BACKGROUND:Identifying the brain stimulation target is fundamental for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Currently, this process is time-consuming and heavily dependent on the operator's expertise. Here, we present a proof-of-principle study evaluating a deep learning-based approach that leverages structural brain connectivity to support stimulation site prediction and real-time cortical excitability mapping during neuronavigation. NEW METHOD:We introduce a tractography-guided method for TMS hotspot identification based on subject-specific structural connectivity. Diffusion MRI-derived tractography features are combined with machine learning to predict, within individual subjects, cortical regions with high stimulation responsiveness. This approach enables data-driven, individualized target selection. Cortical prediction of responsive cortical areas were tested by comparing real motor mapping data with prediction from machine learning algorithms. RESULTS:Tractography-derived connectivity features and distal myographic responses were used to train four neural network models across five subjects. Inputs were varied using tractography alone, coil coordinates alone, or hybrid combinations. In most subjects, hybrid models integrating coil coordinates and fiber information showed numerically similar F1 scores and accuracies to unimodal models, with small descriptive performance differences between architectures. Substantial inter-subject variability limits the ability to draw definite conclusions regarding model accuracies, but multimodal models showed greater spatial congruence between experimentally derived motor maps and predicted regions of highest responsiveness in the tested subject. CONCLUSION:This approach may be extended to other brain regions and functional domains beyond the motor cortex. Despite promising feasibility, substantial inter-subject variability highlights the need for larger studies and more robust training data.

An interactive web dashboard was developed to present the progress and enable remote interaction of robotic-navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation experimental sessions using the open-source InVesalius Neuronavigator. The interface was developed using the niceGUI Python package and serves as a base for controlling, monitoring and documenting experimental sessions. The interface layout was designed to convey information about the robotic neuronavigation system. Features such as real-time electromyographic data fetching, coil displacement and rotation monitoring, navigation with magnetic resonance image, force sensor monitoring, brain target creation and metadata editing were implemented. Usefulness of each tool is discussed for impact and future development.

Objective: Electric-field orientation is crucial for optimizing neuronal excitation in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Yet, the stimulus orientation effects on short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) are poorly understood due to technical challenges in manipulating the TMS-induced stimulus orientation within milliseconds. We aimed to assess the orientation sensitivity of SICI and ICF paradigms and identify optimal orientations for motor evoked potential (MEP) facilitation and suppression. Methods: We applied paired-pulse multi-channel TMS to 12 healthy subjects with conditioning and test stimuli in the same, opposite, and perpendicular orientations to each other at four interstimulus intervals (ISI) to generate refractoriness, SICI, and ICF. Results: MEP modulation was affected by the conditioning- and test-stimulus orientation, being strongest when both pulses were in the same direction. MEP modulation with 2.5-ms and 6.0-ms ISIs were more sensitive to orientation changes than 0.5- and 8.0-ms ISIs. Conclusion: SICI and ICF orientation sensitivity exhibit a complex dependence on the conditioning stimulus orientation, which might be explained by anatomical and morphological arrangements of inhibitory and excitatory neuronal populations. Significance: Distinct mechanisms mediating SICI and ICF are sensitive to stimulus orientation at specific ISIs, describing a structural-functional relationship that maximizes each effect at the cortical level.

Postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) is an adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. Some mastectomized women undergoing PMRT can have breast reconstruction with expander implant reconstruction. However, the expander implant contains a magnetic metal port for its inflation, and in patients with a high risk of recurrence, the PMRT is performed before the expander replacement. The difficulties in radiation treatment near high-Z metals are mainly due to dose alterations around them. Therefore, this study proposes using a realistic breast phantom and gel dosimetry to investigate the effects of the metallic parts of the expandable prosthesis on the 3D delivery of the treatment. A conformal radiation treatment was planned and delivered to the gel phantom with the metal port. MAGIC-f gel was used with magnetic resonance imaging for dose assessment. The treatment plan dose distribution was compared to the measured dose distribution by gamma analysis (3%/3 mm/15% threshold). A significant gamma fail region was found near the metal port, corresponding to a dose reduction of approximately 5%. This underdose is within the tolerance threshold for dose heterogeneity established by the International Commission on Radiation Units (ICRU), but should be considered when treating these patients.

