Long-term Aims Research Articles

The Disinformation Activities of the KGB of Lithuanian SSR and Protection of Secrets in 1954–1991

Competition between the USA and USSR during the Cold War was concurrent with spying and protection of secrets. Those targets were implemented by various measures. Disinformation was an exceptionally important method among them. This method was very complicated, secret, reaching long-term aims and therefore difficult to detect. It was used to implement propaganda, intelligent and counterintelligence tasks. There were quite a few forms of disinformation, and it was used widely. It was very important in implementing Soviet policy. Soviet ideology and circumstances of international policy determined this importance. The Soviet secret police always had a section that supervised and controlled strategically important enterprises, branches of the economy and science, transport and offices. The KGB paid much attention to them, because they were supposed to be objects of interest of foreign intelligence. A very important aspect of the KGB counterintelligence work was the protection of very important information. It also supervised how secret documents were protected in strategically important objects. A company or a plant itself (or its department) was protected. The KGB took some measures to make sure that stranger knew very little about its existence and purpose. The KGB also tried to deceive foreign intelligence by creating legends about strategic objects. The aim was to hide the true functions, the activities of the enterprises and its subordination to the military industry. Besides that, the KGB sought to protect secret information by toughening the control of movement of foreigners in Lithuania. Tourism and others exchanges with Western countries were under strict supervision of the KGB.

Navigating the pathway from collaborative governance to impacts under uncertainty: A theory of change for watershed visions

Navigating the pathway from collaborative governance to impacts under uncertainty: A theory of change for watershed visions

Predictors of Purpose Among Young Adults in College: An Exploratory Analysis of the Importance of Relational Supports and Experiential Learning

College is an important context for young adults to cultivate developmental assets, solidify vocational plans, and nurture meaningful relationships. National data from Gallup have highlighted key experiences that positively impact a student’s experience while at college and their life after graduation. These “Big Six” experiences, including relationships with faculty and mentors and participation in high-impact practices, predict student success. Similarly, both theory and research underscore the importance of relationships, active engagement, and exploration in cultivating purpose and long-term aims. Little work has examined the cumulative and relative value of the “Big Six” experiences in explaining purpose development in college. The present cross-sectional and exploratory study sought to address this gap. Specifically, this study utilized hierarchical linear regression to examine the impact of different experiences and relationships on college student purpose at a small, liberal arts university in the Southeast region of the United States (n = 758). The results indicated that a greater number of “Big Six” experiences were predictive of a stronger purpose. Furthermore, experiences centered on relationships mattered relatively more in fostering purpose among college students than participation in high-impact practices. The findings are discussed in the context of the literature and recommendations for higher-education institutions are made.

Water-energy-food-greenhouse gas nexus: An approach to solutions for water scarcity in agriculture of a semi-arid region

Water-energy-food-greenhouse gas nexus: An approach to solutions for water scarcity in agriculture of a semi-arid region

Biodiversity is central for restoration

The global restoration agenda can help solve the biodiversity extinction crisis by regenerating biodiversity-rich ecosystems, maximising conservation benefits using natural regeneration. Yet, conservation is rarely the core objective of restoration, and biodiversity is often neglected in restoration projects targeted towards carbon sequestration or enhancing ecosystem services for improved local livelihoods. Here, we synthesise evidence to show that promoting biodiversity in restoration planning and delivery is integral to delivering other long-term restoration aims, such as carbon sequestration, timber production, enhanced local farm yields, reduced soil erosion, recovered hydrological services and improved human health. For each of these restoration goals, biodiversity must be a keystone objective to the entire process. Biodiversity integration requires improved evidence and action, delivered via a socio-ecological process operating at landscape scales and backed by supportive regulations and finance. Conceiving restoration and biodiversity conservation as synergistic, mutually reinforcing partners is critical for humanity's bids to tackle the global crises of climate change, land degradation and biodiversity extinction.

A common curriculum in obstetrics and gynecology for medical students globally.

