Agri-urban patterns in Mediterranean urban regions: the case study of Pisa

Urban regions require planning tools in order to manage agricultural areas under urban pressure. The aim of our paper is to test an analytical framework that combines both the composition in urban and agricultural land covers and their spatial configuration into four general agri-urban patterns: isolated fields, urban belt fields, periurban agricultural areas and rural areas. We evaluated the spatial distribution and the changes of such patterns in the short-term (2003-2011) starting from Spot images for the case study of Pisa, Italy. The results indicate an increase of the most urban patterns despite continuing to have cash crops, a stability of periurban agricultural land patterns although highly fragmented, and a decrease of the rural agricultural land patterns. The applied methodology can help to identify new measures and actions suitable in order to strengthen the relationships between city and agriculture existing in urban regions

Indigenous Peoples' lands are critical for safeguarding vertebrate diversity across the tropics

Indigenous Peoples are long-term custodians of their lands, but only recently are their contributions to conservation starting to be recognized in biodiversity policy and practice. Tropical forest loss and degradation are lower in Indigenous lands than unprotected areas, yet the role of Indigenous Peoples' Lands (IPL) in biodiversity conservation has not been properly assessed from regional to global scales. Using species distribution ranges of 11,872 tropical forest-dependent vertebrates to create area of habitat maps, we identified the overlap of these species ranges with IPL and then compared values inside and outside of IPL for species richness, extinction vulnerability, and range-size rarity. Of assessed vertebrates, at least 76.8% had range overlaps with IPL, on average overlapping ~25% of their ranges; at least 120 species were found only within IPL. Species richness within IPL was highest in South America, while IPL in Southeast Asia had highest extinction vulnerability, and IPL in Dominica and New Caledonia were important for range-size rarity. Most countries in the Americas had higher species richness within IPL than outside, whereas most countries in Asia had lower extinction vulnerability scores inside IPL and more countries in Africa and Asia had slightly higher range-size rarity in IPL. Our findings suggest that IPL provide critical support for tropical forest-dependent vertebrates, highlighting the need for greater inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in conservation target-setting and program implementation, and stronger upholding of Indigenous Peoples' rights in conservation policy

The updating of clinical practice guidelines: insights from an international survey

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have become increasingly popular, and the methodology to develop guidelines has evolved enormously. However, little attention has been given to the updating process, in contrast to the appraisal of the available literature. We conducted an international survey to identify current practices in CPG updating and explored the need to standardize and improve the methods. METHODS: We developed a questionnaire (28 items) based on a review of the existing literature about guideline updating and expert comments. We carried out the survey between March and July 2009, and it was sent by email to 106 institutions: 69 members of the Guidelines International Network who declared that they developed CPGs; 30 institutions included in the U.S. National Guideline Clearinghouse database that published more than 20 CPGs; and 7 institutions selected by an expert committee. RESULTS: Forty-four institutions answered the questionnaire (42% response rate). In the final analysis, 39 completed questionnaires were included. Thirty-six institutions (92%) reported that they update their guidelines. Thirty-one institutions (86%) have a formal procedure for updating their guidelines, and 19 (53%) have a formal procedure for deciding when a guideline becomes out of date. Institutions describe the process as moderately rigorous (36%) or acknowledge that it could certainly be more rigorous (36%). Twenty-two institutions (61%) alert guideline users on their website when a guideline is older than three to five years or when there is a risk of being outdated. Twenty-five institutions (64%) support the concept of "living guidelines," which are continuously monitored and updated. Eighteen institutions (46%) have plans to design a protocol to improve their guideline-updating process, and 21 (54%) are willing to share resources with other organizations. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to describe the process of updating CPGs among prominent guideline institutions across the world, providing a comprehensive picture of guideline updating. There is an urgent need to develop rigorous international standards for this process and to minimize duplication of effort internationally

A Global View on Star Formation: The GLOSTAR Galactic Plane Survey: II Supernova Remnants in the first quadrant of the Milky Way

