Characterizations of palace lantern tassels preserved in The Palace Museum,Beijing, by UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF

Palace lanterns were important and highly visible decorations in the imperial palace in Beijing, China, during the Qing dynasty (1636–1912). Most lanterns had colourful tassels made of fibres. The study performed a comprehensive investigation of the materials and dyes used for palace lantern tassels preserved in The Palace Museum, Beijing. Eight samples with different colours, including yellow, green and red, from five palace lanterns were analysed. By using ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry, the compositions of the dyes were identified quickly, and thus the dyes' origins were explored. A X-ray fluorescence spectrometer assisted in the detection of whether a mordant was used during the dyeing process. As a result, the tassels were all made of silk, discovered through the use of microscopic observation and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry analysis. Different dyeing techniques were found in these tassels: yellow tassels were dyed by cork tree or turmeric by a direct dyeing method; greens were dyed by pagoda bud with an iron mordant, or by the combination of cork tree and indigo using multi-dyeing method; and red tassels were coloured with different acid red industrial dyes. These results provide valuable data for the conservation of ancient textile tassels and contribute to the investigation of other hanging tags.     

Mode Choice in a Hub-and-Spoke Network: A Zero-One Linear Programming Approach

While research has tackled the hub-and-spoke network design problem, that research has overlooked the air-truck modal integration issue which is a common feature of real express delivery systems. This paper devises integer linear programs to represent the mode and route assignment aspects of the operational problem. The model is solved under four different levels of delivery schedule, and the results show that as the promised delivery schedule is relaxed, not only does the use of truck routes become more desirable, but also interesting adjustments in mode and hub assignment occur. Consider the case of hubs in Los Angeles and Dayton. As the time constraints are relaxed, cities such as Minneapolis and New Orleans originally linked by air to Los Angeles, switch to Dayton because cheaper truck routes become feasible.     

"承上制下"与"从左转右":北宋物资转输区域的互动——以东南地区为中心

北宋时期,朝廷在淮南地区运河沿岸州军设置转般仓,这些州军具有了转般粮食物资进京的功能;又先后置发运司于真州和泗州,使其开始具有总管东南漕运事务的职能;盐利也集中于此,同时亦掌控着地方物资的上供经费.其他物资转输区域则经常出现改变转运方式的情形,中转区域改变了起始区域输出物资的运输方式,减轻了部分运输成本.起始区域在加重中转区域负担的同时,亦对中转区域的经济繁荣有促进作用.     

Micro-CT-assisted determination of the shattering and non-shattering phenotypes of charred rice spikelet bases from archaeological sites: a new methodological approach

The selection of a non-shattering phenotype is a pivotal change in the process of rice domestication. However, current research is heavily restricted by the preservation conditions of macro-plant remains in early and middle Neolithic sites, as very limited well-preserved rice spikelet bases could be retrieved. We present a non-destructive method based on micro-computed tomographic (CT) scanning, which could provide detailed visualization of the internal structures of charred spikelet bases and efficiently discriminate the shattering and non-shattering phenotypes of rice spikelet bases according to the abundance of fusiform echinate phytoliths. It could be widely applied in different contexts, especially those poorly preserved specimens and tempers in pottery sherds, greatly improving our knowledge of rice domestication.     

Research collaboration beyond the boundary: Evidence from university patents in China

Geographical distance constitutes friction in searching for research collaborators. Taking advantage of a quasinatural experiment featured by High-Speed Railway (HSR) lines in China, this paper employs the difference-in-differences model to identify the causal impact of a substantial improvement in the intercity transportation infrastructure on collaborative innovation across cities. The data pertain to a universe of patent applications filed by Chinese universities and their citations. We find that HSR contributes to a substantial increase in the innovation quantity and quality of collaborative patenting innovation between universities and corporates. It contributes to industry collaboration by utilizing university academic disciplines in the related technology fields. Lastly, HSR facilitates universities to search for new research partners with better quality beyond the geographical boundary.     

The Chemical Composition and Production Area of Early Western Zhou Proto‐Porcelain Unearthed from Yejiashan Cemetery,Suizhou, China

The bodies and glazes of 27 early Western Zhou proto‐porcelain samples from Yejiashan cemetery, Hubei Province, were analysed using LA‐ICP–AES, SEM, XRD, a thermal expansion instrument and other analytical methods. The results indicated that the bodies of all samples were characterized by high silicon and low aluminium, and were made with porcelain stone raw materials found in the south of China. The glazes are typical of high‐temperature calcium glazes of the CaO (MgO) – K₂O (Na₂O) – Al₂O₃ – SiO₂ series, with relatively high Mn and P content, which was probably caused by the addition of plant ashes. The physical properties and phase compositions of Yejiashan proto‐porcelain show that firing processes were still in the early stages of development in ancient China. Multivariate statistical analyses indicated that Yejiashan proto‐porcelain might have come from the Deqing area, in Zhejiang Province. These results provide new archaeological evidence for research on issues related to material flow in the Western Zhou dynasty.     

AN ARTISTIC LIFE CREATED BY A PAIR OF SKILLFUL HANDS

正The cold season isjust about to arrive in Lhasa.A tallllbetan man is standing upon the golden roof of the Jokhang Temple to look out into distance.His name is Tsegya,a man with a deep affection for this very roof.This is the place where his karma connects him to his produced mandalas.Tsegya told me that     

山东省近代外来建筑遗产的历史蕴意

近20年来众多外来建筑遗产被公布为全国重点文物保护单位,山东省也有青岛、烟台、济南等地十多处外来建筑进入了全国重点文物保护单位范围。外来建筑遗产有着丰富的历史蕴意,以山东省为例,它能反映近代山东的开放过程和程度、中外文化交流程度和近代山东复杂的矛盾斗争历史。这些历史蕴意启示着对外来建筑遗产的保护有重要的意义,也昭示着做好历史阐释的重要性,也要求我们对外来建筑遗产的展示要对历史有足够的重视。     

抗战中的知识分子

作者通过对甲午战争至全面抗战爆发历史的回顾,分析期间中国知识分子的思想变化.并分析抗战爆发后知识分子通过不同的方式积极投入救亡运动,重新认识抗战期间的知识分子的真实处境和历史,提出应更理性、客观的去看待抗战时期的知识分子的选择,无论是自由主义知识分子、马克思主义知识分子还是新儒家知识分子,对近代中国文化的追求,根本上都是“三民主义”.