Biomedical Engineering

Signal processing today is performed in vast majority of systems for ECG analysis and interpretation. The objective of ECG signal processing is manifold and comprises the improvement of measurement accuracy and reproducibility and the extraction of information not readily available from the signal through visual assessment. In many situations, the ECG is recorded during ambulatory or strenuous conditions such that the signal is corrupted by different types of noise, sometimes originating from other physiological process of the body. Hence noise reduction represents another important objective of ECG signal processing. The paper mainly focuses on implementing the present day trends and procedures in the processing of ECG signals using software (MATLAB). The implementation process helps us to understand the drawbacks and difficulties of such methods and gives us an opportunity to work out towards finding a better solution. Such a solution would satisfy the scope of improvement expected in the technologies, used at present.

In December of 2014, an anonymous working group under the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a draft of the first-ever federal recommendations regarding male circumcision. In accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ circumcision policy from 2012 - but in contrast to the more recent 2015 policy from the Canadian Paediatric Society as well as prior policies (still in force) from medical associations in Europe and Australasia - the CDC suggested that the benefits of the surgery outweigh the risks. In this article, we provide a brief scientific and conceptual analysis of the CDC’s assessment of benefit vs. risk, and argue that it deserves a closer look. Although we set aside the burgeoning bioethical debate surrounding the moral permissibility of performing non-therapeutic circumcisions on healthy minors, we argue that, from a scientific and medical perspective, current evidence suggests that such circumcision is not an appropriate public health measure for developed countries such as the United States.

The articles in this issue look at how the development and use of free and open source hardware (FOSH or simply “open hardware”) are changing the face of science, engineering, business, and law.

Free and open source software (FOSS) has proven very successful and now dominates the development of software on a global scale. It is available in source code (open source) and can be used, studied, copied, modified, and redistributed either without restriction or with restrictions only to ensure that further recipients have the same open source rights.
Similarly, FOSH provides the “code” for hardware—including the bill of materials, schematics, instructions, computer-aided designs, and other information needed to recreate a physical artifact. Use of FOSH can improve product innovation in a wide range of fields. In this issue authors from a variety of disciplines and work environments discuss how this open model of innovation will drive the future of engineering.
First, Alicia Gibb, founder and executive director of the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) and director of the ATLAS1 Blow Things Up (BTU) Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder, argues that hardware is the next step to open sourcing everything. She touches on intellectual property (IP) issues, cites the benefits of open source hardware, introduces and explains the role of OSHWA, and hints at the future of open hardware.

The open source paradigm is already making deep inroads in the hardware space in 3D printing. With the development of the open source RepRap project (a 3D printer that can print itself) the cost of 3D printers has dropped to a point where nearly anyone can afford one for rapid prototyping and small batch manufacturing.

Ben Malouf and Harris Kenny of Aleph Objects describe their company’s approach to the use of open hardware in every aspect of their business to create the popular Lulzbot 3D printer. Their primary product is open—and consistently wins one of the top spots in Make: Magazine’s annual 3D printer shootout, ahead of proprietary 3D printers from much larger companies with far greater resources. Lulzbot printers, and those of many other manufacturers, are rapidly increasing in sales as the number of free and open source 3D printable designs erupts on the Web, making distributed manufacturing a reality.

In this context, law professor Lucas Osborn at the Campbell University School of Law takes us on a deep dive into how IP law will need to change in this new 3D printing era. After summarizing the basics of IP law and explaining why it was created, he discusses how it could both benefit and hinder 3D printing technology. His arguments will challenge readers independent of their views on patent law. For those with conventional IP leanings, he shows how IP law can hinder innovation. For those born in the Internet age, where sharing is second nature and little thought is given to licenses as long as the code is posted on Github, he offers some important lessons. He ends with a challenge for engineers to make more of an effort in helping form IP law that will benefit innovation.
If these lessons on IP and open hardware replication with 3D printers are turned to experimental research in science and engineering, there is an important opportunity to radically reduce the costs of experimental research while improving it. In the next article I argue that by harnessing a scalable open source method, federal funding is spent just once for the development of scientific equipment and then a return on this investment (ROI) is realized by digital replication of scientific devices for only the costs of materials. With numerous examples I show that the ROI climbs into the thousands of percent while accelerating any research that the open paradigm touches. To harness this opportunity, I propose four straightforward and negative-net-cost policies to support FOSH development and improve access to scientific tools in the United States. The policies will directly save millions in research and STEM education expenditures, while providing researchers and students access to better equipment, which will promote advances in technology and concomitant benefits for the American economy.

