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The b value of the Gutenberg - Richter distribution is estimated as a function of a threshold magnitude m_th and it is found to depend on m_th for magnitudes larger than the completeness magnitude m_c. We identify a magnitude interval [m_c;m_m] where b is a decreasing function of m_th followed by a regime of increasing b for large magnitudes. This is a common feature of experimental catalogues for different geographic areas. The increase at large m_th is explained in terms of an upper magnitude cut-off in experimental catalogues due to finite size effects. We develop a rigorous mathematical framework to relate the decrease of b in the intermediate regime to the functional form of the distribution of the b values. We propose two hypotheses: The first is that the spatial and temporal vari- ability of b leads to a b distribution peaked around its average value. The second is that mainshocks and aftershocks are distributed according to the Gutenberg-Richter law with different b values, leading to a bimodal distribution of b. Simulated Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequences (ETAS) catalogues, generated according to this hypothesis, exhibit the same magnitude distribution of experimental ones. In alternative we cannot exclude the b dependence on m caused by magnitudes not homogeneously evaluated in a seismic catalogue. In the latter scenario our results provide the correction terms to the estimated magnitudes.

We develop a mechanical model of tight clusters of coplanar seismic asperities, to investigate a particular microearthquake swarm located at 8 km depth in the Corinth rift in Greece, which was active between 2001 and 2007. Although it is classified as a multiplet based on waveform similarity, this seismic sequence is much more complex than a repeating earthquake sequence, and cannot be interpreted as the regular failure of a single asperity forced by surrounding aseismic creep. Here, we suggest that such complex sequences could be generated by the failure of a set of coplanar asperities interacting in a small region of a fault segment. We show that in order to reproduce the dynamics of the observed sequence and the characteristics of the events, the cluster of asperities has to be located very close to an aseismically slipping fault segment, which could be an updip extension of the deep detachment zone in the rift, creeping at 1.5 cm/yr. For more general cases of coplanar clustered asperities, we show that the shape of the cumulative coseismic displacement pattern associated with the repeated failures of the asperities is strongly controlled by the behavior of the fault area surrounding the asperity cluster. In particular, if the cluster is part of a locked fault area, the resulting long-term cumulative displacement is maximum at the center of the cluster. In contrast, an asperity cluster surrounded by aseismic creep leads to a uniform cumulative coseismic slip pattern. The ratio between cumulative slip at the center of the seismogenic patch and cumulative slip at its periphery could therefore be an indicator of the mechanical conditions prevailing on the fault. A systematic study of the source parameters of complex microseismic sequences could therefore provide insights into the mechanical state of active faults continuously generating microseismicity.

We propose a method to precisely estimate earthquake source parameters as magnitude, size of rupture, stress-drop and coseismic slip, and their uncertainties. This method, that relies on a Bayesian approach, allows the determination of the scalar seismic moment, corner frequency (fc) and their associated uncertainties, by inverting ratios between seismic displacement spectra of nearby located earthquakes.We apply this method to a large earthquake multiplet (56 events) located under the northern coast of the Corinth gulf at 8 km depth. This multiplet, is regularly active between 2001 and 2007. Results show fcP /fcS ratios globally between 1.0 and 1.5 which is compatible with the values predicted by Madariagas circular rupture model. In details, 6 earthquakes however exhibit corner frequency variations as a function of the station azimuth compatible with linear rupture propagation. Magnitude ranges 1.08 and 2.80 with a b-value of 1.04. Source rupture length globally ranges between 40 and 170 m for stress drop between 1 and 100 MPa. We show that the number of ruptures and the cumulated coseismic slip are maximal at the center of the multiplet: this suggests that Multiplet-866 could be seen as a weak seismogenic patch surrounded by a locked fault. How-ever, the large value of the maximum coseismic slip cumulated over the period 2000–2008 (10 cm) rather suggests creep allowing rapid stress reloading and repeated earthquakes with short delays. We therefore propose that Multiplet-866 is surrounded by a heterogeneous fault surface with both locked and creeping areas.

Aftershocks are the most striking evidence of earthquake interactions and the physical mechanisms at the origin of their occurrence are still intensively debated. Novel insights stem from recent results on the influence of the faulting style on the aftershock organisation in magnitude and time. Our study shows that the size of the aftershock zone depends on the fault geometry. We find that positive correlations among parameters controlling aftershock occurrence in time, energy and space are a stable feature of seismicity independently of magnitude range and geographic areas. We explain the ensemble of experimental findings by means of a description of the Earth Crust as an heterogeneous elastic medium coupled with a Maxwell viscoelastic asthenosphere. Our results show that heterogeneous stress distribution in an elastic layer combined with a coupling to a viscous flow are sufficient ingredients to describe the physics of aftershock triggering.

