Fermi detected blazars seen by INTEGRAL

Multiwavelength observations are essential to constrain physical parameters of the blazars observed by Fermi/LAT. Among the 187 AGN significantly detected in public INTEGRAL data above 20 keV by the imager IBIS/ISGRI, 20 blazars were detected. 15 of these sources allowed significant spectral extraction. They show hard X-ray spectra with an average photon index of 2.1+-0.1 and a hard X-ray luminosity of L(20-100 keV) = 1.3e46 erg/s. 15 of the INTEGRAL blazars are also visible in the first 16 months of the Fermi/LAT data, thus allowing to constrain the inverse Compton branch in these cases. Among others, we analyse the LAT data of four blazars which were not included in the Fermi LAT Bright AGN Sample based on the first 3 months of the mission: QSO B0836+710, H 1426+428, RX J1924.8-2914, and PKS 2149-306. Especially for blazars during bright outbursts, as already observed simultaneously by INTEGRAL and Fermi (e.g. 3C 454.3 and Mrk 421), INTEGRAL provides unique spectral coverage up to several hundred keV. We present the spectral analysis of INTEGRAL and Fermi data and demonstrate the potential of INTEGRAL observations of Fermi detected blazars in outburst by analysing the combined data set of the persistent radio galaxy Cen A.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 2009 Fermi Symposium, eConf Proceedings C09112

Wear rates in urban rail systems

A significant part of maintenance costs in urban rail systems (metro, tram, light rapid transit/light metro) is due to wheel-rail wear. Wear rates - measured for example as depth of wear per kilometre run (rolling stock) or per train passage (rails) - depend in a complex manner on several influence factors. Among the most important are key design factors of the rolling stock (wheel profiles, suspension characteristics), of the track (distribution of curve radii, characteristics of switches and crossings, rail profiles), of the wheel-rail interface (lubrication, materials in contact, ambient characteristics), and of operations (frequency of traction and braking, trainset inversion policy, maintenance policy etc.). When designing an urban rail system, all of these factors have to be under control in order to limit the costs due to wheel/rail reprofiling/grinding and replacement. The state of the art allows the calculation of wear rates given quantitative input regarding the above factors. However, it is difficult to find in the literature experimental values for calibration of wear models and indications on what is a reasonable state-of-the-art wear rate for any given type of urban rail system. In this paper we present a structured analysis of flange wear rates found in the literature and derived from the experience of the authors, for a variety of cases, including metros and mainline rail systems. We compare the wear rates and explain their relationship with the influence factors. We then relate the wear rates with the needs in terms of wheel reprofiling/replacement. We estimate ranges for the calibration coefficients of wear models. We present the results in a way as to allow the designer of urban rail systems to derive values for target wear rates according to their specific conditions without the need for complex simulations

Bounds on hep neutrinos

The excess of highest energy solar-neutrino events recently observed by Superkamiokande can be in principle explained by anomalously high $hep$-neutrino flux $\Phi_{\nu}(hep)$. Without using SSM calculations, from the solar luminosity constraint we derive that $\Phi_\nu(hep)/S_{13}$ cannot exceed the SSM estimate by more than a factor three. If one makes the additional hypothesis that $hep$ neutrino production occurs where the $^3$He concentration is at equilibrium, helioseismology gives an upper bound which is (less then) two times the SSM prediction. We argue that the anomalous $hep$-neutrino flux of order of that observed by Superkamiokande cannot be explained by astrophysics, but rather by a large production cross-section.Comment: 7 pages, RevTeX fil

Novel calibrations of virial black hole mass estimators in active galaxies based on X-ray luminosity and optical/NIR emission lines

Accurately weigh the masses of SMBH in AGN is currently possible for only a small group of local and bright broad-line AGN through reverberation mapping (RM). Statistical demographic studies can be carried out considering the empirical scaling relation between the size of the BLR and the AGN optical continuum luminosity. However, there are still biases against low-luminosity or reddened AGN, in which the rest-frame optical radiation can be severely absorbed/diluted by the host and the BLR emission lines could be hard to detect. Our purpose is to widen the applicability of virial-based SE relations to reliably measure the BH masses also for low-luminosity or intermediate/type 2 AGN that are missed by current methodology. We achieve this goal by calibrating virial relations based on unbiased quantities: the hard X-ray luminosities, in the 2-10 keV and 14-195 keV bands, that are less sensitive to galaxy contamination, and the FWHM of the most important rest-frame NIR and optical BLR emission lines. We built a sample of RM AGN having both X-ray luminosity and broad optical/NIR FWHM measurements available in order to calibrate new virial BH mass estimators. We found that the FWHM of the H$\alpha$, H$\beta$ and NIR lines (i.e. Pa$\alpha$, Pa$\beta$ and HeI$\lambda$10830) all correlate each other having negligible or small offsets. This result allowed us to derive virial BH mass estimators based on either the 2-10 keV or 14-195 keV luminosity. We took also into account the recent determination of the different virial coefficients $f$ for pseudo and classical bulges. By splitting the sample according to the bulge type and adopting separate $f$ factors we found that our virial relations predict BH masses of AGN hosted in pseudobulges $\sim$0.5 dex smaller than in classical bulges. Assuming the same average $f$ factor for both populations, a difference of $\sim$0.2 dex is still found.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication on A&

From car to bike. Marketing and dialogue as a driver of change

The Paris Climate Agreement has sent a key message to the international community regarding the need to increase efforts to move towards a low-carbon economy and help slow climate change, while underpinning global long-term economic growth and sustainable development. COP 21 recognizes the social, economic and environmental value of voluntary mitigation actions and their co-benefits for adaptation, health and sustainable development. In this framework, the PTP Cycle project, running from 2013 to 2016 and funded by the European Commission through the Intelligent Energy Europe program, introduces a non-market approach through voluntary participation in the adoption of sustainable transport modes such as cycling, based on marketing to potential customers through Personalized Travel Plans. The medium-sized city of Burgos (Spain) and the cities of Ljubljana, Riga, Antwerp and London (boroughs of Haringey and Greenwich) developed a new policy instrument (Personalized Travel Plans) in order to increase bike patronage. Beyond potential savings of CO2, the results show that PTP as a form of Active Mobility Consultancy is a suitable instrument to influence modal shift to public transport, walking and cycling, and to address the challenges of climate change, while fostering sustainable transportation by changing mobility behaviour. These results, matching with the state-of-the-art of studies and pilot applications in other countries, allows deriving differentiated results for medium-size and large urban areas