Introduction

publication-status: PublishedChapter from History, Remembrance and Religious Education edited by S. G. Parker, R. Freathy & L. J. Francis.This introductory chapter seeks to provoke reflection on the concepts that provide the theme for the volume overall: history, remembrance and religious education. It begins by setting out some epistemological and methodological questions concerning the writing of history, and demonstrates their ethical significance, specifically with regard to the Holocaust. It then exemplifies some historiographical considerations of pertinence to the present volume by drawing upon archival, oral life history and published documentary data collected during research into the history of Religious Education in England. Recent public pronouncements from David Bell, Richard J. Evans and Michael Gove are then discussed to highlight issues pertaining to the acts of remembrance concerning the 100th and 70th anniversaries of the start of the First World War in 1914 and the passing of the Butler Education Act (England and Wales) in 1944 respectively. It is argued that we have a moral obligation to engage with historical discourses and to participate in acts of remembrance. Lastly, the chapter outlines the contents of the remainder of the volume and summarises the various ways in which the contributing authors have addressed the theme of ‘History, Remembrance and Religious Education’

Raiders of the Lost Archives: Searching for the Hidden History of Religious Education in England

publication-status: PublishedChapter from History, Remembrance and Religious Education edited by S. G. Parker, R. Freathy & L. J. Francis.This chapter provides a justification for historical inquiry in Religious Education research and a critique of the existing historiography of Religious Education in England. It then provides a report of two research projects funded by The British Academy and the Westhill Endowment Trust. These projects were both concerned to address the problems we had identified in the existing historiography by exploring the ‘hidden history’ of Religious Education in England between 1969 and 1979, when a radical shift in the nature and purpose of the subject is alleged to have occurred. The main methodological and substantive findings from these projects are discussed, as well as the extent to which we succeeded in achieving our aims. Finally, we briefly set out our agenda for future historical research based on a discussion of the need to place the history of Religious Education in England in four particular contexts: the wider curriculum; educational institutions and structures; religion(s) and the academic study of religion(s); and international and supranational comparators, movements and influences. This process of curriculum contextualization implies not just drilling down within the existing historiographical parameters of English Religious Education to unearth previously hidden data, but reframing the field of study more broadly and in a manner that might be relevant for all curriculum history

Unnatural selection in Galapagos : the role of disease in Darwin’s Finches (Geospizinae)

Micro-evolutionary studies, such as those of Darwin’s finches (Geospizinae), have been used as indicators of rates of evolution under natural selection. Today however, such studies may be compromised by unnatural selection. Recently introduced infectious and parasitic agents in Galapagos may hamper our ability to monitor natural evolutionary change in endemic birds, by modifying such change. The opportunity to study natural selection in its iconic site may thus be lost, due to these and other forms of human environmental alteration, which may be replacing non-anthropogenic factors as the principal driver of evolution. To ensure that natural selection continues to shape the biota of Galapagos, anthropogenic impacts including introduced diseases must be managed effectively

Online virtual fit is not yet fit for purpose: An analysis of fashion e-commerce interfaces

