Theoretical critique of the work of art : co-producers in research

The ways in which the "traditional" tension between words and artwork can be perceived has huge implications for understanding the relationship between critical or theoretical interpretation, art and practice, and research. Within the practice-led PhD this can generate a strange sense of disjuncture for the artist-researcher particularly when engaged in writing the exegesis. This paper aims to explore this tension through an introductory investigation of the work of the philosopher Andrew Benjamin. For Benjamin criticism completes the work of art. Criticism is, with the artwork, at the centre of our experience and theoretical understanding of art – in this way the work of art and criticism are co-productive. The reality of this co-productivity can be seen in three related articles on the work of American painter Marcia Hafif. In each of these articles there are critical negotiations of just how the work of art operates as art and theoretically, within the field of art. This focus has important ramifications for the writing and reading of the exegesis within the practice-led research higher degree. By including art as a significant part of the research reporting process the artist-researcher is also staking a claim as to the critical value of their work. Rather than resisting the tension between word and artwork the practice-led artist-researcher need to embrace the co-productive nature of critical word and creative work to more completely articulate their practice and its significance as research. The ideal venue and opportunity for this is the exegesis.

The encapsulation of gold nanoparticles using RAFT, ATRP and miniemulsion polymerisation techniques

The investigation into the encapsulation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was undertaken. This was performed by three polymerisation techniques including: grafting PMMA synthesised by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerisation to AuNPs, grafting PMMA synthesised by atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) from the surface of functionalised AuNPs and by encapsulation of AuNPs within PMMA latexes produced through photo-initiated oil-in-water (o/w) miniemulsion polymerisation. The grafting of RAFT PMMA to AuNPs was performed by the addition of the RAFT functionalised PMMA to citrate stabilised AuNPs. This was conducted with a range of PMMA of varying molecular weight distribution (MWD) as either the dithioester or thiol end-group functionalities. The RAFT PMMA polymers were characterised by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopies. The attachment of PMMA to AuNPs showed a tendency for AuNPs to associate with the PMMA structures formed, though significant aggregation occurred. Interestingly, thiol functionalised end-group PMMA showed very little aggregation of AuNPs. The spherical polymer-AuNP structures did not vary in size with variations in PMMA MWD. The PMMA-AuNP structures were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transition electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The surface confined ATRP grafting of PMMA from initiator functionalised AuNPs was polymerised in both homogeneous and heterogeneous media. 11,11’- dithiobis[1-(2-bromo-2-methylpropionyloxy)undecane] (DSBr) was used as the surface-confined initiator and was synthesised in a three step procedure from mercaptoundecanol (MUD). All compounds were characterised by 1H NMR, FTIR-ATR and Raman spectroscopies. The grafting in homogeneous media resulted in amorphous PMMA with significant AuNP aggregation. Individually grafted AuNPs were difficult to separate and characterise, though SEM, TEM, EDAX and UV-vis spectroscopy was used. The heterogeneous polymerisation did not produce grafted AuNPs as characterised by SEM and EDAX. The encapsulation of AuNPs within PMMA latexes through the process of photoinitiated miniemulsion polymerisation was successfully achieved. Initially, photoinitiated miniemulsion polymerisation was conducted as a viable low temperature method of miniemulsion initiation. This proved successful producing a stable PMMA with good conversion efficiency and narrow particle size distribution (PSD). This is the first report of such a system. The photo-initiated technique was further optimised and AuNPs were included into the miniemulsion. AuNP encapsulation was very effective, producing reproducible AuNP encapsulated PMMA latexes. Again, this is the first reported case of this. The latexes were characterised by TEM, SEM, GPC, gravimetric analysis and dynamic light scattering (DLS).

