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This paper analyses the outcome of a survey designed to identify the adoption of supply chain management practices in Omani SMEs. The objectives of this paper are to determine the degree of awareness of SCM principles among Omani SMEs, to identify the sector-wise challenges faced by SMEs in Oman, to ascertain the level of understanding of the importance of SCM in SMEs, to identify possible SCM strategies for SMEs to improve SCM activity, and to contribute to SCM knowledge among SMEs. The study sample was selected based on simple random stratified sampling. The questionnaires were emailed to 412 SMEs in Oman, covering all governorates to ensure comprehensive geographical coverage and various sectors in Oman. The questions were closed-ended and used the Likert five-point scale method, consisting of independent and dependent variables related to the study. Based on the 258 firms that responded, the results indicate a lack of effectiveness in implementing inventory management systems and a lack of improvement in accessing technology performance. When asked about the factors preventing them from achieving these goals, respondents cited a lack of understanding of how to use the system and an inability to find qualified employees to operate it. Hence, the firms must implement SCM strategies to gain a competitive position in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a new petrographic study of ceramics from the late antique to the early Islamic period in the Gulf is presented. The paper considers samples from Siraf (Iran), excavated by David Whitehouse (from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK), samples from the Iranian coast (recovered by Andrew Williamson, Durham University, UK), and samples from Fulayj, Oman (excavated by a team co-directed by Seth Priestman, Nasser Al-Jahwari, Eve MacDonald, and Derek Kennet). The technique of analysis is petrography, which offers compositional (mineralogy and petrology) and textural information (distribution and arrangement of inclusions). This technique can be used to interpret the technological procedures involved in the manufacturing of ceramics and to characterize products from particular areas, thus helping to clarify trends of distribution of wares across time. The samples of these collections have been classified according to Priestman's Indian Ocean Pottery Classification (IOPC; Priestman 2021), providing an important link between macroscopic and microscopic analyses. The results are also compared with samples previously analysed from Murwab and the Old Doha excavations, providing an overview of the production technology and exchange of ceramics in the early Islamic Gulf over the longue durée. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy sector is an exciting area of research and study due to the global demand for oil and gas, improving and optimizing related costs and risks, essentially maximizing the business output. Unplanned corrective maintenance can lead to unscheduled downtime if not attended effectively and efficiently. Maintenance can restore system healthiness and avoid catastrophic failures. This paper explores the prioritization of unplanned work orders (WO) for corrective maintenance using an Artificial Neural Network. A case study from Oil and Gas in Oman was investigated to check the actual practice. The paper proposes a new approach to prioritize unplanned maintenance work orders, considering a classification of three correlated features: failure severity, asset criticality, and reliability. The proposed method shows the needs of such correlated of these features. The Artificial Neural Network-based multi-layer perceptrons method is applied; 82.7% of work orders being tested from the case study shows the low probability of less than 50% on initial priority. The investigation reveals the effectiveness of the suggested method to be applied to get more priority insights. We recommend industrial practitioners to use the approach that supports prioritization of recourses and scheduling activities better, saving cost and avoiding system functional failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many initiatives to control climate change and mitigate its effects have been developed recently. The implementation of the new green logistics strategy and its effects on the commercial sectors in Oman are the subject of several initiatives and studies that are required. The fact that COVID-19 accelerates supply chain management and its operations in Oman to begin using green solutions and a sustainable business strategy to achieve sustainable development, it is critical to understand which aspects deserve specific consideration. Sustainable solutions in the field of logistics management as well as maintaining net zero emissions in the Sultanate of Oman by implementing such a strategy. Maintaining a sustainable business model and sustainable supply chain management will assist any logistics organization in Oman in reducing emissions and achieving long-term success, which directly impacts green logistics. This paper's main objectives are to examine and identify strategies for implementing the influence of green logistics on transportation and how to keep green logistics aligned with a sustainable transportation system. This research also focuses on sustainable business models that will enhance logistics in support of zero net emissions as well as sustainable solutions that will facilitate the implementation of green logistics. The goal will be possible to achieve by combining sustainable SCM with green logistics, just as the associated SCM is necessary and aligns with logistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early Islamic period was marked by a resurgence in large-scale copper production in south-east Arabia. This is in contrast to the preceding era (early first millennium BCE to the mid-first millennium CE) and its notable lack of evidence of copper production. Various external and internal factors, including a flourishing Indian Ocean trade and environmental limitations, have been suggested as factors in this renewal and in its subsequent decline. However, the socio-political and economic factors that formed the framework for industrial growth during this transformative period are rarely considered. This paper delves deeper into the socio-political background of the early Islamic period in relation to industrial growth in south-east Arabia. To bridge the gap between historical and archaeological evidence, we also present new data from surveys and excavations conducted at early Islamic industrial sites in Wadī al-Rākī, Oman. These findings offer new insights into the history of large-scale copper processing in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assistive technologies can in many ways facilitate the normal day-to-day lives of the disabled. As part of the ongoing research on assistive technologies at UTAS, Oman, that deals with augmenting and finding multimodal aspects of applications for the disabled, this paper aspires to investigate the role of deep learning in the field of image interpretation. Images are one of the most important mediums of conveying information among humans. Visually impaired persons especially with low cognitive abilities face insurmountable difficulties in understanding cues through images. This challenge is met by filtering words from image captions to facilitate understanding of the key notion conveyed by an image. This work utilizes the image captioning technique using deep learning frameworks such as convolution neural networks (CNN) and recurrent neural networks (RNN) to generate captions. These captions are fed to Rake, an NLP library that identifies keywords in the caption. The entire process is automated and uses transfer learning techniques for caption generation from images. This process is then further integrated with our main project, Finger Movement Multimodal Assistive System (FMAS) thereby incorporating text cues for interpreting images for the visually impaired. [For the full proceedings, see ED630948.]

