On Theme and Variation

Abstract

The ways in which the author, the sculptor Peter Randall-Page, has made use of the ideas of D’Arcy Thompson are described. How Thompson showed that commonalities of form and pattern exist across the biological and abiotic realms is described, and the implications that physical constraints limit and sometimes dominate the capabilities of evolutionary natural selection are explored. Since we evolved in a world shaped in this manner, the likelihood that this palette of forms is one that carries strong psychological meanings and associations is examined, and the ways in which these forms are a rich source of inspiration and allusion for visual artists are discussed, hinting at the play of opposing tendencies, the dance between order and randomness, and the ways in which nature can derive variations on a theme.     

A Compaignye of Sondry Folk: Mereology,Medieval Poetics and Contemporary Evolutionary Narrative in Richard Dawkins’ The Ancestor’s Tale

Abstract

Thus far, certainly in English, most engineering history has been based on the lives of engineers or the chronologies of particular enterprises, with the two often woven together. Much of this work, as conventional biography or narrative history, has been well done, in many cases is a good read, and frequently is valuable as a basis for further study. But its preoccupation with who, when and where too often leaves unaddressed questions of how and why. Attempting to understand the intellectual and creative components of engineering's history, especially its early history for which written records are rare or nonexistent, is exceptionally difficult. In this short survey the possibilities of retrospective analysis are discussed, and some of the potential pitfalls are identified by considering the particular case of cathedral building. Over the last twenty or thirty years cathedral studies have generated more publications in the field of retrospective analysis, in this case structural analysis, than possibly any other. Whether or not very much has been learned about the history of the engineering of cathedrals, however, is a good question, and is part of what follows.     

Morphological changes in domestic cattle in Gaul,from the second century BC to the fifth century AD: diversity of herds in the Seine valley (France) and northern Gaul

In Western Europe the transition from the Iron Age to the Roman period is the scene of a rapid economic and agro-pastoral evolution characterized in particular by a modification in the shape of the cattle. Understanding this phenomenon, its implementation mechanisms and development dynamics represents a major challenge in archaeozoology. In our study a local and regional approach of the evolution in cattle morphology is carried out first on the scale of the middle Seine valley, then of the northern Gaul. Its purpose is to observe and compare the evolution rates in domestic cattle between Middle La Tène and the fifth century AD, and with the help of a tight chronological and geographical grid, to estimate to what extent the shape of the cattle has been influenced by the indigenous cultures, the Roman economic pattern or even the environment. This osteometrical study is based on the Log Size Index method and on a measurement corpus of 12,969 bones collected on sites located on 117 communes in France (for most of them), Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The results we obtained show local specificities in terms of breeding methods and animal morphologies, observed on a very fine scale and taking place long before the Conquest. Moreover the growth patterns of the various herds happen to be different and to evolve under the impetus of the developing Roman economic pattern. This work thus points out an essential aspect of the agro-pastoral turmoil that took place in Gaul at the turning point of our era. The Roman pattern is not the cause of the morphological changes of the cattle, nor of the diversity in cattle shapes in Gaul, but it provokes a reshaping of the agricultural systems and a redefining of the breeding strategies which boost and completely change the cattle growth patterns.     

A Risk Assessment for Cultural Heritage in Southern Iraq: Framing Drivers,Threats and Actions Affecting Archaeological Sites

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes a classification of the risks threatening archaeological sites in southern Iraq and suggests some possible remediation to better preserve them. This has been possible thanks to a research methodology that combines remote sensing and ground control on a sample of 558 sites documented by the Iraqi-Italian QADIS survey project. A three-tier typological framework has been created illustrating the risks jeopardising the cultural heritage of the region. This research showed that the most impacting risks are the ones caused by agricultural activity, despite current narratives which mainly focus on looting and violent destruction. To get at the root of the problem, current laws protecting cultural heritage in Iraq are analysed, as well as how the cultural authorities are organised on the ground. Improving the organisation of the SBAH, engaging the local communities towards the issue of sites’ protection and introducing preventive archaeology are among the solutions proposed.     

改革开放以来上海社会空间结构演化的特征与趋势

基于第三次和第五次全国人口普查数据,采用因子生态分析方法,对1982年和2000年的上海社会空间结构以及改革开放以来上海社会空间结构演化的特征与趋势进行了研究。结果显示,1982年上海社会空间结构模式相对简单,市区和郊区各自具有较强的同质性;2000年社会空间结构则趋于复杂,异质性特征明显增强,各类社会区间的圈层分布成为主导模式,并呈现指状空间扩散特征。在此基础上,论文从能动者和结构两个层面揭示了上海社会空间结构演化的内在机制。     

侵入与接替:上海市闵行区古美街道居住空间的演变

多重背景下,我国大城市社会空间正在重构。居住分异是研究社会空间分化的重要维度。以上海市闵行区古美街道为例,说明城市向郊区的侵入与接替过程中,社会经济环境、就业等复杂因素综合作用使郊区居住分异由一元同质性社会空间向非均衡多元异质性社会空间转变。演变中凸显了就业市场需求与流动人口居住空间萎缩、空间隔离和农民的社会垂直流动少等问题,建立贫困群体的城市规划、将流动人口纳入廉租房受益范畴,多渠道加强就业信息建设、增强就业培训等是解决问题的关键。     

我国发展会展旅游业的前景及策略初探

本文对世界(包括我国)会展旅游业的发展情况作了简要的概括和总结,认为会展旅游是一个蕴涵巨大价值的高产出的旅游项目,但目前在我国还没有真正引起足够的重视。但会展旅游业在我国有着光明的发展前景,应当予以大力发展。并揭示了我国会展旅游业发展中所存在的一些最突出的问题,同时指出我国发展会展旅游业应采取的策略。     

福建文化地域格局的演变及其机制

本文通过福建文化地域格局演变主体过程的还原,揭示其阶段性特征及内在机制,进而澄清某些长期困扰研究进展的传统看法,并提出一些新的学术观念。     

长春市城市地域的演变过程与发展趋势

长春市作为近代迅速发展起来的省会城市,城市地域的形成具有较为特殊的历史背景。本文从长春不同历史阶段城市地域的发展特征出发,在分析其所处的地理位置、人文环境、现代产业形成的基础条件及其在中国现代史上所处的特定历史地位的角度上,求证长春市城市地域发展演变的规律性问题,以期为今后长春市地域发展趋势作出准确的战略性判断,并最终为以长春为核心的吉林省城镇体系的构建打下良好的基础。     

江苏省区域经济差异与发展战略演变初探

改革开放以来,江苏省分别实施了区域均衡发展、非均衡发展、区域共同发展和苏北大发展战略,造成了各区域间经济增长速度的差异,导致区域经济发展失衡,其主要表现为苏南、苏中与苏北三大经济区域间的差异和县域经济差异的不断扩大。在分析了现阶段江苏省沿江开发战略对区域发展差异的影响,立足区域整合的角度,提出加快沿江开发与苏北互动发展的对策与措施,以期实现江苏省区域经济的协调发展,扭转南北经济差异进一步扩大的趋势。