The value of respect in human research ethics: A conceptual analysis and a practical guide

In order to continue to maintain public trust and confidence in human research, participants must be treated with respect. Researchers and Human Research Ethics Committee members need to be aware that modern considerations of this value include: the need for a valid consenting process, the protection of participants who have their capacity for consent compromised; the promotion of dignity for participants; and the effects that human research may have on cultures and communities. This paper explains the prominence of respect as a value when considering the ethics of human research and provides practical advice for both researchers and Human Research Ethics Committee members in developing respectful research practices.

Art of sleeping - "Like a Thief"

Research background Art of Sleeping’s “Like a Thief” is an EP of popular music produced at Airlock studios and released in 2012 by the record label Dew Process. “Like a Thief” contributes to studies in the field of music production, as well as furthering research into the role of of national radio play in the development of emerging musicians and artists. Using Australian bands such as Boy and Bear as a reference point, the EP showcases the vocal range of Caleb Hodges and investigates possibilities in extending the modes of musicality possible within the recording studio through use of multiple layering of processed keyboards and electric guitar. Scholars such as Ben Eltham and journalists such as Everett True have written about the importance of the support of Australia’s national youth broadcaster Triple J in the early stages of a band’s development. The approach of the production of the EP was conceived with this agenda in mind, and asked, what can we learn about the relationships between popular music production, distribution and consumption, and the role that national public radio has come to play in the Australian context? Research contribution This project has identified that certain avenues of the music industry continue to aligned with Triple J airplay, that these avenues play an important role in the level of success that artists are likely to achieve, and that targeted understanding of music production techniques and aesthetics may contribute to success in this regard. Research significance The EP’s two singles were both in the top 100 most frequently played tracks on Triple J in 2012, and the band were able to leverage this exposure in securing a record deal with Dew Process, along with being selected as part of the competitive peer review process for festival performances such as Splendour in the Grass. The work received positive peer reviews, with indieshuffle writing: “Brisbane's Art of Sleeping are a truly talented band. … the five-piece gained plenty of local attention earlier this year with their stunning single "Empty Hands.” This was the first single off their new EP, Like a Thief, which was produced by the renowned Yanto Browning (The Medics, The Jungle Giants) … The EP includes five tracks of incredible power and sentiment … Title track "Like a Thief” is … [a] standout, again a vast and expansive song which showcases the band's completeness”

State of the art reviews : measurement of physical activity in children and adolescents

To date, a wide range of methods has been used to measure physical activity in children and adolescents. These include self-report methods such as questionnaires, activity logs, and diaries as well as objective measures of physical activity such as direct observation, doubly labeled water, heart rate monitoring, accelerometers, and pedometers. The purpose of this review is to overview the methods currently being used to measure physical activity in children and adolescents. For each measurement approach, new developments and/or innovations are identified and discussed. Particular attention is given to the use of accelerometers and the calibration of accelerometer output to units of energy expenditure to developing children.

Social media as online information grounds : a preliminary conceptual framework

Researchers are increasingly grappling with ways of theorizing social media and its use. This review essay proposes that the theory of Information Grounds (IG) may provide a valuable lens for understanding how social media fosters collaboration and social engagement among information professionals. The paper presents literature that helps us understand how social media can be seen as IG, and maps the characteristics of social media to the seven propositions of IG theory. This work is part of a wider study investigating the ways in which Information Technology (IT) professionals experience social media.

Conceptual framework for understanding the demand for emergency health services

Background & Objectives Emergency health services (EHS) throughout the world are increasingly congested. As more people use EHS, factors such as population growth and aging cannot fully explain this increase. Also, focus on patients’ clinical characteristics ignores the role that attitudinal and perceptual factors and motivations play in directing their decisions and actions. The aim of this study is to review and synthesize an integrated conceptual framework for understanding social psychological factors underpinning demand for EHS. Methodology A comprehensive search and review of empirical and theoretical studies about the utilization of EHS was conducted using major medical, health, social and behavioral sciences databases. Results A small number of studies used a relevant conceptual framework (e.g. Health Services Utilization Model or Health Belief Model) or their components to analyze patients’ decision to use EHS. The studies evidenced that demand was affected by perceived severity of the condition; perceived costs and benefits (e.g. availability, accessibility and affordability of alternative services); experience, preference and knowledge; perceived and actual social support; and demographic characteristics (e.g. age, sex, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, marital and living circumstances, place of residence). Conclusions Conceptual models that are commonly used in areas like social and behavioral sciences have rarely been applied in the EHS utilization field. Understanding patients’ decision-making and associated factors will lay the groundwork for identification of the evidence to inform improved policy responses and the development of demand management strategies. An integrated conceptual framework will be introduced as part of this study.

Activism, art and social practice : a case study using Jacques Ranciere’s framework for analysis

The question can no longer just be whether “art and social practice” or creative forms of activism are part of larger neo liberal agenda nor if they are potentially radical in their conception, delivery or consumption. The question also becomes: what are the effects of social practice art and design for the artists, institutions, and the publics they elicit in public and private spaces; that is, how can we consider such artworks differently? I argue the dilution of social practices’ potentially radical interventions into cultural processes and their absorption into larger neo liberal agendas limits how, as Jacques Rancière might argue, they can intervene in the “distribution of the sensible.” I will use a case study example from The Center for Tactical Magic, an artist group from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Social engineering in social networking sites : the art of impersonation

Social networking sites (SNSs), with their large number of users and large information base, seem to be the perfect breeding ground for exploiting the vulnerabilities of people, who are considered the weakest link in security. Deceiving, persuading, or influencing people to provide information or to perform an action that will benefit the attacker is known as “social engineering.” Fraudulent and deceptive people use social engineering traps and tactics through SNSs to trick users into obeying them, accepting threats, and falling victim to various crimes such as phishing, sexual abuse, financial abuse, identity theft, and physical crime. Although organizations, researchers, and practitioners recognize the serious risks of social engineering, there is a severe lack of understanding and control of such threats. This may be partly due to the complexity of human behaviors in approaching, accepting, and failing to recognize social engineering tricks. This research aims to investigate the impact of source characteristics on users’ susceptibility to social engineering victimization in SNSs, particularly Facebook. Using grounded theory method, we develop a model that explains what and how source characteristics influence Facebook users to judge the attacker as credible.

