On the calibration of the relation between geometric albedo and polarimetric properties for the asteroids

We present a new extensive analysis of the old problem of finding a satisfactory calibration of the relation between the geometric albedo and some measurable polarization properties of the asteroids. To achieve our goals, we use all polarimetric data at our disposal. For the purposes of calibration, we use a limited sample of objects for which we can be confident to know the albedo with good accuracy, according to previous investigations of other authors. We find a new set of updated calibration coefficients for the classical slope - albedo relation, but we generalize our analysis and we consider also alternative possibilities, including the use of other polarimetric parameters, one being proposed here for the first time, and the possibility to exclude from best-fit analyzes the asteroids having low albedos. We also consider a possible parabolic fit of the whole set of data.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

The first confirmation of V-type asteroids among the Mars crosser population

The Mars crossing region constitutes a path to deliver asteroids from the Inner Main Belt to the Earth crossing space. While both the Inner Main Belt and the population of Earth crossing asteroids contains a significant fraction of asteroids belonging to the V taxonomic class, only two of such V-type asteroids has been detected in the Mars crossing region up to now. In this work, we searched for asteroids belonging to the V class among the population of Mars crossing asteroids, in order to support alternative paths to the delivery of this bodies into the Earth crossing region. We selected 18 candidate V-type asteroids in the Mars crossing region using observations contained in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Moving Objects Catalog. Then, we observed 4 of these candidates to take their visible spectra using the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR). We also performed the numerical simulation of the orbital evolution of the observed asteroids. We confirmed that 3 of the observed asteroids belong to the V class, and one of these may follow a path that drives it to an Earth collision in some tens of million years

AVAST Survey 0.4-1.0 {\mu}m Spectroscopy of Igneous Asteroids in the Inner and Middle Main Belt

We present the spectra of 60 asteroids, including 47 V-types observed during the first phase of the Adler V-Type Asteroid (AVAST) Survey. SDSS photometry was used to select candidate V-type asteroids for follow up by nature of their very blue $i-z$ color. 47 of the 61 observed candidates were positively classified as V-type asteroids, while an additional six show indications of a 0.9 $\mu$m feature consistent with V-type spectra, but not sufficient for formal classification. Four asteroids were found to be S-type, all of which had $i-z$ values very near the adopted AVAST selection criteria of $i-z \le -0.2$, including one candidate observed well outside the cut (at a mean $i-z$ of -0.11). Three A-type asteroids were also identified. Six V-type asteroids were observed beyond the 3:1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter, including the identification of two new V-type asteroids (63085 and 105041) at this distance. Six V-type asteroids were observed with low ($<5\deg$) orbital inclination, outside of the normal dynamical range of classic Vestoids, and are suggestive of a non-Vesta origin for at least some of the population.Comment: 1 table, 3 figures, To appear to Icaru

Ensemble Properties of Comets in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We present the ensemble properties of 31 comets (27 resolved and 4 unresolved) observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This sample of comets represents about 1 comet per 10 million SDSS photometric objects. Five-band (u,g,r,i,z) photometry is used to determine the comets' colors, sizes, surface brightness profiles, and rates of dust production in terms of the Af{\rho} formalism. We find that the cumulative luminosity function for the Jupiter Family Comets in our sample is well fit by a power law of the form N(< H) \propto 10(0.49\pm0.05)H for H < 18, with evidence of a much shallower fit N(< H) \propto 10(0.19\pm0.03)H for the faint (14.5 < H < 18) comets. The resolved comets show an extremely narrow distribution of colors (0.57 \pm 0.05 in g - r for example), which are statistically indistinguishable from that of the Jupiter Trojans. Further, there is no evidence of correlation between color and physical, dynamical, or observational parameters for the observed comets.Comment: 19 pages, 8 tables, 11 figures, to appear in Icaru

Anti-Phospholipase A2 Receptor Antibodies in Membranous Nephropathy : from Bench to the Patient

Membranous Nephropathy (MN) is the leading cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults. Primary or idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy (iMN) has been considered as an organ-specific autoimmune disease with an unknown aetiology. By contrast, secondary membranous nephropathy has been described as the expression of a systemic autoimmune response to malignancy or bacterial/viral infections. In the majority of iMN cases, glomerular lesions are determined by autoantibodies against a podocyte membrane protein, the M-type of phospholipase A2 receptor 1 (PLA2R1). Several studies have suggested that the detection of anti-PLA2R1 in patients sera with nephrotic syndrome may be pathognomonic of iMN, thus obviating the need for a diagnostic renal biopsy and an extensive workup for underlying causes. Many authors inferred that the measurement of anti-PLA2R1 may change the diagnostic algorithm in patients with nephrotic syndrome and guide treatment decisions in patients with iMN. Measurement of anti-PLA2R1 antibodies is now possible through an easy to use, commercially available assay. The aim of this review is to describe the clinical relevance of anti-PLA2R1 assessment in patients with MN, and to extensively discuss the biotechnological methods available to measure them

