Stellar structures in the outer regions of M33

We present Subaru/Suprime-Cam deep V and I imaging of seven fields in the outer regions of M33. Our aim is to search for stellar structures corresponding to extended HI clouds found in a recent 21-cm survey of the galaxy. Three fields probe a large HI complex to the southeastern (SE) side of the galaxy. An additional three fields cover the northwestern (NW) side of the galaxy along the HI warp. A final target field was chosen further north, at a projected distance of approximately 25 kpc, to study part of the large stellar plume recently discovered around M33. We analyse the stellar population at R > 10 kpc by means of V, I colour magnitude diagrams reaching the red clump. Evolved stellar populations are found in all fields out to 120' (~ 30 kpc), while a diffuse population of young stars (~ 200 Myr) is detected out to a galactocentric radius of 15 kpc. The mean metallicity in the southern fields remains approximately constant at [M/H] = -0.7 beyond the edge of the optical disc, from 40' out to 80'. Along the northern fields probing the outer \hi disc, we also find a metallicity of [M/H] = -0.7 between 35' and 70' from the centre, which decreases to [M/H] = -1.0 at larger angular radii out to 120'. In the northernmost field, outside the disc extent, the stellar population of the large stellar feature possibly related to a M33-M31 interaction is on average more metal-poor ([M/H] = -1.3) and older (> 6 Gyr). An exponential disc with a large scale-length (~ 7 kpc) fits well the average distribution of stars detected in both the SE and NW regions from a galactocentric distance of 11 kpc out to 30 kpc. The stellar distribution at large radii is disturbed and, although there is no clear correlation between the stellar substructures and the location of the HI clouds, this gives evidence for tidal interaction or accretion events.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publications in Astronomy and Astrophysics; minor revisions of the tex

Disease Severity Is Associated with Alexithymia in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that is associated with higher rates of psychological disorders, but limited evidence supported the association with alexithymia, a psychoaffective dysfunction. Objectives: This study was aimed to investigate the occurrence of alexithymia in AD patients, compared to healthy subjects. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed AD severity by the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score, sleeplessness and itch by a numeric rating scale (NRS), and alexithymia by the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) score. The association between disease characteristics and alexithymia was evaluated through several logistic regression models. Results: 202 AD patients and 240 healthy subjects were included in this study. The alexithymic personality trait (TAS-20 >= 51) was more frequently observed among AD patients compared to the control group (62.4% [126/202] vs. 29.2% [70/240], p < 0.0001). In particular, alexithymia (TAS-20 score >= 61) was detected in a significantly higher number of AD patients than in the controls (27.7% [56/202] vs. 7.5% [18/240]; p < 0.0001), whereas borderline alexithymia was detected in 34.6% (70/202) of AD patients compared to 21.7% of healthy controls. Alexithymia was more common among severe AD patients (43.6%) compared to mild AD patients (15.6%) and correlated with itch intensity and sleep disturbances. Among clinical variables, ordered logistic regression analyses revealed disease severity as predictor of alexithymia. Indeed, univariate analysis showed EASI score, sleep NRS, and itch NRS being significantly associated with alexithymia, while a multivariate model identified increased EASI score values as predicting factor. Conclusion: This study described alexithymia in AD patients correlating its occurrence with clinical AD severity markers (EASI score, itch, and sleeplessness) and identifying the increase in EASI score as predicting factor. (c) 2020 S. Karger AG, Base

Similar levels of efficacy of two different maintenance doses of adalimumab on clinical severity and quality of life of patients with hidradenitis suppurativa

Adalimumab is the only biologic agent approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) patients (i.e., with Hurley II or III), which is recommended in two different maintenance doses (i.e., 40 mg weekly or 80 mg every two weeks). We conducted a prospective multicentric study to measure outcomes related to the severity of disease and quality of life (QoL) of patients affected by moderate-to-severe HS, treated with adalimumab at a maintenance dosing of 40 mg or 80 mg. Assessments were performed at baseline (T0) and after 32 weeks of treatment (T32). We enrolled 85 moderate-to-severe HS Italian patients, 43 men (50.6%) and 42 women, aged between 16 and 62 years (median 31 years, interquartile range 24.4-43.8). Statistically significant improvements were observed for clinical status (with a mean reduction of 7.1 points for the International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Score System (IHS4)), pain levels (3.1 mean decrease in VAS), and QoL (3.4 mean improvement in DLQI score). Patients with no comorbidities, and those with higher levels of perceived pain showed significantly greater improvement in QoL than their counterpart from T0 to T32. As for the proportion of patients who at follow-up reached the minimal clinical important difference (MCID) in QoL, significantly higher proportions of success were observed for age (patients in the 29-39 category), pain (patients with higher reported pain), and Hurley stage III. While both treatment regimen groups (i.e., 40 vs. 80 mg) improved significantly, no statistical differences were observed when comparing the two treatment dosages

