Hierarchical Diagrams Research Articles

Measuring behavioural and cognitive complexity in lithic technology throughout human evolution

Stone tool making, observed archaeologically from 3.3 million years ago, involves complex problem solving and forethought, but the relative complexity of different Palaeolithic technologies remains unknown. Decision making in replicative knapping is here used to explore the degree of behavioural and cognitive complexity involved in five different types of stone tool manufacture (bipolar, discoidal, biface, Levallois and prismatic blade) that represent the evolution of core reduction strategies from the Oldowan through to the Upper Palaeolithic. While some hypothesise that each key transition was marked by an increase in cognitive complexity, such hypotheses remain untested assumptions. Determining the level of behavioural complexity involved in each of these core reduction strategies using problem-solution distance modelling offers a means of detecting significant increases in the level of human cognitive complexity displayed over time. To directly test for differences in complexity among knapping schema, replication experiments were conducted by two highly skilled knappers. Experiments were filmed and the duration of different stages in the sequence was annotated. Hierarchical diagrams were produced showing the organisation of the different actions involved in stone tool knapping. The results show a pattern of increasingly complex behaviour through the sequence of bipolar, discoidal, prismatic blade, biface, and Levallois knapping. Neanderthals and their contemporaries, Homo sapiens, employed knapping technologies exhibiting comparably high levels of complexity.

A Patent Analysis for Sustainable Technology Management

Technology analysis (TA) is an important issue in the management of technology. Most R&D (Research & Development) policies have depended on diverse TA results. Traditional TA results have been obtained through qualitative approaches such as the Delphi expert survey, scenario analysis, or technology road mapping. Although they are representative methods for TA, they are not stable because their results are dependent on the experts’ knowledge and subjective experience. To solve this problem, recently many studies on TA have been focused on quantitative approaches, such as patent analysis. A patent document has diverse information of developed technologies, and thus, patent is one form of objective data for TA. In addition, sustainable technology has been a big issue in the TA fields, because most companies have their technological competitiveness through the sustainable technology. Sustainable technology is a technology keeping the technological superiority of a company. So a country as well as a company should consider sustainable technology for technological competition and continuous economic growth. Also it is important to manage sustainable technology in a given technology domain. In this paper, we propose a new patent analysis approach based on statistical analysis for the management of sustainable technology (MOST). Our proposed methodology for the MOST is to extract a technological structure and relationship for knowing the sustainable technology. To do this, we develop a hierarchical diagram of technology for finding the causal relationships among technological keywords of a given domain. The aim of the paper is to select the sustainable technology and to create the hierarchical technology paths to sustainable technology for the MOST. This contributes to planning R&D strategy for the sustainability of a company. To show how the methodology can be applied to real problem, we perform a case study using retrieved patent documents related to telematics technology.

Метод автоматического построения иерархических UML-диаграмм последовательности с задаваемым уровнем детализации на основе журналов событий

Метод автоматического построения иерархических UML-диаграмм последовательности с задаваемым уровнем детализации на основе журналов событий

Construction on Data Flow Diagram and Data Dictionary of Chinese Online Examination System

Chinese plays an important role in human life, so Chinese online examination system must be developed in the light of shortcomings of the traditional Chinese examinations. Data flow diagram and data dictionary in this paper are the basic work of developing Chinese online examination system and lay the foundation for requirement analysis. A hierarchical data flow diagram was built in the data flow diagram, and the top-level data flow diagram consists of two things: the system name and two external entities that are teacher and student, and one-layer data flow diagram was divided into teacher subsystem and student subsystem data flow diagram according to subsystem; extracted one from each category entries in the data dictionary, and teachers (external entities), papers information (data stream), papers generation (processing), submission information tables (data storage) were described namely.

Risk Analysis of Grid Operational Performance Influencing Factors Based on ISM-Model

The ISM model is applied to the influencing factors risk analysis of grid operational performance. The research constructed multilevel hierarchical structure diagram by the association between various factors and reflected the hierarchical relationship of the index intuitively. Select a large driving force factors as the core influencing factors and develop a risk prediction radar diagram to provide a theoretical basis for grid operational performance improving. A provincial power grid company provides the data for empirical analysis to explore the applicability of the model.

Hierarchical Modeling and Verification for High-speed Train Control Center by Time Automation

Chinese Train Control System level three (CTCS-3) is a major technical system in Chinese high-speed rail and Train Control System (TCC) is indispensable component in the CTCS-3. Current researches on TCC are mainly based on the simulation, which cannot ensure that all conditions in TCC are tested. This paper presents a hierarchical modeling method and uses time automation (TA) to model the TCC software. We take the design of the active balise telegram editing, a major part in the TCC software, as an example. At first, the process of the active balise telegram editing is analyzed to obtain a hierarchical diagram containing several layers. Then, TA is employed to build one TA model for each layer. Lastly, we use UPPAAL (a model validation tool, developed by Uppsala University and Aalborg University) to construct a network of the TA models to verify the active balise telegram editing. The verification results demonstrate that this modeling method is feasible and the model can meet the functional requirements of the TCC software.

