348 research outputs found

    Who Learns What? A Conceptual Description of Capability and Learning in Technological Systems

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    In terms both of individual units and of groups or organizations, the evolution of technological systems has structural similarities to the evolution of biological systems. This paper thus makes use of Bonner's description of biological development: the law of growth of the constructive processes, the internal and external constraints on this growth, the resulting changes of form, differentiation, specialization of function, and increased complexity are all features common to developments in the biological and technological fields. Examples from several industries illustrate technological developments. The pursuit of economies of scale exemplifies the parallelism with biological development. The evolution of technological capability is seen as a learning process in which information is acquired, stored, and transmitted. Information can be stored in people, stored on paper (or its equivalent), or embodied in physical plant. These specifically human capabilities differentiate learning in technological fields from biological evolution by natural selection and open up more rapid and efficient means of information or technology transfer; in fact, the shift is from Darwinian to Lamarckian evolution. However, theoretical knowledge is important only when translated into practice, and learning itself originates in and depends on practice: there are limits to the effective "storability" of know-how, and similarly to its transmission. A distinction is drawn between "primary" (direct) and "secondary" (derivative, indirectly transmitted) learning. The terms introduced underlie the phenomenon known as cumulative experience, manifest in the "learning curve." Learning, however, is a multilevel process, and levels are described as a basis for distinguishing the type of learning or information transfer characteristic of each level, answering the question "Who learns what?" The intrinsically discrete nature of the learning process -- a step-function rather than a curve -- is illustrated by Waddington's data on aircraft-submarine attack performance. An organization's capability is described in terms of a network of capabilities. The final section discusses policy implications of the conceptual framework developed in the report

    On the influence of Stark broadening on Si I lines in stellar atmospheres

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    We study the influence of Stark broadening and stratification effects on Si\i lines in the rapidly oscillating (roAp) star 10 Aql, where the Si\i 6142.48 \AA and 6155.13 \AA lines are asymmetrical and shifted. First we have calculated Stark broadening parameters using the semiclassical perturbation method for three Si\i lines: 5950.2 \AA, 6142.48 \AA and 6155.13 \AA. We revised the synthetic sp$ calculation code taking into account both Stark width and shift for these lines. From the comparison of our calculations with the observations we found that Stark broadening + the stratification effect can explain asymmetry of the Si\i 6142.48 \AA and 6155.13 \AA lines in the atmospere of roAp star 10 Aql.Comment: Accepted to A&

    Communicating medication risk to cardiovascular patients in Qatar

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    Purpose: Patient safety is gaining prominence in health professional curricula. Patient safety must be complemented by teaching and skill development in practice settings. The purpose of this paper is to explore how experienced pharmacists identify, prioritize and communicate adverse drug effects to patients. Design/methodology/approach: A focus group discussion was conducted with cardiology pharmacy specialists working in a Doha hospital, Qatar. The topic guide sought to explore participants? views, experiences and approaches to educating patients regarding specific cardiovascular therapy safety and tolerability. Discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were coded and organized around identified themes and sub-themes. Working theories were developed by the three authors based on relevant topic characteristics associated with the means in which pharmacists prioritize and choose adverse effect information to communicate to patients. Findings: Nine pharmacists participated in the discussion. The specific adverse effects prioritized were consistent with the reported highest prevalence. Concepts and connections to three main themes described how pharmacists further tailored patient counseling: potential adverse effects and their perceived importance; patient encounter; and cultural factors. Pharmacists relied on initial patient dialogue to judge an individual?s needs and capabilities to digest safety information, and drew heavily upon experience with other counseling encounters to further prioritize this information, processes dependent upon development and accessing exemplar cases. Originality/value: The findings underscore practical experience as a critical instructional element of undergraduate health professional patient safety curricula and for developing associated clinical reasoning. ? 2018, Kerry Wilbur, Arwa Sahal and Dina Elgaily.Scopu