Context. The properties of the population of the Galactic Supernova Remnants (SNRs) are essential to our understanding of the dynamics of the Milky Way’s interstellar medium (ISM). However, the completeness of the catalog of Galactic SNRs is expected to be only ∼30%, with on order 700 SNRs yet to be detected. Deep interferometric radio continuum surveys of the Galactic plane help in rectifying this apparent deficiency by identifying low surface brightness SNRs and compact SNRs that have not been detected in previous surveys. However, SNRs are routinely confused with H ii regions, which can have similar radio morphologies. Radio spectral index, polarization, and emission at mid-infrared (MIR) wavelengths can help distinguish between SNRs and H ii regions. Aims. We aim to identify SNR candidates using continuum emission from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array Global view of the Star formation in the Milky Way (GLOSTAR) survey. Methods. GLOSTAR is a C-band (4–8 GHz) radio wavelength survey of the Galactic plane covering 358◦ ≤ l ≤ 60◦, |b| ≤ 1◦. The continuum images from this survey that resulted from observations in the array’s most compact configuration have an angular resolution of 18″. We searched for SNRs in these images to identify known SNRs, previously-identified SNR candidates and new SNR candidates. We study these objects in MIR surveys and the GLOSTAR polarization data to classify their emission as thermal or nonthermal. Results. We identify 157 SNR candidates, out of which 80 are new. Polarization measurements provide evidence of nonthermal emission from 9 of these candidates. We find that two previously identified candidates are filaments. We also detect emission from 91 out of 94 known SNRs in the survey region. Four of these are reclassified as H ii regions following detection in MIR surveys. Conclusions. The better sensitivity and resolution of the GLOSTAR data have led to the identification of 157 SNR candidates, along with the reclassification of several misidentified objects. We show that the polarization measurements can identify nonthermal emission, despite the diffuse Galactic synchrotron emission. These results underscore the importance of higher resolution and higher sensitivity radio continuum data in identifying and confirming SNRs

A global view on star formation: The GLOSTAR Galactic plane survey I. Overview and first results for the Galactic longitude range 28° < l < 36°

Aims. Surveys of the Milky Way at various wavelengths have changed our view of star formation in our Galaxy considerably in recentyears. In this paper, we give an overview of a new survey covering large parts (145 square degrees) of the Northern Galactic planeusing the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) in the frequency range from 4 − 8 GHz and the Effelsberg 100-m telescope. Thisprovides for the first time a radio survey covering all angular scales down to 1.5 arcsec, similar to complementary NIR/MIR galacticplane surveys. We outline the main goals of the survey and give a detailed description about the observations and the data reductionstrategy.Methods. In our observations we cover the radio continuum in full polarization, as well as the 6.7 GHz methanol maser line, the4.8 GHz formaldehyde line, and 7 radio recombination lines. The observations were conducted in the most compact D-configuration ofthe VLA, as well as in the more extended B-configuration. This yielded spatial resolutions of 18” and 1.5” for the two configurations,respectively. Additionally, we also combined the D-configuration images with the Effelsberg 100-m data to provide zero spacinginformation, and we jointly imaged the D- and B-configuration data for optimal sensitivity of the intermediate spatial ranges.Results. Here, we show selected results for the first part of the survey, covering the range of 28◦ < l < 36◦and |b| < 1◦, including thefull low-resolution continuum image, examples of high-resolution images of selected sources, and first results from the spectral line data

A global view on star formation: The GLOSTAR Galactic plane survey IV. Radio continuum detections of young stellar objects in the Galactic Centre region