Oman has made serious efforts to convert industrial waste into usable building materials. Ordinary concrete has demonstrated a lack of strong mechanical characteristics during compacting, such as honeycombing and segregation. Earlier studies have produced inventive concrete from recycled waste elements with success. Research have also shown that self-compacted concrete is the best way to achieve durable concrete and overcome the aforementioned problems. One such item found in Oman's industrial waste is quarry dust. In this study, experimental research is done to see if waste powder made from quarrying could be used to make self-compacting concrete. The primary goals of this paper are to create SCC mixes with quarry dust that satisfy the standards for workability and compare the compressive strength of the created SCC to the control mix. Self-compacted concrete was designed in three different mixes, Mix-A, Mix-B, and Mix-C, and the outcomes were compared to the Control Mix. Since the control mix contains no quarry dust, it is proposed that it replace 10%, 20%, and 30% of the fine aggregates in the mix. According to EFNARC requirements, the suggested SCC mix designs were tested for viability, including flow ability through slump flow and slump flow at T500 and segregation resistance through V-funnel. Using 150x150x150 mm cubes, all mixtures underwent compressive strength testing in accordance with the BS standard testing procedure. In contrast to the control mix, which completely failed the slump flow test, the results demonstrate that all SCC mix designs have met the stipulated workability criteria of flow ability of 671mm, 679mm, and 702mm for Mix-A, Mix-B, and Mix-C, respectively. Through the V-funnel test, Mix-C has demonstrated the best segregation resistance. With an average compressive strength of 48.8 MPa, Mix-B has proven to be the most effective mix among the three recommended designs. It also has the highest compressive strength of any mix, including the control mix. While the Control Mix, Mix-A, and Mix-C have attained respective pressures of 48.1, 46.1, and 38.6 MPa. The study finds that employing quarry dust in place of fine aggregates can successfully produce SCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Al-Mudhaybi Regional Survey seeks to produce a detailed and comprehensive knowledge of the landscape of the Al-Mudhaybi region in Central Oman. This paper presents the results of the 2020 field season, in which transects throughout the survey area were field-walked. The transects were equally spaced, at 4 km distance from each other, and ran north to south. Each transect was walked by a team of four, recording all surface finds with a hand-held GPS device. This method helped to identify more ephemeral structures, such as find scatters, thus providing statistically relevant data on site and artefact density in the region and, ultimately, on the settlement pattern and its diachronic development. At the southern end of the first transect completed in 2020, an Iron Age settlement was recorded near Sinaw. Additionally, this paper discusses small excavations carried out at three sites -- Al-Batha, Mukhtru, and Al-Fath -- which were conducted to provide a more precise chronology for them by radiocarbon dating. While radiocarbon dates on charcoal from the Mukhtru settlement site fall well into the Umm an-Nar period (2450-2050 BC), radiocarbon dates and pottery sherds from the presumably third-millennium BC tower at Al-Fath clearly indicate a reuse in the middle and late Islamic periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oman is one of the countries with the least rainfall in the world. In its most urbanized region along the northern coast precipitation is around 100 mm per year. Water resources are scarce and forecasts of climate change over the next decades indicate that in this region rainfalls will decrease, and temperatures will increase. Potable water will still have to be sourced from water desalination processes, but water for other purposes, such as irrigating urban greenery as a heat protection for the built environment or growing biomass for energy supply can be sourced from treated wastewater. Water must be secured from possible recycled process; e.g. water reuse after proper treatment to accommodate the demand due to limited supply. This paper looks at one such treatment system for domestic wastewater in Oman. The constructed wetland - an on-site, low-energy, low-maintenance, horizontal flow, natural water treatment/ management system - built for the selected Ecohaus serves as a case study to assess the performance of the system and the quality of the effluent water output against the benchmark (MD 145/93 and RD 115/2001). After one month of running the constructed wetland, samples were collected from influent and effluent water once a week during one month (8 samples). The water quality was assessed regarding the parameter of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Solids (TS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Coliform (TC), and E-coli. the results show that the constructed wetland of the selected EcoHaus performs excellently. That describes the develop of microorganism in the constructed wetland system with time. While, the average percentage removal rates of BOD, COD, TS, TSS, TDS, TC, and E-Coli are 76.9,82.7,35.9,86.8,7.3, 48.4, and 48 respectively. The paper concludes with a possible optimization of the constructed wetland and an outlook onto a possible large-scale application of such decentralized natural water treatment plants in an urban setting in Oman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the beginning of 2020, the world was affected by Covid-19 pandemic. Which influenced the project's success negatively. The aim of this study is to develop a framework that help to enhance the project success factors during pandemics. The method used in this study involved conducting an extensive literature review to understand the topic and collect project success factors. An interview was conducted to collect more information about the effect of Covid-19 on the oil and gas companies. A final set of critical factors was obtained to conduct further statistical analysis and developing the framework in FYP-II. To achieve this, we proposed a very detailed and well-structured methodology. The methodology consists of three main phases. In the first phase we followed a systematic literature review process aiming to identify project success factors. The search for the literature review papers was using specific key word and strings such as project success, project management success and Covid-19. The journal papers that are related to the topic from high ranked journals were selected. The project success factors and project success factors were collected and clustered into groups. In the second phase, the factors were reduced through different levels of filters to conduct statistical analysis on. The third phase, which is ranking the factors and developing the framework, will be conducted in FYP-II through distributing surveys and applying statistical analysis on the collected data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is aimed to determine the efficiency of the use of TacticalPad software in the preparation of a professional team. Study of the literature revealed a number of technical means, which offer a wide range of options to the coaches, in order to objectify and direct the preparation process. The practical experience in performance football has allowed me to identify the software mentioned above, as distinct means, which stands out from the multitude of technical solutions already existing, by the option that allows the user to create football-specific exercises in the form of 2D and 3D graphics and what is even more important, to present the means created in motion, this option being the one that exceeds the technical limitations of most existing software. The study involved the implementation of TacticalPad in the performance strategy of a professional premier league club in Oman, being used during the preparation period, the pre-competitive period and the beginning of the competition period. The above mentioned software has been used 4 times in the preparation process structured on 6 or 7 days microcycles, as follows: 1-creating the means of training in 2D, 3D format and presenting in motion these means, before the start of the training, in the standard, usual presentation of the program; 2-tactical analysis of specific training moments; 3-scouting; 4-tactical analysis of training and official games; The results obtained and the quality of the game of the team to which we implemented TacticalPad, can be a starting point in the continuous development of football performance, advocating for the use of this application in training and competitions, based on the considerations mentioned at length in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of technology, information or data is an important factor to do any kind of