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Background: Research has extensively documented inequalities in inpatient psychiatric care provided to people of minoritized ethnic groups. Nonetheless, the role of their previous engagement with community mental health care has been little studied.Aims: We aimed at exploring whether previous clinical care can influence key domains of subsequent psychiatric inpatient care for people of ethnic minorities.Methods: We identified patients with a first hospital admission between 2016 and 2022, from a representative, highly diverse, catchment area of Northern Italy, using electronic health data of the NOMIAC study. We aimed at testing the impact of clinical care prior to admission on indicators of poor inpatient care, as identified by a participatory expert panel, that is, compulsory admission, insufficient length of stay, administration of Long-Acting Antipsychotics (LAI) during the last 7 days before discharge. Multiple regression models, predicted and counterfactual proportions and path analyses from generalized structural equations modeling were used to explore the association between belonging to ethnic minorities and these indicators.Results: Among 1,524 participants, 18% were from minoritized ethnic groups. While these were more likely to experience an involuntary admission, regardless of previous care received, they were offered appropriate length of stay if had previous engagement with community mental health care. Both belonging to ethnic minorities and mental health care prior-to-admission were independently associated with early LAI administration.Conclusions: Several ethnic inequalities in inpatient care continue despite previous community mental health care provided. Future research should examine how these disparities translate into clinical outcomes. Nonetheless, there is the need to actively promote equity, improving the quality of inpatient care of minoritized ethnic groups.

Objective. Most people with major depressive episodes meet criteria for the anxiety distress (AD) specifier defined by DSM-5 as the presence of symptoms such as feeling of tension, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating, and fear that something awful may happen. This cross-sectional study was aimed at identifying clinical correlates of AD in people with unipolar or bipolar depression. Methods. Inpatients with a current major depressive episode were included. Data on sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected. The SCID-5 was used to diagnose depressive episodes and relevant specifiers. The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) were used to assess the severity of depression and symptoms of the opposite polarity (manic symptoms), respectively. Multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify clinical correlates of AD. Results. We included 206 people (mean age: 48.4±18.6 yrs.; males: 38.8%) admitted for a major depressive episode (155 with major depressive disorder and 51 with bipolar disorder). Around two thirds of the sample (N=137; 66.5%) had AD. Multiple logistic regression models showed that AD was associated with mixed features, higher YMRS scores, psychotic features, and a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (p < 0.05). There were no other clinical variables associated with AD. Conclusion. Despite some limitations, including the cross-sectional design and the inpatient setting, our study shows that AD is likely to be associated with mixed and psychotic features, as well as with unipolar depression. The identification of these clinical domains may be helpful for clinicians to better contextualize AD in the context of major depressive episodes.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence on the relationship between depression and clinical dimensions of schizophrenia remains limited. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between depression and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) dimensions in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. METHODS: Trained assessors administered the PANSS to measure symptoms of schizophrenia and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia to measure depression. The association of depression with overall PANSS score and related dimensions was investigated in multiple logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: We included 231 inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (mean age: 42.4 (SD: 12.9) years; men: 58.9%; mean overall PANSS score: 82.5 (SD: 20.1); drug-free or naïve: 39.3%), including 78 (33.8%) with clinically significant depressive symptoms. Depression was associated with higher overall (regression coefficient, SE: 0.029, 0.008; p < 0.001) and general psychopathology (regression coefficient, SE: 0.118, 0.023; p < 0.001) PANSS scores. We found an inverse relationship between depression and positive symptoms (regression coefficient, SE: -0.088, 0.028; p = 0.002). No association between depression and negative symptoms was found. CONCLUSION: Despite some limitations, our study shows that people affected by schizophrenia spectrum disorders with depression are likely to show more overall and general psychopathology symptoms but lower positive symptoms. Additional studies are needed to explore the generalizability of our findings.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is prevalent and disabling among older adults. Standing on its tolerability profile, vortioxetine might be a promising alternative to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in such a vulnerable population. Methods: We conducted a randomised, assessor- and statistician-blinded, superiority trial including older adults with MDD. The study was conducted between 02/02/2019 and 02/22/2023 in 11 Italian Psychiatric Services. Participants were randomised to vortioxetine or one of the SSRIs, selected according to common practice. Treatment discontinuation due to adverse events after six months was the primary outcome, for which we aimed to detect a 12% difference in favour of vortioxetine. The study was registered in the online repository clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03779789). Findings: The intention-to-treat population included 179 individuals randomised to vortioxetine and 178 to SSRIs. Mean age was 73.7 years (standard deviation 6.1), and 264 participants (69%) were female. Of those on vortioxetine, 78 (44%) discontinued the treatment due to adverse events at six months, compared to 59 (33%) of those on SSRIs (odds ratio 1.56; 95% confidence interval 1.01–2.39). Adjusted and per-protocol analyses confirmed point estimates in favour of SSRIs, but without a significant difference. With the exception of the unadjusted survival analysis showing SSRIs to outperform vortioxetine, secondary outcomes provided results consistent with a lack of substantial safety and tolerability differences between the two arms. Overall, no significant differences emerged in terms of response rates, depressive symptoms and quality of life, while SSRIs outperformed vortioxetine in terms of cognitive performance. Interpretation: As opposed to what was previously hypothesised, vortioxetine did not show a better tolerability profile compared to SSRIs in older adults with MDD in this study. Additionally, hypothetical advantages of vortioxetine on depress

The 16th International Conference on Inorganic Scintillators and their Applications (SCINT 2022) was organized by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and held in Santa Fe, NM, USA, from September 19 to October 23, 2022. More than 200 colleagues from nearly 20 different countries finally participated in the conference. The program consisted of five invited and ten keynote lectures, and 74 oral and 46 poster contributions. A special memorial session was devoted to Prof. Richard T. Williams. Extended exhibition with altogether about ten exhibitor stands provided another link to the market applications behind the research. An intense and structured research and development in the field of scintillators was represented by 15 sessions oriented toward various material technologies including nanomaterials, metamaterials, and classical bulk single crystals and optical ceramics. Their characterization, modeling, and underlying physical mechanisms description constituted the subject of a major part of conference contributions. Finally, various applications of inorganic scintillators were presented and discussed.

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has received considerable attention as a potential biomarker of major depressive disorder (MDD) and antidepressant response. We conducted an overview of meta-analyses investigating the relationship of BDNF with MDD, related clinical features, and antidepressant treatment. Based on a systematic screening on main electronic databases, 11 systematic reviews with meta-analyses were included. Available evidence suggests that people with MDD have peripheral and central BDNF levels lower than non-depressed individuals. A negative correlation between blood BDNF and symptom severity emerged, while no association with suicidality was detected. Moreover, an increase in blood BDNF levels after antidepressant treatment, proportional to symptom improvement, was reported. BDNF levels seem to be increased in both treatment responders and remitters, remaining stable in non-responders. Conversely, no variations of BDNF concentrations after non-pharmacological interventions (electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and physical activity) were found. The findings of this overview appear consistent with the neurotrophic hypothesis of depression, suggesting that BDNF may play a role in both MDD pathophysiology and pharmacological treatment response.

Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a frequent comorbid condition in adults with bipolar disorder. We performed a meta-analysis aimed at assessing sociodemographic and clinical correlates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in bipolar disorder. Method: We searched main electronic databases up to June 2021. Random-effects meta-analyses, with relevant meta-regression and quality-based sensitivity analyses, were carried out to estimate the association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and putative correlates, grading the quality of evidence. Results: We included 43 studies, based on 38 independent samples. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder participants were more likely to be males (odds ratio = 1.46; p < 0.001) and unemployed (odds ratio = 1.45; p = 0.045), and less likely to be married (odds ratio = 0.62; p = 0.014). They had an earlier onset of bipolar disorder (standardized mean difference = −0.36; p < 0.001); more mood episodes (standardized mean difference = 0.35; p = 0.007), particularly depressive (standardized mean difference = 0.30; p = 0.011) and mixed (standardized mean difference = 0.30; p = 0.031) ones; higher odds of using antidepressants (odds ratio = 1.80; p = 0.024) and attempted suicides (odds ratio = 1.83; p < 0.001) and lower odds of psychotic features (odds ratio = 0.63; p = 0.010). Moreover, they were more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder (odds ratio = 1.50; p = 0.019), panic disorder (odds ratio = 1.89; p < 0.001), social phobia (odds ratio = 1.61; p = 0.017), eating disorders (odds ratio = 1.91; p = 0.007), antisocial personality disorder (odds ratio = 3.59; p = 0.004) and substance (odds ratio = 2.29; p < 0.001) or alcohol (odds ratio = 2.28; p < 0.001) use disorders. Quality of the evidence was generally low or very low for the majority of correlates, except for bipolar disorder onset and alcohol/substance use disorders (high), and suicide attempts (moderate). Conclu

Introduction: Pteridines, such as neopterin, biopterin, and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), may be involved in depression pathophysiology owing to their links to immune-inflammatory response, oxidative and nitrosative stress, and monoaminergic transmission. Nonetheless, studies assessing pteridines in depression are inconsistent. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies comparing blood pteridine concentrations between subjects with depression and healthy controls (HCs). Methods: We searched Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycInfo for articles indexed through November 2021. Study quality was appraised, evaluating age and gender comparability between groups, sample representativeness, and methods to assess depression. Random-effects meta-analyses were carried out, generating pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs). Heterogeneity across studies was estimated using the I2 statistic. Results: Twenty-four studies, involving 3075 subjects, were included. Individuals with depression showed blood neopterin concentrations higher than HCs (k = 19; SMD = 0.36; p < 0.001) with moderate heterogeneity across studies (I2 = 58.2%). No moderating role of age, gender, or type of blood sample was found. Sensitivity analyses showed no impact of inconsistency and quality of studies on findings. Neopterin concentrations were higher among individuals with major depressive disorder compared to HCs (SMD = 0.44; p < 0.001). This held true also when considering only drug-free subjects (SMD = 0.68; p = 0.003). No differences in biopterin concentrations were found between subjects with depression and HCs (k = 5; SMD = –0.35; p = 0.086), though this result was limited by inconsistency of findings (I2 = 77.9%) and quality of studies. Finally, no sufficient data were available for a meta-analysis on BH4. Conclusions: As a whole, our work partly supports the hypothesis of an imbalance of pteridine metabolism in depression.

Li-containing elpasolite scintillators are currently investigated for their ability to detect both thermal neutrons and gamma photons with a single inorganic crystal. The scintillation is typically triggered by using an activator such as Ce. However, when Tl, also a luminescent ion, is present in the matrix, competition between the two centers Tl and Ce can occur. In this study, we are using Ce doped Tl2LiYCl6 to investigate this competition. To this end, the Ce (which substitutes Y) concentration is varied from 0 to 1 in the Tl2LiY1-xCexCl6 composition. In the low concentration range in which Ce remains a dopant, the photo- and radioluminescence spectra show that the scintillation of Tl2LiYCl6:Ce is mostly dominated by recombination on intrinsic luminescent centers. For cerium concentrations higher than x = 0.02, very different emissions can be easily distinguished from the photo- and radioluminescence of undoped and low Ce doped Tl2LiYCl6 crystals. These emissions are attributed to the formation of a second phase Tl2CeCl5, identified by X-ray diffraction. We conclude that the intrinsic luminescence related to Tl dominates the scintillation in the range of concentration for which Ce does substitute on the Y-site.

Li-containing elpasolite scintillators are currently investigated for their ability to detect both thermal neutrons and gamma photons with a single inorganic crystal. The scintillation is typically triggered by using an activator such as Ce. However, when Tl, also a luminescent ion, is present in the matrix, competition between the two centers Tl and Ce can occur. In this study, we are using Ce doped Tl2LiYCl6 to investigate this competition. To this end, the Ce (which substitutes Y) concentration is varied from 0 to 1 in the Tl2LiY1-xCexCl6 composition. In the low concentration range in which Ce remains a dopant, the photo- and radioluminescence spectra show that the scintillation of Tl2LiYCl6:Ce is mostly dominated by recombination on intrinsic luminescent centers. For cerium concentrations higher than x = 0.02, very different emissions can be easily distinguished from the photo- and radioluminescence of undoped and low Ce doped Tl2LiYCl6 crystals. These emissions are attributed to the formation of a second phase Tl2CeCl5, identified by X-ray diffraction. We conclude that the intrinsic luminescence related to Tl dominates the scintillation in the range of concentration for which Ce does substitute on the Y-site.

In the last four decades, mental health services for people with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) have seen asylums replaced by a balanced model of Community Mental Healthcare (CMH). Innovative approaches and strategies in the field of CMH have been extensively researched. However, this research has been hampered by issues limiting their capacity to inform clinicians and policymakers. We conducted an overview of meta-analyses of the effectiveness of innovative CMH models focussing on clinical and psychosocial outcomes in comparisons with standard care in adults with SMI. Based on the 12 eligible studies, we appraised, synthesised and graded the resulting evidence. There was moderate quality evidence that case management, Early Intervention Services (EIS) and caregiver-directed interventions were superior to standard care in reducing hospital admission. In relation to psychosocial outcomes, EIS showed high quality evidence of a small effect on global functioning. There was moderate quality evidence for a similar effect of Intensive Case Management, and for a large effect of family intervention. For quality of life, both EIS and self-management education had a small effect, with moderate quality. The level of research about effective CMH models is therefore substantial. However, several gaps related to innovative CMH not yet covered in meta‐analytic synthesis, need to be filled.