1. Abstract Background Multi-locus TMS (mTMS) enables precise electronic control of brain stimulation targeting, eliminating the need for physical coil movement. However, with a small number of coils, the stimulation area is constrained, and manually handling the coil array is cumbersome. Combining electronic mTMS targeting with robotics will enable automated, user-independent, and precise brain stimulation protocols. Objective Characterizing an open-source electronic–robotic mTMS platform for rapid and accurate brain stimulation targeting. Methods We developed an automated robotic mTMS positioning platform. The accuracy of the system was quantified with a TMS characterizer that measures the TMS-induced electric field on a spherical cortex model. We used a 5-coil mTMS device equipped with a set of five coils coupled to a collaborative robot. The induced electric-field distortion generated by robot coupling was evaluated for each coil. We compared the accuracy of robotic–electronic targeting by repositioning the mTMS coil set with the robotic and the conventional manual positioning. Results Our collaborative robot-based system offers submillimeter precision and autonomy in positioning mTMS coil sets. The electronic–robotic mTMS platform was approximately 1.8 mm and 1.0° more accurate than the conventional manual positioning. Integrating robotics and mTMS automates brain stimulation procedures, resulting in minimal reliance on user expertise and subjective analysis. Conclusion Our open-source platform combining rapid mTMS targeting with robotic precision enhances the safety and reproducibility of brain stimulation techniques, enabling more efficient and reliable outcomes than previous techniques.

Here we used Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) dating methods on seven fossil specimens to update the temporal and geographic distributions of the Quaternary proboscidean Notiomastodon platensis Ameghino 1888, from C & oacute;rdoba Province, Argentina. While abundant in the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene South American fossil record, the knowledge about the Early-Middle Pleistocene records of this proboscidean is scarce due to limited numeric datings data. ESR results reveal numeric ages ranging from 560 +/- 40 to 47 +/- 7 ka, placing the species within the Ensenadan to Lujanian stages of the Pleistocene (Chibanian to Late Pleistocene). The Ensenadan record represents the oldest numeric age of Notiomastodon platensis in South America. The study highlights the importance of numeric dating in addressing the geochronological data gap for South American megafauna and reveals the multiple environments that Notiomastodon platensis inhabited during Quaternary, suggesting slow vertical migrations in response to climatic changes, with mountainous regions of Cordoba province serving as refuges. The need for further numeric datings is emphasized in this study, to improve our understanding of the evolutionary history and extinction drivers of South American proboscideans during the Quaternary. (c) 2025 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

Ionizing radiation plays a fundamental role in healthcare, being used in medical diagnosis, treatment, and other non-clinical applications. Quality control is essential to ensure the correct administration of radiation doses and minimize risks. It should be carried out through independent internal and external audits, such as postal dosimetry. This study aimed to develop a practical and cost-effective dosimetry system using Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) with alanine, a versatile dosimeter for high-dose applications. Dosimeters were fabricated from a mixture of 90 % L-alanine powder and 10 % of Teflon®, compacted into cylindrical pellets. A 3D-printed cylindrical phantom was designed to accommodate the dosimeters and simulate irradiation conditions for a blood irradiator model (Gammacell 3000) and a radiotherapy treatment. Calibration was performed using a Cesium-137 irradiator and a clinical linear accelerator. Through pilot tests, the phantom successfully allowed to obtained a dose map produced by the blood irradiator, ensuring compliance with regulatory limits for blood irradiation. For radiotherapy, the dosimetry system effectively evaluated the dose delivery in low-dose gradient regions with less than 5 % deviation, but showed limitations in high-gradient areas, reaching nearly 30 % deviation. The 3D-printed phantom proved to be a practical, adaptable, and cost-effective tool for quality control in irradiation procedures, with potential application in postal dosimetry.

