Head movements and prosody in multimodal feedback

Proceedings of the 3rd Nordic Symposium on Multimodal Communication. Editors: Patrizia Paggio, Elisabeth Ahlsén, Jens Allwood, Kristiina Jokinen, Costanza Navarretta. NEALT Proceedings Series, Vol. 15 (2011), 25–32. © 2011 The editors and contributors. Published by Northern European Association for Language Technology (NEALT) http://omilia.uio.no/nealt . Electronically published at Tartu University Library (Estonia) http://hdl.handle.net/10062/22532

The Blod Method: Case Study of an Artistic Research Project in Film

The BLOD project aims to create multivocal cinematic experiences through embodied practices. The research explores relation- building through a feminist methodology of creating gaps and friction – between audience, story, time, matter, and co-creators. The project asks, how to tell multifaceted, non-exploitive stories of womb-related states of life and death, rarely depicted in cinema? And how to disturb film industry hierarchies through a collaborative practice that maintains individual artistic integrity and promotes collective authorship? The BLOD method is articulated as a Manifesto, written to accommodate a multitude of contents, forms, and modes of collaboration, while demanding cross-disciplinarity, honesty and risk-taking. The method is non-linear, looping, and embedded in the manifestations of the research: films, performances, presentations, etc. Through this paper, different aspects of the BLOD method are tossed around in relation to BLOD research activities; making cinematic building blocks that allow and induce multiplicity, improvisation, and fluidity of form; sharing personal experiences through fictionalized documentary processes; dealing with ethics in interpersonal and ecological relations. The paper proposes that critical reflection and vulnerability are integral to film production and offers this case study as an example for method development in other research projects or films – especially ones that sprawl, tangle, and defy categorization by field or discipline

Hvordan opplever lærere å undervise i klasserom med dårlig akustikk?

Masteroppgave i logopedi - Universitetet i Nordland, 2013Bakgrunn: I læreryrket stilles det store krav til en vel-fungerende stemme. Lærere bruker stemmen mye hver dag, og må ofte bruke ekstra styrke på stemmen for å høres av elevene. Man kan si at stemmen er lærerens viktigste verktøy i undervisningen. Forskning viser at lærere er blant de yrkesgruppene som er mest utsatt for å utvikle stemmevansker, nettopp av den grunn at de bruker stemmen mye. Gjennom min yrkeserfaring som lærer har jeg opplevd hvor viktig stemmebruk er for å nå fram til elevene. Av og til må man bruke mer stemmestyrke enn normalt for at elevene skal høre. Fysiske forhold, som for eksempel akustikkproblematikk i klasserom, vil virke inn på måten man bruker stemmen. Normalt vil man heve stemmestyrke og stemmeleie for å overdøve lang etterklang i klasserommet. Dette vil kunne føre til stemmevansker hvis det vedvarer over lang tid. Formålet med denne undersøkelsen er å undersøke hvordan lærere opplever å undervise i klasserom med dårlig akustikk. Problemstilling: Hvordan opplever lærere å undervise i klasserom med dårlig akustikk? Metode: Denne undersøkelsen har en kvalitativ tilnærming med utgangspunkt i fire semistrukturerte intervju. Undersøkelsen kan forklares som et embedded (sammensatt) singelcasestudie. Casen tar utgangspunkt i fire ulike analyseenheter ved en skole som har opplevd det samme tilfellet. Informasjonen fra disse analyseenhetene ses på som en helhet innenfor casen. Utvalget består av fire lærere ved en skole. Utvalget ble valgt ut på bakgrunn av et kriterie. De måtte ha undervist i klasserom med dårlig akustikk. Forskningsresultater: Resultatene fra undersøkelsen viser at det er kvinnene som opplever akustikkproblematikken som en belastning for stemmen. Det synes som om individuelle forutsetninger og kjønn har noe å si for hvordan stemmen og stemmeapparatet påvirkes av akustikk. Undersøkelsen viser videre at lang etterklangstid i klasserom er forbundet med irritasjon, tretthet og stress. Alle informantene i denne undersøkelsen sier de blir stresset av å undervise i klasserom med dårlig akustikk. Dette påvirker arbeidsmiljøet. Det er også en sammenheng mellom å være stresset, og det å oppleve spenninger i nakke- og skuldermuskulatur

