Chiral particle separation by a non-chiral micro-lattice

We conceived a model experiment for a continuous separation strategy of chiral molecules (enantiomers) without the need of any chiral selector structure or derivatization agents: Micro-particles that only differ by their chirality are shown to migrate along different directions when driven by a steady fluid flow through a square lattice of cylindrical posts. In accordance with our numerical predictions, the transport directions of the enantiomers depend very sensitively on the orientation of the lattice relatively to the fluid flow

Steeper dose gradients resulting from reduced source to target distance—a planning system independent study

Purpose: To quantify the contribution of penumbra in the improvement of healthy tissue sparing at reduced source‐to‐axis distance (SAD) for simple spherical target and different prescription isodoses (PI). Method: A TPS‐independent method was used to estimate three‐dimensional (3D) dose distribution for stereotactic treatment of spherical targets of 0.5 cm radius based on single beam two‐dimensional (2D) film dosimetry measurements. 1 cm target constitutes the worst case for the conformation with standard Multi‐Leaf Collimator (MLC) with 0.5 cm leaf width. The measured 2D transverse dose cross‐sections and the profiles in leaf and jaw directions were used to calculate radial dose distribution from isotropic beam arrangement, for both quadratic and circular beam openings, respectively. The results were compared for standard (100 cm) and reduced SAD 70 and 55 cm for different PI. Results: For practical reduction of SAD using quadratic openings, the improvement of healthy tissue sparing (HTS) at distances up to 3 times the PTV radius was at least 6%–12%; gradient indices (GI) were reduced by 3–39% for PI between 40% and 90%. Except for PI of 80% and 90%, quadratic apertures at SAD 70 cm improved the HTS by up to 20% compared to circular openings at 100 cm or were at least equivalent; GI were 3%–33% lower for reduced SAD in the PI range 40%–70%. For PI = 80% and 90% the results depend on the circular collimator model. Conclusion: Stereotactic treatments of spherical targets delivered at reduced SAD of 70 or 55 cm using MLC spare healthy tissue around the target at least as good as treatments at SAD 100 cm using circular collimators. The steeper beam penumbra at reduced SAD seems to be as important as perfect target conformity. The authors argue therefore that the beam penumbra width should be addressed in the stereotactic studies

Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA): a study protocol for a multicentre project

Introduction: Only one-third of the European population meets the minimum recommended levels of physical activity (PA). Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases. Walking and cycling for transport (active mobility, AM) are well suited to provide regular PA. The European research project Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) pursues the following aims: (1) to investigate correlates and interrelations of AM, PA, air pollution and crash risk; (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of selected interventions to promote AM; (3) to improve health impact assessment (HIA) of AM; (4) to foster the exchange between the disciplines of public health and transport planning, and between research and practice. Methods and analysis: PASTA pursues a mixed-method and multilevel approach that is consistently applied in seven case study cities. Determinants of AM and the evaluation of measures to increase AM are investigated through a large scale longitudinal survey, with overall 14 000 respondents participating in Antwerp, Barcelona, London, Örebro, Rome, Vienna and Zurich. Contextual factors are systematically gathered in each city. PASTA generates empirical findings to improve HIA for AM, for example, with estimates of crash risks, factors on AM-PA substitution and carbon emissions savings from mode shifts. Findings from PASTA will inform WHO's online Health Economic Assessment Tool on the health benefits from cycling and/or walking. The study's wide scope, the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and health and transport methods, the innovative survey design, the general and city-specific analyses, and the transdisciplinary composition of the consortium and the wider network of partners promise highly relevant insights for research and practice. Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval has been obtained by the local ethics committees in the countries where the work is being conducted, and sent to the European Commission before the start of the survey. The PASTA website (http://www.pastaproject.eu) is at the core of all communication and dissemination activities. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution IGO License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/igo/), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction for non-commercial purposes in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In any reproduction of this article there should not be any suggestion that WHO or this article endorse any specific organisation or products. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. This notice should be preserved along with the article's original URL. Document type: Articl

Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA): A study protocol for a multicentre project

Introduction: Only one-third of the European population meets the minimum recommended levels of physical activity (PA). Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases. Walking and cycling for transport (active mobility, AM) are well suited to provide regular PA. The European research project Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) pursues the following aims: (1) to investigate correlates and interrelations of AM, PA, air pollution and crash risk; (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of selected interventions to promote AM; (3) to improve health impact assessment (HIA) of AM; (4) to foster the exchange between the disciplines of public health and transport planning, and between research and practice. Methods and analysis: PASTA pursues a mixed-method and multilevel approach that is consistently applied in seven case study cities. Determinants of AM and the evaluation of measures to increase AM are investigated through a large scale longitudinal survey, with overall 14 000 respondents participating in Antwerp, Barcelona, London, Örebro, Rome, Vienna and Zurich. Contextual factors are systematically gathered in each city. PASTA generates empirical findings to improve HIA for AM, for example, with estimates of crash risks, factors on AM-PA substitution and carbon emissions savings from mode shifts. Findings from PASTA will inform WHO's online Health Economic Assessment Tool on the health benefits from cycling and/or walking. The study's wide scope, the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and health and transport methods, the innovative survey design, the general and city-specific analyses, and the transdisciplinary composition of the consortium and the wider network of partners promise highly relevant insights for research and practice. Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval has been obtained by the local ethics committees in the countries where the work is being conducted, and sent to the European Commission before the start of the survey. The PASTA website (http://www.pastaproject.eu) is at the core of all communication and dissemination activities. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution IGO License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/igo/), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction for non-commercial purposes in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In any reproduction of this article there should not be any suggestion that WHO or this article endorse any specific organisation or products. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. This notice should be preserved along with the article's original URL

Prevention through Activity in Kindergarten Trial (PAKT): A cluster randomised controlled trial to assess the effects of an activity intervention in preschool children

BACKGROUND: Physical activity and motor skills acquisition are of high importance for health-related prevention and a normal development in childhood. However, few intervention studies exist in preschool children focussing on an increase in physical activity and motor skills. Proof of positive effects is available but not consistent. METHODS/DESIGN: The design, curriculum, and evaluation strategy of a cluster randomised intervention study in preschool children are described in this manuscript. In the Prevention through Activity in Kindergarten Trial (PAKT), 41 of 131 kindergartens of Wuerzburg and Kitzingen, Germany, were randomised into an intervention and a control group by a random number table stratified for the location of the kindergarten in an urban (more than 20,000 inhabitants) or rural area. The aims of the intervention were to increase physical activity and motor skills in the participating children, and to reduce health risk factors as well as media use. The intervention was designed to involve children, parents and teachers, and lasted one academic year. It contained daily 30-min sessions of physical education in kindergarten based on a holistic pedagogic approach termed the "early psychomotor education". The sessions were instructed by kindergarten teachers under regular supervision by the research team. Parents were actively involved by physical activity homework cards. The kindergarten teachers were trained in workshops and during the supervision. Assessments were performed at baseline, 3-5 months into the intervention, at the end of the intervention and 2-4 months after the intervention. The primary outcomes of the study are increases in physical activity (accelerometry) and in motor skills performance (composite score of obstacle course, standing long jump, balancing on one foot, jumping sidewise to and fro) between baseline and the two assessments during the intervention. Secondary outcomes include decreases in body adiposity (BMI, skin folds), media use (questionnaire), blood pressure, number of accidents and infections (questionnaire), increases in specific motor skills (throwing, balancing, complex motor performance, jumping) and in flexibility. DISCUSSION: If this trial proofs the effectiveness of the multilevel kindergarten based physical activity intervention on preschooler's activity levels and motor skills, the programme will be distributed nationwide in Germany

cGMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Type I Is Implicated in the Regulation of the Timing and Quality of Sleep and Wakefulness

