Cultural implications of international volunteer tourism: US students’ experiences in Cameroon

ABSTRACT

A popular trend is for US colleges to organise short-term, self-funded trips for students to volunteer for several weeks in poverty-stricken communities in the global South. To explore the cultural implications of short-term, international volunteer projects, I undertake an ethnographic study of college students of who travel to a small village in Cameroon to improve the quality of drinking water and community health. I examine whether the volunteer tourism can serve as a unique opportunity to see beyond the African stereotypes to recognise the historical and structural context in which Africa continues to suffer. Although a trip such as this can be a disruptive event for students to critically evaluate the global privileges of Westerners, students tend to experience Cameroon through the lens of popular stereotypes about Africa and Western paternalism. The encounters with Africans in the absence of sufficient education about postcolonial Africa can affirm the stereotypes and cultural superiority formed in USA because students negotiate their actual experience in ways to confirm their perception of Africa. Therefore, seminars and workshops about the fundamental aspects about global inequality can help educate volunteers about the postcolonial context of foreign aid of Western countries for the Third World, and White privilege.     

莫高窟108窟内空气温湿度的变化过程及其对窟内水汽和热量来源的启示

为了对108窟内不同位置的温度、湿度和空气压力进行监测,设置了12个点的传感器。监测结果表明,窟内温度存在着显著的昼夜和长期的变化,其中上层空气的温度变化尤其明显,而下层空气的温度变化则相对较小。在夏天,窟内的上层空气温度高于下层空气的温度。窟内空气的绝对湿度受外部环境严重影响,存在近似昼夜的变化。在分布上,窟内空气湿度在上层和前部高,而在下层和后部则较小。窟内存在着净的水汽输入过程,但水汽不是从洞窟的入口进入的。同样,窟内的空气压力也存在着明显的昼夜变化过程,并受外部环境的影响而升高或下降,窟内东侧的空气压力大于西侧的空气压力。这些结果一致说明,在108窟的东侧上层存在着水汽和热量的来源。研究结果为下一步的盐害防治工作提供了思路,具有重要的科学意义和应用价值。     

A Property Rights Analysis of Urban Planning in Spain and UK

This study compares urban planning and land management in Spain and the UK. Its purpose is to identify key differences in the legal bases for these activities in the two countries and to comment on the way in which the institutions that deliver them allocate property rights between the state and private organizations and individuals. In particular, we analyse the respective approaches to allocating rights to compensation and betterment value associated with land development, commenting on the efficiency and equity of each system and, in Coasian tradition, the influence the assignment of property rights has on municipal government behaviour.     

Study on Response Spectral Acceleration from the Great Wenchuan,China Earthquake of May 12, 2008

The M _w7.9 Wenchuan earthquake produced a rich set of over 1,400 accelerograms, which helped us to better understand strong ground motions from such a large event. Using the abundant data, we investigated the characteristics of response spectral accelerations from this event. This study includes: the spatial distribution of spectral amplitudes at three periods selected to represent ground motions at short, short-middle, and middle-long period ranges; attenuations of response spectral accelerations at periods between 0.05 and 10 s; comparison between the observed ground motions and predicted motions from empirically based equations [Abrahamson and Silva,1997 Abrahamson, N. N. and Silva, W. J. 1997. Empirical response spectral attenuation relations for shallow crustal earthquakes. Seismological Ressearch Letters, 68: 9–23. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Boore et al., 1997 Boore, D. M., Joyner, W. B. and Fumal, T. E. 1997. Equations for estimating horizontal response spectra and peak acceleration from Western North America earthquakes: a summary of recent work. Seismological Ressearch Letters, 68: 128–153. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Campbell, 1997 Campbell, K. W. 1997. Empirical near-source attenuation relationships for horizontal and vertical components of peak ground acceleration, peak ground velocity, and pseudo-absolute acceleration response spectra. Seismological Ressearch Letters, 68: 154–179. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Huo, 1989 Huo, J. R. Ph.D. 1989. Study on the attenuation laws of strong earthquake ground motion near the source, Dissertation, Institute of Engineering Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration. (In Chinese) [Google Scholar]] commonly used in America and China; comparison between the average response spectra at three distance bins and the Chinese seismic design spectra under major earthquake (with the recurrent interval of over 2,000 years);, the vertical-to-horizontal ratio of response spectra and its dependence on the rupture distance, period, and local site condition; and comparison between the fault-normal and fault-parallel component spectral accelerations within the rupture distance of 60 km. Based on these analyses, we finally drew some conclusions regarding the engineering characteristics of spectral accelerations from large earthquakes, such as Wenchuan of M _w 7.9.     

Ancient DNA analysis on Clonorchis sinensis eggs remained in samples from medieval Korean mummy

In the present study, Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) ancient DNA (aDNA) was successfully extracted from human remains discovered in a tomb dating to the medieval Joseon dynasty of Korea. The presence of C. sinensis eggs was confirmed by microscopic observation, after which a PCR-based aDNA analysis was performed using primer sets designed for the amplification of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), 2 (ITS2) and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) genes. The sequences obtained were 100% homologous to some contemporary C. sinensis gene sequences reported from Korea and other East Asian countries. We believe that the results of our analysis expand the temporal and geographical scopes of research on the history of C. sinensis infection in different human populations.     

New data on the singularly rare ‘cockroachoids’ from Xiaheyan (Pennsylvanian; Ningxia,China)

Wei, D.D., Béthoux, O., Guo, Y.X., Schneider, J.W. & Ren D., 2013. New data on the singularly rare ‘cockroachoids’ from Xiaheyan (Pennsylvanian; Ningxia, China). Alcheringa 37, 547–557. ISSN 0311-5518.

Additional material of stem-Dictyoptera, or ‘cockroachoids’, is described from the Early Pennsylvanian Xiaheyan locality (Zhongwei City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China). New specimens belonging to Qilianiblatta namurensis Zhang et al., 2012 Zhang, Z., Schneider, J.W. & Hong, Y., 2012. The most ancient roach (Blattida): A new genus and species from the earliest Late Carboniferous (Namurian) of China, with discussion on the phylomorphogeny of early blattids. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 11, 27–40.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] are described, as are several specimens belonging to a new species (viz., Kinklidoblatta youhei sp. nov.). Three further specimens might represent additional species, to be better documented before they could be formally named. The occurrence of a ‘vannus’ in forewings of K. youhei sp. nov. is demonstrated, and discussed in the light of data on extant Dictyoptera. The low abundance and comparatively low diversity of the group in the locality is challenging, and might be a consequence of taphonomic bias.

Dandan Wei [weidandanok@126.com], Yinxia Guo [kuaile422@163.com] and Dong Ren [rendong@mail.cnu.edu.cn], College of Life Science, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, PR China; Olivier Béthoux [obethoux@mnhn.fr], CR2P UMR 7207, MNHN, UPMC, CNRS, eight rue Buffon, CP38, F-75005, Paris, France; Jörg W. Schneider [joerg.schneider@geo.tu-freiberg.de], Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Institute of Geology, Department of Palaeontology, Bernhard-von-Cotta Str. 2, D-09596 Freiberg, Germany. Received 22.3.2013; revised 17.5.2013; accepted 23.5.2013.     

Two new fossil caddisflies (Amphiesmenoptera: Trichoptera) from the Middle Jurassic of northeastern China

Zhang, W.T., Shih, C.K. &; Ren, D., May 2016. Two new fossil caddisflies (Amphiesmenoptera: Trichoptera) from the Middle Jurassic of northeastern China. Alcheringa XX, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.

Two new species, Acisarcuatus locellatus (Necrotauliidae) and Liadotaulius limus (?Philopotamidae) are described. They were collected from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou Village, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, China. In addition, we interpret Karatauliodes to be a junior synonym of Necrotaulius and propose Necrotaulius minutus (Sukatsheva, 1968) comb. nov. We propose transferring Necrotaulius korujensis and Necrotaulius shewjensis to Liadotaulius as Liadotaulius korujensis (Sukatsheva, 1990) comb. nov. and Liadotaulius shewjensis (Sukatsheva, 1990) comb. nov. Based on newly described taxa and the new combinations proposed, we summarize seven known genera with 24 species within Necrotauliidae and provide a key to the genera of this family.

Weiting Zhang [zhangweitinghao@163.com], Geoscience Museum, Hebei GEO University, 136 Huaiandonglu, Shijiazhuang, 050031, PR China; Chungkun Shih [chungkun.shih@gmail.com] and Dong Ren [rendong@mail.cnu.edu.cn], College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, PR China; Chungkun Shih, Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA.     

Putting Religion into Multiculturalism: Conceptualising Religious Multiculturalism in Indonesia

This article examines the ways in which multiculturalism as a policy, discourse and practice has been conceptualised, implemented and applied in Indonesia. The post-Suharto democratisation process has allowed new space for the expression of previously oppressed identities. While literature on multiculturalism focuses mainly on ethnic and racial difference, this article endeavours to broaden the scope of the term to include religious difference, and evaluate the possibility of “religious multiculturalism”. It addresses the following questions: What are the different interpretations of multiculturalism? How is multiculturalism different from pluralism? How is multiculturalism understood and implemented in Indonesia? How is the Western discourse of multiculturalism different from Indonesian discourses of diversity (kebhinnekaan or kemajemukan), heterogeneity (keberagaman) and unity-in-diversity (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika)? And lastly, in what ways can the concept of multiculturalism be expanded to accommodate multi-religiosity?     

西方全球史的方法论

本文从史学理论及史学史的角度,探讨西方全球史在研究和编撰当中采用的主要方法即跨文化互动研究的由来与特点,并给予其适当的历史定位。跨文化互动研究扩展了世界史研究的对象,更新了对世界史进程的解释模式,并努力克服"欧洲中心论",追求全球视野的实现。全球史的发展表明西方世界史研究的包容性不断扩大,在此过程中,西方对自身的界定更加明确,对自身历史的阐述与认同更加清晰;同时也显露出自身的问题,即如何把握历史叙述内在的平衡,怎样对发生交往的各方主体的历史作用做出准确的判断。全球史的跨文化互动研究用经验性的实证归纳方法描述和总结了各种历史现象,但却回避以此为基础从因果必然性上探讨人类社会的普遍规律,在方法论上并未实现根本性的突破。