Comparison of dose distribution in IMRT and RapidArc technique in prostate radiotherapy

AimThe aim was to provide a dosimetric comparison between IMRT and RapidArc treatment plans with RPI index with simultaneous comparison of the treatment delivery time.BackgroundIMRT and RapidArc provide highly conformal dose distribution with good sparing of normal tissues. However, a complex spatial dosimetry of IMRT and RapidArc plans hampers the evaluation and comparison between plans calculated for the two modalities. RPI was used in this paper for treatment plan comparisons. The duration of the therapeutic session in RapidArc is reported to be shorter in comparison to therapeutic time of the other dynamic techniques. For this reasons, total treatment delivery time in both techniques was compared and discussed.Materials and methods15 patients with prostate carcinoma were randomly selected for the analysis. Two competitive treatment plans using respectively the IMRT and RapidArc techniques were computed for each patient in Eclipse planning system v. 8.6.15. RPIwin^® application was used for RPI calculations for each treatment plan.Additionally, total treatment time was compared between IMRT and RapidArc plans. Total treatment time was a sum of monitor units (MU) for each treated field.ResultsThe mean values of the RPI indices were insignificantly higher for IMRT plans in comparison to rotational therapy. Comparison of the mean numbers of monitor units confirmed that the use of rotational technique instead of conventional static field IMRT can significantly reduce the treatment time.ConclusionAnalysis presented in this paper, demonstrated that RapidArc can compete with the IMRT technique in the field of treatment plan dosimetry reducing the time required for dose delivery.     

Probabilistic discounting in “certain gain-uncertain loss” and “certain loss-uncertain gain” conditions

Studies on probabilistic discounting typically involve choosing between two outcomes of the same sign (i.e., positive or negative). Commonly, participants are given a choice between a smaller, certain gain and a larger, but uncertain gain, or (less commonly) the options may be a certain, smaller loss and an uncertain, but larger loss. In contrast, participants in this study had to make yes/no decisions as to whether they would accept a financial offer involving a combination of both a gain and a loss. This offer could be either a certain gain which, when accepted, could bring an uncertain larger loss, or a certain loss which, when accepted, could bring an uncertain larger gain. Despite the substantial differences between the alternatives posed in the present study and those in typical discounting studies, the same hyperboloid discounting function that describes the choice between certain and uncertain gains also accurately described choice in the situations presented in the present study. In addition, steeper discounting was observed with a larger uncertain gain than with a smaller uncertain gain. No amount effect was revealed with uncertain losses.     

The Activity of Neutral α-Glucosidase and Selected Biochemical Parameters in the Annual Cycle of Breeding Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

The aim of the study was to demonstrate seasonal changes in the hydrolytic and transferase activity of neutral α-glucosidase, the level of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and total protein in the annual breeding cycle of the carp. The study was conducted on fish from a fish farm in Lower Silesia (Poland). Blood serum was collected from the heart in: June, September and December of two consecutive years. The results of the study show that the hydrolytic and transferase activity of neutral α-glucosidase, as well as the results of basic biochemical parameters are highest in summer, when the fish seek and intake food intensively. The lowest values were observed in spring, when carp have the lowest metabolism after the wintering period.     

A study on giant panda recognition based on images of a large proportion of captive pandas

1. As a highly endangered species, the giant panda (panda) has attracted significant attention in the past decades. Considerable efforts have been put on panda conservation and reproduction, offering the promising outcome of maintaining the population size of pandas. To evaluate the effectiveness of conservation and management strategies, recognizing individual pandas is critical. However, it remains a challenging task because the existing methods, such as traditional tracking method, discrimination method based on footprint identification, and molecular biology method, are invasive, inaccurate, expensive, or challenging to perform. The advances of imaging technologies have led to the wide applications of digital images and videos in panda conservation and management, which makes it possible for individual panda recognition in a noninvasive manner by using image‐based panda face recognition method.
2. In recent years, deep learning has achieved great success in the field of computer vision and pattern recognition. For panda face recognition, a fully automatic deep learning algorithm which consists of a sequence of deep neural networks (DNNs) used for panda face detection, segmentation, alignment, and identity prediction is developed in this study. To develop and evaluate the algorithm, the largest panda image dataset containing 6,441 images from 218 different pandas, which is 39.78% of captive pandas in the world, is established.
3. The algorithm achieved 96.27% accuracy in panda recognition and 100% accuracy in detection.
4. This study shows that panda faces can be used for panda recognition. It enables the use of the cameras installed in their habitat for monitoring their population and behavior. This noninvasive approach is much more cost‐effective than the approaches used in the previous panda surveys.

