First results of using combined mass and temperature measurements to study the water flow at the rock–atmosphere interface

The preservation of historical monuments requires both a detailed understanding of water circulation inside construction materials, and a deep comprehension of the associated physical and chemical effects on building structure. Combining mass and temperature measurements may be a new powerful tool to achieve this purpose, as first results obtained on a wall of the Saint-Gatien cathedral in Tours, France, indicate. The proposed method has been evaluated with dedicated experiments in a climatic chamber, regulated in both temperature and humidity, using three types of stones: Tours tuffeau, Baumberg limy sandstone, and Rüthen sandstone. Climatic chamber data indicate that temperature gradients between rock surface and atmosphere provide a meaningful and practical estimate of the water flow, which controls the heat exchange between rock and atmosphere because of the high enthalpy of vaporisation of water. Continuous measurements of the mass of a sample confirm this assumption and allow the calibration of temperature data with respect to water flow estimations. Temperature gradients between points on the stone surface are also dominated by changes in the water flux, and they provide a sensitive estimate of local variations in the heat and water transport properties of non-saturated stones. Combined mass and temperature measurements therefore appear as a promising method to estimate in situ the global and local water flow between the rock and the atmosphere and thus to diagnose the state of stone degradation, or to estimate quantitatively the efficiency of treatment processes, both in the field and in the laboratory.     

FROM CIRCULATION TO ASYMMETRICAL FLOW

This essay argues for the shortcomings of the circulation-perspectives of critical economics in the discursive formation of contemporary finance-led global capitalism on grounds that it implies the same neoclassical efficiency-equilibrium assumption it was meant to counter. A new theoretical apparatus, of asymmetrical flow, predicated on the asymmetries of time-space and information, is offered. The necessity of a new theory is illustrated with reference to the global financial crisis beginning in 2008 and the S.E.C. suit of Goldman Sachs and, using the question ‘where did all the money go?’ as a touchstone of inquiry, concluding that the question is largely unanswerable due to communicative asymmetries arising from the act of speculation.     

The impact of electric overhead radiant heating on the indoor environment of historic churches

The impact of electric overhead radiant heaters on the microclimate, air flows, transport and deposition of suspended particulate matter (SPM) was monitored between March 2004 and March 2005 in the historic churches of Saint Michael Archangel in Szalowa and Saint Catherine in Cracow (Poland). The measurements show that although irradiation at the floor level increases temperature and reduces relative humidity in the interior of the church, the effect out of the heated zone and for the surfaces sheltered from irradiation is very limited, i.e. their extent is comparable with natural fluctuations inherent to the local climate of the church. The radiant heaters proved to generate little convectional flow of the air. Therefore, the heating system was not found to increase the concentration of SPM indoors; in particular, no re-suspension of particles already present in the church was observed. This work has demonstrated that the overhead radiant heaters are capable of providing localised heat to the areas where people congregate without adversely affecting painted walls and the works of arts displayed in churches. Care, however, should be taken that sensitive works of art are not exposed to the direct infrared radiation.     

Numerical model application for the restoration of the Racconigi Royal Park (CN, Italy)

After years of neglect and an almost complete lack of maintenance, the Racconigi Royal Park was in an inevitable and widespread state of decay. This decay also involved the waterways that were designed in the nineteenth-century by Xavier Kurten (1811–1840). The seasonal lack of water and the agricultural needs of the farms around the Park made it necessary, during the planning stage of the restoration project, to consider the practicability and the effectiveness of some measures that were conceived to optimize the operation of the restored waterways, without altering the historical structure of the system. The realization of a hydraulic numerical model of the system, which is briefly illustrated in the first part of this case study, resulted to be the most suitable tool to study different possible solutions of the problem. The model simulations in fact helped the restorers put into effect the right remedies to favour the correct flow of the water, to make the whole historical system more efficient and to make its future maintenance easier.     

