A color image segmentation method as used in the study of ancient monument decay

In the cultural heritage area, it is of fundamental importance to characterize and classify the conservation state of the materials constituting ancient monuments, in order to study and monitor their decay. Generally, the decay diagnosis is provided by “naked eye” analysis done by expert scientists “walking around” the artifact and recording the conservation state of each individual element they observe. In this paper, a color image segmentation approach, based on histogram threshold and edge detection techniques is presented, to extract degradation regions, characterized by holes or cavities, from color images of stone-materials. The goal is to provide an aid to the decay diagnosis by segmenting degraded regions from color images, computing quantitative data, such as the area and perimeter of the extracted zones, and processing qualitative information, such as various levels of depth detected into the same zones. Since color is a powerful tool in the distinction between objects, a segmentation technique based on color, instead of intensity only, has been used to provide a clearer discrimination between regions. The study case concerns the impressive remains of the Roman Theatre in the city of Aosta (Italy). In particular, we have processed and analyzed some color images of the theatre puddingstones, acquired by a camera.     

Childhood sexual abuse by representatives of the Roman Catholic Church: A prevalence estimate among the Dutch population

Estimates of the extent of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) within in the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) in the general population are difficult to find. The independent Commission of Inquiry into sexual abuse of minors in the RCC in the Netherlands collected population-based data to estimate its prevalence. A large random online population sample was surveyed using a two-phase stratified sampling procedure. In Phase 1, 34,267 subjects aged 40 years and older were screened for childhood exposure to sexual abuse by non-family members, a history of institutionalization and a Roman Catholic upbringing. In Phase 2, a stratified subset of 2,462 subjects was assessed to obtain more detailed target information about sexual abuse reports within the RCC. We employed multiple imputation for the estimation of RCC CSA in the original Phase 1 sample. The prevalence of non-familial CSA in general (14.0%) was higher among women (17.2%) than among men (10.6%). The prevalence of CSA within the Dutch RCC (1.7%) was higher among men (2.7%) than among women (0.7%). As expected, older subjects reported more often CSA in the RCC than their younger counterparts. Respondents who stayed for some time in RCC run institutions for education or child protection had a higher risk to report sexual abuse. Although sexual abuse of minors by representatives of the RCC was a structural problem during a period that the Church was highly influential in the Netherlands, the estimated prevalence of the phenomenon is only a fraction of the prevalence rate of non-familial CSA.     

新小说中的理性主义

新小说变革中仍包含了丰富的理性主义。这种理性主义是对欧洲学中传统理性主义的继承和发展，同时又具有了现代理性主义的特点－精神和模糊相互作用，并在创作中得到充分表现。     

与钱歌川教授商榷--关于《西厢记》中"西风紧"一句,意译或直译,孰宜?

钱歌川教授在其所著<翻译的基本知识>第七章〈直译和意译举例〉中,以熊式一先生所译<西厢记>中一名句"碧云天,黄叶地,西风紧,塞雁南飞,晓来谁染霜林醉?尽是离人泪."认为把"西风紧"译为"Bitteris the west wind",似乎有点犯了直译的毛病,而且前面的形容词bitter在英国人的观念中发生矛盾.并以英国的桂冠诗人John Masefield的<西风歌>出面说明.钱老提出"最好还是意译."笔者不敢苟同,遂从地学因素观点出发,分析阐明<西风歌>与<西厢记>中同为the west wind,缘何两者情景迥异的因果原由.若为符合英国人的观念,采取"入乡随俗"方式意译西风,似嫌欠妥.笔者赞同以"直译加注"方式以译西风,较为恰切、适宜.     

中世纪天主教信仰的仪式化

第四次拉特兰宗教会议为天主教会规定了统一的礼拜仪式 ,七项礼拜仪式将天主教宗教信仰演绎成各种外在的物化仪式。在当时社会文化水平低下 ,识字人口不多的情况下 ,这种仪式化的祈祷方式有助于天主教徒学习并感知天主教的基本教义。七项礼拜仪式与教徒的日常生活密切相关 ,定期出席礼拜仪式是中世纪天主教徒的生活方式。英国中世纪教会借助于强制性地要求教徒出席礼拜仪式的办法 ,实现对社会日常生活的规范。然而宗教信仰的仪式化导致世俗身份的教徒在宗教信仰上对教会的依赖 ,天主教最终演变成了以教职界精英为中心的宗教信仰。这种发展趋势是引发 1 6世纪欧洲宗教改革的原因之一 ,马丁·路德首倡的“唯信称义”主张在很大程度上是为了纠正中世纪天主教重礼仪、轻信仰的倾向 ,将基督教还原成普通民众的宗教信仰     

《诗·秦风·蒹葭》的现象学解读——兼论中西阅读理论之异同

中国古典的阅读理论可以较为准确地把握到文学之为文学的本质特征,然而在通达作品审美境界的路径上,却甚少具体可行的方法。在这一方面,波兰现象学美学家茵加登的理论则可以给我们很好的启示。     

The Irish Church Disestablishment Act (1869) and the general synod of the Church of Ireland (1871): the art and structure of educational reform

Historians have observed that the period 1860–1890 was educationally progressive. This paper identifies the renaissance with the creation of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland in the aftermath of Church Disestablishment. Disestablishment legislation facilitated the inclusion of the laity in Synod. The paper argues that the lay-clerical dynamic generated educational reform at all levels of provision. Post-Reformation denominational divisions qualify the discussion. The structure of Synod – General Synod, Diocesan Synods, Boards of Education and Education Committees – was the outcome of an intense debate as the post-Disestablishment Church of Ireland sought to reinvent itself. The ‘art’ of the title refers to Synod’s adroit use of this structure in promoting educational reform that mitigated tensions surrounding the religious-secular conflict which characterised Irish post-Famine modernisation. Synod’s role as agent of educational reform constitutes the theme. The paper aims to contribute to what, regretfully, remains an undeveloped historiography.     

东罗马帝国君士坦丁宗教政策的政治动因

君士坦丁缔造了东罗马帝国，其在位期间所推行的基督教政策对帝国历史的发展影响深远，意义重大。其宗教政策的政治动因是为其政治目的服务的，主要表现在：实行宗教宽容，巩固政治地位，扩大割据势力；利用基督教统一帝国；控制基督教，强化专制皇权。     

恩格斯真的提出了国家起源的 "罗马模式"吗?--以《家庭、私有制和国家的起源》文本解读为依据

对于恩格斯晚年在《家庭、私有制和国家的起源》一书中对国家起源问题的研究,国内外学界通常认为,恩格斯通过探讨希腊雅典、罗马、德意志三个国家的起源问题,分别提出了国家起源的三种独立模式,即“雅典模式”、“罗马模式”和“德意志模式”。本文认为,这种看法不符合恩格斯对罗马国家起源问题的实际思想。有充足的根据表明,恩格斯并未将罗马国家起源道路视为一种不同于雅典式一般道路的“独立模式”或“第二模式”,所谓的“罗马模式”实际上并不存在,它是对恩格斯相关思想误读的产物。     

从宗教文化视角谈高尔基笔下的“母亲”形象

文化的密码具有永恒的制约性,宗教文化作为制约性因素始终是俄罗斯文学的基本命题之一,所有时期的文学中都保留着宗教的因素与特征,高尔基的长篇小说《母亲》就具有很多东正教中关于女性的观念特征。