Algorithm of point cluster similarity based on hierarchical Voronoi diagrams

The hierarchical Voronoi diagrams were built through an adaptive clustering method of spatial point clusters.Based on the hierarchical Voronoi diagrams,the topology,density and scope similarities were calculated.The radian and distance similarity were calculated in combination of the standard deviation in mathematical statistics.On the base of every dimensional similarity,the principle of point cluster similarity was decided by the geometrical mean of these parameters.This optimizes the method of the point cluster similarity and the experiment proves its feasibility.

The Method of Discover the Attributes' Sequences of Objects in the Formal Context

Formal context is one of the research contents of formal concept analysis theory. In concept lattice, the attributes of the object are equivalent and there is no hierarchy. Facing to this problem, the equivalence relation which is on the attributes' set is defined and the corresponding σ operation is proposed. On this basis, the structure method of attribute hierarchical diagram is presented and attributes' sequences of associated objects are obtained. This conclusion enriches and extends the analysis method of the formal context.

Establishment of surgical team at the frontline of emergency medical relief

Objective To select the best plan for establishing frontline surgical team(FST) for emergency medical relief based on the characteristics of health service for non-battle military missions,hoping to provide theoretical reference and evidence for establishing FST.Methods This study proposed 4 options to setup FST,including establishing a new one(P1),integration of professional operation teams(P2),selected group from field medical unit(P3),and modification of existing field medical team(P4).The analytic hierarchy process(AHP) was used to analyze the relevant factors influencing the establishment of FST,in an effort to build a hierarchical model diagram and to form a judgment matrix score of four scenarios;the four programs was evaluated by consulting experts and calculating the index weights and general weights.Results The consistency of matrix test results was judged as CR0.10,with the weights of the program scores being P1 = 0.213 8,P2 = 0.242 0,P3 = 0.205 4,and P4 = 0.338 8.Conclusion Application of AHP can achieve satisfactory result in selecting optimal plan for establishing FST;the optimal option to establish FST is to convert the existing field medical team(P4).

Reasoning About Evolution’s Grand Patterns

Tree thinking involves using cladograms, hierarchical diagrams depicting the evolutionary history of a set of taxa, to reason about evolutionary relationships and support inferences. Tree thinking is indispensable in modern science. College students’ tree-thinking skills were investigated using tree (much more common in professional biology) and ladder (somewhat more common in textbooks) cladogram formats. Students’ responses to questions assessing five tree-thinking skills provided evidence for several perceptual and conceptual factors that impact reasoning (e.g., the Gestalt principles of good continuation and spatial proximity, prior knowledge). Instructional implications of the results include using the tree format for initial instruction and clarifying that most recent common ancestry determines evolutionary relatedness. Broader implications for designing scientific diagrams and promoting diagrammatic literacy are considered.

Reading Phylogenetic Trees: The Effects of Tree Orientation and Text Processing on Comprehension

Although differently formatted cladograms (hierarchical diagrams depicting evolutionary relationships among taxa) depict the same information, they may not be equally easy to comprehend. Undergraduate biology students attempted to translate cladograms from the diagonal to the rectangular format. The “backbone” line of each diagonal cladogram was slanted either up or down to the right. Eye movement analyses indicated that the students had a general bias to scan from left to right. Their scanning direction also depended on the orientation of the “backbone” line, resulting in upward or downward scanning, following the directional slant of the line. Because scanning down facilitates correct interpretation of the nested relationships, translation accuracy was higher for the down than for the up cladograms. Unfortunately, most diagonal cladograms in textbooks are in the upward orientation. This probably impairs students' success at tree thinking (i.e., interpreting and reasoning about evolutionary relationships...

