1,743 research outputs found
Effects of Surface Geology on Seismic Ground Motion Deduced from Ambient-Noise Measurements in the Town of Avellino, Irpinia Region (Italy)
The effects of surface geology on ground motion
provide an important tool in seismic hazard studies. It is well
known that the presence of soft sediments can cause amplification
of the ground motion at the surface, particularly when there is a
sharp impedance contrast at shallow depth. The town of Avellino is
located in an area characterised by high seismicity in Italy, about
30 km from the epicentre of the 23 November 1980, Irpinia
earthquake (M = 6.9). No earthquake recordings are available in
the area. The local geology is characterised by strong heterogeneity,
with impedance contrasts at depth. We present the results
from seismic noise measurements carried out in the urban area of
Avellino to evaluate the effects of local geology on the seismic
ground motion. We computed the horizontal-to-vertical (H/V)
noise spectral ratios at 16 selected sites in this urban area for which
drilling data are available within the first 40 m of depth. A Rayleigh
wave inversion technique using the peak frequencies of the
noise H/V spectral ratios is then presented for estimating Vs
models, assuming that the thicknesses of the shallow soil layers are
known. The results show a good correspondence between experimental
and theoretical peak frequencies, which are interpreted in
terms of sediment resonance. For one site, which is characterised
by a broad peak in the horizontal-to-vertical spectral-ratio curve,
simple one-dimensional modelling is not representative of the
resonance effects. Consistent variations in peak amplitudes are seen
among the sites. A site classification based on shear-wave velocity
characteristics, in terms of Vs30, cannot explain these data. The
differences observed are better correlated to the impedance contrast
between the sediments and basement. A more detailed investigation
of the physical parameters of the subsoil structure, together with
earthquake data, are desirable for future research, to confirm these
data in terms of site response
Genere e industria videoludica : complessitĂ e possibilitĂ di ruoli in gioco
Nessun gioco Ăš neutro e neutrale, nemmeno un videogioco. Videogiocare Ăš posizionarsi rispetto ad un racconto, Ăš âabitareâ scenari differenti, mettersi nei panni dellâaltro, simulare situazioni anche e spesso lontane da sĂ©. Ad ogni schema ludico sottende unâideologia, che rispecchia il pensiero di chi lo progetta.
Guardare, dunque, allâindustria videoludica attraverso la prospettiva di genere significa guardare attraverso un caleidoscopio ricco di complessitĂ , contraddizioni e opportunitĂ , quanto mai attuali, rispetto alle dinamiche delle forme di potere veicolate sia dalle rappresentazioni che dalle possibilitĂ di accesso alle professioni ad esso collegate. I videogiochi sono sempre piĂč considerati media di informazione e formazione, strumenti per comunicare, per promuovere contenuti culturali, memorie di storie, territori, cittadinanze. Prevedono unâinterazione sempre piĂč stretta tra settori apparentemente differenti sia a livello tecnico (videogame, cinema, televisione, animazione, arte) che sociale (educazione, intrattenimento, politica, divulgazione pubblica e culturale, quali musei, enti turistici) e imprenditoriale (mondo pubblicitario, editoria tradizionale, piattaforme online, strumenti digitali ecc.). E sono un vero e proprio esempio di re-mediation (rimediazione) (Bolter e Grusin, 1998), ovvero di come ogni nuovo strumento di comunicazione assorbe in se stesso gli altri media che lâhanno anticipato, arrivando alla definizione di un medium che combina in sĂ© trasparenza e opacitĂ , tra tradizione e innovazione, tra narrazione e produzione. E, dunque, essere maschio o femmina, come identitĂ socialmente e culturalmente costruite, deve fare i conti con le stratificazioni di queste vecchie e nuove narrazioni, nonchĂ© silenzi, impregnati spesso di stereotipi che sfociano in pregiudizi e sessismi, per proporre nuove contro narrazioni, nuove visioni.
Assumendo la prospettiva dei gender studies e dellâapproccio intersezionale femminista, si ritiene necessario riflettere come ogni narrazione e rappresentazione mediatica - e quindi anche videoludica - ha implicazioni sociali e politiche (dimensione valoriale e ideologica), esprimendo punti di vista in cui si possono riscontrare categorie quali potere, autoritĂ , valori culturali: chi o cosa Ăš assente puĂČ essere piĂč rilevante di chi o cosa viene incluso. CiĂČ puĂČ essere il risultato di scelte consapevoli o di inconsapevoli bias che possono influire sullâautorappresentazione, sui modelli sociali e di attese legati al genere, ai gruppi etnici.
Cosa significa, dunque, femminilitĂ e mascolinitĂ nellâuniverso videoludico? Come si sta trasformando questo media che nasce storicamente come prodotto fatto da uomini e destinato principalmente a giovani uomini (eteronormati e bianchi), in una visione monoprospettica, sia nellâambito dei contenuti che in quello lavorativo
The BMV project: Search for photon oscillations into massive particles
In this contribution to PSAS08 we report on the research activities developed
in our Toulouse group, in the framework of the BMV project, concerning the
search for photon oscillations into massive particles, such as axion-like
particles in the presence of a strong transverse magnetic field. We recall our
main result obtained in collaboration with LULI at \'Ecole Polytechnique
(Palaiseau, France). We also present the very preliminary results obtained with
the BMV experiment which is set up at LNCMP (Toulouse, France).Comment: Proceedings of PSAS'08, to be published in Can. J. Phy
Environmental pollution from illegal waste disposal and health effects: A review on the triangle of Death.
