Linear Accelerator Test Facility at LNF Conceptual Design Report

Test beam and irradiation facilities are the key enabling infrastructures for research in high energy physics (HEP) and astro-particles. In the last 11 years the Beam-Test Facility (BTF) of the DA{\Phi}NE accelerator complex in the Frascati laboratory has gained an important role in the European infrastructures devoted to the development and testing of particle detectors. At the same time the BTF operation has been largely shadowed, in terms of resources, by the running of the DA{\Phi}NE electron-positron collider. The present proposal is aimed at improving the present performance of the facility from two different points of view: extending the range of application for the LINAC beam extracted to the BTF lines, in particular in the (in some sense opposite) directions of hosting fundamental physics and providing electron irradiation also for industrial users; extending the life of the LINAC beyond or independently from its use as injector of the DA{\Phi}NE collider, as it is also a key element of the electron/positron beam facility. The main lines of these two developments can be identified as: consolidation of the LINAC infrastructure, in order to guarantee a stable operation in the longer term; upgrade of the LINAC energy, in order to increase the facility capability (especially for the almost unique extracted positron beam); doubling of the BTF beam-lines, in order to cope with the signicant increase of users due to the much wider range of applications.Comment: 71 page

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

What is the role of the placebo effect for pain relief in neurorehabilitation? Clinical implications from the Italian consensus conference on pain in neurorehabilitation

Background: It is increasingly acknowledged that the outcomes of medical treatments are influenced by the context of the clinical encounter through the mechanisms of the placebo effect. The phenomenon of placebo analgesia might be exploited to maximize the efficacy of neurorehabilitation treatments. Since its intensity varies across neurological disorders, the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation (ICCP) summarized the studies on this field to provide guidance on its use. Methods: A review of the existing reviews and meta-analyses was performed to assess the magnitude of the placebo effect in disorders that may undergo neurorehabilitation treatment. The search was performed on Pubmed using placebo, pain, and the names of neurological disorders as keywords. Methodological quality was assessed using a pre-existing checklist. Data about the magnitude of the placebo effect were extracted from the included reviews and were commented in a narrative form. Results: 11 articles were included in this review. Placebo treatments showed weak effects in central neuropathic pain (pain reduction from 0.44 to 0.66 on a 0-10 scale) and moderate effects in postherpetic neuralgia (1.16), in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (1.45), and in pain associated to HIV (1.82). Moderate effects were also found on pain due to fibromyalgia and migraine; only weak short-term effects were found in complex regional pain syndrome. Confounding variables might have influenced these results. Clinical implications: These estimates should be interpreted with caution, but underscore that the placebo effect can be exploited in neurorehabilitation programs. It is not necessary to conceal its use from the patient. Knowledge of placebo mechanisms can be used to shape the doctor-patient relationship, to reduce the use of analgesic drugs and to train the patient to become an active agent of the therapy

Botulinum Toxin Injection and Airflow Stability in Spasmodic Dysphonia

International audienceOBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of botulinum toxin (BT) injection on airflow stability, by measuring mean phonatory oral airflow and its coefficient of variation (CV), in subjects with adductor spasmodic dysphonia (SD).STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING:Twenty-four subjects with SD (aged 31-78 years) and 23 controls (aged 29-63 years) were evaluated for mean airflow and its CV during sustained phonation. Fifteen of the subjects with SD were also evaluated within 3 weeks after BT injection.RESULTS:BT increased airflow in subjects (P = 0.0130) but neither the preinjection nor postinjection values differed significantly from those of controls. Conversely, airflow CV was invariably higher in subjects than in controls (P < 0.0001). In 13 subjects in whom phonation perceptually improved, including 3 in whom airflow did not increase, airflow CV decreased significantly after BT treatment (P = 0.0232).CONCLUSIONS:Subjects with SD have highly unstable phonatory airflow; its CV is a valid measure for assessing the outcome of a BT injection. A reduced airflow CV probably does not depend solely on increased airflow due to thyroarytenoid muscle paresis, and may indicate a change in laryngeal motoneuronal activity

