Technology refers to any set of standardised procedures for transforming raw materials into finished products. Innovation consists of any change in technology which has tangible and lasting effect on human practices, whether or not it provides utilitarian advantages. Prehistoric societies were never static, but the tempo of innovation occasionally increased to the point that we can refer to transformation taking place. Prehistorians must therefore identify factors promoting or hindering innovation.This volume stems from an international workshop, organised by the Collaborative Research Centre 1266 'Scales of Transformation' at Kiel University in November 2017. The meeting challenged its participants to detect and explain technological change in the past and its role in transformation processes, using archaeological and ethnographic case studies. The papers draw mainly on examples from prehistoric Europe, but case-studies from Iran, the Indus Valley, and contemporary central America are also included. The authors adopt several perspectives, including cultural-historical, economic, environmental, demographic, functional, and agent-based approaches.These case studies often rely on interdisciplinary research, whereby field archaeology, archaeometric analysis, experimental archaeology and ethnographic research are used together to observe and explain innovations and changes in the artisan's repertoire. The results demonstrate that interdisciplinary research is becoming essential to understanding transformation phenomena in prehistoric archaeology, superseding typo-chronological description and comparison.This book is a scholarly publication aimed at academic researchers, particularly archaeologists and archaeological scientists working on ceramics, osseous and metal artifacts.

New technologies may be heralded as life-changing innovations or feared as risks to moral values, human health, and environmental safety. Anxieties surrounding technology are often heightened by perceptions that their benefits will accrue to small sections of society while the risks are more widely distributed. Innovation and Its Enemies identifies the tension between the need for innovation and the pressure to maintain continuity, social order and stability as one of today's biggest policy challenges. It looks at a number of historical examples, including coffee, electricity, margarine, farm mechanization, recorded music, transgenic crops and transgenic animals, to show how new technologies emerge, take root and create new institutional ecologies that favor their dominance in the marketplace.

The aim of the book is to present contributions in theory, policy and practice to the science and policy of sustainable intensification by means of technological and institutional innovations in agriculture. The research insights re from Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The purpose of this book is to be a reference for students, scholars and practitioners inthe field of science and policy for understanding and identifying agricultural productivity growth potentials in marginalized areas.

This important book addresses how long term and large scale shifts from one socio-technical system to another come about, using insights from evolutionary economics, sociology of technology and innovation studies. These major changes involve not just technological changes, but also changes in markets, regulation, culture, industrial networks and infrastructure. The book develops a multi-level perspective, arguing that transitions take place through the alignment of multiple processes at three levels: niche, regime and landscape. This perspective is illustrated by detailed historical case studies: the transition from sailing ships to steamships, the transition from horse-and-carriage to automobiles and the transition from propeller-piston engine aircraft to turbojets. This book will be of great interest to researchers in innovation studies, evolutionary economics, sociology of technology and environmental studies. It will also be useful for policy makers involved in long-term sustainability and systems transitions issues.

On March 3-4, 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders held a workshop in Washington, DC, bringing together key stakeholders to discuss opportunities for improving the integrity, efficiency, and validity of clinical trials for nervous system disorders. Participants in the workshop represented a range of diverse perspectives, including individuals not normally associated with traditional clinical trials. The purpose of this workshop was to generate discussion about not only what is feasible now, but what may be possible with the implementation of cutting-edge technologies in the future.

Innovations in library services are rapidly developing within numerous areas including building design, program and event planning, patron experience and engagement, literacy program development, and administration and management. To ensure these changes are implemented and considered successfully, a closer look at the challenges, trends, and practices of these innovations is crucial. Technological Advancements in Library Service Innovation examines the recent activities of successful and groundbreaking research and practices around the world surrounding library service innovation and presents various forward-thinking initiatives. It also provides an overview of libraries’ successful experiences, identifies emerging global themes and trends, and offers guidance to library practitioners on how to pursue the recent trends in their own library environment. Covering topics such as technology adoption and organizational structures, this book is ideal for library professionals, researchers, academicians, instructors, and students.

Widely spread all over Europe and the world, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is the subject of great, interest as the ultimate frontier of linguistic and pedagogical research. It impinges on the general cognitive processes involved in learning, on language acquisition and on the development of digital competencies. This volume attests to the spreading of the new “CLIL literacy” in the frame of pluriliteracies, and derives theoretical reflections from case studies and experiential reports, thus addressing both academic and school instructors. It combines research from international CLIL experts with the critical perspectives of academics not directly involved in its instruction.

The evolution of technology in education can no longer be comprehended simply by looking at the use of computers and networks. Technology is not just a supplementary tool to the conventional method of education. Education has to undergo a complete transformation with technological innovations for the sustainability of quality education as a system and not in silos. Sustainability in education also necessitates a more workable strategy to realize socially viable educational policies and practices which can focus more on personalized learning. Due to various factors like emerging technologies; changing needs of the learners; policy reforms for enhancing employability; and emphasis on uninterrupted education as in the case of the pandemic scenario of COVID-19, there is a need to steer a major transition in the education system. The education system has to be real and proficient for it to be instrumental to nurture an informed and knowledgeable society. This book on technological innovations in higher education is organized, largely, based on the diversity of higher education ecosystems that are supported by technological innovations. Various author viewpoints give insights into the full potential of technology as well as its risks in interrelated areas of higher education to work towards sustainability of value-based quality education across the globe.

From the invention of eyeglasses to the Internet, this three-volume set examines the pivotal effects of inventions on society, providing a fascinating history of technology and innovations in the United States from the earliest European colonization to the present. Technical Innovation in American History surveys the history of technology, documenting the chronological and thematic connections between specific inventions, technological systems, individuals, and events that have contributed to the history of science and technology in the United States. Covering eras from colonial times to the present day in three chronological volumes, the entries include innovations in fields such as architecture, civil engineering, transportation, energy, mining and oil industries, chemical industries, electronics, computer and information technology, communications (television, radio, and print), agriculture and food technology, and military technology. The A–Z entries address key individuals, events, organizations, and legislation related to themes such as industry, consumer and medical technology, military technology, computer technology, and space science, among others, enabling readers to understand how specific inventions, technological systems, individuals, and events influenced the history, cultural development, and even self-identity of the United States and its people. The information also spotlights how American culture, the U.S. government, and American society have specifically influenced technological development.

Strategic Adoption of Technological Innovations brings together research from practitioners on the development, use, and importance of information technology in order to achieve organizational performance. This comprehensive collection is useful for academicians, scholars, researchers and other industry professionals to provide an understanding of strategy and use of information systems in organizations and entities.