Well-being therapy: Conceptual and technical issues

Abstract Well-being therapy is a short-term, well-being-enhancing psychotherapeutic strategy. It is based on Carol D. Ryff's multidimensional model of psychological wellbeing, encompassing environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, autonomy, self-acceptance and positive relations with others. Its conceptual and technical issues are described. It may be applied as a relapsepreventive strategy in the residual phase of affective (mood and anxiety) disorders, as an additional ingredient of cognitive behavioral packages, in patients with affective disorders who failed to respond to standard pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments, in body image disorders and in psychosomatic medicine. The first validation studies appeared to be promising. The technique is in its preliminary stage of development and may undergo major changes in the next years. It is hoped it may herald a new trend of psychotherapy research and practice in the current symptom-oriented settings

Preliminary tests on a wireless sensor network for pervasive dust monitoring in construction sites

One of the critical aspects in health and safety is the control of fine particle emissions from demolition and construction activities. Such exposure is very often the cause of professional illnesses causing a relevant economic burden for welfare and insurance institutions, besides harming workers. Hence this paper performs a feasibility study of a realtime control system of fine particle concentration on construction sites. It was conceived as a ZigbeeTM based wireless, pervasive and non-invasive system, which is easy to deploy over the site and relatively cheap. Dust sensors were interfaced with the system and calibrated in the laboratory. The prototype is described in detail and tested under controlled and real conditions, in order to determine its potential for application. The prototype was shown to be an excellent tool to support health and safety inspectors, to provide in real-time a broad map of dust concentration over the whole extension of the site, provided that calibration coefficients are worked out for the various types of dust which can be encountered on the site

Operation of a LAr-TPC equipped with a multilayer LEM charge readout

A novel detector for the ionization signal in a single phase LAr-TPC, based on the adoption of a multilayer Large Electron Multiplier (LEM) replacing the traditional anodic wire arrays, has been experimented in the ICARINO test facility at the INFN Laboratories in Legnaro. Cosmic muon tracks were detected allowing the measurement of energy deposition and a first determination of the signal to noise ratio. The analysis of the recorded events demonstrated the 3D reconstruction capability of ionizing events in this device in liquid Argon, collecting a fraction of about 90% of the ionization signal with signal to noise ratio similar to that measured with more traditional wire chambersComment: 9 pages, 7 Figure

Strategies to mitigate acrylamide development in bakery products: Effect of asparagine content in flour and tartaric acid addition in biscuit formulation

This paper explores strategies to mitigate acrylamide formation in bakery goods, with a focus on using tartaric acid as an acid neutralizer in biscuit recipes. Initial analyses involved screening the asparagine content in various flours, aiming to encompass a wide range of samples, including those that presented substantial challenges. Subsequently, experimental biscuits were produced with various treatments (tartaric acid addition, steam release during baking, and both steam/acid). Results showed a correlation between asparagine content in flours and acrylamide formation. Tartaric acid was remarkably effective, achieving a 57%-87% reduction in acrylamide production. Colorimetric measurements assessment demonstrated that tartaric acid treatment reduced browning, while the aw (<0.15) was not affected even using steam during cooking. Sensory analysis indicated slight sour taste in acid-treated biscuits, but overall acceptability remained high. Texture analysis revealed improved friability, crucial for preventing oral mucosal lesion, especially in children's products. PCA highlighted the impact of treatments on variables like acrylamide content, color, water activity, and sensory attributes. The study suggests that using tartaric acid as a neutralizing agent is a solid strategy to mitigate acrylamide without compromising sensory qualities in biscuits. Further research will include exploring other acids, optimal dosage, and variations in flour composition

Reduced Hedonic Capacity in Major Depressive Disorder: Evidence from a Probabilistic Reward Task

Objective: Anhedonia, the lack of reactivity to pleasurable stimuli, is a cardinal feature of depression that has received renewed interest as a potential endophenotype of this debilitating disease. The goal of the present study was to test the hypothesis that individuals with major depression are characterized by blunted reward responsiveness, particularly when anhedonic symptoms are prominent. Methods: A probabilistic reward task rooted within signal-detection theory was utilized to objectively assess hedonic capacity in 23 unmedicated subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) and 25 matched control subjects recruited from the community. Hedonic capacity was defined as reward responsiveness – i.e., the participants’ propensity to modulate behavior as a function of reward. Results: Compared to controls, MDD subjects showed significantly reduced reward responsiveness. Trial-by-trial probability analyses revealed that MDD subjects, while responsive to delivery of single rewards, were impaired at integrating reinforcement history over time and expressing a response bias toward a more frequently rewarded cue in the absence of immediate reward. This selective impairment correlated with self-reported anhedonic symptoms, even after considering anxiety symptoms and general distress. Conclusions: These findings indicate that MDD is characterized by an impaired tendency to modulate behavior as a function of prior reinforcements, and provides initial clues about which aspects of hedonic processing might be dysfunctional in depression.Psycholog

Free electron lifetime achievements in Liquid Argon Imaging TPC

A key feature for the success of the liquid Argon imaging TPC (LAr-TPC) technology is the industrial purification against electro-negative impurities, especially Oxygen and Nitrogen remnants, which have to be continuously kept at an exceptionally low level by filtering and recirculating liquid Argon. Improved purification techniques have been applied to a 120 liters LAr-TPC test facility in the INFN-LNL laboratory. Through-going muon tracks have been used to determine the free electron lifetime in liquid Argon against electro-negative impurities. The short path length here observed (30 cm) is compensated by the high accuracy in the observation of the specific ionization of cosmic ray muons at sea level as a function of the drift distance. A free electron lifetime of (21.4+7.3-4.3) ms, namely > 15.8 ms at 90 % C.L. has been observed over several weeks under stable conditions, corresponding to a residual Oxygen equivalent of about 15 ppt (part per trillion). At 500 V/cm, the free electron speed is 1.5 m/ms. In a LAr-TPC a free electron lifetime in excess of 15 ms corresponds for instance to an attenuation of less than 15 % after a drift path of 5 m, opening the way to the operation of the LAr-TPC with exceptionally long drift distances.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures; Accepted for publication in JINS

A hardware implementation of Region-of-Interest selection in LAr-TPC for data reduction and triggering

Large Liquid Argon TPC detectors in the range of multikton mass for neutrino and astroparticle physics require the extraction and treatment of signals from some 105 wires. In order to enlarge the throughtput of the DAQ system an on-line lossless data compression has been realized reducing almost a factor 4 the data flow. Moreover a trigger system based on a new efficient on-line identification algorithm of wire hits was studied, implemented on the actual ICARUS digital read- out boards and fully tested on the ICARINO LAr-TPC facility operated at LNL INFN Laboratory with cosmic-rays. Capability to trigger isolated low energy events down to 1 MeV visible energy was also demonstrated.Comment: 26 pages, 26 Figure; to be submitted to JINS