Terms Of Technological Development Research Articles

Особенности инновационного развития сельского хозяйства северного региона (на примере АПК Республики Коми)

Agriculture of the Republic of Komi is quite a contrast. It varies geographically: in terms of technological development, the volume of production and willingness to innovate. The innovative development of agriculture of the Northern region of Komi Republic is characterized by low level of innovative activity at significant scientific potential. The objective necessity of intensification of innovation processes is evidenced by the fact that for 20132015 the pace of decline in physical volume of machinery and equipment intensified; energy consumption decreased by 5%; primitive methods and technologies is dominated in agriculture; outdated varieties and breeds of cattle, imperfect forms of organization and management are used. The regulatory framework is not resolved until the end for innovation in agriculture of the Republic; there are no scientific-production association, innovation centers and agrotechnopark. Scientific-production association in the agricultural sector should be organized on the basis of Agricultural research institute of Republic of Komi. For innovative development of the Republic of Komi it is necessary to implement the strategy of innovative development of agribusiness. Firstly, used information-analytical system should be built on the basis of GIS technologies and digital maps componentwise: geomorphological, climatic, soil, farmland and derivatives thereof. Also, the set of digital maps is necessary that characterize the social conditions of agricultural production and consumption of agricultural products, infrastructure, power, process industry. This information-analytical system should provide the ability to perform scenario forecasts, and update data from different sources. Secondly, in the Strategy of economic and social development of Republic of Komi till 2020 agriculture is considered as an industry, development of which governs the economic and social welfare of the region as a whole. One of the most important tasks of development of the industry is the sharp increase in the volumes of production, which is possible through the expansion of cultivated land and parallel introduction of more advanced technologies. Thirdly, it is necessary to take into account the need for innovation of the area of main settlement and peripheral regions of the Republic of Komi.

A location problem in the field of wind energy

In the context of planet sustainability, the renewable sources of energy and especially wind have been a good alternative to fossil fuels, since they are both inexhaustible and clean. Though already established and proven, wind energy needs to be competitive forcing to further optimise its use both in terms of technological development as in asset management. This paper presents a new methodology and results concerning a problem that arises in the planning of wind farms: the location of meteorological masts for performance analysis. The masts monitor wind conditions and are used to perform a specific set of tests. The optimal location of these masts allows the maximisation of the dominant wind exposure and the minimisation of the number of disturbed sectors. The SADLEMPE decision support system has been developed recently to address this problem. Here, we present new results provided by this application for a real case study.

A internacionalização de empresas brasileiras de bens de capital: o caso da Romi e da Weg

Apesar do atraso na industrialização de países da América Latina em termos de desenvolvimento tecnológico e investimento em setores industriais mais intensivos em tecnologia do que nos países mais avançados, o acelerado crescimento industrial no Brasil, ao longo do século XX, criou uma estrutura industrial heterogênea do ponto de vista tecnológico e produtivo, na qual empresas com produção tradicional permaneciam no mercado e complementavam empresas com produção avançada. No artigo lançamos luzes sobre a questão de como o Brasil, com forte crescimento industrial durante o processo de substituição de importações, mas com baixo desenvolvimento tecnológico agregado, gestou empresas que exportaram bens de capital, intensivos em tecnologia, e também se iniciou o processo de internacionalização dessas firmas.

Technology development in Latin America and the Caribbean: an evaluation of the process in Brazil using patent data

In this paper we take a look at the process of technology development in Latin America and the Caribbean using the surrogate measure of US patents granted as a tangible, quantified and recorded output of the technology development process. Our data include all the US patents granted between 1991-2008, in which at least one inventor was a resident of the country studied. We first compared the growth of patents developed in the top 10 economies in Latin America and the Caribbean with those of the top 10 economies of Asia. As expected, in terms of technology development, we observed wide variation among the countries in each of the two regions. We also observed the rapid growth exhibited by the Asian as opposed to the Latin American and Caribbean countries. We then investigated in detail the nature of technological development followed by Brazil in the South American region by studying: a) the category of the patent - utility or design; b) the ownership of the patents; c) the technology trajectory the patent belongs to; d) organisational status of the assignee, whether individual, corporate or an institute; e) residence status of the team of inventors.

