Studi di tomografia locale per la definizione della struttura crostale e subcrostale del Friuli e del Veneto Orientale

English: CRUSTAL AND SUB-CRUSTAL STRUCTURE OF FRIULI AND VENETO REGIONS DERIVED FROM LOCAL EARTHQUAKE TOMOGRAPHY The Friuli region is one of the most hazardous area in Italy. Numerous earthquakes have shaken and damaged the region both in historical (1348, 1551) and recent times (1928, 1976). The most recent big earthquake, the M = 6.4 event in 1976, was the reason for starting an intensive study of the area from the geological and geophysical points of view but probably the main consequence of the earthquake was the establishment of a regional seismometric network to monitor the seismic activity in the Friuli enlarged area. West to Friuli is the Veneto region: it is characterized by a seismicity of lower energy but that still deserves a certain care, in particular in the Alpago and Cansiglio sectors where earthquakes of magnitude greater than 5.5 occurred in 1873 and 1936. With the aim to investigate the crustal (and possibly sub-crustal) structures of these regions, a local earthquake tomography has been carried out using data recorded in the period 1995-2002 by the Friuli - Venezia Giulia seismometric network. The obtained tomographic images add only a few details to the knowledge of the area, and resembles already published results, even if the current tomography is able to give images for deeper layers (down to 15 km). In practice, there is a good agreement between the surficial tomographic reconstruction and the shallow geology and it is confirmed the existence of a body with velocity 6.2-6.4 km/s deepening eastwards down to 12-15 km. Since this limit corresponds to the resolving power of the data, no interpretation can be done on whether this body has much deeper roots or not. One main evidence of the joint displaying of occurrence of events and velocity recostructions is that seismicity is strictly associated with, and probably dependent from, this body. Since it would be very important to extend the resolving power to deeper layers, a new tomography is planned for a larger area. In fact, deeper events may be considered when the studied area is larger and, since the rays of these events travel for longer distances, they consequently illuminate deeper layers. In this way some limits of the present tomographic runs could be overcome. Italian: Il Friuli è una delle zone a maggior pericolosità sismica del territorio nazionale. Numerosi terremoti hanno causato gravi distruzioni, infatti, nella regione sia in epoca storica (nel 1348 e nel 1511) sia recentemente (nel 1928 e nel 1976). Il terremoto del 1976, di magnitudo 6.4, ha dato l’avvio a tutta una serie di studi di carattere geologico e geofisico. Tra le iniziative più importanti va ricordata l’installazione delle rete sismometrica regionale. Contigua al Friuli si trova la regione del Veneto, di sismicità sicuramente minore di quella friulana, ma degna di attenzione specialmente nel suo settore orientale (Alpago, Cansiglio) in quanto nel 1873 e nel 1936 la violenza dei sismi superò la magnitudo 5,5. Allo scopo di indagare sulle strutture crostali (e possibilmente sub-crostali) è stata condotta una tomografia sismica con terremoti locali utilizzando un nutrito insieme di dati registrati dalla rete sismometrica regionale nel periodo 1995-2002 in un’area estesa intorno al confine tra Veneto e Friuli - Venezia Giulia, dove molti autori ipotizzano una struttura sismogenetica di svincolo trasversale alle strutture alpine contrapponendosi a quelli che invece propongono continuità nello stile tettonicosismogenetico. I risultati ottenuti aggiungono solo pochi dettagli alle immagini topografiche ottenute da altri lavori, ed in particolare essi sono relativi a profondità maggiori rispetto a quelle indagate nel passato. In pratica, viene confermata la buona coerenza tra immagini topografiche superficiali e le strutture geologiche e la presenza di un corpo con velocità dell’ordine di 6,2-6,4 km/s che, inclinato verso est, si estende fino a 12-15 km di profondità. Purtroppo questo valore coincide con il limite della risoluzione tomografica, e lascia aperta la questione sulla reale estensione in profondità della struttura individuata. Ciò che risulta particolarmente evidente è che la struttura, che è stata interpretata come un cuneo legato all’accorciamento crostale associato con le fasi alpine, è responsabile della sismicità dell’area, o comunque strettamente legata ad essa. Da un punto di vista strettamente metodologico, i risultati mostrano i limiti della inversione tomografica legati alla geometria degli eventi e soprattutto dalla scarsa profondità degli stessi. Malgrado non possa essere considerata soluzione definitiva al problema, la estensione della area da indagare potrebbe parzialmente migliorare le immagini topografiche inserendo terremoti più lontani (e quindi con raggi che si approfondiscono di più) avendo cura di definire la geometria ottimale di inversione