Abstract 4038: CpG hypermethylation of p16 and BDNF associate with distant metastasis and survival of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world, and is highly mortal due to tumor recurrence and metastasis. Invasion of tumor cells into lymph nodes is one of the characters of regional metastasis and DNA hypermethylation is characterized in all types of human cancers. We therefore assessed whether epigenetic modification of DNA methylation is correlated to HNSCC metastasis, and evaluated the potential clinical implications of DNA methylation-based biomarker. Methylation array (Illumina infinium beadsarray) was applied to profile aberrant methylated CpG loci in HNSCC with lymph node invasiveness. Fourteen HNSCC tumors and two normal oral tissues were included. ≤ value, the indicator of methylation status of each tested CpG locus, was derived with normalization. A cluster of 111 CpG loci was selected based on the difference between the mean ≤ value of HNSCC tumors with and without regional metastasis (Δβmetz minus non-metz ≥ 0.2 or ≤ −0.2). Hierarchical diagram revealed distinct methylation signature was observed between tumors with or without regional metastasis. Ingenuity pathway analysis showed that the major diseases associated were neurological disorder and endocrine system disorder; and the top canonical pathway was Huntington's disease signaling. Of the top aberrant hypermethylated alleles, p16 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were selected for further investigation on clinical implication. The methylation status of p16 (n=107) and BDNF (n=88) in HNSCC tumors was assayed by methylation-specific PCR. The primer sequences of both alleles were adopted from published report. Statistic analysis (t-test, χ2 or Fisher's exact, logistic regress, Kaplan-Meier survival, and Cox regression) was performed using SPSS. Hypermethylation of p16 or BDNF were not associated with stage, metastasis at diagnosis, and differentiation. Hypermethylation of p16 was significantly associated with age (p=0.008, t-test) and lymph node invasion (p=0.021, χ2-test), in contrast to distant metastasis of follow-up (p=0.061, χ2-test). However, hypermethylation of BDNF was associated with distant metastasis of follow-up (odds ratio: 4.96, 95% CI: 1.28-18.87, p=0.002), and combination with p16 improved the prediction (odds ratio: 10.31, 95% CI: 1.68-62.5, p=0.012). Hypermethylation of BDNF was associated with poor survival of patients (odds ratio: 2.80, 95% CI: 1.17-6.71, p=0.021), and hypermethylation of both alleles increased the risk (odds ratio: 3.81, 95% CI: 1.71-8.49, p=0.001). Together, our data suggest hypermethylation of p16 and BDNF may be potential biomarker associate with poor prognosis of HNSCC. The results also show the association of p16 and BDNF in gain of metastatic properties, which warrants further investigation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4038. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4038

Measuring the functional and usable appeal of crossover B-Car interiors

Recently, the Crossover B-Car interior has become very popular and provides some appealing characteristics. We probe users' needs for the interior of a vehicle and propose a draft resolution for interior design, space utilization, and variations in functionality for Crossover B-Car developers. This study explores the appeal of Crossover B-Car interiors from the perspectives of usability and functionality. We interviewed 14 experts, using the evaluation grid method EGM for expert evaluation to determine the semantic structure of appeal for Crossover B-Car interiors. Hence, a hierarchical diagram of Crossover B-Car interior preferences was created to determine the critical factors. We then surveyed 1100 users through a questionnaire. According to the following statistical analysis, appeal factors were affected in varying degrees by particular reasons and characteristics. The results are useful for the designers and researchers of Crossover B-Car interiors and also contribute to studies in the field of human factors and ergonomics.

Modeling and Designing of Urban Traffic Control Systems by Statecharts

Statechart has been utilized as a visual formalism for the modeling of complex systems. It illuminates the features on describing properties of causality, concurrency and synchronization. The reachability structure is used to represented dynamic model by a Boolean function. In this paper, we try to describe State invariant method and equation function for hierarchical tree diagram. Finally, we used them to analyze the urban traffic control systems which are modeled by using Statecharts. Their formalism provides a concept of propositional logic for presenting control strategy.

Inference Is Bliss: Using Evolutionary Relationship to Guide Categorical Inferences

Three experiments, adopting an evolutionary biology perspective, investigated subjects' inferences about living things. Subjects were told that different enzymes help regulate cell function in two taxa and asked which enzyme a third taxon most likely uses. Experiment 1 and its follow-up, with college students, used triads involving amphibians, reptiles, and mammals (reptiles and mammals are most closely related evolutionarily) and plants, fungi, and animals (fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants). Experiment 2, with 10th graders, also included triads involving mammals, birds, and snakes/crocodilians (birds and snakes/crocodilians are most closely related). Some subjects received cladograms (hierarchical diagrams) depicting the evolutionary relationships among the taxa. The effect of providing cladograms depended on students' background in biology. The results illuminate students' misconceptions concerning common taxa and constraints on their willingness to override faulty knowledge when given appropriate evolutionary evidence. Implications for introducing tree thinking into biology curricula are discussed.

