Cervelleite, Ag4TeS: solution and description of the crystal structure

Copyright: Springer-Verlag Wien 2015. This is the final, post refereeing version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it, http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00710-015-0384-

Pengaruh Dimensi Kualitas Layanan terhadap Kepuasan Nasabah dengan Implikasi Loyalitas pada PT. Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional, Tbk Cabang Kertajaya Surabaya

This study analyses the effect of the dimensions of service quality toward the satisfaction and its implication of the customers loyalty at PT Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional (BTPN) Surabaya branch. It is a causal research using primary data gathered from the questionnaire filled by BTPNs 125 customers. The respondents were chosen using systematic random samplings due to the data of the customers have already been in the database of Personal Banking Officer (PBO). The result of this research indicates that the reliability, responsiveness, tangible are positively significant toward satisfaction, but assurance and empathy are not positively significant toward satisfaction, beside satisfaction is positively significant toward loyalty. Referring to the research result focusing on the weakness score of mean and the test result of hypotheses, some implications to BPTN are considerations in order to be able to provide better service quality such as in reliability and responsiveness in which there should be more strictly-time based service; in assurance and satisfaction there should better analysis to refer in controlling the service process; in empathy there should be on time in starting the counter; and in tangible there should be renew policy in the facilities

Empirical site-specific response-spectra correction factors for the Gubbio basin (central Italy)

Providing quantitative microzonation results that can be taken into account in urban land-use plans is a challenging task that requires collaborative efforts between the seismological and engineering communities. In this study, starting from the results obtained by extensive geophysical and seismological investigations, we propose and apply an approach to the Gubbio basin (Italy) that can be easily implemented for cases of moderate-to-low ground motion and that takes into account not only simple 1D, but also more complicated 3D effects. With this method, the sites inside the basin are classified by their fundamental resonance frequencies, estimated from the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio applied to noise recordings (HVNSR). The correspondence between estimates of the fundamental frequency from this method and those derived from earthquake recordings was verified at several calibration sites. The amplification factors used to correct the response spectra are computed by the ratio between the response spectra at sites within the basin and the response spectra at a hard-rock site using data from two seismic transects. Empirical amplification functions are then assigned to the fundamental frequencies after applying an interpolation technique. The suitability of the estimated site-specific correction factors for response spectra was verified by computing synthetic response spectra for stations within the basin, starting from the synthetic recording at a nearby rock station, and comparing them with observed ones

Task 2 - Deliverable 4: Software for strong-motion data display and processing

The deliverable 4 is composed by a set of routines created to read and process the time series stored in the data base format, that is an ASCII file with a 43 row header, with the name codified as specified in the Deliverable 1. The files can also be read in SAC format

Source Spectra and Site Response from S Waves of Intermediate-Depth Vrancea, Romania, Earthquakes

Seismograms from 55 intermediate-depth Vrancea earthquakes (M 4:0– 7:1) recorded at 43 stations of an accelerometric network in Romania are used to derive source spectra and site amplification functions from S waves in the frequency range 0.5–20 Hz with the generalized inversion technique (GIT) (Castro et al., 1990). Attenuation is taken into account using the nonparametric attenuation functions derived by Oth et al. (2008) from the same dataset, and the attenuation-corrected data are then split into source and site contributions. The source spectra follow the ω 2 model (Brune, 1970, 1971) with high corner frequencies and a related Brune stress drop of the order of 100 MPa. The site amplification functions are separately determined for both horizontal and vertical components. Contrary to widespread expectation, the vertical component shows significant amplification effects at high frequencies. The H=Z ratios determined from the GIT results compare well with H=V ratios computed directly from the S-wave window of the accelerograms (Lermo and Chávez-García, 1993). The basic assumption for the determination of site effects from H=V ratios is that the vertical component is not or only little affected by site effects. For Vrancea earthquakes, this assumption is incorrect; consequently, site effects should not be estimated from H=V ratios. The reason for this peculiar fact is the geometry of intermediate-depth seismicity that leads to almost vertical ray paths beneath the stations

