Towards in vivo dosimetry for contrast enhanced synchrotron stereotactic radiation therapy based on iodine x-ray spectroscopy

The first trial applications of Contrast-Enhanced Synchrotron Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SSRT) is underway since June 2012 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble (France). The phase I-II clinical trial is designed to test the feasibility and safety of SSRT through a dose escalation protocol. Contrast enhanced radiotherapy achieves localized dose enhancement due to higher photoelectric effect rate in the target. This increase is obtained through the preferential uptake of high-Z media (iodine) in the tumoral area combined with irradiations with medium energy synchrotron x-rays. In vivo dosimetry (i.e. experimental dosimetry in real time during the treatment) would be a serious added value to the project, in terms of online dose monitoring and quality control. It is challenging to perform in vivo dosimetry with the currently available conventional clinical techniques. In this work we investigated a method using x-ray fluorescence detection to derive the iodine concentration contained in a tumor during the treatment of a patient, as a first step towards in vivo dosimetry. A mean iodine concentration of 0.33 ± 0.22 mg/ml has been retrieved in the tumor of the patient compared to 2 mg/ml expected would correspond to 3% local dose enhancement in the tumor. Further work will be performed to improve the attenuation correction method. The expected amount of iodine should be 2 mg/ml in the tumor (20% dose enhancement). This method is suitable to detect iodine in the target but has some problem in quantifying the real amount of iodine present during the irradiation

Influence of firm size on the competencies required to management engineers in the Jordanian telecommunications sector

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Journal of Engineering Education on [13 jun 2016], available online:http://www.tandfonline.com/ doi/abs/10.1080/03043797.2016.1197890.[EN] The objective of this study is to identify the competencies required to achieve success in the transition from higher education to the labour market based on the perceptions of employers. This paper analyses the assessments made by a group of engineering company employers. An item-battery of 20 competencies was grouped into 3 dimensions by using factor analysis. Subsequently, respondents scores were also clustered into three groups and characterised through contingency tables. The competencies demanded by employers were grouped into business and finance, problem-solving and strategic planning. Significant differences were found between responses from employers working in medium and small companies, who placed more importance on competencies related to problem-solving and strategic planning, and employers in big companies, who were more concerned about the difficulties of finding well-trained graduates. The findings from this paper have important implications for research in the areas of higher education and organisations that usually employ graduate engineers.The authors would like to thank the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) [Tempus program. Project number 511074] of the European Commission for providing funding for conducting this study. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.Conchado Peiró, A.; Bas Cerdá, MDC.; Gharaibeh, KM.; Kaylani, H. (2016). 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TG‐69: Radiographic film for megavoltage beam dosimetry

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134818/1/mp6779.pd

Reference Service vs. Work Crews Meeting the Needs of Both During a Collection Shift

In the General Reference and Periodicals Department of the University of Miami, the Abstracts and Index collection had traditionally been arranged alphabetically by title. In 1985 and 1986, all of these serials were cataloged. In June of 1986, with the cataloging finished, it was time to rearrange the collection into call number order. The authors developed a methodology which allowed them to drastically disrupt and rearrange a highly used collection while maintaining high standards of service and accessibility. A collection of over 7,000 volumes was shifted in less than four days with very little manpower and no interruption in reference service. This article takes the reader step-by-step through this methodology

Positron emission mammographic instrument: initial results

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AAPM Task Group 298: Recommendations on certificate program/alternative pathway candidate education and training

Entry into the field of clinical medical physics is most commonly accomplished through the completion of a Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP)-accredited graduate and residency program. To allow a mechanism to bring valuable expertise from other disciplines into clinical practice in medical physics, an “alternative pathway” approach was also established. To ensure those trainees who have completed a doctoral degree in physics or a related discipline have the appropriate background and didactic training in medical physics, certificate programs and a CAMPEP-accreditation process for these programs were initiated. However, medical physics–specific didactic, research, and clinical exposure of those entering medical physics residencies from these certificate programs is often comparatively modest when evaluated against individuals holding Master’s and/or Doctoral degrees in CAMPEP-accredited graduate programs. In 2016, the AAPM approved the formation of Task Group (TG) 298, “Alternative Pathway Candidate Education and Training.” The TG was charged with reviewing previous published recommendations for alternative pathway candidates and developing recommendations on the appropriate education and training of these candidates. This manuscript is a summary of the AAPM TG 298 report.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/175528/1/acm213777.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/175528/2/acm213777_am.pd

Female monkeys use both the carrot and the stick to promote male participation in intergroup fights

Group-level cooperation often poses a social dilemma in which joint action may be difficult to achieve. Theoretical models and experimental work on humans show that social incentives, such as punishment of defectors and rewarding of cooperators, can promote cooperation in groups of unrelated individuals. Here, we demonstrate that these processes can operate in a non-human animal species, and be used to effectively promote the production of a public good. We took advantage of the fact that intergroup fights in vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops pygerythrus) are characterized by episodes of intergroup aggression with pauses in-between. During pauses, females selectively groomed males that had participated in the previous aggressive episode, but aggressed male group members that had not. In subsequent (i.e. future) episodes, males who had received either aggression or grooming participated above their personal base-line level. Therefore, female–male aggression and grooming both appear to function as social incentives that effectively promote male participation in intergroup fights. Importantly, females stood to gain much from recruiting males as the probability of winning intergroup fights was dependent on the number of active participants, relative to the number of fighters in the opposing group. Furthermore, females appear to maximize the benefits gained from recruiting males as they primarily used social incentives where and when high-quality food resources, which are the resources primarily limiting to female fitness, were at stake