The Weight of Language and Action: Epistemic Stance, Methodological Action,and Theoretical Perspective in Knowledge Organization

Knowledge organization (KO) research is a field of scholarship concerned with the design, study and critique of the processes of organizing and representing documents that societies see as worthy of preserving (Tennis, 2008). In this context we are concerned with the relationship between language and action.On the one hand, we are concerned with what language can and does do for our knowledge organization systems (KOS). For example, how do the words NEGRO or INDIAN work in historical and contemporary indexing languages? In relation to this, we are also concerned with how we know about knowledge organization (KO) and its languages. On the other hand, we are concerned with how to act given this knowledge. That is, how do we carry out research and how do we design, implement, and evaluate KO systems?It is important to consider these questions in the context of our work because we are delegated by society to disseminate cultural memory. We are endowed with a perspective, prepared by an education, and granted positions whereby society asks us to ensure that documentary material is accessible to future generations. There is a social value in our work, and as such there is a social imperative to our work. We must act with good conscience, and use language judiciously, for the memory of the world is a heavy burden.In this paper, I explore these two weights of language and action that bear down on KO researchers. I first summarize what extant literature says about the knowledge claims we make with regard to KO practices and systems. To make it clear what it is that I think we know, I create a schematic that will link claims (language) to actions in advising, implementing, or evaluating information practices and systems.I will then contrast this with what we do not know, that is, what the unanswered questions might be (Gnoli, 2008 ; Dahlberg, 2011), and I will discuss them in relation to the two weights in our field of KO.Further, I will try to provide a systematic overview of possible ways to address these open questions in KO research. I will draw on the concept of elenchus - the forms of epistemology, theory, and methodology in KO (Tennis, 2008), and framework analysis which are structures, work practice, and discourses of KO systems (Tennis, 2006). In so doing, I will argue for a Neopragmatic stance on the weight of language and action in KO (Rorty, 1982 ; 2000). I will close by addressing the lacuna left in Neopragmatic thought – the ethical imperative to use language and action in a particular good and moral way. That is, I will address the ethical imperative of KO given its weights, epistemologies, theories, and methods. To do this, I will review a sample of relevant work on deontology in both western and eastern philosophical schools (e.g., Harvey, 1995).The perspective I want to communicate in this section is that the good in carrying out KO research may begin with epistemic stances (cf., language), but ultimately stands on ethical actions. I will present an analysis describing the micro and the macro ethical concerns in relation to KO research and its advice on practice. I hope this demonstrates that the direction of epistemology, theory, and methodology in KO, while burdened with the dual weights of language and action, is clear when provided an ethical sounding board. We know how to proceed when we understand how our work can benefit the world.KO is an important, if not always understood, division of labor in a society that values its documentary heritage and memory institutions. Being able to do good requires us to understand how to balance the weights of language and action. We must understand where we stand and be able to chart a path forward, one that does not cause harm, but adds value to the world and those that want to access recorded knowledge.

mHealth-based Methods for Neuromotor Assessment and Rehabilitation

Recent years observed massive growth in wearable technology, everything can be smart: phones, watches, glasses, shirts, etc. These technologies are prevalent in various fields: from wellness/sports/fitness to the healthcare domain. The spread of this phenomenon led the World-Health-Organization to define the term 'mHealth' as "medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phones, patient monitoring devices, personal digital assistants, and other wireless devices". Furthermore, mHealth solutions are suitable to perform real-time wearable Biofeedback (BF) systems: sensors in the body area network connected to a processing unit (smartphone) and a feedback device (loudspeaker) to measure human functions and return them to the user as (bio)feedback signal. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this transformation of the healthcare system has been dramatically accelerated by new clinical demands, including the need to prevent hospital surges and to assure continuity of clinical care services, allowing pervasive healthcare. Never as of today, we can say that the integration of mHealth technologies will be the basis of this new era of clinical practice. In this scenario, this PhD thesis's primary goal is to investigate new and innovative mHealth solutions for the Assessment and Rehabilitation of different neuromotor functions and diseases. For the clinical assessment, there is the need to overcome the limitations of subjective clinical scales. Creating new pervasive and self-administrable mHealth solutions, this thesis investigates the possibility of employing innovative systems for objective clinical evaluation. For rehabilitation, we explored the clinical feasibility and effectiveness of mHealth systems. In particular, we developed innovative mHealth solutions with BF capability to allow tailored rehabilitation. The main goal that a mHealth-system should have is improving the person's quality of life, increasing or maintaining his autonomy and independence. To this end, inclusive design principles might be crucial, next to the technical and technological ones, to improve mHealth-systems usability.

