Diagnostic Performance of a Machine Learning Algorithm (Asthma/Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease [COPD] Differentiation Classification) Tool Versus Primary Care Physicians and Pulmonologists in Asthma, COPD, and Asthma/COPD Overlap

Funding The study was funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, United States. Acknowledgement The studies were funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, United States. Under the direction of authors, Rabi Panigrahy, Preethi B and Ian Wright (professional medical writers; Novartis) assisted in the preparation of this article in accordance with the third edition of Good Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines (http://www.ismpp.org/gpp3)Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Acute Toxicity and Early Oncological Outcomes After Intraoperative Electron Radiotherapy (IOERT) as Boost Followed by Whole Breast Irradiation in 157 Early Stage Breast Cancer Patients—First Clinical Results From a Single Center

Introduction: Breast conserving surgery (BCS) followed by postoperative whole breast irradiation (WBI) is the current standard of care for early stage breast cancer patients. Boost to the tumor bed is recommended for patients with a higher risk of local recurrence and may be applied with different techniques. Intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT) offers several advantages compared to other techniques, like direct visualization of the tumor bed, better skin sparing, less inter- and intrafractional motion, but also radiobiological effects may be beneficial. Objective of this retrospective analysis of IOERT as boost in breast cancer patients was to assess acute toxicity and early oncological outcomes.Material and Methods: All patients, who have been irradiated between 11/2014 and 01/2018 with IOERT during BCS were analyzed. IOERT was applied using the mobile linear accelerator Mobetron with a total dose of 10 Gy, prescribed to the 90% isodose. After ensured woundhealing, WBI followed with normofractionated or hypofractionated regimens. Patient reports, including diagnostic examinations and toxicity were analyzed after surgery and 6–8 weeks after WBI. Overall survival, distant progression-free survival, in-breast and contralateral breast local progression-free survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Furthermore, recurrence patterns were assessed.Results: In total, 157 patients with a median age of 57 years were evaluated. Postoperative adverse events were mild with seroma and hematoma grade 1–2 in 26% and grade 3 in 0.6% of the patients. Wound infections grade 2–3 occurred in 2.2% and wound dehiscence grade 1–2 in 1.9% of the patients. Six to eight weeks after WBI radiotherapy-dependent acute dermatitis grade 1–2 was most common in 90.9% of the patients. Only 4.6% of the patients suffered from dermatitis grade 3. No grade 4 toxicities were documented after surgery or WBI. 2- and 3-year overall survival and distant progression-free survival, were 97.5 and 93.6, and 0.7 and 2.8%, respectively. In-breast recurrence and contralateral breast cancer rates after 3 years were 1.9 and 2.8%, respectively.Conclusion: IOERT boost during BCS is a safe treatment option with low acute toxicity. Short-term recurrence rates are comparable to previously published data and emphasize, that IOERT as boost is an effective treatment

Measurements of the Delta(1232) Transition Form Factor and the Ratio sigma_n\sigma_p From Inelastic Electron-Proton and Electron-Deuteron Scattering

Measurements of inclusive electron-scattering cross sections using hydrogen and deuterium targets in the region of the Delta(1232) resonance are reported. A global fit to these new data and previous data in the resonance region is also reported for the proton. Transition form factors have been extracted from the proton cross sections for this experiment over the four-momentum transfer squared range 1.64 < Q^2 < 6.75 (GeV/c)^2 and from previous data over the range 2.41 < Q^2 < 9.82 (GeV/c)^2. The results confirm previous reports that the Delta(1232) transition form factor decreases more rapidly with Q^2 than expected from perturbative QCD. The ratio of sigma _n \sigma_p in the \Delta(1232) resonance region has been extracted from the deuteron data for this experiment in the range 1.64 < Q^2 < 3.75 (GeV/c)^2 and for a previous experiment in the range 2.4 < Q^2 < 7.9 (GeV/c)^2. A study has been made of the model dependence of these results. This ratio sigma_n\sigma_p for \Delta(1232) production is slightly less than unity, while sigma_n\sigma_p for the nonresonant cross sections is approximately 0.5, which is consistent with deep inelastic scattering results.Comment: 10 figures. 42 pages, including figures. submitted to Physical Review

The shape of field emitters and the ion trajectories in three- dimensional atom probes

International audienceThe lateral resolution of three-dimensional atom probes is mainly controlled by the aberrations of the ion trajectories near the specimen surface. For the first time, a simulation program has been developed to reconstruct the ion trajectories near a sharp hemispherical electrode defined at the atomic scale. Surface atoms submitted to the highest field were removed one by one. The consecutive gradual change of the surface topology was taken into account in the calculation of ion trajectories. As the tip was 'field evaporated', the initial spherical shape of the emitter was observed to transform gradually into a polygonal shape. When the tip reached its equilibrium shape, the field distribution at the tip surface was found to be much more uniform compared to the initial distribution. The calculated distribution of ion impacts on the detector exhibits the presence of depleted zones both at the centre of low index poles and along \textless001\textgreater zone axes. These predictions are in excellent agreement with experiments

Trajectory overlaps and local magnification in three-dimensional atom probe

International audienceLocal magnification effects related to the presence of a second phase in three-dimensional atom probe have been investigated using a simulation of ion trajectories from the analyzed sample surface. Spherical precipitates containing only B atoms embedded in pure A solid solution were considered. The magnification was found to vary drastically from 0.5 to 2.0 times when the evaporation field of B (E-B) was varied from 1.15 E-A to 0.85 E-A. The trajectories were found to overlap over distances close to 1 nm only when the reduced evaporation field (epsilon(B)=E-B/E-A) is outside of a gap ranging from 0.9 to 1.1. Simulations indicate that the "measured" composition in the inner core of precipitates is not biased in this gap. This is also the case for particles which have a diameter larger than a critical value of 2 nm. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. S0003- 6951(00)01021-4

A new approach to the interpretation of atom probe field-ion microscopy images

International audienceThe field distribution and the ion trajectories close to the tip surface are known to mainly control the contrast of field-ion microscopy and the resolution of the three-dimensional atom probe. The proper interpretation of images provided by these techniques requires the electric field and the ion trajectories to be determined accurately.A model has been developed in order to compute the ion trajectories close to a curved emitting surface modelled at the atomic scale. In this model, both the gradual change of the tip surface and the chemical nature of atoms were taken into account.Predictions and results given by this approach are shown to be in excellent agreement with experiments. The calculated electric field at the tip surface is consistent with field-ion microscopy contrasts. The preferential retention of surface atoms and the order of evaporation were correctly simulated. The ion trajectories were successfully described. In this way, the crucial problem of trajectory overlap and local magnification could be investigated. These simulations not only lead to a new understanding of the physical basis of image formation, but also have a predictive value. Copyright \textcopyright 2001 Elsevier Science B.V