319 research outputs found
CN rings in full protoplanetary disks around young stars as probes of disk structure
Bright ring-like structure emission of the CN molecule has been observed in
protoplanetary disks. We investigate whether such structures are due to the
morphology of the disk itself or if they are instead an intrinsic feature of CN
emission. With the intention of using CN as a diagnostic, we also address to
which physical and chemical parameters CN is most sensitive. A set of disk
models were run for different stellar spectra, masses, and physical structures
via the 2D thermochemical code DALI. An updated chemical network that accounts
for the most relevant CN reactions was adopted. Ring-shaped emission is found
to be a common feature of all adopted models; the highest abundance is found in
the upper outer regions of the disk, and the column density peaks at 30-100 AU
for T Tauri stars with standard accretion rates. Higher mass disks generally
show brighter CN. Higher UV fields, such as those appropriate for T Tauri stars
with high accretion rates or for Herbig Ae stars or for higher disk flaring,
generally result in brighter and larger rings. These trends are due to the main
formation paths of CN, which all start with vibrationally excited H2*
molecules, that are produced through far ultraviolet (FUV) pumping of H2. The
model results compare well with observed disk-integrated CN fluxes and the
observed location of the CN ring for the TW Hya disk. CN rings are produced
naturally in protoplanetary disks and do not require a specific underlying disk
structure such as a dust cavity or gap. The strong link between FUV flux and CN
emission can provide critical information regarding the vertical structure of
the disk and the distribution of dust grains which affects the UV penetration,
and could help to break some degeneracies in the SED fitting. In contrast with
C2H or c-C3H2, the CN flux is not very sensitive to carbon and oxygen
depletion.Comment: New version of paper, correcting too high H2 excitation rates and
consequently too high CN column densities. Qualitative conclusions of the
paper remain unchanged. Quantitatively, the CN column densities are an order
of magnitude lower whereas fluxes decrease by a factor of 3-4. Rings are
larger by up to a factor of 2. 13 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication
in A&
An Inner Disk in the Large Gap of the Transition Disk SR 24S
We report new Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) Band 3
observations at 2.75 mm of the TD around SR 24S with an angular resolution of
0.11'' 0.09'' and a peak signal-to-noise ratio of . We
detect an inner disk and a mostly symmetric ring-like structure that peaks at
0.32'', that is 37 au at a distance of 114.4 pc. The full
width at half maximum of this ring is 28 au. We analyze the observed
structures by fitting the dust continuum visibilities using different models
for the intensity profile, and compare with previous ALMA observations of the
same disk at 0.45 mm and 1.30 mm. We qualitatively compare the results of these
fits with theoretical predictions of different scenarios for the formation of a
cavity or large gap. The comparison of the dust continuum structure between
different ALMA bands indicates that photoevaporation and dead zone can be
excluded as leading mechanisms for the cavity formation in SR 24S disk, leaving
the planet scenario (single or multiple planets) as the most plausible
mechanism. We compared the 2.75 mm emission with published (sub-)centimeter
data and find that the inner disk is likely tracing dust thermal emission. This
implies that any companion in the system should allow dust to move inwards
throughout the gap and replenish the inner disk. In the case of one single
planet, this puts strong constraints on the mass of the potential planet inside
the cavity and the disk viscosity of about 5 and
, respectively.Comment: Accepted to Ap
The cool core state of Planck SZ-selected clusters versus X-ray selected samples: evidence for cool core bias
We characterized the population of galaxy clusters detected with the SZ
effect with Planck, by measuring the cool core state of the objects in a
well-defined subsample of the Planck catalogue. We used as indicator the
concentration parameter Santos et al. (2008). The fraction of cool core
clusters is and does not show significant indications of
evolution in the redshift range covered by our sample. We compare the
distribution of the concentration parameter in the Planck sample with the one
of the X-ray selected sample MACS (Mann & Ebeling, 2011): the distributions are
significantly different and the cool core fraction in MACS is much higher (). Since X-ray selected samples are known to be biased towards cool
cores due to the presence of their prominent surface brightness peak, we
simulated the impact of the "cool core bias" following Eckert et al. (2011). We
found that it plays a large role in the difference between the fractions of
cool cores in the two samples. We examined other selection effects that could
in principle bias SZ-surveys against cool cores but we found that their impact
is not sufficient to explain the difference between Planck and MACS. The
population of X-ray under-luminous objects, which are found in SZ-surveys but
missing in X-ray samples (Planck Collaboration 2016), could possibly contribute
to the difference, as we found most of them to be non cool cores, but this
