Differential Avian Skeletal Part Distribution: Explaining the Abundance of Wings

An abundance of wings relative to other skeletal parts has been observed in avifaunal assemblages from many different types of archaeological sites from numerous locations around the world and of various time periods. Both cultural and post-depositional hypotheses have been proposed to explain this pattern. One of the most powerful explanations to account for this phenomenon is differential survival of avian elements due to bone density. Although bone density has not been systematically measured for all types of birds, I test this hypothesis using predictions derived from observations about the functional anatomy of birds using archaeological data from numerous sites in the Pacific Northwest Coast (U.S.A.). I conclude that the density hypothesis is not supported at these sites, and that other hypotheses must be examined further.     

The sociospatial ecology of deaths during police interactions in the United States, 2016–2020

Who dies in police custody? Where? To answer these questions, we use spatially disaggregated georeferenced data that measure 9098 deaths occurring by multiple causes during interactions with police throughout the U.S. from 2016 to 2020. We use a Sociospatial Ecology framework and Bayesian statistics over U.S. counties that establishes the relationship between social contexts – regional poverty, White/non-White population, violent crime rates, and political identity – and the risk of dying during police interactions. In addition, we evaluate the effects of police force Whiteness on deaths during police interactions. Controlling for alternative explanations, we show heterogeneous distributions of fatality risk, with large clusters in the Southwest and isolated high-probability pockets in other states. Risk maps allowing for visualization of these patterns are provided. We arrive at five main results. 1) There is a general trend of higher death during police interaction in areas of high poverty, fewer White people, higher violent crime rates, and higher populations with conservative values. 2) A great risk of deadly encounters for Black people exists throughout most of the U.S., while regional patterns of high risk exist for all other people of color. 3) White deaths during police interactions are most sensitive to ecological factors. 4) The risk of Blacks getting killed by police increases in White areas regardless of violent crime rates. 5) Higher proportions of White police within U.S. counties leads to higher interactive death risk for all races/ethnicities except Asian/Pacific Islander. Ultimately, our findings identify widespread racial/ethnic biases in situations of power and control.     

Estimating Relative Standard of Living in the United States Using Cross-Migration Data

A new estimator links migration data to a random utility "voting with your feet" model to compare the relative living standards of pairs of regions. It is argued that this estimator has a firmer theoretical basis and uses migration information more efficiently than previous methods. An algorithm converts pairwise comparisons into rankings of the U.S. states for 1970, 1980, and 1990. The rankings indicate living standards were highest in the Northwest (1970, 1980) and the south Atlantic coast (1990). A nonparametric test suggests that the system was in disequilibrium in 1980 (probably due to energy price shocks), but near equilibrium in 1970 and 1990.     

The Ecology of Command: U.S. Pacific Command and the Environment of the Pacific Rim

Abstract

Environmental ethicists speak fervently about the impact of human activity on the sustainability and survivability of Earth's community. But often these discussions fail to acknowledge one human activity more powerful and with the potential for greater destruction than any other— the United States military and its "empire of bases" encircling the globe. Military operations, both peacetime missions and contingency operations, and military installations stamp a large footprint on the earth's environment. From the atmospheric nuclear tests in the Bikini Atoll to the removal of the coral reef at Diego Garcia, the environment of the Pacific Rim has been shaped by the demands of U.S. national security. This paper examines the environmental footprint of U.S. Pacific Command. Secondly, it suggests that the exigencies of U.S. military presence need to be included in discussions of environmental ethics.     

General Seismic Load Distribution for Optimum Performance-Based Design of Shear-Buildings

An optimization method based on uniform damage distribution is used to find optimum design load distribution for seismic design of regular and irregular shear-buildings to achieve minimum structural damage. By using 75 synthetic spectrum-compatible earthquakes, optimum design load distributions are obtained for different performance targets, dynamic characteristics, and site soil classifications. For the same structural weight, optimum designed buildings experience up to 40% less global damage compared to code-based designed buildings. A new general load distribution equation is presented for optimum performance-based seismic design of structures which leads to a more efficient use of structural materials and better seismic performance.     

