Computer Supported Strategic Management

This paper presents an overview of the essential components of effective strategic management and a detailed description of the methodology for leading an organization through the strategic management process. This process can be extremely time consuming and can easily fall victim to pep rally thinking, rather than producing useful critical evaluation.The authors have successfully used GroupSystems software, one of a limited number of software products designed to support meetings, to significantly reduce the amoimt of time required for meetings and to improve the level of independent, unbiased input from participants. The parallel processing afforded by the software typically reduced meeting time from one-third to one-half that of face-to-face meetings, and the input anonymity feature of the software encouraged insightful candor from participants. The GroupSystems seuip for each of the computer-supported meetings is detailed to illustrate how software of this type can be used to make strategic management efforts more successful. (GroupSystems is a registered trademark of Ventana Corporation, Tucson, Arizona.

Philosophy-in-Action in University Teaching

Fourteen professors expressed their "traditional," "humanist," and "critical" philosophies about teaching and learning when they engaged in dialogue with us and each other. The relationship between their philosophy of teaching and their practice in the classroom is the research question. Four themes that elaborate these philosophies-in-action emerged from a grounded-theory approach to data analysis. One theme, "Expert vs. Co-learner" describes these professors' views of themselves as teachers. A second theme, "The Relationship of Comfort to Critique, " outlines some of the tensions that arise from attempting to create a comfortable classroom environment while also encouraging critical thought. "Learning for Change, " the third theme, is about the differing forms of change in the learner that these professors seek as evidence that learning is taking place. Finally, in the section called "Coping with Constraints, " our study participants identify institutional issues that have made it difficult for them to enact their particular teaching-learning philosophies in university classes.Quatorze professeurs commentent leur approche pédagogique de type "traditionnelle", "humaniste" ou "critique" et le lien entre leur philosophie d'enseignement et la pratique dans la salle de cours. Quatre thèmes essentiels issus de ces philosophies-en-action relient la conceptualisation théorique du problème à l'analyse des données. Le premier thème portant sur le rôle "d'expert vs celui de co-disciple" décrit les perceptions qu'ont les professeurs d'eux-même en tant qu'enseignants. Un second thème portant sur la relation entre "Bien-être et Pensée critique" décrit certaines des tensions engendrées par la volonté qu'ont les professeurs de créer un climat d'apprentissage favorable au bien-être tout en encourageant la pensée critique. Le troisième thème portant sur la notion de "Progression dans l'apprentissage" reflète la problématique d'évaluation du progrès des étudiants à travers ses diverses manifestations. Enfin, dans la section portant sur "Les Contraintes à l'action", les participants relèvent les difficultés rencontrées dans leur établissement respectif par rapport à la pratique dans la salle de cours de leur philosophie d'enseignement

Cenozoic evolution of the eastern Black Sea: a test of depth-dependent stretching models

Subsidence analysis of the eastern Black Sea basin suggests that the stratigraphy of this deep, extensional basin can be explained by a predominantly pure-shear stretching history. A strain-rate inversion method that assumes pure-shear extension obtains good fits between observed and predicted stratigraphy. A relatively pure-shear strain distribution is also obtained when a strain-rate inversion algorithm is applied that allows extension to vary with depth without assuming its existence or form. The timing of opening of the eastern Black Sea, which occupied a back-arc position during the closure of the Tethys Ocean, has also been a subject of intense debate; competing theories called for basin opening during the Jurassic, Cretaceous or Paleocene/Eocene. Our work suggests that extension likely continued into the early Cenozoic, in agreement with stratigraphic relationships onshore and with estimates for the timing of arc magmatism. Further basin deepening also appears to have occurred in the last 20 myr. This anomalous subsidence event is focused in the northern part of the basin and reaches its peak at 15–10 Ma. We suggest that this comparatively localized shortening is associated with the northward movement of the Arabian plate. We also explore the effects of paleowater depth and elastic thickness on the results. These parameters are controversial, particularly for deep-water basins and margins, but their estimation is a necessary step in any analysis of the tectonic subsidence record stored in stratigraphy. <br/

Tidal Sediment Yield Estimate Methodology in Virginia for the Chesapeake Bay Program Water Quality Model

Water quality in Chesapeake Bay has degraded over the past 50 years with respect to oxygen depletion and reduced light attenuation. While the causes are numerous, sediment resuspension from wave and tidal action cloud the water column and reduce light attenuation thereby negatively affecting submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) beds. Sediments on the Bay bottom come from upland runoff and shoreline erosion, each of which has significant contributions to the loading of sediments into estuary. The purpose of this report is to assess the present methods used to calculate sediment loading from tidal shoreline erosion that is input to the Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Model (WQM). Specific tasks were to: 1. review and assess the overall methods and assumptions for estimating erosion rates particularly for the Virginia shoreline and provide recommendations for improving the shoreline erosion estimates; 2. Provide assistance in obtaining and applying additional data sets which may improve estimates of shoreline erosion; 3. Review and assess estimated splits of 65%:35% for bank and nearshore erosion

Application of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for monitoring bank erosion along river corridors

Excessive streambank erosion is a significant source of fine sediments and associated nutrients in many river systems as well as poses risk to infrastructure. Geomorphic change detection using high-resolution topographic data is a useful method for monitoring the extent of bank erosion along river corridors. Recent advances in an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry techniques allow acquisition of high-resolution topographic data, which are the methods used in this study. To evaluate the effectiveness of UAS-based photogrammetry for monitoring bank erosion, a fixed-wing UAS was deployed to survey 20 km of river corridors in central Vermont, in the northeastern United States multiple times over a two-year period. Digital elevation models (DEMs) and DEMs of difference allowed quantification of volumetric changes along selected portions of the survey area where notable erosion occurred. Results showed that UAS was capable of collecting high-quality topographic data at fine resolutions even along vegetated river corridors provided that the surveys were conducted in early spring, after snowmelt but prior to summer vegetation growth. Longer term estimates of streambank movements using the UAS showed good comparison to previously collected airborne lidar surveys and allowed reliable quantification of significant geomorphic changes along rivers

