An Assessment of the Influence of the Inter-Tropical Discontinuity on Inter-Annual Rainfall Characteristics in Nigeria

This study assessed the influence of the Inter-Tropical Discontinuity (ITD) on inter-annual rainfall characteristics in Nigeria between 1970 and 2000. This involved determining the strength and direction of the relationships between the total annual rainfalls in the extreme southern and northern parts of the country and the total annual rainfalls during the period of the Little Dry Season in southwestern Nigeria, and the surface locations of the ITD over Nigeria and some other factors that may impact ITD characteristics (such as the pressure differences between Azores, Libyan and St. Helena anticyclones and the sea surface temperature of the Gulf of Guinea). Results indicate that although the surface location of the ITD significantly accounts for rainfall inter-annual variability in Nigeria, it does so in the northern part of the country only. Pressure differences between the various anticyclones were observed to be another significant factor influencing inter-annual rainfall variability in the north. However, the influence of the sea surface temperature of the Gulf of Guinea on the rainfall characteristics in the northern region is ill-defined. It was also noted that the only factor influencing inter-annual variability in the Little Dry Season rainfall in the southwest and the total annual rainfalls in the south is the sea surface temperature of the Gulf of Guinea. The results obtained indicate that the total annual rainfalls in the north have significant positive relationships with the surface location of the ITD but significant negative relationships with the pressure differences between the Azores, Libyan and St. Helena anticyclones. The Little Dry Season rainfalls and total annual rainfalls in the south have significant positive relationships with the sea surface temperature of the Gulf of Guinea.     

Urban shrinkage: an unspoken challenge of spatial planning in Russian small and medium-sized cities

Shrinkage since the collapse of state socialism has been evident in many Russian cities, especially in small and medium-sized (SMS) ones. The Russian state, de jure, has been promoting the idea of self-governance; thereby, urban municipalities ought to develop and adopt own planning decisions to cope with various challenges, including those related to depopulation. The current research focuses on planning responses to urban shrinkage. It aims at understanding how the phenomenon is conceptualized in the planning documents of Russian SMS cities and what solutions are proposed to cope with it in the conditions inherited from the Soviet times housing and infrastructural deficit. The empirical evidence for the analysis is drawn from over 70 SMS cities located in Central and Southern Russia. Results state that despite obvious and persisting urban shrinkage, most of the reviewed documents ignore or underestimate the phenomenon. Instead of suggesting flexible solutions, which would help overcome the shortage of urban infrastructure not aggravating shrinkages’ effects in the cityscape, long-term spatial plans are being developed with hope for future growth proposing measures that contribute to the intensification of urban sprawl and fragmentation.     

克拉克瓷研究

克拉克瓷作为明末清初的一种中国外销瓷,对世界陶瓷文化和陶瓷贸易产生了重要影响。本文从克拉克瓷名称的含义、特征、分期、窑口和时代等五个方面较为全面地对克拉克瓷的历史作了研究。着重地介绍了外国目前对克拉克瓷的研究成果,并对克拉克瓷的生产范畴和断代提出了自己的观点。     

苏绣艺术特点浅析

苏绣以其历史渊源流长,绣法形式多样,色彩丰富典雅,绣工精致、细巧,题材表现广泛而享誉国内外,成为中国四大名绣之一。     

Late Prehistoric Mortuary Features in the Greater Illinois Area: A Discussion of Form,Function, and Ritual Use

Numerous Late Prehistoric nonburial mortuary features have been identified in the greater Illinois region. Often, and sometimes uncritically, these features have been referred to as “charnel houses” in the literature. To date, there has been no attempt to tie all of the information on these features together. This study critically examines the features’ attributes and provides possible explanations of how they were used in the context of mortuary ritual. Two major types of features have been identified. The first is an above-ground feature consisting of a scaffold or small structure supported by posts. The entire feature is surrounded by a lightly built wall or fence. The close association of secondary human remains with these features suggests that they were used to expose, store, or display them. The second type is an enclosed area or a lightly built structure constructed directly on the ground. Examples from the American Bottom differ from those noted elsewhere. In some instances, the two feature types were paired at a single site, suggesting that they had complementary functions. The presence of multiple examples of nearly identical features at some sites also suggests that the remains may have been segregated according to kin-group affiliation.     

钟离国历史与文化的考古学观察

近年来有关钟离国的考古发现证实了春秋时期钟离国的存在,从中可解析出大量相关历史文化信息,弥补了文献的不足。从钟离国遗迹、遗物出发,结合文献材料,说明春秋钟离国可能为楚之封邑,在金文中可考世系仅有五代。钟离国埋葬方式另辟蹊径,殉葬风俗根深蒂固,用土颜色意味深远,文化上深受阴阳五行观影响。其文化表明该支钟离国族可能源自东夷地区。     

陕西高陵杨官寨遗址考古发掘现场遗迹劣化机理初步研究

杨官寨遗址位于高陵县姬家乡杨官寨村四组,地处泾河下游北岸的一级阶地上,南距泾河约1公里,海拔498.5米,面积约为80万平方米,为关中地区新石器时代中晚期所罕见中心聚落遗址。2004年以来陕西省考古研究院对该遗     

河南淅川吴营遗址屈家岭文化遗存发掘简报

吴营遗址位于河南淅川县西南丹江水库区东岸。2008年7~8月,为配合南水北调中线工程的建设,郑州大学历史学院考古系对该遗址进行了抢救性发掘,清理出屈家岭文化晚期灰坑48座,为该地区新石器时代文化及其相关问题的研究提供了新资料。     

试述明代宫廷史的分期与特点

明代宫廷史是明代历史的重要组成部分,也是故宫学研究的重要内容之一。本文以宫廷中各种势力间的相互关系、帝王本人的执政方式、宦官、内阁与皇帝的关系、宫廷文化的发展变化、国家与宫廷的财政关系及其变化等内容为依据,将明代宫廷史划分为三个阶段,分别为洪武至宣德朝、正统至正德朝、嘉靖至崇祯朝。每一阶段都有各自不同的特点,这些特点的背后则是错综复杂的宫廷史内容。     

西汉初年汉郡区城市等级及空间分布特征探析——张家山汉简研究

区域城市等级及其空间分布特征是城市历史地理学研究的核心内容。《张家山汉墓竹简》记载了西汉初年帝国直接统治区(即汉郡区)内四种不同类型城市的名数及其最高管理者的秩等,为城市等级划分提供了依据。综合历史文献及区域环境因素,探讨西汉初年汉郡区城市地理问题。得出不同类型城市等级不同,以及城市等级越高越密集于区域核心的空间分布特征。