Can Public Research Universities Compete?

Many leaders of public research universities worry about falling behind private research universities at a time when private university finances have improved dramatically and state support for higher education has declined. In this paper, I provide grounds for a more optimistic view of the competitive position of public research universities. I develop two "business models" for higher education: the public research university model is based on high volume of enrollments and low cost per student, while the private university model is based on low volume and high cost. I show that the private model, at its best, generates a high proportion of future leaders, stronger educational reputations, and leads to the accumulation of more institutional wealth. However, the public model remains viable and successful, principally because it typically generates larger faculties. The total societal contribution of public research universities, as measured by human capital development and research publication, is greater than that of private universities

Enfoque a priori y enfoque empírico en la clasificación de las instituciones de educación superior: el caso de Estado Unidos

Higher education classification arose in the United States as a result of the dramatic growth in institutions and students in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the growing federal role as sponsor of research. This paper discusses two epistemological approaches to classification: a priori and empirical and the strengths and weaknesses of both. The paper also discusses recent developments that suggest the era of higher education classification may be ending in the developed world. The paper concludes with an application of lessons from the U.S. case to current debates over higher education classification in Chile.La clasificación de la educación superior surgió en Estados Unidos a raíz del crecimiento drástico de las instituciones y del estudiantado en las décadas de los cincuenta y sesenta, así como del creciente papel del Gobierno Federal en el financiamiento de la investigación. En el presente artículo se analizan dos enfoques epistemológicos de la clasificación —el enfoque a priori y el enfoque empírico— y sus fortalezas y debilidades. Asimismo, se examinan hechos recientes de los que se desprende que la era de la clasificación de la educación superior podría estar llegando a su fin en los países desarrollados. Se concluye el presente estudio aplicando las lecciones del caso estadounidense a los debates actuales sobre la clasificación de la educación superior en Chile

A Neuro-Ontology for the Neurological Examination

Background: The Use of Clinical Data in Electronic Health Records for Machine-Learning or Data Analytics Depends on the Conversion of Free Text into Machine-Readable Codes. We Have Examined the Feasibility of Capturing the Neurological Examination as Machine-Readable Codes based on UMLS Metathesaurus Concepts. Methods: We Created a Target Ontology for Capturing the Neurological Examination using 1100 Concepts from the UMLS Metathesaurus. We Created a Dataset of 2386 Test-Phrases based on 419 Published Neurological Cases. We Then Mapped the Test-Phrases to the Target Ontology. Results: We Were Able to Map All of the 2386 Test-Phrases to 601 Unique UMLS Concepts. a Neurological Examination Ontology with 1100 Concepts Has Sufficient Breadth and Depth of Coverage to Encode All of the Neurologic Concepts Derived from the 419 Test Cases. using Only Pre-Coordinated Concepts, Component Ontologies of the UMLS, Such as HPO, SNOMED CT, and OMIM, Do Not Have Adequate Depth and Breadth of Coverage to Encode the Complexity of the Neurological Examination. Conclusion: An Ontology based on a Subset of UMLS Has Sufficient Breadth and Depth of Coverage to Convert Deficits from the Neurological Examination into Machine-Readable Codes using Pre-Coordinated Concepts. the Use of a Small Subset of UMLS Concepts for a Neurological Examination Ontology Offers the Advantage of Improved Manageability as Well as the Opportunity to Curate the Hierarchy and Subsumption Relationships

The Display of Photographic-Quality Images on the Web: A Comparison of Two Technologies

Downloading Medical Images on the Web Creates Certain Compromises. the Tradeoff is between Higher Resolution and Faster Download Times. as Resolution Increases, Download Times Increase. High-resolution (Photographic Quality) Electronic Images Can Potentially Play a Key Role in Medical Education and Patient Care. on the Internet, Images Are Typically Formatted as Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) or the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) Flies. However, These Formats Are Associated with Considerable Data Loss in Both Color Depth and Image Resolution. Furthermore, These Images Are Available in a Single Resolution and Have No Capability of Allowing the User to Adjust Resolution as Needed. Images in the Photo Compact Disc (PCD) Format Have Higher Resolutions Than GIF or JPEG, But Suffer the Disadvantage of Large File Sizes Leading to Long Download Times on the Web. Furthermore, Native Web Browsers Are Not Currently Able to Read PCD Flies. the FlashPix Format (FPX) Offers Distinct Advantages over the PCD, GIF, and JPEG Formats for Display of High-Resolution Images on the Web. a Java Applet Can Be Easily Downloaded for Viewing FPX Images. FPX Images Are Higher Resolution Than JPEG and GIF Images. FPX Images Offer Rich Resolutions Comparable to PCD Images with Shorter Download Times. © 1999 IEEE

Evaluation Research and Institutional Pressures: Challenges in Public-Nonprofit Contracting

This article examines the connection between program evaluation research and decision-making by public managers. Drawing on neo-institutional theory, a framework is presented for diagnosing the pressures and conditions that lead alternatively toward or away the rational use of evaluation research. Three cases of public-nonprofit contracting for the delivery of major programs are presented to clarify the way coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures interfere with a sound connection being made between research and implementation. The article concludes by considering how public managers can respond to the isomorphic pressures in their environment that make it hard to act on data relating to program performance.This publication is Hauser Center Working Paper No. 23. The Hauser Center Working Paper Series was launched during the summer of 2000. The Series enables the Hauser Center to share with a broad audience important works-in-progress written by Hauser Center scholars and researchers

Detection of waterlogging in kiln coils and its effect on moisture content

In order to operate at peak efficiency, every steam heating coil in a dry kiln must fully purge the condensate that forms within it. Failure to do so results in a condition known as waterlogging, where a portion of the coil becomes flooded with condensate. Waterlogging is recognized as an undesirable condition that leads to uneven heat distribution and increases the corrosivity of condensate. This paper reviews a unique method to detect waterlogging, and assesses its impact on the lumber’s moisture content