From local to World Heritage: a comparative analysis

This paper aims to assess the implementation of the 1972 Convention in 10 countries (Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States) which were part of a research network funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council in 2012–15 by examining the selection process of cultural properties at the national level through a survey. The survey consisted of a questionnaire that aimed to identify national practices regarding the identification and nomination of sites for submission on the state’s Tentative List and then onto the World Heritage List. It highlighted that despite the efforts of the World Heritage Committee to unify the submission process through long and detailed Operational Guidelines, there are important differences at a national level that lead to the List’s lack of representativity and an heterogeneous implementation of the Convention

The Preservation of Door Gods in Traditional Taiwanese Temples

[EN] This paper focuses on the study and conservation of the gods painted on the doors of traditional temples in Taiwan. These paintings are continually exposed to poor environmental conditions (especially sunlight, rain, and pollution) and human factors, such as continuous ritual activities. After reviewing the technical characteristics of these paintings and their origins, traditional views and contemporary practices followed in the restoration of temples are explored. Since preventive conservation is a key issue in the preservation of cultural heritage, some solutions that have already been carried out, as well as suggestions for others that could be put into practice in order to improve the situation and extend the life expectancy of these paintings, are considered. Finally, while it is inevitable to try to preserve some of the most outstanding pieces, the possibility of considering these works as ephemeral is contemplated. This may seem contradictory, but it is, in fact, a relatively common situation when addressing the conservation of religious heritage in use. Undoubtedly, the preservation of this heritage still raises many questions and exposes a number of contradictions.Wu, W.; Barros García, JM. (2020). The Preservation of Door Gods in Traditional Taiwanese Temples. Studies in Conservation. 65(8):475-486. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2020.1712110S475486658Clart, P., & Jones, C. B. (Eds.). (2003). Religion in Modern Taiwan. doi:10.1515/9780824845063Ferrazza, L., and D. Juanes Barber. 2014. Informe preliminar: análisis de la pintura sobre tabla de dos puertas orientales (N° de registro: 233/2014). Subdirección de Conservación, Restauración e Investigación IVC + R de CulturArts Generalitat Valenciana (unpublished).ICOMOS. 2013. The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance. https://australia.icomos.org/publications/charters/.Li, L.F. 2004. “An Introduction to the Study of the Conservation and Restoration of Monument III- Xingji Temple’s Paintings in Tainan [台南市三級古蹟興濟宮建築彩繪保存修護研究案例介紹].” In 2004 Congress on the Conservation and Restoration of Building Paintings [年建築彩繪保存修護研習]. December 12–26, 2004. Tainan [in Chinese].Li, H.Y. 2012. Lectures on the Deterioration of Wood Structures and the Prevention and Control of Insects in Historical Buildings [古蹟歷史建築木構造生物劣化與蟲蟻防治教育研習講座]. [in Chinese].Li, L.F., M.S. Zheng, and Y.L. Cai. 2008. “The Current State of Conservation and Preservation of the Architectural Paintings of Taiwanese Temples [台灣寺廟建築彩繪保存維護現況].” In Congress on the Conservation and Preservation of Paintings on Wood in East Asian Architecture [東亞木構建築彩繪保存維護研討會]. March 14, 2008. Tainan [in Chinese].Pan, H. 2004. “The Study on the Basement Materials Coated for Architectural Paints. The Contemporary Ones in Taiwan as an Example [建築彩繪地仗層之研究-以台灣當代作法為例.” Master Diss., National Cheng Kung University, Tainan [in Chinese]. http://ir.lib.ncku.edu.tw/handle/987654321/27772.Tang, Y.F. 2006. “A Study on Thinking of the Temple Paintings Conservation in Taiwan [台灣寺廟彩畫維護思維之研究].” Master Diss., Shu-Te University, Kaohsiung [in Chinese].Tseng, Y., Wu, C., Juan, C., Wang, S., Li, Z., Kuo, K., … Wu, W. (2014). Conservation of polychrome paintings in Tien-hou Kung, Penghu, Taiwan. Studies in Conservation, 59(sup1), S271-S272. doi:10.1179/204705814x13975704320837Tung, Y.Y., and S. Hsieh. 2010. “Exploring the Approach to the Conservation and Restoration of Taiwan’s Traditional Temple Artifacts.” In Multidisciplinary Conservation: A Holistic View for Historic Interiors. ICOM-CC Interim Meeting, Rome. https://www.icom-cc.org/54/document/exploring-the-approach-to-the-conservation-and-restoration-of-taiwans-traditional-temple-artifacts/?id=862.Wu, W. 2016. “Estudio y Conservación de las Pinturas de los Dioses, Realizadas por el Pintor Cai Cao-Ru, en las Puertas de los Templos de Taiwan.” PhD diss., Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia. https://hdl.handle.net/10251/61040.Xu, M.F. 2003. “Conservation and Restoration of Paintings in Traditional Taiwanese Temples Considered Monuments: The Case of Tainan [由南瀛的案例來談台灣傳統寺廟古蹟彩畫的保存與修復].” The Landscape of Humanism: Presentations at the Tainan Traditional Art Seminar [南瀛人文景觀: 南瀛傳統藝術硏討會論文集]. Yilan: National Center for Traditional Arts [in Chinese].Xue, Q. 1997. “Techniques for the Restoration of Paintings in Traditional Constructions [傳統建築彩繪修護技術].” Traditional Art Seminar 1997 [年傳統藝術研討會論文集]. Taipei: Taipei National University of the Arts, Center for Traditional Arts [in Chinese]

