Digital myths

Much of the early work on information theory was directed towards the study of the transmission of telegraph signals. These theoretical treatments lend themselves to descriptions of signals as digital phenomena they are much less convenient for dealing with descriptions of signals as analogue phenomena. Although attempts were made to accommodate analogue and digital signals in the same theory the results were elaborate, hard to follow and difficult to apply. Thus there remain incompatibilities between the common theoretical treatments of analogue and digital signals and hence difficulties in framing criteria for the comparison of analogue and digital techniques. In spite of the difficulty of any formalised comparison it is frequently presumed that digital systems offer greater capacity, better quality, better accuracy, versatility, freedom from error and greater realism in the effects they produce. Digital systems have also been strongly supported as candidates for human biological mechanisms and thus by implication are, seen by some, to be natural. These myths about digital systems have breached the engineers's linguistic closures and have become commonplace. With their promise of perfection, digital systems have become symbols of the modern, the progressive and the revolutionary. Engineers caught up in this tide have come to extoll uncritically particular claimed virtues of going digital so that other options are treated as obsolescent . But through its common usage the word digital is losing its discriminating power and trapped in an image of a controllable world it is becoming a metaphor for modernist aesthetic

The sources of long-run growth in Spain 1850-2000

Between 1850 and 2000, Spain s real income increased by about 40-fold, at an average rate of 2.5 percent. The sources of this long-run growth are investigated using Jorgenson-type growth accounting analysis. We find that growth upsurges are closely related to increases in TFP. Spanish economic growth went through three successive phases. The century before 1950 was characterized by slow growth driven by factor accumulation. TFP improvements pushed up explosive growth during the Golden Age and mitigated the deceleration during the transition to democracy years (1975-86). Since the accession to the European Union Spain has experienced a dramatic productivity slowdow

20 Years of Inspiring, Empowering, and Advancing Women!

20 Years of Inspiring, Empowering, and Advancing Women! Over the last two decades, we have witnessed tremendous local, national, and international changes. The world is more accessible as a result of technology and the global economy. Terrorism and the resulting war on terror are now part of our world. We have had four presidents elected to office, and our country rebounded from an economic downturn with the stock market now reaching record highs. During the past 20 years, Bryant has experienced transformational changes in its academic curriculum, its physical appearance, the number of facilities on campus, and in its athletic and cultural programs. Bryant changed from a college to a university, with a College of Business, a College of Arts and Sciences, and a School of Health Sciences. The U.S.-China Institute and Confucius Institute were established in Smithfield, while a new Bryant campus was founded in Zhuhai, China. As a nation, we still struggle to achieve wage parity. When the Women’s Summit began in 1997, women were paid 75 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Since then, the overall ratio has climbed by only four cents. There is some encouraging news, according to an article by Sheryl Sandberg in The Wall Street Journal: “Women are now negotiating for raises and promotions as often as their male peers – defying the conventional wisdom that women don’t ask.“ Sandberg writes that women who ask for a promotion are more likely to get one than women who don’t, but are still less likely than men to be promoted. Today, a higher percentage of women can be found in legal, medical, and veterinary professions. In a Wall Street Journal article by Joann S. Lublin, 19 percent of C-suite executives are female – a slight increase from 17 percent in 2015, according to an analysis by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Co. “The more women who are in positions of power visibly, the better it is for women lower in the organization,” says Robin Ely, a Harvard Business School professor and gender researcher. And companies with higher proportions of women in upper management achieve higher profits, as noted in a recent study of 21,980 firms in 91 countries by the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Another big change is that 71 percent of mothers now work outside of the home. A 2013 Pew Research study reveals that four out of every 10 mothers with children under the age of 18 are the breadwinners in their families. All women deserve equal pay for equal work, and mothers need to be supported with child care as they strive to achieve work-life balance that includes their own mental and physical health. When the breadwinner/caregiver isn’t healthy, the whole family feels the effects. For all of us, finding balance continues to be an ongoing process. We keep moving forward, but sometimes we need to tap the brakes to reassess our direction and reevaluate our situation. We hope that you enjoy the 20th anniversary of the Women’s Summit at Bryant University, and that our day together inspires and empowers you – both personally and professionally. By attending the Women’s Summit, your ongoing journey to create a better life for you and your family will be enriched by the knowledge that you will gain today. Sincerely, Kati Machtley Director, The Women’s Summit® Bryant Universit

Design and semantics of form and movement (DeSForM 2006)

Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM) grew from applied research exploring emerging design methods and practices to support new generation product and interface design. The products and interfaces are concerned with: the context of ubiquitous computing and ambient technologies and the need for greater empathy in the pre-programmed behaviour of the ‘machines’ that populate our lives. Such explorative research in the CfDR has been led by Young, supported by Kyffin, Visiting Professor from Philips Design and sponsored by Philips Design over a period of four years (research funding £87k). DeSForM1 was the first of a series of three conferences that enable the presentation and debate of international work within this field: • 1st European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM1), Baltic, Gateshead, 2005, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. • 2nd European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM2), Evoluon, Eindhoven, 2006, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. • 3rd European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM3), New Design School Building, Newcastle, 2007, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. Philips sponsorship of practice-based enquiry led to research by three teams of research students over three years and on-going sponsorship of research through the Northumbria University Design and Innovation Laboratory (nuDIL). Young has been invited on the steering panel of the UK Thinking Digital Conference concerning the latest developments in digital and media technologies. Informed by this research is the work of PhD student Yukie Nakano who examines new technologies in relation to eco-design textiles

Western Europe’s growth prospects : an historical perspective

This paper surveys the recent history of Western European growth. It concludes that this experience has been disappointing and that further reforms are desirable in many countries. The requirement for reform comes both from achieving ‘close-to-frontier’ status and from the opportunities provided by the new technological era. The paper goes on to consider the effects that the current crisis may have on medium-term growth rates. The lesson from the 1930s is that, if the current crisis leads to a similarly bad downturn, the policy reaction in terms of greater state intervention will not be conducive to improved growth prospects

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Diabetes Care and Outcomes: A Mixed Methods Study

Limited research has examined racial/ethnic differences in diabetes care and outcomes among primary care patients. This study examined racial/ethnic differences in diabetes care and outcomes among an ambulatory patient population and explored patient perceptions of the patient-provider relationship to inform strategies to improve care delivery. Using data from 62,149 adults with diabetes who received care within Atrium Health in 2013, regression models assessed associations between race/ethnicity and the following outcomes: glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) tests, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and blood pressure (BP) screening, foot and eye exams, and HbA1c, LDL, and BP control. Eleven patients with diabetes and uncontrolled hypertension participated in three focus groups about their perceptions of the patient-provider relationship. Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks had 22% to 73% higher odds of receiving screenings (HbA1c, LDL, BP, foot and eye exams;

Becta review 2006. Evidence on the progress of ICT in education.

This is the review of the use and impact of ICT in the education system prior to the publication of the Government's e-Strategy for the education system, known as Harnessing Technology. The Review drew upon Becta's surveys of schools and FE colleges as well as other research to assess the impact of technology within the education system and the progress made in achieving Government policies in 2005-06