Regression analysis of MCS Intensity and ground motion parameters in Italy and its application in ShakeMap

In Italy, the Mercalli-Cancani-Sieberg, MCS, is the intensity scale in use to describe the level of earthquake ground shaking, and its subsequent effects on communities and on the built environment. This scale differs to some extent from the Mercalli Modified scale in use in other countries and adopted as standard within the USGS-ShakeMap procedure to predict intensities from observed instrumental data. We have assembled a new PGM/MCS-intensity data set from the Italian database of macroseismic information, DBMI04, and the Italian accelerometric database, ITACA. We have determined new regression relations between intensities and PGM parameters (acceleration and velocity). Since both PGM parameters and intensities suffer of consistent uncertainties we have used the orthogonal distance regression technique. The new relations are IMCS = 1.68 ± 0.22 + 2.58 ± 0.14 log P GA, σ = 0.35 and IMCS = 5.11 ± 0.07 + 2.35 ± 0.09 log P GV , σ = 0.26. Tests designed to assess the robustness of the estimated coefficients have shown that single-line parameterizations for the regression are sufficient to model the data within the model uncertainties. The relations have been inserted in the Italian implementation of the USGS-ShakeMap to determine intensity maps from instrumental data and to determine PGM maps from the sole intensity values. Comparisons carried out for earthquakes where both kinds of data are available have shown the general effectiveness of the relations

Regression analysis of MCS Intensity and ground motion parameters in Italy and its application in ShakeMap

In Italy, the Mercalli-Cancani-Sieberg, MCS, is the intensity scale in use to describe the level of earthquake ground shaking, and its subsequent effects on communities and on the built environment. This scale differs to some extent from the Mercalli Modified scale in use in other countries and adopted as standard within the USGS-ShakeMap procedure to predict intensities from observed instrumental data. We have assembled a new PGM/MCS-intensity data set from the Italian database of macroseismic information, DBMI04, and the Italian accelerometric database, ITACA. We have determined new regression relations between intensities and PGM parameters (acceleration and velocity). Since both PGM parameters and intensities suffer of consistent uncertainties we have used the orthogonal distance regression technique. The new relations are IMCS = 1.68 ± 0.22 + 2.58 ± 0.14 log P GA, σ = 0.35 and IMCS = 5.11 ± 0.07 + 2.35 ± 0.09 log P GV , σ = 0.26. Tests designed to assess the robustness of the estimated coefficients have shown that single-line parameterizations for the regression are sufficient to model the data within the model uncertainties. The relations have been inserted in the Italian implementation of the USGS-ShakeMap to determine intensity maps from instrumental data and to determine PGM maps from the sole intensity values. Comparisons carried out for earthquakes where both kinds of data are available have shown the general effectiveness of the relations

On the existence of 0/1 polytopes with high semidefinite extension complexity

In Rothvo\ss{} it was shown that there exists a 0/1 polytope (a polytope whose vertices are in \{0,1\}^{n}) such that any higher-dimensional polytope projecting to it must have 2^{\Omega(n)} facets, i.e., its linear extension complexity is exponential. The question whether there exists a 0/1 polytope with high PSD extension complexity was left open. We answer this question in the affirmative by showing that there is a 0/1 polytope such that any spectrahedron projecting to it must be the intersection of a semidefinite cone of dimension~2^{\Omega(n)} and an affine space. Our proof relies on a new technique to rescale semidefinite factorizations

Rapid determination of the shakemaps for the L'Aquila main shock: a critical analysis

This paper describes the progressive generation of the shakemap of the L'Aquila, M(w) 6.3 April 6, 2009, main shock at the Centro Nazionale Terremoti of the INGV. Since 2006 and as part of the national projects funded by the Italian Civil Protection and by the EU SAFER project, the INGV has been determining shakemaps for M >= 3.0 using the USGS-ShakeMap software package and a fully automatic procedure, based on manually revised location and magnitude. Focus of this work is on the importance that the data and the extent of the finite fault have in the determination of faithful ground motion maps. For the L'Aquila main shock, we have found that the data alone are not sufficient to replicate the observed ground motion in parts of the strongly affected areas. In particular, since the station coverage toward the SE where the earthquake rupture propagated is scantier, prompt availability of a rupture fault model would have been important to better describe the level of strong ground motion throughout the affected area. The final maps, obtained using all the data available and a likely estimate of the causative fault, appear to provide a faithful description of the ground motion experienced throughout a large region in and around the epicentral area. A critical review of the various aspects relevant to the generation of the maps indicates that availability of strong motion data in the near source region is critical not only to the generation of the shakemaps but also to more routinely seismological analysis. It follows that data exchange among those institutions acquiring strong motion data is of fundamental importance for rapid characterization of the seismic source and of the area affected by the strong ground motion

