Decontamination of Biocide Treated Museum Objects of the Swiss National Museum’s Collection by Liquid CO2 Technology

ABSTRACT

A decontamination treatment using liquid CO₂ (li-CO₂) and specifically developed for the requirements of museum objects (Lombardo, T., M. Wörle, V. Hubert, E. Hildbrand, I. Mayer, C. Hinterleitner, U. von Arx. 2020. “Influence of Process Parameters on Chlorinated Biocide Decontamination by li-CO₂ on Artificially Contaminated Model Materials.” Studies in Conservation, in press, doi:10.1080/00393630.2019.1641001) was first tested on model materials of wood (with and without coating), silk, and wool with different dyes, paper, and leather in order to evaluate possible material changes. Then, selected museum objects from the collection of the Swiss National Museum were treated to determine the efficiency of biocide decontamination and any resulting chemical and/or structural changes. Results show that dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), pentachlorophenol (PCP), lindane, and chlorpyrifos were successfully removed. Wool, silk, leather, and non-coated wood did not experience any detectable modifications, while moderate to major modifications were observed in wood coated with shellac and polychromy.     

Prefix identification in the reading of Dutch bisyllabic words

Two experiments were conducted in order to explore the role of prefix identification in the reading of Dutch bisyllabic words. Although Dutch orthography is highly regular, several deviations from a one-to-one correspondence exist. A case in point is the grapheme E which can represent the vowels ε, e and œ in polysyllabic words. In Experiment 1, 33 third-grade children and 46 sixth-grade children were presented a list of randomly ordered bisyllabic words starting with the letter string BE and the first syllable being (1) a real prefix, (2) a phonological prefix (same sound pattern as a prefix), or (3) a pseudoprefix (sound pattern deviant from a prefix). Pseudowords starting with the same letter string were also presented. The results showed that words starting with a real or a phonological prefix were identified more accurately than words starting with a pseudoprefix. For the pseudowords, a predominant interpretation of the first part as a prefix was also evidenced. In Experiment 2, a lexical decision task was administered to 35 third-grade children, 33 sixth-grade children, and 26 adults. Words with a phonological prefix and words with a pseudoprefix were randomly presented along with other word types. The data showed both children and adults to retrieve words with phonological prefixes more quickly and more accurately than words with a pseudoprefix. The results are discussed with reference to current models of word decoding.     

The expansion of English-medium instruction in the Nordic countries: Can top-down university language policies encourage bottom-up disciplinary literacy goals?

Recently, in the wake of the Bologna Declaration and similar international initiatives, there has been a rapid increase in the number of university courses and programmes taught through the medium of English. Surveys have consistently shown the Nordic countries to be at the forefront of this trend towards English-medium instruction (EMI). In this paper, we discuss the introduction of EMI in four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden). We present the educational setting and the EMI debate in each of these countries and summarize relevant research findings. We then make some tentative suggestions for the introduction of EMI in higher education in other countries. In particular, we are interested in university language policies and their relevance for the day-to-day work of faculty. We problematize one-size-fits-all university language policies, suggesting that in order for policies to be seen as relevant they need to be flexible enough to take into account disciplinary differences. In this respect, we make some specific suggestions about the content of university language policies and EMI course syllabuses. Here we recommend that university language policies should encourage the discussion of disciplinary literacy goals and require course syllabuses to detail disciplinary-specific language-learning outcomes.     

Do Formalized Gatekeeping Procedures Increase Programs' Follow‐Up With Deficient Trainees?

The authors investigated whether formalized gatekeeping procedures and program‐level characteristics influence the rates at which deficient trainees are graduated from counseling programs. One hundred eighteen faculty members reported that counselor educators face diverse pressures to avoid investigating potentially deficient students, including concerns about being sued and concerns about receiving compromised teaching evaluations. However, faculty members in programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs and faculty members in programs with more formalized gatekeeping procedures seemed to more effectively follow through with concerns they had about specific students. These findings support the implementation of both broad, program‐wide training standards and specific, formalized procedures to more effectively screen deficient trainees.     

Analysis of lexical quality and its relation to writing quality for 4th grade,primary school students in Chile

Few studies have addressed vocabulary quality in developing writing skill in Spanish. Even less addressed it within the Chilean educational system. The specific objective of this study was to characterize, using a comprehensive set of indicators, the quality of the vocabulary produced by Chilean 4th grade students. Based on a national writing survey, a sample of 2056 texts written by 685 students was collected (narrative, persuasive, and informative texts). Current literature defines lexical quality as a composite of diverse factors that, while distinct, are interrelated. To represent the properties of the vocabulary, a set of indicators were selected: (a) lexical diversity; (b) lexical sophistication; and (c) lexical density. Using multilevel modeling (students and schools as levels 1 and 2) to explain a global writing score we found that diversity was a significant determinant for narrative and persuasive texts, density was a significant determinant for the three genres and sophistication was a significant determinant for narrative and expository text. In addition, indicators related to gender and socioeconomic conditions were only significant determinants of narrative stories. The parts of speech most often used also varied according to the purpose of each text. In all genres, words had a short extension and were very sensitive to the input presented in the stimuli. These results imply a significant challenge to this education system: how to promote the development of vocabulary in all children in order to support language learning.     

Psychological and Contextual Influences on the Teacher Selection Interview: A Model for Future Research

Within the K-12 educational arena, interviews are a required component of the selection process and represent the most popular predictor for hiring teachers (Castetter & Young, 2000). Noticeably absent from empirical examination is the psychological interplay between interviewers and interviewees during the face-to-face teacher selection interview. While some research has identified potential ways in which isolated psychological variables affect hiring decisions, there has been little systematic investigation of how such variables, combined, influence the face-to-face teacher selection interview process. To begin filling a research void that exists in face-to-face teacher interviewing, this paper will: (a) review relevant literature on the selection interview and psychological variables' (e.g., similarity and attraction, likeability, perceived expertness) effects on the interview process, (b) apply findings of psychological research to the teacher selection interview (dyad vs. panel format), (c) propose a model that integrates these various influences, and (d) outline research directions that would allow for empirical validation of the proposed model.     

Students’ perspectives on the processes of supervision and assessment of undergraduate dissertations / Perspectiva del alumnado de los procesos de tutorización y evaluación de los trabajos de fin de grado

Abstract

The introduction of the European Higher Education Area means that undergraduate dissertations (UD) are now compulsory, which represents an important change for the Spanish university system due to the important consequences this will have on academic functioning. This study provides key information on the processes of supervising and assessing UDs, from the perspective of students, as well as consequent proposals to improve them. The results obtained indicate that initiatives need to be put in place, at least in the participating institutions where the study has been developed, focused on the improvement of the time periods, means and resources needed to develop the UD, the introduction of more adequate criteria than those currently used for assessment, better training for the tutors involved, more appropriate and precise prior information for students in relation to the UD, and more preparation for students to enable them to carry out the UD.