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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 Conclusion: Comorbid bipolar disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may have some distinctive clinical features including an earlier onset of bipolar disorder and higher comorbid alcohol/substance use disorder rates. Further research is needed to identify additional clinical characteristics of this comorbidity.

Resume Contexte L’instabilite apres arthroplastie de hanche, qu’elle soit totale (PTH) ou intermediaire (HA), est un risque preponderant, neanmoins l’arthroplastie est le traitement de reference des fractures intracapsulaires deplacees du col femoral du sujet âge. Trois types d’arthroplasties peuvent etre proposes : les protheses totales equipees ou non d’une cupule a double mobilite (PTH DM) reduisant le risque de luxation, et l’hemiarthroplastie. En l’absence de recommandation claire concernant le type d’implant a utiliser et de la rarete des etudes comparant HA et PTH DM, nous avons mene une etude monocentrique comparative retrospective en utilisant la methode du score de propension afin de comparer entre PTH DM versus HA sur des fractures recentes deplacees du col femoral : 1) la survie et le risque de luxation, 2) les resultats fonctionnels, 3) la mortalite. Hypothese Le taux de luxation avec une PTH munie d’une cupule a DM est plus faible que celui d’une HA. Patients et methodes Nous avons identifie retrospectivement 112 patients dans le groupe HA et 153 patients dans le groupe PTH DM operes en urgence pour arthroplastie sur fracture cervicale deplacee entre 2010 et 2013. Le recul minimum etait de 5 ans (range, 5–9 ans). L’âge moyen a la chirurgie etait de 81 ans (range, 55–101 ans). Les patients pris en charge en chirurgie programmee (n = 2), les fractures sur materiel (n = 10), les fractures pathologiques du col femoral (n = 6), les fractures associees (n = 3), et les chirurgies de reprise (n = 5) ont ete exclus. Le critere de jugement principal etait l’instabilite. Le suivi clinique etait realise par le score de WOMAC et le risque de mortalite etait determine apres ajustement sur les facteurs de confusion par la methode du score de propension. Resultats Apres ajustement sur le score de propension, le taux de luxation a 2 ans etait de 2,2 % (n = 3/153) dans le groupe PTH double mobilite et de 6,3 % (n = 7/112) dans le groupe HA (OR = 0,34 [IC a 95 % : 0,06–1,96] (p = 0,23)). Apres ajustement sur le score de propension, le score WOMAC etait de 8,20 (± 6,56) en moyenne dans le groupe PTH, contre 10,78 ±3,92 en moyenne dans le groupe HA (p = 0,031). Apres ajustement sur le score de propension, nous n’avons pas retrouve de difference significative concernant le taux de reintervention sans changement d’implants et de reprises, et de complications postoperatoires. Apres ajustement sur le score de propension, la mortalite etait significativement plus importante dans le groupe HA (45,5 % (n = 69/152) dans le groupe PTH DM vs 91,5 % (n = 102/112) dans le groupe HA (OR = 0,50 [IC a 95 % : 0,25–0,98] (p = 0,042)). Discussion Peu de travaux ont actuellement compare ces deux types d’implant dans le cadre de la traumatologie. Bien que les resultats de notre etude ne soient pas significatifs concernant le risque de luxation, l’utilisation de cupule a double mobilite semble etre une solution tres satisfaisante dans ce contexte de traumatologie. Niveau de preuve III ; cohorte retrospective comparative.

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 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.

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.

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. The scintillation properties of the WbLS are related to the precursor LAB/PPO: starting from 90 g/L PPO in LAB before synthesis, the resulting WbLS have spectroscopic properties that instead match 10 g/L PPO in LAB. This could indicate that the concentration of active PPO in the WbLS samples depends on their processing., 6 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to Materials Advances, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry

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.

Several studies in immunocompromised patients, such as those with HIV infection, undergoing cancer chemotherapy or organ transplant, have led to the development of guidelines on the use of prophylaxis to prevent Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP), in these specific conditions. Instead, since the association between PJP and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is not clearly defined, the role of prophylaxis in patients with AML is not yet established.We retrospectively analysed 251 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed non-M3-AML, admitted at the Hematology Unit of University Tor Vergata in Rome, during the period 2010-2020. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of PJP among AML patients during their first hospital admission, and to identify subjects at a high risk to develop PJP.Among 251 consecutive patients with non-M3-AML, 67 bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) were performed. PJP was proven in 11/67 (16.7%) subjects undergoing BAL (11 males, median age 71 years), with an incidence of 4.3%. The most common reason for BAL execution were radiological findings such as ground-glass opacities (6/11, 55%) and atypical patterns like consolidations and nodules (5/11, 45%). One patient died because of PJP after 11 days of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole therapy. In multivariate analysis older age and smoking habit were independent factors significantly associated with PJP (p = .021 and 0.017 respectively).We conclude that PJP infection is not uncommon among patients with AML. If intensive chemotherapy is planned, physicians should be aware of this risk and prophylaxis should be considered, particularly in older patients.

