2,031 research outputs found

    Multidisciplinary perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and the law

    Get PDF
    This open access book presents an interdisciplinary, multi-authored, edited collection of chapters on Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) and the Law. AI technology has come to play a central role in the modern data economy. Through a combination of increased computing power, the growing availability of data and the advancement of algorithms, AI has now become an umbrella term for some of the most transformational technological breakthroughs of this age. The importance of AI stems from both the opportunities that it offers and the challenges that it entails. While AI applications hold the promise of economic growth and efficiency gains, they also create significant risks and uncertainty. The potential and perils of AI have thus come to dominate modern discussions of technology and ethics – and although AI was initially allowed to largely develop without guidelines or rules, few would deny that the law is set to play a fundamental role in shaping the future of AI. As the debate over AI is far from over, the need for rigorous analysis has never been greater. This book thus brings together contributors from different fields and backgrounds to explore how the law might provide answers to some of the most pressing questions raised by AI. An outcome of the Católica Research Centre for the Future of Law and its interdisciplinary working group on Law and Artificial Intelligence, it includes contributions by leading scholars in the fields of technology, ethics and the law.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Archaeological palaeoenvironmental archives: challenges and potential

    Get PDF
    This Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) sponsored collaborative doctoral project represents one of the most significant efforts to collate quantitative and qualitative data that can elucidate practices related to archaeological palaeoenvironmental archiving in England. The research has revealed that archived palaeoenvironmental remains are valuable resources for archaeological research and can clarify subjects that include the adoption and importation of exotic species, plant and insect invasion, human health and diet, and plant and animal husbandry practices. In addition to scientific research, archived palaeoenvironmental remains can provide evidence-based narratives of human resilience and climate change and offer evidence of the scientific process, making them ideal resources for public science engagement. These areas of potential have been realised at an imperative time; given that waterlogged palaeoenvironmental remains at significant sites such as Star Carr, Must Farm, and Flag Fen, archaeological deposits in towns and cities are at risk of decay due to climate change-related factors, and unsustainable agricultural practices. Innovative approaches to collecting and archiving palaeoenvironmental remains and maintaining existing archives will permit the creation of an accessible and thorough national resource that can service archaeologists and researchers in the related fields of biology and natural history. Furthermore, a concerted effort to recognise absences in archaeological archives, matched by an effort to supply these deficiencies, can produce a resource that can contribute to an enduring geographical and temporal record of England's biodiversity, which can be used in perpetuity in the face of diminishing archaeological and contemporary natural resources. To realise these opportunities, particular challenges must be overcome. The most prominent of these include inconsistent collection policies resulting from pressures associated with shortages in storage capacity and declining specialist knowledge in museums and repositories combined with variable curation practices. Many of these challenges can be resolved by developing a dedicated storage facility that can focus on the ongoing conservation and curation of palaeoenvironmental remains. Combined with an OASIS + module designed to handle and disseminate data pertaining to palaeoenvironmental archives, remains would be findable, accessible, and interoperable with biological archives and collections worldwide. Providing a national centre for curating palaeoenvironmental remains and a dedicated digital repository will require significant funding. Funding sources could be identified through collaboration with other disciplines. If sufficient funding cannot be identified, options that would require less financial investment, such as high-level archive audits and the production of guidance documents, will be able to assist all stakeholders with the improved curation, management, and promotion of the archived resource

    Singing Our Stories: Building Community and Developing Self-Empowerment in the Childless Voices Choir

    Get PDF
    Involuntary childlessness is a complex and identity-shaping experience moulded by parameters of a pronatalist society. For the women who participated in this study, isolation, silence, and shame were experienced as a consequence of their childlessness. Motivated by the idea that singing, particularly in group contexts, might aid in unburdening women whose identities have been stigmatized by their childless circumstances, this ethnographic study examined whether, and in what ways, women experienced community and developed self-empowerment through participation in the Childless Voices Choir. Framed by theories of community (Delanty, 2018) and empowerment (Adams, 2008; McLaughlin, 2016), this research explored how meaningful engagement with group singing and collaborative song writing afforded the opportunity for eleven involuntarily childless women to use their voices collectively to mitigate the isolating and silencing impact of a stigmatized identity (Goffman, 1963) through the recognition, critique, and resistance of pronatalist discourses. Within the ethnographic framework of this study, a participatory action research (PAR) project was also employed, wherein seven of the study participants—and myself as researcher-participant—collaborated on the writing and recording of a song titled, “Calm After the Storm.” This project facilitated an opportunity for profound and meaningful expression. Emergent through analysis of the data were the umbrella themes of identity transformation and self-empowerment. These themes emerged through the experience of communitas (Turner (1969) and a sense of affective solidarity (Hemmings, 2012), as experienced through collective singing and collaborative song writing. The women who participated in this study experienced feelings of connectedness and belonging in new friendships that led to a sense of community among and between the participants. The development of communal bonds, in conjunction with their shared musical experiences, instigated a growth in musical and personal self-confidence and the development of self-empowerment. Additionally, the research revealed the impact of the song writing and recording project on the group’s sense of affective solidarity. For many of the women who participated in the PAR project, a sense of accomplishment aided in building self-confidence and developing self-empowerment, thus impacting their ability to speak about their childless experience both within and outside of the CNBC community. This research is significant to music education and community music practitioners, as it fills a gap in relation to musical engagements involving involuntarily childless women

