Latest news with #11thNationalResearchAward
Observer
21-05-2025
- Science
- Observer
A novel design of microbial desalination
MUSCAT: Winning in the Environmental and Biological Resources field in the Young Researcher's category, 'Desalination and acid-base recovery in a novel design of microbial desalination and chemical recovery cell' by Eng Azhar bint Juma Hamdan al Hinaiyah, Head of Waste Management Section in Environment Authority, was among the winning innovative research projects in the 11th National Research Award, organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. Discussing the reasons behind the study, Eng Azhar al Hinai mentioned that microbial desalination cell (MDC) is deemed as an environmentally friendly technology for water treatment using organic matters present in wastewater for the desalination process. Microbial desalination and chemical recovery cell (MDCC) is a modified version of MDC that desalinates saline water using wastewater as fuel, generates electricity and concurrently produces value-added products. However, several factors have limited the MDCC performance and its development, eg, pH imbalance, ions accumulation and high internal resistance. Eng Azhar elaborated that MDCCs, so far, are fabricated through modifying the dual-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) by placing the desalination and recovery chambers between the anodic and cathodic chambers, which not only increases the distance between two electrodes, but also brings different types of membranes between them leading to high internal resistance. Therefore, this research, for the first time, demonstrated a novel design of MDCC, which is a modified version of a single chamber membrane-less MFC, named SMDCC; with the focus of removing barriers between the anode and cathode while upholding desalination and chemical recovery features of MDCC. The study focused on assessment of SMDCC performance in terms of electrolyte pH, acid and base recovery and desalination rate at different salt concentrations and in absence and presence of applied power supply. For the main findings, Eng Azhar stated that this study proposed a new configuration for the microbial desalination and chemical recovery cell. The performance of the system in terms of electrolyte pH, acid and base recoveries and desalination rate were assessed comprehensively. She added that the results showed that the pH of the anode-cathode chamber of SMDCC was stable over the operation due to the absence of membranes between the anode and the cathode. In the case of 10 g/L salts concentration and in the absence of the external power supply, the pH of the HCl production chamber decreased to 3.029 and the pH of the alkali-production chamber increased to 8.96. Furthermore, at high salt concentrations of 35 g/L, the acid and base recovery were enhanced (pH of 2.79 for acid and 9.41 for base pro duction chamber). The chemical recovery rate increased to 1.96 mg/h of acid and 1.48 mg/h for the base when 1.0 V of external voltage was applied. These results demonstrated the proof of concept for simultaneous desalination and chemicals recovery from a sustainable desalination system which is a modified version of single chamber membranelles MFC. Eng Azhar pointed out that further investigations on the ion transport mechanism and detailed comparative analysis between single and dual-chamber modified MDCCs could enlighten more aspects of this new configuration. This particular study, according to Eng Azhar, is contributing to achieve the national goals of the environment and natural resources priority in Oman Vision 2040 as it applies the concept of circular economy and use of renewable source of energy. This research project was published in the journal Sigma-Aldrich, Scopus and Elsevier. The research team consist of Eng Azhar, Dr Abdullah al Mamun, Dr Tahereh Jafary, Eng Halima bint Khalifa Saif al Himaliyah, and Dr Sadik Rahman. In regard to her win, Eng Azhar stated that 'this award has been a moment of immense pride and gratitude, symbolising the culmination of years of effort, perseverance and a passion for discovery. It is a profound honour that symbolises the recognition of hard work, creativity and dedication to advancing knowledge in the environment and natural resources field. It would serve as a reminder of the collaborative efforts and support from mentors, colleagues and teams that contributed to my journey. This is considered a great incentive for me to do more research studies that contribute to development and innovation of solutions to solve challenges in various sectors. It is also considered as evidence of the governmental effort in encouraging researchers and motivating them to publish scientific papers in various scientific journals. To me, it is more than a personal achievement, it is a testament to the power of curiosity and the importance of contributing something meaningful to society and the scientific community; and in shaping a better future for the next generation.'
