Assam, I., Vijande, J., Ballester, F., Perez-Calatayud, J., Poppe, B., & Siebert, F. A. (2022). Evaluation of dosimetric effects of metallic artifact reduction and tissue assignment on Monte Carlo dose calculations for I-125 prostate implants. Med. Phys., 49, 6195–6208.
Abstract: Purpose Monte Carlo (MC) simulation studies, aimed at evaluating the magnitude of tissue heterogeneity in I-125 prostate permanent seed implant brachytherapy (BT), customarily use clinical post-implant CT images to generate a virtual representation of a realistic patient model (virtual patient model). Metallic artifact reduction (MAR) techniques and tissue assignment schemes (TAS) are implemented on the post-implant CT images to mollify metallic artifacts due to BT seeds and to assign tissue types to the voxels corresponding to the bright seed spots and streaking artifacts, respectively. The objective of this study is to assess the combined influence of MAR and TAS on MC absorbed dose calculations in post-implant CT-based phantoms. The virtual patient models used for I-125 prostate implant MC absorbed dose calculations in this study are derived from the CT images of an external radiotherapy prostate patient without BT seeds and prostatic calcifications, thus averting the need to implement MAR and TAS. Methods The geometry of the IsoSeed I25.S17plus source is validated by comparing the MC calculated results of the TG-43 parameters for the line source approximation with the TG-43U1S2 consensus data. Four MC absorbed dose calculations are performed in two virtual patient models using the egs_brachy MC code: (1) TG-43-based D-w,w-TG(43), (2) D-w,D-w-MBDC that accounts for interseed scattering and attenuation (ISA), (3) D-m,D-m that examines ISA and tissue heterogeneity by scoring absorbed dose in tissue, and (4) D-w,D-m that unlike D-m,D-m scores absorbed dose in water. The MC absorbed doses (1) and (2) are simulated in a TG-43 patient phantom derived by assigning the densities of every voxel to 1.00 g cm(-3) (water), whereas MC absorbed doses (3) and (4) are scored in the TG-186 patient phantom generated by mapping the mass density of each voxel to tissue according to a CT calibration curve. The MC absorbed doses calculated in this study are compared with VariSeed v8.0 calculated absorbed doses. To evaluate the dosimetric effect of MAR and TAS, the MC absorbed doses of this work (independent of MAR and TAS) are compared to the MC absorbed doses of different I-125 source models from previous studies that were calculated with different MC codes using post-implant CT-based phantoms generated by implementing MAR and TAS on post-implant CT images. Results The very good agreement of TG-43 parameters of this study and the published consensus data within 3% validates the geometry of the IsoSeed I25.S17plus source. For the clinical studies, the TG-43-based calculations show a D-90 overestimation of more than 4% compared to the more realistic MC methods due to ISA and tissue composition. The results of this work generally show few discrepancies with the post-implant CT-based dosimetry studies with respect to the D-90 absorbed dose metric parameter. These discrepancies are mainly Type B uncertainties due to the different I-125 source models and MC codes. Conclusions The implementation of MAR and TAS on post-implant CT images have no dosimetric effect on the I-125 prostate MC absorbed dose calculation in post-implant CT-based phantoms.
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Li, H. P., Yi, J. Y., Xiao, C. W., Yao, D. L., Liang, W. H., & Oset, E. (2024). Correlation function and the inverse problem in the BD interaction. Chin. Phys. C, 48(5), 053107–7pp.
Abstract: We study the correlation functions of the (BD+)-D-0, (B+D0) system, which develops a bound state of approximately 40MeV, using inputs consistent with the T-cc(3875) state. Then, we address the inverse problem starting from these correlation functions to determine the scattering observables related to the system, including the existence of the bound state and its molecular nature. The important output of the approach is the uncertainty with which these observables can be obtained, considering errors in the (BD+)-D-0, (B+D0) correlation functions typical of current values in correlation functions. We find that it is possible to obtain scattering lengths and effective ranges with relatively high precision and the existence of a bound state. Although the pole position is obtained with errors of the order of 50% of the binding energy, the molecular probability of the state is obtained with a very small error of the order of 6%. All these findings serve as motivation to perform such measurements in future runs of high energy hadron collisions.