Thinking about the future and the changes needed to support this development in STEM education, AnnMarie Thomas and Deb Besser of the St. Thomas School of Engineering consider how engineers and engineering educators can use maker methods to introduce students to engineering and build their technological literacy. They show that the maker movement is closely tied to open hardware and sharing as well as the traits of successful engineers. Makerspaces and fabrication (fab) labs (what Gibb calls hackerspaces) are physical hubs of the maker culture.
Although these trends are clearly important for the United States, this cultural change and open hardware ethos can have dramatic impacts in the developing world. Matthew Rogge, Melissa Menke, and William Hoyle of TechforTrade explain the potential for open source and 3D printing to produce many needed items in low-resource settings, where lack of infrastructure makes local production impractical and high tariffs, unreliable supply chains, and economic instability make importation costly. Saving 90 percent on medical or scientific tools is nice in my lab, for instance, but it literally saves lives in a developing world context.
The issue concludes with an op-ed by Tom Callaway, a senior software engineer at Red Hat, Inc., an open source software company with revenue over $2 billion last year (up 15 percent year over year). What makes this business accomplishment so impressive is that all of the company’s software products are available for free. Although old ways of thinking demand that companies secure a monopoly and certainly not give away “intellectual property” for free, Red Hat’s success comes from offering its customers support, collaboration, control, and a high-quality product. Tom argues that the proven open source software mentality is porting to hardware, opening up incredible opportunities for humanity. He concludes, “open source and open innovation work…. They also empower society and make it possible to push the limits of what is possible. When the barriers to collaboration are lifted, people can accomplish incredible things.”

As all of the articles show, open source tools in the hands of this and future generations of engineers will be incredible indeed.

— This investigation present a new method for reducing electrical field in power electrical substation and also it has been paid attention to health personnel who work in this place therefore the health of staff has been a priority. In this way we have measured RMS values of electrical field by a standard device for variety level of voltage and various distances in a common prototype power electrical substation. Measured values have been prepared in this manuscript. In the following paragraphs these results were compared with International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) standards and was observed some zones are in higher than standard, so for solving this issue we have done review of basic design in substation and present a new method .we simulated this plan in comsol multi physics software and optimized design for achieving standard value of electrical field dosage is achieved and leads to more safe operating area regarding to biological considerations Index Terms— human health, electric field, high voltage, power substation, occupational exposure.

This research was funded by, and implemented within, a UK national research organisation, while the author was the KE and Impact Evaluation Manager responsible for assessing impact on a £15m UK government-funded research programme.

This work was also submitted as the authors MBA dissertation which was accepted and awarded in 2009.

ABSTRACT: A methodology and methods ‘toolbox’ is proposed for conducting impact research and assessment from within research programmes. The emphasis is upon how to clarify and assess the wider impacts from the early stages onwards.

The approach explicitly acknowledges, and attempts to address, the known issues and challenges of impact assessment while drawing upon the resources and opportunities available to research managers and researchers within such programmes.

The study has two triangulating foundations. Firstly, it examines the academic literature to help identify and design the pilot methodology and methods. Secondly it trials these in a real programme to both test and improve them.

The study was conducted over one year within one leading UK research organisation, where two research programmes (and around 60 research projects of £15m total value) were being assessed for their impacts. The study draws upon actual impact management experience and reflection, prospective (ex ante) and retrospective (ex post) assessments, participatory contributions from leading researchers undergoing assessment, and consultation with external users. The findings of this study outline the pilot and its first iteration. Recommendations are made for improvement to the methodology and methods.

A subsequent follow-on bid to UK government incorporating the impacts identified from implementing this methodology, successfully led to a further £15m of government funding.

It is expected the pilot methodology and methods will be applicable to other organisations, conducting and funding such research programmes, required to research and assess the wider research impacts.

