Entrenched Technologies Research Articles

Adaptive infrared radiation modulator using reversible metal electrodeposition with silicon carbide-based fabry-perot cavity

Conventional materials that statically modulate radiation in the infrared (IR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum underpin the performance of many entrenched technologies. The development of their adaptive variants, whereby the IR radiation properties dynamically change as a response to external stimuli, has emerged as an important unfulfilled scientific challenge. Here, by combining the silicon carbide (SiC)-based Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity effect with the traditional reversible metal electrodeposition device (RMED), where the FP cavity is used as a color filter to emit a particular wavelength and the RMED is used to reversibly modulate IR radiation, we develop an adaptive IR radiation modulator with large and uniform IR emissivity tunability (Δε ≥ 0.579) in the 3–14 µm region. A specific structural color which is a function of the SiC thickness can be simultaneously displayed when the modulator is in the low-emissivity mode. By varying the SiC thickness from 100 to 180 nm, a full gamut of colors spanning the entire visible spectrum can be achieved. Additionally, the modulator can exhibit fantastic patterns consisting of different structural colors with simple designs achieved. We believe that our findings may open opportunities for camouflage in multispectral detection and many technologies related to IR radiation management.

(Invited) Capacitive Deionization (CDI) – an Industrial Research Perspective

As the demand for freshwater keeps increasing due to industrialization and population growth, the world is progressively interested in desalination for sourcing potable water. While membrane-based reverse osmosis (RO) and thermal-based evaporation/distillation are proven technologies for desalination, they are also expensive. Capacitive deionization (CDI) - introduced in the 1970s - where the positive and negative ions are separated by the application of an electric field across pairs of high surface area electrodes, has been considered as a potentially cheaper technology. In the mid-2000s, Corning carried out a research project on developing CDI. The workstreams involved developing novel materials for electrodes, new device architecture, predictive theoretical models at electrode and device scales, and eventually a plant-level cost analysis that connected the electrode and device-level parameters to the final cost of water desalination, in $/gallon, which is the ultimate arbiter for techno-economic feasibility. We made significant progress in: (a) developing thin all-carbon electrodes which were electrochemically inert, highly conductive, and possessed high specific capacitance (F/cc) (b) designing a flow-past device architecture based on stacked planar electrodes with a small footprint (c) developing user-friendly simplified theoretical models, and (d) formulating two high-level figures of merit (FOM), namely, volumetric efficiency (VE) and recovery ratio (RR) – both of which need to be maximized to compete against incumbent technologies such as RO, especially in the high-throughput brackish water market sector. Our prototype achieved an equivalent VE of ~40 kg/ft3/day of salt removal. However, the plant-level cost analysis suggested that there is not much room for improving the overall cost structure compared to RO even with such high device level performance for high throughput desalination markets. In this talk we will present our experience with the development of CDI technology. We will cover all aspects of the project - electrode materials development, device architecture, theoretical models, and cost analysis – and will also offer an industrial perspective on CDI technology development, particularly when it comes to competing against well-established and entrenched technologies. We will also highlight how systems-level thinking and analyses are extremely important for such technology assessments and point out that only focusing on lab-scale performance metrics can be misleading.

Spiers Memorial Lecture: Next generation chalcogenide-based absorbers for thin-film solar cells.

Inorganic-based thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) represents an important component of the growing low-carbon energy market and plays a vital role in the drive toward lower cost and increased penetration of solar energy. Yet, commercialized thin-film absorber technologies suffer from some non-ideal characteristics, such as toxic or non-abundant element use (e.g., CdTe and Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2, which bring into question their suitability for terawatt deployment. Numerous promising chalcogenide, halide, pnictide and oxide semiconductors are being pursued to bridge these concerns for TFPV and several promising paths have emerged, both as prospective replacements for the entrenched technologies, and to serve as partner (i.e., higher bandgap) absorbers for tandem junction devices-e.g., to be used with a lower bandgap Si bottom cell. The current perspective will primarily focus on emerging chalcogenide-based technologies and provide both an overview of absorber candidates that have been of recent interest and a deeper dive into an exemplary Cu2BaSnS4-related family. Overall, considering the combined needs of high-performance, low-cost, and operational stability, as well as the experiences gained from existing commercialized thin-film absorber technologies, chalcogenide-based semiconductors represent a promising direction for future PV development and also serve to highlight common themes and needs among the broader TFPV materials family.