    The Link Between Multilingualism and Intercultural Competence in Language Learning : An Empirical Investigation in Norwegian Secondary Schools

    Get PDF
    Denne artikkelbaserte doktorgradsavhandlingen er en del av UngsprĂ„k-prosjektet, en forskningsstudie som undersĂžker elevers flersprĂ„klighet og flersprĂ„klige identitet pĂ„ ungdomsskoler i Norge. Doktorgradsprosjektet har som hovedmĂ„l Ă„ utforske sammenhengen mellom flersprĂ„klighet og den interkulturelle dimensjonen i sprĂ„kopplĂŠringen. FĂžlgende forskningsspĂžrsmĂ„l ble formulert: I hvilken grad er flersprĂ„klighet og interkulturell kompetanse sammenkoblet i sprĂ„kopplĂŠringen pĂ„ ungdomstrinnet? og Hvordan kan denne sammenkoblingen utforskes i denne spesifikke konteksten? De tre fĂžrste artiklene setter sĂžkelys pĂ„ teoretiske og metodologiske aspekter. Artikkel 1 introduserer UngsprĂ„k-prosjektets flermetodiske tilnĂŠrming og drĂžfter blant annet ulike mĂ„ter Ă„ studere koblingen mellom flersprĂ„klighet og interkulturell kompetanse i sprĂ„kfagene i norske ungdomsskoler. Publikasjonen foreslĂ„r en todelt tilnĂŠrming som inkluderer en kvantitativ utforskning blant skoleelever og en kvalitativ studie av lĂŠrernes syn pĂ„ koblingen mellom flersprĂ„klighet og interkulturell kompetanse i fremmedsprĂ„ksfaget. I tillegg diskuterer artikkelen teoretiske spĂžrsmĂ„l og fremhever behovet for Ă„ forstĂ„ flersprĂ„klighetsom et komplekst og mangefasettert fenomen som kan vĂŠre assosiert med forskjellige faktorer (f.eks. sprĂ„klĂŠring i skolen, migrasjonsbakgrunn, kunnskap om dialekter og sprĂ„kvariasjoner og reseptiv flersprĂ„klighet). Publikasjonen indikerer ogsĂ„ behovet for Ă„ utvikle et forskningsinstrument som kan bidra til Ă„ utforske elevenes flersprĂ„klighet i dets fulle kompleksitet og i forbindelse med forskjellige faktorer. Artikkel 2 diskuterer utviklings- og valideringsprosessen til et slikt instrument. Publikasjonen introduserer det elektroniske kvantitative spĂžrreskjemaet UngsprĂ„k som ble utviklet til UngsprĂ„k-prosjektet. Med fokus pĂ„ elevenes flersprĂ„klighet, gir det nyutviklede verktĂžyet muligheter til Ă„ utforske faktorer som kan belyse nyansene i elevenes flersprĂ„klighet. Blant disse faktorene undersĂžker spĂžrreskjemaet elevenes Ă„penhet og toleranse for andre sine meninger, og muliggjĂžr dermed utforskning av den potensielle koblingen mellom studentenes flersprĂ„klige og interkulturelle kompetanse. Artikkel 3 analyserer UngsprĂ„k-spĂžrreundersĂžkelsen og fire andre kvantitative spĂžrreundersĂžkelser som har blitt brukt i forskning for Ă„ studere elevers interkulturelle kompetanse. Artikkelen undersĂžker hvordan og i hvilken grad spĂžrreundersĂžkelsene har hĂ„ndtert kulturell differensialisme, som har blitt sterkt kritisert i teoretisk forskning. Artikkelen fastslĂ„r at dette perspektivet fremdeles finnes i flere forskningsinstrumenter og diskuterer noen negative implikasjoner av bruken av slike verktĂžy. For eksempel kan de fremme stereotyper blant deltakerne og gi upĂ„litelige forskningsresultater. I tillegg foreslĂ„r artikkelen hvordan forskere kan unngĂ„ dette problematiske perspektivet i fremtidige empiriske studier. De to neste publikasjonene introduserer de empiriske funnene fra doktorgrad-prosjektet og gir innsikt i sammenhengen mellom flersprĂ„klighet og den interkulturelle dimensjonen i sprĂ„klĂŠring pĂ„ ungdomsskolen. Artikkel 4 utforsker hvordan elevenes flersprĂ„klighet, spesielt assosiert med Ă„ lĂŠre flere (engelsk og fremmedsprĂ„k) sprĂ„k pĂ„ skolen, kan kobles til elevers Ă„penhet. Basert pĂ„ de empiriske dataene som er samlet inn gjennom UngsprĂ„k-spĂžrreundersĂžkelsen fra 593 studenter, antyder artikkelen at det kan vĂŠre en sĂŠrlig kobling mellom studentenes Ă„penhet og fĂžlgende faktorer: lĂŠring av fremmedsprĂ„k i stedet for bare engelsk pĂ„ skolen, elevenes selvidentifisering som flersprĂ„klige og vennskap med jevnaldrende som har andre hjemmesprĂ„k enn norsk. Disse resultatene antyder at utviklingen av elevenes flersprĂ„klighet og flersprĂ„klige identitet gjennom Ă„ lĂŠre flere sprĂ„k pĂ„ skolen kan vĂŠre viktig for Ă„ fremme elevenes interkulturelle kompetanse. Bokkapittel 5 undersĂžker lĂŠrernes syn pĂ„ flersprĂ„klighet, interkulturell kompetanse og forbindelsen mellom disse to i faget FremmedsprĂ„k. Studien analyserer datamateriale fra semistrukturerte intervjuer med seks fremmedsprĂ„kslĂŠrere som jobber pĂ„ norske ungdomsskoler. Analysen viser at lĂŠrere ser pĂ„ fremmedsprĂ„ksfaget som et perfekt rom for Ă„ fremme studentenes interkulturelle kompetanse og flersprĂ„klighet i sammenheng. ForstĂ„elsen av denne sammenhengen er imidlertid avhengig av lĂŠrernes syn pĂ„ elementene som separate fenomener. Studien understreker behovet for Ă„ tilby klare definisjoner av sentrale konsepter i utdanningsdokumenter og Ă„ gi lĂŠrere praktiske retningslinjer for hvordan elementene kan undervises “i tandem” i faget FremmedsprĂ„k.This article-based PhD thesis is part of the UngsprĂ„k project, a