The Contingency of Conservation: Changing Methodology and Theoretical Issues in Conserving Ephemeral Contemporary Artworks with Special Reference to Installation Art

Lizzie Frasco, College \u2709, Art History, Visual Studies Non-Traditional Methods for Non-Traditional Art: Conserving Art in the 20th Century Art conservation as a practice of preventing change in a useful way has recently begun to change with the more ephemeral nature of the material that increasingly characterizes late 20th-century art. Today’s neon lights, foil, newspaper, synthetic paints, soil, glue, and Magic Marker have not been tested for durability or chemical stability. Their uneven and unpredictable rate of degradation further complicates their analysis and evaluation during conservation. What are the current technical, historical, and ethical challenges in contemporary art conservation, and what do they tell us about the chances for the long-term survival of this art

Development of Real Time PCR Meat detection kits and technology market transfer

In recent years, food fraud cases have been increasing in Europe and, consequently, the consumer trust over the food sector quality have been decreasing. Thus, the existence of reliable, fast and low-cost methods to detect criminal adulteration of food becomes crucial. In this thesis, four meat detection kits to detect chicken, turkey, horse and swine DNA in food matrices were developed, using Real Time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technique. The development was done through optimization of the four BIOPREMIER Real Time PCR detection kits produced and commercialized by BPMR. The optimization consisted in several Real Time PCR assays with different concentration of some reagents and different PCR programs in order to find the optimal conditions to the detection of each target. After the optimization, validation tests were performed to authenticate the newly created kits. These tests assessed that the performance of all four kits increased with specificity and inclusivity indicators greater than 98% and the Limit of Detection varying between 1pg and 10pg, Besides the development of the kits, it was done a market analysis and designed a transfer to market strategy. The increasing concern for food safety and the competing technologies are factors that impact the commercialization of the kits. The target market are small or medium laboratories of food analysis, located in the EU, with Real Time PCR thermal ccycler with FAM and ROX channels. The marketing and business plan allowed the kits implementation in the market, creating the SUPREME Real Time PCR detection kit product line. In summary, the SUPREME Real Time PCR detection kits value proposition consists in the delivery of low-cost, quick and qualitative tests to detect meat in food samples

Soft skills training and intervention in organizational crisis situations for better managerial outcomes in the delivering of bad news

This paper examines the impact of communication skills training in organizational crises to enhance managerial outcomes when delivering bad news. With the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the need for reskilling, this study aims to develop a training model based on Kolb’s Experimental Learning Model, using SPIKES, NURSE and Bies’ Multiphase model as theoretical basis. To test the designed training, three pilot sessions were conducted, resulting in positive reaction and knowledge retention from the participants. This research ultimately contributes to enhancing manager’s skills in crisis communication, offering practical recommendations for future training

Reasons Why Collegiate Football Athletes Enter the Transfer Portal

The increasing trend of collegiate football players entering the transfer portal has piqued significant interest in recent years, yet little is understood about the specific reasons behind these decisions. This study aims to investigate the primary factors influencing why collegiate football players decide to enter the transfer portal. The research question guiding this study is: “What are the primary factors in the reasons that collegiate football athletes enter the transfer portal?” Our hypothesis posits that there are identifiable primary factors in the reasons why collegiate football athletes enter the transfer portal. Using a probability sampling method, the study will gather data from a sample of 60 collegiate football players, consisting of 30 athletes from Liberty University and 30 from surrounding universities in Virginia, including James Madison University, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Old Dominion University. Liberty University will serve as the primary data collection site, with additional data sourced from nearby institutions. Participants will complete a Google Form survey [See Figure 4], which will include questions aimed at uncovering specific reasons athletes cite for transferring. A previous study conducted by Cox and Lawson (2020) in “The Impact of Transfer Portals in Collegiate Athletics: A Comprehensive Review” identified key motivations, including playing time, coaching changes, academic opportunities, and financial incentives [See Figure 2 & 3]. By identifying the key motivations for transfer portal entries, we look to contribute to the understanding of the evolving landscape of collegiate football and provide insights into the experiences and decision-making processes of student-athletes. This research may inform coaches, athletic departments, and policy makers as they navigate the complexities of player retention and recruitment in the modern collegiate sports environment. Additionally, this research may lay the foundation for future studies exploring the broader implications of the transfer portal in collegiate sports

Reconstructing theory in mental health and psychosocial support and peacebuilding: Towards an integrated model for psychosocial peacebuilding

Despite wide agreement among practitioners on the need for integration, mental health and peacebuilding practice remain siloed in conflict-affected contexts. Yet before the integration of these two fields should occur, a revaluation of existing practice is needed. Within the field of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), critics have long questioned dominant assumptions and treatment models, raising concerns about top-down implementation, Western-centric approaches, and a lack of community leadership. These criticisms are largely echoed within peacebuilding literature. Furthermore, both fields underappreciate the overlap between their practices. For example, the relationship between the structural drivers of poor mental health or the social-psychological drivers underpinning peacebuilding. Accordingly, this article seeks to contribute to the development of a novel, integrated approach to MHPSS and peacebuilding—or ‘psychosocial peacebuilding’. In doing so, we address dominant critiques of both fields, before discussing the relevance of critical (community) psychology as an ideal means in which to bridge a theoretical and practical gap between fields. Using quality peace as a guiding normative theory, we will also reinforce the argument that working to address mental health concerns is essential to creating peace in post-conflict contexts. It concludes by exploring potential avenues for further research. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement

Conflict, trauma and peace: critical psychology approaches for peacebuilding?

My ongoing research is on the integration of mental health and psychosocial support programs into the broader peacebuilding process in conflict-affected areas

Bioinspired photonic polymeric sensors for analysing exosomes

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the European Commission trough the project MindGAP (FET-Open/H2020/GA829040). The author RV also acknowledges Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for the PhD Grant (2020.09673.BD).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Why there are no black Dominicans: how anti-Haitian sentiment in the era of Trujillo and the deeply rooted black history of the island of Hispaniola affects how Dominicans racially identify in New York today

Within the island of Hispaniola are two countries: the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In 1808 the island was split into two distinct areas and today remains segregated geographically and culturally. Haiti is often associated with poverty, corrupt governments, and blackness, while the Dominican Republic is associated with tropical vacations, baseball, and the Caribbean. By considering the role of socio-political, historical, and ethno-cultural factors in Dominicans’ racial self-identification, this study examines why some Dominicans may not identify as “Black” despite the history of the African slave trade across the island. Using a snowball sampling method to identify study participants, I interviewed Dominican individuals about their racial self- identification and the cultural factors that influenced them. The view of race will be recognized as both a construct and as a significant factor in one’s identity. My research provides insights into how Dominicans in New York identify ethnically, racially, and culturally. Dominicans have a complicated relationship with race, partially due to the thirty-year reign of General Rafael Trujillo, whose promotion of a racial ideology associates blackness with Haitians rather than Dominicans, the historical colonization of the island, post-coloniality, and migration. Dominicans have a notoriously complicated relationship with blackness, when referred to as Black (in the United States) some Dominicans are quick to retort back phrases such as “I’m not Black, I’m Dominican!”. The Dominican racial identity and its relationship with the country of Haiti cannot be explained by the simplicity of the United States racial binary of Black or white. However, Dominicans have historically migrated to states such as New York, New Jersey, and Florida and continue to straddle racial imaginaries spanning from Latin America and the Caribbean to the receiving country.NASUNY College at New PaltzHonorsN/