Kind Of Evolution Research Articles

Determinants of the Intention to Use MOOCs as a Complementary Tool: An Observational Study of Ecuadorian Teachers

New technological advances and globalization have undoubtedly given rise to new forms of learning. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which are a kind of evolution on e-learning, have the endorsement of prestigious universities around the world, and are transforming the traditional teaching–learning process. In Ecuador, these online courses are based on the Basic General Education system and are neither popular among students nor widely used by teachers in their teaching method, thus, this teaching system is not considered as an official qualification. The inclusion of this tool in the Ecuadorian educational system as a learning resource would expand access to equal opportunities to students and teachers from all over the country. Therefore, our proposal is to use the MOOCs as a source with all the instructional contents of the subject and as classwork based on the flipped-classroom method. In this way, such resources can be an aid to traditional high school classes, and the average grade achieved by students through this platform, as well as the student’s participation, may be part of the formal evaluation system in any institution. With the purpose of measuring the level of confidence in online education and the usage of MOOCs as a tool for teachers’ work, a descriptive and analytical approach has been taken in this study. A quantitative survey was administered to 696 Basic General Education teachers who took used this type of course. The results of this investigation show that 93.9% of the teachers trust the online education; 89% are ready to use MOOCs as a teaching–learning resource and 79% would use MOOCs as part of the final grade. These data prove that MOOCs could be a complementary tool for Basic General Education in Ecuador, so they could contribute to improve learning outcomes and the development of traditional education.

The ever-diminishing liminal space of being: the totalizing subjectification of being

ABSTRACT Within this article, I make multiple interconnected arguments around the idea of the subject, the process of subjectivization, the essentializing nature of most of our research processes in academia, the socializing of existence, the loss of ‘nature,’ and the obliteration of what Homi Bhabha has so accurately described as liminal space: a space where humans may escape the socializing processes of performance and existence that is demanded in spaces that dictate social aggrandizement. Building upon Foucault’s, Butler's, and Bey's conceptions of the subject and the processes of subjectivization, I will argue, coming from a postanarchist vantage, that the social’s machinations of subjection and subjectivization have undergone various kinds of evolutions throughout the later part of the twentieth century and even more in the last twenty years. For instance, using Homi Bhabha’s theorization of liminal space, I will then point to the ever-decreasing liminal spaces that humanity has to be human with each other outside of the social and scientific realm of study, policy, and existence as such. Ultimately, I will argue that modern all-pervasive systems of identification, particularly those found within realms of liberalistic research (while providing a commendable service in aiding our experiences within the social apparatuses around us – explicating them in various ways) continue/support the functioning of such social apparatuses that they may superficially want to tear down but unintentionally and from a place of power and influence continue the subjectivization of entire populations/groups/figments/folks/communities within tightly controlled spaces of reality always already defined as the social.

Goals and Risks of Activity as Factors of Regulation in Social Systems in Transport Sector

Significant changes that are currently taking place in the external environment are objective prerequisites for emergence of new management methods that predetermine the practical period of transition of enterprises from strategic planning to strategic management (transfer of thinking based on the future to the thinking based on the present following the principle «here and now»).So, for example, large production structures focus on stability, therefore they react slowly to changes in the external environment, take little risks, and tend to traditional solutions. Modifying options developed at large enterprises are developing what is, as well as complementing and differentiating the existing situation, where the limited possibilities of any kind of evolution of any system can exist solely within its limits.Efficiency reflects the results of development, but is not identical with the results, because no saving of some factors of production can be achieved without additional costs of others. The strategy turns here into real one only if it based on the concept of developing new specific products or processes subject to the following indicator of progress: the maximum earned with the minimum of expenditures.The objective of the study is to identify modern regulatory factors in social systems in transport sector concealed in the goals and risks of such activities, while the main object of study is road transportation. The article uses methods of theoretical and empirical research in relation to goals and risks that can be determined and observed in the activities of transport sociotechnical systems.Goals and risks are defined as factors that allow regulating key performance indicators of socio-technical systems that affect their effectiveness.

Factor and 6th Polynomial Regression Analyses of COVID19 Data from 35 Countries Reveal 4 Patterns of Epidemic Evolution that Includes up to 4 Sequential Waves.

