The Canadian response following the Haitian earthquake of 2010 was not solely focused on providing humanitarian assistance. Canada also used several immigration measures both at the federal level and the provincial level in Quebec in order to facilitate the immigration of eligible Haitians to Canada and their subsequent reunification with their Canadian family members. This thesis explores these immigration measures and evaluates their effectiveness. In addition, the research examines the role that the large Haitian Diaspora in Canada played in bringing about the adoption of a set of immigration measures specifically for Haitians. The research shows that the Canadian measures implemented were both multi-dimensional – as a variety of immigration mechanisms were used, and multi-level – as the Canadian response included both federal and provincial initiatives in Quebec. While a number of measures were introduced federally, none of these measures could be considered “special” as they were all possible under Canada’s immigration legislation, and they were not unique to the post-earthquake context. In contrast, Quebec’s Humanitarian Sponsorship Program for Haitians was very “special” in that it was the first time such a program was implemented for a large group of people. The research also points to the fact that although using immigration mechanisms to respond to a humanitarian crisis has its benefits, these mechanisms are not designed to provide prompt protection and relief to individuals affected by crisis situations. The research also demonstrates that the use of the available complementary protection measures (humanitarian and compassionate considerations, moratorium and protected person status) did not make up the primary thrust of the Canadian immigration response to the earthquake in Haiti. This fact is indicative of the inadequacy of these measures in providing protection to individuals displaced by environmental factors. Finally, it is argued that although the existence of a large Haitian Diaspora was influential in creating a climate open to the adoption of special measures for Haitians, the Haitian Diaspora did not necessarily influence the specifics of the measures adopted to a significant degree.

Natural hazards kill 82,500 people globally in a typical year, with earthquakes as the largest cause of death amongst all natural hazards in Central and Southern America, East Asia, Europe, and the Near East. Damages are highest in middle-income countries due to lack of resources for hazard prevention and mitigation. Dancing to the Desert concentrates on Bam, Iran, as a typical post earthquake city, searching for architecture appropriate for post-disaster cities of hot-arid climates. Dancing to the Desert is a discourse on current seismic, urban, and architectural design conditions in hot-arid climates of the globe, and searches for an appropriate architecture for post-disaster cities in developing regions of the desert climate. Chapter One includes analysis on global seismic hazard conditions, focusing on the hot-arid climates in the world and concentrating on the city of Bam, Iran. Chapter Two includes a detailed analysis of the traditional as well as contemporary architecture of Bam, searching for appropriate architectural elements to use in the proposed architecture. Chapter Three proposes a Pilot Project for an orphanage in Bam, based on the architectural elements and strategies discussed in Chapter Two. Through scientific research, case studies, a site visit to Bam, and discussions with local residents, this thesis finds an appropriate proposal adaptable to all post-disaster cities of the hot-arid climate. It also suggests various strategies for disaster prevention and mitigation through public education. These strategies educate the public in employing cultural and environmental friendly resilient architecture, which will subsequently reduce damage and fatalities on brisk of disaster. It also familiarizes the public with the proposed disaster prevention and mitigation strategies and facilitates the adoption of the proposed design in future post-disaster conditions.

The occurrence of two recent major earthquakes, 17 August 1999 Mw = 7.4 Izmit and 12 November 1999 Mw = 7.1 D&uuml / zce, in Turkey prompted seismologists and geologists to conduct studies to predict magnitude and location of a potential earthquake that can cause substantial damage in Istanbul. Many scenarios are available about the extent and size of the earthquake. Moreover, studies have recommended rough estimates of risk areas throughout the city to trigger responsible authorities to take precautions to reduce the casualties and loss for the earthquake expected. Most of these studies, however, adopt available procedure by modifying them for the building stock peculiar to Turkey. The assumptions and modifications made are too crude and thus are believed to introduce significant deviations from the actual case. To minimize these errors and use specific damage functions and capacity curves that reflect the practice in Turkey, a study was undertaken to predict damage pattern and distribution in Istanbul for a scenario earthquake proposed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The success of these studies strongly depends on the quality and validity of building inventory and site property data. Building damage functions and capacity curves developed from the studies conducted in Middle East Technical University are used. A number of proper attenuation relations are employed. The study focuses mainly on developing a software to carry out all computations and present results. The results of this study reveal a more reliable picture of the physical seismic damage distribution expected in Istanbul.

