From Zheng Qiang to Jiang Shuiying: The feminization of a revolutionary hero in Maoist theatre's 'Song of the Dragon River'

Since the 1980s, analysis of the representation of women in Maoist theatre has argued that the heroines of the Cultural Revolution model works (yangbanxi) were 'gender-less revolutionaries erased of anything feminine. This article challenges such a view through a case study of Song of the Dragon River in which the male hero of the 1964 spoken drama version was changed to a female in the 1972 yangbanxi adaptation. Evidence is presented that the characterization of the heroine in the latter work conforms closely not only with traditional beliefs in innate female characteristics but also with current Chinese beliefs in the characteristics of successful women in leadership. Rosemary Roberts is a lecturer in Chinese at the University of Queensland, Australia. She completed postgraduate studies at Beijing University in the early 1980s and has a PhD in Chinese literature from the Australian National University. She has published numerous articles and translations in the field of Chinese literature and culture and is currently writing a book on gender in Maoist theatre of the Cultural Revolution.

'The bloke with a stroke' - Alick Wickham, the 'crawl' and social memory

Solomon Islander swimmer Alick Wickham is a celebrated figure in Australian, Solomon Islander and international sport history. His iconic status is inextricably linked to the myth that he introduced the crawl stroke, commonly known as freestyle, to Australia and hence the wider world. The focus of this paper is not the mythic qualities of Wickham's contribution to the crawl stroke, but rather how this myth has been enmeshed in a range of discourses. Through the lens of postcolonialism and by focusing on the creation of social memory - in literature, postage stamps and documentaries Wickham's contribution to the crawl stroke has been represented in three dominant ways: as a racial discourse centring on the social construction of the 'nimble savage', as part of Australian nationalism in terms of the nation's contribution to world swimming, and as a discernible dimension in the construction of Solomon Islander identity after independence.

Imitating the neighbours: vocal dialect matching in a mimic-model system

Vocal mimicry provides a unique system for investigating song learning and cultural evolution in birds. Male lyrebirds produce complex vocal displays that include extensive and accurate mimicry of many other bird species. We recorded and analysed the songs of the Albert's lyrebird (Menura alberti) and its most commonly imitated model species, the satin bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus), at six sites in southeast Queensland, Australia. We show that each population of lyrebirds faithfully reproduces the song of the local population of bowerbirds. Within a population, lyrebirds show less variation in song structure than the available variation in the songs of the models. These results provide the first quantitative evidence for dialect matching in the songs of two species that have no direct ecological relationship.

A morphological study of the Anopheles punctulatus group (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Solomon Islands, with a description of Anopheles (Cellia) irenicus Schmidt, sp.n.

A description of Anopheles (Cellia) irenicus Schmidt, sp.n. (formerly A. farauti No. 7) is provided. This species is one of six recorded from the Solomon Islands within the A. punctulatus group, which contains the major vectors of the causative agents of malaria and lymphatic filariasis in the southwest Pacific. Morphological markers are described for adult females, fourth-instar larvae and pupae that identify most specimens of A. irenicus. Keys are presented to distinguish members of the A. punctulatus group in the Solomon Islands.

The effects of a song-singing programme on the affective speaking intonation of people with traumatic brain injury

Primary objective: To examine changes in the relationship between intonation, voice range and mood following music therapy programmes in people with traumatic brain injury. Research design: Data from four case studies were pooled and effect size, ANOVA and correlation calculations were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. Methods and procedures: Subjects sang three self-selected songs for 15 sessions. Speaking fundamental frequency, fundamental frequency variability, slope, voice range and mood were analysed pre- and post-session. Results: Immediate treatment effects were not found. Long-term improvements in affective intonation were found in three subjects, especially in fundamental frequency. Voice range improved over time and was positively correlated with the three intonation components. Mood scale data showed that immediate effects were in the negative direction whereas there weres increases in positive mood state in the longer-term. Conclusions: Findings suggest that, in the long-term, song singing can improve vocal range and mood and enhance the affective intonation styles of people with TBI.

ICP-MS Trace Element Analysis of Song Dynasty Porcelains from Ding, Jiexiu and Guantai kilns, North China

Bodies of Ding kiln white porcelains and their imitations from Guantai and Jiexiu kilns of the Chinese Song dynasty (960-1279 AD) were analysed for 40 trace elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Numerous trace element compositions and ratios allow these visually similar products to be distinguished, and a Ding-style shard of uncertain origin is identified as a likely genuine Ding product. In Jiexiu kiln, Ding-style products have trace element features distinctive from blackwares of an inferior quality intended for the lower end market. Based on geochemical behaviour of these trace elements, we propose that geochemically distinctive raw materials were used for Ding-style products of a higher quality, which possibly also underwent purification by levigation prior to use. Capable of analysing over 40 elements with a typical long term precision of < 2%, this high precision ICP-MS method proves to be very powerful for grouping and characterising archaeological ceramics. Combined with geochemical interpretation, it can provide insights into the raw materials and techniques used by ancient potters. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.