    Pengembangan Lembar Kerja Siswa (Lks) Non-eksperimen Hukum Gravitasi Newton

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    The aim of this research is to develop non-experimental student worksheet in Newtonian gravity. This research was conducted starting from May until June 2017. It is reasearch and development classification using ADDIE model without the implementation level. The subject was Newtonian gravity in the 10th grade, 2nd semester, senior high school physics subject. The research was conducted by analyzing the curriculum of physics subject in senior high school associated with Newtonian gravity, mapping the student worksheet assignment which fits to the curriculum, and the worksheet which was arranged and developed based on the planning above. The prototype of the worksheet was produced and then validated by the experts such as three physics lecturers and two physics senior high school teachers. The aspect of validation which has been assessed was the feasibility of presentment, content, and languange. After gaining the feedback from the experts, the worksheet was then edited, revised, and validated. The result of this research was analysed descriptively. According to the data, it can be concluded that the student worksheet which has been developed entirely has been catagorized as \u27very high\u27 and \u27valid\u27. The result of validation from presentmen feasibility respectively was 3.59; 3.67; 3.75; 3.70, the content feasibility showed, 3.64; 3.65; 3.65; 3.63 , and the languange feasibility was gained in the number of 3.62; 3.62; 3.54, and 3.40

    AUTONOMOUS TRAFFIC PREDICTION: A DEEP LEARNING-BASED FRAMEWORK FOR SMART MOBILITY

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    The term deep learning-based framework for smart mobility refers to a concept or research article that suggests a framework for traffic pattern prediction using deep learning methods in the context of smart mobility. To improve traffic prediction skills and create more intelligent and effective transportation systems, the Autonomous traffic prediction: A deep learning-based framework for smart mobility idea proposes to make use of the potential of deep learning algorithms. In this study, a new Improved Spider Monkey Swarm Optimized Generative Adversarial Network (ISMSO-GAN) approach is introduced to forecast autonomous traffic for smart mobility. In this case, the GAN's classification effectiveness is increased by using the ISMSO method. The Regional Transportation Management Center's traffic dataset for Twin Cities' metro freeways is used to assess the success of the suggested approach. The noisy data from raw data samples are removed using the Adaptive Median Filter (AMF) filter. To extract the properties from the segmented data, a Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA) is performed. The results of the research show that recommended methodology beats earlier approaches in terms of accuracy, Mean Square Error (MSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Prediction Rate. Our proposed method might considerably enhance traffic management and maximize resource allocation

    On the influence of Stark broadening on Cr I lines in stellar atmospheres

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    Using the semiclassical perturbation method, electron-, proton-, and ionized helium-impact line widths and shifts for the nine Cr I spectral lines from the 4p7P04d7D4p^7P^0-4d^7D multiplet, have been calculated for a perturbers density of 1014^{14} cm3^{-3} and temperatures T =2,500 - 50,000 K. The obtained results have been used to investigate the influence of Stark broadening effect in the Cr-rich Ap star β\beta CrB atmosphere on line shapes of these lines. It has been found that the contribution of the proton and He II collisions to the line width and shift is significant, and it is comparable and sometimes (depending of the electron temperature) even larger than electron-impact contribution. Moreover, not only the Stark line width, but, depending on the electron-, proton-, and He\ii density in stellar atmosphere also the Stark shift may contribute to the blue as well as to the red asymmetry of the same line. The obtained results have been used to investigate the influence of Stark broadening effect on line shapes of Cr\i lines in the atmosphere of Cr-rich Ap star β\beta CrB.Comment: 8 pages, Astron. Astrophys. accepte

