Comparison of Numerical and Experimental Seismic Responses of FREI-Supported Un-reinforced Brick Masonry Model Building

Comparative study of numerically and experimentally obtained seismic responses of un-reinforced masonry building supported on in-house designed un-bonded fibre reinforced elastomeric isolator (U-FREI) are presented in this article. The effectiveness of U-FREI is established very clearly in terms of controlled dynamic response of the model building. Experimental studies are carried out on a shake table with elaborate instrumentations for measurement of acceleration and displacements at different floor levels. Numerical study of the model building supported on U-FREI is carried out to compare the results with experimental investigation. Multi-linear pivot hysteretic plasticity model is used to simulate the behavior of FREI, while plate elements are used for brick-masonry walls. Experimentally obtained force-displacement curves of FREI are used for defining the properties of multi-linear model representing FREI. The dynamic responses obtained from the numerical studies are compared with those from experimental investigations. This study indicates that the seismic responses of building supported on U-FREI can be numerically evaluated with quite reasonable accuracy. A good numerical model can be judiciously used at the preliminary design stage, followed by actual testing and construction of the base isolated building.     

‘Man can’t give birth,woman can't fish’: gender dynamics in the small-scale fisheries of Bangladesh

Going beyond the myths prevalent in the socio-cultural embeddedness of rural Bangladesh, this article examines the diverse visible and invisible roles of fisherwomen in small-scale fisheries. This research considered two ethnic groups situated in two different ecosystems: the floodplain freshwater ecosystem is represented by new-entrant Muslim fishers ‘Maimal’ and the coastal ecosystem is represented by caste-based Hindu fishers ‘Jaladas’. From the basic ontological worldview of human dignity, moral individualism, and the social recognition of women’s rights, we argue that fisherwomen’s roles need to be recognized, focused, and valued to develop a horizontal understanding that is a prerequisite to the process of democratization, and the proper functioning of a just society. In the rural societies, a host of attributes, such as the deep-rooted socio-cultural constructions of the motherly myth, extreme tolerance, family teaching, religious antagonism, poverty, lack of education, internalization of a subordinate position, lack of supportive institutions, and fear of loss of societal patronage, profoundly undermine the capacity of women to aspire and raise their voice. Fisherwomen are accrued an inferior social position although they perform unique roles in the areas of childcare, household upkeep, livelihoods, and psycho-social support for the seafaring fishers. Conducive to the ecotone of marine fisheries, this article also portrays how a rigid patriarchal form of society is seasonally transformed to matrifocality when fishermen are away for fishing for half the year.     

Effect of Cyclic Loading Frequency on the Behavior of External RC Beam-Column Connections

Reduced-scale external RC beam-column specimens with three typical deficiencies as beam weak in flexure (BWF), beam weak in shear (BWS) and column weak in shear (CWS) were tested under cyclic excitations of different frequencies, varying from 0.025–2.0 Hz. Parameters like load carrying capacity, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation, principal tensile stress were monitored for exploring the effect of rate of loading on different types of deficient beam-column connections in a holistic manner. Test results showed that the rate effect is significant in beam-column connection with BWF, while the same is not so significant in BWS and CWS specimens.     

Palaeolithic and Neolithic Occupations in the Témara Region (Rabat, Morocco): Recent Data on Hominin Contexts and Behavior

In the 1970s, the discoveries of Palaeolithic human remains in the caves of Dar es Soltane 2, El Harhoura 1 and Les Contrebandiers reinforced interest in the sites of the Témara region. These sites, often cited, have been the object of numerous investigations which have produced a major contribution to the prehistory of Morocco. Over the past 15 years, research at two key sites, El Mnasra and El Harhoura 2, have considerably enhanced the available data for this region. Preliminary results obtained from excavations since 2001, allow us to present the palaeoenvironmental framework and describe the technological behaviour of prehistoric groups within a re-evaluated stratigraphic context. The microfaunal and macrofaunal assemblages are analysed according to systematics, taphonomy and palaeoecology. The lithic and bone industries document patterns of raw material acquisition and transformation. Within the context of the history of more than 60 years of research in the region of Témara, this contribution allows us to approach the question of Palaeolithic population on the basis of recent, and for the most part new, data and evidence.     

New Statistical Approaches to Intra‐individual Isotopic Analysis and Modelling of Birth Seasonality in Studies of Herd Animals

This paper introduces improved methods for statistically assessing birth seasonality and intra‐annual variation in δ¹⁸O from faunal tooth enamel. The first method estimates input parameters for use with a previously developed parametric approach by C. Tornero et al. The second method uses a non‐parametric clustering procedure to group individuals with similar time‐series data and estimate birth seasonality. This method was successful in analysing data from a modern sample with known season of birth, as well as two heterogeneous archaeological data sets. Modelling indicates that the non‐parametric approach estimates birth seasonality more successfully than the parametric method when less of the tooth row is preserved. The new approach offers a high level of statistical rigour and flexibility in dealing with the time‐series data produced through intra‐individual sampling in isotopic analysis.