Information technology and computer science programs: How do we relate?

In this panel session, the relationship between computer science programs and information technology programs at universities that house both will be explored. People outside the computing disciplines often find the distinction between these programs confusing. The panelists, who have experience with both types of program, will discuss strategies for differentiating the programs in the eyes of administrators, for advising students into the correct program, and for maintaining focus and excellence in both computer science and information technology programs

Eddy covariance measurements of the surface energy balance associated with a localised coral bleaching event, Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

While their ecological, economical and societal values are irrefutable, an uncertain future exists for coral reefs and numerous studies suggest that the threat of coral bleaching will worsen under global warming. Despite the association between global warming and coral reef health, there is a paucity of data relating to the exchanges of heat, moisture and momentum between the atmosphere and the reef surface during bleaching episodes. Understanding these key reef-atmosphere interactions is essential for identifying the processes which control the thermal environment of water on the reef. In this paper we present new direct in situ measurements of radiation transfers and sensible and latent heat fluxes associated with an observed localised coral bleaching event at Heron Reef, in the southern Great Barrier Reef. Measurements were made during a three day period in February 2009 using the Eddy Covariance method. Under the influence of a weak barometric pressure gradient, clear skies and light north easterly winds, daily net radiation peaked at more than 800 W m2, with up to 95% of the net radiation during the morning being partitioned into heating the water column, substrate and benthic cover. Heating was exacerbated by a midafternoon low tide, and low wind speeds resulted in reduced evaporative cooling of the water surface. As a result, daily maximum water surface temperatures exceeded 34°C and near-bottom temperatures 33°C. Such conditions in conjunction with limited horizontal heat transfer due to the pooling of reef waters at the site meant that the water surface and near-bottom water temperatures exceeded 30°C for 27% and 38% of the duration of the observation period respectively resulting in widespread coral bleaching

Suicide in Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Baltic Countries: Social and Public Health Determinants

While suicide is a major public health problem worldwide, the countries of the former Soviet Union, including the Baltic States and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), have some of the highest rates in the world. High suicide rates across Eastern Europe have been correlated with the post-Soviet transitional period and the societal changes associated with that transition. Many scholars have speculated that the sudden collapse of the paternalistic Soviet system and the introduction of a market economy - and the psychosocial distress that ensued.contributed to the suicide mortality crisis that most of the former Soviet republics experienced in the 1990s. It is unclear whether the transitional period has ended or is still ongoing. While suicide mortality rates in many countries have declined since then, they remain alarmingly high. In some countries, such as Belarus, the rates have increased. From September 14 to 15, 2010, suicidologists and other scholars and professionals with expertise in suicide and suicide prevention gathered in Tallinn, Estonia, to discuss the evidence base for social and public health determinants of suicide in the Baltic States, the CIS, and Eastern Europe. The participants identified research and data gaps that, if filled, would strengthen the foundation for developing effective suicide prevention policies and programs. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions that took place during the conference

Serosorting Is Associated with a Decreased Risk of HIV Seroconversion in the EXPLORE Study Cohort

Background: Seroadaptation strategies such as serosorting and seropositioning originated within communities of men who have sex with men (MSM), but there are limited data about their effectiveness in preventing HIV transmission when utilized by HIV-negative men. Methodology/Principal Findings: Data from the EXPLORE cohort of HIV-negative MSM who reported both seroconcordant and serodiscordant partners were used to evaluate serosorting and seropositioning. The association of serosorting and seropositioning with HIV seroconversion was evaluated in this cohort of high risk MSM from six U.S. cities. Serosorting was independently associated with a small decrease in risk of HIV seroconversion (OR = 0.88; 95%CI, 0.81–0.95), even among participants reporting $10 partners. Those who more consistently practiced serosorting were more likely to be white (p = 0.01), have completed college (p =,0.0002) and to have had 10 or more partners in the six months before the baseline visit (p = 0.01) but did not differ in age, reporting HIV-infected partners, or drug use. There was no evidence of a seroconversion effect with seropositioning (OR 1.02, 95%CI, 0.92–1.14). Significance: In high risk HIV uninfected MSM who report unprotected anal intercourse with both seroconcordant and serodiscordant partners, serosorting was associated with a modest decreased risk of HIV infection. To maximize any potential benefit, it will be important to increase accurate knowledge of HIV status, through increased testing frequency

Scaling Consultative Selling with Virtual Reality: Design and Evaluation of Digitally Enhanced Services

Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies allow creation of powerful customer experiences and illustrative demonstrations especially in use cases that benefit from spatial visualizations. Our study focuses on the natural resource management sector and digitalizing of consultative selling process. More specifically, we look at how to improve customer engagement with the use of virtual reality (VR) and thus digitally scale consultative selling. In this process, a VR application is used to demonstrate various management operations and their economic results. Design research methodology is applied to a pre-development phase and three application development iterations between 2016 and 2018. Data consists of user interviews and video observations (N = 129) during various development iterations and three application development plans. The results show that VR offers an emotionally engaging and illustrative tool in consultative selling. Further, it opens a novel way for interaction between the salesperson and customer and possibilities to scale consultative selling digitally, emphasizing the role of trust.Peer reviewe

Implementing Routine HIV Testing: The Role of State Law

In September 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended routine HIV testing for all Americans aged 13–64, which would eliminate requirements for written consent and pretest counseling as previously required. However, this approach may conflict with state requirements concerning pretest counseling and informed consent for HIV testing. Our survey of state HIV testing laws demonstrates that the majority of states have HIV testing requirements that are inconsistent with the CDC's recommendations. Moreover, states that have recently amended their laws have not eased the requirements for pretest counseling and informed consent. The reasons for the persistence of these legal requirements must be understood to effect policy changes to increase HIV testing

Analysing interactions in a teacher network forum: a sociometric approach

This article presents the sociometric analysis of the interactions in a forum of a social network created for the professional development of Portuguese-speaking teachers. The main goal of the forum, which was titled Stricto Sensu, was to discuss the educational value of programmes that joined the distance learning model in Brazil. The empirical study focused on the sociometrie analysis of the social interactions that take place in asynchronous online environments. This approach, according to literature, allows for new means to observe, analyse, and interpret the reality of a new social paradigm. This type of analysis tries to understand the relationship established between the different actors, seeking to verify if the roles they play in both the access to information and the construction of shared knowledge. The data collected allow the researchers to deduce that the indicators used in the analysis are important for understanding and intervening in the dynamics and functioning of the network to propose improvements in its structure and organisation. In the specific case of the aforementioned discussion forum, the results of the sociometrie analysis of the perceived interactions were not surprising, considering that the nature of the topic did not demand deep reflection to contribute to the debate.This work is funded by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the doctoral grant SFRH/BD/60677/2009