Newsletter Serit n. 3 - Gennaio 2012

In questo numero vengono presentate due importanti iniziative: il TA7, la nuova area di SERIT dedicata agli "Aspetti legali ed etici della sicurezza", a cui vi invitiamo a partecipare, e il lancio del SERIT award, che vogliamo utilizzare come strumento per diffondere i risultati delle migliori ricerche sviluppate in Italia dai Centri di Ricerca e dalle Università

Focus .it - Newsletter del Registro .it: "Internet festival - A Pisa il primo appuntamento per appassionati e operatori dell\u27Ict", n. 19, ottobre 2011

In ItalianLa newsletter periodica del Registro, Focus.it, registrata come testata giornalistica dal 2006, nasce nel 2001 con l\u27obiettivo di fornire informazioni tecniche, statistiche, interviste e approfondimenti?legati al mondo di Internet.?La newsletter, in particolare, svolge nel panorama delle attivit? del Registro, l?importante compito di focalizzare l?attenzione verso quelle tematiche legate al mondo di Internet - e non solo - che, di volta in volta, si propongono all?attenzione dei media italiani ed internazionali, tentando di esaminarle con un occhio attento alle loro ricadute sul tessuto sociale della societ?. Il numero periodico ottiene solitamente un ottimo?impatto sui media. In ogni caso, nel corso degli ultimi due anni, i mezzi di comunicazione (radio, giornali, tv, siti internet) hanno sempre seguito con interesse le attivit? del Registro, con numerose?richieste di interviste?per tematiche a carattere tecnologico anche non strettamente inerenti le attivit? proprie del Registro, riconoscendo al personale dell?Istituto competenza e autorevolezza. Questo numero intitolato "Internet Festival" e\u27 dedicato alla prima edizione dell\u27Internet Festival che si e\u27 tenuta a Pisa, culla dell\u27informatica italiana e sede del Registro .it. Focus. it ? un periodico bilingue (italiano e inglese)

Geophysical reconstruction of buried geological features and site effects estimation of the Middle Valle Umbra basin (central Italy)

The Middle Valle Umbra (central Italy) is a NW-SE 20 km long and 10 km wide Quaternary extensional basin located in the internal sector of the Apennine chain. This area historically experienced strong earthquakes that caused significant damages to the outstanding historical heritage. The same area has been recently hit by the 2016 seismic sequence of Amatrice-Visso-Norcia. With the aim to reconstruct the buried geological structures of the basin, a multi-technique geophysical approach was performed. An extended campaign of ambient noise measurements was carried out to investigate the subsurface setting, and to identify the main geological units. We performed three 2D passive arrays to analyze two different sites within the basin; their aperture was between 150 and 752 m for one site and of 48 m for the other site, to characterize the geological units in terms of sediment thickness and shear-wave velocity profile. Data collected were processed with f-k and MSPAC analysis to extract dispersion curves with good resolution in a frequency range of 0.5–10 Hz and 4.5–18 Hz for the two sites respectively. Spectral ratios were computed for every single station ambient noise measurement performed and for all the stations of the bigger array. Our final target is to extend these results to the whole valley, in order to retrieve the attitude of the main geological units and propose a reliable reconstruction of the subsurface geometry of the basin. Another point of this work is to evaluate the site response in the middle of the valley through the analysis of the earthquakes recorded by the accelerometric station IT.CSA (belonging to the Italian Civil Protection) and the corresponding recordings of the nearby rock station IT.ASS.Publishedid 1055432T. Deformazione crostale attivaJCR Journa

Seismotectonics study of the valle umbra area at different space and time scales: an integration of geomorphological, geophysical and remote sensing data

The Valle Umbra is a NW-SE 20 km long and 10 km wide Quaternary alluvial basin located in the internal sector of the active extensional tectonic Apennine chain, central Italy. This area historically suffered major earthquakes such as in 1832 (ME=6.3; I0=X) and 1854 (Me=5.6; I=VIII), both localized in the valley. It was marginally affected by the seismic event localized in the Colfiorito basin (M 6.0; September 1997) and more recently suffered from damages to buildings caused by the last seismic sequence of Amatrice-Visso-Norcia (main shock, Norcia, PG, Mw 6.5, 30 October 2016). We investigate the presence of active segments that may be hidden under the unconsolidated deposits filling the basin. We integrate single station ambient noise measurements with previously acquired seismic reflection data and surface geology in order to reconstruct the subsurface geometry of the basin and localize buried faults. Preliminary results from the ambient noise spectral ratios show, in general, one resonance peak at around 0.8 - 1 Hz for stations installed on the lower Pleistocene deposits overlapping the Miocenic bedrock and two resonance peaks for stations installed in the alluvial infill deposits in the central portion of the valley. An accelerometric station of the national civil protection provided us additional constraints about the level of amplification of the site, (connected to the presence of impedance contrasts in the subsoil) as recovered by spectral ratio analysis of several earthquakes recorded from the 1986 up to date. Moreover, the availability of more than 20 years of SAR data archives for the studied area, allowed us the observation of a differential ground subsidence, detected by means of the application of Differential InSAR techniques. The subsidence can be due to either human induced aquifers withdrawal or to tectonic of the area, and we interpret that these can be co-responsible for the observed subsidence pattern. Through the correlation of the time-series of observed recent ground deformations with the buried geological structures identified using geophysical techniques, we made an attempt of detecting and characterizing the geologic heterogeneities in the subsurface, defining the geometry and kinematics of the buried faults and eventually addressing the seismogenic potential of the area.UnpublishedLa Valletta (Malta)3T. Sorgente sismic

Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: A Comparative Analysis between Human Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue and Dental Pulp

White adipose tissue is a source of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) that are actively studied for their possible therapeutic use in bone tissue repair/remodeling. To better appreciate the osteogenic potential of these cells, we compared some properties of MSCs from human subcutaneous adipose tissue [subcutaneous-Adipose stromal cells (S-ASCs)] and dental pulp stem cell (DPSCs) of third-impacted molars, the latter representing a well-established MSC source. Both undifferentiated cell types showed similar fibroblast-like morphology and mesenchymal marker expression. However, undifferentiated S-ASCs displayed a faster doubling time coupled to greater proliferation and colony-forming ability than DPSCs. Also, the osteogenic differentiation of S-ASCs was greater than that of DPSCs, as evaluated by the higher levels of expression of early osteogenic markers Runt-related transcription factor-2 (RUNX2) and alkaline phosphatase at days 3-14 and of extracellular matrix mineralization at days 14-21. Moreover, S-ASCs showed a better colonization of the titanium scaffold. In addition, we investigated whether S-ASC osteogenic commitment was enhanced by adenosine A1 receptor (A1R) stimulation, as previously shown for DPSCs. Although A1R expression was constant during DPSC differentiation, it increased in S-ASC at day 21 from osteogenesis induction. Accordingly, A1R stimulation by the agonist 2-chloro-N6-cyclopentyl-Adenosine, added to the cultures at each medium change, stimulated proliferation only in differentiating DPSC and enhanced the osteogenic differentiation earlier in DPSCs than in S-ASCs. These effects were counteracted by cell pretreatment with a selective A1R antagonist. Thus, our findings suggest that S-ASCs could be advantageously used in regenerative orthopedics/dentistry, and locally released or exogenously added purines may play a role in bone repair/remodeling, even though this aspect should be more thoroughly evaluated

Italian isolates today: geographic and linguistic factors shaping human biodiversity

We briefly review the current status of anthropological and genetic studies of isolated populations and of their micro-evolutionary and biomedical applications, with particular emphasis on European populations. Thereafter, we describe the ongoing collaborative research project "Isolating the Isolates: geographic and cultural factors of human genetic variation" regarding Italian extant geographical and/or linguistic isolates, aimed at overcoming the limitations of previous studies regarding geographical coverage of isolates, number and type of genetic polymorphisms under study and suitability of the experimental design to investigate gene-culture coevolutionary processes. An interdisciplinary sampling approach will make it possible to collect several linguistic isolates and their geographic neighbours from Trentino, Veneto, Friuli, Tuscany, Sardinia and Calabria. This will be coupled with a shared genotyping strategy based on mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal polymorphisms. The results will be analyzed with a focus on the role of geographical and cultural factors in shaping human biodiversity. The aims of the project go beyond the simple reconstruction of the genetic structure and history of the examined groups. In fact, the study will also include an assessment for future bio-medical studies and the development of genetic and bio-demographic databases. Ethical and educational aspects are also foreseen by the project, by using informed consents together with disseminating activities in loco, completed by the creation of a dedicated web site for both scientific and public audiences

Italian isolates today:Geographic and linguistic factors shaping human biodiversity

We briefly review the current status of anthropological and genetic studies of isolated populations and of their micro-evolutionary and biomedical applications, with particular emphasis on European populations. Thereafter, we describe the ongoing collaborative research project "Isolating the Isolates: geographic and cultural factors of human genetic variation" regarding Italian extant geographical and/or linguistic isolates, aimed at overcoming the limitations of previous studies regarding geographical coverage of isolates, number and type of genetic polymorphisms under study and suitability of the experimental design to investigate gene-culture coevolutionary processes. An interdisciplinary sampling approach will make it possible to collect several linguistic isolates and their geographic neighbours from Trentino, Veneto, Friuli, Tuscany, Sardinia and Calabria. This will be coupled with a sharedgenotyping strategy based on mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal polymorphisms. The results will be analyzed with a focus on the role of geographical and cultural factors in shaping human biodiversity. The aims of the project go beyond the simple reconstruction of the genetic structure and history of the examined groups. In fact, the study will also include an assessment for future bio-medical studies and the development of genetic and bio-demographic databases. Ethical and educational aspects are also foreseen by the project, by using informed consents together with disseminating activities in loco, completed by the creation of a dedicated web site for both scientific and public audiences.</p