Digital image processing of the Ghent altarpiece : supporting the painting's study and conservation treatment

In this article, we show progress in certain image processing techniques that can support the physical restoration of the painting, its art-historical analysis, or both. We show how analysis of the crack patterns could indicate possible areas of overpaint, which may be of great value for the physical restoration campaign, after further validation. Next, we explore how digital image inpainting can serve as a simulation for the restoration of paint losses. Finally, we explore how the statistical analysis of the relatively simple and frequently recurring objects (such as pearls in this masterpiece) may characterize the consistency of the painter’s style and thereby aid both art-historical interpretation and physical restoration campaign

Influence of Slip on the Plateau-Rayleigh Instability on a Fibre

The Plateau-Rayleigh instability of a liquid column underlies a variety of fascinating phenomena that can be observed in everyday life. In contrast to the case of a free liquid cylinder, describing the evolution of a liquid layer on a solid fibre requires consideration of the solid-liquid interface. In this article, we revisit the Plateau-Rayleigh Instability of a liquid coating a fibre by varying the hydrodynamic boundary condition at the fibre-liquid interface, from no-slip to slip. While the wavelength is not sensitive to the solid-liquid interface, we find that the growth rate of the undulations strongly depends on the hydrodynamic boundary condition. The experiments are in excellent agreement with a new thin film theory incorporating slip, thus providing an original, quantitative and robust tool to measure slip lengths

Casting Pearls Before Swine: Why the Public\u27s Darling Right to Pollute Should Have Been Overturned in Recent SCOVA Decision

This Note calls for the Virginia Supreme Court to recognize that a city’s right to freely pollute the public waterways is no longer valid under the Virginia Constitution, and to recognize that the line of Darling cases granting municipalities the public right to pollute waterways should have been overturned. Part I will set out the foundation for this Note. It will discuss the background of Johnson v. City of Suffolk, laying the context for this Note’s discussion. Part II will engage in an analysis of the rationale for Darling. It will contextualize and compare it to current understandings of the relevant doctrines. Part III will then assess how courts applied the Darling right in cases in light of changed environmental regulations and statutes. Lastly, Part IV will analyze Johnson, and discuss how the Darling right should have been applied, as opposed to how it was in fact applied. This abstract has been taken from the author\u27s introduction

Book review: beyond South Asia: India’s strategic evolution and the reintegration of the subcontinent by Neil Padukone

In Beyond South Asia: India’s Strategic Evolution and the Reintegration of the Subcontinent, Neil Padukone explores India’s strategic thought and culture since independence, and the domestic and regional factors that have shaped it. Raj Verma writes that while the book is an easy and accessible read, it suffers from some major and minor errors which undermine its analytical rigour, and readers should be mindful of its shortcomings

Management of a bioeroding sponge on the pearl oyster, pinctada maxima

This thesis examines environmentally and economically viable ways to manage a sponge that is bioeroding the pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima, in pearl oyster farms throughout north-western Australia. The sponge is causing a massive loss in revenue to the pearling industry as a result of damage to the half-shell, the pearl and, often, death of the oyster. The information arising from this study is important for pearl producers and the Australian pearling industry, to ensure that the best quality P. maxima can be grown in a way that will not have adverse effects on the pristine environment in which these sensitive organisms live. It is of uttermost importance to the pearl oyster farms that solutions to the problem are environmentally appropriate. Control of the sponge, of the family Clionidae and the genus Cliona in addition to other related genera, was based on knowledge of its reproductive cycle, so that a deterrent to egg release can be applied at a time when the sponge is at a vulnerable stage in its life cycle. The reproductive cycle of the sponge was examined using light microscopy, after the sponge samples had been processed using histological methods. The reproductive cycle of the sponge was examined over a 12-month period at five different pearl oyster farms in north-western Australia. Reproductive activity was correlated with environmental parameters, including water temperature and salinity. The results of these studies were integrated and management recommendations based on these results were made, The study on reproduction of the sponge found no indication of reproductive activity for three of the farms (Morgan Pearl farm and both Paspaley Pearl farms at Vansittart Bay and Port Bremer) participating in the study. The samples from Maxima Pearl presented some reproductive activity, while Arrow Pearl had relatively high reproductive activity. Additionally, reproduction occurred at two different times of the year. This study concluded that management of the bioeroding sponge can be improved with knowledge of its reproductive cycle. Other longer-term studies are, however, essential for improved management recommendations. The current management technique recommended, the application of a paint that will smother and kill the sponge infestation, is thought to be environmentally benign and has the potential for pearl producers to reduce the revenue lost as a result of the sponge. This technique should be continued with modifications on the timing of the application to coincide with reproductive activity of the sponge, thereby reducing sponge settlement and consequently reducing farm costs. For the recommended management strategies to be effectively utilised, further research is needed into the origins and reproductive cycle of this bioeroding sponge

Writing Sample

Excerpt from Strand of a Thousand Pearls