Browsing by Subject "efficiency"
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(2012)Brains are capable of processing information with remarkable efficiency under constraints set by the limited supply of physical resources such as the amount of space and the availability of metabolic energy. Natural selection has optimised the structure and function of brain networks using simple design rules similar to those found in man-made electronic and information systems. This study presents findings concerning a number of general principles of brain design governing the evolution and organisation of neural information processing. The rule of minimising wiring in neuronal networks is one such principle operating on multiple levels of brain organisation. Both individual components and larger brain architectural units are seen to feature characteristics of near-optimal wiring. Miniaturisation of neuronal components conserves space but raises problems about noise in signalling. Small-world organisation of anatomical and functional networks is widely employed in the brain, contributing to high global efficiency at low cost. Metabolic costs severely constrain signal traffic in the human brain, necessitating the use of energy-efficient sparse neural representations. Extensive evidence is presented of anatomical and physiological optimisations facilitating efficient information processing in brain networks. Limitations of current experimental techniques are discussed, with a view on possible future avenues of research.
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(2022)The meaning of this study is to find out how the pursuit of efficiency and education at univer-sities is viewed university students. According to the Finnish university act, the purpose of universities is to cultivate education and give the highest form of research-based education. The neoliberal educational policy has driven universities to an ever-increasing pursuit for effi-ciency, and the university has changed significantly during the 2000s, especially after the university act of 2010. The current state of university has been criticized a lot and the staff of universities have voiced a concern regarding the direction of the future of the university. This study examines how students experience the present university’s goals regarding efficiency and education. Nine students from the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Helsinki partici-pated in this study. They have also acted as student activists which means that they have been in a student organization or have acted as a student representative in a body of the uni-versity. The data was collected by interviewing the student activists. The base of the inter-view was a background information form which asked students about their views of university studies. The data was analysed with theory-based content analysis. The results show that the pursuit of efficiency, education and their interweave occurred at university studies. The studies were considered easy, the university staff focused on their re-search rather than teaching and there was a strong encouragement to graduate in target time. These are examples of how the pursuit of efficiency rises up in studies. The values of educa-tion were shown in studies in the studies being in a good level of difficulty, the university staff putting effort into teaching and a trust in extensive possibilities of studying. The interweave of efficiency and education appeared for example through students aiming for a degree and ed-ucation at the same time in university studies. The university studies appear to have gotten new conditions that concentrate on performance-oriented studies. On the other hand, the studies seem to have signs of education and the students of educational sciences consider them to be important. Efficiency and education exist at the studies at the same time.
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