Dear Editor, to improve the safety and efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, we need to embrace automation and precise targeting of cortical structures. Multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) enables the stimulation of nearby cortical regions electronically, without physically moving the coil set [1Koponen L.M. Nieminen J.O. Ilmoniemi R.J. Multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation—theory and implementation.Brain Stimul. 2018; 11: 849-855https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2018.03.014Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (65) Google Scholar, 2Nieminen J.O. Sinisalo H. Souza V.H. Malmi M. Yuryev M. Tervo A.E. et al.Multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation system for electronically targeted brain stimulation.Brain Stimul. 2022; 15: 116-124https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2021.11.014Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (31) Google Scholar, 3Souza V.H. Nieminen J.O. Tugin S. Koponen L.M. Baffa O. Ilmoniemi R.J. TMS with fast and accurate electronic control: measuring the orientation sensitivity of corticomotor pathways.Brain Stimul. 2022; 15: 306-315https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2022.01.009Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (16) Google Scholar]. This technology opens the possibility to engage with local cortical networks at millisecond and millimeter scales and to create automated closed-loop mapping protocols [[4]Tervo A.E. Metsomaa J. Nieminen J.O. Sarvas J. Ilmoniemi R.J. Automated search of stimulation targets with closed-loop transcranial magnetic stimulation.Neuroimage. 2020; 117082https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117082Crossref Scopus (26) Google Scholar,[5]Rösch J. Emanuel Vetter D. Baldassarre A. Souza V.H. Lioumis P. Roine T. et al.Individualized treatment of motor stroke: a perspective on open-loop, closed-loop and adaptive closed-loop brain state-dependent TMS.Clin Neurophysiol. 2023; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2023.10.004Crossref Scopus (2) Google Scholar]. However, existing mTMS coil sets have two major issues: a limited range for electronic targeting (30-mm diameter region) and heavy construction (approximately 5 kg for a 5-coil set), mainly due to cabling. Therefore, the manual placement of the coil set on the scalp is slow and physically demanding, requiring highly trained personnel to manipulate the coil sets. Collaborative robots improve the reproducibility and accuracy of TMS coil placements [[6]Goetz S.M. Kozyrkov I.C. Luber B. Lisanby S.H. Murphy D.L.K. Grill W.M. et al.Accuracy of robotic coil positioning during transcranial magnetic stimulation.J Neural Eng. 2019; 16054003https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ab2953Crossref Scopus (18) Google Scholar,[7]Harquel S. Bacle T. Beynel L. Marendaz C. Chauvin A. David O. Mapping dynamical properties of cortical microcircuits using robotized TMS and EEG: towards functional cytoarchitectonics.Neuroimage. 2016; 135: 115-124https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.05.009Crossref PubMed Scopus (32) Google Scholar]; they can compensate automatically for patients' head movements and can be flexibly programmed to be guided by suitable algorithms. Yet, traditional robotized TMS systems can shift the stimulation focus only physically and are limited by robot velocities that are safe for human applications to avoid harmful collisions (around 0.2 m/s) [[8]Kantelhardt S.R. Fadini T. Finke M. Kallenberg K. Siemerkus J. Bockermann V. et al.Robot-assisted image-guided transcranial magnetic stimulation for somatotopic mapping of the motor cortex: a clinical pilot study.Acta Neurochir. 2010; 152: 333-343https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-009-0565-1Crossref PubMed Scopus (46) Google Scholar]. Furthermore, commercial robotic TMS solutions rely on closed-source platforms associated with a specific robotic arm, which can be costly and difficult to implement without the necessary flexibility for researchers to incorporate novel algorithms on demand. We developed an open-source platform combining rapid mTMS electronic targeting with accurate and autonomous robotic handling. The robot control module was developed in Python 3.11 and designed to operate with the open-source neuronavigation software InVesalius [[9]Souza V.H. Matsuda R.H. Peres A.S.C. Amorim P.H.J. Moraes T.F. Silva J.V.L. et al.Development and characterization of the InVesalius Navigator software for navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation.J Neurosci Methods. 2018; 309: 109-120https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2018.08.023Crossref PubMed Scopus (18) Google Scholar]. The transformation matrix between the robot and InVesalius is computed by a closed-form solution, described in Supplementary Material S1. For safe robot operation, we implemented five software layers and a force and torque sensor control, described in S2. The algorithm for robotized TMS coil positioning, defined as the robot control module, is freely available at https://github.com/biomaglab/tms-robot-control. We developed the control platform with an Elfin E5 collaborative robot (Han's Robot Co Ltd, China), which has 6 joints, a 5-kg payload, an 80-cm maximum operation range, and a repeatability accuracy of ±0.05 mm. The developed robot control module can be adapted to any commercial collaborative robot thanks to the software's modular architecture. The robotic TMS coil positioning and head movement compensation were implemented with a closed-loop control, as illustrated in Fig. 1a. The algorithm defines the robot's trajectory to move the coil to the desired target. If the patient moves beyond the threshold specified in InVesalius (default is 2 mm and 2°), the control system can detect the disturbance and adjust for head movements by utilizing the targeting feedback from the neuronavigation positioning guide. The robot-control equations are described in S3. We characterized the positioning stability of our robotic mTMS system, described in S4. Also, we characterized the accuracy of the produced induced electric field by the system [[10]Matsuda R.H. Souza V.H. Marchetti T. Cruz ASD La Kahilakoski O.-P. Laine M. et al.Characterizing an electronic-robotic targeting platform for precise and fast brain stimulation with multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation.BioRxiv. 