BACKGROUND: Estimation of the balance between subendocardial oxygen supply and demand could be a useful parameter to assess the risk of myocardial ischemia. Evaluation of the subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR, also known as Buckberg index) by invasive recording of left ventricular and aortic pressure curves represents a valid method to estimate the degree of myocardial perfusion relative to left ventricular workload. However, routine clinical use of this parameter requires its noninvasive estimation and the demonstration of its reliability. METHODS AND RESULTS: Arterial applanation tonometry allows a noninvasive estimation of SEVR as the ratio of the areas directly beneath the central aortic pressure curves obtained during diastole (myocardial oxygen supply) and during systole (myocardial oxygen demand). However, this “traditional” method does not account for the intra-ventricular diastolic pressure and proper allocation to systole and diastole of left ventricular isometric contraction and relaxation, respectively, resulting in an overestimation of the SEVR values. These issues are considered in the novel method for SEVR assessment tested in this study. SEVR values estimated with carotid tonometry by "traditional” and "new” method were compared with those evaluated invasively by cardiac catheterization. The “traditional” method provided significantly higher SEVR values than the reference invasive SEVR: average of differences±SD= 44±11% (limits of agreement: 23% – 65%). The noninvasive “new” method showed a much better agreement with the invasive determination of SEVR: average of differences±SD= 0±8% (limits of agreement:-15% to 16%). CONCLUSIONS: Carotid applanation tonometry provides valid noninvasive SEVR values only when all the main factors determining myocardial supply and demand flow are considered.

Although cannabis’ major psychoactive component, ∆-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), has been linked to both earlier onset and poorer outcomes of psychotic disorders, Cannabidiol (CBD) seems to have different pharmacological mechanisms and potential therapeutic properties. However, no clinical study has investigated CBD for the treatment of co-occurring psychotic and cannabis use disorders so far, even though its utility seems grounded in a plausible biological basis. The aim of this work is thus to provide an overview of available clinical studies evaluating the efficacy of CBD for psychotic symptoms induced by THC, schizophrenia, and cannabis use disorders. After searching for relevant studies in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov, we included 10 clinical studies. Available evidence suggests that CBD may attenuate both psychotic-like symptoms induced by THC in healthy volunteers and positive symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia. In addition, preliminary data on the efficacy of CBD for cannabis use disorders show mixed findings. Evidence from ongoing clinical studies will provide insight into the possible role of CBD for treating psychotic and cannabis use disorders.

Several drugs previously tested in clinical trials and approved for different indications have been repurposed for bipolar disorder. We carried out a systematic meta-review of meta-analyses of randomized placebo-controlled trials investigating repurposed drugs as adjunctive treatments for mania and bipolar depression. We performed a critical appraisal using ‘A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews’ Version 2 (AMSTAR 2). We synthesized results on efficacy, tolerability, and safety, assessing evidence quality according to the ‘Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations’ (GRADE) approach. Our systematic search identified nine eligible studies investigating 12 drugs, four for mania and eight for bipolar depression. The quality of reporting was heterogeneous according to AMSTAR 2. In mania, allopurinol (for symptoms reduction and remission at 4–8 weeks) and tamoxifen (for response and symptoms reduction at 4–6 weeks) showed higher efficacy than placebo, with low and very low quality of evidence, respectively. Concerning bipolar depression, modafinil/armodafinil (for response, remission, and symptoms reduction at 6–8 weeks) and pramipexole (for response and symptoms reduction at 6 weeks) were superior to placebo, despite the low quality of evidence. Results on the efficacy of celecoxib and N-acetylcysteine were of low quality and limited to certain outcomes. Overall, the lack of evidence of high and moderate quality does not allow us to draw firm conclusions on the clinical utility of repurposed drugs as adjunctive treatments for mania and bipolar depression, highlighting the need for additional research.

Six Mg2+ co-doped Lu3Al5O12:Ce scintillating garnet films prepared by liquid phase epitaxy, with Mg concentration from 0 to 3000 ppm, were irradiated by X-rays and underwent a series of thermoluminescence measurements from 10 to 720 K. The thermoluminescence signal of epitaxial films originated purely from electron recombination at Ce ions. It was found that the area of all the peaks present in thermoluminescence glow curves decreased rapidly with the increase of Mg concentration; for 3000 ppm, the decrease was by 4–5 orders of magnitude. Moreover, the bright burn effect was significantly suppressed by Mg co-doping. Possible explanations, i.e., trap concentration reduction or increased competition in free electron capture between thermoluminescence traps and Ce4+ centers, were discussed.

Background and objectives: Readmissions of youths hospitalized for a severe mental disorder are common events and bear a remarkable human, social, and economic burden. The current study aimed at evaluating predictors of 1-year rehospitalization in a sample of adolescents and young adults with severe mental disorders. Materials and Methods: Data for ≤25-year-old inpatients with a severe mental disorder and consecutively admitted between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2019 were collected. Subjects were retrospectively assessed over a follow-up period of one year after the index discharge to track readmissions—i.e., the primary outcome variable. Standard descriptive statistics were used. The association between variables and 1-year rehospitalization was estimated using the univariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. We then carried out a multivariable Cox regression model, also estimating the covariate-adjusted survivor function. Hazard ratios (HRs) with related 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were provided. Results: The final sample included 125 individuals. The multivariable Cox regression model estimated that co-occurring substance use disorders (HR = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.08 to 4.26; p = 0.029) and being admitted for a suicide attempt (HR = 2.49; 95% CI: 1.13 to 5.49; p = 0.024) were both significant predictors of 1-year rehospitalization. Conclusions: Our study showed that comorbid substance use disorders and being admitted for a suicide attempt were predictors of early readmission in youths with severe mental disorders. Although their generalizability is limited, our findings could contribute to improve the quality of young patients’ mental health care by identifying vulnerable subjects who may benefit from tailored interventions to prevent rehospitalizations.

