Friuli Region Research Articles

New dasycladalean algae from the Middle Norian (Upper Triassic) of northern Italy (Mt. Pramaggiore, Carnic Prealps)

In the Eastern Southern Alps of northern Italy (Carnic Prealps, Friuli region), the shallow-water carbonate platform deposits of the Dolomia Principale Fm. (Norian–Rhaetian, Upper Triassic) show best-preserved platform to basin facies transition. The palaeontological study of an algal-rich level recovered from the platform margin facies (Mt. Pramaggiore) has displayed a very interesting association of Dasycladales. Two new genera (Bystrickyella and Elliottporella) and four new species (Bystrickyella ottii, Elliottporella morelloae, Palaeodasycladus lorigae and Holosporella conradii) have been described. These new data suggest that the Norian represents a period of turnover in the evolutionary history of the green algae community. This stage, placed between two extinctions, end-Ladinian and end-Norian, is here interpreted as a re-organization period of the evolutionary schemes of Dasycladales. The new lineages originated in the Norian developed further and characterized the Early Jurassic scenery.

Modelling the probability of occurrence of shallow landslides and channelized debris flows using GEOtop‐FS

AbstractThis paper describes a coupled, distributed, hydrological‐geotechnical model, GEOtop‐FS, which simulates the probability of occurrence of shallow landslides and debris flows. We use a hydrological distributed model, GEOtop, which, models latent and sensible heat fluxes and surface runoff, and computes soil moisture in 3‐D by solving Richards'equation numerically, together with an infinite‐slope geotechnical model, GEOtop‐FS. The combined model allows both the hydraulic and geotechnical properties of soil to be considered and realistically modelled. In particular, the model has been conceived to make direct use of field surveys, geotechnical characteristics and soil moisture measurements. In the model the depth of available sediments is also used to characterize the hydraulic properties of the area examined.To account for the uncertainty related to the natural variability in the factors influencing the stability of natural slopes, the safety factor is computed with a probabilistic approach. In order to determine the likelihood of slope failures, soil parameters are assigned distributions instead of single deterministic values.The analysis presented was carried out for an alpine watershed, located in the Friuli region, Italy, for which some geological and geotechnical data were available. In the past, this watershed experienced landslides and debris flows during intense storms following long and moderate intensity rainfall events. The distributed coupled GEOtop‐FS model was calibrated by reproducing some of these events and validated in order to map future failure probabilities. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Aspetti produttivi di rimboschimenti di pianura in Friuli Venezia Giulia

Abstract: The research has investigated three forest plantations in the Friuli region (North-Eastern Italy) dating back to the ’80s, in order to quantify primary productivity and carbon stocks. The method proposed by Ketterings et al. (2001) was used to estimate above-ground tree biomass. We estimate that total carbon stock (from 92 to 130 tC ha-1) is notably greater than in the adjacent crops and suggest these plantations may effectively contribute to meet Kyoto Protocol’s objectives.

Separation of depth-dependent intrinsic and scattering seismic attenuation in the northeastern sector of the Italian Peninsula

SUMMARY We investigated the intrinsic dissipation and scattering properties of the lithosphere under the Friuli region (northeastern Italy) using two hypotheses: (i) a uniform earth model and (ii) two ‘reasonable’ non-uniform, layered crustal models. For case (i) we measured the coda Q, and used the multiple-lapse time window analysis (MLTWA) technique to obtain separate estimates of intrinsic absorption and scattering attenuation. Results for the uniform earth model show that the lithosphere in northeastern Italy is characterized by a low-scattering attenuation (small scattering Q-inverse, Q −1 ), and by a relatively high intrinsic attenuation (high intrinsic Q-inverse, Q −1 ). A comparison between the investigated region and other areas around the world shows that both Q −1 and Q −1 for the Friuli region are among the lowest values ever measured, with the exception of the southern Apennines, which has the lowest measured Q −1 . For case (ii), numerical simulation of the energy envelopes was performed using two-layered earth models, where the values of the intrinsic and scattering attenuation coefficients are both within ‘reasonable ranges’ when compared with the geological information. The theoretical envelopes calculated for the homogeneous model give a good fit to the synthetic envelopes calculated for the layered models; the best fit is obtained for scattering attenuation coefficients of the uniform model always greater than those of the layered model. The main result is consequently that scattering Q −1 obtained using the MLTWA under the assumption of a uniform medium is overestimated, on average, by a factor 2. Finally, coda Q −1 appears to be closer to the total Q −1 than to the intrinsic Q −1 ,a spredicted

