by Uriel Jospeh Wilensky., Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 1993., Includes bibliographical references (leaves 201-209).

If we are to understand the innately human ability to solve complex problems, we must first understand the cognitive processes that allow us to combine different kinds of knowledge, to learn new things and to communicate with other people. I…

Invention is largely information driven. Everyone in a community of inventors is an aggregator of information relevant to invention. Sharing some of this information across a community of inventors will result in greater invention effectiveness at the individual and community…

There is a great need among educators for a way to quickly assign teams in large or distance learning classrooms in a manner superior to random assignment or student self-selection. Forming teams based on knowledge of students' characteristics is too…

Building energy simulation (ES) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can play important roles in building design by providing essential information to help design energy-efficient, thermally comfortable and healthy buildings. However, separate applications of ES and CFD usually cannot give an…

Heavily used in the manufacture of integrated circuits, chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) is becoming an enabling technology for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). To reliably use CMP in the manufacturing process, designers must be able to accurately predict the CMP process and control…

Nature and Gnosticism are problematic terms. With the discovery of a library of so called heretical Gnostic texts in 1945, theologians, historians, and believers the world over have been exposed to Christian texts that call into question the liturgical lineage…

The thesis comprises three essays on various aspects of the development and diffusion of pharmaceutical innovations, woven together by the idea that the production of clinical knowl- edge influences organizational design, pricing, and advertising decisions in the pharmaceutical industry -…

To take further steps along the path toward true artificial intelligence, systems must be built that are capable of learning about the world around them through observation and explanation. These systems should be flexible and robust in the style of…

This study offers a detailed case study of how Toyota facilitates interorganizational knowledge transfers among within its production network. In particular, we identiify and examine six key institutionalized knowledge sharing routines developed by Toyota and its suppliers. By examining how…