Information Systems Management

IS 3100 illustrates how to effectively use, manage, and participate in the development of information technology applications that support common business processes. This course focuses on the interdependence among an organization’s management, business processes, and information systems and provides hands-on experience in developing a business information system

Examination of the QM Process: Making A Case for Transformative Professional Development Model

Distance learning has altered the landscape of higher education, and the rapid proliferation of online courses and programs present new challenges for both faculty and administrators. The literature suggests that faculty must have a wide range of technical and pedagogical skills to be successful online teachers (Betts, 2009; Koehler, Mishra, & Yahya, 2007; Puzziferro & Shelton, 2009). To ensure quality and consistency of online courses, many universities have adopted an industry-standard, quality assurance review framework. In this case, faculty members are required to attend a basic professional development seminar outlining the parts of the rubric and the submission and review process. The study attempts to answer the question: To what extent does the use of an industry-standard, quality assurance rubric for online course evaluation generate any noticeable transformation in the instructional practices of college faculty members? Using the theoretical lens of Transformative Learning Theory (Mezirow, 1991), a qualitative document analysis (Bowen, 2009) was used to examine the Quality Matters™ reviews of 32 online courses. Findings show a high degree of consistency within the course designs, solid alignment between learning outcomes, assignments, and assessments, and standard elements within the course presentations. Using an industry-standard rubric is a good first step for faculty development, but it is not sufficient to produce significant and transformational changes in online teaching practices. The authors suggest a stronger focus on professional development that requires systematic reflection on the design, development, and delivery processes as a way to transform instructional practice

INVESTIGATING INFORMATION LITERACY IN BUSINESS MAJORS

This is a study on information literacy (IL) in Business Majors. A Web-based questionnaire with used to investigate undergraduate Business students on their understanding of IL and assessment of their respective abilities and skills. The study used IL standards adopted by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). The study adopted the UTAUT model’s as a theoretical framework. The findings conveyed that external UTAUT factors (Social Factors and Facilitating Conditions) have positive effect on IL. Moreover, the findings emphasized the importance of the four factors and suggested the IL could be assessed in all contexts. Implications for discipline and practice are shared

A Security and Privacy Framework for e-Learning

Prior research in the e-learning area has appeared with a focus on its adoption aspects. Limited research has been carried out solely on the interplay between e-learning and security and privacy. Considering the wide acceptance of e-learning, and a plethora of cybersecurity breach incidents, it is surprising that the two topics have not been discussed together. An effective e-learning environment depends on stakeholders who understand the importance of security and behave responsibly within it. In this paper, we present a conceptual model that looks at some of the information security and privacy factors related to e-learning

The Derivation of Triconsonantal Weak Verbal Nouns in Modern Standard Arabic: A Nonlinear Phonological Analysis

The present study analyzes the phonological processes that verbal nouns VNs undergo in the course of their derivation from triconsonantal weak verbal stems in Modern Standard Arabic MSA The VNs that are targeted in the study comprise all the instances of VNs which are listed under triconsonantal weak verbs in the corpus-based dictionary mu c d am allu ah al c arabijjah almu c a sirah Dictionary of Modern Arabic Language The 1222 targeted VNs are arranged into tables in accordance with their 35 morphological patterns and the X-slot and the feature geometry models of nonlinear phonology are utilized for analyzing their derivation from their verbal stems One of the main findings of the study is that forming VNs from triconsonantal weak verbs follow a regular derivational pattern which involves applying the ablaut and metathesis rules to their verbal stems and the addition of specific affixes to them This finding enables refuting the general hypothesis that deriving VNs from triconsonantal weak verbs is irregular in the sense that various morphological patterns and no specific rules are employed for their derivatio

The Impact of Face-to-Face Orientation on Online Retention: A Pilot Study

Student retention in online education is a concern for students, faculty and administration. Retention rates are 20% lower in online courses than in traditional face-to-face courses. As part of an integration and engagement strategy, a face-to-face orientation was added to an online undergraduate business information systems course to examine its impact on retention. The study methodology consisted of an early email contact, distribution of course documents, a follow-up phone call, and a pre-course face-to-face orientation. The retention rate of students who attended the orientation was over 91% with a p-value of 0.9143. The retention rate of students not attending the orientation was just under 18%. Findings suggest that face-to-face orientations impact retention positively

Course Revitalization As A Change Driver Throughout Undergraduate Business Curriculum

This paper describes the revitalization of Business Information Systems and Communication, a high enrollment, prerequisite course for all undergraduate business students in the Coles College of Business.  An overview of the course components is presented and original structure described. The rationale for change, technologies leveraged and measures of success are presented. The change drivers are identified and their impact on undergraduate curriculum delineated. Lessons learned and future implications are discussed

