Challenges in Teaching Large Online Sections

This paper presents a case of a campus based online teaching experience. The case is based on a Management Information Systems course for large sections in two modalities: online and hybrid settings with 30 and 70 students respectively. The purpose of the project is to identify the challenges in teaching large online sections. The main results are that given the current technology, we can overcome the class size limitations for on-line courses; that according to active learning experiences, we can use active learning recommendations in online course design; that given technologies like Blackboard and Breeze, students‟ expectations and needs can be properly fulfilled with large sections; that given differences in course goals, only cognitive based courses can take advantages of online teaching; and that given the characteristics of a Management Information Systems course, it can be taught online. These results are important for researchers, professors, and university authorities

Factores que Influyen la Decision de Outsource Tecnologias de Informacion

Este estudio tiene dos objetivos: Primero, identificar cuáles son los criterios clave de decisión del Outsourcing de Tecnologías de Información (OTI) en las empresas mexicanas. Segundo, identificar las diferencias que existen entre estos factores en las empresas que ya tienen contratados servicios de OTI y las empresas que no lo tienen. Se aplicó un cuestionario a gerentes y directores de 152 empresas en México. Los catalizadores más importantes de la decisión del OTI son: Tener menores costos a los que implica tener un área interna de TI, buscar que la empresa se enfoque a mejorar sus procesos de negocio y mejorar el servicio a sus clientes. Los inhibidores más frecuentes para tomar la decisión de OTI son relacionados a aspectos de seguridad de datos o a perder el nivel de confidencialidad de la empresa, a perder el control sobre sus operaciones y se considera una opción costosa. Los tres servicios de OTI más citados por las empresas son: Desarrollo de proyectos business to business, Help Desk/Call Center y Administración de Redes Remotas

Effect of HLA-matching recipients to donor non-inherited maternal antigens on outcomes after mismatched umbilical cord blood transplantation for hematologic malignancy

peer reviewe

Regional differences in psychiatric disorders in Chile

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric epidemiological surveys in developing countries are rare and are frequently conducted in regions that are not necessarily representative of the entire country. In addition, in large countries with dispersed populations national rates may have low value for estimating the need for mental health services and programs. METHODS: The Chile Psychiatric Prevalence Study using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview was conducted in four distinct regions of the country on a stratified random sample of 2,978 people. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence and service utilization rates were estimated. RESULTS: Significant differences in the rates of major depressive disorder, substance abuse disorders, non-affective psychosis, and service utilization were found across the regions. The differential prevalence rates could not be accounted by socio-demographic differences between sites. CONCLUSIONS: Regional differences across countries may exist that have both implications for prevalence rates and service utilization. Planning mental health services for population centers that span wide geographical areas based on studies conducted in a single region may be misleading, and may result in areas with high need being underserved

A Study and Review of Self Managed Vehicular Networks

An Intelligent transportation system (ITS) focuses on application of smart vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with significant computing, communicating and sensing capabilities to provide services to travelers or the goal of providing safety massages in emergency situations. Vehicular network may also be used for Internet access, inter-passengers communications and entertainment. To understand the behavior of such networks as well as to provide good services to the travelers many issues have to be managed, some of them are: call handover between vehicles in vehicular network, speed Vs capacity, security of call, network topology, and network fragmentation. In this paper we study such vehicular networks and explain these issues and the related work. Detailed study of practical node mobility models based on mobility states and the quality of practical links based on received signal strengths are used as inputs for system capacity studies. Experiments were run in Sydney based on drive tests with mobile terminals deployed on them. Then some new ideas for managing the vehicular networks are proposed

Preparation of active carbons from olive wood

Active carbons were prepared by activating carbonized products (obtained by pyrolysis of olive wood in nitrogen at 1073 K) and olive wood itself under a flow of carbon dioxide at 1048 K. The effect on the development of surface area and porosity of such variables as activation time, heating rate, previous carbonization time, and starting material (either carbonized samples or wood) were followed by adsorption of nitrogen at 77 K. Changes of meso- and macroporosity during the activation process were monitored by mercury porosimetry. Surface area (BET values) varies from 469 up to 854 m2.g –1 . A development of micro, meso and macroporosity takes place depending on activation time

The immature stages of Neoscelis dohrni (Westwood) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Goliathini) with notes on adult behavior

Detailed description of the second instar larva and pupa, comparative comments on the third instar and first instar larvae, and some observations on the adult behavior and the life cycle of Neoscelis dohrni (Westwood) are presented. Diagnostic structures are illustrated, and a key to the known third instar larvae of Goliathini from the world is included