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The flanks of volcanoes may slide in response to the loading of the edifice on a weak basement, magma push, and/or to tectonic stress. However, examples of stratovolcanoes emplaced on active landslides are lacking and the possible effects on the volcano dynamics unknown. Here, we use aeromagnetic data to construct a three-dimensional model of the clay-rich basement of Etna volcano (Italy). We provide evidence for a large stratovolcano growing on a pre-existing basement landslide and show that the eastern Etna flank, which slides toward the sea irrespective of volcanic activity, moves coherently with the underlying landslide. The filling of the landslide depression by lava flows through time allows the formation of a stiffness barrier, which is responsible for the long-term migration of the magma pathways from the coast to the present-day Etna summit. These unexpected results provide a new interpretation clue on the causes of the volcanic instability processes and of the mechanisms of deflection and migration of volcanic conduits.

A preliminary study targeting to evaluate the local seismic response was performed in the eastern flank of Mt. Etna (southern Italy) using ambient noise measurements. The obtained spectral ratios were subdivided through cluster analysis into different classes of fundamental frequency permitting to draw an iso-frequency contour map. The analysis set into evidence the extreme heterogeneity of lava sequences, which makes difficult to identify a single seismic bedrock formation. Another important outcome, concerning the local seismic effects in terms of frequency and azimuth, is the important role played by the fracture fields associated with the main structural systems of the area. The existence of two zones with strong directional effects striking WNW–ESE and NW–SE, nearly orthogonal to the orientation of the main fracture fields, corroborate such hypothesis.

In this paper we describe an advanced database for the site characterization of seismic stations, named “CRISP—Caratterizzazione della RIsposta sismica dei Siti Permanenti della rete sismica” ( http://crisp.ingv.it , quoted with https://doi.org/10.13127/crisp ), designed for the Italian National Seismic Network (Rete Sismica Nazionale, RSN, operated by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia). For each site, CRISP collects easily accessible station information, such as position, type(s) of instrumentation, instrument housing, thematic map(s) and descriptive attributes (e.g., geological characteristics, etc.), seismic analysis of recordings, and available geophysical investigations (shear-wave velocity [ V S ] profile, non-linear decay curve). The archive also provides key proxy indicators derived from the available data, such as the time-averaged shear-wave velocity of the upper 30 m from the surface (V S30 ) and site and topographic classes according to the different seismic codes. Standardized procedures have been applied as motivated by the need for a homogenous set of information for all the stations. According to European Plate Observing System infrastructural objectives for the standardization of seismological data, CRISP is integrated into pre-existing INGV instrument infrastructures, shares content with the Italian Accelerometric Archive, and complies map information about the stations, as well as local geology, through web services managed by Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale. The design of the CRISP archive allows the database to be continually updated and expanded whenever new data are available from the scientific community, such as the ones related to new seismic stations, map information, geophysical surveys, and seismological analyses.

We provide a database of the surface ruptures produced by the 26 December 2018 Mw 4.9 earthquake that struck the eastern flank of Mt. Etna volcano in Sicily (southern Italy). Despite its relatively small magnitude, this shallow earthquake caused about 8 km of surface faulting, along the trace of the NNW-trending active Fiandaca Fault. Detailed field surveys have been performed in the epicentral area to map the ruptures and to characterize their kinematics. The surface ruptures show a dominant right-oblique sense of displacement with an average slip of about 0.09 m and a maximum value of 0.35 m. We have parsed and organized all observations in a concise database, with 932 homogeneous georeferenced records. The Fiandaca Fault is part of the complex active Timpe faults system affecting the eastern flank of Etna, and its seismic history indicates a prominent surface-faulting potential. Therefore, this database is essential for unravelling the seismotectonics of shallow earthquakes in volcanic areas, and contributes updating empirical scaling regressions that relate magnitude and extent of surface faulting.Measurement(s)coseismic surface rupture • surface rupture kinematics • surface rupture displacement • surface rupture locationTechnology Type(s)field survey • GPS navigation systemFactor Type(s)offset • strike • angle • length • latitude • longitude • elevationSample Characteristic - Environmentvolcanic fieldSample Characteristic - LocationIsland of Sicily • Mount EtnaMachine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.11673027

We used the Photonic Fence Monitoring Device (PFMD) to evaluate orientation by Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), and Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) to the Zevo Flying Insect Trap Model 3.The PFMD's dual cameras record infrared light (IR) reflected from a wavelength-specific fabric; insects do not reflect IR at the same wavelength and are tracked in 3 dimensions as moving objects. The plug-in trap emits ultraviolet and blue light from behind an opaque shield; attracted insects enter the space between the shield and the wall and are trapped on a sticky cartridge facing the wall. An experiment (N = 10) with replicates of approximately 40, 1- to 7-day-old mixed-sex flies of each species was conducted in a 6.1 m3 arena. Prior to turning the trap on, the fly movement was not directed toward the trap on the back wall of the arena, regardless of whether the overhead light was on or off. When the overhead light was off, the mean first catch of both species occurred within 5 min after the trap was turned on, and 33.1% and 41.8% of M. domestica and C. vicina, respectively, were caught. House flies flew toward the trap, many approaching from below, while C. vicina apparently walked or flew outside the field of view of the PFMD until they appeared on the vertical reflective surface, and then walked toward the trap from all directions. Our results show that the Zevo Trap attracts and catches flies, and that the PFMD can be used to track flying and walking flies.

