Treatment with radiotherapy in pregnant women may occur due to some critical conditions. The dose given during the treatment process is not only received by the patient but can also be absorbed by the fetus which can affect its growth. Moreover, the radiation target is near the fetus such as the lung. This study aims to determine the dose distribution to the fetus with variations in fetal age (trimester 1, 2, and 3), beam energy, field size, and fetal distance to the target location (lung). The entire simulation utilized the Monte Carlo-based software EGSnrc-DOSXYZnrc which produced a 3-dimensional dose distribution on the virtual phantom. The simulated virtual phantom is a box with a size of 40×40×40 cm3 containing several materials, namely water, tissue, and lung. The size of the fetus is varied according to trimesters 1, 2, and 3. The beam is in the form of monoenergetic photons with energies of 3 MeV and 5 MeV emitted from above with a source to surface distance (SSD) of 48 cm. The field size was set at 5×5 cm2 and 8×8 cm2 on the phantom surface. The beam axis was located at a distance of 5 cm and 3 cm from the fetus. The results showed that the four variations performed affected the fetal dose, where the fetal dose increased considerably when the field size was enlarged and the beam axis was closer to the fetal position. The increase in fetal dose is also influenced by the increase in fetal age and beam energy. Meanwhile, the location of the beam below the lung causes an increased dose to the fetus due to the closer position of the beam to the fetus.

• Book : 8(1)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.328-339
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Abstract As the magnetic confinement fusion community prepares for the next generation of fusion devices and burning plasmas, there is still a question of whether fast ions (FIs) will drive MHD instabilities, causing significant redistribution or even loss of FIs, thereby leading to reduced plasma performance and possibly threatening the integrity of the first wall. In this paper, we explore the existence and stability of Toroidicity-induced Alfven Eigenmodes (TAEs) in the >100 MW, Q ∼ 9 − 11 DT-fusion power “Primary Reference Discharge” (PRD) of the SPARC tokamak; the PRD has a relatively low on-axis alpha pressure, βα0 ≈ 0.6%, due to the high magnetic field strength, B0 = 12.2 T. A scan in toroidal mode number is performed in the vicinity of the estimated “most unstable” modes, n ≈ 5−20, with the linear eigenvalue code NOVA-K and nonlinear initial-value code MEGA. Both codes identify the same (even) n = 10 TAE located near q = 1 with frequency f ≈ 360 kHz and alpha drive γ/ω ≈ +0.6%. While MEGA evaluates this mode to be marginally unstable for the nominal alpha pressure, NOVA-K instead identifies a higher frequency (odd) n = 10 TAE as marginally destabilized; different evaluations of radiative damping are likely the cause of this discrepancy. These results indicate that AEs may be only marginally unstable for the highest performing SPARC PRD, at least for the q profile explored here. They also serve as a starting point for further scans, inclusion of FIs from auxiliary heating systems, and exploration of AE-induced FI transport, as well as a guide for diagnostic measurements of these n ≈ 10 AEs

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• Pub. Date : 2025
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• Book : Volume 17()
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.41-49
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• Pub. Date : 2025
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The multipole interference (MPI) effect plays pivotal roles in the formation of electromagnetic responses in various settings. In the optics regime, it has been realized typically through the Mie resonance that necessitates high‐index, deep‐subwavelength‐scale dielectric resonators that are challenging to fabricate. Herein, a new, diffraction‐based MPI scheme that can be realized with low‐index, mesoscale dielectric structures is demonstrated. It is verified that this “diffractive MPI” concept by realizing various MPI states using micrometric polymeric cuboids fabricated by soft‐lithography. Subsequent analyses reveal that the MPI states with a distinct near‐zero forward scattering (NZFS) characteristic played crucial roles in shaping the cuboid's transmission spectrum. A hitherto unreported NZFS state, which exhibits a unique, “trifolium” radiation pattern, is also identified. The spectral position of such NZFS states turns out to be strongly dependent on the cuboid's geometry. By combining these results, the diffractive NZFS formation is related to the important phenomena of induced transparency and structural color generation.