Studi di tomografia locale per la definizione della struttura crostale e subcrostale del Friuli e del Veneto Orientale

English: CRUSTAL AND SUB-CRUSTAL STRUCTURE OF FRIULI AND VENETO REGIONS DERIVED FROM LOCAL EARTHQUAKE TOMOGRAPHY The Friuli region is one of the most hazardous area in Italy. Numerous earthquakes have shaken and damaged the region both in historical (1348, 1551) and recent times (1928, 1976). The most recent big earthquake, the M = 6.4 event in 1976, was the reason for starting an intensive study of the area from the geological and geophysical points of view but probably the main consequence of the earthquake was the establishment of a regional seismometric network to monitor the seismic activity in the Friuli enlarged area. West to Friuli is the Veneto region: it is characterized by a seismicity of lower energy but that still deserves a certain care, in particular in the Alpago and Cansiglio sectors where earthquakes of magnitude greater than 5.5 occurred in 1873 and 1936. With the aim to investigate the crustal (and possibly sub-crustal) structures of these regions, a local earthquake tomography has been carried out using data recorded in the period 1995-2002 by the Friuli - Venezia Giulia seismometric network. The obtained tomographic images add only a few details to the knowledge of the area, and resembles already published results, even if the current tomography is able to give images for deeper layers (down to 15 km). In practice, there is a good agreement between the surficial tomographic reconstruction and the shallow geology and it is confirmed the existence of a body with velocity 6.2-6.4 km/s deepening eastwards down to 12-15 km. Since this limit corresponds to the resolving power of the data, no interpretation can be done on whether this body has much deeper roots or not. One main evidence of the joint displaying of occurrence of events and velocity recostructions is that seismicity is strictly associated with, and probably dependent from, this body. Since it would be very important to extend the resolving power to deeper layers, a new tomography is planned for a larger area. In fact, deeper events may be considered when the studied area is larger and, since the rays of these events travel for longer distances, they consequently illuminate deeper layers. In this way some limits of the present tomographic runs could be overcome. Italian: Il Friuli è una delle zone a maggior pericolosità sismica del territorio nazionale. Numerosi terremoti hanno causato gravi distruzioni, infatti, nella regione sia in epoca storica (nel 1348 e nel 1511) sia recentemente (nel 1928 e nel 1976). Il terremoto del 1976, di magnitudo 6.4, ha dato l’avvio a tutta una serie di studi di carattere geologico e geofisico. Tra le iniziative più importanti va ricordata l’installazione delle rete sismometrica regionale. Contigua al Friuli si trova la regione del Veneto, di sismicità sicuramente minore di quella friulana, ma degna di attenzione specialmente nel suo settore orientale (Alpago, Cansiglio) in quanto nel 1873 e nel 1936 la violenza dei sismi superò la magnitudo 5,5. Allo scopo di indagare sulle strutture crostali (e possibilmente sub-crostali) è stata condotta una tomografia sismica con terremoti locali utilizzando un nutrito insieme di dati registrati dalla rete sismometrica regionale nel periodo 1995-2002 in un’area estesa intorno al confine tra Veneto e Friuli - Venezia Giulia, dove molti autori ipotizzano una struttura sismogenetica di svincolo trasversale alle strutture alpine contrapponendosi a quelli che invece propongono continuità nello stile tettonicosismogenetico. I risultati ottenuti aggiungono solo pochi dettagli alle immagini topografiche ottenute da altri lavori, ed in particolare essi sono relativi a profondità maggiori rispetto a quelle indagate nel passato. In pratica, viene confermata la buona coerenza tra immagini topografiche superficiali e le strutture geologiche e la presenza di un corpo con velocità dell’ordine di 6,2-6,4 km/s che, inclinato verso est, si estende fino a 12-15 km di profondità. Purtroppo questo valore coincide con il limite della risoluzione tomografica, e lascia aperta la questione sulla reale estensione in profondità della struttura individuata. Ciò che risulta particolarmente evidente è che la struttura, che è stata interpretata come un cuneo legato all’accorciamento crostale associato con le fasi alpine, è responsabile della sismicità dell’area, o comunque strettamente legata ad essa. Da un punto di vista strettamente metodologico, i risultati mostrano i limiti della inversione tomografica legati alla geometria degli eventi e soprattutto dalla scarsa profondità degli stessi. Malgrado non possa essere considerata soluzione definitiva al problema, la estensione della area da indagare potrebbe parzialmente migliorare le immagini topografiche inserendo terremoti più lontani (e quindi con raggi che si approfondiscono di più) avendo cura di definire la geometria ottimale di inversione

Patricide and overkill: a review of the literature and case report of a murder with Capgras delusion

Despite being an infrequent crime, parental homicide has been associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in adult perpetrators and a history of child abuse and family violence in adolescent perpetrators. Among severe psychiatric disorders there is initial evidence that delusional misidentification might also play a role in parricide. Parricides are often committed with undue violence and may result in overkill. The authors present the case of an adult male affected by schizoaffective disorder and Capgras syndrome who committed patricide. Forensic pathologists classify such cases as overkill by multiple fatal means comprising stabbing, blunt trauma and choking. Accurate crime scene investigations coupled with psychiatric examinations of perpetrator allow reconstruction of the murder stages. This overkill case is discussed in the context of a broad review of the literature

Assessing chronological age of unaccompanied minors in Southern Italy

The increasing volume of, and subsequent complexities resulting from, migratory flows in the broader context of globalization has led to a range of problems, not only the protection of human rights and disease control but also the identification of those with the right to apply for refugee status and the age assessment of unaccompanied minors. Italy is a magnet for immigration from other countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea because the Italian coasts are within easy reach. In Italy, as in other western countries, unaccompanied asylum seekers deemed to be younger than 18 years face a very different path through the immigration system from that experienced by adults. Generally, adults are subject to immediate deportation or detention in jail. Minors are processed through the juvenile system, where detection is not mandatory; they will often have access to educational programs and may be granted a residency permit. The Section of Legal Medicine of the University of Bari was approached by immigration police authorities and judges to explore the possibility of examining unaccompanied asylum seekers, who claim do be younger than 18 years, to assess their age. A group of forensic pathologists and odontologists performed this evaluation relying on the skeletal maturation as seen on radiographs of the wrist and the pelvis for iliac crests and on an orthopantomograph, together with background information and clinical examination of each individual. Case studies are presented. This article does not attempt to give a definitive account of the different scientific methods for the assessment of age. It is important to understand some of the methods that may be used in an attempt to assess developmental maturity and from which it may be possible to ''read off'' an approximate chronological age. © 2011 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Radiographic dental implants recognition for geographic evaluation in human identification

Dental implants for prosthetic rehabilitation with fixed crown or mobile partial/total dentures is a very common oral treatment among the population in Italy as elsewhere. There is a great number of implant systems of different designs. However, a catalogue of radiographic images and a description of the dental implants available in Italy would be useful in order to identify the manufacturer and the type of implant encountered in forensic casework. When an unidentified body is found with one or more implants in the jaws, and no dental record is available, clues gleaned from the type of implants used could give direction to the investigation. In this study Italian implant manufactures were contacted and asked to provide specimen implants. Digital radiographs were taken of all the implants donated at 0°, 30°, and 60° horizontal rotation, combined with -20°, -10°, 0°, +10°, and +20° vertical inclination relative to the radiographic beam and the X-ray sensor. A total of 15 images per implant were taken and examined to identify consistent, unique features that would aid in implant recognition. Only those observations made from radiographs between -10° and +10° vertical inclination would ever be used for definite identification of any implant. The information from this study should be considered a survey of the commercial distribution of dental implants in Italy through their digital radiographic images. It is also a starting point for a wider geographical evaluation of different manufacturers in other countries and continents. The radiographic images provided should help both the forensic odontologist and the prosthodontist to identify pre-existing implants which they may discover from their radiographic images

Ceramic Total Knee Arthroplasty: Ready to Go?

