American Strategic Leadership (ASL), a Comprehensive Approach to Better Lead Large Organizations (Case of Moroccan Public Universities) | Chapter 5 | Current Progress in Arts and Social Studies Research Vol. 5

The economy has become more globalized due to the VUCA environment which is characterized by an increased and challenging level of interconnectedness and where there are no boundaries anymore between countries. Most public administrations & organizations in developing countries are not yet familiar with the Strategic Leadership (SL) culture initiated and largely dominated by the Anglo-Saxons in general and the Americans in particular. In this context, the state of the art relating to SL in the United States has empirically demonstrated the cause-and-effect relationship between the implementation of SL within large organizations and the improvement of their performance, especially through the development of a clear and dynamic vision centered on the development of competencies not only at the individual level but also and above all, those specific to leading large organizations, particularly within the VUCA environment. From a closer qualitative analysis of the Moroccan public university president’s feedback, as leaders at a strategic level, including validated questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, through the application of a post-positivist epistemology and hypothetical-deductive reasoning, many gaps compared to the foundational ASL framework were found. Then, how these findings can help facilitate a smooth and progressive American Strategic Leadership implementation within the national public universities’ community through a smart and adapted induction and some actional recommendations have been discussed. By combining theoretical frameworks with practical analysis, this research provides a deeper understanding of effective SL in public higher education. Specific findings provide valuable insights into leadership challenges and competencies, offering a fresh perspective on adapting leadership theories to different cultural contexts and standing as a useful resource for researchers and practitioners aiming to improve leadership practices in similar or other contexts. Therefore, the adoption of SL, as a mode of governance, would be a critical and important contribution to improving the overall performance of national public universities and their sustainability which would very likely play a fundamental key role in the development and upgrading of national human capital and ipso-facto launch them to a better repositioning on the regional and international arena.

 

Author (s) Details

Haddou Zamani
Department of Strategic Resources Management, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco.

 

Jalila Ait Soudane
Department of Strategic Resources Management, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/cpassr/v5/2330

A New Vision of the Mechanism of Crystalline Lens Accommodation and the Hydraulic Component in its Implementation | Chapter 12 | New Visions in Medicine and Medical Science Vol. 6

 

Background: According to modern concepts, the implementation of the accommodation mechanism in humans involves such eye structures as the iridocyclolenticular complex, the vitreous body and extraocular muscles. However, a key role in the mechanism of accommodation is played by changes in the shape of the crystalline lens.

Purpose: Consider the energy-saving of the mechanism of crystalline lens accommodation and justify the hydraulic component in its implementation.

Materials and Methods: Various theories of the mechanism of accommodation were analyzed taking into account data from ultrasound biomicroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging and optical coherence tomography. The mechanism of rapid decrease in pressure in the anterior and posterior chambers of the eye during contractions of the meridional portion of the ciliary muscle was considered. Particular emphasis was placed on the participation of mechanosensitive aquaporins in the exchange of intraocular fluid and ensuring pressure in the closed hydrostatic system of the lens, exceeding the level of IOP.

Results: An analysis of various theories of accommodation showed directly opposite views about the participation of the ciliary muscle and ligamentous apparatus in the implementation of the mechanism of the crystalline lens accommodation. In this work, we are the first to consider the crystalline lens as a unique closed hydrostatic system in which the pressure level is established due to ultrafiltration and diffusion of intraocular fluid with the participation of aquaporins. Aquaporins form ion channels in the capsule, cuboidal epithelial cells, the crystalline lens fibers and are mechanosensitive receptor proteins. The opening and closing of ion channels regulates the potassium-sodium pump, directed transport and exchange of intraocular fluid in the crystalline lens. The hydrostatic balance between the pressure in the crystalline lens and the anterior and posterior chambers of the eye is ensured by the lens capsule. The capsular bag of the crystalline lens can be considered as a curved diaphragm that separates two hydrostatic systems with different levels of pressure. Due to the hydrostatic buffering effect, the IOP level does not affect the crystalline lens, but it responds to a rapid decrease. This decrease in pressure in the anterior and posterior chambers occurs with contraction of the meridional portion of the ciliary muscle, tension of the scleral spur and activation of the valve mechanism of the scleral sinus. The greater the decrease in pressure, the more convex the crystalline lens takes on and increases its refraction.