Many effects of nitric oxide (NO) are mediated by the activation of guanylyl cyclases and subsequent production of the second messenger cyclic guanosine-3′,5′-monophosphate (cGMP). cGMP activates cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PRKGs), which can therefore be considered downstream effectors of NO signaling. Since NO is thought to be involved in the regulation of both sleep and circadian rhythms, we analyzed these two processes in mice deficient for cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I (PRKG1) in the brain. Prkg1 mutant mice showed a strikingly altered distribution of sleep and wakefulness over the 24 hours of a day as well as reductions in rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS) duration and in non-REM sleep (NREMS) consolidation, and their ability to sustain waking episodes was compromised. Furthermore, they displayed a drastic decrease in electroencephalogram (EEG) power in the delta frequency range (1–4 Hz) under baseline conditions, which could be normalized after sleep deprivation. In line with the re-distribution of sleep and wakefulness, the analysis of wheel-running and drinking activity revealed more rest bouts during the activity phase and a higher percentage of daytime activity in mutant animals. No changes were observed in internal period length and phase-shifting properties of the circadian clock while chi-squared periodogram amplitude was significantly reduced, hinting at a less robust oscillator. These results indicate that PRKG1 might be involved in the stabilization and output strength of the circadian oscillator in mice. Moreover, PRKG1 deficiency results in an aberrant pattern, and consequently a reduced quality, of sleep and wakefulness, possibly due to a decreased wake-promoting output of the circadian system impinging upon sleep

Dosimetry in non-equilibrium situations

Für die Dosimetrie in der Strahlentherapie sind eine Reihe von Detektoren unterschiedlicher Bauform und Funktionsweise erhältlich. Detektoreigenschaften wie die Größe des aktiven Volumens, energieabhängiges Ansprechen und Feldstörungen durch Bauteile beeinflussen ihr Signal, so dass kein idealer, universell einsetzbarer Detektor existiert. Insbesondere unter Messbedingungen, bei denen sich die Teilchenfluenz am Ort der Messung stark ändert, können die Detektorsignale stark von den wahren Dosisverhältnissen abweichen, z.B. in kleinen Feldern. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde das Ansprechen verschiedener Detektortypen in solchen Extremsituationen analysiert. Dioden und Ionisationskammern verschiedener Bauformen und Größen wurden in verschiedenen Experimenten gegen Gafchromic-EBT3-Film verglichen. Das Ansprechen auf Streustrahlung konnte durch Ausblockung der Feldmitte untersucht werden, wobei zusätzlich geometrisch der Volumeneffekt korrigiert wurde. Dabei zeigte sich teils ein starkes Überansprechen. Ferner wurde gezeigt, dass die bei der Messung von Querprofilen, also sowohl in der Feldmitte, in Bereichen starker Dosisgradienten und außerhalb des Nutzfeldes, auftretenden Abweichungen durch die Verwendung einer Detektorkombination kompensiert werden können. Somit verbessert sich auch die Übereinstimmung mit den auf Film gemessenen Profilen. Für Ionisationskammern wurden effektive Messpunkte bestimmt, wobei die notwendigen Verschiebungen teils deutlich geringer waren als in den gängigen Dosimetrieprotokollen empfohlen. Insbesondere für kleinvolumige Ionisationskammern mit geringen Signalstärken kam es bei der Verwendung von im Bestrahlungsraum positionierten Elektrometern zu Störeinflüssen durch Streustrahlung. Diese Effekte konnten durch Reduzierung der das Elektrometer erreichenden Streustrahlung verringert werden. Anschließend ließ sich das Ansprechen im Aufbaubereich vergleichen. Hier zeigten sich insbesondere Unterschiede zwischen den Detektortypen, aber auch zwischen den verwendeten Polaritäten der Kammerspannung. Durch die Verwendung einer Bleifolie wurde der Einfluss von Elektronenkontamination herausgefiltert. Zusätzlich wurden das Ansprechen verschiedener Detektoren im oberflächennahen Bereich auch bei angelegten magnetischen Feldern von Feldstärken bis zu 1,1 T untersucht. In allen Fällen wurden Detektorgebrauchsgrenzen aufgezeigt. Die Erkenntnisse ermöglichen es, in den verschiedenen Extremsituationen geeignete Detektoren zu wählen, und eine Abschätzung der residualen Abweichungen durchzuführen. Gezeigt wurde auch, wo eine Detektorkombination die Genauigkeit verbessern kann.A multitude of different detectors is available for relative dosimetry in radiotherapy. Those detectors differ in their design and working principle. Depending on the detector details, the main drawbacks are the volume averaging effect or energy-dependent response. Consequently, there is no universally usable ideal detector. Especially under conditions without charged particle equilibrium, detector signals can deviate substantially from the real dose ratios, e.g. in small fields. In this work, the behavior of detectors of different types was analyzed for a range of extreme situations. Diodes and ionization chambers were compared against EBT3 film in several experiments. Detector response to scattered radiation was analyzed by blocking the central part of photon fields. The geometric volume averaging effect was corrected for simultaneously. Overresponse was observed, and the magnitude depended on the exact detector type. For profile measurements, detector response in the field center, the high gradient regions and out of the field can offset the results. A way to compensate the drawbacks of individual detectors by means of measurements with a detector combination was shown to improve the agreement of the measured profiles with profiles measured on EBT3 film. For ionization chambers, effective points of measurements were determined, which decreased with detector radius and were mostly smaller than the shifts usually recommended in dosimetry protocols. Especially for ionization chambers with very small volumes and, therefore, low signals, an offset current produced by irradiation of an electrometer positioned in the treatment room distorted the measured signals. The effect was greatly reduced by limiting the dose to the electrometer, e.g. by increasing the distance between the electrometer and the radiation source or by shielding sensitive electrometer parts with lead. Afterwards, the detector response in the build-up region was studied. Here, differences were observed between the detector types as well as the signs of the biasing voltage. Electron contamination was filtered out using a lead foil close to the collimator. In addition to that, the response of different detectors near the surface in the presence of magnetic fields was studied up to magnetic field strengths of 1.1 T. In all cases, detector limitations became obvious. This knowledge allows the choice of the proper detector for a given situation as well as an idea of the magnitude of the remaining error, as studied under the extreme model conditions described above. It was also shown how a combination of two detectors, for example, a diode and an ionization chamber, can improve the accuracy of the obtained data

