Alan Richardson, Kathryn A. Coventry, Alan M. Forster and Chris Jamison
Deterioration in natural stone is associated with many decay mechanisms and often the inherent composition of the materials themselves. Sandstone varies considerably but they all…
Abstract
Purpose
Deterioration in natural stone is associated with many decay mechanisms and often the inherent composition of the materials themselves. Sandstone varies considerably but they all require a cementing matrix to bind amongst others, the silica (SiO2) particles together (Reading, 1989). In calcareous sandstones and limestones this binding matrix is principally calcium carbonate based (Muir, 2006; Reading, 1989; McMillan et al., 1999) in the form of calcite (CaCO3). Friable sandstone substrates and stones suffering from “surface dissolution” or disaggregation (Muir, 2006; Smith et al., 1992) have been traditionally consolidated utilising a host of chemical compounds that had, in many cases negative effects on their long-term performance (Muir, 2006). A principle issue amongst many was moisture entrapment and irreversibility of the consolidants adopted. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper investigates the effect of microbial induced calcite precipitation (MICP) as a natural treatment for the conservation of historic natural stone substrates. Sporosarcina pasteurii has been proven as a bacterium that can perform MICP effectively in extreme conditions making it the preferred bacterium for the MICP process within this study. Surface treatment experiments were analysed by measuring the mass increase and surface changes using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Findings
The surface treatments showed a noticeable mass increase and observable deposition when viewed using a SEM microscope. Bio cementation of loose sand particles was observed and the degree of cementation was determined using a Moh's hardness test.
Research limitations/implications
Recommendations for further work to improve this study are: use an increased Sporosarcina pasteurii cell optical density which would provide a greater calcite output. Carry out a paired comparison initial surface absorption test (BS 1881: Part 208, 1996 or ASTM C 1585-04, 2004). To be carried out on untreated control and MICP samples which would determine the pore blocking effect and surface repair capability of the treated samples.
Practical implications
A method for obtaining optimal results in terms of surface treatment would involve reducing the time between mixing and application, this would require having the two reaction constituents mixed only seconds before use. Using a late mix spray application system has the potential to allow the two mixtures to combine in the spray nozzle whilst exiting the apparatus.
Originality/value
This paper investigates a safe, natural process for stone repair.
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This article introduces the infoshop movement, a network of independent information centres run by political activists throughout Europe and the USA. The article defines and…
Abstract
This article introduces the infoshop movement, a network of independent information centres run by political activists throughout Europe and the USA. The article defines and describes the nature of the infoshop, the services it provides and the nature of its organisation. It then goes on to present a theoretical model for the infoshop, based in particular on Hakim Bey’s concept of the “temporary autonomous zone”. It examines the significance of the infoshop as a node in the complex networks of information‐exchange and activism that constitute the contemporary “alternative public sphere”. It notes the autonomous, non‐hierarchical nature of infoshops and how they might be thought of as “free spaces” connected by complex, though informal, communications networks. Finally, it proposes that infoshops play a key role in developing autonomy, solidarity and reflexivity in the creative processes of activist politics.
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Christine D. Bataille and Emma Hyland
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how professional men in dual-career relationships craft and enact their fatherhood role ideologies during the transition to fatherhood…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how professional men in dual-career relationships craft and enact their fatherhood role ideologies during the transition to fatherhood. In particular, the authors focus on the impact that the development of a more involved approach to fatherhood has on the mother's ability to combine career and family.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilizes a longitudinal, qualitative methodology. Pre- and post-natal interviews were conducted with 18 professional men in dual-career heterosexual relationships.
Findings
Although the traditional mode of fatherhood that is rooted in breadwinning continues to be the dominant approach among working fathers in the US, new modes of more involved fathering are emerging. The results of the study indicate that a general shift away from a strict, gendered division of household labor is taking place in today's dual career couples, and this is leading to an increase in men's involvement in childcare. Further, although much of the extant research conceptualizes fatherhood as a role typology, the results reveal that all fathers are involved in caring for their babies, though to varying degrees. Thus the authors propose a continuum of involvement. Finally, the authors discovered how men are finding creative ways to use official and unofficial workplace flexibility to be more involved at home.
Originality/value
The findings offer novel insights into the factors that encourage involved fathering. The authors encourage organizations to create more supportive environments that foster involved fathering by extending paid parental leave benefits to men and providing more access to flexibility.
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Anita Eves, Gill Bielby, Bernadette Egan, Margaret Lumbers, Monique Raats and Martin Adams
The purpose of this research is to show the evaluation of food hygiene knowledge and self‐reported behaviours of school children, assessment of children's attitudes towards food…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to show the evaluation of food hygiene knowledge and self‐reported behaviours of school children, assessment of children's attitudes towards food hygiene and evaluation of barriers to the adoption of appropriate food hygiene behaviours.
