Science and Technology Studies Commons^™

50 Whys To Look For Genes: Pros And Complications, Peter J. Taylor

Working Papers on Science in a Changing World

“Treating the audience as capable of thinking about the complexities that surround the application of genetic knowledge” was the tagline of a series of daily blog posts made over seven weeks in the fall of 2014, posts that included extended quotes from the recently published Nature-Nurture? No (Taylor 2014). This working paper is a compilation of those posts.

Investigating The Relationships Of Project Performance Measures With The Use Of Building Information Modeling (Bim) And Integrated Project Delivery (Ipd), David J. Kelly

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The relationships of project performance with the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) in the construction industry have not been decisively investigated. The potential effect of the technology and strategy on industry operations underscores the need for reliable information about project outcomes associated with their use. The review of the literature has identified discrepancies between the qualitative and quantitative body of work concerning the relationships of key project performance measures and engagement of BIM and IPD. Grounded in structuration theory, which holds that altered outcomes may result from organizational change spurred by radical events (e.g., …

Documentation Of Caddo Ceramic Vessels In The Texas Parks And Wildlife Department Holdings From Goliad State Park, Timothy K. Perttula, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR Research Reports

On February 6, 2015, three Caddo vessels from an unknown site or sites were documented at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Archeology Laboratory, where the standard suite of metadata was collected, accompanied by photographs and 3D models of each vessel. While the donor of these vessels remains unknown, stylistic and technological attributes can be used to posit the potential region of origin.

There are three 3D models included in this report of NAGPRA documentation. To manipulate, measure, and otherwise quantify variability in the models, this document must be downloaded, then opened in either Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader. These …

Introducing Crhr Research Reports, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR Research Reports

Intruduction to CRHR Research Reports.

Smart Data - How You And I Will Exploit Big Data For Personalized Digital Health And Many Other Activities, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

Virtual Conference And Meeting Systems: Resources For Online Connections, John Gottfried, Laura Delancey, Carol L. Watwood, Amanda Hardin

DLTS Faculty Publications

Librarians have always tried to stretch the limits of applicable technologies to create effective connections among researchers and resources. We thrive on the tools and tactics that help us do this, and we are always on the prowl for newer, better alternatives. This is one of the best ways we have of keeping high service standards in the face of shrinking budgets and skeletal staffing. Fortunately, there have never been so many technologies to choose from, and there have never been so many challenges calling out for technological intervention.

Hosting online instruction sessions is, for example, an excellent opportunity for …

On Using Synthetic Social Media Stimuli In An Emergency Preparedness Functional Exercise, Andrew Hampton, Shreyansh Bhatt, Gary Alan Smith, Jeremy S. Brunn, Hemant Purohit, Valerie L. Shalin, John M. Flach, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

This paper details the creation and use of a massive (over 32,000 messages) artificially constructed 'Twitter' microblog stream for a regional emergency preparedness functional exercise. By combining microblog conversion, manual production, and a control set, we created a web based information stream providing valid, misleading, and irrelevant information to public information officers (PIOs) representing hospitals, fire departments, the local Red Cross, and city and county government officials. PIOs searched, monitored, and (through conventional channels) verified potentially actionable information that could then be redistributed through a personalized screen name. Our case study of a key PIO reveals several capabilities that social …

Waste And Duplication In Nasa Programs: The Need To Enhance U.S. Space Program Efficiency, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The U.S. Government faces acute budgetary deficits and national debt problems in the Obama Administration. These problems have been brought about by decades of unsustainable government spending affecting all agencies including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (NASA). An outgrowth of this fiscal profligacy is the presence of wasteful and duplicative programs within NASA that prevent this agency from achieving its space science and human spaceflight objectives. These problems occur due to mismanagement of these programs from NASA and the creation of these programs by the U.S. Congress and congressional committees. This occurs because congressional appropriators tend to be more …