Objective To investigate the role of T2-DRIVE MRI sequence in the accurate measurement of pituitary stalk (PS) size and the identification of PS abnormalities in patients with hypothalamic–pituitary disorders without the use of gadolinium. Design This was a retrospective study conducted on 242 patients who underwent MRI due to pituitary dysfunction between 2006 and 2015. Among 135 eligible patients, 102 showed eutopic posterior pituitary (PP) gland and 33 showed ‘ectopic’ PP (EPP). Methods Two readers independently measured the size of PS in patients with eutopic PP at the proximal, midpoint and distal levels on pre- and post-contrast T1-weighted as well as T2-DRIVE images; PS visibility was assessed on pre-contrast T1 and T2-DRIVE sequences in those with EPP. The length, height, width and volume of the anterior pituitary (AP), PP height and length and PP area were analyzed. Results Significant agreement between the two readers was obtained for T2-DRIVE PS measurements in patients with ‘eutopic’ PP; a significant difference was demonstrated between the intraclass correlation coefficient calculated on the T2-DRIVE and the T1-pre- and post-contrast sequences. The percentage of PS identified by T2-DRIVE in EPP patients was 72.7% compared to 30.3% of T1 pre-contrast sequences. A significant association was found between the visibility of PS on T2-DRIVE and the height of AP. Conclusion T2-DRIVE sequence is extremely precise and reliable for the evaluation of PS size and the recognition of PS abnormalities; the use of gadolinium-based contrast media does not add significant information and may thus be avoided.

International audience; We report evidence for frictional afterslip at shallow depths (about 5 to 7 km) during a small‐magnitude seismic sequence (with ML

The research presented in this thesis focuses on the Italian iuris doctor Ippolito Marsili (Bologna 1450 - Bologna 1530). One of the founders of criminal law scholarship and teacher of the first known criminal law course, Ippolito Marsili is aknowledged as a prominent scholar of his age; nonetheless, his biographical and scientific profile still awaits an organic recontruction. The aim of the research is to examine a few aspects of the life and work of this jurist, in order to provide a starting point for a possible comprehensive study. The dissertation is divided into two parts. The first part is centered on Marsili's biography. In chapter 1 a short account of the Marsili family is presented; in particular, I highlighted the links of the family with the powerful Milanese Signoria of the Sforza. Chapter 2 is focused on the main stages of the jurist's life. After discussing a few problems concerning his doctoral degree (his alleged canon law degree is missing), I analyzed his professional career as a teacher - in Bologna - and as a judge - mainly in the Sforza dominion. The research shows a very strong, almost frantic connection between these two activities, which sometimes even seem to overlap; such a feature mirrors the bond between theory and practice of law that Marsili will later pour into his works. In his relationship with political power, our character reveals the struggle of the typically medieval, autonomous jurist to exercise his role in the growing, bureaucratic State entities. Finally, the research shows how - contrary to a generally accepted tradition - Marsili cannot be considered the inventor of the ?sleep deprivation? torture technique, which he arguably gathered from the praxis of the Lugano (Switzerland). The biographical part is completed in chapter 3 with an account of Marsili's literary production: lecturae/commentaria and repetitiones on the Corpus iuris, a few tractatus, a collection of singularia and his consilia. The second part of the thesis examines Marsili's main work, a criminal law treatise named Practica criminalis Averolda nuncupata (approx. 1525). Chapter 4 summarizes the development of criminal law science and the literary genre of Tractatus or Practicae criminales. Marsili's work can be thought of as a transition point between the ?medieval forerunners? and the ?mature? modern Practicae: such a position awards it peculiar and noteworthy features. Chapter 5 is dedicated to the Averolda's formal properties, examined through a comparison with a few other medieval and modern works of the kind. Practicae criminales have a main practical nature: they rationalize the criminal law emerging from medieval courts and statutes outside the scope of the Corpus iuris. Compared to other works, however, Marsili's Practica has a strong theoretical and educational purpose, combined with the practical scopes. Despite being written in the first half of the sixteenth century, the sources employed in this work (as in all the medieval ones) are the roman-canon law and the opinio doctorum. The Courts' decisiones are rapidly overcoming the scholars' law, and will have a central role in the modern Practicae, giving a territorial facet to ius commune; nonetheless, the Averolda completely ignores them, standing by a universalis, scholar-led system. Marsili's use of scholastic dialectics and particularly of the quaestio - resounding medieval procedures - reveals the purpose of extracting general rules and principles from case law, rather than giving precise solutions to each issue; the author intends to guide the reader through the reasoning behind the ermeneutic process. On the contrary, the main modern Practicae tend to reduce the role of the opiniones doctorum - often generically summarized as communis opinio - and to provide definite, clear solutions to practical issues, following the Courts' stylus. Finally, the Practicae criminales are generally deemed to lack a significant contribution to the building of a dogmatic/systematic order specific to penal law. However, the research shows how both the medieval, dialectic patterns and the modern, rationalistic structures of these works do present a ?dogmatic development?: through a diachronic analysis of the defensive activity in courtrooms, I highlighted how Marsili and his colleagues, with different methods, shape a set of rules and principles that gradually separate from the system of the Corpus iuris to form a new, modern system of criminal law. In chapter 6 I turned to the contents of the Averolda, examining the first stages of the per inquisitionem procedure. Specific attention is paid to the rules of imprisonment (carceratio), which show a variety of precautionary measures worthy of further, detailed analysis. Overall, the features of Marsili's Averolda mirror the professional outline of the author: both sides of the research clearly reveal a medieval scholar who faces the challenges of the incipient modern world with his own scientific and professional tools: destined to be progressively discarded, yet such tools prove to have been fruitful for the new age, and to provide us with a better understanding of legal history.