An Investigation into the Approaches to the Evaluation of Training in Libyan Iron and Steel Company (LISCO)

This thesis investigated the approaches concepts and techniques concerning Training Evaluation within organisations as a means of contributing to the assertion that training and development can provide added value for an organisation in a non-western context. In light of this the HRD policies and strategies available and the barriers which can exist to these strategies in those countries in the Arab world, like Libya, where considered. Additionally the paradigm that in transitional countries emphasise should be placed on encouraging training and improving performance is investigated. An interpretive research philosophy was applied and led to a qualitative design being chosen for this research as it required the creation of researchable questions which were salient to target respondents. The case chosen to be studied is the Libyan Iron and Steel Company (LISCO). An exploratory study was carried out involving a review of documentary evidence acquired from LISCO which included a survey of employees’ views on training within the company. The questioning of respondents to this study involved the use interviews managers of departments and professional training staff in the company were asked for their views to compare with those of the employees. In this study certain factors were grouped into themes, Arab Culture and the difficulties facing many transitional economies given the nature of the national and organisational culture in countries like Libya show that Western developed models of training and training evaluation cannot be universally applied. Organisations in Libya are typically state controlled and operate on strict hierarchical basis. This study proposes that in the current level of economic development Libyan organisations would benefit from a training evaluation model that focuses on a performance improvement perspective. The Training evaluation for transitional countries model proposed contributes to knowledge because it comes from the Libyan context. Any model of training evaluation considered for Libya or any transitional economy must combine the positive attribute of Western theoretical models with new elements specific to countries environment. This thesis is unique as it contributes to our understanding of models of HRD, and Evaluation practice by exploring their implementation and barriers to their use in an Arabic country that is in transition from a centralised economy to a more privatised one. Furthermore it investigates the transferability of western training evaluation practices to the Libyan environment A conclusion reached from this study is that any national policy that is introduced by the new Libyan government needs to include some radical reforms at national, sectoral and local levels. The Training evaluation for transitional countries model, although only a theory will serve as a guide to others embarking on similar research

Analysis of lipid uptake and processing in cultured cells = Lipid-Aufnahme und Stoffwechsel in kultivierten Zellen