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.

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.

Although cannabis’ major psychoactive component, Δ-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.

Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans are today implemented in all most important European Urban Areas. The change in mobility habits towards sustainable transport modes is one their main objective. Methodology to achieve this goal are differents and go from restriction and payments for access to urban area (the stick) to rewarding systems (the carrot). The analysis carried out on the use cases shows how in recent years the ‘carrot action type’ has seen a great development even if, to date, there are few truly applicative and correctly applied solutions. The article highlights different use cases describing their pros and cons with a special attention to rewarding framework and technologies.

Background Instability after hip arthroplasty, whether it is a total (THA) or intermediate (HA), poses a major risk, however arthroplasty is the standard treatment for displaced intracapsular fractures of the femoral neck of the elderly. Three types of arthroplasties can be proposed: total prostheses with or without a dual mobility cup (DM THA) reducing the risk of dislocation, and hemiarthroplasties. In the absence of clear recommendations regarding the type of implant to be used and the scarcity of studies comparing HA and DM THA, we conducted a monocentric comparative retrospective study using the propensity score method to compare DM THA versus HA on recently displaced femoral neck fractures: (1) survival and risk of dislocation, (2) functional results, (3) mortality. Hypothesis The rate of dislocation of THA fitted with a DM cup is lower than that of HA. Patients and methods We retrospectively identified 112 patients in the HA group and 153 patients in the DM THA group who underwent an emergency arthroplasty for a displaced cervical fracture between 2010 and 2013. The minimum follow-up was 5 years (range, 5–9 years). The mean age at surgery was 81 years (range, 55–101 years). Elective surgery patients (n = 2), hardware fractures (n = 10), pathological fractures of the femoral neck (n = 6), associated fractures (n = 3), and revision surgeries (n = 5) were excluded. The primary outcome measure was instability. Clinical follow-up was performed by the WOMAC score and the risk of mortality was determined after adjusting for confounding factors using the propensity score method. Results After adjustment by the propensity score, the dislocation rate at 2-years was 2.2% (n = 3/153) in the dual mobility THA group and 6.3% (n = 7/112) in the HA group (OR = 0.34 [95% CI: 0.06–1.96] (p = 0.23)). After adjustment by the propensity score, the mean WOMAC score was 8.20 (±6.56) in the THA group, compared to 10.78 ± 3.92 on average in the HA group (p = 0.031). After adjustment by the propensity score, we did not find any significant difference in the reoperation rate without changing implants and revisions, and postoperative complications. After adjustment by the propensity score, mortality was significantly higher in the HA group 45.5% (n = 69/152) versus 91.5% (n = 102/112) in the HA group (OR = 0.50 [95% CI: 0.25–0.98] (p = 0.042)). Discussion Few studies have compared these two types of implant in the context of trauma. Although the results of our study are not significant regarding the risk of dislocation, the use of a dual mobility cup seems to be a very satisfactory solution in this trauma context. Level of evidence III; comparative retrospective cohort.

Water-based liquid scintillator is a promising scintillation medium that would enable construction of very large scale (tens of kilotonnes) optical detectors and with enhanced separation of Cherenkov and scintillation light. This technology could yield the first large-scale scintillator detector with direction reconstruction capabilities and unprecedented particle identification. This would boost sensitivity to a wide range of physics topics, including 0νββ searches and solar neutrinos. In this poster, we present results from the characterization of water-based liquid scintillator. This is used to build a Monte Carlo model in order to predict its performance in large scale detectors. We demonstrate and quantify the separation of Cherenkov and scintillation light using cosmic muons and use it to validate our Monte Carlo model. Using this model, we estimate performance of a large-scale water-based liquid scintillator in the context of low energy neutrino physics.

Single crystals of PbMoO 4 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 (MoO 4 ) 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 95,97 Mo, 207 Pb 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 5 d 1 and 6 s 6 p ligand lead orbitals. The contributions of oxygen and lead to the molecular orbitals with an electron trapped at the (MoO 4 ) 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, E t = 0.05 eV, and f 0 = 10 4 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 (MoO 4 ) 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 (MoO 4 ) 3- center. This allows to correlate it to the thermal destruction of the (MoO 4 ) 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.

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.