Carbon utilization profiles of Fusarium virguliforme isolates

Fusarium virguliforme is the cause of sudden death syndrome in soybean. Physiological variability among isolates of the fungus is unknown. One way to measure physiologic variability is to analyze growth on different carbon sources. The carbon source utilization profiles of 18 F. virguliforme isolates were examined using the Biolog FF 96-well microplate, which contains 95 different carbon sources. The utilization of dextrin,D-mannitol, maltotriose,D-lactic acid methyl ester, N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, salicin, D-trehalose, and L-alanine differed significantly among isolates (P = 0.05). Carbon sources were grouped into 3 clusters based on their ability to promote growth of F. virguliforme, after calculating Euclidean distances among them. About 12% of the carbon sources promoted a high amount of mycelial growth, 39% promoted a medium amount of growth, and 49% promoted a low amount of mycelial growth; the latter was not significantly different from the water blank control. A hierarchical tree diagram was produced for the 18 isolates based on their carbon source utilization profiles using Ward's hierarchical analysis method. Two main clusters of isolates were formed. One cluster represented greater average mycelial growth on all of the carbon sources than the other cluster. In this study, variability in carbon source utilization among F. virguliforme isolates was evident, but the results were not associated with geographic origin of the isolates, year collected, or published data on aggressiveness. Additional research is needed to determine if these carbon utilization profiles are associated with other biological characteristics, like spore germination, propagule formation, and saprophytic competitiveness.

Structural modeling and analysis of an effluent treatment process for electroplating—A graph theoretic approach

An attempt is made to address a few ecological and environment issues by developing different structural models for effluent treatment system for electroplating. The effluent treatment system is defined with the help of different subsystems contributing to waste minimization. Hierarchical tree and block diagram showing all possible interactions among subsystems are proposed. These non-mathematical diagrams are converted into mathematical models for design improvement, analysis, comparison, storage retrieval and commercially off-the-shelf purchases of different subsystems. This is achieved by developing graph theoretic model, matrix models and variable permanent function model. Analysis is carried out by permanent function, hierarchical tree and block diagram methods. Storage and retrieval is done using matrix models. The methodology is illustrated with the help of an example. Benefits to the electroplaters/end user are identified.

Does the process map influence the outcome of quality improvement work? A comparison of a sequential flow diagram and a hierarchical task analysis diagram

BackgroundMany quality and safety improvement methods in healthcare rely on a complete and accurate map of the process. Process mapping in healthcare is often achieved using a sequential flow diagram, but there is little guidance available in the literature about the most effective type of process map to use. Moreover there is evidence that the organisation of information in an external representation affects reasoning and decision making. This exploratory study examined whether the type of process map - sequential or hierarchical - affects healthcare practitioners' judgments.MethodsA sequential and a hierarchical process map of a community-based anti coagulation clinic were produced based on data obtained from interviews, talk-throughs, attendance at a training session and examination of protocols and policies. Clinic practitioners were asked to specify the parts of the process that they judged to contain quality and safety concerns. The process maps were then shown to them in counter-balanced order and they were asked to circle on the diagrams the parts of the process where they had the greatest quality and safety concerns. A structured interview was then conducted, in which they were asked about various aspects of the diagrams.ResultsQuality and safety concerns cited by practitioners differed depending on whether they were or were not looking at a process map, and whether they were looking at a sequential diagram or a hierarchical diagram. More concerns were identified using the hierarchical diagram compared with the sequential diagram and more concerns were identified in relation to clinical work than administrative work. Participants' preference for the sequential or hierarchical diagram depended on the context in which they would be using it. The difficulties of determining the boundaries for the analysis and the granularity required were highlighted.ConclusionsThe results indicated that the layout of a process map does influence perceptions of quality and safety problems in a process. In quality improvement work it is important to carefully consider the type of process map to be used and to consider using more than one map to ensure that different aspects of the process are captured.

Application of hybrid structural interaction matrix to quality management

This paper applies the concept of Hybrid Structural Interaction Matrix (HSIM) to the management of quality in a manufacturing organisation. The application is motivated by the need to evolve alternative prioritisation tools in quality management. A process, which could be used to analyse a specific situation, was presented by showing how Structural Interaction Matrix (SIM) and Hierarchical Tree Structure Diagram (HTSD) could be used to create a model. The result indicates the feasibility of applying the model in a specific situation in some useful insight into the problem solution. This research has serious implications for management in manufacturing organisation in that it saves tremendous energy and cost that could be expended on alternative prioritisation techniques due to minimisation of time expended in seeking expert of opinion on the issue. This paper is new in that it shows a new dimension about thinking on quality management.

Understanding phylogenies in biology: The influence of a Gestalt perceptual principle.

Cladograms, hierarchical diagrams depicting evolutionary histories among (groups of) species, are commonly drawn in 2 informationally equivalent formats--tree and ladder. The authors hypothesize that these formats are not computationally equivalent because the Gestalt principle of good continuation obscures the hierarchical structure of ladders. Experimental results confirmed that university students (N = 44) prefer to subdivide ladders in accordance with good continuation rather than with the underlying hierarchical structure. Two subsequent experiments (N = 164) investigated cladogram understanding by examining students' ability to translate between formats (e.g., from tree to ladder). As predicted, students had greater difficulty understanding ladders than trees. This effect was larger for students with weaker backgrounds in biology. These results have important implications for evolution education reform.