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A geological survey has been carried out in the area of Amatrice, the most damaged town after the 24 August 2016 event, to provide a basic reference for geophysical and geotechnical data useful for seismic response analyses and microzonation studies. The morphologies and the stratigraphic-structural setting of the investigated area are detailed on a 1:5000 scale geological map and cross sections, which derive from the integration of field-based observations and photo-geological interpretation. The Amatrice basin is filled by the one km-thick Laga Formation, composed of Messinian syn-orogenic marine sandstones and siltstones (Marini et al., 2015) and covered with disconformity by Quaternary conglomerates and sands, referred to alluvial fans, fluvial terraces and landslides. Presently, the Amatrice basin is a structurallycontrolled depression bounded eastward by the Gorzano Mt ridge, and westward by the Sibillini Mts thrust front (Koopman, 1983). Our observations focus on (i) relationships between geometry and extent of cover deposits, (ii) bedding of the substratum, and (iii) areal arrangement and distribution of the main fault systems. Amatrice is located on a N-S trending mesa bounded by steep escarpments. The siliciclastic substratum was folded by syn-orogenic movements, broadly forming a NW-SE-trending synform, and is dissected by two main fault systems of the Plio-Quaternary post-orogenic tectonics. The first system consists of N-S striking high angle normal fault segments, each one having continuous length of up to 2 km; the second consists of E-W-striking normal-to-strike slip fault systems dissecting the first one. N-S-striking faults are morphologically expressed by fault plane scarps and triangular facets, and control the areal distribution of the Quaternary fluvial deposits. These are up to 50 m thick below Amatrice and thin to few metres along the north west direction. East of Amatrice, the stratigraphic setting is dominated by SW-prograding alluvial fans, downlapping the substratum, while on the West the stratigraphic setting is strongly complicated by large scale deformations (folding and tectonic repetitions) produced by shortening mechanisms. The recognized morphological irregularities, stratigraphic heterogeneities, and structural alignments are considered critical elements to define, at local scale, subsoil models useful for evaluating seismic amplification effects.

Incised valleys and their fill represent important features of fluvial systems and can provide valuable information on external controls on sedimentation. Furthermore, the mode of stacking of multiple incised valleys may result in diverse connectivity of high permeability geobodies, which makes their origin and architecture important to understand for natural resources development. Based on dense borehole data and key outcrops along a 10 km-long transect, this study attempts at delineating the depositional architecture of a stacked multi-valley complex recording the Middle Pleistocene to Holocene evolution of the Tiber River system (Rome, Italy). Such a multi-valley complex is composed of four low rank/high frequency depositional sequences intercalated with pyroclastics, which fill in valley incisions entrenched into a substrate of Pliocene-Early Pleistocene marine clays. Owing to radiometric dating of pyroclastics, a robust correlation exists of valley incision and fill phases to odd and even Marine Isotopes Stages (MIS 14-1), which allows linking incised valley development to sea level changes. Located c. 20 km upstream from coeval shorelines, the investigated valleys have widths in the range of 0.5-2 Km and depth/thickness of up to 60 m and a recurrent tripartite pattern of their fills including: i) an up to 10 m thick and laterally extensive basal unit of dominantly gravelly-sandy deposits; ii) a middle unit (thickness in the range of 20-30 m) composed of vertically stacked sandy channel bodies (width in the range of 200-400 m) sided by floodplain muds; iii) a top unit composed of laterally stacked channel sands and, subordinately, floodplain muds, which result in extensive tabular sand bodies. Correlation to MIS suggests the fill of the studied incised valleys might reflect early deposition under low accommodation conditions within braided channel belts (lowstand and early transgressive phases) followed by deposition in sinuous channel belts (late transgressive and high-stand phases). In turn, successive incised valleys are stacked in an entrenching and westward shifting fashion, which is interpreted to reflect superimposition of regional uplift, topographic confinement from south-easterly sourced pyroclastics of the Albani Hills Volcanic District and glacio-eustasy. The resultant stratigraphic architecture of the Tiber multi-valley complex is such that high-permeability gravelly and sandy deposits are locally connected across successive valley fills. However, the studied example highlights how degree of connectivity of multiple incised valleys fills is ultimately controlled by external forcing factors (e.g. regional uplift and topographic confinement) superimposing to higher frequency changes of base level. It can be speculated that, by forcing lateral shifting of a fluvial stream, superimposition of differential uplift/subsidence to relative sea level changes more likely develops into less connected incised valley fills.

