Chevin Tower - An Engine House Hidden in Plain Sight. A New Theory on a Local Landmark

The tall square building known as Chevin Tower sits on the hill directly above the Milford tunnel on the North Midland railway constructed from 1837-1840 by the railways appointed contractors to surveys carried out by George & Robert Stephenson. Until recently it has always been described as a ‘signal tower’, or a manmade landmark to aid railway surveying where direct line of sight was not possible. In2021 articles in the Midland Journal explored the use of the tower casting some doubt on the signalling interpretation and this led the author to examine afresh the structure, its location and context. This review has refuted the original theories concerning its construction and postulating with extensive supporting evidence that the tower housed a winding engine used to raise material extracted in the shafts and tunnel headings below to the surface, thereby speeding up the process of its construction. This pattern of engine house with a vertical cylinder driving a winding drum mounted above was one widely used in the north-east coalfield during the 19th century and its construction was likely to have been influenced by the Stephensons whose background would have made them familiar with such an arrangement.

A Source of Inspiration. Images of Khudprom in Artistic Retrospect. Preface to the Album

The historic building, built by architect K. Zhukov in 1913 for the Kharkiv Art School (now the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts), has become not only a national gem of Ukrainian architectural style and a local landmark, but also a source of inspiration for all generations of artists, who associated their destiny with it. The idea of this publication is to visually represent the images of Zhukov’s “Teremok” (as Khudprom is cordially called) in the works of artists of different generations: from venerable classics to current students. This journal exposition is organized in several art sections, where an experienced viewer will see a kind of gallery space in the form of an “expanded” exhibition. It chronologically and genre-wise unites well-known Kharkiv artists and separate creative “bottegas”: graphics and linocuts, etchings, monumental-decorative art and graphic design, where student works are presented. They have all been created over 70 years: from 1950th to the present. The last section is devoted to the search for the identity of the Academy with images of Khudprom. Most of them are graphic signs made by Kharkiv graphics for the anniversaries of the Academy. This retrospective demonstrates different approaches to the interpretation of a masterpiece in many types of art over time, and the inescapable significance of the Ukrainian “Temple of Art”, which “Teremok” found in the minds and works of all generations, for whom it became a symbol of Alma mater.

Uncertainty promotes information-seeking actions, but what information?

Navigating an unfamiliar city almost certainly brings out uncertainty about getting from place to place. This uncertainty, in turn, triggers information gathering. While navigational uncertainty is common, little is known about what type of information people seek when they are uncertain. The primary choices for information types with environments include landmarks (distal or local), landmark configurations (relation between two or more landmarks), and a distinct geometry, at least for some environments. Uncertainty could lead individuals to more likely seek one of these information types. Extant research informs both predictions about and empirical work exploring this question. This review covers relevant cognitive literature and then suggests empirical approaches to better understand information-seeking actions triggered by uncertainty. Notably, we propose that examining continuous navigation data can provide important insights into information seeking. Benefits of continuous data will be elaborated through one paradigm, spatial reorientation, which intentionally induces uncertainty through disorientation and cue conflict. While this and other methods have been used previously, data have primarily reflected only the final choice. Continuous behavior during a task can better reveal the cognition-action loop contributing to spatial learning and decision making.

THE INSTITUTIONAL PERSONA: WHEN THEATRES BECOME PERSONAS AND THE CASE OF BRISTOL OLD VIC

This article proposes a definition and terminology for identifying and analysing a concept of institutional persona in relation to theatre. The essay posits the theatre institution as an example of a ‘composite persona’, whereby cultural value is produced through the interplay between theatre as building, theatre as organisation, and theatre as event. Using the case-study of Bristol Old Vic, I examine how executives and practitioners involved in a specific historic theatre ensured its post-war survival in the 1940s by connecting the prestigious heritage of a local landmark with the national reputation of two London-based organisations. I suggest that theatre institutions offer a particularly rich investigative ground for the application of persona study theory in their need to mobilise individual and organisational personas for the purposes of reinventing a ‘good story’ and brand over time.

