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The aim of this study was to describe the clinical features of contactin‐associated protein‐like 2 (CASPR2)‐IgG‐associated seizures. Nine patients were retrospectively collected from two epilepsy centers. For each patient we obtained a full clinical, neurophysiological, and MRI study along with detection of antineuronal autoantibodies from serum and CSF. The patients were followed up for 1–6 years. The patients were nine male subjects aged 56–85 years (mean: 66) with a 1‐ to 14‐year (mean: 6,3 median: 6) history of seizures. The seizures were classified as focal onset seizures with impaired awareness, usually preceded by epigastric aura (two), piloerection (two), olfactory hallucinations (two), nausea and dizziness (one). Tonic–clonic seizures were present in five patients. Seizure frequency was high in six cases and sporadic in three. Most patients reported memory impairment (eight) or behavioral/mood changes (four). Interictal EEGs usually showed bilateral or unilateral temporal epileptiform abnormalities. A number of seizures arising from the temporal lobes, with bilateral asynchronous onset, were recorded on long‐term video‐EEG monitoring in two patients. MRI disclosed nonspecific white matter T2 hyperintensities suggestive of chronic vascular changes in four patients and bilateral T2‐FLAIR amygdalo‐hippocampal hyperintensity in three cases. Neuropsychological study demonstrated various degrees of cognitive impairment in the majority of cases. Increased titers of CASPR2 autoantibodies were detected in the serum and CSF, which persisted over time in four cases. Drug resistance to common anti‐seizure medications was present in seven cases who benefited from immunotherapy. CASPR2‐IgG testing should be performed among old male patients with a recent or even not recent onset of focal seizures with impaired awareness particularly when these seizures are accompanied by cognitive impairment or behavioral disturbances. In these cases, anti‐seizure medications may be ineffective while immunotherapy may lead to a prompt improvement of seizures and cognitive deficits.

Die Einführung komplexer Familieninterventionen stellt eine Herausforderung dar, da diese aus verschiedenen interagierenden Komponenten bestehen und neue Verhaltensweisen sowie Arbeitsprozesse bei verschiedenen Akteuren erfordern. Ihr Erfolg ist stark von Umgebungsfaktoren abhängig. Eine vollständige Umsetzung von komplexen Interventionen erfordert deshalb eine bewusste und systematische Gestaltung von Implementierungsprozessen sowie deren Evaluation. Dazu bietet die Implementierungswissenschaft eine Vielzahl von Theorien und Methoden an, deren Nutzung ein breites Spektrum an Wissen und Fähigkeiten von Kliniker*innen und Forschenden bedingt. Konkrete Anwendungsbeispiele können deshalb für Kliniker*innen und Forschende hilfreich sein, um Versorgungslücken zu schließen.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major complication of, and leading cause of mortality in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Its severity, age at onset, and rate of progression display wide variability, whose molecular bases have been scarcely elucidated. Potential DCM-modifying factors include glucocorticoid (GC) and cardiological treatments, DMDmutation type and location, and variants in other genes.Methods and Results: We retrospectively collected 3138 echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), shortening fraction (SF), and end-diastolic volume (EDV) from 819 DMD participants, 541 from an Italian multicentric cohort and 278 from the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Group Duchenne Natural History Study (CINRG-DNHS). Using generalized estimating equation (GEE) models, we estimated the yearly rate of decrease of EF (–0.80%) and SF (–0.41%), while EDV increase was not significantly associated with age. Utilizing a multivariate generalized estimating equation (GEE) model we observed that mutations preserving the expression of the C-terminal Dp71 isoform of dystrophin were correlated with decreased EDV (–11.01?mL/m2, p?=?0.03) while for dp116 were correlated with decreased EF (–4.14%, p?=?<0.001). The rs10880 genotype in the LTBP4gene, previously shown to prolong ambulation, was also associated with increased EF and decreased EDV (+3.29%, p?=?0.002, and –10.62?mL/m2, p?=?0.008) with a recessive model.Conclusions: We quantitatively describe the progression of systolic dysfunction progression in DMD, confirm the effect of distal dystrophin isoform expression on the dystrophin-deficient heart, and identify a strong effect of LTBP4genotype of DCM in DMD.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major complication of, and leading cause of mortality in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Its severity, age at onset, and rate of progression display wide variability, whose molecular bases have been scarcely elucidated. Potential DCM-modifying factors include glucocorticoid (GC) and cardiological treatments, DMDmutation type and location, and variants in other genes. We retrospectively collected 3138 echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), shortening fraction (SF), and end-diastolic volume (EDV) from 819 DMD participants, 541 from an Italian multicentric cohort and 278 from the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Group Duchenne Natural History Study (CINRG-DNHS). Using generalized estimating equation (GEE) models, we estimated the yearly rate of decrease of EF (–0.80%) and SF (–0.41%), while EDV increase was not significantly associated with age. Utilizing a multivariate generalized estimating equation (GEE) model we observed that mutations preserving the expression of the C-terminal Dp71 isoform of dystrophin were correlated with decreased EDV (–11.01 mL/m2, p = 0.03) while for dp116 were correlated with decreased EF (–4.14%, p = <0.001). The rs10880 genotype in the LTBP4gene, previously shown to prolong ambulation, was also associated with increased EF and decreased EDV (+3.29%, p = 0.002, and –10.62 mL/m2, p = 0.008) with a recessive model. We quantitatively describe the progression of systolic dysfunction progression in DMD, confirm the effect of distal dystrophin isoform expression on the dystrophin-deficient heart, and identify a strong effect of LTBP4genotype of DCM in DMD.

