A 1:5,000 scale geological map and 31 geological cross-sections are presented for the surroundings of Amatrice village (central Apennines, Italy), epicentral area of the first damaging earthquake of the 2016–2017 seismic sequence. This detailed geological dataset focuses on: (i) the extent, the thickness, and the internal stratigraphic architecture of the Quaternary continental deposits; (ii) the bedding and the thickness of the Miocene substratum; and (iii) the spatial distribution of the main fault systems. The provided dataset would update the available regional geological maps in deciphering the syn-to-post-orogenic history of the Amatrice Basin. Eventually, the accuracy of the geological mapping would represent a basic tool for interpreting and integrating the multidisciplinary dataset deriving from post-seismic activities.

MAORY is the adaptive optics module of the E-ELT that will feed the MICADO imaging camera through a gravity invariant exit port. MAORY has been foreseen to implement MCAO correction through three high order deformable mirrors driven by the reference signals of six Laser Guide Stars (LGSs) feeding as many Shack- Hartmann Wavefront Sensors. A three Natural Guide Stars (NGSs) system will provide the low order correction. We develop a code for the end-to-end simulation of the MAORY adaptive optics (AO) system in order to obtain high-fidelity modeling of the system performance. It is based on the IDL language and makes extensively uses of the GPUs. Here we present the architecture of the simulation tool and its achieved and expected performance.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, transcranial Magnetic Resonance Imaging-guided Focused Ultrasound (tcMRgFUS) treatments for functional neurological disorders are giving a new thrust to the field of therapeutic brain lesioning. OBJECTIVE: To present the case of a patient affected by tremor combined with Parkinsonism who underwent a second tcMRgFUS thalamotomy because of relapsing tremor after a few months from the first tcMRgFUS treatment. METHODS: A 72-yr-old, right-handed man, came to our observation because of a disabling tremor affecting his upper limbs, refusing any invasive surgical procedure and already treated by tcMRgFUS left Vim thalamotomy. However, clinical benefit had brief duration, as a progressive recurrence of tremor on the right upper limb was observed after a few months from the first treatment. Thus, the patient underwent a new left-sided tcMRgFUS procedure 6 mo after the former treatment. RESULTS: After the second procedure, an immediate and complete relief from tremor on the right upper limb was achieved with clinical benefit that persisted up to a 6-mo follow-up. CONCLUSION: Since tcMRgFUS doesn’t use ionizing radiations and it is incision-less, repeated and staged treatment procedures have always been hypothesized. Our report suggests that tcMRgFUS retreatment might actually be a feasible, safe, and effective option in selected patients in whom an optimal clinical outcome is not achieved after the first treatment session. However, future well-designed studies in large samples are needed to assess the possible risks of retreatment and the optimal timing of reintervention as well as eligibility and exclusion criteria.

A first-order seismic characterization of Northern Apulia (Southern Italy) has been provided by considering geological information and outcomes of a low-cost geophysical survey. In particular, 403 single-station ambient vibration measurements (HVSR techniques) distributed within the main settlements of the area have been considered to extract representative patterns deduced by Principal Component Analysis. The joint interpretation of these pieces of information allows the identification of three main domains (Gargano Promontory, Bradanic Through and Southern Apennines Fold and Thrust Belt), each characterized by specific seismic resonance phenomena. In particular, the Bradanic Through is homogeneously characterized by low frequency (100 m) seismic impedance, which is contrasting corresponding to the buried Apulian carbonate platform and/or sandy horizons located within the Plio-Pleistocene deposits. In the remaining ones, relatively high frequency (>1 Hz) resonance phenomena are ubiquitous due to the presence of shallower impedance contrasts (<100 m), which do not always correspond to the top of the geological bedrock. These general indications may be useful for a preliminary regional characterization of seismic response in the study area, which can be helpful for an effective planning of more detailed studies targeted to engineering purposes.

The current baseline for the Multi-Conjugate adaptive optics module (MAORY) for the European Extremely Large Telescope is based on the Sodium Laser Guide Stars (LGS) approach, in order to ensure correction uniformity and sky coverage. However, since the Sodium layer is approximately 10 km thick, the artificial reference source looks elongated, especially when observed from the edge of a large aperture, with elongation depending on the actual telescope diameter, on the Sodium layer properties and on the laser launcher position. We studied numerically, by means of simulations, the performance of three different algorithms for the instantaneous LGS image position measurement in presence of elongated spots: the Weighted Center of Gravity, the Correlation and the Quad-cell. Since all the three considered algorithms require some sort of 'reference', the problem of the temporal variation of the Sodium Layer properties has to be addressed. Another important aspect that has be addressed in the analysis is the impact of the low-order aberrations introduced by the MAORY re-imaging optics, by the Sodium Density profile shape and by its projection in the LGS image plane. An LGS wavefront sensor laboratory prototype was designed to reproduce the relevant aspects of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront Sensor for the European Extremely Large Telescope and, through laboratory tests, to evaluate the performance of different centroid algorithms in presence of elongated spots, with realistic Sodium profiles, as previously investigated numerically and analytically, analyzing the impact of the low-order aberrations and of relevant WFS parameters, like signal-to-noise ratio, sampling and subaperture size. This paper shows the results of the tests performed with this prototype.