After a brief review of machine learning techniques and applications, this Ph.D. thesis examines several approaches for implementing machine learning architectures and algorithms into hardware within our laboratory. From this interdisciplinary background support, we have motivations for novel approaches that we intend to follow as an objective of innovative hardware implementations of dynamically self-reconfigurable logic for enhanced self-adaptive, self-(re)organizing and eventually self-assembling machine learning systems, while developing this new particular area of research. And after reviewing some relevant background of robotic control methods followed by most recent advanced cognitive controllers, this Ph.D. thesis suggests that amongst many well-known ways of designing operational technologies, the design methodologies of those leading-edge high-tech devices such as cognitive chips that may well lead to intelligent machines exhibiting conscious phenomena should crucially be restricted to extremely well defined constraints. Roboticists also need those as specifications to help decide upfront on otherwise infinitely free hardware/software design details. In addition and most importantly, we propose these specifications as methodological guidelines tightly related to ethics and the nowadays well-identified workings of the human body and of its psyche.

Die in der Geschichte der Künste als Neoavantgarde der frühen 1960er Jahre bezeichneten Entwicklungen der Grenzüberschreitung und Prozessorientierung bilden in exemplarischen Analysen das Zentrum des Gegenstandsbereichs dieser Arbeit. Sie umfassen sowohl die grundlegenden Innovationen, die - von John Cages Ideen und Konzeptionen angestoßen – die Arbeit der Komponisten/Performer der Live Electronic Music prägten, wie die Erweiterung der künstlerischen Materialien und Veränderung der Verfahren der Bildenden Kunst seit Happening und Fluxus. Sie umfassen die minimalistischen Verschiebungen des Verständnisses von Körper-Bewegung und Objekten in der Tanz/Performance vor allem der New Yorker Judson Dance Group und die performative Erforschung der Grundlagen von Kino/Film-Wahrnehmung im Expanded Cinema. An diesen drei Bereichen wird eine doppelte historische Bewegung aufgezeigt: zum einen die des Durchstreichens, Verschiebens, Ersetzens konventionalisierter Parameter und Wert-Hierarchien; zum anderen eine durch den Entwicklungsschub technischer Medien und deren Auswirkungen auf Gesellschaft und Wahrnehmung angestoßenes Interesse an der Verbindung von Kunst und Medien. Eine wichtige Schnittstelle dieser Entwicklungen manifestiert sich in den Aufführungen der inzwischen legendären Nine Evenings: Theatre and Engineering, die 1966 in New York stattfanden. Die Analyse dieses Ereignisses, des Arbeitsprozesses, der ihm vorausging und an dem in gleicher Weise Künstler und Ingenieure beteiligt waren, wie der einzelnen Performances bildet einen Ausgangspunkt dieser Untersuchung. Dass Systemtheorie und Kybernetik als Denkmodelle für die Kunstproduktion erschlossen werden sollten, lässt sich nicht nur anhand der Manifestationen dieses Ereignisses zeigen, sondern auch anhand der Analyse zeitgenössischer Diskurse im Kunstfeld nachweisen. Live Electronic Arts heißt in diesem Zusammenhang: das unmittelbar (aktuell) vorgeführte Handeln mit technischen Medien in einer performativen Anordnung. Diese Verbindung wird von den Künstlern selbst als Mensch/Maschine-Kopplung verstanden – der Konstruktionsprozess wird zu einem wesentlichen Bestandteil künstlerischer Strategie. Der Einbezug zeitgenössischer Technologien wird so nicht als Frage nach der Neuartigkeit von Darstellungsmodi relevant, sondern als eine Frage nach Prozessen des Regelns, Steuerns und der Signalübertragung (control&communication) – also nach den Prozessen, die das Agieren mit ihnen strukturieren. Ausgehend von den Nine Evenings und der an ihnen beteiligten Künstler – Musiker, Tänzer und Choreographen sowie Bildende Künstler und Filmemacher – widmet sich die Arbeit in detaillierter Untersuchung den Versuchsreihen der einzelnen Künstler, denen die experimentellen Performances zugerechnet werden können. Sie zeigt für alle drei Bereiche – Live Electronic Music, die performativen Praktiken der Judson Dance Group und Expanded Cinema – unter welchen Bedingungen, ein Interesse und die Arbeit an der Kopplung von Körper-Bewegung und technischen Systemen entstand. / The developments of transgression and process-orientation, which in art history are designated as the Neo-Avantgarde of the early 1960s, form the central subject of this text with its exemplary analyses. They involve the fundamental innovations, which - initiated by John Cage''s ideas and concepts - characterised the work of the composers/performers of Live Electronic Music, as well as