ShakeMaps during the Emilia sequence

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ShakeMap implementation in Italy

Since 2005, the Italian Civil Protection (Dipartimento della Protezione Cilvile, DPC) has funded several projects driven toward fast assessment of ground motion shaking in Italy - the final goal being that of organizing the emergency and direct the search and rescue (SAR) teams. To this end, the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) has started to determine shakemaps using the USGS-ShakeMap package within 30 minutes from event occurrence and adopting a manually revised location. In this paper we present the INGV implementation of USGS-ShakeMap for earthquakes occurring in Italy and immediately neighboring areas. Emphasis is put on data acquisition, the adopted ground motion predictive relations and the site corrections for the local amplifications of the ground motion. Finally, two examples of shakemaps are shown - the first determined for a recent medium size earthquake, the other for the large Irpinia, 1980, M6.9 event. For both events, the maps are compared to the available macroseismic data

The digital girls response to pandemic: Impacts of in presence and online extracurricular activities on girls future academic choices

In the last few years, several initiatives based on extracurricular activities have been organized in many countries around the world, with the aim to reduce the digital gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields. Among them, the Digital Girls summer camp, organized every year since 2014 by two Italian universities with the aim to attract female students to ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) disciplines, represents quite a unique initiative for its characteristics of long-duration (3–4 entire weeks) and complete gratuitousness for the participants. The COVID-19 emergency imposed severe changes to such activities, that had to be modified and carried out in the online mode as a consequence of social distancing. However, on one hand, the general lack of high-quality evaluations of these initiatives hinders the possibility to understand the actual impact of extracurricular activities on the future academic choices of the participants. On the other hand, the availability of data collected over different editions of Digital Girls has allowed us to analyze the summer camp impact and to evaluate the pros and cons of in-presence and online activities. The main contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we present an overview of existing experiences, at the national (Italian) and international levels, to increase female participation in integrated STEM and ICT fields. Second, we analyze how summer camp participation can influence girls’ future academic choices, with specific attention to ICT-related disciplines. In particular, the collection of a significant amount of data through anonymous surveys conducted before and after the camp activities over the two editions allowed us to evidence the different impacts of in-presence and online extracurricular activities

Revisiting the role of GSK3, a modulator of innate immunity, in idiopathic inclusion body myositis

Idiopathic or sporadic inclusion body myositis (IBM) is the leading age-related (onset > 50 years of age) autoimmune muscular pathology, resulting in significant debilitation in affected individuals. Once viewed as primarily a degenerative disorder, it is now evident that much like several other neuro-muscular degenerative disorders, IBM has a major autoinflammatory component resulting in chronic inflammation-induced muscle destruction. Thus, IBM is now considered primarily an inflammatory pathology. To date, there is no effective treatment for sporadic inclusion body myositis, and little is understood about the pathology at the molecular level, which would offer the best hopes of at least slowing down the degenerative process. Among the previously examined potential molecular players in IBM is glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3, whose role in promoting TAU phosphorylation and inclusion bodies in Alzheimer’s disease is well known. This review looks to re-examine the role of GSK3 in IBM, not strictly as a promoter of TAU and Abeta inclusions, but as a novel player in the innate immune system, discussing some of the recent roles discovered for this well-studied kinase in inflammatory-mediated pathology

Nuclear pores in the apoptotic cell.

During apoptosis, nuclear pores undergo strong modifications, which are described here in five different apoptotic models, Conventional electron microscopy, supported by freeze-fracture analysis, showed a constant migration of nuclear pores towards the diffuse chromatin areas, In contrast, dense chromatin areas appear pore-free and are frequently surrounded by strongly dilated cistemae, A possible functional significance of this pore behaviour during apoptosis is discussed