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Objective Diabetes mellitus is a major cause of morbidity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), highlighting a significant social and economic burden impacting the development of the country. Studies have shown a bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease. The awareness of this relationship is imperative not only for dentists but also for the physicians who contribute toward enhancing a diabetic patient's health and lifestyle. There is a general need to highlight the importance of maintaining periodontal health and its positive effect on controlling diabetic health status. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge of the physicians regarding diabetes and periodontal health. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study involving a questionnaire was distributed to the physicians who were attending the Arab Health Conference in Dubai in 2019. Statistical Analyses A cross-tabulation analysis compared attitude, knowledge, and awareness across sector, gender, and country of graduation. A logistic regression model was used to explain the “knowledge” regarding possible confounding factors. Results A total of 344 physicians with an average age of 38.11 (9.31) years, comprising of 186 (53.8%) males, participated in the survey. Of those participants, 285 (82.8%) were working in the government sector health care centers versus the private health care organizations. Also, 108 (31.4%) of the participants graduated within the universities based in the UAE, while the remaining 263 (68.6%) participants graduated from medical schools from other countries. At least 265 (77%) of the participants had positive outlook toward referring patients with diabetes to their dental colleagues, while 283 (82.3%) of the physicians acknowledge that diabetes affects periodontal health. While a majority of participants 261 (76%) treat diabetic patients in their clinical practice, only 50 (19%) of the participants admit to referring these patients for a dental consultation. In addition, the survey also revealed that 225 (65.5%) physicians comprehend the bidirectional relationship of periodontal disease and diabetes. Conclusion An appropriate dental referral protocol is recommended for all diabetic patients who visit physicians. This survey demonstrated that although the physicians present with good knowledge, they rarely refer diabetic patients to receive proper periodontal care.

This study aimed to evaluate the dynamic cyclic fatigue resistance of heat-treated nickel-titanium (NiTi) files after usage and autoclaving.Two heat-treated NiTi file systems with tip sizes of #25 (ie, ProTaper Gold F2 [Dentsply Sirona, Charlotte, NC] and TruNatomy Prime [Dentsply Sirona]) were selected. Files of each system were divided into 3 experimental subgroups (n = 10). For subgroup 1, new files were tested to establish the baseline number of cycles to failure (NCF). For subgroup 2, files underwent canal instrumentation in a simulated J-shaped canal block with 35° of curvature and a 16.5-mm length. The simulated canals were pre-enlarged using stainless steel files #10K and #15K. After instrumentation, the files were tested. For subgroup 3, files underwent canal instrumentation as in subgroup 2 followed by autoclave sterilization and then were tested for cyclic failure. The cyclic fatigue test was performed in dynamic pecking motion under body temperature. The time to fracture was recorded and calculated into NCF. Fracture fragment lengths were measured using a digital microcaliper. Statistical analysis was conducted using the independent t test and multifactorial analysis of variance with 95% significance. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the topographic characteristics after cyclic fatigue tests.There were no significant differences between file systems in subgroup 1 using new files (P .05). Although PG reduced the NCF after use, TN showed a significantly increased NCF (P .05). However, after sterilization, TN showed a reduced NCF compared with the used one (P .05).Cyclic loading by usage and heat treatment during sterilization may result in different cyclic fatigue resistance according to the geometry and alloy characteristics.

The sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, is an important insect pest of many crops including vegetables through direct feeding damage and as a vector of several plant viruses. Intensive use of insecticides has led to the development of insecticide resistance in global B. tabaci populations. This study was conducted to establish susceptibility levels to deltamethrin, thiamethoxam and pyriproxyfen in seven geographically different populations of B. tabaci MEAM1 adults in Oman. All B. tabaci populations showed very low to low level of resistance (2.1–12.3 fold) to deltamethrin. All B. tabaci populations showed no resistance to very low level of resistance to thiamethoxam (2.2–6.2 fold) and pyriproxyfen (2.4–3.5 fold). A likelihood analysis showed the possibility for control failure in two populations (Barka and Salalah) to deltamethrin, however, no possible failure was detected in all populations for thiamethoxam and pyriproxyfen. An insecticide resistance dynamics study in one population (SQU-1) showed a loss in susceptibility to deltamethrin with increase in the LC50 value from 25.1 mg L−1 to 84.5 mg L−1 between 2017 and 2019 resulting in 5.3 fold increase in RF. The study results determined that several B. tabaci populations are at the initial stages of resistance development to deltamethrin and cross-resistance with thiamethoxam and pyriproxyfen. Vegetable farmers in Oman, the Barka and Salalah regions in particular, should be cautious in the repeated use of one class of insecticide alone.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted in order to explore and analyze the status of gestational diabetes (GDM) amongst pregnant women in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE); a country with high prevalence of diabetes. We aimed to describe GDM-associated risk factors and clinical outcomes of pregnant women and their neonates. Our objective was to contribute to the broader literature on reproductive health disparities and to inform efforts to improve GDM care at our region. METHODS: Chart review of case records were used to collect data on both maternal and neonatal parameters and outcomes during the specified study period from two main maternity hospitals in Dubai. RESULTS: UAE national women with GDM were more prone to be obese or overweight compared to non-UAE women (p