Two voices : the marginalised body as a voice & Imperfect Offerings a novel

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of self-harm as a form of political protest using two different, but complementary, methods of inquiry: a theoretical research project and a novel. Through these two approaches, to the same research problem, I examine how we can re-position the body that self-harms in political protest from weapon to voice; and in doing so find a path towards ethical and equitable dialogue between marginalised and mainstream communities. The theoretical, or academic, portion of the thesis examines self-harm as protest, positing these acts as a form of tactical selfharm, and acknowledge its emergence as a voice for the otherwise silenced in the public sphere. Through the use of phenomenology and feminist theory I examine the body as site for political agency, the circumstances which surround the use of the body for protest, and the reaction to tactical self-harm by the individual and the state. Using Bakhtin’s concept of dialogism, and the dialogic space I propose that by ‘hearing’ the body engaged in tactical selfharm we come closer to entering into an ethical dialogue with the otherwise silenced in our communities (locally, nationally and globally). The novel, Imperfect Offerings, explores these ideas in a fictional world, and allows me to put faces, names and lives to those who are compelled to harm their bodies to be heard. Also using Bakhtin’s framework I encourage a dialogue between the critical and creative parts of the thesis, challenging the traditional paradigm of creative PhD projects as creative work and exegesis.

Critical social theory and transformative learning : evidence in pre-service teachers' service-learning reflection logs

This paper reports on the opportunities for transformational learning experienced by a group of pre-service teachers who were engaged in service-learning as a pedagogical process with a focus on reflection. Critical social theory informed the design of the reflection process as it enabled a move away from knowledge transmission toward knowledge transformation. The structured reflection log was designed to illustrate the critical social theory expectations of quality learning that teach students to think critically: ideology critique and utopian critique. Butin's lenses and a reflection framework informed by the work of Bain, Ballantyne, Mills and Lester were used in the design of the service-learning reflection log. Reported data provide evidence of transformational learning and highlight how the students critique their world and imagine how they could contribute to a better world in their work as a beginning teacher.

Rephrasing voice : art, practice-led research and the limits and sites of articulacy

While my PhD is practice-led research, it is my contention that such an inquiry cannot develop as long as it tries to emulate other models of research. I assert that practice-led research needs to account for an epistemological unknown or uncertainty central to the practice of art. By focusing on what I call the artist's 'voice,' I will show how this 'voice' is comprised of a dual motivation—'articulate' representation and 'inarticulate' affect—which do not even necessarily derive from the artist. Through an analysis of art-historical precedents, critical literature (the work of Jean-François Lyotard and Andrew Benjamin, the critical methods of philosophy, phenomenology and psychoanalysis) as well as of my own painting and digital arts practice, I aim to demonstrate how this unknown or uncertain aspect of artistic inquiry can be mapped. It is my contention that practice-led research needs to address and account for this dualistic 'voice' in order to more comprehensively articulate its unique contribution to research culture.

Critical Reflections on Feminist Criminologies

This chapter provides an overview of the substantial and often neglected contribution of feminist theory and research to critical criminology. There are an array of feminist approaches to studying crime, violence and victimisation ( see Naffine 1997:29; Young 1996:34. this field of study has bourgeoned and diversified so much over the last decade that it would be a disservice to caricature it as simply "feminist". A range of influences and approaches from literary theory, jurisprudence, legal studies, cultural studies, postmodernism, neo-liberalism, post-colonialism and neo-Marxism are apparen across this large disparate body of work.

Steering towards pinnacle of success : the NEC tenets in Australian construction contracting

Contractual relationships have become increasingly strained in recent years in the construction industry result in the use of the judicial system for the settlement of contractual disagreements. Why is this so? Evidence from anecdotes suggest that the lack of capacity amongst owners and contractors to carry out a contract using a good practice approach during the construction of a project contribute to the occurrence of conflicts, losses, deficient contractual relationships and poor performance of the construction work. Recognizing that current forms of contract in use today perpetuate a legacy of construction problems, we are conducting explanatory research to examine whether the widely publicized benefits of New Engineering Contract (NEC) could be realized in the Australian construction industry. This paper outlines a research agenda that will help shed light on how contract forms are able to be used as a mechanism to ensure construction projects are delivered successfully whilst also meeting the goals of multiple stakeholders. Understanding the Critical Success Factors (CSFs), commonly used construction contracts and the NEC system can help us address some of these issues. However, there are gaps in the validation of the benefits of NEC and its link with project success. We identify some of these gaps and propose a methodology by which to gain insights into this phenomenon. Keywords: Project Success, Construction Contracting, New Engineering Contract (NEC)