Mapping the static gravity field in the Italian area is fundamental to identify the main lithospheric structures, to delineate the main geological elements at regional level and to infer the regional geodynamic setting. The ongoing tectonic processes highlight nevertheless the need to measure and model the time-variable gravity field, namely the dynamic gravity field, which requires increased accuracy and long time series of observations to separate the secular from the short-term variable components. The first, with a minor impact in Italy, are due to variations of ice mass balance (the viscoelastic response of the Earth to past changes in ice mass loading, and the elastic response of the Earth to present-day deglaciation), and the sea-level rise; the second are due to space/time variations of underground mass distributions, such as those related to seismic deformations, volcanic dynamics/eruptions and water transfer. Local-scale gravity studies along seismogenic faults may provide useful hints to study the seismic cycle and to unravel those areas more prone to seismic release by studying if the crustal volume is undergoing dilatancy (gravity decrease) or overpressure (gravity increase) before earthquake occurrence. This process, however, is accompanied by possible fluid migration, which can be revealed by other geophysical measurements, for example, by magnetotelluric and geoelectrical surveys. In this short paper, we briefly summarize the main sources of gravity variation providing on the same time orders of magnitude, spatial and temporal scales of their effects.

We consider the problems of weighted constrained sampling and weighted model counting, where we are given a propositional formula and a weight for each world. The first problem consists of sampling worlds with a probability proportional to their weight given that the formula is satisfied. The latter is the problem of computing the sum of the weights of the models of the formula. Both have applications in many fields such as probabilistic reasoning, graphical models, statistical physics, statistics, and hardware verification. In this article, we propose quantum weighted constrained sampling (QWCS) and quantum weighted model counting (QWMC), two quantum algorithms for performing weighted constrained sampling and weighted model counting, respectively. Both are based on the quantum search/quantum model counting algorithms that are modified to take into account the weights. In the black box model of computation, where we can only query an oracle for evaluating the Boolean function given an assignment, QWCS requires O(2n2+1/WMC)oracle calls, where nis the number of Boolean variables and WMCis the normalized between 0 and 1 weighted model count of the formula, while a classical algorithm has a complexity of Ω(1/WMC). QWMC takes Θ(2n2)oracle calss, while classically the best complexity is Θ(2n), thus achieving a quadratic speedup.

Aims. Reelin mutations are responsible for a minority of families with autosomal dominant lateral temporal lobe epilepsy. Here, we report a novel nuclear family with distinct clinical and neuroradiological findings. Methods. We studied the proband and her mother by means of EEG, video‐EEG, 3T MRI, FDG‐PET and genetic testing. Results. Both patients had a focal drug‐resistant epilepsy with onset at the age of 16 and focal seizures with typical auditory features combined with fear, followed by loss of contact or evolving to bilateral tonic‐clonic seizures. The proband's ictal EEG showed clear left temporal seizure onset, and cerebral MRI revealed subtle left temporal changes (mild hypotrophy, slight blurring of the white and grey matter and hyperintensity) with corresponding left temporal mesial focal hypometabolism on FDG‐PET. Genetic testing identified a missense variant, c.6631C>T (p.Arg2211Cys), in reelin repeat #5 in both patients, which markedly affected the secretion of the protein. Conclusion. The data from this family support previous findings indicating that reelin mutations are a cause of autosomal dominant lateral temporal lobe epilepsy which has a clinical spectrum that may also encompass drug‐resistant epilepsy associated with mild MRI temporal changes.

In this study, we analyze the impact of the sea level rise induced by climate change on the coastal cultural heritage site of Motya, the Phoenician colony (IV–III millennium B.P.) located in the San Pantaleo island, NW corner of Sicily (southern Italy). In particular, we assessed the effects of this phenomenon on the human settlement in the past 2400 years and the expected sea level rise scenario for the next decades. A detailed flooding scenario for 2100 from direct observations and two models, taking into account the contribution of Vertical Land Movements (VLM), is provided. The surface topography is derived from a novel high-resolution/high-accuracy digital surface model (DSM), which was performed through an Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) survey, whereas the rate of VLM was estimated by the analysis of geodetic data at three Continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS) stations located close to the island. To estimate the local mean sea level and to correct the tide level (TL) at the epoch of UAV survey, the hydrometric recordings of the nearest sea level gauge station located at Porto Empedocle (Sicily), were used. Two flooding scenarios for 2100 were then represented on the high-resolution DSM, using the regional sea-level projections of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the Mediterranean region. According to the RCP 8.5 climatic model, a difference of about + 59 cm above the local mean sea level between the current and the expected coastline positions at 2100 A.D., was found. In addition, by adding the average half amplitude of the daily tide, equal to about 30 cm, a maximum flooding scenario was determined. Finally, in the maximum condition of sea level rise, a significant flooding on the archaeological structures is expected for the Kothon area and along the North-West coast of the island.