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-2SiO 2 and 3CaF 2 -2SiO 2 doped with 0.05, 0.5 and 1 at% of Ce 3 + 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 Ce 3 + 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 CeF 3 scintillator occurs, confirming their potential application as wavelength shifters of CeF 3 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 results of irradiation tests on Ce-doped sol-gel silica using X- and g-rays up to 10 kGy are reported, in order to investigate the radiation hardness of this material for high energy physics applications. Sol-gel silica fibers with Ce concentrations of 0.0125 mol% and 0.05 mol% are characterized by means of optical absorption and attenuation length measurements before and after irradiation. The two different techniques give comparable results, evidencing the formation of a main broad radiation-induced absorption band, peaking at about 2.2 eV, related to radiation-induced color centers. The results are compared with those obtained on bulk silica. This study reveals that an improvement of the radiation hardness of Ce-doped silica fibers can be achieved by reducing Ce content inside the fiber core, paving the way for further material development.

The majority of Open Innovation contributions published in the last decade adopted a firm-centric perspective, and analyzed interactions at the firm level, thus leaving room for studies about the adoption of Open Innovation practices in non-corporate environments, and at different levels of analysis. The aim of this paper is to explore the adoption of Open Innovation practices in a non-corporate environment at the individual level, specifically in the context of an American university laboratory. Results show that despite the lab’s active orientation toward commercialization and collaboration with industrial counterparts, the degree of implementation of Open Innovation practices is still limited, the main determinant for Technology Transfer (TT) remains publication, and that online communities represent a potential mechanism to overcome the current gap in promoting lab research. The study contributes to the existing Open Innovation literature by assessing the perceived quality of Open Innovation practices at the individual level, and in a non-corporate context. For literature, this study is the first attempt to investigate the adoption of Open Innovation practices in a university laboratory. For university managers, the study proposes that while active commercialization efforts through Open Innovation practices are still limited, channels like online communities offer valuable — and yet untapped — resources for promotion of university activities.

Oxygen vacancies play an important role in the luminescence processes of inorganic scintillator materials. In order to study the effects of oxygen vacancies on the luminescence properties of Na3LuSi3O9:Ce3+, these phosphors were prepared using a high temperature solid-state reaction method under different atmosphere and raw materials. It was found that oxygen vacancy had great influence on the absorption, photoluminescence and decay curves of Na3LuSi3O9:Ce3+. The luminescence intensity and peak position showed a regular change when synthesizing atmosphere changed. Na3LuSi3O9:Ce3+ with more oxygen vacancies showed much stronger luminescence intensity at high temperature than that without vacancies. And it was also found that the decreasing of oxygen vacancies can quicken the photoluminescence decay of Ce3+ in Na3LuSi3O9. The existence of oxygen vacancies in Na3LuSi3O9:Ce3+ was confirmed by Zr4+ doping and thermoluminescence emission spectra. At last, emission bands of Ce3+ and oxygen vacancies were well distinguished under X-ray excitation and probable cause of the formation of oxygen vacancies was discussed.

International audience; Scintillation performances of carbon‐doped YAG and YAG:Ce crystals obtained by the Czochralski method under novel conditions of Ar+CO reducing atmosphere is compared to their counterparts obtained by conventional technologies. While light yield and energy resolution in YAG crystals grown under different conditions is similar, a fast luminescence decay component of 4–6 ns is observed in YAG:C grown by the new procedure. Optimization of post‐growth thermal annealing procedure of YAG:Ce,C scintillator provides the very high light yield of 28 200 phot MeV−1, and the energy resolution of 7.8–8.5% at 662 KeV

Scintillating optical fibres have shown interesting results for ionizing radiation monitoring. Since they may enable a remote, punctual and real-time dose assessment, their application in medical dosimetry is very promising. This work aims to summarize some recent progresses in the development and characterization of rare-earth doped silica optical fibres. The radioluminescent and dosimetric properties of Ce, Eu and Yb-doped fibres are presented and the advantages and challenges in the use of these sensors for radiation therapy dosimetry are discussed. For such application, an effective approach to deal with the stem effect, i.e. the spurious luminescent signal originated in the light guide as a consequence of its exposition to ionizing radiations (i.e. Cerenkov light and intrinsic fluorescence) must be considered. The stem effect mainly occurs in the UV-VIS region. We demonstrated that the use of a dopant emitting in the near infrared, like Yb, is suitable for an optical discrimination of the dosimetric signal. Indeed, through a characterization of the dosimetric properties of Yb-doped fibres in conjunction with an optical filter and an avalanche detector, we proved that the drawback due to the stem effect does not impair the system response even in the most challenging irradiation geometries, attesting to the robustness of the device in complex dosimetric scenarios.

Binary alkali-earthsilicate glassesdoped 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.

Here we describe luminescent and scintillation properties of glasses of stoichiometric compositions: MO–SiO2 and MO–SiO2–Gd2O3 (M = Ca, Ba). It was shown that photo-excited luminescence spectra are systematically shifted to the long wavelength range in a comparison with radio-excited luminescence spectra. It shows that only a fraction of Ce ions took part in the creation of scintillation in the glass.

