Earthquake scenarios and seismic input for cultural heritage: applications to the cities of Rome and Florence

For historical buildings and monuments, i.e. when considering time intervals of about a million year (we do not want to loose cultural heritage), the applicability of standard estimates of seismic hazard is really questionable. A viable alternative is represented by the use of the scenario earthquakes, characterized at least in terms of magnitude, distance and faulting style, and by the treatment of complex source processes. Scenario-based seismic hazard maps are purely based on geophysical and seismotectonic features of a region and take into account the occurrence frequency of earthquakes only for their classification into exceptional (catastrophic), rare (disastrous), sporadic (very strong), occasional (strong) and frequent. Therefore they may provide an upper bound for the ground motion levels to be expected for most regions of the world, more appropriate than probabilities of exceedance in view of the long time scales required for the protection of historical buildings. The neo-deterministic approach naturally supplies realistic time series of ground motion, which represent also reliable estimates of ground displacement readily applicable to seismic isolation techniques, useful to preserve historical monuments and relevant man made structures. This methodology has been successfully applied to many urban areas worldwide for the purpose of seismic microzoning, to strategic buildings, lifelines and cultural heritage sites; we will discuss its application to the cities of Rome and Florence

PROPAGAZIONE DELLE ONDE SISMICHE IN MEZZI LATERALMENTE ETEROGENEI

1996/1997IX Ciclo1967Versione digitalizzata della tesi di dottorato cartacea

A seismological and engineering perspective on the 2016 Central Italy earthquakes

The strong earthquake (M 6.0-6.2) that hit the central Apennines on August 24, 2016, occurred in one of the most seismically active areas in Italy. Field surveys indicated severe damage in the epicentral area where, in addition to the loss of human life, widespread destruction of cultural heritage and of critical buildings occurred. Using the neo-deterministic seismic hazard assessment (NDSHA), we apply the maximum deterministic seismic input (MDSI) procedure at two of the most relevant sites in the epicentral area, comparing the results with the current Italian building code. After performing an expeditious engineering analysis, we interpret as a possible cause of the reported damages the high seismic vulnerability of the built environment, combined with the source and site effects characterising the seismic input. Therefore, it is important to design and retrofit with appropriate spectral acceleration levels compatible with the possible future scenarios, like the ones provided by MDSI

Deep structure of the Alborz Mountains by joint inversion of P receiver functions and dispersion curves

The Alborz Mountains represent a tectonically and seismically active convergent boundary in the Arabia \u2013 Eurasia collision zone, in western Asia. The orogenic belt has undergone a long-lasted tectono-magmatic history since the Cretaceous. The relationship between shallow and deep structures in this complex tectonic domain is not straightforward. We present a 2D velocity model constructed by the assemblage of 1D shear wave velocity (Vs) models from 26 seismic stations, mainly distributed along the southern flank of the Alborz Mountains. The shear wave velocity structure has been estimated beneath each station using joint inversion of P-waves receiver functions and Rayleigh wave dispersion curves. A substantiation of the Vs inversion results sits on the modeling of Bouguer gravity anomaly data. Our velocity and density models show low velocity/density anomalies in uppermost mantle of western and central Alborz at a depth range of 3c50\u2013100 km. In deeper parts of the up- permost mantle (depth range of 100\u2013150 km), a high velocity/density anomaly is located beneath most of the Mountain range. The spatial pattern of these low and high velocity/density structures in the upper mantle is interpreted as the result of post collisional delamination of lower part of the western and central Alborz lithosphere

Aggressive gastric carcinoma producing alpha-fetoprotein: a case report and review of the literature.

A 65-year-old man presented to our hospital with abdominal pain, dyspepsia and anorexia. Laboratory tests showed an altered liver function and abdomen ultrasonography revealed multiple liver nodules, suspected to be metastatic lesions. Serous tumor markers were elevated and a very high level of alpha-fetoprotein was found. Computer tomography confirmed the hepatic lesions and disclosed a thickening of the lesser curvature of the gastric wall. A subsequent endoscopy showed an ulcer on the lesser curvature. Biopsies taken from the gastric ulcer and the liver nodule revealed an adenocarcinoma, both of gastric origin. Shortly after the diagnosis, the patient's condition worsened and he died only 15 days later. This case report illustrates how alpha-fetoprotein-producing gastric adenocarcinomas have a high incidence of venous and lymphatic invasion and a rapid hepatic spread with a very poor prognosis

Pn wave velocity and anisotropy underneath the central segment of the North-South Seismic Belt in China

We present a Pn wave velocity and anisotropy model of the central segment of the North-South Seismic Belt in China, where there are numerous stable basins and active faults, making this segment attractive for extensive studies. The model was obtained by a tomographic analysis of 49,973 Pn wave phase readings collected by the China Earthquake Networks Center and temporary stations in Yunnan and Sichuan. The tomographic velocity model shows that the average Pn wave velocity is 8.06km/s; prominent high-velocity (high-V) anomalies are visible under the Sichuan Basin, the Zoige Basin and the Ordos block, which clearly outline their tectonic mar- gins. A pronounced low-velocity (low-V) zone is observed from the Songpan-Ganzi block to the Chuan-Dian and Daliangshan blocks, suggesting the presence of hot material upwelling. The station delay data show a gradual variation from negative to positive values, possibly reflecting a crustal thickness variation from the southwest to the northeast of the study area. A correlation between the Pn wave anisotropy and the distribution of velocity anomalies is observed: anisotropy is relatively weaker in the high-V anomaly zones beneath stable basins, while it is stronger in the low-V anomaly zones and the high-to-low-V anomaly transition zones. The high-resolution velocity and anisotropy tomographic model that we obtained could also provide a better understanding of the study area seismicity, since the occurrence of strong earthquakes seems to be related to the presence and strength of lateral heterogeneities at the uppermost mantle level

Sensors and Biosensors for C-Reactive Protein, Temperature and pH, and Their Applications for Monitoring Wound Healing: A Review

Wound assessment is usually performed in hospitals or specialized labs. However, since patients spend most of their time at home, a remote real time wound monitoring would help providing a better care and improving the healing rate. This review describes the advances in sensors and biosensors for monitoring the concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP), temperature and pH in wounds. These three parameters can be used as qualitative biomarkers to assess the wound status and the effectiveness of therapy. CRP biosensors can be classified in: (a) field effect transistors, (b) optical immunosensors based on surface plasmon resonance, total internal reflection, fluorescence and chemiluminescence, (c) electrochemical sensors based on potentiometry, amperometry, and electrochemical impedance, and (d) piezoresistive sensors, such as quartz crystal microbalances and microcantilevers. The last section reports the most recent developments for wearable non-invasive temperature and pH sensors suitable for wound monitoring