(Re)Gendering Violence: Men, Masculinities and Violence

This paper focuses on constructions of violence, in particular the ways in which violence is constructed as a social problem in and through policy discourses. Inspired by an earlier study into the ways in which practitioners, engaged in work with men who are violent towards their female partners, construct and understand violence, this paper highlights the extent to which societal/cultural beliefs regarding gender and violence are embedded at the levels of policy, ‘expert’ knowledge(s), and practices. Illustrating the exercise of (gendered) power through knowledge in shaping Australian government/agency responses and initiatives, it is argued that this has critical implications for the ways in which ‘gender(ed) violence’ is conceptualised, named and addressed.Sydney Institute of Criminology; School of Social Sciences at the University of Western Sydne

Rethinking critical theory between Rancière and the Frankfurt School

This thesis argues that Rancière’s conception of ‘aesthetic emancipation’ is a productive and neglected way of thinking about three political practices: a politics of memory, struggles for recognition and emancipatory education. I argue it can offer either a supplement or an alternative to recent Frankfurt School theorisations of these practices, particularly in relation to struggles concerned broadly with decolonisation. Specifically, in the first chapter, I argue that deliberative theorists miss an important form of political discourse, namely the speech of what Rancière calls the ‘part without a part.’ I examine the implications of this omission for a politics of memory and suggest that drawing attention to these marginalised, disruptive acts can have implications both for witnessing and taking up aesthetic acts of politics in the present. In the second chapter, I argue that Rancière’s concept of disagreement allows us to theorise struggles for ‘recognition’ in a way which avoids the problematic reconciliatory tendencies which haunt the work of Axel Honneth. However, in order to capture the struggle of an indigenous ‘politics of refusal,’ I argue against the claim that political subjects act in the ‘name of anyone’. In the third chapter, I give a partial defence of Rancière’s critique of stultification in relation to emancipatory educational practices and, by developing a more nuanced account of explanation, show how certain explanations might inhibit the will of political actors to act upon their equality. In all three cases, then, I suggest Rancière could add to our understanding of these practices but only by making modifications to his account, specifically to the concepts of dis-identification and explanation. Ultimately, by thinking between Rancière and the Frankfurt School, I argue we can think both affirmative, disruptive critical theory as well as a modest ‘negative’ critical theory of unequal social structures

‘Cowards’ and ‘Scumbags’: Tough Talk and Men’s Violence

This paper explores the ways in which particular forms of violence, namely violence against women and one-punch assaults, are framed in discourses of violence prevention in Australia. In denouncing certain acts, individuals and groups, I show that condemnatory responses—what I refer to here as ‘tough talk’—serve to reinforce, rather than challenge, hierarchical (gendered, raced, classed) difference as normative. Based on assumptions that link violence to particular ‘types’ of men, such approaches overlook the nuance, complexity and contextual meanings of violence. Preventing violence, I argue, requires that we engage with cultures of violence by focusing less on some men’s violence, instead recognising the interconnectedness of gender and other hierarchies of identity as the critical context for violence

Creating a Suicide Prevention Program for Farmers and Farmworkers

In 2018 the Washington State legislature passed Substitute House Bill 2671 to address suicide in the agriculture industry, and Washington State University Skagit County Extension was selected by the Washington State Department of Health to develop a suicide prevention pilot program for farmers and farmworkers. In the initial stage from March to September 2019, program efforts included collaborating with suicide prevention and behavioral health experts, building institutional capacity (bilingual English–Spanish material and website creation), and leveraging the Extension platform. We provide a roadmap for other Extension entities looking to create suicide prevention programs

Innovative Approaches for the Reintegration of Fifteenth Century Spanish Panel Paintings