As established in the European Water Framework Directive, the development of groundwater numerical models is fundamental for adopting water management plans aimed at preserving the water resource and reducing environmental risks. In this paper, authors present a methodology for the estimation of groundwater resource of an alluvial valley, in an urban area characterized by a complex hydrostratigraphic setting and scarcity of hydrogeological data; the study area is the urban and sub-urban area of Rome (Italy). A previous, elaborated hydrostratigraphic model set the base for the development of 3D, steady state, sub-basin scale numerical model, implemented by the finite-difference code MODFLOW 2000; the water system components were derived by elaboration of available data. The alluvial aquifer of the Tiber River Valley, which runs in the middle of the City in a NNW–SE direction, has been analyzed in detail, since it is covered by a densely populated area hosting most of Rome’s historical heritage, and it is characterized by low quality geotechnical parameters. Results suggest that in areas with high hydrostratigraphic complexity and scarcity of hydrogeological data, a sub-basin scale, and steady-state numerical model can be very helpful to verify the conceptual model and reduce the uncertainty on the water budget components. The proposed steady-state model constitutes the base for future applications of transient state and local scale models, required for sustainable water management.

L’uso dell’energia geotermica a bassa entalpia per la climatizzazione degli edifici è una pratica non nuova nel mondo, ma in Italia sta avendo uno sviluppo notevole prevalentemente negli ultimi anni. Sempre più frequentemente, infatti, le nuove opere di ingegneria tendono ad essere costruite con secondo tecniche che favoriscono il risparmio energetico e l’uso di questa tecnologia, in un Paese in cui spesso il gradiente geotermico risulta fortemente anomalo, può produrre interessanti benefici (Tinti, 2008). Lo sfruttamento di questa risorsa, però, non può prescindere da una caratterizzazione dettagliata del sottosuolo dal punto di vista geologico e idrogeologico; infatti pur essendo la “geotermia sensu stricto” una branca della vulcanologia, nel caso della geotermia a bassa entalpia gli assetti geologici superficiali e soprattutto le circolazioni idriche sotterranee giocano localmente un ruolo più diretto nel trasporto del calore che non lo studio e la caratterizzazione della sorgente del calore stessa. L’importanza del monitoraggio dei parametri idrogeologici in aree di sfruttamento della risorsa a bassa entalpia, quindi, ricopre due ruoli fondamentali; il primo è relativo allo studio delle potenzialità termiche degli acquiferi e alle relative variazioni stagionali delle condizioni fisiche, il secondo riguarda lo studio delle modificazioni fisiche e chimiche che gli impianti in esercizio, sia a circuito chiuso che aperto provocano sul sistema naturale. Vengono di seguito presentati due casi di studio ubicati nella Città di Roma: il primo è relativo ad un settore delle alluvioni recenti della Valle del Tevere, il secondo riguarda un settore delle “paleo-alluvioni” della formazione del F.so della Crescenza

Introduction: Early identification of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients is of great importance for correct stratification of cardiovascular (CV) risk. It is well known that ECGhas low sensibility in detecting LVH, while echocardiography, for organizational difficulties, cannot be performed routinely. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of LVH and of anomalies of diastolic function in a group of hypertensive patients free of diabetes, CV diseases, and with normal ECG. Methods: We excluded patients with CV diseases, diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), or having ECG-LVH or other ECG anomalies. Then, we enrolled 310 hypertensive patients (mean age 48 years). All enrolled subjects underwent echocardiographic examination (Acuson Sequoia 512). LV mass was indexed by body surface area (LVMI) and LVHwas defined as LVMI >125 g/m2 in men and >110 g/m2 in women. Diastolic function was evaluated by mitral inflow and Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI). Results: Patients with LVH had higher age and duration of hypertension when compared with patients without LVH (p = 0.002 and

Il Laboratorio di Geologia Applicata all’Ambiente di RomaTRE ha da qualche anno realizzato e pubblicato online una banca dati relativa agli sprofondamenti catastrofici con la speranza che possa diventare una piattaforma di scambio scientifico su scala nazionale. La banca dati è visitabile dalla pagina web del laboratorio all’indirizzo: http://host.uniroma3.it/laboratori/idrogeologia/iwsd.php Il database IWSD (Italian Web Sinkhole Database) nasce dalla sintesi di alcune delle attività svolte dal Laboratorio, che a partire dal “Progetto Sinkhole del Lazio” conclusosi nel 2002, ha continuato negli anni a svolgere attività di ricerca su questa tipologia di fenomeno collaborando da ultimo come Unità di Ricerca relativamente alla problematica “sinkhole” all’interno del progetto INGV-DPC V5 “Diffuse Degassing in Italy” puntando principalmente a definire eventuali segnali precursori dal monitoraggio in continuo dei parametri idrogeologici nelle aree a rischio. La banca dati è sviluppata in Microsoft Access secondo un ragionato sistema di relazioni strutturate secondo diversi criteri. A seguire vengono illustrate le singole sezioni del database seguendo la sua stessa struttura. IWSD, The Italian Web Sinkhole Database was born from RomaTRE University Lagaa (Laboratory of Applied Environmental Geology) research activity regarding several projects (“Latium Region Sinkhole Project" 2002, and "INGV-DPC V5 Project - Diffuse Degassing in Italy”) and from current monitoring activities of hydrogeological parameters in sinkhole prone areas. Actually the database includes phenomena falling mainly in Latium Region (Central Italy). The final objective is collecting more information related to all the Italian phenomena. In this way the IWSD would also allow other researchers from universities, research organizations or civil and environmental protection agencies, to exchange scientific contribution and information about Italian sinkholes.