Life Cycle Thinking for sustainability assessment and decision-making in selected food supply chains in Costa Rica

The Agenda 2030 contains 17 integrated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 12 for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) promotes the efficient use of resources through a systemic change that decouples economic growth from environmental degradation. The Food Systems (FS) pillar in SDG 12 entails paramount relevance due to its interconnection to many other SDGs, and even when being a crucial world food supplier, the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Region struggles with environmental and social externalities, low investment in agriculture, inequity, food insecurity, poverty, and migration. Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) was regarded as a pertinent approach to identify hotspots and trade-offs, and support decision-making process to aid LAC Region countries as Costa Rica to diagnose sustainability and overcome certain challenges. This thesis aimed to ‘evaluate the sustainability of selected products from food supply chains in Costa Rica, to provide inputs for further sustainable decision-making, through the application of Life Cycle Thinking’. To do this, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), and Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) evaluated the sustainability of food-waste-to-energy alternatives, and the production of green coffee, raw milk and leafy vegetables, and identified environmental, social and cost hotspots. This approach also proved to be a useful component of decision-making and policy-making processes together with other methods. LCT scientific literature led by LAC or Costa Rican researchers is still scarce; therefore, this research contributed to improve capacities in the use of LCT in this context, while offering potential replicability of the developed frameworks in similar cases. Main limitations related to the representativeness and availability of primary data; however, future research and extension activities are foreseen to increase local data availability, capacity building, and the discussion of potential integration through Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA).

The environmental DNA in the risk assessment and decision making processes for the invasive species management in agri-food sector, hydraulic security and biodiversity conservation

The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis as a monitoring tool is becoming more and more widespread. The eDNA metabarcoding methods allow rapid community assessments of different target taxa. This work is focused on the validation of the environmental DNA metabarcoding protocol for biodiversity assessment of freshwater habitats. Scolo Dosolo was chosen as study area and three sampling points were defined for traditional and eDNA analyses. The gutter is a 205 m long anthropic canal located in Sala Bolognese (Bologna, Italy). Fish community and freshwater invertebrate metazoans were the target groups for the analysis. After a preliminary study in summer 2019, 2020 was devoted to the sampling campaign with winter (January), spring (May), summer (July) and autumn (October) surveys. Alongside with the water samplings for the eDNA study, also traditional fish surveys using the electrofishing technique were performed to assess fish community composition; census on invertebrates was performed using an entomological net and a surber sampler. After in silico analysis, the MiFish primer set amplifying a fragment of the 12s rRNA gene was selected for bony fishes. For invertebrates the FWHF2 + FWHR2N primer combination, that amplifies a region of the mitochondrial coi gene, was chosen. Raw reads were analyzed through a bioinformatic pipeline based on OBITools metabarcoding programs package and QIIME2. The OBITools pipeline retrieved seven fish taxa and 54 invertebrate taxa belonging to six different phyla, while QIIME2 recovered eight fish taxa and 45 invertebrate taxa belonging to the same six phyla as the OBITools pipeline. The metabarcoding results were then compared with the traditional surveys data and bibliographic records. Overall, the validated protocol provides a reliable picture of the biodiversity of the study area and an efficient support to the traditional methods.

Assessment and Protection of maritime-vernacular architectural Heritage on the Mediterranean Coasts. Documentation and Preservation Strategies for the Dry Docks on the Island of Formentera.

