ABSTRACT
Age is a risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and cancer, and as such radiation oncologists frequently see a number of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) receiving proton therapy (PT). CIED malfunctions induced by PT are nonnegligible and can occur in both passive scattering and pencil beam scanning modes. In the absence of an evidence-based protocol, the authors emphasise that this patient cohort should be managed differently to electron- and photon- external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) patients due to distinct properties of proton beams. Given the lack of a PT-specific guideline for managing this cohort and limited studies on this important topic; the process was initiated by evaluating all PT-related CIED malfunctions to provide a baseline for future reporting and research. In this review, different modes of PT and their interactions with a variety of CIEDs and pacing leads are discussed. Effects of PT on CIEDs were classified into a variety of hardware and software malfunctions. Apart from secondary neutrons, cumulative radiation dose, dose rate, CIED model/manufacturer, distance from CIED to proton field, and materials used in CIEDs/pacing leads were all evaluated to determine the probability of malfunctions. The importance of proton beam arrangements is highlighted in this study. Manufacturers should specify recommended dose limits for patients undergoing PT. The establishment of an international multidisciplinary team dedicated to CIED-bearing patients receiving PT may be beneficial.
ABSTRACT
A novel Epitaxial Cadmium Selenide (CdSe) on Lead Selenide (PbSe) type-II heterojunction photovoltaic detector has been demonstrated by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) growth of n-type CdSe on p-type PbSe single crystalline film. The use of Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED) during the nucleation and growth of CdSe indicates high-quality single-phase cubic CdSe. This is a first-time demonstration of single crystalline and single phase CdSe growth on single crystalline PbSe, to the best of our knowledge. The current-voltage characteristic indicates a p-n junction diode with a rectifying factor over 50 at room temperature. The detector structure is characterized by radiometric measurement. A 30 µm × 30 µm pixel achieved a peak responsivity of 0.06 A/W and a specific detectivity (D*) of 6.5 × 108 Jones under a zero bias photovoltaic operation. With decreasing temperature, the optical signal increased by almost an order of magnitude as it approached 230 K (with thermoelectric cooling) while maintaining a similar level of noise, achieving a responsivity of 0.441 A/W and a D* of 4.4 × 109 Jones at 230 K.