A completeness analysis of the national seismic network of Italy

We present the first detailed study of earthquake detection capabilities of the Italian National Seismic Network and of the completeness threshold of its earthquake catalog. The network in its present form started operating on 16 April 2005 and is a significant improvement over the previous networks. For our analysis, we employed the PMC method as introduced by Schorlemmer and Woessner (2008). This method does not estimate completeness from earthquakes samples as traditional methods, mostly based on the linearity of earthquake-size distributions. It derives detection capabilities for each station of the network and synthesizes them into maps of detection probabilities for earthquakes of a given magnitude. Thus, this method avoids the many assumptions about earthquake distributions that traditional methods make. The results show that the Italian National Seismic Network is complete at M=2.9 for the entire territory excluding the islands of Sardinia, Pantelleria, and Lampedusa. At the M=2.5 level, which is the reporting threshold level of the Italian Civil Protection, the network may miss events in southern parts of Apulia and the western part of Sicily. The stations are connected through many different telemetry links to the operational datacenter in Rome. Scenario computations show that no significant drop in completeness occurs if one of the three major links fail, indicating a well-balanced network setup

A completeness analysis of the national seismic network of Italy

We present the first detailed study of earthquake detection capabilities of the Italian National Seismic Network and of the completeness threshold of its earthquake catalog. The network in its present form started operating on 16 April 2005 and is a significant improvement over the previous networks. For our analysis, we employed the PMC method as introduced by Schorlemmer and Woessner (2008). This method does not estimate completeness from earthquakes samples as traditional methods, mostly based on the linearity of earthquake-size distributions. It derives detection capabilities for each station of the network and synthesizes them into maps of detection probabilities for earthquakes of a given magnitude. Thus, this method avoids the many assumptions about earthquake distributions that traditional methods make. The results show that the Italian National Seismic Network is complete at $M=2.9$ for the entire territory excluding the islands of Sardinia, Pantelleria, and Lampedusa. At the $M=2.5$ level, which is the reporting threshold level of the Italian Civil Protection, the network may miss events in southern parts of Apulia and the western part of Sicily. The stations are connected through many different telemetry links to the operational datacenter in Rome. Scenario computations show that no significant drop in completeness occurs if one of the three major links fail, indicating a well-balanced network setup

The Entrainment Rate of Non‐Boussinesq Hazardous Geophysical Gas‐Particle Flows: An Experimental Model With Application to Pyroclastic Density Currents

The entrainment rate of pyroclastic density currents is investigated by large‐scale experiments. The ground flows are initiated by the impact on the terrain of a dense gas‐particle fountain issuing from a cylindrical conduit, similarly to natural volcanic events. On impact, the excess density with respect to the surrounding atmosphere was up to 11.6 kg/m3, making the currents non‐Boussinesq. A power law model of the entrainment rate is developed, which is similar to that proposed for snow avalanches by Ancey (2004, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JF000052) and is verified for the Richardson's number range between 0.25 and 5.95. Rapid changes of the entrainment are caused by (i) strong accelerations at the fountain impact on the ground; (ii) break in slope; and (iii) topographic obstacles. Such changes, together with the sedimentation rate, influence flow mobility. The use of the power law is suggested for modeling the motion of unsteady hazardous geophysical mass flows such as pyroclastic density currents and snow avalanches

Intersecting Ecosystem Services Across the Aquatic Continuum: From Global Change Impacts to Local, and Biologically Driven, Synergies and Trade-Offs

The study of ecosystem services requires the integration of different observational points. This is particularly true in Water, as this element continuously cycles, increasing chances of interaction among services originating in different ecosystems. However, aquatic scientists historically approached the study of inland/freshwater and open/marine waters in different ways and this cultural division potentially hampers integrative approaches. Herein, we explored the literature pertaining to ecosystem services across the last 23 years, analysing 4,590 aquatic papers. By aggregating and intersecting topics included in this papers’ collection using text-mining and topical network approaches, we saw that the study of local environmental conditions (e.g., river estuary management) and synergies and trade-offs between services (e.g., carbon sequestration and water purification) can display several potential conceptual links between freshwater and marine sciences. Our analyses suggest that to intersect ecosystem services across the aquatic continuum, the conceptual integration between marine and freshwater science must be reinforced, especially at the interface between different “salinity realms.” Such integration should adopt a “system thinking” perspective, in which the focus is on multiple socio-ecological processes giving rise to interactions that are (i) biologically mediated, (ii) potentially conflicting, and (iii) entangled within networks

