scholarly journals Algorithmic Agency and Autonomy in Archaeological Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 417-434
Author(s):  
Jeremy Huggett

Abstract A key development in archaeology is the increasing agency of the digital tools brought to bear on archaeological practice. Roles and tasks that were previously thought to be uncomputable are beginning to be digitalized, and the presumption that computerization is best suited to well-defined and restricted tasks is starting to break down. Many of these digital devices seek to reduce routinized and repetitive work in the office environment and in the field. Others incorporate data-driven methods to represent, store, and manipulate information in order to undertake tasks previously thought to be incapable of being automated. Still others substitute the human component in environments which would be otherwise be inaccessible or dangerous. Whichever applies, separately or in combination, such technologies are typically seen as black-boxing practice with often little or no human intervention beyond the allocation of their inputs and subsequent incorporation of their outputs in analyses. This paper addresses the implications of this shift to algorithmic automated practices for archaeology and asks whether there are limits to algorithmic agency within archaeology. In doing so, it highlights several challenges related to the relationship between archaeologists and their digital devices.

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 270
Author(s):  
Mostafa Babaeian Jelodar ◽  
Feiya Shu

The low-level application of digital tools and information systems in construction implies that many projects cannot meet modern requirements and standard of work of advanced industries. This study adopts a practical and diagnostic approach to identify key attributes and implementation processes of information systems in construction and logistics. To have triangulation of knowledge, a three-step methodology is adopted. Initially an exploratory analysis of previous literature is performed. Secondly a diagnostic analysis of IS applications in construction is achieved by case studies. Finally, expert interviews are performed to examine and consolidate the findings. The study illustrated practical and innovative applications of low-cost digital tools in IS development and created a framework for documentation of these discrete and mostly unshared practices. It is recommended that the construction sector should embrace more advance technologies to minimise human intervention and enhance real-time capabilities. The practicality of how different low-cost and off-the-shelf tools and digital platforms can be combined is discussed and demonstrated. The study provides a clear distinction for practitioners and academics as to what is being practiced in comparison to the dominant theories.


2021 ◽  
Vol 238 ◽  
pp. 110790
Author(s):  
Yadong Zhou ◽  
Ying Su ◽  
Zhanbo Xu ◽  
Xukun Wang ◽  
Jiang Wu ◽  
...  

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 582
Author(s):  
Yoko Ono ◽  
Hidemasa Bono

Hypoxia is a condition in which cells, tissues, or organisms are deprived of sufficient oxygen supply. Aerobic organisms have a hypoxic response system, represented by hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α (HIF1A), to adapt to this condition. Due to publication bias, there has been little focus on genes other than well-known signature hypoxia-inducible genes. Therefore, in this study, we performed a meta-analysis to identify novel hypoxia-inducible genes. We searched publicly available transcriptome databases to obtain hypoxia-related experimental data, retrieved the metadata, and manually curated it. We selected the genes that are differentially expressed by hypoxic stimulation, and evaluated their relevance in hypoxia by performing enrichment analyses. Next, we performed a bibliometric analysis using gene2pubmed data to examine genes that have not been well studied in relation to hypoxia. Gene2pubmed data provides information about the relationship between genes and publications. We calculated and evaluated the number of reports and similarity coefficients of each gene to HIF1A, which is a representative gene in hypoxia studies. In this data-driven study, we report that several genes that were not known to be associated with hypoxia, including the G protein-coupled receptor 146 gene, are upregulated by hypoxic stimulation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 164-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhaiel Amdan ◽  
Ramlee Abdul Rahman ◽  
Siti Asiah Md. Shahid ◽  
Saridan Abu Bakar ◽  
Masrur Mohd Khir ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-56
Author(s):  
Lena Johansson de Château

In this paper, colonialism is used as a key concept for a discussion on the relationship between classical archaeology and archaeological practice in the Maghreb region. Archaeological studies of rural water management in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya are reviewed, focussing on the representation of the Romans and the indigenous people. Drawing on postcolonial theory, an alternative approach to water management in the Maghreb during the Roman period is suggested. A strong relationship between modern colonialism and the representation of ancient colonialism in archaeological writings is evident from my analysis. It is suggested that postcolonial approaches may contribute to a revaluation of the Maghreb as an archaeological region.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Hartmann