Although primary focus of implemetation trials was upon research in physical sciences, technology, high-tech engineering, computing/IT, and environment, the wider literature study, the methodology design and justification, the methods proposed and used, and the resulting general recommendations and lessons are expected to apply more broadly to many other research areas, where the impact is to be found more widely in the society, economy, government or public sector or within organizations, policies, professions or the public.

Interest in this work is expected from research programme managers, impact managers and assessors, management consultants advising in this area, and government funding managers, all seeking to embed a developing approach to understand, capture, and enhance wider impact.

— Theory of Eight Palaces (八宫) or Eight Veins (八 脉) is useful in understanding economic disease. By using mathematical reasoning based on Yin Yang Wu Xing Theory in Traditional Chinese Economics (TCE), this paper demonstrates the treatment principle: ―Even if all changed, it is hard to change one's nature‖ (江山易改，本性难移). It means that for the economic society, there is the mathematical structure of Eight Palaces or Eight Veins as the second physiological system of a steady multilateral system. It can be used to determine the root-cause of the sick system by using the six indexes of comprehensive judgment as the Eight palaces or Eight veins. The six indexes are PPI (the Producer Price Index), AAF (the total output value of Agriculture forestry Animal husbandry and Fishery), CPI (the Consumer Price Index), GBR (the General Budget Revenue), GDP (the Gross Domestic Product), and GDP (the right of making money), simple namely PACGGF. The six indexes of PACGGF inflation rates which can be used as diagnostic subsystem of disease. The first or second transfer law of economic society energies of Eight Palaces or Eight Veins changes according to the different PACGGF inflation rates of an economic society whether in the normal range or not. Assume that the range of one of PACGGF inflation rates is divided into four parts from small to large. Both second and third are for a healthy economy. The treating works are the treatment directly for a root-cause and the prevention indirectly for a more serious relation economic disease as symptoms. Both the root-cause and symptoms come from the first transfer law of economic society energies. And both first and fourth are for an unhealthy economy. The treating works are the treatment directly for a root-cause or the prevention indirectly for a more serious relation economic disease as symptoms. Both the root-cause and symptoms come from the second transfer law of economic society energies. An economic disease treatment should protect and maintain the balance of two incompatibility relations: the loving relationship and the killing relationship.Economic disease treatment should protect and maintain the balance of two incompatibility relations: the loving relationship and the killing relationship. As an application, the Chinese GDP inflation rate can be used for the water subsystem how to do works based on to diagnose the root-cause of steady multilateral systems by using Eight palaces.

In  what  sense  do  we  speak  of  the planetary university? This  essay  belongs  to  a  more  comprehensive, still  unpublished reflection  that the authors have been developing over  the  past  years  while teaching  and  doing  research in Italy  and  abroad. However,  the essay  delineates  neither  the  situation  of  single  academic institutions, nor  a  general picture obtained by induction starting  from a variety of observational data. Rather,  it  attempts  to clarify,  in  the  specific  situation in which the authors  operate,  the powers  that  act  upon  teaching  and  research  once  they  let  themselves  be  informed  by  the laws  of  the  earth  turned  into  a  planet, that is,  in the words  of  common  language, by the new order of the globalized earth.

With sincere satisfaction and pride, I present this first editorial of
the Journal of Histology and Histopathology edited by myself.
I know this is a very challenging task, assuming the editorial
coordination of this journal, targeted to enhance the work
of so many esteemed international experts as well as dear
colleagues, who work on morphological research. A special
thanks goes to our current editorial team (Sherif M Karam,
Xueyong Zhu, Gjumrakch Aliev, Khin Thway, Han-Seung yoon,
Paul Evans, George Perry and Khush Mittal) and the publishing
group (Herbert Publications) that, day after day, thanks to
their valuable contribution, make possible the growth of
this journal. Reviewing a manuscript is time-consuming and
unpaid, and often reviewers are bombarded with requests to
review simultaneously from several journals. I hope to increase
the number of editors of the editorial board members (with
different geographical origin), to assure a rapid publication.
My aim and that of all the other editors is that this journal will
constitute a valuable tool, of both learning and research, to
understand how modern histology and histopathology can
be a fundamental bridge between molecular and anatomicalphysiological
disciplines and how the structural organization
of cells in tissues is inextricably linked to the functions that
the pathological and normal tissues must perform. These
concepts must constitute a significant part of imprinting training,
necessary to help researchers to work in a more guided way,
increasingly interested in a cellular approach to diseases and
their related treatments. Finally, conscious of the fact that this
journal can be considered a “system” subjected to the laws
of evolution, we welcome criticism and suggestions for its
improvement in the future. The purpose of this editorial was
to explain my view on histology and histopathology of today,
providing a brief overview from the past to the future.

