Marrakesh Biennale attracts worlds best graffiti artists
Rabat – The 5th annual Marrakech Biennale brings top graffiti artists for five weekends of live graffiti performance on the walls of Marrakesh.The most famous international artists in the contemporary graffiti scene, Lek, Sowat and Arnaud Liard, will offer graffiti lovers a live performance in the streets of Marrakesh near the David Bloch gallery on Rue des Vieux Marrakchis.Lek and Sowat are French Graffiti artists; both began their work on the streets of Paris, painting creative graffiti on the ground, between subway trains and in factories or unused parking lots. Now, they are considered the best graffiti artists in the world. According to the Moroccan newspaper L’economiste, each Saturday of the first four weekends a different graffiti artist will paint a work onto one of Marrakesh’s old walls, and on Sunday they will participate in the Sunday Sunset Concerts, painting on the walls of the red room at Café Clock alongside a musical performance.This series of performances will culminate in a final performance, to take place on the last weekend of the Biennale, during which all four graffiti artists will collaborate on a large mural opposite the Biennale office in Marrakech.Edited by Jessica Rohan© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed
Readers of a certain age will recall spending a substantial amount of time during childhood playing games like Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Little did you know that all those hours spent staring at the radiant glow of the TV screen was just one marginally efficient path to victory. PhD computer science researcher Tom “Tom7” Murphy has developed a program called Playfun that can play NES games by itself. Surely the robots are ready to take over now.The full (and very science-y) details of the process are available in the paper, titled “The First Level of Super Mario Bros. is Easy with Lexicographic Orderings and Time Travel… after that it gets a little tricky.” Just to be clear, this is a real paper that was published in SIGBOVIK 2013. The 22-page paper is a little dense, so Tom7 has thoughtfully recorded the above video version, and it’s amazing.The technique he used leverages lexicographic orderings, a way of sorting items based on size or ranking. It’s the same way a dictionary is sorted, but Tom7 used lexicographic orderings to describe what it means to “win” a video game. There are certain things that increase when playing a game like Super Mario Bros. The score and level number will go up, for example. With enough data, Tom7 figured he could train Playfun to play the game.The NES has just 2048 bytes of RAM, which isn’t a lot. Tom simply played the game himself and captured the RAM state every frame for several minutes. This block of data contains patterns — some of the RAM states are going up according to lexicographic ordering. The program can then play the game and emulate the RAM states, try various button inputs, and see if it can get the RAM to increment in the right direction.That’s how you get to a program that can play Super Mario Bros without caring about the actual output. Playfun isn’t looking at the screen, it’s just trying to win with math. It can calculate ahead and anticipate actions based on the data it has. What’s particularly crazy is that Playfun instantly learns how to exploit bugs in the game. It doesn’t play like a human — Playfun plays with the cold methodical ruthlessness of a machine.Super Mario Bros. works well, but some other games don’t obey the same rules. The Karate Kid, for instance, beats the machine every time. There are strategic elements in this title that don’t figure into lexicographic ordering.If we can say anything, it’s that Tom7 is putting his PhD to use in the most awesome way. Feel free to dive into the full paper if you’re the intellectual sort. Playfun’s code is also posted to SourceForge for anyone to poke around with.