Global variations in women's health outcomes, increased international migration, and an increase in the number of medical schools underpin the need for global standardization in obstetrics and gynecology curricula for medical students. However, there are currently no recommendations regarding the content of a common curriculum. The aim of this project was to agree the objectives for a common curriculum in obstetrics and gynecology for medical students globally. The curriculum was developed and agreed by an international taskforce of obstetricians and gynecologists. Published curricula for medical students in a variety of regions globally were reviewed and discussed, and the objectives for a common curriculum in obstetrics and gynecology for medical students were agreed by consensus. The content of the proposed curriculum is classified into three domains: clinical skills, professional behaviors, and knowledge. The recommended curriculum covers health conditions that affect women globally in different social and cultural contexts, and addresses important global health issues of relevance to obstetrics and gynecology. The methods and outcomes of a project by an international taskforce of obstetricians and gynecologists to develop a common curriculum in obstetrics and gynecology for medical students globally are presented. More work is required to identify ways in which the curriculum may be adapted to a minimum essential required curriculum in times of man-made or natural disasters. Achieving these will facilitate the intended long-term aims of this curriculum, to improve women's health outcomes globally.

State regulation of negative infrastructure-related externalities in the system of land relations

The subject of the study is the system of land relations in Russia, the imperfection of which gives rise to negative infrastructural externalities caused by the modernization and development of linear engineering infrastructure The objective of the work is to develop methods for state regulation of the external effects, the main one of which is internalization through land taxation. In the work the concept of “negative infrastructure-related externalities”, their structure and economic nature in land relations are introduced. Also the consequences of negative infrastructure-related externalities on the economic interests of owners of encumbered land plots are determined. To overcome those issues the economic mechanism for regulating the use of land resources and their redistribution is developed. The scope of application of research results covers a lot of long-term aims: from the differentiation of land taxation for the internalization of negative infrastructure-related externalities to territorial planning at all levels.

Beyond Belief Correction: Effects of the Truth Sandwich on Perceptions of Fact-checkers and Verification Intentions

ABSTRACT As mis- and disinformation may threaten democracy by fueling misperceptions, it is important to assess the effectiveness of journalistic interventions combating false information. This study aims to better understand how fact-checks relate to various outcomes relevant to audiences’ resilience to false information. We randomly exposed 752 Dutch participants to fact-checks of a disputed health-related claim vs. no fact-check. The fact-checks either followed a classic format which repeated the false claim or followed a truth sandwich format wrapping the false claim in accurate information. While the truth sandwich was not effective in correcting false beliefs, it had indirect benefits. First, those who saw a truth sandwich perceived the intentions of fact-checkers more positively thinking that their intention was to inform rather than to manipulate or spread lies. Second, those who saw a truth sandwich showed the least resistance to reading subsequent fact-checks. For journalism practice this implies that different fact-check formats can be strategically employed to achieve desired outcomes. A more classic fact-check format might be preferable if the primary aim is to correct false beliefs, while the truth sandwich may be employed to reach more indirect and long-term aims like rebuilding confidence in fact-checkers or stimulating future verification behaviors.

Socio-demographic determinants of online dating

Foreign demographic and marketing studies show that online dating services are gaining popularity among young people, especially among university students. At the same time, there has not been a unified classification of goals and motives for dating online which are important both for understanding aspects of population’s marital behavior and for developing such services. In Russian scientific discourse, the topic of meeting students through online dating services remains underexplored. This study is aimed at identifying the main goals of dating in the context of long-term (marriage, having children, love and friendship) and shortterm dating and analyzing the influence of demographic characteristics of Russian students on them. The survey involved 3085 students who had experience in online dating. In the first step, probabilistic probit models were built with 8 dating targets. In the second step, based on factor analysis, dating goals were grouped and additional analysis was carried out on strengthened groups of long-term and short-term dating goals. The following modeling results were obtained: (1) men more often than women pursue both short-term and long-term aims; (2) the popularity of short-term relationships in online space grows with the age of a student; (3) students at universities in the capital are more inclined to get acquainted with long-term goals; (4) marriage, birth and/or raising children is not a priority for students. Yet, longterm relationships with a partner among students are more widespread than short-term ones.

