Adoption Of Social Networking In Education: A Study Of The Use Of Social Networks By Higher Education Students In Oman

The use of social networks is a growing phenomenon, being increasingly important in both private and academic life. Social networks are used as tools to enable users to have social interaction. The use of social networks (SNs) complements and enhances the teaching in traditional classrooms. For example, YouTube, Facebook, wikis, and blogs provide a huge amount of material on a wide range of subjects. This research aims to explore the need to change the traditional style of teaching and learning after the innovation of Web 2.0. The main objectives of this research are to discover the motives for the use of social networks by higher education students in Oman, to recognize the impact of social networking tools in learning and education generally, to analyse the problems that students might face when using social networks, and to determine whether the traditional learning methods need to be changed in the era of Web 2.0 technologies? In order to achieve the objectives of this research, the research methodology is to conduct a survey amongst Omani students at different universities, colleges, and other higher education institutions and to explore the social networking tools that might have an influence on teaching and learning styles. The type of data collected will be both quantitative and qualitative. This study is based mainly on the student's perspective - the impact on students of using social networking tools and what effect it has on the traditional style of learning and teaching. This study highlights the benefits of using social networks as tools for developing a new style of learning, and the negative impacts that can affect the process of learning, in order to provide a justification for using social networks in higher education

The Influence of Communication Network Centrality on Individual Popularity

Individual popularity has been found to have a positive impact on individual performance, group performance and job satisfaction; however, there remains a limited understanding of the concept and its antecedents in construction projects. In this research study, we propose that the position an individual occupies in the project social network will influence his/her popularity. Although different types of networks exist in project environments (e.g., informal friendship networks), we focus on project-related information-exchange networks to capture individuals’ recurrent patterns of work-related communication. That is, our goal was to consider individuals’ structural positions within the project’s relatively formal, work-related communication network, rather than the more casual and less work-significant friendship network. A single-case study approach was adopted examining a road construction project in Baoshan City in China. Data collection involved the completion of a questionnaire by project participants, identifying their communication with, and their perception of the popularity of, other project actors. Analysis was based upon actor centrality (degree, betweenness, and closeness) within the communication and popularity networks. The findings supported the proposition and showed that communication network centrality is positively associated with popularity, such that individuals who are more central in the project communication network also assumed central positions in the popularity network. Degree centrality in the project communication network was found to be particularly salient in predicting popularity, underlying the social dominance of the ‘prominent disseminators’ who control a large amount of information resources

EMPLOYMENT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN OMAN: SECTOR-BASED APPROACH FOR LOCALIZATION

Purpose The objective of the study is to analyze the factors impeding Omanization policies in the selected sectors - Construction, Retail and Tourism of Oman economy and to find out the cause for the disparity created between the graduates and the jobs availability. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The interview approach was administered to collect the data from the Government officials, employers of expats in the private sector,  Omani youth seeking employment and employees from Muscat, Sohar, and Salalah. Findings Lack of coordination between government and the private sector in the formulation of Omanization policies contributing to sustained high level expatriate workers in Oman’s private sector leaving a large gap between the Omani job seekers and job availability in the selected sectors. Practical Implications Every year, the number of graduates is exceeding the number of jobs available in the economy and this paper draws attention to align this alarming issue through proper suggestions. Social Implications There is an urgent need to improve the alignment between the qualification and skills bestowed on nationals by education systems and the needs of the market through devising proper mechanisms. Originality/value Very few studies have examined the harmony of Higher Education and market requirements in Oman. This is first hand study of its kind

A novel mutation in HSD11B2 causes apparent mineralocorticoid excess in an Omani kindred

Apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME) is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder causing severe hypertension in childhood due to a deficiency of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11βHSD2), which is encoded by HSD11B2. Without treatment, chronic hypertension leads to early development of end-organ damage. Approximately 40 causative mutations in HSD11B2 have been identified in ∼100 AME patients worldwide. We have studied the clinical presentation, biochemical parameters, and molecular genetics in six patients from a consanguineous Omani family with AME. DNA sequence analysis of affected members of this family revealed homozygous c.799A>G mutations within exon 4 of HSD11B2, corresponding to a p.T267A mutation of 11βHSD2. The structural change and predicted consequences owing to the p.T267A mutation have been modeled in silico. We conclude that this novel mutation is responsible for AME in this family

An Empirical Study of User Navigation during Document Triage

Περιέχει το πλήρες κείμενοDocument triage is the moment in the information seeking process when the user first decides the relevance of a document to their information need[17]. This paper reports a study of user behaviour during document triage. The study reveals two main findings: first, that there is a small set of common navigational patterns; second, that certain document features strongly influence users’ navigation

Role of human epicardial adipose tissue–derived miR-92a-3p in myocardial redox state

Background Visceral obesity is directly linked to increased cardiovascular risk, including heart failure. Objectives This study explored the ability of human epicardial adipose tissue (EAT)-derived microRNAs (miRNAs) to regulate the myocardial redox state and clinical outcomes. Methods This study screened for miRNAs expressed and released from human EAT and tested for correlations with the redox state in the adjacent myocardium in paired EAT/atrial biopsy specimens from patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Three miRNAs were then tested for causality in an in vitro model of cardiomyocytes. At a clinical level, causality/directionality were tested using genome-wide association screening, and the underlying mechanisms were explored using human biopsy specimens, as well as overexpression of the candidate miRNAs and their targets in vitro and in vivo using a transgenic mouse model. The final prognostic value of the discovered targets was tested in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, followed up for a median of 8 years. Results EAT miR-92a-3p was related to lower oxidative stress in human myocardium, a finding confirmed by using genetic regulators of miR-92a-3p in the human heart and EAT. miR-92a-3p reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-oxidase–derived superoxide (O2.–) by targeting myocardial expression of WNT5A, which regulated Rac1-dependent activation of NADPH oxidases. Finally, high miR-92a-3p levels in EAT were independently related with lower risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Conclusions EAT-derived miRNAs exert paracrine effects on the human heart. Indeed miR-92a-3p suppresses the wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 5a/Rac1/NADPH oxidase axis and improves the myocardial redox state. EAT-derived miR-92a-3p is related to improved clinical outcomes and is a rational therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of obesity-related heart disease

Performance, kinetic, and biodegradation pathway evaluation of anaerobic fixed film fixed bed reactor in removing phthalic acid esters from wastewater

Emerging and hazardous environmental pollutants like phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are one of the recent concerns worldwide. PAEs are considered to have diverse endocrine disrupting effects on human health. Industrial wastewater has been reported as an important environment with high concentrations of PAEs. In the present study, four short-chain PAEs including diallyl phthalate (DAP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and phthalic acid (PA) were selected as a substrate for anaerobic fixed film fixed bed reactor (AnFFFBR). The process performances of AnFFFBR, and also its kinetic behavior, were evaluated to find the best eco-friendly phthalate from the biodegradability point of view. According to the results and kinetic coefficients, removing and mineralizing of DMP occurred at a higher rate than other phthalates. In optimum conditions 92.5, 84.41, and 80.39% of DMP, COD, and TOC were removed. DAP was found as the most bio-refractory phthalate. The second-order (Grau) model was selected as the best model for describing phthalates removal

Mapping atopic dermatitis and anti–IL-22 response signatures to type 2–low severe neutrophilic asthma

Background: Transcriptomic changes in patients who respond clinically to biological therapies may identify responses in other tissues or diseases. Objective: We sought to determine whether a disease signature identified in atopic dermatitis (AD) is seen in adults with severe asthma and whether a transcriptomic signature for patients with AD who respond clinically to anti–IL-22 (fezakinumab [FZ]) is enriched in severe asthma. Methods: An AD disease signature was obtained from analysis of differentially expressed genes between AD lesional and nonlesional skin biopsies. Differentially expressed genes from lesional skin from therapeutic superresponders before and after 12 weeks of FZ treatment defined the FZ-response signature. Gene set variation analysis was used to produce enrichment scores of AD and FZ-response signatures in the Unbiased Biomarkers for the Prediction of Respiratory Disease Outcomes asthma cohort. Results: The AD disease signature (112 upregulated genes) encompassing inflammatory, T-cell, TH2, and TH17/TH22 pathways was enriched in the blood and sputum of patients with asthma with increasing severity. Patients with asthma with sputum neutrophilia and mixed granulocyte phenotypes were the most enriched (P < .05). The FZ-response signature (296 downregulated genes) was enriched in asthmatic blood (P < .05) and particularly in neutrophilic and mixed granulocytic sputum (P < .05). These data were confirmed in sputum of the Airway Disease Endotyping for Personalized Therapeutics cohort. IL-22 mRNA across tissues did not correlate with FZ-response enrichment scores, but this response signature correlated with TH22/IL-22 pathways. Conclusions: The FZ-response signature in AD identifies severe neutrophilic asthmatic patients as potential responders to FZ therapy. This approach will help identify patients for future asthma clinical trials of drugs used successfully in other chronic diseases

Self-Organizing Networks in Complex Infrastructure Projects

While significant importance is given to establishing formal organizational and contractual hierarchies, existing project management techniques neglect the management of self-organizing networks in large-infrastructure projects. We offer a case-specific illustration of self-organization using network theory as an investigative lens. The findings have shown that these networks exhibit a high degree of sparseness, short path lengths, and clustering in dense “functional” communities around highly connected actors, thus demonstrating the small-world topology observed in diverse real-world self-organized networks. The study underlines the need for these non-contractual functions and roles to be identified and sponsored, allowing the self-organizing network the space and capacity to evolve