Muscat Daily
05-05-2025
- Science
- Muscat Daily
Omani research links mobile learning with better English skills
Muscat – Mobile-assisted learning techniques significantly improve vocabulary and speaking skills among English language learners, a study conducted in Oman has found. Led by Dr Abdullah bin Humaid Abdullah al Abri of University of Technology and Applied Sciences Nizwa, the research investigated the use of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) tools in classrooms. It concluded that students using mobile platforms showed better lexical fluency and oral performance than those taught through conventional methods. 'Teachers reported positive views on the flexibility and effectiveness of MALL tools, highlighting their potential to enhance language teaching practices,' said Abri. The study also found that MALL promoted a more student-centred environment, encouraging participation from learners typically hesitant to speak in class. Qualitative data showed that students were more engaged and motivated when using mobile tools for vocabulary acquisition and speaking practice. Dr Abdullah bin Humaid Abdullah al Abri of University of Technology and Applied Sciences Nizwa The findings were part of a project titled 'Exploring Learning-Oriented Assessment in Enhancing Students' Lexical Fluency through MALL', published in the journal Education and Information Technologies . The research was conducted in collaboration with Dr Fatemeh Ranjbaran Madiseh from Sultan Qaboos University and Dr Mostafa Morady Moghaddam from Shahrood University of Technology in Iran. The project was one of 13 winners at the 11th National Research Award organised by Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, taking top honours in the PhD category under the Education and Human Resources field. 'This recognition inspires me to continue pursuing innovative projects that contribute to language learning and education,' Abri said.
Observer
27-04-2025
- Health
- Observer
Award-winning research advances breast cancer image classification
MUSCAT: Among the standout projects at the 11th National Research Award organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MoHERI), the study titled 'Feed-forward networks using logistic regression and support vector machine for whole-slide breast cancer histopathology image classification' by Dr ArunaDevi Karuppasamy, Assistant Professor at the Department of Computing Sciences, Gulf College, received top honours in the Information and Communication Technologies field (PhD category). Dr ArunaDevi's research addresses the critical challenge of histopathology image classification, essential for breast cancer diagnosis. While traditional methods rely on hand-crafted features, her study explores feed-forward approaches, proposing Convolutional Logistic Regression (CLR) and Convolutional Support Vector Machine (CSVM-H) networks. Dr ArunaDevi Karuppasamy These methods leverage predefined or externally learned filters, overcoming limitations of back-propagation techniques such as vanishing gradients and heavy data requirements. Experiments showed that CLR and CSVM-H achieved superior accuracy and faster training times on small datasets from Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) and BreaKHis, outperforming traditional models like VggNet-16 and ResNet-50. Both models demonstrated high Area Under Curve (AUC) scores (0.83 and 0.84 on the SQUH dataset), highlighting their efficiency for small, labelled datasets with limited computational resources.
Observer
23-03-2025
- Science
- Observer
Research explores CO2 storage in North Oman
MUSCAT, March 23 The work of Principal investigator Dr Mingjie Chen, Researcher at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), is among the winning innovative research projects at the 11th National Research Award, organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MoHERI). The researcher won for his work in the energy and industry field in the PhD category, titled 'Use closed reservoirs for CO2 storage and heat recovery: A two-stage brine-extraction and CO2-circulation strategy.' Dr Mingjie mentioned that integrated CO2 (carbon dioxide) geologic storage (CGS), and CO2 plume geothermal (CPG) production provide an attractive approach not only to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentration but also to generate carbon-free geothermal energy to supplement electricity power. Small to moderate scale closed-boundary reservoirs have rarely been evaluated for CGS-CPG. One of the major reasons is that the closed system has limited storage volume, and native brine has nowhere to escape to free storage space for injected CO2. For this study, Dr Mingjie and his research team aimed to provide a solution to the issue by implementing an innovative two-stage operational strategy to realise CGS-CPG in closed fault-blocks in oil/gas fields in North Oman. Dr Mingjie Chen, SQU Researcher, and Principal investigator The proposed strategy extracts pure hot brine and CO2 in two sequential stages by two separate horizontal wells and can effectively avoid brine-CO2 separation on ground surface. A suite of numerical models is developed to evaluate the approach with a variety of reservoir conditions and operations. The main findings revealed that CO2 sequestration is achieved mainly during the CGS stage, and supplementary during the CPG stage, in which negative net storage could happen in situations of extremely low porosity