Quantitative Methods in Archaeology: A Review of Recent Trends and Developments

This paper reviews recent developments in the application of quantitative methods to archaeological research and focuses upon three major themes: the development of so-called designer methods, which are quantitative methods created to solve specific problems; the resurgence of whole-society modeling through a variety of formal and mathematical approaches; and trends in the the teaching of quantitative methods at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Not surprisingly, different subfields have had greater success than others in the development of useful methods, and the causes of this are explored. Finally, suggestions for improving training in the use of these methods are offered.     

Learning from the RSPT mistakes: is reform still possible?

The political ramifications of the failed Resources Super Profit Tax have been widely documented, yet the causes of this political failure are more contested. Many accounts highlight the discursive power of business and the effectiveness of their campaign against the mining tax. Effective business activism certainly played its part, but this article argues that strategic failings on the part of government also influenced the outcome. This article highlights how the Labor government's failure to consult, to understand the political implications of federalism and above all its impact on the industry in the hope that future policymakers will learn from the mistakes of the mining tax debacle.     

Rapid Diagnosis of Crack Patterns of Masonry Buildings Subjected to Landslide-Induced Settlements by Using the Load Path Method

One of the main difficulties, when dealing with landslide structural vulnerability, is the diagnosis of the causes of the crack pattern. This is also due to the excessive complexity of models based on classical structural mechanics that makes them inappropriate especially when there is the necessity to perform a rapid vulnerability assessment at the territorial scale. This is why in this article a new approach for the rapid diagnosis of crack patterns of masonry buildings subjected to landslide-induced settlements is proposed. This approach is based on the Load Path Method, recently applied to the interpretation of the behavior of masonry buildings subjected to landslide-induced settlements.     

Unwritten Factors Affecting Structural Funds: The Influence of Regional Political Behaviours on the Implementation of EU Cohesion Policy

While EU regional policy has the ambitious objective of supporting lagging regions and promoting inter-regional convergence, its impact is dependent on the ability of regional policymakers to secure and use EU funding to meet the region's needs. This paper aims to show under which conditions politics has a defining influence on the distribution, allocation and utilization of structural funds (SF), specifically in Objective 1 regions. The empirical analysis focuses on the 2000–2006 programming cycle in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The results show that regions politically aligned with national governing coalitions tend to perform better in terms of received SF support and enjoy more flexibility in implementing SF. However, the influence of regional political behaviours on economic performances is very limited. The findings confirm the importance of politics in influencing SF implementation, but its limited influence on economic outcomes.     

Urbanization and mortality decline

We investigate the relationship between mortality decline and urbanization, which has hitherto been proposed by demographers but has yet to be tested rigorously in a global context. Using cross‐national panel data, we find evidence of a robust negative correlation between crude death rates and urbanization. The use of instrumental variables suggest that this relationship is causal, while historical data from the early 20th century suggest that this relationship holds in earlier periods as well. Finally, we find robust evidence that mortality decline is correlated with urbanization through the creation of new cities rather than promoting urban growth in already‐extant cities.     

Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of the Urban Building Environment in Nablus,Palestine

ABSTRACT

This article describes a specifically developed framework to produce a seismic physical vulnerability model of residential buildings in Nablus (Palestine) within the European project SASPARM2.0. Based on the structural taxonomy of the territory, two different forms were defined to collect geometrical and structural data of buildings by different stakeholders (citizens and practitioners). This data was then employed to produce fragility curves using the mechanics-based procedure SP-BELA. To estimate seismic risk, the developed fragility model was combined with a hazard curve for the corresponding location. The described procedure is implemented in a WebGIS platform that allows to georeference and assess the surveyed buildings and define retrofitting strategies. Finally, the article carries out a comparison between the fragility curves of buildings in Nablus and the ones calculated for similar building typologies within a UNDP Jordan project aiming at the integrated risk assessment in Wadi Musa and surroundings.     

Longitudinal determinants of married women’s autonomy in Egypt

This article explores determinants of women’s autonomy in Egypt around the beginning of the ‘Arab Spring’ in 2011. We show that women’s autonomy over time is a product not only of their individual characteristics, but also of the household and community environment in which they live. Using the 2006 and 2012 Egyptian Labor Market Panel Survey (ELMPS) and multilevel models, results demonstrate that women’s autonomy changes over time. There are large and consistent variations in women’s autonomy by household region of residence and wealth. For example, women in the rural and urban Upper Egypt region are less autonomous than women in the Cairo region, and women in wealthier households are less autonomous compared to the poorest households. Programs aiming to increase women’s autonomy focus exclusively or primarily on women’s own characteristics. These results indicate that strategies to improve women’s autonomy should be mindful of the multiple dimensions of autonomy and have a programmatic focus on changing household and social environments.     

基于消费者行为分析的区域旅游市场规划方法研究

本文尝试从旅游者消费需求分析角度入手,探讨区域旅游市场规划的方法论创新。本论文引入了动机--行为投射模型,通过对建立在专题旅游市场调查基础上的消费行为数据库的深度剖析,论文揭示了旅游目标市场群体常见的三类消费心理趋向模式(补偿型需求、均衡型需求、超越型需求)以及相对应的旅游产品选择偏好规律。在此基础上提出了区域旅游目标市场群体的心理定位策略,以及相对应的从结构性旅游功能规划到旅游产品、旅游服务供给链连续递进的规划流程体系。即"行为分析(Behavior)-定位(Postioning)-旅游供给(Supple)",简称旅游市场规划的BPS方案。     

人口数据格网化模型研究进展综述

人口数据格网化是目前人口空间分布研究的热点。本文对国内外人口数据格网化模型研究进行总结,重点剖析几种主要的人口数据格网化模型。研究表明:人口数据格网化模型从单纯的、静态的格网化方法,逐步向自然、经济社会因素综合影响下的空间模型过渡,朝着动态模型方向发展;随着格网化数据应用领域的不断拓展,以不同级别格网为基本统计单元的人口数据生产将是人口数据获取的一个重要发展趋势。     

Injuries on a skull from the Ancient Bronze Age (Ballabio,Lecco, Italy): a natural or an anthropic origin?

This paper discusses the results of the analysis of a female skull from a collective burial dated to the Ancient Bronze Age in Italy (Ballabio, LC). A virtual restoration and 3D reconstruction was also produced from the digitalized skull to complete the damaged parts and to recreate the facial appearance of this young adult female from the Bronze Age. The skull shows clear evidence of post-mortem modifications, as some series of scraping marks on the external cranial vault cross the parietal bones longitudinally. The contemporaneous presence of taphonomic linear marks on the skull and periostitis on the frontal bone, as well as the provenance of the specimen from a secondary burial (a typical funerary habit documented in Italy during the Copper Age and Ancient Bronze Age), makes it difficult to interpret the case (scalping, surgery, or ritual practice linked to secondary burial). The advanced methods used to analyse the skull surface allowed us to discriminate intentional marks from modifications due to other taphonomic processes and to determine the timing of their formation (peri- or post-mortem). The possibility that the scraping marks are related to a ritual practice, conducted during the individual's life (with specific symbolic or social value) or after death or at the moment of secondary burial, is discussed.