IWSD, The Italian Web Sinkhole Database was born from RomaTRE University Lagaa (Laboratory of Applied Environmental Geology) research activity regarding several projects (“Latium Region Sinkhole Project" 2002, and "INGV-DPC V5 Project - Diffuse Degassing in Italy”) and from current monitoring activities of hydrogeological parameters in sinkhole prone areas. Actually the database includes phenomena falling mainly in Latium Region (Central Italy). The final objective is collecting more information related to all the Italian phenomena. In this way the IWSD would also allow other researchers from universities, research organizations or civil and environmental protection agencies, to exchange scientific contribution and information about Italian sinkholes.

Il dominio vulcanico laziale a nord del Fiume Tevere ospita una estesa falda di interesse regionale sostenuta da una potente sequenza di depositi appartenenti alle unità alloctone di facies toscana e tolfetana. Le discontinuità tettoniche connesse con il complesso assetto strutturale dell’area peritirrenica consente la risalita di fluidi endogeni di natura termominerale provenienti dagli acquiferi geotermici ospitati dalle sequenze carbonatiche confinate dalle unità alloctone stesse. Nella fase di risalita i gas endogeni interagiscono con le falde in relazione agli equilibri di fase imposti dalle condizioni di temperatura e pressione. Ciò fa sì che in superficie, in corrispondenza delle principali discontinuità tettoniche, si abbiano manifestazioni gassose più o meno consistenti, associate o meno a sorgenti d’acqua mineralizzata. Questa nota riporta i risultati di una ricerca interdisciplinare mirata a definire come le caratteristiche geometriche della falda delle vulcaniti, l’assetto strutturale e la consistenza dei convogli gassosi possano influenzare le caratteristiche chimico fisiche delle falde e quindi delle sorgenti. La ricerca è stata condotta a scala regionale relativamente ai distretti vulcanici vulsini e cimini e a scala di dettaglio relativamente alle più note aree di manifestazione di acque termali e/o di effusione di gas CO2. Essa si basa su consistenti campagne di rilevamento idrogeologico e chimico-fisico. A queste rilevazioni si è aggiunta quella della determinazione quantitativa delle emissioni gassose in termini di tonnellate-giorno per unità di superficie. Per meglio definire lo schema idrogeologico e geotermico dell’area di studio, sono stati prodotti dagli autori numerosi profili idrogeologici. Numerose carte tematiche, relative alla distribuzione dei valori di conducibilità, pH, temperatura delle acque sotterranee ed entità dell’emissione di CO2 consentono di valutare l’influenza del drenaggio sotterraneo della falda basale sullo specifico parametro. The Latium volcanic domain northern to the Tiber River hosts a wide aquifer of regional interest supported by a powerful sequence of deposits belonging to units of allochthonous facies “toscana” and “tolfetana”. The tectonic discontinuities associated with the complex structural setting of the perithyrrenic area allows the ascent of endogenous thermomineral fluids from the geothermal aquifer hosted by carbonate sequences which are confined by allochthonous units themselves. In the phase of ascent the endogenous gases interact with the groundwater in relation to the equilibrium phase imposed by conditions of temperature and pressure. This causes the surface, in correspondence of the main tectonic discontinuities, you have gaseous manifestations more or less consistent, associated or not to mineralized springs. This note reports the results of an interdisciplinary research aimed at defining how the geometric characteristics of the aquifer of volcanic rocks, the structural setting and the consistency of the convoys may influence the gaseous chemical and physical characteristics of aquifers and springs. The research was conducted on a regional scale in relation to the Vulsini and Cimini Volcanic Districts and at a detailed scale relatively to the most famous areas of thermal waters and / or effusion of CO2 occurrence. It is based on a consistent field hydrogeological and physical-chemical data collecting. Moreover, a quantitative determination of the gas emissions in terms of tons-days per unit of surface area has been carried out. To better define the hydrogeological and geothermal setting of the study area, many hydrogeological cross sections have been produced. Several thematic maps showing the distribution of groundwater conductivity, pH, temperature values and CO2 emission rates allow to assess the influence of the basal aquifer drainage on each single parameter.