The researcher’s perspective on procuring public works projects

Purpose: As part of a comprehensive research study looking at implementing PPPs, interviews with experienced researchers were conducted to realize their views on private sector involvement in public works projects. Design / methodology / approach: Amongst these interviews, five were launched with academics from Hong Kong and Australia, and two were conducted with Legislative Councillors of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) government. Findings: The interview findings show that both Hong Kong and Australian interviewees had previously conducted some kind of research in the field of PPP. The interviewees highlighted that “Different risk profiles” and “Private sector more innovative / efficient” were the main differences between projects that were procured by PPP and traditionally. Other differences include risk transfer. In a PPP arrangement the public sector passes on a substantial amount of the project risks to the private sector, whereas in a traditional case the public sector would take the largest responsibility in bearing these risks. Another common feature of the private sector is that they tend to be more efficient and innovative when compared to the public sector hence their expertise is often reflected in PPP projects. The interviewees agreed that the key performance indicators for PPP projects were unique depending on the individual project. The critical success factors mentioned by both groups of interviewees included “Transparent process”, “Project dependent” and “Market need”. Due to the fact that PPP projects tend to be large scaled costly projects, adequate transparency in the process is necessary in order to demonstrate that a fair selection and tendering process is conducted. A market need for the project is also important to ensure that the project will be financially secure and that the private sector can make a reasonable profit to cover their project expenditure. Originality / value: The findings from this study have enabled a comparative analysis between the views of researchers in two completely different jurisdictions. With the growing popularity to implement PPP projects, it is believed that the results presented in this paper would be of interest to the industry at large.

Teaching English as an additional language in senior high school : critical discourses in critical times

This paper presents a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of four policy documents currently offering ‘sets of possibilities’ for the teaching of English as an additional or second language (hereafter EAL/ESL) in senior classrooms in Queensland, Australia. The aim is to identify the ways in which each document re-presents the notion of critical literacy. Leximancer software, and Fairclough’s textually-oriented discourse analysis method (2001, 2003) are used to interrogate the relevant sections of the documents for the ways in which they re-present (sic) and construct the discourses around critical language study. This paper presents the description, interpretation and explanation of the discourses in these documents which constitute part of a larger project in which teacher interviews and classroom teaching are also investigated for the ways in which ‘the critical’ is constructed and contested in knowledge and practice.

