Observation of local tectonic movements by a quartz-tube extensometer in the Sopronbánfalva Geodynamic Observatory, in Hungary–Validation of extensometric data by tidal analysis and simultaneous radon concentration measurements

In 1990 a quartz tube extensometer was installed in the Sopronbánfalva Geodynamic Observatory (SGO) of the Geodetic and Geophysical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. On the basis of the 20 year data series, an average strain rate of -5.36 μstr/y was determined. Because the instrumental drift can also cause a slow change in the output signal of the sensor similar to the tectonic movements, a lot of efforts were made to determine the drift of the extensometer. The instrument has no detectable drift according to the instrumental calibrations (regular calibration, parallel recording by more displacement sensors, etc.). Since autumn of 2008, the radon concentration has been continuously monitored by an AlfaGuard instrument in the SGO. The investigation of the relationship between strain and radon concentration also showed the absence of instrumental drift, so the instrument measures real tectonic movements. The results of the extensometric measurements show that the rate of tectonic movement is not constant. During the period 1993-2001, the strain rate accelerated to a maximum of -8.6 μstr/y in 2001, and then decelerated again between 2002-2010 to approx. -2.5 μstr/y in 2010

Quartz tube extensometer for observation of Earth tides and local tectonic deformations at the Sopronbánfalva Geodynamic Observatory, Hungary

In May 1990, a quartz tube extensometer was installed in the Sopronbánfalva Geodynamic Observatory of the Geodetic and Geophysical Research Institute (GGRI) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for recording Earth tides and recent tectonic movements. The paper describes the construction of the extensometer and a portable calibrator used for the in situ calibration of the instrument. The extensometer is very sensitive. Its scale factor is 2.093+/-0.032 nm/mV according to the highly precise calibration method developed at the GGRI. Since the stability of extensometers is strongly influenced by the geological structure and properties of the rocks in the vicinity of the recording site, the observatory instrument system was tested by coherence analysis between theoretical (as the input signal) and measured tidal data series (as the output signal). In the semidiurnal tidal frequency band the coherence is better than 0.95, while in the diurnal band it is about 0.8. Probably this is due to the fact that the noise is higher in the diurnal band (0.4-0.5 nstr) than in the semidiurnal band (0.19-0.22 nstr). Coherence analysis between theoretical and measured data corrected for barometric changes yielded a small improvement of coherence in both frequency bands, while using temperature data correction, no observable improvement was obtained. Results of the tidal analysis also show that the observatory instrument system is suitable for recording very small tectonic movements. The 18 years of continuous data series measured by the extensometer prove the high quality of the extensometer. On the basis of investigations, it was pointed out that further efforts should be done to improve the barometric correction method and that correction for ocean load, as well as considering topographic and cavity effects are necessary to increase the accuracy of determining tidal parameters

Design and Development of a Mineral Exploration Ontology

In this thesis, an ontology for the mineral exploration domain is designed and developed applying the Protégé ontology editor. The MinExOnt ontology includes a formal and explicit representation of the terms describing real objects, activities, and processes in mineral exploration. The stages used for these activities have various vocabularies, which are semantically modeled in this ontology with Web Ontology Language (OWL). The aim of the thesis is to show how ontologies can be designed and developed to help manage and represent geological knowledge. In addition to providing a general workflow for building the ontology, this thesis presents a simple user guide for the used software, including Protégé, used for ontology development, and Knoodl-OntVis, used for OWL visualization

Risk Assessment of Launching Airbags Using Functional Resonance Accident Model

‘Ship Launching Airbags’ can greatly increase the economic benefits of a new gravitational launching operation. Gravitational launching of a new ship with marine airbags takes into account the resistance force of rolling friction. However, a launching operation is a high-risk process, as it involves many risk factors. In this paper, Functional Resonance Accident Model (FRAM) was used systematically to identify potential risks and carry out the risk analysis of the ship launching operation. The human factor, technical factors, and organisational factors were identified based on the common performance conditions of FRAM. Functional performance changes, prevention, and hazard control barriers were evaluated to identify key operations. The results show that the ship launching operation is characterized by high collision, decreasing stability, and the need for the use of airbags

The Internet versus pediatricians as a source of infant teething information for parents in Turkey

OBJECTIVES: Parents are increasingly searching the Internet to gather information about their children’s health care. This study compared infant teething information obtained from publically employed pediatricians in Istanbul with that obtained from different Turkish websites (parenting, health, professional, news and commercial). METHODS: This study had two parts. The first part used a descriptive design, with two checklists to assess the quality and comprehensiveness of the teething-specific content on 62 parenting or health websites. The second part was a cross-sectional study of 75 pediatricians at public hospitals who completed a structured self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: In total, 54 websites (87.1%) described infant teething as a normal developmental process. The lists that were found on the websites identified the most frequent signs of infant teething as fever and drooling/perioral rash. The most frequent management strategies were chewing non-chilled and chilled objects. For teething problems, some pediatricians recommended teething rings and oral benzocaine, while 23 pediatricians recommended nothing. CONCLUSIONS: Parents should be informed by health professionals, especially regarding specific treatment strategies