COVID Pandemics is now one year old, and virus not only spread across the world but also drastically changes by means of a high mutation rate, many of them appearing simultaneously at different geographic regions. Because of this mutation capacity the virus cannot be considered single entity as proposed current epidemiologic models, but has to be assumed as a fuzzy being that expresses itself as a family of variants, requiring its dynamics to be understood by means of new theoretical approaches and new epidemic data analyses. The purpose of the present paper is to discuss actual knowledge about COVID19 to better model its dynamics and analyze worldwide epidemic data under this point of view. To accomplish this, actual knowledge about the virus genome structure and replication process, as well as about its known mutations are reviewed, resulting in the proposal that: SARS Cov2 evolved from animals and/or other Human CoVs following the rules of natural selection due to its high rate of mutations that transformed its ancestors to better infect humans using ACE2 receptors, simultaneously in many distinct and widely distributed geographic regions, and it continues, nowadays, this kind of evolution across the world, largely independent from human mobility. Therefore, COVID19 concurrently appeared at many different world regions and have not one but multiple concurrent ancestors. Because of this, the theory of Formal Languages is proposed as an adequate tool to model the structure of COVID19 genome; its mutations and actual virus mutational evolution. This model justifies the use of Factor Analysis as a statistical tool to investigate patterns of covariation in a large number of variables and to determine if information may be condensed into small sets of these variables called principal components . Results shows that 4 patterns explain 75% of covariance of the Daily New Cases reported by 35 countries, indicating the existence of 4 worldwide epidemic patterns. 6th Polynomial regression was used to further investigation the national particularities of the epidemics of the different countries associated to each of these patterns. Results suggest that COVID19 high mutational rate creates simultaneously a large number of virus lineages across the world that submitted to natural selection, promotes distinct epidemic evolution in different countries, mostly dictated by the local virus mutational development rather than influenced by foreigner lineage importation. Based on this, actual Pandemic Dogmatic Management based on lockdown; stay home orders and indiscriminate mobility restriction is discussed and alternative solutions are suggested.

Modeling and Simulation of Mechatronic Systems using Simscape

Mechatronic Systems consist of components and/or sub-systems which are from different engineering domains. For example, a solenoid valve has three domains that work in a synergistic fashion: electrical, magnetic, and mechanical (translation). Over the last few decades, engineering systems have become more and more mechatronic. Automobiles are transforming from being gasoline-powered mechanical devices to electric, hybrid electric and even autonomous. This kind of evolution has been possible through the synergistic integration of technology that is derived from different disciplines. Understanding and designing mechatronic systems needs to be a vital component of today's engineering education. Typical engineering programs, however, mostly continue to train students in academic silos (otherwise known as majors) such as mechanical, electrical, or computer engineering. Some universities have started offering one or more courses on this subject and a few have even started full programs around the theme of Mechatronics. Modeling the behavior of Mechatronic systems is an important step for analysis, synthesis, and optimal design of such systems. One key training necessary for developing this expertise is to have comfort and understanding of the basic physics of different domains. A second need is a suitable software tool that implements these laws with appropriate flexibility and is easy to learn. This short text addresses the two needs: it is written for an audience who will likely have good knowledge and comfort in one of the several domains that we will consider, but not necessarily all; the book will also serve as a guide for the students to learn how to develop mechatronic system models with Simscape (a MATLAB tool box). The book uses many examples from different engineering domains to demonstrate how to develop mechatronic system models and what type of information can be obtained from the analyses.

Cognitive Niche Construction and Extragenetic Information: A Sense of Purposefulness in Evolution

My book Abductive Cognition. The Epistemological and Eco-Cognitive Dimensions of Hypothetical Reasoning (2009) basically refers to all kinds of human hypothetical cognition, also of creative kind. During the research related to the preparation of that book I soon had the opportunity to examine the studies regarding the human process of continuous delegation and distribution of cognitive functions to the environment to lessen cognitive limitations, also and especially in the case of what has been called ‘manipulative abduction’. These design activities are closely related to the process of cognitive niche construction, which I will specifically address in this article. Niche construction should be regarded as a second major participant, after natural selection, in evolution. Indeed, by altering their environment and partly controlling some of the energy and matter fluxes in their ecosystems, organisms are capable of changing some of the natural selective pressures in their local environments (also affecting other ones). The question I plan to answer is the following: we need to hypothesize a fundamental role of non-genetic (or extragenetic) information in the evolution, but what kind of evolution could we obtain in this case? I will illustrate that in building various mediating structures, humans transform the environment and create cognitive niches. Thus, humans and other non-human animals become ecological engineers and chance seekers, involved in the processing, the alteration, and even the creation of external structures to reduce or suppress their cognitive limitations. Hence, this article will address a detailed analysis of the role of extragenetic information in evolution and what this process of selection selects for purposeful organisms, so niche-constructing ones.

