Individual RT Research Articles

A core-shell structured crystalline@amorphous MnO2 with enhanced plasma catalytic degradation performance for volatile organic sulfur compounds and degradation mechanism exploration

A crystalline@amorphous MnO2 (HT@RT) plasma catalyst was successfully constructed in this study to address the problem of odor pollution, especially from volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) with low olfactory thresholds. Complete conversion of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) at 140 J/L was achieved, and the ozone concentration in the exhaust gas was maintained below 5 ppm. Deeper mineralization of DMS was achieved in the HT@RT sample than in the individual HT and RT samples. A comprehensive analysis of multiple characterization techniques revealed that the HT@RT sample exhibited excellent DMS adsorption capacity, appropriate electric field responsiveness, high oxygen vacancy content, and abundant reactive oxygen species, which play key roles in the degradation of DMS. In addition, the DMS degradation process was investigated using in situ plasma diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy. Combined with the results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, degradation pathways for DMS were proposed. The HT@RT sample combined the advantages of both amorphous and crystalline materials, significantly enhancing the activity and stability of the catalyst. Therefore, the crystalline@amorphous structured catalysts constructed in this study not only offer new insights for improving the performance of plasma catalysis but also provide an effective solution for eliminating odorous gases.

CANTO-RT: One of the Largest Prospective Multicenter Cohort of Early Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Radiotherapy including Full DICOM RT Data.

This article describes the methodology used and provides a characterization of the study population in CANTO-RT (CANcer TOxicities RadioTherapy). CANTO (NCT01993498) is a prospective clinical cohort study including patients with stage I-III BC from 26 French cancer centers. Patients matching all CANTO inclusion and exclusion criteria who received RT in one of the 10 top recruiting CANTO centers were selected. Individual full DICOM RT files were collected, pseudo-anonymized, structured and analyzed on the CANTO-RT/UNITRAD web platform. CANTO-RT included 3875 BC patients with a median follow-up of 64 months. Among the 3797 patients with unilateral RT, 3065 (80.4%) had breast-conserving surgery, and 2712 (71.5%) had sentinel node surgery. Tumor bed boost was delivered in 2658 patients (68.5%) and lymph node RT in 1356 patients (35%), including internal mammary chain in 844 patients (21.8%). Most patients (3691 (95.3%)) were treated with 3D conformal RT. Target volumes, organs at risk contours and dose/volume histograms were extracted after quality-control procedures. CANTO-RT is one of the largest early BC prospective cohorts with full individual clinical, biological, imaging and DICOM RT data available. It is a valuable resource for the identification and validation of clinical and dosimetric predictive factors of RT and multimodal treatment-related toxicities.

One-step fabrication of a new outstanding rutile TiO2 nanoparticles/anthracite adsorbent: Modeling and physicochemical interpretations for malachite green removal

In this study, a facile method was developed to synthesize a new composite via the impregnation of rutile (TiO2) nanoparticles (Rt) into H2O2–modified anthracite (MAn). This new rutile(TiO2)/modified anthracite (Rt/MAn) adsorbent was characterized and employed as an outstanding and cost–effective material to remove malachite green (MG) dye at 25–55 °C. This adsorbent displayed the highest removal efficiency (96.2 %) as compared to its individual components MAn (49.8 %) and Rt (71.4 %) at pH 8.0. The experimental adsorption of MG onto Rt/MAn at equilibrium were satisfactorily fitted to the Freundlich equation and a multilayer statistical physics model at all tested temperatures. The physicochemical parameters (steric and energetic) related to a multilayer adsorption were calculated and interpreted to understand the adsorption mechanism. The theoretical number of adsorbed MG dye molecules per functional group (n) varied from 0.94 to 1.60 indicating a multi-docking adsorption mechanism. The adsorption capacity of MG at saturation (Qsat) increased from 513 to 740 mg/g at 25 and 55 °C and was primarily caused by the density of Rt/MAn functional groups (i.e., the DM parameter). MG adsorption energy with Rt/MAn varied from 13.87 to 29. 96 kJ/mol and was governed by physical interactions. The tested adsorbent was easily reactivated by the dye desorption and reused up to five cycles where it retained>80 % of MG adsorption capacity even after the 5th adsorption–desorption cycle. These results demonstrated that Rt/MAn is an effective adsorbent to remove MG, thus offering outstanding adsorption capacities largely beyond the current state of the art (up to 740 mg/g) and its application could be extended for the adsorption of other organic pollutants from wastewaters.