Electrometer offset current due to scattered radiation

Relative dose measurements with small ionization chambers in combination with an electrometer placed in the treatment room (“internal electrometer”) show a large dependence on the polarity used. While this was observed previously for percent depth dose curves (PDDs), the effect has not been understood or preventable. To investigate the polarity dependence of internal electrometers used in conjunction with a small‐volume ionization chamber, we placed an internal electrometer at a distance of 1 m from the isocenter and exposed it to different amounts of scattered radiation by varying the field size. We identified irradiation of the electrometer to cause a current of approximately −1 pA, regardless of the sign of the biasing voltage. For low‐sensitivity detectors, such a current noticeably distorts relative dose measurements. To demonstrate how the current systematically changes PDDs, we collected measurements with nine ionization chambers of different volumes. As the chamber volume decreased, signal ratios at 20 and 10 cm depth (M20/M10) became smaller for positive bias voltage and larger for negative bias voltage. At the size of the iba CC04 (40 mm$^{3}$) the difference of M20/M10 was around 1% and for the smallest studied chamber, the iba CC003 chamber (3 mm$^{3}$), around 7% for a 10 × 10 cm² field. When the electrometer was moved further from the source or shielded, the additional current decreased. Consequently, PDDs at both polarities were brought into alignment at depth even for the 3 mm$^{3}$ ionization chamber. The apparent polarity effect on PDDs and lateral beam profiles was reduced considerably by shielding the electrometer. Due to normalization the effect on output values was low. When measurements with a low‐sensitivity probe are carried out in conjunction with an internal electrometer, we recommend careful monitoring of the particular setup by testing both polarities, and if deemed necessary, we suggest shielding the electrometer