Monitoring and Mitigating Particulate Matter Deposition on Decorative Surfaces: Current and Future Approaches in the Palace of Westminster

ABSTRACT

Research into dust deposition rates on the wall paintings in the State Apartments at the Palace of Westminster, London, UK, began during the restoration of the encaustic floor tiles. The study has broadened to inform day-to-day preventive care for the extensive fine art collections on display and the intricately decorated Gothic interiors, providing a powerful tool for the forthcoming restoration and renewal of the Palace. Different monitoring methods, using optical microscopy, macro-photography and software-based image analysis, were investigated. Qualitative analysis with SEM-EDX and optical microscopy allowed the identification of a number of anthropogenic, geogenic and biological sources of particulate matter, while quantitative results elucidated deposition trends, highlighting both seasonal and works-related impacts. Results indicated that mitigation measures taken to protect works of art and limit the diffusion and deposition of particulate matter on surrounding surfaces were successful. A new dust monitoring method, based on imaging of vertical surfaces and on a recently developed image analysis workflow (CHIJ) operated in open-source software (ImageJ) was trialled alongside more traditional methods for measuring dust deposition through collection of particulate matter on proxies. Results showed significant discrepancies between data acquired directly on wall painting surfaces as compared to horizontal glass slides. The advantages, limitations and complementarity of both monitoring methods were identified, and their potential contributions to the development of data-driven conservation approaches for heritage sites were assessed. The relatively low-tech methods and equipment used present useful and adapted tools for collection managers and conservators to inform their decision-making processes.     

Space, time and nature: exploring the public reception of biotechnology in New Zealand

Nature is widely acknowledged to be a fluid, contested, material-semiotic construction, historically and spatially grounded. This is certainly the case for New Zealand, where a number of constructions of nature have been mobilized as a means to make judgements over the viability of particular biotechnologies that have entered into public debate. In this paper, we utilize Mikhail Bakhtin's space-time matrix, the chronotope, to explore a series of complementary nature-narratives that have been mobilized as a moral basis for making judgments over the acceptability of a series of exemplars of novel biotechnologies that were presented to participants in eleven national focus groups. We argue that it is the specific space-time manipulations that characterize these sometimes overlapping narrative constructions that are used to justify reactions to novel biotechnologies.     

Theorising teacher professionalism as an enacted discourse of power

In this article I elaborate a theoretical framework for examining teacher professionalism as an enacted discourse of power. Central to this framework is an understanding of professionalism as a process that relates to the ways teachers attempt to influence the quality and character of their work. For subject teaching associations this process connects to issues of power such as teacher participation in educational policy‐making, and the advocacy of subject interests. In this article I theorise professionalism as enacted by subject teaching associations, arguing that the enacted form is shaped by changing structural, cultural and agential variables. Finally, I explore the interactive relationship between structure, culture and agency in the work of subject teaching associations, and present a working model through which enacted professionalism may be analysed and interpreted.     

Exploring the Field: Empowering voice and identity

This article reports on the findings of a research project (Exploring the Field) carried out with two Year 6 classes during the period of the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Drawing on Elaine Millard’s concept of ‘fusion literacy’ the pupils’ contributions to individual journals and a class blog are analysed. Key findings relate to ways in which the content of the project, which accorded with many of the pupils’ interests, combined powerfully with the communicative channels offered by the journals and blog. This combination gave some pupils new opportunities to find a writing voice and, given the global status of the tournament, raised particular issues about identity.     

The Child Abuse Potential Inventory and pregnancy outcome in expectant adolescent mothers.