    Statistical Basis for Predicting Technological Progress

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    Forecasting technological progress is of great interest to engineers, policy makers, and private investors. Several models have been proposed for predicting technological improvement, but how well do these models perform? An early hypothesis made by Theodore Wright in 1936 is that cost decreases as a power law of cumulative production. An alternative hypothesis is Moore's law, which can be generalized to say that technologies improve exponentially with time. Other alternatives were proposed by Goddard, Sinclair et al., and Nordhaus. These hypotheses have not previously been rigorously tested. Using a new database on the cost and production of 62 different technologies, which is the most expansive of its kind, we test the ability of six different postulated laws to predict future costs. Our approach involves hindcasting and developing a statistical model to rank the performance of the postulated laws. Wright's law produces the best forecasts, but Moore's law is not far behind. We discover a previously unobserved regularity that production tends to increase exponentially. A combination of an exponential decrease in cost and an exponential increase in production would make Moore's law and Wright's law indistinguishable, as originally pointed out by Sahal. We show for the first time that these regularities are observed in data to such a degree that the performance of these two laws is nearly tied. Our results show that technological progress is forecastable, with the square root of the logarithmic error growing linearly with the forecasting horizon at a typical rate of 2.5% per year. These results have implications for theories of technological change, and assessments of candidate technologies and policies for climate change mitigation

    Theoretical determination of lifetimes of metastable states in Sc III and Y III

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    Lifetimes of the first two metastable states in Sc^{2+} and Y^{2+} are determined using the relativistic coupled-cluster theory. There is a considerable interest in studying the electron correlation effects in these ions as though their electronic configurations are similar to the neutral alkali atoms, their structures are very different from the latter. We have made a comparative study of the correlation trends between the above doubly ionized systems with their corresponding neutral and singly ionized iso-electronic systems. The lifetimes of the excited states of these ions are very important in the field of astrophysics, especially for the study of post-main sequence evolution of the cool giant stars.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure and 5 table

    The Non-linear Dynamics of Meaning-Processing in Social Systems

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    Social order cannot be considered as a stable phenomenon because it contains an order of reproduced expectations. When the expectations operate upon one another, they generate a non-linear dynamics that processes meaning. Specific meaning can be stabilized, for example, in social institutions, but all meaning arises from a horizon of possible meanings. Using Luhmann's (1984) social systems theory and Rosen's (1985) theory of anticipatory systems, I submit equations for modeling the processing of meaning in inter-human communication. First, a self-referential system can use a model of itself for the anticipation. Under the condition of functional differentiation, the social system can be expected to entertain a set of models; each model can also contain a model of the other models. Two anticipatory mechanisms are then possible: one transversal between the models, and a longitudinal one providing the modeled systems with meaning from the perspective of hindsight. A system containing two anticipatory mechanisms can become hyper-incursive. Without making decisions, however, a hyper-incursive system would be overloaded with uncertainty. Under this pressure, informed decisions tend to replace the "natural preferences" of agents and an order of cultural expectations can increasingly be shaped

    "Open Innovation" and "Triple Helix" Models of Innovation: Can Synergy in Innovation Systems Be Measured?

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    The model of "Open Innovations" (OI) can be compared with the "Triple Helix of University-Industry-Government Relations" (TH) as attempts to find surplus value in bringing industrial innovation closer to public R&D. Whereas the firm is central in the model of OI, the TH adds multi-centeredness: in addition to firms, universities and (e.g., regional) governments can take leading roles in innovation eco-systems. In addition to the (transversal) technology transfer at each moment of time, one can focus on the dynamics in the feedback loops. Under specifiable conditions, feedback loops can be turned into feedforward ones that drive innovation eco-systems towards self-organization and the auto-catalytic generation of new options. The generation of options can be more important than historical realizations ("best practices") for the longer-term viability of knowledge-based innovation systems. A system without sufficient options, for example, is locked-in. The generation of redundancy -- the Triple Helix indicator -- can be used as a measure of unrealized but technologically feasible options given a historical configuration. Different coordination mechanisms (markets, policies, knowledge) provide different perspectives on the same information and thus generate redundancy. Increased redundancy not only stimulates innovation in an eco-system by reducing the prevailing uncertainty; it also enhances the synergy in and innovativeness of an innovation system.Comment: Journal of Open Innovations: Technology, Market and Complexity, 2(1) (2016) 1-12; doi:10.1186/s40852-016-0039-
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