By Associated Press Short URL Kerrygold is banned in the state of Wisconsin but local butter lovers are fighting back They’ve filed a lawsuit challenging the ban. Mar 21st 2017, 6:07 AM 35 Comments Image: Jim Mone Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article Tuesday 21 Mar 2017, 6:07 AM
An antiquated law has seen Kerrygold banned in the state. Image: Jim Mone An antiquated law has seen Kerrygold banned in the state. WISCONSIN RESIDENT JEAN Smith snatches up entire stocks of her beloved Kerrygold Irish butter from stores when visiting family in Nebraska, thanks to an antiquated law in her dairy-obsessed state that bans it and any other butter that hasn’t been graded for quality.“We bring back 20 bricks or so,” Smith said, noting she plops a tablespoon of the Irish-made butter into her tea each morning.“It’s creamier, it doesn’t have any waxy taste and it’s a richer yellow.”Tired of trekking across state lines to stock up, she and a handful of other Wisconsin butter aficionados filed a lawsuit last week challenging the law, saying local consumers and businesses:are more than capable of determining whether butter is sufficiently creamy, properly salted, or too crumbly.No government help needed, they say.On the books since 1953, the law is strict: It requires butters to be rated on various measures — including flavour, body and colour — by the federal government or people licensed as butter and cheese graders with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.Wisconsin’s grading scale dictates that the highest-graded butter must “possess a fine and highly pleasing butter flavour.”Graders might describe a butter as “crumbly,” ”gummy” or “sticky,” and its colour as “mottled,” ”streaked” or “speckled.”Anybody convicted of selling unlabeled or ungraded butter is subject to a fine between $100 and $1,000 and six months in jail.Wisconsin is the only state in the nation with such a stringent butter provision, which the lawsuit argues amounts to an unconstitutional “government-mandated taste test.” Wisconsinites have to bring Kerrygold back across state lines. Source: Larry AvilaThe Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative legal group representing the plaintiffs, said the grading process is subjective and doesn’t protect consumers. The real issue, the group argues, is personal freedom.Institute attorney Jake Curtis acknowledged it’s a light-hearted case, “but economic liberty is a civil right.”Department spokesman Bill Cosh released a statement saying his consumer-protection agency has to uphold state law, but noted that enforcement “has been limited to notifying retailers of what the law says.”Ornua, the company that markets Kerrygold, isn’t part of the lawsuit and declined to comment on the case. The Wisconsin Dairy Products Association didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment. Opponents of the ban argue that it is unconstitutional. Source: Jim MoneCurtis said he’s also heard from residents frustrated they can’t buy their favourite Danish and Icelandic varieties near home.Smith said Kerrygold butter, which uses milk from grass-fed and hormone-free cows, occasionally shows up in stores near her home in Waukesha, but its availability is unpredictable.“If I couldn’t get Kerrygold, I would use the other butter,” Smith said. “It just doesn’t taste as good.”Read: Spread the news to your American friends – Kerrygold is banned in the state of Wisconsin >Read: Kerrygold is opening up a new factory… in Nigeria > 36,210 Views Share88 Tweet Email6 http://jrnl.ie/3297845 
Facebook Roman Reigns Google+ Pinterest WhatsApp Videos Articles Vince McMahon Gave Roman Reigns Advice After Cancer Diagnosis Linda McMahon To Leave SBA Job To Head Trump Super PAC Fundraising Now Playing Up Next Videos Articles Harley Race memorial service set for August 11, Vince McMahon paid for hospital expense Videos Articles Riz Ahmed Now Playing Up Next
