A Course Planning Method to Incorporate Collaborative Learning in Information Systems Courses

Numerous researchers have investigated the relative merits of passive versus active learning. The research methodology, situation and approaches have varied. But the general consensus is that students comprehend and retain more material when actively involved in learning. The lecture process unfortunately places the students in a passive role and may limit their intellectual growth. Collaborative learning concepts provide a powerful strategy for enhancing MIS instruction by making learning active. The small group is a versatile organization that can be used to assist the student grasp material and then transform it into experience. This paper presents a planning process to enable MIS faculty to incorporate collaborative learning activities in their courses. A limited portfolio of collaborative learning activities are described along with possible evaluation techniques

Kolmogorov-Smirnov method for the determination of signal time-shifts

A new method for the determination of electric signal time-shifts is introduced. As the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, it is based on the comparison of the cumulative distribution functions of the reference signal with the test signal. This method is very fast and thus well suited for on-line applications. It is robust to noise and its performances in terms of precision are excellent for time-shifts ranging from a fraction to several sample durations. PACS. 29.40.Gx (Tracking and position-sensitive detectors), 29.30.Kv (X- and -ray spectroscopy), 07.50.Qx (Signal processing electronics)Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Fast analytical methods for the correction of signal random time-shifts and application to segmented HPGe detectors

Detection systems rely more and more on on-line or off-line comparison of detected signals with basis signals in order to determine the characteristics of the impinging particles. Unfortunately, these comparisons are very sensitive to the random time shifts that may alter the signal delivered by the detectors. We present two fast algebraic methods to determine the value of the time shift and to enhance the reliability of the comparison to the basis signals.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Fixed Asset Accounting Software Evaluation: A Structured Methodology For The Mid-Market Firm

Packaged software evaluation represents a major decision for business.  It involves a number of quantitative as well as qualitative attributes in choosing among system alternatives.  This paper illustrates an evaluation methodology for accounting software selection, specifically a fixed asset system.  The methodology incorporates three stages:  1) software screening; 2) detail package evaluation; and, 3) confirmation and design (also known as a test drive).  Initially, developing a short list through screening of accounting software determines whether an appropriate package exists and narrows the field of available fixed asset products for detailed consideration.  The second stage determines which of the remaining fixed asset systems (the finalists) best meets the needs of the organization, from both functional and technical perspectives. The final stage, or phase, compares user requirements with the features of the selected fixed asset software by determining how these requirements will be satisfied by specific applications built using the fixed asset software.  The methodology also controls for the possibility that no fixed asset software product is suitable and that such a system must be constructed on a custom basis. No other reported evaluation and selection approach offers this device.  A case example demonstrating the applicability of the suggested methodology is given for a mid-sized hospital organization representing the largest market segment for accounting software

STM Imaging of Flux Line Arrangements in the Peak Effect Regime

We present the results of a study of vortex arrangements in the peak-effect regime of 2H-NbSe_2 by scanning tunneling microscopy. By slowly increasing the temperature in a constant magnetic field, we observed a sharp transition from collective vortex motion to positional fluctuations of individual vortices at the temperature which coincides with the onset of the peak effect in ac-susceptibility. We conclude that the peak effect is a disorder driven transition, with the pinning energy winning from the elastic energy.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures included Manuscript has been submitte

Factory Gate Pricing: An Analysis of the Dutch Retail Distribution

Factory Gate Pricing (FGP) is a relatively new phenomenon in retail distribution. Under FGP, products are no longer delivered at the retailer distribution center, but collected by the retailer at the factory gates of the suppliers. Owing to both the asymmetry in the distribution networks (the supplier sites greatly outnumber the retailer distribution centers) and the better inventory and transport coordination mechanisms, this is likely to result in high savings. A mathematical model was used to analyze the benefits of FGP for a case study in the Dutch retail sector. Extensive numerical results are presented to show the effect of the orchestration shift from supplier to retailer, the improved coordination mechanisms, and sector-wide cooperation

Estimating unbiased economies of scale of HIV prevention projects: A case study of Avahan

Governments and donors are investing considerable resources on HIV prevention in order to scale up these services rapidly. Given the current economic climate, providers of HIV prevention services increasingly need to demonstrate that these investments offer good ‘value for money’. One of the primary routes to achieve efficiency is to take advantage of economies of scale (a reduction in the average cost of a health service as provision scales-up), yet empirical evidence on economies of scale is scarce. Methodologically, the estimation of economies of scale is hampered by several statistical issues preventing causal inference and thus making the estimation of economies of scale complex. In order to estimate unbiased economies of scale when scaling up HIV prevention services, we apply our analysis to one of the few HIV prevention programmes globally delivered at a large scale: the Indian Avahan initiative. We costed the project by collecting data from the 138 Avahan NGOs and the supporting partners in the first four years of its scale-up, between 2004 and 2007. We develop a parsimonious empirical model and apply a system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and fixed-effects Instrumental Variable (IV) estimators to estimate unbiased economies of scale. At the programme level, we find that, after controlling for the endogeneity of scale, the scale-up of Avahan has generated high economies of scale. Our findings suggest that average cost reductions per person reached are achievable when scaling-up HIV prevention in low and middle income countries

Meteorological source variability in atmospheric gravity wave parameters derived from a tropical infrasound station

Gravity waves are an important part of the momentum budget of the atmosphere. Despite this, parameterizations of gravity wave spectra in atmospheric models are poorly constrained. Gravity waves are formed by jet streams, flow over topography and convection, all of which produce pressure perturbations as they propagate over the Earth’s surface, detectable by microbarometer arrays used for sensing infrasound. In this study, observations of gravity waves between 2007 and 2011 at an infrasound station in the Ivory Coast, West Africa are combined with meteorological data to calculate parameters such as intrinsic phase speed and wavenumber. Through spectral analysis, the seasonal and daily variations in all gravity wave parameters are examined. The gravity wave back azimuth varies with the migration of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, a region of intense convection, supporting previous studies. Daily variations in gravity wave arrivals at the station can be linked to two distinct convective cycles over the land and ocean. This was achieved by combining the gravity wave parameters with lightning strikes detected by the Met Office’s Arrival Time Difference lightning detection system. Noise generated by turbulence in the middle of the day was found to attenuate smaller pressure amplitude gravity waves, artificially amplifying the daily variations in some gravity wave parameters. Detection of daily and seasonal variations in gravity wave parameters has the potential be used to improve the representation of gravity wave spectra in atmospheric models