Resource Intensification and Resource Depression in the Pacific Northwest of North America: A Zooarchaeological Review

In the Pacific Northwest of North America, researchers routinely suggest changes in human use of animals explain hunter-gatherer organizational changes and development of cultural complexity. For example, most models developed to explain developing cultural complexity invoke salmon in some fashion. Yet until recently, fish remains were not carefully studied and more generally, zooarchaeological evidence has not been systematically used to test models of culture change. This study reviews the 10,000-year-old faunal record in the Pacific Northwest to test predictions drawn from models of resource intensification, resource depression and hunter-gatherer organizational strategies. The records from two subareas, the South-Central Northwest Coast (Puget Sound/Gulf of Georgia) and the Northern Columbia Plateau, are examined in detail, representing 63 archaeological sites. While minor changes in animal use are evident, the overall record is characterized by stability rather than change.     

Regional Wage Rigidity: The European Union and United States Compared

In recent years it has been pointed out that regional unemployment disparities are much more entrenched across member states of the European Union (E.U.) than they are in the U.S. A 'conventional wisdom' has emerged to the effect that this difference is due in part to the greater degree of wage rigidity in E.U. regions. In this paper we explore this issue by estimating short run and long run real wage (in)flexibility for the regions in five core E.U. countries (Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands) and for the U.S. states for the period 1976–1994. We find that real wage (in)flexibility varies across regions both in the E.U. and the U.S., but that, on average, regional wages are no less flexible in E.U. core regions than in U.S. states. The paper also examines some of the possible correlates ofregional variations in wage (in)flexibility.     

Diversity in North Pacific shellfish assemblages: the barnacles of Kit’n’Kaboodle Cave,Alaska

Although the dietary importance of barnacles is recognized in Europe and elsewhere around the world, indigenous use of barnacles on the Pacific coast of North America has not been well-documented. On the Northwest Coast, most shell middens located along estuaries are dominated by clams (such as Saxidomus, Protothaca, etc.), while those on the outer coast are dominated by mussels (Mytilus californianus). At Kit’n’Kaboodle Cave in southeast Alaska, the acorn barnacle Semibalanus cariosus is unusually abundant over a 3500-year period, but is replaced by mussels over time. These results are placed within a larger geographic context to more closely examine patterns of barnacle use by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest.     

Modernist Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Buildings of Barcelona: Seismic Vulnerability and Risk Assessment

The main objective of this work is to assess the vulnerability and seismic risk of typical existing modernist unreinforced masonry (URM) modernist buildings and aggregates situated in the Eixample district of Barcelona, part of the architectural heritage of the city. The context of the analysis is the methodology proposed by the Risk-UE project. The buildings are characterized by their capacity spectrum and the earthquake demand is defined by the 5% damped elastic response spectrum, considering deterministic and probabilistic earthquake scenarios. A discussion addresses the basis of the seismic damage states probabilities and the calculated damage index. An important research effort has been focused on the buildings modeling. All the architectural elements and their mechanical properties have been studied and evaluated accurately. It has been evidenced that a detailed and complete knowledge of all the structural elements existing in this type of buildings influence directly their behavior and hence the calculations and the results. The analysis of the isolated buildings and of the aggregate building has been performed for both mentioned seismic scenarios. Finally, a complete discussion of the results is included.     

Reflections on North American Pacific Coast prehistory

The Pacific Coast of North America was occupied by many distinctive groups of coastal hunter-gatherers at the times of early contacts with Europeans. Despite significant cultural diversity, Pacific Coast peoples shared lifeways oriented toward generally similar marine, nearshore, littoral, and estuarine habitats. In this paper, we examine some major issues that guide much of the archaeology done along the Pacific Coast, then discuss some of the theoretical and methodological problems that limit the efficacy of archaeological reconstructions. Most archaeological research conducted on North America's Pacific Coast has been oriented toward the search for the origins and development of a variety of cultural patterns. A comparative review of California and Northwest Coast sequences provides interesting parallels and discrepancies in the approaches taken in studying some of the major issues in Pacific Coast prehistory.     