Now Playing Up Next Vince McMahon refers to AEW during conference call: “We’re hoping… that they are competition” Twitter Is WWE Losing Its Audience? Roman Reigns is in Remission Now Playing Up Next Kevin Chupka of Yahoo Finance is featuring an article providing three examples as to why the “WWE is doomed” going forward. Chupka sites the using of aging talent like Hulk Hogan, injuries on the roster and the future of the company beyond Vince McMahon.“They key to renewed success, Sozzi thinks, is getting live attendance and ticket sales back. That of course means McMahon staying sharp and solving the injury problem. Perhaps then subscriptions to the network would grow organically and aging talent would be less of a problem. For the time being at least, investors don’t seem to care. A million subs is a million subs and the stock moved higher accordingly.”You can check out the full article at the link below.Yahoo: 3 reasons the WWE is doomedRecommended videosPowered by AnyClipVince McMahon Gave Roman Reigns Advice After Cancer DiagnosisVideo Player is loading.Play VideoPauseUnmuteDuration 0:36/Current Time 0:03Loaded: 100.00%0:03Remaining Time -0:33 FullscreenUp NextThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.Replay the list Now Playing Up Next Seth Rollins Defends WWE On Two Separate Occasions Vince Mcmahon Vince McMahon reportedly calls for a rewrite of tonight’s Smackdown Live, new matches made Adam Martin RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR
A bicyclist was airlifted to a trauma center after being struck by a Miami-Dade County transit bus in Southwest Miami-Dade.Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue responded just after 6:30 p.m. to the scene of the collision at a busway on Southwest 296th Street, Monday.Crews transported the victim to Jackson South Community Hospital in unknown condition.No injuries were reported on the bus.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Postal Regulatory Commission has issued an advisory opinion on the USPS’s proposed five-day delivery plan. The document, which the PRC says takes a conservative look at the proposal, finds that the USPS has significantly overestimated potential savings and underestimated costs-by as much as $1.4 billion and $400 million respectively.As part of a raft of plans to save costs and boost revenues, the USPS has proposed cutting its delivery schedule to five days by eliminating Saturday. In fiscal 2010, the USPS lost $8.5 billion.Whenever the USPS proposes a major, nation-wide service change, it must run the proposal by the PRC which performs its own analysis of the plan and issues an opinion.The PRC’s Advisory Opinion, which was issued last week, comes to a very different conclusion than the USPS. The most striking difference is in the savings estimates the two groups came up with. The USPS predicts it will save $3.1 billion annually by eliminating Saturday delivery. The PRC says this will be closer to $1.7 billion. Further, reaching a full savings in either case would likely not be achieved for three years. Revenue losses due to volume declines are estimated by the USPS to be $200 million, while the PRC pegged losses closer to $600 million.Additionally, the PRC has found that the proposal would cause 25 percent of first-class and priority mail to be delayed by two days. Also, it says the USPS failed to evaluate the impact of the proposal on rural customers, who the PRC thinks will be particularly impacted by the plan. “In all cases we chose the cautious, conservative path. Our estimates, therefore, should be seen as the most likely, middle ground analysis of what could happen under a five-day scenario,” said PRC chairman Ruth Goldway in a statement. The opinion does not explicitly advise whether or not to proceed with the plan, nor does it have any binding effect. But the Commission’s cautionary tone could have an impact on the success of the proposal. “We recognize that ours is an advisory opinion only,” said Goldway in a letter to Congress. “The final determination on the elimination of Saturday delivery rests with Congress and the Postal Service.”In a prepared reaction to the PRC’s opinion, postmaster general Patrick Donahoe says the USPS will stay the course with its proposal. “The Commission’s opinion is advisory only and therefore, is not a final determination on the merits of our proposal. We remain convinced of our findings. As such, we will also continue to press our case with the Congress on this matter.”See the full Advisory Opinion here.
WILMINGTON, MA — William H. Woods, Sr., age 83, of Wilmington, passed away on October 31, 2018.William was a U.S. Army Veteran who proudly served his country.William was the beloved husband of the late Sheila (McKinney) Woods, devoted father of Mary-Alice Cavens & her husband the late Joseph of Rowley, Eileen M. Woods of Wilmington, William H. Woods, Jr. & his wife Eileen of Lowell and Daniel E. Woods of Wilmington, loving “Grampie” of Megan Manent & her husband Nick, Erin Thomas & her husband Max, Casey Woods and Patrick Woods, great-grandfather of Jamie Lynn Thomas, William Jameson Thomas and Lucas Todd Manent, cherished son of the late Joseph H. Woods, Sr. and Margaret (Coy) Woods, dear brother of Winifred Barry & her husband the late Robert