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a well-established surgical procedure in the late stages of knee osteoarthritis. Nevertheless, this procedure is associated with a percentage of unsatisfactory results and biomechanical failures, with aseptic loosening being the most common cause of revision. Beside these problems, cutaneous and systemic hypersensitivity reactions to metals have arisen as an increasing concern after joint arthroplasties, even if allergies against implant materials are still a quite rare and not well-known problem. Ceramic composites have been recently used in prosthetic components, showing minimum wear and excellent long-term results in total hip replacement, due to their high resistance to scratching and their better wettability with respect to cobalt-chromium alloy. Furthermore, the biologic response to debris generated from these bearings is less aggressive. Knee joint simulator tests and clinical results demonstrate promising results of TKAs with ceramic components that should led to benefit for the patients

Sudden cardiac death after robbery: Homicide or natural death?

Tako-Tsubo is one of a number of rare acquired cardiomyopathies that are characterized by left ventricular dyskinesia and symptomatology typical of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The most important feature is that the clinical features are triggered by a severe physical or emotional stress. The authors describe the story of a woman, who was brutally assaulted by two men during a house robbery and died from sudden heart failure 8 hours later, after being taken to hospital. External examination revealed no macroscopic alteration of the inner organs, whereas microscopy showed contraction bands with myocardial necrosis, subendocardial and interstitial neutrophil infiltration and fibrosis. These findings were consistent with death due to stress cardiomyopathy even in the absence of previous heart disease. The robbers were convicted of homicide and sentenced to eighteen years in prison

Role of biomechanical assessment in rotator cuff tear repair: Arthroscopic vs mini-open approach

BACKGROUND Rotator cuff (RC) tears are one of the most frequent pathologies within the shoulder girdle. Hand dominance and older age are associated with RC tears. Two different surgical procedures, the mini-open (MO) and all-arthroscopic (AA) approach, represented the standard of treatment. AIM To compare the clinical and biomechanical outcomes of two surgical techniques (AA vs MO procedure) performed to address the painful shoulder syndrome with partial or total supraspinatus tendon tear. METHODS Eighty-eight participants, 50 following RC repair with AA and 38 with MO approach, were recruited in the present cross-sectional case-control study (ORTHO-SHOULDER, Prot. 0054602). All patients underwent postoperative clinical evaluation for pain (Visual analogic scale), impairment, and disability (disability of the arm, shoulder, and hand) and limitation in daily activity (Constant-Murley score). Patients\u2019 shoulder mobility was also assessed in our Laboratory of Functional Movement through a wearable inertial sensor and surface electromyography to monitor kinematics and muscle activity during the movement on the frontal (abduction/adduction) and sagittal (flexion-extension) planes. RESULTS No statistically significant differences between the two procedures were observed in either main clinical score or range of motion. A significant increase in velocity during the movement execution and a higher contribution of upper trapezius muscles were found in the AA group compared with MO patients. CONCLUSION In terms of clinical scores, our findings were in line with previous results. However, the use of technology-based assessment of shoulder mobility has revealed significant differences between the two techniques in terms of mean velocity and pattern of muscle activation

From seaweeds to cosmeceutics: A multidisciplinar approach

Macroalgae are widespread on the coasts of all the globe and lead to a negative ecological impact, requiring expensive remediations. Therefore, the valorization of invasive seaweed as a renewable source of bioactive products could represent a valid solution. In this context, three algal biomasses, belonging to brown, green, and red families (Sargassum muticum, Ulva lactuca, Solieria filiformis), collected in the venetian Laguna, were investigated as a source of active compounds for the formulation of cosmeceutics. Microwave (MW) and ultrasound (US) were applied to enhance the algae extraction by means of a hydroalcoholic solution. According to total phenolic content (TPC) evaluation, MW demonstrated the best performing outcomes, resulting in 19.77, 22.02, and 16.94 mgGAE/gExtr (30 min at 90◦C) for brown, green, and red algae, respectively. Antioxidant activity was tested as well, showing comparable trends (49.19, 26.24, and 3.02 mmolTrolox eq./gExtr for brown, green, and red algae, respectively). Due to natural algae predisposition to absorb contaminants, the metal content analysis helped to screen the applicability of these extracts, identifying Ulva lactuca as the most suitable source of antioxidants for cosmetic formulations. This MW extract was then adopted to formulate two different preparations, namely a gel and an emulsion. Thermal and mechanical tests confirmed the stability of each formulation, together with neutral organoleptic characteristics. Finally, the actives release was investigated by means of a tape stripping essay, showing an efficient controlled release for gel formulation, even after 7 h of test. The produced cosmeceutics merged non-conventional extraction technologies with formulation expertise, offering a valuable alternative to solve the macroalgae disposal issue