Vulnerability of Building, urban infrastructure and system: The case of Mt. Etna

Natural disasters, such as earthquakes and volcanoes, have strong effects on the socio-economic wellbeing of countries and their people. The consequences of these events can lead to complex cascades of related incidents; when these expand across sectors and borders, and in more serious contexts, they can threaten our basic survivability. These events have clearly demonstrated that preparedness and disaster management is a dynamic process that requires a holistic analysis of critical interdependencies among core infrastructures. In this context of complexity, uncertainty and doubt, the Disruption Index (DI) proposed in the framework of the UPStrat-MAFA project aims to improve our understanding of earthquake and volcano hazards and their impacts. Several guiding principles and methods have been developed to serve as the basis to measure the different earthquake impacts, with analysis and discussion of the data that provide clearer pictures of how the systems and the disruption of their functionality affect an urban area. The main concepts that explain the DI can be found in Ferreira et al. (2014). Constructing the DI requires good quality information about the physical, spatial and vulnerability conditions of the study area; this means the information that reflects the full knowledge of the true situatio

Earthquakes in central Italy in 2016: comparison between Norcia and Amatrice

Trabalho apresentado em 16th European Conference on Earthquake Engineering (16ECEE), 18-21 june 2018, Thessaloniki, GreeceIn this paper lessons are extracted from the comparison between the very different consequences that a set of earthquakes had on the neighbouring towns of Amatrice and Norcia during the 2016 central Italy earthquake sequence. The paper initially describes the prevention programs implemented in Amatrice and Norcia starting from the reconstruction after the 1860 Norcia earthquake. The earthquake intensities in Amatrice and Norcia during the 2016 Central Italy events were considering accelerometric recordings of the Italian Strong Motion Network. In the same municipalities, the damage has been assessed through site visits and analysis of the results of the post-earthquake safety assessment performed after the events. It was found that the differences in damage were essentially due to the strengthening of most houses in Norcia done during the previous decades. This is also likely to lead to a much faster recover of the economy and livelihood in Norcia, as Amatrice needs to be entirely rebuilt.N/

Applying the Disruption Index procedure to evaluate the urban seismic risk in the Mt. Etna area (Italy)

The Disruption Index is used here for the assessment of urban disruption in the Mt. Etna area after a natural disaster. The first element of the procedure is the definition of the seismic input, which is based on information about the historical seismicity and seismogenic faults. The second element is the computation of the seismic impact on the building stock and infrastructure in the region considered. Information on urban-scale vulnerability was collected and a geographic information system was used to organize the data relating to buildings and network systems (e. g., typologies, schools, strategic structures, lifelines). The central idea underlying the definition of the Disruption Index is the identification and evaluation of the impacts on a target community, considering the physical elements that contribute most to the severe disruption. The results of this study are therefore very useful for earthquake preparedness planning and for the development of strategies to minimize the risks from earthquakes. This study is a product of the European “Urban Disaster Prevention Strategies using Macroseismic Fields and Fault Sources” project (UPStrat-MAFA European project 2013).PublishedTorino, Italy3T. Pericolosità sismica e contributo alla definizione del rischioope

On assessing importance of components in dysfunction urban systems given an earthquake: the case of Mt. Etna region

Mt Etna region (Sicily, Italy) is one of the test areas studied in the European Project “Urban disaster Prevention Strategies using MAcroseismic fields and FAult sources” ( UPStrat-MAFA) to which the methodology of Disruption Index (hereafter DI), recently developed to evaluate the dysfunction of urban systems caused by earthquakes (Ferreira et al., 2014), has been applied on a trial basis

Non-Structural Risk Evaluation: Experiences From Pilot Areas Of The Knowrisk Project

This paper presents a multidisciplinary approach to quantify seismic hazard and ground motion intensity parameters for non-structural seismic risk evaluation. In the framework of the European KnowRISK Project, three pilot areas were selected for testing different methodological approaches aimed at evaluating elements and measures to reduce seismic risk coming along with the failure of non-structural elements. At Mt. Etna, Italy, instrumental and historical macroseismic data are used to generate ground motion time series for different scenario events. Risk maps for non-structural damage are generated by using building vulnerability from census data and a damage model based on fragility curves; interstory drift spectra have been also calculated for a representative test site. In South Iceland, scenarios are defined basing on the June 2000 seismic sequence, which provided strong-motion data at several locations. The recorded data and other parameters of the source are used to perform finite-fault simulations of ground motion at different locations in the area and then to calculate interstory drift spectra. In Portugal a scenario referring to the Lower Tagus Valley was selected and finite-fault simulations for the nearby city of Lisbon were performed.PublishedThessaloniki, Greece5T. Sismologia, geofisica e geologia per l'ingegneria sismic