The idiosyncrasy of research and development efficiency across types of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises: evidence from Korea

Small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered to be the main driving force behind economic and employment growth. However, the low productivity levels of SMEs cannot be explained by lower levels of R&D investment, but are instead a consequence of a lack of research and development (R&D) efficiency that would have been adequate for making firms more competitive. To investigate any differences in R&D efficiency that impact the company overall performance in economic and employment performance, we analyze various types of SMEs in Korea. This paper applies two estimation methods: data envelopment analysis and regression analysis. This study takes three relevant factors of output: (1) the number of patents, (2) the number of success in terms of technology development, and (3) the level of profit attained through new products. Additionally, the study's model incorporates three parts of input: (1) human resources, (2) development periods, and (3) R&D budget. In the context of this paper, a comparison of the factors regarding efficiency is performed based upon the following criteria: the level of novelty, the length of a product's life cycle, and the time period of a competitor emulation of the product created by original enterprise. Comparing the factors that influence the efficiency of types within each criterion is meaningful in analyzing the differences in efficiency outcome on the various types among SMEs. Our findings indicate that SMEs vary among types in terms of efficiency and that there are also differences causing factors according to types.

San Bernardino Cave (Italy) and the Appearance of Levallois Technology in Europe: Results of a Radiometric and Technological Reassessment

The introduction of Levallois technology in Europe marked the transition from the Lower to the early Middle Paleolithic. This new method of flake production was accompanied by significant behavioral changes in hominin populations. The emergence of this technological advance is considered homogeneous in the European archaeological record at the Marine isotopic stage (MIS) 9/MIS 8 boundary. In this paper we report a series of combined electron spin resonance/U-series dates on mammal bones and teeth recovered from the lower units of San Bernardino Cave (Italy) and the technological analyses of the lithic assemblages. The San Bernardino Cave has yielded the earliest evidence of Levallois production on the Italian Peninsula recovered to date. In addition to our results and the review of the archaeological record, we describe the chronological and geographical differences between European territories and diversities in terms of technological developments. The belated emergence of Levallois technology in Italy compared to western Europe corresponds to the late Italian Neanderthal speciation event. The new radiometric dates and the technological analyses of San Bernardino Cave raise the issue of the different roles of glacial refugia in the peopling and the spread of innovative flaking strategies in Europe during the late Middle Pleistocene.

The demise of Google Health and the future of personal health records

Digital personal health systems or platforms are considered fundamental elements towards making health more predictive, personalised, participatory, ubiquitous and interconnected. Innovations are expected both in terms of technology development and business model concepts, because these systems depart from classical ideas about healthcare delivery to enable new paradigms that foster user/patient participation. This article attempts to review and analyse the reasons why Google Health failed as a technology solution for user/patient healthcare information management. Google Health was unveiled in May 2008 after a process, which included a pilot test by a major USA healthcare provider. Nevertheless, on June 24th of 2011 Google announced the discontinuation of the service, effective in 2012. Some ideas about the general status of digital platforms for personal health records (PHR) are presented and discussed as aspects which affected the low adoption rate of Google Health. Including, the absence of clear demonstrations of better healthcare outcomes of user centred healthcare, the lack of clear clinical workflows and of wellness models based on information originated from stand-alone PHRs.

Sony’s redemption: the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD standards war

This paper examines the factors that affect market dominance in a standards competition by comparing the VHS–Beta war in the 1980s with that between Blu-ray and HD-DVD in the 2000s. We first look at the changing home video market in terms of technological development. Then we move on to discuss three main strategies in a standards war: first-mover advantage, indirect network effects and software provision, and strategic alliances of hardware firms. We find that technological innovation is essential. Being a first mover is helpful, but not sufficient, in building a dominant position in the market. Historical evidence shows that Sony created a network of complementary firms for Blu-ray. Consequently, an effective strategy to become a winner in a standards competition appears to be building a network of complementary products and subsequently an installed base.