With This Body, I Subtract Myself from Neoliberalised Time: Sub-Habituality, Relaxation and Affirmation After Deleuze

With This Body, I Subtract Myself from Neoliberalised Time: Sub-Habituality, Relaxation and Affirmation After Deleuze

The luminosity function and formation rate of a complete sample of long gamma-ray bursts

ABSTRACT We study the luminosity function and formation rate of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) by using a maximum likelihood method. This is the first time this method is applied to a well-defined sample of GRBs that is complete in redshift. The sample is composed of 99 bursts detected by the Swift satellite, 81 of them with measured redshift and luminosity for a completeness level of $82\, {\rm per\, cent}$. We confirm that a strong redshift evolution in luminosity (with an evolution index of $\delta =2.22^{+0.32}_{-0.31}$) or in density ($\delta =1.92^{+0.20}_{-0.21}$) is needed in order to reproduce the observations well. But since the predicted redshift and luminosity distributions in the two scenarios are very similar, it is difficult to distinguish between these two kinds of evolutions only on the basis of the current sample. Furthermore, we also consider an empirical density case in which the GRB rate density is directly described as a broken power-law function and the luminosity function is taken to be non-evolving. In this case, we find that the GRB formation rate rises like $(1+z)^{3.85^{+0.48}_{-0.45}}$ for $z\lesssim 2$ and is proportional to $(1+z)^{-1.07^{+0.98}_{-1.12}}$ for $z\gtrsim 2$. The local GRB rate is $1.49^{+0.63}_{-0.64}$ Gpc−3 yr−1. The GRB rate may be consistent with the cosmic star formation rate (SFR) at $z\lesssim 2$, but shows an enhancement compared to the SFR at $z\gtrsim 2$.

El Andalucismo de la Asamblea de Ronda a la Guerra Civil (1918-1936): Una Aplicación de las Propuestas de Miroslav Hroch

With this paper, we intend to explain the proposals of the Czech historian and political scientist Miroslav Hroch about the national movements of Eastern Europe and its evolution. We are going to apply them to the case of the Andalusian nationalism, with the intention of verifying if it is possible to use the different models he raises to explain the way in which patriotic agitation develops between national groups in the geographical area of Western Europe. With this objective, we have analyzed the evolution of Andalusian nationalism in its formation process as a political movement, focusing both on its discourse and objectives and on the factors that prevented it from becoming a hegemonic current in Andalusia in the period from 1918 to 1936. In this way, we want to check the validity of the scheme proposed by Hroch and delimit in what kind of evolution we could frame the case that concerns us, which, considering its failure, would be a clear example of a disintegrated type, as it did not consolidate as a mass movement.

Relics of Some Old Russian Linguistics Features in Modern Russian

This paper‘s aim is to identy some Old Russian lingustic relics in present-day Russian. For this purpose, the method of comparison of synchronous linguistic levels is used. Most elements of the Old Russian linguistic system have undergone some kind of evolution; some of them disappeared completely (e.g., relativizers to and že), or stayed unchanged (e.g., the declension in singular of feminine *ĭ-stem nouns), or survived only in some dialects (e.g., infinitive r’uti), or are absent from the standard language, but exist in the colloquial language and dialects (e.g., indefinite pronouns identical to interrogative pronouns). Some features are present in the Russian language as unique relics only. Such relics are manifold and sometimes not easily recognizable.

