Explore the vast range of titles available.

This study aims at developing new macroseismic intensity attenuation models valid for Italy by exploiting the most updated macroseismic dataset and earthquakes catalogue, as well as the information obtained from a critical analysis of the most recent models in the literature. Several different attenuation models have been calibrated as a function of the moment magnitude (Mw) and epicentral distance from 16,260 intensity data points, that are related to 119 earthquakes occurred after 1900. According to trends and residuals analysis, the preferred calibrated intensity attenuation function is a Log-Linear model for epicentral distance (Repi in km) and a linear model for Mw as:IMCS=1.81-2.61LogR-0.0039R+1.42Mwwith pseudo hypocentral distance R=Repi2+9.872; the estimated standard deviation is σ = 0.75. Also noteworthy is another model for macroseismic intensity attenuation that proved to be as good as the best model and shows higher sensitivity to physical parameters, such as focal depth and magnitude, especially in the epicentral area. Performance of all calibrated models was also checked on an independent set of 15 post-1900 Italian earthquakes. One of the results of the present work is the opportunity to define earthquake scenarios (e.g. probabilistic seismic hazard maps) in terms of Macroseismic Intensity and its related standard deviation, avoiding the uncertainties due to the conversion of various ground shaking parameters into intensity values.

In the frame of the European Commission project “Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe” (SHARE), aiming at harmonizing seismic hazard at a European scale, the compilation of a homogeneous, European parametric earthquake catalogue was planned. The goal was to be achieved by considering the most updated historical dataset and assessing homogenous magnitudes, with support from several institutions. This paper describes the SHARE European Earthquake Catalogue (SHEEC), which covers the time window 1000–1899. It strongly relies on the experience of the European Commission project “Network of Research Infrastructures for European Seismology” (NERIES), a module of which was dedicated to create the European “Archive of Historical Earthquake Data” (AHEAD) and to establish methodologies to homogenously derive earthquake parameters from macroseismic data. AHEAD has supplied the final earthquake list, obtained after sorting duplications out and eliminating many fake events; in addition, it supplied the most updated historical dataset. Macroseismic data points (MDPs) provided by AHEAD have been processed with updated, repeatable procedures, regionally calibrated against a set of recent, instrumental earthquakes, to obtain earthquake parameters. From the same data, a set of epicentral intensity-to-magnitude relations has been derived, with the aim of providing another set of homogeneous Mw estimates. Then, a strategy focussed on maximizing the homogeneity of the final epicentral location and Mw, has been adopted. Special care has been devoted also to supply location and Mw uncertainty. The paper focuses on the procedure adopted for the compilation of SHEEC and briefly comments on the achieved results.

In this paper we describe the macroseismic effects produced by the long and destructive seismic sequence that hit Central Italy from 24 August 2016 to January 2017. Starting from the procedure adopted in the complex field survey, we discuss the characteristics of the building stock and its classification in terms of EMS-98 as well as the issues associated with the intensity assessment due to the evolution of damage caused by multiple shocks. As a result, macroseismic intensity for about 300 localities has been determined; however, most of the intensities assessed for the earthquakes following the first strong shock on 24 August 2016, represent the cumulative effect of damage during the sequence. The earthquake parameters computed from the macroseismic datasets are compared with the instrumental determinations in order to highlight critical issues related to the assessment of macroseismic parameters of strong earthquakes during a seismic sequence. The results also provide indications on how location and magnitude computation can be strongly biased when dealing with historical seismic sequences.

