7,745 research outputs found
The rhetoric of research
In 1993 Christopher Frayling, the Rector of the Royal College of Art in London, published an article about the nature of research in art and design. The present paper revisits his threefold distinction of "research- in art, research-through art and research-for art", and considers why Frayling found the third category to be problematic. The analytical methods used are linguistic (a constructionist approach to the rhetorical effect of construing various prepositions with "research"), and philosophical (a Wittgensteinian approach, distinguishing between socially agreed normative criteria, and non-normative indicators or symptoms). The paper argues that the instrumentality of terms such as "research" should be contrasted by observations of how the register of artefacts is used in the advancement of the field. If one adopts a constructionist approach then one is forced to be sceptical about the reification of publicly agreed criteria. The paper uses Wittgenstein's distinction between criteria and symptoms to identify three indicators of research that may point towards a solution to Frayling's problem through the re-description of his category "research- for" art as "a work-of" art.Final Accepted Versio
Extension of low-thrust propulsion to the autonomous coplanar circular restricted four body problem with application to future Trojan Asteroid missions
An Autonomous Coplanar Circular Restricted Four Body Problem (CRFBP) is considered, where the massless body is a low-thrust spacecraft. 'Natural' and 'artificial' (i.e. created with the use of continuous low-thrust propulsion) equilibrium solutions are identified, that have the potential to be exploited in future science missions. Results show that, with zero thrust, there are unstable equilibrium points close to the third primary. However, artificial equilibrium points, displaced from the natural ones, can be generated with the use of constant low-thrust. Furthermore, these points are proved to be stable in certain regions about the third primary mass. This is particularly advantageous since it means that it would be possible to continuously maintain a spacecraft about these strategic observation points, close to the smaller primary, without the need for state feedback control. The Sun-Jupiter-Trojan Asteroid-Spacecraft system is considered, as a particular case of the Autonomous Coplanar CRFBP. Curves of artificial equilibrium points are then identified. Furthermore, the stability analysis of these points reveals the region where they are stable. In this region four bounded orbits close to the Asteroid are proved to exist, that can be reached and maintained with a constant low-thrust lower than 10”N
Supervision in an alternative paradigm
Original article can be found at: http://www.textjournal.com.au/speciss/issue6/content.htmIn this paper we express our framing of supervision as preparation and training for professional practice as a researcher, rather than the culmination of tertiary education. Instead of discussing the supervisory activity, performance and best practice, we focus on the uniqueness of practice as a researcher in the creative arts as being constituted by an emerging and novel research paradigm. We develop the theoretical framework of Guba and Lincoln, contrasting their use of the term âparadigmâ with that of Kuhn. We identify research in the creative arts as being a so-called âalternative paradigmâ but having its own unique characteristics. However, we claim that these characteristics are not discretionary but related to generic characteristics of research. By developing Guba and Lincolnâs model, we argue that the characteristics of research in the creative arts cannot simply be translated or inferred from the characteristics of research in cognate disciplines, but must be derived from the worldview and values of the arts community. This involves identifying both generic and discipline-specific characteristics. We claim that the discipline-specific characteristics reflect the values that are found in professional practice, and the generic characteristics reflect the values that are found in academic research across disciplines. As a result of establishing criteria for the evaluation of activities as research in a novel paradigm such as the creative arts, we present a critical framework for thesis production that facilitates the inclusion of the researcherâs own creative work in the doctoral study. A number of issues arising from the experience of the authors as supervisors and examiners are discussed. Finally, a template for a seven-chapter thesis in the creative arts is proposed, which addresses common problems such as weaknesses in the single-case study approach and researcher bias in participant-observation studies.Peer reviewe
Inferring a collective concept of research from the actions of the art and design research community
This article examines output types as manifestations of different concepts of research. We compare the UK academic scene to that of Brazil, identifying the former as responding âbottom-upâ to researcher needs and the latter determining âtop-downâ what researchers can do. Taking the UK model as indicative of what researchers think they need, we undertook a detailed analysis of the output types used in RAE2008 across all subjects in order to see which types were used and by whom. We also undertook a further analysis of the use of traditional, text-based formats in art and design, and the use of non-traditional, non-textual output types in other subjects. We conclude that both the journal format and the exhibition format are expressive of the understanding each community has of the meaning of research as an activity. This is further reinforced by the national structures within which research is undertaken and evaluatedPeer reviewedSubmitted Versio
A two-dimensional search for a Gauss-Newton algorithm
Original article can be found at: http://www.ici.ro/camo/journal/jamo.htmThis paper describes a fall-back procedure for use with the Gauss-Newton method for nonlinear least-squares problems. While the basic Gauss-Newton algorithm is often successful, it is well-known that it can sometimes generate poor search directions and exhibit slow convergence. For dealing with such situations we suggest a new two-dimensional search strategy. Numerical experiments indicate that the proposed technique can be effective.Peer reviewe
Operator pencils on the algebra of densities
In this paper we continue to study equivariant pencil liftings and
differential operators on the algebra of densities. We emphasize the role that
the geometry of the extended manifold plays. Firstly we consider basic
examples. We give a projective line of diff()-equivariant pencil liftings
for first order operators, and the canonical second order self-adjoint lifting.