The Human Hippocampus Contributes to Egocentric Coding of Distance to a Local Landmark

Spatial navigation can depend on path integration or environmental cues (e.g., landmarks), which are thought to be integrated in hippocampal and entorhinal circuits. This study investigates the anatomical basis of path integration and navigation based on a single local landmark using an individual differences approach, since people vary substantially in their ability to navigate with path integration cues and landmarks. In two experiments, we dissociated the use of path integration and a local landmark in the same navigation task, and investigated whether morphological variability in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex could explain behavioral variability in young healthy humans. In Experiment 1, participants navigated in a fully immersive virtual reality environment, with body-based cues available for path integration. The participants first walked through a series of posts before attempting to walk back to the remembered location of the first post. We found that gray matter volume of the hippocampus positively predicted behavioral accuracy of retrieving the target’s distance in relation to the local landmark. Hippocampus also positively predicted path integration performance in terms of walking-distance to the target location. Experiment 2 was conducted in a desktop virtual environment, with no body-based cues available. Optic flow served as path integration cues, and participants were tested on their memory of a learned target location along a linear track. Consistent with Experiment 1, the results showed that hippocampal volume positively predicted performance on the target’s distance in relation to the local landmark. In contrast to Experiment 1, there was no correlation between hippocampal volume and path integration performance. Together, our two experiments provide novel and converging evidence that the hippocampus plays an important role in encoding egocentric distance to a single local landmark during navigation, and they suggest a stronger hippocampal involvement when path integration is based on body-based compared to optic flow cues.

CONSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES OF HEGUMEN HOUSE IN CHERNIHIV

Research results of the XVII century construction, Hegumen House in Chernihiv, are presented. It is a historically significant local landmark. Attention was paid to historical data on foundation of the monastery and structure erection. The construction was built to serve as a refectory church of Peter and Paul. The purpose of the building was found to have been changed repeatedly during its existence. Constructional features of the structure remains were analyzed. Practical recommendations on its restoration were developed. Underground unit drawing was made, which is accessible to viewing. Detailed research was conducted. Reinforcements and brick wall construction, dated at a later period, were discovered. The wall construction brick was analyzed. Much attention was paid to durability and stableness of the underground unit.

The Hub in a Pub: University of Wolverhampton Apprenticeship Hub

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the innovative approach being taken by the University of Wolverhampton to create an Apprenticeship Hub through which the regional offer for Intermediate, Advanced, Higher and Degree Apprenticeships can be accessed. Readers can review the approach taken and consider the possibilities of a similar approach in their own context. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents a case study that sets out and discusses the drivers behind the approach adopted to create the Apprenticeship Hub. It identifies the stakeholders who will engage with the Apprenticeship Hub and it outlines the reasons for, and benefits of, working in collaboration with other organisations to provide an integrated offer for apprenticeship provision across the region. Findings The Apprenticeship Hub is a physical entity within a well-known local landmark building that is easily accessible to the communities which is intended to serve. It has been developed to meet the national and local contexts and, although only recently established, it is meeting the needs of the stakeholder groups. It provides an environment through which the integrated regional apprenticeship offer can be accessed. Practical implications The world of apprenticeships is changing significantly with many new requirements for employers and for education. It is a complex road to travel, particularly for Higher Education (HE) which has not, traditionally, been involved in the world of apprenticeships. This paper posits that a collaborative approach to stakeholder engagement and recognition of respective strengths can lead to organisations working in partnership to draw together their respective expertise to ensure that, through a collaborative approach they can meet the needs of the communities that they serve. Originality/value Apprenticeships are new to HE; universities are entering a complex and unknown territory. This paper sets out the approach taken by one university to work in partnership with others to provide an integrated offer that could be adopted or adapted by other providers to their own context.