Desalination of masonry structures: Fine tuning of pore size distribution of poultices to substrate properties

Desalination is a relatively new intervention in the field of conservation of architectural heritage. Especially the desalination of immovable objects, such as masonry structures, is still a trial-error practice. In the field, different desalination materials and methods are used, sometimes with unsatisfactory results. Better understanding of the desalination process is needed in order to support the conservator with clear guidelines for choosing a suitable desalination material and method. The research presented in this paper constitutes the first step towards the development of a modular system of poultices, which can be adapted, i.e. fine-tuned to different types of substrates. Starting point is to make use of advection, i.e. the transport of salt ions with water flow. This transport mechanism is faster than diffusion and the application on immovable objects is relatively easy. In order to optimize salt extraction, a poultice working by advection should have smaller pores than the substrate. Starting from this principle the pore sizes of different desalination materials (sand, cellulose, kaolin and bentonite) mixed in different proportions, have been measured. Interesting results were obtained, showing that the desalination materials commonly used in the field are often not the most suitable ones. On the basis of the results, recipes for poultices, adapted to a specific substrate, can be formulated.     

城市夜间休闲服务水平与活力度匹配分析 ——以南京市为例

城市夜间经济的良性发展是体现城市活力以及实现"双循环"的重要支撑.基于百度POI和百度热力值数据,采用耦合-协调模型、核密度分析法,以南京市为例,进行城市夜间休闲服务水平与活力度的匹配分析,研究发现:(1)南京市夜间休闲服务水平呈现"中心高外围低"的分布格局,由中心到外围,夜间休闲场所的高密度区面积逐渐变小、分布逐渐分...     

中国文化闪亮世界杯

随着2014年6月13日世界杯开局之战的上演,在巴西各城市的足球赛场内外,随处可以看到各色国旗飞舞飘扬,听到“卡西罗拉”的呐喊冲锋。     

Analysis of lapideus materials from the columns of the cathedral of St Maria in Randazzo (Catania,Italy) and from their ancient origin quarries

Lava columns from the cathedral St Maria of Randazzo (Catania, Italy), were studied in order to establish the classification of these rocks and to investigate their origin. At the beginning of the XIX century, some columns of the old frame of the nave were removed to build the dome and stored in a fornix beneath the cathedral. Samples were taken directly from these columns. The specimens underwent petrographic investigation through optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and chemical analyses of major and trace elements through X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Some trace element (Sr, Rb, Y, Zr and Nb) concentrations were assessed through non-destructive analyses, performed with a portable X-ray device which can detect homogeneous concentrations of such elements on the columns of the cathedral. According to chemical data, these rocks can be classified as mugeariites whose mineral assemblage is given by plagioclase (mostly andesinic), augitic pyroxene, olivine, magnetite and, occasionally, apatite. In order to investigate the origin of the material used for the columns, a comparative examination was conducted between the column samples and specimens collected from quarries in the surrounding area of the town of Randazzo (Randazzo and Maniace quarries and the 1536 lava flow). The correlation with the Randazzo quarry proved to be excellent.     

Prediction as an Impediment to Preparedness: Lessons from the US Hurricane and Earthquake Research Enterprises

No matter one’s wealth or social position, all are subject to the threats of natural hazards. Be it fire, flood, hurricane, earthquake, tornado, or drought, the reality of hazard risk is universal. In response, governments, non-profits, and the private sector all support research to study hazards. Each has a common end in mind: to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities. While this end goal is shared across hazards, the conception of how to get there can diverge considerably. The earthquake and hurricane research endeavors in the US provide an illustrative contrast. The earthquake community sets out to increase resilience through a research process that simultaneously promotes both high quality and usable – preparedness-focused - science. In order to do so, the logic suggests that research must be collaborative, responsive, and transparent. Hurricane research, by contrast, largely promotes high quality science – predictions - alone, and presumes that usability should flow from there. This process is not collaborative, responsive, or transparent. Experience suggests, however, that the latter model – hurricane research - does not prepare communities or decision makers to use the high quality science it has produced when a storm does hit. The predictions are good, but they are not used effectively. Earthquake research, on the other hand, is developed through a collaborative process that equips decision makers to know and use hazards research knowledge as soon as an earthquake hits. The contrast between the two fields suggests that earthquake research is more likely to meet the end goal of resilience than is hurricane research, and thus that communities might be more resilient to hurricanes were the model by which research is funded and conducted to change. The earthquake research experience can provide lessons for this shift. This paper employs the Public Value Mapping (PVM) framework to explore these two divergent public value logics, their end results, and opportunities for improvement.     

