14至18世纪东亚世界的“象记”:博物学知识比较史研究的一个视角

本文通过明清笔记文献中的“象房”“驯象”与“浴象”、韩人朴趾源《热河日记》中的“象记”和日人“象之旅”等有关象的文献,展示在山川相连、一衣带水的一个历史和文化上彼此认同的共同空间里,曾经有过怎样的象文化叙述,在东亚地区有过怎样的大象空间转运史,以及如何借助象文化来阐述民族意象,形成以象文化和动物文化为主题的东亚三国博物学知识的传播与影响史。

Application of the Blown-Ups Principle to Thunderstorm Forecast

Discontinuous and long-duration thunderstorm weather, which occurred at Guanghan in Sichuan Province, was analyzed and predicted using structural conversion of irregular information in phase-space from self-recording “time sequence” records for predicting rain areas, as described in the “Non Destructive Information” method proposed by Professor OuYang Shoucheng. The results show that this method can reveal important changes of weather as well as, by using irregular self-recording information recorded every ten minutes, predict local thunderstorms with durations of only half an hour, and even predict intense convections 12 hours in advance. This is significant for civil and military aviation. It shows the necessity of full utilization of information from automatic weather stations and the necessity of improvements in recording modes in current automatic stations.

A Target-Orientated Marker Image Binarization Method for Orthopaedic Surgical Navigation System

Camera calibration is the key technique in a C-arm based orthopaedic surgical navigation system. The extraction of marker location information is a necessary step in the calibration process. Ideal marker images should possess uniform background and contain marker shadow only, but in fact marker images always possess nonuniform background and are contaminated by noise and unwanted anatomic information, making the extraction very difficult. A target-orientated marker shadow extraction method was proposed. With this method a proper threshold for marker image binarization can be determined.

EVALUATION OF TEMPERATURE RECORDS OBTAINED BY AWS IN HAINAN PROVINCE AND ADJUSTMENT OF CLIMATOLOGICAL TIME SERIES

Based on the parallel air temperature data of automatic sounding and manual observations at 16 weather stations in Hainan province from 2004 to 2005, a comparative analysis and evaluation is made for validity according to relevant standards. The results indicate that there are daily and seasonal differences between temperature observations recorded by automatic weather stations (AWSs) and with conventional methods. The reasons for the differences are the systematic error, the sensitivity of the two types of instruments to the environmental temperature change, the difference of the observation time and the effect of solar radiation. Because the long-range data were obtained from manual observation, an empirical conversion formula between the temperature records obtained by the instruments is provided for continuous use of the climate data after the changes in instruments.

An edge-preserving algorithm of joint image restoration and volume reconstruction for rotation-scanning 4D echocardiographic images

A statistical algorithm for the reconstruction from time sequence echocardiographic images is proposed in this paper. The ability to jointly restore the images and reconstruct the 3D images without blurring the boundary is the main innovation of this algorithm. First, a Bayesian model based on MAP-MRF is used to reconstruct 3D volume, and extended to deal with the images acquired by rotation scanning method. Then, the spatiotemporal nature of ultrasound images is taken into account for the pa-rameter of energy function, which makes this statistical model anisotropic. Hence not only can this method reconstruct 3D ul-trasound images, but also remove the speckle noise anisotropically. Finally, we illustrate the experiments of our method on the synthetic and medical images and compare it with the isotropic reconstruction method.

“The Impression of Reality”： Fiction and Testimony in Dostoevsky＇s Notes

Truth of fiction might sound like a paradox, at least within the Platonic doxa. But perhaps there is no truth without fiction; Plato＇s own myths would testify to this necessary combination of ＂history＂ and ＂story＂ （histoire, storia, Geschichte, etc.）. Still, it might be not enough simply to affirm the necessity of fictional narrative for an historical account. In some cases, it would be difficult to accept a fictional aspect of historical testimony. Jorge Semprdn claims, on the other hand, that only fiction is able to communicate a traumatic, ＂unbearable＂ experience such as the one of prison camps. He refers to the work of Fyodor Dostoevsky as his model. My paper analyzes this testimonial aspect of Dostoevsky＇s Notes, especially the Notes from a Dead House. It shows, the particularity of this work, which combines an intense personal experience with a fictional elaboration, a quasi-novelistic setting, plot, and characters. I claim that in a sense such a combination might be considered as a model for literature in general, for its testimonial value, for its truth.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of FSHβ Gene Associated with Reproductive Traits in Japanese Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

Follicle stimulating hormone β (FSHβ) of Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) plays a key role in the regulation of gonadal development.This study aimed to investigate molecular genetic characteristics of the FSHβ gene and elucidate the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of FSHβ on reproductive traits in Japanese flounder.We used polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing of the FSHβ gene in 60 individuals.We identified only an SNP (T/C) in the coding region of exon3 of FSHβ.The SNP (T/C) did not lead to amino acid changes at the position 340 bp of FSHβ gene.Statistical analysis showed that the SNP was significantly associated with testosterone (T) level and gonadosomatic index (GSI) (P<0.05).Individuals with genotype TC of the SNP had significantly higher serum T levels and GSI (P<0.05) than that of genotype CC.Therefore, FSHβ gene could be a useful molecular marker in selection for prominent reproductive trait in Japanese Flounder.

