Open University of Catalonia

About: Open University of Catalonia is a education organization based out in Barcelona, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Context (language use) & Higher education. The organization has 1943 authors who have published 4646 publications receiving 64200 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya & UOC.

Beyond the Net Generation Debate: A Comparison of Digital Learners in Face-to-Face and Virtual Universities

Abstract: In the last decade, an important debate about the characteristics of today’s students has arisen due to their intensive experience as users of ICT. The main belief is that frequent use of technologies in everyday life implies competent users able to transfer their digital skills to learning activities. However, empirical studies developed in different countries reveal similar results suggesting that the ‘digital native’ label does not provide evidence of a better use of technology to support learning. The debate has to beyond and focus on the implications of being a learner in a digitalised world. This research is based on the hypothesis that the use of technology to support learning is not related to the fact of belonging or not to the net generation, is mainly influenced by the teaching model. The study compares the behaviour and preferences towards ICT use in two groups of university students: face-to-face students and online students. A questionnaire was applied to a sample of university students from five universities with different characteristics (one of them offers online education and four offer face-to-face with LMS teaching-support). Findings suggest although access to and use of ICT is widespread, the influence of teaching methodology is very decisive. For academic purposes, students seem to respond to the requirements of their courses, programmes and universities. There is a clear relationship between the students’ perception of usefulness regarding certain ICT resources and the teachers’ suggested uses of technologies. The most highly rated technologies correspond with those proposed by teachers. The study shows how the educational model (face-to-face or online) has a stronger influence on the students’ perception of usefulness regarding ICT support for learning than the fact of being a digital native.

A 30-Year Clinical and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Observational Study of Multiple Sclerosis and Clinically Isolated Syndromes

Abstract: Objective Clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) are highly variable. We aim to determine the long-term clinical outcomes in MS, and to identify early prognostic features of these outcomes. Methods One hundred thirty-two people presenting with a clinically isolated syndrome were prospectively recruited between 1984 and 1987, and followed up clinically and radiologically 1, 5, 10, 14, 20, and now 30 years later. All available notes and magnetic resonance imaging scans were reviewed, and MS was defined according to the 2010 McDonald criteria. Results Clinical outcome data were obtained in 120 participants at 30 years. Eighty were known to have developed MS by 30 years. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores were available in 107 participants, of whom 77 had MS; 32 (42%) remained fully ambulatory (EDSS scores ≤3.5), all of whom had relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), 3 (4%) had RRMS and EDSS scores >3.5, 26 (34%) had secondary progressive MS (all had EDSS scores >3.5), and MS contributed to death in 16 (20%). Of those with MS, 11 received disease-modifying therapy. The strongest early predictors (within 5 years of presentation) of secondary progressive MS at 30 years were presence of baseline infratentorial lesions and deep white matter lesions at 1 year. Interpretation Thirty years after onset, in a largely untreated cohort, there was a divergence of MS outcomes; some people accrued substantial disability early on, whereas others ran a more favorable long-term course. These outcomes could, in part, be predicted by radiological findings from within 1 year of first presentation. ANN NEUROL 2020;87:63-74.

On the Difficulty of Hiding the Balance of Lightning Network Channels

Abstract: The Lightning Network is a second layer technology running on top of Bitcoin and other Blockchains. It is composed of a peer-to-peer network, used to transfer raw information data. Some of the links in the peer-to-peer network are identified as payment channels, used to conduct payments between two Lightning Network clients (i.e., the two nodes of the channel). Payment channels are created with a fixed credit amount, the channel capacity. The channel capacity, together with the IP address of the nodes, is published to allow a routing algorithm to find an existing path between two nodes that do not have a direct payment channel. However, to preserve users' privacy, the precise balance of the pair of nodes of a given channel (i.e. the bandwidth of the channel in each direction), is kept secret. Since balances are not announced, second-layer nodes probe routes iteratively, until they find a successful route to the destination for the amount required, if any. This feature makes the routing discovery protocol less efficient but preserves the privacy of channel balances. In this paper, we present an attack to disclose the balance of a channel in the Lightning Network. Our attack is based on performing multiple payments ensuring that none of them is finalized, minimizing the economical cost of the attack. We present experimental results that validate our claims, and countermeasures to handle the attack.