We tested two versions of a trap that captures climbing ticks on their dorsum. A prototype based on a decades old model had three components, a truncated pyramidal base with steep sloping walls, downward facing sticky-tape extending beyond and spanning the boundary of the flat upper surface, on which ticks become dorsally immobilized, and a reservoir for gaseous CO2 emission from dry ice that rests on the flat upper surface. A preoperational trap was made of thermoformed plastic and differed from the prototype by its circular structure, a central depression suitable for future housing of a biotic CO2 generator and supplemental volatile lures and a transparent sticky ceiling that enables ticks to exhibit a phototactic response and allows users to see captured ticks without disturbing the traps. Field testing of the prototype in Florida and both trap types in Oklahoma and North Carolina achieved high catches of lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.) (Acari: Ixodidae), e.g. mean catches of >70 ticks (adults plus nymphs) in 4 h in both the prototype and preoperational traps in North Carolina, and significantly higher yields of ticks than on dry ice baited 1 m2 white sheets.

The assessment of the spatial probability of future vent opening is one of the key factors in quantifying volcanic hazard, especially for active volcanoes where eruptions can occur at different locations and altitudes over distributed areas. Mount Etna (Italy), one of the most active volcanoes in the world, exhibits such variability, and its flank eruptions can harm people, properties and services over the volcano's slopes. In this paper, we quantify the spatial probability of future vent opening for Etna's flank eruptions, adopting a kernel analysis and testing different functions (exponential, Cauchy, uniform and Gaussian). Starting from the assumption that the location of past fissures is indicative of where future events will occur, we consider the flank eruptions of the last 4000 years, thus accounting for a much longer and complete record than in previous studies. The large dataset of eruptive fissures enables splitting the data into training and testing subsets. This allows selecting the best kernel model, testing the completeness of the fissure dataset and investigating a possible migration through time in fissure location. The results show that neither under-recording nor possible migration over time significantly affects the informative value of previous flank fissures in forecasting the location of future ones. The resulting map highlights that the most likely opening area follows a northeast-to-south trend, corresponding to the location of the most active rifts. It also shows that the southern flank of the volcano, which is the most urbanized one, sits downhill of the largest cumulated probability area for flank eruption. We also run sensitivity analyses to test the effect of (i) restricting the data to the most recent 400 years and (ii) including the information on the stress induced on the mapped fissures by sources of deformation proposed in the literature for recent eruptions of Etna. The sensitivity analyses confirm the main features of the proposed map and add information on the epistemic uncertainty attached to it.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address firms’ decisions on corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a function of the economic environment. The paper focuses on corporate giving, a CSR dimension that is especially important in an economic downturn such as the one experienced by many European economies since 2007-2008. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical framework comprising product differentiation and market competition is proposed. The paper investigates whether adverse economic conditions refrain corporate giving or, alternatively, stimulate it as a differentiation and demand enhancing instrument. Econometric empirical testing on the business cycle properties of giving at an aggregate level is also conducted. Findings According to theoretical results, firms seem to refrain giving under adverse economic conditions in the short run. Empirically, the paper concludes for a pro cyclical contemporaneous relation of corporate giving with real gross domestic product, supporting the theoretical finding. In a dynamic perspective, however, giving causes revenues and firms tend to donate more than a few years after the downturn. Originality/value The paper examines the behaviour of an under researched component of corporate social responsibility, which is especially important in economic downturns - giving. It considers continuous degrees of market competition and differentiation.

Geological surveys, tephrostratigraphic study, and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determinations have allowed us to chronologically constrain the geological evolution of the lower NW flank of Etna volcano and to reconstruct the eruptive style of the Mt Barca flank eruption. This peripheral sector of the Mt Etna edifice, corresponding to the upper Simeto valley, was invaded by the Ellittico volcano lava flows between 41 and 29 ka ago when the Mt Barca eruption occurred. The vent of this flank eruption is located at about 15 km away from the summit craters, close to the town of Bronte. The Mt Barca eruption was characterized by a vigorous explosive activity that produced pyroclastic deposits dispersed eastward and minor effusive activity with the emission of a 1.1-km-long lava flow. Explosive activity was characterized by a phreatomagmatic phase followed by a magmatic one. The geological setting of this peripheral sector of the volcano favors the interaction between the rising magma and the shallow groundwater hosted in the volcanic pile resting on the impermeable sedimentary basement. This process produced phreatomagmatic activity in the first phase of the eruption, forming a pyroclastic fall deposit made of high-density, poorly vesicular scoria lapilli and lithic clasts. Conversely, during the second phase, a typical strombolian fall deposit formed. In terms of hazard assessment, the possible occurrence of this type of highly explosive flank eruption, at lower elevation in the densely inhabited areas, increases the volcanic risk in the Etnean region and widens the already known hazard scenario.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how demographic characteristics contribute to consumers' decision on bank delivery channels' usage, namely the direct and indirect demographic influence on channel usage frequency via cognitive and affective mediators. The consumer usage frequency pattern concerning the main bank delivery channels and its determinants are modelled and analysed with a questionnaire sent to 24,000 bank customers. This stage was preceded by a series of in-depth interviews to bank managers and bank customers. Empirical evidence suggests that demographic variables' influence over consumers' usage frequency decision has both a direct and indirect component. These influences are identified by delivery channel. The main limitation derives from the nature of empirical results and their generalization to other samples and contexts. Nevertheless, precautions recommended in the literature to overcome this limitation were followed. Bank managers will benefit from knowing, by channel, which demographic characteristics have the desired direct and indirect impact on usage frequency. This information will improve bank managers' efforts to encourage customers to favour a specific delivery channel. In the literature, only the direct influence of demographics is compared to the innovation attributes in order to explain the innovation adoption decision. By clarifying the impact of demographic variables, the paper provides a more robust perception on their role as determinants of the bank delivery channels' usage. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]