and high extraction rate. During CGS, the higher the porosity, the more the store CO2. The higher the regulated overpressure, the more the compressed CO2 in the pore space freed by produced brine. The largest CO2 storage achieved is 6.1 Mt in 16 years of lifespan for the simulation with highest porosity and overpressure. Moreover, the total recovered heat energy from produced hot brine and circulated CO2 is determined merely by porosity and increases almost linearly from 2.2 to 3.6 (×1015 Joules) with it, whereas the heat flux averaged in the lifespan (thermal power capacity) is controlled by both permeability and overpressure, varying from 0.5 to 7.5 MW with the increase of both parameters. Dr Mingjie also added that the IW-PW2 (injection well-CO2 production well) well space (L) should not be larger than 500 m in order to meet the required 0.94 of minimal CO2 cut in produced fluids from PW2. Under this constraint, the total heat energy from CO2 circulation is controlled by L only and can reach up to 6×1015 Joules. The CO2 thermal power capacity, however, is controlled by extraction rate (Q), and almost linearly increases from 2 to 7 MW with Q from 6 to 18 kg/s. The results demonstrated the feasibility of our solution for implementing CGS-CPG in closed underground reservoirs, and indicate the tremendous potentials to use depleted oil/gas reservoirs as the candidate fields, which widely exist in North Oman and the world. Comprehensive economic evaluation using Levelised Cost Of Energy (LCOE) and Net Present Value (NPV) are undergoing for the proposed approach: paving the way for pilot-scale field experiments and possible commercialisation. This research project was published in Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments. The research team consisted of Dr Mingjie along with Dr Ali al Maktoumi, Dr Azizallah Izady from Sultan Qaboos University, Prof Jianchao Cai from China University of Petroleum, and Dr Yanhui Dong from Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Times of Oman
18-03-2025
- Health
- Times of Oman
Omani research project applies new technique for banana quality control
Muscat: The 'Banana fruit bruise detection using fractal dimension based image processing' is among the winning innovative research projects at the 11th National Research Award organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. Dr. Mai Khalfan Salim Al Dairi, Research Assistant at Sultan Qaboos University, won in the Information and Communication Technologies field in the Young Researcher's category. Discussing her research project, Dr. Mai Al Dairi stated that bananas are susceptible to mechanical damage due to bruising caused by improper handling and it gets spoiled due to improper storage conditions. The research team applied a simulated drop impact test and evaluated the mechanical damage magnitude by fractal dimension using a machine vision system to characterise the bruise intensity and quality of bananas as affected by different impact energies and storage temperatures. Dr. Mai Al Dairi said that to evaluate the bruise area, the fractal dimension, browning index, grayscale value, and total colour difference were determined after 48 hours of impact by image processing. Besides, conventional analyses of bruise area, bruise size, and bruising susceptibility were also performed. The effect of drop heights, ball weights, and storage temperatures on the main quality parameters (weight, firmness, colour, sugar content, and acidity) was studied. According to Dr. Mai Al Dairi, the results indicated that fractal dimension analysis provides high accuracy in describing bruises in bananas, opening up new avenues for improving quality control during transportation and storage. The study identified a quality problem, showing that storing damaged bananas at improper temperatures can worsen the situation, leading to weight loss, reduced firmness, and significant changes in sugar and acidity, ultimately making the fruit less appealing to consumers. Through this study, Dr. Mai Al Dairi recommended using modern technologies such as applying fractal analysis to accurately assess the size of bruises and the severity of damage and utilising machine vision technologies to improve banana quality control throughout the supply chain; and choosing appropriate storage temperatures such as storing bananas at optimal temperatures that limit the aggravation of damage and maintain their nutritional and visual quality. She maintained that these efforts contribute to providing a better product to consumers and reducing economic losses for farmers and traders. This research project was published in the journal Food Chemistry with an impact factor of 8.5. The research team consisted of Dr. Mai Al Dairi, Dr. Pankaj B. Pathare, Prof. Rashid Abdullah Al Yahyai, Dr. Hemanatha Jayasuriya, and Dr. Zahir Humaid Al Attabi. Regarding her win, Dr. Mai Al Dairi stated that 'Winning the National Research Award has been a profound recognition of my dedication to addressing one of the real-world challenges through research. It symbolises not only personal achievement but also the impact of myself and our Postharvest and Value Addition Research Team work on advancing knowledge and contributing to sustainable agricultural practices. This award also serves as a motivation to further my commitment to meaningful research that benefits both local and global communities, inspiring others to pursue excellence in their fields.'