In the second half of the 1870s, relations between the United States and Mexico faced a difficult situation. On the one hand, an acute diplomatic and security crisis occurred, involving various dimensions of Mexican sovereignty. On the other hand, foundations for modern economic exchange between the two countries were laid, based on the developing railroad connection. This article analyses this situation focusing on the relationship between diplomatic, economic and information interactions, seeking to understand how the conflict was settled. The analysis of the crisis management demonstrates that the solution was contingent upon the use of unconventional diplomatic channels, which had important implications for the course of the bilateral relationships that followed. En la segunda mitad de la década de 1870, las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y México enfrentaron una situación difícil. Por un lado, ocurrió una grave crisis diplomática y de seguridad, que involucró varias dimensiones de la soberanía mexicana. Por otro, se sentaron las bases para el intercambio económico moderno entre los dos países, con base en la conexión ferroviaria en desarrollo. Este artículo analiza dicha situación, enfocándose en la relación entre interacciones diplomáticas, económicas y de información, y buscando entender cómo se resolvió el conflicto. El análisis de la gestión de la crisis demuestra que la solución dependió del uso de canales diplomáticos no convencionales, lo cual tuvo importantes implicaciones para la evolución posterior de las relaciones bilaterales.

The Absolute Gravity Italian Network project aims to update the Italian gravity network that nowadays is framed to IGSN71, established in 1971. The focal point of the project is to define a new reference for gravity with absolute gravity observations performed according to the international standardised methodology detailed in the document “CCM-IAG Strategy for Metrology in Absolute Gravimetry” (2015). IAG resolution No. 2 and subsequent, moreover establish the need to satisfy the metrological traceability also for Absolute Gravity measurements. This can be exploited by different methods such as reference sites, international comparisons of absolute gravimeters and calibration by comparison.

Abstract:In the second half of the 1870s, relations between the United States and Mexico faced a difficult situation. On the one hand, an acute diplomatic and security crisis occurred, involving various dimensions of Mexican sovereignty. On the other hand, foundations for modern economic exchange between the two countries were laid, based on the developing railroad connection. This article analyses this situation focusing on the relationship between diplomatic, economic and information interactions, seeking to understand how the conflict was settled. The analysis of the crisis management demonstrates that the solution was contingent upon the use of unconventional diplomatic channels, which had important implications for the course of the bilateral relationships that followed.Abstract:En la segunda mitad de la década de 1870, las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y México enfrentaron una situación difícil. Por un lado, ocurrió una grave crisis diplomática y de seguridad, que involucró varias dimensiones de la soberanía mexicana. Por otro, se sentaron las bases para el intercambio económico moderno entre los dos países, con base en la conexión ferroviaria en desarrollo. Este artículo analiza dicha situación, enfocándose en la relación entre interacciones diplomáticas, económicas y de información, y buscando entender cómo se resolvió el conflicto. El análisis de la gestión de la crisis demuestra que la solución dependió del uso de canales diplomáticos no convencionales, lo cual tuvo importantes implicaciones para la evolución posterior de las relaciones bilaterales.

Even if plate tectonics was a truly significant unifying theory that began to give sense to a series of different geological observations, plate motions were considered scattered. The advent of space geodesy confirmed and greatly refined the models of plate kinematics, allowing also to study the motion of the lithosphere with respect to the inner layers of the Earth. Switching from the no net rotation to the hotspot reference frames, plate motion assumes coherence with a mean global westward drift of the lithosphere with respect to the mantle. However, the driving forces of plate tectonics are still under investigation and space geodesy may provide fundamental tools to develop comprehensive models which can take into account the contributes of mantle density gradients and astronomical forces, as Earth’s rotation and tides. This paper is dedicated to Prof. Michele Caputo who was a pioneer in measuring the misalignment of the tidal bulge with respect to the Earth–Moon gravitational alignment. The misplaced mass in excess may account for the westerly directed torque of the lithosphere relative to the mantle. Local GPS networks and satellite observations are providing new insights on plate boundary tectonics and allow unravelling the evolution of the interplay between the shallow brittle upper crust and the underlying visco-plastic lower crust, which is deforming in a steady state regime without releasing relevant seismic waves. Along active tectonic areas, zones marked by low strain rates are suitable to store larger energy, subsequently dissipated during the coseismic stage. GPS and InSAR observations have widely increased the capability to monitor the spatial and temporal variations of deformation. The coseismic deformation pattern suggests a different mechanism of energy store and release, mainly gravitational in extensional tectonic settings and essentially elastic in strike-slip and contractional tectonic settings. The increasing details provided by future dense and low-cost geodetic networks will allow to detect reliable deformation transients and new insight on seismic precursors.

The rapid development of several permanent GNSS networks in Italy has made available a huge amount of GNSS observations, giving the chance to figure out and significantly improve the spatial and temporal resolutions of the crustal deformation in the Italian area. More than 20 GNSS networks, promoted and managed by different institutions, constitute the grid of monitoring stations that includes over 1000 permanent stations, mainly devoted to real-time positioning services but that has proven to be suitable for monitoring slow deforming processes, such as for instance, intraplate deformation processes. The whole set of raw GPS data is routinely processed at INGV providing daily solutions of station coordinates and estimating linear velocities for each station. The information content of coordinate time series is wide, the station position variations incorporate linear and non-linear effects caused by geophysical phenomena of different nature, of which we show some evidences. The sectors where the permanent network is augmented with non-permanent sites allows to study tectonic processes with a finer resolution.

