Multi-band high resolution spectroscopy rules out the hot Jupiter BD+20 1790b - First data from the GIARPS Commissioning

Context. Stellar activity is currently challenging the detection of young planets via the radial velocity (RV) technique. Aims. We attempt to definitively discriminate the nature of the RV variations for the young active K5 star BD+20 1790, for which visible (VIS) RV measurements show divergent results on the existence of a substellar companion. Methods. We compare VIS data with high precision RVs in the near infrared (NIR) range by using the GIANO - B and IGRINS spectrographs. In addition, we present for the first time simultaneous VIS-NIR observations obtained with GIARPS (GIANO - B and HARPS - N) at Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG). Orbital RVs are achromatic, so the RV amplitude does not change at different wavelengths, while stellar activity induces wavelength-dependent RV variations, which are significantly reduced in the NIR range with respect to the VIS. Results. The NIR radial velocity measurements from GIANO - B and IGRINS show an average amplitude of about one quarter with respect to previously published VIS data, as expected when the RV jitter is due to stellar activity. Coeval multi-band photometry surprisingly shows larger amplitudes in the NIR range, explainable with a mixture of cool and hot spots in the same active region. Conclusions. In this work, the claimed massive planet around BD+20 1790 is ruled out by our data. We exploited the crucial role of multi- wavelength spectroscopy when observing young active stars: thanks to facilities like GIARPS that provide simultaneous observations, this method can reach its maximum potential.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Cohesin Is Limiting for the Suppression of DNA Damage–Induced Recombination between Homologous Chromosomes

Double-strand break (DSB) repair through homologous recombination (HR) is an evolutionarily conserved process that is generally error-free. The risk to genome stability posed by nonallelic recombination or loss-of-heterozygosity could be reduced by confining HR to sister chromatids, thereby preventing recombination between homologous chromosomes. Here we show that the sister chromatid cohesion complex (cohesin) is a limiting factor in the control of DSB repair and genome stability and that it suppresses DNA damage–induced interactions between homologues. We developed a gene dosage system in tetraploid yeast to address limitations on various essential components in DSB repair and HR. Unlike RAD50 and RAD51, which play a direct role in HR, a 4-fold reduction in the number of essential MCD1 sister chromatid cohesion subunit genes affected survival of gamma-irradiated G2/M cells. The decreased survival reflected a reduction in DSB repair. Importantly, HR between homologous chromosomes was strongly increased by ionizing radiation in G2/M cells with a single copy of MCD1 or SMC3 even at radiation doses where survival was high and DSB repair was efficient. The increased recombination also extended to nonlethal doses of UV, which did not induce DSBs. The DNA damage–induced recombinants in G2/M cells included crossovers. Thus, the cohesin complex has a dual role in protecting chromosome integrity: it promotes DSB repair and recombination between sister chromatids, and it suppresses damage-induced recombination between homologues. The effects of limited amounts of Mcd1and Smc3 indicate that small changes in cohesin levels may increase the risk of genome instability, which may lead to genetic diseases and cancer

GIARPS: commissioning and first scientific results

GIARPS (GIAno \& haRPS) is a project devoted to have on the same focal station of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) both high resolution spectrographs, HARPS-N (VIS) and GIANO-B (NIR), working simultaneously. This could be considered the first and unique worldwide instrument providing cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy at a resolution of 50,000 in the NIR range and 115,000 in the VIS and over in a wide spectral range ($0.383 - 2.45\ \mu$m) in a single exposure. The science case is very broad, given the versatility of such an instrument and its large wavelength range. A number of outstanding science cases encompassing mainly extra-solar planet science starting from rocky planets search and hot Jupiters to atmosphere characterization can be considered. Furthermore both instruments can measure high precision radial velocities by means the simultaneous thorium technique (HARPS-N) and absorbing cell technique (GIANO-B) in a single exposure. Other science cases are also possible. GIARPS, as a brand new observing mode of the TNG started after the moving of GIANO-A (fiber fed spectrograph) from Nasmyth-A to Nasmyth-B where it was re-born as GIANO-B (no more fiber feed spectrograph). The official Commissioning finished on March 2017 and then it was offered to the community. Despite the work is not finished yet. In this paper we describe the preliminary scientific results obtained with GIANO-B and GIARPS observing mode with data taken during commissioning and first open time observations.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, Telescopes and Astronomical instrumentation, SPIE Conf. 201

The GAPS Programme at TNG. XXI. A GIARPS case study of known young planetary candidates: confirmation of HD 285507 b and refutation of AD Leonis b

Context. The existence of hot Jupiters is still not well understood. Two main channels are thought to be responsible for their current location: a smooth planet migration through the protoplanetary disk or the circularization of an initial highly eccentric orbit by tidal dissipation leading to a strong decrease in the semimajor axis. Different formation scenarios result in different observable effects, such as orbital parameters (obliquity and eccentricity) or frequency of planets at different stellar ages. Aims: In the context of the GAPS Young Objects project, we are carrying out a radial velocity survey with the aim of searching and characterizing young hot-Jupiter planets. Our purpose is to put constraints on evolutionary models and establish statistical properties, such as the frequency of these planets from a homogeneous sample. Methods: Since young stars are in general magnetically very active, we performed multi-band (visible and near-infrared) spectroscopy with simultaneous GIANO-B + HARPS-N (GIARPS) observing mode at TNG. This helps in dealing with stellar activity and distinguishing the nature of radial velocity variations: stellar activity will introduce a wavelength-dependent radial velocity amplitude, whereas a Keplerian signal is achromatic. As a pilot study, we present here the cases of two known hot Jupiters orbiting young stars: HD 285507 b and AD Leo b. Results: Our analysis of simultaneous high-precision GIARPS spectroscopic data confirms the Keplerian nature of the variation in the HD 285507 radial velocities and refines the orbital parameters of the hot Jupiter, obtaining an eccentricity consistent with a circular orbit. Instead, our analysis does not confirm the signal previously attributed to a planet orbiting AD Leo. This demonstrates the power of the multi-band spectroscopic technique when observing active stars. Photometry, RV, and time series are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/638/A5 Based on observations made with the Italian Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) operated by the Fundación Galileo Galilei (FGG) of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain). Partly based on data obtained with the STELLA robotic telescopes in Tenerife, an AIP facility jointly operated by AIP and IAC

Neurosurgery

BACKGROUND An increased incidence of various neoplasms has been described in patients with acromegaly, and there is evidence to suggest that growth factors are risk factors for the development of meningiomas. OBJECTIVE To study if patients with acromegaly are more at risk for developing intracranial meningiomas. METHODS We conducted an observational study on 221 consecutive acromegalic patients recruited between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2015, and 357 consecutive patients with a nonsomatotropic pituitary adenoma recruited between March 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016, in our institution. Patients underwent a gadolinium-enhanced 3D T1 brain magnetic resonance imaging to look for meningiomas. The proportion of meningiomas was compared between the 2 groups, and the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was computed from the incidence rates of meningiomas observed in the population of acromegalic patients and compared to that of the general population given by the local registry of central nervous system tumors. RESULTS Patients with acromegaly had a significant risk for developing intracranial meningiomas as compared to patients without acromegaly (7.7% vs 2.2%, P = .005, OR = 3.45 [1.46; 8.15]). There was a significant increased incidence of intracranial meningiomas in patients with acromegaly (SIR = 126 [25; 367]) as compared to the general population. CONCLUSION Our study suggests strongly that patients with acromegaly are more at risk for developing intracranial meningiomas