of Wilmington, Edward Woods & his wife Sandra of Reading, the late Joseph, James “Leo”, Robert, Richard, Mildred, Marjorie and his twin sister Catherine. William is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.Family and friends will gather at the Nichols Funeral Home, 187 Middlesex Ave. (Rte. 62), Wilmington, on Monday, November 5th at 9:00 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Thomas of Villanova Church, 126 Middlesex Ave., Wilmington at 10:00 a.m. Interment with Military Honors will follow in Wildwood Cemetery, Wilmington. Visiting Hours will be held at the Funeral Home on Sunday, November 4th from 2:00-6:00 p.m.Memorial donations in William’s name may be made to a charity of one’s choice.William H. Woods(NOTE: The above obituary is from Nichols Funeral Home.)Like Wilmington Apple on Facebook. Follow Wilmington Apple on Twitter. Follow Wilmington Apple on Instagram. Subscribe to Wilmington Apple’s daily email newsletter HERE. Got a comment, question, photo, press release, or news tip? Email wilmingtonapple@gmail.com.Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading… RelatedOBITUARY: William J. “Bill” Wolfe, 75In “Obituaries”OBITUARY: Marie J. (Ciampa) Cummings, 81In “Obituaries”OBITUARY: John “Jack” Tannian, Jr., 89In “Obituaries”
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium has received a nearly half a million-dollar grant to help reduce energy costs in some areas of Western Alaska, according to a press release earlier this morning.The United States Department of Agriculture announced its plan to improve energy efficiency costs in remote rural areas in five states. Alaska is one of them.The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium received nearly half a million dollars to assist with sanitation systems and train operators in the communities of Napaskiak, Nunapitchuk, Chefornak, Nightmute, Tuntutuliak, Newtok, Teller and Tununak.These communities were chosen because they have high-energy costs, struggling economies and no road system, according to the press release.USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack [Vil-sack] awarded a total of nine grants nationwide to help reduce energy costs for residents where the cost of producing electricity is extremely expensive.The grants, which are approximately $8 million in total, will be distributed through the Energy Cost Grant Program.The grant may be used to improve energy generation, transmission or distribution. The focus is on communities where the average cost of home energy exceeds the national average by 275 percent.Vilsak says that energy conservation helps improve the environment by reducing carbon emissions and fossil fuels.The project will aim to increase energy efficiency by upgrading lighting, installing new control for heating and laundry systems, and water storage, as well as weatherization improvements.
Guntur: TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu wondered why the State government failed to take precautionary measures though advanced information over the threat of floods was provided by the Central Water Commission and ISRO. The government totally failed to prevent inundation of agriculture fields, lamented Naidu. He said the YSRCP government had planned to inundate his house at Undavalli and as a result agriculture and horticulture fields spread over thousands of acres were submerged. Naidu gave a detailed explanation at the TDP State office in Guntur on Friday on how the floods could have been managed by the government with the help of a power point presentation. Also Read – TDP to open shelters for victims of attacks Advertise With Us Later, speaking to the media, he said the recent floods inundated agriculture and horticulture crops spread over 53,000 acres and farmers suffered a loss of Rs 4,000 crore. He alleged that the disaster happened due to the callous approach adopted by the government and demanded an inquiry to find out the factors that led to floods inundating agriculture and horticulture fields. Also Read – Quarry checks bring down granite production Advertise With Us He urged the government to distribute one month ration to the flood victims. Naidu said if the capital is shifted from Amaravati fearing threat of floods, then such a measure should be taken even with regard to cities like Mumbai and Delhi. Later, the TDP national president released a poster on anti-ragging brought out by TNSF State president Brahmam Chowdary. Speaking on this occasion, he said that there is a need to conduct anti-ragging awareness meetings in universities and colleges to educate students.