Honeybees are exposed to insecticides by direct contact with spray droplets or residues on plant, or through ingestion of contaminated pollen or nectar. Direct contact with foliar spray might be the most common exposure route and contact bioassays are preferred as they better simulate field situation. Bioassays were conducted during 2018 at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. The acute contact and oral toxicity of commercial formulations of deltamethrin 2.5 EC, thiamethoxam 25 WG and acetamiprid 20 SL to Apis mellifera subsp. lamarckii Cockerell 1906 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) foragers were measured by three exposure methods (contact by a 1-µL droplet on thorax, contact by Potter spray tower and oral ingestion). Potter tower exposure gave significantly higher mortality at lower concentration of deltamethrin than contact exposure by single droplet on thorax. Thiamethoxam showed significantly higher mortality through oral exposure at all concentrations. HQoral values were also calculated. Acetamiprid did not give more than 50% mortality even with the highest concentration. Potter tower produced fine droplets (0.286±0.071 µm) and a total of 0.829 µL was deposited on a single honeybee. Forager honeybees are more likely be exposed to the very fine droplets in field and toxicological results obtained by Potter tower or similar devices will be more realistic than a single droplet on thorax., Bal arıları sprey damlamaları veya bitkilerdeki kalıntılarından doğrudan temas ile, ya da bulaşık polen veya nektar alımı ile insektisitlere maruz kalmaktadır. İlaçlama ile doğrudan teması en yaygın maruz kalma şeklidir ve arazideki durumu daha iyi simüle ettiği için temas biyolojik denemeleri tercih edilmektedir. Biyolojik denemeler, 2018 yılında Umman Sultan Qaboos Üniversitesi'nde yürütülmüştür. deltamethrin 2.5 EC, thiamethoxam 25 WG ve acetamiprid 20 SL’nin ticari formülasyonlarının Apis mellifera subsp. lamarckii Cockerell 1906 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) toplayıcılara akut teması ve ağızdan zehirlenmesi üç yöntem (thoraks üzerinde 1-µL damlacık ile temas, Potter sprey kulesi ile temas ve oral alınım) ile ölçülmüştür. Potter kule uygulaması, daha düşük deltametrin konsantrasyonunda, thoraks üzerindeki tek damlacık ile temasta etkilenmeye göre önemli ölçüde daha yüksek ölüm oranı sağlamıştır. Thiamethoxam, tüm konsantrasyonlarda oral yoldan maruz kalma ile önemli ölçüde daha yüksek ölüm oranı göstermiştir. HQoral değerleri de hesaplanmıştır. Acetamiprid, en yüksek konsantrasyonda bile %50'den fazla ölüm oranı vermemiştir. Potter kulesi, ince damlacıklar (0.286 ± 0.071 µm) üretmiştir ve tek bir bal arısı üzerinde toplam 0.829 µL biriktirilmiştir. Toplayıcı bal arıları, tarladaki çok ince damlacıklara maruz kalmaya daha yatkındır ve Potter kulesi veya benzer cihazları kullanarak elde edilen toksikolojik sonuçlar, thorakstaki tek bir damlacığa göre daha gerçekçi olacaktır.

In this study, an entomopathogenic fungus was isolated from whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) cadaver samples collected from eggplant fields in Barka, Oman. The fungus was identified as Cordyceps javanica ...

