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Granero, D., Perez-Calatayud, J., Vijande, J., Ballester, F., & Rivard, M. J. (2014). Limitations of the TG-43 formalism for skin high-dose-rate brachytherapy dose calculations. Med. Phys., 41(2), 021703–8pp.
Abstract: Purpose: In skin high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, sources are located outside, in contact with, or implanted at some depth below the skin surface. Most treatment planning systems use the TG-43 formalism, which is based on single-source dose superposition within an infinite water medium without accounting for the true geometry in which conditions for scattered radiation are altered by the presence of air. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dosimetric limitations of the TG-43 formalism in HDR skin brachytherapy and the potential clinical impact. Methods: Dose rate distributions of typical configurations used in skin brachytherapy were obtained: a 5 cm x 5 cm superficial mould; a source inside a catheter located at the skin surface with and without backscatter bolus; and a typical interstitial implant consisting of an HDR source in a catheter located at a depth of 0.5 cm. Commercially available HDR Co-60 and Ir-192 sources and a hypothetical Yb-169 source were considered. The Geant4Monte Carlo radiation transport code was used to estimate dose rate distributions for the configurations considered. These results were then compared to those obtained with the TG-43 dose calculation formalism. In particular, the influence of adding bolus material over the implant was studied. Results: For a 5 cm x 5 cm Ir-192 superficial mould and 0.5 cm prescription depth, dose differences in comparison to the TG-43 method were about -3%. When the source was positioned at the skin surface, dose differences were smaller than -1% for Co-60 and Ir-192, yet -3% for Yb-169. For the interstitial implant, dose differences at the skin surface were -7% for Co-60, -0.6% for Ir-192, and -2.5% for Yb-169. Conclusions: This study indicates the following: (i) for the superficial mould, no bolus is needed; (ii) when the source is in contact with the skin surface, no bolus is needed for either Co-60 and Ir-192. For lower energy radionuclides like Yb-169, bolus may be needed; and (iii) for the interstitial case, at least a 0.1 cm bolus is advised for Co-60 to avoid underdosing superficial target layers. For Ir-192 and Yb-169, no bolus is needed. For those cases where no bolus is needed, its use might be detrimental as the lack of radiation scatter may be beneficial to the patient, although the 2% tolerance for dose calculation accuracy recommended in the AAPM TG-56 report is not fulfilled.
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Pastore, A., Martini, M., Davesne, D., Navarro, J., Goriely, S., & Chamel, N. (2014). Linear response theory and neutrino mean free path using Brussels-Montreal Skyrme functionals. Phys. Rev. C, 90(2), 025804–11pp.
Abstract: The Brussels-Montreal Skyrme functionals have been successful in describing properties of both finite nuclei and infinite homogeneous nuclear matter. In their latest version, these functionals have been equipped with two extra density-dependent terms in order to reproduce simultaneously ground state properties of nuclei and infinite nuclear matter properties while avoiding at the same time the arising of ferromagnetic instabilities. In the present article, we extend our previous results of the linear response theory to include such extra terms at both zero and finite temperature in pure neutron matter. The resulting formalism is then applied to derive the neutrino mean free path. The predictions from the Brussels-Montreal Skyrme functionals are compared with ab initio methods.
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Davesne, D., Pastore, A., & Navarro, J. (2014). Linear response theory in asymmetric nuclear matter for Skyrme functionals including spin-orbit and tensor terms. Phys. Rev. C, 89(4), 044302–14pp.
Abstract: The formalism of linear response theory for a Skyrme functional including spin-orbit and tensor terms is generalized to the case of infinite nuclear matter with arbitrary isospin asymmetry. Response functions are obtained by solving an algebraic system of equations, which is explicitly given. Spin-isospin strength functions are analyzed varying the conditions of density, momentum transfer, asymmetry, and temperature. The presence of instabilities, including the spinodal one, is studied by means of the static susceptibility.
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Pallis, C. (2014). Linking Starobinsky-type inflation in no-scale supergravity to MSSM. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 04(4), 024–31pp.
Abstract: A novel realization of the Starobinsky inflationary model within a moderate extension of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) is presented. The proposed superpotential is uniquely determined by applying a continuous R and a Z2 discrete symmetry, whereas the Kahler potential is associated with a no-scale-type SU(54, 1)/ SU(54) x U(1) R X Z2 Kahler manifold. The inflaton is identified with a Higgs-like modulus whose the vacuum expectation value controls the gravitational strength. Thanks to a strong enough coupling (with a parameter CT involved) between the inflaton and the Ricci scalar curvature, inflation can be attained even for subplanckian values of the inflaton with CT >= 76 and the corresponding effective theory being valid up to the Planck scale. The inflationary observables turn out to be in agreement with the current data and the inflaton mass is predicted to be 3 10(3) GeV. At the cost of a relatively small superpotential coupling constant, the model offers also a resolution of the f,t problem of MSSM for CT <= 4500 and gravitino heavier than about 10(4) GeV. Supplementing MSSM by three right-handed neutrinos we show that spontaneously arising couplings between the inflaton and the particle content of MSSM not only ensure a sufficiently low reheating temperature but also support a scenario of non-thermal leptogenesis consistently with the neutrino oscillation parameters.
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Makarenko, A. N., Odintsov, S. D., & Olmo, G. J. (2014). Little Rip, Lambda CDM and singular dark energy cosmology from Born-Infeld-f(R) gravity. Phys. Lett. B, 734, 36–40.
Abstract: We study late-time cosmic accelerating dynamics from Born-Infeld-f(R) gravity in a simplified conformal approach. We find that a variety of cosmic effects such as Little Rip, Lambda CDM universe and dark energy cosmology with finite time future singularities may occur. Unlike the convenient Born-Infeld gravity where in the absence of matter only de Sitter expansion may emerge, apparently any FRW cosmology may be reconstructed from this conformal version of the Born-Infeld-f(R) theory. Despite the fact that the explicit form of f(R) is fixed by the conformal ansatz, the relation between the two metrics in this approach may be changed so as to bring out any desired FRW cosmology.
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