Over 90% of the land area of Turkey lies over one of the most active seismic zones in the world. Hazardous earthquakes frequently occur and cause heavy damage to the economy of the country as well as human lives. Unfortunately, the majority of buildings in Turkey do not have enough seismic resistance capacity. The most commonly observed problems are faulty system configuration, insufficient lateral stiffness, improper detailing, poor material quality and mistakes during construction. Strengthening of R/C framed structures by using cast-in-place R/C infills leads to a huge construction work and is time consuming. On the other hand, using prefabricated panel infills can be preferred as a more feasible, rapid and easy technique during which the structure can remain operational. The aim of this experimental study is to observe the seismic behavior of R/C frames strengthened by precast concrete panel infills by testing different types of panel and connection designs in eight single-story single-bay reinforced concrete frame specimens.

ABSTRACT SIMULATION OF SURFACE WAVES GENERATED BY A RAPID RISE OF A BLOCK AT THE SEA BOTTOM SENOL, Nalan M.Sc., Department of Civil Engineering, Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. ismail AYDIN July 2005, 74 Pages A mathematical model is developed for investigating time dependent surface deformations of a hydrostatic water volume, when it is subjected to a sudden partial rise of the sea bottom. In the model, 2-dimensional, compressible, and viscous Navier-Stokes equations are solved by Marker and Cell (MAC) method. Variable mesh size in both horizontal and vertical directions with a staggered grid arrangement is used. Limited compressibility model is utilized for pressure. Various computational tests are done for the selection of computational parameters of the model. It is found that the amplitude of surface waves generated by vertical displacements of the sea bottom depends on size and speed of bottom displacements.

This study presents information on the design procedure of seismic base isolation systems. Analysis of the seismic responses of isolated structures, which is oriented to give a clear understanding of the effect of base isolation on the nature of the structure / and discussion of various isolator types are involved in this work. Seismic isolation consists essentially of the installation of mechanisms, which decouple the structure, and its contents, from potentially damaging earthquake induced ground motions. This decoupling is achieved by increasing the horizontal flexibility of the system, together with providing appropriate damping. The isolator increases the natural period of the overall structure and hence decreases its acceleration response to earthquake-generated vibrations. This increase in period,together with damping, can reduce the effect of the earthquakes, so that smaller loads and deformations are imposed on the structure and its components. The key references that are used in this study are the related chapters of FEMA and IBC2000 codes for seismic isolated structures. In this work, these codes are used for the design examples of elastomeric bearings. Furthermore, the internal forces develop in the superstructure during a ground motion is determined / and the different approaches defined by the codes towards the &lsquo / scaling factor&rsquo / concept is compared in this perspective.

Gemlik County is located in the Marmara Region (NW Turkey), which has been affected by destructive earthquakes sourced from North Anatolian Fault System throughout its history. The bulk of the settlement rests on alluvial deposits of the Gemlik pull-apart basin. So, it is vital to investigate the foundation soils in this basin and the response of them to earthquakes. Many earthquake codes were established by the authorities in different countries of the world to estimate the possible ground shaking and seismic loads which may act on buildings. In this study, Turkish Earthquake Code (TEC-1998) and Eurocode-8 (EN-1998) have been utilized. The analyses showed that EN-1998 results in more conservative estimates relative to TEC-1998, in terms of spectral ordinates. The source of difference between TEC-1998 and EN-1998 has been investigated and three possible reasons have been identified. The variation is probably due to the different seismic characteristics of Turkey and Europe, different soil amplification levels defined by the codes, and different soil classification procedures of the codes.

This study presents the nonlinear design of a state space controller to control hydraulic actuators under displacement control, specifically for real-time pseudo-dynamic testing applications. The proposed control design process uses the nonlinear state space model of the dynamics of the system to be controlled; and utilizes state feedback linearization through a transformation of the state variables. Comparisons of numerical simulation results for linear state-space and nonlinear state-space controllers are given. Also robustness of the control design with respect to identified parameters is investigated. It is shown that a controller with improved performance can be designed using nonlinear state space control design techniques, provided that a representative model of the system is available. / Structural Engineering

