India's policy on Diego Garcia and its quest for security in the Indian Ocean

ABSTRACT

The ongoing contention between Mauritius and the UK over the sovereignty of the Diego Garcia presents a difficult challenge for Indian foreign policy-makers. New Delhi's principled opposition to colonialism and its historical relationship with Port Louis has made it steadfastly support the Mauritian claim. However, such principled foreign policy militates against India's quest to balance the growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean. Insofar, Diego Garcia allows the US Navy to maintain an active presence in the Indian Ocean, thereby keeping the Chinese naval power at bay. Balance of power considerations notwithstanding, the expanding trajectory of the Indo-US strategic partnership also demands New Delhi to weigh the burden of its policies on Diego Garcia carefully. This article juxtaposes India's historical record on Diego Garcia during the Cold War with its contemporary approach to the issue. In doing so, it sheds further light on India's strategic decision-making in the Indian Ocean, its dilemmas in confronting a genuinely hostile maritime power in the region, and deliberates on potential options for dispute resolution which can not only satisfy Mauritian demands but also ensure a healthy balance of power in the Indian Ocean.     

论第二次世界大战前罗马尼亚的平衡外交

慕尼黑会议之后,德国在中东欧占据了优势,英法在对德绥靖走到尽头后,逐步趋向对德遏制,并试图在东欧组建反德阵线。在两大集团争夺东欧的情况下,罗马尼亚推行在所有大国间保持平衡的政策。一方面,罗马尼亚与德国签订经济协定,以经济上的让步减轻德国对它的压力,并谋求从政治上得到相应的回报;另一方面,寻求英法的政治保障,加强自身的安全,但同时拒绝加入英法匆忙组建的反德阵线,使自己置身于冲突之外,期待出现有利于自己的时机。     

An experimental study of nitrogen flux in llamas: is N preferentially excreted?

Nitrogen isotope analysis is now commonly used to investigate the diets, and to a lesser extent, the environments of ancient populations. These studies assume that mammals are predictably enriched in ¹⁵N over their food, and concomitantly, that ¹⁵N becomes increasingly concentrated as one moves up the food chain. The literature commonly states that this ¹⁵N-enrichment of mammalian tissues is due to preferential excretion of light nitrogen (¹⁴N), but there are few data to support this assertion. To address the gap, we conducted two nitrogen flux trials in which four llamas (Lama glama) were fed high- and low-protein diets. The ratios of fecal nitrogen loss to urinary nitrogen loss were 0.30 and 0.88 on the high- and low-protein diets respectively. Feces were enriched in ¹⁵N by approximately +3‰ on both diets, whereas urinary nitrogen was depleted in ¹⁵N (−2.1‰) on the low-protein diet, but not significantly different from intake δ¹⁵N on the high-protein diet. Most importantly, there was no statistically significant difference between dietary and total excreta δ¹⁵N on either diet. Given these data and theoretical considerations, we argue that the nitrogen influx and efflux of adult mammals at steady state should be isotopically commensurate. However, during growth, diet change, thermal or nutritional stress, animals may not be at steady state and fractionation between intake and excreta δ¹⁵N may occur.     

广东“南澳Ⅰ号”明代沉船出水铜器腐蚀产物分析

由于海水环境中含有大量氯化物,海洋出水铜器在出水前已发生腐蚀,生成铜的氧化物及氯化物等。本文以广东"南澳Ⅰ号"明代沉船出水的22件铜器残片为研究对象,运用X-射线荧光仪(XRF)、X-射线衍射仪(XRD)和扫描电镜与能谱仪(SEM-EDS)等分析其腐蚀产物和矿物组成,结果表明腐蚀产物主要为铜的碱式氯化物,如Cu2(OH)3Cl和Cu(OH)Cl等,与国外已有研究成果类似,但Cu(OH)Cl在国外海洋出水铜器腐蚀产物中并不常见。     

Lead isotope and chemical signature of copper from Oman and its occurrence in Mesopotamia and sites on the Arabian Gulf coast

Lead isotope data, together with an evaluation of previously published results for the chemical composition of Omani ores and copper‐base artefacts are used to define a material signature of Omani copper. Absent from our group of Bronze Age metal (Umm an Nar and Wadi Suq periods) are the signature of ores from Masirah Island and also from the vast deposits in north Oman inland from Suhar. Contemporaneous copper from Bahrain and from Tell Abraq on the Gulf coast is consistent in its material signature with Omani copper; a derivation from Omani ores of this copper is highly likely. A few exceptions at Tell Abraq point to Faynan/Timna in the southern Levant as a possible source region. Among Mesopotamian artefacts the signature of Omani copper is encountered during all cultural periods from Uruk at the end of the fourth millennium BC to Akkadian 1000 years later. Oman/Magan appears to have been particularly important during Early Dynastic III and Akkadian when about half of the copper in circulation bears the Omani signature.     