Human Factors Considerations In Autonomous Lethal Unmanned Aerial Systems, Kristine Kiernan

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

The United States military is committed to the development of complete autonomy in unmanned vehicles, including armed unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The design and deployment of autonomous lethal UAS raises ethical issues that have implications for human factors. System design, procedures, and training will be impacted by the advent of autonomous lethal UAS. This paper will define relevant vocabulary, review the literature on robot ethics as it applies to the military setting, discuss various perspectives in the research community, address levels of UAS autonomy, and discuss implications for operator training, responsibility, and human-machine interaction. Familiarity with these ethical issues and …

Unmanned Insecurity: The Safety And Privacy Issues Of Unmanned Aircraft Information Assurance, Donna A. Dulo Ph.D.

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Information assurance and computer security are foundational paradigms in ground based information systems. However, in the aerial realm of unmanned systems, information security often takes the proverbial back seat to high visibility issues such as safety and privacy. Yet, a secure unmanned aircraft is a basic tenant of safety and privacy in the operational arena. Information assurance and security that are enveloped into an unmanned aircraft protect the systems data, communications, as well as internal operations and permeates not only the aircraft’s systems, but also the system’s interactions with satellites, ground stations, and other aerial entities that share data and …

Research Data And Linked Data: A New Future For Technical Services?, Sherry L. Vellucci

University Library Scholarship

This book chapter examines two futures for academic librarians working in access (technical) services: deeper collaboration on data management with faculty and student researchers and expanded access to library resources on the Semantic Web. Both are concerned with data organization, discovery, access, and support of shared data beyond the library. The chapter examines many aspects of research data from the perspectives of researchers and librarians. It briefly examines events prior to the library's greater involvement with research data, looks at how librarians gained fundamental knowledge and skills to assist with the tasks involved with research data curation, and discusses why …

Cultural Implications Of Late Quaternary Environmental Change In Northeastern Texas, Michael B. Collins, C. Britt Bousman

CRHR Research Reports

Northeastern Texas is one of the most intensely studied archaeological regions of the state, principally for the two reasons that (1) archaeologically-rich Caddoan manifestations have long attracted interest and (2) many large land-modifying projects, such as reservoirs and strip mines, have occasioned environmental studies which include investigations of cultural resources. This greater amount of activity relative to other regions in the state has generally prevailed for more than a century (Guy 1990) and prospects are good that archaeologists will continue to intensely research the area in the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, however, they will be hard-pressed to keep pace with the …

Using Photogrammetry To Document, Analyze, And Reverse-Engineer Grave Markers, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

There are a wide range of applications for three-dimensional (3D) data in archaeology, and a diverse array of methods for collecting and analyzing those data. In this article, free 3D photogrammetry software (Autodesk 123D Catch) is used to document a series of grave markers. The data are subsequently exported to Geomagic Design X to demonstrate and briefly discuss the various potential analyses that might be used to illustrate the effects of preservation treatments and marker degradation through time. Further, one marker is reverse-engineered, illustrating the capacity of 3D modeling to expedite the process of design, should elements warrant replacement. Additional …

3d Scan Data Of Caddo Burial Vessels From The Mcspadden Site Near Frankston, Texas, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR Research Reports

In the spring of 2013, three Caddo burial vessels from an unrecorded site near Frankston, Texas were documented at the McSpadden residence in College Station, Texas. All three vessels are intact and are not reconstructed. Scan data was collected using a ZScanner 700CX running VXElements 2.0 via the scanner direct control function in Geomagic Design X. Post-processing of these data occurred in Design X, and quality control for missing data leveraged both Design X and Verify. These data will be used in a study aimed at the 3D geometric morphometric analysis of Caddo vessels. In addition to the study of …

Table Of Contents (V. 27, 2015)

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

No abstract provided.

