Extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs around A-F type stars. II. A planet found with ELODIE around the F6V star HD 33564

We present here the detection of a planet orbiting around the F6V star HD 33564. The radial velocity measurements, obtained with the ELODIE echelle spectrograph at the Haute-Provence Observatory, show a variation with a period of 388 days. Assuming a primary mass of 1.25 Mo, the best Keplerian fit to the data leads to a minimum mass of 9.1 MJup for the companion.Comment: 5 pages. Final version, accepted for publication (A&A). Some Spitzer results on HD33564 (taken this year; not yet published), finally show that the detection of IR excess around this star (by IRAS) is spuriou

Toward a ‘Migrant Trap’? Local Development, Urban Sustainability, Sociodemographic Inequalities, and the Economic Decline in a Mediterranean Metropolis

After years following the breakdown of the Great Recession in Europe, crisis-driven urban shrinkage can be adequately investigated considering changes over time in selected demographic indicators, with a specific focus on migration. Using official statistics and a literature review, the present study documents the inherent demographic decline in metropolitan Athens (Greece) as a response to economic stagnation after a long-lasting expansion. The empirical results of our study delineate metropolitan shrinkage in Southern Europe as a process associated with complex socioeconomic conditions leading to (possibly counterintuitive) demographic outcomes as far as migration trends are concerned. Recession has determined unsustainable economic conditions especially for non-native population segments, promoting both class and ethnic segregation. The negative migration balance in the 2010s led to an intense population decline hitting settlements made already demographically fragile because of low fertility and aging. Athens became a sort of ‘migrant trap’, being progressively unattractive for incoming migration flows—both internal and international—and losing an increasingly high number of non-native residents settling in the area, especially during the ‘gold’ decade of the 2004 Olympics. A sudden reduction in immigration rates reflected both economic (recession) and non-economic (population aging, fertility reduction, and childbearing postponement) factors, causing an incipient shrinkage after secular urban growth. The empirical results of our study add to the traditional literature on ‘industrial cities shrinkage’ in Europe and contribute to (re)formulate short- and medium-term development scenarios in large agglomerations, shedding further light on the role of migration in crisis-driven processes of urban decline in Mediterranean Europe

Effective Dose and Size Specific Dose Estimation with and without Tube Current Modulation for Thoracic Computed Tomography Examinations: A Phantom Study

The purpose of this study is to reduce radiation dose for chest CT examination by including Tube Current Modulation (TCM) to a standard CT protocol. A scan of an anthropomorphic male Alderson phantom was performed on a 128-slice scanner. The estimation of effective dose (ED) in both scans with and without mAs modulation was done via multiplication of Dose Length Product (DLP) to a conversion factor. Results were compared to those measured with a CT-Expo software. The size specific dose estimation (SSDE) values were obtained by multiplication of the volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) with a conversion size factor related to the phantom’s effective diameter. Objective assessment of image quality was performed with Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) measurements in phantom. SPSS software was used for data analysis. Results showed including CARE Dose 4D; ED was lowered by 48.35% and 51.51% using DLP and CT-expo, respectively. In addition, ED ranges between 7.01 mSv and 6.6 mSv in case of standard protocol, while it ranges between 3.62 mSv and 3.2 mSv with TCM. Similar results are found for SSDE; dose was higher without TCM of 16.25 mGy and was lower by 48.8% including TCM. The SNR values calculated were significantly different (p=0.03<0.05). The highest one is measured on images acquired with TCM and reconstructed with Filtered back projection (FBP). In conclusion, this study proves the potential of TCM technique in SSDE and ED reduction and in conserving image quality with high diagnostic reference level for thoracic CT examinations

The Industrial Pattern of Italian Regions: A Disaggregated Sectoral Analysis Based on Input–Output Tables

Italy joined the so-called ‘Industry 4.0’ European framework in 2016, which designed and approved a national plan to regulate this key issue for regional development. To better support such a framework, the present study attempts to quantify the contribution of the Italian regions to the output formation process. More specifically, a multi-sectoral Input–Output (IO) model that supports national policies was proposed to cumulatively consider 29 industries that partition the Italian economy into representative branches at the level of administrative regions. Elementary input data were derived from the inter-sectoral table of the economy released by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). The economic outcomes of the Italian regions were estimated using a non-survey procedure, based on Flegg Location Quotients, to determine the upstream and downstream positions of each industry at country and regional levels. Indices grounded on the Hypothetical Extraction Method (HEM) further delineated the role each industry plays in the regional economy. The empirical findings of this study demonstrate how non-survey IO regionalization and the resulting industry-based indices provide appropriate knowledge for regional development policies

Extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs around A-F type stars V. A planetary system found with HARPS around the F6IV-V star HD 60532

Aims: In the frame of the search for extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs around early-type stars, we present the results obtained for the F-type main-sequence star HD 60532 (F6V) with HARPS. Methods: Using 147 spectra obtained with HARPS at La Silla on a time baseline of two years, we study the radial velocities of this star. Results: HD 60532 radial velocities are periodically variable, and the variations have a Keplerian origin. This star is surrounded by a planetary system of two planets with minimum masses of 1 and 2.5 Mjup and orbital separations of 0.76 and 1.58 AU respectively. We also detect high-frequency, low-amplitude (10 m/s peak-to-peak) pulsations. Dynamical studies of the system point toward a possible 3:1 mean-motion resonance which should be confirmed within the next decade.Comment: 7 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&

A Story of Strengths and Weaknesses in Tertiary Education: Evaluating ‘Mobility’ and ‘Opportunities’ in OECD Countries with Composite Indicators

Assuming a high education level associated with a high probability of job occupancy and greater income, comparative exercises analyzing academic performances and socioeconomic dynamics at regional, country, or supra-national scales have intensified in recent years. As far as tertiary education is concerned, a great disparity in academic performance was characteristic of OECD countries. While adults 25–34 years old were attaining tertiary degrees more frequently than adults 55–64 years old, adults 30–34 years old with at least one tertiary-educated parent were more likely to attain a tertiary degree than individuals from families whose parents have attended secondary—or at least primary—education. ‘Mobility’ and ‘opportunities’ are two dimensions of sustainable education systems that deserve further investigation when assessing disparities in academic performances as a possible source of unsustainable development and social polarizations. ‘Mobility’ refers to the probability of achieving tertiary education for children coming from families with a different—i.e., lower (e.g., secondary or primary)—level of education. ‘Opportunities’ refers to the probability for a child to attain tertiary education, regardless of the education level achieved by the parents. The present study proposes a quantitative assessment of both dimensions through an original approach and novel statistical measures ranking OECD countries. A comparison of individual rankings of ‘mobility’ and ‘opportunities’ reveals counterintuitive results in some cases. To overcome this issue, our study introduces aggregate methods combining the two measures with the aim of developing a bivariate ranking that accounts for both dimensions simultaneously and delineates a more complete evolution of academic performance divides in advanced economies

A Mid-Infrared Imaging Survey of Embedded Young Stellar Objects in the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Core

Results of a comprehensive, new, ground-based mid-infrared imaging survey of the young stellar population of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud are presented. Data were acquired at the Palomar 5-m and at the Keck 10-m telescopes with the MIRLIN and LWS instruments, at 0.25 arcsec and 0.25 arcsec resolutions, respectively. Of 172 survey objects, 85 were detected. Among the 22 multiple systems observed, 15 were resolved and their individual component fluxes determined. A plot of the frequency distribution of the detected objects with SED spectral slope shows that YSOs spend ~400,000 yr in the Flat Spectrum phase, clearing out their remnant infall envelopes. Mid-infrared variability is found among a significant fraction of the surveyed objects, and is found to occur for all SED classes with optically thick disks. Large-amplitude near-infrared variability, also found for all SED classes with optically thick disks, seems to occur with somewhat higher frequency at the earlier evolutionary stages. Although a general trend of mid-infrared excess and NIR veiling exists proceeding through SED classes, with Class I objects generally exhibiting K-veilings > 1, Flat Spectrum objects with K-veilings > 0.58, and Class III objects with K-veilings =0, Class II objects exhibit the widest range of K-band veiling values, 0-4.5. However, the highly variable value of veiling that a single source can exhibit in any of the SED classes in which active disk accretion can take place is striking, and is direct observational evidence for highly time-variable accretion activity in disks. Finally, by comparing mid-infrared vs. near-infrared excesses in a subsample with well-determined effective temperatures and extinction values, disk clearing mechanisms are explored. The results are consistent with disk clearing proceeding from the inside-out.Comment: 18 pages + 5 tables + 7 figure

Mesure statistique de la résistance de contact d’une grille sérigraphiée pour cellules solaires au silicium multicristallin