Increased Risk of Hospitalisation Associated with Infection with SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.1.7 in Denmark

Background: The more infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus lineage B.1.1.7, rapidly spread in Europe after December 2020, and a concern of B.1.1.7 causing more severe disease has been raised. Denmark has one of Europe´s highest capacities per capita of SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) test and whole genome sequencing (WGS). We used national health register-data to explore whether B.1.1.7 increases the risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation. Methods and Findings: In an observational cohort study we included all SARS-CoV-2 RT PCR test-positive individuals in Denmark sampled between the 1st January and until the 9th February, 2021, identified in the national COVID-19 surveillance system. The surveillance system includes national individual RT PCR test results and viral WGS analyses and data from national health registers including COVID-19 related hospital admissions defined as first admission within 14 days of the test-positive swab. The odds ratio (OR) of admission according to infection with B.1.1.7, vs other co-existing lineages, was calculated in a logistic regression model adjusted for sex, age, period, follow-up time less than 14 days, region, and comorbidities. A total of 35,887 test-positive individuals were identified, 23,057 (64%) had WGS performed, of whom 18,499 (80%) resulted in a viral genome and a total of 2,155 of these were lineage B.1.1.7. The proportion of individuals with B.1.1.7 increased from 4% in early January to 45% in early February. Among the individuals with viral genome data, B.1.1.7 was associated with a crude OR of admission of 0.87 (95%CI, 0.72-1.05) and an adjusted OR of 1.64 (95%CI, 1.32-2.04) based on 128 admissions after B.1.1.7 infection and 1,107 admissions after infection with other lineages. The adjusted OR was increased in all strata of age and calendar time - the two most important confounders of the crude OR. Conclusions: Infection with lineage B.1.1.7 was associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation compared with other lineages. This finding may have serious public health impact in countries with spread of B.1.1.7 and can support hospital preparedness and modelling of projected impact of the epidemic.Funding Statement: The authors received no specific funding for this work.Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interest.Ethics Approval Statement: This study was conducted on administrative register data. According to Danish law, ethics approval is not needed for such research.

Validity of a Wrist-Worn Activity Monitor During Resistance Training Exercises at Different Movement Speeds

Speed of movement has been shown to affect the validity of physical activity (PA) monitors during locomotion. Speed of movement may also affect the validity of accelerometer-based PA monitors during other types of exercise. Purpose: To assess the ability of the Atlas Wearables Wristband2 (a PA monitor developed specifically for resistance training [RT] exercise) to identify the individual RT exercise type and count repetitions during RT exercises at various movement speeds. Methods: 50 male and female participants completed seven sets of 10 repetitions for five different upper/lower body RT exercises while wearing a Wristband2 on the left wrist. The speed of each set was completed at different metronome-paced speeds ranging from a slow speed of 4 sec·rep−1 to a fast speed of 1 sec·rep−1. Repeated Measures ANOVAs were used to compare the actual exercise type/number of repetitions among the seven different speeds. Mean absolute percent error (MAPE) and bias were calculated for repetition counting. Results: For each exercise, there tended to be significant differences between the slower speeds and the fastest speed for activity type identification and repetition counting (p < .05). Across all exercises, the highest accuracy for activity type identification (91 ± 1.8% correct overall), repetition counting (8.77 ± 0.17 of 10 reps overall) and the lowest MAPE (14 ± 1.7% overall) and bias (−1.23 ± 0.17 reps overall) occurred during the 1.5 sec·rep−1 speed (the second fastest speed tested). Conclusions: The validity of the Atlas Wearables Wristband2 to identify exercise type and count repetitions varied based on the speed of movement during RT exercises.

Integrated profiling the patterns of pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation and the genomic-based radiation sensitivity in rectal cancer.