[EN] The Suermondt-Ludwig Museum (Aachen) holds five Spanish fifteenth-century panel paintings in their collection. The five panels are all fragments, likely removed from their original settings at the turn of the nineteenth century during the upheaval of the Napoleonic Wars and sold on the art market after extensive restoration. Three of these five panels have been already treated at SRAL. The additional two will undergo a full conservation campaign in the coming year carried out in collaboration with conservation students from the University of Amsterdam and conservation training programmes in Spain.   A treatment protocol was devised to ensure a systematic and sympathetic treatment, including reintegration. This provided key skill development for the trainee conservators. The removal of non-original surface materials revealed overcleaned and severely damaged surfaces. The integration of these surfaces required an innovative approach to return a sense of authenticity to the artworks, individually and as a disparate group. The subtle shift in gloss and texture between areas of paint and gilding, between different pigments bound in animal glue, egg tempera, and oleo-resinous glazes had been lost. The selection of conservation materials for infilling and retouching aimed to return this ephemeral play on light to the surfaces. This paper will discuss this innovative approach using the reintegration of one of the set of five panel paintings: the “Adoration of the Kings” (Inventory number: GK 243) as a case study. The materials were carefully chosen so as not to be mistaken for original materials in the future. The approach entailed thinking out of the box and approaching the filling and retouching stages simultaneously rather than as independent actions. This allowed a more holistic strategy to reintegration than if all losses were filled first prior to retouching.   The filling materials utilised are based on a studio formulation consisting of a novel combination: Arbocel 500 (cellulose fibres) bound in a mixture of Aquazol 500 (poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)) and Methocel A4M (methylcellulose) bound in water. This mixture was used to fill deeper losses and modified with aluminium hydroxide powder to create a surface fill. The protocol used began with testing of the materials to find the right formulation; adaptations for the typology of fill were incorporated into this design. The filler formulation is modified to best adapt to the specific losses in each area of each panel. The decision not to re-varnish the panels allowed filling and retouching to be carried out simultaneously and the different gloss surfaces of individual paint areas to be imitated by modifying the amount of retouching binding media (Aquazol 200 dissolved in ethanol/water). The resulting appearance allows different colour and surface finishes to retain their independent characteristics and returns a more authentic surface finish to the fifteenth-century artworks. [ES] El Museo Suermondt-Ludwig (Aquisgrán) conserva en su colección cinco tablas españolas del siglo XV. Los cinco paneles son fragmentos, probablemente arrancados de su emplazamiento original a finales del siglo XIX, durante la agitación de las guerras napoleónicas, y vendidos en el mercado del arte tras una exhaustiva restauración. Tres de estos cinco paneles ya han sido tratados en la SRAL. Los otros dos se someterán a una campaña de conservación completa el año que viene, en colaboración con estudiantes de conservación de la Universidad de Ámsterdam y programas de formación en conservación en España. Se diseñó un protocolo de tratamiento para garantizar un tratamiento sistemático y comprensivo, incluida la reintegración. Esto supuso un desarrollo de habilidades clave para los conservadores en formación. La eliminación de los materiales de superficie no originales reveló superficies excesivamente limpias y gravemente dañadas. La integración de estas superficies requirió un enfoque innovador para devolver un sentido de autenticidad a las obras de arte, individualmente y como grupo dispar. Se había perdido el sutil cambio de brillo y textura entre las zonas pintadas y doradas, entre los distintos pigmentos aglutinados con cola animal, el temple al huevo y los esmaltes oleorresinosos. La selección de materiales de conservación para el relleno y el retoque pretendía devolver a las superficies este juego efímero con la luz. En esta ponencia se analizará este enfoque innovador tomando como caso de estudio la reintegración de una de las cinco pinturas sobre tabla: la "Adoración de los Reyes" (número de inventario: GK 243). Los materiales se eligieron cuidadosamente para que no se confundieran con los originales en el futuro. El planteamiento consistió en pensar de forma innovadora y abordar las fases de empaste y retoque simultáneamente, en lugar de como acciones independientes. Esto permitió una estrategia de reintegración más holística que si primero se rellenaran todas las pérdidas antes de retocarlas. Los materiales de relleno utilizados se basan en una formulación de estudio consistente en una combinación novedosa: Arbocel 500 (fibras de celulosa) ligadas en una mezcla de Aquazol 500 (poli(2-etil-2-oxazolina)) y Methocel A4M (metilcelulosa) ligada en agua. Esta mezcla se utilizó para rellenar las pérdidas más profundas y se modificó con hidróxido de aluminio en polvo para crear un relleno superficial. El protocolo utilizado comenzó con pruebas de los materiales para encontrar la formulación adecuada; en este diseño se incorporaron adaptaciones para la tipología del relleno. La formulación del relleno se modifica para adaptarse mejor a las pérdidas específicas de cada zona de cada panel. La decisión de no volver a barnizar los paneles permitió realizar simultáneamente el relleno y el retoque e imitar las diferentes superficies brillantes de cada zona de pintura modificando la cantidad de medio aglutinante de retoque (Aquazol 200 disuelto en etanol/agua). El aspecto resultante permite que los distintos acabados de color y superficie conserven sus características independientes y devuelve un acabado superficial más auténtico a las obras de arte del siglo XV.Vicente, M.; Alapont, B.; Visser, C.; Molenaar, C.; Seymour, K. (2023). Innovative Approaches for the Reintegration of Fifteenth Century Spanish Panel Paintings. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 128-137. https://doi.org/10.4995/RECH6.2021.1351612813

The conservation of panel paintings and related objects

Until the early 17th century almost all portable paintings were created on wood supports, including masterpieces by famous painters, ranging from Giotto to Dürer to Rembrandt. The structural conservation of these paintings requires specific knowledge and skills as the supports are susceptible to damage caused by unstable environmental conditions. Unfortunately, past structural interventions often caused significant damage due to insufficient knowledge of the behaviour of the wood panels, glue and paint layers. Over the last fifty years, the field has developed treatment strategies based on interdisciplinary collaboration and on the knowledge of specialist conservators. Most current conservation protocols rely on empirical knowledge of conservators and are not necessarily based on a scientific understanding of the nature and behaviour of wood and paint layers. In order to move the field forward, it is imperative to strengthen scientific research into the production methods, ageing and future behaviour of panel paintings, being an intricate interplay between different materials. A deeper understanding of the processes that adversely affect panel paintings over time will contribute to the improved care and conservation of these artworks. The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam brought together a group of experts from different disciplines to recommend specific areas in the field that would benefit from systematic research. The experts concluded that targeted interdisciplinary research projects are key to understanding the behaviour of panel paintings and help conservators make better informed decisions. Research into chemical and physical properties of wood, glue and paint layers should be combined with an evaluation of past and current conservation treatments. Research should also consider the history of the object, studio practice, conservation history and thoughts on long-term impact of treatments