task. Recommendation system has been introduced in the tourism sector where the system can be used to provide the user with personalized recommendation of the places to visit. Sultanate of Oman has got various tourists attractions and it is one of the safest tourist destinations in the world. The purpose of this paper is to design and develop a recommendation system for tourism sector in Oman which will recommend to the users based on their searched destinations using hybrid recommendation system that is combination of- content-based and collaborative filtering algorithm. To train and then to provide meaningful recommendations, dataset has been developed by implementing web scrapping method from one of the popular websites ‘tripadvisor’ which consists of the description of all the tourism places in Oman namely destination names, type of the destination, average rating of the places, the number of people rated the place and image of the destination. The recommendation system is integrated with a web application that acts as a web interface. The system has been developed using python programming language while the web application was developed using Django framework along with HTML and CSS. To evaluate the efficiency and performance of the developed system, it was compared with three other algorithms namely Radius Neighbors classifier, Linear Regressor and Logistic Regressor. The same dataset was provided to all the three algorithms where 70% of the data is used as training data and the rest of the 30% of the data is used for testing. MSE (Mean Square Error) and RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) are calculated for all of the mentioned algorithms, and it was found the developed system performed better that most of the algorithms with less error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a six-month period from January to August 2021 the Historic Environment Department of DCT Abu Dhabi carried out archaeological monitoring and excavation along an 11.5 km section of a project to renew the existing border fence between the UAE and Oman. The project produced a wealth of new data on the development of the historic oasis landscape of al-'Ayn. Some of the most significant features include a monumental stone tomb, an apparently extensive Iron Age cemetery, and high-status tombs of late pre-Islamic (PIR) date. Along with this funerary landscape we have identified more than fifty ancient aflāj or underground water channels of various dates and techniques of construction, along with extensive evidence of distinct phases of Iron Age agriculture and the organization of their associated irrigation systems and agricultural plots. This paper provides an overview of the nature and progress of the fieldwork and initial study of the finds associated with the various feature groups, including a corpus of Iron Age and PIR ceramics from both funerary and agricultural contexts, a large number of chlorite vessels, PIR iron weaponry, extensive environmental samples, and information on the geology and wadi systems shaping this cultural landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the methodology and preliminary results of the first MASPAG (Missione Archeologica della Sapienza nella Penisola Arabica e nel Golfo) archaeological survey, carried out in Oman in February 2022. The area under survey falls within the territory of South al-Batinah Governorate, and more specifically in the provinces of Nakhal, al-'Awabi, and Wādī al-Ma'awil, and had not previously been touched by any archaeological investigation. The survey mainly covered foothills and wadi plains that are located between the Jebel Akhdar and the Arabian Sea, or Lower Sea, according to ancient Babylonian geographical sources. The spatial context was an ideal one in which to undertake a new project concerned with the study of human mobility and the social compositions of the so-called Land of Magan in all their complexity. By integrating satellite images with aerial and ground-collected data, we were able to document a multi-millennial archaeological landscape in which hundreds of burials and significant concentrations of surface materials have emerged. Particularly remarkable in this regard were the data recorded at the village of Khatum, on the eastern bank of Wādī Far', and at the village of Muslimat in Wādī al-Ma'awil. Preliminary analysis conducted on the morphology of the funerary structures, together with the study of surface materials, suggests these areas in the Hafit, Wadi Suq, and Early Iron Age periods were continuously frequented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing the variation order cost of projects is a challenge in most countries around the world. Each year, there is a huge amount paid in variation orders, which has burdened approved budgets with extra costs. The most likely consequences of this issue are the delay of the handovers of projects and the increase in the total costs of the projects. Moreover, this issue places a more significant burden on the approved budgets from the government and consequently may withhold the stakeholders from the project's main benefits. This paper highlights the Scope Management Review tool for controlling variation order cost in government projects in the Sultanate of Oman. The tool is an output of mixed-method research to investigate and explore the relationship between the variation order costs and project management success factors to develop an effective framework to manage project scope in government projects in the Sultanate of Oman. More than 200 questionnaires were distributed to project department employees in the government ministries, and a total of eight managers in the project departments were interviewed. The Scope Management Review tool is part of the framework developed in this research, which may be used as a control measure to manage the size of the variation order costs in future projects. The government project management system is a critical field, which requires more attention due to its massive amount of expenses and the need for improvements based on the context of respective countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research used a descriptive-analytical method and a sample of (350) female field teachers to examine the effects of preschool education on the administrative and educational competencies of students in Oman's first cycle of basic education. The research came to the following conclusions: Students who entered preschool education had a high arithmetic average of (3.93) for administrative competencies, and their educational competencies were also rated highly as the arithmetic average reached a high level (3.85). Administrative skills were ranked in the following manner for the first axis: (Planning, Communication, Organization, and Leadership). In terms of the second axis, which is concerned with educational skills, the study's results for reading, listening, and writing all fell within a high degree (3.67-4.09) of the arithmetic mean. This result is consistent with many international studies and trends in all countries, which concurred on the significance of the preschool education stage. Despite its significance, the research indicated that this stage is still optional in the Sultanate of Oman. The research suggests that the Ministry of Education makes preschool education mandatory by supplying and utilizing all the resources. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

As part of Oman's vision 2040, electricity from renewable energy should replace 30% of the country's total power by 2030. Furthermore, the power for the electric vehicles is expected from renewable power. Recently the Oman Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER) revised the tariff system and due to this generating of energy from solar energy is becoming popular. To implement the PV technology, many challenges including cost of electricity, technological growth and policy must be addressed. Grid Connected PV (GCPV) system may be one of the options to overcome the above issues. It could decrease peak load demands, besides contributing eco-friendly power generation. This paper investigates the techno-economic and environmental aspects on implementing PV power for electrification of Suhar City which is situated in the northern part of Oman. Photovoltaic (PV) systems can be installed utilizing the available rooftop spaces in the premises and the empty land around the buildings. A 1400W PV system available in Sohar University (SU) was used to collect the required data. The system was simulated in HOMER Pro, and the major parameters needed for the proposed study were analysed. The results showed that the investment in PV system, in Sohar city can be promising. The system showed the yield factor as 1923.6 kW h/kWp/year. Moreover, the proposed system had a capacity factor of 21.7%. The cost of energy and payback period were 0.146 USD/kWh (0.056 OMR/kW h) and 4 years respectively. However, many other factors due to economic challenges, Government policies and