Remote sensing reveals scale‐specific effects of forage crop mowing and landscape structure on a declining farmland bird

The effectiveness of agri-environment schemes (AESs), the largest conservation-related expenditure for farmland biodiversity conservation within the European Union, is often compromised by a limited spatial scale of implementation. We focused on multiannual forage crops, a surrogate habitat for grassland birds, to assess the scale-dependent effects of mowing timing and frequency on the local population size of an iconic species, the skylark (Alauda arvensis). While there is much evidence for a negative impact of in-field mowing activities on grassland birds, whether such effects occur also at broader spatial scales is largely unknown. We surveyed breeding skylarks in the Po Plain (northern Italy) to determine (1) the association between landscape composition/configuration and abundance and (2) how abundance is affected by forage crop mowing timing and frequency. We addressed both questions through scale optimisation, identifying the most influential spatial scales for each covariate. Forage crop mowing timing was assessed through a novel remote sensing algorithm based on high-resolution Sentinel-2 satellite images. We observed a strong scale dependence on the importance of different habitats in determining skylark abundance. Abundance increased with an increasing cover of forage crops locally (200 m) and of winter crops at a landscape scale (2600 m), suggesting that the species is favoured by heterogeneous agroecosystems. Locally (150–350 m), skylarks were more abundant when crops were aggregated, being negatively impacted by crop fragmentation caused by urbanization and by seminatural habitats. At the landscape scale (1150 m), the timing of mowing was consistent across years, with early-mown areas supporting fewer skylarks. This is probably because, over longer temporal scales, early-mown forage patches have limited or null productivity, eventually limiting local population size. Synthesis and applications. We provide a new perspective on the overarching influence of spatial scale in driving the abundance of a declining farmland bird species, supporting the urgency of designing landscape scale-effective AESs. This should be framed within the new EU Common Agricultural Policy reform and operated by farmer collectives, whereby management interventions should be monitored by state-of-the-art remote sensing techniques. These results suggest that implementing scale-optimized AESs could be crucial for effective farmland biodiversity conservatio

SARS-COV-2 comorbidity network and outcome in hospitalized patients in Crema, Italy

We report onset, course, correlations with comorbidities, and diagnostic accuracy of nasopharyngeal swab in 539 individuals suspected to carry SARS-COV-2 admitted to the hospital of Crema, Italy. All individuals underwent clinical and laboratory exams, SARS-COV-2 reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction on nasopharyngeal swab, and chest X-ray and/or computed tomography (CT). Data on onset, course, comorbidities, number of drugs including angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-II-receptor antagonists (sartans), follow-up swab, pharmacological treatments, non-invasive respiratory support, ICU admission, and deaths were recorded. Among 411 SARS-COV-2 patients (67.7% males) median age was 70.8 years (range 5-99). Chest CT was performed in 317 (77.2%) and showed interstitial pneumonia in 304 (96%). Fatality rate was 17.5% (74% males), with 6.6% in 60-69 years old, 21.1% in 70-79 years old, 38.8% in 80-89 years old, and 83.3% above 90 years. No death occurred below 60 years. Non-invasive respiratory support rate was 27.2% and ICU admission 6.8%. Charlson comorbidity index and high Creactive protein at admission were significantly associated with death. Use of ACE inhibitors or sartans was not associated with outcomes. Among 128 swab negative patients at admission (63.3% males) median age was 67.7 years (range 1-98). Chest CT was performed in 87 (68%) and showed interstitial pneumonia in 76 (87.3%). Follow-up swab turned positive in 13 of 32 patients. Using chest CT at admission as gold standard on the entire study population of 539 patients, nasopharyngeal swab had 80% accuracy. Comorbidity network analysis revealed a more homogenous distribution 60-40 aged SARS-COV-2 patients across diseases and a crucial different interplay of diseases in the networks of deceased and survived patients. SARS-CoV-2 caused high mortality among patients older than 60 years and correlated with pre-existing multiorgan impairment. Copyright

Familias jurídicas y disciplinas en el estudio del derecho

Fil: Walter, Gustavo R. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Basanta, Alicia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Barrionuevo, Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Leiva, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Marcial, Adriana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Chalhub Frau, Silvana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Assandri, Mónica. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Rinaldi, Sandra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Robledo, Federico. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.El presente cuadernillo desarrolla ejercicios que presentan a las familias jurídicas en tanto categorías generales en el campo del derecho; sobresaliendo por sobre la gran variedad de ordenamientos jurídicos particulares. Las familias jurídicas son presentadas aquí en función de tradiciones filosóficas, culturales, políticas, geográficas e históricas distintas.Fil: Walter, Gustavo R. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Basanta, Alicia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Barrionuevo, Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Leiva, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Marcial, Adriana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Chalhub Frau, Silvana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Assandri, Mónica. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Rinaldi, Sandra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Fil: Robledo, Federico. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Derecho; Argentina.Otras Derech