2024; 2024 (12)584601https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.12.584601Crossref Google Scholar]. To demonstrate the combination of robotized transducer placement with the mTMS electronic targeting, we performed a motor mapping experiment with the experimental setup shown in Fig. 1b. Three healthy volunteers (age range: 32–35 years) with no reported neurological disorder participated in this study, which was conducted at the ConnectToBrain Laboratory at Aalto University. The study was approved by the local ethics committee in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki; all participants gave informed consent prior to the experimental procedure. Neuronavigation was performed with InVesalius connected to eight Flex13 tracking cameras (OptiTrack, NaturalPoint, Inc., USA) installed in the laboratory room. The tracking cameras were positioned such that the head and coil navigation markers were visible for any mTMS coil array position. T1-weighted MRIs (volumetric gradient echo sequence; voxel size 1×1 × 1 mm3; 240×240×240 acquisition matrix) were acquired in a Skyra 3T scanner (Siemens Healthcare, Germany). Electromyography (EMG) data were recorded from the right abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscle with a NeurOne amplifier (24-bit resolution, 5-kHz sampling frequency; Bittium Biosignals Ltd., Finland) and circular surface electrodes (24-mm diameter; Spes Medica, Italy) placed on a belly–tendon montage [[11]Cavalcanti Garcia M.A. Lindolfo-Almas J. Hiroshi Matsuda R. Labiapari Pinto V. Aparecida Nogueira-Campos A. Hugo Souza V. The surface electrode placement determines the magnitude of motor potential evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation.Biomed Signal Process Control. 2023; 84104781https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bspc.2023.104781Crossref Scopus (0) Google Scholar]. The hotspot coil placement was defined as the placement on the scalp resulting in the highest MEP amplitudes. On the hotspot, we measured the resting motor threshold (RMT) as the minimum intensity needed to elicit MEPs in the APB larger than 50 μV peak-to-peak in at least five out of ten pulses [[12]Conforto A.B. Z'Graggen W.J. Kohl A.S. Rösler K.M. Kaelin-Lang A. Impact of coil position and electrophysiological monitoring on determination of motor thresholds to transcranial magnetic stimulation.Clin Neurophysiol. 2004; 115: 812-819https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2003.11.010Crossref PubMed Scopus (88) Google Scholar,[13]Kammer T. Beck S. Thielscher A. Laubis-Herrmann U. Topka H. Motor thresholds in humans: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study comparing different pulse waveforms, current directions and stimulator types.Clin Neurophysiol. 2001; 112: 250-258https://doi.org/10.1016/s1388-2457(00)00513-7Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar]. Based on the hotspot, we created three physical targets: 1) the hotspot, 2) on the medial and 3) lateral side along the left precentral gyrus. Then, we created 3 × 3 square grids of brain targets for the three targets, resulting in a total of 27 brain targets. Then, the robot control module autonomously positioned the mTMS transducer on each of the physical targets and applied five single mTMS pulses, with a randomized interstimulus interval of 2–4 s for each brain target. The stimulation intensity was set at 110% of the RMT. The motor maps were generated with the average MEP peak-to-peak amplitude across the five pulses and interpolated with a gaussian interpolation method with 4-mm radius and 3-mm sharpness. Fig. 1c shows the resulting motor maps obtained with the robotized mTMS for three volunteers. We leverage the high accuracy and autonomous operation of the collaborative robot to enable effortless and accurate positioning of mTMS coil sets. Our robotized-electronic system attains higher accuracy than manual positioning and exhibits stability and accuracy comparable with existing robotized TMS systems [[10]Matsuda R.H. Souza V.H. Marchetti T. Cruz ASD La Kahilakoski O.-P. Laine M. et al.Characterizing an electronic-robotic targeting platform for precise and fast brain stimulation with multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation.BioRxiv. 2024; 2024 (12)584601https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.12.584601Crossref Google Scholar,[14]Zorn L. Renaud P. Bayle B. Goffin L. Lebossé C. de Mathelin M. et al.Design and evaluation of a robotic system for transcranial magnetic stimulation.IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2012; 59: 805-815https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2011.2179938Crossref Scopus (36) Google Scholar,[15]Shin H. Jeong H. Ryu W. Lee G. Lee J. Kim D. et al.Robotic transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of depression: a pilot study.Sci Rep. 2023; 13: 1-11https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41044-1Crossref Scopus (2) Google Scholar]. The robot control allows hands-free placement of mTMS coil arrays on a target location with real-time and automatic compensation for head movements. The robotic–electronic targeting enables the automation of mTMS protocols, such as hotspot hunting and motor mapping with closed-loop algorithms with minimal dependency on user experience and subjective analysis [[4]Tervo A.E. Metsomaa J. Nieminen J.O. Sarvas J. Ilmoniemi R.J. Automated search of stimulation targets with closed-loop transcranial magnetic stimulation.Neuroimage. 2020; 117082https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117082Crossref Scopus (26) Google Scholar,[16]Nieminen A.E. Nieminen J.O. Stenroos M. Novikov P. Nazarova M. Vaalto S. et al.Accuracy and precision of navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation.J Neural Eng. 2022; 19https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/aca71aCrossref Scopus (14) Google Scholar]. Our open-source platform for combined electronic–robotic applications is an important step in increasing the safety, accuracy, and reproducibility of TMS procedures. This platform offers new prospects to create closed-loop [[17]Weise K. Numssen O. Kalloch B. Zier A.L. Thielscher A. Haueisen J. et al.Precise motor mapping with transcranial magnetic stimulation.Nat Protoc. 2023; 18: 293-318https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-022-00776-6Crossref PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar,[18]Harquel S. Diard J. Raffin E. Passera B. Dall'Igna G. Marendaz C. et al.Automatized set-up procedure for transcranial magnetic stimulation protocols.Neuroimage. 2017; 153: 307-318https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.04.001Crossref PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar], operator-independent brain stimulation protocols capable of covering large cortical brain areas, potentially resulting in improved treatments for neurological disorders. This work has received funding from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (grant No. 141056/2018–5), the Academy of Finland (decisions No. 307963 and 349985), and from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 810377, ConnectToBrain). This article was produced as part of the activities of the FAPESP Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center for Neuromathematics (grant No. 2013/07699–0, and 2022/14526–3).

