title: Proceedings of the INTERACT97 Combined Workshop on CSCW in HCI-Worldwide

authors: Rauterberg, Matthias

subjects: computer science

abstract: This is the proceedings for the INTERACT97 combined workshop on “CSCW in HCI-worldwide”. The position papers in this proceedings are those selected from topics relating to HCI community development worldwide and to CSCW issues. Originally these were to be two separate INTERACT workshops, but were combined to ensure sufficient participation for a combined workshop to run. 
The combined workshop has been split into two separate sessions to run in the morning of July 15th, Sydney, Australia. One to discuss the issues relating to the position papers focusing on general CSCW systems, the other to the development of HCI communities in a worldwide context. The CSCW session uses as a case study a proposed groupware tool for facilitating the development of an HCI database with a worldwide geographical distribution. The HCI community session focuses on developing the content for such a database, in order for it to foster the continued development of HCI communities. The afternoon session of the combined workshop involves a joint discussion of the case study groupware tool, in terms of its content and likely groupware facilities.
The position papers have been grouped into those focusing on HCI communities and hence content issues for a groupware database, and those focusing on CSCW and groupware issues, and hence likely groupware support in the proposed HCI database/collaboration tools. We hope that you find the position papers in this proceedings offer a wide range of interesting reports of HCI community development worldwide, leading CSCW system research, and that a groupware tool supporting aspects of a worldwide HCI database can draw upon the varied work reported.

text: Proceedings of the INTERACT97 Combined Workshop on CSCW in HCI-Worldwide This is the proceedings for the INTERACT97 combined workshop on “CSCW in HCI-worldwide”. The position papers in this proceedings are those selected from topics relating to HCI community development worldwide and to CSCW issues. Originally these were to be two separate INTERACT workshops, but were combined to ensure sufficient participation for a combined workshop to run. 
The combined workshop has been split into two separate sessions to run in the morning of July 15th, Sydney, Australia. One to discuss the issues relating to the position papers focusing on general CSCW systems, the other to the development of HCI communities in a worldwide context. The CSCW session uses as a case study a proposed groupware tool for facilitating the development of an HCI database with a worldwide geographical distribution. The HCI community session focuses on developing the content for such a database, in order for it to foster the continued development of HCI communities. The afternoon session of the combined workshop involves a joint discussion of the case study groupware tool, in terms of its content and likely groupware facilities.
The position papers have been grouped into those focusing on HCI communities and hence content issues for a groupware database, and those focusing on CSCW and groupware issues, and hence likely groupware support in the proposed HCI database/collaboration tools. We hope that you find the position papers in this proceedings offer a wide range of interesting reports of HCI community development worldwide, leading CSCW system research, and that a groupware tool supporting aspects of a worldwide HCI database can draw upon the varied work reported.

year: 1997-07

title: Unpacking the effects of power relations in childhood sexuality: A discursive analysis based on conversations with parents, teachers and counsellors

authors: Flanagan, Paul G.