3D Elastic Registration of Ultrasound Images Based on Skeleton Feature

In order to eliminate displacement and elastic deformation between images of adjacent frames in course of 3D ultrasonic image reconstruction, elastic registration based on skeleton feature was adopt in this paper. A new automatically skeleton tracking extract algorithm is presented, which can extract connected skeleton to express figure feature. Feature points of connected skeleton are extracted automatically by accounting topical curvature extreme points several times. Initial registration is processed according to barycenter of skeleton. Whereafter, elastic registration based on radial basis function are processed according to feature points of skeleton. Result of example demonstrate that according to traditional rigid registration, elastic registration based on skeleton feature retain natural difference in shape for organr s different part, and eliminate slight elastic deformation between frames caused by image obtained process simultaneously. This algorithm has a high practical value for image registration in course of 3D ultrasound image reconstruction.

A Long Lasting and Extensive Drought Event over China in 1876-1878

Between 1876 and 1878 a large-scale drought occurred in China. This is a major meteorological disaster and an extreme climate event despite the cold climate at the end of the Little Ice Age. In this paper the dynamic evolution of the occurrence and development of the drought is reproduced on the basis of historical literature records. These were used to calculate the yearly numbers of drought-hit counties and to determine the spatial distribution in addition with concomitant famine, locust plague and pestilence epidemic for each of the three years. The persistent drought disaster spread over 13 provinces with its center in Shaanxi, Henan and Shanxi provinces, where the continuous non-soaking rain period exceeded 340 days. Conclusively, it is more severe than the worst drought （1928-1930） in the 20th century. This drought disaster of 1876-1878 took place in the descending phase of the 11th sunspot activity period and the start of the 12th period. It also happened during a spell of frequent E1 Nino events and corresponds with an extremely strong E1 Nino.

Memory and Aesthetics： Study of Musical Quotations in Ives’s and Crumb’s Music

Throughout Western music history, pre-existing material has long been the aesthetic core of a new composition. Yet there has never been such an epoch as our time in which using pre-existing material, melodic quotation in particular, features so extensively in works of many of the composers. The aim of this paper is to investigate how the use of quoted tunes in a musical piece operates in an interwoven complex where time and space are of the essence. A quote is able to oscillate perpetually between one’s mental worlds of the memorable past and the imaginative present when it is highlighted enough to be recognizable from its surrounding context. Upon interpreting the use of quotation in various contexts, the aesthetic object, I argue, is the shift from original to quoted music, and vice versa. And listeners can respond aesthetically to the quotation itself even without knowledge of its provenance and textual or referential content.

Ambiguous Goods, Ambiguous Societies： On the Precariousness of Meanings

The producers-especially industrial-of artifacts view them as conveying distinct meanings, and they surround them with discourses to support their representation （marketing, packaging, and advertising）. Yet, these superimposed meanings say nothing about what the objects signify for their users. How are the objects manipulated by those who use them？ Only when both the meanings assigned by the manufacturers and those attributed by the users are known is it possible to determine the difference or similarity between the meanings imposed on objects from above and those produced by their users. We, thus, shift from an economic conception of consumption to one which emphasizes the cultural and communicative roles essential for granting material objects their social protagonism, freeing them from subordination to their producers without imprisoning them passively in the network of meanings constructed by consumers. Emphasizing that things have biographies, which can be more or less fully reconstructed and recounted, is useful not only for understanding the role that material objects perform in determining social phenomena independently from the intentions of their producers, but also for demonstrating the mutable character of their social presence. Objects, therefore, should be considered, not as commodities, but as materials for the social construction of reality, as provisional and negotiable meanings. It is precisely the provisional and negotiable nature of objects that makes them ontologically ambiguous things which communicate their own values, points of view, and so on.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in intron 1 and intron 2 of Larimichthys crocea growth hormone gene are correlated with growth traits

The growth hormone gene (GH) affects animal growth and is a potential target for genetic studies of variation related to growth traits. In this study, we analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GH intron regions and their associations with growth traits in large yellow croaker, Larimichthys crocea, from Zhejiang and Fujian stocks. The results of PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism showed two haplotypes of intron 1, named AA and AB genotypes, in Zhejiang stock. AB exhibited an SNP at position 196 (G A) that was negatively correlated with body height and positively correlated with standard length/body height (P 0.05). Two different genotypes, CC and CD, were identified in intron 2 in Fujian stock, with CD showing an SNP at position 692 (T C). The CD genotype had a significantly positive correlation with both weight and total length (P 0.01). These basic data highlight the potential for using GH as a genetic marker of fish growth in marker assisted selection.