Scientific productivity and cooperation in Turkic world: a bibliometric analysis

The main purpose of this study is to gain insight about scientific productivity and cooperation among Turkish language speaking countries in today’s conditions in which scientific cooperation has gained ever-increasing significance. The basic problematic of the current research is as follows: although scientific production and cooperation has gained a strategic importance and bibliometric studies have become popular on scientific production processes with reference to the number of academic publications and citations, academic studies on this field have not been carried out yet in Turkish language speaking countries. In the current study, a bibliometric analysis was done with reference to co-authored scientific documents and citations between 2000 and 2016 years in the countries being a member of “Turkic Council” which is one of the main international organizations aiming to institutionalize scientific cooperation in Turkic world. In the analyses obtained from Web of Science, the following phenomena were highlighted the number of academic documents, the number of citations, the number of academic documents per academic staff, the number of academic documents per institutions, the impact factors of the studies, the main research fields, the number of co-authored academic studies which the member countries carried out together and with the other countries and finally the languages used in these academic studies. The basic research question in the present research focuses on what kind of evolution appeared in the number of academic documents, their impact factors, co-authoring matter and their main research fields in Turkic Council member countries. The essential findings of this interdisciplinary study in which scientific research statistics of the member countries are presented in analyses along with geopolitical descriptions can be listed as follows; Turkey is the main research partner of Turkic Council member countries, Turkey has still kept its preliminary role in the process of scientific cooperation in Turkic world together with the end of the cold war, the other member countries except for Turkey have fallen behind considerably in the rank of publication and citation performance, the scientific cooperation among other member countries has not been activated yet despite the institutional moves of the Council, the use of Turkish language in the examined documents is rather scarce although Turkey occupies the scientific preliminary position and the Council is an international organization which is shaped under the framework of common language axis.

What are the levels and mechanisms/processes of language evolution?

Modern evolutionary biology is currently characterized by epistemological divergence because, beyond organisms and genes, scholars nowadays investigate a plurality of units of evolution, they recognize multilevel selection, and especially from within the Extended Synthesis, scholars have identified a plurality of evolutionary mechanisms that besides natural selection can explain how the evolution of anatomical form and functional behavior occur. Evolutionary linguists have also implicated a multitude of units, levels and mechanisms involved in (aspects of) language evolution, which has also brought forth epistemological divergence on how language possibly evolved. Here, we examine how a general evolutionary methodology can become abstracted from how biologists study evolution, and how this methodology can become implemented into the field of Evolutionary Linguistics. Applied Evolutionary Epistemology (AEE) involves a systematic search and analysis of the units (that what evolves), levels (loci where evolution takes place), and mechanisms (means whereby evolution occurs) of language evolution, allocating them into ontological hierarchies, and distinguishing them from other kinds of evolution. In this paper in particular, we give an in-depth analysis of how AEE enables an identification, examination, and evaluation of levels and mechanisms of language evolution, and we hone in on how hierarchies and mechanisms of language (evolution) can and have been defined differentially. For an in-depth analysis of units of language evolution, we refer the reader to Gontier (2017) for which this paper functions as a follow-up. Thus, rather than present a specific theory of how language evolved, we present a methodology that enables us to unite existing research programs as well as to develop theories on the subject at hand.

EFEITOS DO LASER DE BAIXA POTÊNCIA NA REMISSÃO DE FERIDAS CAUSADAS PELA PSORÍASE VULGAR

Psoríase é um tipo de dermatose crônica de evolução variada representada por lesões eritemato-escamosas e alterações proliferativas e inflamatórias da pele, podendo ocorrer em todas as idades e gêneros. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar os efeitos do laser de baixa potência, 660 nm, na remissão e melhora do aspecto de feridas causadas pela psoríase em placa. Este é um estudo longitudinal, experimental, de caráter quali e quantitativo. A amostra foi composta por indivíduos com psoríase em placas em período exacerbado e que não estavam passando por nenhum outro tipo de tratamento. A amostra foi dividida em Grupo Controle (GC), que não foi submetido ao tratamento; e Grupo Tratamento (GT) que foi submetido ao tratamento com laser de baixa potência, 660nm. Nos resultados obtidos para GC, a evolução entre as avaliações da área das feridas foi de 83,80±11,96 cm² para 82,90±12,01 cm² (p>0,05), para GT, foi de 74,25±9,61 cm² para 56,25±24,36 cm (p=0,014); a análise qualitativa ratificou que a terapia com laser de baixa potência pode melhorar os aspectos físicos das feridas causadas pela psoríase em placa, bem como diminuir sua área total.

