The WISSH quasars project XI. The mean Spectral Energy Distribution and Bolometric Corrections of the most luminous quasars

Hyper-luminous Quasi-Stellar Objects (QSOs) represent the ideal laboratory to investigate Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) feedback mechanism since their formidable energy release causes powerful winds at all scales and thus the maximum feedback is expected. We aim at deriving the mean Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of a sample of 85 WISE-SDSS Selected Hyper-luminous (WISSH) quasars. Since the SED provides a direct way to investigate the AGN structure, our goal is to understand if quasars at the bright end of the luminosity function have peculiar properties compared to the bulk of the population. We built a mean intrinsic SED after correcting for the dust extinction, absorption and emission lines and intergalactic medium absorption. We also derived bolometric, IR band and monochromatic luminosities together with bolometric corrections at lambda = 5100 A and 3 micron. We define a new relation for the 3 micron bolometric correction. We find that the mean SED of hyper-luminous WISSH QSOs is different from that of less luminous sources, i.e. a relatively lower X-ray emission and a near and mid IR excess which can be explained assuming a larger dust contribution. WISSH QSOs have stronger emission from both warm and very hot dust, the latter being responsible for shifting the typical dip of the AGN SED from 1.3 to 1.1 micron. We also derived the mean SEDs of two sub-samples created according to the presence of Broad Absorption Lines and equivalent width of CIV line. We confirm that BALs are X-ray weak and that they have a reddened UV-optical continuum. We also find that BALs tend to have stronger emission from the hot dust component. This analysis suggests that hyper-luminous QSOs have a peculiar SED compared to less luminous objects. It is therefore critical to use SED templates constructed exclusively from very bright quasars samples when dealing with particularly luminous sources.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 20 pages, 15 figure

The Gray Needle: Large Grains in the HD 15115 Debris Disk from LBT/PISCES/Ks and LBTI/LMIRcam/L' Adaptive Optics Imaging

We present diffraction-limited \ks band and \lprime adaptive optics images of the edge-on debris disk around the nearby F2 star HD 15115, obtained with a single 8.4 m primary mirror at the Large Binocular Telescope. At \ks band the disk is detected at signal-to-noise per resolution element (SNRE) \about 3-8 from \about 1-2\fasec 5 (45-113 AU) on the western side, and from \about 1.2-2\fasec 1 (63-90 AU) on the east. At \lprime the disk is detected at SNRE \about 2.5 from \about 1-1\fasec 45 (45-90 AU) on both sides, implying more symmetric disk structure at 3.8 \microns . At both wavelengths the disk has a bow-like shape and is offset from the star to the north by a few AU. A surface brightness asymmetry exists between the two sides of the disk at \ks band, but not at \lprime . The surface brightness at \ks band declines inside 1\asec (\about 45 AU), which may be indicative of a gap in the disk near 1\asec. The \ks - \lprime disk color, after removal of the stellar color, is mostly grey for both sides of the disk. This suggests that scattered light is coming from large dust grains, with 3-10 \microns -sized grains on the east side and 1-10 \microns dust grains on the west. This may suggest that the west side is composed of smaller dust grains than the east side, which would support the interpretation that the disk is being dynamically affected by interactions with the local interstellar medium.Comment: Apj-accepted March 27 2012; minor correction

Give the planet a chance if we want our patients to have a future

Climate changes have never been as dramatically apparent in our everyday life as now. It is urgent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the consequences of climate changes both on the planet and on human health. The indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources and the lack of shared rules are among the major causes. Recently, some economists have called for a radical change in the present economic model towards a 'social solidarity economy' model. G.Giraud, a French economist, called for an ecological and social transition in order to reduce the ecological footprint and deal concretely with the problem of global warming. The good news is that the solutions are there and do not have to be punitive. Health consequences of climate changes have already caused serious draw backs on public health. Doctors and scientific institutions can and must contribute to help mitigate the effects of climate change through increasing commitment and support to goodenvironmental policies. Climate emergency requires the extension of ethics and medical practice beyond their traditional mission to involve the relationship between patients, doctors and society. We propose that medical scientific institutions quickly promote the birth of task forces dedicated to addressing this problem