573 Background: Given the lack of biomarkers to predict a pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NACRT) for rectal cancer, selection for non-operative management (NOM) mandates complete clinical response. We have previously developed/validated a model to assess genomic-based tumor radiosensitivity: the radiosensitivity index (RSI), which formulates a clinically actionable model to calculate genomic-adjusted radiation dose (GARD). We determined the profiles of RSI and GARD for rectal cancer and correlated these findings with the pathologic response patterns. Methods: One hundred seventeen rectal cancer patients treated from 2009 to 2018 with NACRT were assessed for the tumor regression grade (TRG) (0 = pCR; 1 = moderate response; 2 = partial response; 3 = poor response). RSI was analyzed in an independent tissue cohort of 113 resected rectal cancer samples. GARD was derived as described before, which shows a high GARD value indicated a superior therapeutic effect of radiation. Results: Median follow-up from completion of NACRT was 26 months. The primary tumor stages were 7% T2, 84% T3, and 9% T4. The majority of patients (82%) received concurrent 5-FU or Capecitabine and (83%) received RT dose of 50.4 Gy (range 45-56 Gy). Median time from end of NACRT to surgery was 61 days (range 36-105 days). The patterns of pathological response were TRG 0 (n = 24; 21%), 1 (n = 62; 53%), 2 (n = 25; 21%), and 3 (n = 6; 5%), suggesting heterogeneous sensitivity to treatment with similar tumor stage and treatment regimens. The median RSI for the tissue cohort was 0.46 (range 0.19-0.81) with 37% of the samples considered radiosensitive based on prior data. GARD values ranged from 5.17 to 41.79 (median 19.24), suggesting heterogeneous RT therapeutic effects. Conclusions: The findings from the clinical cohort were consistent with the tissue cohort showing significant heterogeneity in the individual tumor radiosensitivity and GARD-based RT therapeutic effects. With the development of GARD-based prospective trials, we anticipate more biology-based customized RT dosing which could optimize patient selection for NOM and individualize the most appropriate dose for each patient.

Is the head-fake effect in basketball robust against practice? Analyses of trial-by-trial adaptations, frequency distributions, and mixture effects to evaluate effects of practice.

Reactions to the pass of a basketball player performing a head fake are typically slower than reactions to a basketball player who passes without a head fake (i.e., head-fake effect). The present study shows that extensive practice reduces the head-fake effect in basketball. Additional analyses were conducted to explore the mechanism behind the reduced head-fake effect. First, we analyzed whether or not participants developed some control over the processing of irrelevant gaze direction, as indicated by specific trial-to-trial adaptations (i.e., congruency sequence effect). Second, we fitted the individual frequency distributions of RTs to ex-Gaussian distributions, to evaluate if practice specifically affects the Gaussian part of the distribution or the exponential part of the distribution. Third, we modeled individual RT distributions as the so-called mixture effects to examine whether the way irrelevant gaze direction impacts performance (either occasionally but massively or continuously but moderately) changes with practice. The analyses revealed that the effect of practice could not be explained with an increasing congruency-sequence effect. Also, it could not be found in the ex-Gaussian distributional analyses. The assumption that residual failure to inhibit the processing of the gaze direction in contrast to continuous failures to do so might favor mixed effects over uniform effects at later courses of practice could not be validated. The reduced head-fake effect thus is argued to source in participants' general increasing ability to inhibit the processing of the task-irrelevant gaze direction information and/or in a priority shift of gaze processing to a processing of the pass direction.

Connectome-based Models Predict Separable Components of Attention in Novel Individuals.

Although we typically talk about attention as a single process, it comprises multiple independent components. But what are these components, and how are they represented in the functional organization of the brain? To investigate whether long-studied components of attention are reflected in the brain's intrinsic functional organization, here we apply connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) to predict the components of Posner and Petersen's influential model of attention: alerting (preparing and maintaining alertness and vigilance), orienting (directing attention to a stimulus), and executive control (detecting and resolving cognitive conflict) [Posner, M. I., & Petersen, S. E. The attention system of the human brain. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 13, 25-42, 1990]. Participants performed the Attention Network Task (ANT), which measures these three factors, and rested during fMRI scanning. CPMs tested with leave-one-subject-out cross-validation successfully predicted novel individual's overall ANT accuracy, RT variability, and executive control scores from functional connectivity observed during ANT performance. CPMs also generalized to predict participants' alerting scores from their resting-state functional connectivity alone, demonstrating that connectivity patterns observed in the absence of an explicit task contain a signature of the ability to prepare for an upcoming stimulus. Suggesting that significant variance in ANT performance is also explained by an overall sustained attention factor, the sustained attention CPM, a model defined in prior work to predict sustained attentional abilities, predicted accuracy, RT variability, and executive control from task-based data and predicted RT variability from resting-state data. Our results suggest that, whereas executive control may be closely related to sustained attention, the infrastructure that supports alerting is distinct and can be measured at rest. In the future, CPM may be applied to elucidate additional independent components of attention and relationships between the functional brain networks that predict them.