ITACA (ITalian ACcelerometric Archive): a Web Portal for the Dissemination of the Italian Strong Motion Data

The Italian strong-motion database contains 2182 three component waveforms generated by 1004 earthquakes with a maximum magnitude of 6.9 (1980 Irpinia earthquake) covering the period range from 1972 to 2004. The database is devoted to serving the seismological and engineering communities. The database can be accessed on-line at the site http://itaca.mi.ingv.it, where a wide range of search tools enables the user to interactively search events, recording stations and retrieve waveforms with particular characteristics, whose parameters can be specified, as needed, through a graphical user interface. A range of display options allows users to view data in different contexts, extract and download time series and spectral data. The database was created during a joint project between Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV, Italian institute for geophysics and vulcanology) and Dipartimento della Protezione Civile (DPC, Italian civil protection). The aim of the project was the collection, homogenization and distribution of data acquired over the time period 1972-2004 in Italy by different Italian institutions, namely Ente Nazionale per l’Energia Elettrica (ENEL, Italian electricity company), Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente (ENEA, Italian energy and environment organization) and DPC. The project had multiple purposes, such as permanent strong motion monitoring and temporary monitoring during seismic sequences or before permanent installation. This database brings up to date the ENEA strong motion data collection which ended in 1993 and the European database where the most recent Italian data pertain to the Umbria-Marche sequence of 1997-1998 (Ambraseys at al., 2002). In addition effort was spent reviewing strong motion metadata and data processing to increase data quality and reliability. This article describes the steps that led to the completion of the project and provides an overview of the search capabilities available at the database interface website

The Isolation and Identification of a Causative Agent of the Feather Disorder Found in African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus)

Beginning in 2006, wild juvenile African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) began to prematurely lose their juvenile feathers without immediate regrowth and were brought to the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) for rehabilitation5. Without immediate regrowth of feathers, energy is shunted away from growth and used for thermoregulation and metabolism. It has previously been hypothesized that potential viral and bacterial infections may be causing this disorder3,4. To test for this, Avian Polyomavirus (APV) nucleic acids, Budrigars Beak and Feather Disease Virus (BFDV) nucleic acids, and any bacterial nucleic acids were attempted to be isolated from the blood of affected penguins. Blood was drawn from affected and non-affected African Penguins at SANCCOB and stored in 70% ethanol. These samples were collected in 2008 and 2010. The samples were shipped to St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY during the winter of 2011. Nucleic acids were then extracted from the blood using a QIAamp Blood DNA Mini. After confirmation of DNA via gel electrophoresis, PCR was performed using 2X OneTaq Megamix, water, and primers specific to the targeted viral and bacterial DNA. Gel electrophoresis was run on the PCR products. If DNA was observed at an expected range, then the PCR product was purified using a QIAquick PCR Purification Kit using the protocol included. The purified samples were sent to ATCG, Inc. for sequencing. The results were analyzed using NCBI BLAST. To date, six sequencing samples have shown the prevalence of APV, BFDV, and/or bacteria in the blood of affected penguins

Effects of Acetyl-L-Carnitine on Oxidative Stress in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients: Evaluation on Plasma Markers and Members of the Neurovascular Unit

Oxidative stress, the alteration of mitochondrial function, and the neurovascular unit (NVU), play a role in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) pathogenesis. We aimed to demonstrate the changes in the plasma redox system and nitric oxide (NO) in 32 new ALS-diagnosed patients in treatment with Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) compared to healthy controls. We also evaluated the effects of plasma on human umbilical cord-derived endothelial vascular cells (HUVEC) and astrocytes. The analyses were performed at the baseline (T0), after three months (T1), and after six months (T2). In ALS patients at T0/T1, the plasma markers of lipid peroxidation, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and 4-hydroxy nonenal (4-HNE) were higher, whereas the antioxidants, glutathione (GSH) and the glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity were lower than in healthy controls. At T2, plasma TBARS and 4-HNE decreased, whereas plasma GSH and the GPx activity increased in ALS patients. As regards NO, the plasma levels were firmly lower at T0–T2 than those of healthy controls. Cell viability, and mitochondrial membrane potential in HUVEC/astrocytes treated with the plasma of ALS patients at T0–T2 were reduced, while the oxidant release increased. Those results, which confirmed the fundamental role of oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and of the NVU in ALS pathogenesis, can have a double meaning, acting as disease markers at baseline and potential markers of drug effects in clinical practice and during clinical trial

