Contaminación lumínica en España 2010

A partir de imágenes nocturnas entre 1992 y 2007 de los satélites DMPS se ha obtenido una evolución por provincia del aumento de la emisión al luz espacio causante de la contaminación lumínica en España. El crecimiento medio nacional es del 54% en el periodo de estudio. Con los datos de INE y MITyC estimamos que el consumo nacional en alumbrado público es de 5.4 ±0.1 Twh/año a fecha de 2007. El objetivo nacional de consumo en alumbrado público anual es de 75 kwh por habitante. Sin embargo a partir de los datos oficiales calculamos que la media nacional está en 118 kwh por habitante en el año 2007 y crece

GHOST Commissioning Science Results II: a very metal-poor star witnessing the early Galactic assembly

This study focuses on Pristine$\_180956.78$$-$$294759.8$ (hereafter P180956, [Fe/H] $=-1.95\pm0.02$), a star selected from the Pristine Inner Galaxy Survey (PIGS), and followed-up with the recently commissioned Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST) at the Gemini South telescope. The GHOST spectrograph's high efficiency in the blue spectral region ($3700-4800$~\AA) enables the detection of elemental tracers of early supernovae (e.g. Al, Mn, Sr, Eu), which were not accessible in the previous analysis of P180956. The star exhibits chemical signatures resembling those found in ultra-faint dwarf systems, characterised by very low abundances of neutron-capture elements (Sr, Ba, Eu), which are uncommon among stars of comparable metallicity in the Milky Way. Our analysis suggests that P180956 bears the chemical imprints of a small number (2 or 4) of low-mass hypernovae (\sim10-15\msun), which are needed to reproduce the abundance pattern of the light-elements (e.g. [Si, Ti/Mg, Ca] $\sim0.6$), and one fast-rotating intermediate-mass supernova (\sim300\kms, \sim80-120\msun). Both types of supernovae explain the high [Sr/Ba] of P180956 ($\sim1.2$). The small pericentric (\sim0.7\kpc) and apocentric (\sim13\kpc) distances and its orbit confined to the plane (\lesssim 2\kpc), indicate that this star was likely accreted during the early Galactic assembly phase. Its chemo-dynamical properties suggest that P180956 formed in a system similar to an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy accreted either alone, as one of the low-mass building blocks of the proto-Galaxy, or as a satellite of Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus. The combination of Gemini's large aperture with GHOST's high efficiency and broad spectral coverage makes this new spectrograph one of the leading instruments for near-field cosmology investigations.Comment: Submitted to MNRAS. 8 figures, 15page

SPLUS J142445.34-254247.1: An R-Process Enhanced, Actinide-Boost, Extremely Metal-Poor star observed with GHOST

We report on the chemo-dynamical analysis of SPLUS J142445.34-254247.1, an extremely metal-poor halo star enhanced in elements formed by the rapid neutron-capture process. This star was first selected as a metal-poor candidate from its narrow-band S-PLUS photometry and followed up spectroscopically in medium-resolution with Gemini South/GMOS, which confirmed its low-metallicity status. High-resolution spectroscopy was gathered with GHOST at Gemini South, allowing for the determination of chemical abundances for 36 elements, from carbon to thorium. At [Fe/H]=-3.39, SPLUS J1424-2542 is one of the lowest metallicity stars with measured Th and has the highest logeps(Th/Eu) observed to date, making it part of the "actinide-boost" category of r-process enhanced stars. The analysis presented here suggests that the gas cloud from which SPLUS J1424-2542 was formed must have been enriched by at least two progenitor populations. The light-element (Z<=30) abundance pattern is consistent with the yields from a supernova explosion of metal-free stars with 11.3-13.4 Msun, and the heavy-element (Z>=38) abundance pattern can be reproduced by the yields from a neutron star merger (1.66Msun and 1.27Msun) event. A kinematical analysis also reveals that SPLUS J1424-2542 is a low-mass, old halo star with a likely in-situ origin, not associated with any known early merger events in the Milky Way.Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication on Ap