The importance of vernacular architecture as an integral part of our cultural heritage is often undervalued, and the management of rural constructions of heritage value often requires the application of more flexible and adjusted preservation principles compared to monumental assets. For vernacular architecture, the preservation and consolidation concern not only their physical substance but also their intangible values and purpose in society. More than other heritage values, the vernacular raises the question of prospective functions it can fulfill in contemporary societies without undermining its legacy. This work analyzes the topic by studying the case study of the dry docks on the Balearic Island of Formentera, including abundant documentation of traditional construction techniques and materials realized through a field study, followed by the assessment of threats to and opportunities for vernacular architecture on Formentera, closing with suggestions for the maintenance and potential functions of the dry docks. For this, a comparative case study was introduced: the capanni da pesca at the Adriatic coast of Italy. The suggestions focus on the importance of maintenance for rural heritage, expressed through the creation of a guide for owners of protected dry docks highlighting good and bad practice examples and recurrent works of care. Furthermore, the thesis seeks to raise awareness for the significance of landscape and social factors in the discourse about vernacular heritage sites. Ultimately, different outlines of tourism development are proposed. The idea is to explore rural and sustainable tourism as a tool for territory development and enhancement of the cultural heritage value by helping to prevent the destination's decline through careful evaluation of its limits of acceptable change and identifying beneficial, sustainable scenarios for the future of the heritage asset and the respective community.

Valorizar as diferenças na sala do 1º ciclo, abrir janelas de oportunidades para uma escola rica em aprendizagens e em humanidade

O presente relatório recapitula as diversas etapas de um trabalho de projeto de investigação-ação, no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação Especial - Domínio Cognitivo e Motor. Com ele pretendeu-se elaborar uma investigação-ação numa turma do 1º ciclo de escolaridade onde dois alunos sentiam grandes dificuldades de integração. A rejeição e a indiferença em que viviam provocavam, consequentemente, grandes dificuldades de aprendizagens académicas. O foco principal deste trabalho foi o desenvolvimento da interação dos alunos, promovendo a troca de saberes pela entreajuda. Daí resultaram os sucessos escolares esperados dos dois alunos visados a que se juntou a dinamização de todos os alunos da turma e dos restantes intervenientes educativos, professores, técnicos, encarregados de educação e comunidade escolar na construção efetiva de uma verdadeira escola inclusiva. Valorizaram-se as diferenças como património comum. Na fundamentação teórica deste projeto abordam-se a educação inclusiva e suas respetivas estratégias, a aprendizagem cooperativa, as dificuldades específicas de aprendizagem, a inter/multiculturalidade e o modelo pedagógico do Movimento da Escola Moderna como estrutura organizativa da intervenção. De seguida, é caracterizado o projeto e a situação inicial onde se interveio, referenciando o plano de ação implementado. As reflexões conclusivas evidenciam que trabalhar em cooperação permite progressos por parte de todos, tanto a nível das aprendizagens académicas como a nível da interação social.

Critical indicators associated with negative performance in a selectively manned unit