On a Method of Climatological Observations Processing

The task of climate observation data processing is central to the quality of an assessment of future climate change impact. The current state-of-the-art is based on the long-running observation records of the meteorological stations. However, it is common for the developing states to have only relatively short and/or intermittent record histories. The issue becomes even more aggravated under an effort to assess the climatic trends for specific territories with few meteorological stations. The paper offers a simple and effective technique to handle the climate observations; the technique makes the most complete use of an available data set by counting the data provided by all meteorological stations including those with short records and omissions. The method is based on numeric differentiation of source data samples.

Algorithm Based on Morphological Component Analysis and Scale-Invariant Feature Transform for Image Registration

In this paper, we proposed a registration method by combining the morphological component analysis(MCA) and scale-invariant feature transform(SIFT) algorithm. This method uses the perception dictionaries,and combines the Basis-Pursuit algorithm and the Total-Variation regularization scheme to extract the cartoon part containing basic geometrical information from the original image, and is stable and unsusceptible to noise interference. Then a smaller number of the distinctive key points will be obtained by using the SIFT algorithm based on the cartoon part of the original image. Matching the key points by the constrained Euclidean distance,we will obtain a more correct and robust matching result. The experimental results show that the geometrical transform parameters inferred by the matched key points based on MCA+SIFT registration method are more exact than the ones based on the direct SIFT algorithm.

An automated fluorescent single strand conformation polymorphism technique for high throughput mutation screening

Objective To develop a high throughput mutational detection method by mutiple fluorescence-labeled polymerase chain reaction(PCR)products.Methods A total of 27 known mutations including 22 substitutions,3 insertions(1,2 and 7 bp)and 2 deletions(1 and 2 bp)in the hepatocyte nuclear factor(HNF)-4α,glucokinase and HNF-1α genes were tested.During nested PCR,amplified fragments were labeled with three fluorescent dyes.PCR products were visualized with an ABI-377 fluorescence sequencer using 5% glycerol or 10% sucrose in nondenaturing gel conditions.Results Twenty-five of 27 variants(93%)could be detected by combining 5% glycerol and 10% sucrosegel matrix conditions.Twenty-two of 27(82%)and 18 of 27(67%)variants were identified using 5%glycerol and 10% sucrose conditions,respectively.Conclusion This fluorescence-based PCR single strand conformation polymorphism technique represents a simple,non-hazardous,time-saving and sensitive method for high throughput mutation detection.

Experiment on Chinese postgraduates’recognizing 100 Everyday English adopting“MMOASAPMI”

The purpose of this study was to investigate the memory effects of the postgraduates’memorizing Everyday English from 30 to 100 using the Natural Numeral Imagery Memory(Method by memorizing the concrete objects associated with the shapes of Arabic numeral to produce marvelous imagination,MMOASAPMI).The results indicated as follows:Firstly,the postgraduates,who applied the MMOASAPMI to memorize and recall the Everyday English from 30 to 100,could recite them well in sequence backward,forward,and randomly.The reaction time of reciting any sentence randomly is no more than 2 seconds.Secondly,it can transform the materials of the short-term memory into long-term memory quickly,and effectively prevent them from the interference of proactive and retroactive inhibition,so it is useful for keeping memorized information with less loss and remaining for a long period.Thirdly,with the materials in strong sequence,large quantities and the difficulty to memorize,it is an extremely effective method for memorizing them.Fourthly,the keys to improving the memory efficiency are the well-storing skills of memory,storing methods,and memory clues.

Marked ion current rectification in microchannels

Ion current rectification(ICR)is a physical phenomenon caused by asymmetric transport of anions and cations across an ion nanopore/channel,in which the ion current at a voltage of one polarity is much higher or lower than the one of opposite voltage polarity.Since ICR was first observed in a nanopipette in 1997,extensive research has been performed using various nanopores/nanochannels,revealing the applicability of ICR in various fields including fluidic logic circuits(i.e.,iontronics),energy conversion and storage,