Characterization of a front-end electronics for the monitoring and control of hadrontherapy beams

Abstract An integrated 64-channel device for the read-out of parallel plate pixel and strip ionization detectors has been developed by the INFN and University of Torino. The detectors will be used for the monitoring and control of hadrontherapy beams. The ASIC has been designed in CMOS 0.8 μm technology and it is based on a current-to-frequency converter followed by a synchronous counter. In this paper, we present a detailed characterization of the device done with 113 chips

Incidence of X-rays exposure in spinal surgeries

Introducción: El control radioscópico intraoperatorio es una práctica cada vez más frecuente, que no está libre de eventos adversos para el personal de la salud. Objetivos: Conocer la tasa de uso de radioscopia en la cirugía vertebral, reconocer las medidas de control, evaluar la asimilación del cirujano a los elementos de protección y analizar los eventos adversos en estos profesionales. Materiales y Métodos: Se envió, por correo electrónico, a cirujanos espinales, una encuesta de 17 preguntas de opciones múltiples. Resultados: Se recibieron 55 encuestas. El 87% se dedicaba a la columna, en más del 60% de sus prácticas. El arco en C es el método más utilizado para el control final, en forma pulsátil. Solo el 31% controla el tiempo real. El delantal plomado de una pieza es el método más utilizado, pero se desconoce cuándo se debe reemplazar. La mitad utiliza más de un elemento. Siete casos de trastornos visuales, 5 patologías tiroideas, 3 dermatitis y 2 casos de infertilidad. Tres cirujanos fueron operados por nódulos tiroideos, cataratas o neoplasia. Conclusiones: El control radioscópico intraoperatorio es una práctica frecuente en la cirugía espinal. El delantal plomado de una pieza es el método más utilizado y, muchas veces, se lo combina, pero se desconoce cuándo se deben renovar los plomados. Uno de cada tres cirujanos presentaron las patologías evaluadas y 3, cirugías relacionadas. Así queda en evidencia la protección y el control escasos que existen en los cirujanos especialistas, acompañados de una falta de protocolización que deja a la deriva este control.Background: Intraoperative radiographic control (IRC) is an increasingly common practice, but it causes certain adverse events for healthcare providers. Objectives: To measure the use of fluoroscopy in spinal surgery, recognize control measures, evaluate assimilation of protection elements by surgeons, and analyze adverse events for spinal surgeons. Materials and Methods: A survey of 17 multiple-choice questions was e-mailed to spinal surgeons. Results: 55 surveys were answered. More than 60% of surgeons were spinal surgeons. The C-arm is the most widely used machine for final control by pulsating X-rays. Real-time controls are carried out in 31% of cases. One-piece leaded aprons are the most commonly used method, but it is unknown when they should be replaced. Half of the respondents uses more than one protection element. There were seven cases of vision changes, 5 of thyroid disorders, 3 of dermatitis, and 2 of infertility. Three surgeons required surgery for thyroid nodules, cataracts or neoplasm. Conclusions: IRC is a common practice in spinal surgery. One-piece leaded aprons are the most commonly used method and they are often combined with other elements, but it is not known when aprons must be replaced. One in 3 surgeons suffered from the studied conditions, and there were 3 related surgeries. Lack of adequate protection and control is a reality for specialist surgeons, together with a lack of protocols, making this an unregulated issue.Facultad de Ciencias Médica

modelling and simulation for major incidents

In recent years, there has been a rise in Major Incidents with big impact on the citizens health and the society. Without the possibility of conducting live experiments when it comes to physical and/or toxic trauma, only an accurate in silico reconstruction allows us to identify organizational solutions with the best possible chance of success, in correlation with the limitations on available resources (e.g. medical team, first responders, treatments, transports, and hospitals availability) and with the variability of the characteristic of event (e.g. type of incident, severity of the event and type of lesions). Utilizing modelling and simulation techniques, a simplified mathematical model of physiological evolution for patients involved in physical and toxic trauma incident scenarios has been developed and implemented. The model formalizes the dynamics, operating standards and practices of medical response and the main emergency service in the chain of emergency management during a Major Incident

The Influence of a Continuum Background on Carrier Relaxation in InAs/InGaAs Quantum Dot