To characterize lipid uptake pathways in cultured cells, uptake and metabolism of different isotope-labeled lipid probes were investigated in human skin fibroblasts, a mouse macrophage-like cell line (RAW264.7), human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2 cells) and a human squamous carcinoma cell line (A431 cells). As lipid probes, we used different fatty acids, cholesterol, a cholesteryl ester, a triacylglycerol, and the phospholipids phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin. The uptake and metabolism of exogenously added lipid probes differed with cell type, lipid structure, and mode of delivery. Cationic amphiphilic drugs (CADs) are widely used drugs that are known to interfere with lipid metabolism and to induce phospholipidosis in human patients. We investigated the influence of the desipramine, imipramine, chlorpromazine, chloroquine, and FTY720 as representative CADs on uptake and processing of the phospholipid probes. Desipramine was found to have drastic and cell-type specific effects on FA processing. Lipid processing was also impaired in a genetic phospholipidosis, Niemann-Pick disease, type A.Fatty acids: to study the uptake and processing of C-18 fatty acids in cultured cells, uptake and incorporation of four FA probes in membrane phospholipids and in nonpolar lipids were monitored. We used FA probes that differed in the degree of unsaturation: stearic acid (18:0), oleic acid (18:1,ω-9), linoleic acid (18:2, ω-6), and linolenic acid (18:3, ω-3). These FA were applied in complex with bovine serum albumin (BSA) to the four different types of cultured cells. Significant differences were found between uptake and metabolism of these fatty acids, when fatty acid class and cell type were varied. FA uptake by fibroblasts and macrophages was highest with 18:1, and lowest with 18:3, and 18:0, respectively. Uptake by A431 cells and HepG2 cells was lowest with 18:0, and highest with 18:2 and 18:3, respectively. In macrophages, stearic acid and oleic acid are predominantly incorporated into nonpolar lipid droplet (LD) lipids, while linoleic and linolenic acid are predominantly incorporated into polar lipids. Also in HepG2 cells, the level of FAs incorporated into polar lipids was much greater for unsaturated FAs than for saturated FAs. In fibroblasts, only a minor incorporation of FAs into neutral lipids and a major incorporation into polar lipids were observed. In A431 cells, 18:2 was best incorporated into neutral lipids, followed by 18:3, 18:1, and 18:0. The impact of a cationic amphiphilic drug (CAD, FIASMA = functional inhibitor of acid sphingomyelinase), desipramine, on this process was also analyzed. Treatment with desipramine caused a tremendous reduction of FA-incorporation into triacylglycerols of macrophages and A431 cells, but only a slight decrease in HepG2 cells. Fibroblasts showed an unexpected increase in the incorporation of FAs into triacylglycerol (TAG) and diacylglycerol (DAG). We also measured the uptake of [3H]desipramine by different types of cells, which was lowest in fibroblasts.Cholesterol, cholesteryloleate, and triolein: to characterize the uptake pathways for these lipids, we investigated the effect of different lipid delivery methods. The exogenous lipid probes were applied to the four different types of cultured cells either in complex with bovine serum albumin (BSA), or as components of low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles. Significant differences in uptake and metabolism after application of these two methods were found. When incorporated into LDL, uptake of cholesterol, cholesterol ester, and triacylglycerol was 2-4-fold higher than when delivered by BSA. Furthermore, the uptake of cholesterol presented as BSA-complexes was best for A431 cells, while uptake of the other lipids presented as LDL- and BSA-complexes were higher in fibroblasts than the other cell types. Also the metabolic incorporation of cholesterol and oleate derived from cholesterol ester and triacylglycerol was higher. These findings indicate that LDL-associated lipid is incorporated into cultured cells via a pathway that differs significantly from that of BSA-lipid.Cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine processing in Niemann-Pick disease, type A: to investigate the role of Niemann-Pick disease, type A (NPA), one of the lysosomal storage diseases, on the processing of [14C]cholesterol and [14C]phosphatidylcholine, we applied the methods mentioned above to human fibroblasts and to fibroblasts from patients with NPA disease. Incubation with LDL-associated [14C]phosphatidylcholine and LDL-associated [14C]cholesterol show reduced processing of [14C]phosphatidylcholine and [14C]cholesterol by 25, and 21%, respectively. This study indicates that in NPA disease, also nutrient delivery via the endolysosomal system is impaired.Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SM) processing in drug-treated cells: to investigate the influence of cationic amphiphilic drugs on uptake and processing of exogenously added choline-containing phospholipids, the influence of five cationic amphiphilic drugs, desipramine (DMI), imipramine (IM), chlorpromazine (CPZ), chloroquine (CQ), and fingolimod (FTY720), were studied. The lipid probes were delivered as components of LDL-particles, and the metabolic fate of their isotope-labeled fatty acid moieties was monitored in the four different cell types mentioned before. Concentrations of 10μM had slightly to no apparent effect on [14C]-SM and [14C]-PC processing for all CADs tested. Profound changes were observed when CADs were administered in high concentration (20μM, and 40μM). In macrophages, all investigated drugs lead to an impaired processing of SM and PC. Incorporation of the fatty acids released from PC and SM into diacylglycerols, triacylglycerols, and glycerophospholipids was drastically reduced in the presence of 20μM of the drugs. Furthermore, each cell type showed a characteristic neutral lipid and phospholipid pattern. The effect of the investigated CADs on SM and PC processing in terms of pmol per μg cell protein depend on the concentration of the investigated CADs, the cell type, and the identity of the FA in lipid probes. For example, 20μM FTY720 caused a drastically reduced incorporation of sphingomyelin-derived stearic acid into triacylglycerols in macrophages, fibroblasts and A431 cells, but not in HepG2 cells. While 20μM FTY720 caused a slightly reduced incorporation of phosphatidylcholine-derived palmitic acid into triacylglycerols in macrophages. Therefore, our method is able to detect metabolic steps that are affected in the presence of CADs and to predict the potential of CADs to induce phospholipidosis

Synthesis and Spectroscopic Studies of Some Macrocyclic Complexes Derived from Salicylaldehyde

The macrocyclic type Tetradentate ligand contain the nitrogen and oxygen as donor atoms have been prepared via the template reaction in two steps with their complexes of some metal ions, the reaction of one equivalent 1,2-phenylendiamine and two equivalent of salicylaldehyde obtained the precursor which the used in the template reaction since the 1,2-dibromoethane and metal salts [Co(II), Cu(II)] were added together as 1:1 ratio to the solution of precursor to form the macrocyclic complexes. The prepared compounds were characterized by Elemental analyses, FT-IR, UV-Vis, and 1H,13C-NMR. The spectral and physical studies show the suggested geometry around the all metals is octahedral. Keywords: salicylaldehyde, macrocyclic complexes, Copper (II), Cobalt (II) complexes