hypothesis deserves further investigation.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Not so smooth after all: resolving dust and gas structures in protoplanetary disks
A large diversity of exoplanetary systems has been found, but it is still unclear what drives this diversity. Planets are formed in disks around young stars, but the sensitivity and resolution of pre-ALMA data have allowed only a handful of disks to be characterized. ALMA has opened up the possibility to survey hundreds of disks in both the gas and dust, and to also spatially resolve them. The most recent observations of protoplanetary disks in the (sub-)mm emission and in optical/near-infrared scattered light have revealed complex structures such as spirals, rings, gaps and vortices. Planets are often invoked as an explanation, but their number and location are degenerate, and the same system can be often explained by more than one scenario. In this thesis, the origin of these gas and dust structures both through dust observations and through chemical modelling of the gas emission is studied, and the link between the structures observed in the different tracers is investigated.These studies are critical to understand if substructures in disks are the signpost of ongoing planet formation and will ultimately also tell whether and how the variety of structures observed is linked to the diversity in the exoplanetary systemsâ properties.Galaxie
Probing UV-sensitive Pathways for CN and HCN Formation in Protoplanetary Disks with the Hubble Space Telescope
The UV radiation field is a critical regulator of gas-phase chemistry in surface layers of disks around young stars. In an effort to understand the relationship between photocatalyzing UV radiation fields and gas emission observed at infrared and submillimeter wavelengths, we present an analysis of new and archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Spitzer, ALMA, IRAM, and SMA data for five targets in the Lupus cloud complex and 14 systems in Taurus-Auriga. The HST spectra were used to measure Lyα and far-UV (FUV) continuum fluxes reaching the disk surface, which are responsible for dissociating relevant molecular species (e.g., HCN, Nâ). Semi-forbidden C II] λ2325 and UV-fluorescent Hâ emission were also measured to constrain inner disk populations of Câș and vibrationally excited H2. We find a significant positive correlation between 14 ÎŒm HCN emission and fluxes from the FUV continuum and C II] λ2325, consistent with model predictions requiring Nâ photodissociation and carbon ionization to trigger the main CN/HCN formation pathways. We also report significant negative correlations between submillimeter CN emission and both C II] and FUV continuum fluxes, implying that CN is also more readily dissociated in disks with stronger FUV irradiation. No clear relationships are detected between either CN or HCN and Lyα or UV-Hâ emission. This is attributed to the spatial stratification of the various molecular species, which span several vertical layers and radii across the inner and outer disk. We expect that future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope will build on this work by enabling more sensitive IR surveys than were possible with Spitzer
ALMA Observations of the Young Substellar Binary System 2M1207
We present ALMA observations of the 2M1207 system, a young binary made of a
brown dwarf with a planetary-mass companion at a projected separation of about
40 au. We detect emission from dust continuum at 0.89 mm and from the rotational transition of CO from a very compact disk around the young brown
dwarf. The small radius found for this brown dwarf disk may be due to
truncation from the tidal interaction with the planetary-mass companion. Under
the assumption of optically thin dust emission, we estimated a dust mass of 0.1
for the 2M1207A disk, and a 3 upper limit of for dust surrounding 2M1207b, which is the tightest upper
limit obtained so far for the mass of dust particles surrounding a young
planetary-mass companion. We discuss the impact of this and other
non-detections of young planetary-mass companions for models of planet
formation, which predict the presence of circum-planetary material surrounding
these objects.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A
An Inner Disk in the Large Gap of the Transition Disk SR 24S
We report new Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) Band 3
observations at 2.75 mm of the TD around SR 24S with an angular resolution of
0.11'' 0.09'' and a peak signal-to-noise ratio of . We
detect an inner disk and a mostly symmetric ring-like structure that peaks at
0.32'', that is 37 au at a distance of 114.4 pc. The full
width at half maximum of this ring is 28 au. We analyze the observed
structures by fitting the dust continuum visibilities using different models
for the intensity profile, and compare with previous ALMA observations of the
same disk at 0.45 mm and 1.30 mm. We qualitatively compare the results of these
fits with theoretical predictions of different scenarios for the formation of a
cavity or large gap. The comparison of the dust continuum structure between
different ALMA bands indicates that photoevaporation and dead zone can be
excluded as leading mechanisms for the cavity formation in SR 24S disk, leaving
the planet scenario (single or multiple planets) as the most plausible
mechanism. We compared the 2.75 mm emission with published (sub-)centimeter
