Special Issue on Strategic Development of Advanced Robotics Elemental Technologies

The Strategic Development of Advanced Robotics Elemental Technologies (STARET), a METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) project conducted under a 5-year plan starting in 2006, was a nonconventional, unique, mission-oriented effort concerning the stage gate system. METI’s technology development project R&D is usually pursued bottom up. It is where most advanced modern technologies are selected and developed for practical use. The STARET, however, has pursued development top down without selecting a specific technology. Potentially practical work is selected from the view of businesses using robots. The target here is defined as a mission in which robot systems are built combining optimum technologies. Practical work has focused on two manufacturing themes, three service field themes, and two special environment themes. These were selected for new ranges of purpose, new marketability, and a public nature. This special issue features STARET topics focusing on research outcomes of robot systems intended for practical use. Topics on practical technologies related to the above themes were sought, resulting in many papers from nonproject participants in addition to those from STARET participants. The regular standard was applied to the peer review and articles were chosen for originality. We expect this special issue will help speed up and promote the research and development of robots intended for practical use.

HELIOS Tracked Robot Team: Mobile RT System for Special Urban Search and Rescue Operations

Fire brigades and other specialized agencies are often required to undertake extremely dangerous search and rescue operations in which it is important first to verify the safety of the environment and then to obtain clear remote images of the inside of buildings and underground areas. Several studies have addressed the possibility of using robotic tools to make such operations safer for operators and more efficient in time and resource allocations. This paper describes the development of the HELIOS team, consisting of five tracked urban search and rescue robots. Two of these have arms and grippers for specialized tasks, such as handling objects and opening doors. The other three use cameras and laser range finders to construct virtual 3D maps of environment explored, moving autonomously while collecting data using a Cooperative Positioning System (CPS). After introducing robot team specifications, we detail mechanical robot design and control systems. We then present test results for the CPS and HELIOS IX vehicle together with typical mission experiments.

Integration of Social Epidemiology and Community-Engaged Interventions to Improve Health Equity

The past quarter century has seen an explosion of concern about widening health inequities in the United States and worldwide. These inequities are central to the research mission in 2 arenas of public health: social epidemiology and community-engaged interventions. Yet only modest success has been achieved in eliminating health inequities. We advocate dialogue and reciprocal learning between researchers with these 2 perspectives to enhance emerging transdisciplinary language, support new approaches to identifying research questions, and apply integrated theories and methods. We recommend ways to promote transdisciplinary training, practice, and research through creative academic opportunities as well as new funding and structural mechanisms.

Interactive Information Literacy at Saint Paul’s College

n supporting the mission of Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Virginia, the James Solomon Russell Memorial Library strives to serve the research and general information needs of the students, faculty, and community; to provide our patrons with the most accurate information in the fastest and most efficient manner; and to aid students in their ability to live, learn, and lead in a technological and global society. The library advocates that all users have the right to a supportive atmosphere conducive to their studies. As part of this mission, the library takes a special interest in the Single Parent Support System (SPSS). The SPSS is designed for single, undergraduate, young parents of promise with one or two children between the ages of two months to nine years. The program has been tailored to their intellectual, social, cultural, and psychological development in anticipation of the years to come — providing a sound opportunity for the students as well as their offspring. An on-campus, residential educational program, the SPSS requires students to attend school on a full-time basis.

Dynamic of Pondok Pesantren as Indegenous Islamic Education Centre In Indonesia

In Indonesia pesantren is known as the indigenous religious educational institution. The basic elements of pondok pesantren are: Kiai as a central figure, santri as a student who persues knowledge, pondok as dormitory where santri lives, and mosque which constitutes at the centre of educational activities. In general, due to the system and method of teaching, pondok pesantren classified into two kinds; traditional and modern. Never the less they are having the same vision and mission, that is to say that education is pondok pesantren is community oriented education by cultivating values, moral attitude, and character building of muslim community. That is the main reason that life atmosphere inside pesantren is in inspired strongly by what so called Panca Jiwa – Five Spirits – namely; sincerity, simplicity, self-reliance, Islamic brotherhood, and accountable freedom. In modern Indonesia today the expectation towards the role ofpesantren move on since early twentieth century, it is not only performing it’s three traditional roles as locus for transforming religious education, preserving muslim traditions, and producing scholars, but nowadays it plays an important role to educate and prepare leaders of tomorrow who posses specific qualities.

European union mission for the rule of law in Kosovo

Here we have studied the international circumstances that have affected the deployment of the EULEX Mission in Kosovo. The EULEX mission is the European Union Mission for the Rule of Law in Kosovo. Its main goal is to advise, assist and support the Kosovo authorities in issues of the rule of law, especially in the field of police, judiciary and customs performance. Also this mission has the responsibility to develop and further strengthen the independent multi-ethnic justice system in Kosovo, by ensuring that the rule of law institutions are not politically influenced and that they meet the known international standards and best European practices. This mission was foreseen to be deployed to Kosovo, based on the Ahtissari Comprehensive Status Proposal for Kosovo, but due to its non-approval by the UN Security Council, its full implementation was delayed until December 2008. EULEX acts within the framework of Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council and under a single chain of command in Brussels. EULEX officials have supported Kosovo Police, the Judiciary system and Kosovo Customs, through MMA actions for achieving objectives and goals that are foreseen by the program strategy of EULEX. But in terms of efficiency, EULEX has only achieved modest results. In the northern part of Kosovo, EULEX has failed, as a result of its ambivalent mandate and incoherence of EU Foreign and Security Policy.

