Distributed Tuned Mass Dampers for Multi-Mode Control of Benchmark Building under Seismic Excitations

The effectiveness of the multi-mode control of seismically excited building installed with distributed multiple tuned mass dampers (d-MTMDs) is investigated by comparing dynamic response with the other controllers, such as passive friction dampers, semi-active dampers, single tuned mass damper (STMD), and multiple tuned mass dampers (MTMDs-all.top), both installed at the top of the building, and arbitrarily distributed MTMDs (ad-MTMDs). It is concluded that the d-MTMDs exhibit improved performance as compared with the STMD, MTMDs-all.top, and ad-MTMDs. The d-MTMDs are also convenient to install owing to the reduced space requirements, being placed at various floors.     

Migrant masculinities in-between private and public spaces of reproductive labour: Asian porters in Rome

Abstract

This article explores the construction of migrant masculinities in the context of reproductive labour. It focuses on Asian Christian men working as porters in upper middle-class residential buildings in Rome (Italy). This masculinised niche of reproductive labour combines differently gendered chores: feminised tasks (cleaning and caring) - mainly performed in the most private spaces of the home - and masculinised tasks (maintenance and security), carried out in the public or semi-public spaces of the buildings. The analysis addresses the dearth of studies on the sex-typing of jobs in the context of migrant men’s work experiences. It also contributes to ongoing debates on the geography of reproductive labour, by exploring how gendered practices of migrant reproductive labour construct private and public places. The construction of masculinities and place is shaped by the gendered racialisation of migrant men at the wider societal level, which materialises in the construction of ‘dangerous’ and ‘respectable’ urban areas. The article suggests that widespread concerns over religious difference and public security play a key role in defining migrant men’s access to the workplace and in shaping work relations.     

明益王“秋波”琴的漆涂层材料与工艺分析

孙中山故居纪念馆馆藏一张明代落霞式古琴“秋波”,据考证为明代受封于江西抚州的益王监制。清代以后,它被广东的文人琴士评为广东四大名琴之一。运用剖面显微观察、扫描电镜能谱分析、显微拉曼、光学光热红外显微光谱、热裂解-色谱质谱分析等科学检测手段,对古琴脱落的大漆残片进行了无机和有机成分分析,并对其工艺进行了讨论。实验结果表明,大漆残片保存了两个时期的不同髹漆工艺,早期以蛋白质类和非/半干性油黏结剂混合黏土类无机矿物做灰胎,晚期以大漆和干性油黏结剂混合鹿角霜/骨灰做灰胎并掺加少量黄铜屑。将科学分析与古琴槽腹、琴背的铭文相印证,进一步明确了“秋波”琴明末斫髹、清末修复的流传历史。此外,运用盖蒂保护中心研发的ESCAPE数据分析方法,首次在中国传世古琴样品中明确鉴定出一般认为产自越南的野漆品种laccol,其为清代重修时广东中山的修琴师使用添加的。本研究立足于古琴文物实体,以详尽的科学实验为支撑,并参阅《太古遗音》《髹饰录》等文献,为明代益王琴的制作工艺提供了参考,同时为古琴文物的保护修复提供了科学支撑。