subjects: Discourse

abstract: This research focusses on language used by adults within Aotearoa New Zealand who are significant in children’s lives, exploring cultural and societal discourses on childhood sexuality. Seventeen individual and three group interviews were conducted involving thirteen parents and nine teachers from two schools, and six therapists from one counselling agency. The participants were consulted on a series of six vignettes which were developed from clinical examples of children’s experiences. These vignettes were presented verbally to the participants. Ethical approval to interview children was granted, but parents did not consent to their involvement. The focus therefore turned to adults and the transcripts from these interviews provided the material for a discursive analysis of text and language based on the interview conversations. 
Utilising poststructuralist and feminist analysis of discourse as language and practices of power/knowledge, strategies were located in which children’s sexual subjectivities are governed through adults’ talk. This speaking produces gendered and sexed child subjects within dominant discourses of compulsory heterosexuality and normative biological and psychological development. Adults’ own sexual subjectivities also appeared to be regulated by these same practices, influencing the ways it was possible to talk about sexuality in childhood. Parents’ talk indicated care and initial intention to teach the child about sex and sexuality, but there was uncertainty about how and when, and fear about losing the initiative when a child accessed information from others, such as peers at school or from the internet. Through this talk, parents were constructed as ‘judges of normality’, guarding innocence and the heteronormative gender binary. Teachers’ talk reflected on changes in children’s awareness of themselves and others, and spoke of diversity in children’s experiences about sexuality and gender. However, regulated through policy as teachers in their relating to children about sex and sexuality, their talk was cautious. The analysis of interviews with counsellors focussed on the silences in society around talking about gendered norms of male sexuality and sexual behaviour. 
I found that there were instances where ideas stood in contrast to dominant positions within discourses. While most parents’ talk expressed a desire to be truthful with children’s inquiry and curiosity about sex and sexuality, few parents responded more openly and fully with that information. Overall, I found that the sites of talk about child sexuality were generally populated by women/mothers, and that men/fathers are frequently absent and/or silent in these discussions. The analysis suggested that, within an environment of uncertainty, information is hidden from children, and adults struggle to find public and professional spaces that are available and safe to engage in discussion with other adults about children and sexuality. Confusion and uncertainty characterised adults’ concerns about their responsibilities for deciding when, what and how much information to share with children about sex and sexuality.

text: Unpacking the effects of power relations in childhood sexuality: A discursive analysis based on conversations with parents, teachers and counsellors This research focusses on language used by adults within Aotearoa New Zealand who are significant in children’s lives, exploring cultural and societal discourses on childhood sexuality. Seventeen individual and three group interviews were conducted involving thirteen parents and nine teachers from two schools, and six therapists from one counselling agency. The participants were consulted on a series of six vignettes which were developed from clinical examples of children’s experiences. These vignettes were presented verbally to the participants. Ethical approval to interview children was granted, but parents did not consent to their involvement. The focus therefore turned to adults and the transcripts from these interviews provided the material for a discursive analysis of text and language based on the interview conversations. 
Utilising poststructuralist and feminist analysis of discourse as language and practices of power/knowledge, strategies were located in which children’s sexual subjectivities are governed through adults’ talk. This speaking produces gendered and sexed child subjects within dominant discourses of compulsory heterosexuality and normative biological and psychological development. Adults’ own sexual subjectivities also appeared to be regulated by these same practices, influencing the ways it was possible to talk about sexuality in childhood. Parents’ talk indicated care and initial intention to teach the child about sex and sexuality, but there was uncertainty about how and when, and fear about losing the initiative when a child accessed information from others, such as peers at school or from the internet. Through this talk, parents were constructed as ‘judges of normality’, guarding innocence and the heteronormative gender binary. Teachers’ talk reflected on changes in children’s awareness of themselves and others, and spoke of diversity in children’s experiences about sexuality and gender. However, regulated through policy as teachers in their relating to children about sex and sexuality, their talk was cautious. The analysis of interviews with counsellors focussed on the silences in society around talking about gendered norms of male sexuality and sexual behaviour. 
I found that there were instances where ideas stood in contrast to dominant positions within discourses. While most parents’ talk expressed a desire to be truthful with children’s inquiry and curiosity about sex and sexuality, few parents responded more openly and fully with that information. Overall, I found that the sites of talk about child sexuality were generally populated by women/mothers, and that men/fathers are frequently absent and/or silent in these discussions. The analysis suggested that, within an environment of uncertainty, information is hidden from children, and adults struggle to find public and professional spaces that are available and safe to engage in discussion with other adults about children and sexuality. Confusion and uncertainty characterised adults’ concerns about their responsibilities for deciding when, what and how much information to share with children about sex and sexuality.

year: 2019

title: Mana Motuhake Ringa: The non-invasive neural interface based artificial hand

authors: Owen, Mahonri W.

subjects: Prosthetics

abstract: Ten million people on the earth at any given time suffer from the loss or lack of a limb. Three million of these are upper extremity amputees. No matter the cause or reason for amputation the amputees’ life is never the same again. Independence can be lost and never regained. The loss of a limb can be an overpowering event that effects the mental, social, and physical well-being of a person. Although there has been many attempts to restore hand function through neural prosthetics there is little to no credible solutions to regain it. This thesis presents methods to restore hand function based on the human grasping system and addresses key challenges in the practical application of those methods. The contribution of this work lies in improving artificial hand function by mimicking the human grasping system. The human grasping system consists of the brain, the nervous system and the hand. The methods used investigate: biomechanical design principles for artificial hands, the limitations of machine learning in non-invasive neural interfaces (NI’s) and the development of an autonomous hand control framework for artificial hand control. 

