The characteristics of earthquake shaking are affected by the local site conditions. The effects of the local soil conditions are often quantified via an amplification factor (AF), which is defined as the ratio of the ground motion at the soil surface to the ground motion at a rock site at the same location. Amplification factors can be defined for any ground motion parameter, but most commonly are assessed for acceleration response spectral values at different oscillator periods. Site amplification can be evaluated for a site by conducting seismic site response analysis, which models the wave propagation from the base rock through the site-specific soil layers to the ground surface. An alternative to site-specific seismic response analysis is site amplification models. Site amplification models are empirical equations that predict the site amplification based on general characteristics of the site. Most of the site amplification models that already used in ground motion prediction equations characterize a site with two parameters: the average shear wave velocity in the top 30 m (VS30) and the depth to bedrock. However, additional site parameters influence site amplification and should be included in site amplification models. To identify the site parameters that help explain the variation in site amplification, ninety nine manually generated velocity profiles are analyzed using seismic site response analysis. The generated profiles have the same VS30 and depth to bedrock but a different velocity structure in the top 30 m. Different site parameters are investigated to explain the variability in the computed amplification. The parameter Vratio, which is the ratio of the average shear wave velocity between 20 m and 30 m to the average shear wave velocity in the top 10 m, is identified as the site parameter that most affects the computed amplification for sites with the same VS30 and depth to bedrock. To generalize the findings from the analyses in which only the top 30 m of the velocity profile are varied, a suite of fully randomized velocity profiles are generated and site response analysis is used to compute the amplification for each site for a range of input motion intensities. The results of the site response analyses conducted on these four hundred fully randomized velocity profiles confirm the influence of Vratio on site amplification. The computed amplification factors are used to develop an empirical site amplification model that incorporates the effect of Vratio, as well as VS30 and the depth to bedrock. The empirical site amplification model includes the effects of soil nonlinearity, such that the predicted amplification is a function of the intensity of shaking. The developed model can be incorporated into the development of future ground motion prediction equations. / text

This dissertation details work aimed at better understanding topographic effects in earthquake ground motions. The experiment, conducted in Central-Eastern Utah, used frequent and predictable seismicity produced by underground longwall coal mining as a source of low-intensity ground motions. Locally-dense arrays of seismometers deployed over various topographic features were used to passively monitor seismic energy produced by mining-induced implosions and/or stress redistribution in the subsurface. The research consisted of two separate studies: an initial feasibility experiment (Phase I) followed by a larger-scale main study (Phase II). Over 50 distinct, small-magnitude (M[subscript 'L'] < 1.6) seismic events were identified in each phase. These events were analyzed for topographic effects in the time domain using the Peak Ground Velocity (PGV), and in the frequency domain using the Standard Spectral Ratio (SSR) method, the Median Reference Method (MRM), and the Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) method. The polarities of the horizontal ground motions were also visualized using directional analyses. The various analysis methods were compared to assess their ability to estimate amplification factors and determine the topographic frequencies of interest for each feature instrumented. The MRM was found to provide the most consistent, and presumably accurate, estimates of the amplification factor and frequency range for topographic effects. Results from this study clearly indicated that topographic amplification of ground motions does in fact occur. These amplifications were very frequency dependent, and the frequency range was correctly estimated in many, but not all, cases using simplified, analytical methods based on the geotechnical and geometrical properties of the topography. Amplifications in this study were found to generally range from 2 to 3 times a reference/baseline site condition, with some complex 3D features experiencing amplifications as high as 10. Maximum amplifications occurred near the crest of topographic features with slope angles greater than approximately 15 degrees, and the amplifications were generally oriented in the direction of steepest topographic relief, with some dependency on wave propagation direction. / text

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Six earthquake acceleration time histories were used to evaluate the groundmotion response of two sites, VSAP and VSAS, near the New Madrid Seismic Zone. These earthquakes ranged in magnitude from Mw 3.6 to Mw 5.2 and were located 46 to 173 km away from the recording instruments. These two sites are underlain by thick sequences (100 and 590 m) of unlithified soil that have been shown to greatly influence earthquake ground motions. Near-surface soil dynamic properties were characterized at the two sites using seismic SH-wave refraction, P-S suspension logging, borehole electrical logs, and geotechnical logging methods. The soil properties were developed into a soil model for each site and the soil models were used to compare theoretical ground-motion models to the actual strong-motion time histories. An 1-D ground-motion simulation program (EERA) was used to complete the theoretical ground-motion analysis. The results of the model indicated that the soils underlying VSAP generated amplification factors of 0.9 to 2.9 at about 6 and 9 Hz. Soils underlying VSAS generated amplification factors of 1.8 to 4.2 at about 5 Hz. These values correlated well with the observations at the two sites.

Treatment success often depends on the availability of accurate and reliable diagnostic assays to guide clinical practitioners in their treatment choices. An optimal test must excel in specificity and sensitivity, and depending on the application area time, low-cost and simplicity are equally important. For instance, time is essential in infectious diagnostics but this is less important in non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). In NIPT, specificity and sensitivity are the most important parameters. In this thesis I describe the development of four different methods, all based on padlock probes and rolling circle amplification, intended for molecular diagnostics. Application areas range from infectious disease diagnostics to NIPT and oncology. The methods described have in common that they overcome certain limitations of currently available assays. This thesis includes two new assays targeting infectious agents: one assay specifically detecting a highly variable double stranded RNA virus and the second assay demonstrating a new format of antibiotic susceptibility testing, which is rapid and generally applicable to different pathogens. Furthermore, I describe the development of a method that uses methylation markers to enrich fetal DNA, accurately quantify chromosome ratios and thus, detecting trisomy 21 and 18. The fourth method described in this thesis uses gap-fill ligation of padlock probes to detect diagnostic relevant point mutations with high specificity in situ. The assays presented have the potential, after automation and successful validation and verification studies, to be implemented into clinical practice. Furthermore, these assays demonstrate the wide applicability of padlock probes which, due to their properties in regard to specificity and multiplexity, are useful tools for nucleic acid detection in vitro as well as in situ. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-124).

Diss. (sammanfattning) Göteborg : Univ. , 2009. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

abstract: Despite the growth of technology in music composition and performance, professional clarinetists maintain that air microphones are superior to piezoelectric pickups. Pickups offer increased mobility, isolation, and reduced feedback, but air microphones are used simply for the perceived sound quality. In this study a ported barrel pickup and a contact transducer pickup placed at various intervals on the clarinet were sampled and compared to a reference recording to determine how the sound differed for each method. In addition, the history of wind instrument pickups, the acoustics of the clarinet, and the basics of piezoelectricity were discussed to help examine the results. The pickups were examined in three ways: overall level in decibels, frequency cutoff, and overtone displacement. Through these results it was determined that the most accurate methods of clarinet pickup are the ported barrel pickup, contact transducers closer to the vibration of the reed such as the ligature or barrel surface, or a transducer placed at the end of the bell. These findings were consistent with the discussions regarding history, clarinet acoustics, and piezoelectricity. This study also produced a reference for the sounds associated with different pickup methods, as well as possible improvements for clarinet pickup design. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2018