Theia would be a novel, "hybrid" optical neutrino detector, with a rich physics program. This paper is intended to provide a brief overview of the concepts and physics reach of Theia. Full details can be found in the Theia white paper [1]., Comment: Contribution to Snowmass 2021

Theia would be a novel, "hybrid" optical neutrino detector, with a rich physics program. This paper is intended to provide a brief overview of the concepts and physics reach of Theia. Full details can be found in the Theia white paper [1]., Comment: Contribution to Snowmass 2021

The CKM unitarity precision test of the Standard Model requires a systematic treatment of electromagnetic and strong corrections for semi-leptonic decays. Electromagnetic corrections require the renormalization of a semileptonic four-fermion operator. In this work we calculate the $\mathcal{O}(\alpha\alpha_s)$ perturbative scheme conversion between the $\bar{\rm MS}$ scheme and several momentum-space subtraction schemes, which can also be implemented on the lattice. We consider schemes defined by MOM and SMOM kinematics and emphasize the importance of the choice of projector for each scheme. The conventional projector, that has been used in the literature for MOM kinematics, generates QCD corrections to the conversion factor that do not vanish for $\alpha=0$ and which generate an artificial dependence on the lattice matching scale that would only disappear after summing all orders of perturbation theory. This can be traced to the violation of a Ward identity that holds in tha $\alpha =0$ limit. We show how to remedy this by judicious choices of projector, and prove that the Wilson coefficients in those schemes are free from pure QCD contributions. The resulting Wilson coefficients (and operator matrix elements) have greatly reduced scale dependence. Our choice of the $\bar{\rm MS}$ scheme over the traditional $W$-mass scheme is motivated by the fact that, besides being more tractable at higher orders, unlike the latter it allows for a transparent separation of scales. We exploit this to obtain renormalization-group-improved leading-log and next-to-leading-log strong corrections to the electromagnetic contributions and study the (QED-induced) dependence on the lattice matching scale., Comment: 1+22 pages

The CKM unitarity precision test of the Standard Model requires a systematic treatment of electromagnetic and strong corrections for semi-leptonic decays. Electromagnetic corrections require the renormalization of a semileptonic four-fermion operator. In this work we calculate the $\mathcal{O}(\alpha\alpha_s)$ perturbative scheme conversion between the $\bar{\rm MS}$ scheme and several momentum-space subtraction schemes, which can also be implemented on the lattice. We consider schemes defined by MOM and SMOM kinematics and emphasize the importance of the choice of projector for each scheme. The conventional projector, that has been used in the literature for MOM kinematics, generates QCD corrections to the conversion factor that do not vanish for $\alpha=0$ and which generate an artificial dependence on the lattice matching scale that would only disappear after summing all orders of perturbation theory. This can be traced to the violation of a Ward identity that holds in tha $\alpha =0$ limit. We show how to remedy this by judicious choices of projector, and prove that the Wilson coefficients in those schemes are free from pure QCD contributions. The resulting Wilson coefficients (and operator matrix elements) have greatly reduced scale dependence. Our choice of the $\bar{\rm MS}$ scheme over the traditional $W$-mass scheme is motivated by the fact that, besides being more tractable at higher orders, unlike the latter it allows for a transparent separation of scales. We exploit this to obtain renormalization-group-improved leading-log and next-to-leading-log strong corrections to the electromagnetic contributions and study the (QED-induced) dependence on the lattice matching scale., Comment: 1+22 pages

Theia would be a novel, "hybrid" optical neutrino detector, with a rich physics program. This paper is intended to provide a brief overview of the concepts and physics reach of Theia. Full details can be found in the Theia white paper [1]., Comment: Contribution to Snowmass 2021

The CKM unitarity precision test of the Standard Model requires a systematic treatment of electromagnetic and strong corrections for semi-leptonic decays. Electromagnetic corrections require the renormalization of a semileptonic four-fermion operator. In this work we calculate the $\mathcal{O}(\alpha\alpha_s)$ perturbative scheme conversion between the $\bar{\rm MS}$ scheme and several momentum-space subtraction schemes, which can also be implemented on the lattice. We consider schemes defined by MOM and SMOM kinematics and emphasize the importance of the choice of projector for each scheme. The conventional projector, that has been used in the literature for MOM kinematics, generates QCD corrections to the conversion factor that do not vanish for $\alpha=0$ and which generate an artificial dependence on the lattice matching scale that would only disappear after summing all orders of perturbation theory. This can be traced to the violation of a Ward identity that holds in tha $\alpha =0$ limit. We show how to remedy this by judicious choices of projector, and prove that the Wilson coefficients in those schemes are free from pure QCD contributions. The resulting Wilson coefficients (and operator matrix elements) have greatly reduced scale dependence. Our choice of the $\bar{\rm MS}$ scheme over the traditional $W$-mass scheme is motivated by the fact that, besides being more tractable at higher orders, unlike the latter it allows for a transparent separation of scales. We exploit this to obtain renormalization-group-improved leading-log and next-to-leading-log strong corrections to the electromagnetic contributions and study the (QED-induced) dependence on the lattice matching scale., Comment: 1+22 pages

Theia would be a novel, "hybrid" optical neutrino detector, with a rich physics program. This paper is intended to provide a brief overview of the concepts and physics reach of Theia. Full details can be found in the Theia white paper [1]., Comment: Contribution to Snowmass 2021

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with poor academic performance also among university students. This relationship may be made more complex by comorbid conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mediating role of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the relationship between ADHD and academic performance. Data were drawn from the CAMPUS study (registration number: 0058642/21), an ongoing survey on university students' mental health. Using a logit model, mediation analyses were carried out to test whether the relationship between ADHD symptoms (assessed by ASRS-5) and academic performance might be mediated by depressive (assessed by PHQ-9) and anxiety (assessed by GAD-7) symptoms. Our results showed that worse academic performance is associated with ADHD symptoms (p < 0.001). However, about 24% of the overall association between ADHD symptoms and academic performance was mediated by depressive symptoms (indirect effect: 0.065, 95%CI 0.022; 0.100), whereas the contribution of anxiety symptoms to the model was not significant. Along with the association between ADHD symptoms and poor academic performance, our findings highlight the key mediating role of depressive symptoms, which may be targeted with tailored support, ultimately improving both the academic performance and the well-being of university students with ADHD.

The High Energy Physics community can benefit from a natural synergy in research activities into next-generation large-scale water and scintillator neutrino detectors, now being studied for remote reactor monitoring, discovery and exclusion applications in cooperative nonproliferation contexts. Since approximately 2010, US nonproliferation researchers, supported by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), have been studying a range of possible applications of relatively large (100 ton) to very large (hundreds of kiloton) water and scintillator neutrino detectors. In parallel, the fundamental physics community has been developing detectors at similar scales and with similar design features for a range of high-priority physics topics, primarily in fundamental neutrino physics. These topics include neutrino oscillation studies at beams and reactors, solar, and geological neutrino measurements, supernova studies, and others. Examples of ongoing synergistic work at U.S. national laboratories and universities include prototype gadolinium-doped water and water-based and opaque scintillator test-beds and demonstrators, extensive testing and industry partnerships related to large area fast position-sensitive photomultiplier tubes, and the development of concepts for a possible underground kiloton-scale water-based detector for reactor monitoring and technology demonstrations. Some opportunities for engagement between the two communities include bi-annual Applied Antineutrino Physics conferences, collaboration with U.S. National Laboratories engaging in this research, and occasional NNSA funding opportunities supporting a blend of nonproliferation and basic science R&D, directed at the U.S. academic community., Comment: contribution to Snowmass 2021

