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.     

The Effect of Patient Self-Advocacy on Patient Satisfaction: Exploring Self-Compassion as a Mediator

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of self-compassion as a predictor and mediator of the relationship between patient self-advocacy and patient satisfaction in health care. A sample of 522 patients completed a questionnaire that asked for their perceptions of their own self-compassion, patient self-advocacy behaviors, including illness education, assertiveness, and mindful nonadherence, and patient satisfaction. This study found that both patient self-advocacy and self-compassion were positive predictors of patient satisfaction. More specifically, patients’ illness education and assertiveness positively influenced patients’ satisfaction with their physician. Self-compassion was also shown to be a mediator between patient self-advocacy and patient satisfaction. The implications of these findings and future directions are also discussed.     

Designing an Interactive Web-based Tutorial for Health Sciences Students: A Collaborative Library Project

This column describes the creation of an online interactive tutorial for health sciences students in a general library at a large, urban university. The project was a collaborative effort among the health sciences subject librarian, the library’s web programmer, an assessment and user services librarian, and an instructional support specialist. The column details the initial exploration, design, web programming, student usability study, and subsequent upgrades to the tutorial. Implementation of the tutorial is discussed as well as sampled student input. The effort resulted in the design of improved and more versatile open access coding available for any library to use.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIBLE READING AND ATTITUDE TOWARD SUBSTANCE USE AMONG 13-15 YEAR OLDS

The relationship between Bible reading and attitude toward drug use is examined among a sample of 25,888 teenagers, 13-15 year olds, throughout England and Wales. Information about sex, age, personality, belief in God, and church attendance was also considered. The conclusion is that Bible reading makes a small but significant contribution to promoting a negative attitude toward drug use among this age group.     

CHRISTIANITY AND DOGMATISM REVISITED: A STUDY AMONG FIFTEEN AND SIXTEEN YEAR OLDS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

A sample of 802 adolescents between the ages of fifteen and sixteen years completed an Anglicized form of the Dommert revision of the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale and the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity, together with the Junior Eysenck Personality Inventory. The data demonstrate that attitude toward Christianity and dogmatism are unrelated constructs, although both are related, in different ways, to Eysenck's major dimensions of personality.     

Learning to Learn From Benchmark Assessment Data: How Teachers Analyze Results

Although interim assessments are currently promoted as a mechanism for improving teaching and student learning, we know little about how teachers use this data to modify instruction. This article presents findings from a larger study on teachers’ use of interim assessment information in elementary mathematics. We address the following questions: (a) How do the Philadelphia teachers in our sample analyze benchmark assessment results, (b) how do they plan instruction based on these results, and (c) what are their reported instructional responses to such results? To answer these questions, we interviewed all 3rd- and 5th-grade teachers in five average- and above-average-performing elementary schools three times during the 2006–07 school year. We found that although the teachers in our study used interim assessment results to gain information about students’ learning in mathematics, teachers did not use interim assessments to make sense of students’ conceptual understanding. Furthermore, teachers’ tendency to interpret student errors as procedural missteps was paralleled by a trend toward procedural instructional responses.     

‘When one person makes it,we all make it’: a study of Beyond Welfare,a women‐centered community‐based organization that helps low‐income mothers achieve personal and academic success

Access to post‐secondary education for welfare recipients has been profoundly curtailed by social and welfare policies. However, many low‐income mothers know that post‐secondary education is the best means to escape poverty. This article focuses on five ‘student mothers’ who have persisted in fulfilling their dreams of a college education with the aid of Beyond Welfare, a community‐based organization (CBO) that helps soften the hardships of juggling family, college, and work while in poverty. Based on interviews with five Beyond Welfare participants, this article explores the organization’s role in supporting the student mothers’ personal and academic success. This article illustrates how important it is for student mothers to have a supportive community, education focused on the structural barriers to leaving poverty, and encouragement for academic success. To conclude, the article reflects on why educators need to become involved in activism and research on behalf of low‐income families.