social acceptance must be resolved to establish a viable market for PV technology in Oman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of Oman's vision 2040, electricity from renewable energy should replace 30% of the country's total power by 2030. Furthermore, the power for electric vehicles is expected from renewable power. Recently the Oman Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER) revised the tariff system and due to this generating of energy from solar energy is becoming popular. To implement the PV technology, many challenges including cost of electricity, technological growth and policy must be addressed. Grid Connected PV (GCPV) system may be one of the options to overcome the above issues. It could decrease peak load demands, besides contributing to eco-friendly power generation. This paper investigates the techno-economic and environmental aspects on implementing PV power for electrification of Suhar City which is situated in the northern part of Oman. Photovoltaic (PV) systems can be installed utilizing the available rooftop spaces in the premises and the empty land around the buildings. A 1400W PV system available in Sohar University (SU) was used to collect the required data. The system was simulated in HOMER Pro, and the major parameters needed for the proposed study were analysed. The results showed that the investment in PV system, in Sohar city can be promising. The system showed the yield factor as 1923.6 kW h/kWp/year. Moreover, the proposed system had a capacity factor of 21.7%. The cost of energy and payback period were 0.146 USD/kWh (0.056 OMR/kW h) and 4 years respectively. However, many other factors due to economic challenges, Government policies and social acceptance must be resolved to establish a viable market for PV technology in Oman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research paper presents an experimental investigation into the functioning of an absorption refrigerator, executed at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences-Al Musannah in Oman. The study focused on comparing the effects of two types of input energies, solar-thermal and solar-electrical, on the system's functionality. This was done in an effort to identify a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cooling systems, such as vapor compression refrigeration systems (VCRS), which contribute to environmental problems through greenhouse gas emissions. Using a data acquisition system, key parameters including temperatures at specific points, solar intensity, fluid flow rates, and electric power output were collected and analyzed. The effectiveness of the system, as measured by the coefficient of performance (COP) of the system, under diverse operating settings was assessed. The findings were subsequently interpreted and illustrated. One key discovery was that the system's COP was approximately 13% higher when powered by solar-electric energy than solar-thermal energy. Furthermore, using solar-electric energy resulted in a nearly 14% increase in the refrigeration effect compared to solar-thermal energy, indicating the potential of solar-powered vapor absorption refrigeration systems as an eco-friendly option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive trade networks in the Indian Ocean generated contact among cultures and spheres of maritime technology across a huge geographical area. Inevitably, these networks resulted not only in exchange of foodstuffs, raw materials, luxury goods, spices, and manufactured goods, but also in cultural and religious concepts and technological knowledge and practices. With the intensity of maritime trade these exchanges engendered the borrowing of shipbuilding designs, materials, and methodologies and generated a certain hybridization of technology, design, and the ways in which ships were conceived. This hybridization is particularly evident in the Belitung and Phanom-Surin ships discovered in Indonesia and Thailand respectively (Flecker 2001; 2008; Jumpron 2019; Wongnai, Jumpron & Premjai 2016). While echoing shipbuilding practices from outside South-East Asia, they also incorporated materials and concepts from South-East Asia, and yet remain distinct from the dominant lashed-lug construction of the region. Using archaeological material from Oman and South-East Asia as well as ethnographic data from the western Indian Ocean, East Africa, India, Oman, Iran, and South-East Asia, this paper explores current archaeological and ethnographic shipbuilding information and raises some questions about the place of Belitung and Phanom-Surin in firstmillennium shipbuilding practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the dynamics related to the pottery production in Sumhuram, the easternmost port of call between the Red Sea and the Indian continent along the southern coast of Arabia (second century BC-fifth century AD). Being a rich hub of international trade, receiving and redistributing local products and goods from many different areas, Sumhuram was able to provide for its needs through its own agriculture and a number of local activities, as attested by the presence of kilns and furnaces. Previous studies on the topic have suggested a possible connection between local pottery manufacturing in Sumhuram, and the Hadrami tradition, although kilns have not been found until recently. In 2015 archaeological investigations unveiled the first evidence of such a connection with the discovery of a pottery kiln and some production waste inside the city wall, along with the identification of pottery sherds in the area of the kiln. In order to identify their mineralogical and petrographic composition, thin-section analyses were made on a number of selected sherds. The preliminary results demonstrate that the raw materials used are compatible with a local production. This allows us to describe the different phases of the pottery cycle in Sumhuram as well as the structure of the pottery kiln, which represents an uncommon find in the pre-Islamic archaeology of southern Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on a critical phase that witnessed new maritime equilibriums in the western waters of the Indian Ocean under the Seljuq military umbrella, with the support of Hormuz and Daybul's fleets and the harbours/markets along the Omani seaboards. Textual sources provide detailed information and chronologies. Daybul's siege by the Seljuq army, the following peace agreement that confirmed its reorganization as the capital city of an autonomous nāḥiya, the Seljuq conquest of Oman and annexation within its system as a mulk, delimit a fluid space destined to become the core of international trades. Ceramic finds from the site of Banbhore attest to it, enhancing the role of Daybul as the pivot of a well-integrated network in the western Indian Ocean, favoured by its strategic location as a heading port of the monsoon routes and cabotage trade with South-East Asia. Extremely significant is the abundant presence of imported items found at Banbhore/Daybul until the late twelfth-very early thirteenth century. They belong to the same wares and morphological typologies as those recovered in eastern and southern Arabia, coastal East Africa, Gujarat, and the southernmost Indian regions. Following the same trading routes, typical unglazed grey and red pots produced at Banbhore reached the westernmost coasts of the Indian Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of any entrepreneurial firm is dependent on its ability to learn and generate innovative ideas which are dependent on organizational structure. Hence, the motivation behind this research is to examine the influence of organizational internal structure on the performance of an entrepreneurial firm through the synergetic mediation of learning and innovation. The study followed a quantitative analysis and collected the data using survey techniques. The data has been collected from 384 entrepreneurial firms using a structured questionnaire adopted from prior studies. The data has been analyzed using structural equation modeling via SMART PLS-3. The results indicated that organizational structure significantly impacts innovation based on organizational learning, which consequently produces superior performance. According to research findings, innovation is a more crucial link between an organization's structure and its performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, with a large amount of data generated by many application services in different learning fields has led to the new challenges in education field. Education portal is an important system that leads to a better development of education field. This research paper presents an innovative data mining techniques to understand and summarizes the information of Oman's education data generated from the Ministry of Education Oman "Educational Portal". This research embarks into performing student profiling of the Oman student database. This study utilized the k-means clustering technique to determine the students' profiles. An