The frequency of limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2A in northeastern Italy

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2A (LGMD2A) is considered to be the most frequent LGMD. Our study surveyed an area in northeastern Italy where an almost complete ascertainment was possible. To identify LGMD2A patients we used a new diagnostic approach, including several molecular and biochemical methods. In 84 screened patients from northeastern Italy, we identified 39 LGMD2A patients, the prevalence of LGMD2A being 9.47 per million. In the Venezia district it appears higher than in other districts of the Veneto region, and in the Friuli region it is three times higher than in Veneto, due to the recurrence of single mutation. Haplotype analysis suggested a founder effect. The population from Venezia and Friuli has a higher risk of being heterozygote for these two mutant alleles than people from the rest of northeastern Italy. Our results indicate that LGMD2A is one of the most frequent autosomal recessive disorders, thus finding its molecular characterization becoming increasingly important.

The Mosaic Ceiling of 1933 at the Royal Ontario Museum and Its Craftsmen: The Untold Story

Several factors of a cultural and social nature may help explain the use of mosaics in public buildings in North America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The influence of the popular Beaux-Arts movement in architecture and the general revival of classical styles produced an appreciation for decoration and fine detail of the kind provided by mosaics. This collaborative art requires the technical skills of trained craftsmen able to adapt and execute the specifications of architects and the designs of artists, and thus mosaics are feasible only when such artisans are available. This was the case during the period in question. Workers from the Friuli region of northeastern Italy skilled in the techniques of mosaic and terrazzo had migrated all over Europe in the nineteenth century, producing masterpieces like the mosaics in the Opera in Paris. Later in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries they emigrated to North America, first to the United States and then to Canada.1 Although the literature on mosaics in North America discusses the architects and artists responsible for the works, for example those of 1897 adorning the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., very little is known about the craftsmen.2 The Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje is not alone in commenting ironically that workers responsible for the landmarks of Canadian cities are generally forgotten.3 For one monument, however, namely a major cultural institution in Canada dating from the 1930s, the role of the mosaic craftsmen can be determined. Photographs preserved by their families, documents found in the archives, articles published in old newspapers, together with the oral testimonies of relatives and acquaintances, make it possible to reconstruct the untold story of the craftsmen's contribution.

Network assesses earthquake potential in Italy's southern Alps

On 6 May 1976, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the Friuli region of northeastern Italy near the towns of Gemona and Venzone. Although it was not as large as some previous earthquakes in Italy, its severe ground motion (up to 0.36 g) affected an area with numerous historical towns, resulting in 989 fatalities and 45,000 people left homeless. At least four other destructive earthquakes with epicentral intensity greater than or equal to IX on the Mercalli‐Cancani‐Sieberg scale have occurred in the Friuli region in the last 5 centuries (1511, 1700, 1794, and 1928) [Slejko et al., 1999].To better understand the seismic hazards of this vulnerable area, a network of continuously operating Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers—the Friuli Regional Deformation Network (FReDNet)—was installed to monitor the regional distribution of crustal deformation (Figure 1).

Preliminary studies on the occurrence of local severe weather events in Friuli Venezia Giulia

In this work, the results obtained with the analysis of 3 years of data concerning the occurrence of local severe weather events (LSWE) in the plain of Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) are presented. These data are essentially collected by volunteers who personally observed the development of these phenomena or at least the damages produced by them. These data show that local severe weather events are much more frequent than previously expected just because of the occasional reports; moreover, they appear to be mainly associated to the approaching of a cold front over the Friuli region. The spatial distribution of these phenomena is not uniform, even if the study area is relatively small, but it is likely dependent from the interactions between synoptic perturbations and orography.

