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Paper-based works of art and documents of cultural importance kept in museums and libraries can show notorious signs of deterioration, including foxing stains, caused by fungal colonization. Some of the main chromophore agents of fungal origin that deteriorate paper and therefore affect paper cultural heritage both aesthetically and structurally are the group of pigments called melanins. Thus, knowledge of the diversity and features of fungal melanins and of the melanization pathways of fungi growing on paper is key to removing these pigments from paper-based works of cultural importance. This review provides an approach about the current knowledge of melanins synthesized by paper-colonizing fungi, their localization in the fungal structures, and their role in the deterioration of paper. This knowledge might contribute to developing new, effective, and sustainable strategies of restoration and conservation of historical documents and works of art based on paper.

When dealing with contemporary art, conservators have to address not only the material aspects of the artwork but also other highly complex issues. The Argentinian artist Leon Ferrari is a representative example. He created avant-garde art installations but also worked with traditional techniques. His works raise dilemmas over concepts such as authorship, authenticity, legitimacy of art. Some of his artworks only interested him as a means to express his opinions and he was not concerned about alterations in their appearance. Therefore, what should be kept in them is not in an area of certainty for conservators. An essential key for achieving a responsible and respectful conservation result, is to understand the ideology involved in each ‘art piece’ created by Ferrari. Fil: Baldomá, Gabriela. Fundación Augusto y León Ferrari; Argentina Fil: Maier, Marta Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica; Argentina

The subject of this present work is a group of nine historical pictures shot in Palermo by the Sicilian photographer E. Interguglielmi in 1912. They are nine matte-collodion prints mounted on the original cardboard supports and all of them show foxing stains affecting the paper surface. In order to characterise the chemical composition of the supports and investigate foxing spots, non-destructive and micro-destructive analysis were carried out. X-rays fluorescence (XRF) analysis was used to characterise the elemental composition of all the mounting boards, allowing a comparison between the foxing spots and non-affected areas. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy was used to investigate the presence of lower atomic number elements, not detectable by XRF, while SEM imaging allowed the investigation of surface appearance and nature of original paper samples from the cardboards.

Construct:The study compares paper and online ratings of instructional units and analyses, with the G-study using the symmetry principle, the response rates needed to ensure acceptable precision of the measure when compliance is low. Background: Students' ratings of teaching contribute to the quality of medical training programs. To date, many schools have replaced pen-and-paper questionnaires with electronic forms, despite the lower response rates consistently reported with the latter. Few available studies have examined the effects of low response rates on the reliability and precision of the evaluation measure. Moreover, the minimum number of raters to target when response rates are low remains unclear. Approach: Descriptive data were derived from 799 students' paper and online ratings of 11 preclinical instructional units (PIUs). Reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficients. The generalizability method applying the symmetry principle approach was used to analyze the precision of the measure with a reference standard error of mean (SEM) set at 0.10; optimization models were built to estimate minimum response rates. Results: Overall, response rates were 74% and 30% (p < .001) and PIUs ratings were 3.8 ± 0.5 and 3.6 ± 0.5 (p = .02), respectively in paper and online questionnaires. Higher SEM levels and significantly larger 95% confidence intervals of PIUs rating scores were observed with online evaluations. To keep the SEM within preset limits of precision, a minimum of 48% response rate was estimated for online formats. Conclusions: The proposed generalizability analysis allowed estimating the minimum response needed to maintain acceptable precision in online evaluations. The effects of response rates on accuracy are discussed.

Recent research on Émile Zola’s involvement with the French press of the late Second Empire and early Third Republic has clarified the shape of this history of his engagement with journalism, including a supposed absence from the fray between 1881 and 1895. This article, however, identifies in the period 1888 to 1892 , between the idealism of $\textit{Le Rêve}$ and the reflexivity of $\textit{Le Docteur Pascal}$, a period of particular reflection on the press by Zola which illuminates ‘le retour du reel et de l’actualité’ in his novels: $\textit{La Bête humaine}$, $\textit{L’Argent}$ and $\textit{La Débâcle}$.

Questioned documents analysis includes: handwriting comparison, analysis of the ink and the printer used in the production of the documents, and the physical and chemical characterization of the cellulosic substrate (paper) of the documents. In many situations in life, for financial, social, and personal concerns, we depend on different documents. Therefore, over time, various analytical methods have been developed in order to determine their authenticity, source, and age or to differentiate various papers. In this study a quantitative analytical method for the determination of eight trace level chemical elements (Al, Ba, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, Sr, Zn) from document paper samples using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was validated and applied. The evaluation of the performance parameters of the method (applicability, fitness for purpose, linearity, working range, limit of detection and limit of quantification, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision) was accomplished. An overview of the validation parameters are presented and discussed in detail.

In the course of an analysis, the analytic relationship can go through moments of difficulty generated by patient and analyst while they learn to "play" together. In this paper, different kinds of difficult relational moments are illustrated through fragments of a child analysis, and some components are explored that can catalyze the creative transformation of turbulence and the resumption of analytic "play." In particular, the author hypothesizes that some conscious feelings described by Winnicott as characterizing play, understood as the optimal functioning of the analytic process, can be indicators of the efficiency of--or, conversely, of difficulties in--the unconscious oneiric work carried out by the couple. These indicators may be useful in monitoring the process not so much in the immediate moment, but rather over a medium to long period. Considering these indicators can initiate the revival of a playful equilibrium in the bi-personal system on which play and the analytic field are based.

An empowerment initiative involving enhanced fault-management responsibility for operators of complex technology had not led to expected increases in performance, and investigations suggested that this was due to a lack of appropriate feedback. Thus, a feedback intervention was designed to provide specific, timely feedback on operator-correctable faults. It was hypothesized that the intervention would increase operator self-reliance in operating complex technology and promote system performance. Moreover, given the feedback was continuous from the point of intervention, it was predicted that gains would increase over time. Time series analysis of data on engineer call-outs (self-reliance) and machine utilization (performance) showed clear positive effects of the feedback intervention, with call-outs also showing progressive improvement. Self-report data showed no change over time in motivation, but an increase in knowledge dissemination and a reduction in the likelihood of making expensive mistakes. There were no detrimental effects on operator well being. Implications for theory and practice in the management of complex technology are discussed.

Paper is one of the basic needs of modern life. With the consumption of paper likely to grow to 320 million MT by the year 2001, the the worldwide pulp and paper industry is gradually realizing that there is a shortage of the traditional raw material of cellulosic fiber. Bagasse--a byproduct of the sugar industry, presents a potential source of fiber for the paper industry without further compromising the environmental concern. It is cheap, perennially replenishible, presently does not have an alternative economically attractive value added usage, and has adequate chemical and mechanical properties for paper making. However, for it to be available to the paper industry throughout the year, it needs to be stored and preserved for a period of 6 to 8 months. With inherent problems associated with bagasse morphology, intricacies reflected as a result of its physicochemical characteristics, army of microbial infestants, cost-effective quality expectations of the paper industry, and the ecofriendly approach demanded by the society/pollution control boards/environmentalists, there does not seem to be any viable alternative except to use biotechnology approaches for bagasse preservation. It envisages the preservation of maximally depithed bagasse in the piles/heaps, using one-time fine misting of a preservative formulation comprised of biodegradable and nondegradable chemicals inhibiting the microbial population at selected enzyme levels. Its efficacy is improved by open, dry, windy, and moderate sunlit sites for storage. The method is simple, sustainable, and superior to the prevalent methods that are cost, capital, and energy intensive, non-eco-friendly and have adverse cost:benefit ratios. The biotechnology approach has an inherent scope for further optimization, automation, and economization.