the expansion of artistic materials and the modification of art''s techniques since Happening and Fluxus. They also cover the minimalistic shifts in the understanding of bodily movement and objects above all in the dance/performance of the New York based Judson Dance Group and the performative investigation of the foundations of cinema/film perception in the Expanded Cinema. A twofold historical movement is illustrated in these three areas: on the one hand, the movement of cancellation, postponement, substitution of conventional parameters and value hierarchies; on the other, one of interest in the connection between art and the media triggered by the thrust of development in the technological media and their effects on society and perception. An important point of intersection of these developments manifests itself in the performances of the since legendary Nine Evenings: Theatre and Engineering, which took place in New York in 1966. The analysis of this event, of the process of work that preceded it and which involved artists and engineers in equal measure, as well as of the individual performances forms the basis of this investigation. That system theory and cybernetics should be developed as a working hypothesis for art production can be demonstrated not only through manifestations of this event, but also through contemporary discourses in the field of art. In this context, Live Electronic Arts means the immediately (currently) performed action in a perfomative configuration using technological media. The artists themselves understand this relation as an interconnection of human being and machine. The process of construction becomes an essential component of the artistic strategy. The inclusion of contemporary technologies becomes relevant not as a question about the novelty of the modes of representation, but as a question about the processes of structuring, regulating and the transmission of signals (control & communication), thus about processes that structure the performance with these technologies. Beginning with the Nine Evenings and the participating artists (musicians, dancers, choreographers, as well as visual artists and film makers), this text provides a detailed investigation into the series of experiments of the individual artists, to which the experimental performances can be attributed. It demonstrates for all three areas (Live Electronic Music, the perfomative practices of the Judson Dance Group, and Expanded Cinema) under what circumstances interest in and work on the interconnection of bodily movement and technological systems arose.

[ES] La presente investigación ha tenido como objetivo explorar el de modo en que el arte contemporáneo, puede contribuir a la adaptación biológica de los seres humanos desde la transición a la sostenibilidad de los complejos sistemas sociotécnicos. Debido al hecho de que el cerebro siempre está preparando hipótesis a futuro y conociendo en parte, como emerge la conciencia en él, nos preguntamos de qué forma la ciencia en toda su complejidad y las intersecciones que emergen entre diferentes disciplinas al analizarse contextos reales, el uso de las tecnologías y los diferentes sistemas de innovación contribuyen y pueden mejorar la adaptación cognitiva de los seres humanos ante posibles disrupciones sociales y medioambientales en los ecosistemas. En concreto se ha querido conocer de qué modo podemos aportar información de valor, a través de la pedagogía, el modelado de sistemas y la ciencia de sistemas. Al estudiar las estructuras emergentes en la autoorganización social, que intervienen en la continua transformación de los diferentes regímenes del paisaje dominante o Statu Quo del metabolismo socioeconómico global. A través de una triangulación de metodologías la investigación presupone la capacidad creativa de los seres humanos para abstraer la realidad y percibirla como totalidades, desde las que poner conciencia de nuestras interdependencias biológicas con los ecosistemas. Y situar en el contexto de investigación, la creencia de que, la clave de la sostenibilidad está en la organización de lo vivo, en el código orgánico y en las dinámicas relacionales. Creemos que el acceso al conocimiento es un fenómeno dinámico, espontáneo que se crea y se destruye infinitamente, como lo es el fenómeno de la conciencia. Al estudiar el contexto como agente crítico se ha elaborado una propuesta de cambio a nivel institucional, destacando que es posible, a futuro, que la ciencias de la complejidad integren el sistema valenciano de innovación. Para partir de una posición justificada desde un punto de vista de método científico se ha acotado el objeto de investigación y recurrido a la investigación de acción participativa de realismo crítico y como marco de trabajo o enfoque, la perspectiva