Communities Make Theory: A Response to Bleed and Roper

2007 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 789-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark D. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Research Practices ◽  
Plains Archaeology

In their comments, Bleed and Roper acknowledge the profound effects routine research practices have had on the conceptual development of Plains archaeology, though both disagree with aspects of my analysis. Bleed disputes my characterization of current theory in Plains archaeology but fails to appreciate the extent to which Plains archaeology continues to emphasize culture historical research. Bleed further argues that there are few connections between the research practices established by the Missouri Basin Project (MBP) and those of more recent Plains archaeologists. However, such a stance discounts the powerful influence of construct paradigms or exemplars on the development of method and theory. Roper provides valuable insights into the role played by direct historic analogy in the development of theory in Plains archaeology. However, her analysis glosses over the fact that all aspects of archaeological research are informed by theoretical propositions, whether explicitly stated or merely assumed.

Research Traditions, Public Policy, and the Underdevelopment of Theory in Plains Archaeology: Tracing the Legacy of the Missouri Basin Project

2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark D. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Archaeological Theory ◽  
Contemporary Theory ◽  
Central Focus ◽  
Standards Of Practice ◽  
Culture History ◽  
Political Forces ◽  
Plains Archaeology

For more than 40 years archaeologists have been engaged in a self-conscious appraisal of the factors influencing the development of archaeological theory. The importance of external social and political forces has been widely acknowledged; however, less attention has been paid to the ways in which routine disciplinary practices authorize and reproduce particular theoretical standpoints. To illustrate how the growth of archaeological theory is intertwined with the practice of archaeological research, the goals and structure of one of the nation's first large-scale public archaeology projects, the River Basin Surveys' Missouri Basin Project (MBP), are considered and their effects on contemporary theory in Plains archaeology are evaluated. Today, theory in Plains archaeology remains implicit and for many projects culture history remains the central focus. The persistence of this research tradition can be traced in part to the success of the MBP in establishing new standards of practice for the region. Throughout the 1950s, MBP archaeologists pursued a distinctive research agenda that institutionalized inductive, culture-historical investigations. However, by the late 1960s many American archaeologists had adopted a new model of preservation, one that necessitated a new set of research practices. Because the MBP was not replaced by a new exemplar of practice, the culture historical research it championed continues to influence theory in Plains archaeology today.

scholarly journals Between the Real and the Virtual: 3D visualization in the Cultural Heritage domain - expectations and prospects

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sorin Hermon ◽  
Loukas Kalisperis
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
3D Visualization ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Communication Medium ◽  
The Real ◽  
Data Transparency ◽  
Research Tools

<p>The paper discusses two uses of 3D Visualization and Virtual Reality (hereafter VR) of Cultural Heritage (CH) assets: a less used one, in the archaeological / historical research and a more frequent one, as a communication medium in CH museums. While technological effort has been mainly invested in improving the “accuracy” of VR (determined as how truthfully it reproduces the “CH reality”), issues related to scientific requirements, (data transparency, separation between “real” and “virtual”, etc.), are largely neglected, or at least not directly related to the 3D outcome, which may explain why, after more than twenty years of producing VR models, they are still rarely used in the archaeological research. The paper will present a proposal for developing VR tools as such as to be meaningful CH research tools as well as a methodology for designing VR outcomes to be used as a communication medium in CH museums.</p>

Fundamental aspects of the vortex flow on cones. Angular characterization of hyperlifting vortex torques; the law of filiation

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (8) ◽  
pp. 1027-1031 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Abene ◽  
V Dubois
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Vortex Flow ◽  
Secondary Structures ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Vortex Structures ◽  
Apex Angle ◽  
Slender Bodies ◽  
The Law