amount of 42484-student records from Sultanate of Oman has been extracted for this study. The findings of this study show the practicality of clustering technique to investigating student's profiles. Allowing for a better understanding of student's behavior and their academic performance. Oman Education Portal contain a large amounts of user activity and interaction data. Analyses of this large data can be meaningful for educator to improve the student performance level and recognize students who needed additional attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Oman, the usual practice is to adopt design recommendations from foreign codes of practice which can be quite irrelevant due to the differences in climatic and geographic conditions. To highlight the present situation of basic wind speed in Oman, This paper tried to study this situation to encourage decision makers to speed up the issue of Omani code of practice. A questionnaire is designed and introduced to some engineering design firms in Oman. However, only eight firms had responded. The questionnaires were answered by all engineers to test the uniformity of values given. The questionnaires consist of twelve questions in order to study all required concerns. The experience of engineers in design varies from 1 year to 20 years. All firms reported that they usually design for wind loads. The wind loads in Oman cannot be neglected because of the relatively high daily records of wind speeds. Oman has also been severely affected twice by tropical cyclones. The main aim of the questionnaire was about the basic wind speed used in design. However, the firms reported different values. The minimum value was 26m/s and the maximum was 55m/s. Most of the firms replied that they did not refer to any previous research in the determination of basic wind speed for Oman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid wastes collection is one of the crucial task in Oman as it requires effective system with good facilities. Recently, Internet of Things (IoT) is deployed in this field for effective monitoring and collection of wastages in the waste bins. In this paper, the level fill sensors are used to determine the filling level of wastages in the bins with the help of Advanced RISC Machines (ARM). Later, this information transferred to IoT server via 3G Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network. The experimental results proven that the proposed system is very effective as the authorities can schedule the waste collection trucks according to the filling level of waste bins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the recent excavations at the previously unexplored site of RJ-3, in the bay of Ras al-Jinz, one of the key archaeological areas in the Omani Sharqiyah. During the Umm an-Nar period, RJ-3 most likely formed a single, large settlement with the nearby -- and well known -- site of RJ-2, located on the other side of the bay. Results of extensive excavations over two long field seasons suggest that RJ-3 was a function-specific area within this settlement, related to different sorts of craft activities. Moreover, a series of deep trenches reveals a stratigraphic sequence of over 2.5 m, quite exceptional in the coastal contexts of the area, and shows a long sequence of occupations, spanning from the Late Neolithic to the end of the Umm an-Nar period, and including the very beginning of the Bronze Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relations between the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia are recorded in a number of different written sources. Given that most of the traded goods were perishable, the archaeological evidence is today limited to pottery and coins, although the latter has rarely been found in Arabia. The aim of this paper is to investigate the connections between the two areas, focusing on the recent discoveries from the settlement of al-Balīd (ancient afār), which flourished along the southern coast of the Sultanate of Oman during the medieval period, reaching its peak between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries AD. Work at the site has recently been resumed and is currently focused on the excavation of the citadel (Husn al-Balīd) and on the study of small finds and pottery, including the collection of ceramics from East Asia. Not only frankincense, silk, Chinese porcelain, and stoneware, but also resins, natural pigments, and exotic animals were travelling at that time between Arabia and East Asia in both directions. Following the written sources and by studying the East Asian imports discovered during the recent excavations at Husn al-Balīd, two periods of major contact have been identified and are discussed below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sites with towers in eastern Arabia have been interpreted as regional centres of the Early Bronze Age. One of those sites is Al-Khashbah in central Oman. Until now, however, nothing was known about its hinterland that would support the idea of a regional centre. The Al-Mudhaybi Regional Survey was therefore initiated in order, for the first time, to provide comprehensive and detailed knowledge of this third-millennium BC landscape. This paper presents the results of the remote sensing and ground truthing of potential features in the 2019 field season. Nearly 4000 archaeological structures ranging from the Neolithic to the modern era have been positively identified. Interestingly, some periods such as the Hafit and Wadi Suq were abundantly present, while the Umm an-Nar and Late Bronze Age were almost totally missing. It is also important to note that, except for the possible Hafit-period tower at Al-Fath, no Bronze Age settlement sites were found. The reasons behind this pattern remain to be discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edmodo has a significant role and place in the language teaching and learning contexts. However, there is no conclusive evidence on how Edmodo affects the language learning process. This study aims to present a review of the studies to make recommendations for teachers and researchers for further research. The study concludes that learners and teachers mainly have positive perceptions of and attitudes towards the use of Edmodo in the language learning process. It is also concluded that the use of Edmodo is efficient for fostering basic language skills, overall language proficiency, and communication skills. On the other hand, there are several drawbacks encountered during the utilization of Edmodo in language classes.

Al-Khashbah, located approximately 17 km north of the modern city of Sināw, is one of the largest Early Bronze Age sites in the Sultanate of Oman. The University of Tübingen has carried out excavations at the site during the last four years (2015-2018), revealing a significant amount of Hafit-period architecture and finds, including a mud-brick complex (Building I) and a stone tower (Building V). Building I dates to around 2800 cal. BC and has provided evidence of bead and chipped stone workshops. Its layout is comparable to the contemporaneous tower at Hili 8, Phase I. Building V yielded the oldest substantial evidence of copper processing in Oman, dating to the end of the fourth millennium, around 3200 cal. BC. Thus, the archaeological record in Oman can now corroborate archaic texts from Uruk in southern Mesopotamia that mention copper objects from the Gulf. This paper presents the preliminary results of the study of the architecture, metallurgy, lithics, ground-stone tools, and anthracological material from Al-Khashbah. These diverse strands of evidence offer valuable insights into the Hafit-period economy, environment, and lifestyle at Al-Khashbah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new project on the pottery has begun since excavations resumed in 2016 at the site of al-Balīd (Ẓafār), Dhofar in southern Oman. The work concentrates on the Husn, a fortified palace, in this Islamic port. The paper presents the current project on the pottery, exploring methodology, objectives, and preliminary results. The study suggests a dating for the occupational phases of the palace identified so far (fourteenth--eighteenth century AD). The examination of the ceramic material is supported by archaeometric analysis and ethnoarchaeological work on the modern Dhofari production, the latter contributing to a better understanding of the ancient manufacturing process and the transfer of knowledge. This multidisciplinary study allows an exhaustive stylistic, technological, and archaeometric characterization of the pottery, with a special focus on local wares, also proposing or revising their chronological attribution. Moreover, a provenance study is conducted, particularly to establish the origin of the abundant and diverse imports, thus identifying the regions trading with al-Balīd during different periods. Despite previous work on al-Balīd, the study of the ceramic material has never been published properly -- the project aims to fill this