GTV<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">cut</Emphasis> for neuro-radiosurgery treatment planning: an MRI brain cancer seeded image segmentation method based on a cellular automata model

Despite of the development of advanced segmentation techniques, achieving accurate and reproducible gross tumor volume (GTV) segmentation results is still an important challenge in neuro-radiosurgery. Nowadays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most prominent modality in radiation therapy for soft-tissue anatomical districts. Gamma Knife stereotactic neuro-radiosurgery is a minimally invasive technology for dealing with inaccessible or insufficiently treated tumors with traditional surgery or radiotherapy. During a treatment planning phase, the GTV is generally contoured by experienced neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists using fully manual segmentation procedures on MR images. Unfortunately, this operative methodology is definitely time-expensive and operator-dependent. Delineation result repeatability, in terms of both intra- and inter-operator reliability, can be achieved only by using computer-assisted approaches. In this paper a novel semi-automatic seeded image segmentation method, based on a cellular automata model, for MRI brain cancer detection and delineation is proposed. This approach, called GTVcut, employs an adaptive seed selection strategy and helps to segment the GTV, by identifying the target volume to be treated using the Gamma Knife device. The accuracy of GTVcut was evaluated on a dataset composed of 32 brain cancers, using both spatial overlap-based and distance-based metrics. The achieved experimental results are very reproducible, showing the effectiveness and the clinical feasibility of the proposed approach.     

Novel high-temperature reliable heaters in plasma spray technology

Novel high-temperature (600°C) self-regulated heaters have been developed with air plasma spray technology on metal supports, according to the design and processes disclosed in the U.S. patent that was recently published. In the present article, the essential steps of this development are delineated together with the results achieved.     

The effects of carrier accumulation at the cathode on the negative resistance induced by avalanche injection in Si bulk devices

An analytical model for the negative resistance induced by avalanche injection in bulk semiconductors is developed including diffusion, recombination and accounting for the properties of the majority carrier injecting electrode with respect to the avalanche generated carriers.

Two limiting situations are discussed in detail namely that of a n⁺-n cathode which is blocking for the avalanche generated holes and that of a metal-semiconductor ohmic contact with an infinite surface recombination rate.

The calculations show that in the first case the avalanche ionization is extremely low and the negative resistance occurs because a low-field neutral region creates into the solid thus reducing the voltage; in the other case, the multiplication is relatively high and the negative resistance is due to the lowering of the field in the region of scattering-limited velocity. As a consequence, from the first to the second situation the peak voltage changes by a factor of two and the peak current by a factor of three or more.

These results give a new insight of a number of experimental observations reported in the literature. The performance of devices made with different techniques which approximate one or the other limiting situations mentioned above is accurately predicted by the proposed model.     

Some aspects of otovestibular function in hyperbaric saturation

Otovestibular performance was investigated in divers undergoing air and helium-oxygen hyperbaric saturation cycles. The subjects were all very experienced deep-sea divers. Before cycles, they presented various signs of altered otovestibular performance. These were not altered when controlled subsequently. No conclusions can be drawn from this small series, though its heterogeneity lends some significance to the results and it has been presented on account of the lack of other studies of this question.     

Chloride/sulfate exchange on anion resins. Kinetic investigations. Chemical control in selective exchanges

Rate determinations for the Cl^-/SO⁼₄ exchange on anion resins in very diluted systems (1 ÷ 6 × 10^-3N), where resin selectivities for the divalent ion are drastically raised by the electroselectivity effect, show convincing evidence that the chemical reaction rate on fixed charges controls the overall process kinetics. Activation energies, in particular, (up to 16.83 kcal/eq) are definitely out of the range for usual diffusion-controlled kinetics.A spherically-symmetrical diffusion model with a billiard-ball-like mechanism of site-to-site jumping of ions inside the resin is suggested.     

Influence of microorganisms on retinol isomerization in milk

In order to have a deeper insight into the retinol isomerization phenomenon, in this work different milk samples have been analysed for their content of trans retinol and its cis-isomers, by means of reliable HPLC techniques. Levels of the different isomers and the degree of retinol isomerization (13-cis/all-trans ratio, %) have been monitored during milk storage at different temperatures and after addition of specific microorganisms. In raw milk stored at 4 degrees C for 96 h the degree of retinol isomerization shifted from 1.1 to 2.3%, while in raw milk stored at 22 degrees C for 24 h it increased from 1.1 to 12.7%. Among microorganisms tested in pasteurized milk, the most active in causing an increment in the 13-cis/all-trans ratio (%), from 3.4 to 33.4% in 8 h, was Streptococcus thermophilus. The results obtained demonstrated a relationship between microbial evolution and retinol isomerization. Therefore, the determination of retinol isomers is of importance not only for a more precise evaluation of vitamin A activity but also for the evaluation of the microbiological quality of milk.     

Distribution system minimum loss reconfiguration in the Hyper-Cube Ant Colony Optimization framework

This paper presents an original application of the Ant Colony Optimization concepts to the optimal reconfiguration of distribution systems, with the objective of minimizing the distribution system losses in the presence of a set of structural and operational constraints. The proposed algorithm starts from the current configuration of the system and proceeds by progressively introducing variations in the configuration according to local and global heuristic rules developed within the Hyper-Cube Ant Colony Optimization framework. Results of numerical tests carried out on a classical system and on a large real urban distribution system are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

Different Stages of Quiescence,Senescence, and Cell Stress Identified by Molecular Algorithm Based on the Expression of Ki67, RPS6, and Beta-Galactosidase Activity

During their life span, cells have two possible states: a non-cycling, quiescent state (G0) and a cycling, activated state. Cells may enter a reversible G0 state of quiescence or, alternatively, they may undergo an irreversible G0 state. The latter may be a physiological differentiation or, following a stress event, a senescent status. Discrimination among the several G0 states represents a significant investigation, since quiescence, differentiation, and senescence are progressive phenomena with intermediate transitional stages. We used the expression of Ki67, RPS6, and beta-galactosidase to identify healthy cells that progressively enter and leave quiescence through G0-entry, G0 and G0-alert states. We then evaluated how cells may enter senescence following a genotoxic stressful event. We identified an initial stress stage with the expression of beta-galactosidase and Ki67 proliferation marker. Cells may recover from stress events or become senescent passing through early and late senescence states. Discrimination between quiescence and senescence was based on the expression of RPS6, a marker of active protein synthesis that is present in senescent cells but absent in quiescent cells. Even taking into account that fixed G0 states do not exist, our molecular algorithm may represent a method for identifying turning points of G0 transitional states that continuously change.