Evaluation of jennies' colostrum: IgG concentrations and absorption in the donkey foals. A preliminary study

Immunoglobulin type G (IgG) concentration both in jennies' colostrum and in serum of donkey foals are mostly unknown in the first 24 h after delivery. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the IgG concentrations of colostrum during the first 24 h of lactation of Amiata jennies, the absorption of colostrum and the weekly body weight gain of the donkey foals. IgG concentrations were assessed in the jennies' colostrum and in the serum of donkey foals. Colostrum was collected in 9 jennies ready after delivery, and at 6, 12, 24 h after foaling from both halves. Serum was collected at the same sampling times from 9 donkey foals. Donkey foals were weighted at birth and then weekly until the 28th days of life. Temporal changes of IgG concentrations in dam's colostrum and in donkey foal serum were analyzed by a linear regression model and a general linear model, respectively. Results showed that colostrum IgG concentration were similar between the left and the right half. Colostrum IgG concentrations decreased continuously throughout the time in all jennies by 0.0244 Log10 mg/mL per hour. Serum IgG concentrations in donkey foals at birth was significantly lower compared to other times. No correlation was found between the colostrum IgG concentrations and the average weekly body weight gain of the donkey foal. The pattern of colostrum IgG levels in jennies and serum IgG concentration in donkey foals seem to be similar to what reported for equine. However, the donkey foals seem to be less agammaglobulinemic at birth compared to the horse foal. The pattern and both serum and colostrum concentrations evaluated in the Amiata donkeys were slightly different from results reported in other donkey breeds, underlying the importance of setting references specific to breed

Pyrazolium- versus imidazolium-based ionic liquids: Structure, dynamics and physicochemical properties

Ionic liquids (ILs) composed of two different pyrazolium cations with dicyanamide and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anions have been synthesized and characterized by NMR, Kamlet-Taft solvatochromic parameters, conductivity and rheological measurements, as well as ab initio calculations. Density functional calculations for the two pyrazolium cations, 1-butyl-2- methylpyrazolium [bmpz] and 1-butyl-2,3,5-trimethylpyrazolium [bm 3pz], provide a full picture of their conformational states. Homo- and heteronuclear NOE show aggregation motives sensitive to steric hindrance and the anions' nature. Self-diffusion coefficients D for the anion and the cation have been measured by pulsed field gradient spin-echo NMR (PGSE-NMR). The ionic diffusivity is influenced by their chemical structure and steric hindrance, giving the order Dcation > Danion for all of the examined compounds. The measured ion diffusion coefficients, viscosities, and ionic conductivity follow the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) equation for the temperature dependencies, and the best-fit parameters have been determined. Solvatochromic parameters indicate an increased ion association upon going from bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide to dicyanamide-based pyrazolium salts, as well as specific hydrogen bond donor capability of H atoms on the pyrazolium ring. All of these physical properties are compared to those of an analogous series of imidazolium-based ILs

Setting up an earthquake forecast experiment in Italy

We describe the setting up of the first earthquake forecasting experiment for Italy within the Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability (CSEP). CSEP conducts rigorous and truly prospective forecast experiments for different tectonic environments in several forecast testing centers around the globe; forecasts are issued for a future period and also tested only against future observations to avoid any possible bias. As such, experiments need to be completely defined. This includes exact definitions of the testing area, of learning data for the forecast models, and of observation data against which forecasts will be tested to evaluate their performance. Here we present the rules, as taken from the Regional Earthquake Likelihood Models experiment and extended or changed for the Italian experiment. We also present characterizations of learning and observational catalogs that describe the completeness of these catalogs and illuminate inhomogeneities of magnitudes between these catalogs. A particular focus lies on the stability of earthquake recordings of the observational network. These catalog investigations provide guidance for CSEP modelers for developing earthquakes forecasts for submission to the forecast experiment in Italy