Technology Transfer at the WTO: Old Promises and New Hopes of the Developing World

While the subject of forced technology transfer has elicited sharp focus in recent years, similar attention has not been directed to the issue of voluntary technology transfer under the aegis of the WTO. Technology transfer was seen as a tool to enable development by both developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs). Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement entrenched technology transfer to LDCs as a hard obligation for developed countries, but its imperfect implementation has caused concerns to LDCs. Developing countries, such as India, are not beneficiaries under Article 66.2, but they have pushed for a closer link between technology transfer and development issues through a variety of ways at the WTO. Due to COVID-19, the issue of technology transfer concerning health in the LDCs becomes more important. Against this background, this article analyses the experience of LDCs with the implementation of Article 66.2 and India’s experience in its push for further entrenchment of technology transfer obligations. This article specifically assess technology transfer by the US and the EU in light of COVID-19 vis-à-vis Article 66.2. The paper pays particular attention to the various roadblocks in the implementation of Article 66.2 and the solutions as proposed by LDCs themselves. development, technology, technology transfer, TRIPS Agreement, sustainable development, health technology, developed country, Least Developed Country, developing country, Intellectual Property Rights, know-how, Article 66.2

Cookies: a legacy of controversy

Cookies are a legacy of the early commercial web. Developed and deployed by Netscape in 1994, debated by developers since 1995, and subject to political scrutiny since 1998, cookies have grown in visibility as they have become more mundane. While the United States was able to push for a consumer framing supported by self-regulation, it rested on effective notice and choice. As the European Union sought to establish a successful Single Market, consent in European data protection law grew in use, prominence, and strength over iterations. Although cookies were chosen as a privacy preserving mechanism for establishing state in web based interactions, they became a lightning rod for privacy concerns that have never been resolved. This article details the history of cookies as an exploration of the normative cultural constructions of a simple, unremarkable, entrenched technology using www-talk archives, IETF working group archives, browser versions, and trade literature, as well as U.S., UK, and EU government reports, caselaw, and legislative history.

Dynamic Influence on Replicator Evolution for the Propagation of Competing Technologies

This work introduces a novel modified Replicator Dynamics model, which includes external influences on the population. This framework models a realistic market into which companies, the external dynamic influences, invest resources in order to bolster their product's standing and increase their market share. The dynamic influences change in each time step of the game, and directly modify the payoff matrix of the population's interactions. The model can learn from real data how each influence affects the market, and can be used to simulate and predict the outcome of a real system. We specifically analyze how a new technology can compete and attempt to unseat an entrenched technology as the market leader. We establish a relationship between the external influences and the population payoff matrix and show how the system can be implemented to predict outcomes in a real market by simulating the rise of the Android mobile operating system over its primary competition, the iPhone, from 2009 to 2017.

Adaptive infrared-reflecting systems inspired by cephalopods.

Materials and systems that statically reflect radiation in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum underpin the performance of many entrenched technologies, including building insulation, energy-conserving windows, spacecraft components, electronics shielding, container packaging, protective clothing, and camouflage platforms. The development of their adaptive variants, in which the infrared-reflecting properties dynamically change in response to external stimuli, has emerged as an important unmet scientific challenge. By drawing inspiration from cephalopod skin, we developed adaptive infrared-reflecting platforms that feature a simple actuation mechanism, low working temperature, tunable spectral range, weak angular dependence, fast response, stability to repeated cycling, amenability to patterning and multiplexing, autonomous operation, robust mechanical properties, and straightforward manufacturability. Our findings may open opportunities for infrared camouflage and other technologies that regulate infrared radiation.