We consider long-time recorded seismic signals of Stromboli volcano to determine the inter-time distribution function of the Strombolian explosion-quakes. We show that it is Poissonian. Hence, the apparently observed periodic recurrence of the explosions is actually described by the constant rate of a Poisson process. Moreover, combining a diffusive model with the experimental inter-time distribution, we can determine the size distributions of the bubbles and infer the observed slug sizes.

The evaluation of seismic hazard in the hours following large earthquakes is strongly affected by biases due to difficulties in determining earthquake location. This leads to the huge incompleteness of instrumental catalogs. Here we show that if, on the one hand, the overlap of aftershock coda waves hides many small events, on the other hand, it leads to a well-determined empirical law controlling the decay of the amplitude of the seismic signal at a given site. The fitting parameters of this law can be related to those controlling the temporal decay of the aftershock number, and it is then possible to obtain short-term postseismic occurrence probability from a single recorded seismic signal. We therefore present a novel procedure which, without requiring earthquake location, produces more accurate and almost real-time forecast, in a site of interest, directly from the signal of a seismic station installed at that site.

The performance of detection methods (culture methods and polymerase chain reaction assay) and plating media used in the same type of samples were determined as well as the specificity of PCR primers to detected Salmonella spp. contamination in layer hen farms. Also, the association of farm characteristics with Salmonella presence was evaluated. Environmental samples (feces, feed, drinking water, air, boot-swabs) and eggs were taken from 40 layer hen houses. Salmonella spp. was most detected in boot-swabs taken around the houses (30% and 35% by isolation and PCR, respectively) follow by fecal samples (15.2% and 13.6% by isolation and PCR, respectively). Eggs, drinking water, and air samples were negative for Salmonella detection. Salmonella Schwarzengrund and S. Enteritidis were the most isolated serotypes. For plating media, relative specificity was 1, and the relative sensitivity was greater for EF-18 agar than XLDT agar in feed and fecal samples. However, relative sensitivity was greater in XLDT agar than EF-18 agar for boot-swab samples. Agreement was between fair to good depending on the sample, and it was good between isolation and PCR (feces and boot-swabs), without agreement for feed samples. Salmonella spp. PCR was positive for all strains, while S. Typhimurium PCR was negative. Salmonella Enteritidis PCR used was not specific. Based in the multiple logistic regression analyses, categorization by counties was significant for Salmonella spp. presence (P-value = 0.010). This study shows the importance of considering different types of samples, plating media and detection methods during a Salmonella spp. monitoring study. In addition, it is important to incorporate the sampling of floors around the layer hen houses to learn if biosecurity measures should be strengthened to minimize the entry and spread of Salmonella in the houses. Also, the performance of some PCR methods and S. Enteritidis PCR should be improved, and biosecurity measures in hen farms must be reinforced in the region of more concentrated layer hen houses to reduce the probability of Salmonella spp. presence. EEA Concepción del Uruguay Fil: Soria, Maria Cecilia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; Argentina. Fil: Soria, Mario Alberto. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; Argentina Fil: Bueno, Dante Javier. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; Argentina Fil: Godano, E.I. Tecnovo S.A.; Argentina Fil: Gómez, S.C. Fundación ArgenINTA, Paraná; Argentina. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Sede Concepción del Uruguay; Argentina Fil: ViaButron, I.A.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; Argentina. Fil: Padin, V.M. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos (INPB) - ANLIS “Dr Carlos G. Malbrán". Servicio de Antígenos y Antisueros; Argentina Fil: Rogé, Ariel D. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos (INPB) - ANLIS “Dr Carlos G. Malbrán". Servicio de Antígenos y Antisueros; Argentina

