The Deep-Sea Fan deposits of the miocene Marnoso-Arenacea formation,northern Apennines

Submarine fans of different sizes, geometry, and petrology were built in the Marnoso-arenacea Basin, a migrating foredeep within an active continental margin. In an initial depositional stage, a well-developed basin plain received sediment from flows that by-passed restricted fan systems, now buried, located near the north end of an elongated basin. Minor fans grew near the steeper, tectonically deformed side of the basin. In the later stage, turbidite deposition was stopped in the former basin plain. Sediment sources and feeder channels shifted and fed fan lobes that prograded in a narrower trough and were distored (choked). The tectonic control on development of megasequence and sand bodies is stressed here in contrast with previous emphasis on “inner” or “autocyclic” mechanisms.     

The urban role of a new university: a case study of Chieti-Pescara, Abruzzo, Italy

The results of the study on the urban role of the University by the Pescara School of Architecture show that a new approach for this subject is needed. A university should be considered not only as a culture-producing institution, but also as an income producer and distributor for the area. In other words it is possible to promote the university as a strategic investment for development; and as a modernization and requalification factor both of the local production and of the human settlement and territorial structures. In the Abruzzo Region, and particularly in the Chieti-Pescara area, the university as a strategic intervention and its possible interactions with the urban system, is closely related to the nature of the urban phenomenon in this particular geographical context. Funds invested by the State in the university flow directly to individuals through the economic behavior of the university users themselves, according to an only partially measurable process. At present, in the Pescara area, it can be assumed that such economic contribution to the local system development is greater that the proceedings of the tourism industry, in an area with a well established tourist appeal.     

Isotopic ages and tectono-metamorphic history of the metamorphic basement of North-Eastern Sardinia

New Rb/Sr and K/Ar data on minerals and whole-rocks from the metamorphic basement of Northeastern Sardinia are presented. A formation of augen gneiss of volcano-sedimentary origin yields a Rb/Sr whole-rock age of 441±33 m.y.; a Rb/Sr isochron age of 306±10 m.y. is found for the minerals separated from one of these samples. K/Ar measurements on micas also yield ages of 319–284 m.y. A banded migmatite which originated through a process of metamorphic differentiation was analysed by the Rb/Sr method. Six bands, treated as whole-rock samples, fit an isochron of 344±7 m.y. Biotite and plagioclase from one of these bands yield an isochron age of about 300 m.y.The radiometric results reported in this paper and all those previously published are discussed in order to investigate the tectono-metamorphic history of this important segment of the ancient Mediterranean basement. It is argued that in this area there is only indirect evidence of a Caledonian orogenic event (late orogenetic acidic magmatites emplaced 458-441 m.y. ago) while the main features of the metamorphic basement must be related to the Hercynian orogeny the climax of which can be fixed at about 340 m.y. The concordance of the ages of the separated minerals (310-300 m.y.) suggests that the metamorphic succession stayed above the specific critical temperatures for about 40 m.y., after which it was suddenly uplifted contemporaneous with the emplacement of the, essentially post-kinematic, Hercynian granitoids.     

Diel variation of selenium and arsenic in a wetland of the Great Salt Lake, Utah

Diel (24-h) changes in Se and As concentrations in a freshwater wetland pond bordering the Great Salt Lake (GSL) were examined. Selenium concentrations (filtered and unfiltered) changed on a diel basis, i.e., were depleted during early morning and enriched during daytime over August 17-18. During the May 24-25, 2006 and September 29-30 diel studies, no significant 24-h trends were observed in Se concentrations compared to August, which showed daily maximums up to 59% greater than the daily minimum. Both filtered and unfiltered As concentrations also varied on a diel cycle, with increased concentrations during early morning and decreased concentrations during daytime. Filtered As concentrations increased 110% during the May 24-25, 2006 diel study. Selenium varied in phase with pH, dissolved O₂ (DO), and water temperature (T_w) whereas As varied opposite to Se, pH, DO and T_w. Changes in pH, DO and T_w showed a direct linear correlation (r = 0.74, 0.75, and 0.55, respectively) to filtered Se. Also pH, DO and T_w were inversely correlated to filtered As concentration (r = −0.88, −0.87, and −0.84, respectively). Equilibrium geochemical speciation and sorption models were used to examine the potential oxidation state changes in Se and As, and sorption and desorption reactions corresponding to the observed 24-h variations in pe and pH. In this wetland it was postulated that diel Se variation was driven by sorption and desorption due to photosynthesis-induced changes in pH and redox conditions. Diel variations of As were hypothesized to be linked to pH-driven sorption and desorption as well as co-precipitation and co-dissolution with mineral phases of Mn.     

A stratigraphic and tectonofacies framework of the “calcari aLucina” in the Apennine Chain,Italy

The Apennine Chain provides the first example of stratigraphic (time) and synsedimentary tectonic (space) distribution of the calcari aLucina Miocene equivalents of modern cold-vent carbonates. Chemosynthetic faunal assemblages and related carbonate deposits are found at different stratigraphic levels, with peaks during Langhian-Serravallian and late Tortonian-early Messinian times. A general increase in frequency and volume occurs with time. A genetic link between venting and the Messinian Evaporite event is difficult to demonstrate. However,Lucina limestones are limited to preevaporitic times, and their maximum abundance is reached just before the onset of the Messinian Evaporite accumulation.Lucina limestones occur in almost all tectofacies of the orogen, from backland to foreland.     

