Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Interdisciplinary Work (interdisciplinary + work)
Selected AbstractsFeminism Spoken Here: Epistemologies for Interdisciplinary Development ResearchDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 3 2006Cecile Jackson Development studies is a field characterized by an unusual degree of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research, and therefore is constantly subject both to pressures for the reproduction of disciplines as autonomous and self-sufficient, and to an increasing steer from public funders of research for interdisciplinary work which is valued for its problem-solving character and more apparent relevance, in an era greatly exercised by accountability. At a moment when the need to renew disciplinary interchange has intensified it is therefore instructive to consider the social relations which facilitate interdisciplinarity. This article does this through an argument that feminist cross-disciplinary research shows how important shared values are to motivate and sustain these kinds of learning, and that an explicit focus on social justice as the core of development research can be the basis of such a renewal. If feminist interactions and solidarity provide the motivation, feminist epistemologies provide arguments for why socially engaged research is not ,biased', but stronger than research with narrower ideas of objectivity; why reflexivities and subjectivities are crucial to the conduct of research; and how these, and the convergence of concepts of individuals and persons favoured within different disciplines, might build the common ground required for greater disciplinary interchange. [source] Kanada: Deutschstudien im Wandel , von neuen Gegebenheiten zu Ansätzen einer SelbsterneuerungDIE UNTERRICHTSPRAXIS/TEACHING GERMAN, Issue 1 2010Anette Guse This contribution describes the situation of the German profession in Canada, by presenting the latest trends in trans-institutional cooperation, curriculum development, the job market, and promotion of the discipline. The author suggests that the adaptation to new realities, such as changes in student interests and the continuing cutbacks of resources, has resulted in the modernization of German programs and more effective strategies of self-marketing. Rather than succumbing to resignation, the article highlights the need to capitalize on traditional strengths as well as the demand to pursue interdisciplinary work and to embrace the concept of collaboration with other departments. [source] Extracting new patterns for cardiovascular disease prognosisEXPERT SYSTEMS, Issue 5 2009Luis Mena Abstract: Cardiovascular diseases constitute one of the main causes of mortality in the world, and machine learning has become a powerful tool for analysing medical data in the last few years. In this paper we present an interdisciplinary work based on an ambulatory blood pressure study and the development of a new classification algorithm named REMED. We focused on the discovery of new patterns for abnormal blood pressure variability as a possible cardiovascular risk factor. We compared our results with other classification algorithms based on Bayesian methods, decision trees, and rule induction techniques. In the comparison, REMED showed similar accuracy to these algorithms but it has the advantage of being superior in its capacity to classify sick people correctly. Therefore, our method could represent an innovative approach that might be useful in medical decision support for cardiovascular disease prognosis. [source] Interdisciplinary teamwork: is the influence of emotional intelligence fully appreciated?JOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2007ANTOINETTE McCALLIN BA, MA (Hons) Aim, The purpose of this study is to discuss how emotional intelligence affects interdisciplinary team effectiveness. Some findings from a larger study on interdisciplinary teamworking are discussed. Background, Teams are often evaluated for complementary skill mix and expertise that are integrated for specialist service delivery. Interactional skills and emotional intelligence also affect team behaviour and performance. An effective team needs both emotional intelligence and expertise, including technical, clinical, social and interactional skills, so that teamwork becomes greater or lesser than the whole, depending on how well individuals work together. Key issues, Team diversity, individuality and personality differences, and interprofessional safety are analysed to raise awareness for nurse managers of the complexity of interdisciplinary working relationships. Conclusion, If nursing input into interdisciplinary work is to be maximized, nurse managers might consider the role of emotional intelligence in influencing team effectiveness, the quality of client care, staff retention and job satisfaction. [source] Low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy as a tool for studying the compatibility between pharmaceutical gels and mucous tissueJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 9 2003Helene HäGerström Abstract This interdisciplinary work demonstrates how low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy, a technique that is frequently used within physics, can be used to assess the possibilities of intimate surface contact between a polymer gel and mucous tissue, which is generally considered to be the first step in the mucoadhesion process. The dielectric responses of five different gels, of freshly excised porcine nasal mucosa and of systems made by combining the two were measured. All spectra were modeled by a Randles electric circuit containing a diffusion element, a barrier resistance in parallel with a capacitance, and a high-frequency resistance. The results were used to create a measure of the compatibility between the gel and the mucus, which we have named the compatibility factor. Thus, the compatibility factor provides us with a measure of the ease with which a charged species passes the interface between a gel and the mucus layer. The compatibility factor is calculated from the high frequency (kHz region) response of the gel, of the mucosa, and of the combined system. The two highest compatibility factors in this study were obtained for gels based on crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) and chitosan, which was in agreement with the results from mucoadhesion measurements that were performed using a tensile strength method. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 92:1869,1881, 2003 [source] Where Next in Victorian Literary Studies?LITERATURE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2007Extending Cultural Boundaries, Revising the Canon, the Challenge of Interdisciplinarity This paper forms part of a Literature Compass cluster of articles which examines the current state of Victorian Literary Studies and future directions. This group of four essays was originally commissioned by Francis O'Gorman (University of Leeds), who also provides an introduction to the cluster. The full cluster is made up of the following articles: ,Where Next in Victorian Literary Studies? , Introduction', Francis O'Gorman, Literature Compass 4 (2007), 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2007.00467.x. ,Where Next in Victorian Literary Studies? , Revising the Canon, Extending Cultural Boundaries, and the Challenge of Interdisciplinarity', Joanne Shattock, Literature Compass 4 (2007), 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2007.00468.x. ,Where Next in Victorian Literary Studies? ,"Interesting Times" and the Lesson of "A Corner in Lightning"', David Amigoni, Literature Compass 4 (2007), 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2007.00469.x. ,Where Next in Victorian Literary Studies? , Historicism, Collaboration and Digital Editing', Valerie Sanders, Literature Compass 4 (2007), 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2007.00470.x. ,Where Next in Victorian Literary Studies? , Historicism and Hospitality', John Bowen, Literature Compass 4 (2007), 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2007.00471.x. *** This article argues that the future of Victorian literary studies will include the continuous revision and expansion of the canon, and the extension of what we regard as ,literary' texts to include writing on science, philosophy, history, medicine and related areas. Meanwhile the process of reviewing and rehabilitating unfashionable or neglected writers and consigning others to the periphery will go on, although a core of major authors will continue to attract scholarly and critical attention. There will be an increasing focus on the new histories of the book, on authorship and readership. Research on print culture in its widest sense will expand in the wake of the ongoing digitisation of printed materials, a process which ultimately will transform the way we do research. The focus on writers and texts will move from a metropolitan-centred one to embrace the literatures in English of the countries of the Empire and of North America, and more problematically, to include the literature and culture of Europe in the nineteenth century. The latter development poses a challenge to the hitherto monolingual nature of Victorian literary studies. Finally there will be a continued engagement in multi-disciplinary, cross-disciplinary if not truly interdisciplinary work that has been characteristic of Victorian Studies since its emergence in the 1950s. [source] PHILOSOPHY AND OTHER DISCIPLINESMETAPHILOSOPHY, Issue 4-5 2008SVEN OVE HANSSON Abstract: This article offers a perspective on the role of philosophy in relation to other academic disciplines and to society in general. Among the issues treated are the delimitation of philosophy, whether it is a science, its role in the community of knowledge disciplines, its losses of subject matter to other disciplines, how it is influenced by social changes and by progress in other disciplines, and its role in interdisciplinary work. It is concluded that philosophy has an important mission in promoting clarity, precision, and open-mindedness in academic research and in society at large. [source] Linguistic Anthropology in 2008: An Election-Cycle GuideAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 2 2009Paja 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] Towards a geographical research agenda for social enterpriseAREA, Issue 3 2010Sarah-Anne Muñoz It has been recognised that there is potential for the study of social enterprise to engage to a greater degree with the social science disciplines. This paper demonstrates that some of the research gaps relating to social enterprise and socially enterprising behaviour within the UK could be tackled within a geographical research agenda for social enterprise that recognises the place-based aspects of such activity. There is scope for a greater focus on the relationship between socially enterprising behaviour and the spaces of social enterprise within current discourses on the ,sustainable' city and ,cohesive' communities in particular. There is a need to investigate in more detail the role of social enterprise in tackling social exclusion and the creation of spaces of empowerment for marginalised and excluded groups. This paper puts forward the case for a research agenda for social enterprise that draws on the discipline of geography but also suggests ways in which geographers can bring their spatial lens to the development of interdisciplinary work on social enterprise. Through literature review the paper highlights knowledge gaps that geographers would be well-placed to fill and draws out some key avenues for future research that could be tackled within a redefined research agenda for social enterprise. [source] Allogenic and autogenic influences upon riparian vegetation dynamicsAREA, Issue 4 2006Robert A Francis Riparian vegetation dynamics are regarded as being driven by allogenic hydrogeomorphological factors, with autogenic (plant-induced) influences becoming more important as landform stability is achieved. Autogenic processes, however, may have a substantial influence on both plant dynamics and the river environment from the earliest stages of plant establishment. Various aspects of both allogenic and autogenic processes in riparian vegetation dynamics are discussed here; in particular how plants may promote bank stability and sedimentation, and river island development. Riparian restoration often fails to incorporate autogenic processes, thereby restricting the re-establishment of natural functioning, and further interdisciplinary work is needed to address this. [source] | ||||||||||