An application of the discrete maximum principle to designing ultradeep drills — The casing optimization

Because of the increasing importance of ultradeep drills in oil exploring, the casing optimization is of increasing relevance. First, the structure of the problem will be discussed. Second, a model based on the directional convex maximum principle will be introduced. Then we discuss an (exact) method which generates minimal material costs and, finally, we compute the numerical solution by taking a simple example. Compared with models which are based on dynamic programming our model will have substantially fewer numerical requirements.     

Territorial innovation models: to be or not to be,that’s the question

Scientometrics - In a recent paper, Hirsch (hα: an index to quantify an individual’s scientific leadership, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-018-2994-1 )  proposes to...     

Not too close,not too far: testing the Goldilocks principle of ‘optimal’ distance in innovation networks

This paper analyses how the formation of collaboration networks affects firm-level innovation by applying the ‘Goldilocks principle’. The ‘Goldilocks principle’ of optimal distance in innovation networks postulates that the best firm-level innovation results are achieved when the partners involved in the network are located at the ‘right’ distance, i.e. ‘not too close and not too far’ from one another, across non-geographical proximity dimensions. This principle is tested on a survey of 542 Norwegian firms conducted in 2013, containing information about firm-level innovation activities and key innovation partners. The results of the ordinal logit regression analysis substantiate the Goldilocks principle, as the most innovative firms are found among those that collaborate with partners at medium levels of proximity for all non-geographical dimensions. The analysis also underscores the importance of the presence of a substitution–innovation mechanism, with geographical distance problems being compensated by proximity in other dimensions as a driver of innovation, while there is no support for a potential overlap–innovation mechanism.     

The Pareto managerial principle: when does it apply?

The well-known 80/20 Pareto principle and its refinement into “A”, “B”, and “C” categories give rise to a managerial methodology consisting of three steps: classification; differentiation; and resource allocation. This is an easy-to-implement and extremely effective methodology. It starts with the creation of “Pareto diagrams”, i.e. bar charts of attributes and their relative frequency, presented in descending order. Typically, Pareto diagrams are useful in that they provide managers with a summary of practical information, revealing critical attributes. However, sometimes a Pareto diagram is less informative than it might be, because the relative frequency is almost uniform. The objective of this article is to provide an analytical tool (an index) that employs the above-mentioned methodology to measure the closeness of empirical Pareto diagrams to an “ideal” Pareto diagram. The index developed is based upon entropy.     

Digitalization of agriculture: A way to solve the food problem or a trolley dilemma?

The high potential of digital applications for agriculture generates enthusiasm about the future of food production. Some view the intelligence offered by digital tools as a way to solve the still pressing food problem. Nevertheless, social, ethical, political, cultural, and environmental concerns associated with digitalization loom large. In this article, using as a framework the artificial trolley dilemma – a situation in which one has to decide about the rightness of putting at risk someone trying to avoid some obvious and imminent noxious effects to a larger group of people – we present the promises and perils of agricultural digitalization. We also point out the need to develop new trajectories for the digital agricultural revolution that ensure the increase of food production without severe negative societal impacts. Although digitalization is sometimes viewed as a panacea for boosting the transition of agrifood production towards more sustainable paradigms, the trade-off may be complicated and requires in-depth analyses excavating the multiple rationales in digitalizing farming. Today, there is a need for science to prove that digitalization does have society-wide positive impacts. On the other side of the coin, the assessment and the estimation of the magnitude of the externalities that digital technologies may have require the development and application of robust evaluation methods. Finally, policies must emphasize the need to provide inclusive and open spaces for agricultural digitalization.     

Correction to: Response to the comments of Turki et al. on “The journals that publish Nobel Prize research”

Scientometrics - This is a correction to the letter “Response to the comments of Turki et al. on “The journals that publish Nobel Prize research”” [1], which failed to...     

The end of the “European Paradox”

This paper evaluates the European Paradox according to which Europe plays a leading world role in terms of scientific excellence, measured in terms of the number of publications, but lacks the entrepreneurial capacity of the US to transform this excellent performance into innovation, growth, and jobs. Citation distributions for the US, the European Union (EU), and the Rest of the World are evaluated using a pair of high- and low-impact indicators, as well as the mean citation rate (MCR). The dataset consists of 3.6 million articles published in 1998–2002 with a common 5-year citation window. The analysis is carried at a low aggregation level, namely, the 219 sub-fields identified with the Web of Science categories distinguished by Thomson Scientific. The problems posed by international co-authorship and the multiple assignments of articles to sub-fields are solved following a multiplicative strategy. We find that, although the EU has more publications than the US in 113 out of 219 sub-fields, the US is ahead of the EU in 189 sub-fields in terms of the high-impact indicator, and in 163 sub-fields in terms of the low-impact indicator. Finally, we verify that using the high-impact indicator the US/EU gap is usually greater than when using the MCR.     

Investigating the influence of governance determinants on reporting cybersecurity incidents to police: Evidence from Canadian organizations’ perspectives

Government agencies and standard setters require organizations operating in critical infrastructure sectors to disclose cybersecurity incidents, yet little is known about whether organizations report these incidents to law enforcement. This study examines this issue based on data from the 2017–2021 periods of the Canadian Survey of Cybersecurity and Cybercrime administered to Canadian organizations. We assessed the effects of governance determinants along with cyber incidents and their impacts using partial least squares equation modelling to identify the relationships between these factors and cybersecurity incidents reported to police services. To conceptualize these relationships, we developed a framework based on resource-dependence theory, protection motivation theory, and previous empirical evidence. The overall governance determinants as well as the impacts of the incidents explained 51% of the intention to report cybersecurity incidents to police, and the intensity of the impacts explained 30% of these intentions to signal incidents to law enforcement. The results also revealed that the intensity of cyber incident impacts dictates the attitudes of organizations towards reporting digital attacks. This study makes a significant theoretical contribution to the information security literature and has practical implications for standard setters and government agencies that aim to combat cybersecurity incidents.     

