High linearity SPAD and TDC array for TCSPC and 3D ranging applications

An array of 32x32 Single-Photon Avalanche-Diodes (SPADs) and Time-to-Digital Converters (TDCs) has been fabricated in a 0.35 mu m automotive-certified CMOS technology. The overall dimension of the chip is 9x9 mm(2). Each pixel is able to detect photons in the 300 nm - 900 nm wavelength range with a fill-factor of 3.14% and either to count them or to time stamp their arrival time. In photon-counting mode an in-pixel 6-bit counter provides photon-number-resolved intensity movies at 100 kfps, whereas in photon-timing mode the 10-bit in-pixel TDC provides time-resolved maps (Time-Correlated Single-Photon Counting measurements) or 3D depth-resolved (through direct time-of-flight technique) images and movies, with 312 ps resolution. The photodetector is a 30 mu m diameter SPAD with low Dark Count Rate (120 cps at room temperature, 3% hot-pixels) and 55% peak Photon Detection Efficiency (PDE) at 450 nm. The TDC has a 6-bit counter and a 4-bit fine interpolator, based on a Delay Locked Loop (DLL) line, which makes the TDC insensitive to process, voltage, and temperature drifts. The implemented sliding-scale technique improves linearity, giving 2% LSB DNL and 10% LSB INL. The single-shot precision is 260 ps rms, comprising SPAD, TDC and driving board jitter. Both optical and electrical crosstalk among SPADs and TDCs are negligible. 2D fast movies and 3D reconstructions with centimeter resolution are reported

O Gosto pela Bossa-Nova - Considerações sobre a Estética Musical Brasileira no Exterior

A música brasileira tem sido largamente consumida ao redor do mundo desde o início do século passado. O consumo dessa estética musical se intensificou a partir do sucesso da bossa-nova, estilo musical que representa bem uma imagem do Brasil no exterior. Não são poucos os estudos a respeito da estética musical brasileira. Poucos, porém, partem do público que vê na bossa-nova uma arte de bom gosto para tecer uma análise sobre os fatores que reforçam essa impressão, bem como sua manutenção até hoje. Nesse sentido, o presente artigo leva em consideração discussões sobre o gosto, tanto canônicas quanto mais recentes, além de ensaios sobre sensibilidades burguesas em relação à produção e à apreensão cultural. Tomando a bossa-nova e sua influência como temas centrais, faz-se uma reflexão sobre o que o gosto por esse estilo musical de fato revela sobre a contemporaneidade. Palavras-chave: Bossa-Nova, gosto musical, contemporaneidade, estética musical brasileir

Psychological treatments and psychotherapies in the neurorehabilitation of pain. Evidences and recommendations from the italian consensus conference on pain in neurorehabilitation

BACKGROUND: It is increasingly recognized that treating pain is crucial for effective care within neurological rehabilitation in the setting of the neurological rehabilitation. The Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation was constituted with the purpose identifying best practices for us in this context. Along with drug therapies and physical interventions, psychological treatments have been proven to be some of the most valuable tools that can be used within a multidisciplinary approach for fostering a reduction in pain intensity. However, there is a need to elucidate what forms of psychotherapy could be effectively matched with the specific pathologies that are typically addressed by neurorehabilitation teams. OBJECTIVES: To extensively assess the available evidence which supports the use of psychological therapies for pain reduction in neurological diseases. METHODS: A systematic review of the studies evaluating the effect of psychotherapies on pain intensity in neurological disorders was performed through an electronic search using PUBMED, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Based on the level of evidence of the included studies, recommendations were outlined separately for the different conditions. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 2352 results and the final database included 400 articles. The overall strength of the recommendations was medium/low. The different forms of psychological interventions, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, cognitive or behavioral techniques, Mindfulness, hypnosis, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Brief Interpersonal Therapy, virtual reality interventions, various forms of biofeedback and mirror therapy were found to be effective for pain reduction in pathologies such as musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Central Post-Stroke pain, Phantom Limb Pain, pain secondary to Spinal Cord Injury, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating syndromes, diabetic neuropathy, Medically Unexplained Symptoms, migraine and headache. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological interventions and psychotherapies are safe and effective treatments that can be used within an integrated approach for patients undergoing neurological rehabilitation for pain. The different interventions can be specifically selected depending on the disease being treated. A table of evidence and recommendations from the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation is also provided in the final part of the pape

Healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals: a point prevalence survey in Lombardy, Italy, in 2022

Background: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are a global public health issue, representing a significant burden of disease that leads to prolonged hospital stays, inappropriate use of antimicrobial drugs, intricately linked to the development of resistant microorganisms, and higher costs for healthcare systems. The study aimed to measure the prevalence of HAIs, the use of antimicrobials, and assess healthcare- and patient-related risk factors, to help identify key intervention points for effectively reducing the burden of HAIs. // Methods: A total of 28 acute care hospitals in the Lombardy region, Northern Italy, participated in the third European Point Prevalence Survey (PPS-3) coordinated by ECDC for the surveillance of HAIs in acute care hospitals (Protocol 6.0). // Results: HAIs were detected in 1,259 (10.1%, 95% CI 9.6–10.7%) out of 12,412 enrolled patients. 1,385 HAIs were reported (1.1 HAIs per patient on average). The most common types of HAIs were bloodstream infections (262 cases, 18.9%), urinary tract infections (237, 17.1%), SARS-CoV-2 infections (236, 17.0%), pneumonia and lower respiratory tract infections (231, 16.7%), and surgical site infections (152, 11.0%). Excluding SARS-CoV-2 infections, the overall prevalence of HAIs was 8.4% (95% CI 7.9–8.9%). HAIs were significantly more frequent in patients hospitalized in smaller hospitals and in intensive care units (ICUs), among males, advanced age, severe clinical condition and in patients using invasive medical devices. Overall, 5,225 patients (42.1%, 95% CI 41.3–43.0%) received systemic antimicrobial therapy. According to the WHO’s AWaRe classification, the Access group accounted for 32.7% of total antibiotic consumption, while Watch and Reserve classes accounted for 57.0% and 5.9% respectively. From a microbiological perspective, investigations were conducted on only 64% of the HAIs, showing, however, a significant pattern of antibiotic resistance. // Conclusions: The PPS-3 in Lombardy, involving data collection on HAIs and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals, highlights the crucial need for a structured framework serving both as a valuable benchmark for individual hospitals and as a foundation to effectively channel interventions to the most critical areas, prioritizing future regional health policies to reduce the burden of HAIs

Avaliação da fauna edáfica associada à serapilheira em três formações florestais, no município de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do SulEvaluation of soil fauna associated with litter in three forest types in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul

Este trabalho objetivou avaliar a fauna edáfica associada à serapilheira, em três formações florestais: mata nativa, Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden e Pinus elliottii Engelm. Para tanto, foram instaladas, semanalmente, de setembro a novembro de 2008, seis armadilhas de queda, contendo conservante, expostas por um período de 48 horas. Em laboratório, o material recolhido nas armadilhas foi triado e separado em grupos taxonômicos. Para fins de comparação com a composição química da serapilheira, retiraram-se seis amostras da mesma, em cada ecossistema, utilizando uma sonda de metal de 25 cm x 25 cm, sendo este material devidamente embalado e identificado, e em seguida enviado ao laboratório. Em laboratório amostras foram secas, trituradas, e determinados os teores de macros (g kg-1) e micronutrientes (mg kg-1) e, após, comparadas as médias estatisticamente (Teste t, p<0,05). Dos 1.633 artrópodos, distribuídos em dez grupos taxonômicos; a maior abundância foi encontrada em mata nativa (46,8 %). Verificou-se uma maior dissimilaridade entre a mata nativa, em relação aos artrópodos coletados nos plantios homogêneos compostos por E. grandis e P. elliottii , sendo que estes últimos apresentaram maiores riquezas (ambos com nove grupos taxonômicos), e índices de diversidade H’=0,5345 e H’=0,530, respectivamente. A mata nativa também apresentou maiores valores para a maioria dos macro e micronutrientes encontrados na serapilheira. Assim, a partir os resultados encontrados, infere-se que haja uma relação entre abundância de artrópodos e as concentrações dos nutrientes encontrados na serapilheira, sendo estes valores maiores em ambientes mais heterogêneos, como é o caso da mata nativa.Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the soil fauna associated with litter in three forest types: native forest, Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden. and Pinus elliottii Engelm. So, were installed, weekly, from September to November 2008, six pitfall traps containing preservative, exposed for a period of 48 hours. In the laboratory, the material collected in the traps was sorted and separated into taxonomic groups. For purposes of comparison to the chemical composition of litter, were removed from six samples of the same in each ecosystem, using a metal probe of 25 cm x 25 cm, this material being appropriately packaged and labeled, then at the laboratory, samples were dried, crushed, and the levels of certain macros (g kg-1) and micronutrients (mg kg-1) and after comparing the mean, statistically (t test, p<0.05). 1633 of arthropods, divided into 10 taxonomic groups, the highest abundance was found in bushland (46.8%). There was a greater dissimilarity between native forest, compared to arthropods collected in homogeneous stands composed of E. grandis and P. elliottii , and the latter had greater wealth (both with nine taxonomic groups), and diversity index H’ = 0.5345 and H’ = 0.530, respectively. The native forest also showed higher values for most macro and micronutrients found in burlap. Thus, from the results it appears that there is a relationship between arthropod abundance and concentrations of nutrients found in leaf litter, these values being higher in more heterogeneous environments, such as the native forest