An Investigation into the Suitability and Stability of a New Pigmented Wax-Resin Formulation for Infilling and Reintegration of Losses in Paintings

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.A new Pigmented Wax-Resin (PWR) formulation for infilling and reintegration of losses in paintings is introduced and tested for its suitability and stability. It consists of a mixture of Cosmoloid H80 microcrystalline wax and Regalrez 1126 hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin with dry pigments and/or fillers. Unlike other PWR formulations, including those sold by Gamblin Conservation Colors, it does not contain beeswax. Beeswax is reported to develop bloom and to corrode copper supports. The authors share methodologies and techniques used to characterize and assess the suitability of the new formulation in terms of its physical and optical properties, and to assess its stability to fluctuating relative humidity and temperature, particularly high temperatures. The new formulation was evaluated for its workability, opacity, and flexibility and for its compatibility with a selection of varnish coatings and inpainting media. Results showed that 1.5 parts of Cosmoloid H80 to 1 part of Regalrez 1126 (by weight), mixed with pigments and/or fillers, is a viable alternative to other infilling and inpainting media. It has good optical and working properties, a suitable degree of hardness, and remains stable during fluctuations in relative humidity and temperature, as well as to temperatures as high as 70°C.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin

The conservation of panel paintings and related objects

Until the early 17th century almost all portable paintings were created on wood supports, including masterpieces by famous painters, ranging from Giotto to Dürer to Rembrandt. The structural conservation of these paintings requires specific knowledge and skills as the supports are susceptible to damage caused by unstable environmental conditions. Unfortunately, past structural interventions often caused significant damage due to insufficient knowledge of the behaviour of the wood panels, glue and paint layers. Over the last fifty years, the field has developed treatment strategies based on interdisciplinary collaboration and on the knowledge of specialist conservators. Most current conservation protocols rely on empirical knowledge of conservators and are not necessarily based on a scientific understanding of the nature and behaviour of wood and paint layers. In order to move the field forward, it is imperative to strengthen scientific research into the production methods, ageing and future behaviour of panel paintings, being an intricate interplay between different materials. A deeper understanding of the processes that adversely affect panel paintings over time will contribute to the improved care and conservation of these artworks. The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam brought together a group of experts from different disciplines to recommend specific areas in the field that would benefit from systematic research. The experts concluded that targeted interdisciplinary research projects are key to understanding the behaviour of panel paintings and help conservators make better informed decisions. Research into chemical and physical properties of wood, glue and paint layers should be combined with an evaluation of past and current conservation treatments. Research should also consider the history of the object, studio practice, conservation history and thoughts on long-term impact of treatments

Induction of heat-shock proteins does not prevent renal tubular injury following ischemia

Induction of heat-shock proteins does not prevent renal tubular injury following ischemia. The possible protective effect of heat-shock proteins (HSPs) on ischemic injury to renal cells was assessed in two different experimental models: ischemia-reflow in intact rats and medullary hypoxic injury as seen in the isolated perfused rat kidney. Heat shock was induced by raising the core temperature of rats to 42°C for 15 minutes. Following this, Northern blots showed enhanced gene expression of HSP70, HSP60 and ubiquitin at one hour and reaching a maximum by six hours after heat shock in all regions of the kidney, but most prominently in medulla and papilla. The HSP70 protein in the kidney, estimated by immunohistochemical means, was detectable 24 hours following heat shock and further increased at 48 hours following heat shock. In the first set of experiments, the animals underwent uninephrectomy followed by cross clamping of the remaining renal artery for 40 minutes prior to reflow. Serum creatinine and urea nitrogen rose to 3.15 ± 0.98 and 126.4 ± 62.5 mg/dl at 24 hours. No significant differences were observed at 24, 48 and 72 hours after reflow between these values in control rats and rats pretreated with heat shock 48 hours earlier. Severe morphological damage to proximal tubules of the renal cortex was observed to the same extent in both groups. In a second set of experiments, the right kidney was removed either 24 or 48 hours after heat shock and perfused in isolation for 90 minutes. Functional and morphological parameters were compared with those of isolated perfused kidneys obtained from animals that had not been subjected to heat shock. No difference was observed in the degree or extent of hypoxic injury to the medullary thick ascending limb, characteristically observed in the isolated perfused rat kidney, nor did prior induction of HSPs modify the progressive decline in glomerular filtration rate or fractional reabsorption of glucose seen in perfused kidneys. Fractional reabsorption of sodium was slightly higher in kidneys from rats earlier exposed to heat shock. These results do not support the hypothesis that heat shock proteins prevent ischemic renal injury