The Genetics Journey: A Case Report of a Genetic Diagnosis Made 30 Years Later

Mandibulofacial dysostosis with microcephaly (MFDM) is a rare autosomal dominant condition that was first described in 2006. The causative gene, EFTUD2, identified in 2012. We report on a family that initially presented to a pediatric genetics clinic in the 1980s for evaluation of multiple congenital anomalies. Re‐evaluation of one member thirty years later resulted in a phenotypic and molecularly confirmed diagnosis of MFDM. This family’s clinical histories and the novel EFTUD2 variant identified, c.1297_1298delAT (p.Met433Valfs*17), add to the literature about MFDM. This case presented several genetic counseling challenges and highlights that “the patient” can be multiple family members. We discuss testing considerations for an unknown disorder complicated by the time constraint of the patient’s daughter’s pregnancy and how the diagnosis changed previously provided recurrence risks. Of note, 1) the 1980s clinic visit letters provided critical information about affected family members and 2) the patient’s husband’s internet search of his wife’s clinical features also yielded the MFDM diagnosis, illustrating the power of the internet in the hands of patients. Ultimately, this case emphasizes the importance of re‐evaluation given advances in genetics and the value of a genetic diagnosis for both patient care and risk determination for family members.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147210/1/jgc40894.pd

Toxoplasmosis in transplant recipients, Europe, 2010-2014

Transplantation activity is increasing, leading to a growing number of patients at risk for toxoplasmosis. We reviewed toxoplasmosis prevention practices, prevalence, and outcomes for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and solid organ transplant (SOT; heart, kidney, or liver) patients in Europe. We collected electronic data on the transplant population and prevention guidelines/regulations and clinical data on toxoplasmosis cases diagnosed during 2010-2014. Serologic pretransplant screening of allo-hematopoietic stem cell donors was performed in 80% of countries, screening of organ donors in 100%. SOT recipients were systematically screened in 6 countries. Targeted anti-Toxoplasma chemoprophylaxis was heterogeneous. A total of 87 toxoplasmosis cases were recorded (58 allo-HSCTs, 29 SOTs). The 6-month survival rate was lower among Toxoplasma-seropositive recipients and among allo-hematopoietic stem cell and liver recipients. Chemoprophylaxis improved outcomes for SOT recipients. Toxoplasmosis remains associated with high mortality rates among transplant recipients. Guidelines are urgently needed to standardize prophylactic regimens and optimize patient management

Search for composite and exotic fermions at LEP 2

A search for unstable heavy fermions with the DELPHI detector at LEP is reported. Sequential and non-canonical leptons, as well as excited leptons and quarks, are considered. The data analysed correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 48 pb^{-1} at an e^+e^- centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV and about 20 pb^{-1} equally shared between the centre-of-mass energies of 172 GeV and 161 GeV. The search for pair-produced new leptons establishes 95% confidence level mass limits in the region between 70 GeV/c^2 and 90 GeV/c^2, depending on the channel. The search for singly produced excited leptons and quarks establishes upper limits on the ratio of the coupling of the excited fermio

Search for lightest neutralino and stau pair production in light gravitino scenarios with stau NLSP

Promptly decaying lightest neutralinos and long-lived staus are searched for in the context of light gravitino scenarios. It is assumed that the stau is the next to lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP) and that the lightest neutralino is the next to NLSP (NNLSP). Data collected with the Delphi detector at centre-of-mass energies from 161 to 183 \GeV are analysed. No evidence of the production of these particles is found. Hence, lower mass limits for both kinds of particles are set at 95% C.L.. The mass of gaugino-like neutralinos is found to be greater than 71.5 GeV/c^2. In the search for long-lived stau, masses less than 70.0 to 77.5 \GeVcc are excluded for gravitino masses from 10 to 150 \eVcc . Combining this search with the searches for stable heavy leptons and Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model staus a lower limit of 68.5 \GeVcc may be set for the stau mas

Mass testing of the JUNO experiment 20-inch PMTs readout electronics

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a multi-purpose, large size, liquid scintillator experiment under construction in China. JUNO will perform leading measurements detecting neutrinos from different sources (reactor, terrestrial and astrophysical neutrinos) covering a wide energy range (from 200 keV to several GeV). This paper focuses on the design and development of a test protocol for the 20-inch PMT underwater readout electronics, performed in parallel to the mass production line. In a time period of about ten months, a total number of 6950 electronic boards were tested with an acceptance yield of 99.1%