SEISMIC WAVE ATTENUATION FOR VRANCEA EVENTS REVISITED

New aspects of the frequency-dependent attenuation of the seismic waves travelling from Vrancea subcrustal sources toward NW (Transylvanian Basin) and SE (Romanian Plain) are evidenced by the recent experimental data made available by the CALIXTO'99 tomography experiment. The observations validate the previous theoretical computations performed for the assessment, by means of a deterministic approach, of the seismic hazard in Romania. They reveal an essential aspect of the seismic ground motion attenuation that has important implications on the probabilistic assessment of seismic hazard from Vrancea intermediate-depth earthquakes. The attenuation toward NW is shown to be a much stronger frequency-dependent effect than the attenuation toward SE and the seismic hazard computed by the deterministic approach fits satisfactorily well the observed ground motion distribution in the low-frequency band (<1Hz). The apparent contradiction with the historically-based intensity maps arises mainly from a systematic difference in the eigenperiods (type and size) of the buildings in the intra- and extra-Carpathians regions, thus the existing macroseismic data, based on buildings of small dimensions, i.e. with high eigenfrequency (5–10 Hz), can hardly be representative of the real hazard for new and large dimension, tall buildings, with eigenfrequency above 1 Hz.     

Experimental Dynamic Behavior of Free-Standing Multi-Block Structures Under Seismic Loadings

This article describes the dynamical behavior of free-standing block structures under seismic loading. A comprehensive experimental investigation has been carried out to study the rocking response of four single blocks of different geometry and associations of two and three blocks. The blocks, which are large stones of high strength blue granite, were subjected to free vibration, and harmonic and random motions of the base. In total, 379 tests on a shaking table were carried out in order to address the issues of repeatability of the results and stability of the rocking motion response. Significant understanding of the rocking motion mechanism is possible from the high quality experimental data. Extensive experimental measurements allowed to discuss the impulsive forces acting in the blocks and the three-dimensional effects presented in the response.     

Changing places: investigating the cultural terrain of village pubs in south Northamptonshire

The village pub has traditionally held an important ‘place’ in British economy and society and as such is an interesting site for social and cultural analysis. At one level, it is a site with pronounced mythic qualities. Yet on another level, the place of the village pub is highly unstable and contested, with many reportedly facing closure. Adopting an avowedly ‘production-centred’ approach, this paper presents exploratory survey findings from two case study villages in south Northamptonshire. This includes an examination of each pub's input supply network, including links with brewers and other suppliers. The paper attempts to move beyond viewing the village pub simply as a declining rural service and focuses in particular on the ways in which pubs commodify ‘local culture’ as an economic resource. It concludes by introducing the concept of ‘cultural terrain’ and its application to the study of village pubs and rural services more generally.

Changement de décor: examiner le champ culturel des pubs de village dans le sud du Northamptonshire

Le pub de village a conservé depuis longtemps une «place» importante dans l'économie et la société de l'Angleterre. Il est un lieu qui présente un grand intérêt pour analyser les dimensions sociales et culturelles. Le pub de village est d'emblée un lieu ayant acquis d'importantes qualités mythiques, mais occupe à un autre niveau une place très instable et contestée. Selon les informations disponibles, plusieurs auraient déclaré faillite. Partant d'une approche ouvertement «centrée sur la production», cet article présente des conclusions d'une étude de cas exploratoire réalisée sur deux villages dans le sud du Northamptonshire. Il est proposé un examen du réseau d'approvisionnement de chaque pub, y compris les partenariats avec les brasseurs et fournisseurs. L'article tente de dépasser l'idée que le pub de village est un service rural en voie de disparition. Il porte principalement sur les façons dont les pubs commercialise la «culture locale» pour en faire une ressource économique. L'article se termine par un survol de la notion de «champ culturel» et de son application dans la présente étude sur les pubs de village et les services ruraux en général.

Cambiar de lugar: una investigación del terreno cultural de los bares de pueblos en el sur de Northamptonshire

Tradicionalmente el bar de un pueblo ha ocupado un lugar importante en la economía y la sociedad británicas y por eso es un sitio interesante donde hacer análisis social y cultural. A un nivel es un sitio de cualidades míticas pero a otro nivel el lugar del bar del pueblo es muy inestable, ya que muchos corren el peligro de que los cierren. Con un enfoque centrado en la producción, este papel presenta los resultados de estudios preliminares realizados en dos pueblos del sur de Northamptonshire. Incluye un examen de la red de proveedores de cada bar, incluyendo los vínculos con cervecerías y otros proveedores. El papel pretende ir más allá de la idea que hay del bar del pueblo como un servicio rural en declive y se centra en particular en las maneras en que los bares hacen mercancía de ‘la cultura local’ como recurso económico. Concluye por introducir el concepto de ‘terreno cultural’ y la aplicación de ello al estudio de los bares de pueblos y servicios en zonas rurales en general.     