OBJECTIVE: The study explores the prenatal Child Abuse Potential (pCAP) scores derived from the Child Abuse Potential Inventory administered to expectant adolescent mothers. The aim of the study was to assess the association of the pCAP scores with maternal negative prenatal behaviors, and evaluate the contribution of the pCAP scores to neonatal morbidity. METHOD: The pCAP scores, demographic data, and self-report on prenatal behaviors were obtained during the second half of the pregnancy in a sample of 45 poor single adolescent mothers. A pediatrician blind to the prenatal data reviewed the neonatal records to assess neonatal morbidity. Maternal prenatal records were reviewed for obstetric risk assessment by an obstetrician who was blind to the rest of the data. The relations among the pCAP scores, prenatal behaviors, and neonatal morbidity were analyzed. RESULTS: In the prenatal period, the pCAP scores were positively correlated with self-reported prenatal smoking and substance use. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that the pCAP scores significantly contributed to neonatal morbidity independently of obstetric risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The Child Abuse Potential scores obtained during pregnancy in poor single adolescent mothers reflect domains of maternal functioning that are associated with negative prenatal behaviors and appear to be important for predicting neonatal morbidity. Further studies are warranted to validate the prenatal use of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory.     

Death counseling and human development: issues and intricacies

Death counseling as a specialized service appeared in the 20th century in response to new needs for assistance with death-related crises and transitions. Significant experiences with death and dying can be viewed as maturational crises through which people learn to cope with themselves during adversity and change. Because these experiences have a significant impact on developmental tasks in childhood and adult life, the death counselor needs to be knowledgeable about human development across the lifespan and sensitive to the problems of communication across differences in age, sex, culture, and cohort experiences. Knowledge about the impact of different death-related experiences on individuals, families, and providers is also essential for understanding the disruptive effects of these events on persons and groups. Yet helping others by death counseling requires more than knowledge alone. It must be based on goals reflecting the integrity of those involved.     

Narratives from the road to social justice in PETE: teacher educator perspectives

Developing teacher education programmes founded upon principles of critical pedagogy and social justice has become increasingly difficult in the current neoliberal climate of higher education. In this article, we adopt a narrative approach to illuminate some of the dilemmas which advocates of education for social justice face and to reflect upon how pedagogy for inclusion in the field of physical education (PE) teacher education (PETE) is defined and practiced. As a professional group, teacher educators seem largely hesitant to expose themselves to the researcher's gaze, which is problematic if we expect preservice teachers to engage in messy, biographical reflexivity with regard to their own teaching practice. By engaging in self- and collective biographical story sharing about ‘our’ teacher educator struggles in England and Norway, we hope that the reader can identify ‘her/his’ struggles in the narratives about power and domination, and the spaces of opportunity in between.     

Phonological and Semantic Knowledge Are Causal Influences on Learning to Read Words in Chinese

We report a training study that assesses whether teaching the pronunciation and meaning of spoken words improves Chinese children’s subsequent attempts to learn to read the words. Teaching the pronunciations of words helps children to learn to read those same words, and teaching the pronunciations and meanings improves learning still further. These results provide evidence that both phonological and semantic knowledge are causal influences on learning to read words aloud in Chinese. It appears that learning to read words in Chinese may entail a greater reliance on mappings from orthography to semantics than learning to read words in alphabetic orthographies.     

Challenges presented to personal theories,beliefs and practices of play in Abu Dhabi kindergartens: the English Medium teacher perspective

Abu Dhabi Education Council’s new school model recognizes the value of play, although anecdotal evidence suggests that there are challenges to play in the preschool context. This article reports on challenges from the English Medium teacher perspective. Findings show that challenges are related to: (a) children meeting teacher expectations for play which may be limited by: real-life exposure, the nanny’s role, a desert climate for outdoor play, overuse of technology; and English as an additional language; (b) acquiring adequate resources for play, including open-access to Internet sites, meaning teachers have to use their own money to provide resources for play; (c) establishing boundaries and managing behaviour, especially for boys; (d) working with conflicting time pressures caused by academic performance benchmarking, accountability and workload; and (e) working with diversity, including meeting parental expectations, collaborating with colleagues and understanding the cultural and linguistic background of children. Recommendations to lessen the challenges of nurturing appropriate play experiences are made within the context of the findings.