Two new catalogs of blazar candidates in the WISE infrared sky

We present two catalogs of radio-loud candidate blazars whose WISE mid-infrared colors are selected to be consistent with the colors of confirmed gamma-ray emitting blazars. The first catalog is the improved and expanded release of the WIBRaLS catalog presented by D'Abrusco et al. (2014): it includes sources detected in all four WISE filters, spatially cross-matched with radio source in one of three radio surveys and radio-loud based on their q22 spectral parameter. WIBRaLS2 includes 9541 sources classified as BL Lacs, FSRQs or mixed candidates based on their WISE colors. The second catalog, called KDEBLLACS, based on a new selection technique, contains 5579 candidate BL Lacs extracted from the population of WISE sources detected in the first three WISE passbands ([3.4], [4.6] and [12]) only, whose mid-infrared colors are similar to those of confirmed, gamma-ray BL Lacs. KDBLLACS members area also required to have a radio counterpart and be radio-loud based on the parameter q12, defined similarly to q22 used for the WIBRaLS2. We describe the properties of these catalogs and compare them with the largest samples of confirmed and candidate blazars in the literature. We crossmatch the two new catalogs with the most recent catalogs of gamma-ray sources detected by Fermi LAT instrument. Since spectroscopic observations of candidate blazars from the first WIBRaLS catalog within the uncertainty regions of gamma-ray unassociated sources confirmed that ~90% of these candidates are blazars, we anticipate that these new catalogs will play again an important role in the identification of the gamma-ray sky.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Serie

Unbalance of intestinal microbiota in atopic children

BACKGROUND: Playing a strategic role in the host immune function, the intestinal microbiota has been recently hypothesized to be involved in the etiology of atopy. In order to investigate the gastrointestinal microbial ecology of atopic disease, here we performed a pilot comparative molecular analysis of the faecal microbiota in atopic children and healthy controls. RESULTS: Nineteen atopic children and 12 healthy controls aged 4–14 years were enrolled. Stools were collected and the faecal microbiota was characterized by means of the already developed phylogenetic microarray platform, HTF-Microbi.Array, and quantitative PCR. The intestinal microbiota of atopic children showed a significant depletion in members of the Clostridium cluster IV, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Akkermansia muciniphila and a corresponding increase of the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae. CONCLUSION: Depleted in key immunomodulatory symbionts, the atopy-associated microbiota can represent an inflammogenic microbial consortium which can contribute to the severity of the disease. Our data open the way to the therapeutic manipulation of the intestinal microbiota in the treatment of atopy by means of pharmaceutical probiotics

The Fading Optical Counterpart of GRB~970228, Six Months and One Year Later

We report on observations of the fading optical counterpart of the gamma-ray burst GRB 970228, made with the Hubble Space Telescope STIS CCD approximately six months after outburst and with the HST/NICMOS and Keck/NIRC approximately one year after outburst. The unresolved counterpart is detected by STIS at V=28.0 +/- 0.25, consistent with a continued power-law decline with exponent -1.14 +/- 0.05. The counterpart is located within, but near the edge of, a faint extended source with diameter ~0."8 and integrated magnitude V=25.8 +/- 0.25. A reanalysis of HST and NTT observations performed shortly after the burst shows no evidence of proper motion of the point source or fading of the extended emission. Only the extended source is visible in the NICMOS images with a magnitude of H=23.3 +/- 0.1. The Keck observations find K = 22.8 +/- 0.3. Several distinct and independent means of deriving the foreground extinction in the direction of GRB 970228 all agree with A_V = 0.75 +/- 0.2. After adjusting for Galactic extinction, we find that the size of the observed extended emission is consistent with that of galaxies of comparable magnitude found in the Hubble Deep Field (HDF) and other deep HST images. Only 2% of the sky is covered by galaxies of similar or greater surface brightness; therefore the extended source is almost certainly the host galaxy. Additionally, we find that the extinction-corrected V - H and V - K colors of the host are as blue as any galaxy of comparable or brighter magnitude in the HDF. Taken in concert with recent observations of GRB 970508, GRB 971214, and GRB 980703 our work suggests that all four GRBs with spectroscopic identification or deep multicolor broad-band imaging of the host lie in rapidly star-forming galaxies.Comment: 24 pages, Latex, 4 PostScript figures, to appear in the May 10 issue of The Astrophysical Journal (Note: displayed abstract is abridged

Optical afterglows of gamma-ray bursts: a bimodal distribution?"

The luminosities of the optical afterglows of Gamma Ray Bursts, 12 hours (rest frame time) after the trigger, show a surprising clustering, with a minority of events being at a significant smaller luminosity. If real, this dichotomy would be a crucial clue to understand the nature of optically dark afterglows, i.e. bursts that are detected in the X-ray band, but not in the optical. We investigate this issue by studying bursts of the pre-Swift era, both detected and undetected in the optical. The limiting magnitudes of the undetected ones are used to construct the probability that a generic bursts is observed down to a given magnitude limit. Then, by simulating a large number of bursts with pre-assigned characteristics, we can compare the properties of the observed optical luminosity distribution with the simulated one. Our results suggest that the hints of bimodality present in the observed distribution reflects a real bimodality: either the optical luminosity distributions of bursts is intrinsically bimodal, or there exists a population of bursts with a quite significant grey absorption, i.e. wavelength independent extinction. This population of intrinsically weak or grey-absorbed events can be associated to dark bursts.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Groundwater vulnerability assessment: from overlay methods to statistical methods in the Lombardy Plain area