The Evidence Driven Dosimetric Constraints From Outcome Analysis of H&N Patients’ Data from NRG Oncology RTOG 0522 Trial

Clinical trial quality assurance (QA) programs have been shown to be vital in ensuring that inter-institutional differences do not dilute trial results. Most RTOG clinical trials have a radiation therapy quality assurance (RTQA) process that evaluates RT parameters (contour, dose distribution) retrospectively or prospectively. This research is to investigate the impact of radiation treatment clinical trial quality assurance (RTQA) on treatment outcome in a phase III trial for advanced head and neck cancer with development of a predictive model incorporating RTQA parameters. RTQA for RTOG 0522 included initial institution credentialing of RT technologies and individual RT case reviews. The case review processes (include contour and dosimetry evaluations) are performed by radiation oncology and radiation physics co-chairs. RTQA grades (per-protocol, variation acceptable, and deviation unacceptable) are given to contouring of target volume (TV), organ at risk (OAR) and dose-volume coverage of targets as defined in the protocol. The relationship between RTQA parameters and treatment outcome are analyzed with predictive modeling. Logistic regression model is established that includes RTQA parameters, age, T-stage, equivalent dose in fractions of 2 Gy (EQD2), tumor location, and hemoglobin levels. This model is compared to the one without incorporating RTQA parameters. The model prediction accuracy is validated by cross-validation and C-statistical methods. The contour (TV and OAR) quality grades did not correlate with two-year overall survival. The target dose-volume quality grade is slightly related to overall survival (P = 0.094), and the correlation test shows that target dose-volume quality grade is an independent predictive factor. The target contour quality grade (P = 0.019) and target dose-volume quality grade (P = 0.008) are related to local recurrence, while target dose-volume quality grade (P = 0.034) is related to distant metastasis. The model incorporating RTQA parameters shows that the two-year survival ratio is 86.2%, 83.6%, and 80.6% for the three scores of target dose-volume quality of per-protocol, variation acceptable, and deviation unacceptable. The area under the curve (AUC) indicator is 0.737 and 0.733 for the overall survival model with RTQA parameters and without RTQA parameters. The results demonstrate that it is feasible to incorporate RTQA parameters into outcome modeling. This capability is of critical importance for evaluating RTQA methods as related to outcome in head and neck cancer.

OA09.07 Individual Isotoxic RT Dose Escalation Based on V20 and Advanced Technologies Benefit Stage III NSCLC Treated with CCRT

RTOG 0617 recommended 60Gy as the standard dose for unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) Is the conclusion true? The phase I/II trial to determine the feasibility and effects of individual isotoxic radiation dose escalation in unresectable stage III NSCLC treated with CCRT based on bilateral lung V20 and advanced technologies was studied. Consecutive patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC were entered in cohorts of eight from March 2006 to May 2009. Patients were assigned to receive concurrent administration of late course accelerated hyperfrationation (LCAHF) intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and chemotherapy. Isotoxic dose escalation was based on V20 and advanced technologies including PET-CT, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and LCAHF IMRT. PET-CT was used to delineate the gross tumor volume. SPECT lung perfusion was applied to define different functional lung regions, which was used to optimize the IMRT plans. Patients with a V20 of 27% as a base level were enrolled into the first cohort. From the second cohort, the V20 further increased to 30%, 33%, 35%, 37%, and so on. The criteria for cessation of dose escalation was defined as more than 25% of patients in the cohort experienced dose limiting toxicity (DLT). To test the power of escalation dose, patients with total radiation dose over 66Gy would be assigned to the higher dose group (HD), while the other patients would be assigned to the standard dose one (SD). Forty patients were enrolled. The maximum tolerated value of V20 was 37% in this study. Nineteen patients entered SD group, while twenty-one in HD. The overall response rate was as high as 80%. Follow-up for all patients ranged from 1 to 112 months with survival patients from 101 to 112 months. The median overall and progression free survivals were 25.0 and 13.0 months, respectively. 1-, 3-, 5- and 8-year overall survival (OS) rates were 72.5%, 22.5%, 17.5%, and 10.0%, respectively. Patients with stage IIIa achieved a longer median OS than those of stage IIIb (31 vs. 21 months, P=0.029). Especially, patients received HD radiotherapy got a significant better OS and local recurrence free survival than those in SD (27, 23 vs. 16, 19 months, P = 0.053, 0.037) without increasing severe toxicity. The protocol is feasible and effective. In the future, the radiation dose escalation for unresectable stage III NSCLC treated with CCRT should be focused on toxicity control and advanced technology application.

