Long-range Strategies Research Articles

Challenge Way of Teaching

      Since decades and noticeably, developing teaching-learning ways has been highly taken into consideration by a great deal of teachers, researchers, writers, students and others. There is no doubt that lecturing teaching method has become very old and extremely boring, particularly for learners. Thus, teachers and specialists in this field are working hard to reach information to their students in interesting, good and appropriate ways, far from obstacles or barriers that deter students from learning and enriching their knowledge in different fields. This research I called “Challenge Way of Teaching” which is included or closely related to motivating teaching methods. I think it is a new perspective (or at least, not applied very commonly) in teaching and learning students, and I think it will enrich the field mentioned with new ideas that can contribute to develop teachers’ method in teaching and also, developing students’ ideology in gaining knowledge in the same time. I think that all I have done successfully, in this study, was after trusting in The Almighty Allah. In the past, motivation was thought to be related to short-term, limited contexts and specific situations, but today this belief has evolved far more than that. More specifically, this principle conceded that although there are a number of relatively stable motivational tendencies and beliefs that can differentiate one person from another (like the degree of readiness and preparing for an exam in the midst of great psychological pressure), motivation can vary greatly depending on the type of expected reactions that might trigger before, during and after one is going to do something. So, there should be long-range strategies as far as using motivation is concerned, one of them includes instilling a kind of fighting spirit in the student’s mind (challenge) and enhancing his/her great self-confidence in his/her performance by challenging the difficulties and adapting themselves to overcome them whatever these difficulties or obstacles are. I don’t say that I have covered all what teachers and students need in teaching and learning, but I can confidently say that I have handled a theoretical perspective, relatively, not highly taken into account by both very many teachers and students. Undeniably, when one executes a great success in this life, he/she will feel of pride, and has self-confidence with a sort of self- complacency. Moreover, when one remembers his/her past successes in life, this will also facilitate the missions to reach all future needs and ambitions that everyone hopes to obtain. Ultimately, I hope this study will be well received and accepted by the specialists in this regard.

Performance of the WRF model with different physical parameterizations in the precipitation simulation of the state of Puebla

In Mexico, intense rains generated by tropical cyclones, cold fronts, and mesoscale convective systems can cause floods and landslides, causing damage to social, service, economic and financial sectors, among others, leaving the population with fewer resources and in greater vulnerability. Given this scenario, disaster prevention has relevance in the civil protection agenda, which recognizes that it is essential to establish long-range strategies and programs focused on preventing and reducing their effects, beyond only paying attention to emergencies and disasters. The objective of this work is to evaluate the performance of the WRF model for the simulation of accumulated pluvial precipitation in 24 hours in the state of Puebla, considering 768 different combinations of physical parameters, compared to rain records of weather stations for the period from June 1 to August 20, 2017. In addition, as part of the research, optimal configurations are defined to obtain the best performance of the model at local and state levels.

Political elite and peacebuilding mechanisms in post-conflict societies

The research discusses the mechanisms that could change fragile peace, achieved after conflict in unstable societies, into sustainable one. This process will not be achieved if the political elite doesn't have a sufficient political and social consciousness that enables it to manage conflict and transfer it into peace, consequently, seeking to promote peace foundations through adopting two types of strategies. First, short-range strategies, related to transitional justice, tolerance, reconciliation, and compensation. Second, long-range strategies, related to re-engineering political culture of society and achieving socio-economic development, besides the integration among different groups, a matter that means dedicating and sustaining peace.

The Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity & Promotion's e-Learning Initiatives to Bridge the Digital Divide in South Korea

The Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity & Promotion (KADO) began to provide e-learning from 2001, via the site Baeumnara, primarily to the 4 major underserved groups including the disabled, the elderly, housewives, and other low income classes-farmers or blue collar workers. This research was proposed to design the strategies and future directions for the development and management of Baeumnara content. To do this, the SWOT matrix model was adopted in order to analyze strength, weakness, opportunity, and threatening elements of its content, based on the findings from the reviews of e-learning trends and programs for the underserved groups both in the United Kingdom and Australia, the survey on the user satisfactory level of its content, and a meeting with the managerial staff of Baeumnara. As a result, 5 main areas of strategic tasks were suggested and their subordinated tasks were reclassified into medium- and long-range strategies in terms of timeliness and practicality.

Identification and Characterization of a New BRCA2 Rearrangement in an Italian Family with Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome.