We investigate a large geodetic data set of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and GPS measurements to determine the source parameters for the three main shocks of the 2016 Central Italy earthquake sequence on 24 August and 26 and 30 October (Mw6.1, 5.9, and 6.5, respectively). Our preferred model is consistent with the activation of four main coseismic asperities belonging to the SW dipping normal fault system associated with the Mount Gorzano‐Mount Vettore‐Mount Bove alignment. Additional slip, equivalent to a Mw~ 6.1–6.2 earthquake, on a secondary (1) NE dipping antithetic fault and/or (2) on a WNW dipping low‐angle fault in the hanging wall of the main system is required to better reproduce the complex deformation pattern associated with the greatest seismic event (the Mw6.5 earthquake). The recognition of ancillary faults involved in the sequence suggests a complex interaction in the activated crustal volume between the main normal faults and the secondary structures and a partitioning of strain release. Coseismic ground deformation of the 2016 Central Italy earthquake sequence measured with InSAR and GPS dataAt least four main normal fault segments played an active role in the sequenceAntithetic faults and/or preexisting compressional structures may have been reactivated during the sequence with extensional kinematics

cplinton SWISH is a web application that allows users to perform reasoning tasks on probabilistic logic programs. Both inference and learning systems can be performed: conditional probabilities with exact, rejection sampling and Metropolis-Hasting methods. Moreover, the system now allows hybrid programs, i.e., programs where some of the random variables are continuous. To perform inference on such programs likelihood weighting and particle filtering are used. cplinton SWISH is also able to sample goals’ arguments and to graph the results. This paper reports on advances and new features of cplinton SWISH, including the capability of drawing the binary decision diagrams created during the inference processes.

ObjectivePoint-of-care ultrasound is a portable, relatively low-cost imaging modality with great potential utility in low-resource settings. However, commercially produced ultrasound gel is often cost-prohibitive and unavailable. We investigated whether images obtained using an alternative cornstarch-based gel would be of comparable quality with those using commercial gel.MethodsThis was a blinded, randomised, cross-over study comparing commercially produced ultrasound gel with home-made cornstarch-based gel. Ultrasound-trained faculty obtained three video clips with each gel type from patients at one urban ED. The clips were evaluated by a radiologist and an ultrasound-trained emergency physician. Images were assessed in terms of overall adequacy (dichotomous) and quality, resolution and detail using a rating scale (0–10). All sonographers and physicians reviewing the images were blinded to the type of gel used.ResultsThirty-four patients were enrolled in the study, producing 204 separate images (102 with each gel). The cornstarch gel clips were deemed accurate in 70.6% (95% CI 63.9% to 76.5%) of the scans, as compared with 65.2% (95% CI 58.4% to 71.4%) of those using commercial gel. There was no difference between the two groups with respect to image detail, resolution or quality.ConclusionsImages produced using the cornstarch-based alternative ultrasound gel were of similar quality to those using commercial gel. The low cost and easy preparation of the cornstarch-based gel make it an attractive coupling medium for use in low-resource settings.

Despite the political controversies surrounding it, in Mexico as in other countries, oil exploration and production between 1900 and 1920 was primarily an economic activity developed by scientists, technologists, skilled workers and entrepreneurs. The Mexican oil fields were both drilling sites and ‘smithies of ideas’ where new cadres of oil professionals were producing fresh knowledge on the oil-bearing formations. Along with Mexican and British professionals, young US geologists with more books in their hands than oil on their shoes emerged and managed, in spite of having little experience, to push Mexico in less than one decade to the top-three list of petroleum-exporting countries. This article aims to present the business and scientific activities of one of the most relevant individuals among them, Everette Lee DeGolyer, assessing his contribution to petroleum exploitation and oil geology in Mexico.

Representing uncertain information is crucial for modeling real world domains. In this paper we present a technique for the integration of probabilistic information in Description Logics (DLs) that is based on the distribution semantics for probabilistic logic programs. In the resulting approach, that we called DISPONTE, the axioms of a probabilistic knowledge base (KB) can be annotated with a real number between 0 and 1. A probabilistic knowledge base then defines a probability distribution over regular KBs called worlds and the probability of a given query can be obtained from the joint distribution of the worlds and the query by marginalization. We present the algorithm BUNDLE for computing the probability of queries from DISPONTE KBs. The algorithm exploits an underlying DL reasoner, such as Pellet, that is able to return explanations for queries. The explanations are encoded in a Binary Decision Diagram from which the probability of the query is computed. The experimentation of BUNDLE shows that it can handle probabilistic KBs of realistic size.

With the increasing amount of information in electronic form the fields of Machine Learning and Data Mining continue to grow by providing new advances in theory, applications and systems. The aim of this paper is to consider some recent theoretical aspects and approaches to ML and DM with an emphasis on the Italian research.

Background:The use of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is a burgeoning treatment modality for post-cardiac arrest patients.Objectives:We performed a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent post-cardiac arrest TH at eight different institutions across the United States. Our objectives were to assess how TH is currently being implemented in emergency departments and to examine the feasibility of conducting TH research using multi-institution prospective data.Methods:A total of 94 cases were identified in a 3-year period and submitted for review by participating institutions of the Peri-Resuscitation Consortium. Of those, seven charts were excluded for missing data. Two independent reviewers performed the data abstraction. Results were subsequently compared, and discrepancies were resolved by a third reviewer. We assessed patient demographics, initial presenting rhythm, time until TH initiation, duration of TH, cooling methods and temperature reached, survival to hospital discharge, and neurological status on discharged.Results:The majority of cases had initial cardiac rhythms of asystole or pulseless electrical activity (55.2%), followed by ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation (34.5%). The inciting cardiac rhythm was unknown in 10.3% of cases. Time to initiation of TH ranged from 0 to 783 minutes with a mean time of 99 minutes (SD=132). Length of TH ranged from 25 to 2,171 minutes with a mean time of 1,191 minutes (SD=536). The average minimum temperature achieved was 32.5°C, with a range from 27.6°C to 36.7°C (SD=1.5°C). Of the 87 charts reviewed, 29 (33.3%) of the patients survived to hospital discharge.Conclusion:The implementation of TH across the country is extremely varied with no universally accepted treatment. While our study is limited by sample size, it illustrates some compelling trends. A large, prospective, multicenter trial or registry is necessary to elucidate further the optimal parameters for TH and its benefit in various population subsets.

