Dwarf spheroidal satellites of M31: I. Variable stars and stellar populations in Andromeda XIX

We present B,V time-series photometry of Andromeda XIX (And XIX), the most extended (half-light radius of 6.2') of Andromeda's dwarf spheroidal companions, that we observed with the Large Binocular Cameras at the Large Binocular Telescope. We surveyed a 23'x 23' area centered on And XIX and present the deepest color magnitude diagram (CMD) ever obtained for this galaxy, reaching, at V~26.3 mag, about one magnitude below the horizontal branch (HB). The CMD shows a prominent and slightly widened red giant branch, along with a predominantly red HB, which, however, extends to the blue to significantly populate the classical instability strip. We have identified 39 pulsating variable stars, of which 31 are of RR Lyrae type and 8 are Anomalous Cepheids (ACs). Twelve of the RR Lyrae variables and 3 of the ACs are located within And XIX's half light radius. The average period of the fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars ( = 0.62 d, \sigma= 0.03 d) and the period-amplitude diagram qualify And XIX as an Oosterhoff-Intermediate system. From the average luminosity of the RR Lyrae stars ( = 25.34 mag, \sigma= 0.10 mag) we determine a distance modulus of (m-M)$_0$=$24.52\pm0.23$ mag in a scale where the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is $18.5\pm0.1$ mag. The ACs follow a well defined Period-Wesenheit (PW) relation that appears to be in very good agreement with the PW relationship defined by the ACs in the LMC.Comment: accepted for publication in Ap

Work resumption after invasive heart procedures, rehabilitation and ergonomic evaluation: from the hospital to the workplace

Our Institute adopts a multidisciplinary protocol named “CardioWork” for work resumption after invasive cardiac procedures and subsequent rehabilitation: after evaluation of the cardiac functional profile, the occupational physician analyses the work activity prior to the cardiopathological event, identifies the presumed task energy requirement (from specific, published tables), and compares it with the exercise test results. Indications regarding timing and modality of returning to work are formulated accordingly. To verify the reliability of the indications thus provided, we carried out a clinical-functional follow-up study in the workplace, with Holter ECG and Armband measurement of actual energy expenditure. Over the course of two years, we enrolled 36 patients (mostly males, aged between 30 and 70 years), hospitalized after coronary revascularization, valve replacement or cardiac defibrillator implant. After rehabilitation, instrumental diagnostics (Holter ECG, echocardiography, exercise test) showed discrete functional conditions, with better values with regard to cardiac function than exercise capacity and effort tolerance. All subjects were judged fit for the job, in most cases with limitations concerning ergonomic factors, working timetable and/or stress. They returned to work quickly, with good adherence to the indications provided. Workplace Holter ECG did not show appreciable differences compared to the hospital evaluation. In one case, the average energy expenditure measured while working was higher than that inferred from the tables; in the remaining subjects, the actual expenditure coincided with what was expected or was lower. In a minority of cases (39%), the measured average expenditure slightly exceeded the optimal value (35% of the maximal value at the exercise test) recommended at the time of hospital discharge. At the end of the workplace evaluation, it was not necessary to formulate new indications. The study provides further evidence of the effectiveness of the CardioWork protocol in promoting return to work after invasive heart procedures. Though they need continuous updating, the published estimates of presumed task energy requirement remain reliable. In particularly complex cases, it is however advisable to carry out a field check of the ergometric assessments performed at the end of rehabilitation

ASTRI SST-2M archive system: a prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The ASTRI project of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) is developing, in the framework of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), an end-to-end prototype system based on a dual-mirror small-sized Cherenkov telescope. Data preservation and accessibility are guaranteed by means of the ASTRI Archive System (AAS) that is responsible for both the on-site and off-site archiving of all data produced by the different sub- systems of the so-called ASTRI SST-2M prototype. Science, calibration, and Monte Carlo data together with the dedicated Instrument Response Functions (IRFs) (and corresponding metadata) will be properly stored and organized in different branches of the archive. A dedicated technical data archive (TECH archive) will store the engineering and auxiliary data and will be organized under a parallel database system. Through the use of a physical system archive and a few logical user archives that reflect the different archive use-cases, the AAS has been designed to be independent from any specific data model and storage technology. A dedicated framework to access, browse and download the telescope data has been identified within the proposal handling utility that stores and arranges the information of the observational proposals. The development of the whole archive system follows the requirements of the CTA data archive and is currently carried out by the INAF-OAR & ASI-Science Data Center (ASDC) team. The AAS is fully adaptable and ready for the ASTRI mini-array that, formed of at least nine ASTRI SST-2M telescopes, is proposed to be installed at the CTA southern site