gap. Furthermore, it is one of the few ongoing research projects on Islamic ceramics of Dhofar and present-day Oman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the north bank of Wādī al-Zahaimi, east of the town of Liwa' in northern Oman, a remarkably well-preserved Bronze Age cultural landscape was discovered and documented in January 2018 by the Wadi al-Jizzi Archaeological Project. It includes first, a well-preserved Umm an-Nar settlement with two circular tombs, a possible watchtower, and imported pottery from the Indus and Dilmun; second, a large transitional cemetery, with about 170 tombs dating to the late Umm an-Nar and early Wadi Suq periods, which has striking parallels with the famous linear alignments from 'Asimah; and third, a small Wadi Suq settlement with stone-built houses. In this paper, we present this well-preserved Bronze Age cultural landscape and its relevance to our understanding of the late third and early second millennia BC in south-eastern Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing investigations by the Italian Mission to Oman at the Iron Age site of Salūt are revealing the extension and complex articulation of the settlement (Qaryat Salūt), which surrounded the fortified place (Ḥiṣn Salūt) previously excavated by the same team. Although the heyday of the site can be dated to the local Early Iron Age (1300-300 BC), several pieces of evidence, which have similarities with the Late Iron Age Samad pottery, point to a continuation of its occupation beyond this period. In late 2017, the discovery of a few sherds of Fine Painted Ware, similar to those known from the Late Iron Age Pré-Islamique Récente (LIAPIR) sites in the northern Oman peninsula, such as Mleiha and Ed-Dur, provided significant evidence for an even longer extension of the site's occupation, whose chronology will be discussed again in this paper. This is the first time such pottery has been found in residential contexts in central Oman and is also quite a distance away from where such pottery is most commonly found. This discovery therefore offers the possibility to ask new questions regarding the chronology of the transition from the Early to the Late Iron Age in the central Oman peninsula, where continuous stratigraphic sequences bridging the two periods have so far been unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the prehistoric part of a project run by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology and the Ministry of Heritage and Culture of Oman, in the micro-region of Qumayrah. The project, instigated in 2016, includes a survey, testing, and excavations of selected sites. During two seasons of investigations, archaeological sites of varied chronology were recorded, three of which were attested to late Stone Age occupation. The largest site (QA 2), although deflated, yielded a rich collection of lithics found in the context of a stone hearth, a platform, and the remains of a shelter. The lithics included simple tools produced by direct-scaled retouch, rare tanged projectile points made on flakes, and bifacial foliated pieces. Tubular beads of stone and shell (including Akab-type beads), and worked seashells, attest to connections with coastal regions. The two other sites (QA 6 and QA 12) are less well preserved, but surface collection and limited testing yielded lithic collections, including tanged spear points. At this stage, techno-typological analysis of materials is the only means of establishing a chronology of these sites. However, new information from this region of Oman is significant considering the disproportion between the state of research at coastal areas and inland territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two fields of operations management and project management are widely practiced in industry. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, there exists no specific study that highlights the differences and/or similarities between the two in the understanding of the practitioners. Thus, this study is undertaken to identify and study the differences between project management and operations management from the perspectives of practitioners in industry at the Sultanate of Oman. This paper aims to have a better and a deeper understanding on each field's definition, characteristics, responsibilities and key personnel roles and required skills. Accordingly, a set of hypothesis were drawn from the literature and a specific survey was designed to test these hypothesis. The survey is then distributed to practitioners in Oman and results from 100 respondents were collected, analyzed and discussed. The study has revealed that indeed there exists a strong Alliance between project management and operations management. This Alliance may cause practitioners to mix between the two fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2018, organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). Modern psychology offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, aims ultimately to benefit society. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and bring together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. We counted on an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2018 received 386 submissions, from more than 35 different countries from all over the world, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters, Virtual Presentations and Workshops. 126 submissions (overall, 32% acceptance rate) were accepted for presentation in the conference. The conference also includes a keynote presentation by Dr. Saima Löfgren (BSc(Hons), MSc, DClinPsy, Clinical Psychologist, Visiting Lecturer at the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester, United Kingdom); and two Special Talks, one by Prof. Dr. Michael Wang (Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom), and the other by Prof. Dr. Pedro Oliveira (MSc on Anthropology and Child Development, PhD in Social Anthropology, Clinical Psychologist, Member of the Portuguese Order of Psychologists, Portugal). We would like to express our gratitude to all our invitees. The Conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. The conference program includes six main broad-ranging categories that cover diversified interest areas: (1) Clinical Psychology: Emotions and related psychological processes; Assessment; Psychotherapy and counseling; Addictive behaviors; Eating disorders; Personality disorders; Quality of life and mental health; Communication within relationships; Services of mental health; and Psychopathology. (2) Educational Psychology: Language and cognitive processes; School environment and childhood disorders; Parenting and parenting related processes; Learning and technology; Psychology in schools; Intelligence and creativity; Motivation in classroom; Perspectives on teaching; Assessment and evaluation; and Individual differences in learning. (3) Social Psychology: Cross-cultural dimensions of mental disorders; Employment issues and training; Organizational psychology; Psychology in politics and international issues; Social factors in adolescence and its development; Social anxiety and self-esteem; Immigration and social policy; Self-efficacy and identity development; Parenting and social support; Addiction and stigmatization; and Psychological and social impact of virtual networks. (4) Legal Psychology: Violence and trauma; Mass-media and aggression; Intra-familial violence; Juvenile delinquency; Aggressive behavior in childhood; Internet offending; Working with crime perpetrators; Forensic psychology; Violent risk assessment; and Law enforcement and stress. (5) Cognitive and Experimental Psychology: Perception, memory and attention; Decision making and problem-solving; Concept formation, reasoning and judgment; Language processing; Learning skills and education; Cognitive Neuroscience; Computer analogies and information processing (Artificial Intelligence and computer simulations); Social and cultural factors in the cognitive approach; Experimental methods, research and statistics; and Biopsychology. (6) Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy: Psychoanalysis and psychology; The unconscious; The Oedipus complex; Psychoanalysis of children; Pathological mourning; Addictive personalities; Borderline organizations; Narcissistic personalities; Anxiety and phobias; Psychosis; Neuropsychoanalysis. This book contains the results of the different researches conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to study and develop research in areas related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters that are hereby sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. We would like to express thanks to all the authors and participants, the members of the academic scientific committee, and of course, to the organizing and administration team for making and putting this conference together. [These proceedings were published by InScience Press. Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines. For the 2017 proceedings, see ED604951.]