Il dominio vulcanico laziale a nord del Fiume Tevere ospita una estesa falda di interesse regionale sostenuta da una potente sequenza di depositi appartenenti alle unità alloctone di facies toscana e tolfetana. Le discontinuità tettoniche connesse con il complesso assetto strutturale dell’area peritirrenica consente la risalita di fluidi endogeni di natura termominerale provenienti dagli acquiferi geotermici ospitati dalle sequenze carbonatiche confinate dalle unità alloctone stesse. Nella fase di risalita i gas endogeni interagiscono con le falde in relazione agli equilibri di fase imposti dalle condizioni di temperatura e pressione. Ciò fa sì che in superficie, in corrispondenza delle principali discontinuità tettoniche, si abbiano manifestazioni gassose più o meno consistenti, associate o meno a sorgenti d’acqua mineralizzata. Questa nota riporta i risultati di una ricerca interdisciplinare mirata a definire come le caratteristiche geometriche della falda delle vulcaniti, l’assetto strutturale e la consistenza dei convogli gassosi possano influenzare le caratteristiche chimico fisiche delle falde e quindi delle sorgenti. La ricerca è stata condotta a scala regionale relativamente ai distretti vulcanici vulsini e cimini e a scala di dettaglio relativamente alle più note aree di manifestazione di acque termali e/o di effusione di gas CO2. Essa si basa su consistenti campagne di rilevamento idrogeologico e chimico-fisico. A queste rilevazioni si è aggiunta quella della determinazione quantitativa delle emissioni gassose in termini di tonnellate-giorno per unità di superficie. Per meglio definire lo schema idrogeologico e geotermico dell’area di studio, sono stati prodotti dagli autori numerosi profili idrogeologici. Numerose carte tematiche, relative alla distribuzione dei valori di conducibilità, pH, temperatura delle acque sotterranee ed entità dell’emissione di CO2 consentono di valutare l’influenza del drenaggio sotterraneo della falda basale sullo specifico parametro. The Latium volcanic domain northern to the Tiber River hosts a wide aquifer of regional interest supported by a powerful sequence of deposits belonging to units of allochthonous facies “toscana” and “tolfetana”. The tectonic discontinuities associated with the complex structural setting of the perithyrrenic area allows the ascent of endogenous thermomineral fluids from the geothermal aquifer hosted by carbonate sequences which are confined by allochthonous units themselves. In the phase of ascent the endogenous gases interact with the groundwater in relation to the equilibrium phase imposed by conditions of temperature and pressure. This causes the surface, in correspondence of the main tectonic discontinuities, you have gaseous manifestations more or less consistent, associated or not to mineralized springs. This note reports the results of an interdisciplinary research aimed at defining how the geometric characteristics of the aquifer of volcanic rocks, the structural setting and the consistency of the convoys may influence the gaseous chemical and physical characteristics of aquifers and springs. The research was conducted on a regional scale in relation to the Vulsini and Cimini Volcanic Districts and at a detailed scale relatively to the most famous areas of thermal waters and / or effusion of CO2 occurrence. It is based on a consistent field hydrogeological and physical-chemical data collecting. Moreover, a quantitative determination of the gas emissions in terms of tons-days per unit of surface area has been carried out. To better define the hydrogeological and geothermal setting of the study area, many hydrogeological cross sections have been produced. Several thematic maps showing the distribution of groundwater conductivity, pH, temperature values and CO2 emission rates allow to assess the influence of the basal aquifer drainage on each single parameter.

Ornithine carbamoyltransferase has been purified from the liver of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta by a single-step procedure using chromatography on an affinity column to which the transition-state analogue, delta-N-(phosphonoacetyl)-L-ornithine (delta-PALO), was covalently bound. The procedure employed yielded an enzyme which was purified 373-fold and was judged to be homogeneous by nondenaturing and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme showed a specific activity of 224. The molar mass of the C. caretta enzyme was approximately 112 kDa, the single band obtained by SDS-PAGE indicated a subunit molar mass of 39.5 kDa; hence, the enzyme is a trimer of identical subunits. It catalyzes an ordered sequential mechanism in which carbamoyl phosphate binds first, followed by L-ornithine. The Michaelis constants were 0.858 mM for L-ornithine and 0.22 mM for carbamoyl phosphate, the dissociation constant of the enzyme-carbamoyl phosphate complex was 0.50 mM.

As established in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000), the study of aquifers from a quantitative point of view is fundamental for adopting water management plans aimed at preserving the water resource and at reducing environmental risks. In this paper authors present a first approach to hydrogeological numerical modeling of the urban and sub-urban city of Rome at sub-basin scale. The model ROMA is a 3D, steady state numerical model covering an area of 237 km2, implemented by the finite-difference code MODFLOW 2000®. The alluvial aquifer of the Tiber River Valley, which runs in the middle of the City in a NNW-SE direction, has been analyzed in detail, since it is covered by a densely populated area hosting mostly of the Rome’s historical heritage, and it is characterized by low quality geotechnical parameters. The implementation of a numerical model allowed to verify the conceptual model, reduce the uncertainty related to the main components of water budget, especially recharge in urban areas and water abstraction rates, and to set the base for future local scale models.

