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The hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus is a typical organism from intertidal regions being considered as a good bioindicator of tributyltin presence at these environments. Thus this study presents the analytical performance and validation method for TBT quantification in tissues of C. vittatus by gas chromatography with pulsed flame photometric detector (GC-PFPD) after extraction with an apolar solvent (toluene) and Grignard derivatization. The limits of detection of the method (LOD) were 2.0 and 2.8 ng g -1 for TBT and DBT (dibutyltin), respectively, and its limits of quantification (LOQ) were 6.6 and 8.9 ng g-1 for TBT and DBT, respectively. The method was applied to samples from Santos Estuary, São Paulo State, Brazil. TBT and DBT concentrations ranged from 26.7 to 175.0 ng g -1 and from 46.2 to 156.0 ng g -1, respectively. These concentrations are worrisome since toxic effects (such as endocrine disruption) have been reported for other organisms even under lower levels of registred at this study. © 2012 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.

Endothelial cells are involved in important pathological situations. They could be the target for infectious processes as for example in Cowdriosis, an important disease in cattle due to the rickettsia Cowdria ruminantium prevalent in the south of the Sahara. They are also connected to angiogenic processes related to tumor invasion.Our results indicate that AIDS related Kaposi sarcoma cells may be of endothelial origin. We conclude from our data the mobility of those cells, related to the expression of the metalloproteinases (especially the 92 kD form of the enzyme), is an important factor in Kaposi saroma dissemination and is the main factor limiting the scale up of Cowdriosis vaccine production in Bovine Umbilical Endothelial Cell line. We showed that PMA and TNF increased the 92 kD Metallaproteinase and that TGFβ, produced in an inactive form in cultures of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells, is a potential inhibitor of Kaposi sarcoma spreading, and could also be useful in improving our process for Cowdria ruminantium vaccine production, since it reduces the sensitivity of the cells to mechanical stress without affecting significantly the overall infectious process.

During the past 150 yr, the city of Almaty (formerly Verny) in Kazakhstan has suffered significant damage due to several large earthquakes. The 9 June 1887 Mw 7.3 Verny earthquake occurred at a time when the city mainly consisted of adobe buildings with a population of 30,000, with it being nearly totally destroyed with 300 deaths. The 3 January 1911 Mw 7.8 Kemin earthquake caused 390 deaths, with 44 in Verny itself. Remarkably, this earthquake, which occurred around 40 km from Verny, caused significant soil deformation and ground failure in the city. A crucial step toward preparing for future events, mitigating against earthquake risk, and defining optimal engineering designs, involves undertaking site response studies. With regard to this, we investigate the possibility that the extreme ground failure observed after the 1911 Kemin earthquake could have been enhanced by the presence of a shallow frozen ground layer that may have inhibited the drainage of pore pressure excess through the surface, therefore inducing liquefaction at depth. We make use of information collected regarding the soil conditions around the city at the time of the earthquakes, the results from seismic noise analysis, borehole data, and surface temperature data. From these datasets, we estimated the necessary parameters for evaluating the dynamic properties of the soil in this area. We successively characterize the corresponding sediment layers at the sites of the observed liquefaction. Although the estimated soil parameters are not optimally constrained, the dynamic analysis, carried out using selected strong‐motion recordings that are expected to be compatible with the two considered events, indicated that the extensive ground failure that occurred during the Kemin event could be due to the presence of a superficial frozen soil layer. Our results indicate that for this region, possible seasonal effects should, therefore, be considered when undertaking site effect studies.

