The impact of output correction factor in non-conventional radiation fields for dose distribution calculation in radiosurgery: Preliminary results

Unconventional energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass represents more and more an alternative in substitution of conventional energy sources. In effect, many studies still need to be done to clearly identify the impacts that the insertion of distributed generation (DG) sources represent in the power grid. In this paper, an analysis of the impact of the distributed generation (DG) insertion in the electrical grid is realized, based on impedance matrix, grid voltage and power factor (PF). Benchmarks were created to relate the sensibility in a point common coupling (PCC) to the DG insertion. Preliminary results show that sensibility does not change with the load or the PF of the DG.

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Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils as potential climate change mitigation strategy for Germany

10.5194/ismc2021-86 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Christian Dold ◽

Herbst Michael ◽

Weihermüller Lutz ◽

Vereecken Harry

Keyword(s):

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Carbon Storage ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Mitigation Strategy ◽

Surface Model ◽

Climate Projections ◽

Preliminary Results ◽

Community Land Model ◽

The Impact

The limitation of global warming to +1.5&#176;C compared to preindustrial levels requires net-zero CO2 emissions globally by mid-century and substantial removal of CO2 thereafter. Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils has been proposed as a potential mitigation strategy. Aim of this study is to quantify current carbon storage and emission reduction potential in agricultural soils, and assess the impact of mitigation measures in a prognostic modeling approach. The land surface model Community Land Model 5.0 (CLM) is used to assess soil carbon changes in agricultural soils in Germany. The simulation domain was set up with an 8 x 8 km grid across Germany using recent land use and soil texture maps, and parameters for major field crops. The model was spun up for ~1500 years with a 30-year climate dataset. Preliminary results show that spinup-derived organic carbon density (OCD, 0-188 cm) was significantly related to Soil Grid v2 OCD (R2 = 0.82), but only weakly related to field-measured OCD (R2 = 0.21). The simulated OCD values in the upper 32 cm soil layer were lower in Northwestern Germany compared to Soil Grids. This is probably due to the intensive use of organic amendment application in the region, and CLM5 lacks a subroutine for simulating organic carbon application. In a next step, carbon storage for different climate projections (regional EUR11 RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios) and management systems from 2020 - 2100 will be investigated. We will present preliminary results and discuss improvements of CLM5 to better represent agricultural soils.

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Impact of PSMA PET/CT on SRT planning: Preliminary results from the randomized phase III trial NCT03582774.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.6_suppl.30 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽

pp. 30-30

Author(s):

Jeremie Calais ◽

Wesley R Armstrong ◽

Amar Upadhyaya Kishan ◽

Kiara M Booker ◽

David Elashoff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Success Rate ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Open Label ◽

Phase 3 ◽

Preliminary Results ◽

Volume Delineation ◽

Psma Pet ◽

Pet Ct ◽

The Impact

30 Background: The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the success rate of salvage radiation therapy (SRT) for recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) after radical prostatectomy with and without planning based on prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET). Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled, open-label, Phase 3 clinical imaging trial powered for clinical outcome at 5 years. UCLA is the leading central site in which PSMA PET, clinical follow-up and data management are being done. UCSF was a participating site in which PSMA PET imaging can be done. SRT can be performed anywhere, patients are followed remotely by the UCLA investigators. Patients scheduled for SRT for recurrence after primary prostatectomy and with PSA ≥ 0.1ng/ml at time of enrollment were eligible. Patients were randomized to proceed with standard SRT allowing for any conventional imaging aside from PSMA PET/CT (control arm) or undergo a 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT scan prior to SRT planning (investigational arm). The primary endpoint is the success rate of SRT at 5 years in patients who undergo SRT. We report here the preliminary results of a secondary endpoint: the impact of PSMA PET on SRT planning by comparing the pre-randomization RT plans prospectively obtained on surveys before randomization to the actually delivered RT plans obtained after follow-up. Results: Enrollment of the trial was complete. 193 patients were enrolled from 09.06.2018 to 08.17.2020. 7/90 patients (9%) in the control arm dropped-out the study because they underwent a PSMA PET at another institution, while 1/103 (1%) patients of the intervention arm dropped-out due to COVID-19 related complications. After a median follow-up of 13.3 months (last follow-up date 09/01/2020), delivered RT plans were obtained in 60/83 (72%) and 70/102 (69%) of patients of the control and the PSMA arms, respectively. Median PSA at enrollment was 0.32 ng/ml (IQR 0.17-1.35) and 0.22 ng/ml (IQR 0.14-0.50) in the control and PSMA arms, respectively. There was a change between the intended pre-randomization RT plan and the actually delivered RT plan in 17/60 (28%) and 40/70 (57%) of the patients in the control and PSMA arms, respectively (p = 0.002). SRT was aborted in favor of systemic therapy and/or metastasis directed RT for extra-pelvic M1 disease in 2/60 (3%) and 12/70 (17%) of the control and PSMA arms, respectively (p = 0.17). Dose prescription and/or target volume delineation was changed in 2/60 (3%) and 1/70 (26%) in the control and PSMA arms, respectively (p = 0.001). Conclusions: In this prospective randomized phase 3 study, PSMA PET had an impact on the SRT plan in more than half of the patients. Long-term follow-up will show if the impact of PSMA PET on SRT planning translates into improved outcome or not. Clinical trial information: NCT03582774.

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The impact of immediate in-brace 3D corrections on curve evolution after two years of treatment: preliminary results

Studies in Health Technology and Informatics - Research into Spinal Deformities 9 ◽

10.3233/shti210459 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

A Guy ◽

H Labelle ◽

S Barchi ◽

CÉ Aubin

Keyword(s):

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis ◽

Idiopathic Scoliosis ◽

Treatment Outcomes ◽

Lumbar Lordosis ◽

Treatment Success ◽

Curve Evolution ◽

Preliminary Results ◽

Coronal Correction ◽

The Impact

For the brace treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), in-brace correction and brace-wear compliance are well-documented parameters associated with a greater chance of treatment success. However, the number of studies on the impact of sagittal and transverse correction on curve evolution in the context of bracing is limited. The objective of this work was to evaluate how immediate inbrace correction in the three anatomical planes is related to long-term curve evolution after two years of bracing. We performed a retrospective analysis on 94 AIS patients followed for a minimum of two years. We analyzed correlations between in-brace correction and two-year out-of-brace evolution for Cobb and apical axial rotations (ARs) in the medial thoracic and thoraco-lumbar/lumbar regions (MT & TL/L). We also studied the association between the braces’ kyphosing and lordosing effect and the evolution of thoracic kyphosis (TK) and lumbar lordosis (LL) after two years. Finally, we separated the patients into three groups based on their curve progression results after two years (corrected, stable and progressed) and compared the 3D in-brace corrections and compliance for each group. Coefficients were statistically significant for all correlations. They were weak for Cobb angles (MT: -0.242; TL/L: -0.275), low for ARs (MT: -0.423; TL/L: -0.417) and moderate for sagittal curves (TK: 0.549; LL: 0.482). In-brace coronal correction was significantly higher in corrected vs stable patients (p=0.004) while compliance was significantly higher in stable vs progressed patients (p=0.026). This study highlights the importance of initial in-brace correction in all three planes for successful treatment outcomes.

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COVID-19 and the Resilience of Tourism Businesses in Portugal

Handbook of Research on Reinventing Economies and Organizations Following a Global Health Crisis - Advances in Business Strategy and Competitive Advantage ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-6926-9.ch001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Teresa Gomes da Costa ◽

Maria de Lurdes Calisto ◽

Jorge Umbelino

Keyword(s):

Small Group ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Research Project ◽

Preliminary Results ◽

Wave Effects ◽

High Level ◽

The Impact

The pandemic of SARS-COV-2 has significantly affected tourism, and many tourism companies have seen their revenue significantly reduced. Thus, the question arises: 'How resilient are tourism companies to the COVID-19 pandemic (1st wave) effects on their activity?' This chapter presents the preliminary results of a broader research project: RE.COV.ER. Based on a sample of 1,075 tourism companies operating in Portugal, this study describes the impact of the pandemic's first wave on tourism companies and explores their resilience. Results reveal a high level of impact of the pandemic on tourism companies. In terms of resilience, most companies' managers are perceived as proactive, and many companies implemented mitigation measures. Even though half of the companies could not find effective responses to the situation, there is, however, one small group of companies that seem to be more resilient, suggesting the need for more investigation on the reasons why.

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