Choice of the most useful biological early warning system, based on ahp and rembrandt analysis

In paper, the ability to use of the biological early warning systems, in tap water quality biomonitoring was analyzed, based on multiple-criteria decision analysis. Five groups of organisms (invertebrates, fishes, algae, fungi and bacteria) were analyzed for the sensitivity to disturbance, the area of use, the amount of detected components, the rate of reaction and the data interpretation. Both analyzes revealed, that invertebrates are the most sensitive bioindicators (49% AHP, 29% Rembrandt). The other organisms which are useful in BEWS systems are algae and fishes. More problematic may be systems based on fungi and bacteria.Both analysis Rembrandt, as well as analytic hierarchy process(AHP) have indicated the rate of reaction as the most important factor in BEWS. All of BEWS systems are focused on reduce the time required to obtain the information about pollution presence, because the standard monitoring of tap water quality, based on physical and chemical methods, are usually time consuming

Cheap Creativity and What It Will Do

Artificial intelligence (AI), in the form of machine learning systems, is becoming widely deployed across many industries to facilitate the production of new technical or expressive works. Among other applications, these technologies promise rapid product design and creation, often exceeding the capacity of human creators. Commentators and policy makers have responded to these developments with a flood of literature analyzing the ways in which AI systems might challenge our existing regimes of intellectual property. But such discussions have thus far focused on entirely the wrong questions, misunderstanding the nature of the changes that AI brings to creative development. Intellectual property is generally styled as a solution to the “appropriability” or “public goods” problem in creative and innovative production: offering a legally enhanced incentive to invest in goods that are expensive to produce, but cheap to appropriate. But cost savings from AI systems will largely occur at a different point in the production process. AI systems promise (or threaten) to lower the cost of initial development of creative goods, potentially displacing human creators. Although machine learning systems are realistically unlikely ever to provide a complete substitute for human creative inputs, their incorporation into creative production will in effect automate the generative phases of the creative development process, substantially lowering the cost of the initial stage of production. Like other cost-saving industrial automation, this can be expected to displace human labor and redefine human roles in production. The history of past automated labor displacements teaches us something of what will occur as creativity is automated. In this light, I begin to reframe the discussion of intellectual property and artificial intelligence, showing the impact machine learning will have on human creativity and innovation, and the implications these changes for intellectual property doctrine and policy. In particular, I show that cheap substitutes for human creativity will drive a shift toward forms of intellectual property that certify authenticity rather than those that incentivize production and distribution. Armed with this understanding, we can begin to address the question of how to foster human engagement in an age of synthetic creativity

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation - 2002 Annual Report

Contains mission statement, president's message, program information, grants list, financial statements, and list of board members and staff

Rules of Origin under the Australia–New Zealand CER Trade Agreement

Rules of origin arrangements under the Australia–New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (CER) were referred to the Commission for examination and report by May 2004. The request stemmed from concerns that Australian and New Zealand firms were having difficulty achieving the minimum content threshold set down under the CER. The Commission’s final report recommended that the CER rules of origin, which confine access to trade concessions to goods produced in Australia or New Zealand, should be liberalised.Australia - New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (CER); Competition; Economics; New Zealand; Policy; Regulation; Rules of origin; Tariffs; Trade; Trade barriers;

The Effect of FRAND Commitments on Patent Remedies

This chapter addresses a special category of cases in which an asserted patent is, or has been declared to be, essential to the implementation of a collaboratively-developed voluntary consensus standard, and the holder of that patent has agreed to license it to implementers of the standard on terms that are fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND). In this chapter, we explore how the existence of such a FRAND commitment may affect a patent holder’s entitlement to monetary damages and injunctive relief. In addition to issues of patent law, remedies law and contract law, we consider the effect of competition law on this issue

What sustains a life in education?

Being a teacher is key to my identity. That I remain committed to a system characterised by low morale, poor conditions, compromised values and disparaged beliefs, surprises me. This thesis asks why and how I sustain a life in public education and what relevance my story may have for others. It poses the following questions: • What values, beliefs & educational approaches are important to me in education & why? • What experiences have contributed to the resilience of my approach to education? • How does my account relate to those of particular others? • What implications does the exploration of the values & beliefs of myself & others have for my present action in education? Such questions are important because of increasing evidence of teacher unhappiness in the UK. This thesis claims that systematic attention to fundamental beliefs promotes change and can build capacity. It traces a journey from introspective analysis towards public and collegiate action in education - a journey I think may be useful for others. Using the systematic study of autobiographies, diaries, letters, key influences and conversations, I seek answers to my questions by examining deeply held beliefs that prompt each major or minor decision. Values subsequently run through this thesis. The resulting enhanced self-understanding and professional activity is used to generate a theoretical basis and practical guidance for staff development in education. An original feature of this ethnographic research is that close friends were research participants. Friends form and fix each other’s’ stories and support the actions that sustain us. They are central to our resilience and other aspects of well-being. Values-conversations with these friends confirmed that values can form young, and remain relatively unchanged over long periods. Our conversations deepened relationships and our joint resolve to act in-line with our values. A common commitment to creativity, though based on different definitions, defined our identities, directed our values and sustained friendship itself. This thesis is also distinctive in its interdisciplinarity. My art works form a deliberately silent narrative argued to be as true, fluid and vulnerable as my words. I also use a musical structure called sonata form systematically to interrogate my conclusions. A blend of methodologies, dominated by auto-ethnography calls upon other interpretative approaches including: art and music criticism, grounded theory and action-based study. This mix of methodologies expressed my cross-curricular thinking and provided the engine that powered the staff development action recorded in the penultimate chapter. The term ‘interdisciplinary praxis-focussed autoethnography’, is introduced to emphasise the intention of action through autobiography which characterises this work. My approach shows that living/working in accordance with core values, developing/nurturing friendships and identifying/extending our distinctive creative strengths have been central to me and my friends’ resilience. This realisation changed my practice in teacher education. It strengthened my belief that teacher well-being is key to improving school experience for children