The Belgian repository of fundamental atomic data and stellar spectra (BRASS). I. Cross-matching atomic databases of astrophysical interest

Fundamental atomic parameters, such as oscillator strengths, play a key role in modelling and understanding the chemical composition of stars in the universe. Despite the significant work underway to produce these parameters for many astrophysically important ions, uncertainties in these parameters remain large and can propagate throughout the entire field of astronomy. The Belgian repository of fundamental atomic data and stellar spectra (BRASS) aims to provide the largest systematic and homogeneous quality assessment of atomic data to date in terms of wavelength, atomic and stellar parameter coverage. To prepare for it, we first compiled multiple literature occurrences of many individual atomic transitions, from several atomic databases of astrophysical interest, and assessed their agreement. Several atomic repositories were searched and their data retrieved and formatted in a consistent manner. Data entries from all repositories were cross-matched against our initial BRASS atomic line list to find multiple occurrences of the same transition. Where possible we used a non-parametric cross-match depending only on electronic configurations and total angular momentum values. We also checked for duplicate entries of the same physical transition, within each retrieved repository, using the non-parametric cross-match. We report the cross-matched transitions for each repository and compare their fundamental atomic parameters. We find differences in log(gf) values of up to 2 dex or more. We also find and report that ~2% of our line list and Vienna Atomic Line Database retrievals are composed of duplicate transitions. Finally we provide a number of examples of atomic spectral lines with different log(gf) values, and discuss the impact of these uncertain log(gf) values on quantitative spectroscopy. All cross-matched atomic data and duplicate transitions are available to download at brass.sdf.org.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, 9 tables. Accepted for publication in A&

Malaria chemoprophylaxis and the serologic response to measles and diphtheria-tetanus-whole-cell pertussis vaccines

BACKGROUND: Acute malaria has been associated with a decreased antibody response to tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, meningococcal, salmonella, and Hib vaccines. Interest in giving malaria drug therapy and prevention at the time of childhood immunizations has increased greatly following recent trials of intermittent preventive therapy during infancy (IPTi), stimulating this re-analysis of unpublished data. The effect of malaria chemoprophylaxis on vaccine response was studied following administration of measles vaccines and diphtheria-tetanus-whole cell pertussis (DTP) vaccines. METHODS: In 1975, six villages divided into two groups of children ≤74 months of age from Burkina Faso, were assigned to receive amodiaquine hydrochloride chemoprophylaxis (CH+) every two weeks for seven months or no chemoprophylaxis (CH-). After five months, children in each group received either one dose of measles or two doses of DTP vaccines. RESULTS: For recipients of the measles vaccine, the seroconversion rates in CH+ and CH- children, respectively, were 93% and 96% (P > 0.05). The seroresponse rates in CH+ and CH- children respectively, were 73% and 86% for diphtheria (P > 0.05) and 77% and 91% for tetanus toxoid (P > 0.05). In a subset analysis, in which only children who strictly adhered to chemoprophylaxis criteria were included, there were, likewise, no significant differences in seroconversion or seroresponse for measles, diphtheria, or tetanus vaccines (P > 0.05). While analysis for pertussis showed a 43% (CH+) and 67% (CH-) response (P < 0.05), analyses using logistic regression to control for sex, age, chemoprophylaxis, weight-for-height Z-score, and pre-vaccination geometric mean titer (GMT), demonstrated that chemoprophylaxis was not associated with a significantly different conversion rate following DTP and measles vaccines. Seven months of chemoprophylaxis decreased significantly the malaria IFA and ELISA GMTs in the CH+ group. CONCLUSION: Malaria chemoprophylaxis prior to vaccination in malaria endemic settings did not improve or impair immunogenicity of DTP and measles vaccines. This is the first human study to look at the association between malaria chemoprophylaxis and the serologic response to whole-cell pertussis vaccine

Luminous blue variables: An imaging perspective on their binarity and near environment

Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are rare massive stars with very high luminosity. They are characterized by strong photo-metric and spectroscopic variability related to transient eruptions. The mechanisms at the origin of these eruptions is not well known. In addition, their formation is still problematic and the presence of a companion could help to explain how they form. Aims. This article presents a study of seven LBVs (about 20% of the known Galactic population), some Wolf-Rayet stars, and massive binaries. We probe the environments that surround these massive stars with near-, mid-, and far-infrared images, investigating potential nebula/shells and the companion stars. Methods. To investigate large spatial scales, we used seeing-limited and near diffraction-limited adaptive optics images to obtain a differential diagnostic on the presence of circumstellar matter and to determine their extent. From those images, we also looked for the presence of binary companions on a wide orbit. Once a companion was detected, its gravitational binding to the central star was tested. Tests include the chance projection probability, the proper motion estimates with multi-epoch observations, flux ratio, and star separations. Results. We find that two out of seven of LBVs may have a wide orbit companion. Most of the LBVs display a large circumstellar envelope or several shells. In particular, HD168625, known for its rings, possesses several shells with possibly a large cold shell at the edge of which the rings are formed. For the first time, we have directly imaged the companion of LBV stars

La stratégie d’influence et la sécurisation économique et politique des frontières de l’Union européenne dans sa politique de voisinage à l’Est dans le cadre du Partenariat oriental

Depuis 2009, le Partenariat oriental a permis d'initier un rapprochement économique et politique entre l'Union européenne et ses partenaires d’Europe orientale et du Sud Caucase (l’Ukraine, la Moldavie, la Biélorussie, la Géorgie, l’Arménie et l’Azerbaïdjan) : notamment par le développement d'une zone de libre-échange, une libéralisation du régime des visas, et plus largement l'exportation d'un ensemble normatif de l'UE vers ces États. Néanmoins, entre la Russie considérant cet espace comme son « étranger proche », et les alternatives économiques et politiques à l'UE, cette dernière souhaite que le Partenariat oriental soit plus stratégique et plus ambitieux dans les prochaines années, grâce à une série d’objectifs détaillés par la Commission européenne. Cependant, le bilan du Partenariat oriental jusqu’à présent demeure mitigé, non seulement concernant sa finalité, mais aussi les perspectives d’intégration de cette politique pour les partenaires orientaux au sein de l’UE. Enfin, au-delà d’une politique européenne de voisinage, les répercussions sur la géopolitique de l’Europe sont multiples, renvoyant dès lors l’UE à « une prise de conscience géopolitique » avec son voisin russe : la géographie et les frontières de cet espace eurasiatique étant au cœur de divers jeux d’influence

BRASS: Cross-match of atomic repositories and spectral line blending investigations1

The Belgian repository of fundamental atomic data and stellar spectra (BRASS) aims to critically evaluate atomic data, from publicly available repositories, by comparing state-of-the-art synthetic spectra against high-quality benchmark stellar spectra. In preparation for our assessment we have cross-matched atomic line transitions from several different databases. Our investigation revealed significant updates in log(gf) values, sometimes as large as 2-4 dex, that fully justify the need for systematic quality assessments of the atomic data. We have also investigated the spectral line blending of an initial subset of 2647 atomic lines using spectral synthesis calculations, for the spectral types BAFGK.SCOPUS: cp.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

The Belgian Repository of Fundamental Atomic Data and Stellar Spectra (BRASS)

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Gradient and Newton-Kantorovich methods for microwave tomography

International audienc