Manchester on my mind: a memoir

Abstract The author describes his intellectual journey in ten episodes, starting from his upbringing in Manchester and training in Cambridge. After pioneering research in Africa and work as a development advisor, he returned to Manchester as a teacher of social anthropology. Subsequently he spent periods in North America and the Caribbean, before returning to Cambridge for 15 years. He is currently trying to establish himself as a writer in Paris. What follows is neither social science nor autobiography, but a personal account of being in the world in which he tries to move, without discordance, along the whole length of the continuum linking the self to the rest of humanity. The star of the show, however, is Manchester, where his story begins.     

Scheduling Problems in a Practical Allocation Model

A parallel computational model is defined which addresses I/O contention,latency, and pipe-lined message passing between tasks allocated to differentprocessors. The model can be used for parallel task-allocation on either anetwork of workstations or on a multi-stage inter-connected parallel machine.To study performance bounds more closely, basic properties are developed forwhen the precedence constraints form a directed tree. It is shown that theproblem of optimally scheduling a directed one-level precedence tree on anunlimited number of identical processors in this model is NP-hard. Theproblem of scheduling a directed two-level precedence tree is also shown tobe NP-hard even when the system latency is zero. An approximation algorithm is then presented for scheduling directedone-level task trees on an unlimited number of processors with anapproximation ratio of 3. Simulation results show that this algorithm is, infact, much faster than its worst-case performance bound. Better simulationresults are obtained by improving our approximation algorithm usingheusistics. Restricting the problem to the case of equal task executiontimes, a linear-time algorithm is presented to find an optimal schedule.     

Guardianship reform: does revised legislation make a difference in outcomes for proposed wards?

There is a lack of critical examination of the efficacy of guardianship reform. Yet, the awarding of guardianship, especially when it is unwarranted, may deprive individuals of their most basic civil liberties. This longitudinal research investigated whether guardianship decisions differed prior to and following revision of state statutes increasing procedural safeguards. Using data from 766 petitions for guardianship of persons 60 years of age or over from Iowa and Missouri, it revealed that in most cases, a request for a full guardianship was tantamount to receiving one. Least restrictive alternatives were seldom employed, and few petitions were denied either before or after legislative changes. Reasons for the seeming discrepancy between revised statutes and guardianship decisions are suggested. No amount of statutory reform, however, will alter the tendency for society's attitudes toward aging to overshadow and shape the interpretation and implementation of legislation.     

Issues of autonomy in the psychotherapy of children with learning problems

For certain children, learning and performance represent a major battleground in their struggles for autonomy. In treatment these children try to get the therapist to do something to them. This poses serious clinical problems since interpretations may be perceived as an attempt at control by the therapist. Such children can use interpretations only after treatment has proceeded in such a way that they have come to feel more autonomous. The psychotherapy of a latency-aged girl with severe learning problems is described and discussed. The authors' approach suggests implications for educational practice.     

Decision-making Autonomy in UK International Equity Joint Ventures

This paper investigates approaches to decision making in international joint ventures (IJVs) from the perspectives of the transactions cost and resource‐based theories of the firm. In particular, the concept of autonomy in decision‐making in a sample of UK‐European equity joint ventures is examined. The study adopts a multi‐method personal interview and self‐administered questionnaire approach to examine managerial perceptions of decision‐making and autonomy in the parent firms and the joint venture. The findings show that there are differences in the perception of autonomy between each of the parent firms, and between the parent firms and the IJV management. When we unpack the nature of autonomy in detail, it is found that IJV managers have greater degrees of operational autonomy than strategic autonomy and that decision making by IJV managers takes place within the context of constraints set within the IJV's business plan. This confirms the transaction cost theory which posits that key internal markets (for management, technology and capital) will be under parent control and also supports the resource based view that key capabilities are protected under the business plan established by the parent firms. The influence on IJV autonomy of the moderating variables IJV performance and IJV duration are also examined.     

A variability taxonomy to support automation decision-making for manufacturing processes

Abstract

Although many manual operations have been replaced by automation in the manufacturing domain in various industries, skilled operators still carry out critical manual tasks such as final assembly. The business case for automation in these areas is difficult to justify due to increased complexity and costs arising out of process variabilities associated with those tasks. The lack of understanding of process variability in automation design means that industrial automation often does not realize the full benefits at the first attempt, resulting in the need to spend additional resource and time, to fully realize the potential. This article describes a taxonomy of variability when considering the automation of manufacturing processes. Three industrial case studies were analyzed to develop the proposed taxonomy. The results obtained from the taxonomy are discussed with a further case study to demonstrate its value in supporting automation decision-making.     

Recognition of Emotions in Gait Patterns by Means of Artificial Neural Nets

This paper describes an application of emotion recognition in human gait by means of kinetic and kinematic data using artificial neural nets. Two experiments were undertaken, one attempting to identify participants’ emotional states from gait patterns, and the second analyzing effects on gait patterns of listening to music while walking. In the first experiment gait was analyzed as participants attempted to simulate four distinct emotional states (normal, happy, sad, angry). In the second experiment, participants were asked to listen to different types of music (excitatory, calming, no music) before and during gait analysis. Derived data were fed into different types of artificial neural nets. Results showed not only a clear distinction between individuals, but also revealed clear indications of emotion recognition in nets.     

Resource Tangibility and Patterns of Interaction in a Publicly Funded Health and Human Services Network

This article examines a publicly funded mental health servicesnetwork, focusing on the patterns of interaction in five resource-basedsubnetworks. We argue that the structure of network relationshipscan be explained by the nature of the resources that are atthe source of the interaction. Depending on whether a particularresource is tangible or tacit, subnetwork structures will differin predictable ways. We found that the pattern of interactionsamong network organizations in resource-based subnetworks appearsto be dependent on the organizations controlling these resources(the Network Administrative Organization versus network members)as well as the nature of the resource (tangible versus knowledgebased). Our research extends theory on network interactionsas well as having implications for network practice.     

再造乐高

表面看来，乐高似乎并没有遇到任何麻烦。作为全球第四大玩具制造商，乐高在2004年的玩具销售总额高达1315亿美元，产品线几乎涵盖了所有领域，包括从小孩子们玩的积木到大孩子们玩的组装机器人。新产品源源不绝，在乐高每年的销售总额当中，有四分之三是由新产品所创造的。