 Abstract— Theory of Eight Palaces (八宫) or Eight Veins (八 脉) is useful in understanding economic disease. By using mathematical reasoning based on Yin Yang Wu Xing Theory in Traditional Chinese Economics (TCE), this paper demonstrates the treatment principle: " Even if all changed, it is hard to change one's nature " (江山易改，本性难移). It means that for the economic society, there is the mathematical structure of Eight Palaces or Eight Veins as the second physiological system of a steady multilateral system. It can be used to determine the root-cause of the sick system by using the six indexes of comprehensive judgment as the Eight palaces or Eight veins. The six indexes are PPI (the Producer Price Index), AAF (the total output value of Agriculture forestry Animal husbandry and Fishery), CPI (the Consumer Price Index), GBR (the General Budget Revenue), GDP (the Gross Domestic Product), and GDP (the right of making money), simple namely PACGGF. The six indexes of PACGGF inflation rates which can be used as diagnostic subsystem of disease. The first or second transfer law of economic society energies of Eight Palaces or Eight Veins changes according to the different PACGGF inflation rates of an economic society whether in the normal range or not. Assume that the range of one of PACGGF inflation rates is divided into four parts from small to large. Both second and third are for a healthy economy. The treating works are the treatment directly for a root-cause and the prevention indirectly for a more serious relation economic disease as symptoms. Both the root-cause and symptoms come from the first transfer law of economic society energies. And both first and fourth are for an unhealthy economy. The treating works are the treatment directly for a root-cause or the prevention indirectly for a more serious relation economic disease as symptoms. Both the root-cause and symptoms come from the second transfer law of economic society energies. An economic disease treatment should protect and maintain the balance of two incompatibility relations: the loving relationship and the killing relationship.Economic disease treatment should protect and maintain the balance of two incompatibility relations: the loving relationship and the killing relationship. As an application, the Chinese Finance inflation rate can be used for the jun-fire subsystem how to do works based on to diagnose the root-cause of steady multilateral systems by using Eight palaces.

Silver nanoparticles were successfully synthesized from AgNO 3 through a simple green route using the latex of Jatropha curcas as reducing as well as capping agent. Nanoparticles were characterized with the help of HRTEM, X-ray diffraction and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the nanoparticles were of face centered cubic structure. A comparison of radius of nanoparticles obtained from HRTEM image with the optimized cavity radius of the cyclic peptides present within the latex revealed that the particles having radius 10-20 nm are mostly stabilized by the cyclic peptides.

This book contains Volume 5 of the proceedings of the 10th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (BIOSTEC 2017): Health Informatics 2017. This conference is sponsored by the Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication (INSTICC), in cooperation with the ACM Special Interest Group on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (ACM SIGKDD), the EUROMICRO, the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth (ISfTeH), the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), the International Society for Computational Biology (iSCB) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).

Image processing is an active research area in which medical image processing is a highly challenging field. Medical imaging techniques are used to image the inner portions of the human body for medical diagnosis. Brain tumor is a serious life altering disease condition. Image segmentation plays a significant role in image processing as it helps in the extraction of suspicious regions from the medical images. In this paper we have proposed segmentation of brain MRI image using K-means clustering algorithm followed by morphological filtering which avoids the misclustered regions that can inevitably be formed after segmentation of the brain MRI image for detection of tumor location.