Apennines subduction‐related subsidence of Venice (Italy)

The foreland regional monocline related to the northern Apennines subduction can be followed from the Po Basin to the Friuli region, Italy, at least 240 km north‐eastward. In seismic reflection profiles of the Po Basin and of the northern Adriatic Sea, the dip of the regional monocline gradually decreases from about 22° to close to 0°. Pleistocene sediments onlap and pinchout to the northeast. Venice is located on a segment of the active monocline dipping about 1.8° to the southwest. In sediments around the Venice area, the 1.43 Ma limit is in the 960–1500 m depth range, indicating a long term subsidence rate of about 0.7–1.0 mm/yr. Therefore a significant part of the natural component of the town subsidence is related to the north‐eastward retreat of the Adriatic subduction. The subduction related downflexure affects the whole of the Po Plain basin and part of the Southern Alps, where it opposes to the general uplift related to orogenesis.

The significance of the Marija Reka fault (Slovenija)

At the northwestern margin of the Outer Dinarides several faults with different kinematic characteristics are passing in the west - east direction, from the Barcis - Staro selo fault in the Friuli region, to the Marija Reka fault in the Sava folds. They were hypothetically connected into the strike-slip zone. Because of its extension across the whole Slovenian territory, we named it Slovenian strike-slip zone. It is no longer active. The zone is supposed to originate during the last phase of the Southern Alps nappe thrusting to the rest of Dinarides, when the present boundary between the two units was formed. It probably started to develop before the Middle Oligocene and was active still after Sarmatian. According to the present data dextral movements place along this zone.

Characterization of Kloeckera apiculata strains from the Friuli regionin Northern Italy

Forty-nine strains of Kloeckera apiculata, isolated from the Friuli region in Italy, were differentiated on the basis of fermentation behaviour and production of secondary compounds in two different grape musts at 18 °C. The isolates exhibited a controlled production of acetic acid, only in a few cases more that 1 g/l. In Moscato grape must the strains exhibited a more uniform behaviour for the production of higher alcohols, ethyl acetate and acetoin than in red grapes. In general, higher levels of ethanol, glycerol and acetic acid were produced in red grape must fermentation. Apiculate strains behaved differently in the two musts, with different metabolic phenotypes dominating the fermentation process. The existence of different metabolic phenotypes correlated with the must composition underlines the need to perform a selection of indigenous apiculate yeasts to obtain the desired consistent products.

Direct Determination of Rheological Characteristics of Debris Flow

To predict debris flow characteristics it is necessary to determine the rheological properties of these mixtures. It is suggested that such a mixture can be obtained by adding successively to clear water, coarser particles derived from a sample of the debris flow material. At each addition different suspensions are obtained that can be considered as progressively coarser interstitial fluids of the complete mixture. These suspensions are easier to test and their rheological properties can thus be determined. The behavior of the complete material can then be inferred from these results. This procedure has been adopted for a debris flow which occurred on Moscardo Torrent (Friuli Region, northeastern Italy) in 1995. A wide range of rheometrical techniques have been used to determine the rheological characteristics, such as laboratory rheometer, inclined plane test, large-scale rheometer, and field tests. The rheological parameters and behavior type of the complete material have been inferred from the yield stress-solid fraction curve and from the flow curve evolution. The behavior has been found to be mainly viscoplastic and representable by a Herschel-Bulkley model.

Adorati Toponimi: Tracking Ideological Space in Pier Paolo Pasolini

Fabio Vighi’s paper examines Pasolini’s extensive use of toponyms taking into consideration not only the author’s early poetry in dialects but also his letters and articles. Vighi traces the theoretical link between the poetry written in the region of Friuli and Pasolini’s literary production in Rome. The paper’s argument is that the different topoi in Pasolini’s texts acquire a strong ideological significance on the one hand as conventional signs with specific and clear topographical connotations and on the other as adorati toponimi (adored toponyms) aspiring to become the very object they name. In this light, Vighi argues, Pasolini’s toponyms embody the search for a privileged utopian space where the reconciliation between nature and culture is possible. The paper shows how Casarsa, the village of Pasolini’s mother, is accorded by the writer a mythological aura, whilst the whole of Friuli provides him with a romantic, dream-like subject matter evoked by the use of toponyms. Vighi asserts that Pasolini’s interest in toponymy gives him the possibility of recognising an almost mythical link existing between the physiognomy of the inhabitants of Friulan villages and the villages themselves. Thus, these villages are raised in Pasolini’s early poetry to the status of animated beings, capable of giving life. But Vighi argues that the author’s love for villages and rural communities underpins a critique of modern society which can be seen in Pasolini’s dislike of cities, or at least, in his unease with Friulan urban spaces. Vighi argues against the traditionally held view that Pasolini’s move to Rome caused a break with Communist ideology. The paper asserts instead that Rome enabled him to develop the theoretical potential of his Friulan poetics, since it was here that his critique of modern society took on a more socially oriented stance. In Rome it is the borgate, the slums in the Northern part of the capital, that provide a link between the country and the city, and elicit the use of toponyms, and here too the toponyms go beyond their topographical value to achieve an exclusively utopian quality. The paper concludes by emphasising how it was at this point that Pasolini, moving away from orthodox Marxism and Gramscian philosophy, called for a revision of left-wing thought which would include a category of irrationality, a concept that Vighi makes very clear Pasolini could never positively define in his work and that proved to be especially problematic at a time when the Italian Communist Party had a very inflexible approach to socio-political and aesthetic problems.