The presence of metallic prostheses in patients undergoing prostate radiotherapy treatment can lead to scattered doses, compromising treatment reproducibility. This study aims to assess doses in the Planning Target Volume (PTV) and surrounding areas using a water phantom containing pelvic bones and bilateral metallic prostheses. Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) with optimization tools avoiding input dose to the prosthesis was employed. Experimental verification utilized a modified Fricke xylenol orange gel dosimeter (FXO-f) in a 63 mm diameter, 100 mm height cylinder (310 ml volume) for PTV dose checks, and alanine dosimeters for assessing doses in the PTV vicinity and near metallic prostheses. Evaluating doses near prostheses is vital as post-radiotherapy prosthesis loosening has been speculated, possibly linked to overexposure. Gamma evaluation with FXO-f dosimeter yielded approved gamma indices in 97.7% of data points versus TPS, indicating good agreement with linear accelerator-reproduced results. Alanine dosimeter results ranged between (1.0±0.3), (1.2±0.3), (1.4±0.3), and (2.0±0.3) Gy, which are comparable to TPS-calculated doses within the dosimeter volume. This result indicates that the heterogeneity correction applied by the Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm used for dose calculation and the avoidance tool employed in the treatment planning could addressed the problem. In summary, this study demonstrates that the treatment technique entering fields towards prostheses, with optimization tools to produce the desirable results.