Aortic pulse wave velocity is a worldwide accepted index to evaluate aortic stiffness and can be assessed noninvasively by several methods. This study sought to determine if commonly used noninvasive devices can all accurately estimate aortic pulse wave velocity. Pulse wave velocity was estimated in 102 patients (aged 65±13 years) undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography with 7 noninvasive devices and compared with invasive aortic pulse wave velocity. Devices evaluating carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (Complior Analyse, PulsePen ET, PulsePen ETT, and SphygmoCor) showed a strong agreement between each other (r>0.83) and with invasive aortic pulse wave velocity. The mean difference ±SD with the invasive pulse wave velocity was -0.73±2.83 m/s (r=0.64) for Complior-Analyse: 0.20±2.54 m/s (r=0.71) for PulsePen-ETT: -0.04±2.33 m/s (r=0.78) for PulsePen ET; and -0.61±2.57 m/s (r=0.70) for SphygmoCor. The finger-toe pulse wave velocity, evaluated by pOpmètre, showed only a weak relationship with invasive aortic recording (mean difference ±SD =-0.44±4.44 m/s; r=0.41), and with noninvasive carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity measurements (r<0.33). Pulse wave velocity estimated through a proprietary algorithm by BPLab (v.5.03 and v.6.02) and Mobil-O-Graph showed a weaker agreement with invasive pulse wave velocity compared with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (mean difference ±SD =-0.71±3.55 m/s, r=0.23; 1.04±2.27 m/s, r=0.77; and -1.01±2.54 m/s, r=0.71, respectively), revealing a negative proportional bias at Bland-Altman plot. Aortic pulse wave velocity values provided by BPLab and Mobil-O-Graph were entirely dependent on age-squared and peripheral systolic blood pressure (cumulative r2=0.98 and 0.99, respectively). Thus, among the methods evaluated, only those assessing carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (Complior Analyse, PulsePen ETT, PulsePen ET, and SphygmoCor) appear to be reliable approaches for estimation of aortic stiffness.

Charge trapping and energy transfer processes are investigated in PbMoO4 single crystals by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and wavelength-resolved thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) in a correlated manner. New signals produced by two differently perturbed Mo5+ centers (Mo2 and Mo3) were observed in EPR spectra measured in the crystals after 420 nm light irradiation. Two sets of spin-Hamiltonian parameters, g tensor and the 95,97Mo, 207Pb (super) hyperfine tensors, have been determined and analyzed in terms of crystal field and LCAO-MO theories. A significant overlap of the Mo 5d1 and 6s6p ligand Pb orbitals was deduced for the Mo3 whereas the Mo2 center seemed to be not or very slightly affected by the lead orbitals. The obtained TSL results allowed to suppose the existence of at least six glow peaks produced by the de-trapping of charge carrier traps either of intrinsic nature or somehow stabilized by nearby accidental impurities. The peaks having maxima at 51 K, 79 K, and 89 K, in particular, were attributed to the Mo2 and Mo3 centers thermal destruction due to the observed correspondence between the kinetic parameters (trap depths and frequency factors) determined separately for the glow peaks and the EPR intensity thermal decay curves of these centers. The Mo2 EPR decay curve is rather complex experiencing two-step trend probably due to trapped electron recombination with some holes released below 60 K. It was further confirmed by the TSL emission maximum relatively large red shift (~ 100 nm) compared to the much smaller offset measured in radioluminescence. This phenomenon, observed also in samples obtained from extra-pure starting materials, was explained by three-component origin of the spectra, each having its own thermal fading rate. One of them ceased to exist above 60 K. The discussion of the obtained results is provided in comparison with other representatives of the scheelite tungstate and molybdate-based single crystals.

Aortic pulse wave velocity is a worldwide accepted index to evaluate aortic stiffness and can be assessed noninvasively by several methods. This study sought to determine if commonly used noninvasive devices can all accurately estimate aortic pulse wave velocity. Pulse wave velocity was estimated in 102 patients (aged 65±13 years) undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography with 7 noninvasive devices and compared with invasive aortic pulse wave velocity. Devices evaluating carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (Complior Analyse, PulsePen ET, PulsePen ETT, and SphygmoCor) showed a strong agreement between each other (r>0.83) and with invasive aortic pulse wave velocity. The mean difference ±SD with the invasive pulse wave velocity was -0.73±2.83 m/s (r=0.64) for Complior-Analyse: 0.20±2.54 m/s (r=0.71) for PulsePen-ETT: -0.04±2.33 m/s (r=0.78) for PulsePen ET; and -0.61±2.57 m/s (r=0.70) for SphygmoCor. The finger-toe pulse wave velocity, evaluated by pOpmètre, showed only a weak relationship with invasive aortic recording (mean difference ±SD =-0.44±4.44 m/s; r=0.41), and with noninvasive carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity measurements (r<0.33). Pulse wave velocity estimated through a proprietary algorithm by BPLab (v.5.03 and v.6.02) and Mobil-O-Graph showed a weaker agreement with invasive pulse wave velocity compared with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (mean difference ±SD =-0.71±3.55 m/s, r=0.23; 1.04±2.27 m/s, r=0.77; and -1.01±2.54 m/s, r=0.71, respectively), revealing a negative proportional bias at Bland-Altman plot. Aortic pulse wave velocity values provided by BPLab and Mobil-O-Graph were entirely dependent on age-squared and peripheral systolic blood pressure (cumulative r2=0.98 and 0.99, respectively). Thus, among the methods evaluated, only those assessing carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (Complior Analyse, PulsePen ETT, PulsePen ET, and SphygmoCor) appear to be reliable approaches for estimation of aortic stiffness.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe psychosocial impact on healthcare workers (HCWs). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at evaluating the association between individual features and depressive symptoms reported by HCWs during the pandemic. We searched Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo up to 23 June 2020. We included cross-sectional studies testing the association between individual correlates and depressive symptoms in HCWs during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria, involving 14,173 HCWs (3,070 with depressive symptoms). Women (OR = 1.50; 95 %CI: 1.28–1.76; I2 = 40.0 %), individuals with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 (OR = 2.10; 95 %CI: 1.64–2.69; I2 = 0 %), and those with an infected family member or friend (OR = 1.67; 95 %CI: 1.37–2.04; I2 = 0%) were more likely to report depressive features, which, instead, were less frequent among doctors (compared with nurses) (OR = 0.80; 95 %CI: 0.66–0.98; I2 = 48.2 %) and HCWs who felt adequately protected (OR = 0.48; 95 %CI: 0.32–0.72; I2 = 36.3 %). Our study provided timely evidence on the correlates of depressive symptoms among HCWs during the pandemic. Early screening is crucial to develop tailored health interventions, redesigning the response to COVID-19.

