Pluralism after scarcity: the benefits of digital technologies

In this latest post in our series on the role of digital intermediaries and media plurality, Peter Barron, Google’s head of communications for Europe, Middle East and Africa, and his colleague Simon Morrison, Public Policy Manager, argue that the Internet and digital technologies have only increased media pluralism

How white is your UX practice?: inclusion and diversity in critical UX research

During summer 2016, Imperial College London’s Library Information Systems team ran user experience research into the information-seeking behaviour of undergraduate and postgraduate students focusing on the use of the library catalogue and discovery interface. We gathered some really interesting findings which are helping to inform our continued redesigning of Imperial’s Ex Libris Primo search and discovery software. Our results are available in reports online but in this paper we want to talk about what we did wrong, the limitations of our methodology, and the impact on our approach to inclusion and diversity in our UX work and our view of wider UX research in libraries

Critical systems librarianship

In this chapter we perform a meta-analysis and synthesize existing critical library and information studies work into a cohesive approach to critical systems librarianship, informed by diverse perspectives and ethical lenses. We seek to enable and facilitate a critically-informed, reflective, and reflexive approach to systems work with specific focus on how information technologies are applied in library work. Critical systems librarianship centrally involves critical reflection which allows systems workers to question the underlying values, assumptions, and power relations ingrained in their daily practices and the institutions within which they work: this is essential to both theoretical questioning and developing strategies to contest power imbalances

Critical systems librarianship

In this chapter we perform a meta-analysis and synthesize existing critical library and information studies work into a cohesive approach to critical systems librarianship, informed by diverse perspectives and ethical lenses. We seek to enable and facilitate a critically-informed, reflective, and reflexive approach to systems work with specific focus on how information technologies are applied in library work. Critical systems librarianship centrally involves critical reflection which allows systems workers to question the underlying values, assumptions, and power relations ingrained in their daily practices and the institutions within which they work: this is essential to both theoretical questioning and developing strategies to contest power imbalances

L-Infinity variational problems of maps and the Aronsson PDE system

By employing Aronsson's absolute minimizers of L ∞ functionals, we prove that absolutely minimizing maps u:Rn→RN solve a "tangential" Aronsson PDE system. By following Sheffield and Smart (2012) [24], we derive δ ∞ with respect to the dual operator norm and show that such maps miss information along a hyperplane when compared to tight maps. We recover the lost term which causes non-uniqueness and derive the complete Aronsson system which has discontinuous coefficients. In particular, the Euclidean ∞-Laplacian is δ ∞u=Du⊗Du:D 2u+|Du| 2[Du] ⊥δu where [Du] ⊥ is the projection on the null space of Du ⊤. We demonstrate C ∞ solutions having interfaces along which the rank of their gradient is discontinuous and propose a modification with C 0 coefficients which admits varifold solutions. Away from the interfaces, Aronsson maps satisfy a structural property of local splitting to 2 phases, a horizontal and a vertical; horizontally they possess gradient flows similar to the scalar case and vertically solve a linear system coupled by a scalar Hamilton Jacobi PDE. We also construct singular ∞-harmonic local C 1 diffeomorphisms and singular Aronsson maps. © 2012 Elsevier Inc

High-Entropy Alloys for Advanced Nuclear Applications

The expanded compositional freedom afforded by high-entropy alloys (HEAs) represents a unique opportunity for the design of alloys for advanced nuclear applications, in particular for applications where current engineering alloys fall short. This review assesses the work done to date in the field of HEAs for nuclear applications, provides critical insight into the conclusions drawn, and highlights possibilities and challenges for future study. It is found that our understanding of the irradiation responses of HEAs remains in its infancy, and much work is needed in order for our knowledge of any single HEA system to match our understanding of conventional alloys such as austenitic steels. A number of studies have suggested that HEAs possess ‘special’ irradiation damage resistance, although some of the proposed mechanisms, such as those based on sluggish diffusion and lattice distortion, remain somewhat unconvincing (certainly in terms of being universally applicable to all HEAs). Nevertheless, there may be some mechanisms and effects that are uniquely different in HEAs when compared to more conventional alloys, such as the effect that their poor thermal conductivities have on the displacement cascade. Furthermore, the opportunity to tune the compositions of HEAs over a large range to optimise particular irradiation responses could be very powerful, even if the design process remains challenging

Aligning Map Patches to Estimate Lane Marker Geometry

Accurate lane marker geometry is important for autonomous vehicles to navigate roads safely and efficiently. Map patches provide valuable data for estimating lane marker geometry but need to be aligned before they can be used to estimate the lane marker geometry. Traditional feature-based approaches for aligning map patches are unsuitable for map patches that include only lane markers, which typically lack distinctive features. This disclosure describes techniques for aligning map patches, specifically aligning lane markers on road geometries. Per the technique, correspondence between lane markers is determined, focusing on smooth curves without distinct features. Map patch alignment technique combines sensor observations from different vehicles to infer the lane marker geometry and update a digital map. An objective function is defined that includes a regularization term on the magnitude of rotation and translation. The techniques involve estimating the rotation angle directly using a nonlinear solver, forming correspondences between lane markers, and using the area between lane markers as a distance metric. The techniques bring together multiple map patches that each represent a segment of the roadway and position the patches correctly relative to each other