Quantitative selection of focal birds and mammals in higher-tier risk assessment: An application to rice cultivations.

European Pesticide Registration requires a risk assessment (RA) for nontarget organisms according to EU Regulation. European Authorities have developed Guidance Documents (GDs) for RA considering exposure scenarios for the required organisms typical for terrestrial crops. The "Birds and Mammals EFSA GD" allows using multiple sources of information to extract information on species frequency needed in identifying focal species for higher-tier RA.

Accuracy assessment of the CNAO dose delivery system in the initial period of clinical activity and impact of later improvements on delivered dose distributions.

Purpose: A retrospective analysis of the dose delivery system (DDS) performances of the initial clinical operation at CNAO (Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica) is reported, and compared with the dose delivery accuracy following the implementation of a position feedback control.

Methods: Log files and raw data of the DDS were analyzed for every field of patients treated with protons and carbon ions between January 2012 and April 2013 (~3800 fields). To investigate the DDS accuracy, the spot positions and the number of particles per spot measured by the DDS and prescribed by the treatment planning system were compared for each field.

A new approach for the pixel map sensitivity (PMS) evaluation of an electronic portal imaging device (EPID).

When using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) for dosimetric verifications, the calibration of the sensitive area is of paramount importance. Two calibration methods are generally adopted: one, empirical, based on an external reference dosimeter or on multiple narrow beam irradiations, and one based on the EPID response simulation. In this paper we present an alternative approach based on an intercalibration procedure, independent from external dosimeters and from simulations, and is quick and easy to perform.

Phylogeography of the Italian vairone (Telestes muticellus, Bonaparte 1837) inferred by microsatellite markers: evolutionary history of a freshwater fish species with a restricted and fragmented distribution.

Background: Owing to its independence from the main Central European drainage systems, the Italian freshwater fauna is characterized by a high degree of endemicity. Three main ichthyogeographic districts have been proposed in Italy. Yet, the validity of these regions has not been confirmed by phylogenetic and population genetic analyses and a phylogeographic scenario for Italy's primary freshwater fish fauna is still lacking.