Synthesis and Photochemical Properties of Monolithic TiO2 Nanowires Diode

In this paper, the structural and photochemical properties of a monolithic photochemical diode are discussed. The present structure is composed, from the top to the bottom, of a TiO2 nanowire layer, a TiO2 film, a Ti foil, and a porous layer made of Pt nanoparticles. The synthesis of the nanowires was simply carried out by Au-catalysed-assisted process; the effects of the annealing temperature and time were deeply investigated. Morphological and structural characterizations were performed by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The analyses showed the rutile structure of the TiO2 nanowires. The photocatalytic properties were studied through the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV light irradiation. The nanowires induced an enhancement of the photo-degradation rate, compared to TiO2 in a bulk form, due to an increase in the surface area. Moreover, the presence of a nano-porous Pt layer deposited on the rear side of the samples provided a further increase in the MB degradation rate, related to the scavenging effect of Pt nanoparticles. The overall increment of the photo-activity, due to the nano-structuration of the TiO2 and to the presence of the Pt layer, resulted a factor 7, compared to the bulk reference. In addition, photovoltage measurements allowed to assess the effects of TiO2 nano-structuration and Pt nanoparticles on the electron accumulation

Implications of sugarcane straw removal for soil greenhouse gas emissions in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

The use of sugarcane straw is a promising option to enhance bioenergy production. But the implications of straw removal for soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emission are not yet fully understood due to scarcity of studies under Brazilian conditions. Four field experiments were designed to assess soil N2O and CH4 emissions derived from nitrogen (N) fertilization under scenarios of sugarcane straw removal in Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Our focus was also to derive the direct N2O emission factor (EF) that represents the regional conditions of sugarcane production, taking into account the data obtained from this study and those from the literature. In each field study, four straw removal rates (no removal (NR); low removal (LR)-removal of 5 Mg ha(-1); high removal (HR)-removal of 10 Mg ha(-1); and total removal (TR)-removal of 15 Mg ha(-1)) were arranged in a randomized block design. This study shows a clear evidence that CH4 fluxes are very low for all assessed sites regardless of straw removal rates, indicating a predominance of CH4 consumption by the soil. Cumulative N2O emissions ranged from 0.20 to 4.09 kg ha(-1) year(-1) and were significantly affected by straw removal in two sites, indicating that straw removal reduces N2O emissions. The average direct N2O EFs obtained from this study and from the literature were 0.28, 0.44, 0.70, and 0.56% for TR, HR, LR, and NR treatments, respectively, which are consistently lower than the EF of 1% suggested by the IPCC. Based on our regional-specific EF (Tier 2), the direct N2O emissions derived from N fertilization under scenarios of straw removal showed a reduction of at least 50% in relation to IPCC approach. Our findings are a step forward in providing regional-specific data to reduce the high level of uncertainty concerning N2O emission assessments of sugarcane ethanol in Brazil, but further studies are needed to evaluate how straw removal for bioenergy production and the associated changes in soil organic carbon stocks affect the GHG balance of sugarcane124843857CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal e Nível SuperiorCNPQ - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoFAPESP – Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa Do Estado De São Paulosem informação310478/2017-02017/02299-4; 2014/20593-9; 2018/20793-9LCG and LCZ are grateful to the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education – (CAPES) for providing doctoral fellowships. BGO thanks the São Paulo Research Foundation – FAPESP for providing the research grant (no. 2017/02299-4). HC is supported by grants from National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - CNPq (310478/2017-0) and FAPESP (2014/20593-9 and 2018/20793-9). We would like to thank LNBR’s group of technicians for all the support provided for field and laboratory activities, and the mills management for the experimental sites and the logistics support during the fieldwork.This research was financially supported by the Sugarcane Renewable Electricity project — SUCRE/PNUD (grant number BRA/10/G31