The Hofstedian approach : suggestions for a conceptual development of comparative journalism studies

In recent years there has been a burgeoning amount of research comparing journalistic practices in a wide range of countries around the world. Much of this literature has tended to focus on identifying what the similarities and differences between these different journalistic cultures are. Most importantly, research has focused on answering the question of whether, particularly in the age of globalisation, ‘a journalistic culture’ may exist. While there has been some evidence that there may indeed be a convergence of journalistic cultures, studies have at the same time found that important differences still persist. However, most of the literature has so far still tended to concentrate purely on the differences and similarities, without examining in detail why these exist. In this context, the author argues that employing a cross-cultural approach rooted in anthropology can at least partially trace the development of particularly the differences by linking them to the wider concept of cultural differences between countries. Specifically the paper here evaluates the usefulness of applying the value systems appraoch, as designed by Dutch anthropologist Geert Hofstede, to journalism research. By examining some of the few studies that have employed Hofstede’s approach, the paper argues that value systems can provide a classification on a conceptual level for investigating how journalism is practiced around the world. In the light of complaints in the Asia-Pacific region that the imported Western models of journalism are not in line with cultural values, this approach can also provide some basis from which to develop future approaches to journalism education.

Art spaces in community and economic development : connections to neighborhoods, artists, and the cultural economy

There is growing interest in the arts in community and economic development, yet little research examines the dynamics of community-based arts institutions to inform urban planning and policy. Drawing on interviews with participants and organizers of small and midsized art spaces, the study explores the factors that influence their involvement in neighborhood revitalization and outreach, support for artistic communities, and efforts to build bridges to commercial cultural sectors. Art spaces function as a conduit for building social networks that contribute to both community revitalization and artistic development. But issues pertaining to the location, organization, and management of art spaces may limit their community and economic development potential. The article concludes with proposals to craft stronger arts-based community and economic development programs.

Art spaces, public space, and the link to community development

Recent literature credits community art spaces with both enhancing social interaction and engagement and generating economic revitalization. This article argues that the ability of art spaces to realize these outcomes is linked to their role as public spaces and that their community development potential can be expanded with greater attention to this role. An analysis of the public space characteristics is useful because it encourages consideration of sometimes overlooked issues, particularly the effect of the physical environment on outcomes related to community development. I examine the relationship between public space and community development at various types of art spaces including artist cooperatives, ethnic-specific art spaces, and city-sponsored art centers in central city and suburban locations. This study shows that through their programming and other activities, art spaces serve various public space roles related to community development. However, the ability of many to perform as public spaces is hindered by facility design issues and poor physical connections in their surrounding area. This article concludes with proposals for enhancing the community development role of the art spaces through their function as public spaces.

Art Spaces, Art Places : Examining Neighborhood Preferences of New York Arts Organizations

This report builds on and extends a diverse literature that examines the location patterns of the arts and creative industries through analysis of a database of arts nonprofit organizations from the New York State Cultural Data Project. We confirm the link between arts organizations and the urban core and creative economy, but challenge the assumption that arts tend to locate in ethnic and disadvantaged neighborhoods. By identifying key neighborhood attributes associated with distinct types of arts organizations, we can better identify potential sites conducive to nurturing additional artistic activity and inform strategies to engage organizations in neighborhoods that are underserved in the arts.

The work of Media Arts in the age of digital production

This chapter uses as a beginning point Walter Benjamin’s famous essay ‘The work of art in the age of technological reproducibility’(1935/2008) to discuss Media Arts education. It locates ‘Media Arts’ at the intersection of three key ideas: 1) media arts products as objects for popular and everyday consumption and intervention by individuals and broader audiences; 2) materiality and how individuals use their bodies and technologies to produce, combine and share digital materials and; 3) the construction of aesthetic knowledge and how this relates to critical and conceptual thinking. These ideas are discussed in the context of the development of curriculum for students at all ages of schooling, with specific attention given to the knowledge and skills students might develop within Media Arts education in primary schools. Examples from a Media Arts project in a primary school in Australia – where a new Media Arts national curriculum has been developed –are provided to illustrate the key ideas discussed in the chapter.

The art of the positive pas de deux : putting positive psychology into dance!

Performance psychology has more recently included a focus on applied practice within the performing arts, and specifically the dance industry. Whilst the use of psychology within this field has been occurring for a number of years, it has primarily taken its cues from the area of sport psychology or clinical psychology when dealing with ‘problems’ (e.g. eating disorders). What has been evident with the more recent introduction of positive psychology concepts with this population is the observed responsiveness from dancers towards a strengths-based approach. The aim of the inclusion of these frameworks has been to assist in increasing the empowerment, personal responsibility and effectiveness of the dancers’ psychological preparation and skills in the area of performance – whether on stage or off.

World peace for video art

A single channel video projection with image, text and sound components. It was projected so as entirely fill a 3 x 3.5 wall in a 6 x 3.5 metre gallery space. The work deals with the role of humour and the fictocritical in exploring the relationship between politics and art.