I depositi travertinosi sono una diretta conseguenza delle manifestazioni sorgive e rappresentano il litotipo che meglio esprime la velocità e la capacità che le acque sorgive hanno nel generare roccia in un indissolubile rapporto tra risorsa idrica e risorsa lapidea. Si individuano varie facies di travertino in relazione alla idrodinamica dei flussi che li generano, alle caratteristiche chimico-fisiche delle acque, ai contesti idrogeologici in cui si depositano e alle condizioni climatiche. Essi normalmente si presentano stratificati con intercalazioni frequenti di altri litotipi prodotti da processi fluviali, lacustri e vulcanici. I complessi travertinosi costituiscono degli acquiferi caratterizzati da elevata permeabilità sia primaria (per porosità), che secondaria (per fratturazione e carsismo). Quando le emergenze che li hanno generati si esauriscono, essi divengono una testimonianza di quello che era stato un fenomeno di emergenza, che potremmo chiamare paleosorgente. In queste condizioni, i depositi di travertino, anche se non sono più ricaricati dai flussi idrici sotterranei che li generarono, seguitano ad essere degli acquiferi normalmente ricaricati da precipitazioni. Relativamente alla Regione Lazio questi depositi, pur avendo una limitata estensione, presentano una grande diffusione; in relazione allo spessore, i banchi di travertino possono costituire corpi potenti fino ad un centinaio di metri. In generale, considerandoli come acquiferi essi sono caratterizzati da permeabilità medio-alta ed ospitano sia falde “libere” che “confinate”. Nel Lazio gli ambienti di formazione sono connessi sia a circuiti geotermici che carsici, ma molti bacini di formazione non sono più attivi, nel senso che non vi si formano depositi attuali (Fiano-Soratte, Cisterna, Sora ecc.). In molti bacini, invece, se pure in maniera ridotta rispetto ad un passato più o meno recente, si osservano ancora fenomeni di travertinizzazione a ridosso delle emergenze e nelle depressioni lacustri o in quelle canalizzate (Acque Albule, bacino di Viterbo, Piana di Cotilia, Piana di Cassino, Piana di Sora-Fibreno). Nei decenni passati gli acquiferi in travertino sono stati studiati con i metodi della idrogeologia quantitativa prevalentemente da enti di gestione della acque e del territorio ACEA, Cassa per il Mezzogiorno) e secondariamente da laboratori di ricerca. In questa nota viene presentato un quadro generale relativo alla presenza di acquiferi in travertino nella Regione, unitamente ad alcuni casi di studio che costituiscono degli approfondimenti, sia in relazione agli schemi geologici, sia in relazione alle metodologie utilizzate. I case history appartengono sia ad ambienti di formazione termali (Fiora-Monte Fumaiolo; alto strutturale di Monte Razzano; Acque Albule; Cisterna), che carsici (Cotilia-Peschiera, Tufano-Anagni). I livelli tematici che supportano questi studi sono relativi a: assetto geologico strutturale, geomorfologia, geofisica, assetto idrogeologico e caratterizzazione geochimica. Il bacino delle Acque Albule è il più famoso tra quelli considerati e costituisce un grande laboratorio scientifico a cielo aperto. In relazione a ciò viene maggiormente sviluppata l’analisi di questo singolare contesto geologico che nell’ultimo decennio è stato oggetto di studi approfonditi finanziati e favoriti dagli imprenditori del travertino e più specificamente dal Centro di Valorizzazione del Travertino Romano. Nel bacino di Tivoli sono ubicate emergenze idriche termali a bassa entalpia che complessivamente sviluppano una portata di circa 5000 l/s. La ricarica di queste sorgenti si genera nei Monti Sabini meridionali (Lucretili, Tiburtini, Predestini) e si trasmette alle sorgenti attraverso un potente fenomeno di sifonamento al di sotto di complessi neogenici prevalentemente coesivi tettonizzati. Gli usi attuali di queste acque sono molto diversificati e comprendono tutte le tipologie: potabile, termale, agricolo, industriale e domestico. Il Laboratorio di Idrogeologia quantitativa di Roma Tre da circa dieci anni sta conducendo studi quantitativi sul bacino di ricarica e sul complesso acquifero dei travertini realizzando campagne di rilevamento idrogeologico, monitoraggio della falda dei travertini e modelli numerici per la simulazione del comportamento degli acquiferi.