MP15-01 CONTEMPORARY ANALYSIS OF MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENTS RELATED TO TREATMENT OF LOCALIZED PROSTATE CANCER

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Throughout the last decade, important changes occurred in the assignment of initial management options for localized prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Specifically, the rate of conservative management (CM) increased and a decline in the use of primary androgen deprivation therapy (PADT) has been observed. We examined the impact of these changes on the annual distribution of Medicare reimbursements. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2008, in Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare-linked database, we identified 155,876 patients with localized PCa. We assessed the median annual Medicare reimbursements trends for each treatment modality (CM, radiation therapy-RT-, radical prostatectomy-RPand PADT) and the trends of each treatment’s contribution to the proportion of the total annual Medicare reimbursement amounts, after adjusting for patient and tumor characteristics. Lowess smoother weighted functions with corresponding 95% confidence interval were used to plot all graphs. Linear regression tested the slope of recorded annual trends. RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2008, RT median reimbursement amounts were the highest ($29,035 to $28,634; p1⁄40.9). RT accounted for 63.3% of the total amounts in 2000 and for 73.6% in 2008 (p<0.001). The median reimbursement amounts for PADT and RP decreased during the study period ($20,645 to $9,992 for PADT; $18,093 to $16,483 for RP; all p 0.002). PADT ranked second on the total amounts between year 2000 (21.6%) and 2005 (12.6%) and third thereafter. RP ranked third on the total amounts between year 2000 (13.3%) and 2005 (10.3%) and second thereafter. The median reimbursement amounts for CM increased from $1,259 in 2000 to $1,712 in 2008 (p<0.001). CM ranked fourth on the total amounts between year 2000 (1.8%) and 2008 (3.4%). The total reimbursement amounts for all four treatment modalities decreased from a maximum of $446,787,109 in 2002 to its lowest amount of $244,601,498 in 2008. CONCLUSIONS: A decline of Medicare reimbursement amounts for treatment of localized PCa was observed between 2000 and 2008. RT Medicare reimbursement amounts represent the major contributor to the total annual reimbursement amounts for management of localized PCa and on an individual basis RT represents the most expensive of all four examined treatment modalities. PADT, RP and CM only contribute to a fraction of the total amounts. These facts and figures related to reimbursements and cost of localized PCa treatments are important to know at the time of medical decision-making.

Reliability of delirium rating scale (DRS) and delirium rating scale-revised-98 (DRS-R98) using variance-based multivariate modelling

Delirium’s characteristic fluctuation in symptom severity complicates the assessment of test–retest reliability of scales using classical analyses, but application of modelling to longitudinal data offers a new approach. We evaluated test–retest reliability of the delirium rating scale (DRS) and delirium rating scale-revised-98 (DRS-R98), two widely used instruments with high validity and inter-rater reliability. Two existing longitudinal datasets for each scale included DSM-IV criteria for delirium diagnosis and repeated measurements using the DRS or DRS-R98. To estimate the reliability coefficients RT and RΛ for each scale we used a macros provided by Dr. Laenen at http://www.ibiostat.be/software/measurement.asp. For each dataset a linear mixed-effects model was fitted to estimate the variance–covariance parameters. A total of 531 cases with between 4 and 9 measurement points across studies including both delirious and non-delirious patients. Comorbid dementia in the datasets varied from 27% to 55%. Overall RT for the DRS were 0.71 and 0.50 and for DRS-R98 0.75 and 0.84. RΛ values for DRS were 0.99 and 0.98 and for DRS-R98 were 0.92 and 0.96. Individual RT measures for DRS-R98 and DRS across visits within studies showed more range than overall values. Our models found high overall reliability for both scales. Multiple factors impact a scale's reliability values including sample size, repeated measurements, patient population, etc in addition to rater variability.