Context. The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), a ∼200 pc sized region around the Galactic Centre, is peculiar in that it shows a star formation rate (SFR) that is suppressed with respect to the available dense gas. To study the SFR in the CMZ, young stellar objects (YSOs) can be investigated. Here we present radio observations of 334 2.2 μm infrared sources that have been identified as YSO candidates. Aims. Our goal is to investigate the presence of centimetre wavelength radio continuum counterparts to this sample of YSO candidates which we use to constrain the current SFR in the CMZ. Methods. As part of the GLObal view on STAR formation (GLOSTAR) survey, D-configuration Very Large Array data were obtained for the Galactic Centre, covering −2° < l < 2° and −1° < b < 1° with a frequency coverage of 4–8 GHz. We matched YSOs with radio continuum sources based on selection criteria and classified these radio sources as potential H II regions and determined their physical properties. Results. Of the 334 YSO candidates, we found 35 with radio continuum counterparts. We find that 94 YSOs are associated with dense dust condensations identified in the 870 μm ATLASGAL survey, of which 14 have a GLOSTAR counterpart. Of the 35 YSOs with radio counterparts, 11 are confirmed as H II regions based on their spectral indices and the literature. We estimated their Lyman continuum photon flux in order to estimate the mass of the ionising star. Combining these with known sources, the present-day SFR in the CMZ is calculated to be ∼0.068 M⊙ yr−1, which is ∼6.8% of the Galactic SFR. Candidate YSOs that lack radio counterparts may not have yet evolved to the stage of exhibiting an H II region or, conversely, are older and have dispersed their natal clouds. Since many lack dust emission, the latter is more likely. Our SFR estimate in the CMZ is in agreement with previous estimates in the literature

GLOSTAR — Radio Source Catalog II: 28◦ < l < 36◦ and |b| < 1◦,VLA B-configuration

As part of the Global View on Star Formation (GLOSTAR) survey we have used the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in its B-configuration to observe the part of the Galactic plane between longitudes of 28◦ and 36◦ and latitudes from −1◦ to +1◦ at the C-band (4–8 GHz). To reduce the contamination of extended sources that are not well recovered by our coverage of the (u, v)-plane we discarded short baselines that are sensitive to emission on angular scales < 4′′. The resulting radio continuum images have an angular resolution of 1.′′0, and a sensitivity of ∼ 60 μJy beam−1; making it the most sensitive radio survey covering a large area of the Galactic plane with this angular resolution. An automatic source extraction algorithm was used in combination with visual inspection to identify a total of 3325 radio sources. A total of 1457 radio sources are ≥ 7σ and comprise our highly reliable catalog; 72 of these are grouped as 22 fragmented sources, e.g., multiple components of an extended and resolved source. To explore the nature of the catalogued radio sources we searched for counterparts at millimeter and infrared wavelengths. Our classification attempts resulted in 93 H ii region candidates, 104 radio stars, 64 planetary nebulae, while most of the remaining radio sources are suggested to be extragalactic sources. We investigated the spectral indices (α, S ν ∝ να) of radio sources classified as H ii region candidates and found that many have negative values. This may imply that these radio sources represent young stellar objects that are members of the star clusters around the high mass stars that excite the H ii regions, but not these H ii regions themselves. By comparing the peak flux densities from the GLOSTAR and CORNISH surveys we have identified 49 variable radio sources, most of them with an unknown nature. Additionally, we provide the list of 1866 radio sources detected within 5 to 7σ levels

Gaia Early Data Release 3: Gaia photometric science alerts

Context. Since July 2014, the Gaia mission has been engaged in a high-spatial-resolution, time-resolved, precise, accurate astrometric, and photometric survey of the entire sky. Aims. We present the Gaia Science Alerts project, which has been in operation since 1 June 2016. We describe the system which has been developed to enable the discovery and publication of transient photometric events as seen by Gaia. Methods. We outline the data handling, timings, and performances, and we describe the transient detection algorithms and filtering procedures needed to manage the high false alarm rate. We identify two classes of events: (1) sources which are new to Gaia and (2) Gaia sources which have undergone a significant brightening or fading. Validation of the Gaia transit astrometry and photometry was performed, followed by testing of the source environment to minimise contamination from Solar System objects, bright stars, and fainter near-neighbours. Results. We show that the Gaia Science Alerts project suffers from very low contamination, that is there are very few false-positives. We find that the external completeness for supernovae, CE = 0.46, is dominated by the Gaia scanning law and the requirement of detections from both fields-of-view. Where we have two or more scans the internal completeness is CI = 0.79 at 3 arcsec or larger from the centres of galaxies, but it drops closer in, especially within 1 arcsec. Conclusions. The per-Transit photometry for Gaia transients is precise to 1% at G = 13, and 3% at G = 19. The per-Transit astrometry is accurate to 55 mas when compared to Gaia DR2. The Gaia Science Alerts project is one of the most homogeneous and productive transient surveys in operation, and it is the only survey which covers the whole sky at high spatial resolution (subarcsecond), including the Galactic plane and bulge. © S. T. Hodgkin et al. 2021

