Monte Carlo simulation of the treatment of uveal melanoma using measured heterogeneous 106Ru plaques

Background/Aims: Ruthenium plaques are used for the treatment of ocular tumors. The aim of this work is the comparison between simulated absorbed dose distributions tallied in an anthropomorphic phantom, obtained from ideal homogeneous plaques, and real eye plaques in which the actual heterogeneous distribution of 106Ru was measured. The placement of the plaques with respect to the tumor location was taken into consideration to optimize the effectiveness of the treatment. Methods: The generic CCA and CCB, and the specific CCA1364 and CCB1256 106Ru eye plaques were modeled with the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE. To compare the suitability of each treatment for an anterior, equatorial and posterior tumor location, cumulative dose-volume histograms for the tumors and structures at risk were calculated. Results: Eccentric placements of the plaques, taking into account the inhomogeneities of the emitter map, can substantially reduce the dose delivered to structures at risk while maintaining the prescribed dose at the tumor apex. Conclusions: The emitter map distribution of the plaque and the computerized tomography of the patient used in a Monte Carlo simulation allow an accurate determination of the plaque position with respect to the tumor with the potential to reduce the dose to sensitive structures. © 2018 S. Karger AG, BaselPostprint (published version

La Setmana de la Ciència a Secundària

És aquella setmana escolar que es porten a terme un seguit d'activitats relacionades amb la ciència, en l'espai de les aules del centre i, també, fóra d'ell. Es procura que durant aquesta setmana el contingut de les matèries de "ciència" i de "lletres" es relacioni amb els diferents esdeveniments científics quotidians que ens envolten. Tota la comunitat educativa hi participa: alumnat i professorat, personal d'administració i serveis i els pares i mares dels alumnes

Velocitat dels coets i elements químics de les estrelles : física i química o astronomia a secundària?

The objective of this work is to show how teaching physics and chemistry through Astronomy and its history can again make it attractive to secondary school students. Working on Astronomy (ESA The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere) the students had an increased understanding of some physics and chemistry concepts, such as rocket speed and gravitation, or the chemistry elements present in the Sun or Jupiter, along with the importance of satellite for using TV, phone, and internet

Reconstrucció de la taula periòdica dels elements

The goal of this project is to show how teaching chemistry through its history can again make it attractive to our young students. After studying The History of the Periodic Table, and then reconstructing it, students had an increased understanding of the concept of periodicity related to the properties and reactivity of some chemistry elements. They could also see clearly that there weremany time jumps in the discovery of chemical elements