This communication reports on records of fourteen species and three morphospecies from Oman. Squamapion sp., Nanophyes sp., Schoenherr, 1838, Hoplopodapion tibesticola (Alonso-Zarazaga, 1983), Aegyptobaris arctithorax (Pic, 1899), Eumycterus albosquamulatus Boheman, 1838, Proeces filum (Marshall, 1933), Rhamphus micros Colonnelli, 2009, Sharpia sabulicola Colonnelli, 2009, Smicronyx (Smicronyx) rufipennis Tournier, 1874, Amblyrhinus cylindricollis Magnano, 2009, Myllocerus undecimpustulatus Faust, 1891, Cosmogaster cordofanus (Fåhraeus, 1842), Hypolixus nubilosus (Boheman, 1836), Microlarinus irregularis Colonnelli, 2009 are from northen Oman and Araecerus sp., Cylindroides bifasciatus (Quedenfeldt, 1887), Orfilaia arabica (Muizon, 1954) from Dhofar in southern Oman.

The elemental compositions of healthy and infested leaves of three species of lemon trees (Citrus aurantifolia, Citrus aurantium and Citrus medica) were compared to determine the impact of herbivorous insects on their uptake potentials. Systematically higher in the infested leaves than in the healthy, the total contents of major elements confirm a stress effect. The total amount of up-taken elements is increased by 8.2% in C. aurantium and by up to 30.9% in C. medica. Nutritive elements such as P and K decreased in C. aurantium, while they increased in the two other species by 5.3%, which is not representative analytically, and 61%. These notably different uptakes were obtained for two tree species infested by the same type of insect, demonstrating in turn that the type of insects does not determine the tree behavior. In turn, the elemental uptake by C. aurantium is almost systematically to the opposite of those of the two other species, which confirms that the defense process of the trees studied here is not insect specific but plant dependent. The different uptakes observed under defense stress do not suggest a standard behavior, reflecting a heterogeneous distribution of the major elements in the tree leaves. This interpretation is supported by the distribution of the rare earth elements of the infested leaves relative to that of the healthy equivalents. The varied patterns of the rare earth elements confirm that the trees do not develop a unique defense reaction. They display: (1) a flat distribution in C. medica without any fractionation induced by the insects, (2) a distribution characterized by an increased content in heavy rare earth elements in Citrus aurantifolia and (3) a pattern with a partially flat distribution but a significant decrease in the Ce content.

Robots are expected to become an essential part in tackling the global corona virus pandemic. However, acquiring robotic technology in economically-challenged nations is very difficult for a variety of factors. This work aims at developing a low-cost Telexistence systems that can be used for remote manipulation. We propose a system comprising components on the local site, which comprise a commonly available VR headset, a tracking system and a 3D-printed haptic exoskeleton. The remote site comprises a small robot arm. We discuss the implementation specifics of our approach. We evaluated our system by comparing usability and performance in two tasks while using the VR headset and a monitor. Users were able to complete the two tasks successfully with our system. Moreover, results show superiority of the VR headset, however, the screen also show promising results, and thereby offer a cheaper deployment option.

The paper rethinks the role of sustainable human resource management practices in achieving corporate excellence, using the case of Oman, an emerging Arab Gulf economy currently pursuing an economic diversification strategy tagged Oman Vision 2040. The paper is based on the survey data collected from 212 workers and managers working in the nation’s capital city, Muscat, between December 2020 and February 2021. The respondents were randomly surveyed across Oman Vision 2040’s priority economic diversification agenda sectors: investment management, infrastructure, energy, banking, and telecommunication. The analysis includes 22 data points covering essential HRM practices, including recruitment, compensation, motivation, organisational training, and learning and development. The IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the data analysis. Descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing of Karl Pearson’s r correlation, emphasising the p-value < 0.01 interpreted to be highly significant at a 1% significance level, are presented. Adopting HRM as a strategic partner in a business model significantly impact organisational excellence, especially concerning staff training and appraisal system. However, while country-specific factors might influence the HRM practice in the domestic context, the expected association between Omani strategic HRM factors, such as labour laws, expatriate workforce, and foreign education and organisational excellence, may not be supported by the current empirical evidence. The research also found a weak correlation between job performance and employee appraisal systems. This paper used survey data from human beings, workers and HRM managers, whose responses might be open to distortions; further research is required to confirm these results using multiple data sources. The need to encourage creativity and innovation in job performance through continuous on-the-job training and development leveraging technology and data analytics applications is acknowledged. The implications for rethinking SHRM practices and policies towards developing a new intrapreneurial, well-motivated, adaptive, and trained workforce are documented. Human capital’s adequacy and quality have been widely recognised as critical to any organisation's value-creation goal. Still, research to date is somewhat inconclusive on what the priority HRM practices should be in the contemporary fast-paced, technology-driven business environment. This research makes a theoretical and empirical contribution to scholarly discussions on the role of SHRM practices in modern organisations. It also adds value to SHRM research and practice. The present research may be the first Oman-specific SHRM study with empirical perspectives from the Covid-19 pandemic.