A preliminary hydrostratigraphic model of the city of Rome (Italy) was completed through the analysis of geological and hydrogeological data, and by using geographic information system (GIS)-based operations. The complex lithostratigraphic setting of a local Quaternary volcano-sedimentary multilayer was simplified into hydrostratigraphic complexes considering textural properties of terrains and hydraulic conductivity values. The Tiber River Valley, in the middle of the urban area, was analyzed separately from the surrounding areas. GIS tools were used in a multiple-step procedure to reconstruct the geometry of bounding surfaces of the main hydrostratigraphic complexes. Particular care was given to the characterization of a confined gravelly aquifer lying at the base of the upper Pleistocene–Holocene alluvium that fills the Tiber Valley. Updated isobaths and thickness maps of this layer were produced. Three-dimensional reconstruction identifies areas of potential recharge between the alluvium aquifer and the surrounding hydrostratigraphic complexes. In the central sector of the city, the gravel deposits are laterally confined by a thick aquitard corresponding to the Pliocene clayey bedrock of the city; in contrast, a potential recharge area can be hypothesized in the northern areas, where the upper Pleistocene–Holocene valley cross cuts the Paleotiber Graben, filled with older and highly permeable gravels and clays.

New stratigraphic constraints have been detailed for the Amatrice Basin, an intermountain morpho-structural depression of the central Apennines (Italy) hosting up to 60-m-thick Quaternary continental deposits. Through the results coming from a 1:5,000 scale field survey and from facies analyses, we documented the geometry, thickness, and extent of the post-orogenic continental deposits filling this basin. The Quaternary deposits form a complex architecture of purely aggradational and aggradational/degradational terraces with a dominant component of conglomerates and gravels, at the bottom, and subordinate sands, at the top. The Quaternary deposits overlie an up to 1-km-thick succession of flysch sediments that accumulated in the western Laga Basin during the Miocene syn-orogenic phases in central Apennines. The collected data are used to constrain the style and mechanisms of both syn-orogenic (i.e., subsidence and terrigenous sedimentation in foredeep environment) and post-orogenic (i.e., uplift, erosion, and continental sedimentation) phases documented for the central Apennines. In particular, the post-orogenic history of the Amatrice Basin, if compared with those of surrounding intermountain basins of the central Apennines, includes limited basin subsidence, reduced thickness of the post-orogenic covers and progressive deepening of the drainage network during the Quaternary. The results shed light on the source-to-sink history of the Amatrice Basin, which results from a long-lived interaction between regional-scale factors (climate changes, chain uplift, and extensional tectonic regime) that influenced the activity of the hydrodynamic pattern and the amount of intrabasinal sedimentation during the Quaternary.

Promoting rail systems can represent a useful policy for rebalancing modal choices and reducing private car use, especially in high density contexts. Obviously, an increase in passenger numbers is only possible if generalised costs (i.e. a weighted sum of times and monetary costs) associated to public transport are abated. According to the recent literature and current professional practice, most strategies for achieving this objective are based only on infrastructural interventions which may be unfeasible or inadequate in densely populated contexts. Likewise, the adoption of policies based on replacing existing fleets or reducing fare levels entails increases in national or regional subsidies, which would be difficult to achieve in the current economic climate. Hence, our proposal is based on investigating effects on travel demand arising from the replacement or upgrading of existing signalling systems (both in terms of trackside and on-board equipment). Indeed, the recent European Union policy to create a single transnational interoperable rail network imposes the development of innovative signalling systems. In this context, since cost-benefit analysis has to be implemented to verify the economic and environmental feasibility of the proposed intervention strategy, an appropriate method should be developed to estimate passenger flows according to future configurations. In this paper, we propose a method to determine travel demand in current and future contexts by appropriately processing data from Italy's national census on mobility, population growth forecasts and turnstile counts. The proposed approach is applied to the regional ‘Naples–Sorrento’ rail line serving the metropolitan area of Naples in southern Italy in order to show its feasibility.

In high-density contexts, such as urban or metropolitan areas, decision makers and mobility managers have to adopt suitable strategies to reduce the use of private cars and promote public transport. Indeed, such strategies may help abate the negative impacts of transportation systems (congestion, air and noise pollution, etc.). However, appropriate measures are only effective if based on the provision of high quality public transport services. Such aims can be achieved by organising public transport within an integrated framework where rail/metro services are the high-performing mobility backbone and bus services have a feeder function, increasing the geographical coverage of rail services. However, since a faulty train cannot be easily removed or overtaken, a rail/metro system is highly vulnerable to system breakdowns which could entail significant reductions in system quality. Suitable intervention strategies therefore have to be developed to manage rail system emergencies. The aim of this paper is to provide a method to determine optimal intervention strategies in the case of a metro system failure. Since in real contexts an exhaustive approach has to be excluded due to the huge number of alternative solutions to be evaluated, it is necessary to adopt or develop appropriate algorithms to obtain sub-optimal solutions within suitable computational times. Hence a Neighbourhood Search Algorithm (NSA) to identify the optimal solution is applied and tested in the case of a real metro line in order to show the feasibility of our proposal.

Conformational constrained β-hairpin peptides are useful tool to modulate protein-protein interactions. A triazole bridge in hydrogen-bonded positions between two antiparallel strands induces a conformational stabilization of the β-hairpin peptide. The entity of the stability of the β-hairpin peptide depends on the length of the bridge.