The carrier trapping and recombination mechanisms occurring in Ce-doped silica fibers, produced by a sol–gel technique, are investigated by combining temperature-dependent steady-state X-ray-excited luminescence, wavelength- and time-resolved scintillation measurements, and wavelength-resolved thermally stimulated luminescence, focusing especially on the temperature range from 10 to 320 K. The scintillation decay features a decay time of the order of tens of nanoseconds, characteristic of the parity- and spin-allowed 5d–4f radiative transition of Ce3+ ions. In addition, a slow and complex decay contribution in the microsecond timescale is detected. We interpret these features as due to the radiative recombination at Ce centers of carriers freed from a continuous distribution of trapping sites in the forbidden gap as well as to the occurrence of an athermal tunneling recombination process between traps and Ce3+ ions. This interpretation is reinforced by good agreement between independent evaluations of trap depths and lifetimes obtained by both the numerical analysis of scintillation time decays and thermally stimulated luminescence experiments.

Rare-earth doped sol-gel glasses were proven to be suitable materials for scintillating optical fiber sensors, to be employed in real-time medical dosimetry. To exploit the high granularity and flexibility of calorimeters made of fibers, their use as the active scintillating material in a sampling electromagnetic Spaghetti Calorimeter (SpaCal) or as the scintillating component in a dual-readout calorimeter, coupled with undoped fibers acting as Cherenkov radiators, has also been recently proposed. Besides crystalline fibers, active research on silica fibers is also being carried on. An extremely good radiation hardness is a crucial property for high-energy physics applications: previous results of irradiation tests on Ce-doped silica fibers with X- and gamma -rays up to 10 kGy pointed out the formation of radiation-induced defects, however an improvement of radiation resistance by reducing Ce content inside the fiber core was achieved, paving the way for further material development. Here we present an in depth characterization of Ce-doped sol-gel silica fibers under GeV electron beam exposure: silica fibers were tested in a SpaCal prototype and the analysis of their response suggests the possibility of a dual readout of Cherenkov and scintillation light simultaneously with the same doped silica fiber. An event by event pulse shape-based discrimination of Cherenkov and scintillation signals permits a separate study of linearity as a function of energy and attenuation length, taking advantage of the double side readout technique. The investigation of various mechanisms of interaction between radiation and sol-gel silica fibers as well as of their scintillation properties represents the goal of this work. An accurate comparison with their photoluminescence and radioluminescence response has been carried out, in order to optimize silica fibers performances as both scintillators and Cherenkov radiators.

Binary alkali-earth silicate glasses doped with Ce3+, Tb3+, and Dy3+were obtained by melt-quenching technique and their photo- and radio-luminescence properties were investigated. The disordered structure of the glass is responsible for an inhomogeneous broadening of the electronic radiative 5d1energy level of Ce3+due to their localization in several positions with different surroundings, possessing a slightly different local ligand field. The influence of glass matrix composition on the Stokes shift as a function of ionic radius of the cation was shown. The radio-luminescence spectral shapes were related to the simultaneous occurrence of emissions from all Ce3+configurations with relative weights proportional to their abundance in the glasses. The possibility of excitation of Ce3+in different localizations was demonstrated and confirmed by the systematic shift of emission from excitation. On the contrary, no shift was observed in the Tb3+and Dy3+doped glasses, thanks to the lower effect of ligand field on their radiative electronic levels

An organic glass scintillator developed by Sandia National Laboratories was characterized in terms of its light output and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) properties and compared to commercial liquid (EJ-309) and plastic (EJ-276) organic scintillators. The electron light output was determined through relative comparison of the 137Cs Compton edge location. The proton light yield was measured using a double time-of-flight technique at the 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Using a tunable broad-spectrum neutron source and an array of pulse-shape-discriminating observation scintillators, a continuous measurement of the proton light yield was performed for EJ-309 (200 keV–3.2 MeV), EJ-276 (170 keV–4.9 MeV), and the organic glass (50 keV–20 MeV). Finally, the PSD properties of the organic glass, EJ-309, and EJ-276 were evaluated using an AmBe source and compared via a figure-of-merit metric. The organic glass exhibited a higher electron light output than both EJ-309 and EJ-276. Its proton light yield and PSD performance were comparable to EJ-309 and superior to that of EJ-276. With these performance characteristics, the organic glass scintillator is well poised to replace current state-of-the-art PSD-capable scintillators in a range of fast neutron detection applications.

Water-based liquid scintillators (WbLS) present an attractive target medium for large-scale detectors with the ability to enhance the separation of Cherenkov and scintillation signals from a single target. This work characterizes the scintillation properties of WbLS samples based on LAB/PPO liquid scintillator (LS). X-ray luminescence spectra, decay profiles, and relative light yields are measured for WbLS of varying LS concentration as well as for pure LS with a range of PPO concentrations up to 90 g L-1. The scintillation properties of the WbLS are related to the precursor LAB/PPO: starting from 90 g L-1PPO in LAB before synthesis, the resulting WbLS have spectroscopic properties that instead match 10 g L-1 PPO in LAB. This could indicate that the concentration of active PPO in the WbLS samples depends on their processing.

An organic glass scintillator developed by Sandia National Laboratories was characterized in terms of its light output and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) properties and compared to commercial liquid (EJ-309) and plastic (EJ-276) organic scintillators. The electron light output was determined through relative comparison of the 137Cs Compton edge location. The proton light yield was measured using a double time-of-flight technique at the 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Using a tunable broad-spectrum neutron source and an array of pulse-shape-discriminating observation scintillators, a continuous measurement of the proton light yield was performed for EJ-309 (200 keV–3.2 MeV), EJ-276 (170 keV–4.9 MeV), and the organic glass (50 keV–20 MeV). Finally, the PSD properties of the organic glass, EJ-309, and EJ-276 were evaluated using an AmBe source and compared via a figure-of-merit metric. The organic glass exhibited a higher electron light output than both EJ-309 and EJ-276. Its proton light yield and PSD performance were comparable to EJ-309 and superior to that of EJ-276. With these performance characteristics, the organic glass scintillator is well poised to replace current state-of-the-art PSD-capable scintillators in a range of fast neutron detection applications.

The recent trends in scintillator technologies stimulate research efforts toward the development of novel materials morphologies, such as nanoparticles, able to efficiently convert ionizing radiations into light. For example, scintillating nanoparticles attract great interest in medical oncological therapies. In this work, the structural and morphological properties of HfO2:Ti nanoparticles with Ti concentrations from 0.03 to 10 mol% and subjected to calcination up to 1000 °C are thoroughly characterized; moreover, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals the incorporation of Ti in both Ti (III) and Ti (IV) chemical states in as prepared samples, while the exclusive presence of Ti(IV) is unambiguously identified in calcined nanoparticles. The optical emission under X-ray excitation evidences an intense Ti (IV)-related luminescence at 2.5 eV in high temperature calcined samples with a few microseconds scintillation lifetime, and efficiency comparable to that of Bi4Ge3O12 reference scintillator. Finally, the competitive role of defects in charge carriers capture is demonstrated by the monotonic increase of the 2.5 eV band during prolonged X-ray irradiation, more evident for nanoparticles with titanium concentration below 1 mol%. HfO2:Ti may also find application in X-ray triggered oncological therapies by using the Ti (IV)-related bright radioluminescence to excite photosensitizer molecules for singlet oxygen generation.