 Abstract— Theory of Sixty JiaZi (60 甲子) is useful in understanding economic disease. By using mathematical reasoning based on Yin Yang Wu Xing Theory in Traditional Chinese Economics (TCE) , this paper demonstrates the treatment principle: " seize the momentum of development， hasten lucky avoids disaster " (顺势而为,趋吉避凶). It means that for the economic society, there is the mathematical structure of Sixty JiaZi as the second physiological system of a steady multilateral system. It is used to predict the development of the corresponding subsystem based on 60 Jiazi numbers. People should be according to its momentum of development, hasten lucky avoids disaster. Theory of Eight palaces is to determine both the root-cause and symptoms of the sick system based on the six indexes of comprehensive judgment. It is the base of Six Jiazi. The six indexes are PPI (the Producer Price Index), AAF (The total output value of Agriculture forestry Animal husbandry and Fishery), CPI(the Consumer Price Index), GBR(the General Budget Revenue), GDP (the Gross Domestic Product), and Finance (the right of making money), simple namely PACGGF. The first or second transfer law of economic society energies of Sixty JiaZi changes according to the different PACGGF inflation rates of economic society whether in the normal range or not. Assume that the range of one of PACGGF inflation rates is divided into four parts from small to large. Both second and third are for a healthy economy. The treating works are the treatment directly for a root-cause and the prevention indirectly for a more serious relation economic disease as symptoms. Both the root-cause and symptoms come from the first transfer law of economic society energies. And both first and fourth are for an unhealthy economy. The treating works are the treatment directly for a root-cause or the prevention indirectly for a more serious relation economic disease as symptoms. Both the root-cause and symptoms come from the second transfer law of economic society energies. An economic disease treatment should protect and maintain the balance of two incompatibility relations: the loving relationship and the killing relationship.As an application, the Chinese GDP inflation rate can be used for the water subsystem how to do works based on to predict the root-cause of steady multilateral systems by using Sixty Jiazi.

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the combination of the best available research evidence with clinical experience and patient needs. The concept of EBM as a part of clinical decision making has become increasingly popular over the last decade. In the hierarchy of studies meta-analysis and systematic reviews occupy the highest levels. A systematic review of a clinical question can be performed by following a relatively standard form. These techniques as described here can be performed without formal training. Systematic reviews conducted in this fashion can be used as a higher form of current concepts or as review articles and replace the traditional expert opinion narrative review.

This paper examined if an electromyography (EMG) driven musculoskeletal model of the human knee could be used to predict knee moments, calculated using inverse dynamics, across a varied range of dynamic contractile conditions. Muscle-tendon lengths and moment arms of 13 muscles crossing the knee joint were determined from joint kinematics using a three-dimensional anatomical model of the lower limb. Muscle activation was determined using a second-order discrete non-linear model using rectified and lowpass filtered EMG as input. A modified Hill-type muscle model was used to calculate individual muscle forces using activation and muscle tendon lengths as inputs. The model was calibrated to six individuals by altering a set of physiologically based parameters using mathematical optimisation to match the net flexion/extension (FE) muscle moment with those measured by inverse dynamics. The model was calibrated for each subject using 5 different tasks, including passive and active FE in an isokinetic dynamometer, running, and cutting manoeuvres recorded using three-dimensional motion analysis. Once calibrated, the model was used to predict the FE moments, estimated via inverse dynamics, from over 200 isokinetic dynamometer, running and sidestepping tasks. The inverse dynamics joint moments were predicted with an average R 2 of 0.91 and mean residual error of B12 Nm. A re-calibration of only the EMG-to-activation parameters revealed FE moments prediction across weeks of similar accuracy. Changing the muscle model to one that is more physiologically correct produced better predictions. The modelling method presented represents a good way to estimate in vivo muscle forces during movement tasks. r

In the present study, biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles and its activity on water borne bacterial pathogens were investigated. Silver nanoparticles were rapidly synthesized using leaf extract of Acalypha indica and the formation of nanoparticles was observed within 30 min. The results recorded from UV-vis spectrum, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) support the biosynthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles. From highresolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis, the size of the silver nanoparticles was measured 20-30 nm. Further, the antibacterial activity of synthesized silver nanoparticles showed effective inhibitory activity against water borne pathogens Viz., Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae. Silver nanoparticles 10 g/ml were recorded as the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) against E. coli and V. cholerae. Alteration in membrane permeability and respiration of the silver nanoparticle treated bacterial cells were evident from the activity of silver nanoparticles.

