Resilience has become an important concept in the fields of emergency and disaster management. Despite the increased use of resilience in the academic and public policy arenas, the intellectual ...topography of this subject as it relates to emergency and disaster management contexts remains under-investigated. This article provides a snapshot of the intellectual structure of resilience studies. Using bibliometric data collected from 20 emergency and disaster management journals, this article argues that the interdisciplinary nature of resilience research comes from its historical roots. The findings also demonstrate that resilience research in the emergency and disaster management fields is organised into three primary clusters: environmental and ecological issues, emergency and disaster management, and public policy and administration. The article concludes with implications for policymakers, as well as recommendations for future research.
We formulate a theory of quantum fields underpinned solely by the full geometric algebra structure generated by the vector space of spacetime. A modified dynamical equation of a field with associated ...background field potentials, distinct from Dirac’s equation, is developed and corrects the inertial potential that acts on the field. A discrete wavenumber spectrum with a possible correlation to the mass spectrum of elementary particles is obtained, and explicit expressions are derived. The formulation is mathematically driven and constitutes what we refer to as the primal field quantization postulate. While manifestly a relativistic quantum field theory, our formulation may provide a natural account of mass hierarchy and family generation. A fourth family of elementary particles is predicted, indicating that lepton and quark oscillations across generation members, as well as quantum decay processes and fluctuations, may need modifying.
Purpose
This consensus statement from the Breast Cancer Working Group of the German Society for Radiation Oncology (DEGRO) aims to define practical guidelines for accelerated partial-breast ...irradiation (APBI).
Methods
Recent recommendations for relevant aspects of APBI were summarized and a panel of experts reviewed all the relevant literature. Panel members of the DEGRO experts participated in a series of conferences, supplemented their clinical experience, performed a literature review, and formulated recommendations for implementing APBI in clinical routine, focusing on patient selection, target definition, and treatment technique.
Results
Appropriate patient selection, target definition for different APBI techniques, and basic rules for appropriate APBI techniques for clinical routine outside of clinical trials are described. Detailed recommendations for APBI in daily practice, including dose constraints, are given.
Conclusion
Guidelines are mandatory to assure optimal results of APBI using different techniques.
Nanocolloids consisting of a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) doped with different concentrations (0.10 and 0.50 wt.%) of surface treated gold nanoparticles (GNPs) differing in size (1.77, 5.5 nm) ...are prepared and characterised. The effects of doping on the clearing temperatures as well as electro-optic and dielectric parameters of a FLC mixture are presented. The clearing temperatures remain invariant with doping. A remarkable increase in the spontaneous polarisation is noticed due to the addition of the GNPs with chiral monolayer capping. Tilt angle and switching time, at least in their tendency, become slightly reduced and increased, respectively. Depending on the size of the nanoparticles, surface plasmon resonance is observed to be slightly increased by increasing the surface. In addition, a small change in localised electric field is found upon doping. The increase in the dielectric permittivity and the dielectric strength is observed and attributed to the parallel coupling between the dipoles of functionalised GNPs, induced by external electric field, and the vector of the spontaneous polarisation of the FLC matrix. A decrease in relaxation frequency is observed. A substantial increment of one order in the dc conductivity is also observed for the nanocolloids.
It is well established that incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) in the structure of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) leads to a decrease in their electrooptic response time. Several approaches ...have been suggested to explain this effect (decrease in rotational viscosity of FLCs, ions enhanced localised electric field, dipole-dipole interaction among NPs and FLC molecules, FLC ordering). In this article, we will report the role of the voltage divider formed by the structural elements of a FLC cell based on ferroelectric liquid crystal/gold nanospheres (FLC/GNSs) dispersion in enhancement of the switching time. Using the impedance spectroscopic measurements, it was demonstrated that the dispersing of GNSs leads to the increase in the voltage drop on FLC/GNSs layer in comparison with the pristine FLC one. Consequently, the electrooptic response time of the FLC/GNSs cell is faster than that of the pristine one. However, the rotational viscosity of the FLC does not depend on the presence of the GNSs.
A recently developed technique for dilution of the naturally high protein packing density in isolated grana membranes was applied to study the dependence of the light harvesting efficiency of ...photosystem (PS) II on macromolecular crowding. Slight dilution of the protein packing from 80% area fraction to the value found in intact grana thylakoids (70%) leads to an improved functionality of PSII (increased antenna size, enhanced connectivity between reaction centers). Further dilution induces a functional disconnection of light-harvesting complex (LHC) II from PSII. It is concluded that efficient light harvesting by PSII requires an optimal protein packing density in grana membranes that is close to 70%. We hypothesize that the decreased efficiency in overcrowded isolated grana thylakoids is caused by excited state quenching in LHCII, which has previously been correlated with neoxanthin distortion. Resonance Raman spectroscopy confirms this increase in neoxanthin distortion in overcrowded grana as compared with intact thylakoids. Furthermore, analysis of the changes in the antenna size in highly diluted membranes indicates a lipid-induced dissociation of up to two trimeric LHCII from PSII, leaving one trimer connected. This observation supports a hierarchy of LHCII-binding sites on PSII.