Archaeological Ethnography, Heritage Management, and Community Archaeology: A Pragmatic Approach from Crete

This article examines the introduction of archaeological ethnography as an approach to establish positioned research and bring context-specific and reflexive considerations into community archaeology projects. It considers recent cri-tiques of heritage management in archaeology and the role of archaeologists as experts in it, contending that smaller and less prominent sites exist in different contexts and pose different problems than large-scale projects usually addressed in the literature. We describe how the ‘Three Peak Sanctuaries of Central Crete’ project, investigating prehistoric Minoan ritual sites, involves communities and stakeholders and what demands the latter pose on experts in the field. Archae-ological work is always already implicated in local development projects which create and reproduce power hierarchies. It is therefore important that archaeol-ogists maintain their critical distance from official heritage discourses, as they are materialized in development programmes, while at the same time engaging with local expectations and power struggles; they also have to critically address and position their own assumptions. We use examples from our community archae-ology project to propose that these goals can be reached through archaeological ethnographic fieldwork that should precede any archaeological project to inform its methodological decisions, engage stakeholders, and collaboratively shape heritage management strategies

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Representations of the Nation and Cultural Diversity in Discourses on World Heritage

This article presents the main values for which 106 sites have been nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage List. The article then analyses how these values have been used for the representation of the nation, the past and cultural diversity and the construction of national collective identities. The exclusions of specific themes and groups of the population as well as their histories and values from these representations are highlighted. Finally, international efforts that aim to relocate these themes and subjects from a marginal to a more central position within official discourses on World Heritage are detailed

Selenocysteine derivatives I. Sidechain conformational potential energy surface of N-acetyl-L-selenocysteine-N-methylamide (MeCO-L-Sec-NH-Me) in its beta(L) backbone conformation

Selenocysteine is expected to have 92=81 conformations [in the backbone: y(g+,a,g-)¥f(g+,a,g-); 32=9 and in the sidechain: c1(g+,a,g-)¥c2(g+,a,g-); 32=9]. All torsional modes of the sidechain (c1: rotation about the Ca–Cb and c2: rotation about the Cb–Se bonds) were investigated in the relaxed bl backbone [(y,f), (a,a)] conformation. The relaxed potential energy surface (PES) obtained at the RHF/3-21G level of theory contained seven out of nine possible minima of the sidechain. All minima were re-optimized at the RHF/6-31G(d) and the B3LYP/6-31G(d) levels of theory. Two of the minima (g+a) and (g-g+) located at RHF/3-21G level of theory were annihilated when optimized at higher levels of theory. The frequency calculations for the found minima were used to construct the thermodynamic functions. The relative energies of the –CH2–SeH sidechain conformations have been compared with the relative energies of the analogous –CH2–SH and –CH2–OH sidechain conformers. Oxidative dimerization energies were also estimated

Characterization of ZnO structures by optical and X-ray methods

ZnO thin films doped by Ga and In as well as multilayer structures of ZnO/Al2O3 have been investigated by X-ray fluorescence, Raman spectrometry, spectroscopic ellipsometry and vacuum ultra violet reflectometry. Systematic changes in the optical properties have been revealed even for Ga concentrations below 1%. The Raman active phonon mode of Ga doping at 580 cm−1 shows a correlation with the Ga concentration. Optical models with surface nanoroughness correction and different parameterizations of the dielectric function have been investigated. There was a good agreement between the dielectric functions determined by the Herzinger–Johs polynomial parameterization and by direct inversion. It has been shown that the correction of the nanoroughness significantly influences the accuracy of the determination of the layer properties. The band gap and peak amplitude of the imaginary part of the dielectric function corresponding to the excitonic transition changes systematically with the Ga-content and with annealing even for low concentrations