Flexural behaviour and design of hollow flange steel beams

The LiteSteel Beam (LSB) is a new hollow flange channel section developed by OneSteel Australian Tube Mills using a patented Dual Electric Resistance Welding technique. The LSB has a unique geometry consisting of torsionally rigid rectangular hollow flanges and a relatively slender web. It is commonly used as rafters, floor joists and bearers and roof beams in residential, industrial and commercial buildings. It is on average 40% lighter than traditional hot-rolled steel beams of equivalent performance. The LSB flexural members are subjected to a relatively new Lateral Distortional Buckling mode, which reduces the member moment capacity. Unlike the commonly observed lateral torsional buckling of steel beams, lateral distortional buckling of LSBs is characterised by simultaneous lateral deflection, twist and web distortion. Current member moment capacity design rules for lateral distortional buckling in AS/NZS 4600 (SA, 2005) do not include the effect of section geometry of hollow flange beams although its effect is considered to be important. Therefore detailed experimental and finite element analyses (FEA) were carried out to investigate the lateral distortional buckling behaviour of LSBs including the effect of section geometry. The results showed that the current design rules in AS/NZS 4600 (SA, 2005) are over-conservative in the inelastic lateral buckling region. New improved design rules were therefore developed for LSBs based on both FEA and experimental results. A geometrical parameter (K) defined as the ratio of the flange torsional rigidity to the major axis flexural rigidity of the web (GJf/EIxweb) was identified as the critical parameter affecting the lateral distortional buckling of hollow flange beams. The effect of section geometry was then included in the new design rules using the new parameter (K). The new design rule developed by including this parameter was found to be accurate in calculating the member moment capacities of not only LSBs, but also other types of hollow flange steel beams such as Hollow Flange Beams (HFBs), Monosymmetric Hollow Flange Beams (MHFBs) and Rectangular Hollow Flange Beams (RHFBs). The inelastic reserve bending capacity of LSBs has not been investigated yet although the section moment capacity tests of LSBs in the past revealed that inelastic reserve bending capacity is present in LSBs. However, the Australian and American cold-formed steel design codes limit them to the first yield moment. Therefore both experimental and FEA were carried out to investigate the section moment capacity behaviour of LSBs. A comparison of the section moment capacity results from FEA, experiments and current cold-formed steel design codes showed that compact and non-compact LSB sections classified based on AS 4100 (SA, 1998) have some inelastic reserve capacity while slender LSBs do not have any inelastic reserve capacity beyond their first yield moment. It was found that Shifferaw and Schafer’s (2008) proposed equations and Eurocode 3 Part 1.3 (ECS, 2006) design equations can be used to include the inelastic bending capacities of compact and non-compact LSBs in design. As a simple design approach, the section moment capacity of compact LSB sections can be taken as 1.10 times their first yield moment while it is the first yield moment for non-compact sections. For slender LSB sections, current cold-formed steel codes can be used to predict their section moment capacities. It was believed that the use of transverse web stiffeners could improve the lateral distortional buckling moment capacities of LSBs. However, currently there are no design equations to predict the elastic lateral distortional buckling and member moment capacities of LSBs with web stiffeners under uniform moment conditions. Therefore, a detailed study was conducted using FEA to simulate both experimental and ideal conditions of LSB flexural members. It was shown that the use of 3 to 5 mm steel plate stiffeners welded or screwed to the inner faces of the top and bottom flanges of LSBs at third span points and supports provided an optimum web stiffener arrangement. Suitable design rules were developed to calculate the improved elastic buckling and ultimate moment capacities of LSBs with these optimum web stiffeners. A design rule using the geometrical parameter K was also developed to improve the accuracy of ultimate moment capacity predictions. This thesis presents the details and results of the experimental and numerical studies of the section and member moment capacities of LSBs conducted in this research. It includes the recommendations made regarding the accuracy of current design rules as well as the new design rules for lateral distortional buckling. The new design rules include the effects of section geometry of hollow flange steel beams. This thesis also developed a method of using web stiffeners to reduce the lateral distortional buckling effects, and associated design rules to calculate the improved moment capacities.

Evaluation of risk factors leading to cost overrun in delivery of highway construction projects

Accurate owner budget estimates are critical to the initial decision-to-build process for highway construction projects. However, transportation projects have historically experienced significant construction cost overruns from the time the decision to build has been taken by the owner. This paper addresses the problem of why highway projects overrun their predicted costs. It identifies the owner risk variables that contribute to significant cost overrun and then uses factor analysis, expert elicitation, and the nominal group technique to establish groups of importance ranked owner risks. Stepwise multivariate regression analysis is also used to investigate any correlation of the percentage of cost overrun with risks, together with attributes such as highway project type, indexed cost, geographics location, and project delivery method. The research results indicate a correlation between the reciprocal of project budgets size and percentage cost overrun. This can be useful for owners in determining more realistic decision-to-build highway budget estimates by taking into account the economies of scale associated with larger projects.

The use of phase in complex spectrum subtraction for robust speech recognition

In this paper we propose a new method for utilising phase information by complementing it with traditional magnitude-only spectral subtraction speech enhancement through Complex Spectrum Subtraction (CSS). The proposed approach has the following advantages over traditional magnitude-only spectral subtraction: (a) it introduces complementary information to the enhancement algorithm; (b) it reduces the total number of algorithmic parameters, and; (c) is designed for improving clean speech magnitude spectra and is therefore suitable for both automatic speech recognition (ASR) and speech perception applications. Oracle-based ASR experiments verify this approach, showing an average of 20% relative word accuracy improvements when accurate estimates of the phase spectrum are available. Based on sinusoidal analysis and assuming stationarity between observations (which is shown to be better approximated as the frame rate is increased), this paper also proposes a novel method for acquiring the phase information called Phase Estimation via Delay Projection (PEDEP). Further oracle ASR experiments validate the potential for the proposed PEDEP technique in ideal conditions. Realistic implementation of CSS with PEDEP shows performance comparable to state of the art spectral subtraction techniques in a range of 15-20 dB signal-to-noise ratio environments. These results clearly demonstrate the potential for using phase spectra in spectral subtractive enhancement applications, and at the same time highlight the need for deriving more accurate phase estimates in a wider range of noise conditions.