From The Past: Indians Of U.S. Spurn All Beads Except Italy’S

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

Unattributed newspaper article, probably New York City (a shorter version appeared in The Review, Dayton, Ohio, Nov. 15, 1934). It presents both fact and some fiction, like the Czechs not being able to “horn in” and the Italian beads being made near Milan.

Elite Dress And Regional Identity: Chimú-Inka Perforated Ornaments From Samanco, Nepeña Valley, Coastal Peru, Benjamin Carter, Matthew Helmer

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

This article addresses two central components of the study of perforated ornaments recovered from archaeological contexts: 1) the explication and analysis of the relationship between perforated ornaments and identity production, and 2) the collection of data specific to perforated ornaments. By comparing perforated ornaments from the Chimú-Inka period (ca. 1470-1532) elite tomb at Samanco, Peru, to those from other sites, patterns in the use of perforated ornaments in identity negotiation may be identified and assessed. We demonstrate that perforated ornaments were deployed to demonstrate local, regional, and imperial identities, though in an ambiguous way that could have been mis- or …

Beads: Journal Of The Society Of Bead Researchers - Volume 27 (Complete)

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

No abstract provided.

Pipeclay Beads From Norton St Philip, England, Marek Lewcun

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

In 17th-century England, the village of Norton St Philip was well known as a center for the manufacture of clay tobacco pipes. In recent years, however, discoveries have shown that pipes were not the only things they made, as among a variety of interesting objects are some quite remarkable beads.

Front Matter

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

No abstract provided.

A 17th-Century Glass Bead Factory At Hammersmith Embankment, London, England, Karlis Karklins, Laure Dussubieux, Ron G.V. Hancock

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

Excavations in 2001 and 2005 at Hammersmith Embankment in West London uncovered the remains of two glass furnaces with associated wasters relating to the manufacture of drawn glass beads during the second quarter of the 17th century. The site is significant as it represents the first archaeological evidence for the production of glass beads in post-medieval England. A preliminary study of the recovered material reveals the presence of 43 different bead varieties, many with stripes and multiple layers. While a number have not yet been observed elsewhere, a few have correlatives at a contemporary bead production site in Amsterdam, as …

Reviews And End Matter

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

Photography of Personal Adornment, by Robert K. Liu, reviewed by Alice Scherer

Beads from Jablonec: A History in Beads, by Floor Kaspers, reviewed by Margret Carey

Journal: Borneo International Beads Conference 2015, edited by Heidi Munan and Anita MacGillivray, reviewed by Ann Armstrong

Gender-Based Violence In 140 Characters Or Fewer: A #Bigdata Case Study Of Twitter, Hemant Purohit, Tanvi Banerjee, Andrew Hampton, Valerie L. Shalin, Nayanesh Bhandutia, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

Public institutions are increasingly reliant on data from social media sites to measure public attitude and provide timely public engagement. Such reliance includes the exploration of public views on important social issues such as gender-based violence (GBV). In this study, we examine big (social) data consisting of nearly fourteen million tweets collected from Twitter over a period of ten months to analyze public opinion regarding GBV, highlighting the nature of tweeting practices by geographical location and gender. We demonstrate the utility of Computational Social Science to mine insight from the corpus while accounting for the influence of both transient events …

Sustainability Science In A Global Landscape, Analytical Services, Elsevier

Public Reports

Science, technology and innovation have long been recognized as the basis for socioeconomic development. They are also core contributors to sustainable development and to meeting the SDGs. The UN has called for a “seat for science” on the High-Level Political Forum that deals with the UN’s sustainable development agenda, to ensure that “science is not just an observer but an advisor to policymakers.” This report is part of a broader, on-going effort to provide more evidence and analysis on the role of science, technology and innovation in the global agenda of sustainable development. This report examines the status of sustainability …

Knowledge Enabled Approach To Predict The Location Of Twitter Users, Revathy Krishnamurthy, Pavan Kapanipathi, Amit P. Sheth, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan

Kno.e.sis Publications

Knowledge bases have been used to improve performance in applications ranging from web search and event detection to entity recognition and disambiguation. More recently, knowledge bases have been used to analyze social data. A key challenge in social data analysis has been the identification of the geographic location of online users in a social network such as Twitter. Existing approaches to predict the location of users, based on their tweets, rely solely on social media features or probabilistic language models. These approaches are supervised and require large training dataset of geo-tagged tweets to build their models. As most Twitter users …

Mining Behavior Of Citizen Sensor Communities To Improve Cooperation With Organizational Actors, Hemant Purohit

Kno.e.sis Publications

Web 2.0 (social media) provides a natural platform for dynamic emergence of citizen (as) sensor communities, where the citizens generate content for sharing information and engaging in discussions. Such a citizen sensor community (CSC) has stated or implied goals that are helpful in the work of formal organizations, such as an emergency management unit, for prioritizing their response needs. This research addresses questions related to design of a cooperative system of organizations and citizens in CSC. Prior research by social scientists in a limited offline and online environment has provided a foundation for research on cooperative behavior challenges, including ‘ …

Moishe Postone And The Critique Of Traditional Marxism: Helplessness And The Present Moment Of The Great Acceleration, Alexander M. Stoner, Andony Melathopoulos

Book Sections/Chapters

This chapter situates Moishe Postone's critique of traditional Marxism in relation to the present moment of the Great Acceleration. We engage a close reading of Postone reinterpretation of Marx's mature theory of capital with specific focus on the linkage between economic growth and ecological degradation, and how this linkage is necessary connected to social domination in modern capitalist society. Postone's Marxian theory is significant because, as we demonstrate, it allows one to grasp societally induced environmental degradation following WWII in a critical and reflexive manner. The chapter concludes by discussing the growing sense of helplessness that defines the present moment …

Georg Lukács (1885-1971) And The Critique Of Reification: On The Dialectical Genesis Of The Great Acceleration, Alexander M. Stoner, Andony Melathopoulos

Book Sections/Chapters

This chapter situates Lukács' critique of reification (1923) in relation to the emergence of the Great Acceleration. We develop Lukács' critique through the issue of the increasing rationalization of industrial and administrative work in the early twentieth century. In do so, we show how Lukács is able to relocate the continued relevance of Marx's insights with respect to the deeper structure of capitalist society in his consideration of the differential manner in which proletariat and bourgeois class consciousness approach the problem of social contradictions. We then discuss how, for Lukács, the overcoming of reification (or the failure to do so) …

Research Performance In South-East Asia, Elsevier Analytical Services, British Council, Foreign And Commonwealth Office

Public Reports

This report was commissioned by the UK-South-East Asia Knowledge Partnership, an alliance between the British Council and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to analyse and present the research performance of five South-East Asia countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The bibliometric study undertaken by Elsevier Analytical Services examined each country’s research performance, identifying its strengths, its most prolific or impactful institutions, and its collaborators between 2009 and 2013. The five countries selected have the most prolific scholarly output in the region and are partner countries for the UK’s Newton Fund, excluding Singapore due to its superior research performance.

Perspectivas Culturais Na Comunicação Climática (Cultural Perspectives On Climate Communication), Karen E. Pennesi

Anthropology Publications

Este artigo considera que a previsão climática deve ser interpretada dentro de contextos sociais, culturais e linguísticos. Dentro de uma perspectiva antropológica baseada em entrevistas, observações e um questionário, será investigado como mudanças no meio-ambiente são entendidas por diferentes indivíduos, e transformadas em previsões que são comunicadas a diversos públicos. A linguagem utilizada e a maneira como a previsão é comunicada depende da experiência e dos objetivos do previsor, enquanto que a interpretação e a avaliação da previsão por outros são influenciadas por seus diferentes objetivos, atitudes, conhecimento e práticas. Esta etnografia da comunicação enfatiza o processo da comunicação das …