Preliminary evaluations of the environmental impact for the production of 99Mo by fusion neutrons

AbstractENEA is developing an accelerator-driven 14 MeV neutron source exploiting the deuterium–tritium fusion reaction to produce 99Mo medical radioisotope as an alternative production route not based on fission reactors. It is expected that, during normal operation, a number of radionuclides, generated by means of neutron irradiation on the raw material (natural Molybdenum), will be produced and managed. The present manuscript, as foreseen by national law, discusses a hypothetical scenario to test the environmental screening models, in turn evaluating the mechanisms and parameters which affect and control the path of liquid effluents potentially released during normal operation of the facility. The aim is to estimate the amount of radioactivity to be operated and the fraction potentially discharged in this hypothetical scenario, so as to ensure that the radioactive material can be managed without any risk for the population and the environment, according to national regulations and thoroughly fulfilling the international guidelines

Subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with psoriatic arthritis: a case-control study. Preliminary data

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), correlated with some traditional risk factors of atherosclerosis and with PsA-related disease factors. Methods: Forty-one patients and 41 healthy subjects were evaluated for intima-media thickness (IMT) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD), using carotid duplex scanning. IMT values were expressed like IMT mean (cumulative mean of all the IMT mean) and M-MAX (cumulative mean of all the higher IMT). Subclinical atherosclerosis markers were correlated with age, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure in both groups, with duration of arthritis, duration of psoriasis, tender and swollen joints, BASDAI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index), BASFI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients. Results: IMT mean and M-MAX were both higher in PsA patients compared with controls (0.7±0.15 vs 0.62±0.09 mm; p<0.01 and 0.86±0.21 vs. 0.74±0.13 mm; p<0.01 respectively). FMD was smaller in patients than in controls (5.9±2 vs 7.5±2.8%; p<0.01). Univariate analysis showed a correlation between IMT mean and SBP (r=0.217; p=0.05) and a correlation between M-MAX and age (r=0.392; p<0.001), BMI (r=0.252; p<0.05), SBP (r=0.446; p<0.001) in both groups. In PsA patients M-MAX resulted correlated with ESR (r=0.338; p<0.05) and BASDAI (r=0.322; p<0.05). Conclusions: PsA patients exhibited endothelial dysfunctions which is an early marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, as well as an higher IMT. An interesting correlation between M-MAX and PsA activity index (ESR and BASDAI) was found

Structural Brain MR Imaging Changes Associated with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

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Thermal neutron detection by means of Timepix3

Thermal neutron detection plays a crucial role in numerous scientific and technical applications such as nuclear reactor physics, particle accelerators, radiotherapy,materials analysis and space exploration. There are several challenges associated with the accurate identification and quantification of thermal neutrons. The present work proposes a detailed characterization of a Timepix3 (TPX3) detector equipped with a Lithium Fluoride (6LiF) converter in order to study its response to thermal neutrons that are identified through the 6Li(n,α)3H reaction. The TPX3-based test system has been installed at the HOTNES facility in ENEA and the analysis highlighted its excellent performance showing high effectiveness in the identification of neutrons through morphological analysis of tracks produced by alpha and triton particles, after accurate discrimination from the gamma background. With the use of Monte Carlo simulations, it has been demonstrated that the main contribution is due to tritons and its signal can be used effectively in the identification of thermal neutrons obtaining an efficiency of 0.9 % for 25 meV neutrons. This allows the TPX3 to have important applications as an environmental monitor for thermal neutrons. This monitoring system can be simply realized and is easy to manage because of its compact size and its digital acquisition that allows a real-time analysis

Ability-Based Methods for Personalized Keyboard Generation

This study introduces an ability-based method for personalized keyboard generation, wherein an individual's own movement and human-computer interaction data are used to automatically compute a personalized virtual keyboard layout. Our approach integrates a multidirectional point-select task to characterize cursor control over time, distance, and direction. The characterization is automatically employed to develop a computationally efficient keyboard layout that prioritizes each user's movement abilities through capturing directional constraints and preferences. We evaluated our approach in a study involving 16 participants using inertial sensing and facial electromyography as an access method, resulting in significantly increased communication rates using the personalized keyboard (52.0 bits/min) when compared to a generically optimized keyboard (47.9 bits/min). Our results demonstrate the ability to effectively characterize an individual's movement abilities to design a personalized keyboard for improved communication. This work underscores the importance of integrating a user's motor abilities when designing virtual interfaces.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

Assessing the Cultural Appropriateness of UPLIFT for African Americans With Epilepsy: A Community Engaged Approach

Background: In trials of Project UPLIFT, a distance-delivered, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention, there was improvement in the mental health of people with epilepsy/seizure disorder. In these trials, however, African Americans have been few. Thus, as this program is disseminated, it is desirable to ensure that it is culturally appropriate for minority populations. Methods: To determine the appropriateness of Project UPLIFT for African Americans, we engaged in three main research activities: 1) the formation and involvement of an epilepsy community advisory board; 2) qualitative interviews with healthcare providers who serve this community; and 3) focus groups with African American adults living with epilepsy or seizure disorder and main support persons of African American adults living with epilepsy or seizure disorder. Results: The epilepsy community advisory board provided recommendations for the most appropriate language to use when engaging and recruiting the target population. Healthcare providers indicated that psychosocial concerns of African American persons living with epilepsy seemed to be different from those among patients of other racial groups. They indicated that Project UPLIFT might be useful for this group. Focus groups revealed experiences of living with and supporting someone with epilepsy and provided favorable feedback on the UPLIFT intervention. Conclusions: Formative feedback indicates that Project UPLIFT may be useful for African Americans with epilepsy. These data will be used to guide a forthcoming randomized, controlled trial to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention with this group