Detection of Salmonella Enteritidis in Pooled Poultry Environmental Samples Using a Serotype-Specific Real-Time–Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay

While real-time-polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) has been used as a rapid test for detection of Salmonella Enteritidis in recent years, little research has been done to assess the feasibility of pooling poultry environmental samples with a Salmonella Enteritidis-specific RT PCR assay. Therefore the objective of this study was to compare RT PCR Salmonella Enteritidis detection in individual and pooled (in groups of two, three, and four) poultry environmental drag swab samples to traditional cultural methods. The drag swabs were collected from poultry facilities previously confirmed positive for Salmonella Enteritidis and were cultured according to National Poultry Improvement Plan guidelines. Initial, Salmonella Enteritidis-specific RT PCR assay threshold cycle cutoff values of < or = 36, < or = 30, and < or = 28 were evaluated in comparison to culture. The average limit of detection of the RT PCR assay was 2.4 x 10(3) colony-forming units (CFUs)/ml, which corresponded to an average threshold cycle value of 36.6. Before enrichment, samples inoculated with concentrations from 10(2) to 10(5) CFUs/ml were detected by RT PCR, while after enrichment, samples inoculated from 10(0) to 10(5) CFUs/ml were detected by RT PCR. Threshold cycle cutoff values were used in the subsequent field trial from which Salmonella Enteritidis was cultured in 7 of 208 environmental samples (3.4%). Individual samples were 99.0%, 100%, and 100% in agreement with the RT PCR at threshold cycle (C(t)) cutoff values of < or = 36, < or = 30, and < or = 28 respectively. The agreement for pooled samples also followed the same trend with highest agreement at C(t) < or = 28 (pool of 2 = 100.0%, pool of 3 = 100.0%, pool of 4 = 100.0%), midrange agreement at C(t) < or = 30 (pool of 2 = 99.0%, pool of 3 = 100.0%, pool of 4 = 100.0%), and lowest agreement at C(t) < or = 36 (pool of 2 = 98.1%, pool of 3 = 97.1%, pool of 4 = 98.1%). In conclusion, regardless of the level of pooling after tetrathionate enrichment, sensitivity was very good, and results would be comparable to what would have been found with individual culture or individual RT PCR at C(t) < or = 36.

The influence of the prestimulus EEG-vigilance on the reaction time in an auditory go/no-go task

The individual RT of healthy subjects varies considerably over the course of RT tasks. The altering state of wakefulness during the experiment may induce these RT fluctuations. The Vigilance Algorithm Leipzig (VIGALL) allows the automatic classification of vigilance states on the basis of EEG recordings. We investigated the relationship between the prestimulus EEG-vigilance and the varying individual RT. 119 healthy subjects performed a simple auditory go/no-go task while an EEG was recorded simultaneously. VIGALL was used to classify the prestimulus EEG-vigilance stage. Individual mean RTs were calculated for each EEG-vigilance stage. ANOVAs for repeated measurements were computed to examine the vigilance effect on the RT. Preliminary analyses show significant main effects of the EEG-vigilance concerning the main stage analysis (stages A0, A and B). RTs continuously increased from most alert (EEG-stage A0) to drowsy (EEG-stage B). The substage analysis of the EEG-stages A (A1, A2 and A3) and B (B1, B2/3) did not reveal significant differences. The findings suggest that VIGALL accurately classifies the EEG-main stages. As the algorithm has originally been developed for the classification of resting EEGs, further features might be implemented for ensuring the applicability for different types of EEG recordings, e.g. during RT tasks. The monitoring of vigilance fluctuations by means of VIGALL might help reducing the intraindividual variance during neuro-cognitive measurements.