multinivel (MLP), que estudia la complejidad de la transición a la sostenibilidad de los sistemas sociotécnicos de forma agregada, desde el campo de la sociología y esta se ha anclado como punto de partida en la sociología de los sistemas complejos adaptativos (SACS) / [CA] La present recerca ha tingut com a objectiu explorar la forma en què l'art contemporani, pot contribuir a l'adaptació biològica dels éssers humans des de la transició a la sostenibilitat dels complexos sistemes sociotècnics. Degut al fet fet de que el cervell sempre està preparant hipòtesi a futur i coneixent en part, com emergeix la consciència en ell, ens preguntem de quina forma la ciència en tota la seva complexitat i les interseccions que emergeixen de entreteixir l¿us de diferents disciplines en analitzar-se contextos reals, l'ús de les tecnologies i els diferents sistemes d'innovació contribueixen i poden millorar l'adaptació cognitiva dels éssers humans davant possibles disrupcions socials i mediambientals als ecosistemes. En concret s'ha volgut conèixer de quina manera podem aportar informació de valor, a través de la pedagogia, el modelatge de sistemes i la ciència de sistemas, de dades i la inteligencia artificial. En estudiar les estructures emergents en l'autoorganització social, que intervenen en la contínua transformació dels diferents règims del paisatge dominant o Statu quo del metabolisme socioeconòmic global, a través del nostre contexte local. Emprant una triangulació de metodologies , la recerca pressuposa la capacitat creativa dels éssers humans per a abstreure la realitat i percebre-la com a totalitats, des de les quals posar consciència de les nostres interdependències biològiques amb els ecosistemes. I situar a l'entorn de estudi , la creença, de que la clau de la sostenibilitat està en l'organització del viu, en el codi orgànic, en les dinàmiques relacionals. Creiem que l'accés al coneixement és un fenomen dinàmic, espontani que es crea i es destrueix infinitament, com ho és el fenomen de la consciència. En estudiar el context com a agent crític s'ha elaborat una proposta de canvi a nivell institucional, destacant que és possible, a futur, que la ciències de la complexitat integrin el Sistema Valencià d'Innovació (SVI), i el nacional. Per a partir d'una posició justificada des d'un punt de vista de mètode científic s'ha delimitat l'objecte de recerca i recorregut a la recerca d'acció participativa de realisme crític i com a marc de treball o enfocament, la Perspectiva Multi Nivell (MLP), que estudia la complexitat de forma agregada i com a punt de unió en el campo de estudi de la Sociología dels Sistemes Complexos Adaptatius (SACS) / [EN] The aim of this academic research is to explore how contemporary art can contribute to the biological adaptation of human beings in the transition to sustainability of complex socio-technical systems. Owing to the fact that the brain is always hypothesizing about the future and knowing to some extent how consciousness emerges, the question is raised of how science, technologies and different systems of innovation in all their complexity, and what emerges from the intersections between different disciplines when real contexts are analyzed, can contribute and can improve human beings' cognitive adaptation in the face of social and environmental disruption in ecosystems. Specifically, the intention has been to ascertain how we can contribute information of value in the following ways: By means of pedagogy, systems modelling and systems science. By studying the emerging structures in social self-organization which intervene in the ongoing transformation of the different regimes of the dominant landscape or the Statu quo of the global socio-economic metabolism. By means of the triangulation of methodologies, this study presupposes the creative capacity of human beings to abstract reality and to perceive it as totalities, thereby making us aware of our biological interdependence with ecosystems. This situates in a setting of discovery, the belief, that the key to sustainability is in the organization of the living, the organic code, and relational dynamics. We believe that the access to knowledge is a phenomenon which is both dynamic and spontaneous and which is created and destroyed in one neverending process, as is the phenomenon of consciousness. In the process of studying the context as the critical agent, a proposal for institutional change has been drawn up, a proposal which posits that in the future the Valencian system of innovation could be integrated in the sciences of complexity, a case in point could be UPV and more in particular the experience of a pre-doctoral student. In order to start from a position which can be justified from the point of view of the scientific method the object of this research has been limited, and the approach has been that of participatory action research and critical realism, while the framework or focus adopted was the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), which studies complexities in aggregate form, connected across Sociology with Adaptative Complex Sytems (SACS) field of study. . / Méndez Gallart, MJ. (2023). Uso transdisciplinar del análisis sistémico en la ecología y en la creación de arte contemporáneo. Cambios de paradigma en la Valencia del siglo XXI [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/192757