Time-Dependent COVID-19 Mortality in Patients with Cancer: An Updated Analysis of the OnCovid Registry

Importance: Whether the severity and mortality of COVID-19 in patients with cancer have improved in terms of disease management and capacity is yet to be defined. Objective: To test whether severity and mortality from COVID-19 among patients with cancer have improved during the course of the pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: OnCovid is a European registry that collects data on consecutive patients with solid or hematologic cancer and COVID-19. This multicenter case series study included real-world data from 35 institutions across 6 countries (UK, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, and Germany). This update included patients diagnosed between February 27, 2020, and February, 14, 2021. Inclusion criteria were confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and a history of solid or hematologic cancer. Exposures: SARS-CoV-2 infection. Main Outcomes and Measures: Deaths were differentiated at 14 days and 3 months as the 2 landmark end points. Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared by stratifying patients across 5 phases (February to March 2020, April to June 2020, July to September 2020, October to December 2020, and January to February 2021) and across 2 major outbreaks (February to June 2020 and July 2020 to February 2021). Results: At data cutoff, 2795 consecutive patients were included, with 2634 patients eligible for analysis (median [IQR] age, 68 [18-77] years; 52.8% men). Eligible patients demonstrated significant time-dependent improvement in 14-day case-fatality rate (CFR) with estimates of 29.8% (95% CI, 0.26-0.33) for February to March 2020; 20.3% (95% CI, 0.17-0.23) for April to June 2020; 12.5% (95% CI, 0.06-22.90) for July to September 2020; 17.2% (95% CI, 0.15-0.21) for October to December 2020; and 14.5% (95% CI, 0.09-0.21) for January to February 2021 (all P &lt;.001) across the predefined phases. Compared with the second major outbreak, patients diagnosed in the first outbreak were more likely to be 65 years or older (974 of 1626 [60.3%] vs 564 of 1008 [56.1%]; P =.03), have at least 2 comorbidities (793 of 1626 [48.8%] vs 427 of 1008 [42.4%]; P =.001), and have advanced tumors (708 of 1626 [46.4%] vs 536 of 1008 [56.1%]; P &lt;.001). Complications of COVID-19 were more likely to be seen (738 of 1626 [45.4%] vs 342 of 1008 [33.9%]; P &lt;.001) and require hospitalization (969 of 1626 [59.8%] vs 418 of 1008 [42.1%]; P &lt;.001) and anti-COVID-19 therapy (1004 of 1626 [61.7%] vs 501 of 1008 [49.7%]; P &lt;.001) during the first major outbreak. The 14-day CFRs for the first and second major outbreaks were 25.6% (95% CI, 0.23-0.28) vs 16.2% (95% CI, 0.13-0.19; P &lt;.001), respectively. After adjusting for country, sex, age, comorbidities, tumor stage and status, anti-COVID-19 and anticancer therapy, and COVID-19 complications, patients diagnosed in the first outbreak had an increased risk of death at 14 days (hazard ratio [HR], 1.85; 95% CI, 1.47-2.32) and 3 months (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.08-1.51) compared with those diagnosed in the second outbreak. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this registry-based study suggest that mortality in patients with cancer diagnosed with COVID-19 has improved in Europe; this improvement may be associated with earlier diagnosis, improved management, and dynamic changes in community transmission over time.