政府控制、权力制衡与旅游上市公司经营绩效的关系研究

政府控制是我国旅游上市公司中常见的现象。在2011）年沪深两市共26家旅游上市公司中,仅有新都酒店、ST东海、大连圣亚、世纪游轮四家公司的实际控制人为自然人或民营企业法人,政府直接或间接控制的上市公司数量占比高达85％。根据终极产权理论和相关的经验研究结果,不同的终极控制人的性质对企业经营绩效的影响存在很大差别。本文利用沪深两市2003～2010年间旅游上市公司的非平衡面板数据,对政府控制、权力制衡与旅游上市公司经营绩效之间的关系进行了实证研究。,研究结果表明,在当前的市场环境下,地方政府控制的旅游上市公司经营绩效高于非政府和中央政府控制的旅游上市公司,同时,适当减少地方政府控制权比例,建立科学的制衡机制将有助于提高;茂国旅游上市公司的经营绩效。     

商周时期南北方铜矿开采技术比较研究--以鄂赣交界地带和辽西地区为例

本文选取了鄂赣交界地带和辽西地区的4座晚商至西周早中期的古铜矿遗址,分别从探矿技术、开采技术、开采工具、相关配套设施和选矿技术等方面对南北两区域古铜矿的开采技术进行全面比较,并试图从两地的自然环境、矿物品质以及生产组织方式等不同方面来解释出现这种差异的原因。     

三至六世纪东西文化交流的见证：南朝铜器的科技考古研究

西亚地区的响铜技术何时传入中国及东亚列国,是一个重要的学术问题。经对江苏句容、江都及南京出土的南朝铜器作科技考古研究,发现最迟在南朝刘宋元嘉年间,来自西亚的新型的响铜技术已经在中国南北方地区立足,此后可能相继传入韩国（百济）,并进而到达日本地区。过去,响铜及黄铜（输石）技术的考古学研究作为相对独立的领域在日本受到重视．但中国考古界则鲜有研究。新发现的这批南朝响铜器及黄铜制品时研究3-6世纪时期东西方不同国家和地区的响铜和黄铜（输石）工艺的传播乃至更广泛的文化交流有重要意义。     

A truly refractory crucible from fourth millennium Tepe Hissar, Northeast Iran

From the Early Chalcolithic to the Late Iron Age, melting and smelting crucibles were usually made from non-refractory ceramic fabrics, which required heating of the charge from within the crucible to avoid collapsing the ceramic itself. In this paper, an unusual melting crucible from Northeast Iran, radiocarbon-dated to the Late Chalcolithic (ca. 3600 BCE), will be presented that significantly changes our understanding of the development of technical ceramics in Southwest Asia. This crucible, made of a highly refractory talc-based ceramic held together by an outer layer of traditional non-refractory ceramic, is to our knowledge unprecedented at such an early date. As will be argued, this ancient crucible was heated from the exterior or from below and not from the interior. This method of firing, combined with the highly-specialized construction technique, makes this crucible so far unique in prehistoric metallurgy, and forces us to re-examine traditional models for the development of technical ceramics and metallurgical practices in the Old World.     

Metallurgical analysis of copper artifacts from Cahokia

Copper artifacts from Cahokia Mounds, Illinois were analyzed from a materials science perspective to shed light on techniques used by Mississippian copper workers to deform nuggets of native copper into thin sheets. Eight small copper pieces from a copper-working site at Cahokia’s Mound 34 were subjected to metallographic examination. Replication experiments thereafter recreated features of the artifacts under controlled conditions. It is concluded that copper sheets were thinned through repeated cycles of hammering and annealing performed at temperatures achievable in an open wood fire. The welding of sheets to create multilayered objects was not observed in any artifacts and could not be accomplished experimentally. Additionally, a possible cutting method used on some artifacts was identified.