Procedures for calibration of linear models for damage limitation in design of masonry‐infilled RC frames

Recent earthquakes have confirmed the role played by infills in the seismic response of reinforced concrete buildings. The control and limitation of damage to such nonstructural elements is a key issue in performance‐based earthquake engineering. The present work is focused on modeling and analysis of damage to infill panels, and, in particular, it is aimed towards linear analysis procedures for assessing the damage limitation limit state of infilled reinforced concrete frames. First, code provisions on infill modeling and acceptance criteria at the damage limitation limit state are reviewed. Literature contributions on damage to unreinforced masonry infill panels and corresponding displacement capacity are reported and discussed. Two procedures are then proposed aiming at a twofold goal: (i) the determination of ‘equivalent’ interstory drift ratio limits for a bare frame model and (ii) the estimation of the stiffness of equivalent struts representing infill walls in a linear model. These two quantities are determined such that a linear model ensures a reliable estimation of seismic capacity at the damage limitation limit state, providing the same intensity level as that obtained from nonlinear analyses carried out on structural models with infills. Finally, the proposed procedures are applied to four‐story and eight‐story case study‐infilled frames, designed for seismic loads according to current technical codes. The results of these application examples are presented and discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wave groupiness and spectral bandwidth as relevant parameters for the performance assessment of wave energy converters

To date the estimation of long-term wave energy production at a given deployment site has commonly been limited to a consideration of the significant wave height H_s and mean energy period T_e. This paper addresses the sensitivity of power production from wave energy converters to the wave groupiness and spectral bandwidth of sea states. Linear and non-linear systems are implemented to simulate the response of converters equipped with realistic power take-off devices in real sea states. It is shown in particular that, when the converters are not much sensitive to wave directionality, the bandwidth characteristic is appropriate to complete the set of overall wave parameters describing the sea state for the purpose of estimating wave energy production.     

A cryogenic payload for the 3rd generation of gravitational wave interferometers

Thermal noise is a limiting factor of interferometric gravitational wave detectors sensitivity in the low and intermediate frequency range. A concrete possibility for beating this limit, is represented by the development of a cryogenic last stage suspension to be integrated within a complex seismic isolation system. To this purpose a last stage payload prototype has been designed and built. It has been suspended within a dedicated cryostat with the same technique adopted for the VIRGO payload and making use of two thin wires in a cradle configuration to support a mirror made of silicon.The cooling strategy, the thermal behaviour and the system mechanical response have been deeply studied while a measurement characterization campaign has been performed both at room temperature and at cryogenic temperature. In this paper, the preliminary results obtained together with the first cooling down of the 300 kg overall mass payload at about 25 K, are reported. This study will play a driving role in the design of the third generation gravitational wave detector.     

Environmental fragility framework for water supply systems: a case study in the Paulista Macro Metropolis area (SE Brazil)

Water resources availability is increasingly constrained, considering the quality and quantity available for use. There is an urgent need of recovering this availability, focusing on the planning and management process of water supply systems. One of the main threats to water resources is related to erosion effects, namely widespread pollution load and the silting of watercourses and reservoirs useful life reduction. The objective of this study was to evaluate water supply systems environmental fragility within the Paulista Macro Metropolis area and to use the results to develop environmental zone classes to orient territorial planning. The study was conducted in seven superficial water supply systems of the aforementioned region. Environmental fragility evaluation was focused on four environmental variables that represent natural vulnerability to erosion, and 2015 land cover map to delineate human influence on erosive processes. Results indicate that Tietê River water supply systems, namely Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí (PCJ) and Itupararanga systems, can be considered the most fragile water supply systems in the study area. The environmental fragility map was used to derive the environmental zoning map, including conservation and priority areas, suitable regions for agriculture expansion, and areas with high needs for restoration efforts. In addition, environmental fragility framework herein can be viewed as a model with high replication potential for regional planning and management in that land cover can be manipulated to minimize environment natural vulnerability, guiding territorial occupation toward a more sustainable landscape design, which subsidizes water resources multiple uses.     

Tectonic and climatic controls on historical landscape modifications: The avulsion of the lower Cecina River (Tuscany, central Italy)

Integration of geomorphology, stratigraphy, sedimentology and morphotectonics in the analysis of the lower Cecina River reach, coastal Tuscany, reveals an undocumented historical channel avulsion. Geomorphological evidence and radiocarbon dating support that, from the Last Glacial Maximum until the end of the 16th century, the Cecina River flowed north of the present course and formed a well-developed cuspate delta. Two concurrent factors, active tectonics as a preparing factor and discharge regime as an activation factor, are thus inferred to have favored the avulsion of Cecina River. Fragmentary archaeological and historical records indicate that the late Holocene Cecina River plain was virtually unpopulated until the latest 16th century. This seems the main reason why high-magnitude hydrological events and prominent river channel avulsions were not reported in historical chronicles. From this perspective, geomorphological data may provide important knowledge and understanding of recent dynamics of environmental change when historical record is lacking or missing.