Efeitos do laser de baixa potência na remissão de feridas causadas pela psoríase vulgar

Psoriasis, a chronic skin disease with different kinds of evolution, is characterized by erythemate-squamous lesions and proliferate and inflammatory changes on the skin, occurring at all ages and in males and females alike. The effects of low-grade laser, 660nm, in the elimination and improvement of wounds caused by psoriasis in plates are evaluated by current longitudinal, experimental, qualitative and quantitative analysis. Samples comprised people with psoriasis in plates during climax, with no other treatment. Samples were divided into Control Group (CG), without any treatment, and Treatment Group (TG) with low grade laser treatment (660nm). Results show that, in the case of CG, evaluations evolved from 83.80±11.96 cm² to 82.90±12.01 cm² (p>0.05) and, in the case of TG, evaluations evolved from 74.25±9.61 cm² to 56.25±24.36 cm (p=0.014). Qualitative analysis proved that low grade laser therapy improved the physical aspects of wounds caused by psoriasis and decreased total area involved.

Pragmatism and Evolutionary Epistemology

To understand the significance of a pragmatist stance in this matter we must address a basic question: which kind of evolution are we referring to when talking of “evolutionary epistemology”? If we take evolution to be an undifferentiated concept, such that no useful distinction can be found in it, we are on a wrong track. The evolutionary “pattern” is certainly one, but this should not lead us to assume that the specific characteristics of mankind must be left out of the picture, either because they are not important or because no specifically human characteristic is admitted. Nicholas Rescher’s evolutionary framework, for example, is instead pluralistic and multi-sided. It is worth noting how and why Rescher’s evolutionary epistemology differs from the one delineated in a famous book by Karl Popper. The Austrian-born philosopher based his approach on the “random conjectures and refutation” model. A scientist, for example, faces the problem of explaining nature’s doings by one of the endlessly many hypotheses that he has at his disposal. Subsequently he chooses to endorse a conjecture from this infinite range, and the testing itself, via falsification, furnishes the necessary selection. According to Popper’s picture we have, in sum, a sort of blind and random mechanism: his “trial-and-error” search procedure. Rescher’s opinion about this issue is that, on such Popperian grounds, scientific progress becomes more or less inexplicable. In particular, the success in providing explanatory theories that perform well in prediction and the guidance of applications in a complex world is now an accident of virtually miracolous proportions.

Investigation of Ti0.54Al0.46/Ti0.54Al0.46N multilayer films deposited by reactive gas pulsing process by nano-indentation and electron energy-loss spectroscopy

Physical vapour deposition technology is well suited to the deposition of advanced TiAlN-based coatings. Among these thin films, multilayer systems consisting of stacked layers of metallic Ti1−xAlx and nitride Ti1−xAlxN with x around 0.5 are expected to have improved mechanical properties with respect to single nitride layers of the same composition. A set of Ti0.54Al0.46/Ti0.54Al0.46N multilayer films with five different periods Λ (from 4 to 50nm) were deposited using the reactive gas pulsing process (RGPP). This RGPP approach allows the deposition of TiAl-based alloy/nitride multilayer films by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering with a controlled pulsing flow rate of the nitrogen reactive gas. The coherent growth of the multilayer coatings, depending on the period, is checked by X-ray diffraction and the mechanical properties are determined by Berkovich nano-indentation and friction experiments. A model to describe the dependence of the indentation modulus M and the hardness HB on the penetration depth h, the period Λ, and the film thickness ef is proposed. The indentation modulus of the multilayer films (M at h=0 and for ef~1900nm) is found to be in the range of 340GPa<M<525GPa≈M(Ti0.54Al0.46N). For a fixed penetration depth, M follows a Hall and Petch evolution as a function of the period (4≤Λ≤50nm). The Berkovich hardness, 25GPa<HB<50GPa, also presents the same kind of evolution, and for Λ<16nm (at h=0), HB>HB (Ti0.54Al0.46N)=33GPa. Hence, a superlattice effect is clearly evidenced. Moreover, for the larger periods, the wear behaviour of these multilayered coatings seems to be dominated by the plastic deformation of the metallic layer. The multilayer coating of period Λ=10nm, which exhibits a diffraction pattern typical of superlattices and favourable mechanical properties, is more precisely investigated. Transmission electron microscopy confirms the main growth of the film along the [111] direction, and the evolution of the bonding of nitrogen in the direction normal to the rough interfaces between Ti0.54Al0.46 and Ti0.54Al0.46N layers is specified by electron energy-loss near-edge spectroscopy. Nitride nano-grains are included in the metallic layer, which attests to the mixing of nitrogen into the layers. The structure of these nano-grains presents a progressive evolution into the layer and gradually acquires a TiN-like structure near the interface. For this Λ=10nm period, the indentation modulus and hardness for different penetration depths are weakly sensitive to the multilayer film thickness.