We apply the Bakun and Wentworth ( Bull Seism Soc Am 87:1502–1521, 1997 ) method to determine the location and magnitude of earthquakes occurred in Central Asia using MSK-64 intensity assignments. The attenuation model previously derived and validated by Bindi et al. ( Geophys J Int , 2013 ) is used to analyse 21 earthquakes that occurred over the period 1885–1964, and the estimated locations and magnitudes are compared to values available in literature. Bootstrap analyses are performed to estimate the confidence intervals of the intensity magnitudes, as well as to quantify the location uncertainty. The analyses of seven significant earthquakes for the hazard assessment are presented in detail, including three large historical earthquakes that struck the northern Tien-Shan between the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries: the 1887, M 7.3 Verny, the 1889, M 8.3 Chilik and the 1911, M 8.2 Kemin earthquakes. Regarding the 1911, Kemin earthquake the magnitude values estimated from intensity data are lower (i.e. MI LH  = 7.8 and MI W  = 7.6 considering surface wave and moment magnitude, respectively) than the value M  = 8.2 listed in the considered catalog. These values are more in agreement with the value M S  = 7.8 revised by Abe and Noguchi ( Phys Earth Planet In , 33:1–11, 1983b ) for the surface wave magnitude. For the Kemin earthquake, the distribution of the bootstrap solutions for the intensity centre reveal two minima, indicating that the distribution of intensity assignments do not constrain a unique solution. This is in agreement with the complex source rupture history of the Kemin earthquake, which involved several fault segments with different strike orientations, dipping angles and focal mechanisms (e.g. Delvaux et al. in Russ Geol Geophys 42:1167–1177, 2001 ; Arrowsmith et al. in Eos Trans Am Geophys Union 86(52), 2005 ). Two possible locations for the intensity centre are obtained. The first is located on the easternmost sub-faults (i.e. the Aksu and Chon-Aksu segments), where most of the seismic moment was released (Arrowsmith et al. in Eos Trans Am Geophys Union 86(52), 2005 ). The second location is located on the westernmost sub-faults (i.e. the Dzhil'-Aryk segment), close to the intensity centre location obtained for the 1938, M 6.9 Chu-Kemin earthquake (MI LH  = 6.9 and MI W  = 6.8).

Chemokines constitute a large family of chemotactic cytokines that act at G protein-coupled receptors to regulate diverse biological processes, including leukocyte trafficking, angiogenesis, hematopoiesis, and organogenesis. They are believed to be both beneficial in host defense against infectious agents and harmful in diseases marked by pathologic inflammation; however, actual clinical roles in these areas have not yet been established. Recently, unexpected ways have been discovered in which medically important pathogens, including HIV-1, exploit or subvert the chemokine system. These and other recent results suggest that targeting specific chemokines and chemokine receptors may have therapeutic utility in both inflammation and infectious disease.

The European PreInstrumental Earthquake CAtalogue (EPICA) (Rovida and Antonucci, 2021; https://doi.org/10.13127/epica.1.1) is the 1000–1899 seismic catalogue compiled for the European Seismic Hazard Model 2020 (ESHM20), an outcome of the project Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research Infrastructure Alliance for Europe (SERA), in the framework of the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. EPICA is the update of the SHARE European Earthquake Catalogue (SHEEC) 1000–1899, with which it shares the main principles – mostly transparency, repeatability and continent-wide harmonisation of data – as well as the compilation strategies and methods. Version 1.1 of EPICA contains 5703 earthquakes with either maximum intensity ≥5 or Mw≥4.0, with a spatial coverage from the Atlantic Ocean to the west to 32∘ E in longitude, and from the Mediterranean Sea to Northern Europe. EPICA relies upon the updated knowledge of the European preinstrumental seismicity provided by the data gathered in the European Archive of Historical Earthquake Data (AHEAD). Such data are both macroseismic intensity data supplied by descriptive historical seismological studies and online macroseismic databases, and parameters contained in regional catalogues. As done for the compilation of SHEEC 1000–1899, these datasets were thoroughly analysed in order to select the most representative of the knowledge of each earthquake, independently from national constraints. Selected intensity distributions are processed with three methods to determine location and magnitude based on the attenuation of macroseismic intensity and are combined with parameters harmonised from modern regional catalogues. This paper describes the compilation procedure of EPICA version 1.1, its input data, the assessment of the earthquake parameters and the resulting catalogue, which is finally compared with its previous version. Technical solutions for accessing the catalogue, both as downloadable files and through web services, are also illustrated.

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are associated with recurrent miscarriages and pregnancy complications, however their pathogenic mechanisms are still matter of research. Thrombotic events at the placental level cannot explain all of the clinical manifestations. It has been suggested that aPL may be responsible for a local acute inflammatory response mediated by complement activation and neutrophil infiltration eventually leading to fetal loss. However histological and immunohistological studies on human placental samples do support such a mechanism only in part and with no any clear relationship with the pregnancy outcome. A direct effect of aPL on both maternal and fetal placental tissues has been reported through the reactivity of the antibodies with beta2 glycoprotein I (β2GPI) expressed on the cell membranes. These events do not require an inflammatory response and can be in part related to the inhibition of growth factors favouring a physiological placentation. Understanding the different pathogenic mechanisms of aPL-associated miscarriages may help in improving our therapeutic approach particularly in recurrent cases not responsive to the usual treatment. Lupus (2010) 19, 453—456.