The application of the Support Vector Machine (SVM) to a non-invasive neural interface is principally limited to binary applications in the real world. In order to overcome this limitation an autonomous approach is developed to achieve better response and accuracy from NI control frameworks. In binary applications the SVM performed well with a classification accuracy of around 80% accompanied by a response time of just under 5 seconds. When applied to multiple classifications the SVM decreased in accuracy and response dramatically. The accuracy of the autonomous hand control framework had a classification accuracy of 95% with a response time comparable to that of the SVM. This outcome has the potential to move non-invasive NI research into the real world and to restore hand function in an intuitive and meaningful way. A key learning of this research is that machine learning methods for non-invasive neural interfaces are not the best way to restore hand function for amputees. Hand function is best restored through the combining of machine learning and machine vision into a single NI based control framework. Additionally, this work is based in Mātauranga Māori with a western science approach. By so doing, amputees will be empowered, have increased independence and enjoy a better quality of life.

The scope of this work is limited to the consideration of hand function restoration for upper extremity amputees. In particular trans-radial amputees. Focus is given to non-invasive methods of control, therefore, investigations are limited to the electroencephalography (EEG) signal. Mimicking the human grasping system is a complex and difficult process, therefore, the attempts in this work to restore hand function only consider mechanisms and processes related directly to the motor control of the human hand.

text: Mana Motuhake Ringa: The non-invasive neural interface based artificial hand Ten million people on the earth at any given time suffer from the loss or lack of a limb. Three million of these are upper extremity amputees. No matter the cause or reason for amputation the amputees’ life is never the same again. Independence can be lost and never regained. The loss of a limb can be an overpowering event that effects the mental, social, and physical well-being of a person. Although there has been many attempts to restore hand function through neural prosthetics there is little to no credible solutions to regain it. This thesis presents methods to restore hand function based on the human grasping system and addresses key challenges in the practical application of those methods. The contribution of this work lies in improving artificial hand function by mimicking the human grasping system. The human grasping system consists of the brain, the nervous system and the hand. The methods used investigate: biomechanical design principles for artificial hands, the limitations of machine learning in non-invasive neural interfaces (NI’s) and the development of an autonomous hand control framework for artificial hand control. 

The application of the Support Vector Machine (SVM) to a non-invasive neural interface is principally limited to binary applications in the real world. In order to overcome this limitation an autonomous approach is developed to achieve better response and accuracy from NI control frameworks. In binary applications the SVM performed well with a classification accuracy of around 80% accompanied by a response time of just under 5 seconds. When applied to multiple classifications the SVM decreased in accuracy and response dramatically. The accuracy of the autonomous hand control framework had a classification accuracy of 95% with a response time comparable to that of the SVM. This outcome has the potential to move non-invasive NI research into the real world and to restore hand function in an intuitive and meaningful way. A key learning of this research is that machine learning methods for non-invasive neural interfaces are not the best way to restore hand function for amputees. Hand function is best restored through the combining of machine learning and machine vision into a single NI based control framework. Additionally, this work is based in Mātauranga Māori with a western science approach. By so doing, amputees will be empowered, have increased independence and enjoy a better quality of life.

The scope of this work is limited to the consideration of hand function restoration for upper extremity amputees. In particular trans-radial amputees. Focus is given to non-invasive methods of control, therefore, investigations are limited to the electroencephalography (EEG) signal. Mimicking the human grasping system is a complex and difficult process, therefore, the attempts in this work to restore hand function only consider mechanisms and processes related directly to the motor control of the human hand.

year: 2019