We have synthesized Er3+,Yb3+ co-doped lanthanum niobate samples by a sol-gel route and investigated their luminescent properties under different excitation sources aiming at applications in Biophotonics. The samples were crystalline and composed primarily of orthorhombic La3NbO7 with secondary formation of monoclinic LaNbO4. We verified NIR-to-visible upconversion with the naked eye under excitation at 980 and 1550 nm; emission in the green and red regions prevailed, respectively. X-ray excitation revealed prevalent emission in the blue region, attributed to the luminescence of NbO43- groups in the lattice, as well as Er3+ emissions in the visible range. All the samples presented high relative thermal sensitivity (above 1.32 % K- 1) and repeatability above 97 % between 243 and 293 K. Based on the investigated luminescent properties, the samples prepared herein are versatile materials with a wide range of potential applications as scintillators, optical markers, energy converters for photodynamic therapy, and nanothermometers.

Electrochemical oxidation is a promising approach for developing viable alternatives to treat polluted waters and effluents from various sources, including industrial and domestic wastewater. Since azo dyes represent an important part of the dyes used in the textile industries and because they are toxic and difficult to be treated by conventional methods, in this study, we investigate the electrodegradation of the azo dye Disperse Yellow 3 (DY3) on a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode. Byproducts are monitored by mass spectrometry and the electrogenerated hydroxyl and sulfate free radicals are analyzed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). Hydroxyl radical formation during the electrolysis in nitrate medium is identified by EPR technique whereas in the sulfate medium, sulfate radical is identified in addition to hydroxyl radicals. The use of different electrolysis conditions allows confirming the ability of the electrochemical method to degrade the azo dye using BDD electrodes. The catalytic effectiveness for the DY3 electrodegradation in the presence of sulfate is around 8 times more efficient than in the presence of pure nitrate solution, which is attributed to the sulfate radical formation that largely influences the BDD electroactivity, accelerating degradation.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between the three-dimensional gamma index (3DGI) results and its clinical significance, proposing a correlation between changes in dose values in the dose-volume histogram (DVH) of the evaluated structures and 3DGI percentages of approval. In this study, we created 30 plans by including 1 mm displacement errors in the lateral, vertical, and longitudinal axes of each table, and compared them to a simulated, error-free treatment plan for prostate cancer. The plans were made in a commercial treatment planning system, using 6MV Varian 120-leaf multileaf collimators (MLC) linear accelerators and intensity modulated radiation therapy sliding window technique. We used a calculation algorithm-based MATLAB programming to evaluate the 3DGI analysis of fluence maps. The acceptance criteria were 3%/2 mm, 10% dose threshold, and 95% gamma passing rate. We compared 3DGI results with differences in structures DVH. DVH metrics versus 3DGI analysis showed a correlation between the percentage of point’s approval and planning target volume (PTV) coverage, presenting a degree of agreement of 0.85%, 0.96%, and 0.94% in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical axes, respectively. In summary, it was possible to establish a linear relationship between the percentage of points approved in the 3DGI analysis and the PTV dose. A similar behavior was also observed in bladder and rectum DVH, but for these structures, the relationship was not the same in the three displaced axes.

Building materials are susceptible to fungus attack, leading to structural and aesthetic problems. Nanotechnology has enabled the development of innovative products with unique properties, including antimicrobial capabilities. Although the antimicrobial potential of AgNPs is already known, research on the application of AgNPs in cementitious materials and the behavior in prevention of fungal biofilm formation are still an extremely limited topic. Specifically, against the fungi presented in this paper there are no reports. In this work, two types of composites were formulated using AgNPs (108 μg/mL and 54 μg/mL) and tested against Aspergillus and Fusarium biofilms, fungi causing losses during grain storage. The AgNPs composites showed strong antifungal capacity, reaching up to 99% reduction of Fusarium and 57% of Aspergillus biofilms. The reduction in the amount of Fusarium biofilm (AgNPs 108 μg/mL) is proven by SEM images. No Ag leaching and interference in the mechanical properties of 54 μg/mL mortar were observed. Thus, a promising solution is presented for applications in agribusiness. And also, with a small 6.22% increase in cost, this innovative mortar can contribute to mitigate post-harvest losses caused by fungal contamination. Its significant role in preserving the integrity and quality of stored grains contributes significantly to food security and sustainability.

Magnetic nanoparticles, such as magnetite (Fe3O4), exhibit superparamagnetic properties below 15 nm at room temperature. They are being explored for medical applications, and the coprecipitation technique is preferred for cost-effective production. This study investigates the impact of synthesis temperature on the nanoparticles' physicochemical characteristics. Two types of magnetic analysis were conducted. Samples T 40, T 50, and T 60 displayed superparamagnetic behavior, as evidenced by the magnetization curves. The experiments verified the development of magnetic nanoparticles with an average diameter of approximately dozens of nanometers, as determined by various measurement methods such as XDR, Raman, and TEM. Raman spectroscopy showed the characteristic bands of the magnetite phase at 319, 364, 499, and 680 cm−1. This was confirmed in the second analysis with the ZFC-FC curves, which showed that the samples' blocking temperatures were below ambient temperature. ZFC-FC curves revealed a similar magnetization of about 30 emu/g when applying a magnetic field of 5 kOe.

Ao longo do tempo, diferentes estímulos, tais como visual, sonoro, químico, físico, entre outros, foram empregados para investigar as respostas neurológicas, com o objetivo de decifrar os mecanismos subjacentes ao funcionamento cerebral. As técnicas de estimulação cerebral não invasivas vêm ganhando espaço tanto no aspecto de estratégias terapêuticas para distúrbios neuronais como ferramenta para aumentar a nossa compreensão acerca do cérebro humano. O intuito deste artigo de revisão é fornecer uma introdução à compreensão de três modalidades, sendo elas a estimulação magnética transcraniana, a estimulação elétrica transcraniana e o ultrassom focalizado de baixa intensidade. Esses métodos, ao explorar campos magnéticos, correntes elétricas e ondas ultrassônicas, oferecem novas perspectivas para a compreensão e intervenção nas funções cerebrais, destacando-se como potenciais ferramentas tanto para avanços científicos quanto para aplicações clínicas na manipulação cerebral, principalmente com o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias. Ao longo do texto, também são abordados os métodos de registro das respostas cerebrais provocadas por essas técnicas.