This paper describes in detail the fundamental aspects of the vortex flow developed on the upper surface of a cone having an apex angle of 68.6°. It is one of a large number of studies carried out in the wind tunnel of the Valenciennes University aerodynamics and hydrodynamics laboratory whereby visualizations have enabled the flow of vortex structures to be monitored and consequently their development and positioning, under the influence of apex angles and at increasing angles of incidence, to be determined and defined. The existence and the preferential nature of intervortex angles are here confirmed and it has been found, by analogy with studies carried out on other types of slender bodies, that the law of filiation is applicable to the angular characterization of hyperlifting vortex torques and to the angular correspondence existing between their main and secondary structures. These findings suggest that there is a certain universality in the behaviour of these properties although no current theory would seem to be able as yet to provide a straightforward explanation of the phenomena.PACS Nos.: 44, 47

Purification and characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa alkaline phosphatase

1973 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 1225-1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. Day ◽  
J. M. Ingram
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Alkaline Phosphatase ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Outer Cell ◽  
Ph Optimum ◽  
Nitrophenyl Phosphate ◽  
A Subunit

Alkaline phosphatase and a subunit form of the enzyme have been isolated from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The enzyme is pure as judged by molecular-sieve chromatography, sodium dodecyl gel electrophoresis, and ultracentrifugation. The enzyme possesses the following properties: (a) existence of three forms: monomer mol. wt. 39 000, dimer mol. wt. 68 000, and tetramer mol. wt. 139 000; (b) pH optimum 10.5; (c) Michaelis constant Km = 6.6 × 10−5 M p-nitrophenyl phosphate; and (d) energy of activation 5647 cal/mol. Amino acid analysis indicates a protein that is hydrophobic. Its physical behavior in solution supports this conclusion. These results explain the observed association of alkaline phosphatase and lipopolysaccharide and substantiate the current theory that the alkaline phosphatase of P. aeruginosa is bound to the outer cell wall in vivo.

Archives and Research Centres: investigating Cuban History

Itinerario ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-121
Author(s):  
Gert Oostindië
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Cuban Revolution ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Western World ◽  
Plantation Economy ◽  
Economic Decision Making ◽  
Research Centres ◽  
Cuban History

It is a well known fact that informational exchange between Cuba and the Western world is poor and, to the extent that it exists, highly polemic. This characterization of non-communication unfortunately, also applies to the field of historical research. In Western Europe, at least, there is not much scholarly interest in pre-Revolutionary Cuban history. There is no framework for historical contact either. I would say that this neglect of Cuban history is regrettable not only from an academic point of view, but also because we cannot possibly understand the Cuban Revolution without a more thorough understanding of its historical roots. Apart from being regrettable, this is also unnecessary, as I found out in the course of my particular investigation, entitled The Cuban railways, 1830–1868. Infrastructure and economic decision-making in a Caribbean plantation-economy.

scholarly journals Reduced Neural Selectivity for Mental States in Deaf Children with Delayed Exposure to Sign Language

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Richardson ◽  
Jorie Koster-Hale ◽  
Naomi Kenney Caselli ◽  
Rachel Willcox Magid ◽  
Rachel Benedict ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
American Sign Language ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Linguistic Experience ◽  
The Right ◽  
Neural Selectivity

Language provides a rich source of information about other people’s thoughts and feelings. Consequently, delayed access to language may influence conceptual development in Theory of Mind (ToM). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral tasks to study ToM development in child (n=33, 4-12 years old) and adult (n=36) fluent signers of American Sign Language (ASL), and provide the first characterization of neural ToM responses during an ASL task. Participants included deaf children whose first exposure to ASL was delayed up to 7 years (n=12). Neural responses to ToM stories (specifically, selectivity of the right temporo-parietal junction) in these children resembled responses previously observed in young children, who have the same amount of linguistic experience, rather than those in age-matched native-signing children, who have the same amount of biological maturation. These results suggest that early linguistic experience facilitates ToM development, via the development of a selective brain region for ToM.

