risk factor status of patients and efficacy of statins in attaining goal lipid levels. Goal LDL-C levels were estimated for each patient depending on their risk factor status. Subsequent follow ups of the patients were reviewed from the patient files and accordingly the attainment and maintenance of goal-LDL-C in the patients were evaluated. Results: A total of 183 patients were identified. Mean age of the evaluated patients was 63.6±11.58years. Evaluating the status of patients on the presence of risk factors, majority (63.9%) of them had presence of CHD. Simvastatin was the most commonly used agent and titration of dose was done in only 3.3% of patients. Mean LDL-C level of the patient before initiation of treatment was 3.74±1.9mmol/L. Only in 59 (32.2 %) of the total evaluated 183 patients, there was evidence of attaining goal-LDL-C levels. Among them, there was evidence of maintenance of goal LDL-C in 16 (27.1%) of the patients. Conclusion: Statins were used less frequently for primary prevention of CHD. Absence of lipid monitoring; base line and follow up in a good number of patients as well as lack of dose titration among the patients were observed. Importance of adequate lipid monitoring and follow up to ensure attainment of goal LDL-C needs to be stressed to serve the objective of use of statins; primary and secondary prevention of CHD.

The limited resources of fresh water in arid areas like the Middle East and North Africa MENA have led to the use of poor quality water in irrigation agriculture. These can reduce crop yield and environmental damage. Agriculture accounts for 70% of overall consumption in freshwater. Given the evaporation phenomena that occur in arid regions, this figure rises to 90%. This study focuses on the concept of combining the greenhouse with the desalination of seawater This concept is intended for small scale applications in remote areas where only saline water and solar energy are available. The main objective of this research work is to analyze the production of fresh water using solar energy in the desalination of sea water in the greenhouse. This operating system is in need of thorough study of evaporators, condensers and design of the greenhouse. Desalination, combining the greenhouse to the use of sea water while exploiting the phenomenon of condensation of water vapor in the air, seems to respond positively to the needs of agricultural irrigation. Keywords : Seawater greenhouse; Condenser; dry bulb temperature; relative humidity; seawater temperature; humid air flux; seawater flux; Sultanate of Oman.

The present study demonstrates the capability of a multispectral sensor for the detection of the minerals in the rocks surrounding the Rusayl and Al Jafnayn regions, Sultanate of Oman. The study of spectral absorptions of rocks and minerals in the visible and near infrared (VNIR) and short wavelength infrared (SWIR) spectral bands of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) using the Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) supervised image classification technique has provided information on the occurrence of minerals in the rock types of the regions. The study shows the occurrence of carbonate minerals in the limestone formations and of poorly altered silicate minerals in the basic dyke rocks of the study regions. The analysis of minerals over the ancient terraces and recent alluvial deposits show that the deposit materials are derived from the dykes and foliated gabbro source rocks. The image interpretation is compared to the geological map, verified in the field and confirmed through laboratory analyses. The satellite data and the image processing techniques used have potential in the recognition of minerals in the rocks of the study region and could be used in similar arid regions elsewhere in the world.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine green logistics activities using a three-axis approach (financial-economic, social and environmental activities) and how these activities affect the sustainable monetary expansion indicators for the Sultanate of Oman. Design/methodology/approach: This study begins by defining elements of green logistics and how this concept has evolved in recent years. This concept is analyzed after surveying previous studies on green logistics. The independent variables of green logistics are threefold: financialeconomic, social and environmental, and are applied to clarify the impact on monetary expansion indicators (broad, narrow and reserve money), which are important indications for determining the economic condition of a country. This study used data published in the annual statistical report by the Central Bank of Oman as representative of the economic condition of the Sultanate of Oman during the period 2008 to 2015. Findings: Two variables within the environmental activities were found to be statistically significant at 1% and 5%: government support to the electricity sector (GSE) and subsidy on soft loans to the private housing sector (SSLPH). Only one variable (transport and communication (TC)) within the financial-economic activities was statistically significant at 1% and 5%, but all variables (community, social and personal (CSP) relations; cultural and religious affairs (CRA); and social security and welfare (SSW)) within the social activities were statistically significant at 1%, 5% and 10%. Finally, a multiple regression test was also performed on all the variables within the green logistics activities and all the monetary expansion indicators, and they were found to be statistically significant at 1% and 5%. The study recommends that attention should be given to financial-economic activities as a quantitative standard that contributes to developing green logistics. This would entail a diagnosis of the priorities and the existing economic and financial system that contributes to sustainable development of the country's economy. It would also be important to activate the industrial sectors by reducing operating costs and improving the quality of service provided to customers, an indicator of the social activities that conform green logistics, and to increase corporate awareness of the environmental variables and the behavior of consumers in order to establish a financial-economic system based on the concept of green logistics. Research limitations: The available data in the annual statistical report for Oman is limited, which limits the period and all the variables of the study. Practical implications: The management of companies should be adopting green logistics operations if they compare the results of the concepts considered in this study with those of their competitors in the market, in order to consolidate their position in the market. Furthermore, the concept of green logistics helps companies build an intellectual model that contributes to enhancing added value. The results of this study enhance the stability of monetary expansion indicators reflecting economic growth. Social implications: Green logistics plays a behavioral role in the company’s and country’s performance and determines the trends and attitudes for the future growth of companies, especially regarding the environmental indicators. Originality/value: This study aims to analyze green logistics in the financial-economic, social and environmental areas, which reflect the greatest variations, especially as they are affected by changes in global markets, particularly with respect to oil prices, the main source of revenue for the Sultanate of Oman. This is of particular interest as green logistics is one of the modern concepts that are influencing the development of corporate strategies to implement economic plans in the country. This study has also supplied a conceptual research framework to explain green logistics in preparation for many future studies that will examine its elements.