Remote hyperspectral imagery as a support to archaeological prospection

Hyperspectral data were exploited to test their effectiveness as a tool for archaeological prospection, envisaging their potential for detecting spectral anomalies related to buried archaeological structures. For this purpose the airborne Multispectral Infrared and Visible Imaging Spectrometer images were analysed. Each single band of the entire data set and different processing technique products were interpreted to identify any tonal anomalies. Since every analysed image exhibited marks different in terms of size and intensity, two indexes were defined for assessing the potential of anomalies detection of each image. Such parameters were: the Detection Index, used for counting the number of pixels related in each image to marks, and the Separability Index, applied for measuring the tonal difference of the marks with respect to the background. These indexes were tested on two areas within the Selinunte Archaeological Park where the presence of remains, not yet excavated, was supposed by archaeologists. For the test sites any extracted anomalies were evaluated by an expert in order to determine their archaeological relevance. The comparison among the index values, derived from each single band of the spectrometer and from different image processing by-products, allowed to determine which spectral range and which processing method are the most valuable to quickly highlight the anomalies. The analysis pointed out that, where vegetation cover is dominant, the Visible near infrared is the spectral region more sensitive to variations of spectral properties related to buried structures, while, where soil cover becomes relevant, the Short-wave infrared and the Thermal-infrared regions resulted more sensitive. As far as the applied processing methods are concerned, the Spectral Angle Mapper classifier and, secondly, the Minimum Distance algorithm stressed the highest archaeological information content. The results of this work showed that the archaeological information content derived by analysing the outputs of the applied image processing techniques is more significant than the information obtained by interpreting each single band and the available historical aerial photos. As a final remark, the data processing flow chart, applied to the entire remote hyperspectral data set over Selinunte Archaeological Park, appeared encouraging for detection of anomalies related to the presence of the buried archaeological structures.     

An empirical analysis of political activity in Hollywood

Film plays an important role in the American political system, and forms an important branch of the mass media. I analyze the political contributions of a sample of 996 top film actors, directors, producers, and writers, correlating them with demographic, family, and career success variables. I find that contributions flow overwhelmingly to left-of-center parties and organizations. I theorize about the causes of this bias, and argue empirically that, while demographic variables are not completely irrelevant, Hollywood liberalism is primarily a function of high, publicly visible incomes, and family connections. Neither religion nor birthplace effects seem to affect political activity in the film business.

Optimising ‘cash flows’: converting corporate finance to hard currency

Following recent works that have underlined the increasing search for liquidity in economic exchange, this article studies how illiquid forms of money are converted into liquid forms by corporate finance actors. In the name of ‘shareholder value’, the various forms of value generated by companies (such as ‘trade credit’) tend to be increasingly transformed into liquid forms of money that are easily distributable to shareholders (‘cash flows’). Describing this phenomenon as an example of what anthropologists of money call ‘conversion’, this paper highlights how such a conversion process was necessary for the historical development of ‘shareholder value’ policies in corporate finance. Considering documentary sources and interviews with consultants, auditors, and private equity fund managers involved in ‘cash flow’ optimisation practices, this paper details this conversion phenomenon and shows how it has relied on the historical elaboration of specific metrological, technical, legal, and moral norms.     

The evaluation of crystallization modifiers for controlling salt damage to limestone

Crystallization modifiers can significantly affect the capillary passage of dilute and concentrated solutions of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate through columns of limestone. In the absence of modifiers, sodium chloride passage through Monks Park limestone gave predominantly subflorescence with mild edge erosion while sodium sulfate mainly effloresced and severely damaged the stone column. With Texas Creme limestone, a stone of moderately higher porosity, essentially only efflorescence occurred with either salt and there was little or no stone damage. Uniquely, alkali ferrocyanides were found to impact significantly on the interaction of these solutions as they moved through the limestone. The addition of 0.10–1.00% of K₄Fe(CN)₆ to sodium chloride in Monks Park limestone experiments increased the flow rate of solutions through the stone, resulting in efflorescence in place of subflorescence, and yielded a massive formation of extended dendritic filaments without damaging the stone. This protection by additive was extended to sodium sulfate solutions, but only at lower salt concentrations. Results comparable to the effect of adding K₄Fe(CN)₆ to concentrated sodium chloride Monks Park limestone experiments were obtained with saturated sodium sulfate solutions without additives by conducting the experiments in a draft-free, high humidity environment—suggesting a potentially useful strategy for the conservation of fragile, salt-laden objects. These results are explained by factors causing evaporation of solution to occur either below or at the surface of the stone, and by the effect of modifiers on the crystal habit of the salts forming during evaporation in this region.     

Evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment products in improving the quality of ceramics used in new and historical buildings

Ceramic samples made with a mixture of 70% ball clay and 30% quartz sand were moulded and then fired at 900 °C in an electric kiln. Samples were then treated with different products and analyses and tests were performed to evaluate the physical changes induced by the application of these products and their effects on the quality of the ceramics. A petrographic study indicated that the ceramics were composed of quartz, small amounts of mullite and sanidine and traces of hematite. Mineral clays (i.e. kaolinite) disappeared during firing. Two consolidating products (Paraloid B72 and Tegovakon V) and one water repellent (Silo 111) were applied to samples by capillarity, and physical changes (colour, water flow, porosity and pore size distribution) were measured. Finally, we carried out salt crystallization tests in order to determine which product improved the quality of the ceramics. Treated samples registered a decrease in porosity and a general increase in pore size. The application of Silo 111 drastically reduced water absorption by immersion and by capillarity. This product was also responsible for a decrease in pore interconnection. Samples treated with Tegovakon V performed better in terms of their overall hydric behaviour. Silo 111 was the only product that did not modify the colour of samples when compared with untreated ones, and after accelerated aging tests, samples treated with this product hindered the absorption of saline solution into ceramic pores and prevented their decay. Paraloid B72 did not improve any of the properties of the ceramics.     

Reconfiguring the centre: The structure of scientific exchanges between colonial India and Europe

Conclusions The centre-periphery relationship historically structured scientific exchanges between metropolis and province, between the fount of empire and its outposts. But the exchange, if regarded merely as a one-way flow of scientific information, ignores both the politics of knowledge and the nature of its appropriation. Arguably, imperial structures do not entirely determine scientific practices and the exchange of knowledge. Several factors neutralise the over-determining influence of politics—and possibly also the normative values of science—on scientific practice.In examining these four examples of Indian scientists in encounters with their peers at the centre, exceptional scientists are seen in a social context where the epistemology of science supposedly describes its practice. Imperialism imposes practices and patronage, which moderate the exchange of scientific knowledge. But, at Level Two, the politics of knowledge and the patterns of patronage within it mediate exchanges between the centre and the periphery.The first step in reconfiguring exchanges between centre and periphery —in this case, between Europe and India during the period 1850 to 1930— is to recognise the relation between the acquisition of resources and the maintenance of legitimacy and identity.⁶⁷ Political life is not confined to the core of political institutions.⁶⁸ Second, in examining science as practised in the colonies, it is necessary to see stages of scientific institutions, whose development structures the exchange.From the encounter of Ramchandra and De Morgan, it is evident that the centre-periphery framework should be separated from the models of transmission embedded within it. The notion of translation helps to suggest that scientists bring personal motives and meanings to each encounter. Ramchandra, for example, sought a novel method of teaching Indians calculus, while De Morgan's interest lay in finding a place for algebra in a liberal education.The hierarchy inherent in the centre-periphery framework compels the conclusion that, at Level Two, the autodidact outside the institutions of science must have his work presented to scientists at the centre by authoritative figures from the centre. This is not mainly a question of imperialism, but rather of patronage. The peripheral scientist could not be granted direct entry into the collegial circle until his efforts at the periphery could be translated into the language and concerns of the central community. Ramanujan's enigmatic formulas were translated into the language of analysis by Hardy, which enabled the creation of a field to which Hardy was committed.Scientists from the periphery who were already part of the circle by virtue of their training, were not necessarily subject to the same degree of attestation as other scientists from the periphery. P.C. Ray, with his DSc from Edinburgh, and his position at Calcutta University, had less difficulty in winning the trust of colleagues at the centre, even when he returned to India. On the contrary, remaining at the periphery, he moved from a context of patronage to a sphere of competition. In addition, Ray's collegiality, even at Level Two, was more comprehensive, and connected him with Level One.Eventually, the professional Indian science graduate found collegiality within the international community of scientists. Saha's self-imposed progressive nationalism constrained his identification with the centre and made him a potential competitor instead. Once having achieved eminence in the world of science, C.V. Raman and Saha shifted their work to journals of physics published in India in order to further the cause of physics research in their own country.⁶⁹ To go beyond the limitations of the centre-periphery model, it is necessary not merely to examine exchanges between scientists functioning in a shared epistemological universe,⁷⁰ but also to recognise the part played by institutions, the experience of colonialism, and the forms of patronage characterising both colonialism and science. Put another way, although there is relative epistemological autonomy within the disciplinary research communities of science, the interplay between knowledge and power structures this exchange.The scientific links between colonial India and Britain at the turn of the century were mediated by structures which prefigured change. Does structure determine all? If it does, we are left with an Orientalist reconstruction of the docile native, and a passive cultural medium into which science percolates. But this neglects the role of scientists in creating new structures within which they worked. A middle position—one more sensitive to the exigencies of colonial scientific life—would be one where the participants are seen not as the dupes of structure nor the potentates of action, but as occupying a ground between the two.⁷¹     

