Macroseismic effects highlight site response in Rome and its geological signature

A detailed analysis of the earthquake effects on the urban area of Rome has been conducted for the L’Aquila sequence, which occurred in April 2009, by using an on-line macroseismic questionnaire. Intensity residuals calculated using the mainshock and four aftershocks are analyzed in the light of a very accurate and original geological reconstruction of the subsoil of Rome based on a large amount of wells. The aim of this work is to highlight ground motion amplification areas and to find a correlation with the geological settings at a sub-regional scale, putting in evidence the extreme complexity of the phenomenon and the difficulty of making a simplified model. Correlations between amplification areas and both near-surface and deep geology were found. Moreover, the detailed scale of investigation has permitted us to find a correlation between seismic amplification in recent alluvial settings and subsiding zones, and between heard seismic sound and Tiber alluvial sediments

Increasing associative plasticity in temporo-occipital back-projections improves visual perception of emotions

The posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) is a critical node in a network specialized for perceiving emotional facial expressions that is reciprocally connected with early visual cortices (V1/V2). Current models of perceptual decision-making increasingly assign relevance to recursive processing for visual recognition. However, it is unknown whether inducing plasticity into reentrant connections from pSTS to V1/V2 impacts emotion perception. Using a combination of electrophysiological and neurostimulation methods, we demonstrate that strengthening the connectivity from pSTS to V1/V2 selectively increases the ability to perceive facial expressions associated with emotions. This behavior is associated with increased electrophysiological activity in both these brain regions, particularly in V1/V2, and depends on specific temporal parameters of stimulation that follow Hebbian principles. Therefore, we provide evidence that pSTS-to-V1/V2 back-projections are instrumental to perception of emotion from facial stimuli and functionally malleable via manipulation of associative plasticity. Temporo-occipital areas are involved in perceiving emotional faces

An Electrically Conductive Oleogel Paste for Edible Electronics

Edible electronics will facilitate point-of-care testing through safe devices digested/degraded in the body/environment after performing a specific function. This technology, to thrive, requires a library of materials that are the basic building blocks for eatable platforms. Edible electrical conductors fabricated with green methods and at a large scale and composed of food derivatives, ingestible in large amounts without risk for human health are needed. Here, conductive pastes made with materials with a high tolerable upper intake limit (≥mg kg−1 body weight per day) are proposed. Conductive oleogel composites, made with biodegradable and food-grade materials like natural waxes, oils, and activated carbon conductive fillers, are presented. The proposed pastes are compatible with manufacturing processes such as direct ink writing and thus are suitable for an industrial scale-up. These conductors are built without using solvents and with tunable electromechanical features and adhesion depending on the composition. They have antibacterial and hydrophobic properties so that they can be used in contact with food preventing contamination and preserving its organoleptic properties. As a proof-of-principle application, the edible conductive pastes are demonstrated to be effective edible contacts for food impedance analysis, to be integrated, for example, in smart fruit labels for ripening monitoring

Does the term 'trophic' actually mean anti-amyloidogenic? The case of NGF.

The term trophic is widely used to indicate a general pro-survival action exerted on target cells by different classes of extracellular messengers, including neurotrophins (NTs), a family of low-molecular-weight proteins whose archetypal member is the nerve growth factor (NGF). The pro-survival action exerted by NTs results from a coordinated activation of multiple metabolic pathways, some of which have only recently come to light. NGF has been shown to exert a number of different, experimentally distinguishable effects on neurons, such as survival, differentiation of target neurons, growth of nerve fibers and their guidance (tropism) toward the source of its production. We have proposed a more complete definition of the NGF trophic action that should also include its newly discovered property of inhibiting the amyloidogenic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP), which is among the first hypothesized primary trigger of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. This inhibitory action appears to be mediated by a complex series of molecular events and by interactions among NGF receptors (TrkA and p75), APP processing and tau metabolic fate and fun

PREDICTING THE LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE OF STRUCTURES MADE WITH ADVANCED CEMENT BASED MATERIALS IN EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE ENVIRONMENTS: CURRENT STATE OF PRACTICE AND RESEARCH NEEDS – THE APPROACH OF H2020 PROJECT RESHEALIENCE.

Recently, in the framework of H2020, the European Commission has funded the project ReSHEALience (www.uhdc.eu), whose main goal is to develop an Ultra High Durability Concrete (UHDC) and a Durability Assessment-based Design (DAD) methodology for structures, to improve durability and predict their long-term performance under Extremely Aggressive Exposures. The project, coordinated by Politecnico di Milano, gathers 14 partners from 8 different countries (Italy, Spain, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Malta), including 6 academic and research institutions together with 8 industrial partners, which cover the whole value chain, from producers of concrete constituents to construction companies to stake-holders and end-users. A key activity of the project will consist in the development of a theoretical model to evaluate ageing and degradation of UHDC structures, extending the modelling to predict the lifespan, and its incorporation in a Durability Assessment-based Design (DAD) methodology, which will be validated against experimental tests performed in the same project and the monitored performance of six full-scale pilots in real exposure conditions. The paper, starting from a review of the current state of art on the modelling of advanced cement based materials in extremely aggressive environments (EAE), will address the approach pursued in the project

First results from the CROP-11 deep seismic profile, central Apennines, Italy: evidence of mid-crustal folding

The CROP-11 deep seismic profile across the central Apennines, Italy, reveals a previously unknown, mid-crustal antiform here interpreted as a fault-bend fold-like structure. The seismic facies and gravity signature suggest that this structure consists of low-grade metamorphic rocks. Geomorphological, stratigraphic and tectonic evidence in the overlying shallow thrusts suggests that this structure developed in early to mid-Messinian time and grew out of sequence in late Messinian– Pliocene time. The out-of-sequence growth may reflect a taper subcriticality stage of the Apenninic thrust wedge, which induced renewed contraction in the rear.Published583–586ope

First results from CROP-11 deep seismic profile, central Apennines, Italy:evidence of mid-crustal folding.

Geophysical and geological data used to reconstruct the deep structures of central Ital

First results from the CROP-11 deep seismic profile, central Apennines, Italy: evidence of mid-crustal folding

The CROP-11 deep seismic profile across the central Apennines, Italy, reveals a previously unknown, mid-crustal antiform here interpreted as a fault-bend fold-like structure. The seismic facies and gravity signature suggest that this structure consists of low-grade metamorphic rocks. Geomorphological, stratigraphic and tectonic evidence in the overlying shallow thrusts suggests that this structure developed in early to mid-Messinian time and grew out of sequence in late Messinian– Pliocene time. The out-of-sequence growth may reflect a taper subcriticality stage of the Apenninic thrust wedge, which induced renewed contraction in the rear