Introduction. Selectively manned units have a long, international history, both military and civilian. Some examples include SWAT teams, firefighters, the FBI, the DEA, the CIA, and military Special Operations. These special duty operators are individuals who perform a highly skilled and dangerous job in a unique environment. A significant amount of money is spent by the Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal agencies to recruit, select, train, equip and support these operators. When a critical incident or significant life event occurs, that jeopardizes an operator's performance; there can be heavy losses in terms of training, time, money, and potentially, lives. In order to limit the number of critical incidents, selection processes have been developed over time to “select out” those individuals most likely to perform below desired performance standards under pressure or stress and to "select in" those with the "right stuff". This study is part of a larger program evaluation to assess markers that identify whether a person will fail under the stresses in a selectively manned unit. The primary question of the study is whether there are indicators in the selection process that signify potential negative performance at a later date. ^ Methods. The population being studied included applicants to a selectively manned DoD organization between 1993 and 2001 as part of a unit assessment and selection process (A&S). Approximately 1900 A&S records were included in the analysis. Over this nine year period, seventy-two individuals were determined to have had a critical incident. A critical incident can come in the form of problems with the law, personal, behavioral or family problems, integrity issues, and skills deficit. Of the seventy-two individuals, fifty-four of these had full assessment data and subsequent supervisor performance ratings which assessed how an individual performed while on the job. This group was compared across a variety of variables including demographics and psychometric testing with a group of 178 individuals who did not have a critical incident and had been determined to be good performers with positive ratings by their supervisors.^ Results. In approximately 2004, an online pre-screen survey was developed in the hopes of preselecting out those individuals with items that would potentially make them ineligible for selection to this organization. This survey has aided the organization to increase its selection rates and save resources in the process. (Patterson, Howard Smith, & Fisher, Unit Assessment and Selection Project, 2008) When the same prescreen was used on the critical incident individuals, it was found that over 60% of the individuals would have been flagged as unacceptable. This would have saved the organization valuable resources and heartache.^ There were some subtle demographic differences between the two groups (i.e. those with critical incidents were almost twice as likely to be divorced compared with the positive performers). Upon comparison of Psychometric testing several items were noted to be different. The two groups were similar when their IQ levels were compared using the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery (MAB). When looking at the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), there appeared to be a difference on the MMPI Social Introversion; the Critical Incidence group scored somewhat higher. When analysis was done, the number of MMPI Critical Items between the two groups was similar as well. When scores on the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO) were compared, the critical incident individuals tended to score higher on Openness and on its subscales (Ideas, Actions, and Feelings). There was a positive correlation between Total Neuroticism T Score and number of MMPI critical items.^ Conclusions. This study shows that the current pre-screening process is working and would have saved the organization significant resources. ^ If one was to develop a profile of a candidate who potentially could suffer a critical incident and subsequently jeopardize the unit, mission and the safety of the public they would look like the following: either divorced or never married, score high on the MMPI in Social Introversion, score low on MMPI with an "excessive" amount of MMPI critical items; and finally scores high on the NEO Openness and subscales Ideas, Feelings, and Actions.^ Based on the results gleaned from the analysis in this study there seems to be several factors, within psychometric testing, that when taken together, will aid the evaluators in selecting only the highest quality operators in order to save resources and to help protect the public from unfortunate critical incidents which may adversely affect our health and safety.^

Uma estratégia para otimizar a geração de arranjos em subestações virtuais de energia elétrica

The Virtual Reality techniques applied in Electricity Environments provide a new supervisory control paradigm. The fact of existing a virtual environment (VE), geometrically similar to a real substation, reduces the difference of mental models built by field operators compared with those built by system center operation improving the communication. Beside this, those systems can be used as visualization interfaces for electricity system simulators, training systems for professors and undergraduate students, field operators and maintenance professionals. However, the development process of these systems is quite complex, combining several activities such as implementation, 3D modeling, virtual sceneries construction, usability assessment and management project techniques. In this context, this work present a GUI strategy to build field arrangements based on scene graphs, to reduce time in Virtual Electricity Substations Arrangement development. Through this, mistakes during the VE building can be avoided making this process more reliable. As an concept proof, all toolkits developed in this work were applied in the virtualization of the substations from a Brazilian power concessionary named CEMIG.

Mental health promotion during pregnancy and early childhood : an action- research project in primary health care

