314 research outputs found
The Marriage of Art and Science
Art work that shows how the viewer translates visual cues into meanin
Elements of Art
Through these paintings and my writing I share how elements of art and science overlap in the strokes of paint that create the perceptions of something familiar in our minds
The evolution of technicity: whence creativity and innovation
This paper introduces the concept of ‘technicity’, a
term borrowed from philosophy but recast in an
Darwinian mould. Firstly, however, the presumption
that language is THE unique and pre-eminent
human trait is put to the adaptationist test. Evidence
from palaeontology, primate studies and
evolutionary psychology is brought together to
(tentatively) suggest that language (speech) has a
deep evolutionary past and that all members of the
genus Homo possessed speech in some form. The
second section marshals evidence that suggests our
species possesses a new ‘making things’
adaptation. This adaptation appears to be the basis
for the speciation event that defines behaviourally
modern humans: our species. This is the capability
for which the term ‘technicity’ is appropriated. The
argument for splitting off language from technicity
uses the concept of the extended phenotype.
Technicity might best be characterised by a creative
capacity to:
a) deconstruct and reconstruct nature, and
b) communicate by drawing.
The notion is floated that the newly evolved
adaptation discretely insinuated itself into extant
human culture; followed by brief consideration of the
role of drawing, in the form of writing, on the
precision and power of linguistic expression. It is
suggested that technicity might usefully be
considered the source of our intellect and language
its whetstone. If further studies support the technicity
hypothesis then reappraisal of conceptual
framework underpinning the educational curriculum
might be of benefit: a technology of language rather
than the language of technology
Options for pest management in pastures
Redlegged eath mit, blue oat ite, lucern flea and aphids damage pastures across southern Australia, and it has been estimated that they cause annual losses to the Australian wool industry alone of over $200 million.
Redlegged earth mite is without doubt the most serious of the four pests. Peter DoPhil Michael, Mike Grimm, Mike Hyder and Peter Doyle discuss intergrated management options to control these pests
Digital futures research and society: action, awareness and accountability
The contemporary Higher Education research environment demands ‘real-world’ impact as a key means of accounting for public sector funding. As such, there is increased pressure on researchers and research institutions to ensure research delivers outcomes for public good. This paper reports on research focused on a Digital Futures collaborative research program. The aim of the research was to explore how researchers and research stakeholders understand research impact. Impact was articulated as ‘making a difference’ however that ‘difference’ was translated by research participants as meaning the tangible impacts relating to quantitative components of research activities. The more subtle influences of research impact on society were less well articulated. Results from this research suggest that in the complex world of impact, action, awareness and accountability, as elements of research practice, are key to creating maximum value from knowledge creation initiatives
Challenges and Feasibility of Applying Reasoning and Decision Making for a Lifeguard Undertaking a Rescue
ABSTRACT: In areas where lifeguard services operate, less than 6% of all rescued persons need medical
attention and require CPR. In contrast, among areas where no lifeguard services are provided almost 30%
require CPR. This difference indicates in importance of the lifeguard. Lifeguard work requires effective problem
identification, diagnostic strategies and management decisions to be made in high-risk environments, where time
is of the essence. The purpose of this investigation was to assess all variables involved in lifeguard work related
to a water rescue, and how the information obtained could inform lifeguard training and therefore performance.
Methods: By using the drowning timeline, the authors explored all variables involved in a single rescue event
by inviting 12 lifeguards to complete a survey of their professional role using a three-round Delphi survey
technique. The total potential number of decisions for each phase and sub-phases, the number of variables, the
probability of a single event repeating, the duration of each sub-phase and amount of variables demanded per
minute were measured. Each sub-phase was presented as predominantly rational (if less than 1 variable per/min)
or intuitive (if more than 1/min).
Results: The variables identified in sub-phases were: “preparation to work” (8
variables and 0.0001 variables/min) and “prevent” (22 variables; 0.03 variables/min); these sub-phases were
predominately considered to lead to rational decisions. The variables identified during “rescue” (27 variables
and 2.7 variables/min) and “first-aid” (7 variables and 1.7 variables) were predominantly considered intuitive
processes.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates the complexity of a decision-making process during the quick,
physically and mentally stressful moments of rescuing someone. The authors propose better decision-making
processes can be achieved by reducing the time interval between identification of a problem and making a
decision. Understanding this complex mechanism may allow more efficient training resulting, in faster and more
reliable decision-makers, with the overall benefit of more lives save
A methodology for verified energy savings in manufacturing facilities through changes in operational behaviour
The manufacturing industry is increasingly accountable for the environmental impact resulting from its activities. Manufacturing operations design has shifted from a traditional strictly cost and quality approach to more recently including energy efficiency, zero waste and reduced carbon emissions. Whilst manufacturing companies have focused on reducing energy at a facilities level, research indicates that specific production processes generate a significant environmental impact through energy consumption, resource depletion and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To understand the consumption of energy in a production environment it is important to relate the specific energy usage to the operating processes and production outputs. This allows the identification of auxiliary (non-value added) energy within production which is as the area with the greatest potential for savings through changes in operational behaviour. This paper outlines the monitoring at a factory and at machine level that can identify where and, more importantly, when waste energy occurs. The analysis of the cost of auxiliary energy is shown to be a motivational factor for company management to engage with energy efficiency measures and finally the paper discusses the eight dimensions necessary to engage employees and to drive cultural change in an organisation. The current state of practice in relation to energy in a case-study in the Precision Manufacturing Sector in Ireland was investigated and the proposed approach was applied and has been shown to successfully deliver verifiable savings with low implementation costs
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