RESUMO
We report on structural studies at room temperature of rare-earth based Chevrel phase selenides of the formula RExMo6Se8, where RE stands for a light rare-earth La (1), Ce (2), Pr (3), Nd (4), or Sm (5). The single crystals were grown at 1650 degrees C < T < 1690 degrees C from off-stoichiometric starting compositions, with the exception of 3, which was grown at 1710 degrees C from a stoichiometric charge (congruently melting material). The crystal structures were solved in space group R3 (No. 148; Z = 1) and found to be isostructural with the well-known Chevrel phases having large cations (e.g., PbMo6S8, REMo6S8). The structures are based on Mo6Se8 metallic clusters that are slightly rotated inside a pseudocubic rare-earth sublattice. Structural refinements revealed that the origin site, occupied by the RE atoms, exhibits slight deficiencies, leading to a RExMo6Se8 composition, with x ranging between approximately 0.82 and approximately 0.92: 1 La0.88Mo6Se8, arh = 6.7577(9) A, alpha rh = 88.62(2) degrees; 2a Ce0.82Mo6Se8, arh = 6.7407(6) A, alpha rh = 88.83(2) degrees; 2b Ce0.92Mo6Se8, arh = 6.7473(9) A, alpha rh = 88.69(2) degrees; 3 Pr0.86Mo6Se8, arh = 6.7385(6) A, alpha rh = 88.81(2) degrees; 4 Nd0.85Mo6Se8, arh = 6.7286(5) A, alpha rh = 88.85(1) degrees; and 5 Sm0.87Mo6Se8, arh = 6.7182(2) A, alpha rh = 88.956(3) degrees. All of the structural data presented in this work (lattice constants, positional parameters and interatomic distances) concern an average RE content of x approximately 0.87. In this way, any influence due to electronic effects (VEC number) can be discarded, and exact correlations between these parameters and the ionic radius of the rare-earth atoms can then be established.
RESUMO
An inverse planning algorithm for determining the intensity of modulated beams that generates conformal radiotherapy dose distributions is presented. This algorithm is based on the mathematical analysis of the singular values decomposition. It is integrated in the DOSIGRAY 3D treatment planning software. The dose is calculated by the separation of the primary and scattered radiation. We presented, for a prostate cancer, the modulated intensity profiles and the optimal dose distribution obtained by the inverse optimization software developed and integrated in the treatment planning system. We obtained a region with high doses which geometrically conforms the target volume and spares the neighboring critical structures. This preliminary study showed the feasibility and the managing of the singular value decomposition to generate conformal dose distribution in a clinical environment.