News | Neuro Imaging | August 16, 2019 ADHD Medication May Affect Brain Development in Children A drug used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appears to affect development of the brain’s… read more Technology | Neuro Imaging | August 07, 2019 Synaptive Medical Launches Modus Plan With Automated Tractography Segmentation Synaptive Medical announced the U.S. launch and availability of Modus Plan featuring BrightMatter AutoSeg. This release… read more Related Content News | Neuro Imaging | July 05, 2019 Delta T1 Maps Provide Quantitative, Automated Solution to Assess Brain Tumor Burden Imaging Biometrics LLC (IB) a subsidiary of IQ-AI Ltd., is highlighting a recently published study in the American… read more Images of regions of interest (colored lines) in the white matter skeleton representation. Data from left and right anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) were averaged. Image courtesy of C. Bouziane et al. September 17, 2012 — Hitachi Medical Systems America Inc. (HMSA) announced the first Echelon Oval High-Field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system has been installed and is in use at ProScan Imaging’s Eastgate facility, located on the eastside of Cincinnati, Ohio.The Echelon Oval 1.5T MR system features a 74-cm oval-shaped bore. This new shape of MR is the widest bore available, offering maximum patient accessibility and accommodation. ProScan Imaging is the first imaging center not only in the United States, but in the world, to install this new oval ultra-wide bore scanner.“The Echelon Oval High-Field system was chosen because of its quality, advanced technology and patient focus,” said Mark Grossman, chief operating officer at ProScan Imaging. “Bringing this new technology to Cincinnati and introducing its capabilities to the world demonstrates ProScan’s commitment to innovation, patient comfort and satisfaction.”Designed around the human body, the Echelon Oval High-Field MR system provides the optimal patient experience with outstanding comfort, space and efficiency.“The Echelon Oval High-Field MRI raises the bar of care by giving the patient the comfort of an open MRI with the versatility and unique features that currently only exist on high-field MRIs. It gives the patients and their physicians the best of both worlds,” said Stephen J. Pomeranz, M.D., CEO and medical director of ProScan Imaging.As ProScan Imaging continues its patient-centric mission to provide high-quality imaging services, “Built Around You” (the patient), the organization looks forward to bringing additional technological advancements and new patient services to market while still offering patients lower costs compared to local hospital affiliates.For more information: www.proscan.com, www.hitachi.com FacebookTwitterLinkedInPrint分享 News | September 17, 2012 ProScan Imaging Installs the Industry’s Widest Bore MR System The Echelon Oval 1.5T MR system features a 74-cm oval-shaped bore Technology | Interventional Radiology | August 16, 2019 Profound Medical Receives U.S. FDA 510(k) Clearance for Tulsa-Pro Profound Medical Corp. announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to… read more News | Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) | August 01, 2019 | Jeff Zagoudis, Associate Editor FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Medical Device Safety in MRI Environment The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new draft guidance titled Testing and Labeling Medical Devices for… read more Two brain metastases from primary lung cancer are contrast enhanced in the brain of a 61-year-old male. Speakers at AHRA 2019 will state that ProHance and other macrocyclic MR agents present a very low risk to patients. Images courtesy of Bracco Feature | Contrast Media | July 18, 2019 | By Greg Freiherr How To Manage Risk in the MR Suite Macrocyclic contrast agents have the best safety profile of all the magnetic resonance (MR) contrast media that are n read more News | Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) | August 06, 2019 Canon Medical Introduces Encore Orian MR Upgrade Program Canon Medical Systems USA Inc. is helping to provide low-cost patient care solutions for its customers with the launch… read more News | Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) | July 16, 2019 AAPM 2019 Features More Than 40 Presentations on ViewRay’s MRIdian MRI-guided Radiotherapy ViewRay Inc. announced that the company’s MRIdian System is the focus of more than 40 abstracts selected by the… read more News | Focused Ultrasound Therapy | July 10, 2019 Insightec’s Exablate Neuro Approved With GE Signa Premier MRI in U.S. and Europe GE Healthcare and Insightec announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and CE mark for Insightec’s… read more Technology | Contrast Media | July 15, 2019 FDA Approves Bayer’s Gadavist Contrast for Cardiac MRI in Adult Coronary Artery Disease Patients The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Gadavist injection for use in cardiac magnetic resonance… read more 