Secondly we study pencil liftings equivariant with respect to volume preserving
transformations. This helps to understand the role of self-adjointness for the
canonical pencils. Then we introduce the Duval-Lecomte-Ovsienko (DLO)-pencil
lifting which is derived from the full symbol calculus of projective
quantisation. We use the DLO-pencil lifting to describe all regular
proj-equivariant pencil liftings. In particular the comparison of these pencils
with the canonical pencil for second order operators leads to objects related
to the Schwarzian. Within this paper the question of whether the pencil lifting
factors through a full symbol map naturally arises.Comment: 23 pages, LaTeX file Small corrections are mad
Motivating a volunteer workforce in the criminal justice system
The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) requires that police detention processes are monitored and inspected. The United Kingdom is partially ensuring this provision through the use of an existing independent volunteer workforce. This research explores the conditions required for the effective use of this volunteer workforce through 12 semi-structured interviews. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used that initially generated 46 motivator codes that were clustered into six themes of volunteer motivation consisting of: personal affect, personal growth, social goals, altruistic, activity and values. Ten demotivators were also revealed through the interviews. The implications of these findings for volunteer motivation and how organisations may capitalise on this are discusse
Motivating a volunteer workforce in the criminal justice system
The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) requires that police detention processes are monitored and inspected. The United Kingdom is partially ensuring this provision through the use of an existing independent volunteer workforce. This research explores the conditions required for the effective use of this volunteer workforce through 12 semi-structured interviews. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used that initially generated 46 motivator codes that were clustered into six themes of volunteer motivation consisting of: personal affect, personal growth, social goals, altruistic, activity and values. Ten demotivators were also revealed through the interviews. The implications of these findings for volunteer motivation and how organisations may capitalise on this are discusse
A pedagogical proposal in an area of epistemological uncertainty
IV Projetar 2009: PROJETO COMO INVESTIGAĂĂO: ENSINO, PESQUISA E PRĂTICA FAU-UPM SĂO PAULO BRASIL, Outubro 2009In professional areas in which there is an element of design practice, such as architecture and urbanism, the academic model of knowledge has not been clearly articulated. This means that often the values held in professional practice run counter to the traditional models of knowledge and research that are adopted. As a result there is a problem in accounting for research in these areas in ways that will be recognised and valued by both communities. There is an ongoing debate about the best way of dealing with and reflecting these values that are, from the academic viewpoint, non-traditional. The debate has substantiated an emergent type of research that is specific to areas of design practice that is called âPractice-based Researchâ (PbR). PbR claims that design practice has an instrumental role in research in areas such as design and urban planning. This role is different from the role of experimentation in traditional empirical research, and different from the role of practice in professional design practice. This paper describes the development and delivery of a research methods training course in the department of spatial planning and design (Stedenbouw) at the Technical University Delft (TU Delft, Netherlands) that builds on research by the âNon-traditional Knowledge and Communicationâ project (NtKC) at the University of Hertfordshire (UK). The paper will analyse the way in which research and practice are problematized in the TU Delft course. We claim that the problem of PbR manifests the differences between the worldviews of academic research and professional practice, with their differing aims and values. As a result, training and expertise in the professional values of design practice is insufficient for academic research, leading to a need for specific training as a researcher that recognises these differences. This need has been accepted at an institutional level in many universities in Europe, and the TU Delft course represents one such training programme
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