Many studies document the involvement of BRCA1/2 gene rearrangements in genetic predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer. Large genomic rearrangements (LGRs) of BRCA1 account for 0-27% of all disease-causing mutations in various populations, while LGRs in BRCA2 are rarer. Here, we describe a novel BRCA2 LGR, involving the duplication of exons 4-26, in an Italian family with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome. Our purpose was to provide an effective characterization of this variant using a combination of different methods able to establish the exact breakpoints of the duplication. A multiplex amplicon quantification (MAQ) assay was used as the primary screening method in the detection of LGRs. Array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and long-range PCR were used for the careful characterization of the rearrangement and breakpoint regions. The Repeat Masker program was employed to identify Alu sequences at breakpoint junctions. Array CGH and long-range PCR strategies revealed that the BRCA2 exons 4-26 duplication (g.12016_87170dup) involved exactly 75,154bp nucleotides between intron 3 and intron 26 of the gene. Given that no Alu repeats were found at the junction sites, we support the hypothesis that the new duplication could be the result of a microhomology-mediated event (MH) involving very short homologous sequences at an upstream breakpoint. LGR investigation is mandatory in BRCA1/2 routine testing in order to provide a complete result for a targeted therapeutic decision. Nevertheless, the characterization and classification of novel BRCA1/2 variants represents a crucial step in the support of genetic counselling. Our results, including a comprehensive co-segregation analysis, indicate that the novel duplication identifed has a pathogenic role and would be considered a causing-disease variant in genetic and oncologic counselling.

Abstract A1-47: Long-range personalized cancer treatment strategies incorporating evolutionary dynamics

Abstract Introduction: Current personalized cancer medicine tailors therapy to heterogeneity between cancers of the same organ type occurring within different individuals. However, it does not yet address heterogeneity at the single cell level within individual cancers or the dynamics of cancer, due to heritable genetic and epigenetic change, as well as transient functional changes. We established computational methods for evaluating personalized medicine strategies, comparing the current personalized medicine strategy to alternatives. Current personalized medicine matches therapy to a tumor molecular profile at diagnosis and at tumor relapse or progression. This strategy focuses on the average, static, and current properties of the sample. Non-standard strategies also consider minor sub-clones, dynamics, and predicted future tumor states. Previous simulation results in a system with two non-cross resistant agents using non-standard strategies, optimized in single 45 day blocks, demonstrated significantly improved outcomes (Beckman, Schemmann, and Yeang, 109: 14586-91, 2012). The current work explores the effect of long range planning with a time horizon of up to five years on the effectiveness of the strategies, as well as generalizing the model to three non-cross resistant agents.. Methods: We developed a mathematical model of cancer therapy with two non-cross resistant agents incorporating genetic evolutionary dynamics and single cell heterogeneity, and examined simulated clinical outcomes (cell numbers of clones and sub-clones, projected survival). Previously we compared the current personalized medicine strategy to 5 alternative personalized strategies. The latter strategies explicitly considered sub-clones, evolutionary dynamics, and likely future sub-clones in addition to the current predominant clone. Particular emphasis was given to the prevention of incurable, multiply resistant sub-clones. The optimization was performed in single 45 day blocks. In the current work, we extended the work to three drug systems. We also extended the previous single step heuristic strategies to encompass multistep heuristics of up to five 45 day steps, and global optimization in 45 day blocks over a 5 year time horizon, with strategic updates every 45 days. Branch and bound methods were used for pruning decision trees. Parallel processing (23 servers) facilitated computations. Results: Previously we had carried out a computerized virtual clinical trial of over 3 million evaluable cancer “patients”, comparing current personalized medicine and 5 non-standard strategies. The 3 million virtual patients represented a comprehensive survey of likely population structures, growth rates, phenotypic transition rates (by heritable genetic or epigenetic mechanisms), and drug sensitivities. All alternatives tested resulted in an approximate doubling in mean and median survival compared to current personalized medicine and an increase in the apparent cure rate from 0.7% for current personalized medicine to 17-20% for alternatives. In no case was the current personalized medicine strategy superior. In the current work, we found in large simulations that planning ahead led to further increases in cure rates and analyzed several examples where highly complex treatment sequences led to cures which were not possible with single step 45 day optimization. Further, previous and current conclusions applied equally for three non-cross resistant agents. Conclusions: Explicit consideration of intratumoral heterogeneity and evolutionary dynamics, with probabilistic consideration of future outcomes with a long strategy horizon, can potentially lead to markedly improved patient outcomes, including cure rates. Application of knowledge from growing molecular and clinical oncology databases may allow more informative therapeutic simulations than previously possible. Citation Format: Robert A. Beckman, Chen-Hsiang Yeang. Long-range personalized cancer treatment strategies incorporating evolutionary dynamics. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translation of the Cancer Genome; Feb 7-9, 2015; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(22 Suppl 1):Abstract nr A1-47.

LEIDYBOS VERSLO MODELIS XIX A. LIETUVOJE: PROFESIONALAUS LEIDĖJO POŽIŪRIS

Vilniaus universiteto Knygotyrosir dokumentotyros institutasUniversiteto g. 3, LT-01513 Vilnius, LietuvaEl. paštas: ausra.navickiene@kf.vu.lt Juozapo Zavadzkio kaip modernios leidybos pradininko, knygynų ir spaustuvės savininko, verslo naujovių diegėjo buvusiose Lenkijos ir Lietuvos valstybės žemėse tyrimų istoriografija skaičiuojama dešimtimis pozicijų ir apimakelių kartų lenkų ir lietuvių tyrėjų darbus. Tačiau iki šiol jo kaip verslininko dalykinės nuostatos, indėlis į leidybos teorinės minties raidą nėra pakankamai išnagrinėtas. Šio straipsnio tikslas – apibendrinti, kaip žymiausias XIX a. Lietuvos leidėjas profesionalas suprato leidybos verslą ir kaip įvardijo jo plėtrą skatinančias aplinkybės, drauge pamėginti įvertinti tų svarstymų novatoriškumą ir svarbą XIX a. krašto leidybai. Pagrindiniai naudoti šaltiniai yra J. Zavadzkio korespondencija, 1818 m. jo parengtas dviejų dalių rankraštis, kurio dalis buvo paskelbta XIX a. Varšuvoje ėjusiame periodiniame leidinyje „Pamiętnik Warszawski“, o 1930 m. visas buvo išspausdintas lenkų mokslininko Tadeuszo Sterzyńskio Varšuvoje, taip pat kiti to meto panašaus pobūdžio kūriniai ‒ Nikolajaus Karamzino ir Friedricho Perthes publikuoti tekstai.REIKŠMINIAI ŽODŽIAI: privataus verslo modelis, leidyba Didžiojoje Lietuvoje XIX a., Juozapas Zavadzkis.

Saudi Aramco Expands Reach Through New Technology Centers

Saudi Technology Centers Knowledge is power and technology is a game-changer. Those are the key maxims that Saudi Aramco says it is using to shape its strategy as it aims to become the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals company by 2020. “At Saudi Aramco, we are pushing forward from a traditional role as buyers and consumers of technology to our new global technology and R&D strategy. We envision becoming an enabler and creator of new technologies,” Khaled Al-Buraik, vice president of petroleum engineering and development at Saudi Aramco, said during the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in May in Houston. “There is new urgency as well as new optimism about where we are going. In the past we have been focused primarily on crude oil and gas; now we are progressing to become fully integrated in gas production, including unconventionals, refining, and chemicals.” To help meet the goal, the company is boosting its global network of R&D centers. In addition to its local center in Dhahran, the Advanced Research Center in the Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Center, Saudi Aramco plans to open three new centers in the US. “We are emphasizing high-impact technologies that typically involve long-range strategies. We are pursuing R&D to bring about breakthrough achievements—not simple or merely incremental enhancements,” Al-Buraik said. “We believe that achieving our research and technology goals requires expansion and interaction with the best talent worldwide.” The objective of these centers is to leverage international scientific expertise, gain better access to technology, and strengthen collaboration with industry and academia. A new center in Houston will be the company’s largest center outside Saudi Arabia. A second North American center will be located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focusing on computational modeling and nanotechnology research. The third center will be located in Detroit, and will be designed to extend the energy giant’s global research and development network. The Houston and Cambridge centers will be operational by the third quarter of this year, and all three will be operated by Aramco Services Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco. The company also has research centers in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; Delft, Netherlands; Paris; and Beijing; and a technology center in Aberdeen.

A Formal Theory of Strategy

What makes a decision strategic? When is strategy most important? This paper studies the structure and value of strategy (in its everyday sense), starting from a (functional) definition of strategy as ‘the smallest set of (core) choices to optimally guide the other choices.’ This definition captures the idea of strategy as the core of a – potentially flexible and adaptive – intended course of action. It coincides with the equilibrium outcome of a ‘strategy formulation game’ where a person can – at a cost – look ahead, investigate, and announce a small set of choices to the rest of the organization.Starting from that definition, the paper studies what makes a decision ‘strategic’ and what makes strategy important, considering commitment, irreversibility, and persistence of a choice; the presence of uncertainty (and the type of uncertainty); the number and strength of interactions and the centrality of a choice; its level and importance; the need for specific capabilities; and competition and dynamics. It shows, for example, that irreversibility does not make a decision more strategic but makes strategy more valuable, that long-range strategies will be more concise, why a choice what not to do can be very strategic, and that a strategy ‘bet’ can be valuable. It shows how strategy creates endogenously a hierarchy among decisions. And it also shows how understanding the structure of strategy may enable a strategist to develop the optimal strategy in a very parsimonious way.

The Razor's Edge: Louisiana's State Budget and the Serials Crisis of 2010–2012

Offered as a piquant contrast to strategy sessions that presume a surfeit of resources, this presentation focuses on coping with massive budget cuts to higher education and libraries in one of the poorest states in the union. Sara Zimmerman focused on the response to the funding emergency and the long-range strategies involved in gaining financial and political support to weather the coming storm of 2011. Karen Niemla played a critical role in publicizing the LOUIS emergency and discussed how Web 2.0 tools provided an economical and effective means of communicating the value of libraries. Michael Matthews discussed the long-term effects of shrinking academic journal collections and how academic libraries are adjusting their collection development policies to cope with the prospect of vanishing resources.

Managing art technology research collaborations

Several forms of art practices like digital, new media and installation art, use technology as a media for creative expressions. Artists are more adept at providing unique user experience in technology based art and entertainment. However, artists need technical help in producing technology-based art. In academic settings, collaborations between art and technology face several challenges due to differences in: the professional cultures and traditions; nature of professional training received; dominant personality types and cognitive styles of the practitioners; professional expectations; practice methods; difficulty in communication; institutional factors; paucity of appropriate project management methods and software tools. This article provides insights into: the psychology of creativity, impact of personalities, practice sub-domains, work methods, skills, several other relevant factors and issues. Finally, several short and long-range strategies are suggested regarding management of art?technology collaboration in academic research and education.

Collection Management Strategies in a Digital Environment

This paper describes a grant-funded research project to relocate selected print journal runs, for which an electronic version is available, to remote storage from the shelves of campus libraries at the University of California. During the project, users will rely on the electronic version of selected journals. Data, including costs associated with the project, usage of print journals, usage of electronic journals, as well as user behavior and attitudes, will be gathered and used to develop long-range strategies and institutional policies.

Field Evaluation of Degree-Day Based Equations for Predicting Sprouting of Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) Turions and Tubers

ABSTRACT The ability to predict sprouting of aquatic macrophyte vegetative propagules is an important step in understanding their temporal distribution and abundance and in developing long-range management strategies. We examined the ability of degree-day based equations to predict monoecious hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata L. f. Royle) tuber and turion sprouting in Clear Lake, California using sediment and water temperatures measured in the lake. Sediment temperature data were used to calculate accumulated degree-days. Sprouting of turions and tubers was estimated using previously developed equations relating sprouting to accumulated degree-days. There was good agreement between sprouting predictions and field data on the presence of hydrilla in weed rake samples. Small differences among water temperatures at the five sites and strong relationships between water and sediment temperatures indicate that sprouting should be similar in hydrilla beds found along the western and southern shores of upper Clear Lake. These results can be used to estimate optimal timing for surveys of hydrilla abundance and the application of hydrilla management techniques.

Collection Management Strategies in a Digital Environment.

This paper describes a grant-funded research project to relocate selected print journal runs, for which an electronic version is available, to remote storage from the shelves of campus libraries at the University of California. During the project, users will rely on the electronic version of selected journals. Data, including costs associated with the project, usage of print journals, usage of electronic journals, as well as user behavior and attitudes, will be gathered and used to develop long-range strategies and institutional policies.

Dental school faculty shortages increase: an update on future dental school faculty

The 1999 publication of the American Association of Dental Schools (AADS) President s Task Force on Future Dental School Faculty revealed a crisis in the shortages of dental school faculty. Stakeholders from around the nation have used the AADS Task Force report to address the crisis. In addressing one of the AADS Task Force recommendations, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), formerly AADS, gathered additional data through a new survey of dental school deans to elucidate the current state of faculty shortages. Based on this research, ADEA projects that the number of unfilled budgeted faculty positions in U.S. dental schools now approaches 400. Survey respondents identified retirement as the leading reason for full-time faculty separations, while separation to enter private practice was the second most frequent reason for leaving the institution. Offering a salary competitive with that of private practice was identified as the most critical factor in recruiting future faculty. A number of short and long-range strategies to recruit and retain faculty are presented. Ultimately, the dental school faculty shortage places in jeopardy the general and oral health of the public.

Methodology and evaluation of priorities for energy and environmental research projects

To evaluate and prioritize energy-related projects, not only technological issues but also resource and social aspects must be included. We use an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for incorporating these two features. Technological issues are divided into three categories; resource and social aspects are divided into five categories. Each category is further subdivided, forming a tree-like hierarchy. Nineteen energy-related characteristics and seven environmental characteristics are used to describe a proposed research project. By utilizing the estimated relative importance of each selected characteristic, seven different planning perspectives have been identified: short-, intermediate-, and long-range strategies for Japan, short- and intermediate-range strategies for less developed countries (LDCs), and intermediate- and long-range global strategies.

Citrus Tristeza Virus and Its Aphid VectorToxoptera citmicida: Threats to Citrus Production in the Caribbean and Central and North America

The CTV-BrCA complex represents a real threat to citrus production in the countries of the Caribbean Basin and Central and North America. The promptness in recognizing the situation by scientists, government officials, and citrus growers of this geographical area will pay dividends by delaying the occurrence of CTV epidemics. Immediate strategies should include preventing any further introduction of any severe CTV isolate into the region, and preventing any further dissemination of the virus via infected budwood. Continued education is essential to make prevention work as well and as long as possible. Eradication and suppression should be considered where the number of infected trees is small and they are restricted to well-defined locations. Largescale suppression should be guided by analysis of cost-benefit ratios and accurate survey information. Long-range movement of plant materials infested with the BrCA should be carefully avoided. Field evaluation of alternate rootstocks is essential in all areas where sour orange is threatened by CTV. Intermediate strategies include deployment of MSCP as other options fail, especially in the context of an integrated pest management scheme (61). Long-range strategies include development of immune scion varieties through genetic engineering and breeding. Several areas that need additional research have been identified by scientists and citrus growers at the various international workshops held in Costa Rica in 1991 and in Venezuela in 1992 (27,29). These areas are summarized as follows: 1) development of rapid methods to differentiate among mild, DI, and SP strains of CTV; 2) development of virus resistance in commercially desirable cultivars by either biotechnology methods, including somatic hybridization, production of transgenic plants, and genetic engineering approaches, or conventional breeding to transfer the CTV immunity present in some citrus relatives into acceptable cultivars; 3) gathering of data on distribution and spread of CTV, as affected by strains of CTV, vector type, and dynamics, hosts, and location effects; 4) developing a better understanding of virus-aphid relationships to determine how CTV is affected by aphid species, virus strain, and hosts; 5) developing biological control methods for the BrCA as part of an integrated pest management system to reduce spread of CTV; and 6) developing improved methods of MSCP

Assistive technology: problems and policy alternatives.

Assistive technology (AT), defined as any device or product system that increases the physical functioning or independence of persons with disabilities, is transforming the way disabled Americans live and work. Numerous studies show increases in independence, employment, and life satisfaction; yet, the acquisition of AT presents many problems for disabled persons, such as lack of funds to purchase AT, no centralized information and evaluation system, fraud and abuse by some providers, and denials of needed equipment by third-party payers. The proposed Health Security Act could provide a potential mechanism to address these problems, but whether AT should be covered under the Act has received little national attention. In this article we document the need and current funding alternatives for AT, and suggests possible short and long-range strategies to make AT more available for individuals with disabilities.

NSF commission's findings

The National Science Board Commission on the Future of the National Science Foundation, which met several times over the past several months to assess NSF's role in the future, has completed its study and compiled its findings. Their report, “A Foundation for the 21st Century: A Progressive Framework for the National Science Foundation,” was released on November 20. The National Science Board, which is NSF's policymaking body, and the director of the agency asked the commission to stimulate thinking and discussion on the longrange strategies for NSF. Some of the over 800 letters received from individuals and organizations proved useful in generating discussion in the community.

Japanese firms emphasize technology management

Of long-range strategies Japanese chemical companies are adopting to remain competitive in the 21st century, a beefedup research and development effort ranks high on the list. But implementing that...