Development of Damage Patterns and Fragility Curves in Brick-nogging Buildings from the Thabeikkyin Earthquake,Myanmar, 2012

The Thabeikkyin earthquake (moment magnitude scale of 6.8) occurred on November 11, 2012; its epicenter was located 25 km from Thabeikkyin Township, Mandalay Region, Myanmar. Many buildings were damaged severely during the earthquake. In this study, damage patterns of brick-nogging buildings were firstly developed, and damage grades were characterized to allow for easy classification of the damaged buildings. The damaged data of all building types in the surveyed areas were collected by classifying the four damage levels as no damage, slight damage, moderate damage, and heavy damage. To develop the damage patterns of brick-nogging buildings, damage categories were arranged into three damage grades (slight, moderate, and heavy damage). Secondly, a questionnaire survey was conducted to calculate the seismic intensities of the affected areas. Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik (MSK) seismic intensities for the surveyed areas were estimated by analyzing the questionnaire survey responses. Finally, fragility curves for brick-nogging buildings were constructed using the estimated seismic intensities from the survey responses combined with the damage levels. These fragility curves may be useful to assess damage to brick-nogging buildings and to predict the number of damaged buildings in future earthquakes.     

An innovative methodology of assessing the climate change impact on cultural heritage

Climate change is expected to have a severe impact on cultural heritage in the future. This study presents the methodology developed during the FP7 project Climate for Culture, of assessing the climate change impact on collection objects in cultural heritage buildings. The main innovation lies in coupling new high resolution future climate projections with building simulation tools in order to predict future indoor climate and identify future risks in historic buildings. The case study is an intermittently heated wooden chapel in Croatia. The whole building simulation model of the chapel was validated using a newly developed method of accuracy assessment in the context of preventive conservation. Even though modeling intermittent heating induces limitations in the model, it can be used for computing of future indoor data. Future indoor climate data was assessed for possible risks of biological, mechanical, and chemical damage to painted wooden panels using the newly developed specific climate risk assessment. When using this method of damage assessment on buildings with active climate control, especially with intermittent heating, it is recommended to determine the relevant season for the damage process in order to objectively analyze results.     

战时合作的“中间人”:中国战区青年译员与美军的相处

太平洋战争爆发后,中美开展紧密的军事合作,在中国战区大量征调青年译员成为重要一环。译员服务于美军的工作特殊性,使美方可影响到译员的待遇水平;但译员也面临地位不明、管理混乱以及职责不清等诸多问题。中美之间在文化与体制上的"隔阂",使译员与美军的相处存有不少冲突。国民政府既要防止译员成为美方的工具,同时也要保障译员的"人格"以维护中国之"国格"。作为战时合作的"中间人",盟军机制里的中国青年译员是中国近代史上最独特的翻译群体,同时也体现了战时青年参与抗战的重要形式。     

The Crédit Mobilier Scandal and the Supreme Court: Corporate Power, Corporate Person, and Government Control in the Mid-nineteenth Century

In 1867, Francis Train, a powerful director of the Union Pacific Railroad, devised a surefire way to make some money. Train established a trust company, Crédit Mobilier of America, which was completely owned by a small group of directors of the Union Pacific. The group soon became known as the Pacific Railroad Ring. Because they controlled the board of directors of the Union Pacific, the ring was able to award building contracts to Crédit Mobilier, giving wildly favorable terms and paying exorbitant prices for the work. They used this scheme to siphon money out of the Union Pacific and into the coffers of their own company. In actuality, the primary function of the Crédit Mobilier Company was to shift money—money that came from the U.S. Treasury and the pockets of the Union Pacific's minor shareholders. As railroad reformer Charles Frances Adams Jr. put it, "They receive money into one hand as a corporation, and pay it out into the other as a contractor." The profit they kept for themselves. ¹     

