Challenge-Based Acquisition: Stimulating Innovative Solutions Faster and Cheaper by Asking the Right Questions

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Weatherly ◽  
Virginia Wydler ◽  
Matthew D. Way ◽  
Scott Anderson ◽  
Michael Arendt
2019 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 201-223
Author(s):  
Wendy E. Gibbons ◽  
Ronald D. Vale ◽  
Winfield S. Sale

Ian Read Gibbons is best known for discovering dynein, a molecular motor that powers the motion of cilia and flagella, is involved in assembling the mitotic spindle and moves chromosomes as well as other cargoes inside cells. Gibbons devoted his career in the lab of more than 50 years to understanding the mechanism of how dynein works in driving motility. In doing so, he built a life-long reputation as a creative, collaborative and tenacious researcher with an unusual gift for crafting innovative solutions to tricky experimental problems. His experimental methods spanned electron as well as light microscopy, biochemistry, molecular biology, crystallography and molecular modelling. He perceived the right set of experimental moves that would allow him to dissect and observe the physical underpinnings of minute biological processes such as the delicate movements of dynein. Gibbons traced his success to the ability to envision how pieces of a scientific puzzle might fit together to make a coherent story: ‘My own approach to research has always emphasized intuition over logic. Perhaps for that reason, I get attracted to questions with aesthetic appeal.’ Even though dynein holds much promise for helping to engineer ways to fight disease, Gibbons' focus was always on the intrinsic grace of understanding nature's workings. Gibbons’ marriage to his biochemist wife Barbara played a particularly vital role in his life. Barbara and Ian worked frequently together as she built her own scientific career through their partnership in the study of dynein. Ian's many scientific accomplishments as well as his dedication to his friends and family represent enduring gifts to us all.


Author(s):  
Michael Kidd

This paper examines the major problems currently facing South Africa’s water sector and identifies that water shortages will be a significant issue to deal with in the near future. The problem of shortage is exacerbated by severe water quality concerns. The role of the law in addressing these water concerns is examined and it is shown that the law, on paper, is able to address most of these issues and to provide for an integrated water resource management system. Failure to implement the law in the past, however, has led to situations arising that are beyond the power of the law to address and innovative solutions will have to be found. For the future, the law will have to be implemented appropriately in order to avoid similar problems arising again.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-31
Author(s):  
Marta Piłka

The aim of the article was to present the reflections on the types of innovations implemented in enterprises from the automotive industry / Automotive / and the impact on the development of these enterprises. In connection with the above, the analysis of the literature and the Clarivate Analytics report, State of Innovation Report 2017: The Relentless Desire to Advance and The condition of the automotive industry and its role in the Polish economy, KPMG report in Poland at the initiative of the Polish Automotive Industry Association. The study also presents an overview of the definitions and types of innovations, in the aspect of subsectors and their impact on the development of the automotive industry. There are presented considerations regarding the type and degree in which enterprises implement innovative solutions that take place in the processes occurring on production lines as well as in the components themselves. In recent years, when technological progress has gained enormous pace, the right management of innovations has a significant impact on the future of the organization. It allows to strengthen the position of the company on the market, and often to gain a significant competitive advantage The article was prepared on the basis of literature analysis and statistical data.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 287-292
Author(s):  
Ona Ionica Anghel

Abstract The subject of supporting talented young people through educational strategies and educational policies is more and more concerning for the researchers in the area of psycho-pedagogy of excellence. The problems solved by the policies and strategies of supporting talented students have a double nature: some have of a moral and personal nature, invoking the right to equitable education for each and the maximum development of talent for oneself, others have social and economic nature. In order for a person to be creative, to offer innovative solutions to various technical, environmental, social, cultural, etc. a partnership is needed: the talented person and his supporters - the family, the school, the economic environment, the country where he lives. The paper discusses the two major categories of issues generated by the lack of support of young talent, insisting on the phenomena of intelligence migration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-304
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Contissa ◽  
Giulia Lasagni

Abstract The paper presents the main areas of application of predictive systems based on algorithmic and AI technology, and analyses their impact on fundamental rights and fair trial principles. It focuses in particular on the definition of the right to an effective remedy against decisions taken (also) with the support of algorithmic and AI systems, and proposes some innovative solutions on how to ensure compliance with this right in technologically advanced criminal proceedings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1163-1172
Author(s):  
Rachel Meredith Moore ◽  
Anna-Maria Rivas McGowan ◽  
Nathaneal Jeyachandran ◽  
Kathleen H. Bond ◽  
Daniel Williams ◽  
...  