Status of the radio receiver system of the Sardina Radio Telescope

In this article, we present the design and performances of the radio receiver system installed at the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT). The three radio receivers planned for the first light of the Sardinian Telescope have been installed in three of the four possible focus positions. A dual linear polarization coaxial receiver that covers two frequency bands, the P-band (305-410 MHz) and the L-band (1.3-1.8 GHz) is installed at the primary focus. A mono-feed that covers the High C-band (5.7-7.7 GHz) is installed at the beam waveguide foci. A multi-beam (seven beams) K-band receiver (18- 26.5 GHz) is installed at the Gregorian focus. Finally, we give an overview about the radio receivers, which under test and under construction and which are needed for expanding the telescope observing capabilities

The Sardinia Radio Telescope Front-Ends

The 64 m diameter Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) has recently started an early science program using three cryogenic front-ends covering four bands: P-band (305-410 MHz), L-band (1.3-1.8 GHz), high C-band (5.7-7.7 GHz), K-band (18-26.5 GHz). The L- and the P-bands can be observed simultaneously with a single coaxial receiver installed at the primary focus, while a seven beam K-band receiver and a mono-feed high C-band receiver are installed, respectively at the secondary and beam waveguide focus. Additional front-ends are under construction to further expand the telescope observing capabilities. We report on the design and performance of the front-ends already installed on SRT and give an overview of the new ones to be completed in the near future

Covid-19 and the role of smoking: the protocol of the multicentric prospective study COSMO-IT (COvid19 and SMOking in ITaly).

The emergency caused by Covid-19 pandemic raised interest in studying lifestyles and comorbidities as important determinants of poor Covid-19 prognosis. Data on tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity are still limited, while no data are available on the role of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTP). To clarify the role of tobacco smoking and other lifestyle habits on COVID-19 severity and progression, we designed a longitudinal observational study titled COvid19 and SMOking in ITaly (COSMO-IT). About 30 Italian hospitals in North, Centre and South of Italy joined the study. Its main aims are: 1) to quantify the role of tobacco smoking and smoking cessation on the severity and progression of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients; 2) to compare smoking prevalence and severity of the disease in relation to smoking in hospitalized COVID-19 patients versus patients treated at home; 3) to quantify the association between other lifestyle factors, such as e-cigarette and HTP use, alcohol and obesity and the risk of unfavourable COVID-19 outcomes. Socio-demographic, lifestyle and medical history information will be gathered for around 3000 hospitalized and 700-1000 home-isolated, laboratory-confirmed, COVID-19 patients. Given the current absence of a vaccine against SARS-COV-2 and the lack of a specific treatment for -COVID-19, prevention strategies are of extreme importance. This project, designed to highly contribute to the international scientific debate on the role of avoidable lifestyle habits on COVID-19 severity, will provide valuable epidemiological data in order to support important recommendations to prevent COVID-19 incidence, progression and mortality

The high-frequency upgrade of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

We present the status of the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) and its forthcoming update planned in the next few years. The post-process scenario of the upgraded infrastructure will allow the national and international scientific community to use the SRT for the study of the Universe at high radio frequencies (up to 116 GHz), both in single dish and in interferometric mode. A telescope like SRT, operating at high frequencies, represents a unique resource for the scientific community. The telescope will be ideal for mapping quickly and with relatively high angular resolution extended radio emissions characterized by low surface brightness. It will also be essential for spectroscopic and polarimetric studies of both Galactic and extragalactic radio sources. With the use of the interferometric technique, SRT and the other Italian antennas (Medicina and Noto) will operate within the national and international radiotelescope network, allowing astronomers to obtain images of radio sources at very high angular resolution

Status of the High-Frequency Upgrade of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

The Sardinia Radio Telescope is going through a major upgrade aimed at observing the universe at up to 116 GHz. A budget of 18.700.000 E has been awarded to the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics to acquire new state-of-the-art receivers, back-end, and high-performance computing, to develop a sophisticated metrology system and to upgrade the infrastructure and laboratories. This contribution draws the status of the whole project at eight months from the end of the funding scheme planned for August 2022

T-REX OU4 HIRES: the high resolution spectrograph for the E-ELT

The goal of this unit was to consolidate the project for the construction of the high resolution spectrometer of the E-ELT (HIRES). The task included the development of scientific cases and tools to predict the instrumental performances. From the technical point of view it included several R&D activities in collaboration with highly specialized Italian companies; it culminated with the detailed design of a highly modular instrument based on well established technologies. From the management point of view it lead to the consolidation of a large international consortium that spans over 12 countries and includes most of the European and ESO-related institutes interested in high resolution spectroscopy. This consortium is led by INAF; its formal creation is awaiting the official call by ESO for the phase-A study for the HIRES instrument of the E-ELT