After a strong earthquake, the rapid identification of the extent of the affected area is the most crucial task of civil protection authorities. The information provided by those directly affected by an event makes the difference since it offers the opportunity to take advantage of direct observations and, in the case alert systems are available, to verify if they worked properly. Thanks to the fruitful collaboration between the Regional Civil Protection of Friuli Venezia Giulia and the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS in Italy, a procedure for collecting rapid information about the impact of an earthquake using an expert crowdsourcing approach has been in place for some years. The volunteers of the civil protection, appropriately trained, upon receipt of the seismic event notification, are asked to rapidly compile a specific questionnaire, describing the impact of the event. Data are rapidly coded, and the results are summarized in a seismic impact map showing the effect of the earthquake throughout the territory in a simplified way. This map complements the impact estimation provided by the analysis of recorded shaking data. This paper describes the results obtained by analyzing the “Trained Volunteers Seismic Evaluation” questionnaire (TVSE) completed by volunteers for some of the most significant events in recent years.

Il 5 marzo 1823 si verificò un terremoto che investì gran parte della Sicilia settentrionale. Numerosi danni si verificarono a Palermo, nelle aree limitrofe a sud e ovest della capitale, in alcuni centri delle Madonie e nelle zone situate lungo il litorale e l’immediato entroterra tirrenico da Palermo a Patti (in particolare a Naso). Il contributo intende indagare, attraverso lo studio delle opere degli autori coevi al sisma e soprattutto di una copiosa documentazione archivistica, le modalità attraverso le quali ci si raffrontò con i problemi determinati dal terremoto, dalla gestione dell'emergenza, all'analisi dei danni e delle successive ricostruzioni. Dal quadro tracciato emerge in particolare il carattere di sistematicità e razionalità che contraddistingue l'intera vicenda, che vede tra i protagonisti alcuni dei più noti esponenti della cultura tecnica del tempo, quali ad esempio gli ingegneri camerali Luigi Speranza, Giuseppe Patti e Alessandro Emmanuele Marvuglia. La capillare azione di verifica e monitoraggio delle condizioni dei patrimoni architettonici e i conseguenti interventi di consolidamento e riparazione proposti sono testimoniati efficacemente dai quadri analitici dei danni sui centri colpiti dal sisma e dalle numerose perizie prodotte sugli edifici monumentali. Si porrà inoltre attenzione all'aspetto normativo, attraverso l'analisi delle disposizioni emanate dal governo, anche attraverso un raffronto con precedenti terremoti, quali ad esempio quello di Palermo del 1726. The March 5, 1823 there was an earthquake that hit much of northern Sicily. Numerous damages occurred in Palermo, in the south west of the capital and surrounding areas, in some Madonie centers and in areas along the coast and the hinterland Tyrrhenian from Palermo to Patti (particularly in Naso). This work is intended to investigate, through the study of the books of contemporary authors to the earthquake, and a copious archival documentation, the ways in which one comparison with the problems caused by the earthquake, the emergency management of the harm of successive reconstructions. From framework emerges in particular the systematic character and rationality that characterizes the whole story, which involve some of the most famous exponents of the architectural culture of the time, such as engineers Luigi Speranza, Giuseppe Patti and Alessandro Emmanuele Marvuglia. The capillary action of verification and monitoring of the conditions of the architectural heritage and the consequent consolidation and repair work proposed are proved effectively by analytical frameworks of the damage on the affected towns and numerous expert reports produced on monumental buildings. Emphasis will also attention to the regulatory, through the analysis of the provisions issued by the government, also through a comparison with previous earthquakes, such as that of Palermo of 1726.

Il contributo è volto ad esaminare i disegni relativi alle architetture classiche compiuti da Viollet-le-Duc durante il suo viaggio in Sicilia nel 1836. La marcata eterogeneità del suo repertorio iconografico, sia in relazione ai soggetti rappresentati e alla scala dimensionale, spaziando dalle vedute di paesaggio ai particolari architettonici, che alla tecnica e al tipo di rappresentazione, dalle prospettive pittoriche alle proiezioni ortogonali, oltre a denotare una notevole abilità grafica, evidenzia la vastità dei suoi interessi. L'esame dei disegni è accompagnato dallo studio delle lettere inviate ai familiari durante il suo soggiorno nell'isola e del suo diario (Journal).