USING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY TO EXAMINE THE SUBSURFACE MORPHOLOGY OF CHINESE GLAZES

Optical coherence tomography (OCT), a new method for ceramics research, is a nondestructive, three‐dimensional tomography system, which provides subsurface morphology visualization of samples based on the refractive index or dielectric constant differences in the target specimen. In this study, seven shards from different Chinese kilns of Song and Yuan dynasties (10–14th centuries) were scanned to visualize the subsurface morphology of their glazes. The images revealed unique phase assemblage modes in different samples. The results suggest OCT may be used to identify ceramics and provide information about their manufacturing technology.     

The Agency of Dolphins: Towards Inter‐species Embassies as Sites of Engagement with ‘Significant Otherness’

Cetacean–human interaction, at sites where free‐ranging dolphins approach humans, is occurring more than ever before. Management policies and strategies, and their underlying research, intended to protect both dolphins and humans during these interactive events, affect the quality and nature of interactivity. The agency of the dolphins, and its representation in management schemes, is analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis of selected texts from the discourse of Dolphin–Human Interaction Management (DHIM). Analysis suggests a prevailing discourse of protectionism but also reveals the possibility for a new kind of management scheme based upon an acceptance of the ‘significant otherness’ of non‐human species. This can be achieved by means of inter‐species etiquette, acknowledging the choices made by non‐humans to interact with humans. An inter‐species etiquette, coupled with multi‐species education (education across species boundaries, designed and delivered so as to enable mutually beneficial interaction), offers those non‐human animals widely referred to as ‘ambassadors’ safe places in which to be encountered. This new form of inter‐species interaction space is named an ‘embassy’.     

Duty and Justice at "Every Man's Door": The Grand Jury Charges of Chief Justice John Jay, 1790–1794

"It is the Fortune of few to chuse their Situation—it is the Duty & Interest of all to accommodate themselves to the one which Providence chuses for them." ¹ So said John Jay, Chief Justice of the United States. Duty was paramount in the lives of Jay and many of his contemporaries of the founding generation.     

Introduction: national identity in transition? Moving out of conflict in (Northern) Ireland1

This thematic section of Nations and Nationalism starts from a question of substantive political importance: How does institutional change – in particular reforms towards ethno‐national equality and the opening of borders – affect national identification in divided regions? It takes the case of Northern Ireland where a radical process of institutional change is under way. It uses new approaches to national identity to map different aspects of change and continuity – in categories of identity and in their interrelations and contents, in elite and in everyday popular identifications (for useful overviews, see Abdelal et al. 2003; Ashmore et al. 2004 ). It examines the trajectory of the Protestant minority in the Irish state to show possible repertoires of change. The authors look respectively at self‐reported categories of identity, official discourses of identity, and popular understandings of nationality. The introduction outlines the relevance of this research to current comparative and theoretical debates.     

“This Special Shell”: The Church Building and the Embodiment of Memory

Religious, congregational, individual, and community memories are embodied in church buildings. Under normal circumstances these memories sit harmoniously together. Once the church building is destined for closure, however, the equilibrium of the memory platforms is disrupted, often causing conflict. The value of associating memory with a building is questioned, especially when such attachments are seen to impede the rationalisation of church assets. Through the process of closure and afterwards, the memory patterns and associations are reorganised, redrawn, and reprioritised. This article examines these memory shifts in the context of Australian religious history from the 1970s to the present day. Special attention is given to the Uniting Church in Australia.     

轻羽间的诱惑之舞

他鞠了一躬。 黑色天鹅绒般的羽毛斗篷扬起来,露出他苍白的侧腹,却不减那深深一躬的庄严。头顶高耸的松软线羽轻敲地面：一、二,一、二。这位表演家的舞台是一小片林中空地,由他自己清理了杂物,又衔来一嘴草根洒在上面,就像新娘礼径上的花瓣。他的观众呢？一群雌鸟在头顶的树枝上一字排开,叽叽喳喳,满脸狐疑。她们的注意力转瞬即逝,所以他急忙耍起了表演套路,踮起足尖,迈开两条瘦伶伶的细腿向前踱去,宛如芭蕾舞者脚尖点地。他摆了个骤然停顿的姿势来制造戏剧效果,随后就跳起了丛林摇摆舞：脖子一缩,脑袋一点,头顶的线羽随着节拍起伏跃动。他又是蹦跳又是摇晃,双翅忽而拍打忽而敛藏,下巴上的胡须呼啦乱颤。 这家伙的表演收到了期待的成效。靠得最近的那只雌鸟轻抖娇躯以示邀请,舞男鼻中长啸一声,腾身向她扑去。乱羽纷飞挡住了观众视线,这番欢爱是否大功告成我们不得而知。但没关系：下一场表演很快就开始了。