Abstract: A compilation of palaeogeographical maps of the Neo Proterozoic (Ptz) and Phanerozoic (Pz) 0.6 Ga BP to the present is analyzed in the terms of the (a) ratio between continental to oceanic crust areas (in short continent-to-ocean ratio), (b) length of spreading centres and (c) length of subduction zones. The variation of these tectonic processes is then compared to the variations occurred during the Archean (Arc 3.8–2.5 Ga BP) and Proterozoic (Ptz 2.5–0.54 Ga BP). The discussion takes the geomagnetic field and changes in length of the day (LOD) into account as well. From the constancy of the continent-to-ocean ratio through Pz and from the small size of the continental area above sea level in Neoproterozoic it follows that at the border between Ptz and Pz there has been a large change of the length of the shelf zones. This change can explain contemporary change of the despinning rate from about 0.35 to about 1.79 ms/century. In general, our findings suggest a change in tectonic regime at the border between Ptz and Pz.

Statistical Relational Learning and Probabilistic Inductive Logic Programming are two emerging fields that use representation languages able to combine logic and probability. In the field of Logic Programming, the distribution semantics is one of the prominent approaches for representing uncertainty and underlies many languages such as ICL, PRISM, ProbLog and LPADs. Learning the parameters for such languages requires an Expectation Maximization algorithm since their equivalent Bayesian networks contain hidden variables. EMBLEM (EM over BDDs for probabilistic Logic programs Efficient Mining) is an EM algorithm for languages following the distribution semantics that computes expectations directly on the Binary Decision Diagrams that are built for inference. In this paper we present experiments comparing EMBLEM with LeProbLog, Alchemy, CEM, RIB and LFI-ProbLog on six real world datasets. The results show that EMBLEM is able to solve problems on which the other systems fail and it often achieves significantly higher areas under the Precision Recall and the ROC curves in a similar time.

In this paper we overview our recent research activity concerning the induction of Logic Programming specifications, and the proof of their properties via Abductive Logic Programming. Both the inductive and abductive tools here briefly described have been applied to respectively learn and verify (properties of) interaction protocols in multi-agent systems, Web service choreographies, careflows and business processes.

Abstract: The northern Adriatic plate underwent Permian-Mesozoic rifting and was later shortened by three orogenic belts (i.e., Apennines, Alps and Dinarides) developed along three independent subduction zones. The inherited Mesozoic horst and graben grain determined structural undulations of the three thrust belts. Salients developed in grabens or more shaly basins, whereas recesses formed regularly around horsts. A new interpretation of seismic reflection profiles, subsidence rates from stratigraphic analysis, and GPS data prove that the three orogens surrounding the northern Adriatic plate are still active. The NE-ward migration of the Apennines subduction hinge determines the present-day faster subsidence rate in the western side of the northern Adriatic (>1 mm/year). This is recorded also by the SW-ward dip of the foreland regional monocline, and the SW-ward increase of the depth of the Tyrrhenian sedimentary layer, as well as the increase in thickness of the Pliocene and Pleistocene sediments. These data indicate the dominant influence of the Apennines subduction, which controls the asymmetric subsidence in the northern Adriatic realm. The Dinarides front has been tilted by the Apennines subduction hinge, as shown by the eroded Dalmatian anticlines subsiding in the eastern Adriatic Sea. GPS data suggest that southward tilting of the western and central Southern Alps, whereas the eastern Southern Alps are uplifting. The obtained strain rates are on average within 20 nstrain/year. The horizontal shortening obtained from GPS velocities at the front of the three belts surrounding the northern Adriatic plate are about 2–3 mm/year (Northern Apennines), 1–2 mm/year (Southern Alps), and <1 mm/year (Dinarides). The shortening directions tend to be perpendicular to the thrust belt fronts. The areas where the strain rate sharply decreases along a tectonic feature (e.g., the Ferrara salient, the Venetian foothills front) are proposed to be occupied by locked structures where stress is accumulating in the brittle layer and thus seismically prone. Finally, we speculate that, since the effects of three independent subduction zones coexist and overlap in the same area, plate boundaries are passive features.

AbstractThe Colli Albani Volcano has recently developed particular interest in the geophysical community for some peculiar characteristics imputable to a recent residual volcanic activity, thus evidencing that it cannot be considered extinguished yet.On April 2006 an airborne laser scanning (ALS) survey of the Albano and Nemi craters has been carried out to obtain a high resolution digital terrain model (DTM) of the area. We have compared the accuracy of the ALS heights with those obtained by a fast GPS kinematic survey, obtaining maximum deviation within 50 cm. Then, we have integrated the ALS survey of the craters and the bathymetry of the Albano lake to achieve a complete DTM, useful for morphological studies. In addition, with a GNSS/RTK survey (July 2007) we have estimated the Albano and Nemi mean lake levels respectively at 288.16 m and 319.02 m (asl). Based on the integrated DTM and the newly estimated water level values, we have evaluated about 21.7 · 106of m3the water volume loss of the Albano lake from 1993 to 2007, with an average rate of about 1.6 · 106m3/yr.