On Christianization and Grave-Finds

1999 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Almut Schülke
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Seventh Century ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Historical Interpretation ◽  
History Of Research ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Contextual Archaeology ◽  
Written Sources

There are hardly any written sources on Christianization in southwestern Germany during early Medieval times. From its beginning in the nineteenth century, archaeological research was concerned with the question of whether the interpretation of material culture is helpful in the study of Christianization. This article first deals with the history of research. It focuses on the question of how the main archaeological sources of Merovingian times – the Reihengräberfelder – were interpreted in terms of Christianization. Obviously several aspects were and still are the main focus of research: special objects with Christian symbols (brooches, belt buckles or the so-called Goldblattkreuze) are often vaguely interpreted as symbols of early Christianity or in some cases as a sign for the buried person being Christian. This results in the process of Christianization being dated to the seventh century. These explanations are influenced by a direct social-historical interpretation of the Reihengräberfelder. They are strongly influenced by the results of historical research. A basic discussion about the character and the significance of objects from graves in the context of debates about Christianization has not yet taken place. Thus, in the second part of the article, questions derived from contextual archaeology are raised which may enrich the discussion about the interpretation of Christianization on the basis of graves: what importance may objects with Christian symbols have, if considered in the context of their ritual deposition and their associated finds? Do the Medieval graves provide information about the world of the living at all? Or how is ideology manifested within them? Is it at all, therefore, possible to describe them as testimonies of a process of Christianization? The use of carefully chosen sociological, ethnographical or historical analogies is crucial for the future development of the discussion. Furthermore, it is important to view the topic from the perspective of two analogies: analogies of the archaeological context as well as of processes of Christianization.

scholarly journals Concept innateness, concept continuity, and bootstrapping

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 152-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Carey
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Conceptual Development

AbstractThe commentators raised issues relevant to all three important theses of The Origin of Concepts (henceforth TOOC). Some questioned the very existence of innate representational primitives, and others questioned my claims about their richness and whether they should be thought of as concepts. Some questioned the existence of conceptual discontinuity in the course of knowledge acquisition and others argued that discontinuity is much more common than was portrayed in TOOC. Some raised issues with my characterization of Quinian bootstrapping, and others questioned the dual factor theory of concepts motivated by my picture of conceptual development.

scholarly journals Academic council activity as the basis for university autonomy: historical aspect

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (39) ◽  
pp. 205-217
Author(s):  
Liudmyla Zelenska ◽  
Liudmyla Holubnycha ◽  
Tetiana Lutaieva ◽  
Liudmyla Matsapura ◽  
Nataliya Popova
Keyword(s):  
Historical Research ◽  
Educational Service ◽  
University Management ◽  
University Autonomy ◽  
Historical Aspect ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Academic Council ◽  
General Scientific

The article describes functions and authorities of academic councils of Ukrainian universities as the basis of their autonomy in historical aspect. The purpose of the paper is to study academic council activity evolution in Ukrainian Universities of the XIX-th century through singling out and characterization its stages from the modern standpoint to strengthen university autonomy, develop the quality of university management and prevent mistakes and shortcomings of the previous period. The applied methods were: general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, comparison, systematization, and generalization) and methods of historical research (chronological, logical-historical, historical-typological, and retrospective). The most important findings have become distinguishing and characterizing four stages of activity of academic councils in Ukrainian universities within the studied period: I stage (1804 - 1835), II stage (1835 - 1863), III stage (1863 - 1884), IV stage (1884 - 1906). Characterization of the stages of academic council functions and authority development from the modern position has demonstrated that in order to develop the quality of university management as well as educational service quality universities need real university autonomy, which should be strong enough to prevent mistakes and shortcomings of the previous periods.

scholarly journals Pre-Conceptual Development and Characterization of an Extruded Graphite Composite Fuel for the Treat Reactor

2015 ◽  
pp. 1193-1202
Author(s):  
Erik Luther ◽  
Isabella van Rooyen ◽  
Ching-Fong Chen ◽  
David Dombrowski ◽  
Rafael Leckie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Graphite Composite ◽  
Composite Fuel
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