Design/methodology/approach
The food hygiene knowledge and self‐reported behaviours of pupils (4 and 14 years; Key Stages 1‐3 in the English system – or Scottish equivalent) were determined using age‐appropriate knowledge quizzes completed by 2,259 pupils across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Attitudes towards food hygiene and barriers to performing desirable hygiene‐related behaviours were established through semi‐structured interviews with 82 pupils who completed knowledge tasks in South East England.
Findings
Children generally had good knowledge of food hygiene. However, there were misconceptions about the nature of micro‐organisms and how they affect food. In addition, a lack of reminders and practical food activities, especially at Key Stage 2 (7‐11 years), coupled with poor hand‐washing facilities, meant that children did not always adopt desirable behaviours. Children gave suggestions for ways to help others to remember good practice.
Originality/value
The study identified areas of weakness in pupils' hygiene knowledge and understanding and has determined barriers to adoption of desirable behaviours at all times. It has also suggested ways in which food hygiene education could be made more engaging for pupils, and other methods to encourage good practice.
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Kristen Gillespie-Lynch, Patrick Dwyer, Christopher Constantino, Steven K. Kapp, Emily Hotez, Ariana Riccio, Danielle DeNigris, Bella Kofner and Eric Endlich
Purpose: We critically examine the idea of neurodiversity, or the uniqueness of all brains, as the foundation for the neurodiversity movement, which began as an autism rights…
Abstract
Purpose: We critically examine the idea of neurodiversity, or the uniqueness of all brains, as the foundation for the neurodiversity movement, which began as an autism rights movement. We explore the neurodiversity movement's potential to support cross-disability alliances that can transform cultures.
Methods/Approach: A neurodiverse team reviewed literature about the history of the neurodiversity movement and associated participatory research methodologies and drew from our experiences guiding programs led, to varying degrees, by neurodivergent people. We highlight two programs for autistic university students, one started by and for autistics and one developed in collaboration with autistic and nonautistic students. These programs are contrasted with a national self-help group started by and for stutterers that is inclusive of “neurotypicals.”
Findings: Neurodiversity-aligned practices have emerged in diverse communities. Similar benefits and challenges of alliance building within versus across neurotypes were apparent in communities that had not been in close contact. Neurodiversity provides a framework that people with diverse conditions can use to identify and work together to challenge shared forms of oppression. However, people interpret the neurodiversity movement in diverse ways. By honing in on core aspects of the neurodiversity paradigm, we can foster alliances across diverse perspectives.
Implications/ Values: Becoming aware of power imbalances and working to rectify them is essential for building effective alliances across neurotypes. Sufficient space and time are needed to create healthy alliances. Participatory approaches, and approaches solely led by neurodivergent people, can begin to address concerns about power and representation within the neurodiversity movement while shifting public understanding.
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Reflections on gender and OD over a 50-year career as a scholar, an OD practitioner, and a woman managing a complex life and career.My journey in OD has spanned 50 years which is…
Abstract
Reflections on gender and OD over a 50-year career as a scholar, an OD practitioner, and a woman managing a complex life and career.
My journey in OD has spanned 50 years which is also about as long organization development has been around. In this essay, I will reflect on my experiences with special attention to issues of gender. I will also mention some issues of concern that confront us as OD scholars and practitioners, especially the balance between thinking and doing. As I describe my experiences, I hope they will lead to an appreciation of all that has happened in just 50 years! My experience is not everyone’s experience. I make no claim to that. I hope that some of the issues I raise resonate with you, or fill in some blanks, or lend a different perspective.
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Dina H. Bassiouni and Chris Hackley
This paper aims to investigate children’s experience as consumers of video games and associated digital communication technology, and the role this experience may play in their…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate children’s experience as consumers of video games and associated digital communication technology, and the role this experience may play in their evolving senses of identity.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative depth interviews and discussions were conducted in a convenience sample consisting of 22 children of both genders aged 6-12 years, parents and video games company executives in the southwest of the UK. The fully transcribed data sets amounting to some 27,000 words were analysed using discourse analysis.
Findings
The findings revealed the heightened importance that the knowledge of video games plays in children’s strategies for negotiating their nascent sense of identity with regard to peer groups, family relationships and gender identity. Video games were not only a leisure activity but also a shared cultural resource that mediated personal and family relationships.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on an interpretive analysis of data sets from a small convenience sample, and is therefore not statistically generalisable.
Practical implications
This study has suggested that there may be positive benefits to children’s video game playing related to aspects of socialisation, emotional development and economic decision-making. An important caveat is that these benefits arise in the context of games as part of a loving and ordered family life with a balance of activities.
Social implications
The study hints at the extent to which access to video games and associated digital communications technology has changed children’s experience of childhood and integrated them into the adult world in both positive and negative ways that were not available to previous generations.
Originality/value
This research addresses a gap in the field and adds to an understanding of the impact of video games on children’s development by drawing on children’s own expression of their subjective experience of games to engage with wider issues of relationships and self-identity.