Landscape Expression of the Evolution of Buddhism in Japan

The proposition that religious landscape is an expression of the ideology and world-view of its makers is tested through the identification of historical shifts in the ideology and world-view of Japanese Buddhism and concomitant shifts in the spatial order of Buddhist precincts. Focusing on temples in the Kyoto-Nara region, ideological changes expressed in the site characteristics, orientation, structures and their spatial arrangements, and use of land in gardens are documented.
La proposition qui dCclare que le paysage religieux exprime l'idkologie et le point de vue mondial de ses createurs se met a l'epreuve par I'identification des changements histonques dans l'idkologie bouddhiste aussi que dans les variations spatiales des enceintes bouddhistes. L'Ctude, en examinant les temples de la region Kyoto-Nara, documente les changements idkologiques manifestes par les caracteristiques de l'emplacement, l'orientation des edifices et I'usage de la terre aux jardins.     

GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM OF SPATIAL PRODUCT AND LABOR MARKETS*

ABSTRACT A simple general equilibrium model relates spatial product markets and spatial labor markets. The firm is treated as being a spatial monopolist or as a Löschian competitor in the output market and as a spatial monopsonist in the labor market. Derived free spatial demand and free regional labor supply are defined, and their properties examined. The model provides the framework for analyzing the impact of a technological improvement in labor productivity on the structure of the spatial markets. The impact of entry on spatial labor supply is an important determinant of whether or not entry lowers wages and raises output prices. Unlike the spaceless competitive paradigm, zero-profit long-run equilibrium can occur in a space economy under conditions of increasing returns to scale.     

LÖSCHIAN COMPETITION VERSUS SPATIAL COLLUSION: PRICE AND WELFARE COMPARISONS*

ABSTRACT. Löschian duopoly under heterogeneous cost conditions is examined to show that it is not equivalent, contra past findings, to spatial collusion. Moreover, within the confines of the assumed demand and cost conditions spatial collusion is shown to be superior to Loschian competition in terms of both (aggregate) consumer surplus and producer surplus, which implies a possible welfare gain from collusion. A general, if not the general, prices-and-welfare comparison of alternative pricing schema including collusive, Löschian, and optimal pricing is summarily presented in a table.     

POPULATION'S URBAN ENVIRONMENT EVALUATION MODEL AND ITS APPLICATION*

We propose the Population's Urban Environment Evaluation Model that quantitatively presents inhabitants’ evaluations of urban environments. Our target is to establish firmly a method to effectively reflect the inhabitants’ consciousness in a regional planning process. The approach taken follows a group decision-making theory and a multi-attribute utility theory: a kind of social welfare function (of additive form) is identified by using questionnaire data. The results of application of our model to Kitakyushu show that it presents several useful insights for regional planning.     

Archaeogenetic study of prehistoric rice remains from Thailand and India: evidence of early <Emphasis Type="Italic">japonica</Emphasis> in South and Southeast Asia

We report a successful extraction and sequencing of ancient DNA from carbonized rice grains (Oryza sativa) from six archaeological sites, including two from India and four from Thailand, ranging in age from ca. 2500 to 1500 BP. In total, 221 archaeological grains were processed by PCR amplification and primary-targeted fragments were sequenced for comparison with modern sequences generated from 112 modern rice populations, including crop and wild varieties. Our results include the genetic sequences from both the chloroplast and the nuclear genomes, based on four markers from the chloroplast and six from the nuclear genome. These markers allow differentiation of indica rice from japonica rice, the two major subspecies of Asian rice (O. sativa) considered to have separate geographical origins. One nuclear marker differentiates tropical and temperate forms of subspecies japonica. Other markers relate to phenotypic variation selected for under domestication, such as non-shattering, grain stickiness (waxy starch) and pericarp colour. Recovery and identification of sequences from nuclear markers was generally poor, whereas recovery of chloroplast sequences was successful, with at least one of four markers recovered in 61 % of archaeological grains. This allowed for successful differentiation of indica or japonica subspecies variety, with japonica identified in all the Thai material and a mixture of indica and japonica chloroplasts in the two Indian assemblages. Rice subspecies was also assessed through conventional archaeobotanical methods relying on grain metrics, based on measurements from 13 modern populations and 499 archaeological grains. Grain metrics also suggest a predominance of japonica-type grains in the Southeast Asian sites and a mixture of japonica and indica in the Indian sites with indica in the minority. The similar results of grain metrics and ancient DNA (aDNA) affirm that grain measurements have some degree of reliability in rice subspecies identification. The study also highlights the great potential of ancient DNA recovery from archaeological rice. The data generated in the present study adds support to the model of rice evolution that includes hybridization between japonica and proto-indica.     

A Hierarchical Flow Capturing Location Problem with Demand Attraction Based on Facility Size,and Its Lagrangian Relaxation Solution Method