Die vorliegende Arbeit unternimmt eine Gegenüberstellung der deutschen und der italienischen medizinischen Fachsprache am konkreten Beispiel der Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe. Es wird dabei die Frage gestellt, welche Unterschiede als signifikant bei der Gegenüberstellung der beiden Fachsprachen zu erachten sind und welche terminologischen Äquivalenzen abzuleiten sind. In diesem Sinne werden in einem ersten, theoretischen Teil zunächst die grundlegenden Merkmale von Fachsprachen als auch die wesentlichen Parameter von Terminologie und Terminologiearbeit dargestellt, bevor im zweiten Teil auf die terminologische Analyse eingegangen wird. Gleichfalls wird das entsprechend untersuchte Fachgebiet der Gynäkologie näher betrachtet, in seiner Differenzierung zu anderen medizinischen Fachgebieten untersucht als auch eine Darstellung der wesentlichen Aspekte der darin verwendeten Terminologie vorgenommen. Als Ausgangspunkt für die vorliegende Arbeit wurden Aufklärungsbögen aus dem oben genannten Bereich hinsichtlich der vertikal ausgerichteten externen Fachkommunikation zwischen ÄrztInnen und PatientInnen analysiert. Deren genaue sprachliche als auch strukturelle Betrachtung stellt einen wesentlichen Schritt bei der Ausführung eines hypothetischen Übersetzungsauftrags dar. Diese im Rahmen der theoretischen Auseinandersetzung sowohl mit den Fachinhalten als auch mit der Fachsprache abgeleiteten Methoden, sollen im Rahmen der terminologischen Arbeit im zweiten Abschnitt zur Anwendung kommen. Als Ergebnis wurde ein exemplarisches Fachglossar der gynäkologischen Terminologie erstellt, welches zur Sicherung des Qualitätsstandards einer entsprechenden Übersetzungsleistung dienen soll. Zusammengenommen wird im Rahmen dieser Arbeit auf die überragende Bedeutung einer konzisen terminologischen Herangehensweise verwiesen sowie hinsichtlich der komparativen Merkmale, die Gemeinsamkeiten der deutschen und der italienischen medizinischen Fachsprache im Zusammenhang mit ihren genetischen Wurzeln im Altgriechischen und Lateinischen beleuchtet., The main purpose of this master’s thesis is to provide a contrastive terminological comparison between the German and the Italian specific medical language used in gynecology and obstetrics. Therefore, the fundamental question to be answered concerns the differences that are to be considered as significant in the comparison of the two medical jargons and the terminological equivalences deriving from it. Taking this into consideration, the first theoretical part aims to a more general analysis of the essential divergences between jargon and common language as well as to the depiction of the main characteristics of terminology and of the basic parameters of terminology work. The second, more practical part will be entirely dedicated to the contrastive portrayal of a selection Italian and German gynecological technical terms in form of a glossary. In order to allow a better understanding of medical terminology an entire chapter portrays the history of medicine and the way the intertwining action of different languages - especially Latin and Ancient Greek - influenced the medical terminology into the way we know it today. Furthermore, a more specific overview on the medical specialty of gynecology and obstetrics will also be provided. An essential point of this thesis is the analysis of a selection of informed consents from the above-mentioned medical area, which particularly focuses on the vertically oriented external communication between doctors and patients. The methods exposed in the first section regard the theoretical discourse about specific languages, terminology work and the specificity of gynecological terminology. These elements are to be found in the practical implementation process that characterizes the second part of this work. The resulting glossary contains a representative number of gynecological and obstetrical terms and should serve as a model of terminological research that seeks to ensure the maintenance of high quality standards during the translation process.