Utility of esophageal stenting for esophageal cancer patients with dysphagia undergoing neoadjuvant therapy.

105 Background: For esophageal cancer patients with dysphagia, symptom relief and maintenance of nutrition remain significant barriers to completion of neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). We hypothesized that esophageal stenting would allow for successful delivery of planned NAT, with improvement in quality of life (QOL) and maintenance of nutrition. Methods: A multi-institution prospective phase II clinical trial examined esophageal cancer patients with dysphagia undergoing NAT. All had a self-expanding polymer esophageal stent (ES) placed at initiation of NAT. Individual chemotherapy and RT regimens were determined via multidisciplinary collaboration. Results: 32 patients were enrolled with dysphagia and potentially resectable esophageal cancers. All had ES placement prior to NAT. Two patients had stent migrations that required replacement. There were no ulcerations or perforations. Significant QOL improvements were noted within a week after ES placement, which persisted throughout NAT. NAT with chemo + RT was planned in 17 patients, of which 12 (71%) received planned dosing. NAT with chemotherapy alone was planned in 15 patients, of which 10 (67%) received planned dosing. Chemotherapy was most commonly 5FU/cisplatin based. 3D conformal RT with high dose photons was used most frequently, with a mean of 97% of the planned RT dose delivered. Among all patients, alterations (n=5, 16%) or cessation (n=5, 16%) of planned NAT regimens were required for treatment-related toxicity or disease progression. One patient required a jejunostomy tube for nutritional maintenance. Conclusions: Esophageal stenting is an effective method of improving QOL and relieving symptoms that allows for successful completion of NAT, with maintenance of performance and nutritional status. [Table: see text]

Sorption of Organic Contaminants by Carbon Nanotubes: Influence of Adsorbed Organic Matter

Sorption of three types of dissolved organic matter (DOM; i.e., humic acid, peptone and alpha-phenylalanine) by a mutiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT40) and sorption of phenanthrene (Phen), naphthalene (Naph), and 1-naphthol (1-Naph) by the original and DOM-coated MWNT40 were examined. Sorption data of Phen, Naph, and 1-Naph by all sorbents were fitted with Freundlich and Polanyi models. MWNT40 had nonlinear isotherms for all DOMs examined. Sorption of DOMs by MWNT40 followed the order peptone > humic acid > alpha-phenylalanine. The humic acid used in this study had much lower sorption for Phen, Naph, and 1-Naph than MWNT40, but its coating did not make striking changes on sorption of these compounds by MWNT40, suggesting that humic acid coating dramatically altered the physical form and surface properties of MWNT40. Peptone coating made the strongest suppression on sorption of Phen, Naph, and 1-Naph by MWNT40 among the three DOMs used, due to its highest sorption on MWNT40, thus causing a great reduction in accessibility of sorption sites. Polanyi modeling results showed that reduction in the maximum volume sorption capacity (Q0) of MWNT40 induced by DOM coating followed the order Phen < Naph < 1-Naph. 1-Naph was less hydrophobic than Phen and Naph but it had much higher sorbed volume (V(m)) than Phen and Naph at individual RT In(S(w)/C(e))/V(s)points for all sorbents. The correlation curve for the Polanyi model was applicable for sorption of aromatic compounds of similar structure by the original and DOM-coated carbon nanotubes.

The Normal Age-Corrected and Reaction Time–Corrected Isopter Derived by Semi-automated Kinetic Perimetry

