Fibre Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy as a non-invasive tool for investigating plastics degradation in contemporary art collections: A methodological study on an expanded polystyrene artwork

Fibre Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) is a well-established technique, widely used in the conservation field for in situ investigations and non-invasive diagnostics on traditional artworks. Nevertheless, there is little knowledge on the use of this technique for investigating modern artists materials used in contemporary artworks. The present study, carried out within the wider framework of the EC funded Project “POPART” (Preservation of Plastic ARTefacts in museum collections”), was aimed at investigating the possibility of extending the applications of FORS to synthetic polymers, and proposing this technique as new non-invasive analytical tool for diagnostics on plastic artworks in museum collections. Thus, a real case was selected from the permanent collection of the Conteporary Art Centre “Luigi Pecci” (Prato, Italy). The artwork, created in 1990 by the artist Stefano Arienti, was entirely constituted of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and it showed diffused signs of degradation. The need of singling out the main causes of deterioration in order to prevent further damages was evident. An in situ FORS measurements campaign was performed with the aim of gaining in-depth information about its conservation state and identifying the main agents responsible for the observed degradation. Thanks to the non-invasivity of the technique an extensive spectroscopic characterisation of different areas of the EPS surface could be performed and the spectral data were exploited to build a map of the degraded areas of the artwork. Data acquired in field were compared with those obtained from laboratory test performed on artificially aged EPS samples. These results helped in ascertaining the detrimental actions of the light sources used to back illuminate the artwork. In particular, in this case FORS proved to be effective in detecting EPS alterations before the chromatic effects became visually evident. These results suggested that FORS may be considered as a good candidate to be used for non-invasive investigations also on some modern materials and contemporary artworks. The research was completed with an interview to the artist Stefano Arienti, whose point of view was constructively integrated with the scientific results obtained. This emphasized the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the solution of conservative problem in the field of contemporary art.     

Conflict-Framed News,Self-Categorization,and Partisan Polarization

Two experiments tested whether exposure to partisan conflict-framed news polarizes news consumers along party lines. Partisan self-categorization and motivated reasoning were examined as potential mediators of this effect. In two samples, path analyses showed that Democrats and Republicans exposed to partisan conflict-framed news adopted more polarized opinions on a disputed issue. This polarization effect was consistently mediated by perceived argument validity, an indicator of motivated reasoning; increased partisan self-categorization also mediated the effect, though less reliably and consistently. Thus, the present study adds to the literature on polarization by providing experimental evidence that exposure to conflict-framed news may contribute to partisan polarization. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Primary Physical Science for Student Teachers at Kindergarten and Primary School Levels: Part II—Implementation and Evaluation of a Course

Interchange - This is the second of two papers on a novel physical science course for student teachers that develops and uses an imaginative approach to Primary Physical Science Education....     

Activating metaphors: Exploring the embodied nature of metaphorical mapping in political discourse

Courses: Persuasion, Rhetoric, Communication Theory, Metaphor Theory, Multimodal Communication.

Objectives: This activity allows students to explore the embodied nature of metaphor and its interpretative significance by using gesture and physical movement. Students also understand how, in metaphor, abstract entities are conceptualized in terms of something more concrete.     

How Real is the Quantum World?

The three main theses proposed by Mario Bunge are discussed. The peculiar nature of quantum discreteness is argued in disagreement with his first one. General agreement, with some important distinctions, is expressed instead with his other two theses about the peculiar nature of the properties of quantum objects, and the realist interpretation of Quantum Theory. The notion of context dependent, but objectively definable, properties, and the redefinition of Natural Laws as general constraints allowing the occurrence of random events not conflicting with them are however needed in order to qualify more precisely the meaning of terms such as properties and realism. A new probabilistic formulation of Quantum Mechanics in phase space, which eliminates, together with the unphysical concept of probability waves, also the main paradoxical features of the conventional theory, is finally briefly sketched.     

Better statistics for better decisions: Rejecting null hypotheses statistical tests in favor of replication statistics

Despite being under challenge for the past 50 years, null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) remains dominant in the scientific field for want of viable alternatives. NHST, along with its significance level p, is inadequate for most of the uses to which it is put, a flaw that is of particular interest to educational practitioners who too often must use it to sanctify their research. In this article, we review the failure of NHST and propose p_rep, the probability of replicating an effect, as a more useful statistic for evaluating research and aiding practical decision making. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 471–481, 2007.     

The effect of financial education on pupils’ financial knowledge and skills: Evidence from a Solomon four-group design

Abstract

The present study used a Solomon four-group quasi-experimental design to examine the short-term effect of a large-scale national financial education program on children’s knowledge and skills in responsible spending and performing transactions effectively. Our study included a representative sample of Dutch pupils in the fifth grade of primary school (N?=?2,650). Controlling for different children-specific characteristics, results showed that the program increased pupils’ knowledge and skills scores in performing transactions effectively, but not in responsible spending. The insights gained from the present study show how financial education programs that enable children to immediately apply what they learn in practice can improve children’s knowledge and skills regarding certain financial competencies.     

Visualizing and monitoring effective interactions in online collaborative groups

Online education based on small self‐managing groups, with slight supervision by a professional tutor, is a strategically interesting methodology for lifelong learning. This solution may combine aspects of cost‐effectiveness (reducing tutors' work) with the demands for active and engaging learning methods based on the exchange and sharing of experiences. In such a context, how can information on collaborative attitudes and behaviour be gathered? A typical tool for online learning activities is the threaded web forum. This study proposes a methodology for assessing effective collaborative interactions within the add‐on module, Forum Plus, for the Moodle learning management system (LMS). The methodology here presented is able to supply an early overview of the level of effectiveness of the collaborative group and therefore it may provide a useful instrument to guide further qualitative observations conducted directly in the web forum.