Konservativ versus kirurgisk behandling av fremre korsbåndskader

Sammendrag Bakgrunn: Studentene hadde et inntrykk om at det er konsensus med kirurgisk rekonstruksjon som behandlingstiltak etter fremre korsbåndskader. Det var ønskelig å undersøke om litteraturen kunne forsvare dette. Fremre korsbåndskader er en av de mer alvorlige kneskadene og skjer hyppig i forbindelse med idrett. Gjenopprettelse av stabilitet i forbindelse med tilbakekomst til idrett er ofte et av hovedargumentene for valg av rekonstruksjon. Likevel er det en usikkerhet rundt dette behandlingstiltaket og hvilke langtidskonsekvenser det kan gi. Problemstilling: Hvilket tiltak av konservativ eller kirurgisk behandling gir best resultat etter fremre korsbåndskader, med fokus på osteologiske forandringer? Metode: Oppgaven er gjennomført som et litteraturstudie. En søkestreng er benyttet i databasene Medline, Amed og Embase. Inklusjons- og eksklusjonskriteriene inkluderte engelske og norske oversiktsartikler som omhandlet korsbåndskader med fokus på artosedannelse hos konservativt og kirurgisk behandlede pasienter. Resultater: Søket resulterte i 344 treff, hvorav seks artikler oppfylte inklusjons- og eksklusjonskriteriene. Tre artikler fant ingen forskjell i artrose hos konservativt og kirugisk behandlede pasienter. To artikler konkluderte med en sammenheng mellom korsbåndskader og artrose. Én artikkel konkluderte at kirurgisk behandlede pasienter hadde økt risiko for artrose, men én annen artikkel konkluderte at konservativt behandlede pasienter var utsatt. Fire konkluderte med at meniskskader økte risikoen for artrose og to artikler argumenterte for at konservativt behandlede pasienter var utsatt for meniskskader. Konklusjon: Litteraturen er delt i oppfatningen av hvilket tiltak som gir best resultat. Enkelte studier gir holdepunkter for det ene eller andre tiltaket, men ikke nok for å gi en klar konklusjon. Derimot er det stor enighet at pasienter med meniskskader kombinert med fremre korsbåndskader har større sannsynlighet for å utvikle artrose. Et større utvalg artikler eller eventuelt bedre studier på temaet er nødvendig for å ende opp med en konklusjon

“Just Carbon”: Ideas About Graphene Risks by Graphene Researchers and Innovation Advisors

Graphene is a nanomaterial with many promising and innovative applications, yet early studies indicate that graphene may pose risks to humans and the environment. According to ideas of responsible research and innovation, all relevant actors should strive to reduce risks related to technological innovations. Through semi-structured interviews, we investigated the idea of graphene as a risk (or not) held by two types of key actors: graphene researchers and innovation advisors at universities, where the latter are facilitating the movement of graphene from the laboratory to the marketplace. The most common idea found is that graphene is not a risk due to, e.g., low toxicity, low amounts produced/used, and its similarity to harmless materials (being “just carbon”). However, some researchers and advisors also say that graphene is a risk, e.g., under certain conditions or due to a lack of risk-related information. We explain the co-existence of these seemingly contradictory ideas through (1) the semantic ambiguity of the word risk and (2) a risk/no-risk rhetoric, where risks are mentioned rhetorically only to be disregarded as manageable or negligible. We suggest that some of the ideas held by the researchers and innovation advisors constitute a challenge to responsible research and innovation regarding graphene. At the same time, we acknowledge the dilemma that the discourse of responsible innovation creates for the actors: denying graphene risks makes them irresponsible due to a lack of risk awareness, while affirming graphene risks makes them irresponsible due to their everyday engagement in graphene development. We therefore recommend more research into what researchers and innovation advisors should do in practice in order to qualify as responsible

“Of Gods and Men” : selected print media coverage of natural disasters and industrial failures in three Westminster countries

