Predicting Technical Value Of Technologies Through Their Knowledge Structure

This thesis tests the hypothesis that the characteristics displayed by the knowledge structure of a high technical value invention is different from that of a low technical value invention. The knowledge structure crystalizes at the inception of the invention making it ideal for evaluating new inventions. More specifically, this research investigates two characteristics of the knowledge structure: knowledge accumulation and knowledge appropriation. Knowledge accumulation is defined as the collective body of knowledge gathered in a sector over time that has contributed to the creation of the invention. A higher degree of accumulated knowledge is more likely to be associated with high technical value inventions. Knowledge appropriation describes absorption of knowledge in the creation of the invention. From knowledge structure perspective knowledge absorption is observed by the emergence of edges that connect knowledge elements together. The robustness of this emergent knowledge structure is thus an indicator of the amount of knowledge appropriated by the invention. This research introduces a new metric for the measurement of knowledge accumulation and presents structural robustness as an indicator of knowledge appropriation. Knowledge accumulation and knowledge appropriation are hypothesized to be positively correlated with the technical value of the invention. This research tests the hypotheses by examining the citation networks of patents in four sectors: thin film photovoltaics, inductive vibration energy harvesting, piezoelectric energy harvesting, and carbon nanotubes. In total 152 base inventions and over 4000 patents are investigated. This research shows that knowledge accumulation is a significant predictor of the technical value of an invention and that high value inventions show a higher level of knowledge appropriation

Energy: A special bibliography with indexes, April 1974

This literature survey of special energy and energy related documents lists 1708 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system between January 1, 1968, and December 31, 1973. Citations from International Aerospace Abstracts (IAA) and Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (STAR) are grouped according to the following subject categories: energy systems; solar energy; primary energy sources; secondary energy sources; energy conversion; energy transport, transmission, and distribution; and energy storage. The index section includes the subject, personal author, corporate source, contract, report, and accession indexes

Energy: A continuing bibliography with indexes, issue 12

This bibliography lists 584 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system from October 1, 1976 through December 31, 1976

Key performance indicators for sustainable manufacturing evaluation in automotive companies

The automotive industry is regarded as one of the most important and strategic industry in manufacturing sector. It is the largest manufacturing enterprise in the world and one of the most resource intensive industries of all major industrial system. However, its products and processes are a significant source of environmental impact. Thus, there is a need to evaluate sustainable manufacturing performance in this industry. This paper proposes a set of initial key performance indicators (KPIs) for sustainable manufacturing evaluation believed to be appropriate to automotive companies, consisting of three factors divided into nine dimensions and a total of 41 sub-dimensions. A survey will be conducted to confirm the adaptability of the initial KPIs with the industry practices. Future research will focus on developing an evaluation tool to assess sustainable manufacturing performance in automotive companies