Canada‐United States interregional trade: quasi‐points and spatial change

Interregional trade between Canada and the United States has undergone significant change since the inception of free trade. However, the magnitude of that change for the different regions in Canada and the United States has not been properly identified because of a lack of an appropriate measure. This paper introduces the concept of a quasi‐point and employs a spatial point pattern test to measure the degree of change in the interregional trade of Canadian provinces and US states, with an emphasis of that change on Ontario. It is found that the degree of change in the interregional trade flows is related to the degree of change in the provincial tariff rates.     

INVESTIGATING MATERIAL DECAY OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS USING VISUAL ANALYTICS WITH MULTI‐TEMPORAL INFRARED THERMOGRAPHIC DATA

This paper shows how visual analytics methodology can be used to facilitate interpretation of multi‐temporal thermographic imagery for the purpose of restoration of cultural heritage. We explore thermographic data in a visual environment from the unifying spatio‐temporal perspective in an attempt to identify spatial and spatio‐temporal patterns that could provide information about the structure and the level of decay of the material, and the presence of other physical phenomena in the wall. The approach is tested on a thermographic dataset captured on the façade of a Romanesque building from the 13th century—the Cathedral in Matera (Italy).     

Working in landscape archaeology: the social and territorial significance of the agricultural revolution in al‐Andalus

The agrarian transformations which took place in the Iberian Peninsula between the eighth and the tenth century are essential for an understanding of how al‐Andalus came into being. These developments provided the basis of a social formation which developed into a tributary mode of production. This study is part of a research project that draws inspiration from the tenets of landscape archaeology. Studying historic landscapes as part of the material culture of past societies provides valuable information about cultures and the ways they express themselves in space.     

THE ANCIENT MINE OF SERVETTE (SAINT‐MARCEL,VAL D’AOSTA,WESTERN ITALIAN ALPS): A MINERALOGICAL,METALLURGICAL AND CHARCOAL ANALYSIS OF FURNACE SLAGS*

The Cu–Fe mining district of Servette is located in the valley of Saint‐Marcel (Val d’Aosta) at about 1800 m a.s.l. in the western Italian Alps. A large furnace slag deposit occurs near the Servette mine. Slags are mainly constituted by silicate and oxide in a glassy matrix, with disseminated sulphides and iron–copper alloys, and they record temperatures of 1380–1100°C. Radiocarbon dating of slag charcoals has shown that metallurgy in this site took place around ad 890–980. The charcoal analysis has shown that coniferous wood was mainly utilized, and intensive exploitation over the centuries led to a change in the composition of the local woods.