406 research outputs found
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
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
A large ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A predominantly affecting young males in Lazio, Italy; August 2016 - March 2017
The hepatitis A virus (HAV) is mainly transmitted through the faecal-oral route. In industrialized countries HAV infection generally occurs as either sporadic cases in travelers from endemic areas, local outbreak within closed/semi-closed population and as foodborne community outbreak. Recently, an increasing number of HAV infection clusters have been reported among young men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM). The Lazio Regional Service for the epidemiology and control for infectious diseases (SeRESMI) has noticed an increase of acute hepatitis A (AHA) since September 2016. Temporal analysis carried out with a discrete Poisson model using surveillance data between January 2016 and March 2017 evidenced an ongoing outbreak of AHA that started at the end of August. Molecular investigation carried out on 130 out of 513 cases AHA reported until March 2017 suggests that this outbreak is mainly supported by an HAV variant which is currently spreading within MSM communities across Europe (VRD_521_2016). The report confirms that AHA is an emerging issue among MSM. In addition through the integration of standard (case based) surveillance with molecular investigation we could discriminate, temporally concomitant but epidemiologically unrelated, clusters due to different HAV variants. As suggested by the WHO, in countries with low HAV circulation, vaccination programmes should be tailored on the local epidemiological patterns to prevent outbreaks among high risk groups and eventual spillover of the infection in the general population
A large ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A predominantly affecting young males in Lazio, Italy; August 2016 - March 2017
The hepatitis A virus (HAV) is mainly transmitted through the faecal-oral route. In industrialized countries HAV infection generally occurs as either sporadic cases in travelers from endemic areas, local outbreak within closed/semi-closed population and as foodborne community outbreak. Recently, an increasing number of HAV infection clusters have been reported among young men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM). The Lazio Regional Service for the epidemiology and control for infectious diseases (SeRESMI) has noticed an increase of acute hepatitis A (AHA) since September 2016. Temporal analysis carried out with a discrete Poisson model using surveillance data between January 2016 and March 2017 evidenced an ongoing outbreak of AHA that started at the end of August. Molecular investigation carried out on 130 out of 513 cases AHA reported until March 2017 suggests that this outbreak is mainly supported by an HAV variant which is currently spreading within MSM communities across Europe (VRD_521_2016). The report confirms that AHA is an emerging issue among MSM. In addition through the integration of standard (case based) surveillance with molecular investigation we could discriminate, temporally concomitant but epidemiologically unrelated, clusters due to different HAV variants. As suggested by the WHO, in countries with low HAV circulation, vaccination programmes should be tailored on the local epidemiological patterns to prevent outbreaks among high risk groups and eventual spillover of the infection in the general population
- …