Teacher education: an international perspective

The past 20 years has seen more changes in education than since education systems first became formalised in the mid to late nineteenth century. These changes have been brought about partly by technological developments, partly by increased globalisation and partly by changed demographics. These three factors have created a set of circumstances where the education of all the population has become more critical to the future success of nations and has become urgent because the speed of change continues to increase as time goes by. In terms of technological developments, in just two generations we have moved from the time when the president of IBM argued that there would be a world market for five computers to a time where computers are so much part of our lives that we cannot even remember what it was like before they changed our lives. This has helped to make the world smaller, to globalise the way in which we think about things, as changes in one part of our world resonate into all parts of the world. Whereas once we thought of the local community as our marketplace, as we sold the goods we produced to our neighbours, we now have access to products and services delivered from the other side of the world as well. Some countries have grouped together, such as in the European Union, and these alliances have changed how we live because of their impact on the economies, the employment regulations and, indeed, access to a range of services, in individual countries within the union.

Generation innovation: Part two: We continue our focus on cost reduction in wind energy, and ask some major innovators in the sector where we are heading for in the major markets.

According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the global wind market is expected to grow again in 2011, with an expected 40 GW of new wind power capacity to be added. The organisation predicts that by 2015, global installed wind power capacity will more than double to 450 GW - from 194.4 GW at the end of 2010. Demand is expected to be especially strong in the European and Chinese markets. It remains to be seen how developments in the U.S. will affect the market as we go forward. The U.S. still suffers from the ‘stop-start’ policy support that has lead to uneven growth over the years, and the current political situation remains turbulent (see ‘U.S. Cliffhanger’ on page 14 , and the U.S. section of this article on page 40). What can we expect in terms of technology development from some of the larger organisations - those whose development can be seen as something of a barometer for where the industry is heading?

Reconstructing the pipeline by introducing multiplexed multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry for cancer biomarker verification: An NCI‐CPTC initiative perspective

Proteomics holds great promise in personalized medicine for cancer in the post-genomic era. In the past decade, clinical proteomics has significantly evolved in terms of technology development, optimization and standardization, as well as in advanced bioinformatics data integration and analysis. Great strides have been made for characterizing a large number of proteins qualitatively and quantitatively in a proteome, including the use of sample fractionation, protein microarrays and MS. It is believed that differential proteomic analysis of high-quality clinical biospecimen (tissue and biofluids) can potentially reveal protein/peptide biomarkers responsible for cancer by means of their altered levels of expression and/or PTMs. Multiple reaction monitoring, a multiplexed platform using stable isotope dilution-MS with sensitivity and reproducibility approaching that of traditional ELISAs commonly used in the clinical setting, has emerged as a potentially promising technique for next-generation high-throughput protein biomarker measurements for diagnostics and therapeutics.

China catches the wave of innovation

PurposeReviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsMany economists and social commentators agree that this will be the century of the Chinese; as the market economy makes ever greater inroads and the authority of the Communist Party is increasingly eroded, the world's most heavily populated country will become the economic superpower. In terms of technological development, China has already revealed some impressive credentials. The country has, in some areas, gone beyond merely playing “catch‐up” to producing its own “world‐first” (i.e. new to the world, not merely to them) innovations.Practical implicationsProvides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.Social implicationsProvides strategic insights and practical thinking that can have a broader social impact.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Student attitudes towards and use of webnotes

Introduction Lectures, as a public discourse, have deep roots that can be traced back to the beginnings of the orality tradition of Ancient Greece and they continue to be widely used in higher education (Carlson, 2004; Cubberley, 2005). According to Isaacs (1994), lectures encourage students think critically, make them more enthusiastic, give factual information, explain difficult points, demonstrate how to solve problems, and provide guidance for private study. Sutherland and Badger (2004) suggested that: “The medieval educational format of lecturing is at the crossroads in terms of technological developments which have become available in the past few years” (p. 277). Such technological developments influence the opportunity for both delivering lectures and providing supporting materials, such as lecture notes, in different ways.

컨버전스 시대에 로봇산업의 비즈니스 모델 개발

본 논문에서는 컨버전스 시대에 새로운 비즈니스 기회를 창출하기 위하여 고령화 사회에 대응하기 위한 로봇사업의 비즈니스 모델을 개발하고자 한다. 컨버전스 사회와 고령화 사회의 마켓 동인을 확인하기 위하여, 이들의 트렌드를 분석한다. 마켓의 가치사슬의 구성과 분석을 통하여 본 연구에서는 유비쿼터스, 헬스 그리고 로봇이 통합된 컨버전스 서비스 형태의 u-health 로봇에 초점을 맞추어 비즈니스 모델을 설계한다. 추가적으로 기술개발과 마켓을 축으로 제안된 비즈니스 모델의 진화 경로에 대하여 기술한다 마지막으로 제안된 비즈니스 모델의 효과성을 측정하고 평가하기 위한 매트릭스 기반의 평가 프레임워크를 개발한다. This paper presents a business models of the robot industry for copying with aging society that facilitates to create new business opportunities in the convergence age. In order to identify the market drivers for both convergence and aging society, the trends of them analyzed. Through constructing and analyzing market value chain, we design a set of the business model of the robot industry focused on u-health robots of a convergence service type integrated ubiquitous, health and robot. In addition, we describe the evolution path of the proposed business model in terms of technology development and market. Finally, we develop a matrix based evaluation framework to measure and assess the effectiveness of the business model.

Landscape Archaeology in Central Europe

Estimations of population density, which consider regional variability, are an important key variable in archaeology as they have consequences not only for the environmental but also for the economical and social domains. In this paper, a ten-step procedure of a consistent group of methods is described which deals with the data required for estimations of population density at different scale levels (from excavation to large-scale distribution maps). For distribution maps, a method is presented by which densities of sites are displayed using optimal isolines. These demarcate so called ‘settlement areas’ at scales of between 1:25,000 and 1:2.5 million. Our knowledge of the density of households from key areas with the most complete archaeological records is upscaled for the regions within these isolines. The results of this procedure are estimations of population density for the early Neolithic (Bandkeramik, 51st century BC) and the Roman period (2nd century AD) for regions with some 10,000 km2.A simple statistical/graphical method is developed to analyse the relationship between settlement areas, soils, and precipitation. Taking into account the aspects of preservation of sites and the intensity of archaeological observations, an analysis of patterns of land use shows that in prehistory not all areas suitable for use were in fact incorporated into settlement areas. For prehistory, the idea of a most optimised use of land up to its carrying capacity (as it has been proposed for at least 50 years) can be falsified for specific areas. A large number of empty regions with good ecological conditions but lacking in settlement activity can be discussed as resulting from culture historical processes. As an example, the separation of areas inhabited by groups of different identities is discussed. The amount of used space (in terms of ‘settlement area’) however, increases from the early Neolithic to the 4th century BC from 5% to more than 40%. The increase between the Neolithic and the Iron Age is understood in terms of technological developments in farming systems. The percentage of areas with suitable conditions actually utilised between the Bandkeramik and Iron Age increases from 31.1% to 67.5% in the area covered by the Geschichtlicher Atlas der Rheinlande, and is much higher still in the Roman period (84.3%). State societies seem to use the land more efficiently compared to non-state systems. This is becoming even clearer on consideration of the intensity of human impact.Large-scale distribution maps dividing the Neolithic in five periods were analysed. In each of the periods large settlement areas seem to be characterised either by the development of specific cultural innovations or by exchange of a specific raw material. In the course of time, the size of settlement areas in a specific region fluctuates markedly. It is most plausible to assume that this is due to a remarkable mobility of seemingly sedentary populations. Individual families recombine to new socio-cultural units every few hundred years.The relationship between size of settlement areas and the number of households can be used to develop ideas relating to the flow of exchange goods. An example for the Bandkeramik considering the Rijckholt-Flint is presented. The combination of the number of households and the percentage of this raw material in the specific settlement areas visualises the amount needed and the amount transferred to other settlement areas in the neighbourhood. A future economical archaeology could use this information to develop ideas relating to the importance of the economic sector, ie, ‘procurement of flint’ in relation to the ‘production of foodstuffs’ according to the time required for each group of activities.In the last section, the relationship between settlement areas and human impact is discussed. For the periods of subsistence economy, it is argued that the size of the population and its farming system are the two most important factors. For example, in Bandkeramik settlement areas, approximately 2% of the forest covering the landscape was cut down; in Roman times, and depending on the intensity of farming, this reaches magnitudes of between 20% and 50%. Although some of the methods and arguments used in this paper may be exchanged for better ones in the future, it is already apparent that a consistent system of methods is essential to transfer results of analyses on a lower scale level as input on a higher level and vice versa.

