Visual motion illusions, eye movements, and the search for objectivity

The initial interpretations of motion phenomena are often in terms of eye movements. It reflects a desire to link an objective expression of motion (of the eyes) with a subjective experience of motion. This approach is examined historically with respect to induced motion, motion aftereffects, visual vertigo, autokinetic effects and stroboscopic motion. All but one of these phenomena were initially observed in the natural environment and they have subsequently been studied under laboratory conditions. Eye movements are not correlated with induced motion, the motion aftereffect, or stroboscopic motion, but they do correspond to the direction and extent of visual vertigo. The extent of apparent visual motion in the autokinetic effect far exceeds that of involuntary eye movements but there might be a weak relation between them. If eye movements are to provide a reasonable account of motion illusions then they should apply to all the contours that are visible. This does apply to visual vertigo, but not to induced motion, the motion aftereffect and stroboscopic motion, all of which involve relative motion in a visible display. The autokinetic phenomenon involves the perception of isolated stimuli, and so interpretations in terms of some internal eye movement signals remain sustainable.     

Local government reforms in Georgia and their impact on state-society relations

Abstract

This paper studies how the local governance reforms carried out between 1997–2014 shape state-society relations at Georgia’s local level. Drawing on Foucault’s concept of governmentality, I analyze how the reforms shape practices and actors at the local level. Research interviews with state officials at the national and subnational levels and citizens of the Georgian district Marneuli highlight both government rationalities and how people react to them. I argue that the reforms, which have been declared to promote participation and accountability, hardly contribute to bridging the huge gap between state and society, particularly with respect to the case of the Azeri minority in Marneuli. Thus far, the newly introduced formal actors at the local level, the municipalities, lack power. Societal action in absence of the state and interaction with the state via informal networks remains dominant. The study contributes to literature on state-building and transformation in Georgia by shedding light on the often-neglected local level and to the debate on external democracy promotion and policy transfer by empirically studying the effect of a policy transfer.     

Fuel For Lamps: Organic Residues Preserved in Iron Age Lamps Excavated at the Site of Sahab in Jordan

Five Iron Age ceramic lamps from a tomb at the site of Sahab in the south‐eastern part of central Jordan were analysed using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The results of this study provide data on the type of fuel used in three of these lamps. The study proposes that animal fat, possibly of ruminant origin, was used in three Early Iron Age II lamps. The material used in the other two Iron Age I lamps could not be determined due to the absence of diagnostic biomarkers. The data obtained from the lamps can be put in conjunction with the archaeological evidence on the availability of domestic animals and, most probably, use of their products at the site of Sahab during the Iron Age.     

托勒密彩绘装饰与罗马彩绘装饰的比较实例：埃及图那-艾尔-葛贝尔的动物图案

2007年春天开罗大学和慕尼黑大学在Tunael—Gebel联合发掘,发现一个原始的罗马坟墓有一石顶,其形式如同金字塔,命名源于希腊某一铭文。这一小石灰石墓葬包含未发生变化的埃及埋葬风格。两个沉重的石灰和镀金木乃伊被安置于两个木棺中,其中一个有一木制锦缎屋顶。该木乃伊有五彩缤纷的玻璃镶嵌,双方的床都展示着华丽的宗教仪式场景色绘画ajoure-work（这些图像被木板分割）。部分埃及和希腊的70个护身符挂在床上,用石灰制成并刷成绿色。两个石灰雕像伊希斯（高38cm）被置于头部附近。雕像是利用周围的木桩加工成型的,然后涂上颜色。它们是一个明显的混合风格的实例。它们被加工成一个典型的希腊姿势,但仍然有一埃及背景。在传统的老埃及,光谱中的每一道颜色有特定象征意义。通过它可以读出背景的循环往复变化。例如,颜色变化从红色（祭品／敌人）-白（天狼星的位置）-黑色（看不见的东西）-绿色（再生）再次到地球上五彩缤纷的形式。这一统一已经在罗马时代瓦解。新的颜色如粉色的出现,白色王冠上画的黄色等等。埃及的象征意义似乎完全消失在罗马新的墓葬彩色装饰上。