902 research outputs found
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Informatisation of transport process using GPS navigation system
Nowadays, internal business processes are one of the crucial factors of firmsâ competitive advantage achievement, which is becoming increasingly important, not only on local but also on global markets. Firmsâ performance improvement depends to a large extent on its flexibility, adjustability and especially ability to manage internal business processes. Hence, use of information technology is among the fundamental elements of business process change, which not only improve competitiveness but also assure long term development and growth of the firm. For all these reasons, the main purpose of this article is firstly to establish that use of information technology is feasible in all industries, explain what possible obstacles for successful informatisation are, and which are major advantages after its implementation. Secondly, within theoretical aspect we present broaden view of informatisation in logistics, whilst practical example illustrates successful informatisation of transport process with adoption of GPS (Global Positioning System) in a transport firm. Furthermore, in this article we are also introducing a case study of three transport firms describing process flow before and after implementation identifying enhanced information quality, service quality and communication as a foremost advantages and achievements after informatisatio
Methods of Paradox
Despite growing scholarly interest in paradoxes, few studies have expressly engaged with the methodological mechanics of âdoingâ paradox research. First, there are no clearly established guidelines regarding what should count as paradox in research endeavors. Second, there is uncertainty around who sees/thinks/experiences the paradox and what is relevant when it comes to the emergence, choice, interpretation and appropriation of paradoxes in empirical settings. Third, there is still confusion around where one can find evidence of paradoxes. This book chapter aims to shed some light on these methodological shortcomings. We suggest that paradox researchers can deal with these methodological challenges by 1) showing evidence of contradictory, interrelated, simultaneous and persistent paradoxical tensions in the empirical setting, 2) developing reliable and flexible protocols for paradox identification, 3) pushing for multi-level paradox studies, 4) practicing reflexivity, 5) staying close to the context, and 6) leveraging multi-modality
Individualism and Community for Voluntary Simplifiers
Voluntary simplicity is a cultural movement constructed around overt expressions of individualism in response to the excesses of âconsumer societyâ. As the term also suggests, its general public recognition as a critical force against over-consumption appeals to a âmoral goodâ. This has turned voluntary simplicity into a socially reflective movement which often appeals to âcommunityâ and the social norms of collective action. This thesis explores historical developments in the theories of individualism and communitarianism which have influenced understandings of what constitutes a âvoluntary simplifierâ. The author contends that Ronald Inglehartâs (1977) theory of âpostmaterialismâ, the seminal theory underpinning voluntary simplicity, was quickly transformed into a concept which connoted various individual and social âgoodsâ. This became a source of criticism for communitarian critics of consumerism, who associated this development with self-interest, further moral decline and a growing âculture of narcissismâ. This is at odds with more recent theorists who view individualism in more pragmatic ways. Paul Lichtermanâs (1996) notion of a âculture of personalismâ and Clive Hamiltonâs (2008) appeal to a kind of philosophical individualism have proven to be more compelling to both voluntary simplifiers and âself-helpâ authors. This has not been a universally positive development, however. An examination of the âSimple Living Forumsâ within the thesis reveals a strong sense of modesty and commitment to pluralism amongst voluntary simplifiers, which reflects both an affirmation and a denial of self. Voluntary simplicity continues to lack adequate framing processes which are essential for maintaining a social movement. The thesis therefore concludes that voluntary simplicity is, ironically, associated with the excesses of consumer society and alienation from democratic processes. Because elements of consumer society have become part of the processes of late-capitalism, voluntary simplicity remains trapped between its critical centre and a culture of self-interest and insignificance
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Sparse representations and quadratic approximations in path integral techniques for stochastic response analysis of diverse systems/structures
Uncertainty propagation in engineering mechanics and dynamics is a highly challenging problem that requires development of analytical/numerical techniques for determining the stochastic response of complex engineering systems. In this regard, although Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) has been the most versatile technique for addressing the above problem, it can become computationally daunting when faced with high-dimensional systems or with computing very low probability events. Thus, there is a demand for pursuing more computationally efficient methodologies.
Recently, a Wiener path integral (WPI) technique, whose origins can be found in theoretical physics, has been developed in the field of engineering dynamics for determining the response transition probability density function (PDF) of nonlinear oscillators subject to non-white, non-Gaussian and non-stationary excitation processes. In the present work, the Wiener path integral technique is enhanced, extended and generalized with respect to three main aspects; namely, versatility, computational efficiency and accuracy.
Specifically, the need for increasingly sophisticated modeling of excitations has led recently to the utilization of fractional calculus, which can be construed as a generalization of classical calculus. Motivated by the above developments, the WPI technique is extended herein to account for stochastic excitations modeled via fractional-order filters. To this aim, relying on a variational formulation and on the most probable path approximation yields a deterministic fractional boundary value problem to be solved numerically for obtaining the oscillator joint response PDF.
Further, appropriate multi-dimensional bases are constructed for approximating, in a computationally efficient manner, the non-stationary joint response PDF. In this regard, two distinct approaches are pursued. The first employs expansions based on Kronecker products of bases (e.g., wavelets), while the second utilizes representations based on positive definite functions. Next, the localization capabilities of the WPI technique are exploited for determining PDF points in the joint space-time domain to be used for evaluating the expansion coefficients at a relatively low computational cost.
Subsequently, compressive sampling procedures are employed in conjunction with group sparsity concepts and appropriate optimization algorithms for decreasing even further the associated computational cost. It is shown that the herein developed enhancement renders the technique capable of treating readily relatively high-dimensional stochastic systems. More importantly, it is shown that this enhancement in computational efficiency becomes more prevalent as the number of stochastic dimensions increases; thus, rendering the herein proposed sparse representation approach indispensable, especially for high-dimensional systems.
Next, a quadratic approximation of the WPI is developed for enhancing the accuracy degree of the technique. Concisely, following a functional series expansion, higher-order terms are accounted for, which is equivalent to considering not only the most probable path but also fluctuations around it. These fluctuations are incorporated into a state-dependent factor by which the exponential part of each PDF value is multiplied. This localization of the state-dependent factor yields superior accuracy as compared to the standard most probable path WPI approximation where the factor is constant and state-invariant. An additional advantage relates to efficient structural reliability assessment, and in particular, to direct estimation of low probability events (e.g., failure probabilities), without possessing the complete transition PDF.
Overall, the developments in this thesis render the WPI technique a potent tool for determining, in a reliable manner and with a minimal computational cost, the stochastic response of nonlinear oscillators subject to an extended range of excitation processes. Several numerical examples, pertaining to both nonlinear dynamical systems subject to external excitations and to a special class of engineering mechanics problems with stochastic media properties, are considered for demonstrating the reliability of the developed techniques. In all cases, the degree of accuracy and the computational efficiency exhibited are assessed by comparisons with pertinent MCS data
Ermakov's Superintegrable Toy and Nonlocal Symmetries
We investigate the symmetry properties of a pair of Ermakov equations. The
system is superintegrable and yet possesses only three Lie point symmetries
with the algebra sl(2,R). The number of point symmetries is insufficient and
the algebra unsuitable for the complete specification of the system. We use the
method of reduction of order to reduce the nonlinear fourth-order system to a
third-order system comprising a linear second-order equation and a conservation
law. We obtain the representation of the complete symmetry group from this
system. Four of the required symmetries are nonlocal and the algebra is the
direct sum of a one-dimensional Abelian algebra with the semidirect sum of a
two-dimensional solvable algebra with a two-dimensional Abelian algebra. The
problem illustrates the difficulties which can arise in very elementary
systems. Our treatment demonstrates the existence of possible routes to
overcome these problems in a systematic fashion.Comment: Published in SIGMA (Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and
Applications) at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA
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Methods of Paradox
Despite growing scholarly interest in paradoxes, few studies have expressly engaged with the methodological mechanics of âdoingâ paradox research. First, there are no clearly established guidelines regarding what should count as paradox in research endeavors. Second, there is uncertainty around who sees/thinks/experiences the paradox and what is relevant when it comes to the emergence, choice, interpretation and appropriation of paradoxes in empirical settings. Third, there is still confusion around where one can find evidence of paradoxes. This book chapter aims to shed some light on these methodological shortcomings. We suggest that paradox researchers can deal with these methodological challenges by 1) showing evidence of contradictory, interrelated, simultaneous and persistent paradoxical tensions in the empirical setting, 2) developing reliable and flexible protocols for paradox identification, 3) pushing for multi-level paradox studies, 4) practicing reflexivity, 5) staying close to the context, and 6) leveraging multi-modality
Augmenting LLMs with Knowledge: A survey on hallucination prevention
Large pre-trained language models have demonstrated their proficiency in
storing factual knowledge within their parameters and achieving remarkable
results when fine-tuned for downstream natural language processing tasks.
Nonetheless, their capacity to access and manipulate knowledge with precision
remains constrained, resulting in performance disparities on
knowledge-intensive tasks when compared to task-specific architectures.
Additionally, the challenges of providing provenance for model decisions and
maintaining up-to-date world knowledge persist as open research frontiers. To
address these limitations, the integration of pre-trained models with
differentiable access mechanisms to explicit non-parametric memory emerges as a
promising solution. This survey delves into the realm of language models (LMs)
augmented with the ability to tap into external knowledge sources, including
external knowledge bases and search engines. While adhering to the standard
objective of predicting missing tokens, these augmented LMs leverage diverse,
possibly non-parametric external modules to augment their contextual processing
capabilities, departing from the conventional language modeling paradigm.
Through an exploration of current advancements in augmenting large language
models with knowledge, this work concludes that this emerging research
direction holds the potential to address prevalent issues in traditional LMs,
such as hallucinations, un-grounded responses, and scalability challenges
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