Studying the Evolution of Earthquake Network Measures for the Main Shock on June 24, 2015 in Egypt

Geotectonics - The monitoring of network measures, such as degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and clustering coefficient is performed, aiming to identify the periods that the earthquake...     

Tsunami hydrodynamic force on a building using a SPH real-scale numerical simulation

Natural Hazards - One of the most important aspects in tsunami studies is the behaviour of the wave when it approaches the coast. Information on physical parameters that characterize waves is often...     

Robustness of the holistic seismic risk evaluation in urban centers using the USRi

The Urban Seismic Risk index (USRi) published in a previous article (Carreño et al., Nat Hazards 40:137–172, 2007) is a composite indicator that measures risk from an integrated perspective and guides decision-making for identifying the main interdisciplinary factors of vulnerability to be reduced or intervened. The first step of the method is the evaluation of the potential physical damage (hard approach) as a result of the convolution of the seismic hazard with the physical vulnerability of buildings and infrastructure. Subsequently, a set of social context conditions that aggravate the physical effects is also considered (soft approach). According to this procedure, the physical risk index is evaluated for each unit of analysis from existing loss scenarios, whereas the total risk index is obtained by multiplying the former index by an impact factor using an aggravating coefficient, based on variables associated with the socio-economic conditions of each unit of analysis. The USRi has been developed using the underlying holistic and multi-hazard approach of the Urban Risk Index framework proposed for the evaluation of disaster risk in different megacities worldwide. This article presents the sensitivity analysis of the index to different parameters such as input data, weights and transformation functions used for the scaling or normalization of variables. This analysis has been performed using the Monte Carlo simulation to validate the robustness of this composite indicator, understanding as robustness how the cities maintain the ranking as well as predefined risk level ranges, when compared with the deterministic results of risk. Results are shown for different cities of the world.     

Suction force below plate anchors in soft clay

The results of a number of laboratory model tests for the short‐term ultimate uplift capacity of a circular plate anchor embedded in saturated soft kaolinite and montmorillonite are presented. The tests were conducted with and without venting the bottom of the plate anchor in order to determine the variation of the suction force with embedment ratio. The variation of the suction force is presented in terms of the undrained shear strength of the clay and also the net ultimate uplift capacity.     

Optimization of slope angle and its seismic stability: A case study for the proposed open pit coalmine in Phulbari, NW Bangladesh

The present study reflects upon the results of substantial program of two-dimensional Finite Element Method （FEM） numerical analyses of the open pit that links to slope angle optimization associated with the safety factor of the pit slope of a coal mine in Bangladesh. In the present analyses, two types of models have been presented. The first model estimates safety factor without seismic effect on the overall pit slope of the model; the second model incorporates safety factor with seismic stability of the model. The calculated optimum slope angle of the first model is 31% with a rational safety factor of 1.51, prior to the seismic effect. However, the value is reduced to 0.93, 0.82, and 0.72, after we applies the seismic effect in the second model with M6, M6.5, and M7, respectively. Finally, our modeling results emphasize that for the case of the proposed Phulbari coalmine, there is extremely high prospect for causing massive slope failure along the optimum pit slope angle with 31% if the mine area felt seismic shaking, like the Sikkim （in northern India） earthquake with M6.9 on September 18, 2011.     

吉尔吉斯斯坦西南部两栖爬行动物物种多样性

为了进一步了解吉尔吉斯斯坦两栖爬行动物物种多样性特征,于2012年9月15日～26日,在对吉尔吉斯斯坦西南部不同生境两栖爬行动物物种多样性进行野外实地调查和已有文献整理的基础上,初步整理出了分布在吉尔吉斯斯坦西南部的两栖爬行动物种类,并其物种多样性进行比较分析。本次考察共采集和记录实体标本621号,经鉴定共26种（亚种）,分隶4目10科18属,其中两栖纲1目2科2属2种,爬行纲3目8科16属22种。其中新疆蟾蜍（Bufo pewzowi）、亚洲林蛙（Rana asiatica）、赛氏沙蜥（Phrynocephalus saidalievi）三个种为优势种类,占总个体数的55.23%;快步麻蜥（Eremias velox）、喜山岩蜥（Laudakia himalayana）、草原蜥（Trapelus agilis）、荒漠无脸蜥（Ablepharus deserti）、施氏石龙子（Eumeces schneideri）、叶城麻蜥（Eremias yarkandensis）、棋斑游蛇（Natrix tessellata）、白条锦蛇（Elaphe dione）、中亚眼镜蛇（Naja oxiana）、四爪陆龟指名亚种（Testudo horsfieldii horsfieldii）11种类为常见种,占总个体数的36.88%;新疆岩蜥（Laudakia stoliczkana）、敏麻蜥（Eremias arguta）、捷蜥蜴（Lacerta agilis）、红沙蠎（Eryx miliaris）、东方沙蠎（Eryx tataricus）、草原蝰（Vipera renardi）等12各种为稀有种类,占总个体数的7.89%。在不同生境间均存在物种多样性指标差异显著（p<0.05）,物种多样性在草原最高（2.029 8）,其次为山地森林（1.920 4）,而荒漠最低（0.233 8）;丰富度均在山地森林最高（3.242 51）,其次为草原（2.540 0）,而在荒漠最低（0.288 5）;由于吉尔吉斯斯坦西南部的气候属于典型的大陆性气候,两栖爬行动物物种的组成主要以适应干旱环境的耐旱种类为主,区系组成较为简单,地方种类数量较少,在物种组成及起源等方面与我国西北地区的两栖爬行动物区系有着一定的联系。