mixed methods research study exploring students’ multilingualism and multilingual identity in lower secondary schools in Norway. Investigating the intersection of multilingualism and the intercultural dimension in language education, the present study seeks to answer the following research questions: To what extent are multilingualism and intercultural competence interconnected in secondary school language learning? and How can this interconnection be explored in this specific context? The first three articles focus on the theoretical and methodological aspects of the study. In introducing the mixed methods design of the overall UngsprĂ„k project, Article 1 explores, among other issues, ways of studying the link between multilingualism and intercultural competence in the context of language learning in Norwegian secondary schools. The publication suggests applying a two-fold approach that includes a quantitative exploration of this link in school students and a qualitative study of teachers’ views on the interconnection between the elements in the Foreign Language subject. Moreover, the article addresses theoretical issues regarding such an investigation and highlights the need to conceptualize multilingualism, especially in the Norwegian secondary school context, as a complex, multifaceted phenomenon that can be associated with various factors (e.g., learning additional languages at school, migration background, knowledge of dialects and language variations, and receptive multilingualism). The publication also indicates the need to develop a research instrument that can help explore students’ multilingualism in its complexity and relation to various factors. Article 2 discusses the development and process of validating such an instrument. This publication introduces the electronic quantitative questionnaire UngsprĂ„k, which was developed specifically for the purposes of the UngsprĂ„k project. Focusing on students’ multilingualism, this newly developed tool enables the exploration of many other factors that can potentially shed light on the nuances of students’ multilingualism. Among these factors, the questionnaire examines students’ open-mindedness, thus allowing for the investigation of the potential link between students’ multilingualism and intercultural competence. Article 3 provides a critical analysis of the UngsprĂ„k questionnaire and four other quantitative questionnaires that have been used in language learning research to explore students’ intercultural competence. It examines how and to what extent these tools have addressed the problematic perspective of cultural differentialism, which has been broadly criticized in theoretical research. The publication discusses some negative implications of the use of methodological tools that can reproduce cultural differentialism, such as the fostering of stereotypes among participants and the provision of unreliable research results. In addition, it suggests how researchers can avoid replicating this problematic perspective in future empirical studies. The fourth and fifth publications introduce the empirical findings of the PhD project and provide insights into the link between multilingualism and the intercultural dimension in secondary school language learning. Article 4 explores how students’ multilingualism, especially associated with learning additional (L2 English and L3 Spanish/German/French) languages at school, can be connected to open-mindedness. Based on the empirical data collected through the UngsprĂ„k questionnaire from 593 students, the article suggests that there can be a particular link between students’ open-mindedness and the following factors: learning an L3 (Spanish/German/French) rather than only L2 (English) at school, students’ self-identification as multilingual, and friendship with peers whose home languages include those other than Norwegian. These results suggest that the development of students’ multilingualism and multilingual identity through learning additional languages at school can potentially be important in promoting students’ intercultural competence. The fifth publication, a book chapter, examines teachers’ views on multilingualism, intercultural competence, and the interconnection between the two as elements of the Foreign Language subject. The study draws on data from semi-structured interviews with six foreign language teachers working in Norwegian schools. It reveals that educators consider a foreign language classroom to be a perfect space for promoting students’ intercultural competence and multilingualism in interconnection. However, the understanding of this interconnection depends entirely on teachers’ views of the elements as separate phenomena. The study underlines the need to offer clear definitions of key concepts in policy documents and to provide teachers with practical guidelines on how the elements can be implemented in tandem in a foreign language classroom.Doktorgradsavhandlin