Repair and regeneration of osteochondral defects in the articular joints

People suffering from pain due to osteoarthritic or rheumatoidal changes in the joints are still waiting for a better treatment. Although some studies have achieved success in repairing small cartilage defects, there is no widely accepted method for complete repair of osteochondral defects. Also joint replacements have not yet succeeded in replacing of natural cartilage without complications. Therefore, there is room for a new medical approach, which outperforms currently used methods. The aim of this study is to show potential of using a tissue engineering approach for regeneration of osteochondral defects. The critical review of currently used methods for treatment of osteochondral defects is also provided. In this study, two kinds of hybrid scaffolds developed in Hutmacher's group have been analysed. The first biphasic scaffold consists of fibrin and PCL. The fibrin serves as a cartilage phase while the porous PCL scaffold acts as the subchondral phase. The second system comprises of PCL and PCL-TCP. The scaffolds were fabricated via fused deposition modeling which is a rapid prototyping system. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells were isolated from New Zealand White rabbits, cultured in vitro and seeded into the scaffolds. Bone regenerations of the subchondral phases were quantified via micro CT analysis and the results demonstrated the potential of the porous PCL and PCL-TCP scaffolds in promoting bone healing. Fibrin was found to be lacking in this aspect as it degrades rapidly. On the other hand, the porous PCL scaffold degrades slowly hence it provides an effective mechanical support. This study shows that in the field of cartilage repair or replacement, tissue engineering may have big impact in the future. In vivo bone and cartilage engineering via combining a novel composite, biphasic scaffold technology with a MSC has been shown a high potential in the knee defect regeneration in the animal models. However, the clinical application of tissue engineering requires the future research work due to several problems, such as scaffold design, cellular delivery and implantation strategies.

Telling tales, shaping stories : the creative practitioner and the artful life story

Norman K. Denzin (1989) claims that the central assumption of the biographical method—that a life can be captured and represented in a text—is open to question. This paper explores Denzin’s statement by documenting the role of creative writers in re-presenting oral histories in two case studies from Queensland, Australia. The first, The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame, was a commercial research project commissioned by the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) in 2009, and involved semi-formal qualitative interviews and digital stories. The second is an on-going practice-led PhD project, The Artful Life: Oral History and Fiction, which investigates the fictionalisation of oral histories. Both projects enter into a dialogue around the re-presentation of oral and life histories, with attention given to the critical scholarship and creative practice in the process. Creative writers represent a life having particular preoccupations with techniques that more closely align with fiction than non-fiction (Hirsch and Dixon 2008). In this context, oral history resources are viewed not so much as repositories of historical facts, but as ambiguous and fluid narrative sources. The comparison of the two case studies also demonstrates that the aims of a particular project dictate the nature of the re-presentation, revealing that writing about another’s life is a complex act of artful ‘shaping’. Alistair Thomson (2007) notes the growing interdisciplinary nature of oral history scholarship since the 1980s; oral histories are used increasingly in art-based contexts to produce diverse cultural artefacts, such as digital stories and works of fiction, which are very different from traditional histories. What are the methodological implications of such projects? This paper will draw on self-reflexive practice to explore this question.

Markov modelling of the IEEE 802.11 DCF for real-time applications with periodic traffic

Popular wireless network standards, such as IEEE 802.11/15/16, are increasingly adopted in real-time control systems. However, they are not designed for real-time applications. Therefore, the performance of such wireless networks needs to be carefully evaluated before the systems are implemented and deployed. While efforts have been made to model general wireless networks with completely random traffic generation, there is a lack of theoretical investigations into the modelling of wireless networks with periodic real-time traffic. Considering the widely used IEEE 802.11 standard, with the focus on its distributed coordination function (DCF), for soft-real-time control applications, this paper develops an analytical Markov model to quantitatively evaluate the network quality-of-service (QoS) performance in periodic real-time traffic environments. Performance indices to be evaluated include throughput capacity, transmission delay and packet loss ratio, which are crucial for real-time QoS guarantee in real-time control applications. They are derived under the critical real-time traffic condition, which is formally defined in this paper to characterize the marginal satisfaction of real-time performance constraints.