A Risk Assessment for Cultural Heritage in Southern Iraq: Framing Drivers,Threats and Actions Affecting Archaeological Sites

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes a classification of the risks threatening archaeological sites in southern Iraq and suggests some possible remediation to better preserve them. This has been possible thanks to a research methodology that combines remote sensing and ground control on a sample of 558 sites documented by the Iraqi-Italian QADIS survey project. A three-tier typological framework has been created illustrating the risks jeopardising the cultural heritage of the region. This research showed that the most impacting risks are the ones caused by agricultural activity, despite current narratives which mainly focus on looting and violent destruction. To get at the root of the problem, current laws protecting cultural heritage in Iraq are analysed, as well as how the cultural authorities are organised on the ground. Improving the organisation of the SBAH, engaging the local communities towards the issue of sites’ protection and introducing preventive archaeology are among the solutions proposed.     

Restoration Interventions at the Roman Nymphaeum in Amman: Identification and Evaluation

Abstract

Over the last few decades, conservation work has been conducted by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (DoA) on the Roman Nymphaeum in Amman. This intervention has taken the form of direct and indirect actions. In this article it will be shown that the conservation works concentrated on reinforcing the structure and reconstructing some architectural features of the building, with little consideration of the techniques and materials used. Intervention actions were mostly poor in terms of their scientific approach, and neither proper planning nor a well-defined methodology existed. This study provides a holistic approach for the evaluation of the state of the conservation of the monument in terms of quality and quantity. Thus, the results could be a valuable source for establishing comprehensive risk mitigation for future restoration work and site management. In addition, establishing practical restoration guidelines could help in developing socio-economic benefits for the community through tourism.     

EVALUATION OF CONVENTIONAL AND ADAPTIVE PUSHOVER ANALYSIS I: METHODOLOGY

In this paper, a methodology is suggested and tested for evaluating the relative performance of conventional and adaptive pushover methods for seismic response assessment. The basis of the evaluation procedure is a quantitative measure for the difference in response between these methods and inelastic dynamic analysis which is deemed to be the most accurate. Various structural levels of evaluation and different incremental representations for dynamic analysis are also suggested. This method is applied on a set of eight different reinforced concrete structural systems subjected to various strong motion records. Sample results are presented and discussed while the full results are presented alongside conclusions and recommendations, in a companion paper.     

因子分析在青海工业经济中的应用研究

本文以对青海经济有较大影响的18个工业行业为分析基点,运用多元统计中的因子分析方法,从定量和定性分析相结合的角度对青海工业行业的总体规模、企业内部生产管理能力、经济效益、财务风险等进行了综合分析,并在此基础上提出对策建议。     

三星堆一号青铜神树的三维数字建模与静力学分析

结构稳定性是评估文物安全的重要方面。三星堆二号坑出土1号青铜树体量庞大、结构复杂,且存在腐蚀、裂纹等危险因素,为了充分记录、评估其保存状况,本研究在原始几何形状和内部构造的基础上,利用三维数字建模技术,建立其几何模型和数值模型,并估算出青铜神树的质量分布和质心位置等无法实地测量的数据,并使用有限元方法,从应力和位移的角度分析青铜树的静置状态下的安全性。经过有限元模拟和材料力学简化计算,发现龙身和树干连接处、树枝根部应力较大,是易受损区域。     

医院可达性评价与规划——以江苏省仪征市为例

医院作为公共服务设施的一个重要组成部分,为居民提供了必不可少的医疗机会,其空间分布以及可达性的优劣,直接影响到居民能接触到医院的机会和方便程度。把可达性的概念引入到医院规划中,利用Mapinfo公司的控件MapX和Borland公司的可视化编程语言Delphi,开发了基于时间最短的路径选择信息系统,生成了医院可达性的等时线图和医院服务范围图,通过该系统可直观的看到区域内任何一点到达同一级医院所花费的最短时间以及通过的路径。以江苏省仪征市的医院为例,运用该系统对医院的可达性进行了评价,并提出了医院的规划方案。     

北京市生态城市建设能力的机理与综合评价--基于城市化与生态化视角

基于城市化与生态化两大子系统,从人口与空间城市化、经济城市化、社会城市化、和生态环境水平、生态压力、生态抗逆能力六个层面,构建生态城市建设能力评价的指标体系,运用相关分析、回归分析和主成分分析等方法,对1991-2002年北京市生态城市建设能力机理进行了综合分析与评价。     

Impact of European Union development subsidies on Hungarian regions

Since the collapse of the communist system, regional inequalities have increased in Central European Countries. This paper describes an assessment of the impacts of regional development programmes on the development of Hungarian regions at a highly disaggregated level between 2002 and 2008. We construct a multi-dimensional composite indicator to estimate the overall development of rural regions and capture social, economic and environmental dimensions. The impacts of rural development programmes were investigated through counterfactual analysis in combination with Propensity Score Matching and Difference-in-Differences approaches. There has been considerable variation with increasing concentration in the level of subsidies distributed during the analysed period. From a policy perspective, the results are disappointing. Irrespective of the subsidy measures or methodology employed, the impact of the former is very close to zero or non-significant. Our findings cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of development policy and the long-run convergence of European regions.     

Seismic performance of historical vaulted adobe constructions: a numerical case study from Yazd,Iran

Past earthquakes have demonstrated that historical vaulted adobe buildings are highly vulnerable to seismic actions. Hence, it is crucial for such building typologies to be evaluated in terms of seismic capacity. To this end, this article deals with the seismic performance of historical vaulted adobe houses from the city of Yazd, Iran as one of the seismically active areas of the world and possessing a very rich adobe heritage. Thus, and based on a detailed geometrical survey, a representative sample of adobe houses from Yazd was studied using a simplified in-plane analysis based on three geometric indexes. Concerning the out-of-plane behavior, a deeper assessment was conducted by performing a numerical study, where the main influential parameters on the seismic behavior of vaulted adobe buildings were considered. The numerical analyses were carried out by adopting the limit analysis theory implemented in the Block2D software. The results obtained indicate the safe in-plane behavior of most of the houses and the safe out-of-plane response of the sample under gravitational loads. However, the sample out-of-plane safety under earthquake-induced loads seems to be a matter of concern.