    Bouncing Back: Resilience and Its Limits in Late-Age Composing

    Get PDF
    This essay is one of a series on my mother’s late-age composing, studying a writing project she started at age 70 and worked on for more than 25 years. Her intention was to integrate extensive reading, personal experience, and cultural observations to explain changes in parenting (and, by extension, education and enculturation of the next generation) from her childhood in the 1920s through the 2000s. When she died at 97, she left behind a 75-page draft, but was unable to complete her plans for revisions and an ending. I focus here on identifying the multiple factors in the ecology of her aging literacy that interacted to interrupt, slow down, and ultimately prevent her from finishing the essay. By studying her artifacts and documenting stresses on her literacy system (defined as body/mind/environment), I constructed timelines for her aging literacy and composing, expressed in visualizations. These demonstrate a pattern of persistence and resilience, “bouncing back” from setbacks, but at progressively lower levels until she reaches the limits of her literacy system in late old age

    Beam scanning by liquid-crystal biasing in a modified SIW structure

    Get PDF
    A fixed-frequency beam-scanning 1D antenna based on Liquid Crystals (LCs) is designed for application in 2D scanning with lateral alignment. The 2D array environment imposes full decoupling of adjacent 1D antennas, which often conflicts with the LC requirement of DC biasing: the proposed design accommodates both. The LC medium is placed inside a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) modified to work as a Groove Gap Waveguide, with radiating slots etched on the upper broad wall, that radiates as a Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA). This allows effective application of the DC bias voltage needed for tuning the LCs. At the same time, the RF field remains laterally confined, enabling the possibility to lay several antennas in parallel and achieve 2D beam scanning. The design is validated by simulation employing the actual properties of a commercial LC medium

    Designs of Blackness

    Get PDF
    Across more than two centuries Afro-America has created a huge and dazzling variety of literary self-expression. Designs of Blackness provides less a narrative literary history than, precisely, a series of mappings—each literary-critical and comparative while at the same time offering cultural and historical context. This carefully re-edited version of the 1998 publication opens with an estimation of earliest African American voice in the names of Phillis Wheatley and her contemporaries. It then takes up the huge span of autobiography from Frederick Douglass through to Maya Angelou. "Harlem on My Mind," which follows, sets out the literary contours of America’s premier black city. Womanism, Alice Walker’s presiding term, is given full due in an analysis of fiction from Harriet E. Wilson to Toni Morrison. Richard Wright is approached not as some regulation "realist" but as a more inward, at times near-surreal, author. Decadology has its risks but the 1940s has rarely been approached as a unique era of war and peace and especially in African American texts. Beat Generation work usually adheres to Ginsberg and Kerouac, but black Beat writing invites its own chapter in the names of Amiri Baraka, Ted Joans and Bob Kaufman. The 1960s has long become a mythic change-decade, and in few greater respects than as a black theatre both of the stage and politics. In Leon Forrest African America had a figure of the postmodern turn: his work is explored in its own right and for how it takes its place in the context of other reflexive black fiction. "African American Fictions of Passing" unpacks the whole deceptive trope of "race" in writing from Williams Wells Brown through to Charles Johnson. The two newly added chapters pursue African American literary achievement into the Obama-Trump century, fiction from Octavia Butler to Darryl Pinkney, poetry from Rita Dove to Kevin Young

    Volume 45: Full Issue

    Get PDF
    Humboldt Journal of Social Relations 50th Anniversary Edition: Becoming a Polytechni
    • 

    corecore