Sultan Qaboos University

Effects of Base Roughness on the Bearing Capacity and Settlement of Strip Footings in Sand

The effects of base roughness on footing bearing capacity in sand are well recognized; nevertheless, detailed experimental studies to quantify such effects are sparse. Therefore, this paper investigates the effects of base roughness on strip footing bearing capacity in sand. Two...

Drying Kinetics, Effective Moisture Diffusivity, and Thermodynamic Analysis of Banana Slices Under Potassium Metabisulfite (KMS) Pretreatment

The present study investigates the effect of drying temperature and potassium metabisulfite (KMS) pretreatment on the drying kinetics, effective moisture diffusivity, activation energy, thermodynamic properties, and thin-layer drying-model performance of green banana slices. Bana...

Study of Wrist Joint Movements, Hand Dimensions, and Comparison to Grip Strength Among Omani Medical Students: A Pilot Study

Background: Wrist joint position and hand anthropometric measurements may affect grip strength and hand performance. This pilot, analytical cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between different wrist positions and grip strength, as well as the association...

Cancer care in Pakistan: a national survey of infrastructure, diagnostic capacity, therapeutic access, and workforce perspectives

Pakistan, a lower-middle-income country of some 241 million people, faces a rising cancer burden — an estimated 185,748 new cancer cases and 118,631 cancer deaths in 2022 — that is served by a heterogeneous and largely uncoordinated mix of public, private for-profit, philanthropi...

Seismic vulnerability and sustainable retrofit strategies for traditional masonry heritage buildings in Oman

Traditional masonry buildings constitute an important part of Oman’s architectural heritage; however, their seismic performance has received limited systematic attention despite the country’s exposure to regional and local seismic hazards. This study presents a qualitative assess...

The Burden of Dialysis-Related Symptoms and Medication Non-Adherence Among Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis in Oman: A Multi-Center Study

Background: Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) experience substantial dialysis-related symptoms and medication non-adherence that negatively impact clinical outcomes, yet these remain understudied in Oman and other Middle East countries. Objectives: To determine the prevalence...

Cardioprotective Effects of Aloe vera-Derived Bioactive Compounds in Myocardial Infarction: A Preclinical Review of Mechanisms and Dosages

Myocardial infarction (MI) is characterized by sudden cardiomyocyte death due to impaired blood supply and remains a leading cause of mortality despite advances in management. Aloe vera, a plant rich in over 75 bioactive compounds, including vitamins, minerals, polysaccharides, a...

Targeting Overweight and Obesity Phenotypes for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Call to Action for the Middle East and Beyond

ABSTRACT Although there are conflicting clinical data on the efficacy of weight reduction in reducing secondary events in patients with comorbid overweight and obesity (OAO) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), there is excellent epidemiological and biological evidence of a cause–ef...

Multi-objective siting-sizing for smart real-time coordinated flood management in mixed urban-natural watersheds

Population growth and urbanization have increasingly driven the expansion of urban areas into floodplains. To address this issue, detention basins provide a well-established approach for reducing flood risk while decreasing the need for costly upgrades to downstream stormwater co...

Thermal, Structural, and Functional Interactions of Date Seed Powder-Sucrose Composites Produced by Thermal Treatment

Abstract The incorporation of dietary fibers into sucrose-rich food systems represents a promising strategy for developing healthier reduced-sugar formulations; however, the structural interactions governing their functionality during thermal processing remain poorly understood....

Thermal, Spectroscopic and Luminescence Properties of Lanthanide/PMMA Hybrid Materials

A new class of Ln(III) Schiff base (SB) complexes has been synthesized with the general formula [LnL(hfac)3], where Ln = Tb (TbL), Eu (EuL), Sm (SmL) or Gd (GdL). The molecular structure of the complex was determined using the X-ray diffraction method. The IR spectra show that th...

Arduino-controlled pulse electrodeposition for low-cost zinc coating on stainless steel

<title>Abstract</title> Metal corrosion is a major challenge in the manufacturing sector. Pulse electrodeposition (PED) is a promising effective technique for metal corrosion protection; however, the coating quality depends on the PED parameters. This study involved metal corrosi...

Clinical outcomes of minimally invasive liver resection in patients with cirrhosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Backgrounds/Aims: The impact of cirrhosis on outcomes following minimally invasive liver resection (MILR) remains debated. This meta-analysis evaluates the effect of cirrhosis on perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing MILR. Methods: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web...

Pre-Paleocene Kohistan–Karakoram Amalgamation: Evidence from the Detrital Zircon Provenance of the Baraul Banda Formation, Pakistan

The Baraul Banda Formation preserves an important Paleocene–Eocene sedimentary record within the western Kohistan–Ladakh Arc (KLA) and provides new constraints on sediment provenance and tectonic evolution during the final stages of Neo-Tethyan closure. This study integrates stra...

Quantile connectedness between African stock markets, Twitter sentiment index, implied volatilities, financial condition index and economic uncertainty

Purpose This study aims to examine the quantile-based time-frequency spillovers between African stock prices and global uncertainty indicators. Design/methodology/approach The study applies the quantile vector autoregressive connectedness framework to daily data (2012–2023) for n...

A cross-sectional study on identification and prevalence of hard ticks parasitizing large and small domestic animals

Ticks are blood-sucking ectoparasites transmitting pathogens that cause anemia, skin damage, weight loss, reduced meat and milk production, morbidity, and mortality in livestock. This study identified tick species and their prevalence on buffaloes, sheep, cows, and goats in Multa...

Catfish Transgenesis and Gene Editing: Overview, Recent Advances, and Future Perspectives

Transgenesis and gene editing offer a promising approach for more efficient and sustainable aquaculture by generating high-performance fish to enhance global food security. This article provides a comprehensive review of the history, current status, and future perspectives of emp...

Moderate Biochar–Compost Mixture Is More Effective in Improving Biomass, Nutrient Fluxes, and Photosynthetic Outputs for Sustainable Land Restoration and Soil Fertility

ABSTRACT Soil nutrient depletion severely constrains crop productivity in degraded and saline environments. Strategies such as biochar–compost integration could be useful for sustainable agriculture and land restoration on a global scale. This study evaluated the effects of bioch...

Early Outcomes and Complications of Skin Graft Reconstruction for Complex Wounds at a Tertiary Hospital: A Single-Centre Study in Oman

Background: Complex wounds present significant reconstructive challenges owing to impaired healing, infections, and tissue loss. Skin grafting remains a widely used reconstructive technique; however, outcome data from the Gulf region are limited to a few studies. This study aimed...

Radiologic Presentation of Invasive Ductal and Lobular Breast Carcinoma: A Single-Center Experience from Oman

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide and remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. The most frequent histological subtypes are invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), which demonstrate different biologi...