The term âtriangle of deathâ was used for the first time by Senior and Mazza in the journal The Lancet Oncology referring to the eastern area of the Campania Region (Southern Italy) which has one of the worst records of illegal waste dumping practices. In the past decades, many studies have focused on the potential of illegal waste disposal to cause adverse effects on human health in this area. The great heterogeneity in the findings, and the bias in media communication has generated great healthcare doubts, anxieties and alarm. This paper addresses a review of the up-to-date literature on the âtriangle of deathâ, bringing together the available information on the occurrence and severity of health effects related to illegal waste disposal. The Scopus database was searched using the search terms âwasteâ, âCampaniaâ, âNaplesâ, âtriangle of deathâ and âhuman biomonitoringâ. Despite the methodological and sampling heterogeneity between the studies, this review examines the evidence from published data concerning cancer incidence, childhood mortality and birth defects, so that the current situation, knowledge gaps and research priorities can be established. The review aims to provide a contribution to the scientific community, and to respond to the concerns of the general population
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Consumersâ acceptance and preferences for nutrition-modified and functional dairy products: a systematic review
This systematic literature review collects and summarizes research on consumer acceptance and preferences for nutrition-modified and functional dairy products, to reconcile, and expand upon, the findings of previous studies. We find that female consumers show high acceptance for some functional dairy products, such as yogurt enriched with calcium, fiber and probiotics. Acceptance for functional dairy products increases among consumers with higher diet/health related knowledge, as well as with aging. General interest in health, food-neophobia and perceived self-efficacy seem also to contribute shaping the acceptance for functional dairy products. Furthermore, products with ânaturalâ matches between carriers and ingredients have the highest level of acceptance among consumers. Last, we find that brand familiarity drives consumers with low interest in health to increase their acceptance and preference for health enhanced dairy products, such as probiotic yogurts, or those with a general function claim
Application of the spac method to ambient noise recorded in the vesuvius area (italy)
Noise measurements were recorded using a dense short-period seismic
array in Terzigno (Naples), a town that is located about 6 km from the Vesuvius crater. The
aim of this study was to calculate a surface velocity model of the area under investigation
through the application of the Spatial Autocorrelation (SPAC) method, with the hypotheses
that ambient noise is stationary both in time and space, and that it is composed of surface
dispersive waves. The correct knowledge of the surface structure is an important goal in
site-effects studies. Correlation coefficients were calculated as functions of the azimuth on
noise recorded at pairs of equally spaced stations in the frequency range of 1-8 Hz. Then,
the spatial average correlation coefficients were compared to estimates over long-term
recordings. The results appear to validate the hypothesis that ambient noise can be
considered as a stochastic process. The correlation-frequency curves have been fitted to
Bessel functions, from which the Rayleigh wave dispersion curve has been calculated. A
velocity model has been derived from the dispersion curve using both trial and error and a
standard inversion procedure. The results are consistent with those obtained from array
measurements in the area in other studies (Scarpa et al., 2003)
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Associations between historical residential redlining and current age-adjusted rates of emergency department visits due to asthma across eight cities in California: an ecological study.
BackgroundAsthma disproportionately affects communities of colour in the USA, but the underlying factors for this remain poorly understood. In this study, we assess the role of historical redlining as outlined in security maps created by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC), the discriminatory practice of categorising neighbourhoods on the basis of perceived mortgage investment risk, on the burden of asthma in these neighbourhoods.MethodsWe did an ecological study of HOLC risk grades and asthma exacerbations in California using the security maps available for the following eight cities: Fresno, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, and Stockton. Each census tract was categorised into one of four risk levels (A, B, C, or D) on the basis of the location of population-weighted centroids on security maps, with the worst risk level (D) indicating historical redlining. We obtained census tract-level rates of emergency department visits due to asthma from CalEnviroScreen 3.0. We assessed the relationship between risk grade and log-transformed asthma visit rates between 2011 and 2013 using ordinary least squares regression. We included potential confounding variables from the 2010 Census and CalEnviroScreen 3.0: diesel exhaust particle emissions, PM2·5, and percent of the population living below 2 times the federal poverty level. We also built random intercept and slope models to assess city-level variation in the relationship between redlining and asthma.FindingsIn the 1431 census tracts assessed (64 [4·5%] grade A, 241 [16·8%] grade B, 719 [50·2%] grade C, and 407 [28·4%] grade D), the proportion of the population that was non-Hispanic black and Hispanic, the percentage of the population living in poverty, and diesel exhaust particle emissions all significantly increased as security map risk grade worsened (p<0·0001). The median age-adjusted rates of emergency department visits due to asthma were 2·4 times higher in census tracts that were previously redlined (median 63·5 [IQR 34·3] visits per 10â000 residents per year [2011-13]) than in tracts at the lowest risk level (26·5 [18·4]). In adjusted models, redlined census tracts were associated with a relative risk of 1·39 (95% CI 1·21-1·57) in rates of emergency department visits due to asthma compared with that of lowest-risk census tracts.InterpretationHistorically redlined census tracts have significantly higher rates of emergency department visits due to asthma, suggesting that this discriminatory practice might be contributing to racial and ethnic asthma health disparities.FundingNational Heart Lung Blood Institute
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