NIR surface photometry of a sample of nearby spiral galaxies

The first results of an observational programme aimed at mapping a sample of face--on spiral galaxies in the NIR are presented. This paper shows the surface photometry of the first ten galaxies in the sample. The data were taken in the broad band $J$ (1.2 $\mu$m) and $K_{s}$ (2.2 $\mu$m) filters. The sources were selected mainly according to their size and brightness in order to suit the characteristics of the CAIN 2D NIR camera on the 1.5 m Carlos S\'anchez Telescope (Tenerife, Spain). The primary scientific goal is to provide a comprehensive and uniform database of the main structural and photometric parameters of the sample members from NIR surface photometry. To this end, elliptical isophotal fitting was performed on each galaxy image to extract information about the size and location of its morphological components and provide the azimuthally averaged radial brightness profile. Analytical functions for each component's brightness distribution were then used to match that profile, and their functional parameters obtained from the global fitting. This first report includes data for NGC 3344, NGC 3686, NGC 3938, NGC 3953, NGC 4254, NGC 4303, NGC 4314, NGC 5248, NGC 6384 and NGC 7479.Comment: 9 pages and 6 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

Pairing in nuclear systems: from neutron stars to finite nuclei

We discuss several pairing-related phenomena in nuclear systems, ranging from superfluidity in neutron stars to the gradual breaking of pairs in finite nuclei. We focus on the links between many-body pairing as it evolves from the underlying nucleon-nucleon interaction and the eventual experimental and theoretical manifestations of superfluidity in infinite nuclear matter and of pairing in finite nuclei. We analyse the nature of pair correlations in nuclei and their potential impact on nuclear structure experiments. We also describe recent experimental evidence that points to a relation between pairing and phase transitions (or transformations) in finite nuclear systems. Finally, we discuss recent investigations of ground-state properties of random two-body interactions where pairing plays little role although the interactions yield interesting nuclear properties such as 0+ ground states in even-even nuclei.Comment: 74 pages, 33 figs, uses revtex4. Submitted to Reviews of Modern Physic

Control of star formation by supersonic turbulence

Understanding the formation of stars in galaxies is central to much of modern astrophysics. For several decades it has been thought that stellar birth is primarily controlled by the interplay between gravity and magnetostatic support, modulated by ambipolar diffusion. Recently, however, both observational and numerical work has begun to suggest that support by supersonic turbulence rather than magnetic fields controls star formation. In this review we outline a new theory of star formation relying on the control by turbulence. We demonstrate that although supersonic turbulence can provide global support, it nevertheless produces density enhancements that allow local collapse. Inefficient, isolated star formation is a hallmark of turbulent support, while efficient, clustered star formation occurs in its absence. The consequences of this theory are then explored for both local star formation and galactic scale star formation. (ABSTRACT ABBREVIATED)Comment: Invited review for "Reviews of Modern Physics", 87 pages including 28 figures, in pres

A Global Jet/Circulation Model for Young Stars

Powerful, highly collimated jets, surrounded by bipolar molecular outflows, are commonly observed near Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). In the usual theoretical picture of star formation, a jet is ejected from a magnetized accretion disk, with a molecular outflow being driven either by the jet or by a wider wind coming from the disk. Here, we propose an alternative global model for the flows surrounding YSOs. In addition to a central accretion-ejection engine driving the jet, the molecular outflow is powered by the infalling matter and follows a circulation pattern around the central object without necessarily being entrained by a jet. It is shown that the model produces a heated pressure-driven outflow with magneto-centrifugal acceleration and collimation. We report solutions for the three different parts of this self-similar model, i.e. the jet, the infalling envelope and the circulating matter that eventually forms the molecular outflow. This new picture of the accretion/outflow phase provides a possible explanation for several observed properties of YSO outflows. The most relevant ones are the presence of high mass molecular outflows around massive protostars, and a realistic fraction (typically 0.1) of the accretion flow that goes into the jet.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Coding Early Naturalists' Accounts into Long-Term Fish Community Changes in the Adriatic Sea (1800–2000)

The understanding of fish communities' changes over the past centuries has important implications for conservation policy and marine resource management. However, reconstructing these changes is difficult because information on marine communities before the second half of the 20th century is, in most cases, anecdotal and merely qualitative. Therefore, historical qualitative records and modern quantitative data are not directly comparable, and their integration for long-term analyses is not straightforward. We developed a methodology that allows the coding of qualitative information provided by early naturalists into semi-quantitative information through an intercalibration with landing proportions. This approach allowed us to reconstruct and quantitatively analyze a 200-year-long time series of fish community structure indicators in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea). Our analysis provides evidence of long-term changes in fish community structure, including the decline of Chondrichthyes, large-sized and late-maturing species. This work highlights the importance of broadening the time-frame through which we look at marine ecosystem changes and provides a methodology to exploit, in a quantitative framework, historical qualitative sources. To the purpose, naturalists' eyewitness accounts proved to be useful for extending the analysis on fish community back in the past, well before the onset of field-based monitoring programs

SED fitting of nearby galaxies in the Herschel Reference Survey

We compute UV to radio continuum spectral energy distributions of 51 nearby galaxies recently observed with SPIRE onboard Herschel and present infrared colours (in the 25-500 μm spectral range). SPIRE data of normal galaxies are well reproduced with a modified black body (β=2) of temperature T≅q 20 K. In ellipticals hosting a radio galaxy, the far-infrared (FIR) emission is dominated by the synchrotron nuclear emission. The colour temperature of the cold dust is higher in quiescent E-S0a than in star-forming systems probably because of the different nature of their dust heating sources (evolved stellar populations, X-ray, fast electrons) and dust grain properties