El artículo abordalas relaciones entre el sistema financiero y la agricultura, desde la ley bancaria de 1897 hasta 1913, último año en que los bancos mantuvieron operaciones regulares. Se pretende medir el acceso de las unidades productivas al crédito de largo plazo y reconstruir los canales de financiamiento. La pregunta central es si y en qué condiciones los bancos u otros intermediarios financieros encauzaban una oferta de crédito hacia el sector agrícola y en qué términos. O si, por otro lado, la banca privada manifestaba una incapacidad estructural para acomodar en sus actividades el crédito agrícola; en este caso se pretende conocer qué caminos alternativos estaban disponibles y qué consecuencias derivaron de ello. The article deals with the relationships between the financial system and agriculture, from the first Banking Law in 1897 until the last year of bank operations before the Revolution, 1913. It aims at reconstructing the credit channels and measuring the access of rural estates to long-term credit. The central question is whether banks or other financial intermediaries supplied funds to Mexican agriculture, and in what terms. Was private banking structurally incapable of providing agricultural credit? And if so, were alternative means available? What consequences this situation had on the rural economy?

Abstract: We present a system for performing belief revision in a multi-agent environment. The system is called GBR (Genetic Belief Revisor) and it is based on a genetic algorithm. In this setting, different individuals are exposed to different experiences. This may happen because the world surrounding an agent changes over time or because we allow agents exploring different parts of the world. The algorithm permits the exchange of chromosomes from different agents and combines two different evolution strategies, one based on Darwin’s and the other on Lamarck’s evolutionary theory. The algorithm therefore includes also a Lamarckian operator that changes the memes of an agent in order to improve their fitness. The operator is implemented by means of a belief revision procedure that, by tracing logical derivations, identifies the memes leading to contradiction. Moreover, the algorithm comprises a special crossover mechanism for memes in which a meme can be acquired from another agent only if the other agent has “accessed” the meme, i.e. if an application of the Lamarckian operator has read or modified the meme. Experiments have been performed on the η-queen problem and on a problem of digital circuit diagnosis. In the case of the η-queen problem, the addition of the Lamarckian operator in the single agent case improves the fitness of the best solution. In both cases the experiments show that the distribution of constraints, even if it may lead to a reduction of the fitness of the best solution, does not produce a significant reduction.

Abstract: A huge amount of data is daily collected from clinical microbiology laboratories. These data concern the resistance or susceptibility of bacteria to tested antibiotics. Almost all microbiology laboratories follow standard antibiotic testing guidelines which suggest antibiotic test execution methods and result interpretation and validation (among them, those annually published by NCCLS2,3). Guidelines basically specify, for each species, the antibiotics to be tested, how to interpret the results of tests and a list of exceptions regarding particular antibiotic test results. Even if these standards are quite assessed, they do not consider peculiar features of a given hospital laboratory, which possibly influence the antimicrobial test results, and the further validation process. In order to improve and better tailor the validation process, we have applied knowledge discovery techniques, and data mining in particular, to microbiological data with the purpose of discovering new validation rules, not yet included in NCCLS guidelines, but considered plausible and correct by interviewed experts. In particular, we applied the knowledge discovery process in order to find (association) rules relating to each other the susceptibility or resistance of a bacterium to different antibiotics. This approach is not antithetic, but complementary to that based on NCCLS rules: it proved very effective in validating some of them, and also in extending that compendium. In this respect, the new discovered knowledge has lead microbiologists to be aware of new correlations among some antimicrobial test results, which were previously unnoticed. Last but not least, the new discovered rules, taking into account the history of the considered laboratory, are better tailored to the hospital situation, and this is very important since some resistances to antibiotics are specific to particular, local hospital environments.

MRI of the brain and proton MRS (1H MRS) of the pons and dentate were obtained in 10 patients with genetically confirmed Unverricht–Lundborg disease (EPM1) and 20 control subjects. Patients with EPM1 showed (p≤ 0.01) loss of bulk of the basis pontis, medulla, and cerebellar hemispheres. Cerebral atrophy was present in six patients. The N-acetylaspartate/creatine and choline/creatine ratios were reduced in the pons but not in the dentate (p≤ 0.005). Brainstem involvement could play a role in pathophysiology of EPM1.

Three young patients with transient or intermittent focal neurological signs suggesting brain stem involvement are described, in whom high field MRI showed focal areas of hyperintensity in T2 weighted spin echo images, hypointensity in T2* weighted gradient echo images, and enhancement in postcontrast T1 weighted images consistent with unruptured capillary telangiectasia of the brain stem. The first patient was a 28 year old woman who complained of recurrent left ear tinnitus, exacerbated during the menstrual period; MRI demonstrated that the vascular anomaly involved the left acoustic pathway. The second patient was a 30 year old woman who had three episodes of paroxysmal left lip movement 4 weeks after child delivery; MRI showed capillary telangiectasia in the right corticonuclear pathway. The third patient, a 36 year old man, had a transient right Bell's palsy; MRI disclosed two circumscribed areas consistent with capillary telangiectasia in the left corticospinal tract and medial longitudinal fasciculus. Steroid receptors in the telangiectatic vessels walls might account for the recurrent and transient course seen in our two female patients. Awareness of the MRI features of capillary telangiectasia may help in defining the real incidence, clinical correlation, and the risk of haemorrhagic complications of these vascular malformations.

