The Radiation Therapist profession through the lens of new technology: A practice development paper based on the ESTRO Radiation Therapist Workshops.

Technological advances in radiation therapy impact on the role and scope of practice of the radiation therapist. The European Society of Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) recently held two workshops on this topic and this position paper reflects the outcome of this workshop, which included radiation therapists from all global regions. Workflows, quality assurance, research, IGRT and ART as well as clinical decision making are the areas of radiation therapist practice that will be highly influenced by advancing technology in the near future.

How Effective Is Auditory-Verbal Therapy (AVT) for Building Language Development of Children with Cochlear Implants? A Systematic Review.

This systematic review sheds light on the effectiveness of auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) outcomes in children with cochlear implants (CIs). The presented outcome is based on research findings from the last 10 years. The systematic review was designed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and Critical Appraisal of Treatment Evidence (CATE) checklist.

Acoustic characteristics of Greek fricatives.

The present study examined the acoustics of Greek fricative consonants in terms of temporal, spectral, and amplitude parameters. The effects of voicing, speaker's gender, place of articulation, and post-fricative vowel on the acoustic parameters were also investigated. The results indicated that first and second spectral moments (i.

Radiation exposure of the operator during cardiac catheter ablation procedures.

Radiation exposure of the operator during cardiac catheter ablation procedures was assessed for an experienced cardiologist adopting various measures of radiation protection and utilised electroanatomic navigation. Chip thermoluminescent dosemeters were placed at the eyes, chest, wrists and legs of the operator. The ranges of fluoroscopy time and air kerma area product values associated with cardiac ablation procedures were wide (6.

Pre- and post-irradiation fading effect for LiF:Mg,Ti and LiF:Mg,Cu,P materials used in routine monitoring.

LiF is a well-known thermoluminescent (TL) material used in individual monitoring, and its fading characteristics have been studied for years. In the present study, the fading characteristics (for a period of 150 d) of various commercial LiF materials with different dopants have been evaluated. The materials used in the study are those used in routine procedures by the Personal Dosimetry Department of Greek Atomic Energy Commission and in particular, LiF:Mg,Ti (MTS-N, TL Poland), LiF:Mg,Cu,P (MCP-N, TL Poland), LiF:Mg,Cu,P (MCP-Ns, thin active layer detector, TL Poland) and LiF:Mg,Cu,P (TLD100H, Harshaw).

Benchtop phase-contrast X-ray imaging.

Clinical radiography has traditionally been based on contrast obtained from absorption when X-rays pass through the body. The contrast obtained from traditional radiography can be rather poor, particularly when it comes to soft tissue. A wide range of media of interest in materials science, biology and medicine exhibit very weak absorption contrast, but they nevertheless produce significant phase shifts with X-rays.