Infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) properties of natural aluminum corrosion

In this paper, the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) property of naturally corroded aluminum and its possible applications in retrospective dosimetry have been briefly studied. Results are interesting, in particular with regard to the efforts of finding new and widely available materials for accident dosimetry. For aluminum corrosion, the dose response was found to be approximately linear between 2–80 Gy and to reach saturation before 300 Gy. The signal also showed good repro-ducibility without significant fading over storage durations of up to four mounts at room temperature. In addition to the luminescence, the corrosion samples were also analysed by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD), but conclusive identification of the luminescent phase could not be made. It is concluded that the IRSL signals of this material can be favourable for dosimetry research.     

Politics of decay and spatial resistance

A historical and multi-cultural district called ?stiklal challenges the Turkish claim as a secular, culturally Muslim, and ethnically Turkish nation. This region is at the heart of the republic: it is in the capital city of Turkey, Ankara, and within a region called Ulus, i.e. ‘the Nation.’ This district is threatened by a continuous process of demolition that has been taking place around this region since the 1940s, in fact, in the last thirty years, a politics of decay has complemented actual acts of demolition. The female residents of the region counteract this politics by narrating the daily problems that the residents of ?stiklal encounter as a result of this politics. Their strategies of narration constitute a resistance against exclusion. By historicizing the experiences that the district has endured, they fight the temporalization of this space, and manage to transgress its isolation.     

CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS OF SPONSORSHIP IN THE ARTS

This article investigates consumers’ perceptions of three types of sponsors that play a role in backing financially Canadian artistic and cultural organisations: government ministries (or departments), Crown corporations and private companies. In addition to the type of sponsor and the nature of the sponsorship (philanthropic or commercial), the perceived congruence between the sponsor and the sponsored event (strong as opposed to weak), and the form of arts and cultural events (high art versus popular art and performing arts versus heritage arts) are explored in an experimental setting combining within‐subjects and between‐subjects factors. The main hypothesis of this research was that consumers’ perceptions are not the same when it comes to the different kinds of sponsors that evolve in the cultural and art fields. As the researchers explored this issue, they observed that significant differences do exist. It is believed that the rich findings of this study will be useful to civil servants.     

Travail et société: Explorations d'une crise

Meda, D., Le travail: une valeur en voie de disparition (Aubier, 1995), 364pp., 120F., ISBN 2 7007 3659 1

Bidet, J., et Texier, J. (sous la direction de), La crise du travail (PUF, 1995), 272pp., 198F., ISBN 2 13 047001 7     

Sensitive travelers: Jewish and non-Jewish visitors from Eastern Europe to Palestine between the two World Wars

Beginning with a reference to early modern, religiously motivated pilgrimages to Erets-Yisroel, this article explores the quest of four travelers of the interwar period for clues of personal, cultural, and political belonging by visiting Mandatory Palestine. It reveals to what significant degree the perceptions of the travelers – two East European Jews, a Polish-Catholic journalist, and one Central European Jewish author – were shaped by preexisting attitudes towards Jewish history, culture, and identity, and how the narrative of the journey itself serves as an instrument to confirm these attitudes. It shows that travelogues offer fascinating insights into the complex relationship of subjectivity, identity, cultural memory, and history.