A rail system may be considered a useful tool for reducing vehicular flows on a road system (i.e. cars and trucks), especially in high-density contexts such as urban and metropolitan areas where greenhouse gas emissions need to be abated. In particular, since travellers maximise their own utility, variations in mobility choices can be induced only by significantly improving the level-of-service of public transport. Our specific proposal is to identify the economic and environmental effects of implementing an innovative signalling system (which would reduce passenger waiting times) by performing a cost-benefit analysis based on a feasibility threshold approach. Hence, it is necessary to calculate long-term benefits and compare them with intervention costs. In this context, a key factor to be considered is travel demand estimation in current and future conditions. This approach was tested on a regional rail line in southern Italy to show the feasibility and utility of the proposed methodology.

The heterocyclic ligands [1,2,4]triazolo-[1,5-a]pyrimidine (tp) and 5,7-dimethyl-[1,2,4]triazolo-[1,5-a]pyrimidine (dmtp), react with diorganotin dichlorides giving the addition compounds Me2SnCl2(tp)2, Et2SnCl2(tp)2, Me2SnCl2(dmtp)2, Et2SnCl2(dmtp)2, Bu2SnCl2(dmtp), Ph2SnCl2(dmtp). The organotin:ligand stoichiometry goes from 1:2 to 1:1 by increasing the steric hindrance of the organic groups bound to tin. The compounds have been characterized by means of infrared, 119Sn Mossbauer and 1H AND 13C NMR spectroscopy. The ligands presumably coordinate to tin classically through the nitrogen atom at the position 3. The 1:1 complexes adopt trigonal bipyramidal structures, with the organic groups on the equatorial plane and the ligand in the apical position. All-trans octahedral structures are inferred for the 1:2 complexes, except for Et2SnCl2(tp)2, characterized by a skew-trapezoidal structure. 119Sn Mossbauer measurements, at room temperature, in concomitance with DFT calculations, performed on isomeric structures of R2SnCl2(tp)2 (R = Me, Et), allowed us to conclude that the all-trans octahedral coordination induces self-assembly in the solid state, possibly accomplished through π–π stacking interactions among the planar ligands coordinated to the organotin(IV) compound, while the skew-trapezoidal structure attributed to Et2SnCl2(tp)2, induces the formation of monomeric adducts in the solid state. In vitro antimicrobial tests showed that [n-Bu2SnCl2(dmtp)] has interesting properties as anti Gram-positive and antibiofilm agent.

Tri-organotin(IV) complexes of the triazolo-pyrimidine derivatives 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-[1,2,4]triazolo-[1,5 a ]pyrimidine (5HtpO), 4,7-dihydro-5-methyl-7-oxo-[1,2,4]triazolo-[1,5 a ]pyrimidine (HmtpO), and 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-5,7-dioxo-[1,2,4]triazolo-[1,5 a ]pyrimidine (H 2 tpO 2 ), and the diorganotin derivative n -Bu 2 Sn(tpO 2 ), were synthesized and characterized by means of infrared and 119 Sn Mossbauer spectroscopy. In all the complexes obtained the triazolopyrimidines act as multidentate ligands producing polymeric structures. A trigonal bipyramidal arrangement of the ligands around the tin atom is proposed for triorganotin(IV) derivatives, with organic groups on the equatorial plane and bridging anionic ligands. DFT calculations were performed on the structure of H 2 tpO 2 and on its mono- an di-anions, to investigate their harmonic vibrational modes. The observed trend of the experimental and calculated carbonyl stretching frequencies furnishes a support for the interpretation of the structure of the organotin(IV) complexes obtained with this ligand. The structure of n -Bu 2 Sn(tpO 2 ) was elucidated by quantum chemical calculations, performed on a model system of the polymeric complex by a two layers ONIOM method. The combined experimental and theoretical results obtained support for a trans - n -Bu 2 distorted octahedral geometry, with the tpO 2 2 - units acting as bis-chelate ligands bridging the diorganotin(IV) moieties, and with the N(1)O(7) and N(4)O(5) chelating groups in the equatorial plane showing a cis -O 2 , or cis -N 2 , coordination. In vitro antimicrobial tests were performed on n -Bu 3 Sn(HtpO 2 ) and Ph 3 Sn(HtpO 2 ), and a good antifungal and antibiofilm activity was observed, in particular for n -Bu 3 Sn(HtpO 2 ).