Metodologi Muslim Progresif dalam Memahami Pesan Sejati Al-Qur'an

Al-Quran is interpreted in different ways and approaches. Progressive Muslims, for instance, pay attention to three themes, namely social justice, gender equality, and pluralism. They propose their arguments based on the fundamental understading from (alHijr/15:29, Şād/38:71, and al-Nahl/16:90), namely: (1) every human being has the same intrinsic glory, (2) the main mission of human presence in the world is to fight for and uphold justice for all mankind, and (3) human being must be doing good deeds and behave politely. Their approaches are: (a) critical engagement against the tradition, (b) multiple critique on modernity, c) a plurality of sources, and (d) self-positioning, beyond apologetics. Progressive Muslims have a hope to eliminate the uncertainty dilemma of Muslims, i.e between bound by tradition, and the need for responsive with the modernity.

Acercamiento a las características del universitario emprendedor en la unidad de emprendimiento empresarial de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia = An approximation to the characteristics of the professional entrepreneur in the entrepreneurship...

RESUMEN:Este artículo surge inicialmente de la necesidad de explorar características psicológicas de los usuarios actuales y potenciales de la Unidad de Emprendimiento Empresarial. Su objetivo es ilustrar sobre el proceso de investigación relacionado con la definición de dichas características y consistió en la elaboración, aplicación y análisis estadístico de un instrumento de valoración de características de personalidad, que tentativamente harían parte del perfil de un emprendedor, basadas en la motivación de logro, creatividad, adaptabilidad, tolerancia a la frustración y competencias empresariales como el liderazgo, la negociación y el trabajo en equipo. En esta investigación se realizaron diversos análisis psicométricos con la finalidad de estimar la confiabilidad e identificar una estructura factorial del instrumento, los cuales muestran que la mayoría de las escalas presentan una consistencia moderada y satisfactoria. Se asiló una estructura compuesta por cinco componentes ortogonales con base en los reactivos y una de tres componentes con base en las escalas. A partir del análisis factorial, se encontraron tres factores principales que reúnen tres tendencias esperadas en una persona emprendedora: adecuados y positivos autoesquemas, interés y capacidad para liderar grupos, visión de meta y rasgos propios de la creatividad.ABSTRACT:This article aims at exploring psychological characteristics of existing current and potential clients in the Entrepreneurship Unit. It illustrates the research process related with the definition of these characteristics, dealing with the elaboration, application and statistical analysis of an instrument for determining personal characteristics that are part of an entrepreneur profile based on the motivation to reach goals, creativity, adaptability, frustration tolerance and entrepreneurial competences such as leadership, negotiation and team work.In this study several psychometric analyses have been made with the aim of estimating trustfulness and identifying the factor structure of this instrument, which show that the majority of the scales has a moderate and positive consistency. A complex structure of five orthogonal components based on reaction issues was used and one of three components based on scales was also used. From the perspective of the factor analysis, there are three of them which support three expected trends of an entrepreneur: selfschemes, interest and capacity to lead groups, goal mission and traits for creativity.RESUMÉÉ:Cet article s’intéresse initialement à la nécessité d’explorer les caractéristiques psychologiques des utilisateurs actuels et potentiels de l’Unité de Gestion Entrepreneuriale. Son objectif est d’analyser les processus d’investigation portant sur la définition de ces caractéristiques et qui consiste au développement, à la mise en oeuvre et à l’analyse statistique d’un instrument d’évaluation des caractéristiques de la personnalité, pouvant faire partie du profil d’un entrepreneur, basé sur la motivation par le succès, la créativité, l’adaptabilité, la tolérance à la frustration et les compétences entrepreneuriales telles que l’esprit d’entreprise, le management, la négociation et le travail en équipe. Lors de cette investigation des analyses psychométriques ont été réalisées afin d’estimer leur fiabilité et de pouvoir identifier une structure factorielle de l’instrument montrant que la majorité des échelles présentent une consistance modérée et satisfaisante. Une structure formée de cinq composants orthogonaux basés sur les réactifs et un composant sur trois basés sur les échelles a été mis à l’écart. L’analyse factorielle fait ressortir trois facteurs principaux comprenant trois tendances attendues chez un entrepreneur: intérêt et capacité pour diriger des groupes, vision claires quant aux objectifs à atteindre et montrant des caractéristiques créatives.

The Community Engagement and Service Mission of Universities

The Times They Are a-Changin’: Time for a Major Emphasis on the Three Ls of Lifelong Learning at Canadian Universities

This article contends that university continuing education is in need of a dramatic repositioning in the minds and wallets of most university administrations. In order to respond both to a developed economy’s need for the continuous upgrading of skills and knowledge and to universities’ needs for new funding sources, the provision of lifelong education and training—lifelong learning—needs to be strategically central to a university’s vision, mission, and goals. Right now, in its non-degree form, it is a peripheral activity making only minor contributions to universities’ reputation and revenue: according to the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada in its 2008 report Trends in Higher Education—Volume 3: Finance, only $300 million was earned by universities in noncredit courses. This had not changed much in a decade. Canadian universities are missing out on opportunities in reputation, revenue, and relevance, both domestically and globally. The article goes on to suggest the steps needed in the development of an effective lifelong learning strategy. Some would require changes in university management processes and philosophy to be effective, but continuation of the present half-hearted approach will not succeed in serving either Canada’s lifelong learning needs or its universities’ needs for relevance and revenue.