ASTRI Mini-Array Top Level Software Architecture

This document provides a comprehensive architectural overview of the ASTRI Mini-Array Software system (a.k.a MA Software or MA Software System), which manages observing projects, observation handling, array control and monitoring, data acquisition, archiving, processing and simulations of the Cherenkov and Intensity Interferometry observations, including science tools for the scientific exploitation of the ASTRI MA data. This document, using a number of different views, depicts different aspects of the Mini-Array software and describes the significant architectural decisions

Hide and seek between Andromeda's halo, disk, and giant stream

Photometry in B, V (down to V ~ 26 mag) is presented for two 23' x 23' fields of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) that were observed with the blue channel camera of the Large Binocular Telescope during the Science Demonstration Time. Each field covers an area of about 5.1kpc x 5.1kpc at the distance of M31 ((m-M)o ~ 24.4 mag), sampling, respectively, a northeast region close to the M31 giant stream (field S2), and an eastern portion of the halo in the direction of the galaxy minor axis (field H1). The stream field spans a region that includes Andromeda's disk and the giant stream, and this is reflected in the complexity of the color magnitude diagram of the field. One corner of the halo field also includes a portion of the giant stream. Even though these demonstration time data were obtained under non-optimal observing conditions the B photometry, acquired in time-series mode, allowed us to identify 274 variable stars (among which 96 are bona fide and 31 are candidate RR Lyrae stars, 71 are Cepheids, and 16 are binary systems) by applying the image subtraction technique to selected portions of the observed fields. Differential flux light curves were obtained for the vast majority of these variables. Our sample includes mainly pulsating stars which populate the instability strip from the Classical Cepheids down to the RR Lyrae stars, thus tracing the different stellar generations in these regions of M31 down to the horizontal branch of the oldest (t ~ 10 Gyr) component.Comment: 59 pages, 26 figures, 12 tables, ApJ in pres

The High-Level Interface Definitions in the ASTRI/CTA Mini Array Software System (MASS)

ASTRI (Astrofisica con Specchi a Tecnologia Replicante Italiana) is a Flagship Project funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, and led by INAF, the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics. Within this framework, INAF is currently developing an end-to-end prototype, named ASTRI SST-2M, of a Small Size Dual-Mirror Telescope for the Cherenkov Telescope Array, CTA. A second goal of the project is the realization of the ASTRI/CTA mini-array, which will be composed of seven SST-2M telescopes placed at the CTA Southern Site. The ASTRI Mini Array Software System (MASS) is designed to support the ASTRI/CTA mini-array operations. MASS is being built on top of the ALMA Common Software (ACS) framework, which provides support for the implementation of distributed data acquisition and control systems, and functionality for log and alarm management, message driven communication and hardware devices management. The first version of the MASS system, which will comply with the CTA requirements and guidelines, will be tested on the ASTRI SST-2M prototype. In this contribution we present the interface definitions of the MASS high level components in charge of the ASTRI SST-2M observation scheduling, telescope control and monitoring, and data taking. Particular emphasis is given to their potential reuse for the ASTRI/CTA mini-array

INDIGO-DataCloud: A data and computing platform to facilitate seamless access to e-infrastructures

This paper describes the achievements of the H2020 project INDIGO-DataCloud. The project has provided e-infrastructures with tools, applications and cloud framework enhancements to manage the demanding requirements of scientific communities, either locally or through enhanced interfaces. The middleware developed allows to federate hybrid resources, to easily write, port and run scientific applications to the cloud. In particular, we have extended existing PaaS (Platform as a Service) solutions, allowing public and private e-infrastructures, including those provided by EGI, EUDAT, and Helix Nebula, to integrate their existing services and make them available through AAI services compliant with GEANT interfederation policies, thus guaranteeing transparency and trust in the provisioning of such services. Our middleware facilitates the execution of applications using containers on Cloud and Grid based infrastructures, as well as on HPC clusters. Our developments are freely downloadable as open source components, and are already being integrated into many scientific applications