This study discusses the production of briquettes as an alternative household fuel. Briquettes were produced from sawdust collected from one of the saw-mills in Akure, Ondo State. Water and cow dung were used both as binders in the production. Five briquettes were produced at 100%, 120%, 140%, 160% and 180% weight of water to sawdust while the other five were produced at water to cow dung ratios of 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80 and 0:100 percentages added to 1.5kg of sawdust. Combustion related properties of the briquettes viz: moisture content, dry density, percentage volatile matter, percentage fixed carbon and heating values were determined. Also, the cost analysis of producing 1000 briquettes was carried out. The results show that briquettes made from sawdust using solely water as binder has good combustion capacity than those produced from sawdust using the mixture of water and cow dung as binders. The cost analysis carried out shows the economic viability of using briquettes as a good substitute of the current ever increasing conventional cooking fuels available. Therefore, the use of wood residues for briquette production will reduce deforestation and environmental degradation by minimizing waste in the sawmill industry

Front, full, and parallel squats are some of the most popular squat variations. The purpose of this investigation was to compare mean and peak electromyography (EMG) amplitude of the upper gluteus maximus, lower gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, and vastus lateralis of front, full, and parallel squats. Thirteen healthy women (age = 28.9 ± 5.1 years; height = 164 ± 6.3 cm; body mass = 58.2 ± 6.4 kg) performed ten repetitions of their estimated 10-repetition maximum of each respective variation. There were no significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences between full, front and parallel squats in any of the tested muscles. Given these findings, it can be concluded that the front, full, or parallel squat can be performed for similar levels of EMG activity. However, given the results of previous research, it is recommended that individuals utilize a full range of motion when squatting, assuming full range can be safely achieved, in order to promote more favorable training adaptations. Furthermore, despite requiring lower loads, the front squat may provide a similar training stimulus to the back squat.

Virtually all types of collagenous tissues have been transferred in and around the knee joint for intra-articular and extra-articular ligament reconstructions. However, the mechanical properties (in particular, strength) of such grafts have not been determined in tissues from young adult donors, where age and disuse-related effects have been excluded. To provide this information, we subjected ligament graft tissues to high-strain-rate failure tests to determine their strength and elongation properties. The results were compared with the mechanical properties of anterior cruciate ligaments from a similar young-adult donor population. The study indicated that some graft tissues used in ligament reconstructions are markedly weak and therefore are at risk for elongation and failure at low forces. Grafts utilizing prepatellar retinacular tissues (as in certain anterior-cruciate reconstructions) and others in which a somewhat narrow width of fascia lata or distal iliotibial tract is utili...

The knee is an anatomically and biomechanically complex joint. Few studies have been published reporting the type and frequency of knee injuries. However, this information that may help to prevent, diagnose, and treat knee joint injuries. We have documented 17,397 patients with 19,530 sport injuries over a 10-year period of time. 6434 patients (37%) had 7769 injuries (39.8%) related to the knee joint. 68.1% of those patients were men and 31.6% were women. Almost 50% of the patients were between the ages of 20 -29 (43.1%) at the time of injury. The injuries documented were ACL lesion (20.3%), medial meniscus lesion (10.8%), lateral meniscus lesion (3.7%), MCL lesion (7.9%), LCL lesion (1.1%), and PCL lesion (0.65%). The activities leading to most injuries were soccer (35%) and skiing (26%). LCL injury was associated with tennis and gymnastics, MCL with judo and skiing, ACL with handball and volleyball, PCL with handball, lateral meniscus with gymnastics and dancing, and medial meniscus with tennis and jogging. D

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has widened the horizons of radiation therapy due to its ability to conform radiation dose distributions to complex tumor target volumes while sparing nearby critical structures as much as physically possible. IMRT has also led to paradigm shifts in all elements of the chain of radiotherapy, from treatment prescription over treatment planning ("inverse" planning) to treatment delivery and verification. Although IMRT and inverse planning have the potential to streamline and simplify radiotherapy, at the current stage of the development IMRT is still significantly more involved than conventional radiotherapy.