The growth of the poultry industry in South America has been explosive in recent years. More than 238 million layers are located in South America producing more than 4 million tons of eggs. Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia are the most important egg producers in this region. Nonenriched cage systems are not prohibited in South America and most of the laying hens are located in battery cage farms, which include automatic and conventional (manual) battery cage systems. Salmonella Gallinarum and Salmonella Enteritidis are the most prevalent serotypes in layer farms. South American countries have different regulations to control Salmonella in their flocks through various National Poultry Improvement Plans. This control is focused on S. Gallinarum biovars Gallinarum and Pullorum, S. Enteritidis, S. Typhimurium, and S. Heidelberg. Inactivated (killed) and attenuated (live) vaccines are available to control Salmonella spp. in poultry in South America, but there are some differences in licensed vaccines.

The investigate the aftershock decay soon after the largest ten sequences occurred in Southern California in last 20 years. We show that this decay becomes independent on the mainshock magnitude MMand on the lower magnitude threshold MIif time is rescaled by an appropriate time scale fixed by the difference MM– MI. This result supports the idea that the missing of recorded earthquakes in first part of aftershock sequences is not an artefact due to catalog incompleteness but a real physical effect. We show that a recently proposed dynamical scaling relationship can reproduce the aftershock decay experimentally observed. This approach gives prediction also in agreement with recent results for the organization of aftershocks after small or intermediate magnitude mainshock in Japan.

Context. Experimental observations indicate that flares and CMEs are often associated, even if the precise relationship between the two phenomena is a still hot and open question. Aims. We present a study of the statistical properties of solar flare and CME temporal organisation, in order to enlighten differences in the mechanisms at the basis of their occurrence. Methods. We analyse experimental catalogs and compare the occurrence rate of flares and CME with the sunspot number. We also perform numerical simulations of simple stochastic models to be compared with experimental data. Results. We find that the CME and flare occurrence rates are related, respectively, linearly and quadratically to the level of solar activity. Conclusions. This behaviour could be understood in terms of correlations among flares: the occurrence of a flare, by perturbing the magnetic configuration, may eventually trigger further flares. This interpretation is supported by the existence of Omori sequences of after-flares following more energetic flares.

Item does not contain fulltext We present an overview of the history, development, technological advancements, current application, and future trends of cranial endoscopy. Neuroendoscopy provides a safe and effective management modality for the treatment of a variety of intracranial disorders, either tumoral or non-tumoral, congenital, developmental, and degenerative, and its knowledge, indications, and limits are fundamental for the armamentarium of the modern neurosurgeon.

SUMMARY The distribution of interevent times between two successive earthquakes is generally modelled as Gamma distribution. However, significant deviations from Gamma distribution have been observed at small interevent times. These deviations can be easily modelled through the introduction of a new parameter in the interevent time distribution. The log-likelihood estimations of the model parameters performed for the data from four earthquake catalogues reveal that the proposed model fits the data well. Finally, the new parameter is interpreted in terms of the c parameter of the Omori law.

Self-organized criticality (SOC) successfully describes power law behaviour of size distribution in many natural phenomena. However, it does not consider time correlations between events and therefore it is unable to reproduce the time occurrence behaviour, namely the inter-event time distribution, extremely relevant for many problems. We present a SOC model with memory: events are nucleated not only as a consequence of the instantaneous value of the local field with respect to the. ring threshold, but on the basis of the whole history of the system. We apply the model to the study of earthquake occurrence and we obtain, without any parameter tuning, excellent agreement with inter-event time and magnitude distributions from the Southern California Catalog.

We analyze a long time–space series of Stromboli volcanic tremors. A very-low-frequency content in the range of 0.02–0.5 Hz has been found by using spectral analysis and independent component analysis. Independent component analysis is an entropy-based technique. We observe the occurrence of a component having a period of 30 sec. Polarization analysis shows that the wave field comes mainly from the crater area, well evidenced by seismometers located around the summit ring, whereas the radiation becomes increasingly scattered at stations located around the base of this volcano. Based on its apparent velocity, the 30-sec component appears to be a slow wave, related to inhomogeneities of the source and/or gas-pressure fluctuations inside the shallow plumbing system.

An increase in the number of smaller magnitude events, retrospectively named foreshocks, is often observed before large earthquakes. We show that the linear density probability of earthquakes occurring before and after small or intermediate mainshocks displays a symmetrical behavior, indicating that the size of the area fractured during the mainshock is encoded in the foreshock spatial organization. This observation can be used to discriminate spatial clustering due to foreshocks from the one induced by aftershocks and is implemented in an alarm-based model to forecast m > 6 earthquakes. A retrospective study of the last 19 years Southern California catalog shows that the daily occurrence probability presents isolated peaks closely located in time and space to the epicenters of five of the six m > 6 earthquakes. We find daily probabilities as high as 25% (in cells of size 0.04 × 0.04deg 2), with significant probability gains with respect to standard models. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.