Annual Arts Gala Highlights Asian Arts

The magnificent closing evening show entitled ＂Blessing for Asia＂, held in Thousand Lantern Lake Park in November 17, 2005, brought a successful conclusion to the seventh Asia Arts Festival and the inaugural Asia Cultural Ministers＇ Forum [ACMF] which took place in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China.     

Perceived health problems in swimmers according to the chemical treatment of water in swimming pools

The objective of this study was to determine which chemical treatment used for disinfecting water in indoor swimming pools had the least impact on users' perceptions of health problems, and which generated the greatest satisfaction with the quality of the water. A survey on satisfaction and perceived health problems was given to 1001 users at 20 indoor swimming pools which used different water treatment methods [chlorine, bromine, ozone, ultraviolet lamps (UV) and salt electrolysis]. The findings suggest that there is a greater probability of perceived health problems, such as eye and skin irritation, respiratory problems and skin dryness, in swimming pools treated with chlorine than in swimming pools using other chemical treatment methods. Pools treated with bromine have similar, although slightly better, results. Other factors, such as age, gender, time of day of use (morning and afternoon) and type of user (competitive and recreational), can also affect the probability of suffering health problems. For all of the above, using combined treatment methods as ozone and UV, or salt electrolysis produces a lower probability of perceived health problems and greater satisfaction.     

Challenges and opportunities facing game theory and control: an interview with Tamer Başar

The Control community has recently witnessed an almost exponentially growing interest in the application of game-theoretic concepts and tools in research on control, multi-agent systems, and networks. In an interview with NSR, Professor Tamer Başar, a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, Swanlund Endowed Chair and CAS Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Director of the Center for Advanced Study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the USA, former president of both the IEEE Control Systems Society and the American Automatic Control Council, and the founding president of the International Society of Dynamic Games, talked about the recently emerging role of game theory in control and networking research, how it broadens the territorial boundaries of control into disciplines outside engineering, and opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.     

A survey on the light-fastness properties of organic-based Alaska Native artifacts

A series of light-fastness tests were conducted on a group of ethnographic objects that will be on exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution Arctic Studies Center, a recent addition to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center in Alaska. The objects surveyed belong to the collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. This work was designed as a feasibility study on the use of a micro-fading tester as a non-contact and non-destructive technique to evaluate the light-stability of materials present in ethnographic collections. A broad range of objects containing a wide variety of materials were selected for the study. The materials investigated included a variety of dyes applied on silk, cotton, and wool substrates along with some unusual materials such as tanned skin and seal gut skin. The results from this investigation have allowed establishing exhibition recommendations taking into consideration the sensitivity of each object, light levels in the museum building, and estimated light exposures based on the duration of the exhibit. The micro-fading tester has proven to be a very useful tool for determining the light-stability of ethnographic materials without causing any harm to the objects. Objects containing equivalent materials are usually classified under a general category based on their probable sensitivity to light. However, micro-fading test results have permitted the detection of dissimilarities among some of these objects, which could be associated to variations in prior fading histories, the quality of raw materials, and different preparation methods.     

联接中外 沟通世界——从共享平台建设看温州人的海外文化传播

温州市新闻文化信息共享平台是以城市文化为载体,打造国际影响力的创新探索。经过7个月的运作,该平台已与30多家海外华文媒体建立了互动协作关系。在联接中外、沟通世界的进程中,这张温州的"文化名片",正逐步扎根全球。共享平台的新生与成长,让世界惊艳。     

Emotions’ management within the Real Madrid football club business model

Recent changes in the sports industry – derived from increasing financial pressures – have led to the update of existing business models. Particularly in football, the dominant clubs develop new business models based on the spectators’ commitment to the sport. Packed stadiums attract more people who consume both the matches and the many other associated goods and services. In an experience economy, the lever is the tapping of their emotions by an increasingly sophisticated value proposal. Groups of passionate supporters lead the way to the establishment of communities with a common interest in the club. Following a qualitative methodology (interviews and other texts’ analysis) our study of the Real Madrid Football Club (RM) business model suggests that one of the biggest football clubs in the world is creating a business model based on the emotions of its supporters. This finding could be useful for other clubs in many different countries.