The seismic microzonation of level 3 of Sant’Agata Fossili (northern Italy) based on a multidisciplinary approach.

In this paper the results of a detailed seismic microzonation, performed at Sant’Agata Fossili (Piemonte region, northern Italy) are presented. We study the local seismic response of this small village using a level 3, that is the most accurate level following the Italian code of seismic microzonation. The activity steps consist in a gradual widening of knowledge of the different aspects of the amplification phenomena. A multidisciplinary approach has been performed to obtain the local seismic response: including a study of local geology, geophysical and geotechnical characterization of the lithologies, and numerical and experimental analyses. We finally compare the obtained elastic response spectra to the prescribed spectra of the Italian Building Code (in Italian: Norme Tecniche per le Costruzioni). Our results show the geologic and geophysical differences of the subsoil, that produce different local seismic response in terms of amplification factors and acceleration response spectra.PublishedS01893T. Pericolosità sismica e contributo alla definizione del rischio5T. Sorveglianza sismica e operatività post-terremotoJCR Journalope

The seismic microzonation of level 3 of Sant’Agata Fossili (northern Italy) based on a multidisciplinary approach

In this paper the results of a detailed seismic microzonation, performed at Sant’Agata Fossili (Piemonte region, northern Italy) are presented. We study the local seismic response of this small village using a level 3, that is the most accurate level following the Italian code of seismic microzonation. The activity steps consist in a gradual widening of knowledge of the different aspects of the amplification phenomena. A multidisciplinary approach has been performed to obtain the local seismic response: including a study of local geology, geophysical and geotechnical characterization of the lithologies, and numerical and experimental analyses. We finally compare the obtained elastic response spectra to the prescribed spectra of the Italian Building Code (in Italian: Norme Tecniche per le Costruzioni). Our results show the geologic and geophysical differences of the subsoil, that produce different local seismic response in terms of amplification factors and acceleration response spectra

Beltrandoite, a new root-name in the högbomite supergroup: the Mg end-member magnesiobeltrandoite-2N3S

Magnesiobeltrandoite-2N3S, ideally Mg6Al20Fe3+2 O38(OH)2, is a new member of the h\uf6gbomite supergroup of minerals. It occurs in magnesian chloritites of a metamorphosed layered mafic complex in the Etirol-Levaz continental slice, middle Valtournenche, Aosta Valley, Italy. Magnesiobeltrandoite-2N3S grows in a fine-grained chlorite matrix associated as inclusions to relict pre-Alpine hercynite spinels and dolomite in cm- to dm-long darker boudins, which are cut by corundum\ufeclinochlore \ub1 dolomite veins. It occurs as subhedral to euhedral black crystals ( 3c50\u2013400mm), dark reddish-brown in thin section. It shows dark brown streak and vitreous lustre. It is brittle, with no cleavage observed and uneven fracture. Mohs hardness 486\u20136\ubd. Dcalc = 3.93 g \ub7 cm3. It shows no fluorescence under UV radiation and no cathodoluminescence. The mineral is optically uniaxial (\u2013) with an estimated mean refractive index of ca. 1.80. Pleochroism is weak with e = deep reddish brown (along c axis) and v = reddish brown ( a5 c). Absorption is E > O. The Raman spectrum shows a weak and strongly polarized broad OH-characteristic absorption centred at 3364 cm1. Electron microprobe analysis combined with Synchrotron M\uf6ssbauer source spectrometry yielded the following empirical formula based on 40 anions per formula unit (pfu) [Al18.36Mg3.96Fe2+2:52Fe3+2:08Ti0.56Cr0.40Zn0.06V3+0.03Mn0.02]S28O38(OH)2. The ideal formula is Mg6Al20Fe3+2O38(OH)2.The eight strongest lines in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [dobs/A (I) (h k l)]: 2.858 (42) (1 1 0), 2.735 (51) (1 0 7), 2.484 (46) (0 1 8), 2.427 (100) (1 1 5), 1.568 (29) (1 2 8), 1.514 (30) (0 2 12), 1.438 (42) (2 0 13), and 1.429 (72) (2 2 0). The crystal structure of magnesiobeltrandoite-2N3S [P3m1, a = 5.7226(3), c = 23.0231(9)A, V = 652.95(5)A 3] was refined from X-ray single-crystal data to R1 = 0.022; it is isostructural with magnesioh\uf6gbomite-2N3S

Revision reverse shoulder arthroplasty in failed shoulder arthroplasties for rotator cuff deficiency

PURPOSE: the aim of this systematic literature review is to report clinical outcomes of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) used as a revision surgery following failure of the primary implant due to rotator cuff insufficiency. METHODS: a systematic review was performed using the following key words: revision, shoulder, rotator cuff deficiency, outcome assessment, treatment outcome, complications. Studies eligible for inclusion in the review were clinical trials investigating patients in whom a primary shoulder arthroplasty implant with an incompetent rotator cuff was replaced with a reverse shoulder prosthesis. RESULTS: nine articles were identified and further reviewed. The results refer to a total of 226 shoulders that were treated with RSA as revision surgery. The patients in the studies had a mean age ranging from 64 to 72 years and the longest follow-up was 3.8 years. Improvements in function and reduction of pain were shown by many studies, but the mean Constant score ranged from 44.2 to 56. High complication rates (of up to 62%) were recorded, and a mean reoperation rate of 27.5%. CONCLUSIONS: RSA as revision surgery for patients with rotator cuff deficiency is a valid option, and often the only solution available, but it should be limited to elderly patients with poor function and severe pain. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: level IV, systematic review of level I-IV studies

Sustainability of Urban Growth Forms in Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires

Esta ponencia expone avances de una investigación cuyo objetivo es identificar indicadores de sustentabilidad urbana que contribuyan a evaluar el desempeño de distintas formas de crecimiento urbano y orientar la conformación de futuros observatorios que permitan monitorear el desempeño ambiental de unidades territoriales de análisis (UTA) dentro del AMBA. La metodología aplicada, basada en distintos autores que analizan la evolución del crecimiento urbano fue adaptada al contexto local y a los casos de estudio. Se seleccionaron cuatro unidades de análisis con diferente forma de crecimiento en dos municipios del AMBA. Se definieron variables para desarrollar indicadores, integrando sistemas de evaluación de sustentabilidad urbana y ambiental. Se relevaron las UTAs seleccionadas y realizaron ensayos bioclimáticos y mediciones in situ. Los resultados, permiten sacar las conclusiones comparativas iniciales del desempeño bioambiental de las unidades a fin de evaluar aspectos de sustentabilidad, tanto a escala de la unidad, como en relación al contexto urbano.This paper presents advances of a research that is aimed to identify urban sustainability indicators which help to evaluate the performance of various forms of city growth and guide the establishment of observatories for monitoring environmental performance of territorial units of analysis, transferable to different AMBA sectors. The methodology applied, based in different theories that interpret changes of urbanization in the cities, was adapted to local context. Four units of analysis of different growth form were selected in two municipalities in the AMBA. From the integration of different evaluation systems for urban sustainability, variables were defined to develop indicators. The selected units were analized and were made in situ environmental measurements. The results allows to obtain initial comparative conclusions about bioambiental performance of the units, aimed to evaluate some sustainability aspects both at the unit as in relation to urban context.Eje: Sustentabilidad urbana (Actas).Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Patient-specific Instrumentation Affects Rotational Alignment of the Femoral Component in Total Knee Arthroplasty : A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To evaluate whether patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) improve the accuracy of femoral component rotational alignment with respect to conventionally-implanted total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: Twenty-four patients were randomized to receive a TKA implanted with PSI or conventional instrumentation. Implant orientation was compared on Computed Tomography (CT). Surgical time, recuts, and component size variations from planning were recorded. Preoperative and postoperative Oxford knee score and visual analogue scale were compared to assess clinical outcomes. Results: Femoral components implanted with patient-specific instrumentation were aligned with greater external rotation than those implanted with conventional instrumentation (P = 0.022). No significant differences were found in surgical times, number of recuts, and clinical outcomes. Surgeon modifications from the planned size were necessary in 58% of PSI cases. Conclusion: Femoral components implanted with PSI had greater external rotation than with conventional instrumentation. Surgeons must carefully evaluate component sizes when using PSI, both in planning and during surgery

Permian high-temperature metamorphism in the Western Alps (NW Italy)

During the late Palaeozoic, lithospheric thinning in part of the Alpine realm caused high-temperature low-to-medium pressure metamorphism and partial melting in the lower crust. Permian metamorphism and magmatism has extensively been recorded and dated in the Central, Eastern, and Southern Alps. However, Permian metamorphic ages in the Western Alps so far are constrained by very few and sparsely distributed data. The present study fills this gap. We present U/Pb ages of metamorphic zircon from several Adria-derived continental units now situated in the Western Alps, defining a range between 286 and 266 Ma. Trace element thermometry yields temperatures of 580-890°C from Ti-in-zircon and 630-850°C from Zr-in-rutile for Permian metamorphic rims. These temperature estimates, together with preserved mineral assemblages (garnet-prismatic sillimanite-biotite-plagioclase-quartz-K-feldspar-rutile), define pervasive upper-amphibolite to granulite facies conditions for Permian metamorphism. U/Pb ages from this study are similar to Permian ages reported for the Ivrea Zone in the Southern Alps and Austroalpine units in the Central and Eastern Alps. Regional comparison across the former Adriatic and European margin reveals a complex pattern of ages reported from late Palaeozoic magmatic and metamorphic rocks (and relics thereof): two late Variscan age groups (~330 and ~300 Ma) are followed seamlessly by a broad range of Permian ages (300-250 Ma). The former are associated with late-orogenic collapse; in samples from this study these are weakly represented. Clearly, dominant is the Permian group, which is related to crustal thinning, hinting to a possible initiation of continental rifting along a passive margin

A homozygous MED11 C-terminal variant causes a lethal neurodegenerative disease

Purpose: The mediator (MED) multisubunit-complex modulates the activity of the transcriptional machinery, and genetic defects in different MED subunits (17, 20, 27) have been implicated in neurologic diseases. In this study, we identified a recurrent homozygous variant in MED11 (c.325C>T; p.Arg109Ter) in 7 affected individuals from 5 unrelated families. Methods: To investigate the genetic cause of the disease, exome or genome sequencing were performed in 5 unrelated families identified via different research networks and Matchmaker Exchange. Deep clinical and brain imaging evaluations were performed by clinical pediatric neurologists and neuroradiologists. The functional effect of the candidate variant on both MED11 RNA and protein was assessed using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and western blotting using fibroblast cell lines derived from 1 affected individual and controls and through computational approaches. Knockouts in zebrafish were generated using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9. Results: The disease was characterized by microcephaly, profound neurodevelopmental impairment, exaggerated startle response, myoclonic seizures, progressive widespread neurodegeneration, and premature death. Functional studies on patient-derived fibroblasts did not show a loss of protein function but rather disruption of the C-terminal of MED11, likely impairing binding to other MED subunits. A zebrafish knockout model recapitulates key clinical phenotypes. Conclusion: Loss of the C-terminal of MED subunit 11 may affect its binding efficiency to other MED subunits, thus implicating the MED-complex stability in brain development and neurodegeneration