The relationship between “language change” and “language evolution” has recently become subject to some debate regarding the scope of both concepts. It has been claimed that while the latter used to refer to language origins in the first place, both terms can now, to a certain extent, be used synonymously. In this paper, I argue that this can partly be explained by parallel develop-ments both in historical linguistics and in the field of language evolution research that have led to a considerable amount of convergence between both fields. Both have adopted usage-based approaches and data-driven methods, which entails similar research questions and similar perspectives on the phenomena under investigation. This has ramifications for current models and theories of language change (or evolution). Two approaches in particular – the concept of com-plex adaptive systems and construction grammar – have been combined in integrated approaches that seek to explain both language emergence and language change over historical time. I discuss the potential and limitations of this integrated approach, and I argue that there is still some unex-plored potential for cross-fertilization.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Reilly ◽  
◽  
Ian Dawson

The term Virtual Archaeology was coined 30 years ago when personal computing and the first wave of digital devices and associated technologies became generally available to field archaeologists (Reilly 1991; 1992). The circumstances that led to the origin of Virtual Archaeology have been recounted elsewhere. Put briefly, Virtual Archaeology was intended for reflexive archaeological practitioners “to be a generative concept and a provocation allowing for creative and playful improvisation around the potential adoption or adaptation of any new digital technology in fieldwork; in other words to explore how new digital tools could enable, and shape, new methodological insights and interpretation, that is new practices” (Beale, Reilly 2017). Digital creativity in archaeology and cultural heritage continues to flourish, and we can still stand by these aspirations. However, in 2021, the definition and extent of this implied “archaeological” community of practice and its assumed authority seems too parochial. Moreover, the archaeological landscape is not under the sole purview of archaeologists or cultural heritage managers. Consequently, experimentation with novel modes and methods of engagement, the creation of new forms of analysis, and different ways of knowing this landscape, are also not their sole prerogative. This applies equally to Virtual Archaeology and digital creativity in the realm of cultural heritage more generally. We assert that other affirmative digitally creative conceptions of, and engagements with, artefacts, virtual archaeological landscapes and cultural heritage assemblages – in their broadest sense – are possible if we are willing to adopt other perspectives and diffract them through contrasting disciplinary points of view and approaches. In this paper we are specifically concerned with interlacing artistic and virtual archaeology practices within the realm of imaging, part of something we call Virtual Art/Archaeology.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Lukey

The purpose of this research study was to help inform the researcher’s future practice as a teacher on the influence of technology on young learners. The question of inquiry pertained to define how technology has initiated and increased student engagement within their learning, and through this, how technology has specifically influenced the creation of the 21st century learner. By beginning the inquiry through a literature review on the theme of technology and student engagement, the researcher was able to gain an understanding that technology is the motivator for children in developed, and even in undeveloped countries. In order to assess the relationship of technology and student engagement in learning, along with how digital devices influence the creation of 21st century learners, the researcher surveyed a variety of teacher candidates and university students to draw conclusions. From the research findings of the study, the researcher concluded that students were attracted to technology as it is a tool that is convenient in organizing information, and is efficient in making data easier to allocate. Therefore, the skills that technology imparted upon 21st century learners from the findings were allowing students to become self-directed learners, access and, evaluate information through critical thinking and solving data to become more engaged thinkers, and influencing leadership and collaboration skills.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaki Morishita

Purpose: Cavity and tooth preparation are essential curriculum components in dental education for undergraduate students, and faculty staff determine whether the standard of the work is acceptable. However, evaluators are inevitably subject to variability and bias, so quantification of the evaluation is desirable. Therefore, various digital devices have been developed to quantify evaluations, such as SURFLACER, Simodont, and DentSim. In this study, we aimed to investigate the use of evaluation software and to compare human evaluation with software evaluation using a new digital dental education device with a realtime evaluation function. Material and Method: Dental students prepared a full metal crown on an artificial mandibular left first molar, which was evaluated by the software and a human evaluator (a dentist). Results: The results showed that the software evaluation was more suitable with eight cross-sections than with four crosssections. The dentist evaluated the same teeth according to a set of evaluation criteria, but there were no statistically significant differences in any of the evaluation items. Finally, multivariate analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between the software evaluation using eight cross-sections and the human evaluator using dummy variables, and it revealed that the margin form evaluation by the dentist was a significant explanatory variable for the score by the software. Conclusion: This preliminary study is the first to demonstrate that the new digital dental education device has considerable potential as a digital educational tool.


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