This thesis is a study of the development of a group of students during the time they spentworking as a reflecting team in family therapy. Due to an increase in the number of students enrolled for the Masters degree in Educational Psychology in the years from 2001, there was concern about the students experience of family therapy, since they would not all be likely to counsel a family. The study, which was undertaken over a period of two years, allows a comparison of two different experiences of being part of a reflecting team. The first year the whole group formed a single team, whereas, the group in the second year split into two teams, working on a fortnightly basis. The growth of the students as therapists was assessed by means of questionnaires and an interview with the trainer in terms of self-reflection, willingness to risk. / Social work / MA(SS)(Mental Health)

This thesis is a study of the development of a group of students during the time they spentworking as a reflecting team in family therapy. Due to an increase in the number of students enrolled for the Masters degree in Educational Psychology in the years from 2001, there was concern about the students experience of family therapy, since they would not all be likely to counsel a family. The study, which was undertaken over a period of two years, allows a comparison of two different experiences of being part of a reflecting team. The first year the whole group formed a single team, whereas, the group in the second year split into two teams, working on a fortnightly basis. The growth of the students as therapists was assessed by means of questionnaires and an interview with the trainer in terms of self-reflection, willingness to risk. / Social work / MA(SS)(Mental Health)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / No romance A defesa Lujin, de Vladimir Nabokov, publicado em russo em 1930, o texto procura levar o leitor a adotar processos mentais similares ao de um jogador de xadrez e de um esquizofrênico, características do personagem-título do romance. Delineiam-se as expectativas e circunstâncias de um ser de papel que se vê jogando um xadrez em que também é peça e traçam-se paralelos com as expectativas e circunstâncias do leitor perante esse texto literário. O prefácio de Nabokov à edição em inglês de 1964 é tomado como indício de um leitor e um autor implícitos que ele procura moldar. Para análise dos elementos textuais e níveis de abstração mental envolvidos, recorre-se à estética da recepção de Wolfgang Iser e a diversas ideias do psiquiatra e etnólogo Gregory Bateson, entre elas o conceito de duplo vínculo, com atenção às distinções entre mapa/território e play/game. Um duplo duplo vínculo é perpetrado na interação leitor-texto: 1) o leitor é convidado a sentir empatia pela situação do personagem Lujin e a considerá-lo lúcido e louco ao mesmo tempo; e 2) o leitor é colocado como uma instância pseudo-transcendental incapaz de comunicação com a instância inferior (Lujin), gerando uma angústia diretamente relacionável ao seu envolvimento com a ficção, replicando de certa forma a loucura de Lujin. A sinestesia do personagem Lujin é identificada como um dos elementos do texto capaz de recriar a experiência de jogar xadrez até para quem não aprecia o jogo. Analisa-se a conexão entre a esquizofrenia ficcional do personagem Lujin e a visão batesoniana do alcoolismo / In Vladimir Nabokovs novel, The Luzhin Defense, published in Russian in 1930, the text beckons the reader on to adopt mental processes similar to a chess players and a schizophrenic persons both traits of the novels title character. This character sees himself both as player and piece of an ongoing game of chess; his expectations and predicaments are traced in parallel to the readers own as he or she navigates the text. Nabokovs preface to the 1964 English edition is taken as an indication that he tries to shape both an implicit reader and an implicit author. In order to analyze the elements of the text and degrees of mental abstraction involved in this, we refer to Wolfgang Isers reader-response theory and also many of psychiatrist and ethnologist Gregory Batesons ideas, such as the double bind, with special regard to map