Platform for automatic patient quality assurance via Monte Carlo simulations in proton therapy

For radiation therapy, it is crucial to ensure that the delivered dose matches the planned dose. Errors in the dose calculations done in the treatment planning system (TPS), treatment delivery errors, other software bugs or data corruption during transfer might lead to significant differences between predicted and delivered doses. As such, patient specific quality assurance (QA) of dose distributions, through experimental validation of individual fields, is necessary. These measurement based approaches, however, are performed with 2D detectors, with limited resolution and in a water phantom. Moreover, they are work intensive and often impose a bottleneck to treatment efficiency. In this work, we investigated the potential to replace measurement-based approach with a simulation-based patient specific QA using a Monte Carlo (MC) code as independent dose calculation engine in combination with treatment log files. Our developed QA platform is composed of a web interface, servers and computation scripts, and is capable to autonomously launch simulations, identify and report dosimetric inconsistencies. To validate the beam model of independent MC engine, in-water simulations of mono-energetic layers and 30 SOBP-type dose distributions were performed. Average Gamma passing ratio 99 ± 0.5% for criteria 2%/2 mm was observed. To demonstrate feasibility of the proposed approach, 10 clinical cases such as head and neck, intracranial indications and craniospinal axis, were retrospectively evaluated via the QA platform. The results obtained via QA platform were compared to QA results obtained by measurement-based approach. This comparison demonstrated consistency between the methods, while the proposed approach significantly reduced in-room time required for QA procedures

Phase III randomised controlled trial on PSMA PET/CT guided hypofractionated salvage prostate bed radiotherapy of biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer (PERYTON-trial):study protocol

BACKGROUND: Salvage external beam radiotherapy (sEBRT) for patients with a biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy provides a 5-year biochemical progression-free survival up to 60%. Multiple studies have shown that dose escalation to the primary prostate tumour improves treatment outcome. However, data is lacking on the role of dose escalation in the recurrent salvage setting. The main objective of the PERYTON-trial is to investigate whether treatment outcome of sEBRT for patients with a BCR after prostatectomy can be improved by increasing the biological effective radiation dose using hypofractionation. Moreover, patients will be staged using the PSMA PET/CT scan, which is superior to conventional imaging modalities in detecting oligometastases. METHODS: The PERYTON-study is a prospective multicentre open phase III randomised controlled trial. We aim to include 538 participants (269 participants per treatment arm) with a BCR after prostatectomy, a PSA-value of < 1.0 ng/mL and a recent negative PSMA PET/CT scan. Participants will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio between the conventional fractionated treatment arm (35 × 2 Gy) and the experimental hypofractionated treatment arm (20 × 3 Gy). The primary endpoint is the 5-year progression-free survival after treatment. The secondary endpoints include toxicity, quality of life and disease specific survival. DISCUSSION: Firstly, the high rate of BCR after sEBRT may be due to the presence of oligometastases, for which local sEBRT is inappropriate. With the use of the PSMA PET/CT before sEBRT, patients with oligometastases will be excluded from intensive local treatment to avoid unnecessary toxicity. Secondly, the currently applied radiation dose for sEBRT may be too low to achieve adequate local control, which may offer opportunity to enhance treatment outcome of sEBRT by increasing the biologically effective radiotherapy dose to the prostate bed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04642027). Registered on 24 November 2020 – Retrospectively registered. The study protocol was approved by the accredited Medical Ethical Committee (METc) of all participating hospitals (date METc review: 23-06-2020, METc registration number: 202000239). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants

Modeling contact between plastically deformable crystals at the micrometer scale

(OLD) MSE-

Static friction of sinusoidal surfaces: a discrete dislocation plasticity analysis

Discrete dislocation plasticity simulations are carried out to investigate the static frictional response of sinusoidal asperities with (sub)-microscale wavelength. The surfaces are first flattened and then sheared by a perfectly adhesive platen. Both bodies are explicitly modelled, and the external loading is applied on the top surface of the platen. Plastic deformation by dislocation glide is the only dissipation mechanism active. The tangential force obtained at the contact when displacing the platen horizontally first increases with applied displacement, then reaches a constant value. This constant is here taken to be the friction force. In agreement with several experiments and continuum simulation studies, the friction coefficient is found to decrease with the applied normal load. However, at odds with continuum simulations, the friction force is also found to decrease with the normal load. The decrease is caused by an increased availability of dislocations to initiate and sustain plastic flow during shearing. Again in contrast to continuum studies, the friction coefficient is found to vary stochastically across the contact surface, and to reach locally values up to several times the average friction coefficient. Moreover, the friction force and the friction coefficient are found to be size-dependent.(OLD) MSE-

Heteroatom Nitrogen- and Boron-Doping as a Facile Strategy to Improve Photocatalytic Activity of Standalone Reduced Graphene Oxide in Hydrogen Evolution

Owing to its superior properties and versatility, graphene has been proliferating the energy research scene in the past decade. In this contribution, nitrogen (N-) and boron (B-) doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) variants were investigated as a sole photocatalyst for the green production of H₂ and their properties with respect to photocatalysis were elucidated for the first time. N- and B-rGOs were facilely prepared via the pyrolysis of graphene oxide with urea and boron anhydride as their respective dopant source. The pyrolysis temperature was varied (600–800 °C for N-rGO and 800–1000 °C for B-rGO) in order to modify dopant loading percentage (%) which was found to be influential to photocatalytic activity. N-rGO600 (8.26 N at%) and B-rGO1000 (3.59 B at%), which holds the highest at% from each of their party, exhibited the highest H₂ activity. Additionally, the effects of the nature of N and B bonding configuration in H₂ photoactivity were also examined. This study demonstrates the importance of dopant atoms in graphene, rendering doping as an effective strategy to bolster photocatalytic activity for standalone graphene derivative photocatalysts

PSMA PET/CT based clinical target volume delineation guideline for post-prostatectomy salvage radiation therapy:the PERYTON-Guideline

PURPOSE: PSMA PET/CT scan is the standard imaging procedure for biochemical recurrent prostate cancer post-prostatectomy due to its high detection rate at low serum PSA levels. However, existing guidelines for clinical target volume (CTV) in prostate bed salvage external beam radiation therapy (sEBRT) are primarily based on experience-based clinical consensus and have been validated using conventional imaging modalities. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize CTV definition in sEBRT by utilizing PSMA PET/CT-detected local recurrences (LRs). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients with suspected LR on PSMA PET/CT post-prostatectomy were retrospectively enrolled in nine Dutch centers. Anonymized scans were centrally reviewed by an expert nuclear medicine physician. Each boundary of the CTV guideline from the Groupe Francophone de Radiothérapie en Urologie (GFRU) was evaluated and adapted to improve the accuracy and coverage of the area at risk of LR (CTV) on PSMA PET/CT. The proposed CTV adaptation was discussed with the radiation oncologists of the participating centers, and final consensus was reached. To assess reproducibility, the participating centers were asked to delineate three new cases according to the new PERYTON-CTV, and the submitted contours were evaluated using the dice similarity coefficient (DSC). RESULTS: After central review, 93 LRs were identified on 83 PSMA PET/CTs. The proposed CTV definition improved the coverage of PSMA PET/CT-detected LRs from 67% to 96% compared to the GFRU-CTV, while reducing the GFRU-CTV volume with 25%. The new CTV was highly reproducible with a mean DSC of 0.82 (range: 0.81 to 0.83). CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the optimization of CTV definition in post-prostatectomy sEBRT by using the pattern of LR detected on PSMA PET/CT. The PERYTON-CTV is highly reproducible across the participating centers and ensures coverage of 96% LRs while reducing the GFRU-CTV volume with 25%