Experimental archaeology

It is often said that it is easier to learn by doing. This paper explains what experimental archaeology is and shows through examples that it is a viable discipline to be used to increase public appreciation for archaeology and allow a better understanding of what happened in the past. The advantages of applying experimental archaeology in Malta are discussed.peer-reviewe

Performativity and Financial Markets: Option Pricing in the Late 19th Century

The paper revisits the performativity thesis in economics stressing the plural character of knowledge, which includes not only scientific models but also every form of practical knowledge that systematizes the visible and the articulable experience of economic agents. To highlight the point, the paper examines the pricing of options in London in the late 19th century, long before the academic origin of modern option pricing models. The pamphlets of the time are valuable archives of existing option transactions performed on the basis of systematic practical techniques widely established among investors

Process Evaluation of the Realising Ambition Programme

Launched in May 2012 by the Big Lottery Fund (hereafter 'the Fund'), the Realising Ambition programme aims to help more young people aged 8-14 fulfil their potential and avoid pathways into offending. It does this by supporting 25 organisations to replicate proven youth interventions at new sites across the UK. The Realising Ambition process evaluation covered the first three, of five, years of the programme (2012-2015). The process evaluation had two key objectives:* To gain an understanding of the practical issues associated with replication, including issues emerging for organisations involved in replication themselves.* To explore what does and doesn't work when supporting organisations to replicate proven models, and the resources required to support different approaches to replication

Systems for the Nineties - Distributed Multimedia Systems

We live at the dawn of the information age. The capabilities of computers to store and look up information are only just beginning to be exploited. As little as ten years ago, practically all the information stored in computers was entered and retrieved in the form of text. Today, we are just starting to use other means of communicating information between people and machines -- computers can now scan images, they can record sound, they can produce synthesized speech, and they can show two- and three-dimensional images of spatial data. The realization that we are still at the beginning of the information age comes when we notice the vast difference between the way in which people interact with each other and the way in which people can interact with (or through) machines. When people communicate, they tend to use speech, gestures, touch, even smell; they draw pictures on the white board, they use text, pictures, photos, graphs, sometimes even video presentations. nterpersonal communication is truly multimedia communication in that it makes use of all our senses

Making Models Match: Replicating an Agent-Based Model

Scientists have increasingly employed computer models in their work. Recent years have seen a proliferation of agent-based models in the natural and social sciences. But with the exception of a few "classic" models, most of these models have never been replicated by anyone but the original developer. As replication is a critical component of the scientific method and a core practice of scientists, we argue herein for an increased practice of replication in the agent-based modeling community, and for widespread discussion of the issues surrounding replication. We begin by clarifying the concept of replication as it applies to ABM. Furthermore we argue that replication may have even greater benefits when applied to computational models than when applied to physical experiments. Replication of computational models affects model verification and validation and fosters shared understanding about modeling decisions. To facilitate replication, we must create standards for both how to replicate models and how to evaluate the replication. In this paper, we present a case study of our own attempt to replicate a classic agent-based model. We begin by describing an agent-based model from political science that was developed by Axelrod and Hammond. We then detail our effort to replicate that model and the challenges that arose in recreating the model and in determining if the replication was successful. We conclude this paper by discussing issues for (1) researchers attempting to replicate models and (2) researchers developing models in order to facilitate the replication of their results.Replication, Agent-Based Modeling, Verification, Validation, Scientific Method, Ethnocentrism

Copy That: Guidelines for Replicating Programs to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Published jointly with The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, this report provides guidance about the replication of effective pregnancy prevention programs. It urges stakeholders to ask a variety of key questions when considering replication: Is the program effective? (What kind of evaluation has been done and what did it show?) What are the essential elements that make the program effective? Is the program ready to be replicated (with clear documentation)? And what is the replication plan? The report gleans lessons from the replication experiences of three programs: The Teen Outreach Program, The CAS-Carrera Program, and Plain Talk, whose national replication is being managed by P/PV