A regional approach to cultural preservation: A central american example
The transition to democratic governments in Central America over the past decade, and the subsequent emergence of institutional mechanisms for regional cooperation have greatly increased the frequency and productivity of efforts for preservation of cultural patrimony. Both the archaeological and colonial data bases overlap modern political boundaries and regional collaboration in training, pubic education, curation and research is essential. Natural forces continually impact, and human economic forces (especially international tourism) increasingly impact cultural resources. Regional cooperation in the utilization of human resources is necessary to confront the management and salvage demands of major economic development projects, and rescue efforts following natural disasters. The development of policies and programs will be effective only if matched by the growth of cultural preservation professionals in each of the Central American republics. Finally, other art consuming nations in addition to the United States must begin to respect the cultural heritage of the Central American countries and develop policies to deter abuses by diplomatic staff and employees of NGO’s (nongovernment organizations)
Archaeological prospection of north Eastern Honduras with airborne mapping LiDAR
In the last five years airborne mapping LiDAR has become an extremely valuable tool for archeologists studying ancient human settlements. It has proven especially useful in regions covered by dense forests on which prospection with other remote sensing techniques is not possible. However, due to the high upfront cost required to perform a LIDAR survey its use has been limited to expanding the knowledge of function and extent of previously well studied archaeological sites. In this paper we present results from a purely exploratory LiDAR survey that was conducted over the Mosquitia region of Honduras. From the geodetic images produced the archaeologists identified the first-ever large scale settlements documented in the region, a region for which a comprehensive record of inhabitation prior the European contact is still lacking.
Experimental Study for a Double-Glazed Forced-Flow Solar Collector/Regenerator
Experimental study of a double-glazed forced-convection solar collector/regenerator for absorption solar cooling is presented. The south facing experimental solar collector/regenerator with 10 deg slope is located at Kaohsiung, Taiwan at 120{degree}19minutesE longitude and 22{degree}34minutesN latitude. The size of the collector is 1 m wide and 7 m long with an effective regeneration area of 0.9 m by 6 m. Previous study for single-glazed forced-convection solar collector/regenerator operated at the same location has shown to have a best day-average efficiency of 17%. In order to raise the system performance, a double-glazed collector/regenerator is constructed such that air can be preheated in the upper channel flow. The preheated air is then conducted into the lower channel where it contacts with the film flow of solar heated lithium-chloride solution and regenerates the solution by carrying out the evaporated water vapor. The preheated air has lower relative humidity but the same humidity ratio since it is sensibly heated. Therefore, the regeneration driving potential is increased. The present study shows that the best day-average efficiency can reach 20% which increases the feasibility of the open-cycle absorption solar cooling system. Effects of controlling parameters on the collector/regenerator performance are studied, and heat and mass transfer correlationsmore » are also presented for design purposes.« less