News | Radiation Therapy | August 02, 2019 Varian Showcases Cancer Care Systems and Software at AAPM 2019 Varian showcased systems and software from its cancer care portfolio, including the Identify Guidance System, at the… read more News | Radiation Therapy | August 16, 2019 Drug Accelerates Blood System’s Recovery After Radiation, Chemotherapy A drug developed by UCLA physician-scientists and chemists speeds up the regeneration of mouse and human blood stem… read more View a comparison chart of proton therapy systems at www.itnonline.com/content/proton-therapy-systems. This will require a login, which is free and only takes a minute to complete the form. News | Proton Therapy | August 06, 2019 IBA Signs Contract to Install Proton Therapy Center in Kansas IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.) recently signed a contract and received the first payment for a Proteus One solution… read more Image GuidanceIBA and Varian are among those that also offer image guidance capabilities. Utilizing IGPT allows radiation oncologists to track the progress of treatment and more precisely target the radiation dose to avoid damage to surrounding tissue and organs. The first image-guided radiotherapy systems have typically used computed tomography (CT) or X-ray, but often encounter issues with image quality and a need to space out sessions to limit extra radiation dose. Last December, IBA became one of the first to implement cone beam CT for proton therapy, which provides 3-D images of the anatomy for greater accuracy. Incorporated into ProteusONE, the first cone beam CT-guided treatment was completed in December. Varian also utilizes cone beam CT for imaging on ProBeam and ProBeam Compact, with the option to switch to more traditional kV X-ray imaging on ProBeam. News | Radiation Oncology | July 31, 2019 Laura Dawson, M.D., FASTRO, Chosen as ASTRO President-elect The members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) elected four new officers to ASTRO’s Board of… read more Related Proton Therapy Content:Proton Therapy Slowly GrowingAdvanced Planning for Accurate Proton Treatments at the Provision Center for Proton TherapyWEBINAR: Economics of Establishing a Proton Therapy CenterNew Approaches to Radiation Therapy FacebookTwitterLinkedInPrint分享 The current state of proton therapy can be assessed fairly quickly by looking at a map: At the end of 2014, there were 51 proton therapy facilities worldwide, with the United States and Japan accounting for more than half (27) and the rest being scattered around the globe. This suggests there are many cancer patients who may not have easy access to proton therapy — a supposition which turns out to be true, according to Paul-Emmanuel Goethals, co-founder of radiation therapy market analysis firm MEDraysintell. According to their numbers, there were roughly 3.2 million patients treated with radiation therapy last year, and only 14,500 of them received proton therapy.The reason why proton therapy has yet to have a presence in most of the world is no mystery. Like any new technology, initial costs have been high as the equipment is explored and refined — the average price of constructing a proton therapy center has ranged between $150 and $200 million. Many of these facilities were designed with multiple treatment rooms, requiring a larger radiation source with a bigger gantry system to deliver radiation beams to treatment rooms. Pulling together such large amounts of capital is difficult on its own, and, compounding the problem, there has been relatively little clinical evidence to support proton therapy as a superior cancer treatment method. At the same time, it is difficult to amass clinical evidence when so few patients are being treated — a difficult paradox to overcome. Despite these challenges, the proton therapy market appears poised to boom, according to Goethals and MEDraysintell. In the 2015 World Proton Therapy report, the company projects the market will achieve a $1 billion value in 2019, with 187 new treatment rooms expected to be built in the next four years. To put it in perspective, Goethals reported that the world market value was $300 million in 2010. “While in the past indications were for a few diagnosed cancers, those cases are increasing,” he said. News | Patient Positioning Radiation Therapy | August 15, 2019 Mevion and C-RAD Release Integration for Improved Proton Therapy Treatment Quality Mevion Medical Systems and C-RAD announced the integration between the C-RAD Catalyst PT and the Mevion S250i proton… read more Catalyst PT image courtesy of C-RAD News | Radiation Therapy | August 15, 2019 First Patient Enrolled in World’s Largest Brain Cancer Clinical Trial Henry Ford Cancer Institute is first-in-the-world to enroll a glioblastoma patient in the GBM AGILE Trial (Adaptive… read more Compact SystemsWhile such a sudden, dramatic increase may seem abrupt, many of the factors that can drive this growth are already in place, according to Goethals. The key to bringing down the cost of proton therapy, he said, is reducing the size of the equipment — an effort that several manufacturers have already begun. Mevion Medical Systems brought the first compact proton therapy system to market when it received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CE mark approval for the S250 system in 2012. At the center of the compact system is a superconducting synchrocyclotron, which is significantly smaller than the traditional linear accelerator (linac) radiation source. The modular system is designed as a single-room solution, but can be adapted into a multi-room configuration. Varian entered the compact proton therapy market in 2014 by releasing a smaller version of its original ProBeam system. The ProBeam Compact offers many of the same benefits of its predecessor, including dynamic peak scanning, allowing the application of radiation from different angles simultaneously for intensity-modulated proton therapy, but its 250 MeV cyclotron is more space-efficient than traditional linacs. Ion Beam Applications S.A. (IBA) introduced the ProteusONE compact proton therapy system in 2014. ProteusONE is also a single-room system offering several different delivery methods, including intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) and image-guided proton therapy (IGPT).