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NEXT Collaboration(Haefner, J. et al), Benlloch-Rodriguez, J. M., Carcel, S., Carrion, J. V., Martin-Albo, J., Martinez-Vara, M., et al. (2023). Reflectance and fluorescence characteristics of PTFE coated with TPB at visible, UV, and VUV as a function of thickness. J. Instrum., 18(3), P03016–21pp.
Abstract: Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is an excellent diffuse reflector widely used in light collection systems for particle physics experiments. In noble element systems, it is often coated with tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB) to allow detection of vacuum ultraviolet scintillation light. In this work this dependence is investigated for PTFE coated with TPB in air for light of wavelengths of 200 nm, 260 nm, and 450 nm. The results show that TPB-coated PTFE has a reflectance of approximately 92% for thicknesses ranging from 5 mm to 10 mm at 450 nm, with negligible variation as a function of thickness within this range. A cross-check of these results using an argon chamber supports the conclusion that the change in thickness from 5 mm to 10 mm does not affect significantly the light response at 128 nm. Our results indicate that pieces of TPB-coated PTFE thinner than the typical 10 mm can be used in particle physics detectors without compromising the light signal.
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Gonzalez-Iglesias, D., Esperante, D., Gimeno, B., Blanch, C., Fuster-Martinez, N., Martinez-Reviriego, P., et al. (2023). Analysis of the Multipactor Effect in an RF Electron Gun Photoinjector. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, 70(1), 288–295.
Abstract: The objective of this work is the evaluation of the risk of suffering a multipactor discharge within an RF electron gun photoinjector. Photoinjectors are a type of source for intense electron beams, which are the main electron source for synchrotron light sources, such as free-electron lasers. The analyzed device consists of 1.6 cells and it has been designed to operate at the S-band. Besides, around the RF gun there is an emittance compensation solenoid, whose magnetic field prevents the growth of the electron beam emittance, and thus the degradation of the properties of the beam. The multipactor analysis is based on a set of numerical simulations by tracking the trajectories of the electron cloud in the cells of the device. To reach this aim, an in-house multipactor code was developed. Specifically, two different cases were explored: with the emittance compensation solenoid assumed to be off and with the emittance compensation solenoid in operation. For both the cases, multipactor simulations were carried out exploring different RF electric field amplitudes. Moreover, for a better understanding of the multipactor phenomenon, the resonant trajectories of the electrons and the growth rate of the electrons population are investigated.
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Mavromatos, N. E., & Mitsou, V. A. (2020). Magnetic monopoles revisited: Models and searches at colliders and in the Cosmos. Int. J. Mod. Phys. A, 35(23), 2030012–81pp.
Abstract: In this review, we discuss recent developments in both the theory and the experimental searches of magnetic monopoles in past, current and future colliders and in the Cosmos. The theoretical models include, apart from the standard Grand Unified Theories, extensions of the Standard Model that admit magnetic monopole solutions with finite energy and masses that can be as light as a few TeV. Specifically, we discuss, among other scenarios, modified Cho-Maison monopoles and magnetic monopoles in (string-inspired, higher derivative) Born-Infeld extensions of the hypercharge sector of the Standard Model. We also outline the conditions for which effective field theories describing the interaction of monopoles with photons are valid and can be used for result interpretation in monopole production at colliders. The experimental part of the review focuses on, past and present, cosmic and collider searches, including the latest bounds on monopole masses and magnetic charges by the ATLAS and MoEDAL experiments at the LHC, as well as prospects for future searches.
