The Air‐gap Phenomenon in Young Children's Pictures

In Experiment 1, 221 children aged 5;l‐10;2 were asked to crayon or paint an outdoor scene. The shift from leaving an air‐gap to filling in the sky occurred at approximately 8 years of age whether crayons or paint were used. In Experiment 2 four groups of children (mean age, 6;8) who normally left an air‐gap were asked to draw a photographic slide of an outdoor scene projected onto a screen. We manipulated the amount of exposure to the slide and also the information about it given by the experimenter. More children relinquished their air‐gap response when the experimenter had drawn their attention, verbally, to the full sky. When children received this information and were able to view the slide throughout the drawing session, there was also a tendency for more of them to draw the full sky and for those who left an air‐gap to draw the sky significantly deeper.     

The overseas training of adult educators: An evaluation of programmes in Africa and the U.K. some emerging themes

For over twenty years British universities have been providing post-graduate, professional training for adult educators from Africa and other Third World countries. This is an account of the first comprehensive attempt to assess the impact of such training. It identifies the concerns and problems that prompted the three year ODA funded evaluation project; it describes the research methods employed; and it outlines some of the dominant issues that are arising from the first stage of the analysis of the interviews conducted with a wide range of participants in advanced level training for adult educators from four countries: Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.     

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.     

Fear of Isolation and Perceived Affordances: The Spiral of Silence on Social Networking Sites Regarding Police Discrimination

The spiral of silence (SoS) framework elaborates the factors that determine whether individuals are willing to express their opinions in public. Although previous scholarship has examined differences in between face-to-face and computer-mediated communication, research studies have rarely tested how perceived affordances of the channel influence whether individuals express opinions or self-censor. In this study (N = 399), we examine several propositions of SoS within the context of discussing police discrimination on Facebook. To extend the theory’s relevance to social networking sites, we examined how users’ perceptions of network association, social presence, anonymity, and persistence related to opinion expression. Findings indicate support for some of the theory’s original tenets, as well as the role of multiple perceived affordances in determining whether people will express an opinion to their online social network. We discuss the implications for measuring and understanding political expression and silencing on social media as well as offline.