On the sensitivity of the HAWC observatory to gamma-ray bursts

We present the sensitivity of HAWC to Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). HAWC is a very high-energy gamma-ray observatory currently under construction in Mexico at an altitude of 4100 m. It will observe atmospheric air showers via the water Cherenkov method. HAWC will consist of 300 large water tanks instrumented with 4 photomultipliers each. HAWC has two data acquisition (DAQ) systems. The main DAQ system reads out coincident signals in the tanks and reconstructs the direction and energy of individual atmospheric showers. The scaler DAQ counts the hits in each photomultiplier tube (PMT) in the detector and searches for a statistical excess over the noise of all PMTs. We show that HAWC has a realistic opportunity to observe the high-energy power law components of GRBs that extend at least up to 30 GeV, as it has been observed by Fermi LAT. The two DAQ systems have an energy threshold that is low enough to observe events similar to GRB 090510 and GRB 090902b with the characteristics observed by Fermi LAT. HAWC will provide information about the high-energy spectra of GRBs which in turn could help to understanding about e-pair attenuation in GRB jets, extragalactic background light absorption, as well as establishing the highest energy to which GRBs accelerate particles

J-PLUS: The javalambre photometric local universe survey

ABSTRACT: TheJavalambrePhotometric Local UniverseSurvey (J-PLUS )isanongoing 12-band photometricopticalsurvey, observingthousands of squaredegrees of theNorthernHemispherefromthededicated JAST/T80 telescope at the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (OAJ). The T80Cam is a camera with a field of view of 2 deg2 mountedon a telescopewith a diameter of 83 cm, and isequippedwith a uniquesystem of filtersspanningtheentireopticalrange (3500–10 000 Å). Thisfiltersystemis a combination of broad-, medium-, and narrow-band filters, optimallydesigned to extracttherest-framespectralfeatures (the 3700–4000 Å Balmer break region, Hδ, Ca H+K, the G band, and the Mg b and Ca triplets) that are key to characterizingstellartypes and delivering a low-resolutionphotospectrumforeach pixel of theobservedsky. With a typicaldepth of AB ∼21.25 mag per band, thisfilter set thusallowsforanunbiased and accuratecharacterization of thestellarpopulation in our Galaxy, itprovidesanunprecedented 2D photospectralinformationforall resolved galaxies in the local Universe, as well as accuratephoto-z estimates (at the δ z/(1 + z)∼0.005–0.03 precisionlevel) formoderatelybright (up to r ∼ 20 mag) extragalacticsources. Whilesomenarrow-band filters are designedforthestudy of particular emissionfeatures ([O II]/λ3727, Hα/λ6563) up to z < 0.017, theyalsoprovidewell-definedwindowsfortheanalysis of otheremissionlines at higherredshifts. As a result, J-PLUS has thepotential to contribute to a widerange of fields in Astrophysics, both in thenearbyUniverse (MilkyWaystructure, globular clusters, 2D IFU-likestudies, stellarpopulations of nearby and moderate-redshiftgalaxies, clusters of galaxies) and at highredshifts (emission-line galaxies at z ≈ 0.77, 2.2, and 4.4, quasi-stellarobjects, etc.). Withthispaper, wereleasethefirst∼1000 deg2 of J-PLUS data, containingabout 4.3 millionstars and 3.0 milliongalaxies at r <  21mag. With a goal of 8500 deg2 forthe total J-PLUS footprint, thesenumbers are expected to rise to about 35 millionstars and 24 milliongalaxiesbytheend of thesurvey.Funding for the J-PLUS Project has been provided by the Governments of Spain and Aragón through the Fondo de Inversiones de Teruel, the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO; under grants AYA2017-86274-P, AYA2016-77846-P, AYA2016-77237-C3-1-P, AYA2015-66211-C2-1-P, AYA2015-66211-C2-2, AYA2012-30789, AGAUR grant SGR-661/2017, and ICTS-2009-14), and European FEDER funding (FCDD10-4E-867, FCDD13-4E-2685