Contaminación Lumínica en la UCM (2010). II. Mapa de la iluminación en la UCM

Como un nuevo impulso en el estudio de la situación de la contaminación lumínica en los campus de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid hemos desarrollado un nuevo método de adquisición de datos automático, ideado por Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel. El objetivo es la elaboración de un mapa global que dé cuenta de las características actuales de la iluminación en Ciudad Universitaria y Somosaguas. Para la toma de medidas se conecta el luxómetro a un ordenador portátil y se coloca el sensor de luz en la parte superior de un vehículo; en nuestro caso, se usaron un coche y un carro para las zonas peatonales y de parque. Los valores de iluminancia recogidos se localizan en un mapa con el registro de un GPS. Las principales ventajas de este método son su rapidez y que permite estudiar áreas más o menos extensas fácilmente. Es importante resolver satisfactoriamente el problema nada trivial de la sincronización de las series de datos. Para ello, hemos utilizado el software Network Time Protocol que iguala la hora del ordenador con la del GPS además de tener precauciones especiales mientras se recogían los datos. El procesado ulterior de los datos se reduce a la representación de polígonos coloreados sobre el mapa según los valores de iluminancia con acuerdo a una escala. El mapa permite evaluar a grandes rasgos la situación de la iluminación, reconociéndose tanto las zonas que están sobreiluminadas como las que respetan las Ordenanzas Municipales del Ayuntamiento de Madrid sobre la iluminación de las vías públicas. Las conclusiones de este estudio coinciden con las obtenidas por Isabel Rodríguez Herranz, que utilizó el método de los nueve puntos especificado en el Reglamento de Eficiencia Energética. Mas aún, nuestras conclusiones han resultado compatibles con imágenes nocturnas tomadas desde la Estación Espacial Internacional. [ABSTRACT]We aim to complement the existing studies on the situation of the light pollution in the University Complutense of Madrid campus by developing a new automatic data collection system, conceived by Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel. Our purpose is to build a global map that accounts for present features of ilumination in both Ciudad Universitaria and Somosaguas campus. We have used two different vehicles for gathering data; a car for most of the measurements and a trolley in order to access to pedestrian precincts and parks. The light meter is placed on top of the vehicle and it is conected to a laptop, letting us to collect one value of illuminance per second. While carrying out the measurements a GPS is used to locate every value of illuminance on the map. Thanks to this new data acquisition system we have been able to study a large area easily and quickly. A guide for further treatment of the data is also provided. It was essential to syncronize both data series from the light meter and from the GPS. We chose to use Network Time Protocol software besides being especially careful while gathering data. We represent polygons on a map and we fill them with different colors according to a scale of illuminance. Once the map is built it is very easy to recognize if a particular area is well illuminated or not. Although we have found some areas that respect the Town Hall Municipal ordinance, the illuminance exceeds the upper limits allowed in most of the cases. We have found that excesive power is supplied to the luminaires and their location is inadequate. We have reached the same conclusions as Isabel Rodríguez Herranz, who used the standard method specified in “Reglamento de Eficiencia Energética” and our results seem to be consistent with images taken from the International Space Station during the night

Sky Quality Meter cross-calibration for the NixNox project

Twelve SQM-L night sky photometers have been calibrated to determine their internal precision and differences in response. Amateur astronomers around Spain, under the supervision of the Spanish Astronomical Society (SEA, Sociedad Española de Astronomía), will use these photometers to locate and characterize sites with dark skies well suited to perform astronomical observations (NixNox Project). A simple experimental setup has been built to obtain zero offsets for each photometer in order to correct all the observations

Type IIP supernova SN 2016X in radio frequencies

Context: The study of radio emission from core-collapse supernovae (SNe) probes the interaction of the ejecta with the circumstellar medium (CSM) and reveals details of the mass-loss history of the progenitor. Aims: We report observations of the type IIP supernova SN\,2016X during the plateau phase, at ages between 21 and 75 days, obtained with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) radio observatory. Methods: We modelled the radio spectra as self-absorbed synchrotron emission, and we characterised the shockwave and the mass-loss rate of the progenitor. We also combined our results with previously reported X-ray observations to verify the energy equipartition assumption. Results: The properties of the shockwave are comparable to other type IIP supernovae. The shockwave expands according to a self-similar law $R \propto t^m$ with $m=0.76 \pm 0.08$, which is notably different from a constant expansion. The corresponding shock velocities are approximately 10700 - 8000 km s$^{-1}$ during the time of our observations. The constant mass-loss rate of the progenitor is $\dot{M}=$ (7.8 $\pm$ 0.9)\,$\times 10^{-7} \alpha^{-8/19} (\epsilon_B/0.1)^{-1} M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, for an assumed wind velocity of 10 km s$^{-1}$. We observe spectral steepening in the optically thin regime at the earlier epochs, and we demonstrate that it is caused by electron cooling via the inverse Compton effect. We show that the shockwave is characterised by a moderate deviation from energy equipartition by a factor of $\epsilon_e / \epsilon_B \approx 28$, being the second type IIP supernova to show such a feature.Comment: Accepted for publication at Astronomy & Astrophysics, 10 pages, 5 figures, three table

Toward a Spectrophotometric Characterization of the Chilean Night Sky. A First Quantitative Assessment of ALAN across the Coquimbo Region

Light pollution is recognized as a global issue that, like other forms of anthropogenic pollution, has a significant impact on ecosystems and adverse effects on living organisms. Plentiful evidence suggests that it has been increasing at an unprecedented rate at all spatial scales. Chile—which, thanks to its unique environmental conditions, has become one of the most prominent astronomical hubs of the world—seems to be no exception. In this paper we present the results of the first observing campaign aimed at quantifying the effects of artificial lights at night on the brightness and colors of the Chilean sky. Through the analysis of photometrically calibrated all-sky images captured at four representative sites with an increasing degree of anthropization, and the comparison with state-of-the-art numerical models, we show that significant levels of light pollution have already altered the appearance of the natural sky even in remote areas. Our observations reveal that the light pollution level recorded in a small town of the Coquimbo Region is comparable with that of Flagstaff, Arizona, a ten times larger Dark Sky city, and that a mid-size urban area that is a gateway to the Atacama Desert displays photometric indicators of night sky quality that are typical of the most densely populated regions of Europe. Our results suggest that there is still much to be done in Chile to keep light pollution under control and thus preserve the darkness of its night sky—a natural and cultural heritage that it is our responsibility to protect

GHOST commissioning science results - II: a very metal-poor star witnessing the early galactic assembly

International audienceThis study focuses on Pristine$\_180956.78$-294759.8 (hereafter P180956, [Fe/H] = -1.95 ± 0.02), a star selected from the Pristine Inner Galaxy Survey (PIGS), and followed-up with the recently commissioned Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST) at the Gemini South telescope. The GHOST spectrograph's high efficiency in the blue spectral region (3700-4800 Å) enables the detection of elemental tracers of early supernovae (e.g. Al, Mn, Sr, and Eu). The star exhibits chemical signatures resembling those found in ultrafaint dwarf (UFD) systems, characterized by very low abundances of neutron-capture elements (Sr, Ba, and Eu), which are uncommon among stars in the Milky Way halo. Our analysis suggests that P180956 bears the chemical imprints of a small number (2 or 4) of low-mass hypernovae ($\sim 10{-}15{\rm \, M_\odot }$), which are needed to mostly reproduce the abundance pattern of the light-elements (e.g. [Si, Ti/Mg, Ca] ~0.6), and one fast-rotating intermediate-mass supernova ($\sim 300{\rm \, km \ s^{-1}}$, $\sim 80{-}120{\rm \, M_\odot }$), which is the main channel contributing to the high [Sr/Ba] (~+1.2). The small pericentric ($\sim 0.7{\rm \, kpc}$) and apocentric ($\sim 13{\rm \, kpc}$) distances and its orbit confined to the plane ($\lesssim 2{\rm \, kpc}$) indicate that this star was likely accreted during the early Galactic assembly phase. Its chemo-dynamical properties suggest that P180956 formed in a system similar to a UFD galaxy accreted either alone, as one of the low-mass building blocks of the proto-Galaxy, or as a satellite of Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus. The combination of Gemini's large aperture with GHOST's high efficiency and broad spectral coverage makes this new spectrograph one of the leading instruments for near-field cosmology investigations