To unify the methodology of Virtual Fit platforms and allowing cross platform integration of 3D Body Scanning, the current Virtual Fit platforms need to be assessed in terms of their size recommendation approach and user interaction. Digital data, interactivity, and internet technology are changing the ways we interact in online shopping, with the Virtual Fit platforms having great potential to increase retail engagement and market share. This will support online purchasing activities while minimising the perceived risk in garment returns due to the poor sizing fit information. Current research has focused on the analysis of computer modelling techniques, avatars, cloth, fabric draping simulations, and customer behaviour / aesthetic impact in the online domain. From a technical perspective, these investigations offer an interesting insight, although do not address issues of implementation or customer attitude. Therefore, to judge the current and potential impact of such technologies, it is important to understand 1) how they are being enacted online, 2) the Interaction Design elements of the user journey, 3) the application (or lack thereof) of mathematical models, and 4) how such interfaces are embedded within websites. Once these four key questions have been answered a greater understanding of how 3D Body Scanning and Technologies integrated into eCommerce and Virtual Fit platforms in the consumer market may be reached. Through analysis of nine leading Virtual Fit platforms, the persona of a single female dress form was used to work through the customer journey. Through this, screen shot data captured along each stage in relation to the four research questions listed above. Following this, the study utilised content analysis structure with NVivo as a qualitative thematic analysis tool. This study found that despite a large number of platforms using virtual fit technology, only a handful companies exist that provide such technology and interfaces; often based upon subjective ‘previous purchases’ rather than scientific prediction. This issue is made more complicated in how subjective measures such as personal perception of one’s body is required (e.g. what size are you), besides body shape; a concept shown to be ‘broken’ and not fit-for-purpose. In addition, many of the technologies use limited and often misinterpreted body measurements, the impact of which is explored in greater detail within the paper. This study contributes to the understanding of the information required from users by virtual fit platforms, and the understanding of the output as presented by virtual fit platforms. The research goal is to contribute to knowledge as a potential guideline for any future projects in virtual fit and to help direct body scanning developments to better support these platforms

Controls on propagation of the Indian monsoon onset in an idealised model

The Indian monsoon is a seasonal large-scale circulation system with complex dynamical and thermodynamic interactions. The physical processes are not fully understood. In particular, the mechanisms that control the propagation of the monsoon onset across the Indian continent, against the mid-level wind field, are debated. The Indian monsoon is poorly represented in weather and climate models, with persistent systematic errors making it difficult to accurately forecast the Indian monsoon on subseasonal timescales. A two-layer model based on moisture conservation with a parameterised flux representing convection is developed and used to investigate the competition between dry advection in the upper levels, the rate of moisture replenishment at low levels and the rate of convection from the lower to the upper layers. In a fixed Eulerian frame, the system is initialised at an equilibrium representing pre-onset (May) conditions. Then, changes in the rates of moist inflow and upper level advection are introduced, triggering a transition to a new equilibrium, which reflects the full monsoon state (July-September). The two-layer model reproduces Indian monsoon onset and its progression to the northwest, against an imposed 5 m/s wind in the upper layer. Increasing the parameter representing moist inflow induces a monsoon onset, defined as a threshold of total column moisture, with clear progression from southeast toward northwest India. A lesser wind speed in the upper layer, signifying a weakening mid-tropospheric dry intrusion, allows a more rapid progression of the monsoon onset. A greater upper level wind speed, associated with a strengthening dry intrusion, causes the monsoon onset to retreat. We can quantify the nature of the monsoon onset by deriving an onset speed and the time taken for the system to adjust to a new equilibrium, from analytical theory

Towards international comparative research on the professionalization of Religious Education

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleThis article calls for international comparative research on the professionalisation of Religious Education (RE). To this end, it provides a rationale for focusing upon the concept of professionalisation and a theoretical justification for international comparative research, particularly identifying its significance in terms of the development of RE in England and Germany. The article outlines a methodology for exploring the concepts of professional knowledge, professional self-organisation and politics and professional development. The proposed methodology involves a systematic analysis of primary documentary sources including: (1) academic and professional journal articles and textbooks; (2) the archives of relevant institutions and organisations; and (3) external evidence, such as inspection and research reports. An analytical case study of two leading journals in each national context, Religion in Education in England and Der Evangelische Erzieher in Germany, in the immediate post-war era is appended to illustrate the benefits of implementing such a methodology across national boundaries

Negative compressibility in platinum sulfide using density-functional theory

Copyright © 2010 The American Physical SocietyThe structural and dynamic properties of the mineral Cooperite (PtS) are investigated using density-functional theory. The results show that a competition with the less symmetric but more compact PdS structure leads to a phase transition when the pressure is increased. However, before the phase transition, PtS displays a rare anomalous elastic behavior by expanding along its long axis under hydrostatic pressure. We report the elastic constants of PtS and interpret this negative linear compressibility in the context of a displacive phase transition. We also show that the real structure of PtS is less symmetric than originally determined by experiment