Challenges to Bridging Discrepant Knowledge Bases: A Case Study of the Norwegian Centre for Offshore Wind Energy

From a theoretical perspective, it is possible to enhance the innovation of firms and institutions by combining the analytic (scientific) knowledge base of research and development (R&D) institutions with the synthetic (practical) knowledge base of industries. Such combinations of knowledge are also believed to support regional development. One such initiative to bridge knowledge from the R&D sector and industry is the Norwegian Centre for Offshore Wind Energy (NORCOWE). However, as our case study shows, it is hard to bridge knowledge from these two partner groups. We found that this is mainly because of differences in the partners' timelines (long versus short), their attitudes toward knowledge (research based versus experience based), application of the knowledge (knowledge per se versus commercialization), and organizational dimensions (linear/closed process versus interactive/open process). These differences show that the knowledge bases of these two groups may not just be different; they can also be seen as discrepant. We also argue that the NORCOWE initiative is influenced by a “policy push” logic. This implies that the initiative was not properly embedded in the industrial or R&D institutions before being launched, but was instead driven by a political will to promote the development of a new renewable energy source.     

KHAMPA'S “STANDING BUSINESS MARKET” AT THE TROMSIGKANG MARKET

<正>Abogyalyu,a Khampa Businessman It has been almost thirty years since I first became acquainted with Abogyalyu.That was during a visit to Kunming when I acted as a casual interpreter for him.I was asked to meet him in his luxury hotel room in a booming part of the downtown     

A taphonomic study of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)

Carnivore taphonomy has been traditionally used for the interpretation of archaeological sites in order to discriminate human-generated or modified from non-anthropic bone assemblages. In most of this actualistic research, the focus has mainly been placed on hyenas and felids, neglecting other carnivores. This paper analyzes the taphonomic impact of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) on equid bones and compares it with the bone modification patterns produced by other canids, such as wolves (Canis lupus) in order to compare medium-/large-sized canid variability on bone modification patterns and elaborate a referential framework which could be feasibly applied to the zooarchaeological record to detect canid intervention on archaeological assemblages in the past.     

Who brought in the rabbits? Taphonomical analysis of Mousterian and Solutrean leporid accumulations from Gruta do Caldeirão (Tomar,Portugal)

In the Iberian Peninsula, leporids, and specifically rabbits, play a key role in the understanding of hunter-gatherer economies. They appear to have been especially important in the Tardiglacial, when large numbers of small prey animals and of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in particular, are a ubiquitous feature of faunal assemblages from archaeological sites. Since a large number of non-human predators can also contribute to the formation of such assemblages, the ability to discriminate between bones accumulated by humans and by other kinds of predators is a key prerequisite to their interpretation. On the basis of systematic actualistic studies carried out on modern leporid remains produced by mammalian terrestrial carnivores, nocturnal and diurnal raptors, and humans, we identified diagnostic taphonomic indicators of the different predators. In this paper, the patterns observed on the modern material are applied to the taphonomical analysis of two archaeological samples of rabbit and hare remains from Mousterian and Solutrean layers of Gruta do Caldeirão, a cave site located in Central Portugal. Our results suggest that Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) were mainly responsible for the Mousterian accumulations, whilst the Solutrean ones were most likely the result of human activity. These data support the notion that, in Iberia, significant reliance on rabbits does not become a feature of subsistence strategies until later Upper Palaeolithic times.     

A FIRST-CLASS TRAIN TRAVELING THE ＂HEAVENLY＂WAY--AN INTERVIEW WITH THE RAILWAY CREW BETWEEN BEIJING AND LHASA

<正>Having safely traveled 12.92 million kilometers(equal to circling the equator about 300 times) the train has carried a total of 4.7 million passengers. Since...     

Bare branches and social stability: A historical perspective from China?