A review of nonparametric attenuation functions computed for different regions of Italy

We used a set of previously published nonparametric attenuation functions to calculate average functions for the Italian region. These nonparametric functions describe the spectral amplitude decay of the S waves as a function of distance for 14 frequencies between 1 and 20 Hz for the regions of Lombardia-Piemonte, Eastern Sicily, Friuli, Marche and the Central Apennines. Since all the attenuation functions were obtained using the same methodology, we were able to make a fair comparison of the attenuation characteristics of the different regions. In general, while the Central Apennines show the strongest amplitude decay for all the frequencies analyzed, the regions of Lombardia and Eastern Sicily show the smallest attenuation. The Marche region also shows a strong amplitude decay, particularly for frequencies f > 3 Hz, and in the frequency band between 1 and 3 Hz the rate of decay of the spectral amplitudes with distance becomes similar to that of the region of Friuli. Since the attenuation functions analyzed represent different geologic and tectonic environments, we used them to calculate an average set of attenuation functions, one per frequency, for the hypocentral distance range between 10 and 120 km. The resulting functions permit a mean attenuation correction to spectral records of S waves in regions of Italy where the specific values of the attenuation parameters are unknown.

Positive Predictive Value of ICD–9th Codes for Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding and Perforation in the Sistema Informativo Sanitario Regionale Database

We identified patients whose records in the Sistema Informativo Sanitario Regionale database in the Italian region of Friuli–Venezia Giulia showed a code of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and perforation according to codes of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9th revision. The validity of site- and lesion-specific codes (531 to 534) and nonspecific codes (5780, 5781, and 5789) was ascertained through manual review of hospital clinical records. The initial group was made of 1779 potential cases of UGIB identified with one of these codes recorded. First, the positive predictive values (PPV) were calculated in a random sample. As a result of the observed high PPV of 531 and 532 codes, additional hospital charts were solely requested for all remaining potential cases with 533, 534, and 578 ICD-9 codes. The overall PPV reached a high of 97% for 531 and 532 site–specific codes, 84% for 534 site–specific codes, and 80% for 533 lesion–specific codes, and a low of 59% for nonspecific codes. These data suggest a considerable research potential for this new computerized health care database in Southern Europe.

Direct Determination of Rheological Characteristics of Debris Flow

To predict debris flow characteristics it is necessary to determine the rheological properties of these mixtures. It is suggested that such a mixture can be obtained by adding successively to clear water, coarser particles derived from a sample of the debris flow material. At each addition different suspensions are obtained that can be considered as progressively coarser interstitial fluids of the complete mixture. These suspensions are easier to test and their rheological properties can thus be determined. The behavior of the complete material can then be inferred from these results. This procedure has been adopted for a debris flow which occurred on Moscardo Torrent (Friuli Region, Northeastern Italy) in 1995. A wide range of rheometrical techniques have been used to determine the rheological characteristics, such as laboratory rheometer, inclined plane test, large-scale rheometer, and field tests. The rheological parameters and behavior type of the complete material have been inferred from the yield stress-solid fraction curve and from the flow curve evolution. The behavior has been found to be mainly viscoplastic and representable by a Herschel-Bulkley model.