data and find that the inner disk is likely tracing dust thermal emission. This
implies that any companion in the system should allow dust to move inwards
throughout the gap and replenish the inner disk. In the case of one single
planet, this puts strong constraints on the mass of the potential planet inside
the cavity and the disk viscosity of about 5 and
, respectively
Patient safety subcultures among nursing home staff in Italy: a cross-sectional study
Nursing home (NH) residents are vulnerable subjects and highly susceptible to adverse events. Knowledge of patient safety culture (PSC) is essential for an organization to ensure patient safety. However, research on PSC in NHs, and its variability among staff, is still scarce. This study aimed to explore whether and how PSC differed among NH staff (Managers, Nurses, Direct Care Staff, Support Staff, Administrative Staff and Other Providers) in the Autonomous Province of Trento, Italy. This study employed a cross-sectional design and collected data from 1145 NH providers using the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture (NHSPSC). Data were analyzed using linear mixed models, with each of the 12 NHSPSC domains as a response variable. The majority of the respondents (61.6%) were Direct Care Staff members. âFeedback and Communication about Incidentsâ and âOverall Perceptions of Resident Safetyâ were the domains with the highest proportions of positive answers (PPAs). For most staff categories, âStaffingâ was the domain with the lowest PPA. Support Staff showed significantly lower scores in the majority of domains (8/12). Shorter job tenure, fewer weekly working hours, working mostly during the day and working in highly specialized areas were associated with higher scores in several domains. Interventions to improve PSC must consider the differences between professional groups. Further research is needed to explore the relationship between job-related features and perceptions of patient safety among NH workers
Postural control in childhood: investigating the neurodevelopmental gradient hypothesis
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) have been suggested to lie on a gradient continuum, all resulting from common brain disturbances, but with different degrees of impairment severity. This case-control study aimed to assess postural stability against such hypothesis in 104 children/adolescents aged 5-17, of whom 81 had NDDs and 23 were healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) resulted in the most severely impaired neurodevelopmental condition, followed by Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Tourette Syndrome (TS). In particular, while ASD children/adolescents performed worse than healthy controls in a number of sensory conditions across all parameters, ADHD children/adolescents performed worse than healthy controls only in the sway area for the most complex sensory conditions, when their vision and somatosensory functions were both compromised, and performance in Tourette Syndrome (TS) was roughly indistinguishable from that of healthy controls. Finally, differences were also observed between clinical groups, with ASD children/adolescents, and to a much lesser extent ADHD children/adolescents, performing worse than TS children/adolescents, especially when sensory systems were not operationally accurate. Evidence from this study indicates that poor postural control may be a useful biomarker for risk assessment during neurodevelopment, in line with predictions from the gradient hypothesis
Latitude variation in the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in Italy: results from the GEIRD study
BACKGROUND: Earlier studies have pointed out a great variability in the prevalence of asthma and
asthma-like symptoms in different geo-climatic areas. AIM: To test the association between latitude and
prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis in Italian young adults. METHODS: In the frame of
Gene-Environment Interaction in Respiratory Diseases study, a postal screening questionnaire on
respiratory health and exposure to environmental factors was administered to 18,357 randomly selected
subjects aged 20-44 years in 7 centres: 3 in Northern (Torino, Pavia, Verona), 2 in Central (Ancona,
Perugia) and 2 in Southern Italy (Salerno, Sassari). RESULTS: 10,494 (57.2%) subjects responded to the
questionnaire. The prevalence of self-reported doctor-diagnosed asthma and allergic rhinitis in the lifespan
was 10.2% and 26.9%, respectively, and was significantly different across the centres (p<0.05). After
adjusting for sex, age, potential risk factors for respiratory diseases and design confounders, the prevalence
of asthma (OR: 1.07 per 1°latitude decrease, p<0.001), asthma-like symptoms (wheezing, chest tightness,
asthma attacks: OR ranging from 1.04 to 1.06, p<0.05) and allergic rhinitis (OR: 1.03, p=0.04) showed a
significant north-to-south trend. Similarly, a 1°C increment in temperature was significantly associated with
asthma (OR: 1.10, p<0.001) and asthma-like symptoms (OR from 1.07 to 1.10, p<0.05), but not with allergic
rhinitis (OR=1.02, p=0.190). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis increased
moving southwards in Italy, suggesting that prolonged exposure to different geo-climatic conditions may
affect the onset of asthma and allergic respiratory diseases
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