We establish the possibility of Landau damping for gravitational scalar waves which propagate in a non-collisional gas of particles. In particular, under the hypothesis of homogeneity and isotropy, we describe the medium at the equilibrium with a Jüttner–Maxwell distribution, and we analytically determine the damping rate from the Vlasov equation. We find that damping occurs only if the phase velocity of the wave is subluminal throughout the propagation within the medium. Finally, we investigate relativistic media in cosmological settings by adopting numerical techniques.

In recent years, scintillators based on glass matrices proved to be a valid alternative to several crystals; in particular, rare-earth doped silica glasses prepared by sol-gel route using high purity precursors turned out to be suitable materials for the realization of scintillating optical fibers , with application perspectives in real-time medical dosimetry as well as high-energy physics experiments. In this framework, Ce-doped silica fibers have recently been explored as candidates for the dual-readout calorimetry approach, exploiting the simultaneous detection of scintillation and Cherenkov light . A fundamental stage in the scintillation process is the transport to the luminescent centers of free carriers generated upon the interaction between ionizing radiation and the scintillating material; it is often largely affected by the presence of trapping sites, which can capture migrating charge carriers and thus either delay their radiative recombination or decrease the overall scintillation efficiency, according to the characteristics of the traps involved . Although preparation technologies are continuously improved, the presence of a certain amount of lattice defects is very common even for a material synthesized in very controlled conditions. In this work, we study the role of trapping defects and their close interplay with luminescent activators in the recombination processes governing the scintillation emission in 0.05 mol% Ce-doped silica optical fibers. In particular, we present a thorough investigation of the tight correlation existing between delayed scintillation processes and defects acting as carrier traps, as well as of the competition between trapping centers and luminescent ions in free carrier capture. To these purposes, steady-state radio-luminescence as a function of both temperature and cumulated X-ray dose is combined with time-resolved scintillation measurements and wavelength-resolved thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL). The presence of a

Aim: To develop an instrument to investigate knowledge and predictive factors of needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs) in nursing students during clinical placements. Design: Instrument development and cross-sectional study for psychometric testing. Methods: A self-administered instrument including demographic data, injury epidemiology and predictive factors of NSIs was developed between October 2018–January 2019. Content validity was assessed by a panel of experts. The instrument's factor structure and discriminant validity were explored using principal components analysis. The STROBE guidelines were followed. Results: Evidence of content validity was found (S-CVI 0.75; I-CVI 0.50–1.00). A three-factor structure was shown by exploratory factor analysis. Of the 238 participants, 39% had been injured at least once, of which 67.3% in the second year. Higher perceptions of “personal exposure” (4.06, SD 3.78) were reported by third-year students. Higher scores for “perceived benefits” of preventive behaviours (13.6, SD 1.46) were reported by second-year students.

Single crystals of PbMoO4 were studied by means of light-induced electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and wavelength resolved thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL). The work is focused on the electron self-trapped at the (MoO4)2- complex. Detailed analysis of the EPR spectra of this complex allowed to determine a set of spin-Hamiltonian parameters including g factor and the 95,97Mo, 207Pb hyperfine tensors further used in calculations performed in terms of crystal field and LCAO-MO theories. They have shown a significant overlap of the Mo 5d1 and 6s6p ligand lead orbitals. The contributions of oxygen and lead to the molecular orbitals with an electron trapped at the (MoO4)3- complex were about 14% and 38%, respectively. The decay of the molybdenum center EPR intensity with annealing temperature provided information about thermal stability of the center, which thermally destroys already at 40 K. Trap depth and frequency factor, Et = 0.05 eV, and f0 = 104 s−1, have been determined. The TSL glow curve displays two overlapping peaks in the 40–50 K temperature region, corresponding to the disappearance of the EPR signal from the (MoO4)3- center. By partial cleaning technique and initial rise method it is shown that the lower temperature peak is related to a trap with thermal parameters similar to those determined for the (MoO4)3- center. This allows to correlate it to the thermal destruction of the (MoO4)3- center. The obtained results are discussed in a broader frame of charge trapping mechanism in all the family of tungstate and molybdate-based single crystals.

In recent years, oxide materials based on garnet structure are being investigated as very promising candidates in the field of scintillation because of their high density, good chemical stability, optical transparency, and the possibility to easily incorporate luminescent rare-earth ions. Several studies demonstrated that garnet crystals show high light yield and advantageous timing performances, which make them of interest for applications in medical imaging and high energy physics detectors [1]. Among synthetic garnets, Ce-doped gadolinium gallium aluminum garnet (GGAG:Ce) is a relatively new and interesting material. It is a mixed garnet that has displayed very good scintillation and luminescence properties: its high density enhances the interaction with ionizing radiation, and the presence of Gd provides a high cross section for thermal neutron capture [2]. GGAG:Ce preserves a crystalline cubic structure, which allows to produce it in the form of transparent polycrystalline ceramic [3] with favorable characteristics for optical applications such as lasers, LEDs, and scintillators. In this work, ceramic samples were produced by reaction sintering from commercial oxide powders: the mixed powders were pressed into pellets and sintered by a combined process of air sintering and hot isostatic pressing. The sintering process was carefully selected and the use of sintering additives was optimized to eliminate porosity, which is crucial to achieve a good optical transparency. Optical properties were studied by means of optical absorption spectroscopy, steady-state and time resolved photo- and radio- luminescence, and correlated to the fabrication process parameters. Moreover, trapping phenomena caused by the presence of point defects were investigated by wavelength resolved thermally stimulated luminescence in a wide temperature range (10 – 800 K); a significant persistent luminescence signal was also singled out and investigated as a function of temperature. The presen

In this work, we investigate the optical properties of hafnium dioxide nanocrystals, upon X-ray irradiation, looking for spectral evolution following thermal treatments in air up to 1000 °C that modify the crystal size as well as their point defect concentrations. Radio-luminescence measurements from 10 K up to room temperature reveal a rich and evolving picture of the optical features. A complete spectral analysis of the broad luminescence spectra reveals the presence of several emission components in the visible and UV regions. The lower energy components peaking at 2.1, 2.5, and 2.9 eV are characterized by a thermal quenching energy of 0.08 eV, while the corresponding value for the UV bands at 4.1 and 4.7 eV is close to 0.23 eV. We tentatively assign the components ranging from 2 to 3 eV to the presence of optically active defects of an intrinsic nature, together with the occurrence of titanium impurities; conversely, the bands at higher energies are likely to be of an excitonic nature. The comparison with previous photo-luminescence studies allows evidencing characteristic differences between the features of luminescence emissions caused by intra-centre excitation and those occurring under ionizing irradiation. Finally, scintillation measurements in the visible range reveal the existence of a fast decay in the nanosecond time scale for the smallest hafnia nanocrystals. This study offers a clear description of HfO2 luminescence characteristics upon excitation by X-rays and can lead to a better comprehension of the structure-property relationship at the nanoscale in metal oxides

