Testing Different Tectonic Models for the Source of the M w 6.5, 30 October 2016, Norcia Earthquake (Central Italy): A Youthful Normal Fault, or Negative Inversion of an Old Thrust?

We adopted a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the seismotectonic scenario of the 30 October 2016, Mw 6.5, Norcia earthquake, the largest shock of the 2016\u20132017 central Italy earthquake sequence. First, we used seismological and geodetic data to infer the dip of the main slip patch of the seismogenic fault that turned out to be rather low\u2010angle (~37\ub0). To evaluate whether this is an acceptable dip for the main seismogenic source, we modeled earthquake deformation using single\u2010 and multiple\u2010fault models deduced from aftershock pattern analyses. These models show that the coseismic deformation generated by the Norcia earthquake is coherent with slip along a rather shallow\u2010dipping plane. To understand the geological significance of this solution, we reconstructed the subsurface architecture of the epicentral area. As the available data are not robust enough to converge on a single fault model, we built three different models encompassing all major geological evidence and the associated uncertainties, including the tectonic style and the location of major d\ue9collement levels. In all models the structures derived from the contractional phase play a significant role: from controlling segmentation to partially reusing inherited faults, to fully reactivating in extension a regional thrust, geometrically compatible with the source of the Norcia earthquake. Based on our conclusions, some additional seismogenic sources falling in the eastern, external portions of the Apennines may coincide with inherited structures. This may be a common occurrence in this region of the chain, where the inception of extension is as recent as Middle\u2010Upper Pleistocene

Constraining the mass balance of East Antarctica

We investigate the mass balance of East Antarctica for the period 2003-2013 using a Bayesian statistical framework. We combine satellite altimetry, gravimetry, and GPS with prior assumptions characterizing the underlying geophysical processes. We run three experiments based on two different assumptions to study possible solutions to the mass balance. We solve for trends in surface mass balance, ice dynamics, and glacial isostatic adjustment. The first assumption assigns low probability to ice dynamic mass loss in regions of slow flow, giving a mean dynamic trend of 17 ± 10 Gt yr-1 and a total mass imbalance of 57 ± 20 Gt yr-1. The second assumption considers a long-term dynamic thickening hypothesis and an a priori solution for surface mass balance from a regional climate model. The latter results in estimates 3 to 5 times larger for the ice dynamic trends but similar total mass imbalance. In both cases, gains in East Antarctica are smaller than losses in West Antarctica

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Association between serum soluble CD40 ligand levels and mortality in patients with severe sepsis

INTRODUCTION: CD40 Ligand (CD40L) and its soluble counterpart (sCD40L) are proteins that exhibit prothrombotic and proinflammatory properties on binding to their cell surface receptor CD40. The results of small clinical studies suggest that sCD40L levels could play a role in sepsis; however, there are no data on the association between sCD40L levels and mortality of septic patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether circulating sCD40L levels could be a marker of adverse outcome in a large cohort of patients with severe sepsis. METHODS: This was a multicenter, observational and prospective study carried out in six Spanish intensive care units. Serum levels of sCD40L, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-10, and plasma levels of tissue factor were measured in 186 patients with severe sepsis at the time of diagnosis. Serum sCD40L was also measured in 50 age- and sex-matched controls. Survival at 30 days was used as the endpoint. RESULTS: Circulating sCD40L levels were significantly higher in septic patients than in controls (P = 0.01), and in non-survivors (n = 62) compared to survivors (n = 124) (P = 0.04). However, the levels of CD40L were not different regarding sepsis severity. Logistic regression analysis showed that sCD40L levels >3.5 ng/mL were associated with higher mortality at 30 days (odds ratio = 2.89; 95% confidence interval = 1.37 to 6.07; P = 0.005). The area under the curve of sCD40L levels >3.5 ng/mL as predictor of mortality at 30 days was 0.58 (95% CI = 0.51 to 0.65; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, circulating sCD40L levels are increased in septic patients and are independently associated with mortality in these patients; thus, its modulation could represent an attractive therapeutic target

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

Search for direct stau production in events with two hadronic tau-leptons in root s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of the supersymmetric partners ofτ-leptons (staus) in final stateswith two hadronically decayingτ-leptons is presented. The analysis uses a dataset of pp collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of139fb−1, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LargeHadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No significant deviation from the expected StandardModel background is observed. Limits are derived in scenarios of direct production of stau pairs with eachstau decaying into the stable lightest neutralino and oneτ-lepton in simplified models where the two staumass eigenstates are degenerate. Stau masses from 120 GeV to 390 GeV are excluded at 95% confidencelevel for a massless lightest neutralino

GPS observations of coseismic deformation following the May 20 and 29, 2012, Emilia seismic events (northern Italy): data, analysis and preliminary models

In May-July 2012, a seismic sequence struck a broad area of the Po Plain Region in northern Italy. The sequence in- cluded two ML >5.5 mainshocks. The first one (ML 5.9) oc- curred near the city of Finale Emilia (ca. 30 km west of Ferrara) on May 20 at 02:03:53 (UTC), and the second (ML 5.8) occurred on May 29 at 7:00:03 (UTC), about 12 km south- west of the May 20 mainshock (Figure 1), near the city of Mirandola. The seismic sequence involved an area that ex- tended in an E-W direction for more than 50 km, and in- cluded seven ML ≥5.0 events and more than 2,300 ML >1.5 events (http://iside.rm.ingv.it). The focal mechanisms of the main events [Pondrelli et al. 2012, Scognamiglio et al. 2012, this volume] consistently showed compressional kinematics with E-W oriented reverse nodal planes. This sector of the Po Plain is known as a region charac- terized by slow deformation rates due to the northwards mo- tion of the northern Apennines fold-and-thrust belt, which is buried beneath the sedimentary cover of the Po Plain [Pi- cotti and Pazzaglia 2008, Toscani et al. 2009]. Early global po- sitioning system (GPS) measurements [Serpelloni et al. 2006] and the most recent updates [Devoti et al. 2011, Bennett et al. 2012] recognized that less than 2 mm/yr of SW-NE short- ening are accommodated across this sector of the Po Plain, in agreement with other present-day stress indicators [Mon- tone et al. 2012] and known active faults [Basili et al. 2008]. In the present study, we describe the GPS data used to study the coseismic deformation related to the May 20 and 29 mainshocks, and provide preliminary models of the two seismic sources, as inverted from consensus GPS coseismic deformation fields

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

The March 11th, 2011, M 9.0 earthquake offshore Honshu island (Japan): a synthesis of the Tohoku-Oki INGV Team research activities

On March 11th, 2011 (at 05:46:23 UTC) a megaearthquake (M 9.0) occurred near the NE coast of Honshu island ( Japan), originated near the subduction plate boundary between the Pacific and the North America plates. The epicenter has been located at about 130 km East of Sendai city, at a depth of about 32 km. This seismic event has been followed by a devastating tsunami. The location, the geometric parameters, the focal mechanism, are in agreement with the occurrence of the earthquake along the subduction plate boundary. The initial seismological analysis indicated that a surface of about 300 km x 150 km over the fault moved upwards of 30-40 m. The Tohoku-Oki INGV Team has made available a wide and multisciplinary expertise to investigate the different scientific issues concerning the earthquake. Indeed from Seismology to Geomorphology, from Remote Sensing to GPS, from Tsunami to Source Modeling the INGV Team has completed a wide range of analysis, obtaining relevant outcomes that are summarized in this work.Published1-272T. Tettonica attivaN/A or not JCRope

Erratum to: Seismic waves in 3-D: from mantle asymmetries to reliable seismic hazard assessment

Acknowledgments This paper is strongly relying upon the work of many colleagues and collaborators to whom we are greatly thankful, in particular: Carlo Doglioni, Gillian Foulger, Vahid Gholami, Hossein Hamzehloo, Volodya Kossobokov, Cristina La Mura, Anatoly Levshin, Andrea Magrin, Antonella Peresan, Federica Riguzzi, Franco Vaccari, Peter Varga, Tatiana Yanovskaya. Financial support from PRIN 2010-2011 and RITMARE projects, funded by Italian Ministry of University and Research, is gratefully acknowledged. In addition, Fig. 3 should be updated by new one as below