News | Patient Positioning Radiation Therapy | August 07, 2019 Qfix kVue One Proton Couch Top Validated by Mevion Medical Systems Qfix and Mevion Medical Systems announced that a special version of the kVue One Proton couch top is now both validated… read more Feature | Proton Therapy | September 09, 2015 | Jeff Zagoudis Proton Therapy Poised for Growth This article appeared as an introduction to a Comparison Chart on Proton Therapy in the September 2015 issue. The MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center expansion is expected to be completed in 2023. Rendering courtesy of Stantec. The top piece of content in July was a video interview explaining how Princess Margaret Cancer Center is using machine learning to create automated treatment plans. This was a hot topic at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) 2019 meeting in July. News | Proton Therapy | August 08, 2019 MD Anderson to Expand Proton Therapy Center The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center unveiled plans to expand its Proton Therapy Center during a… read more Treatment PlanningSmaller systems and image guidance have helped raise the influence of proton therapy, but its central premise of pinpoint radiation delivery is ultimately what distinguishes it from other forms of radiation therapy. That high degree of accuracy would be difficult to achieve without effective treatment planning, and the continuing development of treatment planning systems and software have only helped proton therapy spread further. Philips initially introduced its Pinnacle3 treatment planning software for general image-guided radiation therapy, but it released a proton therapy-specific version in August 2013 following FDA approval. The module offers automated contouring and re-planning to quickly adapt treatment on the fly, fast commissioning and even combined proton-photon planning if physicians want to combine proton therapy and conventional radiotherapy. In November 2014, Philips announced a partnership with Mevion that would extend Pinnacle support to the new Hyperscan pencil beam scanning capability (a form of IMPT) of the S250. RayStation from RaySearch Laboratories has also been a popular choice among proton treatment centers. Pencil beam scanning also is supported here, providing a higher degree of customization to radiation oncologists. “You can actually stop the radiation before it goes too far into a critical structure,” said Marcio Fagundes, M.D., medical director of the Provision Center for Proton Therapy in Knoxville, Tenn., a RayStation user. “It’s really individualizing how you will distribute the dose.” Related Content Feature | August 05, 2019 | Dave Fornell, Editor Most Popular Radiology and Radiotherapy Topics in July 2019 August 5, 2019 — Here is the list of the most popular content on the Imaging Technology New (ITN) magazine website fr read more News | Brachytherapy Systems | August 14, 2019 Efficacy of Isoray’s Cesium Blu Showcased in Recent Studies August 14, 2019 — Isoray announced a trio of studies recently reported at scientific meetings and published in medica read more Following radiation, the bone marrow shows nearly complete loss of blood cells in mice (left). Mice treated with the PTP-sigma inhibitor displayed rapid recovery of blood cells (purple, right). Credit: UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center/Nature Communications
Related posts:Hiking Chirripó: Journey to the top of the world On top of the world at Chirripó VIDEO: Four things to avoid in your first surfing lesson From ATVs to Arenal, Adventure Tours offers the best of Costa Rica If you’ve tried recently to schedule a trip to Chirripó National Park, home to Costa Rica’s tallest mountain and miles of excellent hiking trails, you might have gotten an unwelcome surprise.Starting April 12, the National System of Conservation Areas’ (SINAC) online portal lists the park as closed. Click through availability for May, June or July — as far as the system allows — and you’ll see the same message: cerrado, cerrado, cerrado. Screenshot of SINAC’s booking portal.So, what’s going on?Thankfully, the park probably won’t be closed starting in mid-April. However, reservations are currently restricted as a precautionary measure due to the upcoming expiration of SINAC’s contract with Consorcio Aguas Eternas, the organization that provides tourism services within Chirripó National Park.While SINAC and the Costa Rican government consider their contract options — whether it be with Consorcio Aguas Eternas or another organization — they have listed the park as closed.SINAC has not responded to requests for comment, but Andreína Segura, an administrator for Consorcio Aguas Eternas, spoke on the topic with The Tico Times. She said the public should expect further news in early- to mid-February.Once the government has finalized contract negotiations, Segura expects the SINAC portal to begin accepting more Chirripó reservations.