Sands of the Chesapeake

This is a short phamplet outlining the origin, composition, and dune structure of sandy shores of the Chesapeake Bay region

Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base Chesapeake Bay Shoreline

Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It’s shoreline along the southern Chesapeake Bay extends from Little Creek Inlet eastward approximately 1.5 miles to the NAB’s eastern boundary. In 1997, a study and report entitled “LITTLE CREEK NAVAL AMPHIBIOUS BASE, CHESAPEAKE BAY SHORELINE, SHORELINE MANAGEMENT PLAN and OFFICER’S BEACH SHORE PROTECTION EVALUATION” was produced by VIMS’s Shoreline Studies Program (Hardaway et al., 1997). The purpose of that report was to assess the rates and patterns of beach change along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline at Little Creek NAB in order to develop a shoreline management plan, particularly for the Officer’s Beach (“O” Beach). Field surveys, historical aerial imagery, empirical models and computer models were used to address these objectives. Plan recommendations resulted in the construction of a headland breakwater system and revetments at the “O” Beach as well as a series of proposed breakwaters along the length of the Little Creek NAB coast. In 2002, an update to the shoreline management plan was performed (Hardaway et al., 2004). The purposes of that effort were to update the Hardaway et al. (1997) study and to determine if additional management strategies should be implemented. Elements of the previous report were presented to provide the background perspective and bring the reader up-to-date. Generally, the shoreline subreach just west of the “O” Beach has continued to erode from the existing revetment westward toward the Enlisted Beach (“E” Beach). This trend was prevalent prior to 1997 and was predicted to continue in the previous study. The question is how long will this trend continue and what impact will it have on the Base’s shoreline, particularly the Bayfronting primary dune system which is eroding along much of the coast? This report attempts to detail the potential impacts to Little Creek NAB Chesapeake Bay coast if the updated management plan is implemented. It was determine that the impact will be to the shoreline position and consequently to the associated beach/dune system. The management recommendations of the updated plan are to create headland features with large stone breakwaters and to allow the adjacent coast to continue to recede toward dynamic equilibrium. Dynamic equilibrium is a concept whereby shoreline embayments, whether natural or man-made, will attain a state where the shore planform is stable given the input and output of littoral sands. In the case of Little Creek NAB, the input of sand from ongoing beach nourishment efforts west of Lynnhaven Inlet is a significant factor

A New Machine-Learning Approach for Classifying Hysteresis in Suspended-Sediment Discharge Relationships Using High-Frequency Monitoring Data

Studying the hysteretic relationships embedded in high-frequency suspended-sediment concentration and river discharge data over 600+ storm events provides insight into the drivers and sources of riverine sediment during storm events. However, the literature to date remains limited to a simple visual classification system (linear, clockwise, counter-clockwise, and figure-eight patterns) or the collapse of hysteresis patterns to an index. This study leverages 3 years of suspended-sediment and discharge data to show proof-of-concept for automating the classification and assessment of event sediment dynamics using machine learning. Across all catchment sites, 600+ storm events were captured and classified into 14 hysteresis patterns. Event classification was automated using a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a type of artificial neural network, trained on 2-D images of the suspended-sediment discharge (hysteresis) plots. Expansion of the hysteresis patterns to 14 classes allowed for new insight into drivers of the sediment-discharge event dynamics including spatial scale, antecedent conditions, hydrology, and rainfall. The probabilistic RBM correctly classified hysteresis patterns (to the exact class or next most similar class) 70% of the time. With increased availability of high-frequency sensor data, this approach can be used to inform watershed management efforts to identify sediment sources and reduce fine sediment export

Hidden from sight - from the closet to the paywall:A rapid evaluation of restricted and monetized access to LGBTQ+ inclusive palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care research

Introduction: LGBTQ+ people experience higher burdens of life-limiting illnesses, poorer health outcomes, and multilevel barriers to accessing palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care. High quality evidence is needed to inform interventions to address these inequities, and inform inclusive practices and policies. Despite global initiatives to improve availability of peer-reviewed journal articles, the minority of research is open access (OA). We aimed to evaluate accessibility of literature related to LGBTQ+ inclusive palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care. Methods: A rapid review of the evidence regarding LGBTQ+ inclusive palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care was conducted; OA status of identified articles was assessed. Articles from three published systematic reviews were included (2012, 2016, and 2020). Review articles were updated using the original search and inclusion/exclusion strategies. Results: 66 articles related to LGBTQ+ inclusive palliative, end-of-life and bereavement care were identified between 1990-2022. Of these, only 21% (n=14) were OA. Of the OA articles, 79% were published between 2017 and 2022, and 50% were published between 2020-2022, reflecting more recent shifts towards OA publishing. Discussion: Health and social care professionals and policy makers rely on access to high quality evidence to inform their work. Failing to make articles related to the needs of LGBTQ+ people and populations OA risks further marginalisation and worsened inequities. Innovative journal policies and funding are needed to enable access, particularly for research that foregrounds the needs of marginalised communities. Where articles are currently behind paywalls, there is a need for accessible summaries or policy briefs to inform inclusive policy and practice.</p