This study compared the effects of pitch length on the torsional resistance and cyclic fatigue resistance of glide path preparation instruments.G-File (G1 and G2; Micro-Mega, Besançon, France) and new generation G-File (NG1 and NG2, Micro-Mega) instruments were compared to evaluate the effects of the shorter pitch of the latter (25% shorter than G-File). G1 and NG1 have a #12 tip size, whereas G2 and NG2 have a #17 tip size. All the files have the same taper of 3%. For comparing the torsional resistances (n = 15), the file was fixed at 4 mm from the tip, and the clockwise rotation at a constant rotational speed of 2 rpm was adjusted until the file fractured. The maximum torsional load and distortion angle at fracture were recorded. For comparing the cyclic fatigue resistances (n = 15), the files were freely rotated in a simulated canal (radius, 3 mm; curvature, 90°) at a speed of 300 rpm in a dynamic mode. When the file fractured, the time elapsed was recorded using a chronometer. The number of cycles to failure was calculated by multiplying the total time to failure by the rotation rate. Fractured fragments were examined under the scanning electron microscope.The NG2 instruments had significantly higher fatigue resistance and torsional strength than the G2 instruments (P .05) and showed approximately the same fatigue resistance as the G1. Scanning electron microscopic examinations revealed the typical appearances of 2 failure modes.A shorter pitch design increased cyclic fatigue resistance and torsional strength of the glide path instruments.

The focus of this study was to determine people's perception and knowledge toward land degradation and management in the Al-Suwaiq Wilayat of Al-Batinah North, Sultanate of Oman. This area has been under pressure and competed for by several uses. Structured questionnaire survey with questions related to land degradation and management were used for the assessment in the beginning of the year 2016. In total, 238 households were surveyed in the Wilayat following a random sampling method. The results indicate that residents were aware of the on-going land degradation due to salinization, construction, and public work activities in the area. Residents perceive land degradation mainly by reduced yields and the most important perceived indicator is loss of soil nutrients that reduced crop yield, reduction in family income followed by increased cost for management. The study findings highlight that sustainable use and management of land resources is required in creating awareness programs to educate resi...

Aims The purpose of this study was to identify special oral and dentofacial manifestations of β-thalassemia major (ΒTM) in Emarati children in Dubai (UAE). Materials and methods A total of 38 (ΒTM) and 76 healthy Emirati children were recruited. An oral examination was conducted to determine dmft/DMFT indices, Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, occlusal anomalies, dentofacial, and soft-tissue abnormalities. Results ΒTM children had significantly higher DMFT compared to the healthy controls (p-value, 0.017). The Met Need Index (MNI) and the Restorative Index (RI) were lower in the ΒTM group but without statistical significance. Calculus Index (CI) was found to be significantly higher in ΒTM children (p-value, 0.002). The proportion of gingivitis was significantly lower in the ΒTM group (p-value, 0.009). ΒTM children had significantly higher proportion of retained primary teeth (p-value, 0.001) and gingival pigmentation compared with healthy controls (p-value, 0.001). BTM children did not have any statistically significant difference in the Angle molar classiication compared to the control. Interestigly, a significantly higher proportion of transverse cross bite was found in the control subjects compared to the BTM group (p-value, 0.004). Conclusions Significantly higher DMFT, retained primary teeth, gingival pigmentation, and CI was found in the BTM group compared to the controls while significantly lower gingivitis index and transverse cross bite was seen in the BTM group.

In recent era, the quadcopters have become popular particularly due to their extension as unmanned aerial vehicles and remotely piloted aerial systems. The critical nature of its flight control is one of the main concerns for its advanced operations. These advanced operations involve on-board stabilization, trajectory tracking, unpredictable changes in the environment, and resilience to noisy data from small sensor systems. In this work, the quadcopter has been considered as a constrained problem, where optimization is required during transition between different set-points of advanced flight control, operations in action and reaction pairs. Firstly, dynamics of quadcopter along with its translational motion have been derived. Secondly, constrained optimization cost function has been set, which is the main building block for deriving the augmented Lagrangian optimization. Thirdly, co-states of the derived constraints are determined to maintain convergence. Performance evaluation showed accuracy of the proposed scheme.