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Summary Oxygen-dependent HIF1α hydroxylation and degradation are strictly controlled by PHD2. In hypoxia, HIF1α partly escapes degradation because of low oxygen availability. Here, we show that PHD2 is phosphorylated on serine 125 (S125) by the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) downstream kinase P70S6K and that this phosphorylation increases its ability to degrade HIF1α. mTOR blockade in hypoxia by REDD1 restrains P70S6K and unleashes PP2A phosphatase activity. Through its regulatory subunit B55α, PP2A directly dephosphorylates PHD2 on S125, resulting in a further reduction of PHD2 activity that ultimately boosts HIF1α accumulation. These events promote autophagy-mediated cell survival in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. B55α knockdown blocks neoplastic growth of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo in a PHD2-dependent manner. In patients, CRC tissue expresses higher levels of REDD1, B55α, and HIF1α but has lower phospho-S125 PHD2 compared with a healthy colon. Our data disclose a mechanism of PHD2 regulation that involves the mTOR and PP2A pathways and controls tumor growth.

The optical emission from the 5d - 4f allowed transition of Pr3+ ions embedded in sol-gel silica is investigated for High Energy Physics applications requiring fast scintillating materials. A complete and detailed characterization of the optical, scintillation and radiation hardness properties of Pr-doped silica is carried out employing different experimental techniques including steady-state and time-resolved photo-luminescence, radio- and thermo-luminescence, scintillation and optical absorption. Optical absorption measurements, performed after X-ray irradiation sequences up to 1 kGy, evidence the formation of radiation-induced absorption bands related to point defects acting as color centers. Spontaneous partial recovery of the radiation-induced defects at room temperature, as well as after thermal treatments, is also disclosed. Particular attention is paid to the comparison between bulk silica, both before and after a melting process, and fibers. The results reveal the presence of a lower concentration of optically active defects in melted glass. Such comparison highlights a role of the fiber drawing in modifying the glass defectiveness, consisting in the occurrence of a structural reorganization of the amorphous network during the process

The optical emission from the 5d - 4f allowed transition of Pr3+ ions embedded in sol-gel silica is investigated for High Energy Physics applications requiring fast scintillating materials. A complete and detailed characterization of the optical, scintillation and radiation hardness properties of Pr-doped silica is carried out employing different experimental techniques including steady-state and time-resolved photo-luminescence, radio- and thermo-luminescence, scintillation and optical absorption. Optical absorption measurements, performed after X-ray irradiation sequences up to 1 kGy, evidence the formation of radiation-induced absorption bands related to point defects acting as color centers. Spontaneous partial recovery of the radiation-induced defects at room temperature, as well as after thermal treatments, is also disclosed. Particular attention is paid to the comparison between bulk silica, both before and after a melting process, and fibers. The results reveal the presence of a lower concentration of optically active defects in melted glass. Such comparison highlights a role of the fiber drawing in modifying the glass defectiveness, consisting in the occurrence of a structural reorganization of the amorphous network during the process

In recent years, the sol-gel technique was proven to allow a good control, at a relatively low densification temperature, of rare earth (RE) ions incorporation and of their dispersion inside the glass matrix. The glass synthesis can be performed by using high purity precursors, reducing the level of unwanted impurities, which is an essential feature for the radiation hardness of such materials. Several studies demonstrated that RE-doped silica glasses prepared by sol-gel route are suitable materials for the realization of scintillating optical fibers, and have application perspectives as wavelength shifters for the collection and transport of scintillation light in High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments. Moreover, the use of RE-doped fibers as scintillators in HEP detectors, possibly in parallel with undoped fibers exploiting Cherenkov light, has been recently proposed. An extremely good radiation resistance and fast response are crucial properties for such application. In this work we present a detailed study of the scintillation properties of SiO2: 0.05 mol% Ce glasses and the results of irradiation tests using gamma-rays from a 60Co source and X-rays up to an integrated dose of 1 kGy. Radio-luminescence investigations have been combined with optical absorption and attenuation length measurements before and after irradiation with X-rays and with 60Co gamma-rays. Comparisons between bulk preforms and fibers have been carried out, in order to disclose the role of the fiber drawing process in the radiation hardness properties. Fibers with a lower (0.0125 mol%) Ce concentration have also been considered, pointing to a reduction of the radiation damage related to the decrease of the dopant concentration. Fibers with fluorinated glass or polymeric cladding have been compared, looking towards a future engineering of the fiber structure to improve the light propagation and the radiation resistance. The evolution of the optical absorption spectra and of the attenuation leng

Wavelength-shifting materials in the form of optical fibers are requested in order to both convert UV scintillation light produced by fast scintillators into a more easily detectable visible light, and to efficiently transport it to the detectors. In the present investigation we have considered glasses with composition 3CaO-2SiO2 and 3CaF2-2SiO2 doped with 0.05, 0.5 and 1 at% of Ce3+ ions, prepared by an original method consisting in a combination of co-precipitation and sol-gel approaches. The glasses have been investigated by Raman scattering, as well as by photo- and radio-luminescence. The glasses are characterized by complex Raman features. Composite photo-luminescence excitation and emission spectra are also detected in all cases, depending upon glass composition and Ce concentration. Broad excitation spectra extend from approximately 260 nm to 360 nm, while the composite Ce3+ emission is detected in the blue spectral region at around 400 nm. A satisfactory matching between the excitation spectra of the glasses and the emission spectrum of CeF3 scintillator occurs, confirming their potential application as wavelength shifters of CeF3 UV scintillation light. Moreover, bright photo-luminescence signals are accompanied by a very poor radio-luminescence. The results are discussed by taking into account the presence of different silicate clusters embedded in the glass network, as well as the role of point defects in the radio-luminescence process.

The influence of Ca codoping on the optical absorption, photo-, radio-, and thermo-luminescence properties of YAlO3:Ce (YAP:Ce) crystals has been studied for four different calcium concentrations ranging from 0 to 500 ppm. Ca codoping results in a partial oxidation of Ce3+ into Ce4+, The luminescence time response under pulsed X-ray excitation of the Ce3+/Ce4+ admixure clearly demonstrates the role of hole migration on both the rise time and the generally observed slow components. From an application point of view, Ca codoping significantly improves the timing performances, but the induced presence of Ce4+ ions is also the cause of a reduction in scintillation efficiency.