Long-term Nephrotoxicity after PRRT: Myth or Reality.

Rationale: The kidneys are commonly considered as the potential dose-limiting organ for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), making the risk of nephrotoxicity a primary concern. This retrospective analysis with prospective documentation and long-term follow-up aims to assess the risk of nephrotoxicity after PRRT in a large cohort of patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) treated at our institution over the past 18 years. Methods: A total of 1361 NEN patients treated with 1-10 cycles of 177Lu-DOTA-TOC/-NOC/-TATE, 90Y-DOTA-TOC/-NOC/-TATE, DUO-PRRT (sequential administration of 90Y- and 177Lu-), or TANDEM-PRRT (combination of 90Y- and 177Lu- on the same day concomitantly) were included in this analysis. All parameters were prospectively documented in a structured database comprising over 250 items per patient and retrospectively analyzed. Kidney function, including serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, cGFR, and electrolytes, was evaluated before each PRRT cycle and during follow-up. Restaging was regularly performed at 6-month intervals until death. Treatment-related adverse events were graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v.5.0). Results: Between 2000 and 2018, a total of 5409 cycles of PRRT were administered to 1361 NEN patients. Follow-up after complete treatment was available for 1281 patients receiving 4709 cycles of PRRT, with a median follow-up time of 69.2 months (interquartile range, 32.8-110.5 months) and a maximum follow-up time of 175 months. Baseline creatinine levels were normal in 1039/1281 (81.1%) subjects, while grade 1 (G1) renal insufficiency was present in 221/1281 (17.3%) prior to PRRT. G2 was present in 19/1281 (1.5%), and G3 in 2/1281 (0.2%). After treatment, the proportion of G3/G4 grade patients only increased from 0.2% to 0.7%. Mean creatinine levels increased from a baseline of 0.90 ± 0.30 to 1.01 ± 0.57 mg/L (80.0 ± 26.7 to 89.4 ± 50.8 μmol/L) after treatment. In our main analysis cohort of 1244 patients (4576 cycles), 200 patients experienced an increase in CTCAE creatinine grade. Age, number of treatment cycles, type of radionuclides, and length of follow-up time were the main factors affecting CTCAE creatinine grading after treatment. When comparing the subgroups treated with different radionuclides, the risk of nephrotoxicity after 90Y treatment alone and the 90Y/177Lu combination group was higher than after 177Lu treatment alone. In the 90Y treatment subgroup, the two significant risk factors for an increased CTCAE creatinine grade were identified to be age (≥60) and a long follow-up time. Conclusions: This retrospective analysis with prospective documentation in a large cohort of 1281 NEN patients receiving 4709 cycles of PRRT co-administered with renal protection, treated through the individualized approach at a single institution over 18 years, did not reveal any evidence of long-term PRRT-related renal toxicity. The results of our study suggest that with the use of proper renal protection, nephrotoxicity due to PRRT is more likely a myth than a reality.

Náhľad do stavu výuky interkultúrnych komunikačných kompetencií na slovenských základných a stredných školách

Learners of foreign languages should be prepared to live in a pluricultural world. Therefore, one of the long-term aims of the European Union is to equip learners of foreign languages with intercultural communicative competence (ICC). This article focused on discovering which intercultural communicative competencies were developed by Slovak in-service teachers of elementary and high schools. Moreover, it aimed to discover teachers’ views on implementing intercultural education in English language lessons and their views of their own intercultural communicative competencies. The interview results showed that the teachers implemented some of the asked competencies in their lessons in the English language, mainly greetings, addressing, and information on customs, habits, and traditions. Furthermore, in-service teachers believed in the importance of implementing intercultural education in their lessons and considered their intercultural competencies as good or very good. Even though, the sample of teachers was small (and therefore, the results cannot be generalized), the results of this study supported previous research conducted in this field in Slovakia.

Product Roadmap Planning in Dynamic Markets

In the quickly changing business environment of today, product roadmap planning has become an essential component of organisational strategy. This is especially true in dynamic markets that are characterised by fast technology breakthroughs, altering customer tastes, and strong competitive challenges. This article looks into the complexities of product roadmap planning within such unpredictable marketplaces, analysing the most important tactics, best practices, and obstacles that are encountered by organisations that are attempting to retain a competitive advantage. Product roadmaps are strategic blueprints that explain the vision, direction, and advancement of a product across time. They are used to plan the product's development. For these roadmaps to be effective in dynamic marketplaces, they need to be flexible and forward-looking, able to accommodate developments that are both anticipated and unexpected. The purpose of this article is to investigate the fundamental elements that constitute efficient product roadmap planning, with a particular focus on the importance of adaptability and agility in the face of changes in the market. Finding a way to strike a balance between short-term and long-term aims is one of the most significant issues that dynamic marketplaces provide. Companies have to find a way to negotiate the conflict that exists between the urgent requirements of their customers and their wider strategic goals. The implementation of iterative development, periodic appraisal of market trends, and the inclusion of consumer input into the roadmap are some of the strategies that are discussed in this article as potential methods for striking this balance.

PT. Smart Finance's Design Of Green Budgets

This century has seen an increase in the development of sustainable development, and to help with this, the green economy strategy has been established. Businesses who are aware of this are beginning to include environmental management components to the strategic roadmap in order to accommodate this programme, which needs funding in order to be carried out. As a result, many institutions are now beginning to use green budgeting techniques. A budgeting model known as "green budgeting" gives environmental considerations top priority during the planning, execution, monitoring, and assessment stages. Organisations can use budgets as a tool to promote the accomplishment of environmental goals by implementing green budgeting. The OECD-based green budgeting theory and idea is applied. The purpose of this study is to offer a framework for implementing the green budgeting idea in line with business needs. This study employs qualitative methodologies grounded in financial company case studies. The information used came from documents and interviews pertaining to the organisation's green corporate roadmap and budgeting procedure. The study's findings demonstrate that PT. Smart Finance has strategic goals for environmental management in its frame design, and these goals are guided by the company's long-term aims and its shareholders. The company has relevant policies, such as the Green Company Document Blueprint, to put this idea into practice. It also has media, such as management reports and sustainability reports, to report on its progress and provide information on programme realisation. If this idea is put into practice, the annual budget of the company will need to be prepared with a grading system for environmental management.

ДЕТЕРМІНАНТИ МІГРАЦІЙНИХ ПРОЦЕСІВ ЯК ПЕРЕДУМОВА ФОРМУВАННЯ МІГРАЦІЙНИХ ПОТОКІВ В УМОВАХ ГЛОБАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The article discusses the main aspects of intermational migration. International migration is a process of crossing borders by population for long-term aims. International migration streams are described as the amount of migrants that cross the border within the one certain route. The volume of international migration depends on key important factors. Studying the determinants, the author has found out that the they are firmly connected with the problem of reasons and consequences of international migration streams. The question of the mounting amount of population in poor countries and the problem with the increasing of negative effects of transnational corporations activity have been investigated in the aspect of the globalisation of international economic relationships. Various factors have been mentioned. The risks connected with the tax dodge, the acts of taking control over the largest part of domestic firms and politic impact on the country’s parliaments are among the most hazardous. The vital issue that has been studied by the autor is the influence of world crisises and military conflicts on the world economy at all. In the addition to the main part of the study the graph with the information of increasing amount of migrants has been attached to the work. During the study the author has figured out that the consequences of globalisation affected mostly the volume of international labour migration. The number of migrants has rocketed since the first features of globalization have been noticed. According to the open resources that have been used while studying the determinants of migration processes, globalization is the process the is described as an increase of number of international connections among the countries all over the globe. The most known features of global world are the enhancement of international division of labour, the economy of volume of production, the improvement of competitiveness, the increase of productivity, the maximization in usage of financial resources and the progress of innovation implementation. As a result of the work it has been concluded that precondition of formation of migration streams is determinants (key factors) that influence the rate and volume of migration and, as a fact, change its structure and directions.

Interaction Between Educational Institution and Employers’ Organizations in Cultural Sphere: Study Experience

The article presents the results of the study held in the Chelyabinbsk State Institute of Culture in 2021. The study aimed at the evaluation by employers’ organizations of the university graduates’ preparation level, requirements of professional sphere to the competencies of culture workers, and determination of forms and directions of employers’ participation in educational process. The study showed comparatively high evaluation of educational system results (training of a graduate), the developed personal characteristics, universal and professional competencies of a culture worker. The authors have also revealed a dominant orientation at short-term, local (according to scales, intensity and the tasks realized) directions and forms of interaction between the university and regional sphere of culture. The choice of tools for such interactions indicates a lack of long-term aims, strategic character and focus on the solution of the personnel potential reproduction tasks and integration of cultural institutions into educational process, organization of joint scientific-research, artistic and creative, sociocultural projects. Meanwhile, interaction potential of cultural activity and professional education spheres becomes a factor of protecting and development of regional system of culture, sociocultural transformation of the corresponding territories.

Development of Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence via Creating Their Own Cultures

Abstract One of the long-term aims of the European Union is to incorporate intercultural education into lessons in foreign languages. However, studies have shown that teachers of foreign languages often do not know what intercultural teaching involves and are themselves not interculturally competent. The aim of an elective course Intercultural training in a teacher training study program is to develop students’ intercultural communicative competences (ICC) and to teach them various teaching techniques and activities for the development of ICC. An activity for this intervention is called Aliens, where students were creating their planets (cultures) with sociocultural and historical foundations and sociolinguistic and pragmatic aspects of their newly developed cultures. Four lessons focused on intercultural topics such as greetings, addressing, non-verbal communication, small talk, punctuality, diversity, etc. were conducted before the intervention. The main aim of this intervention was to develop intercultural communicative competences (awareness, sociocultural knowledge, sociolinguistic and pragmatic competences) and positive attitudes towards difference and respect for other cultures. The intervention was conducted via four-step action research and it was evaluated as very successful, as students were able to reflect on their own and other cultures, and showed open-mindedness, curiosity, and acceptance toward foreign cultures.

Embracing multiple aims in healthcare improvement and innovation.

Healthcare and other industries have to manage and coordinate a number of different aims and longer-term ambitions. They must maintain quality, manage costs, support and retain the workforce, manage regulatory demands and consider wider societal objectives. These aims are all legitimate, but they are not necessarily aligned, neither in their time frame nor in their nature. Conflicts between aims have a profound influence on the implementation of safety and quality improvement and wider innovation system change. Healthcare leaders understand that these aims may conflict, but the extent and nature of such conflicts have been underestimated. This paper aims to support medical and nursing leadership and executives in the complex task of managing multiple aims in relation to improvement and innovation. We drew on our experience and the wider industrial and healthcare literature to find examples of studies and improvement projects with multiple aims and examples of innovation and change in which conflicting aims were apparent. We sought to identify principles that would enable the management of parallel aims and practical strategies that might facilitate implementation. We argue that almost all improvement and innovation in healthcare should address parallel aims, actively seek to articulate these aims and manage potential conflicts between them. We propose four underlying principles to support a more productive approach to the identification and management of parallel aims: embrace multiple aims, consider both short- and long-term aims and ambitions, consider the wider societal context and appreciate that all changes take place within an evolving, dynamic context. In terms of practical actions, we identified five key strategies: (i) identify and monitor the parallel aims and accept that some will conflict; (ii) slow down to accommodate the natural flexibility of the system; (iii) think both the short term and the long term; (iv) expect and endeavour to anticipate some unintended consequences and (v) resist downgrading the project to partial implementation. We have argued that most improvement and innovation, unlike controlled trials, should consider multiple aims. We set out some broad principles and practices to reduce conflict and suggest avenues to manage conflicts and support positive synergies. We suggest that if this is not done, conflicts are much more likely to arise, which will be detrimental to the change process. Articulating the multiple aims and actively seeking to manage them in parallel will promote a more flexible and productive approach to innovation and change.

The Irish Football Player Pathway: Examining Stakeholder Coherence Throughout and Across the Player Development System.

Maximizing the efficiency of the player development system is a strategic priority for any professional football club or association. However, the successful development of a young footballer is largely dependent upon the roles and relationships of the different stakeholders invested in the developmental process. This study examined the level of horizontal (i.e., extent to which stakeholders across a pathway stage work with players in an agreed fashion to optimize their experience) and vertical (i.e., extent to which multiple stages of the pathway are coordinated and build chronologically from previous involvement toward long-term needs) stakeholder coherence throughout the Irish football player pathway following a restructuring of development policies and the implementation of a nationwide academy system between 2016 and 2020 under the Football Association of Ireland's (FAI) Player Development Plan. As a second aim, we explored each of the key stakeholders' alignment to academic talent development principles in order to provide practical recommendations for future player and coach development policies. Accordingly, a series of interviews were conducted with 31 key stakeholders currently engaged in the player pathway. These key stakeholders consisted of parents, coaches and members of the FAI as the National Governing Body for football in Ireland. Data were analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, with findings highlighting a lack of stakeholder coherence across the pathway, both vertically and horizontally. Stakeholders displayed inconsistency in their understanding of the purpose of the player pathway and its long-term strategic aims, as well as demonstrating poor and incohesive relationships with each of the different stakeholders. Moreover, talent development principles between the different stakeholders appeared well-understood overall, although the practical implementation of several of these principles in applied practice did not appear to exist. Results highlight the need for organizational intervention and structural change across the Irish player pathway to maximize long-term player development in the future. Practical implications for the FAI are discussed and recommendations are made to support optimal player development policies moving forward.

Waste heat recovery potential in residential apartment buildings in Finland's Kymenlaakso region by using mechanical exhaust air ventilation and heat pumps

With the growing share of ventilation heat loads, the heat recovery over the mechanical ventilation systems appears as one of the key solutions to reduce heat loss and generate energy savings. Finland's long-term renovation strategy aims for a highly energy-efficient and almost carbon-free building stock by 2050. One of the greatest potentials for energy savings relates to those built between the 1960s and 1980s where no heat recovery exists. This study addresses the wasted heat potential of apartment buildings in the Kymenlaakso region in Finland and how EAHPs can utilize it. The wasted heat potential was mapped by selecting buildings of different ages in Kotka from the 1950s to 2010 and for which the thermal energy balance was determined. The apartment buildings with mechanical exhaust ventilation in Kymenlaakso were surveyed. If all the mapped exhaust air waste energy could be utilized by EAHPs, it could produce the thermal energy combined from different decades up to 18.7 GWh/a in Kotka and 36.8 GWh/a in Kouvola. The calculated annual reduction in CO 2 emissions might be about 590 and 944 tCO 2 in Kotka and Kouvola, respectively. The calculated payback periods varied from 7 to 13 years for the selected buildings.

“A Moment of Science, Please”: Activism, Community, and Humor at the March for Science

In April 2017, scientists and science sympathizers held marches in the United Kingdom as part of a coordinated international March for Science movement that was held in over 600 cities worldwide. This article reports from participant-observation studies of the marches that took place in London and Cardiff. Supplemented with data from 37 interviews from marchers at the London event, the article reports on an analysis of the placards, focusing on marchers’ concerns and the language and images through which they expressed those concerns. How did the protesters articulate their concerns and objectives, and how were these articulations used to build a community? The placards did not represent a clear, focused, and unifying message; they instead illustrated disparate concerns ranging from human-induced climate change, Trump and “alternative facts,” and local UK specific political issues concerning the country’s exit from the European Union. Our analysis shows that placards gave a playful and whimsical character to the march, with slogans displaying significant amounts (and moments) of humor, often formulated through insider jokes, scientific puns, or self-deprecating appropriation of negative stereotypes about scientists. We analyze the march through the social movement literature and as a collective identity-building exercise for an (emergent) community of scientists and sympathizers with long-term aims of establishing a louder voice for scientists, and experts, in public discourse.