Effects of Hypericum perforatum on turning behavior in an animal model of Parkinson's disease

A Doença de Parkinson é uma doença neurodegenerativa relacionada à idade, caracterizada pela morte lenta e progressiva de neurônios dopaminérgicos da substância negra pars compacta. O Hypericum perforatum (H. perforatum) é um fitoterápico utilizado como antidepressivo, apresentando propriedades antioxidantes, anti-inflamatórias e nootrópicas. Neste trabalho, avaliaram-se os efeitos do tratamento com H. perforatum no comportamento rotatório de ratos no modelo da doença de Parkinson induzido pela administração unilateral de 6-OHDA no feixe prosencefálico medial. Ratos Wistar machos foram tratados com H. perforatum (100, 200 ou 400 mg/kg, v.o.) por 35 dias (do 28º dia antes até o 7º dia após a lesão). As rotações ipsilaterais e contralaterais à lesão foram registradas no 7º, 14º e 21º dias após a cirurgia. As três doses de H. perforatum utilizadas reduziram o número de rotações contralaterais, indicando um possível efeito neuroprotetor da planta. Porém, o H. perforatum não impediu a redução na expressão da enzima tirosina hidroxilase no estriado lesionado, quantificada por Western blot. Propomos que o H. perforatum possa bloquear o aumento da expressão dos receptores dopaminérgicos no estriado lesionado com 6-OHDA. Entretanto, estudos adicionais são necessários para identificar o mecanismo exato pelo qual o H. perforatum reduziu o número de rotações contralaterais. Os resultados do presente estudo sugerem o H. perforatum como um potencial agente terapêutico para a doença de Parkinson.Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the slow and progressive death of dopaminergic neurons in the (substantia nigra pars compact). Hypericum perforatum (H. perforatum) is a plant widely used as an antidepressant, that also presents antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We evaluated the effects of H. perforatum on the turning behavior of rats submitted to a unilateral administration of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the medial forebrain bundle as an animal model of PD. The animals were treated with H. perforatum (100, 200, or 400 mg/kg, v.o.) for 35 consecutive days (from the 28th day before surgery to the 7th day after). The turning behavior was evaluated at 7, 14 and 21 days after the surgery, and the turnings were counted as contralateral or ipsilateral to the lesion side. All tested doses significantly reduced the number of contralateral turns in all days of evaluation, suggesting a neuroprotective effect. However, they were not able to prevent the 6-OHDA-induced decrease of tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the lesioned striatum. We propose that H. perforatum may counteract the overexpression of dopamine receptors on the lesioned striatum as a possible mechanism for this effect. The present findings provide new evidence that H. perforatum may represent a promising therapeutic tool for PD