Fault-trapped waves depict continuity of the fault system responsible for the 6 April 2009 MW 6.3 L’Aquila earthquake, central Italy

We investigate fault-trapped waves observed at a permanent broad-band station (FAGN) installed on the San Demetrio Fault, about 20 km southeast of L'Aquila. This fault has the same strike of the Paganica Fault which was responsible for the MW 6.3, 6 April 2009 earthquake. The two faults display an en-echelon pattern with a few km offset. We have found that events causing efficient trapped waves are clustered at the northwestern and southeastern bottom ends of the ruptured Paganica fault plane. The efficiency of trapped waves at FAGN, which is located about 5 km far from the ruptured fault plane, indicates that the two faults are linked at depth. This suggests that fault segments in the study area can be part of a longer and continuous fault system which controls the seismic hazard of the region. Moreover, we have found that the two earthquake clusters generating the most efficient trapped waves occur in portions of the fault system with the highest fluid pressure

Experimental and numerical study on the fatigue behaviour of the shot-earth 772

The present research work is devoted to the mechanical, fracture and fatigue experimental characterization of the shot-earth 772, with a particular attention to its fatigue behaviour. To such an aim, an extensive experimental program has been carried out, consisting of: (i) flexural and compression tests, (ii) three-point bending fracture tests, and (iii) bending and compression cyclic tests. Moreover, a FE numerical model is employed to simulate both the above bending and compression cyclic tests, after the input data validation performed by simulating the above fracture tests. The numerical fatigue lifetimes are compared with the corresponding experimental ones for both pulsating bending and compression, highlighting the model accuracy. Finally, the contours of both the damage parameter and the reduced Young modulus are plotted showing the evolution of fatigue damage

Hepatitis C virus production requires apolipoprotein A-I and affects its association with nascent low-density lipoproteins

Background/aims The life cycle of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is intimately linked to the lipid metabolism of the host. In particular, HCV exploits the metabolic machinery of the lipoproteins in several steps of its life cycle such as circulation in the bloodstream, cell attachment and entry, assembly and release of viral particles. However, the details of how HCV interacts with and influences the metabolism of the host lipoproteins are not well understood. A study was undertaken to investigate whether HCV directly affects the protein composition of host circulating lipoproteins. Methods A proteomic analysis of circulating very low-, low- and high-density lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL and HDL), isolated from either in-treatment naive HCV-infected patients or healthy donors (HD), was performed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF). The results obtained were further investigated using in vitro models of HCV infection and replication. Results A decreased level of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) was found in the LDL fractions of HCV-infected patients. This result was confirmed by western blot and ELISA analysis. HCV cellular models (JFH1 HCV cell culture system (HCVcc) and HCV subgenomic replicons) showed that the decreased apoA-I/LDL association originates from hepatic biogenesis rather than lipoprotein catabolism occurring in the circulation, and is not due to a downregulation of the apoA-I protein concentration. The sole non-structural viral proteins were sufficient to impair the apoA-I/LDL association. Functional evidence was obtained for involvement of apoA-I in the viral life cycle such as RNA replication and virion production. The specific siRNA-mediated downregulation of apoA-I led to a reduction in both HCV RNA and viral particle levels in culture. Conclusions This study shows that HCV induces lipoprotein structural modification and that its replication and production are linked to the host lipoprotein metabolism, suggesting apoA-I as a new possible target for antiviral therapy

FORTI EFFETTI DI AMPLIFICAZIONE DEL MOTO IN ZONA DI FAGLIA DURANTE LA SEQUENZA SISMICA DEL 2009 IN ABRUZZO

Negli anni 1997-1998, durante la sequenza dell’Umbria-Marche, la stazione accelerometrica di Nocera Umbra superò ripetutamente, per terremoti di magnitudo > 5, il picco di accelerazione di 0.5 g. Tali valori furono i maggiori mai registrati in Italia, e apparvero subito inusuali per terremoti di faglia normale a magnitudo moderate. Una serie di studi del sito della stazione permise di attribuire l’ampiezza anomala a un forte effetto di amplificazione locale prodotto dalle variazioni verticali della velocità delle onde di taglio nella roccia danneggiata di una faglia sub-verticale in prossimità della stazione. Anche durante i terremoti della sequenza Aquilana si sono trovate evidenze di effetti analoghi. La stazione a banda larga FAGN, in prossimità della faglia di San Demetrio, ha mostrato una accentuata variabilità dell’ampiezza delle sue registrazioni, con valori che superano fino ad un fattore 10 le ampiezze delle stazioni vicine. Mediante un’analisi su 350 terremoti si è trovato che le massime amplificazioni avvengono per terremoti localizzati a sud-ovest della stazione, in posizione favorevole alla propagazione nella zona di faglia dalla sorgente al ricevitore. Utilizzando metodi sia analitici che numerici è stato possibile attribuire gli effetti osservati alle eterogeneità di una zona di faglia larga 300-400 m e profonda 3 km, approssimativamente, con una riduzione di velocità di circa il 30% rispetto alla roccia non deformata. Anche il forte impulso di spostamento di 40 cm picco-picco registrato durante la scossa principale a Castello d’Ocre da una stazione GPS (CADO) con campionamento a 10 Hz non trova giustificazione plausibile se non modellando un effetto di risonanza in prossimità dello strumento. In questo caso è possibile generare modelli che riproducano l’osservazione usando valori della larghezza della zona di faglia di qualche centinaio di metri con forti riduzioni della velocità delle onde di taglio rispetto ai blocchi rigidi adiacenti. Queste osservazioni confermano la potenziale pericolosità del territorio in prossimità delle zone di faglia, nonostante non siano emerse durante il terremoto dell’Aquila chiare evidenze di anomalie del danno persistenti lungo le faglie. Recenti studi in California sembrano mettere in luce l’estrema variabilità delle onde intrappolate nelle zone di faglia, per cui l’effetto appare sporadicamente sia per quanto riguarda le stazioni di registrazione lungo la faglia che per quanto riguarda le zone-sorgenti nella faglia capaci di generare onde intrappolate.PublishedPrato3.1. Fisica dei terremotiope

Seismic site response estimation in the near source region of the 2009 L'Aquila, Italy, Earthquake

To better estimate the seismic ground motion during the April 6th, 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila, we deployed temporary arrays in the near-source region. Several arrays have been successively set up in the Aterno valley's epicentral area and have recorded the aftershocks that followed the main shock, between April and September. The data has been processed in order to study the spectral ratios of the horizontal component of ground motion at the soil site and at a reference site, as well as the spectral ratio of the horizontal and the vertical movement at a single recording site. The results obtained confirm the presence of large amplification effects in both L'Aquila's historic centre and in the suburban areas. The resonance frequency has been found to be close to 0.6 Hz in downtown L'Aquila whereas the suburban areas show amplification at frequencies ranging from 2 Hz to 5 Hz.PublishedSkopje, Macedonia4.1. Metodologie sismologiche per l'ingegneria sismicaope

Seismic site response estimation in the near source region of the 2009 L'Aquila, Italy, Earthquake

To better estimate the seismic ground motion during the April 6th, 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila, we deployed temporary arrays in the near-source region. Several arrays have been successively set up in the Aterno valley's epicentral area and have recorded the aftershocks that followed the main shock, between April and September. The data has been processed in order to study the spectral ratios of the horizontal component of ground motion at the soil site and at a reference site, as well as the spectral ratio of the horizontal and the vertical movement at a single recording site. The results obtained confirm the presence of large amplification effects in both L'Aquila's historic centre and in the suburban areas. The resonance frequency has been found to be close to 0.6 Hz in downtown L'Aquila whereas the suburban areas show amplification at frequencies ranging from 2 Hz to 5 Hz

The contribution of seismic data in microzonation studiesfor downtown L’Aquila

After the 2009 April 6th Mw 6.3 L’Aquila earthquake (Central Italy) the Italian Civil Defense Department promoted the microzoning study in the ten zones in the epicentral area that suffered major damage. In this paper we present the activities and the results concerning a temporary seismic network installed in the historical L’Aquila city center indicated as “macroarea 1” in the microzoning project. Seismic data were collected to investigate the amplification effects in the city and to support the microzoning activities in verifying both geological profiles and 1D numerical modeling of the seismic response of the city. The conventional spectral approaches using both microtremor and earthquake data allowed to determine the fundamental resonance frequencies and the amplification factors within the city respectively. The spatial variability of these quantities can be related to the geological and geomorphologic characteristics of the investigated area. A comparison between the network data and the data recorded by the two strong motion instruments installed in the city was also made. This allows verifying the relative response of the accelerometric stations that recorded in the city the major events of the sequence.Published741–7594.1. Metodologie sismologiche per l'ingegneria sismicaJCR Journalreserve