Introduction: In patients with arterial hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD), the prevalence of diastolic heart failure (HF-PEF) is probably very high. However, in these patients the diagnosis is difficult, especially because the signs and symptoms suggestive of HF-PEF are very common in CKD; in these cases the detection of left ventricular structural and functional alterations (as reported in the 2012 ESC guidelines on heart failure), assumes a decisive role for the diagnosis of HF-PEF. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of patients with diastolic dysfunction according to ESC guidelines 2012 in a population of Hypertensive patients with CKD. Methods: We studied 466 hypertensive patients with mean age of 62.3 ± 12.6 years (M/F = 262/204) suffering from chronic kidney disease (stages 3-4-5 KDIGO), with a mean value of GFR equal to 26.8 ± 15.1 mL/min/1.73 m2. The criteria for exclusion from the study were: EF\50 %, other cardiovascular diseases that could cause heart failure. Were considered with diastolic dysfunction, all patients with a value of Em (evaluated with tissue Doppler imaging at lateral mitral annulus) less than 10 cm/s. Results: We found a value of Em \10 cm/s in 331/466 patients (71 %). In order to determine the role of CKD to explain the very high prevalence of diastolic dysfunction, we selected 160 hypertensive patients with overlapping features to the previous group with regard to age, sex, BMI, etc. In this population the prevalence of diastolic dysfunction was 43.7 %. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate a very high prevalence of diastolic dysfunction in the studied population; it is possible to assume that a large proportion of these patients had HF-PEF or is at high risk for its development. The finding of a lower prevalence of diastolic dysfunction in a hypertensive population supports the hypothesis of a decisive role of CKD in determining diastolic dysfunction and HF-PEF.

La storia dell’avvocatura ha conosciuto negli ultimi anni una straordinaria fortuna grazie alle tante iniziative editoriali e scientifiche che hanno contribuito a far luce su un terreno di studi, concordemente segnalato dagli specialisti, come uno tra i più ricchi e proficui per la comprensione dell’età contemporanea. Oggi disponiamo dei primi quadri complessivi nazionali che ricostruiscono i nodi cruciali del professionismo giuridico italiano, nonché di studi dedicati ad alcune esperienze regionali sui profili o sull’organizzazione istituzionale dell’avvocatura. Il lavoro è tutt’oggi in corso e molti sono i percorsi che aspettano di essere indagati per giungere ad una conoscenza approfondita dei professionisti del diritto in Italia. Tra gli obiettivi più urgenti si segnala la storia locale dell’avvocatura e degli ordini professionali, che ricopre un ruolo centrale nella vicenda per via della peculiare storia politica della penisola e per le numerose varianti offerte dalle esperienze preunitarie, che molto incisero sui lavori di preparazione della prima legge di disciplina per gli avvocati e procuratori del Regno d’Italia del 1874. In linea con queste finalità, il lavoro che si presenta ha l’ambizione di volere gettare le prime luci sulla storia dell’avvocatura napoletana, ripercorrendo uno dei momenti decisivi per il professionismo moderno: il passaggio dall’organizzazione di stampo corporativo propria della tradizione settecentesca alla formazione dell’ordine degli avvocati e dei procuratori. Non si tratta di una semplice ristrutturazione degli organi rappresentativi dei professionisti del diritto ma di una rifondazione delle competenze, delle funzioni, delle responsabilità degli avvocati nei nascenti Stati nazionali. Dunque, una trasformazione complessiva dell’immagine del giurista pratico alle soglie dell’unificazione politica italiana, che nel Mezzogiorno e a Napoli in particolare si colora di tinte forti e ne fanno una storia irripetibile nella cornice italiana.

The optimal management of unresectable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in older patients has not been defined to date. The present phase II study was planned to evaluate the activity and safety of platinum-based induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Patients received two cycles of paclitaxel (175 mg/m) and carboplatin (area under the curve: 5) day 1, every 3 weeks. Chemoradiotherapy (thoracic radiation therapy) was initiated on day 42 and consisted of 1.8 Gy daily, five times per week over 5 weeks (45.0 Gy target dose) followed by 10 2.0 Gy daily fractions. Concomitant chemotherapy was weekly paclitaxel 50 mg/mq followed by weekly carboplatin at an area under the curve of 2. The eligibility for patients: age 70 or older and histologically documented untreated non-small-cell lung cancer, locally advanced, unresectable, stage III A N2 bulky or III B. Thirty consecutive patients were enrolled onto the study. The median age was 73 (range 70-76). According to the intention-to-treat analysis, 1 month after the end of combined chemoradiotherapy, we observed complete and partial responses in one and 19 of the 30 patients, respectively, for an overall response rate of 66% (95% confidence interval, 45-76%). Median progression-free survival was 8.7 months (95% confidence interval, 3.4-37.8) and median survival was 15 months (95% confidence interval, 4.2-52.1). During the treatment, 12 patients (40.0%) experienced grade 3-4 neutropenia, two patients neutropenic fever, and three patients grade 3 anaemia and grade 3 thrombocytopenia, respectively. Grade 3 oesophagitis, during concomitant radiotherapy, was observed in six patients (20.0%). No treatment-related mortality was reported. The investigated sequential approach including induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy appears safe and seems a reasonable chance for the treatment of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in the elderly population.