S-Wave Attenuation Characteristics beneath the Vrancea Region in Romania: New Insights from the Inversion of Ground-Motion Spectra

The S-wave attenuation characteristics beneath the Vrancea region in Romania are analyzed from the spectra (frequency range 0.5–20 Hz) of more than 850 recordings at 43 accelerometric stations of 55 intermediate-depth earthquakes (M 4:0–7:1) that occurred in the Vrancea seismogenic zone. The method commonly chosen for this type of investigation in the case of crustal earthquakes is the generalized inversion technique (GIT) (e.g., Andrews, 1986; Castro et al., 1990). Yet the Vrancea dataset is entirely different from common crustal datasets. Because of the strong clustering of the hypocenters within a very small focal volume, there are only few crossing ray paths from sources to receivers. As a consequence, inhomogeneities in the attenuation properties are not averaged out, which leads to unphysical results if the standard GIT approach is adopted. The problem is discussed qualitatively by performing tests with synthetic data and solved quantitatively by adapting the GIT technique in view of these peculiarities.With the optimally adapted inversion scheme, it is possible to unravel differences in the attenuation characteristics between two (or more) sets of stations. The results show that the attenuation of seismic waves is roughly comparable in the low frequency range (<4–5 Hz) but stronger by up to an order of magnitude at higher frequencies within the Carpathian mountain arc as compared with the foreland area. Modeling this strongly frequency-dependent lateral variation of seismic attenuation by a significantly lower Q beneath Vrancea (1) provides a very good fit of observed strong-motion characteristics, (2) sheds new light on the distribution of intensities of the previous strong earthquakes, (3) will have strong implications for future hazard assessment, and (4) is fully compatible with structural models from deep seismic sounding, tomography, and teleseismic attenuation

Toward validation of simulated accelerograms via prediction equations for nonlinear SDOF response

Seismic structural risk analysis of critical facilities may require nonlinear dynamic analysis for which record selection is one of the key issues. Notwithstanding the increasing availability of database of strong-motion records, it may be hard to find accelerograms that fit a specific scenario (e.g., in terms of magnitude and distance) resulting from hazard assessment at the site of interest. A possible, alternative, approach can be the use of artificial and/or simulated ground motion in lieu of real records. Their employment requires systematic engineering validation in terms of structural response and/or seismic risk. Prediction equations for peak and cyclic inelastic single degree of freedom systems’ response, based on Italian accelerometric data, are discussed in this study as a possible benchmark, alongside real record counterparts, for the validation of synthetic records. Even if multiple events would be in principle required, an extremely preliminary validation is carried out considering only four simulated records of the 1980 Irpinia (southern Italy) M w 6.9 earthquake. Simulated records are obtained through a broadband hybrid integral-composite technique. Results show how this simulation method may lead to generally acceptable results. It is also emphasized how this kind of validation may provide additional results with respect to classical signal-to-signal comparison of real and simulated records

The Mw 6.3, 2009 L’Aquila earthquake: source, path and site effects from spectral analysis of strong motion data

The strong motion data of 2009 April 6 L’Aquila (Central Italy) earthquake (Mw = 6.3) and of 12 aftershocks (4.1 ≤ Mw ≤ 5.6) recorded by 56 stations of the Italian strong motion network are spectrally analysed to estimate the source parameters, the seismic attenuation, and the site amplification effects. The obtained source spectra for S wave have stress drop values ranging from 2.4 to 16.8 MPa, being the stress drop of the main shock equal to 9.2 MPa. The spectral curves describing the attenuation with distance show the presence of shoulders and bumps, mainly around 50 and 150 km, as consequence of significant reflected and refracted arrivals from crustal interfaces. The attenuation in the first 50 km is well described by a quality factor equal to Q( f ) = 59 f 0.56 obtained by fixing the geometrical spreading exponent to 1. Finally, the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio provides unreliable estimates of local site effects for those stations showing large amplifications over the vertical component of motion