This article examines selected print media coverage of a domestic natural disaster and domestic industrial failure in each of three Westminster countries: Australia, Canada, and the UK. It studies this coverage from several perspectives: the volume of coverage; the rate at which the articles were published; the tone of the headlines; and a content analysis of the perceived performance of key public and private institutions during and following the events. Its initial findings reveal that the natural disasters received more coverage than the industrial failures in each of the newspapers considered. There was also no significant difference in the publication rate across event type or newspaper. In each case, government was assessed at least as frequently and negatively as non-government actors, particularly during and following industrial failures. The manner in which government and non-government actors were assessed following these events suggests that, contrary to government claims that owners and operators of critical infrastructure (CI) are responsible for its successful operation, government in fact is “in the frame” as frequently as the industry owners and operators are. In addition, the negative assessments of governments following industrial failures in particular may prompt over-reaction by policy makers to industrial failures and under-reaction to natural disasters. This inconsistency is indeed ironic because the latter occur more often and cost more, both financially and socially. We reviewed 340 newspaper articles from three different newspapers: The Australian’s coverage of the Canberra bushfires and the Waterfall train accident, The Globe and Mail’s (Canada) coverage of Hurricane Juan and the de la Concorde overpass collapse, and The Daily Telegraph’s (UK) coverage of the 2007 floods and the Potters Bar train wreck. Our sample size is small; our ability to compare across newspapers and countries limited. Further research is warranted

The constitution of risk communication in advanced liberal societies

This article aims to bring to the fore some of the underlying rationales that inform common conceptions of the constitution of risk communication in academic and policy communities. ‘Normative’, ‘instrumental’ and ‘substantive’ imperatives typically employed in the utilisation of risk communication are first outlined. In light of these considerations a theoretical scheme is subsequently devised leading to the articulation of four fundamental ‘idealised’ models of risk communication termed the ‘risk message’ model, the ‘risk dialogue’ model, the ‘risk field’ model and the ‘risk government’ model respectively. It is contended that the diverse conceptual foundations underlying the orientation of each model suggest a further need for a more contextualised view of risk communication that takes account not only of the strengths and limitations of different formulations and functions of risk communication, but also the underlying knowledge/power dynamics that underlie its constitution. In particular it is hoped that the reflexive theoretical understanding presented here will help to bring some much needed conceptual clarity to academic and policy discourses about the use and utility of risk communication in advanced liberal societies

Developing Risk Management as a Competitive Capability

At the level of the firm, three major parameters are found to influence the ability of SMEs to develop risk management competencies; these are enterprise risk management, internal control, and risk culture

Between hope, hype, and hell: electric mobility and the interplay of fear and desire in sustainability transitions

Conceptualizations and articulations of ‘the future’ play a persistent and important role in discussions about technology adoption and the broader domain of sustainability transitions. The Sociology of Expectations, part of the transitions and science and technology studies literature, specifically focusses on the performative role that desirable expectations play in the development and marketing of a technology. In this paper we argue that these insights can be coupled with the performative role of undesirable futures, as outlined by Critical Security Studies. Based on a qualitative diffractive reading of these twin literatures we argue that the performativity around desired and undesired futures, while closely related, constitutes two separate logics. A focus on expectations alone does not explain the initiation and subsequent success of a sustainable innovation nor that a focus on undesired futures fully explains the acceptance of security claims. The paper exemplifies these insights with a reflection on electric vehicle development

Ethics and ‘fracking’: A review of (the limited) moral thought on shale gas development

Whilst claims about the ethicality of shale gas development via hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) are commonplace in everyday discourse, little scholarly attention has been afforded explicitly to this aspect of unconventional fossil fuel extraction. The limited research that speaks to ethical considerations largely describes ethical concerns associated with development – extremely few claims in research literature make an ethical case for development. The most common ethical concerns cited in research stem from issues of distributive justice, with procedural justice, the precautionary principle, exposure to involuntary risks, rights-based arguments, and changes in community character and way of life as next most common. Additional research hints implicitly at ethical dilemmas associated with shale gas development, but does not openly identify these issues as having moral implications. Many ethical considerations relate closely to concerns about water quality and the volume/supply of water available for other purposes. The limited scholarship in this area reveals the import of understanding the ways in which ethics permeate thoughts about shale gas development for designing policy that responds to constituent needs and concerns. Even more limited than research on ethical claims in association with shale gas development is well-reasoned scholarship that analyses the extent to which ethical claims about development are well justified and philosophically justifiable. A comprehensive and systematic analysis of the range of ethical claims potentially relevant to shale gas development and their usefulness for informing policy on this topic would contribute greatly to informed decision-making on this controversial issue – something that science alone cannot achieve