Extreme rainfall events in Catalonia. The case of 12 November 1988

A study of the synoptic situation which produced the catastrophic floods of November 1988 in Catalonia (in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula) is presented. Analyses of the vertical structure, potential instability, precipitable water, and instability index are made through the radiosounding data from Palma, Majorca. It is found that the 1988 situation is included in type I intense convective events in Catalonia (classification obtained from all the events since 1950, (Llasat, 1989)). It was characterized by: class="OrderedList">

A new Triassic pterosaur from Switzerland (Central Austroalpine, Grisons), Raeticodactylus filisurensis gen. et sp. nov.

A new basal non-pterodactyloid pterosaur, Raeticodactylus filisurensis gen. et sp. nov., is reported. It has been discovered in shallow marine sediments from the Upper Triassic of the lowest Kössen beds (late Norian/early Rhaetian boundary) in the central Austroalpine of Canton Grisons (Switzerland). The disarticulated specimen is comprised of an almost complete skull and a partial postcranial skeleton. A high and thin bony, sagittal cranial crest characterizes the anterodorsal region of the skull. The large mandible, with an additional keel-like expansion at the front, partly matches the enlarged sagittal cranial crest. A direct and close relationship to Austriadactylus cristatus, the only known Triassic pterosaur with a bony cranial crest so far, cannot be established. The teeth of the premaxilla are monocuspid and exhibit very strongly bowed enamel wrinkles on the lingual side whereas the enamel is smooth on the labial side. These monocuspid teeth are large and fang-like. The numerous smaller teeth of the maxilla show three, four and five cusps. These are very similar to the teeth of the Triassic pterosaur Eudimorphodon ranzii. The humerus shows a thinner construction than that seen in other Triassic pterosaurs. The femur is quite unusual with a caput femoris perpendicular to the shaft. The bones of the extremities are almost twice as long as the ones from the largest Triassic specimen E. ranzii (MCSNB 2888). The newly described pterosaur is an adult, with a wingspan of approximately 135 cm. A morphofunctional analysis suggests that R. filisurensis was a highly specialized piscivore and possibly a skim-feeder.     

Intensity measure selection for vulnerability studies of building classes

The selection of a scalar Intensity Measure (IM) for performing analytical vulnerability (loss) assessment across a building class is addressed. We investigate the ability of several IM choices to downgrade the effect of seismological parameters (sufficiency) as well as reduce the record‐to‐record variability (efficiency) for both highrise and lowrise sets of ‘index’ buildings. These characteristics are explored in unprecedented detail, employing comparisons and statistical significance testing at given levels of local engineering demand parameters (story drift ratios and peak floor accelerations) that relate to losses, instead of global variables such as the maximum interstory drift. Thus, a detailed limit‐state‐specific view is offered for the suitability of different scalar IMs for loss assessment. As expected, typical single‐period spectral values are found to introduce unwanted bias at high levels of scaling, both for a single as well as a class of buildings. On the other hand, the geometric mean of the spectral acceleration values estimated at several periods between the class‐average second‐mode and an elongated class‐average first‐mode period offers a practical choice that significantly reduces the spectral‐shape bias without requiring the development of new ground motion prediction equations. Given that record selection remains a site‐ and building‐specific process, such an improved IM can help achieve reliable estimates for building portfolios, as well as single structures, at no additional cost. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中国中产阶层社会空间分异研究述评

中国市场经济的改革伴随着社会阶层的分化和社会空间的重构,社会空间异质性增加。以中产阶层为主流大军的中产阶层化已成为一个全球化的社会空间现象。文章在地理学、规划学和社会学视角下,基于对1980年以来中国中产阶层空间分异相关研究成果的数据统计,将其划分为3个时期：1）1980―1989年,以西方社会阶层理论引入及国内社会阶层定性讨论的萌芽期;2）1990―2004年,为西方城市社会空间理论引进及中国城市社会空间结构研究的探索期;3）2005年至今,为城市社会空间结构实证研究及城市社会空间分异研究的发展期。文章总结了主要研究内容和研究方法,提出未来中国中产阶层空间分异研究的重点应集中于：转型期中产阶层研究的理论构建、全球化与中产阶层生活方式以及中产阶层聚居区研究等方面。     

辽宁省地震重点监视防御区Ⅱ类场地放大效应研究

利用辽宁省地震重点监视防御区工程场地地震安全性评价工作中积累的大量实际钻孔和土工试验资料,在50年超越概率为63%、10%、2%三种地震动输入情形下,采用等效线性化方法研究了辽宁省地震重点监视防御区Ⅱ类场地土层的放大效应。研究结果表明辽宁省地震重点监视防御区50年超越概率10%的平均场地效应放大因子为1.37,若使用《中国地震动参数区划图（GB18306-2001）》认定的系数（1.25）将低估研究区域内的场地放大效应。50年超越概率2%情形即＂工程结构抗倒塌水准＂的平均场地放大效应因子为1.35。这些结果有益于为研究区域提供更为合理的抗震设防标准。研究同时发现,实际工程中使用单一变量或有限的几个变量去控制场地放大效应会有很大的离散,因此重大工程项目的地震安全性评价工作是不可被替代的。     

Evolution characteristics of Jupiter’s outer satellites orbits

A systematic study is made of the long-period evolution of all distant satellite orbits in the system of Jupiter. We determine the extreme eccentricities and inclinations, as well as the circulation periods of the pericenter arguments and of the longitudes of the nodes. Moreover, we perform a comparative analysis of the research methods employed—analytical, numerical, and numerical—analytical methods.