Improvement of Security in IOT Sensor Network to Overcome Harmful Intruder by Optimizing the Existing Techniques

Internet of Things is the web of physical devices acquired through the Internet. These devices contain entrenched technology to connect with both internal environment or the external status. Internets of Things (IoT) devices are directly becoming ubiquitous while IoT services are becoming global. Cyber-intruders are not unique to IoT, but as it will be deeply merged in our lives and humankind, it is becoming essential to step up and take cyber protection seriously. With increasing use of it in diverse fields has improved the demands of various parameters, for an excessive degree of security and applications. In this paper, we have compared the variance in security features of new technology like Low-Power Wide Area (LPWA) network technologies: LoRaWAN and NB-IoT. The security features of every technology are specified in a comparison to demonstrate that security won't be the determining aspect while choosing on a LPWA technology. We describe the exceptional contributions that every characteristic makes the general security of a device and emphasize how the security functions may not or might be appropriate in our option of a LPWA technology, based on the designed use case. We consider whether the security functions of each technology are appropriate for a fixed of use cases representing standard deployments for every technology. Based on an assessment of an appropriate feature, we have calculated the performance of the security in each technology and the each use instances. After identifying the security problems in IoTs, this paper suggest answers from present technologies as a start line for establishing a standardized security paradigm in IoTs.

New applications, new global audiences

There continues to be strong interest among established, experienced academic users of 3D virtual environments for their sustained educational use. Consistent with global trends, they plan to further develop and optimise existing applications, reuse skills and experiences gained to develop new applications, and to share and reuse existing virtual resources. This is against a background of varied support from institutions, colleagues, students, funding bodies and also changing understanding and awareness of virtual environments and virtual reality by the general community as a result of consumer developments such as the popularity of multi-user online role playing amongst both children and adults, and the acquisition of technologies by companies with deeply entrenched technologies. At the same time, the ongoing development and availability of new multiuser virtual environment platforms, associated peripherals and virtual reality technologies promise new and exciting opportunities for educators to collaborate with researchers on a global scale, while also exploring the affordances of these technologies for enhancing the learning outcomes for an increasingly diverse and distributed student population.

The stability of risk and benefit perceptions: a longitudinal study assessing the perception of biotechnology

The study of public perceptions is considered to be important for making sound policy decisions, since the public decides which products will enter and sustain in the market. Stability of public perceptions is important for policy-makers; only if public attitudes and perceptions remain constant, policy-makers will be able to take them into account. The aim of the present study was to examine the stability of participants’ risk and benefit perceptions of gene technology over a period of two years. In spring, 2008 and in spring, 2010, the same sample of participants filled out an identical questionnaire. Results of structural equation modelling show that risk and benefit perceptions of gene technology applications are moderately stable (r = .5–.7). Furthermore, results show that people distinguish between medical, plant and food applications and applications involving animals when evaluating the risk of gene technology. When evaluating the benefits, participants also take consumer-related benefits into account, such as enhancement of functional properties. Results of the present study suggest that risk research should regularly examine people’s risk perceptions in order to gain a clearer picture of the dynamics of people’s perception and preferences not only of novel technologies, but also of entrenched technologies.

Evaluating Phase Change Memory for Enterprise Storage Systems

Storage systems based on Phase Change Memory (PCM) devices are beginning to generate considerable attention in both industry and academic communities. But whether the technology in its current state will be a commercially and technically viable alternative to entrenched technologies such as flash-based SSDs remains undecided. To address this, it is important to consider PCM SSD devices not just from a device standpoint, but also from a holistic perspective. This article presents the results of our performance study of a recent all-PCM SSD prototype. The average latency for a 4KiB random read is 6.7μs, which is about 16× faster than a comparable eMLC flash SSD. The distribution of I/O response times is also much narrower than flash SSD for both reads and writes. Based on the performance measurements and real-world workload traces, we explore two typical storage use cases: tiering and caching. We report that the IOPS/$ of a tiered storage system can be improved by 12--66% and the aggregate elapsed time of a server-side caching solution can be improved by up to 35% by adding PCM. Our results show that (even at current price points) PCM storage devices show promising performance as a new component in enterprise storage systems.