The applicability of the concept of national innovation systems to transition economies

SummaryThis article aims at gaining a deeper insight into the structure of National Innovation Systems (NIS) in transition economies, which may allow for developing policy recommendations that help to stimulate more systemic and effective NIS in these countries. A great part of the existing studies focusing on NIS in less developed and transition countries argue that the specific nature of the NIS and related problems in less successful countries in terms of technological development and economic performance are different from developed countries. Therefore, we have to identify approaches on analyzing innovation systems that do work in transition economies. The following questions will be answered: Why is the NIS important for the economic development of a country? What are the approaches of NIS that are applicable to the specific situation of transition countries? Refering to the fact that a process-based approach is appropriate to describe and analyze the innovation systems of countries in transition: What are the most important types of knowledge and learning processes for these countries?

Multimodal biometrics for identity documents ( )

The MBioID initiative has been set up to address the following germane question: What and how biometric technologies could be deployed in identity documents in the foreseeable future? This research effort proposes to look at current and future practices and systems of establishing and using biometric identity documents (IDs) and evaluate their effectiveness in large-scale developments. The first objective of the MBioID project is to present a review document establishing the current state-of-the-art related to the use of multimodal biometrics in an IDs application. This research report gives the main definitions, properties and the framework of use related to biometrics, an overview of the main standards developed in the biometric industry and standardisation organisations to ensure interoperability, as well as some of the legal framework and the issues associated to biometrics such as privacy and personal data protection. The state-of-the-art in terms of technological development is also summarised for a range of single biometric modalities (2D and 3D face, fingerprint, iris, on-line signature and speech), chosen according to ICAO recommendations and availabilities, and for various multimodal approaches. This paper gives a summary of the main elements of that report. The second objective of the MBioID project is to propose relevant acquisition and evaluation protocols for a large-scale deployment of biometric IDs. Combined with the protocols, a multimodal database will be acquired in a realistic way, in order to be as close as possible to a real biometric IDs deployment. In this paper, the issues and solutions related to the acquisition setup are briefly presented.

How the mobile communication markets differ in China, the U.S., and Europe

Despite the 2001 downturn in the global telecommunications market, the mobile penetration rate in China is increasing due to the elimination or reduction of mobile connection fees. The mobile market worldwide is dynamic in terms of technology development, and competition is aggressive. The potential size and growth rate of the Chinese, U.S., and European mobile markets warrant examination of the state of their wireless development. Here, we explore that growth by examining the differences among the three regions, especially those in mobile consumer demographics, Short Message Service (SMS) usage, and 3G technology.

Small wind turbines: Can they live up to their potential in the US?

One of the few renewable energy options in which the US still plays a leadership role is small wind turbine technology in terms of technology development and market share, yet their contribution to the US’s total energy supply is miniscule. California and a few other states now offer incentives to customers installing small wind turbines, which is boosting interest in grid-connected applications. However, local governments still often present obstacles to customers because of their unfamiliarity with the technology. Peter Asmus reports.

Beyond the linear view of innovation in science park evaluation An analysis of Western Australian Technology Park

Science and technology (S&T) parks have been viewed sceptically in much of the academic literature when judged in terms of technology development or urban renewal. S&T Parks have been criticised for relying on an outdated, linear, model of innovation, which assumes that scientific knowledge can be transferred unproblematically from a research university to an adjacent Park for development. Innovation is now widely recognised as a complex non-linear process involving feedback loops and the creation of synergies through a diverse range of information networks. However, much evaluation of S&T Parks continues to implicitly use a linear framework by concentrating on the direct transfer of knowledge from universities to Park companies, and has a fairly limited conceptualisation of whether interaction is occurring or not. This article moves beyond the linear approach by examining interaction and networking within Western Australian Technology Park (WATP), as well as between WATP companies and universities. It also compares the situation in WATP with the findings from a study by Vedovello of Surrey Research Park. It finds that there is more interaction occurring than might be estimated using the traditional evaluative model and identifies several different categories of company which exist at the Park, in terms of their interactive behaviour.