Analyzing Social Networks

The raise of social networks in the last decades in various fields has called upon the need for their analysis This phenomenon gave birth to Social Network Analysis SNA in the 1970s Parallel to this quick development and the increasing need for such a methodology to analyze social networks researchers developed a number of software for SNA For these reasons the authors of the present book Borgatti S P Everett M G Johnson J C made their practical guide about analyzing social networks available for researchers working on social media Many details about data collection analysis and interpretation are provided mainly by using the UCINET and NetDraw software designed for SN

Using multimedia labs in enhancing EFL Students’ research methods

This research is part of a long-term project which started in 2012 as a pilot study. It aims at using technology and suggesting a new method of teaching research methodology via the six multimedia labs our university has since 2005. We collected data through two non-participant observation sessions with 15 volunteer students. The outcome of this hypothesis-generating pilot study is a hypothesis and a questionnaire. Results revealed that students showed interest in the use of labs but still face problems in using the computers. For teachers, labs have never been used with their full advanced functions but are still used as an audio material (in listening and phonetics). Finally, large-size classes and the wide number of groups (15 in 2012) make it challenging for the project to be effective. The study is in progress based on the above results.Cette recherche, entamée en 2012, est un projet pilote portant sur l’utilisation de la nouvelle technologie multimédia dans l’enseignement de la méthodologie de la recherche en langue anglaise. Nous avons procédé à une expérience non-participative avec 15 étudiants volontaires. Nous livrons ici les premiers résultats de l’enquête sur terrain, menée à l’université de Bejaia. Les premières analyses des données ont révélé que les étudiants ont montré un intérêt certain pour l’utilisation du laboratoire multimédia, mais qu’ils sont encore confrontés à des problèmes de manipulation. Quant aux enseignants, ils n’utilisent pas encore toutes les fonctions avancées de ce laboratoire réduit à un moyen audio (en phonétique). Même si l’observation est en cours, nous sommes parvenue à l’élaboration d’un questionnaire pour la prochaine phase de l’étude

The Relationship between Religious Commitment and Ego Strength among a Sample of Hashemite University Students

This study aimed to identify the relationship between religious commitment and ego strength among a sample of university students at Hashemite University, Jordan. The study sample  consisted of 572 male and female undergraduate students. To achieve the aims of this study, scales of religious commitment and ego strength were developed and satisfactory psychometric properties of validity and stability were provided. The results showed that the levels of religious commitment and ego strength were high. Moreover, the results indicated that there is a positive significant correlation between religious commitment and ego strength. The results also showed there were no statistically significant differences in religious commitment and ego strength due to gender. However, there were statistically significant differences in terms of year of study in  favor of fourth -year students and also in terms of specialization in favor of scientific specializations

The Effect of Group Counselling Based on the Modification of Negative Self-Statements on Reducing Gender-Biased Foreign Language Anxiety among Ajloun National University Students

This study investigated the effectiveness of a training program, based on themodification of negative self-statement, to reduce foreign language anxiety (FLA) among EFL students at university in Jordan. To achieve this goal, the foreign language classroom anxiety scale was used. Participants were 30 male and female students from Ajloun National University, who scored high in FLA, and randomly dispensed to one of the two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group received a pilot programme to modify the negative self-statement and the control group did not. Results showed that the modification of negative self-statement program (MNSP) was effective in reducing FLA. A statistically significant difference (.05) was found between the two groups in the effectiveness of the self-statement programme

The Impact of EFL Algerian University Students’ Attitudes on Literary Texts Reading Motivation: The Case of Second Year English Students at Setif 2 University

Motivating EFL students to read in English has captured the attention of different researchers in the field of foreign language learning for decades. The present study aims chiefly at probing into the attitudes held towards reading English literary texts by second-year Algerian EFL learners at the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Setif2. It seeks to study the learners’ attitudes towards reading English literary texts and their impact on their reading motivation. It also fetches the factors controlling EFL learners’ motivation in reading English literary texts. Moreover, it tackles sensible concern often encountered in literary text teaching: is there a correlation between learners’ attitudes and reading motivation? To this end, Data were collected through a perception questionnaire that was handed to a randomly selected sample of 150 students. The data analyses were descriptive. Results demonstrated that the students have low reading motivation due to their negative attitudes towards reading English literary texts. Based on these findings, it is suggested that literature teachers should incorporate the most convenient methods and techniques to meet EFL learners’ reading needs and interests. Thus, technology and new media should pave its way into the literature classes

Using multimedia labs in enhancing EFL Students’ research methods

This research is part of a long-term project which started in 2012 as a pilot study. It aims at using technology and suggesting a new method of teaching research methodology via the six multimedia labs our university has since 2005. We collected data through two non-participant observation sessions with 15 volunteer students. The outcome of this hypothesis-generating pilot study is a hypothesis and a questionnaire. Results revealed that students showed interest in the use of labs but still face problems in using the computers. For teachers, labs have never been used with their full advanced functions but are still used as an audio material (in listening and phonetics). Finally, large-size classes and the wide number of groups (15 in 2012) make it challenging for the project to be effective. The study is in progress based on the above results

Colistin resistance in Parisian inpatient faecal Escherichia coli as the result of two distinct evolutionary pathways

Background: Beyond plasmid-encoded resistance (mcr genes) prevalence in strain collections, large epidemiological studies to estimate the human burden of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli gut carriage are lacking.Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of colistin-resistant E. coli carriage in inpatients and decipher the molecular support of resistance and the genetic background of the strains.Methods: During a 3 month period in 2017, we prospectively screened patients in six Parisian hospitals for rectal carriage of colistin-resistant E. coli using a selective medium, a biochemical confirmatory test and MIC determination. WGS of the resistant strains and their corresponding plasmids was performed.Results: Among the 1217 screened patients, 153 colistin-resistant E. coli strains were isolated from 152 patients (12.5%). The mcr-1 gene was identified in only seven isolates (4.6%) on different plasmid scaffolds. The genetic background of these MCR-1 producers argued for an animal origin. Conversely, the remaining 146 colistin-resistant E. coli exhibited a phylogenetic distribution corresponding to human gut commensal/clinical population structure (B2 and D phylogroup predominance); 72.6% of those isolates harboured convergent mutations in the PmrA and PmrB proteins, constituting a two-component system shown to be associated with colistin resistance.Conclusions: We showed that the occurrence at a high rate of colistin resistance in human faecal E. coli is the result of two distinct evolutionary pathways, i.e. the occurrence of chromosomal mutations in an endogenous E. coli population and the rare acquisition of exogenous mcr-1-bearing strains probably of animal origin. The involved selective pressures need to be identified in order to develop preventative strategies