Le rift de Corinthe, en Grèce, est un jeune rift séparant la Grèce continentale du Péloponnèse. Sa partie la plus active, où la subsidence a été la plus importante durant le Quaternaire récent, a été envahie par la mer Méditerranée et forme le Golfe de Corinthe. Cette région est sujette à de nombreux aléas naturels : fréquents séismes, tsunamis et glissements de terrain côtiers. Cette thèse est dédiée à l'étude de ces processus à l'extrémité ouest du Golfe, où le l'aléa sismique, en particulier, est le plus élevée. Nous avons investigué les sédiments quaternaires accumulés sous le golfe, par l'acquisition de profils sismiques et de carottes sédimentaires. Premièrement, 22 grands glissements de terrains sous-marins ont été découverts. Leur volume varie entre 106 et 109 m3. Ces glissements eurent lieu durant 6 intervalles de temps, 4 durant l'Holocène et 2 durant le Pléistocène supérieur. Parmi les possibles facteurs ayant favorisé ou déclenché ces glissements, le rôle des apports sédimentaires semble avoir été prépondérant. Ensuite, une carte détaillée des failles en mer a été réalisée. Cette carte met en évidence, pour la première fois, des mouvements décrochants significatifs dans la partie marine du rift. Trois phases sont mises en évidence dans l'évolution tectono-sédimentaire. Durant ces phases, nos interprétations suggèrent une migration vers le nord de la déformation, conduisant à la désactivation progressive de grandes failles normales à pendage sud qui contrôlaient la subsidence durant une première phase du rifting. Par l'étude des carottes sédimentaires, nous avons ensuite recherché dans les sédiments récents des événements sédimentaires ayant été déclenchés par les grands séismes historiques. La meilleure correspondance entre l'âge des événements et l'âge des séismes est observée dans la partie la plus profonde du bassin. Finalement, quatre carottes plus longues ont été prélevées dans cette région et ont révélé une distribution spatiale et temporelle spécifique des glissements sous-marins au cours des derniers 500 à 1000 ans. Cette distribution est interprétée comme résultant principalement de variations dans la fréquence des grands séismes. Ainsi, selon ces nouvelles données, une période de quiescence sismique eut lieu entre ~1740 et ~1890 AD à l'ouest de la zone d'étude alors qu'à l'est, une quiescence sismique aurait eu lieu plus tôt, entre ~1500 et ~1700 AD. / The Corinth Rift, in Greece, is a young and active continental rift stretching between Continental Greece and the Peloponnese. The most active part of the rift, where the subsidence has been the highest during the Late Quaternary, has been covered by the sea and forms the Gulf of Corinth. This area is prone to natural hazards, including frequent large earthquakes, tsunamis and coastal landslides. The present thesis is dedicated to the study of these processes at the western tip of the Gulf, where the earthquake hazard, in particular, is considered as very high. We have investigated the Quaternary sediments below the Gulf of Corinth floor, through seismic reflection profiling and gravity coring. First, 22 large mass transport deposits were discovered. Their estimated volumes range from 106 to 109 m3. Large mass wasting events occurred in six stratigraphic intervals, four attributed to the Holocene and two attributed to the Upper Pleistocene. Among possible preconditioning factors and triggers, the likely influence of the sediment supply is highlighted. Then, an accurate map of offshore faults is presented. The map highlights for the first time significant strike-slip component in the offshore Corinth Rift, in addition to the dominant normal strain. Three phases are proposed for the Late Quaternary tectono-sedimentary evolution of the area. During these phases, the strain was suggested to migrate northward, driving the progressive deactivation of the large south-dipping faults that controlled the subsidence in an earlier phase of the rifting. Based on the sediment cores, sedimentary events triggered by large historical earthquakes in the last 3 centuries have been looked for. The best fit between the age of the identified event deposits and large historical earthquakes is observed in the deep basin. Finally, four longer cores retrieved in this area reveal specific spatial and temporal patterns of slope failures for the last 500-1000 yr. Such pattern is interpreted as resulting primarily from changes in the frequency of strong earthquakes. From these data, a period of seismic quiescence may have occurred between ~1740 and ~1890 AD in the west of the study area, while eastward, seismic quiescence would have occurred earlier, between ~1500 and ~1700 AD.

A comprehensive study of the soil shaking under the seismic wave-field ex- citation is presented. It includes theoretical, geological, geotechnical, data analysis and numerical simulations aspects. The aim is to quantify the main parameters allowing the estimate of the soil shaking in urban areas for better mitigating seismic risk due to future earthquakes. The city of Rome has been chosen as a case study because of its high density of popula- tion and large concentration of historical monuments with high earthquake vulnerability. This study improves significantly the knowledge concerning the detailed near-surface geology of the chosen study area of Rome, ful- fills the absence both of knowledge concerning its geotechnical properties and earthquake data recordings in the city. Among others, it allows for a better explanation of the spatial damage pattern observed in the city due to earthquakes in the past. The main innovations include the construction and long-term operation a seismic array in the city, analysis of the natural seismic noise, and instrumental recordings of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake sequence. The 3D array (including a borehole sensor at 70-m depth) is the first one in Italy planned, realized and operated within an urban area, and the first one that recorded a significant earthquake in...