Repurposing of the Antiepileptic Drug Levetiracetam to Restrain Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer and Inhibit Mast Cell Support to Adenocarcinoma

A relevant fraction of castration-resistant prostate cancers (CRPC) evolve into fatal neuroendocrine (NEPC) tumors in resistance to androgen deprivation and/or inhibitors of androgen receptor pathway. Therefore, effective drugs against both CRPC and NEPC are needed. We have previously described a dual role of mast cells (MCs) in prostate cancer, being capable to promote adenocarcinoma but also to restrain NEPC. This finding suggests that a molecule targeting both MCs and NEPC cells could be effective against prostate cancer. Using an in silico drug repurposing approach, here we identify the antiepileptic drug levetiracetam as a potential candidate for this purpose. We found that the protein target of levetiracetam, SV2A, is highly expressed by both NEPC cells and MCs infiltrating prostate adenocarcinoma, while it is low or negligible in adenocarcinoma cells. In vitro, levetiracetam inhibited the proliferation of NEPC cells and the degranulation of MCs. In mice bearing subcutaneous tumors levetiracetam was partially active on both NEPC and adenocarcinoma, the latter effect due to the inhibition of MMP9 release by MCs. Notably, in TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP) mice subjected to surgical castration to mimic androgen deprivation therapy, levetiracetam reduced onset and frequency of both high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, adenocarcinoma and NEPC, thus increasing the number of cured mice showing only signs of tumor regression. Our results demonstrate that levetiracetam can directly restrain NEPC development after androgen deprivation, and that it can also block adenocarcinoma progression through the inhibition of some MCs functions. These findings open the possibility of further testing levetiracetam for the therapy of prostate cancer or of MC-mediated diseases

Preliminary results from EMERSITO, the rapid response network for site effect studies

On May 20, 2012, at 02:03 UTC, a ML 5.9 reverse-fault earthquake occurred in the Emilia-Romagna region, northern Italy, at a hypocentral depth of 6.3 km (http://iside.rm. ingv.it/), close to the cities of Modena and Ferrara in the plain of the Po River. The epicenter was near the village of Finale Emilia where macroseismic intensity was assessed at 7 EMS98 [Tertulliani et al. 2012, this issue], while the closest accelerometric station, MRN, located less than 20 km west-ward at Mirandola (Figure 1) recorded peaks of ground accelerations of about 300 cm/s2 (www.protezionecivile.gov.it/resources/ cms/documents/Report_DPC_1_Emilia_EQSd.pdf ). The mainshock triggered liquefaction phenomena a few kilometers eastwards of the epicenter, around the village of San Carlo. On the same day, two other shocks of ML 5.1 followed (02:07, 13:18 GMT; http://iside.rm.ingv.it/). On May 29, 2012, at 07:00 UTC another ML 5.8 earthquake hit the region (http://iside.rm.ingv.it/), with the epicenter close to the village of Mirandola (Figure 1). Three other strong aftershocks occurred afterwards, of ML 5.3 (May 29, at 10:55), ML 5.2 (May 29, at 11:00) and ML 5.1 ( June 3, at 19:20). For a detailed description of the seismic sequence, see Moretti et al. [2012], Scognamiglio et al. [2012], and Massa et al. [2012], in this issue. The Emilia seismic sequence resulted in 25 casualties, several of whom were among the workers in the many factories that collapsed during working hours, and there was extensive damage to monuments, public buildings, industrial sites, and private homes. The Po Plain region that was struck by the 2012 Emilia seismic sequence is a very large E-W trending syntectonic alluvial basin, which covers about 45,000 km2. It is surrounded by the Alps to the north and the Apennines to the south, and it is filled with Plio-Pleistocene terrigenous sediments and Holocene deposits, with depths varying from a few hundred meters up to several kilometers. The epicentral area was located south of the Po River, corresponding to the active front of the northern Apennines thrust belt (north-vergence), which is composed of buried folds and thrust faults that locally produce structural highs (Figure 1), and are known as Pieghe Emiliane and Ferraresi [Pieri and Groppi 1981]. The top of this limestone and marl bedrock rises to ca. 100 m from the surface and has been derived locally from borehole logs. The seismic response of this ca. 150-m-deep soft cover was investigated using weak-motion events and microtremors recorded in a borehole by Margheriti et al. [2000]. The occurrence of the May 2012 seismic sequence made it possible to study the seismic response under near-field conditions. These studies are aimed at providing tools to reduce the impact of future earthquakes on the local communities. In addition to the amplification due to one-dimensional (1D) resonance, it is well known that seismic responses of deep sedimentary basins are affected by 2D and 3D effects (e.g., wave diffraction, conversion at the basin edges, trapping and focusing of energy within the soil volume). Evidence of basin-induced surface waves and edge effects have been observed in many basins worldwide; e.g., the Osaka basin in Japan [e.g., Kawase 1996, Pitarka et al. 1998], various southern California basins [Graves et al. 1998, Day et al. 2008], and the Parkway basin in New Zealand [Chávez-García et al. 1999]. In Italy, good examples of site amplification in alluvial basins can be found for the Gubbio, Città di Castello, L'Aquila and Fucino basins [ Bordoni et al. 2003, Bindi et al. 2009, Cara et al. 2011, Milana et al. 2011]. Therefore, the day after the mainshock, the INGV rapidresponse network for site effects, called EMERSITO, planned the experiments presented in this report. EMERSITO put together independent research groups from several territorial centers of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV; National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology) who agree to collaborate spontaneously and on the basis of a data archiving and sharing policy. They then deployed their seismic equipment in the epicentral area, building on the experience of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake [Di Giulio et al. 2011, Margheriti et al. 2011, Milana et al. 2011]. The deployment was planned also in collaboration with the geological survey of the Regione Emilia Romagna (Servizio Geologico e Sismico e dei Suoli) and the University of Modena, as well as being in the framework of SISMIKO [Moretti et al. 2012]. As a result of this effort, since May 22, three linear arrays have been deployed (Figure 1), with a total of 22 sites instrumented, 16 of them equipped with both velocimeters and accelerometers. These arrays recorded most of the aftershock sequence, including the MW 5.8 May 29, 2012, 07:00 earthquake. The continuous recordings will be archived into the EIDA database (http://eida.rm.ingv.it/) under restricted access. The aim of this report is to describe the experiments performed by the EMERSITO team, as well as the main features of the recorded earthquakes. A preliminary insight in the site response of the investigated area within the context of the geological structure of the Po Plain is also given

Local variability of the ground shaking during the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake (April 6, 2009—Mw 6.3): the case study of Onna and Monticchio villages

The 2009 Mw 6.3 L’Aquila event caused extensive damage in the city of L’Aquila and in some small towns in its vicinity. The most severe damage was recognized SE of L’Aquila town along the Aterno river valley. Although building vulnerability and near-source effects are strongly responsible for the high level of destruction, site effects have been invoked to explain the damage heterogeneities and the similarities between the 2009 macroseismic field with the intensities of historical earthquakes. The small village of Onna is settled on quaternary alluvium and suffered during the L’Aquila event an extremely heavy damage in the masonry structures with intensity IX–X on the Mercalli-Cancani-Sieberg (MCS) scale. The village of Monticchio, far less than 1.3 km from Onna, is mostly situated on Meso- zoic limestone and suffered a smaller level of damaging (VI MCS). In the present paper, we analyze the aftershock recordings at seismic stations deployed in a small area of the middle-Aterno valley including Onna and Monticchio. The aim is to investigate local ampli-fication effects caused by the near-surface geology. Because the seismological stations are close together, vulnerability and near-source effects are assumed to be constant. The wave- form analysis shows that the ground motion at Onna is systematically characterized by large high-frequency content. The frequency resonance is varying from 2 to 3 Hz and it is related to alluvial sediments with a thickness of about 40 m that overlay a stiffer Pleistocene substrate. The ground motion recordings of Onna are well reproduced by the predictive equation for the Italian territory.Published783-8072T. Sorgente SismicaJCR Journalreserve