An innovative hybrid control building system of multiple isolation and connection is proposed and investigated using both time history and input energy responses for various types of ground motions together with transfer functions. It is concerned that the seismic displacement response at the base-isolation layer of the existing baseisolated buildings may extremely increase under long-period and long-duration ground motions, which are getting great attention recently. In order to enhance the seismic performance of those base-isolated buildings, a novel hybrid system of multiple isolation and building connection is proposed and compared with other structural systems such as an independent multiple isolation system, a hybrid system of base isolation and building connection. Furthermore, the robustness of seismic responses of the proposed hybrid system for various types of ground motion is discussed through the comparison of various structural systems including non-hybrid systems. Finally, the optimal connection damper location is investigated using a sensitivity-type optimization approach.

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This paper demonstrates that recent changes in the mass media, especially TV programs, change democratic practice. I argue that this theory is applicable not only to the US, but also to Japan after the 1990s. This paper is organized as follows: the first section confirms that the increase in TV news after the 1980s is driven by an increase in ‘soft’ or ‘infotaining’ political news. The second section describes the changes in political practice – elections, policy processes, and party organization brought about by this change in the mass media, using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

The voluminous literature generated by Ronald Inglehart’s thesis that a shift in values from materialist to post-materialist occurs among citizens as societies modernize indicates the seminal nature of the theory. The predictive power of the theory has become more reliable with the continuation of surveys over the decades since the theory’s inception. Nevertheless, one problem remains unsolved using conventional methodology: how to determine the extent to which the proportion of post-materialists was already increasing during the years preceding the first survey in 1970. This article contributes to the solution of that problem by analyzing the values contained in 33,479 Japanese newspaper editorials from 1945 to 2000. By reflecting the public’s values, Japanese newspapers are able to maintain the largest circulations in the world. Moreover, the lifetime employment system in Japan enables us to “control for” life-cycle effects on value change, because the age of editorial board members has been constant during the postwar period. Using qualitative and quantitative techniques, I confirm the thesis that value change occurs during the process of economic development. My findings support the socialization hypothesis of the original theory, that is, that the basic values of a person reflect the socioeconomic conditions that prevailed during his or her pre-adult years.