What are the Units of Language Evolution?

Universal Darwinism provides a methodology to study the evolution of anatomical form and sociocultural behavior that centers on defining the units and levels of selection, and it identifies the conditions whereby natural selection operates. In previous work, I have examined how this selection-focused evolutionary epistemology may be universalized to include theories that associate with an extended synthesis. Applied evolutionary epistemology is a metatheoretical framework that understands any and all kinds of evolution as phenomena where units evolve by mechanisms at levels of an ontological hierarchy; and it provides three heuristics to search for these units, levels and mechanisms. The heuristics are applicable to language and sociocultural evolution, and here, we give an in-depth analysis of how the unit-heuristic can be implemented into language origin and evolution studies. The importance of developing hierarchy theories is also more fully explained.

Dynamic Quantum Tomography Model for Phase-Damping Channels

In this paper we propose a dynamic quantum tomography model for open quantum systems with evolution given by phase-damping channels. Mathematically, these channels correspond to completely positive trace-preserving maps defined by the Hadamard product of the initial density matrix with a time-dependent matrix which carries the knowledge about the evolution. Physically, there is a strong motivation for considering this kind of evolution because such channels appear naturally in the theory of open quantum systems. The main idea behind a dynamic approach to quantum tomography claims that by performing the same kind of measurement at some time instants one can obtain new data for state reconstruction. Thus, this approach leads to a decrease in the number of distinct observables which are required for quantum tomography; however, the exact benefit for employing the dynamic approach depends strictly on how the quantum system evolves in time. Algebraic analysis of phase-damping channels allows one to determine criteria for quantum tomography of systems in question. General theorems and observations presented in the paper are accompanied by a specific example, which shows step by step how the theory works. The results introduced in this paper can potentially be applied in experiments where there is a tendency to look at quantum tomography from the point of view of economy of measurements, because each distinct kind of measurement requires, in general, preparing a separate setup.

On the General Class of Models of Adiabatic Evolution

The general class of models of adiabatic evolution was proposed to speed up the usual adiabatic computation in the case of quantum search problem. It was shown [8] that, by temporarily increasing the ground state energy of a time-dependent Hamiltonian to a suitable quantity, the quantum computation can perform the calculation in time complexity O(1). But it is also known that if the overlap between the initial and final states of the system is zero, then the computation based on the generalized models of adiabatic evolution can break down completely. In this paper, we find another severe limitation for this class of adiabatic evolution-based algorithms, which should be taken into account in applications. That is, it is still possible that this kind of evolution designed to deal with the quantum search problem fails completely if the interpolating paths in the system Hamiltonian are chosen inappropriately, while the usual adiabatic evolutions can do the same job relatively effectively. This implies that it is not always recommendable to use nonlinear paths in adiabatic computation. On the contrary, the usual simple adiabatic evolution may be sufficient for effective use.

Business Intelligence (BI) system evolution: a case in a healthcare institution

Business Intelligence (BI) systems are an important part of many organisations’ IT portfolios. While the evolutionary nature of other kinds of decision support technology has been noted, there is little research investigating the evolutionary nature of BI systems. This paper presents a case study of a BI system development in a large Australian healthcare institution and uses evolutionary theories from decision support systems (DSS) to understand the system evolution observed. The paper concludes that the theories describing evolution in DSS can also be effectively applied to BI as well. BI practitioners and developers should be aware of evolutionary triggers, as well as the different kinds of evolution that can affect BI system evolution.