The problem of Eu incorporation into silica as dispersed dopants, clusters, separate-phase nanoparticles, or nanocrystals, which is of key importance for applications in the fields of lasers and scintillators, is faced by applying to sol−gel silica doped with nine different Eu3+ concentrations (0.001−10 mol % range) various spectroscopic techniques, including crystal field and vibrational mode analysis by means of Fourier transform absorption and microreflectivity (in the 200−6000 cm−1 and 9−300 K ranges), radioluminescence, and Raman scattering studies at 300 K. The variety of methods revealed the following concordant results: (1) amorphous Eu clusters grow when the Eu concentration is increased up to 3 mol % and (2) Si−OH groups are completely removed and ordered phase separation occurs at 10 mol % doping, as suggested by the remarkable narrowing of the spectral lines. Comparison with polycrystalline Eu oxide, Eu silicates, and α- quartz spectra allowed the unequivocal identification of Eu2Si2O7 pyrosilicate and α-quartz as the main components of nanocrystals in 10 mol % Eu-doped silica. Such conclusions were brilliantly confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction analysis. Phonon coupling and anharmonicity were analyzed and are discussed for a few vibrational modes of nanocrystals.

The influence of Ca codoping on the optical absorption, photo-, radio-, and thermo-luminescence properties of YAlO

Undoped and Ce 3+ -doped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 (LuAG) fibers were grown to evaluate their potential use in new particle physics experiments, such as dual-readout calorimeters. The choice of grown crystals was made to detect scintillation (doped LuAG) and Cherenkov radiation (undoped LuAG). Growth conditions for obtaining fibers with improved quality were found based on measurements of attenuation length of the fibers and cathodoluminescence measurements. The effect of annealing on attenuation length for LuAG and LuAG:Ce was also studied. In addition, we also evaluated a possibility to substitute LuAG by the cheaper mixed and (Lu,Y) 3 Al 5 O 12 (LuYAG:Ce) fibers.

Structural and optical properties of sol–gel silica based glassceramics doped with 0.1 mol% Ce and codoped with Gd at high concentrations, from 5 mol% up to 40 mol%, are investigated and compared to those of analogous samples doped only with Ce. Raman scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction reveal the formation of Gd apatite-like silicate (Gd4.67O(SiO4)3) and of Gd pyrosilicate (Gd2Si2O7) nanophases whose morphology and crystallinity depend on the Gd concentration and thermal treatments. Optical absorption measurements demonstrate the role of the densification atmosphere in modifying the charge state of Ce ions. The incorporation of Ce3+ ions in the nanophases is put in evidence by photo- and radio-luminescence results.

Single -crystal growth of Tm3+-doped Y2O3, Sc2O3, and Lu2O3 sesquioxides, with a melting point around 2400 °C, by the micropulling down technique is reported. Crystal quality and composition of the crystals were evaluated by rocking curve and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses, respectively. Optical properties including optical transmittance and photoluminescence decay profiles were also examined. Furthermore, scintillation performance of the crystals including pulse height spectra and radio-luminescence spectra under alfa-ray and gamma-ray excitation was evaluated. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

The growth of Y 2 O 3 , Sc 2 O 3 , and Lu 2 O 3 single crystals using the micro-pulling-down method is reported. Crystallinity, optical transmittance, and scintillation characteristics including emission spectra, pulse height spectra, and decay kinetics under α-ray excitation of the grown crystals were studied. The light yields of Y 2 O 3 , Sc 2 O 3 , and Lu 2 O 3 crystals were estimated from the pulse height spectra excited by 241 Am 5.5 MeV α-rays, in about 920±92 ph/5.5 MeVα, 370±37 ph/5.5 MeVα, and 150±15 ph/5.5 MeVα, respectively. The scintillation decay times of Y 2 O 3 , Sc 2 O 3 , and Lu 2 O 3 crystals were estimated with following fast/slow parameters 30.1/184, 14.6/51.3, and 16.7 ns, respectively. Furthermore, α-ray imaging was performed using Y 2 O 3 crystal.

Innovation has gained growing attention in the strategic management field, and — as a strategic orientation — it has been predominantly considered as a homogenous class of differentiated strategic mindsets. This contribution aims at distinguishing different sub-typologies of innovation strategies and validating their profiles and consistency. It explores approaches discussed in the mainstream literature as well as the possibility that other orientations could exist. A cluster analysis outlines four strategic orientations showing differences in terms of competitive drivers, value creation architectures, outsourcing and alliance policies, and managerial processes. Findings offer scholars and practitioners a better understanding of strategic alternatives in pursuing innovation through the identification of systems of consistency among managerial variables — e.g., configuration of the supply chain — thus fostering uniqueness and sustainability of the competitive advantage, and driving managers’ decision. In particular, what really characterised the different innovation strategies here shown is the way they deal with the value chain structure, meaning a key part of the business model.