A new Neodima species (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Dimini), with notes on the distribution and morphology of the genus

The flightless click-beetle Neodima yutangi sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Beichuan County, Northern Sichuan Province, China. Habitus and important diagnostic characters of the new species are illustrated. An updated distribution map of the genus and key to Neodima species are provided. The distribution, habitat and some notable morphological characters of the genus are discussed.

Recurrent rock avalanches progressively dismantle mountain ridges in the Longmen Shan, China, most recently in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

<p>Large earthquake-triggered landslides, in particular rock avalanches, can have catastrophic consequences. However, the recognition of slopes prone to such failures remains difficult, because slope-specific seismic response depends on many factors including local topography, landforms, structure and internal geology. We address these issues by exploring the case of a rock avalanche of >3 million m<sup>3</sup> triggered by the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake in the Longmen Shan range, China. The failure, denominated Yangjia gully rock avalanche, occurred in Beichuan County (Sichuan Province), one of the areas that suffered the highest shaking intensity and death toll caused by co-seismic landsliding. Even though the Wenchuan earthquake produced tens of large (volume >1 million m<sup>3</sup>) rock avalanches, few studies so far have examined the pre-2008 history of the failed slope or reported on the stratigraphic record of mass-movement deposits exposed along local river courses. The presented case of the Yangjia gully rock avalanche shows the importance of such attempts as they provide information on the recurrence of large slope failures and their associated hazards. Our effort stems from recognition, on 2005 satellite imagery, of topography and morphology indicative of a large, apparently pre-historic slope failure and the associated breached landslide dam, both features closely resembling the forms generated in the catastrophic 2008 earthquake. The follow-up reconstruction recognizes an earlier landslide deposit exhumed from beneath the 2008 Yangjia gully rock avalanche by fluvial erosion since May 2008. We infer a seismic trigger also for the pre-2008 rock avalanche based on the following circumstantial evidence: i) the same source area (valley-facing, terminal portion of a flat-topped, elongated mountain ridge) located within one and a half kilometer of the seismically active Beichuan fault; ii) significant directional amplification of ground vibration, sub-parallel to the failed slope direction, detected via ambient noise measurements on the ridge adjacent to the source area of the 2008 rock avalanche and iii) common depositional and textural features of the two landslide deposits. Then, we show how, through consideration of the broader geomorphic and seismo-tectonic contexts, one can gain insight into the spatial and temporal recurrence of catastrophic slope failures  in Beichuan County and elsewhere in the Longmen Shan. This insight, combined with local-scale geologic and geomorphologic knowledge, may guide selection of suspect slopes for reconnaissance, wide-area ambient noise investigation aimed at discriminating their relative susceptibility to co-seismic catastrophic failures. We indicate the feasibility of such investigations through the example of this study, which uses 3-component velocimeters designed to register low amplitude ground vibration.</p>

Incorporating multi-source remote sensing in the detection of earthquake-damaged buildings based on logistic regression modelling

After an earthquake, efficiently and accurately acquiring information about damaged buildings can help reduce casualties. Earth observation data have been widely used to map affected areas after earthquakes. However, accurate post-earthquake assessment results are needed to manage recovery and reconstruction and estimate economic losses. In this paper, for quantification and precision purposes, information on earthquake-induced building damage is extracted using multi-source remote sensing images collected after an earthquake. The multi-source remote sensing data include optical data, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, and digital surface model (DSM) data generated by interpolating light detection and ranging (LiDAR) point cloud data. Features that describe texture, colour, and geometry are included in our analysis. The feature analysis is carried out according to the rough set theory to further determine the feature parameters. A logistic regression model (LRM) is employed to find the optimal fitting function to describe the relationship between the occurrence and absence of destroyed buildings within an individual object. In our experiment, old Beichuan County, China, the area most devastated by the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008, is used to test the proposed hypothesis. Through comparison with a ground survey, the experimental results show that the detection accuracy of the proposed method is 94.2 %; the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is 0.827. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated using 6 modes of data combination acquired from the same area in old Beichuan County. The approach is one of the first attempts to extract damaged buildings through the fusion of three types of data with different features. The approach addresses multivariate regression methodologies and compares the potentials of different features for application in the field of damage detection.

The Evaluation System on Green Concrete Construction Technology of Post-Disaster Reconstruction of Underground Engineering

The article sums up post--disaster reconstruction of underground engineering. The post-disaster reconstruction of green concrete construction technology evaluation system was studie. Taking the underground engineering of administrative center of the Beichuan County as an example, the writer conducts a detailed analysis the post-disaster reconstruction underground engineering green concrete constution technology evaluation system research.

Research on Seismic Damage of Buildings in the Beichuan Earthquake

This paper mainly discusses seismic damage of RC frame buildings in Beichuan county based on the investigation on the spot. The building damage forms are classified and component failures are analyzed. Applying finite element analysis software, the performance of RC frame buildings under severe earthquake is simulated and the components plastic hinge development is researched. The analysis results are made a comparison with real damage of buildings in this paper and some suggestions are proposed to seismic design.