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Macroseismic intensity data play an important role in seismic hazard analysis and in developing reliable earthquake loss models. This paper adopts an ellipse model to predict the macroseismic intensity attenuation in both the long-axis and the short-axis directions based on 136 earthquakes recorded throughout western China during 1970–2012. The geometric spreading and energy release of seismic waves are considered in the models proposed in this study. The proposed relation describes the macroseismic intensity simply as a function of the surface wave magnitude, source-to-site distance, and focal depth. This study adopts the focal depth that is not often considered in the current intensity prediction equations in China and uses different functional forms in the long- and short-axis directions. Based on residual analysis and evaluation, a more suitable macroseismic intensity predictive equation was established for western China, and it was compared and discussed with macroseismic intensity prediction equations of other researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many well-preserved silicified megalodontids found from the Jiapila Formation of the Upper Triassic in western China show great variations in the amorphous teeth and the massive hinge plate, making the internal molds vary greatly in size and shape. Thus, the internal molds of megalodontids do not always provide reliable taxonomic characters. As a result, about 3/4 of the 132 species and 6 of 9 genera of Triassic Megalodontidae erected on the basis of internal molds have to be revised. The revised definitions of genera Neomegalodon, Triadomegalodon, and Conchodon are given in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports our field study findings about the efforts of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to rationalize Chinese public organizations. Our focus here is on public organizations in western China. Classifying the development of China into the strategizing, politicizing, and pragmatizing eras, with each era having its unique historical events, reflecting CPC’s basic logic in organization and management and in turn affecting officials’ behavioral tendencies, we examine CPC’s basic political–rational approach and the different rationalization models used in different eras. The contending models had produced mix-results, as most officials are either politically submissive to higher authority, as in the case of western China or, as in eastern region, in transformation, becoming a self-serving hybrid with monopoly of both economic and political powers. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic carbon isotopic composition (δ[sup13]C) is one of the important proxies in paleoenvironment studies. In this paper modern plant δ[sup13]C in the arid areas of China and Tibetan Plateau is studied. It is found that most terrestrial plant species in western China are C[sub3] plants with δ[sup13] C values ranging from -32.6% to -23.2% and only few species are C[sub4] plants with δ[sup13]C values from -16.8% to -13.3%. The δ[sup13]C is closely related to precipitation (or humidity), i.e., light δ[sup13]C is related to high precipitation (or humid climate), while heavy δ[sup13]C to low precipitation (or dry climate), but there is almost no relation between plant δ[sup13]C and temperature. Submerged plants have δ[sup13]C values ranging from -22.0% to -12.7%, like C[sub4] plants, while merged plants have δ[sup13]C values ranging from -28.1% to -24.5%, like C[sub3] plants. It can then be concluded that organic δ[sup13]C variations in terrestrial sediments such as loess and soil in western China can indicate precipitation changes, but those in lake sediments can reflect organic sources and the productivity of different types of aquatic plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]