Italian research on the Antarctic atmosphere

In this work after a short introduction on the structure of Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide, the different researches on atmospheric physics developed by Italian scientists are presented. The international activities are described, with particular attention both to APE experiment and the setting up of the new base in Dome-C. The results obtained are also discussed and the new projects proposed by SCAR or other international bodies are recalled. The reduction of funds and fall in young people interested in scientifi c studies represent the main problems for the future work

The intrinsic Baldwin effect in broad Balmer lines of six long-term monitored AGNs

We investigate the intrinsic Baldwin effect (Beff) of the broad H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ emission lines for six Type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with different broad line characteristics: two Seyfert 1 (NGC 4151 and NGC 5548), two AGNs with double-peaked broad line profiles (3C 390.3 and Arp 102B), one narrow line Seyfert 1 (Ark 564), and one high-luminosity quasar with highly red asymmetric broad line profiles (E1821+643). We found that a significant intrinsic Beff was present in all Type 1 AGNs in our sample. Moreover, we do not see strong difference in intrinsic Beff slopes in different types of AGNs which probably have different physical properties, such as inclination, broad line region geometry, or accretion rate. Additionally, we found that the intrinsic Beff was not connected with the global one, which, instead, could not be detected in the broad H$\alpha$ or H$\beta$ emission lines. In the case of NGC 4151, the detected variation of the Beff slope could be due to the change in the site of line formation in the BLR. Finally, the intrinsic Beff might be caused by the additional optical continuum component that is not part of the ionization continuum.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, Accepted for publication in A&

The IDIPOS project: is a multidisciplinary data infrastructure for weather and space weather feasible?

The Italian National Antarctic Programme (PNRA) has long supported scientific and technological activities addressed to the implementation, upgrade and maintenance of infrastructure and instruments supporting geosciences and physical sciences in the polar region. This report describes the first results of the Italian Database Infrastructure for Polar Observation Sciences (IDIPOS) project, which was recently approved by the PNRA. The project aims to study the feasibility of the hardware and software infrastructure for the construction of relational databases of acquisitions from past and current experiments in the polar areas. The study is based on the fundamental characteristics of the infrastructure: its implementation in Italy, with locations across the country, and its integration into the existing and future telematics infrastructure that will be available at the Italian bases. The project proposes a modern and hightech infrastructure dedicated to data treatment, accessibility and archiving, in line with international standards. This infrastructure will allow modern, rapid and reliable treatment of the acquired data. The IDIPOS infrastructure is crucial during the planning phase of scientific and monitoring activities of the PNRA, especially of those included in the Scientific Committe for Antarctic Research (SCAR) projects, the International Polar Year, and the framework of international cooperation. In the first phase of the project, the observations are related to research projects in different PNRA sectors. The infrastructure will be potentially extendable to other observational activities. In this report, the infrastructure is introduced, while highlighting its usefulness for weather and space-weather forecasting for the scientific community and in the framework of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Research and Application for Polar Environment (GRAPE) in particular

Solar particle effects on minor components of the Polar atmosphere

Abstract. Solar activity can influence the Earth's environment, and in particular the ozone layer, by direct modulation of the e.m. radiation or through variability of the incoming cosmic ray flux (solar and galactic particles). In particular, solar energetic particles (SEPs) provide additional external energy to the terrestrial environment; they are able to interact with the minor constituents of the atmospheric layer and produce ionizations, dissociations, dissociative ionizations and excitations. This paper highlights the SEP effects on the chemistry of the upper atmosphere by analysing some SEP events recorded during 2005 in the descending phase of the current solar cycle. It is shown that these events can lead to short- (hours) and medium- (days) term ozone variations through catalytic cycles (e.g. HOx and NOx increases). We focus attention on the relationship between ozone and OH data (retrieved from MLS EOS AURA) for four SEP events: 17 and 20 January, 15 May and 8 September. We confirm that SEP effects are different on the night and day hemispheres at high latitudes.</p

SN 1995ah-the first supernova observed in a Blue Compact Dwarf galaxy

We present the properties of the supernova SN 1995ah discovered in a Blue Compact Dwarf galaxy (BCD) around 10 days after the maximum. This is the first supernova event observed in a BCD. The photometric and spectroscopic data suggest that SN 1995ah is a Type II supernova and could belong to the rare Bright SNII Linear subclass, for which ~=-18.9+-0.6 at maximum light.Comment: 6 pages, late

The Murmur of the Sleeping Black Hole: Detection of Nuclear Ultraviolet Variability in LINER Galaxies

LINER nuclei, which are present in many nearby galactic bulges, may be the manifestation of low-rate or low-radiative-efficiency accretion onto supermassive central black holes. However, it has been unclear whether the compact UV nuclear sources present in many LINERs are clusters of massive stars, rather than being directly related to the accretion process. We have used HST to monitor the UV variability of a sample of 17 galaxies with LINER nuclei and compact nuclear UV sources. Fifteen of the 17 galaxies were observed more than once, with two to five epochs per galaxy, spanning up to a year. We detect significant variability in most of the sample, with peak-to-peak amplitudes from a few percent to 50%. In most cases, correlated variations are seen in two independent bands (F250W and F330W). Comparison to previous UV measurements indicates, for many objects, long-term variations by factors of a few over decade timescales. Variability is detected in LINERs with and without detected compact radio cores, in LINERs that have broad H-alpha wings detected in their optical spectra (``LINER 1's''), and in those that do not (``LINER 2s''). This variability demonstrates the existence of a non-stellar component in the UV continuum of all types, and sets a lower limit to the luminosity of this component. We note a trend in the UV color (F250W/F330W) with spectral type - LINER 1s tend to be bluer than LINER 2s. This trend may indicate a link between the shape of the nonstellar continuum and the presence or the visibility of a broad-line region. In one target, the post-starburst galaxy NGC 4736, we detect variability in a previously noted UV source that is offset by 2.5" (60 pc in projection) from the nucleus. This may be the nearest example of a binary active nucleus, and of the process leading to black hole merging.Comment: accepted to Ap

The Role of Psychological Well-Being in Weight Loss: New Insights from a Comprehensive Lifestyle Intervention

Background/Objective: Although the literature suggested that impaired psychological well-being (PWB) is associated with obesity, evidence on the role of PWB in weight outcomes is limited and inconclusive. This research aimed to investigate the joint role of PWB in achieving clinically significant weight loss (CWL; loss of 5% of the initial weight) through a comprehensive lifestyle intervention for obesity using a broad-based evaluation. Method: This study is a prospective cohort of 96 patients with obesity attending a comprehensive lifestyle intervention for weight loss. Data on weight, lifestyle, PWB, and distress, were collected before and after the intervention. Results: 30.5% of the participants achieved CWL at the end of treatment. A more pronounced increase in autonomy (odds ratio = 0.80 [95% CI: 0.68, 0.93], p ≤.01) and somatization (odds ratio = 0.83 [95% CI: 0.70, 0.98], p ≤.05) from pre- to post-treatment were independently associated with a lower probability of CWL. Conclusions: Unbalanced dimensions of PWB, in particular exceedingly high autonomy, may contribute to a poor weight loss outcome. This study paves the way for the addition of psychotherapeutic strategies geared to euthymia in comprehensive lifestyle intervention

Does ergometric stress test induce a procoagulative condition in patients with previous myocardial infarction

A regularly scheduled physical training program seems to have antithrombotic effects. Moreover, the hemostatic changes occurring in patients with coronary artery disease during acute exercise have not been clearly elucidated. Since stress testing is routinely performed in clinical cardiology, it would be helpful to assess whether patients with coronary artery disease are exposed to acute coronary thrombosis during or soon after sustained physical exercise. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of acute physical exercise (stress test by bicycle ergometer) on blood coagulation in a group of patients with previous myocardial infarction, and to determine whether the antithrombotic therapy commonly administered favorably influences hemostatic equilibrium. Our results suggest that exercise testing is not harmful to patients with previous myocardial infarction in regard to hemostasis and fibrinolysis and that antithrombotic therapy reduces postexercise increase in platelets

Silicates in D-type symbiotic stars: an ISO overview

We investigate the IR spectral features of a sample of D-type symbiotic stars. Analyzing unexploited ISO-SWS data, deriving the basic observational parameters of dust bands and comparing them with respect to those observed in other astronomical sources, we try to highlight the effect of environment on grain chemistry and physic. We find strong amorphous silicate emission bands at 10 micron and 18 micron in a large fraction of the sample. The analysis of the 10 micron band, along with a direct comparison with several astronomical sources, reveals that silicate dust in symbiotic stars shows features between the characteristic circumstellar environments and the interstellar medium. This indicates an increasing reprocessing of grains in relation to specific symbiotic behavior of the objects. A correlation between the central wavelength of the 10 and 18 micron dust bands is found. By the modeling of IR spectral lines we investigate also dust grains conditions within the shocked nebulae. Both the unusual depletion values and the high sputtering efficiency might be explained by the formation of SiO moleculae, which are known to be a very reliable shock tracer. We conclude that the signature of dust chemical disturbance due to symbiotic activity should be looked for in the outer, circumbinary, expanding shells where the environmental conditions for grain processing might be achieved. Symbiotic stars are thus attractive targets for new mid-infrared and mm observations.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables - to be published in A