ATR-FTIR imaging of albumen photographic prints

The preservation of early 20th century, late 19th century albumen prints is of great concern to collection managers and conservators of photographic materials. Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopic imaging is presented for the first time as analytical methodology for the study of albumen photographs. This paper shows the feasibility of obtaining FTIR images of samples from albumen photographs with a high spatial resolution using a Ge ATR objective coupled with an infrared microscope. The improved spatial resolution compared to FTIR images obtained by the reflection method is due to the high refractive index of the ATR crystal, which gives a high numerical aperture and hence, a higher spatial resolution. The technique reveals detailed information on the organic functional group distribution in the individual layers of embedded cross sections and is used complementary to visual microscopy and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersed X-ray spectroscopy. The main results of the study are discussed with regard to their historical and artistic significance, and they are compared with data from historical and conservation literature.     

Using action research in current conditions of russian teacher education

This article introduces readers to some of the cultural characteristics of education and educational development in Russia. Action Research is as yet a new influence on Russian educational thinking, and so this article makes a beginning by tracing the connection between the ‘Action Research’ approach and Russian ‘Activity Theory’ in the teacher training process. The assumption of the Russian participants in an international project devoted to action research in teacher training was that the facilitation of the ‘Activity Theory’ approach would make a relevant contribution to an understanding of action research. The practical implications of this link in various different contexts are described in the article.     

Making a map of science: General systems theory as a conceptual framework for tertiary science education

As a result of the reductionist approach to science curricula in tertiary education, students are learning science in a fragmented way. With the purpose of providing students with tools for a more holistic understanding of science, an integrated approach based on the use of general systems theory (GST) and the concept of 'mapping' scientific knowledge (its relationships, connections and generalities) is developed. GST is used as the core methodology for understanding science and its complexity. By analogy with geographic maps, we introduce scales of educational 'science maps' - scales of integration. Three principal scales of integration can be distinguished in GST, which we consider necessary for GST to be effectively applied in education. They are (a) the scale of branches and fields of science, (b) the scale of hypotheses and theories, and (c) the scale of structures and hierarchies. Examples of each of these three scales are provided from the field of physical science. The role of the scientific community in producing accessible, and essential, maps of scientific knowledge for science education is discussed.     

Teaching Classic Probability Problems with Modern Digital Tools

This article is written to share teaching ideas about using commonly available computer applications—a spreadsheet, The Geometer's Sketchpad, and Wolfram Alpha—to explore three classic and historically significant problems from the probability theory. These ideas stem from the authors’ work with prospective economists, mathematicians, and teachers. The historical contexts include the problem of the division of stakes (14^th century), the problem of the Grand Duke of Tuscany (17^th century), and the problem of co-primality of two natural numbers chosen at random (19^th century). The suggested use of computers can be extended to other probability contexts to achieve at least two goals: to make complex mathematical ideas more accessible and to emphasize the importance of experimental evidence as a means of conceptual development in mathematics for all student populations.     

Reinvigorating the Wiener-Hopf technique in the pursuit of understanding processes and materials

The Wiener-Hopf(WH)method was created in 1931,by Norbert Wiener and Eberhard Hopf,to deliver exact solutions to integral equations with convolution-type kernels...     

Mathematics, computers, and young children as a research-oriented learning environment for a teacher candidate

The advent of computer technology in the classroom raised the issue of its appropriate use by teachers and their students alike. It has been recommended that teacher education programs provide more opportunities for teacher candidates’ use of technology including teaching their own technology-enhanced lessons. With a goal of integrating scholarship into student teaching, a teacher candidate enrolled in a graduate program in childhood education carried out a technology-enhanced research project within a professional development school. Examining the impact of the project on the teacher candidate, this article describes how one’s pedagogical content knowledge and technological competence can be developed through a research-oriented teaching experience. The article also demonstrates the emergence of a community of practice that shares the goal of providing learning spaces for the teacher candidate and young children in the context of mathematics enrichment with computers.