AbstractThe earliest stage in the innovation lifecycle, problem formulation, is crucial for setting direction in an innovation effort. When faced with an interesting problem, engineers commonly assume the approximate solution area and focus on ideating innovative solutions. However, in this project, NASA and their contracted partner, Accenture, collaboratively conducted problem discovery to ensure that solutioning efforts were focused on the right problems, for the right users, and addressing the most critical needs—in this case, exploring weather tolerant operations (WTO) to further urban air mobility (UAM) – known as UAM WTO. The project team leveraged generative, qualitative methods to understand the ecosystem, players, and where challenges in the industry are inhibiting development. The complexity of the problem area required that the team constantly observe and iterate on problem discovery, effectively “designing the design process.” This paper discusses the approach, methodologies, and selected results, including significant insights on the application of early-stage design methodologies to a complex, system-level problem.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1208 (1) ◽  
pp. 012036
Author(s):  
Galia I Marinova ◽  
Aida K Bitri

Abstract The coronavirus pandemic found the semiconductor industry and the chip production supply chain ecosystem unprepared. Companies and main actors in the sector could not read the signs. The decision-makers suffered to deal with the challenges in time and take the right actions. The bullwhip effect caused by the COVID-19 destabilized the operations and some of the experts say that these problems might last and on the other side, this might open doors to innovative solutions that might change the game. The global shutdowns, the misread of the demand for electronics, underestimating customers’ demand for the automotive sector, and the Internet of Things in general, were some of the main problems causing chaos in the industry. The paper studies the state-of-the-art and the solutions offered by the semiconductor industry and by the initiatives that Europe, the USA, and especially China, took to make companies and their countries take the most out of this situation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77
Author(s):  
Ionuţ Radu Răcănel ◽  
Vlad Daniel Urdăreanu ◽  
Andrei Radu

Abstract Arch bridges are slender structures and can be efficiently used in the range of medium to large spans. These structures have an improved aesthetic aspect and in the same time a low construction height, with obvious advantages regarding reduced costs in the infrastructuers and their foundations. For this type of structures usually composite or orthotropic decks are used. Lately, innovative solutions have been used in designing arch bridges, especially discarding the top wind bracing system. The level of axial forces and bending moments in the arches and tie imply the design of sections with sufficient stiffness and strength in both directions in order to ensure the general stability of the arches, without the need for top wind bracing. Moreover, the cross section of the arches is not constant, but shifts in accordance with the variation of the bending moments, in order to ensure their lateral stability. This paper studies a road bridge with parallel Bowstring arches, with a span of 108m and a carriageway 7.00m wide, sustained by a deck made up of crossbeams 2m apart and a concrete slab. The main beams are held by ties arranged in the Langer system, 10 to 14m apart from each other. The sag of the arches is 18m high. The analyzed structure was proposed for construction in the city of Oradea and is used for crossing the “Crişul Repede” river, between Oneştilor street on the left bank and the Sovata, Fagului and Carpaţi streets on the right bank. The performed analyses have the following two main objectives: to establish the critical load for which the failure of the arches occurs by instability and to underline the influence of different wind bracing systems on the bridge’s collapse loads respectively.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Dupont ◽  
Marc Pallot ◽  
Laure Morel ◽  
Olivier Christmann ◽  
Vincent Boly ◽  
...  

Presently, there is a clear trend for both businesses and public institutions to move towards open or collaborative innovation. Nevertheless, engaging all stakeholders, especially users, for cocreating innovative solutions and usage scenarios is, as revealed in previous studies, not so obvious. We do believe that Immersive and Collaborative Environments (ICEs) based on the use of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality technologies would be the right place for co-creating, exploring, experimenting and evaluating innovative ideas and concepts in order to quickly reach a common understanding. However, there is a need to design a proper method and instruments that would allow evaluating and comparing ICEs. Our previous paper presented the outcomes of an investigation to identifying and disentangling factors characterising a group immersion and collaboration in the context of co-creation. As a step further, this paper reports about our exploratory study towards the design of mixed methods quantitative and qualitative instruments for the evaluation of Immersive and Collaborative Environments (ICE) based on previously identified factors.


Author(s):  
J. Anthony VanDuzer

SummaryRecently, there has been a proliferation of international agreements imposing minimum standards on states in respect of their treatment of foreign investors and allowing investors to initiate dispute settlement proceedings where a state violates these standards. Of greatest significance to Canada is Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which provides both standards for state behaviour and the right to initiate binding arbitration. Since 1996, four cases have been brought under Chapter 11. This note describes the Chapter 11 process and suggests some of the issues that may arise as it is increasingly resorted to by investors.


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