The Hellenistic and Roman Syracuse (Sicily) Fine Pottery Production Explored by Chemical and Petrographic Analysis

The chemical composition and petrographic features of 51 samples of fine pottery selected from the archaeological site of Syracuse have been established by means of optical microscopy and X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry, with the aim of creating a reference group for the ceramics produced in this important Greek colony during the Hellenistic–Roman period. This reference group is constrained by the analysis of six kiln wasters and of raw materials outcropping in the studied area. Among the studied findings, the main part is assignable imputably to local production, while some specimens probably come from Greece and other colonies (Messina and Gela). The Syracuse fine pottery is characterized by inclusions formed mainly by quartz and micaceous and fossiliferous groundmass. The used pastes were more or less purified through the removal of the sandy‐to‐coarse silty granulometric fraction. The multivariate statistical analysis of chemical data permits the identification of production at Syracuse on the basis of comparison with the kiln wasters and the Plio‐Pleistocene clays.     

Ancient Microbial DNA in Dental Calculus: A New method for Studying Rapid Human Migration Events

Ancient human migrations provide the critical genetic background to historical and contemporary human demographic patterns. However, our ability to infer past human migration events, especially those that occurred over rapid timescales, is often limited. A key example is the peopling of Polynesia, where the timing is relatively well defined, but the exact routes taken during the final stages and the source populations are not. Here, we discuss the technical limitations of current methods for inferring rapid human migration events, using the final stages of Polynesian migration as an example. We also introduce a promising new proxy method to infer human migrations—patterns of bacterial evolution within ancient dental calculus (calcified plaque). While we focus on Polynesia, this method should be applicable to other past migrations, enhancing our understanding of human prehistory and revealing the crucial events that shaped it.     

中国旅游从业者职业忠诚度研究

企业员工忠诚对于企业的长远发展至关重要,旅游企业的员工忠诚研究对于旅游企业及区域旅游业的持续发展十分必要.本文通过网络调研对全国31个大陆省区各层次各行业旅游从业者的职业忠诚进行了大样本量问卷调研,并利用SPSS 16.0对所得一手数据进行了统计分析.研究发现：（1）我国旅游从业者的职业忠诚度并不太高,旅游从业者对企业的忠诚度较职业忠诚度略低;（2）人口统计学因素包括婚姻状况、年龄、专兼职、学历、最后毕业专业、工作职务、职称情况不同,旅游从业者忠诚度也不相同,性别只是单一地影响旅游从业者的职业忠诚度;（3）不同类型旅游企业员工的职业忠诚度不同,景区的职业忠诚度最高,其次是旅行社,酒店员工的职业忠诚度最低;（4）工作满意、收入满意、职业前景乐观预期、工作努力回报预期、旅游工作的社会认可度感知及旅游企业环保经营认知因素是影响我国旅游从业者企业忠诚度的重要因素,而工作满意、职业发展前景乐观预期、努力工作回报预期、同事关系、旅游企业环保经营认知、旅游发展的政策环境认知因素对我国旅游从业者的职业忠诚度有显著的影响.     

SEM在中国旅游研究中的方法论应用问题

本文使用元分析的研究方法,选取发表在《旅游学刊》、《旅游科学》、《旅游论坛》和《北京第二外国语学院学报》上的42篇关于结构方程模型（SEM）应用的文献进行分析。重点围绕样本容量、测量变量、模型评价以及研究局限等4个方面讨论SEM在中国旅游研究应用中的方法论问题,并在此基础上提出若干改进意见。     

From toys to automobiles: foreign investment,firm heterogeneity and intermediaries in a Portuguese industry

In the literature on territorial innovation systems there is a constant tension between the effect of endogenous and exogenous factors and their relative importance. In order to address this tension several approaches have sought to conceptualize the relational and multi-scalar dimension of innovation and to explain how external knowledge and economic flows in conjunction with regional contexts combine to produce regional growth, stagnation or decline. This paper will contribute to this debate, while also highlighting that even at the local level there is substantial heterogeneity between firms. It will also shed light on the role of intermediary organizations that can help address information and power asymmetries between multinational corporations and less competitive local firms. Empirically it will draw on the case study of the Portuguese moulds industry, which has successfully adapted to shifts in the global economy by drawing on local resources while also remaining integrated into global value chains.     

An Automatic Modal Identification Procedure for the Permanent Dynamic Monitoring of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte

ABSTRACT

The interest in automatic modal parameter extraction techniques has increased significantly in recent years because of the rising demand for Continuous Structural Health Monitoring (CSHM) of civil structures and infrastructures. The wider use of CSHM is related to its capability for early damage detection and therefore to its usefulness for planning maintenance and strengthening interventions. This article presents the main steps followed in creating a robust routine to run on an online basis the first-ever Continuous Vibration-Based Structural Health Monitoring (CVB-SHM) of a large masonry oval dome, i.e., the dome of the Regina Montis Regalis Basilica, also known as Sanctuary of Vicoforte. The procedure uses an output-only stochastic subspace identification method complemented by an automatic analysis applied to identification results, which are typically provided in terms of stabilization diagrams. In this study, the fully automatic procedure also includes a hierarchical clustering algorithm to separate authentic from spurious modes.     

The Panstereorama: City Models in the Balloon Era

The nineteenth-century ‘panstereorama’ was an urban relief model placed on display as a public spectacle. In this article, I consider first two affiliated forms that help to explain the genre, namely panorama paintings and plans-reliefs. I then go on to consider urban regional practices of city modelling in London and Paris before examining in detail panstereoramas representing Paris and New York. It is argued that this form of model urban cartography served as proxy for the view obtained from the increasingly popular balloon trip and that it accordingly provided virtual travel to, and a map of, the cities depicted.     

China's Infrastructure Investment Boom and Local Debt Crisis

A noted Hong Kong-based economist addresses the emerging financing problems prompted by debt-laden local governments in China in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. More specifically, using the most recent data available, he traces the root of China's local debt overhang to a protracted debt-financed infrastructure investment boom in which several key institutions (the cadre evaluation system, the land management regime, and the banking sector) have created an environment that draws local governments into a land-infrastructure-leverage trap. The author argues that the resulting high levels of debt may ultimately impede the country's efforts to mitigate structural imbalances in its economy. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: H600, H700, P200, P300. 3 figures, 9 tables, 121 references.     

近半个世纪以来中国城市化进程的总结与评价

与国际标准模式相比较 ,中国的城市化水平略低于经济发展水平 ,严重滞后于工业化水平 ,这一现象是中国独特的工业化道路造成的 ;2 0世纪 80年代以来中国城市化进程明显加快是产业结构和就业结构转换的客观需求 ,而且一直到本世纪中叶中国将一直保持这一趋势。