Identifying Synonymous Terms in Preparation for Technology Mining

In this research, the development of a `concept-clumping algorithm\u27 designed to improve the clustering of technical concepts is demonstrated . The algorithm developed first identifies a list of technically relevant noun phrases from a cleaned extracted list and then applies a rule-based algorithm for identifying synonymous terms based on shared words in each term. An assessment of the algorithm found that the algorithm has an 89—91% precision rate, was successful in moving technically important terms higher in the term frequency list, and improved the technical specificity of term clusters

The role of universities in attaining regional competitiveness under adversity – a research proposal

This study examines the role of the university in attaining regional competitiveness in technology in periods of extreme adversity such as has been the case in the post-Hurricane Katrina situation in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. In such situations, much can be learned from the experiences of developing nations which have successfully attained technological leadership in specific niches. University leadership will be important in several arenas. Teaching and research will need to be targeted to regionally-important areas. The research findings must be transferred to organizations which can exploit opportunities and develop needed technologies. Universities can serve as both disseminators of information and as collaborators in the process. Universities can both spark new businesses and support existing businesses. To determine what is needed and where the niches are, we highlight the importance of text mining of publication and patent databases. Text mining can identify regional strengths upon which competitive advantages can be built. In this paper, we propose research using text mining to identify regional strengths and opportunities

Functional Analysis: Deriving Systems Knowledge From Bibliographic Information Resources

Analyses of particular technology developments provide vital managerial intelligence. Framing of such analyses is key to maximize their managerial value. This paper presents a case analysis of automotive fuel efficiency technologies, posed as a functional analysis, rather than as a technology analysis. This functional perspective provides a systems frame of reference, yielding enhanced managerial knowledge. The case illustrates the use of bibliometric methods to glean systems intelligence from large abstract databases

Accused of an "abominable crime": punishing homosexual blackmail threats in London, 1723–1823

For much of the eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century, the criminal justice system in the United Kingdom operated under “the Bloody Code” in which more than 200 crimes were punishable by death. Despite the apparent severity of this punitive system, the laws around extortion during this period were ambiguous and unclear. Drawing on records from London’s Old Bailey over the century from 1723 to 1823, this research examines the specific offence of threatening to accuse a person of criminalised homosexual acts for the purposes of extortion. Drawing on a range of cases in London over a century, this research examines the varying judicial treatment of crimes committed in person versus extortion conducted in written form — a major distinction under the conditions of the Bloody Code. It highlights the inconsistency in the application of the law, as well as presenting potential explanations as to why similar crimes were punished so differently in Georgian Britain. Based on case file analysis, it comes to an intriguing conclusion about how these cases were handled by the Old Bailey, coming to the conclusion that sentences for homosexual extortion attempts were often mitigated in cases where there was a question as to whether the victim was, in reality, a gay man. This conclusion has serious implications for our understanding of the nexus between homosexuality and the English legal system in this complex period

The role of universities in attaining regional competitiveness under adversity – a research proposal

This study examines the role of the university in attaining regional competitiveness in technology in periods of extreme adversity such as has been the case in the post-Hurricane Katrina situation in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. In such situations, much can be learned from the experiences of developing nations which have successfully attained technological leadership in specific niches. University leadership will be important in several arenas. Teaching and research will need to be targeted to regionally-important areas. The research findings must be transferred to organizations which can exploit opportunities and develop needed technologies. Universities can serve as both disseminators of information and as collaborators in the process. Universities can both spark new businesses and support existing businesses. To determine what is needed and where the niches are, we highlight the importance of text mining of publication and patent databases. Text mining can identify regional strengths upon which competitive advantages can be built. In this paper, we propose research using text mining to identify regional strengths and opportunities

Functional Analysis: Deriving Systems Knowledge From Bibliographic Information Resources

Analyses of particular technology developments provide vital managerial intelligence. Framing of such analyses is key to maximize their managerial value. This paper presents a case analysis of automotive fuel efficiency technologies, posed as a functional analysis, rather than as a technology analysis. This functional perspective provides a systems frame of reference, yielding enhanced managerial knowledge. The case illustrates the use of bibliometric methods to glean systems intelligence from large abstract databases