Phase change memory in enterprise storage systems

Storage devices based on Phase Change Memory (PCM) devices are beginning to generate considerable attention in both industry and academic communities. But whether the technology in its current state will be a commercially and technically viable alternative to entrenched technologies such as flash-based SSDs still remains unanswered. To address this it is important to consider PCM SSD devices not just from a device standpoint, but also from a holistic perspective. This paper presents the results of our performance measurement study of a recent all-PCM SSD prototype. The average latency for 4 KB random read is 6.7 ?s, which is about 16x faster than a comparable eMLC flash SSD. The distribution of I/O response times is also much narrower than the flash SSD for both reads and writes. Based on real-world workload traces, we model a hypothetical storage device which consists of flash, HDD, and PCM to identify the combinations of device types that offer the best performance within cost constraints. Our results show that - even at current price points - PCM storage devices show promise as a new component in multi-tiered enterprise storage systems.

News and social media: Windows into community perspectives on disinvestment

The aim of this study, in the context of disinvestment related health technology assessment, is to examine whether analysis of Web 2.0--commercial media output, blogs, and discussion forums--can provide an understanding of media framing, community perspectives, and the sociopolitical aspects of an entrenched technology. Thematic analysis of relevant data from fifty-nine media articles, thirty-nine discussion forums, thirteen blogs, and three Facebook pages relating to our case study: public funding for assisted reproductive technology services. Mainstream media and community-based social media responses were compared. Media responses were narrow, primarily describing emotive individual narratives or the political nexus of interests. Community (including patient) responses were broader including discussion of opportunity cost and vested interests but mostly reflected the polar ends of the debate, diverging strongly for or against disinvestment from public funding. Web2.0 and media analysis offers an inexpensive method to capture media portrayal, divergent community responses both to that portrayal and independent of it, and insight into the sociopolitical aspects of an entrenched technology undergoing disinvestment debate.

Blood cell capture in a sawtooth dielectrophoretic microchannel

Biological fluids can be considered to contain information-rich mixtures of biochemicals and particles that enable clinicians to accurately diagnose a wide range of pathologies. Rapid and inexpensive analysis of blood and other bodily fluids is a topic gaining substantial attention in both science and medicine. One line of development involves microfluidic approaches that provide unique advantages over entrenched technologies, including rapid analysis times, microliter sample and reagent volumes, potentially low cost, and practical portability. The present study focuses on the isolation and concentration of human blood cells from small-volume samples of diluted whole blood. Separation of cells from the matrix of whole blood was accomplished using constant potential insulator-based gradient dielectrophoresis in a converging, sawtooth-patterned microchannel. The channel design enabled the isolation and concentration of specific cell types by exploiting variations in their characteristic physical properties. The technique can operate with isotonic buffers, allowing capture of whole cells, and reproducible capture occurred at specific locales within the channel over a global applied voltage range of 200-700 V.

Environmental nasty surprise, post-normal science, and the troubled role of experts in sustainable democratic environmental decision making

An environmental nasty surprise is an environmental problem such as stratospheric ozone depletion that: catches scientists, technologists, regulators, mass media, and public off-guard; is already extensive by the time it is widely recognized; stems from entrenched technologies; and presents a potentially large-scale, long-term threat to humans or ecosystems. How might the need to minimize the generation of such problems – and address them as effectively as possible when they emerge – help us think more clearly about the role that experts should play in environmental decision making? Using case material on industrial chlorine chemistry, this paper considers the limitations of the theory of post-normal science as a framework for identifying appropriate and inappropriate modes of scientific and technical expertise in environmental decision making. The analysis highlights the need for a model of sustainability expertise that (a) recognizes how prevailing frameworks of environmental decision making allow technologists to actively produce – and exploit – uncertainty and (b) normatively promotes development and deployment of expertise in ways that actively confront these tendencies while making environmental decision making more democratic.

Competing technologies and market dominance: standard "battles" in the Local Area Networking industry

The rise of Fast Ethernet as the dominant standard for high-speed connection in the Local Area Networking industry is chosen to study the interaction between increasing returns to adoption and technical change in innovation diffusion. Contrary to most of the empirical papers on diffusion with increasing returns, which study competition between an entrenched technology and a new competitor, the focus is on the case in which several and different versions of a new technology are competing at the same time for market dominance. Within this context, this article studies under which conditions an early technology may fail to capitalise on its initial time advantage and a new version, without a clear early lead, may become dominant. In particular, we will consider a case in which the initial time advantage is made ineffective by consistently adverse technological expectations. Then, we analyse how the arrival on the market of different categories of buyers, sensitive to specific applications, further contribute to weaken the early leader and strengthen a competing version. This is more likely to occur when buyers are highly familiar with the characteristics of that specific version. Copyright 2008 , Oxford University Press.

Exploring technology paths: The development of alternative transport fuels in Sweden 2007–2020

By using socio-technical scenarios, we investigate how present policy choices may affect the development of alternative transport fuels in Sweden. One important choice for policy lies in the balance between general tax exemptions stimulating the market for alternative fuels, and funding of research and development more directly promoting new technology. The implications of this choice are illustrated with four diverging development paths until 2020. In the market-oriented scenarios, we illustrate consequences of breaking the dominance of entrenched technologies and demonstrating a growing market potential for alternatives, but also the risks with a large focus on first generation renewable fuels. In the technology-oriented scenarios, we point out the value of keeping variety among niches in this stage of the transition. In conclusion, if policy is implemented without taking the dynamic forces within the system into account, there is a risk that any measure leads the system into a dead end. But if policy strives to balance the development in different parts of the technological system while making use of various prevailing forces of change, a multitude of different efforts can contribute to the development of a more sustainable transport system.

First year students' experiences with technology: Are they really digital natives?

<span>This paper reports on a study conducted in 2006 with more than 2,000 incoming first-year Australian university students. Students were asked about their access to, use of and preferences for an array of established and emerging technologies and technology based tools. The results show that many first year students are highly tech-savvy. However, when one moves beyond entrenched technologies and tools (e.g. computers, mobile phones, email), the patterns of access and use of a range of other technologies show considerable variation. The findings are discussed in light of Prensky's (2001a) notions of the 'Digital Natives' and the implications for using technology to support teaching and learning in higher education.</span>

The economic and institutional rationale of PV subsidies

In terms of cost and performance, infant technologies, such as solar photovoltaics (PV), are normally inferior to entrenched technologies. It is a Catch-22 situation since the diffusion on larger markets that would be needed to reduce cost is hindered by the high cost. Therefore it would make sense to subsidise PV to increase sales, which would increase experience and induce investments in larger factories, which in turn would drive down costs and the subsidies needed. The total costs of such a scheme does not have to be prohibitive if cost reductions with increased volumes are large enough. Over the last 20 years the cost of PV modules was reduced by 18–23% per doubling of cumulative production (a progress ratio of 0.77–0.82). For a progress ratio of 0.80 and an annual growth rate of 30%, the modelled annual subsidy peaks at $14 US billion, which corresponds to an additional electricity tax of no more than 0.1 US cents/kW h in OECD countries. A market support programme also creates institutional learning and increases the political power of the proponents of PV. The current federal German support programme is a product of learning and network formation in earlier market stimulation and research, development and demonstration (RDD) programmes of smaller scale. Hence, the current support programme is now likely to create not only economic virtuous circles that reduce costs, but also institutional virtuous circles that work for the survival and expansion of the programme itself. As the PV industry grows, care should be taken to maintain variety to reduce the risk of a premature lock-in of an inferior design. To maintain variety in the market place may prove costly when the market grows but variety creation at the level of RDD investments is fairly cheap. To increase the world expenditure on RDD of renewable energy technology by a factor of 10 would not cost more than $1 US/ton C or 0.02 US cent/kW h of electricity.

Throwing Light on Data-Taking

Throwing Light on Data-Taking