The Sultanate of Oman, with its evolving cold chain logistics arena, finds itself balancing between emerging technological advancements and its established operational frameworks (Brown & Al-Harthy, 2019). Considering Oman's pivotal role in international commerce, deciphering the impact of digital innovations in its cold chain logistics is of paramount importance (Khan & Al-Saidi, 2020). This research endeavors to dissect the impediments and opportunities linked to the infusion of digital methodologies within Oman's temperature-sensitive logistics. Guiding this exploration are three specific objectives: (1) Exploring the digital readiness and challenges of Oman's cold chain: Conversations with industry players, logistics aficionados, and cold chain specialists will reveal the existing digital backdrop and its associated challenges. A meticulous analysis of current logistics records will elucidate the potential and implications of digital enhancements. (2) Highlighting apt digital strategies and their resonance in the Omani landscape: A rigorous literature exploration, paired with dialogues with experts, will unveil cutting-edge digital tools, their worldwide applications, and their suitability for Oman's distinctive cold chain environment. (3)Crafting a roadmap for the digital transformation of Oman's cold chain operations: Questionnaires targeting logistics experts and stakeholder interactions will gauge the current state of digital assimilation, understanding, and necessities. These insights will craft a foundation for pragmatic guidelines and advice for effective digital adoption. This scholarly endeavor aims to amplify understanding regarding the digital horizon in Oman's cold chain domain. Its insights aspire to enlighten logistics experts, decision-makers, and industry stakeholders, ensuring Oman carves its niche in the realm of digital-forward cold chain logistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2017, taking place in Budapest, Hungary, from 29 of April to 1 of May, 2017. Modern psychology offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, aims ultimately to benefit society. This International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. The conference is a forum that connects and brings together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. There is an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2017 received 243 submissions, from 35 different countries from all over the world, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters, Virtual Presentations and Workshops. It was accepted for presentation in the conference 128 submissions (29% acceptance rate). The conference also includes: (1) Two keynote presentations by Prof. Dr. Leslie G. Walker (Professor of Cancer Rehabilitation at the University of Hull, United Kingdom) and by Prof. Dr. Howard S. Schwartz (Professor of Organizational Behavior in the School of Business Administration, Oakland University, USA); and (2) Two Special Talks one by Prof. Dr. Michael Wang (Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom), and the other by Dr. António Alvim (Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Portugal). We would like to express our gratitude to all our invitees. This volume is composed by the papers of the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT 2017), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). The Conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. The conference program includes six main broad-ranging categories that cover diversified interest areas: (1) Clinical Psychology: Emotions and related psychological processes; Assessment; Psychotherapy and counseling; Addictive behaviors; Eating disorders; Personality disorders; Quality of life and mental health; Communication within relationships; Services of mental health; and Psychopathology. (2) Educational Psychology: Language and cognitive processes; School environment and childhood disorders; Parenting and parenting related processes; Learning and technology; Psychology in schools; Intelligence and creativity; Motivation in classroom; Perspectives on teaching; Assessment and evaluation; and Individual differences in learning. (3) Social Psychology: Cross-cultural dimensions of mental disorders; Employment issues and training; Organizational psychology; Psychology in politics and international issues; Social factors in adolescence and its development; Social anxiety and self-esteem; Immigration and social policy; Self-efficacy and identity development; Parenting and social support; Addiction and stigmatization; and Psychological and social impact of virtual networks. (4) Legal Psychology: Violence and trauma; Mass-media and aggression; Intra-familial violence; Juvenile delinquency; Aggressive behavior in childhood; Internet offending; Working with crime perpetrators; Forensic psychology; Violent risk assessment; and Law enforcement and stress. (5) Cognitive and Experimental Psychology: Perception, memory and attention; Decision making and problem-solving; Concept formation, reasoning and judgment; Language processing; Learning skills and education; Cognitive Neuroscience; Computer analogies and information processing (Artificial Intelligence and computer simulations); Social and cultural factors in the cognitive approach; Experimental methods, research and statistics; and Biopsychology. (6) Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy: Psychoanalysis and psychology; The unconscious; The Oedipus complex; Psychoanalysis of children; Pathological mourning; Addictive personalities; Borderline organizations; Narcissistic personalities; Anxiety and phobias; Psychosis; Neuropsychoanalysis. This volume contains the papers and results of the different researches conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to study and develop research in areas related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters that are hereby sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. We would like to express thanks to all the authors and participants, the members of the academic scientific committee, and of course, to the organizing and administration team for making and putting this conference together. [Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines. For the 2016 proceedings, see ED580800.]

After about five years of survey in al-alaylī Valley, the first excavation in the so-called 'Settlement/Workshop' area took place in November 2022. Despite the well-known Iron Age hut tombs, the area excavated was revealed to be occupied from the early to the middle Islamic period. The relationship between the two phases of settlement of the area with the exploitation/reoccupation of it for the copper-smelting process still remains to be fully understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agent-Based Modelling and Simulation (ABMS) has increasingly been applied in diffusion of innovation research. The ABMS method is successfully implemented to different domains in business networks to study the diffusion of their innovation activities. This research therefore applies such ABMS method to a case company at Muscat, Oman with the objective to study the diffusion of its innovation activities to the public. The case company is a famous real-estate company in Oman, where it successfully diffused its innovative project to the public by using ABMS method. The results from the ABMS method were analyzed by using a common used platform like MATLAB - MathWorks software. This is an ongoing research and this paper presents the initial results from the model. Since the acquirement of data took too long for this specific project, the incorporation of real world data and validation and adaption of the model are tasks for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer flooding in heavy oil reservoirs has expanded its application to include injection through horizontal wells in reservoirs with strong bottom aquifer drives. Efficient placement of polymer injectors is critical to maximize value of the recovery process and to ensure commercial robustness of these projects in high oil price volatility. Accurate subsurface description is a critical factor that contributes to the technical and commercial success of the recovery process[1]. A polymer pilot in a heavy oil reservoir with a strong bottom aquifer drive in a field in the South of the Sultanate of Oman was recently successfully concluded. The aim of the pilot was to reduce the mobility ratio and suppress water conning by injecting a polymer slug beneath the existing producers. A clear oil bank was generated with sustained incremental oil production over several months despite no polymer injection, due to operational and injectivity issues. The observed injectivity decline and sustained oil gain with limited polymer pore volume injected necessitated the need to better understand the governing causes of these observations. Various sources of data were integrated that allowed better understanding of the geology and the physics governing the polymer in-situ. Geological and petrophysical data evaluation identified the presence of a relatively lower permeability sand layer, which consisted of poor sand embedded with cement streaks (playa layer). This layer was located within clean reservoir sand, within the vicinity of the injectors. A 3D sector model with this geological feature produced an adequate history matching of the depletion phase. It also confirmed stable oil gain with cyclic polymer injection when polymer injectors are placed below the playa layer. This was attributed to improved polymer front conformance as polymer is being filtered throughout the defined geological strainer. Leveraging these findings, full field future development has been optimized by considering placement of injectors below the playa layer. Calibrated numerical models have shown an improved polymer utilization of up-to 50% and reduced unit technical cost with cyclic polymer injection. Additionally, this injection strategy will allow acceleration of project phases by alternating polymer injection hence maximizing utilization of existing facilities and accelerate oil Production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of monumental architecture (oasis towers), organized settlements, and new funerary structures are markers of the emergence of social complexity in the culture of Magan in the Hafit and Umm an-Nar periods. Bisya is one of the largest sites in central Oman where this phenomenon may be observed. The French