“Several companies are soliciting and offering to administer tourist services in Chirripó National Park,” Segura said. “SINAC closed the park until they know who will administer the park.“We expect that come February, we will know either whether we will continue operating the park or who will replace us. We’re in a waiting period until then.”Chirripó National Park is one of two in Costa Rica that requires online reservations. For safety reasons, Volcán Poás National Park transitioned to the same web-based portal when it reopened last August.Support the Tico Times Facebook Comments
– / 23 Here’s a look back at the comeback win by the numbers:0:Stanton was not flashy in his first start in over 1,350 days, but the 30-year-old didn’t commit any turnovers in the win.In addition, the Michigan State alum completed 14-of-29 for 167 yards.3:In addition to getting beat on Rueben Randle’s seven-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter, Cardinals All-Pro cornerback was flagged three times Sunday — twice on New York’s touchdown drive in the third quarter.The three penalties — defensive pass interference (2) and defensive holding — accounted by 36 yards.4:Ginn, Jr.’s 71-yard high-stepping scamper to the end zone was the fourth punt return touchdown of his eight-year career.4-0:How does a team win a game playing across three time zones without its starting quarterback?Arizona had the perfect recipe, winning the turnover battle 4-0 Sunday — fumble recoveries by Johnson and Robert Hughes and interceptions by Sam Acho and Larry Foote.6.1Running back Andre Ellington didn’t rush for 100 yards or reach the end zone, but he did have a heck of an afternoon on the ground.Ellington carried the ball 15 times for 91 yards — good for a 6.1 yards/rush ratio. 6-of-6:Kicker Chandler Catanzaro doesn’t seem to be showing his age to this point.The rookie out of Clemson nailed all four of his kicks in the 11-point win, from 32, 33, 37 and 49 yards out respectively.On the year, he’s a perfect 6-of-6 on field goal tries.7:Acho’s interception of Eli Manning in the first quarter was the third of his career.For Manning, it marked his seventh straight game dating back to 2013 with at least one pick.10:After making news for his lack of targets (4) in Arizona’s 18-17 win over the San Diego Chargers, Larry Fitzgerald was a focal point in Sunday’s 11-point victory.Fitzgerald was targeted 10 times, catching six passes for a team-high 51 yards.16-141:Yellow was a common color on the field Sunday.Officials tossed 16 flags in all for a total of 141 yards. Of the 16 flags, five were thrown for defensive holding, five illegal contact and two for defensive pass interference.27-0:Over their first two games, the Cardinals have outscored the Chargers and Giants by a 27-0 margin in the fourth quarter.32:Tyrann Mathieu made his first appearance in a game since tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 13 of last season. Derrick Hall satisfied with D-backs’ buying and selling Drew Stanton hadn’t thrown a pass since Dec. 19, 2010.Carson Palmer hadn’t missed a game since Dec. 30, 2012.But none of that seemed to matter much for the ‘Next Man Up’ Arizona Cardinals at Metlife Stadium Sunday, as they staged their second straight come-from-behind victory by a final of 25-14 over the New York Giants.Credit Amos Jones unit for the heroics in this one.Ted Ginn, Jr. returned a punt for a 71-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, undrafted free agent Robert Hughes recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and the Cardinals moved to 2-0 for the second time in three seasons with 15 unanswered points. Comments Share The former third-round pick entered the game in the first half as part of a seven-cornerback package that led to Rashad Johnson’s first career sack.Mathieu finished the contest with one tackle.12/16/12:Jonathan Dwyer’s one-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter was his first in a game since Dec. 16, 2012 as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. For his career, the former Georgia Tech standout has three rushing scores. The 5: Takeaways from the Coyotes’ introduction of Alex Meruelo Grace expects Greinke trade to have emotional impact Former Cardinals kicker Phil Dawson retires Top Stories 