Groundwater is among the most important freshwater resources. Worldwide, aquifers are experiencing an increasing threat of pollution from urbanization, industrial development, agricultural activities and mining enterprise. Thus, practical actions, strategies and solutions to protect groundwater from these anthropogenic sources are widely required. The most efficient tool, which helps supporting land use planning, while protecting groundwater from contamination, is represented by groundwater vulnerability assessment. Over the years, several methods assessing groundwater vulnerability have been developed: overlay and index methods, statistical and process-based methods. All methods are means to synthesize complex hydrogeological information into a unique document, which is a groundwater vulnerability map, useable by planners, decision and policy makers, geoscientists and the public. Although it is not possible to identify an approach which could be the best one for all situations, the final product should always be scientific defensible, meaningful and reliable. Nevertheless, various methods may produce very different results at any given site. Thus, reasons for similarities and differences need to be deeply investigated. This study demonstrates the reliability and flexibility of a spatial statistical method to assess groundwater vulnerability to contamination at a regional scale. The Lombardy Plain case study is particularly interesting for its long history of groundwater monitoring (quality and quantity), availability of hydrogeological data, and combined presence of various anthropogenic sources of contamination. Recent updates of the regional water protection plan have raised the necessity of realizing more flexible, reliable and accurate groundwater vulnerability maps. A comparison of groundwater vulnerability maps obtained through different approaches and developed in a time span of several years has demonstrated the relevance of the continuous scientific progress, recognizing strengths and weaknesses of each research

The Role of Strategic Fundraising in Marketing Plan of Non-profit Companies: The Case of Susan G. Komen Italy

The case is mainly focused on the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on Susan G. Komen Italia, on all the initiatives put through by the association and on the role of Strategic Fundraising in NPOs’ marketing plans. The Italian charity sector is populated by small and medium entities competing to “win” donors supporting their cause, and in turn organisations of smaller scale have to confront with larger NPOs, both cancer and non-cancer focused, well-known throughout the National territory , which are favoured by their brand equity and their past reputation, leading to an intense competition in terms of potential “donors wallet”. This framework has undergone several challenges related to the worldwide spread of Covid-19: the pandemic caused dramatic changes in terms of events and initiatives to be rescheduled or rearranged, favouring the shift to online instruments. The “next normality” driven by the lockdown has become a trigger for the creativity of marketers in several different fields, including NPOs’ sector. With this in mind, this paper highlights Komen’s effort in Italy to rethink its marketing and fundraising approach reorganizing activities along the Donor Decision Journey. The case focuses on analysing strategic fundraising as the key element of NPOs’ marketing plans

Gestione medica dopo la chirurgia dello scompenso cardiaco avanzato

The aim of the Research of this Ph D Project is to improve the medical management after surgery for advanced heart failure, both after left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) implantation, and after heart transplantation in the long-term. Regarding heart transplantation (HTx), the Research Project is focused on diagnostics, classification, prevention and treatment of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), and on treatment of post-HTx cancers; the results are presented in the first part of this Thesis. In particular, the main aspect investigated are the prognostic role of information derived from coronary angiography, coronary tomography and intravascular ultrasound, and the different sensitivity of these techniques in predicting outcomes and in diagnosing CAV. Moreover, the role of mTOR inhibitors on CAV prevention or treatment is investigated, both alone and in combination with different anti-CMV prevention strategies, as well as the impact of mTOR inhibitors on clinical outcomes in the long term. Regarding LVAD, the main focus is on the role of transthoracic echocardiography in the management of patients with a continuous-flow, centrifugal, intrapericardial pump (HVAD, Heartware); this section is reported in the second part of this Thesis. The main aspects investigated are the use of echocardiography in patients with HVAD device and its interaction with the information derived from pump curves' analysis in predicting aortic valve opening status, a surrogate of the condition of support provided by the LVAD

Spatially variable organic-matter-driven clogging in a stormwater infiltration pond: Isotopic, microbiological and hydrogeological evidence

Stormwater infiltration ponds (SIPs) are nature-based solutions which tend to decrease their infiltration capacity over time due to pore clogging. Organic matter (OM) is a well-known clogging driver, but how OM affects the physical and biochemical processes in a SIP remains largely unknown. An analysis encompassing soil organic carbon (SOC) stable isotopes, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of biofilms, DNA-based identification of microbiological communities and hydrogeological tests was carried out to elucidate the main clogging mechanisms in a large SIP in Italy. Open pits revealed a stratified soil composed of different textures and compositions, associated with artificial recharge sequences and on-site maintenance practices. A very different isotopic and microbiological signature of soil samples collected at different depths within the first meter of the soil surface was observed. Such diversity was linked to the spatially variable permeability of OM-enriched sediments limiting the infiltration. The isotopic signature beneath the more permeable (i.e., less clogged) OM-enriched layers was similar to that of the isotopic value of the biological surficial crust (δ13C → −27 ‰). Below the less permeable (i.e., more clogged) OM-enriched layers, isotopic values were more consistent with advanced degradation of organic matter (δ13C → −23 ‰). The selective hydraulic isolation of the analyzed trenches could lead to the formation of microbial microenvironments, with direct consequences on local composition of EPS and biofilm production. Based on this multidisciplinary approach, a new conceptual model could be proposed to the site managers and authorities dealing with the SIP's maintenance