Oceanus.

v. 44, no. 2 (2005

Rough Set Theory for Real Estate Appraisal: An Application to Directional District of Naples

This paper proposes an application of Rough Set Theory (RST) to the real estate field, in order to highlight its operational potentialities for mass appraisal purposes. RST allows one to solve the appraisal of real estate units regardless of the deterministic relationship between characteristics that contribute to the formation of the property market price and the same real estate prices. RST was applied to a real estate sample (office units located in Directional District of Naples) and was also integrated with a functional extension so-called Valued Tolerance Relation (VTR) in order to improve its flexibility. A multiple regression analysis (MRA) was developed on the same real estate sample with the aim to compare RST and MRA results. The case study is followed by a brief discussion on basic theoretical connotations of this methodology

A self-learning algorithm for biased molecular dynamics

A new self-learning algorithm for accelerated dynamics, reconnaissance metadynamics, is proposed that is able to work with a very large number of collective coordinates. Acceleration of the dynamics is achieved by constructing a bias potential in terms of a patchwork of one-dimensional, locally valid collective coordinates. These collective coordinates are obtained from trajectory analyses so that they adapt to any new features encountered during the simulation. We show how this methodology can be used to enhance sampling in real chemical systems citing examples both from the physics of clusters and from the biological sciences.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures + 9 pages of supplementary informatio

The Red Sea, Coastal Landscapes, and Hominin Dispersals

This chapter provides a critical assessment of environment, landscape and resources in the Red Sea region over the past five million years in relation to archaeological evidence of hominin settlement, and of current hypotheses about the role of the region as a pathway or obstacle to population dispersals between Africa and Asia and the possible significance of coastal colonization. The discussion assesses the impact of factors such as topography and the distribution of resources on land and on the seacoast, taking account of geographical variation and changes in geology, sea levels and palaeoclimate. The merits of northern and southern routes of movement at either end of the Red Sea are compared. All the evidence indicates that there has been no land connection at the southern end since the beginning of the Pliocene period, but that short sea crossings would have been possible at lowest sea-level stands with little or no technical aids. More important than the possibilities of crossing the southern channel is the nature of the resources available in the adjacent coastal zones. There were many climatic episodes wetter than today, and during these periods water draining from the Arabian escarpment provided productive conditions for large mammals and human populations in coastal regions and eastwards into the desert. During drier episodes the coastal region would have provided important refugia both in upland areas and on the emerged shelves exposed by lowered sea level, especially in the southern sector and on both sides of the Red Sea. Marine resources may have offered an added advantage in coastal areas, but evidence for their exploitation is very limited, and their role has been over-exaggerated in hypotheses of coastal colonization

Object Language/On Defining Sculpture

Object Language In the current era we in the Western, developed world, have almost universal free and uninhibited access to almost every piece of information in existence. Increasingly, regardless of the source, material presented to us as fact has become increasingly suspect. Together, these two things mean this endless stream of data is useless. The question is how to combat this decline, how to reverse the process of a meaningless, constant data-dump. The answer lies in the language used to communicate information. Language is the means by which we communicate complex ideas and knowledge from person to person. Language is something ubiquitous in our society, we see it, we hear it, it is so constant we do not even consider it as a part of the concepts it is used to convey. Altering language is one of the subtlest ways that information can still be obfuscated. Sculpture has the capability to reframe its own context. This is the great privilege evidenced numerous times by such works as Duchamp’s Fountain and enumerated by prominent art historians. Transforming something into sculpture implies that the purpose of the work is, at least in part, to reframe the subject matter of the piece. Translating language into sculpture is an effort to reframe this system. The process takes that which is recognizable and readily consumable and obfuscates it, putting barriers between us, the reader, and the idea expressed. That which is freely given is valueless, easily discarded, and ignored. By transforming the content into sculpture the idea is elevated, made enigmatic, even esoteric. The ideas in the context of this show are not freely given. They have been rendered inaccessible and there must be effort expended to understand the message. These ideas must be earned. This makes them more valuable and much harder to ignore or discard. Information is the most powerful tool we have, its possession saves us from the mistakes of the past, it is what guides us through our present, and it is what ensures our future. When information becomes valueless it is altogether too easy for it to be taken away; we lose the most important tool we have in self determination. The supplemental images are of the art exhibition entitled Object Language, produced by the artist, that this thesis is a companion to

Technology Incubators as Nodes in Knowledge Networks

It is widely accepted that new knowledge underpinned innovation and growth influences economic activities. Economic agents rely not only on their own knowledge but also knowledge from others, whether it be codified and ’transferred via ICT’ or in tacit form. Moreover, it has long been argued that the acquisition of latter type of knowledge is influenced by geographic proximity. Based on this argument, it follows that the part firms’ supply of knowledge depends on how close, in terms of physical distance, to other firms, suppliers, customers, and research institutions, they are located. They are all can be categorize as a pool of knowledge that important for the firms’ growth and innovation capacity. Today, we witness many initiatives from policy makers around the world to compete in an increasingly technology- driven global economy through the establishing of technology incubators. Technology incubators can be conceived as organizations and/or facilities to enhance high-technology firm establishment and survival. Mostly they are located near the university or research center. There are many success stories on the contribution of incubators to the regional growth. At the same time, technology incubators have been widely criticized in the academic literature when judged in terms of regional innovation and knowledge development. The critics include the relying on an outdated, linear, model of innovation, which assumes that knowledge can be transferred directly from university to firms. However, innovation is now widely recognized as a complex non-linear process involving feedback loops and the creation of synergies through a diverse range of knowledge networks. Therefore, our understanding about knowledge spillover processes connected with incubator is yet poor. Very little is known about the mechanisms of knowledge exchange and spillover initiated by incubator and their role in supporting the growth of the firm. In this study we draw on the current body of literature, mainly agglomeration theories, and use the concepts of tacit knowledge and context to understand how knowledge spillovers actually take place. Our objective is to build a conceptual framework that describes how technology incubators operate as a mediator of knowledge for their tenants. In addition, based on empirical data of high-technology start-ups at TU Delft (The Netherlands), this study tests the proposition that not only geographic proximity to the university, but also that relations with other firms, particularly customers and suppliers matters. We also consider the function of ICT in shaping the new role of technology incubators in providing knowledge support. By explicitly analyzing the knowledge spillovers and mediation role offered by technology incubators, we seek to open up the ‘black box’ of the incubation process as a source of learning and gaining knowledge resources. We conclude the paper with a few recommendations for policymaking and further research.