“Bare branches,” the name given to unmarried men in China, have historically posed a great threat to social stability in that country. Based on historical records and literature, the findings in this study reveal that female infanticide, coupled with the practice of polygyny, meant that during the Ming and Qing dynasties and the Republican Era, up to twenty percent of males remained single. As a result, underclass bare branches turned to less socially accepted marriage practices. And if they were still unable to find a suitable marriage partner, they would turn to prostitutes, adultery with married women, or might even resort to sexual assault. Humiliated by their social status, bare branches tended to drift away from their hometowns and form brotherhoods, secret societies, bandit gangs and even military groups, posing a real threat to social stability. In extreme cases, they engaged in armed conflict, taking over government offices, clashing with government forces, destroying social infrastructure, and helping to topple dynastic regimes. Such extreme violence and disorder led to the reduction of local populations by the thousands or even millions, creating a subsequent negative effect on social development.     

Peopling the Recent Past in the Serra de L’Altmirant: Shepherds and Farmers at the Margins

The region of the Serra de l’Altmirant in southeastern Spain, through its upland location and its rocky and scrub landscape, is strongly perceived as marginal–this mainly in contrast with the nearby fertile coastal plains between Valencia and Denia, busy with orange and vine production especially. A progressive colonization of the lower part of the Serra by weekend homes is starting to counter this image of marginality, but at the same time such constructions threaten the residual archaeology of a different type of human upland exploitation, namely pastoralism and hunting. Abandoned terraces, cisterns, store buildings and larger corrals are evident even on the exposed plateau and testify to a period in which the Serra was active and integral to farmers and shepherds from the villages of the adjoining valleys and plains. This paper discusses the nature of this activity, as recorded through archaeological and ethnographic investigation, and considers also the materials and outlook of Manolo, the last shepherd-in-residence on the Serra.     

Archaeomagnetic dating of Dogmersfield Park brick kiln (Southern England)

Archaeomagnetic dating of samples from a brick kiln discovered at Dogmersfield Park has been achieved using both field direction and intensity. Detailed rock-magnetic properties and microwave archaeointensities have already been studied and published elsewhere [Ll. Casas, J. Shaw, M. Gich, J.A. Share, High-quality microwave archaeointensity determinations from an early 18th century brick kiln, Geophys. J. Int. 161 (2005) 653–661]. The archaeomagnetic measurements were assigned time-probability distributions by comparing with predictions from a global model at the sampling site, this procedure suppresses errors arising from relocation to a common central reference location. All three probability distributions consistently indicate the same age (∼AD 1700). Once the probability distributions are combined a narrower probability distribution is obtained, stressing the importance of pursuing combined (directional and intensity) archaeomagnetic analyses. The inferred age is also highly consistent with available historical evidence.     

Archaeology and Climate Change: Evidence of a Flash-flood During the LIA in Asturias (NW Spain) and its Social Consequences

This paper presents the results of a multidisciplinary study of the impact of climate change during the Little Ice Age on a medieval village in Asturias, Spain. The research focused on tracing evidence for a catastrophic flood that buried the village beneath a thick layer of debris, including examining the remains of structures and agricultural land sealed beneath the debris, and considering the social and economic implications of the event in the subsequent history of the area. First, a series of test pits was excavated within the area of the modern village to map the full extent of the damage. Following this, analysis of the stratigraphy, architectural remains, datable artefacts and radiocarbon dating contributed further details, while historical evidence revealed the privatisation of the agricultural land following the catastrophe. The findings offer a snapshot of climate change and its social contexts in a specific, under-studied area with possible implications for the study of risk behaviour and disaster response in currently inhabited areas.     

Spanish Civil War caves of Asturias in archaeology and memory

As the Spanish Civil War drew to a close, retreating Republican troops in the northern region of Asturias took refuge in caves in the mountains from the brutal victor’s justice of the Francoist forces. In this paper we examine three of these caves in the context of the Civil War experiences of the rural municipality of Santo Adriano, based on a combination of archaeological recording and oral history interviews. The paper focuses on the role of the La Ponte-Ecomuseum, a grassroots heritage organisation that has worked to preserve and communicate the tangible and intangible heritage of the district. The Civil War heritage presents cultural, political and practical challenges for the museum: nonetheless it has succeeded in establishing an ongoing programme for its communication and protection.