Background and purpose
The aim of the present paper is to update the practical guidelines for postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy of breast cancer published in 2007 by the breast cancer expert panel ...of the German Society for Radiooncology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Radioonkologie, DEGRO). The present recommendations are based on a revision of the German interdisciplinary S-3 guidelines published in July 2012.
Methods
A comprehensive survey of the literature concerning radiotherapy following breast conserving therapy (BCT) was performed using the search terms “breast cancer”, “radiotherapy”, and “breast conserving therapy”. Data from lately published meta-analyses, recent randomized trials, and guidelines of international breast cancer societies, yielding new aspects compared to 2007, provided the basis for defining recommendations according to the criteria of evidence-based medicine. In addition to the more general statements of the DKG (Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft), this paper addresses indications, target definition, dosage, and technique of radiotherapy of the breast after conservative surgery for invasive breast cancer.
Results
Among numerous reports on the effect of radiotherapy during BCT published since the last recommendations, the recent EBCTCG report builds the largest meta-analysis so far available. In a 15 year follow-up on 10,801 patients, whole breast irradiation (WBI) halves the average annual rate of disease recurrence (RR 0.52, 0.48–0.56) and reduces the annual breast cancer death rate by about one sixth (RR 0.82, 0.75–0.90), with a similar proportional, but different absolute benefit in prognostic subgroups (EBCTCG 2011).
Furthermore, there is growing evidence that risk-adapted dose augmentation strategies to the tumor bed as well as the implementation of high precision RT techniques (e.g., intraoperative radiotherapy) contribute substantially to a further reduction of local relapse rates. A main focus of ongoing research lies in partial breast irradiation strategies as well as WBI hypofractionation schedules. The potential of both in replacing normofractionated WBI has not yet been finally clarified.
Conclusion
After breast conserving surgery, no subgroup even in low risk patients has yet been identified for whom radiotherapy can be safely omitted without compromising local control and, hence, cancer-specific survival. In most patients, this translates into an overall survival benefit.
Harvested ferroelectric nanoparticles of BaTiO
3
and LiNbO
3
were dispersed in Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals (FLCs) with very high spontaneous polarization (Ps). The electrooptic and dielectric ...parameters were documented. The dipoles of ferroelectric nanoparticles and those of FLCs are partially cancelled in an antiparallel manner. The role of cell parameters like thickness of the Nylon 6 polymer layer and the change in preparation of the polymer layer due to different mechanical rubbing cycles has been described for one high-Ps FLC and for high-Ps FLC/BaTiO
3
nanocolloids. Cell properties depend strongly on anchoring forces which might interact with dipoles both from ferroelectric nanoparticles and high-Ps FLCs.
Objective
To update the practical guidelines for radiotherapy of patients with locoregional breast cancer recurrences based on the current German interdisciplinary S3 guidelines 2012.
Methods
A ...comprehensive survey of the literature using the search phrases “locoregional breast cancer recurrence”, “chest wall recurrence”, “local recurrence”, “regional recurrence”, and “breast cancer” was performed, using the limits “clinical trials”, “randomized trials”, “meta-analysis”, “systematic review”, and “guidelines”.
Conclusions
Patients with isolated in-breast or regional breast cancer recurrences should be treated with curative intent. Mastectomy is the standard of care for patients with ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence. In a subset of patients, a second breast conservation followed by partial breast irradiation (PBI) is an appropriate alternative to mastectomy. If a second breast conservation is performed, additional irradiation should be mandatory. The largest reirradiation experience base exists for multicatheter brachytherapy; however, prospective clinical trials are needed to clearly define selection criteria, long-term local control, and toxicity.
Following primary mastectomy, patients with resectable locoregional breast cancer recurrences should receive multimodality therapy including systemic therapy, surgery, and radiation +/− hyperthermia. This approach results in high local control rates and long-term survival is achieved in a subset of patients. In radiation-naive patients with unresectable locoregional recurrences, radiation therapy is mandatory. In previously irradiated patients with a high risk of a second local recurrence after surgical resection or in patients with unresectable recurrences, reirradiation should be strongly considered. Indication and dose concepts depend on the time interval to first radiotherapy, presence of late radiation effects, and concurrent or sequential systemic treatment. Combination with hyperthermia can further improve tumor control.
In patients with isolated axillary or supraclavicular recurrence, durable disease control is best achieved with multimodality therapy including surgery and radiotherapy. Radiation therapy significantly improves local control and should be applied whenever feasible.
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