Long-term developments in complex hunter-gatherer societies: Recent perspectives from the pacific coast of North America

The Pacific coast of North America is ideally suited to the study of long-term developments in complex hunter-gatherer societies. This paper synthesizes current research in California and the Northwest Coast on three related research problems. The first concerns the timing, spatial distribution, and economies of the earliest coastal peoples in the region. The second problem involves the growth and florescence of complex Pacific hunter-gatherer societies. What constitutes archaeological evidence of hunter-gatherer complexity, when and where it occurs, and the interpretations proposed to account for it are reviewed. The final problem addresses how complex hunter-gatherer peoples responded to European exploration and colonization, and how these early encounters affected the Pacific coast societies recorded in early ethnohistoric accounts and later studied by ethnographers.     

Mind the Gaps: The Evolution of Regional Earnings Inequalities in the U.K., 1982–1997

In this paper we apply earnings equations for U.K. regions over 1982–1997. We find evidence of rapid convergence across regions regarding the determinants of individual wages (i.e., regional fixed-effects, gender gaps, and returns to education and experience). In contrast, data on average regional earnings point to a worsening of U.K. regional inequalities and a rise in the North-South gap. Education accounts for most of the discrepancy between aggregate divergence and disaggregated convergence. First, London gained because its workforce became relatively more educated over the period. Second, returns to education increased nationwide, which favored the most educated regions (i.e., London). Third, returns to education were initially lower in London but they (partially) caught up with the rest of the country. Had returns to education and their distribution across U.K. regions remained stable over the period, the U.K. North-South divide would have decreased.     

CHARACTERIZATION OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST OBSIDIAN BY X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS

Several geological sources of obsidian in the Pacific Northwest have been characterized by means of their trace element concentrations, as measured by X-ray fluorescence analysis. The technique is fast and completely non-destructive, making it well-suited for identifying the sources of obsidian from which artifacts were fabricated.     

PONAPE: A PACIFIC ECONOMY IN TRANSITION: A REVIEW ARTICLE

Ponape: A Pacific Economy in Transition. A Review Article. By William R. Bascom. Anthropological Records, Vol. 22. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, U.S.A., 1965. Pp. 156. Price $US; 3.     

CONSERVATION LAND AMENITIES AND REGIONAL ECONOMIES: A POSTMATCHING DIFFERENCE‐IN‐DIFFERENCES ANALYSIS OF THE NORTHWEST FOREST PLAN

The 1994 Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) resulted in the protection of over 11 million acres of public forestland in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. This paper quantifies the amenity effect arising from protected NWFP lands on long‐run community economic growth. Using community fixed effects and postmatching panel regression to control for many sources of bias, we find highly localized and positive amenity impacts on the growth in median income, population, and property values for small communities close to protected NWFP land, as compared to communities far from the NWFP. We find no effect on medium‐sized communities.     

Characterization of timber masonry walls with dynamic tests

Timber-framed wall buildings are seen all over Europe, especially in seismic regions, given its adequacy to resist earthquakes. The “Pombalino” buildings, developed after the great 1755 earthquake that destroyed Lisbon, constitute one of the best examples of historic seismic-resistant structures based on timber-framed masonry walls. The research presented in this article aimed at experimentally evaluating the seismic behavior of the “Pombalino” buildings. The experimental program was based on extensive dynamic testing on sub-structures of typical “Frontal” walls (the timber masonry walls), carried out at the LNEC (the Portuguese National Laboratory of Civil Engineering) shaking table. The tests comprised (a) seismic tests, in which the seismic action was applied with increasing amplitude in one direction; and (b) dynamic identification tests, aiming at evaluating the dynamic properties of the sub-structures and their evolution with damage accumulation.