De Bow’s Revolution: The Memory of the American Revolution in the Politics of the Sectional Crisis, 1850–1861

In January 1861 editor James D.B. De Bow advocated the secession of southern states from the union as he proclaimed to his readers that white Southerners “are mainly the descendants of those who fought the battles of the Revolution, and who understand and appreciate the nature and inestimable value of the liberty which it brought.” While editors on both sides of the Sectional Crisis over slavery in the 1850s and 60s claimed to be “custodians of the legacy of 1776” as they used the American Revolution symbolically in their rhetoric. By focusing on De Bow’s Review, a widely read and influential journal during this fight, we can gain a better understanding of the specific terms by which Southerners were encouraged to think of themselves not as rebels but as guardians of “the true American character.”     

The dry summer on the Upper Nile

EUROPE

Scottish Farming in the Eighteenth Century. By James E. Handley. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp.314. London: Faber and Faber Ltd, 1953. 25s.

The Scottish Islands. By George Scott‐Moncrieff. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 208. 98 illustrations. 4 sketch maps. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1952. 21s.

Skye: The Island and its Legends. By Otta F. Swire. Foreword by Sir William Tarn. 7 1/2 × 5. Pp. xii+244. Sketch map. London: Geoffrey Cumberlege, Oxford University Press, 1952. 15s.

The Central Highlands. Edited by H. Macrobert. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. viii+145. 15 figs. 49 photographs. End‐paper sketch map. [The Scottish Mountaineering Club Guides.] Edinburgh: The Scottish Mountaineering Club. Second edition, 1952. 15s.

Granite City: A Plan for Aberdeen. By W. Dobson Chapman, M.A., P.P.T.P.I., L.R.I.B.A., F.I.L.A., and Charles F. Riley, Dip.Arch., Dip.T.P., A.R.I.B.A., M.T.P.I. Foreword by The Hon. Thomas Johnston, P.C., LL.d., F.E.I.S. 13 × 9 3/4. Pp. xx+168. 22 figs. 73 plates. City Development Plan (4 1/4 in. to 1 mile). [Published on behalf of the Corporation of the City and Royal Burgh of Aberdeen.] London: B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1952. 42s.

Round and about Spain. By A. F. Tschiffely. 8 3/4 × 5 5/8. Pp.317. Decorations and sketch maps by the Author. End‐paper map by A. Spark. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1952. 20s.

ASIA

The Orphaned Realm: Journeys in Cyprus. By Patrick Balfour (Lord Kinross). 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 221. 17 illustrations. Decorative end‐paper sketch map. London: Percival Marshall and Co. Ltd, 1951. 18s.

Die Türkei. By Karl Krüger. 8 1/2 × 5 1/4. Pp. 392. 13 figs. 68 plates. Berlin: Safari‐Verlag, 1951.

Tirich Mir: The Norwegian Himalaya Expedition. Translated by Sölvi and Richard Bateson. Foreword by Professor Georg Morgenstierne. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 192. 57 illustrations. 3 sketch maps. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1952. 21s.

The Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition, 1951. By Eric Shipton. 10 1/2 × 8 1/2. Pp. 128. Photogravure illustrations. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1952. 25s.

AFRICA

The Zambesi Journal of James Stewart, 1862–1863, with a Selection from his Correspondence. Edited by J. P. F. Wallis. 10 × 6 1/2. Pp. xxvi+276. Portrait. Map of the Shiré River (1867). [Central African Archives: Oppenheimer Series, No. 6.] London: Chatto and Windus, 1952. 35s.

AMERICA

Suwannee River: Strange Green Land. By Cecile Hulse Matschat. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. 256. Illustrated by Alexander Key. [Rivers of America.] Edinburgh, Glasgow, London: William Hodge and Co. Ltd, 1951. 15s.

The Rural Land Classification Program of Puerto Rico. Preface by Malcolm J. Proudfoot. 11 × 8 1/2. Pp. vii+261. Illustrated. (Lithoprinted). [Northwestern University Studies in Geography, No. 1.] Evanston, Illinois: Department of Geography, Northwestern University, 1952.

Uruguay: South America's first Welfare State. By George Pendle. 8 × 5 1/4. Pp. viii+100. 2 sketch maps. London and New York: The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1952. 11s 6d.

POLAR REGIONS

The Antarctic To‐day: A Mid‐Century Survey by the New Zealand Antarctic Society. Edited by Frank A. Simpson, M.A., Dip.Jour. 9 3/4 × 7 1/4. Pp. 389. 50 figs. 46 plates. Folding map. Wellington: A. H. and A. W. Reed, in conjunction with the New Zealand Antarctic Society, 1952. 47s 6d.

BIOGEOGRAPHY

Geography of Living Things. By M. S. Anderson, M.A. General Introduction by Frank Debenham. 7 1/4 × 4 3/4. Pp. xiv+202. 5 illustrations. [Teach Yourself Geography.] London: The English Universities Press Ltd, 1951. 8s 6d.

The Origin and History of the British Fauna. By Bryan P. Beirne, M.A., M.Sc, Ph.D., M.R.I.A., F.R.E.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. x+164. 60 figs. London: Methuen and Co. Ltd, 1952. 18s.

EDUCATIONAL

Practical and Experimental Geography. By W. G. V. Balchin, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.G.S., F.R.Met.S., and A. W. Richards, M.A., B.Sc., F.R.Met.S. 8 1/2 × 6 1/2. Pp. viii+136. Frontispiece. 73 figs. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc. London: Methuen and Co. Ltd, 1952. 12s 6d.

Geomorphologie. By Fritz Machatschek. 9 × 6 1/4. Pp. 203. 89 figs. Leipzig: B. G. Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft. Fifth edition, 1952. DM 9.60.

Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Edited by E. D. Laborde, Ph.D., F.R.G.S. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. xii+268. 48 figs. 8 plates. London: William Heinemann Ltd. Second edition, 1952. 12s 6d.     

纪念性建筑:象征性行为之热动力学解释

在考古研究与文明探源中,宏伟的纪念性建筑如金字塔、宫殿、庙宇陵墓常被视为文明灿烂程度的重要标志。本文中,布鲁斯·特里格借鉴热动力学方法来看待这个问题,并用"最省力"原则来剖析这种毫无回报的能量投入。热动力学用计算或衡量社会能量投入的劳力和数量来衡量这个社会的权力和复杂化程度,随着社会复杂化的进程和文明的起源,人类的生产方式发生了一种重大的变化。一般来说,无论是动物还是人类的生存都遵循一种"最省力"的原则,即在从事任何活动如生产和分配食物和其他资源时都力求节省能量,也即我们今天所谓的讲究"效益"。"最省力"原则完全不适用于祭祀建筑的营造和奢侈品的生产,而表现了一种"显赫消费"的特点。如果权力经济主导着这些物品的生产,那么消耗能量、特别以一种非实用目的来消耗他人能量的方式便成为衡量权力大小的标志。于是,权力能够从象征性上予以表达和强化的最基本方式,就是为非实用的目的而消费能量。从经济学角度来说,权力的"显赫消费"和全部依赖社会剩余产品的特点,很容易损害支撑这个社会系统存在的经济基础。当统治阶层将大量的社会资源和能量投入毫无回报和经济效益可言的祭祀和炫耀活动中去的时候,其结果很快就会达到开始损害其经济基础一点。当整个社会的运转完全为了维持等级体制而非供养民生,当"显赫消费"逐渐开始透支能量和耗竭资源、无法再从物质上来维持统治阶层的神圣地位时,这个复杂社会的崩溃就不可避免。为什么考古学上所谓"满天星斗"的史前文明大部分都是流星一闪,究其原因可能可以从权力的政治经济学上来找答案。     

A Paleolithic Cache at Tolbor (Northern Mongolia)*

This study presents analyses of a unique assemblage of lithic artifacts, 57 large flakes, discovered in the Ikh Tulberiin Gol River valley of Northern Mongolia. The assemblage represents the first Paleolithic cache ever discovered in Mongolia and is an isolated find, not directly associated with a habitation or logistic activity site. Results of use-wear analysis suggest most of the flakes were unused, with only a few minimally used for processing wood. GIS analyses of the local landscape indicate that the placement of the artifacts was likely symbolic, rather than utilitarian or for storage, lying in an east-west linear viewshed of the primary mountain pass to an adjacent river basin. Based on the context of the discovery as an isolated find and technical-typological features of the artifacts, the assemblage is interpreted as a cache of tool blanks that was purposefully and symbolically positioned on the landscape relative to the primary mountain pass by Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers.