Future Developments in Geographical Agent‐Based Models: Challenges and Opportunities

Despite reaching a point of acceptance as a research tool across the geographical and social sciences, there remain significant methodological challenges for agent‐based models. These include recognizing and simulating emergent phenomena, agent representation, construction of behavioral rules, and calibration and validation. While advances in individual‐level data and computing power have opened up new research avenues, they have also brought with them a new set of challenges. This article reviews some of the challenges that the field has faced, the opportunities available to advance the state‐of‐the‐art, and the outlook for the field over the next decade. We argue that although agent‐based models continue to have enormous promise as a means of developing dynamic spatial simulations, the field needs to fully embrace the potential offered by approaches from machine learning to allow us to fully broaden and deepen our understanding of geographical systems.     

Chemical Analysis of Starch‐Like Mineral Crystals to Eliminate Misidentification in Ancient Residue Research

To clarify issues involved in problematic identification of ancient starch granules, we investigated suspected granules found in residues from a Neolithic grinding stone in north‐east China. The chemical compositions of suspected granules and modern starch granules were tested via SEM–EDS. The results show that the elemental composition of the suspected granules mainly comprises O, S and Ca, which is similar to the composition of calcium sulphate, but quite different from that of real starch granules, which show high levels of C and O, with very low level of other elements. The findings in this study act as a warning that tiny mineral granules may be misidentified as starch, and also indicate that the method of SEM–EDS can be useful to confirm the nature of suspected granules in ancient starch analysis.     

Starch grains analysis of stone knives from Changning site,Qinghai Province,Northwest China

Plant residues recovered from prehistoric stone artifacts can be used to help explain tool function and plant use. At the Changning site in Qinghai Province, Northwest China, dating from 4000 yr BP, we examined starch granules extracted from three slate stone knives. A total of 153 starch grains were retrieved from three stone knives, from which we identified starches from legumes, the Triticeae tribe, foxtail millet (Setaria italica), broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), roots and tubers. These results indicate that the stone knives may have been used for a variety of activities that included reaping grasses and food processing. The species of starch grains retrieved from the study sample reveal that diverse crops were cultivated at the Changning site 4000 years ago.     

发达国家工业化中期阶段经济增长与工业结构变化的特征

本文通过对几个发达国家的工业化过程和按收入水平分组的截面分析表明,工业化中期阶段具有增长加速、技术进步加速和重化工化使各发达国工业结构相似系数提高的特征。工业化中期经济增长的加速动力主要来自于积累的迅速提高和结构的快速转变两个方面。技术进步加速则表现为经济增长方式由外延粗放型向集约效益型的转变。和工业化初期的加速一样,工业化中期阶段的增长加速也是主要依赖于制造业的高速增长。但与之不同的是,工业化中期阶段的经济增长主要依赖于重化工业增长的带动,而不是轻工业的带动。此阶段还是工业内部结构变化剧烈的时期。     

History,Culture, and Politics: On Historical Formation and Identity Dilemmas of “China”

This lecture is concerned with some historical issues of “China,” “territory,” “culture” and “identity” that are placed against the background of politics, culture and scholarship in contemporary China. I want to draw attention to the question of how historians understand and interpret “China.” It addresses the following questions. First, where did the idea of “China” come from? and how did it become a topic of scholarly research? What kind of dilemmas does “China” confront in its current condition and historical interpretation? Second, how do various new historical theories and methods in international academic circles enrich our understanding of “China”? Third, how does China’s history and reality challenge the theories of “empire” and “nation-state”? Fourth, is it possible to write “East Asian history”? Does “national history” prove still effective in describing China or East Asia?     

Khumdan为唐长安外来译名的新证

本文以西安新发现北周史君墓中有明确纪年的粟特文与汉文双语对应题刻,证明Khumdan确为长安外来译名“胡姆丹”,是继敦煌粟特文古信札和唐代《大秦景教流行中国碑》中记载后的又一确切证据,针对长期以来关于Khumdan所引发的众说纷纭、歧义杂乱的谜团,作了回答,并对有关文章的推测失考和不符合史实之处进行了商榷。     

阿巴嘎旗丹仑土仑遗址调查

锡林郭勒盟阿巴嘎旗汗贝庙东北90公里为伊和高勒苏木所在地沙漠拉计,在其西北约28公里为伊和高勒和巴格高勒两河发源地,当地有一座黄土小山,高约20米,山上有许多黑色玄武岩,故当地蒙古族居民称此山为“哈拉锡勒”,汉语为“黑石山坡”之意。遗址在丹仑土仑(蒙语,“七十个水泉”之意),位于哈拉锡勒东南向阳坡地上,即大河之源、山坡之上及河源两侧。其处有大小石丘分布着,在此山丘间,有当地早年的喇嘛垒石及经文石刻,并立旗杆于垒石上,故遗址所在地被名之为“打其格图”(蒙语“旗杆脑包”之意)。图一丹仑土仑遗址位置示意图遗址周围的自然环境…     

A Spatial Logit Association Model for Cluster Detection

In this paper, I propose to set out a logit spatial association model for binary spatial events and develop a scan algorithm to search for spatial associations. I extend the traditional logit model with a spatial autocorrelated component so that the model includes not only known risk factors, but also spatially autocorrelated regions as control or explanatory factors. The case study of West Virginia lung cancer shows that the model effectively captures cool and hot spots in lung cancer mortality.     

试论克孜尔石窟出土陶祖为摩尼教艺术品

摩尼教作为一个公元3世纪后流行东西方的世界性宗教,其神学体系中有关性观念的描述,在世界古代几大宗教中独树一帜。但以往人们对此的认识都是在摩尼教文献中寻章摘句,很难见到形象化的具体实     

论历史学的客观性原则

历史研究的客观性根据是现实批判的理性要求。它完全有别于古代史家所说的“直书”和“实录”。直书之所以不是客观性,就在于它本质上是一种等级性。与此相反,客观性的本质则在于其平等性。历史学之所以可能保持一种客观性原则,就在于它追求一种理想的境界。这一理想境界就是人性、自由与真理。历史学中的种种偏见可以借助人性、自由和真理来克服,同时,人性、自由和真理本身的偏见又可以被历史本身所克服。