STABLE ECONOMIC AGGLOMERATION PATTERNS IN TWO DIMENSIONS: BEYOND THE SCOPE OF CENTRAL PLACE THEORY

This paper elucidates which agglomeration patterns exist in two‐dimensional economic space and how such patterns appear stably. Hexagonal lattices, that with and that without a boundary, are advanced, respectively, as practical and theoretical spatial platforms of economic activities. Agglomeration patterns on these lattices include hexagons in central place theory, but also encompass megalopolis and racetrack‐shaped decentralization. As the transport cost decreases, stable economic agglomeration undergoes the formation of the smallest hexagon and transition to patterns with larger market areas, often undergoing downtown decay but finally leading to a megalopolis. Formulas for break points are provided in an economic geography model.     

Children as urbanites: mapping the affordances and behavior settings of urban environments for Finnish and Japanese children

Increasingly, children are residing in urban environments, yet little is known about the urban affordances for children. A place-based approach was employed to map the urban experiences of over 1300 children residing in Helsinki (Finland) and in Tokyo (Japan) in terms of meaningful places (affordances), travel mode and accompaniment to these places. Shared affordances were considered behavior settings, and audited on-site by trained experts for their main function, land use, openness, and communality. Significant differences were found between countries for all affordance categories. Although differences in behavior settings were observed between countries, a number of patterns emerged: outdoor settings and those with shared communality were the most prevalent behavior settings, traffic settings were predominantly evaluated negatively and commercial and indoor settings most positively. Findings suggest that although the context is important, independent mobility and the possibility to actualize environmental affordances seem to be fundamental in both contexts as the key criteria for environmental child-friendliness.     

Negotiating gender dynamics in heteronormativity: extramarital intimacy among migrant Filipino workers in South Korea

This article examines the liminal space that exists both as a structural condition engendered by transnational migration and as a state that is self-consciously carved out by migrants. It demonstrates that this space provides the grounds for migrants to develop ‘deviant heterosexuality’, such as extramarital relationships while simultaneously causing dilemmas and contestation of gender dynamics in conjugal and familial relationships. Drawing on ethnographic research and in-depth interviews, I elucidate the extramarital relationships among migrant Filipino workers in South Korea. By incorporating discussions of ‘queer heterosexualities’ and Hubbard's geographical engagement of sexuality into analysis, I argue that migrants' extramarital practices are shaped not only by dominant discourse, but also through the particular social and spatial positioning of individuals. First, I demonstrate that the liminal space gives migrant Filipino workers a certain degree of autonomy from the power and ideological interventions of both sending and host societies. Second, I highlight the liminal space that is extended by migrants themselves, especially through the increasing economic ability and mobility of migrant women, which can reconfigure the modes of heteronormativity and gender structure in conjugal, familial and extramarital relationships. In the end, I argue that transnational migration results not only in provisional liminality but also prolonged liminality through migrants' initiative in pursuing their desired heterosexuality and their endeavour to convert extramarital relationships into long-term intimacy. This study contributes to the discussion of the interplay between heterosexuality/heteronormativity and gender in recent human migration.     

Field Measurements and Numerical Simulation of Debris Flows from Dolomite Slopes Destabilized during the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake,Pakistan

A devastating earthquake occurred in Kashmir, Pakistan on October 8, 2005. This earthquake resulted from reactivation of a known active fault later defined as the Balakot–Bagh fault, which caused widespread slope failure throughout its stretch, particularly around Muzaffarabad, the provincial capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. This slope failure resulted in a huge amount of debris material which flows in deeply incised creeks during monsoon and hits the inhabitants along the valley in Muzaffarabad. Two GPS measurements are carried out along with channel morphometric parameters and observed changes to investigate the effect of debris flows along these creeks during monsoon. Other than the physical measurements, actual debris flow is simulated using the Depth Average Material Point Method (DAMPM) after carrying out parametric study and calibrating the model for subject topographical and geological settings. The generalized effect of different input parameters of the model on debris flow runout features is studied and discussed in detail. After ensuring validation of the numerical tool, the contribution of a single closed-type check dam to decrease runout intensity to its downstream reach is also investigated for different locations to obtain optimized selection.     

The Paradox of Independence: The Maintenance of Influence and the French Decision to Transfer Power in Morocco

This article examines the reason why France granted independence to Morocco in the autumn of 1955, in comparison to Tunisian decolonisation. Morocco had been much less prepared for independence than Tunisia and many other British colonies in Africa, including Ghana, which were equipped with stable political institutions and local collaborators, but the country nonetheless gained independence earlier than they did. Paradoxically, the lack of collaborators, resulting from internal rivalries between the nationalists and dignitaries like the pashas, explains France's hasty recognition of Moroccan independence. By doing so, France aimed to make Mohammed V, the Moroccan Sultan, a viable collaborator and to preserve political unity under his leadership and French influence.     

Sex identification from the distal fibula

This study was designed to determine whether the fibula, which is one of the least studied long bones, can provide reliable information for sexing of human bones, provided that one condition is satisfied, namely, its distal end is available for measurement. The materials consisted of the dried fibulae of 71 Japanese males and 35 females whose names, ages and sex were known. The distal end of the fibula was measured with respect to five novel dimensions that are closely related to the soft tissues that had been attached to the bone surface. Highly significant sex differences were found when all parameters examined were considered together. The differences for separate items were not, however, sufficient for sex discrimination. Discriminant analysis was performed using the five parameters and yielded the correct sex with 90. 6 per cent accuracy for the entire group of specimens. This degree of accuracy suggests the utility of the present method for sexing human bones, in particular, in osteoarchaeological situations.