The “LED-version” of the electron gun

We report on our progress to develop and optimize electron sources for practical applications. A simple fabrication process is introduced based on a wafer dicing saw and a wet chemical etch step without the need for a clean room. Due to the formation of crystal facets the samples show a homogeneous geometry throughout the array. Characterization techniques are developed to systematically compare various arrays. A very defined measurement procedure based on current controlled IV-sweeps as well as lifetime measurements at various currents is proposed. To investigate the current distribution in the array a commercial CMOS detector is used and shows the potential for in depth analysis of the arrays. Finally, a compact hermetically sealed housing is presented enabling electron generation in atmospheric pressure environments.     

Sources of information for innovation: the role of companies’ motivations

The paper analyses the information sources that companies use to innovate. The analysis compares two science-oriented sources of information (universities and public research institutes) with two market-oriented sources (clients and suppliers). The analysis demonstrates the importance of motivations as determinants of the sources of information used. Adding motivations to the established ‘structural’ explanations provides a new way of capturing companies’ search for information and emphasises the direction rather than the breadth of the search process. The results of this analysis also have implications both for policy-making and for companies’ managers, which are discussed in the paper’s conclusions.     

Gatekeeping African studies: what does “editormetrics” indicate about journal governance?

The purpose of the study was to examine the productivity of faculty in social work doctoral programs. This study builds on previous investigations on the scholarship of social work faculty using the h-Index (i.e., citation analysis). This study examined the scholarly productivity of the full population (N?=?1699) of tenure-track faculty in all 76 United States social work doctoral programs by analyzing the h-Index scores of each program. Information on funding sources, regional location, year of establishment, and faculty demographics was collected to better understand why faculty and programs differ in their h-Index. A hierarchical regression analysis was used in creating a predictive model. The final model explained 51% of the variance in h-Index scores (R²?=?.51). Academic rank was the strongest predictor of school h-Index. Each school’s faculty size, gender proportion, region, college age, and auspice also contributed to the predictive power of the model. The proportion of senior faculty (Associate Professors and Full Professors) and college age were the strongest predictors based on standardized regression coefficients. The finding that academic rank contributed the most variance to the regression model provides empirical support to the long-argued importance of publication in career advancement. The overall results of the model confirm that institutional factors such as faculty size, region, and auspice do have unique effects on research productivity even after accounting for individual level differences in faculty across diverse social work programs.     

Deep learning and principal–agent problems of algorithmic governance: The new materialism perspective

With the advent of artificial intelligence, stakeholders and experts cede their policy decisions for human affairs to computer algorithms in algorithmic governance. However, they face a new material principal-agent problem, which occurs between computer scientists as principals and computer algorithms as agents. Drawing upon new materialism, this study investigates informational asymmetry, malfeasance, agency relationships, and solutions related to the principal-agent problem. The inscrutability of computer algorithms is central to the notion of informational asymmetry and their relational agency is related to the notion of malfeasance. The principal-agent relationship is viewed as the output of socio-material assemblages in which computer scientists strive to build trust with computer algorithms. The inscrutability of computer algorithms coupled with their performativity would make it challenging for human principals to ascertain the malfeasance of computer algorithms as agents, thereby forming the material principal-agent problem. Finally, this study recommends an incremental, precautionary, and technologically pluralist approach to cope with this problem.     

Comments to: Edward C. Posner, “The Application of Extreme Value Theory to Error Free Communication”

This paper presents the results of a study of the maximum likelihood estimator, (t), of the reliability, R(t), when the two-parameter Weibull distribution is assumed. It is shown that the distribution of (t) depends only upon R(t) and n. It is observed that (t) is very nearly unbiased and has a variance that is practically equal to the Cramer-Rao lower bound for the variance of an unbiased estimator.

Tables of lower confidence limits for the reliability are also provided. For an observed value of (t), the lower confidence limit can be read directly from the table for confidence levels of .75, 30, 35, .90, .95, and .98. The large sample normal approxmation for (t) is also investigated.

Tolerance limits based on the maximum likelihood estimators of the Weibull parameters are developed. It is found that the tables needed for obtaining confidence interval for R(t) also enable one to obtain lower tolerance intervals. An example is given to help clarify the procedure.     

The Third Fishenden Memorial Lecture: The Photo-Resist Story—From NiéPce to the Modern Polymer Chemist

The photo-resist was first used to provide eorly photographs, then became restricted to photomechanical applications, but recently has found widespread industrial uses. The first system was that of Niepce employing bitumen, but the dichromate methods soon took over. The practical drawbacks of the dichromate system urged more searching for improved methods employing new colloid binders and alternative light-sensitive agents, as well as two-layer systems. Diazo compounds have been shown to photo-crosslink in a similar manner to dichromate and the advent of diazo-resin condensates was important. Needs for a hydrophobic resist system caused much study of methods of sensitizing partially crosslin ed resins in solvent based systems. Poor stability of the systems prevailed, but a break-through occurred with polymers having inherent light sensitivity. The polyvinyl cinnamate system is outstandingly successful and other methods in which hydrophobic resins are sensitized with azides are also of interest. Photo-polymerization of monomer systems has been widely explored and certain processes have been developed. Reversed or direct positive systems are of interest and have received attention including several diazo methods. The ideal resist still remains to be found and the widening applications call for a variety of requirements in the product.