The Influence of Dowel-Bearing Strength in Designing Timber Pegged Timber Joints

ABSTRACT

The employment of timber pegs in timber structure joints is a widespread technology in the field of timber frame building in the United States, where the Timber Frame Engineering Council has published a special Standard to supplement the National Design Specification for Wood Construction. The authors have been studying the possibility of supplementing the Eurocode 5 design formulas, thought for timber joints with metal connectors, with specifications needed for a reliable design when employing timber pegs. The field of application envisaged is that of restoring timber structures and results obtained until now are quite encouraging. In this step of the research, more attention has been paid to deformation process: fir and chestnut samples have been tested to determine their dowel-bearing behavior with steel and ash timber peg while double-shear plane joints made of the same wood species, and fastened with steel as well as timber pegs, have been analyzed.     

Sex identification from the auricular surface of the adult human ilium

The sacro-iliac joint has largely been excluded in studies of sex identification from the adult human skeleton. Yet this is a joint involved in the transmission of body weight and as such would be expected to exhibit sexual dimorphism. In addition, the auricular surface of the ilium tends to persist even in fragmented remains by virtue of its close proximity to the acetabulo-cristal buttress. The aim of this investigation was to assess the accuracy with which sex could be predicted from dimensions of the auricular surface of the ilium. Significant sex differences were found in the size and shape of the auricular surface. However, these differences were of insufficient magnitude to permit discrimination between the sexes with any acceptable degree of accuracy. Therefore, the auricular surface of the ilium is not recommended for the purpose of sex identification.     

Auditory Exostoses in Pre‐Hispanic Populations of the Lower Paraná Wetlands,Argentina

Auditory exostosis (AE) has been characterised from the medical and anthropological perspectives as an adaptive biological response to repeated immersion in cold water as well as exposure to cold environmental temperatures and wind chill. At the archaeological level, the highest prevalence has been found in societies living in coastal environments in areas located at 30–45° north or south latitude with a subsistence pattern based on fishing and mollusc gathering. The region of the lower Paraná River wetlands in Argentina is an area dissected by multiple rivers, streams, and lakes, especially in the Paraná delta near Buenos Aires where these features create a landscape composed of many islands. A variety of archaeological analyses performed on faunal remains, stone tools, bone, and ceramic artefacts are consistent with the interpretation that towards the end of the late Holocene (2000–700 BP), this region was inhabited by hunter–gatherer populations with a subsistence pattern based mainly on fishing and hunting along with the gathering of molluscs. In this work, we present an analysis of 176 crania of individuals recovered from 21 archaeological sites in the region. Results indicate the presence of AE in 6.25% of the cases, with all of these corresponding to adult male individuals. This moderate prevalence coincides with the expected levels for populations where contact with water is frequent in regions located at 30–45° latitude. The absence of female individuals showing evidence of AE allows us to suggest a possible sex‐based division of labour. We hope that this work can contribute to ongoing discussion of the economic and social aspects that characterised pre‐Hispanic life in the study area, while also expanding the available information on AE at the worldwide level. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“Catching the Yellow Ghost”: A Case Study of Popular Religious Activities and Social Transformation in Rural North China

This article studies the relationship between local society and social change in rural north China from the late Qing dynasty to the People’s Republic of China period through the activity of “Zhuo huanggui” (literally, “Catching the Yellow Ghost”). “Catching the Yellow Ghost” is a ritual activity in Guyi village, Wu’an county, Hebei province. According to villagers there, “Catching the Yellow Ghost” has been celebrated since the late Qing dynasty. However, due to political pressures in the 1950s, it was not until the 1980s that “Catching the Yellow Ghost” began to be revitalized. Since that time, “Catching the Yellow Ghost” has gained rapid popularity and fame in north China. Through the lens of the “Catching the Yellow Ghost” ritual, this article explores social transformation in China from the late 19th to the early 21st century. By analyzing the continuity and discontinuity of “Catching the Yellow Ghost,” this article offers a new understanding of the relationship between local society and social change in rural north China.     

The Relationship between the Two Types of Vertebral Degenerative Joint Disease in a Joseon Dynasty Population,Korea

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between degenerative joint disease (DJD) in the apophyseal joints and intervertebral joints in the vertebral column and assess which vertebral DJD is the more reliable indicator of general activity‐related stress. We hypothesized that the more reflecting vertebral DJD for general activity‐related stress would appear to show a higher correlation with Schmorl's nodes (SNs). To test this hypothesis, we examined 125 individuals from Eunpyeong Cemetery (mid‐15th to early 20th centuries) in Seoul, Korea and analyzed the frequencies of two types of vertebral DJD and their relationship with SNs. Cross‐tabulation chi‐square tests were used to evaluate the significance of the differences between frequencies of vertebral pathologies. In conclusion, results revealed that the relationship between the two kinds of vertebral DJD appeared differently depending on vertebral region, joint type and sex. The test results of association between the two types of vertebral DJD were statistically significant at the cervical and lumbar regions of males. SNs appeared independently of the pattern of vertebral DJD in nearly all joints with the exception of a correlation between DJD in the intervertebral joints and SNs of the lumbar region in females. As indicated in some studies, this study reconfirmed that the differences in the two kinds of vertebral DJD result from differences in normal vertebral morphology and anatomical function. This study contributes to the overall discussion on the relationship between vertebral DJD and physical activity by showing that the detailed recording and understanding of the two types of vertebral DJD is required before they can be used convincingly in a study on activity‐related stress. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