To determine the increase in isopter extent, resulting from the measurement of, and correction for, individual reaction time (RT; the latency between stimulus presentation and individual patient response), derived under the standardized conditions of semi-automated kinetic perimetry (SKP), and to model the age- and RT-corrected normative isopter values for SKP applicable to any Goldmann stimulus combination. Cross-sectional observational study. Eighty-three healthy participants aged 10 to 80 years (11-12 participants per decade of age). One eye of each participant underwent SKP using the Octopus 101 perimeter (Haag-Streit, Koeniz, Switzerland). Four Goldmann stimulus combinations, III4e at 25 degrees/second, III4e at 5 degrees/second, I3e at 5 degrees/second, and I2e at 2 degrees/second, were presented centripetally (i.e., in a direction toward the center of the bowl) along the 8 cardinal meridia in random order. The local kinetic threshold (LKT) for each stimulus combination along each meridian was corrected for the angular distance traveled during the individual geometric mean RT and was modeled in terms of the covariables stimulus size, stimulus luminance, meridian, and age, and then presented in terms of a graphical reference plot. The variation of the LKT with RT, stimulus combination, meridian, and age. The median of the individual geometric mean RTs initially decreased and then increased with increase in age and was greater for stimulus combinations producing small isopters compared with those generating large isopters. Reaction time-corrected LKTs were fitted optimally by a multiple regression model (R2 = 0.86). For large (> or =size III) and intense (4e) stimuli, RT-corrected LKTs were independent of age and mainly were influenced by instrument- and facial anatomy-related characteristics. Reaction time-corrected LKTs, particularly for small (< or = size II) stimuli, exhibited a clear age dependence above the age of 40 years particularly for reduced luminance stimuli (< or = 2e), with an approximate reduction in angular extent of 2 degrees per decade for the I1e stimulus. The development of a graphical reference plot with mean isopters and accompanying reference intervals for age- and RT-corrected SKP, applicable to any individual patient, should facilitate the evaluation of clinical data and the implementation of a computerized alternative to manual Goldmann kinetic perimetry.

Enhancing substance abuse treatment engagement in incarcerated adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether motivational interviewing (MI), compared with an attention control condition (relaxation training [RT]) enhances substance abuse treatment engagement in incarcerated adolescents. At the start of incarceration, adolescents were randomly assigned to individually administered MI or RT. Subsequently, therapists and adolescents (N = 130) rated degree of adolescent participation in the facility's standard care group-based treatments targeting crime and substance use. All adolescents received the facility standard care treatment after their individual MI or RT session. MI statistically significantly mitigated negative substance abuse treatment engagement. Other indicators of treatment engagement were in the expected direction; however, effect sizes were small and nonsignificant. These findings are significant, given concerns regarding the deleterious effects of treating delinquent adolescents in groups and the potential for adolescents to reinforce each other's negative behavior, which in turn may lead to escalated substance use and other delinquent behaviors after release.

A note on the sampling properties of the Vincentizing (quantile averaging) procedure

To assess the effect of a manipulation on a response time distribution, psychologists often use Vincentizing or quantile averaging to construct group or “average” distributions. We provide a theorem characterizing the large sample properties of the averaged quantiles when the individual RT distributions all belong to the same location-scale family. We then apply the theorem to estimating parameters for the quantile-averaged distributions. From the theorem, it is shown that parameters of the group distribution can be estimated by generalized least squares. This method provides accurate estimates of standard errors of parameters and can therefore be used in formal inference. The method is benchmarked in a small simulation study against both a maximum likelihood method and an ordinary least-squares method. Generalized least squares essentially is the only method based on the averaged quantiles that is both unbiased and provides accurate estimates of parameter standard errors. It is also proved that for location-scale families, performing generalized least squares on quantile averages is formally equivalent to averaging parameter estimates from generalized least squares performed on individuals. A limitation on the method is that individual RT distributions must be members of the same location-scale family.

A note on the sampling properties of the Vincentizing (quantile averaging) procedure

To assess the effect of a manipulation on a response time distribution, psychologists often use Vincentizing or quantile averaging to construct group or “average” distributions. We provide a theorem characterizing the large sample properties of the averaged quantiles when the individual RT distributions all belong to the same location-scale family. We then apply the theorem to estimating parameters for the quantile-averaged distributions. From the theorem, it is shown that parameters of the group distribution can be estimated by generalized least squares. This method provides accurate estimates of standard errors of parameters and can therefore be used in formal inference. The method is benchmarked in a small simulation study against both a maximum likelihood method and an ordinary least-squares method. Generalized least squares essentially is the only method based on the averaged quantiles that is both unbiased and provides accurate estimates of parameter standard errors. It is also proved that for location-scale families, performing generalized least squares on quantile averages is formally equivalent to averaging parameter estimates from generalized least squares performed on individuals. A limitation on the method is that individual RT distributions must be members of the same location-scale family.