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Research paper : A field-scientific approach to Clinico-Informatics (Y. Kinoshita et al.)−70−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.3 No.1 (2010) edge of the W-shape where the flow goes from the thinking level to experience level. It is a step for gathering information to analyze the situation. 2) Trial experiments correspond to field observation and, in some cases also to experimental observation. The model experiment and restoration experiment that will be mentioned later also correspond to field observation, and the blind experiment and man-hour measurement by engineers to experimental observation in the laboratory. 3) What we call “from entrance to backyard” is nothing but the cycle of the entire W-shaped process; a perfect model solving process in the KJ method is a six time iteration of the W-shaped process. 4) Training of engineers corresponds to the path from the “warehouse of knowledge” to the starting point of the problem solving cycle in the left top of the W-shape. The knowledge is given to the engineer, and the next cycle of the W-shaped process is started. 5) The final step corresponds to “abduction and integration”. For example, after the procedure is written as a manual, the adequacy of the manual is checked by experiment.5 Element techniques for technology transferIn this chapter, we discuss several element techniques for technology transfer that may be used in the scenario described in the previous chapter.5.1 Fieldwork of technology transferTechnology transfer may be conducted by a research team in the form of fieldwork. As mentioned earlier, fieldwork in clinico-informatics is not methodologically organized compared to fieldwork in the fields of ethnology and sociology; there are many to be learned from these fields of study, especially methods for information gathering or exploration. At any rate, we conducted our fieldwork with the following slogans.a) Proceed according to the values in the fieldThe fieldwork of technology transfer should be conducted according to the values in the field rather than that in academia. To solve the problem in the field takes priority over writing a research paper on each element techniquesNote 8).So, the specific technique to be transferred should not be selected for the sake of applying a particular research result of a research team. This does not necessarily mean, however, that the research team must swallow every bit of what people in the field say; on the contrary, the research team may occasionally have to be opposed to the opinion of the people in the field, provided they think in terms of the values in the field, not in academia. In spite of initial possible disagreement, however, it is important for both to come to an agreement to proceed further.For example, there was the aforementioned case where the industrial partner insisted in development of a fully automatic tool, but the research team did not regard it as a good solution. It should be emphasized that the research team in this case totally took the standpoint of the values in the field. In another example[13], the industrial partner requested the problem to be solved in the implementation process. It is, however, usually considered more effective to apply Mathematical Methods to processes in logically upper levels such as the requirement analysis process and the design process in software development. Accepting the industrial partner’s requirement, the research team in this case made several trial experiments, through which they even developed some element techniques. As a result, they confirmed that the model checking technology was also effective in the implementation procedure. This is a case where the request from the field was incorporated successfully.b) Principle of 4:6Scientists involved in the research team of fieldwork are expected not only to be competent in scientific research, but also to be able to think and work in context of the fieldin our case, industry. From the viewpoint of administration of research, it is important to organize a system where scientists involved are well motivated in fieldwork; in other words, there should be some academic element in their work. Also, we expect some bidirectional and mutual reaction between thought in an industrial context and that in an academic context. The slogan we made up to proceed in this direction is the principle of 4:6, which means researchers involved in fieldwork should use 40 % of their effort for fieldwork and 60 % for traditional academic work, that is, work in bibliographical science and experimental science. The idea is that traditional scientific work not only motivates scientists but also enables the use of methods and knowledge of the frontier of basic science in the fieldwork. In that way, a new direction of academic research may well be created, reflecting the issues in the field. It is often essential to evaluate the results of the fieldwork from the viewpoint of academia, but in such a case, knowledge and ability of the involved scientist in basic science is importantNote 9).Here is a case study in verification of software in industry[14]. The target was the design of web user interface, and there were two specifications: one for the screen transition as seen from the user, and the other was a flowchart that described the control flow of the program. The request from our industrial partner was to check for the consistency between the two specifications. The research team attempted to clarify the word “consistency” used in the field, and it was found that the word in their context meant a certain simulation relation, which nowadays is one of the basic notions in programming semantics. Fortunately, the research team was able to
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