vs. territory and play vs. game distinctions. A double double bind is built within the reader-text interplay as follows: 1) the reader is invited to feel empathy for Luzhins predicament and to regard him at once as sane and insane; and 2) the reader is posited as a pseudo-transcendental instance unable to communicate with his nether instance (Luzhin) in such a way that it brews a feeling of anxiety directly relatable to his or her engagement in the work of fiction, reproducing, in a way, Luzhins madness. Luzhins synesthesia is identified as one of the text elements with the ability to recreate the chess-playing experience even to readers who are not fond of the game. The connection between Luzhins fictional schizophrenia and Batesons views on alcoholism is analyzed

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / No romance A defesa Lujin, de Vladimir Nabokov, publicado em russo em 1930, o texto procura levar o leitor a adotar processos mentais similares ao de um jogador de xadrez e de um esquizofrênico, características do personagem-título do romance. Delineiam-se as expectativas e circunstâncias de um ser de papel que se vê jogando um xadrez em que também é peça e traçam-se paralelos com as expectativas e circunstâncias do leitor perante esse texto literário. O prefácio de Nabokov à edição em inglês de 1964 é tomado como indício de um leitor e um autor implícitos que ele procura moldar. Para análise dos elementos textuais e níveis de abstração mental envolvidos, recorre-se à estética da recepção de Wolfgang Iser e a diversas ideias do psiquiatra e etnólogo Gregory Bateson, entre elas o conceito de duplo vínculo, com atenção às distinções entre mapa/território e play/game. Um duplo duplo vínculo é perpetrado na interação leitor-texto: 1) o leitor é convidado a sentir empatia pela situação do personagem Lujin e a considerá-lo lúcido e louco ao mesmo tempo; e 2) o leitor é colocado como uma instância pseudo-transcendental incapaz de comunicação com a instância inferior (Lujin), gerando uma angústia diretamente relacionável ao seu envolvimento com a ficção, replicando de certa forma a loucura de Lujin. A sinestesia do personagem Lujin é identificada como um dos elementos do texto capaz de recriar a experiência de jogar xadrez até para quem não aprecia o jogo. Analisa-se a conexão entre a esquizofrenia ficcional do personagem Lujin e a visão batesoniana do alcoolismo / In Vladimir Nabokovs novel, The Luzhin Defense, published in Russian in 1930, the text beckons the reader on to adopt mental processes similar to a chess players and a schizophrenic persons both traits of the novels title character. This character sees himself both as player and piece of an ongoing game of chess; his expectations and predicaments are traced in parallel to the readers own as he or she navigates the text. Nabokovs preface to the 1964 English edition is taken as an indication that he tries to shape both an implicit reader and an implicit author. In order to analyze the elements of the text and degrees of mental abstraction involved in this, we refer to Wolfgang Isers reader-response theory and also many of psychiatrist and ethnologist Gregory Batesons ideas, such as the double bind, with special regard to map vs. territory and play vs. game distinctions. A double double bind is built within the reader-text interplay as follows: 1) the reader is invited to feel empathy for Luzhins predicament and to regard him at once as sane and insane; and 2) the reader is posited as a pseudo-transcendental instance unable to communicate with his nether instance (Luzhin) in such a way that it brews a feeling of anxiety directly relatable to his or her engagement in the work of fiction, reproducing, in a way, Luzhins madness. Luzhins synesthesia is identified as one of the text elements with the ability to recreate the chess-playing experience even to readers who are not fond of the game. The connection between Luzhins fictional schizophrenia and Batesons views on alcoholism is analyzed

Afrikaans text / Besorgdheid het in die gemeenskap bestaan oar die toenemende getalle kinders wat binne die stedelike konteks van Pretoria op straat leef en werk. Hierdie navorsing is onderneem om die behoeftes van die kinders aan te spreek en om alternatiewe wyses te vind om met hulle te werk. 'n Konteks is geskep sodat na hulle stemme geluister kon word. nag 'n alternatief tot "tradisionele" vorme van gesinsterapie bruikbaar is, op sekere voorwaardes, soos aangedui in hoofstuk vier. Sleutelwoorde: reflekterende span; "straatkinders"; ekosistemiese benadering; ekologie; epistemologie; konstruktivisme; objektivisme; kubernetika; sisteemteorie; mikro-, meso- en makrosisteme; sirkulere en liniere punktuasie Ekosistemiese beginsels is aanvanklik benut, maar was nie vir die span wat saamgewerk het, betekenisvol nie. 