La métallisation par sérigraphie est une des étapes les plus importantes dans la technologie d’élaboration des cellules solaires pour une production à grande échelle. Néanmoins, elle demeure dépendante de plusieurs paramètres variables. Pour le silicium multi cristallin, tout changement dans le procédé de réalisation des cellules solaires influence directement l’optimisation du profil de recuit de la métallisation par sérigraphie. Les plaquettes de silicium multi cristallin subissent toutes les étapes classiques de réalisation des cellules solaires comme le nettoyage chimique et la décontamination, une diffusion au phosphore et le dépôt du nitrure de silicium SiNx par PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition). Il y a juste le dépôt du contact Argent Ag sur la face avant de la plaquette. Nous avons utilisé la pâte de sérigraphie Ag Ferro 3349. La grille métallique comporte six (06) motifs TLM (Transfer Length Method) pour les mesures de la résistance de contact. Le principal but de ce travail est le contrôle de la qualité du contact Ag/SiNx/n+-Si dans les cellules solaires au silicium multicristallin. Les mesures TLM révèlent une cartographie des valeurs de la résistance de contact pour chaque température. Le profil optimal de température de recuit est autour de 750 °C

Investigating ‘Land-Use Trajectories’ in Mediterranean Rural Areas with Official Statistics and a Multiway Factor Analysis

While displaying diversified economic values, agro-ecosystems remain a relevant component of rural landscapes in Southern Europe. Coupled with the expansion of ecologically fragile areas because of climate warming, intensification and simplification of rural landscapes—e.g., in lowland—represent frequent trajectories of rural land-use change (RLUC) in the Mediterranean region and demonstrated to harm ecosystem functionality and ecological quality, especially in a context of socioeconomic transformations of landscapes. Additionally, an incipient ‘extensivation’ of geographically remote and economically marginal agricultural systems was also observed, likely following depopulation and land abandonment. The present study elaborated in this direction, providing an integrated RLUC evaluation scheme based on a multivariate analysis of land-use indicators derived from official statistics. This approach was applied to a continuous, long-term RLUC monitoring of a rural landscape in an ecologically complex Mediterranean region (Latium, Central Italy) experiencing multiple trends (e.g., lowland urbanization, crop intensification in gently sloping areas, and land abandonment/depopulation in steep zones) with diversified environmental implications. Based on administrative inventories, such evaluation was carried out over fifty years (1970–2020) in the study area, considering trends over time in selected crop surfaces at the municipal scale as inputs of a multiway factor analysis (MFA). This analysis quantifies stability in the main rural land-use types and possible changes in the dominant farming systems. Simplified indicators of land configuration (namely a crop intensity index and a rural woodland index reflecting ‘intensification’ or ‘extensivation’ of local farming systems) made available at the same spatial and temporal scales completed the informative picture corroborating MFA results. Taken together, our findings delineate multiple changes in rural landscapes, discriminating land-use trajectories in coastal and inland districts. These development trajectories were basically dependent on processes of (i) land abandonment in relict and remote areas, (ii) crop intensification in dynamic rural districts, and (iii) fringe urbanization along the coastal strip

A multi-parameter field monitoring system to investigate the dynamics of large earth slides–earth flows in the Northern Apennines, Italy

Large earth slides and rocks lides evolving into earth flows are quite widespread in the Northern Italian Apennines. Despite being simply referred to as landslides, many of them are, in fact, large complexes of landslides. They evolved through multiple and/or successive movements, undergoing partial and/or total reactivations. The reactivation of pre-existing landslide bodies is the prevalent mechanism for the known landslide events, as the historical records and the technical reports indicate. Landslide reactivation is, indeed, a relevant topic from the perspective of risk assessment and mitigation. A multi-parameter monitoring system was installed on a large complex of landslides that underwent partial or total reactivations after heavy rainfall events, causing damages to buildings and infrastructures. Two clusters of automatic piezometers—each coupled with an inclinometer—and a time-lapse resistivity deployment were the core of the monitoring system. A weather station, collecting data from subsurface thermometers, and a water content probe completed the system. After the construction of a new geological model of the slope, this study aimed at understanding the possible mechanisms leading to the reactivation of the landslide. This goal was achieved by gaining insights into the process of rainfall infiltration into the landslide deposits, by determining the groundwater flow and evaluating the landslide displacements. The monitoring system captured the processes that took place in the landslide bodies and the bedrock in response to a rainfall event in early February 2017, which followed a dry period of eight months. The recorded data provided indications on the variation of the hydraulic head in the groundwater within the landslide and the bedrock, particularly at the sliding surfaces. The electrical conductivity of the groundwater and the resistivity of the terrain varied across the failure surfaces. In particular, a sudden increase in the electrical conductivity was related to the locations of the main sliding surfaces. The joint analysis of time-lapse resistivity, hydraulic heads, and groundwater electrical conductivity helped identify the locations of weaker levels within the landslide masses, which were confirmed by data from inclinometers. This study improved the knowledge of the hydrogeological behaviour of a complex of landslides in heterogeneous low-permeability media. Moreover, the obtained results contributed to the understanding of the role played by different portions of the landslide complex in the evolution of the movement