Fragility functions for a reinforced concrete structure subjected to earthquake and tsunami in sequence

Many coastal regions lying on subduction zones are likely to experience the catastrophic effects of cascading earthquake and tsunami observed in recent events, e.g., 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. The influence of earthquake on the response of the structure to tsunami is difficult to quantify through damage observations from past events, since they only provide information on the combined effects of both perils. Hence, the use of analytical methodologies is fundamental. This paper investigates the response of a reinforced concrete frame subjected to realistic ground motion and tsunami inundation time histories that have been simulated considering a seismic source representative of the M9 2011 Tohoku earthquake event. The structure is analysed via nonlinear time-history analyses under (a) tsunami inundation only and (b) earthquake ground motion and tsunami inundation in sequence. Comparison of these analyses shows that there is a small impact of the preceding earthquake ground shaking on the tsunami fragility. The fragility curves constructed for the cascading hazards show less than 15% reduction in the median estimate of tsunami capacity compared to the fragility functions for tsunami only. This outcome reflects the fundamentally different response of the structure to the two perils: while the ground motion response of the structure is governed by its strength, ductility and stiffness, the tsunami performance of the structure is dominated by its strength. It is found that the ground shaking influences the tsunami displacement response of the considered structure due to the stiffness degradation induced in the ground motion cyclic response, but this effect decreases with increasing tsunami force

Acque Sotterranee 2.0

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The politics of crustal faults issues and controversies around the San Ramón Fault in Chile

The seismicity of Chile is mainly controlled by large subduction zones in the Nazca and South American plates’ interface, ca. 150 km from the Chilean coast, which generated the wellknown Mw 9.5 Valdivia (1960) and Mw 8.8 Maule (2010) earthquakes. Besides large subduction events, less-studied crustal earthquakes can cause great destruction due to their shallow hypocentres. Local scientists have indeed paid increasing attention to crustal seismicity, especially after the recent Mw 7.0 Pichilemu (2010) and Mw 6.7 Pisagua (2014) shallow intraplate earthquakes. Although the San Ramón Fault (SRF) is one of the Chilean crustal faults with slower slip rate (ca. 0.3-0.4 mm/yr), it is by far the most popular in the media and amongst politicians. Running for ~30km along the foothills of Santiago, the capital of Chile, the SRF has recently been classified as active, becoming a ‘new’ hazard for nearly 2 million santiaguinos. Moreover, some researchers have estimated that the next occurrence of the up-to-Mw-7.5 earthquakes in the SRF, with an 8000-year recurrence, is geologically imminent (± 500 yr). In this article, we discuss the rise of a conflict around the SRF. The conflict stems from an official narrative about the hazard that the fault represents and the policy (re)actions to this knowledge. We focus on the tensions generated amongst stakeholders (academics, policymakers, privates, and civil society). The discussion includes the scientific disagreement amongst academics regarding the fault’s activity and seismogenic potential, and the political need for action as the SRF hazard becomes word-ofmouth and some stakeholders start demanding disaster risk mitigation. Touching upon disaster risk reduction and urban development issues, the conflict around the SRF unveils the challenges of seismic risk governance in the context of urban and crustal faults

Sex offenders dichiarati non imputabili per infermità mentale: caratteristiche cliniche e legali

Sexual offenders constitute a diversified group with mixed specifics, motive and criminal acts. Significant evidences in research suggest that these offenders suffer from large proportions of psychiatric disorders, along with psychotic disorders, mood disorders, paraphilic disorders and Substance Use Disorders. It has been recently ascertained considerable percentages of personality disorders among sex offenders as well: borderline/narcisistic/antisocial. This is a cross-sectional study in which we included all the patients admitted in the 8 REMSs in Castiglione delle Stiviere from January 2009 to December 2018 sentenced for sexual offenses. The result of this study is that most of individuals found NGRI for a sexual offense have a psychotic disorder as a primary diagnosis. The majority of our sample was known by the local mental health services, even if the proportion of whom were not known was high.I sex offender rappresentano un gruppo eterogeneo di autori di reato con motivazioni varie. Le evidenze scientifiche suggeriscono che questi autori di reato, in larga parte sono affetti da disturbi mentali. Fra di essi disturbi psicotici, disturbi dell’umore, disturbi parafilici e disturbi da uso di sostanze e, del tutto recentemente, disturbi di personalità, fra cui in particolare, disturbo borderline, narcisitico ed antisociale di personalità. Il presente studio è trasversale: abbiamo incluso tutti i pazienti ammessi nelle 8 REMS di Castiglione delle Stiviere da gennaio 2009 a dicembre 2018 per aver commesso reati sessuali. Lo studio ha dimostrato che la grande maggioranza dei sex offender con vizio totale di mente erano affetti da un disturbo psicotico. Per lo più si trattava di pazienti già noti ai servizi psichiatrici, sebbene fosse alta anche la percentuali di quelli sconosciuti

Sensitivity of the earthquake response of a HDRB seismically isolated hospital to earthquakes on crustal faults

: Seismicity in Chile is strongly dominated by subduction megathrust events. Hence, the characteristics of ground motions other than those produced by these events are less known. Such is the case for the ground motions generated by crustal faults close to urban areas; one example is the San Ramon fault (SRF), which was recently declared as potentially active. This work addresses the sensitivity of the structural response of a High Damping Rubber Bearing (HDRB) seismically isolated hospital in downtown Santiago, Chile, to earthquakes generated on this Fault. The SRF lies at less than 15 kilometers away from the hospital and there is very little data on its seismogenic capacity and source parameters. Hence, physics-based synthetic earthquake simulations using front-end technologies and bounds for the source parameters are used to predict the impact of such event in the performance of this test structure. The earthquake source parameters considered as uncertain in this study are the event magnitude, average rupture velocity, and corner frequency. To minimize the number of parameter combinations, a median, an upper, and a lower bound value were selected for each parameter. A set of 16 synthetic ground motion realizations were generated for each parameter combination (27), leading to a total of 432 synthetic records for the analysis. The variability of these records, and the inelastic cyclic response of the HDRBs, are used to compute the expected variations in the earthquake response of the hospital. Building response parameters, such as maximum deformation and shear forces of the isolated layer, inter-story building drifts, and floor accelerations of the superstructure are used to characterize variability of the hospital response. It is concluded that despite the smaller magnitudes of crustal events relative to the subduction ones, they will control some of the response limit states for buildings closer than 15 km to the fault, such as this seismically isolated hospital

Seismic response of isolated structures under subduction and crustal ground motions Analysis of a case study structure

Seismic isolation aims to uncouple the motion of the structure from the ground shaking and thereby reduce structural forces, accelerations, and deformations of buildings under strong earthquakes. Seismic isolation represents an effective strategy to protect buildings structures, and the related contents from earthquake damage and consequently reduce seismic losses. Nowadays, most of Chile’s newly designed hospitals incorporate seismic isolations to minimise structural and non-structural damage and ensure operational continuity even after major earthquakes. Seismicity in Chile is strongly dominated by subduction megathrust events, and most structures, including newly designed hospitals, have been designed and verified by considering the seismic hazard resulting from such earthquakes. However, seismologists have recently highlighted another potential seismic hazard, such as earthquakes originating from the San Ramon Fault (SRF), a crustal fault that lies less than 15 km from the city of Santiago and that was recently declared as potentially active. The present study investigates the seismic performance of a real case study seismically isolated hospital in Santiago, Chile, considering sets of ground motion (GM) records generated by either megathrust earthquakes from the subduction margin or crustal fault mechanism. A 3D finite element model of the case study hospital is developed in OpenSees, including detailed modelling of the seismic isolation system. Sets of recorded subduction GMs, and physics-based synthetic crustal GMs, are selected to perform inelastic response history analyses on the case-study hospital. Local and global Engineering Demand Parameters (EDPs) from the two sets of GMs are compared between them and with code-based capacity limits used during the design. The results show the importance of considering different seismic sources (subduction vs crustal) to better understand/predict the response of isolated structures to GMs

Psychopathy in sex offender: A study on a sample of apulian prisoners

Objective. To identify the possible presence and degree of psychopathy, in a sample of detained sex offender and to further evaluate the possible effect of traumatic experiences. Materials and methods. As part of a larger national project, sex offenders of Puglia were selected among the prisoners at the Bari prison and in the detached section of Altamura. Psychopathy levels were measured through PCLR. Item 8 of HCR-20 v.3 was used to evaluate history of traumatic experiences and victimization episodes. Furthermore, criminological information was collected. Results. Recruited detainees had received convictions for child sexual acts in 70% of cases. The levels of psychopathy that emerged, were in line with those found in other prisoner populations and generally in the medium-low range of PCL-R scores. Prisoners with a history of traumatic experiences had higher levels of psychopathy, as measured by the total PCL-R score and factor 1 (“interpersonal/affective”). Conclusions. The results emerged, deriving from a numerically limited sample, suggest a possible effect of early traumatic experiences in the qualitative and quantitative levels of psychopathy in sex offender

Genetic parameters and selection strategies for soybean genotypes resistant to the stink bug-complex

Soybean genotypes resistant to stink bugs are derived from complex breeding processes obtained through indirect selection. The aim of the present work was to estimate genetic parameters for guiding selection strategies towards resistant genotypes, based on those traits associated with responses to pod-attacking stink bugs, such as the grain filling period (GFP), leaf retention (LR), percentage index of pod damage (PIPD) and percentage of spotted seeds (PSS). We assessed the parental lines IAC-100 (resistant) and FT-Estrela (susceptible), the progenies F2 and F 4 , 30 progenies F 2:3 , 30 progenies BC 1 F 2:3 and 30 progenies BC 2 F 2:3 , besides the cultivars BRS Celeste and MGBR-46 (Conquista). Three field experiments, using randomized complete block design with three replications, were installed in Goiânia-GO, in the 2002/03 season. Each experiment consisted of 36 treatments (6 common and 30 regular). Heritability estimates were: 74.6 and 36.1 (GFP); 51.9 and 19.9 (LR); 49.6 and 49.6 (PIPD) and 55.8 and 20.3 (PSS), in both the broad and narrow senses, respectively. Based on these results, we concluded that the best strategy for obtaining stink bug-resistant genotypes consists of selecting the PIPD trait in early generations (F 3 or F 4 ), followed by selection for the GFP, LR and PSS traits in generations with higher endogamy levels

The DUNDRUM ToolKit, Italian version and its potenzial use in the italian forensic treatment model

The legislative process that led to the closure of the Judicial Psychiatric Hospitals (OPG), replaced by theResidences for the Execution of Security Measures (REMS), constituted a significant step forward towardsthe establishment of a community model of care of offenders with severe socially dangerous mental disordersmore respectful of human rights. Among the main criticalities that had been identified in the previous forensicpsychiatric treatment system, based on OPGs, were considered the overcrowding, the problematic hygienic-sanitary conditions, the inexistence of treatment programs that were adequate to the levels of social danger that changed over time, the non-therapeutic-rehabilitative nature of the internment in OPG, the“anti-therapeutic” presence of the Penitentiary Police personnel, the hypothetically unlimited duration ofthe internment. The new model has certainly remedied these critical issues, but other issues have arisen thatneed to be worked on. The authors report here the first data of a multicenter research project that developedon the national territory during the years 2021 and 2022 aimed at validating the DUNDRUM Toolkit, a toolfor evaluating the effectiveness of forensic treatment and recovery, in validation course also in other Europeancountries, particularly adaptable to the treatment model that has been developing in Italy with the establishment of REMS.Il processo legislativo che ha portato alla chiusura degli Ospedali Psichiatrici Giudiziari (OPG), sostituitidalle Residenze per l’Esecuzione delle Misure di Sicurezza (REMS), ha costituito un significativo passo inavanti verso l’istituzione di un modello comunitario di cura degli autori di reato affetti da gravi disturbi mentali socialmente pericolosi più rispettoso dei diritti umani. Tra le principali criticità che erano state ravvisatenel precedente sistema trattamentale psichiatrico forense, basato sugli OPG, sono state considerate il sovraffollamento, le condizioni igienico-sanitarie problematiche, l’insussistenza di programmi trattamentaliche fossero adeguati ai livelli di pericolosità sociale modificantisi nel tempo, la natura non terapeutico-riabilitativa dell’internamento in OPG, la presenza “anti-terapeutica” del personale di Polizia Penitenziaria, ladurata ipoteticamente senza termine dell’internamento. A queste criticità il nuovo modello ha certamenteposto rimedio, ma sono sorte altre problematicità su cui bisognerà lavorare. Gli autori riportano in questasede i primi dati di un progetto di ricerca multicentrico che si è sviluppato sul territorio nazionale nel corsodegli anni 2020-2022 teso a validare il DUNDRUM Toolkit, strumento di valutazione dell’efficacia del trattamento forense e della recovery, in corso di validazione anche in altri Paesi europei, particolarmente adattabile al modello trattamentale che si è andato sviluppando in Italia con l’istituzione delle REMS