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Various Trends (various + trend)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences40%

Selected Abstracts

Response analysis of rigid structures rocking on viscoelastic foundation

EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 7 2008
Alessandro Palmeri
Abstract In this paper the rocking response of slender/rigid structures stepping on a viscoelastic foundation is revisited. The study examines in depth the motion of the system with a non-linear analysis that complements the linear analysis presented in the past by other investigators. The non-linear formulation combines the fully non-linear equations of motion together with the impulse-momentum equations during impacts. The study shows that the response of the rocking block depends on the size, shape and slenderness of the block, the stiffness and damping of the foundation and the energy loss during impact. The effect of the stiffness and damping of the foundation system along with the influence of the coefficient of restitution during impact is presented in rocking spectra in which the peak values of the response are compared with those of the rigid block rocking on a monolithic base. Various trends of the response are identified. For instance, less slender and smaller blocks have a tendency to separate easier, whereas the smaller the angle of slenderness, the less sensitive the response to the flexibility, damping and coefficient of restitution of the foundation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Educational modelling language: modelling reusable, interoperable, rich and personalised units of learning

BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2004
Rob Koper
Nowadays there is a huge demand for flexible, independent learning without the constraints of time and place. Various trends in the field of education and training are the bases for the development of new technologies for education. This article describes the development of a learning technology specification, which supports these new demands for learning challenging the new technological possibilities. This specification is named Educational Modelling Language (EML) and is developed by the Open University of the Netherlands. [source]

Entre la autonomía y la institucionalización: Dilemas del movimiento negro colombiano

JOURNAL OF LATIN AMERICAN & CARIBBEAN ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2002
Mauricio Pardo
Among the various trends of the black movement in Colombia, with diverse claims, it is the peasant movement of the Pacific,whose territorial struggle has been presented as ethnic vindication,with the most initiative and the greatest accomplishments. The so-called "black communities" Law 70 of 1993, the result of the mobilization of heterogeneous black organizations, centers on the creation of collective territories in the Pacific, but has marginalized other aspects of the black movement and has caused it a decrease in political initiative, as well as considerable institutionalization. This, along with particular identitary proposals and organizing styles, has favored local organizations tied or aspiring to collective territories, but has also generated increasing fragmentation of other black organizations. Recently, armed conflict has burst violently into areas of rural black organizations. This article analizes this situation in the last decade, in light of theoretical reflections on identity, ethnicity, race, and social movements. [source]

Linguistic Anthropology in 2008: An Election-Cycle Guide

AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 2 2009
Paja Faudree
ABSTRACT Loosely following the structure of the U.S. election cycle, I identify some of the more important institutions and events that have recently served as venues for field-building scholarly practices and processes in linguistic anthropology. I examine various trends and concerns animating recent publications on language and social life. I discuss the ongoing impact on the field of recent major works that attempt to codify methodological and theoretical approaches to the intersection of language and society. I also consider some of linguistic anthropology's emergent ventures, including new collaborative projects and new proposals for interdisciplinary work. Finally, I discuss some of the political implications of academic specialization, disciplinary boundaries, and impending "generational shift," both in the subdiscipline and the academy generally. I close by raising questions about future directions and possibilities for research in linguistic anthropology and other interdisciplinary enterprises. [Keywords: linguistic anthropology, interdisciplinarity, linguistic ideology, semiotic practices, linguistic variation] [source]

Flickering admissibility: neuroimaging evidence in the U.S. courts,

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW, Issue 1 2008
Jane Campbell Moriarty J.D.
This article explores the admissibility of neuroimaging evidence in U.S. courts, recognizing various trends in decisions about such evidence. While courts have routinely admitted some neuroimages, such as CT scans and MRI, as proof of trauma and disease, they have been more circumspect about admitting the PET and SPECT scans and fMRI evidence. With the latter technologies, courts have often expressed reservations about what can be inferred from the images. Moreover, courts seem unwilling to find neuroimaging sufficient to prove either insanity or incompetency, but are relatively lenient about admitting neuroimages in death penalty hearings. Some claim that fMRI and "brain fingerprinting" are able to detect deception. Other scholars argue that brain fingerprinting is a dubious concept and that fMRI is not yet sufficiently reliable. Moreover, there are substantial concerns about privacy and the perils of mind reading implicit in such technology. Yet, there is a movement to try to make these new technologies "courtroom ready" in the near future, raising a host of legal, policy, and ethical questions to be answered. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]