Determination of S-wave energy release of earthquakes in the region of Friuli, Italy

Summary The S-wave energy released by the 1976 Friuli earthquake (ML 6.6) and nine aftershocks with local magnitudes ranging between 4.7 and 6.4 was estimated using strong-motion records near the source and at regional distances. To determine the seismic energy radiated from the source, we corrected the spectral records for attenuation along the path using the Q-frequency relation Q= 20.4f1.01, and for the effect of near-surface attenuation using specific values of k0 reported by Castro et al. (1996) for the recording sites of the region. The remaining path effects were separated from the source functions using a non-parametric inversion. The displacement source functions show an intermediate ω-1 fall-off before a high-frequency fall-off of ω-2, which provides more energy compared with a single ω-2 decay. When we compare the seismic energy (Es) evaluated by integrating the square of the velocity source spectra with the energy estimated from the local magnitudes via Gutenberg & Richter's (1956) relation, we find that Es radiated from the source is, on average, a factor of 6 higher than that obtained from ML. In addition, comparing the seismic moments (Mo) reported in previous studies (Cipar 1981; Cocco & Rovelli 1989) with Es, we observed that Es, increases proportionally to Mo1.24. This rate of increase of the seismic energy with moment indicates that the Orowan stress drop also increases with Mo. The apparent stress calculated with the ratio Es/Mo is also greater than half the Brune stress drop (σa > Δσ/2), suggesting that, for the thrust faulting earthquakes of Friuli, the final stress was greater than the frictional stress during the 1976 sequence.

S-wave site-response estimates using horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios

AbstractWe tested the hypothesis involved in determining the dynamic response of soils using spectral ratios between horizontal and vertical components of ground motion. This hypothesis proposes that the vertical component of motion contains mainly the source effect and is approximately insensitive to site amplifications. We used the vertical component of strong-motion records from earthquakes of the region of Friuli, Italy, to evaluate the site response for different geologic conditions. S-wave source functions of the events used were first retrieved from the acceleration records using a generalized inversion in the frequency domain; then, an average site response was calculated for each site analyzed. The resulting site functions show small vertical amplifications for most of the sites (within a factor of 2). This result confirms the validity of the method to estimate S-wave site responses. However, when the S-wave arrivals are contaminated by surface waves, the vertical amplification may exceed the uncertainty expected by the spectral ratio technique.

S wave attenuation and site effects in the region of Friuli, Italy

We used strong motion records from the 1976 Friuli earthquake (M 6.4) and 10 of the biggest aftershocks recorded by the National Accelerograph Network of the Electrical Power Company of Italy to estimate the quality factor Q of S waves in this region. The wide distance range of the recordings (10 < r < 190 km) permits us to analyze the spectral amplitude decay of the records using a nonparametric approach [e.g., Anderson and Quaas, 1988; Castro et al., 1990; Anderson, 1991]. We obtained attenuation functions for a set of 18 frequencies ranging between 0.4 and 25.0 Hz. The values of Q retrieved from the attenuation functions obtained follow the frequency‐dependent relation Q = 20.4f. A test of the method was made using a second data set consisting of digital seismograms from the Friuli‐Venezia Giulia Seismograph Network. In spite of the different size of the volume sampled by these data (10 < r < 131 km), the frequency dependence of Q obtained (Q = 16.1f0.92) is similar to that obtained with the strong motion data set. The near‐surface attenuation was also estimated using the model proposed by Anderson and Hough [1984] and Anderson [1991]. We found that κ0 is smaller for the strong motion stations located on rock compared to stations located on either shallow or soft sediments. To estimate the site response of the strong motion stations, we corrected the spectral records for the attenuation effect and then inverted the corrected records to separate source and site effects using the inversion scheme proposed by Andrews [1986]. To verify the site amplification estimates obtained, we also calculated the transfer function of each site using Nakamura's [1989] method for S wave [e.g., Lermo and Chavez‐García, 1993]. In general, the shapes of the site functions obtained with the inversion are consistent with the transfer functions obtained calculating the horizontal to vertical component ratio.

Homage to Pasolini on the Twentieth Anniversary of His Murder

Pier Paolo Pasolini, born in Bologna on March 5, 1922, and raised in the Friuli region of Venetia, is, in the words of Alberto Moravia, the major Italian poet of the second half of the twentieth century. He was also a filmmaker, novelist, and political journalist of genius. He was murdered twenty years ago, on November 2, 1975.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.