Conservation of historical reinforced concrete structures damaged by carbonation induced corrosion by means of electrochemical realkalisation

Electrochemical realkalisation is a technique aimed at stopping rebar corrosion in carbonated concrete. The alkalinity of the concrete around the rebars is restored, and an environment favourable to the passivation of steel is re-created. The technique is based on the application of a DC current from an anode, placed on the external surface of the concrete, and the rebar. The anode is usually embedded in cellulose pulp soaked with a solution of sodium or potassium carbonate. The rebar and the anode are connected to a DC current feeder, the rebar to the negative terminal and the anode to the positive terminal. The applied current produces alkalinity at the surface of the rebar, while the alkaline electrolyte in which the anode is immersed penetrates from the external surface. In this way the concrete is realkalised, its protective characteristics towards the steel are restored and rebars can return to passive conditions. The treatment is temporary: this feature makes it very attractive in the field of historical buildings and cultural heritage, where the conservation of the original materials and surfaces is often a stringent requirement in the design of the repair. This paper shows the advantages of this technique applied to historical structures by describing the application to a bell tower built in the 1920s. The electrochemical realkalisation treatment was applied to eight columns on the bell tower where a traditional repair (based on the substitution of carbonated concrete with a repair mortar) would have been practically impossible. The application of the treatment followed two steps: initially, a trial was made on two sections of two columns, so as to calibrate the process parameters such as current density, time length and type of anode. Subsequently, the treatment was applied to all the columns. The analyses carried out on the concrete after the application of the treatment showed that the protection to the reinforcement was mainly connected to the alkaline layer produced around the steel, which is expected to prevent further corrosion of the steel.     

象山渔文化 两岸总关情

在中国大陆的中部沿海有一个海内外著名的渔港,它就是石浦渔港。它是我国东南沿海著名的国家中心渔港,十八里港湾岛山环屏,五门罗列,可泊万艘渔船,可航万吨海轮,早在汉时就被人们认识利用。数以万计的渔船装卸渔货、补给物资,桅樯林立、渔火灿烂。特别是海鲜之多,实属罕见。     

The Culture of Mediocrity

Select groups and organizations embrace practices that perpetuate their inferiority. The result is the phenomenon we call “mediocrity.” This article examines the conditions under which mediocrity is selected and maintained by groups over time. Mediocrity is maintained by a key social process: the marginalization of the adept, which is a response to the group problem of what to do with the highly able. The problem arises when a majority of a group is comprised of average members who must decide what to do with high performers in the group. To solve this problem, reward systems are subverted to benefit the less able and the adept are cast as deviant. Marginalization is a resolution of two tensions: marginalization of the adept for their behavior, and protection from the adept for the mediocre. The American research university is used as an example to describe the phenomenon and to formulate a theoretic argument. The forms and consequences of marginalization are discussed. Marginalizing the adept illustrates an anti-meritocratic behavioral pattern which serves to sustain social systems on which all people, however able, depend.     

The Garden Temple at Ince Blundell: a case study in the recording and non-contact replication of decayed sculpture

Many important pieces of sculpture are located in exposed sites where they are open to chemical and physical attack by atmospheric agents. In some cases outdoor sculpture is now reaching a critical condition where the cohesion of the material of construction is almost lost. In these circumstances we face a stark choice between removing the sculpture to a safer environment or allowing its destruction. The removal of sculpture from its original site is an emotive issue and it is clearly not acceptable to simply leave a void where the original was located. The obvious solution is to replace the original with a replica. This presents a range of problems since we must achieve a sympathetic and accurate replica without any damaging contact occurring to the original object. The use of a laser scanner combined with the latest manufacturing techniques presents a potential solution to the need for recording and non-contact replication. The aim of this paper is to highlight a case study involving the non-contact replication of two decayed marble sculptures at the Garden Temple of Ince Blundell Hall on Merseyside.