We have investigated the ultra-fast carrier dynamics in Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE)-grown InAs/InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) emitting at 1.3 μm by time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) upconversion measurements with a time resolution of about 200 fs. Changing the detection energies in the spectral region from the energy of the quantum dots excitonic transition up to the barrier layer absorption edge, we have found that, under high excitation intensity, the intrinsic electronic states are populated mainly by carriers directly captured from the barrier

Significant benefits of AIP testing and clinical screening in familial isolated and young-onset pituitary tumors

Context Germline mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) gene are responsible for a subset of familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA) cases and sporadic pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). Objective To compare prospectively diagnosed AIP mutation-positive (AIPmut) PitNET patients with clinically presenting patients and to compare the clinical characteristics of AIPmut and AIPneg PitNET patients. Design 12-year prospective, observational study. Participants & Setting We studied probands and family members of FIPA kindreds and sporadic patients with disease onset ≤18 years or macroadenomas with onset ≤30 years (n = 1477). This was a collaborative study conducted at referral centers for pituitary diseases. Interventions & Outcome AIP testing and clinical screening for pituitary disease. Comparison of characteristics of prospectively diagnosed (n = 22) vs clinically presenting AIPmut PitNET patients (n = 145), and AIPmut (n = 167) vs AIPneg PitNET patients (n = 1310). Results Prospectively diagnosed AIPmut PitNET patients had smaller lesions with less suprasellar extension or cavernous sinus invasion and required fewer treatments with fewer operations and no radiotherapy compared with clinically presenting cases; there were fewer cases with active disease and hypopituitarism at last follow-up. When comparing AIPmut and AIPneg cases, AIPmut patients were more often males, younger, more often had GH excess, pituitary apoplexy, suprasellar extension, and more patients required multimodal therapy, including radiotherapy. AIPmut patients (n = 136) with GH excess were taller than AIPneg counterparts (n = 650). Conclusions Prospectively diagnosed AIPmut patients show better outcomes than clinically presenting cases, demonstrating the benefits of genetic and clinical screening. AIP-related pituitary disease has a wide spectrum ranging from aggressively growing lesions to stable or indolent disease course

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged jet production in root s(NN)=2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions

We present measurements of the azimuthal dependence of charged jet production in central and semi-central root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions with respect to the second harmonic event plane, quantified as nu(ch)(2) (jet). Jet finding is performed employing the anti-k(T) algorithm with a resolution parameter R = 0.2 using charged tracks from the ALICE tracking system. The contribution of the azimuthal anisotropy of the underlying event is taken into account event-by-event. The remaining (statistical) region-to-region fluctuations are removed on an ensemble basis by unfolding the jet spectra for different event plane orientations independently. Significant non-zero nu(ch)(2) (jet) is observed in semi-central collisions (30-50% centrality) for 20 <p(T)(ch) (jet) <90 GeV/c. The azimuthal dependence of the charged jet production is similar to the dependence observed for jets comprising both charged and neutral fragments, and compatible with measurements of the nu(2) of single charged particles at high p(T). Good agreement between the data and predictions from JEWEL, an event generator simulating parton shower evolution in the presence of a dense QCD medium, is found in semi-central collisions. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Forward-central two-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV

Two-particle angular correlations between trigger particles in the forward pseudorapidity range (2.5 2GeV/c. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B. V.Peer reviewe

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Pseudorapidity and transverse-momentum distributions of charged particles in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

The pseudorapidity (eta) and transverse-momentum (p(T)) distributions of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions are measured at the centre-of-mass energy root s = 13 TeV. The pseudorapidity distribution in vertical bar eta vertical bar <1.8 is reported for inelastic events and for events with at least one charged particle in vertical bar eta vertical bar <1. The pseudorapidity density of charged particles produced in the pseudorapidity region vertical bar eta vertical bar <0.5 is 5.31 +/- 0.18 and 6.46 +/- 0.19 for the two event classes, respectively. The transverse-momentum distribution of charged particles is measured in the range 0.15 <p(T) <20 GeV/c and vertical bar eta vertical bar <0.8 for events with at least one charged particle in vertical bar eta vertical bar <1. The evolution of the transverse momentum spectra of charged particles is also investigated as a function of event multiplicity. The results are compared with calculations from PYTHIA and EPOS Monte Carlo generators. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe