La resistenza culturale nel Libano contemporaneo. Le sfide di artiste locali e profughe = Cultural resistance in contemporary Lebanon: The challenges of local and refugee artists

Sulla base di interviste condotte nel 2018, questo articolo analizza le somiglianze e le differenze che intercorrono tra le sfide che i “fautori della cultura” – artiste in primis – cittadine libanesi e rifugiate palestinesi e siriane devono affrontare nel contesto libanese. Dopo un’illustrazione dello scenario storico-politico libanese e di come in esso la “resistenza culturale” emerge in modo poliedrico, gli autori individuano aree d’incontro e di potenziale solidarietà tra gruppi. L’articolo discute la cosiddetta “umanitarizzazione” dei finanziamenti, attraverso la quale vengono sostenuti e potenziati soprattutto i progetti artistici che possono fungere da strumento di neutralità politica e di “medicalizzazione” dei traumi post-guerra. Tale fenomeno genera in parte una depoliticizzazione ed esteticizzazione dell’arte, “demobilitando” quindi la verve politica dietro al lavoro culturale e, allo stesso tempo, lega la sopravvivenza materiale di tali spazi culturali a cicliche crisi umanitarie

Comparison of biological and reproductive parameters between Helicoverpa zea and Helicoverpa arm¡gera in Argentina.

Conteúdo do volume 2: Ácaros; Biologia, fisiologia, morfologia; Controle biológico com bactérias entomopatogênicas; Controle biológico com fungos entomopatológicos; Controle biológico com nematoides; Controle biológico com parasitoides; Controle biológico com predadores; Ecologia e biodiversidade; Educação e etnoentomologia; Entomologia florestal; Entomologia Forense; Entomologia médica e veterinária; Entomologia molecular; Manejo integrado de pragas; Organismos geneticamente modificados; Plantas inseticidas; Polinização; Pragas quarentenárias e invasivas; Resistência de insetos a táticas de controle; Resistência de plantas a insetos; Semioquímicos e comportamento; Sistemática e taxonomia; Tecnologia de aplicação; Controle biológico com vírus entomopatogênicos; Controle químico

Application of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in a dual-vendor environment

Background and Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess plan quality and treatment time achievable with the new VMAT optimization tool implemented in the treatment planning system Oncentra MasterPlan® as compared to IMRT for Elekta SynergyS® linear accelerators. Materials and methods VMAT was implemented on a SynergyS® linear accelerator (Elekta Ltd., Crawley, UK) with Mosaiq® record and verify system (IMPAC Medical Systems, Sunnyvale, CA) and the treatment planning system Oncentra MasterPlan® (Nucletron BV, Veenendaal, the Netherlands). VMAT planning was conducted for three typical target types of prostate cancer, hypopharynx/larynx cancer and vertebral metastases, and compared to standard IMRT with respect to plan quality, number of monitor units (MU), and treatment time. Results For prostate cancer and vertebral metastases single arc VMAT led to similar plan quality as compared to IMRT. For treatment of the hypopharynx/larynx cancer, a second arc was necessary to achieve sufficient plan quality. Treatment time was reduced in all cases to 35% to 43% as compared to IMRT. Times required for optimization and dose calculation, however, increased by a factor of 5.0 to 6.8. Conclusion Similar or improved plan quality can be achieved with VMAT as compared to IMRT at reduced treatment times but increased calculation times

IsoBED: a tool for automatic calculation of biologically equivalent fractionation schedules in radiotherapy using IMRT with a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An advantage of the Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) technique is the feasibility to deliver different therapeutic dose levels to PTVs in a single treatment session using the Simultaneous Integrated Boost (SIB) technique. The paper aims to describe an automated tool to calculate the dose to be delivered with the SIB-IMRT technique in different anatomical regions that have the same Biological Equivalent Dose (BED), i.e. IsoBED, compared to the standard fractionation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Based on the Linear Quadratic Model (LQM), we developed software that allows treatment schedules, biologically equivalent to standard fractionations, to be calculated. The main radiobiological parameters from literature are included in a database inside the software, which can be updated according to the clinical experience of each Institute. In particular, the BED to each target volume will be computed based on the alpha/beta ratio, total dose and the dose per fraction (generally 2 Gy for a standard fractionation). Then, after selecting the reference target, i.e. the PTV that controls the fractionation, a new total dose and dose per fraction providing the same isoBED will be calculated for each target volume.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The IsoBED Software developed allows: 1) the calculation of new IsoBED treatment schedules derived from standard prescriptions and based on LQM, 2) the conversion of the dose-volume histograms (DVHs) for each Target and OAR to a nominal standard dose at 2Gy per fraction in order to be shown together with the DV-constraints from literature, based on the LQM and radiobiological parameters, and 3) the calculation of Tumor Control Probability (TCP) and Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) curve versus the prescribed dose to the reference target.</p