     

Sphecid wasps (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Sphecidae) as potential control agents of acridid pests (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Ethiopia

The possibility of using sphecid wasps to control acridid pests is discussed. A list of 19 Ethiopian species that could be utilized for this purpose is provided.     

Fits of the Thermodynamic Phase Plane

Abstract

Using the Weeks-Chandler-Andersen separation of the intermolecular potential we have fitted computer simulation data for Lennard-Jones system for the whole phase plane to the same form expression but in two different ways: locally and globally. We compare the efficacy and the exactness of both methods.     

Mutations in PRKN and SNCA Genes Important for the Progress of Parkinson’s Disease

Although Parkinson’s disease (PD) was first described almost 200 years ago, it remains an incurable disease with a cause that is not fully understood. Nowadays it is known that disturbances in the structure of pathological proteins in PD can be caused by more than environmental and genetic factors. Despite numerous debates and controversies in the literature about the role of mutations in the SNCA and PRKN genes in the pathogenesis of PD, it is evident that these genes play a key role in maintaining dopamine (DA) neuronal homeostasis and that the dysfunction of this homeostasis is relevant to both familial (FPD) and sporadic (SPD) PD with different onset. In recent years, the importance of alphasynuclein (ASN) in the process of neurodegeneration and neuroprotective function of the Parkin is becoming better understood. Moreover, there have been an increasing number of recent reports indicating the importance of the interaction between these proteins and their encoding genes. Among others interactions, it is suggested that even heterozygous substitution in the PRKN gene in the presence of the variants +2/+2 or +2/+3 of NACP-Rep1 in the SNCA promoter, may increase the risk of PD manifestation, which is probably due to ineffective elimination of over-expressed ASN by the mutated Parkin protein. Finally, it seems that genetic testing may be an important part of diagnostics in patients with PD and may improve the prognostic process in the course of PD. However, only full knowledge of the mechanism of the interaction between the genes associated with the pathogenesis of PD is likely to help explain the currently unknown pathways of selective damage to dopaminergic neurons in the course of PD.     

Implications of local knowledge of the ecology of a wild super sweetener for its domestication and commercialization in West and Central Africa

Despite its local use as a fiber and international trade in thaumatin, the intensely sweet protein derived from its fruit, little ecological information aboutThaumatococcus daniellii (Benn.) Benth. is in the public domain. Here, we combine systematic studies of the local knowledge of plant collectors and cultivators in Ghana with a thorough evaluation of the plant’s natural distribution in order to explore possibilities for increasing the contribution that it makes to sustaining rural livelihoods in West and Central Africa. The natural range goes well beyond where commercial collection and cultivation have been previously reported. Local knowledge was found to be detailed and explanatory. Its acquisition has refined our understanding of the ecology of the plant, although some significant gaps remain, particularly with respect to pollination. The market for thaumatin is ripe for expansion, and the plant has untapped potential as an intercrop for rubber and cocoa. Further domestication needs to be accompanied by consideration of impacts on the livelihoods of those who presently collect fruit from the wild, and of opportunities for increasing the value that accrues within Africa through the development of local processing capacity.     

The effect of experimental removal of red foxesVulpes vulpes on spring density of brown haresLepus europaeus in western Poland

Red foxesVulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) were experimentally removed in two nearby areas located in western Poland to verify the hypothesis about the limiting impact of their predation on the low-density population of brown haresLepus europaeus (Pallas, 1778) (4.4-10.6 ind./km² in late autumn). In 1996/1997–2001/2002 foxes were culled (mainly in autumn and winter) in the reduction area (32 km²), whereas in the control area (34 km²) intensive culling was carried out only in 2000/2001–2001/2002. Indices of fox and hare spring densities were estimated using spotlight counts, as mean numbers of individuals observed per 10 km of the counting route. Annual changes in the fox density indices were negatively correlated with the bag of foxes, and annual changes in the hare density indices were negatively related to the annual changes in fox density indices. The fox density indices were significantly lower in the reduction area than in the control one only in 2000–2001 (2.8 times, on average), and in the same years, the hare population responded with higher density (1.7 times, on average). The hare responses took place without time delay, which suggests that the changes in fox abundance affected the situation of hares primarily in the autumn-winter season.