Abstract: We investigate how abduction and induction can be integrated into a common learning framework. In particular, we consider an extension of Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) for the case in which both the background and the target theories are abductive logic programs and where an abductive notion of entailment is used as the basic coverage relation for learning. This extended learning framework has been called Abductive Concept Learning (ACL). In this framework, it is possible to learn with incomplete background information about the training examples by exploiting the hypothetical reasoning of abduction. We also study how the ACL framework can be used as a basis for multiple predicate learning. An algorithm for ACL is developed by suitably extending the top-down ILP method: the deductive proof procedure of Logic Programming is replaced by an abductive proof procedure for Abductive Logic Programming. This algorithm also incorporates a phase for learning integrity constraints by suitably employing a system that learns from interpretations like ICL. The framework of ACL thus integrates the two ILP settings of explanatory (predictive) learning and confirmatory (descriptive) learning. The above algorithm has been implemented into a system also called ACL Several experiments have been performed that show the effectiveness of the ACL framework in learning from incomplete data and its appropriate use for multiple predicate learning.

We discuss the adoption of a three-valued setting for inductive concept learning. Distinguishing between what is true, what is false and what is unknown can be useful in situations where decisions have to be taken on the basis of scarce, ambiguous, or downright contradictory information. In a three-valued setting, we learn a definition for both the target concept and its opposite, considering positive and negative examples as instances of two disjoint classes. To this purpose, we adopt Extended Logic Programs (ELP) under a Well-Founded Semantics with explicit negation (WFSX) as the representation formalism for learning, and show how ELPs can be used to specify combinations of strategies in a declarative way also coping with contradiction and exceptions. Explicit negation is used to represent the opposite concept, while default negation is used to ensure consistency and to handle exceptions to general rules. Exceptions are represented by examples covered by the definition for a concept that belong to the training set for the opposite concept. Standard Inductive Logic Programming techniques are employed to learn the concept and its opposite. Depending on the adopted technique, we can learn the most general or the least general definition. Thus, four epistemological varieties occur, resulting from the combination of most general and least general solutions for the positive and negative concept. We discuss the factors that should be taken into account when choosing and strategically combining the generality levels for positive and negative concepts. In the paper, we also handle the issue of strategic combination of possibly contradictory learnt definitions of a predicate and its explicit negation. All in all, we show that extended logic programs under well-founded semantics with explicit negation add expressivity to learning tasks, and allow the tackling of a number of representation and strategic issues in a principled way. Our techniques have been implemented and examples run on a state-of-the-art logic programming system with tabling which implements WFSX.

The application of deep learning models to increasingly complex contexts has led to a rise in the complexity of the models themselves. Due to this, there is an increase in the number of hyper-parameters (HPs) to be set and Hyper-Parameter Optimization (HPO) algorithms occupy a fundamental role in deep learning. Bayesian Optimization (BO) is the state-of-the-art of HPO for deep learning models. BO keeps track of past results and uses them to build a probabilistic model, building a probability density of HPs. This work aims to improve BO applied to Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) by an analysis of the results of the network on training and validation sets. This analysis is obtained by applying symbolic tuning rules, implemented in Probabilistic Logic Programming (PLP). The resulting system, called Symbolic DNN-Tuner, logically evaluates the results obtained from the training and the validation phase and, by applying symbolic tuning rules, fixes the network architecture, and its HPs, leading to improved performance. In this paper, we present the general system and its implementation. We also show its graphical interface and a simple example of execution.

Abstract.: This paper illustrates the surveys and the results obtained in an experiment whose goal is to evaluate the Global Positioning System (GPS) sensitivity and accuracy for deformation control on non-permanent network of different extensions. To this aim a high-precision device was properly built to set up known displacements along three orthogonal axes of a GPS antenna. One of the antennas in the considered GPS networks was moved according to centimeter and sub-centimeter displacements; after careful GPS data processing, it was evaluated whether these simulated deformations were correctly a posteriori detected and at which probability level. This experiment was carried out both on a local (baselines ranging between 3 and 30 km) and on a regional (baselines ranging between 300 and 600 km) GPS network. The results show that in the local network it is possible to identify the displacements at a level of 10 mm in height and at a level of 5 mm in horizontal position. The analysis of the regional network showed that it is fundamental to investigate new strategies to model the troposphere; in fact, it is necessary to improve the precision of the height in order to correctly identify displacements lower than 60–80 mm; on the contrary, horizontal displacements can be evidenced at the level of 20 mm.

The city of Rome is subjected to moderate seismic risk due to both local and external seismicity. Up to now, the maximum intensity felt has never exceeded VIII MCS. The 1 November 1895 (Io = VII) and 31 August 1909 (Io = VI) earthquakes demonstrate that small local events can also cause damage in a large old city. In the present work, we have re-evaluated the intensity values of those two events by means of automatic processing. A comparison between the present results with geological evidence and previous studies is shown, especially for the historical centre of Rome. For the first time, the 1909 earthquake instrumental magnitudeML = 3.6 has been calculated from original recordings.

The aim of this paper is to define the macroseismic field of the 5 May 1990 Potenza earthquake, analysing about 3000 questionnaire forms together with the results of the direct inquiries carried out in the field. The study evidences the seismic vulnerability of the Potenza district and of the whole of southern Italy in general, due to the low resistance characteristics of the old constructions and a lack of seismic prevention. Besides, geomorphological failure increases hazardous situations at the earthquake's occurrence. This earthquake provided a good test for checking and improving the ING macroseismic data collection procedures.

Many moderate events reported by Italian earthquake catalogues (either historical or recent) are listed with an epicentral intensity derived from intensitymagnitude relationships or evaluated based on preliminary sources. Contradictions may arise among different catalogues when the effects of a given earthquake are not assessed through a specific macroseismic study as each catalogue generally uses its own criteria for evaluating the intensity. In this paper we present the case of the June 19 1975 earthquake, a ML= 5.1 (ING seismological bulletin) event that occurred in the Gargano area (southern Italy). The intensity reported by the ING catalogue is VIII MCS (estimated from magnitude), that reported by the NT4.1 catalogue is VI MCS, while the PFG catalogue does not report an intensity. The case of this event is well representative of a period during which macroseismic studies were not undertaken systematically in Italy. In this paper we reassess the macroseismic intensity of this event using procedures implemented and routinely used at ING.

The Adria microplate is the foreland of the oppositely verging Apennines and Alps or Dinarides fold‐thrust belts associated to the related subduction zones. Along its western margin, the Adria plate hosts the active Northern Apennines accretionary prism, which is buried under the Adriatic Sea and the Po Plain. The interpretation of seismic reflection profiles and borehole data allowed us to define the geometry of the transition from the Apennines fold‐thrust belt to its undeformed foreland. Moreover, continuous GPS (CGPS) data from offshore hydrocarbon platforms anchored to the seabed of the northern Adriatic plate allow to measure present‐day kinematics. Although the CGPS signals are affected by non‐tectonic components associated with hydrocarbon extraction, the integration of geodetic analysis, subsurface geological reconstructions, and analytical modeling allowed us to constrain the ongoing tectonic activity. Shortening is currently accommodated by aseismic slip along the basal detachment, likely accumulating elastic energy along the frontal ramp that may eventually seismically slip. Our multidisciplinary study suggests that the study area may not be sheltered from relevant seismic sequences similar to the Mw 6 Emilia 2012 events and that the occurrence of potential seismogenic sources in the area should be carefully evaluated. Similar studies may be useful to constrain the present‐day activity in other marine areas and to identify potential and hitherto unrecognized seismogenic sources along the entire Apennines belt and other accretionary prisms worldwide. Seismic reflection profiles in the northern Adriatic Sea allow to reconstruct the Apennines fold‐thrust belt geometry and its forelandOffshore CGPS data allow computation of the active shortening in the accretionary prismAnalytical modeling provides a first‐order estimation of the current slip rate of the unlocked and locked surfaces of the basal decollement

Background As yet, no population-based prospective studies have been conducted to investigate the incidence and clinical outcome of glioblastoma (GBM) or the diffusion and impact of the current standard therapeutic approach in newly diagnosed patients younger than aged 70 years. Methods Data on all new cases of primary brain tumors observed from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2010, in adults residing within the Emilia-Romagna region were recorded in a prospective registry in the Project of Emilia Romagna on Neuro-Oncology (PERNO). Based on the data from this registry, a prospective evaluation was made of the treatment efficacy and outcome in GBM patients. Results Two hundred sixty-seven GBM patients (median age, 64 y; range, 29–84 y) were enrolled. The median overall survival (OS) was 10.7 months (95% CI, 9.2–12.4). The 139 patients ≤aged 70 years who were given standard temozolomide treatment concomitant with and adjuvant to radiotherapy had a median OS of 16.4 months (95% CI, 14.0–18.5). With multivariate analysis, OS correlated significantly with KPS (HR = 0.458; 95% CI, 0.248–0.847; P = .0127), MGMT methylation status (HR = 0.612; 95% CI, 0.388–0.966; P = .0350), and treatment received in a high versus low-volume center (HR = 0.56; 95% CI, 0.328–0.986; P = .0446). Conclusions The median OS following standard temozolomide treatment concurrent with and adjuvant to radiotherapy given to (72.8% of) patients aged ≤70 years is consistent with findings reported from randomized phase III trials. The volume and expertise of the treatment center should be further investigated as a prognostic factor.

Geodetic evidence of crustal deformation in the Ionian area detected by GPS surveys is given in this paper. A network consisting of nine geodetic sites crossing the Ionian sea from Calabria (southern Italy) to northwestern Greece was repeatedly surveyed, starting in 1991, within the framework of the TYRGEONET project. The results, obtained from processing data from three GPS campaigns performed on the same network in 1991, 1994 and recently in 1995, show significant changes in the positions of five sites. The deformations in terms of displacements (coordinate differences), are obtained by applying a rigorous statistical approach that analyses their significance by an original iterative procedure based on the classical F (Fisher) test. Although more substantial geophysical conclusions require more observations, the estimated relative displacement pattern is generally coherent with the features of the main tectonic structures identified for this area. The detected deformations for the Greek sites confirm the activity of the Kephalonia right-lateral transform fault, and a right-lateral motion of the Mattinata fault (northern Apulia) seems to have been detected by the Italian sites. Moreover, within the time span analysed, the site of Matera shows a different behaviour from the three Adriatic sites (Tremiti, M.S. Angelo and Specchia Cristi), since relative displacements among Matera and these sites were detected. This fact may indicate the weakness of the assumption, reported in some papers, that Matera could be a representative site of the motion of the whole Adriatic plate. Furthermore, the site of Specchia Cristi shows the maximum relative displacement in the network, with a vector magnitude of about 5 cm with a 3 cm confidence interval at the 95 per cent level. Therefore, even if some additional GPS observations are needed to achieve a clearer picture of the tectonic behaviour of the Ionian Sea area, the detected relative displacement pattern of the Italian sites agrees with a possible rotational behaviour of the Apulian platform with respect to the Adriatic plate, as already hypothesized by Finetti (1982).