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Blanes-Selva, V., Ruiz-Garcia, V., Tortajada, S., Benedi, J. M., Valdivieso, B., & Garcia-Gomez, J. M. (2021). Design of 1-year mortality forecast at hospital admission: A machine learning approach. Health Inform. J., 27(1), 13pp.
Abstract: Palliative care is referred to a set of programs for patients that suffer life-limiting illnesses. These programs aim to maximize the quality of life (QoL) for the last stage of life. They are currently based on clinical evaluation of the risk of 1-year mortality. The main aim of this work is to develop and validate machine-learning-based models to predict the exitus of a patient within the next year using data gathered at hospital admission. Five machine-learning techniques were applied using a retrospective dataset. The evaluation was performed with five metrics computed by a resampling strategy: Accuracy, the area under the ROC curve, Specificity, Sensitivity, and the Balanced Error Rate. All models reported an AUC ROC from 0.857 to 0.91. Specifically, Gradient Boosting Classifier was the best model, producing an AUC ROC of 0.91, a sensitivity of 0.858, a specificity of 0.808, and a BER of 0.1687. Information from standard procedures at hospital admission combined with machine learning techniques produced models with competitive discriminative power. Our models reach the best results reported in the state of the art. These results demonstrate that they can be used as an accurate data-driven palliative care criteria inclusion.
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Belle II Collaboration(Abudinen, F. et al), Gomis, P., & Marinas, C. (2020). Measurement of the integrated luminosity of the Phase 2 data of the Belle II experiment. Chin. Phys. C, 44(2), 021001–12pp.
Abstract: From April to July 2018, a data sample at the peak energy of the resonance was collected with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider. This is the first data sample of the Belle II experiment. Using Bhabha and digamma events, we measure the integrated luminosity of the data sample to be (, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This work provides a basis for future luminosity measurements at Belle II.
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Ellis, J., Mavromatos, N. E., Sakharov, A. S., & Sarkisyan-Grinbaum, E. K. (2019). Limits on neutrino Lorentz violation from multimessenger observations of TXS 0506+056. Phys. Lett. B, 789, 352–355.
Abstract: The observation by the IceCube Collaboration of a high-energy (E greater than or similar to 200 TeV) neutrino from the direction of the blazar TXS 0506+056 and the coincident observations of enhanced gamma-ray emissions from the same object by MAGIC and other experiments can be used to set stringent constraints on Lorentz violation in the propagation of neutrinos that is linear in the neutrino energy: Delta v = -E/M-1, where Delta v is the deviation from the velocity of light, and M-1 is an unknown high energy scale to be constrained by experiment. Allowing for a difference in neutrino and photon propagation times of similar to 10 days, we find that M-1 greater than or similar to 3 x 10(16) GeV. This improves on previous limits on linear Lorentz violation in neutrino propagation by many orders of magnitude, and the same is true for quadratic Lorentz violation.
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Addazi, A. et al, Martinez-Mirave, P., Mitsou, V. A., Palomares-Ruiz, S., Tortola, M., & Zornoza, J. D. (2022). Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era-A review. Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys., 125, 103948–119pp.
Abstract: The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review, prepared within the COST Action CA18108 “Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach”, is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers.
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Alidra, M. et al, & Torro Pastor, E. (2021). The MATHUSLA test stand. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 985, 164661–9pp.
Abstract: The rate of muons from LHC pp collisions reaching the surface above the ATLAS interaction point is measured as a function of the ATLAS luminosity and compared with expected rates from decays of W and Z bosons and b- and c-quark jets. In addition, data collected during periods without beams circulating in the LHC provide a measurement of the background from cosmic ray inelastic backscattering that is compared to simulation predictions. Data were recorded during 2018 in a 2.5 x 2.5 x 6.5 m(3) active volume MATHUSLA test stand detector unit consisting of two scintillator planes, one at the top and one at the bottom, which defined the trigger, and six layers of RPCs between them, grouped into three (x, y)-measuring layers separated by 1.74 m from each other. Triggers selecting both upward-going tracks and downward-going tracks were used.
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