This article examines how a group of students with visual disabilities speak about becoming disabled and living with disability in relation to: material entities, practices, and their own expectations regarding the future in the Sultanate of Oman. It draws upon individual interviews among six adults with visual disabilities. The article outlines, from a material semiotics approach, how various forms of modes of ordering enact disability. An interdisciplinary approach, informed by disability studies and science and technology studies, is implemented to interpret: How do students with visual disabilities express the relationships between material entities (such as bodies and technologies) and practices? In what ways are these relationships enacting different modes of ordering disability? What kind of modes of ordering disability are the participants experiencing in their lives? How have they responded to the modes of ordering that they have encountered?

RWTH Aachen University, Dissertation, 2017; ; Aachen, 1 Online-Ressource (IX,150 Seiten) : Illustrationen, Diagramme, Karten (2017). = RWTH Aachen University, Dissertation, 2017, The thesis is grounded in the discussion on the rapid increase in international mega-cruise tourism “club ships” or “holiday-at-sea packages” (UNWTO 2010) which promote cultural globalization of tourism space through their practices and worldwide circulation of imaginaries. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the processes that shape the tourists’ multi-sensuous and embodied experiences and the socio-cultural impacts within the host-guest encounter. The following research questions were examined: What are the German-speaking cruise tourists’ imaginaries, on-site experiences and performances? What are the socio-cultural impacts of mega-cruise tourism and how do the local community and government officials cope with these impacts? Has tourism changed the locals’ understanding of the socio-cultural surrounding? What are the future plans for tourism development, and in particular for cruise tourism? The Sultanate of Oman is an emerging cruise destination in Asia. The first mega-cruise ship AIDAblu arrived in Muscat in 2004. The number of ship arrivals in Oman rose from 25 cruise ships and 7,783 tourists in 2005 to 135 cruise ships carrying 257,000 tourists in 2013. Most of the cruise tourists are German-speaking; they originate from Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Mega-cruise ships are large ships, having a maximum capacity of more than 1800 passengers and crew. Two prime tourist destinations have been examined as case studies: Souq Muttrah, an urban, heritage attraction located opposite to the port, and the Sharquiyah Sands desert, together with a nearby oasis which is a nature and cultural destination on the periphery. These places exemplify on the one hand “Oriental imaginaries of the Otherness” and on the other hand the dramatic socio-cultural changes that emerging cruise destinations are currently undergoing. The thesis considers the voices of different stakeholders in tourism: tourists, local communities and government officials. Fieldwork was conducted between 2011 and 2014. The research methods applied were two large questionnaire surveys among German-speaking cruise tourists of two different mega-cruise liners as well as participant observation, travel ethnography, counting, photography, walking interviews with different types of tourists and in-depth interviews with a large number of local stakeholders. These stakeholders included local and onboard tour guides, tour operators, the resident community, day visitors, business owners, shop vendors, environmental experts, as well as high-ranking decision-makers in the government: the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs, the Assistant Grand Mufti, the Wali of Muttrah and other officials. Moreover, guidebooks, newspaper articles, websites of cruise companies and onboard newsletters were analysed together with the website and official statistics of the Ministry of Tourism. In addition, favourite souvenir photos taken by the tourists interviewed were analysed for their content. During the travel with a mega-ship, time and space are compressed so that tourists experience the places within a short time, thus decontextualizing the social and cultural environment. In addition, the Omani government is promoting the tourism development of the port in Muttrah with the extension of the cruise terminal and the relocation of its cargo activities to Port Sohar, as well as the relocation of the wholesale part of Souq Muttrah to Barka. Due to the large number of cruise tourists who visit Souq Muttrah during the winter season, a tourist enclave or an “enclosed tourist bubble” similar to the cruise liner itself has developed along the main streets of the souq. This tourist bubble forms a unique space in itself, existing apart from the host-society. Therefore, the identity of the souq has changed dramatically. Local residents who live close to the souq feel socially excluded from the tourism development and create physical or social boundaries to protect themselves from the crowds of tourists. As another result of crowding and social distinction, individual and group tourists avoid sharing the same space with mega-cruise tourists. Similarly, local customers who sometimes come from far-away places for shopping avoid the souq when a mega-ship is in Muttrah. As a consequence, well-established shop owners and vendors relocate their shops to other places on the periphery of the “tourist bubble”. They are replaced in the “core bubble” by young Asian vendors who open up similar shops, offering cheap imported items like pashmina scarves with a more aggressive selling attitude. Nevertheless, my analysis has shown that most tourists perceive the souq as an unchanged, old, traditional and Oriental space. The majority of mega-cruise tourists surveyed enjoy the visual consumption of the place, but they buy little or nothing. The “tourist gaze” or the visual consumption pattern of tourists memorizing their visit in Souq Muttrah through photography is diverse. They reproduce romantic images of the souq and the “otherness” of the people. For most photographers the local people are seen as objects of the gaze. However, there is little involvement of the local community in the on-site tourist experiences. In addition to tourist photography this thesis analyses the multi-sensuous, embodied tourist experiences and performances in Souq Muttrah. The concept of performance refers to narratives, practices and the reproduction of space through mediated imaginaries about the exotic “Oriental other”. As such, the souq represents a stage, presenting mediated imaginaries, materialities, bodies and stories such as “The Arabian Nights” including “Sindbad the Sailor”, or the autobiography of “Princess Salme from Zanzibar”. The media, marketing material and cultural brokers label Oman as a fairy-tale country that is enacted in the souq as a kind of theme park, an Arabian Disneyland designed for consumption by the mega-cruise tourists, but with the social exclusion of locals and other tourists. Oriental imaginaries and power relations between the West and the Orient result in inconsiderate, mindless tourist dress behaviour and local reactions of culture shock. This demonstrates the conflicts which arise in cross-cultural communication when two cultures with different morals and value systems, as well as low and high context communication styles, meet within the same space. Furthermore, my results indicate that mega-cruise tourists are not sufficiently prepared for their visit, since local cultural brokers and the marketing material avoid clear information regarding local morals and values, including the conservative dress code for females. Imaginaries communicated on land and on board focus on social narratives about a sunny, “paradise-like” imaginary country. As a consequence, tourists wear revealing clothes while local people experience culture shock situations. Thus, the Sultanate officially promotes tolerance towards Western, non-Muslim tourists but within an “accommodationist” (Din 1989) approach towards a revealing dress behaviour. As a consequence, the tourist destination is transformed into a tourist-centred space, a “tourist bubble”, a commoditized place for consumption, preventing cross-cultural contacts and guarding against negative influences from the tourists and from the local community.In conclusion, the fast increase in cruise tourism and the arrival of Western mega-cruise tourists represent a socio-cultural “invasion” with negative impacts for the country and the host-communities. Hence, the impacts of mega-cruise tourism are in contrast with the vision of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, promoting responsible tourism. Mega-cruise tourism is a challenge for the community, creating a potential for overcrowding space and socio-cultural conflicts for other tourists, the local, mainly conservative Muslim community, cultural brokers and government officials. Therefore, the large scale of cruise tourism and the Western concept of “hedonistic tourism” should be reconsidered. The guiding concept should be a “community-based tourism”, legally regulated and focussing on the long-term well-being of the local multi-ethnic community., Published by Aachen

Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the prevalence, pattern and predisposing factors for hepatic adverse effects with statins in a regional hospital in Sultanate of Oman. Methods: A retrospective review of the patient files in Department of Medicine during the year 2011 was done to evaluate any hepatic dysfunction possibly related to statins among the patients. For each case of suspected statin induced hepatic effect, additional details on temporal relationship, pattern of presentation, management, final outcome and any contributing factors were obtained. Difference in the occurrence of hepatic effects based on the patient demographics and drug characteristics was additionally evaluated. Results: A total of 927 patients meeting the inclusion criteria were included for the study. Mean age of the evaluated patients was 63.1 ± 11.37 and median duration of use of statin in months was 22 (IQR, 43.25). In 40 (4%) of the 927 patients, there was presence of a hepatic effect considered to be statin related and only in 12 (1%) patients a significant transaminase rise (>3 times) was observed. Median duration of use of statin among those patients who developed suspected statin induced hepatic effects and those who did not was 45 (IQR,52) and 21 (IQR, 43) months, respectively and the difference observed was statistically significant. A significant difference in the prevalence of hepatic effects was observed only based on the duration of statin use. Conclusion: There was an infrequent occurrence of significant hepatic effects associated with statins in the study population. Our results support the latest recommendations including from United States Federal Drug Administration (US FDA) that statins appear to be associated with a very low risk of serious liver injury and that routine periodic monitoring of transaminases does not appear to detect or prevent serious liver injury in association with statins.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a highly infectious disease of cattle caused by a virus belonging to the Capripoxvirus genus of the family Poxviridae. The purpose of this study is to place on record the first confirmation of LSD in the Sultanate. The disease was diagnosed and confirmed using polymerase chain reaction, histopathology, transmission electron microscopy and serum neutralization testing. The epizootic occurred in 2009 involving a large number of animals and covering a wide area including Nezwa, Alqabel, Sohar, Saham and Burimi. Morbidity and mortality rates of 29.7 and 26.3 %, and 13.6 and 15.4 % were observed at Nezwa and Sohar, respectively. The clinical signs were much more severe in Holstein–Friesian cattle compared to indigenous breeds and were characterized by multiple skin nodules covering the neck, back, perineum, tail, limbs and genital organs. Affected animals also exhibited lameness, emaciation and cessation of milk production. Oedema of limbs and brisket, and superficial lymph node enlargement were highly prominent. It is not known from where the virus originated, or how it spread to the Sultanate. The disease has become endemic in the country and is liable to extend to other Gulf Cooperation Council Countries and cause a pandemic. It is of major concern to the Omani dairy industry. Due to the widespread presence of screw worm, serious economic losses can follow outbreaks.

The aim of the study is to investigate the attitudes of student teachers of Social Studies to tourism for sustainable development. The study participants were the entire cohort of final year student teachers of Social Studies in the College of Education at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman. There were 65 in total, 26 male and 39 female. Data was gathered through a questionnaire consisting of 37 items divided into 6 areas: attitudes to tourism; the impact of tourism on the economy; the impact of tourism on society and culture; the negative influences of tourism; tourism management, and working in the tourism sector. The results showed that student teachers of Social Studies hold positive attitudes towards tourism for sustainable development. There was no significant difference with regard to gender.

The sagittae mass asymmetry was studied in the teleost Carangoides caeruleopinnatus. The value of the asymmetry was calculated as the difference between the mass of the right and left paired otoliths, divided by average otolith mass. The results show that the absolute value of X in C. caeruleopinnatus does not depend on fish length and otolith growth rate, as it does in other symmetrical fish species. However, the absolute value of otolith mass difference increases with the fish length. The value of x falls between -0.2 and +0.2.

International audience; Objective: This paper outlines and discusses the current and the next steps to be takenin order to adopt a national digital repository at the Sultanate of Oman.Signicance: Outlining the current process conducted to adopt the national repository inOman and presenting these steps in the ETD connference will help to get a wider overviewabout the project and may open discussions about possible modication and changes in theproject.Results: This paper presents the process that are currently conducted to adopt a na-tional repository in Oman. One of these process is a promotional campagin to let people getaware about this prject. People will be informed about the importance of this project, whatthey need to do in order to praticipate in the project, and also provide clarications aboutthe possible issues and concerns they might have like copyright, plagiarism, quality of theses,prior publication and the instiutions reputation. Sultan Qaboos University was selected tobe the rst institution to conduct the promotional campaign. Postgraduate students at SQUwill be informed about this project and also will be encouraged to submit their theses anddissertational in electronic format in order to be included in the project.In addition, the paper presents standards and rules that will be applied in this project.Such standards include theses formats, metadata elements, le submissions, les organisa-tion, embaroges, access levels, access charges...etc.In addition a technical team is working on Dspace, which is an open source software, in orderto customise it to work according to project needs.

Outcrops of Cambrian sediments of the uppermost Miqrat Formation, the Al Bashair Formation and the basal Barik Formation were sampled for conodont and palynomorph studies. The units are part of the Palaeozoic Haima Supergroup, exposed in the Huqf-Haushi area in central eastern Oman, Arabian Peninsula. Palynomorphs were absent but conodont samples yielded a small conodont fauna. The presence of Muellerodus? erectus allows the recognition of the Muellerodus? erectus Zone established for North China (late Paibian – early Jiangshanian), in accordance with previous reports on the trilobite fauna from the same interval., Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia (Research In Paleontology and Stratigraphy), V. 122, N. 2 (2016)