Fetal dose from proton pencil beam scanning craniospinal irradiation during pregnancy: a Monte Carlo study

Objective: We conducted a Monte Carlo study to comprehensively investigate the fetal dose resulting from proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) craniospinal irradiation (CSI) during pregnancy. Approach: The gestational-age dependent pregnant phantom series developed at the University of Florida (UF) were converted into DICOM-RT format (CT images and structures) and imported into a treatment planning system (TPS) (Eclipse v15.6) commissioned to a IBA PBS nozzle. A proton PBS CSI plan (prescribed dose: 36 Gy) was created on the phantoms. The TOPAS MC code was used to simulate the proton PBS CSI on the phantoms, for which MC beam properties at the nozzle exit (spot size, spot divergence, mean energy, and energy spread) were matched to IBA PBS nozzle beam measurement data. We calculated mean absorbed doses for 28 organs and tissues and whole body of the fetus at eight gestational ages (8, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 38 weeks). For contextual purposes, the fetal organ/tissue doses from the treatment planning CT scan of the mother’s head and torso were estimated using the National Cancer Institute dosimetry system for CT (NCICT, Version 3) considering a low-dose CT protocol (CTDIvol: 8.97 mGy). Main Results: The majority of the fetal organ/tissue doses from the proton PBS CSI treatment fell within a range of 3 to 6 mGy. The fetal organ/tissue doses for the 38-week phantom showed the largest variation with the doses ranging from 2.9 mGy (adrenals) to 8.2 mGy (eye lenses) while the smallest variation ranging from 3.2 mGy (oesophagus) to 4.4 mGy (brain) was observed for the doses for the 20-week phantom. The fetal whole-body dose ranged from 3.7 mGy (25 weeks) to 5.8 mGy (8 weeks). Most of the fetal doses from the planning CT scan fell within a range of 7 to 13 mGy, approximately 2-to-9 times lower than the fetal dose equivalents of the proton PBS CSI treatment (assuming a quality factor of 7). Significance: The fetal organ/tissue doses observed in the present work will be useful for one of the first clinically informative predictions on the magnitude of fetal dose during proton PBS CSI during pregnancy.

Testing the Performance of Level-Specific Fit Evaluation in MCFA Models With Different Factor Structures Across Levels

A Monte Carlo study was conducted to compare the performance of a level-specific (LS) fit evaluation with that of a simultaneous (SI) fit evaluation in multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) models. We extended previous studies by examining their performance under MCFA models with different factor structures across levels. In addition, various design factors and interaction effects between intraclass correlation (ICC) and misspecification type (MT) on their performance were considered. The simulation results demonstrate that the LS outperformed the SI in detecting model misspecification at the between-group level even in the MCFA model with different factor structures across levels. Especially, the performance of LS fit indices depended on the ICC, group size (GS), or MT. More specifically, the results are as follows. First, the performance of root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was more promising in detecting misspecified between-level models as GS or ICC increased. Second, the effect of ICC on the performance of comparative fit index (CFI) or Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) depended on the MT. Third, the performance of standardized root mean squared residual (SRMR) improved as ICC increased and this pattern was more clear in structure misspecification than in measurement misspecification. Finally, the summary and implications of the results are discussed.

Monte Carlo study of transport in low-dimensional quantum disorder systems at finite temperature

Using the quantum generalized Langevin equation and the path integral Monte Carlo approach, we study the transport dynamics of low-dimensional quantum disorder systems at finite temperature. Motivated by the nature of the classical-to-quantum transformation in fluctuations in the time domain, we extend the treatment to the spatial domain and propose a quantum random-correlated potential, describing specifically quantum disorder. For understanding the Anderson localization from the particle transport perspective, we present an intuitive treatment using a classical analogy in which the particle moves through a flat periodic crystal lattice corrugated by classical or quantum disorder. We emphasize an effective classical disorder potential in studying the quantum effects on the transport dynamics. Compared with the classical case, we find that the quantum escape rate from a disordered metastable potential is larger. Moreover, the diffusion enhancement of a quantum system moving in a weak, biased, periodic disorder potential is more significant compared with the classical case; for an effective rock-ratcheted disorder potential, quantum effects increase the directed current with decreasing temperature. For the classical case, we explore surface diffusion on a two-dimensional biased disorder potential at finite temperature; surprisingly, the optimal angle of the external bias force is found to enhance diffusion in the biased disorder surface. Furthermore, to explain the quantum transport dynamics in a disorder potential, we adopt the barrier-crossing mechanism and the mean first passage time theory to establish the probability distribution function.