从老股票看20世纪50年代的股份制企业

从已搜集到的20世纪50年代上海市的几种老股票来看,新中国成立初期的股份制企业至少存在三种类型。旧社会承继下来的资本主义性质的股份制企业是接受社会主义改造的重点对象和主角,通过实行“定息”,以“赎买”的方式,切断了所有制与经营者之间的联系,此时的股票与债券无异,股东与企业的关系是债权债务关系;农村的供销合作社和城市中的街道办股份制企业,与真正意义上的股份制企业相比都有很大的不同,它们的目的都是在抵制资本主义复辟和改变小生产方式的前提下发展社会生产力,目标是建成生产资料公有制的社会主义计划经济。     

明清以降漓江上游地区的人类活动与环境变迁研究

漓江沙洲的形成,是自然环境和人类活动交互影响的结果。明清以降,外来人口不断进入漓江上游地区从事农业垦殖活动。垦殖活动在改造了上游山区自然环境的同时,其产生的泥沙在雨水作用下进入漓江,促进了桂林段漓江沙洲的发育,并改变了桂林段漓江河床的面貌。岸上居民也开始由岸上洲,这是漓江流域人地关系的重要变化。     

上海私营金融业的联合之路:由联合放款、联合经营到联合管理

1949年5月上海解放后,不同层次的私营金融业在走向公私合营的共同目标中,所需的时间、具体的过程有着较大的区别。上海私营金融业曾两次组织对生产与其他经济事业的联合放款,此外规模较大的银行较早实现了公私合营,而数十家中小行庄公司则通过组成四个联营集团进行多种业务的联合经营并逐步过渡到两个联合总管理处,实现了从业务到人事、财务、组织多种形式的联合管理,最后在条件成熟的时候与大银行共同组成统一的公私合营银行。政府对上海地区数量众多的私营金融机构采取了导向联放、联营和联管的循序渐进的谨慎政策,是符合整个中国金融业历史实际的正确之举,体现了中国私营金融业社会主义改造的历史必然性和复杂性。     

Diagnostic criteria for developmental dislocation of the hip in human skeletal remains

Dislocation is the most severe form of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). It significantly impairs hip function in the young, and may lead to debilitating early‐onset osteoarthritis in adults. To our knowledge no thorough study of a large skeletal population has ever been undertaken to determine the wide range of diagnostic criteria for this condition in pathological specimens. To identify these criteria we have analysed the cases of developmental dislocation from a large series of 6000 individuals (6580 hips) from the medieval cemetery at Spitalfields in London, UK. We describe the changes at the true acetabulum, and have created a four‐stage classification of the false acetabulum. The skeletal response to the altered biomechanics and limb shortening that occurs in developmental dislocation is described in the pelvis, lower limb and spine. This includes asymmetric growth in childhood, and asymmetric degenerative change in adulthood. We conclude with a discussion of the clinical literature on developmental dislocation of the hip that will aid palaeopathologists to estimate the symptoms that an excavated individual may have experienced during their lifetime. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Morphological changes in the shape of the non‐pathological bony knee joint with age: a morphometric analysis of the distal femur and proximal tibia in three populations of known age at death

This study examines possible morphological variation in the knee joint of Homo sapiens with increasing age in ostensively healthy and non‐pathological distal femora and proximal tibiae. Throughout the lifetime of each individual, the hard tissue of the knee undergoes considerable remodelling as a response to biomechanical stresses, changes in bone microarchitecture and reduction of bone mineral content as a concomitant of ageing. The knee is also subject to greater levels of degenerative joint disease than any other joint. If death occurs whilst such diseases are in the earliest stages, initial bone changes may not be visually obvious in museum specimens. If such specimens are used for comparative analyses, it is hypothesised that changes might render it problematic if all ages are conglomerated into discrete samples. This study therefore investigates the degree to which the distal femur and proximal tibia change shape during ageing and, if changes are present, whether they are expressed similarly in males and females. It also examines whether changes are of greater magnitude than those morphological differences which might exist between populations. In an example population of African‐Americans, results indicate that there is a statistically significant difference in shape between age groups and those differences become progressively greater between the youngest and oldest adults. Results also show that although morphological variation caused by ageing is apparent, those shape differences attributable to sexual dimorphism are more powerful. When two additional populations are analysed jointly with the African‐Americans (Caucasian Americans and the European Spitalfields sample), results indicate that inter‐population shape differences are considerably greater than differences caused by increasing age. Results imply that it is justifiable to combine specimens of all ages into discrete samples for comparative purposes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.