Conclusion: The presence of a hydraulic component in the mechanism of crystalline lens accommodation allows us to understand how the contraction of the small ciliary muscle can change the shape and refractive power of the large crystalline lens.

 

Author(s) Details:

Igor Kornilovskiy
Department of Ophthalmology, Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education, National Medical and Surgical Center Named after N.I. Pirogov Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/NVMMS-V6/article/view/14288

Who are G. B. Shaw's 'Unreasonable People', that Bring Progress? | Chapter 11 | Recent Research Advances in Arts and Social Studies Vol. 6

In this work the author examines who are. G.B. Shaw's "Unreasonable Men" that may bring Progress to the world, and what means this term.  After describing today's Unexplainable Reality and referring to the Heterogeneous Nature of the Post-modern Society, the Author offers a Model of a society divided into two large heterogeneous groups: Squares and Stars. These abstract symbols hint on the general pattern of behavior, which characterizes the conduct of most group members.  The Squares are the 'Reasonable people', the majority, the 'common' 'the followers.' the Stars are the "unreasonable individuals' – the brave, unconventional and the Avantgarde. Further the Stars are divided into three subgroups: 1) the Rational Development Stars, 2) the Emotional Stars, and 3) the Impaired Stars subgroup. Unfortunately, due to known and unknown reasons, Shaw referred only to the first subgroup - the Rational Development Stars.  The Author than uses guiding quotes for assisting in analyzing the characters and features required for this type of individuals. Later the meaning of Progress was explored with the hope to find an appropriate inspiring description. Finally, the other two subgroups; The Emotional Stars – that were neglected because of unawareness and the Impaired Stars – that were dismissed because of unfamiliarity and ignorance, further were examined.

Author(s) Details:

Amos Avny,
Virginia-Tech 1944 US, Owner, Omnidev International Consultants, Yehud, Israel.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/RRAASS-V6/article/view/13811

An Analytical Study on Correlation between Myopia’s Biometric Values and Intraocular Pressure among Adults in Tertiary Eye Care, Kerala, India | Chapter 7 | Advancement and New Understanding in Medical Science Vol. 9

Myopia is the most common refractive error in the world. This study aims to determine the correlation between intra ocular pressure and ocular biometric values like corneal curvature, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness and vitreous chamber depth in myopic eyes.

A cross sectional clinical study was conducted in karuna medical college hospital Palakkad Kerala, India from September 2015 to August 2017. 1000 eyes of 500 myopic patients attending the ophthalmology OPD were included in this study. Participants were recruited through consecutive sampling till the sample size was achieved. Goldman applanation tonometry was used to measure intra ocular pressure. Bausch and Lomb keratometer was used to measure corneal curvature and Biometer A scan machine was used to measure anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, vitreous chamber depth and axial length.

In this study majority of the patients age group was 16-20 years. The majority (44.8%) of the participants were having myopia between -2.25 to -4 Diopter value. The overall mean intra ocular pressure was 15mmhg and mean radius of corneal curvature was 44.12D. In this study average anterior chamber depth was 3.55mm and mean lens thickness was 3.56mm. Mean vitreous chamber depth was 18.40. In this study mean axial length was 24.60 mm.

Degree of myopia and variation in corneal curvature was not statistically significant. Refractive error cannot be determined by a simple optical component, it was a result of combined interactive effect. There was no correlation between intra ocular pressure and degree of myopia. Statistically significance of anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, vitreous chamber depth and axial length was highly associated with degree of myopia.

Author(s) Details:

A. M. Raja,
Department of Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India and Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Tamil Nadu, India.

G. Seema,
Department of Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Praveena Daya A.,
Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Tamil Nadu, India.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/ANUMS-V9/article/view/13626