Intelligenza artificiale e sicurezza: opportunità, rischi e raccomandazioni

L'IA (o intelligenza artificiale) è una disciplina in forte espansione negli ultimi anni e lo sarà sempre più nel prossimo futuro: tuttavia è dal 1956 che l’IA studia l’emulazione dell’intelligenza da parte delle macchine, intese come software e in certi casi hardware. L’IA è nata dall’idea di costruire macchine che - ispirandosi ai processi legati all’intelligenza umana - siano in grado di risolvere problemi complessi, per i quali solitamente si ritiene che sia necessario un qualche tipo di ragionamento intelligente. La principale area di ricerca e applicazione attuale dell’IA è il machine learning (algoritmi che imparano e si adattano in base ai dati che ricevono), che negli ultimi anni ha trovato ampie applicazioni grazie alle reti neurali (modelli matematici composti da neuroni artificiali) che a loro volta hanno consentito la nascita del deep learning (reti neurali di maggiore complessità). Appartengono al mondo dell’IA anche i sistemi esperti, la visione artificiale, il riconoscimento vocale, l’elaborazione del linguaggio naturale, la robotica avanzata e alcune soluzioni di cybersecurity. Quando si parla di IA c'è chi ne è entusiasta pensando alle opportunità, altri sono preoccupati poiché temono tecnologie futuristiche di un mondo in cui i robot sostituiranno l'uomo, gli toglieranno il lavoro e decideranno al suo posto. In realtà l'IA è ampiamente utilizzata già oggi in molti campi, ad esempio nei cellulari, negli oggetti smart (IoT), nelle industry 4.0, per le smart city, nei sistemi di sicurezza informatica, nei sistemi di guida autonoma (drive o parking assistant), nei chat bot di vari siti web; questi sono solo alcuni esempi basati tutti su algoritmi tipici dell’intelligenza artificiale. Grazie all'IA le aziende possono avere svariati vantaggi nel fornire servizi avanzati, personalizzati, prevedere trend, anticipare le scelte degli utenti, ecc. Ma non è tutto oro quel che luccica: ci sono talvolta problemi tecnici, interrogativi etici, rischi di sicurezza, norme e legislazioni non del tutto chiare. Le organizzazioni che già adottano soluzioni basate sull’IA, o quelle che intendono farlo, potrebbero beneficiare di questa pubblicazione per approfondirne le opportunità, i rischi e le relative contromisure. La Community for Security del Clusit si augura che questa pubblicazione possa fornire ai lettori un utile quadro d’insieme di una realtà, come l’intelligenza artificiale, che ci accompagnerà sempre più nella vita personale, sociale e lavorativa.AI (or artificial intelligence) is a booming discipline in recent years and will be increasingly so in the near future.However, it is since 1956 that AI has been studying the emulation of intelligence by machines, understood as software and in some cases hardware. AI arose from the idea of building machines that-inspired by processes related to human intelligence-are able to solve complex problems, for which it is usually believed that some kind of intelligent reasoning is required. The main current area of AI research and application is machine learning (algorithms that learn and adapt based on the data they receive), which has found wide applications in recent years thanks to neural networks (mathematical models composed of artificial neurons), which in turn have enabled the emergence of deep learning (neural networks of greater complexity). Also belonging to the AI world are expert systems, computer vision, speech recognition, natural language processing, advanced robotics and some cybersecurity solutions. When it comes to AI there are those who are enthusiastic about it thinking of the opportunities, others are concerned as they fear futuristic technologies of a world where robots will replace humans, take away their jobs and make decisions for them. In reality, AI is already widely used in many fields, for example, in cell phones, smart objects (IoT), industries 4.0, for smart cities, cybersecurity systems, autonomous driving systems (drive or parking assistant), chat bots on various websites; these are just a few examples all based on typical artificial intelligence algorithms. Thanks to AI, companies can have a variety of advantages in providing advanced, personalized services, predicting trends, anticipating user choices, etc. But not all that glitters is gold: there are sometimes technical problems, ethical questions, security risks, and standards and legislation that are not entirely clear. Organizations already adopting AI-based solutions, or those planning to do so, could benefit from this publication to learn more about the opportunities, risks, and related countermeasures. Clusit's Community for Security hopes that this publication will provide readers with a useful overview of a reality, such as artificial intelligence, that will increasingly accompany us in our personal, social and working lives