ABSTRACT – Background: Primary Health Care (PHC) is usually the first contact with the health system, and health professionals are key mediators for enabling citizens to take care of their health. In Portugal, great improvements have been achieved in the biometric indicators of maternal and child health during the last decades. Nevertheless, scant attention has been paid to the mental health dimension, in spite of the recognition of its importance, being pregnancy and early childhood crucial opportunities in the lifecycle for mental health promotion, especially in the early years of life, with a strong impact in the health of the child. The impact of early attachment between mother and baby on maternal and child health has long been recognized. This attachment can be influenced by some factors, as the mother’s emotional adjustment. Attention to these factors may facilitate implementation of both positive conditions and preventative measures. Family support during the transition to parenthood has been highlighted as an effective measure and PHC professionals are in a privileged position as information sources as well as mediators. Aims: The project we present describes an action-research process developed together among academic researchers and health professionals to embrace these issues. We intend to enable health professionals to support families in the transition to parenthood thereby promoting children’s mental health. Approach: The project is driven by a participatory approach intended to lead to reorganization of health care during pregnancy and early childhood. Effective change happens when those involved are interested and motivated, what makes their participation so important. Reflection about current practices and needs, and knowledge about evidence-based interventions have been guiding the selection of changes to introduce in clinical practice for family support and development of parenthood skills and self-confidence. Development: We summarize the main steps in development: the initial assessment and the picture taken from the community under study; the decision making process; the training programme of PHC professionals in action; the review of the protocols of maternal consultation, home visits and antenatal education; the implementation planning; the plan for evaluation the effectiveness of the changes introduced in the delivery of maternal and child health care units. The already developed work has shown that motivation, leadership and organizational issues are decisive for process development.-------------------------- RESUMO - Os Cuidados de Saúde Primários são habitualmente o primeiro contacto com o sistema de saúde e os profissionais de saúde são mediadores chave na capacitação dos cidadãos para cuidarem da sua saúde. Em Portugal, nas últimas décadas, têm-se alcançado grandes melhorias nos indicadores biométricos de saúde materno-infantil. Contudo, tem-se dedicado pouca atenção à dimensão de saúde mental, apesar do reconhecimento da sua importância. A gravidez e primeira infância têm sido apontadas como uma oportunidade crucial no ciclo de vida para a promoção da saúde mental. É dado especial enfoque aos primeiros tempos de vida, dado o forte impacto na saúde da criança. O impacte da vinculação precoce entre a mãe e o bebé na saúde da mãe e da criança há muito que é reconhecido. Esta vinculação pode ser influenciada por vários factores, nomeadamente pelo ajustamento emocional da mãe. A focalização nestes aspectos pode facilitar a criação de condições favoráveis e a implementação de medidas preventivas. O suporte familiar durante o período de transição para a parentalidade tem sido enfatizado como uma medida eficaz e os Cuidados de Saúde Primários estão numa posição privilegiada como fontes de informação e como mediadores. O projecto que apresentamos descreve um processo de investigação- acção desenvolvido em parceria entre investigadores académicos e profissionais de saúde para abordar os aspectos referidos. Pretende-se capacitar os profissionais de saúde para apoiarem as famílias na transição para a parentalidade, promovendo assim a saúde mental das crianças. O projecto baseia-se numa abordagem participativa, direccionada para a reorganização dos cuidados durante a gravidez e primeiros tempos de vida. A mudança efectiva acontece quando os envolvidos estão interessados e motivados, o que torna a sua participação tão importante. A reflexão acerca das práticas e necessidades actuais e o conhecimento acerca de intervenções baseadas na evidência têm guiado a selecção das alterações a introduzir na prática clínica, no sentido de promover o suporte familiar e o desenvolvimento de competências parentais e auto-confiança. Neste artigo, apresentamos as etapas principais do desenvolvimento do projecto: avaliação inicial da comunidade em estudo; processo de tomada de decisão; programa de formação dos profissionais dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários; revisão dos protocolos da consulta de saúde materna, visita domiciliária e educação pré-natal; planeamento da implementação; plano de avaliação da efectividade das alterações introduzidas na prestação de cuidados. O trabalho já desenvolvido tem mostrado que a motivação, liderança e aspectos

Support in decision-making under uncertainty: a project risk assessment tool development and supplementary advances

A foremost dispute that persists on the contemporary world’s agenda is change. The on-going social/technological/economic changes create a competitive and challenging environment for companies to endure. To benefit from these changes, world economies partially depend on emerging Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and their adaptability skills, and subsequently the development of an integrated capability to innovate has become the prime strategy for most of SMEs to subsist and grow. However, innovation and change are always somewhat bonded to an inherent risk development, which subsequently brings on the necessity of a revision of risk management approaches in innovative processes, whose importance SMEs tend to disregard. Additionally, little efforts have been made to improve and create empirical models, metrics and tools to assist SMEs managing latent risks in their innovative projects. This work seeks to present and discuss a solution to support SMEs in engaging on systematic risk management practices, which consists on an integrated risk assessment and response support web-based tool - Spotrisk® - designed for SMEs. On the other hand, an inherent subjectivity is linked with risk management and identification processes, due to uncertainty trait of its nature, for each individual perceives situations according to his own idiosyncrasy, which brings complications in normalizing risk profiles and procedures. This essay aims to bring insights concerning the support in decision-making processes under uncertainty, by addressing issues related with the risk behavior character among individuals. To address such issues, subjects of neuroscience or psychology are explored and models to identify such character are proposed, as well as models to improve presented tool. This work attempts to go beyond the restrictive aim of endeavoring on technical improvement dissertation, and in embraces an exploratory conceptualization concerning micro, small and medium businesses’ traits regarding risk characters and project risk assessment tools.

Learning from risks: A tool for post-project risk assessment

Risk management (RM) comprises of risk identification, risk analysis, response planning, monitoring and action planning tasks that are carried out throughout the life cycle of a project in order to ensure that project objectives are met. Although the methodological aspects of RM are well-defined, the philosophical background is rather vague. In this paper, a learning-based approach is proposed. In order to implement this approach in practice, a tool has been developed to facilitate construction of a lessons learned database that contains risk-related information and risk assessment throughout the life cycle of a project. The tool is tested on a real construction project. The case study findings demonstrate that it can be used for storing as well as updating risk-related information and finally, carrying out a post-project appraisal. The major weaknesses of the tool are identified as, subjectivity of the risk rating process and unwillingness of people to enter information about reasons of failure.

Action research to explore perceptions of risk in project management

Uses research in a major UK company on the introduction of an electronic document management system to explore perceptions of, and attitudes to, risk. Phenomenological methods were used; with subsequent dialogue transcripts evaluated with Winmax dialogue software, using an adapted theoretical framework based upon an analysis of the literature. The paper identifies a number of factors, and builds a framework, that should support a greater understanding of risk assessment and project management by the academic community and practitioners.

Learning about knowledge management for improving environmental impact assessment in a government agency: The Western Australian experience

How does knowledge management (KM) by a government agency responsible for environmental impact assessment (EIA) potentially contribute to better environmental assessment and management practice? Staff members at government agencies in charge of the EIA process are knowledge workers who perform judgement-oriented tasks highly reliant on individual expertise, but also grounded on the agency`s knowledge accumulated over the years. Part of an agency`s knowledge can be codified and stored in an organizational memory, but is subject to decay or loss if not properly managed. The EIA agency operating in Western Australia was used as a case study. Its KM initiatives were reviewed, knowledge repositories were identified and staff surveyed to gauge the utilisation and effectiveness of such repositories in enabling them to perform EIA tasks. Key elements of KM are the preparation of substantive guidance and spatial information management. It was found that treatment of cumulative impacts on the environment is very limited and information derived from project follow-up is not properly captured and stored, thus not used to create new knowledge and to improve practice and effectiveness. Other opportunities for improving organizational learning include the use of after-action reviews. The learning about knowledge management in EIA practice gained from Western Australian experience should be of value to agencies worldwide seeking to understand where best to direct their resources for their own knowledge repositories and environmental management practice. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CDT, GGT, and AST as markers of alcohol use: The WHO/ISBRA Collaborative Project

Background: Estimates of the performance of carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) as markers of alcohol consumption have varied widely. Studies have differed in design and subject characteristics. The WHO/ISBRA Collaborative Study allows assessment and comparison of CDT, GGT, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) as markers of drinking in a large, well-characterized, multicenter sample. Methods: A total of 1863 subjects were recruited from five countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, and Japan). Recruitment was stratified by alcohol use, age, and sex. Demographic characteristics, alcohol consumption, and presence of ICD-10 dependence were recorded using an interview schedule based on the AUDADIS, CDT was assayed using CDTect(TM) and GGT and AST by standard methods. Statistical techniques included receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Multiple regression was used to measure the impact of factors other than alcohol on test performance. Results: CDT and GGT had comparable performance on ROC analysis, with AST performing slightly less well. CDT was a slightly but significantly better marker of high-risk consumption in men. All were more effective for detection of high-risk rather than intermediate-risk drinking. CDT and GGT levels were influenced by body mass index, sex, age, and smoking status. Conclusions: CDT was little better than GGT in detecting high- or intermediate-risk alcohol consumption in this large, multicenter, predominantly community-based sample. As the two tests are relatively independent of each other, their combination is likely to provide better performance than either test alone, Test interpretation should take account sex, age. and body mass index.

Is ambient intelligence a truly human-centric paradigm in industry? Current research and application scenario

Based on the paper presented at the International Conference “Autonomous Systems: inter-relations of technical and societal issues”, organized by IET with the support of the Portuguese-German collaboration project on “Technology Assessment of Autonomous Robotics” (DAAD/CRUP) at FCT-UNL, Biblioteca da UNL, Campus de Caparica on 5-6 November 2009.