'n Gevallestudie-ontwerp was nuttig om die ontwikkeling en "opleiding" van die span wat sou saamwerk, te beskryf, asook die benutting van ekosistemiese beginsels tydens dienste aan die "straatkinders" en hulle gesinne by ltumeleng. Die navorsing het aangedui dat 'n ekosistemiese benadering tot gesinsterapie as / The community showed concern about the increasing number of children living and working on the streets within the urban context of Pretoria. This researchwas undertaken to address the needs of these children and to find alternative ways of working with them. A context was created so that their voices could be heard. Ecosystemic principles were initially used, but were not meaningful to the team who worked together. A case study design proved useful in developing and "training" of the team who would be working together, as well as applying ecosystemic principles while making services available to the "street children" and their families in ltumeleng. The research indicated that an ecosystemic approach to family therapy could be used as an alternative to "traditional" forms of family therapy, subject to certain conditions, as stipulated in Chapter Four. / Social Work / M.A. (Sosiale Wetenskappe (Geestesgesondheid))

Community development and in particular participatory development is about people. This means that the person who studies or practices participatory development or any other of the participatory pratices should have a particular way of thinking about people. The main aim motivating this study was to investigate the paradigm/s about people on which participatory practices are based. This included a literature research on five participatory practices namely participatory development; participatory communication; participatory learning; participatory research; and participatory management. A guideline for paradigm analysis was developed by using Schriver's (1995) and Capra's (1996) descriptions of a paradigm as well as ideas of hermeneutics. From the paradigm analysis on the participatory practices two themes emerged: A shift from modernism to post modernism in the thinking processes and participatory practices. From the participatory practices the same concepts repeatedly emerged indicating a similar paradigm for all the participatory practices. Three post modern theories were therefore applied to enhance the description of the different concepts. The end result of this study is the development of an evolving paradigm for participatory practices in order to give enhanced meaning to concepts in the participatory vocabulary. Finally a critical reflection was done on the post modern research process. / Text in Afrikaans / Social Work / D.Phil. (Social Work)

Afrikaans text / Besorgdheid het in die gemeenskap bestaan oar die toenemende getalle kinders wat binne die stedelike konteks van Pretoria op straat leef en werk. Hierdie navorsing is onderneem om die behoeftes van die kinders aan te spreek en om alternatiewe wyses te vind om met hulle te werk. 'n Konteks is geskep sodat na hulle stemme geluister kon word. nag 'n alternatief tot "tradisionele" vorme van gesinsterapie bruikbaar is, op sekere voorwaardes, soos aangedui in hoofstuk vier. Sleutelwoorde: reflekterende span; "straatkinders"; ekosistemiese benadering; ekologie; epistemologie; konstruktivisme; objektivisme; kubernetika; sisteemteorie; mikro-, meso- en makrosisteme; sirkulere en liniere punktuasie Ekosistemiese beginsels is aanvanklik benut, maar was nie vir die span wat saamgewerk het, betekenisvol nie. 'n Gevallestudie-ontwerp was nuttig om die ontwikkeling en "opleiding" van die span wat sou saamwerk, te beskryf, asook die benutting van ekosistemiese beginsels tydens dienste aan die "straatkinders" en hulle gesinne by ltumeleng. Die navorsing het aangedui dat 'n ekosistemiese benadering tot gesinsterapie as / The community showed concern about the increasing number of children living and working on the streets within the urban context of Pretoria. This researchwas undertaken to address the needs of these children and to find alternative ways of working with them. A context was created so that their voices could be heard. Ecosystemic principles were initially used, but were not meaningful to the team who worked together. A case study design proved useful in developing and "training" of the team who would be working together, as well as applying ecosystemic principles while making services available to the "street children" and their families in ltumeleng. The research indicated that an ecosystemic approach to family therapy could be used as an alternative to "traditional" forms of family therapy, subject to certain conditions, as stipulated in Chapter Four. / Social Work / M.A. (Sosiale Wetenskappe (Geestesgesondheid))