This article presents a hierarchical flow capturing location problem (HFCLP) and proposes an effective Lagrangian heuristic solution method. The original flow capturing location problem (FCLP) aims to locate a given number of facilities on a network to maximize the total flow that can be serviced at facilities along their preplanned routes, such as daily commute to work. We extend the original model to allow a decision maker to select the size of facilities among m different size alternatives. Larger facilities are assumed to be more attractive and, therefore, can attract more customers, but they cost more to construct than smaller ones. Customers deviate from their preplanned routes to access a facility's service when the size of the facility is sufficiently large. The degree of deviation from the original path is measured by the additional distance customers have to go to access facilities, and the acceptable deviation distance becomes larger as the size of a facility increases. This article presents a new problem in which the number of facilities of each size and their locations are simultaneously determined so as to capture as much flow as possible within the total budget available for locating all facilities. We present an integer programming formulation of the problem and devise a Lagrangian relaxation solution method. The proposed algorithm is tested using road networks with 300 and 500 nodes. The results show that the method produces high‐quality solutions in a fairly short time. Este artículo presenta un problema de localización de captura de flujo jerárquico (hierarchical flow capturing location problem‐HFCLP) y propone un método heurístico eficiente de tipo Lagrange (lagrangian). En su formulación original el HFLCP tiene como objetivo localizar un número determinado de instalaciones en una red con el fin de maximizar el flujo total que puede ser atendido por las instalaciones existentes a lo largo de rutas preestablecidas, como en el caso por ejemplo, de los desplazamientos diarios del lugar de residencia al de trabajo. Los autores amplían el modelo original para permitir que el tomador de decisiones seleccione el tamaño de las instalaciones entre “m” alternativas. Se asume que las instalaciones más grandes son más atractivas que las más pequeñas y, por lo tanto, pueden atraer a más clientes, pero a la vez, son también más costosas de construir. Los clientes se desvían de su ruta preestablecida para acceder al servicio de una instalación cuando el tamaño de la instalación es lo suficientemente grande. El grado de desviación de las rutas se mide por la distancia adicional que los clientes viajan para acceder a las instalaciones. La distancia de desviación aceptable se hace más grande en relación al tamaño de la instalación. En este artículo se presenta un nuevo modelo para el HFLCP en el que el número de las instalaciones de cada tamaño y su ubicación son determinadas simultáneamente con el fin de capturar la mayor cantidad de flujo dentro del presupuesto total disponible para la localización de todas las instalaciones. Los autores presentan una formulación de programación entera (integer programming) del HFCLP e implementan un método que relaja la solución lagrangiana. El algoritmo propuesto es evaluado utilizando redes viales con 300 y 500 nodos. Los resultados muestran que el nuevo método produce soluciones de alta calidad y en tiempos de computación relativamente cortos. 本文介绍了一种分层的截流选址问题 (HFCLP),提出了一个有效的拉格朗日启发式解决方法。最初的截流选址问题(FCLP)目标是在网络上布局给定数量的设施使总流量最大,使按预定路线的行进流可以获得最大的服务,如每日的工作通勤。本文对原始模型进行扩展,让决策者可在不同的设施规模选择方案中进行规模选择。假设更大规模设施具有更大的吸引力,因此也能够吸引更多的客户,但同时也需要更多的建造成本。当设施规模足够大时,消费者会选择偏离预定路径而进入该设施的服务范围。对原始路径的偏离程度可通过用户进入该设施所增加的额外距离度量。可接受的偏差距离随着设施规模增大而增大。本文提出了在总预算确定条件下,同步确定不同规模设施数量及其位置以实现截取最大流量的新问题,并给出了该问题的整数规划方法,设计了拉格朗日松弛解法。通过300和500个节点的网络测试,结果显示该算法可在相当短时间内获得高质量的解决方案。     

Heritage destruction in context: the case of the Roman mosaics from Zeugma,Turkey

Needs for protecting cultural manifestations marked as ‘heritage’ are often claimed when they are at the risk of destruction or when they are being destructed. Considering destruction as opposed to protection, groups concerned with heritage, such as the state agencies, archaeologists, and the locals, tend to emphasise the value of heritage. Focusing on the case of the Roman mosaics discovered in Zeugma, southeast Turkey, this paper explores the ways in which the destruction of heritage is perceived and understood, and what aspect of destruction is emphasised to claim its significance for heritage. Analysing in what way destruction of the Zeugma mosaics is problematised, this paper also considers the political aspects of presenting the destruction of heritage, in particular, in campaigns for heritage preservation. Through this, the paper examines how stories of destruction work to produce and enhance the distinction between protection and destruction, and suggests how the fragmentary or ruined state of heritage objects can be alluring.     

Probing A Traffic Congestion Controversy: Density and Flow Scrutinized

Probing a die-hard traffic congestion controversy, this paper scrutinizes two key variables, density and flow, under equilibrium versus optimal states. Optimization requires equilibrium flow to decrease under mild congestion, but increase under hyper-congestion. However, both increasing flow needed under hypercongestion and decreasing flow needed under mild congestion should be accompanied by decreasing density. Thus, inflow of vehicles should always be discouraged to either increase or decrease flow of vehicles for economic efficiency. Moreover, even when optimal policy requires equilibrium flow to increase, the optimal flow itself must decrease eventually as demand increases beyond a critical level.     

九、十世纪的通俗讲经和敦煌

由敦煌文献的统计来看,有关讲唱文艺的作品的数量,在九、十世纪的写本中突然明显地增加了,比如,故事略要本、讲唱体写本大概都集中在10世纪的文书里.在此笔者将探讨发生这种情况的理由.笔者认为,讲唱文艺的发展与唐代佛教的演变有一定关系,唐代的通俗讲经等讲唱,可能是在安史之乱后开始的佛教通俗化的过程中产生的.敦煌以外的文献记载里能够看到的通俗讲经的记载都集中在九世纪中期.这样一来,敦煌与中原的佛教界似有几十年的时差.这点与敦煌地区的政治历史背景有一定关系,因为敦煌与中原之间有两次(787-848年、905-914年)交流中断的时代.笔者在本文里,把这些敦煌的历史、地区的佛教特征以及民间佛教活动结合起来考虑,来探讨故事略要本、讲唱体等文献的产生问题.