Recovering pyramid WS gain in non-common path aberration correction mode via deformable lens

It is by now well known that pyramid based wavefront sensors, once in closed loop, have the capability to improve more and more the gain as the reference natural star image size is getting smaller on the pyramid pin. Especially in extreme adaptive optics applications, in order to correct the non-common path aberrations between the scientific and sensing channel, it is common use to inject a certain amount of offset wavefront deformation into the DM(s), departing at the same time the pyramid from the optimal working condition. In this paper we elaborate on the possibility to correct the low order non-common path aberrations at the pyramid wavefront sensor level by means of an adaptive refractive lens placed on the optical path before the pyramid itself, allowing the mitigation of the gain loss

Inhomogeneities on the surface of 21 Lutetia, the asteroid target of the Rosetta mission

CONTEXT: In July 2010 the ESA spacecraft Rosetta will fly-by the main belt asteroid 21 Lutetia. Several observations of this asteroid have been so far performed, but its surface composition and nature are still a matter of debate. For long time Lutetia was supposed to have a metallic nature due to its high IRAS albedo. Later on it has been suggested to have a surface composition similar to primitive carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, while further observations proposed a possible genetic link with more evolved enstatite chondrite meteorites. AIMS: In order to give an important contribution in solving the conundrum of the nature of Lutetia, in November 2008 we performed visible spectroscopic observations of this asteroid at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG, La Palma, Spain). METHODS: Thirteen visible spectra have been acquired at different rotational phases. RESULTS: We confirm the presence of a narrow spectral feature at about 0.47-0.48 micron already found by Lazzarin et al. (2009) on the spectra of Lutetia. We also find a spectral feature at about 0.6 micron, detected by Lazzarin et al. (2004) on one of their Lutetia's spectra. More importantly, our spectra exhibit different spectral slopes between 0.6 and 0.75 micron and, in particular, we found that up to 20% of the Lutetia surface could have flatter spectra. CONCLUSIONS: We detected a variation of the spectral slopes at different rotational phases that could be interpreted as possibly due to differences in the chemical/mineralogical composition, as well as to inhomogeneities of the structure of the Lutetia's surface (e.g., the presence of craters or albedo spots) in the southern hemisphere.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Updated on 25 March 2010

Phobos as a D-type captured asteroid, spectral modeling from 0.25 to 4.0 μm

This paper describes the spectral modeling of the surface of Phobos in the wavelength range between 0.25 and 4.0 μm. We use complementary data to cover this spectral range: the OSIRIS (Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System on board the ESA Rosetta spacecraft) reflectance spectrum that Pajola et al. merged with the VSK-KRFM-ISM (Videospectrometric Camera (VSK)-Combined Radiometer and Photometer for Mars (KRFM)-Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (ISM) on board the USSR Phobos 2 spacecraft) spectra by Murchie & Erard and the IRTF (NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, Hawaii, USA) spectra published by Rivkin et al. The OSIRIS data allow the characterization of an area of Phobos covering from 86.°8 N to 90° S in latitude and from 126° W to 286° W in longitude. This corresponds chiefly to the trailing hemisphere, but with a small sampling of the leading hemisphere as well. We compared the OSIRIS results with the Trojan D-type asteroid 624 Hektor and show that the overall slope and curvature of the two bodies over the common wavelength range are very similar. This favors Phobos being a captured D-type asteroid as previously suggested. We modeled the OSIRIS data using two models, the first one with a composition that includes organic carbonaceous material, serpentine, olivine, and basalt glass, and the second one consisting of Tagish Lake meteorite and magnesium-rich pyroxene glass. The results of these models were extended to longer wavelengths to compare the VSK-KRFM-ISM and IRTF data. The overall shape of the second model spectrum between 0.25 and 4.0 μm shows curvature and an albedo level that match both the OSIRIS and Murchie & Erard data and the Rivkin et al. data much better than the first model. The large interval fit is encouraging and adds weight to this model, making it our most promising fit for Phobos. Since Tagish Lake is commonly used as a spectral analog for D-type asteroids, this provides additional support for compositional similarities between Phobos and D-type asteroids. © 2013. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved

Stability and change of lifestyle profiles in cardiovascular patients after their first acute coronary event

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Lifestyle and health behavior changes play an important role in the primary and secondary prevention of ACS recurrence. Changes in unhealthy lifestyles after an acute coronary event have been analyzed by considering separate behaviors individually, even though research on the healthy population has demonstrated that unhealthy behaviors tend to co-occur. Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify lifestyle profiles of ACS patients and to explore their pathways of change for one year after their first coronary event by adopting a typological approach. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-three patients (84% male; mean age = 57.14) completed self-report measures of health-related behaviors at the beginning of cardiac rehabilitation, and six months and twelve months after. At each wave depression, anxiety and heart rate were also evaluated. Cluster analysis was performed to identify lifestyle profiles and to analyze their change over time. Differences in psychological factors and heart rate among clusters were assessed. Results: Patients’ diet, physical activity, and smoking behavior greatly improved six months after their first coronary event. No further improvements were detected after one year. At each wave specific lifestyle profiles were identified, ranging from more maladaptive to healthier clusters. Patients with multiple unhealthy behaviors experience greater difficulties in maintaining a healthier lifestyle over time. Moreover, the results demonstrated the association between lifestyle profiles at twelve months after the acute coronary event and depression measured six months earlier. Finally, the most maladaptive lifestyle profile had many members with elevated heart rate at twelve months after the cardiac rehabilitation. Conclusions: Current findings may have a strong practical impact in the development and implementation of personalized secondary prevention programs targeting lifestyles of ACS patients

The NEOShield-2 EU project: The Italian contribution

The NEOShield-2 (2015-2017) project has been recently approved by the European Commission in the framework of the Horizon 2020 programme with the aim i) to study specific technologies and instruments to conduct close approach missions to NEOs or to undertake mitigation demonstration, and ii) to acquire in-depth information of physical properties of the population of small NEOs (50-300 m), in order to design mitigation missions and assess the consequences of an impact on Earth. The Italian scientific community is widely involved in this project

A longitudinal study on the information needs and preferences of patients after an acute coronary syndrome

Background: Research has shown that the provision of pertinent health information to patients with cardiovascular disease is associated with better adherence to medical prescriptions, behavioral changes, and enhanced perception of control over the disease. Yet there is no clear knowledge on how to improve information pertinence. Identifying and meeting the information needs of patients and their preferences for sources of information is pivotal to developing patient-led services. This prospective, observational study was aimed at exploring the information needs and perceived relevance of different information sources for patients during the twenty-four months following an acute coronary syndrome. Methods: Two hundred and seventeen newly diagnosed patients with acute coronary syndrome were enrolled in the study. The patients were primarily men (83.41 %) with a mean age of 57.28 years (range 35-75; SD = 7.98). Patients' needs for information and the perceived relevance of information sources were evaluated between 2 and 8 weeks after hospitalization (baseline) and during three follow-ups at 6, 12 and 24 months after baseline. Repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc tests and Cochran's Q Test were performed to test differences in variables of interest over time. Results: Results showed a reduction in information needs, but this decrease was significant only for topics related to daily activities, behavioral habits, risk and complication. At baseline, the primary sources of information were specialists and general practitioners, followed by family members and information leaflets given by physicians. Relevance of other sources changed differently over time. Conclusion: The present longitudinal study is an original contribution to the investigation of changes in information needs and preferences for sources of information among patients who are diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome. One of the main results of this study is that information on self-disease management is perceived as a minor theme for patients even two years after the event. Knowledge on how patients' information needs and perceived relevance of information sources change over time could enhance the quality of chronic disease management, leading health-care systems to move toward more patient-tailored care

Potential agnostic role of BRCA alterations in patients with several solid tumors: One for all, all for one?

Germline BRCA1/2 alterations in the Homologous Recombination (HR) pathway are considered as main susceptibility biomarkers to Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancers (HBOC). The modern molecular biology technologies allowed to characterize germline and somatic BRCA1/2 alterations in several malignancies, broadening the landscape of BRCA1/2-alterated tumors. In the last years, BRCA genetic testing, beyond the preventive value, also assumed a predictive and prognostic significance for patient management. The approval of molecules with agnostic indication is leading to a new clinical model, defined "mutational". Among these drugs, the Poly (ADP)-Ribose Polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) for BRCA1/2-deficient tumors were widely studied leading to increasing therapeutic implications. In this Review we provided an overview of the main clinical studies describing the association between BRCA-mutated tumors and PARPi response, focusing on the controversial evidence about the potential agnostic indication based on BRCA1/2 alterations in several solid tumors

VST: the telescope progress toward stars

The VST telescope is in an advanced stage of integration in Chile, after a period of work spent mainly on the active optics system, started in mid-2007. We present the results of the recent work on the primary and secondary mirror support systems and on the mirror cell auxiliary units