Archaeological Mission in central Oman (FAMCO) is undertaking a new research programme at al-Dhabi 2 (Bisya, ad-Dakhiliyah, Oman), a site gathering Early Bronze Age (EBA) monumental, settlement, and funerary architecture. In 2022 the complete plan of the structures unveiled the site's organization, with a large tower on a hill, a built settlement area in the foothills, and several Hafit and Umm an-Nar tombs. Excavations were carried out in the settlement area (150 m²) to study the architecture and confirm the domestic nature of the remains. The pottery assemblage is typical of the Umm an-Nar period, although earlier occupation layers may have been reached. Finally, two excavated tombs yielded preliminary results on the funerary landscape at Early Bronze Age Bisya. This project opens up broad perspectives for future research at al-Dhabi to gain a better understanding of the social and cultural evolution of proto-historic communities in south-east Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the final two field seasons of the Al-Mudhaybi Regional Survey in central Oman conducted in 2021 and 2022, systematic field-walking of the north--south transects continued. This resulted in the discovery of a possible Neolithic to Early Bronze Age flint scatter north-east of Al-Khashbah and an Iron Age settlement at Shariq. The area of the Iron Age settlement also incorporates a possible Umm an-Nar period tower. Additionally, excavations were carried out at the Umm an-Nar period site of Al-Qabrayn. Here, stone walls and mud-brick structures radiocarbon-dated to 2800--2400 BC were uncovered, which might be the remains of another third-millennium BC tower. These findings, together with those from the 2019 and 2020 field season, allow initial reconstructions of the archaeological landscape of the region. Different phases of site concentration and dispersal as well as shifting site locations are presented in a diachronic perspective. While the Neolithic and Hafit periods are scattered over most of the survey area, Umm an-Nar, Wadi Suq, and Iron Age remains are concentrated in just a few places. Interestingly, there is little continuation regarding site location between the different periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our pursuit to identify an Iron Age I soft-stone assemblage, we physically handled and examined about 350 vessels (including lids) from various sites in Ra's al-Khaimah and Oman. Through a process of elimination, we isolated a distinct set of vessels from collective tombs that ceased being used after the Iron Age I period (c.1300-1000 BC). Subsequent systematic examination of available data -- published and unpublished -- revealed a sizeable quantity of related materials throughout south-east Arabia. So far, nearly 800 individual vessels have been identified from forty sites in south-east Arabia, including ten settlements. A common leitmotif characterizes this assemblage and, together with other secondary characteristics, sets it apart vis-à-vis 'classic' Iron Age II vessels. The corpus represents two distinct stylistic groups that appear to be chronologically disparate, provisionally labelled 'early' and 'late'. Although based on limited information, the two groups display a different distribution that seems to reflect important dynamics at play during the Iron Age I period. Several inferences can be drawn from them that provide a different perspective than the one derived from the distribution of contemporaneous handmade pottery, which is very restricted. Our research puts soft-stone vessels at the forefront of the discussion on the nature and extent of the Iron Age I horizon in southeast Arabia by providing a fresh perspective and a much-needed impetus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advancement of microelectronics and web-based communication are making a good space in various avenues of human comfort. However the high level vehicle frameworks end up being an aid to humanity, the equivalent has additionally been a catastrophe and misfortune with regards to lethal mishaps joined by gigantic death toll and property. This misfortune is boss when clinical benefits and relatives are not getting incidental data on schedule. The goal of this proposition is to plan a functioning model of insightful and coordinated security framework to public and private vehicles in Oman, to forestall street mishaps by alarming the driver under unusual conditions and if incase of mishap, the point by point data identified with the mishap is imparted to the closest medical clinics, ROP stations and pre-put away numbers will be shared rapidly through Vehicular impromptu organizations (VANET) in IoT Platform. This early recognition is conceivable by ceaselessly checking the significant boundaries of the vehicle through inbuilt sensors inserted with IOT (web of things Technology) and this information is persistently contrasted and the standard data, the digressed values are shared to the primary worker through a cloud administration. The area of the vehicle will be followed reliably through GPS framework. A GSM/GPRS framework is utilized to send an alarm message, if the area is a no organization region, a RF module is utilized to communicate the ready data and is gotten by the moving vehicle including this framework inside the scope of RF Module, and this is shipped off the following moving vehicle and this cycle will proceed with like a tied series until the vehicle in the organization region will get this message. When the message is gotten by the vehicle in network region, the alarm message will be sent to the base station of the VANET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research discusses the relationship between green human resource management and green supply chain management. A questionnaire was created for quantitative purposes. The questionnaire comprises 29 items divided in each variable. The respondents of the survey were 305 Employees from industrial companies in the Dhofar region participated in the study. Random probability sampling used. Using partial least squares analysis, four hypotheses were developed and analyzed. Results showed that green recruitment has significantly influences green supply chain. Green training has significantly affected the green supply chain management. Green performance appraisal has significantly affected to green supply chain management. Green encouragement has significantly effect the green supply chain management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet banking (IB) is not a new phenomenon anymore as more and more financial institutions worldwide jump onto this wagon as it creates win-win situation for all parties. There is no need to go to bank office to pay bills, check account balance and make funds transfer. Today banks with significant IB experience provide even more complicated online financial tools and services. Nonetheless, due to the fact that platform of IB is World Wide Web, security and privacy issues are of high concern. So banks in Oman, lacking technically advanced experience of other countries should provide more safe and secure IB services, as security issues in this vulnerable area do exist. This work studies security and safety problems and suggests theoretical and practical recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship in Oman is still in the developing stage considering the business policies and structures and currently, the government is focusing on strengthening the SME in the country. Administering the challenges among the SMEs in Oman proving that there is scope for growth of entrepreneurs in the country. Oman 2040 vision has a specific emphasis on small and medium enterprises and is the key to the long-term economic growth of the country. The literature review proved that SMEs in Oman are facing challenges in developing and implementing their strategies. The study attempt to identify ways and means, which will establish and sustain the vibrancy for Omani SME entrepreneurs so that they can play a vital role as the engine of growth in Oman’s economic development efforts in the form of independent variables such as capacity building, employment generation, promoting competitive market, technological development. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 174 SME entrepreneurs from the Sultanate of Oman and was analyzed with stepwise multiple regression to study the impact of independent variables on growth, stability, and economic development. However, it is revealed that the overall regression model is a good fit for the data. This study shall highlight the opportunities for Omani to encourage and facilitate new business startups. It is therefore recommended that there needs a strong partnership with industries that can mutually benefit and provide support to the new startups in the country. The author concludes by examining the factors affecting the economic development and the steps to be taken by the authorities to evolve a conducive environment to encourage more new SMEs in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex of ten Umm an-Nar tombs at the site of QA 1 is one of the objectives of a joint Omani-Polish research project1 carried out in the micro-region of Qumayrah situated in the interior of north-western Oman, c.60 km to the south-east of the archaeological site of Hili in the UAE. Excavations focused first on the Umm an-Nar tomb QA 1-1. The tomb interior included four chambers delimited by two cross walls; two of these chambers were targeted for full excavation from 2016 to 2018. They yielded an abundance of human skeletal remains with associated grave-goods, the vast majority of which were securely dated to the Umm an-Nar period. There is an intriguing issue related to the tomb's floor and the distribution of bone deposits. Most human remains were recovered in areas where the stone-paved floor was missing. It can thus be assumed that that QA 1-1 most likely represents an Umm an-Nar use of the structure that included remodelling the interior of the tomb itself to create more space for successive burials. This remodelling consisted mainly of dismantling a large area of the floor. The discovery of a stone-paved floor, which extended only to the front part of one of the excavated chambers, and a narrow paving along its walls, may indicate an internal division of the chamber into a 'vestibule' and an appropriate burial space, along with communication passages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]