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• Pub. Date : 2025
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Abstract Background Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests may expand cancer screening. Characterizing diagnostic resolution approaches following positive MCED tests is critical. Two trials employed distinct resolution approaches: a molecular signal to predict tissue of origin (TOO) and an imaging-based diagnostic strategy. This modeling study characterizes diagnostic journeys and impact in a hypothetical population of average risk MCED eligible patients. Methods A mathematical expression for diagnostic burden was derived using positive predictive value (PPV), molecular TOO localization accuracy, and numbers of procedures associated with each diagnostic outcome. Imaging-based and molecular TOO-informed strategies were compared. Excess lifetime cancer risk due to futile radiation exposure was estimated using organ-specific diagnostic imaging radiation doses. Results Across all PPVs and localization performances, a molecular TOO strategy resulted in a higher diagnostic burden: 3.6 procedures [SD 0.445] vs 2.6 procedures [SD 0.100] for the imaging strategy. Estimated diagnostic burden was higher for molecular TOO in 95.5% of all PPV and TOO accuracy combinations; ≥79% PPV and 90% accuracy would be required for a molecular TOO-informed strategy to be less burdensome than imaging. The maximum rate of excess cancer incidence from radiation exposure for MCED false positive results (individuals aged 50-84) was 64.6/100,000 (annual testing, 99% specificity), 48.5/100,000 (biennial testing, 98.5% specificity), and 64.6/100,000 (biennial testing, 98% specificity). Conclusions An imaging-based diagnostic strategy is more efficient than a molecular TOO-informed approach across almost all PPV and TOO accuracy combinations. The use of an imaging-based approach for cancer localization can be efficient and low-risk compared to a molecular-informed approach.

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• Pub. Date : 2025
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SUMMARYAnimals have evolved distinct small RNA pathways, including piRNA and siRNA, to silence invasive and selfish nucleic acids. piRNA pathway factors are concentrated in perinuclear germ granules that frequently associate with nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). However, the factors mediating germ granule-NPC association and the functional relevance of such association remain unknown. Here we show that the conserved nucleoporins NPP-14 (NUP-214) and NPP-24 (NUP-88), components of the cytoplasmic filaments of NPC, play critical roles in anchoring germ granule to NPC and in attenuating piRNA silencing InC. elegans. Proximity labeling experiments further identified EPS-1 (enhanced piRNA silencing) as a key germ granule factor contributing to germ granule-NPC interaction. Innpp-14,npp-24,oreps-1mutant animals, we observed fewer but enlarged, unorganized germ granules, accompanied by the over-amplification of secondary small RNAs at piRNA targeting sites. Nonetheless, we found this enhancement of piRNA silencing comes at the cost of dampened RNAi efficiency and RNAi inheritance. Together, our studies uncovered factors contributing to germ granule-NPC association and underscored the importance of spatial organization of germ granules in balancing small RNA silencing pathways.

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• Pub. Date : 2025
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Quantifying and mapping evapotranspiration (ET) from land surfaces is crucial in the context of climate change. For decades, remote sensing data have been utilized to estimate ET, leading to the development of numerous algorithms. However, their application is still non-trivial, mainly due to practical constraints. This paper introduces geeSSEBI, a Google Earth Engine implementation of the S-SEBI (Simplified Surface Energy Balance Index) model, for deriving ET from Landsat data and ERA5-land radiation. The source code and a graphical user interface implemented as a Google Earth Engine application are provided. The model ran on 871 images, and the estimates were evaluated against multiyear data of four eddy covariance towers belonging to the ICOS network, representative of both forests and agricultural landscapes. The model showed an RMSE of approximately 1 mm/day, and a significant correlation with the observed values, at all the sites. A procedure to upscale the data to monthly is proposed and tested as well, and its accuracy evaluated. Overall, the model showed acceptable accuracy, while performing better on forest ecosystems than on agricultural ones, especially at daily and monthly timescales. This implementation is particularly valuable for mapping evapotranspiration in data-scarce environments by utilizing Landsat archives and ERA5-land radiation estimates.

• Book : 17(3)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.395-395
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• Pub. Date : 2025
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• Pub. Date : 2025
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