ASMI, the Italian Archive of Historical Earthquake Data (https://doi.org/10.13127/asmi, Rovida et al., 2017), is a data collection distributed online that currently provides seismological data on more than 6600 earthquakes that have occurred in the Italian peninsula and surrounding areas from 461 BCE to the present, based on more than 460 seismological data sources. ASMI is the Italian node of AHEAD, the European Archive of Historical Earthquake Data, which is, in turn, the European node providing data on historical earthquakes to EPOS ERIC, the European Plate Observing System, a European Research Infrastructure Consortium. ASMI distributes earthquake parameters, sets of macroseismic intensity data, and other details about earthquake effects, along with the bibliographical reference of the data source and, if possible, the data source itself. ASMI's web portal allows users to query the data by earthquake or by data source and to download the earthquake parameters and macroseismic intensities and represent them on interactive maps and tables. ASMI is updated regularly with new data on past and recent earthquakes. ASMI is the basic source of data for the Italian Macroseismic Database (DBMI) and the Italian Parametric Earthquake Catalogue (CPTI). This article describes the archive content and structure, its main features and functionalities, and its potential seismological research applications.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a life-threatening disease characterised by progressive loss of motor neurons with few therapeutic options. The MIROCALS study tested the hypothesis that low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2LD) improves survival and function in ALS. In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, male and female riluzole-naive participants, with either a possible, laboratory-supported probable, probable, or definite ALS diagnosis (revised El Escorial criteria), aged 18–76 years, with symptom duration of 24 months or fewer, and slow vital capacity of 70% or more, underwent a riluzole-only 12–18 week run-in period before randomisation in a 1:1 ratio to either 2 million international units (MIU) IL-2LD or placebo by subcutaneous injection daily for 5 days every 28 days over 18 months. The primary endpoint was survival at 640 days (21 months). Secondary outcomes included safety, ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) score, and biomarker measurements including regulatory T-cells (Tregs), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-phosphorylated-neurofilament heavy-chain (CSF-pNFH), and plasma and CSF-chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2). The primary endpoint analysis used unadjusted log-rank and Cox's model adjusted analyses using pre-defined prognostic covariates to control for the disease and treatment response heterogeneity. The study was 80% powered to detect a two-fold decrease in the risk of death by the log-rank test in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, including all randomly allocated participants. MIROCALS is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03039673) and is complete. From June 19, 2017, to Oct 16, 2019, 304 participants were screened, of whom 220 (72%) met all criteria for random allocation after the 12-to-18-week run-in period on riluzole. 136 (62%) of participants were male and 84 participants (38%) were female. 25 (11%) of the 220 randomly allocated participants were defined as having possible ALS under El Escorial criteria. At the cutoff date there was no loss to follow-up, and all 220 patients who were randomly allocated were documented as either deceased (90 [41%]) or alive (130 [59%]), so all participants were included in the ITT and safety populations. The primary endpoint unadjusted analysis showed a non-significant 19% decrease in risk of death with IL-2LD (hazard ratio 0·81 [95% CI 0·54–1·22], p=0·33), failing to demonstrate the expected two-fold decrease in risk of death. The analysis of the primary endpoint adjusted on prognostic covariates, all measured at time of random allocation, showed a significant decrease of the risk of death with IL-2LD (0·32 [0·14–0·73], p=0·007), with a significant treatment by CSF-pNFH interaction (1·0003 [1·0001–1·0005], p=0·001). IL-2LD was safe, and significantly increased Tregs and decreased plasma-CCL2 at all timepoints. Stratification on CSF-pNFH levels measured at random allocation showed that IL-2LD was associated with a significant 48% decrease in risk of death (0·52 [0·30–0·89], p=0·016) in the 70% of the population with low (750–3700 pg/mL) CSF-pNFH levels, while in the 21% with high levels (>3700 pg/mL), there was no significant difference (1·37 [0·68–2·75], p=0·38). With this treatment schedule, IL-2LD resulted in a non-significant reduction in mortality in the primary unadjusted analysis. However, the difference between the results of unadjusted and adjusted analyses of the primary endpoint emphasises the importance of controlling for disease heterogeneity in ALS randomised controlled trials. The decrease in risk of death achieved by IL-2LD therapy in the trial population with low CSF-pNFH levels requires further investigation of the potential benefit of this therapy in ALS. European Commission H2020 Programme; French Health Ministry PHRC2014; and Motor Neurone Disease Association.