Weight shifting operators and conformal blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karateev, Denis; Kravchuk, Petr; Simmons-Duffin, David

2018-02-01

We introduce a large class of conformally-covariant differential operators and a crossing equation that they obey. Together, these tools dramatically simplify calculations involving operators with spin in conformal field theories. As an application, we derive a formula for a general conformal block (with arbitrary internal and external representations) in terms of derivatives of blocks for external scalars. In particular, our formula gives new expressions for "seed conformal blocks" in 3d and 4d CFTs. We also find simple derivations of identities between external-scalar blocks with different dimensions and internal spins. We comment on additional applications, including deriving recursion relations for general conformal blocks, reducing inversion formulae for spinning operators to inversion formulae for scalars, and deriving identities between general 6 j symbols (Racah-Wigner coefficients/"crossing kernels") of the conformal group.

Pelvic Nodal Radiotherapy in Patients With Unfavorable Intermediate and High-Risk Prostate Cancer: Evidence, Rationale, and Future Directions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morikawa, Lisa K.; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Roach, Mack, E-mail: mroach@radonc.ucsf.ed

2011-05-01

Over the past 15 years, there have been three major advances in the use of external beam radiotherapy in the management of men with clinically localized prostate made. They include: (1) image guided (IG) three-dimensional conformal/intensity modulated radiotherapy; (2) radiation dose escalation; and (3) androgen deprivation therapy. To date only the last of these three advances have been shown to improve overall survival. The presence of occult pelvic nodal involvement could explain the failure of increased conformality and dose escalation to prolong survival, because the men who appear to be at the greatest risk of death from clinically localized prostatemore » cancer are those who are likely to have lymph node metastases. This review discusses the evidence for prophylactic pelvic nodal radiotherapy, including the key trials and controversies surrounding this issue.« less

49 CFR Appendix C to Part 564 - Information Applicable to Standardized Sealed Beam Headlamp Units

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Standardized Sealed Beam Unit. A. Dimensions marked “I”, indicating interchangeability, for which conformance is mandatory. B. All other dimensions which are for design purposes. II. Dimensional Information... Sealed Beam Unit A. Dimensions marked “I”, indicating interchangeability, for which conformance is...

Technology Insight: Combined external-beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy in the management of prostate cancer.

PubMed

Hurwitz, Mark D

2008-11-01

External-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) combined with brachytherapy is an attractive treatment option for selected patients with clinically localized prostate cancer. This therapeutic strategy offers dosimetric coverage if local-regional microscopic disease is present and provides a highly conformal boost of radiation to the prostate and immediate surrounding tissues. Either low-dose-rate (LDR) permanent brachytherapy or high-dose-rate (HDR) temporary brachytherapy can be combined with EBRT; such combined-modality therapy (CMT) is typically used to treat patients with intermediate-risk to high-risk, clinically localized disease. Controversy persists with regard to indications for CMT, choice of LDR or HDR boost, isotope selection for LDR, and integration of EBRT and brachytherapy. Initial findings from prospective, multicenter trials of CMT support the feasibility of this strategy. Updated results from these trials as well as those of ongoing and new phase III trials should help to define the role of CMT in the management of prostate cancer. In the meantime, long-term expectations for outcomes of CMT are based largely on the experience of single institutions, which demonstrate that CMT with EBRT and either LDR or HDR brachytherapy can provide freedom from disease recurrence with acceptable toxicity.

Four-Year Efficacy, Cosmesis, and Toxicity Using Three-Dimensional Conformal External Beam Radiation Therapy to Deliver Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Peter Y.; Wallace, Michelle; Mitchell, Christina

2010-03-15

Purpose: This prospective study examines the use of three-dimensional conformal external beam radiation therapy (3D-CRT) to deliver accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). Four-year data on efficacy, cosmesis, and toxicity are presented. Methods: Patients with Stage O, I, or II breast cancer with lesions <=3 cm, negative margins, and negative nodes were eligible. The 3D-CRT delivered was 38.5 Gy in 3.85 Gy/fraction. Ipsilateral breast, ipsilateral nodal, contralateral breast, and distant failure (IBF, INF, CBF, DF) were estimated using the cumulative incidence method. Disease-free, overall, and cancer-specific survival (DFS, OS, CSS) were recorded. The National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adversemore » Events (version 3) toxicity scale was used to grade acute and late toxicities. Results: Ninety-four patients are evaluable for efficacy. Median patient age was 62 years with the following characteristics: 68% tumor size <1 cm, 72% invasive ductal histology, 77% estrogen receptor (ER) (+), 88% postmenopausal; 88% no chemotherapy and 44% with no hormone therapy. Median follow-up was 4.2 years (range, 1.3-8.3). Four-year estimates of efficacy were IBF: 1.1% (one local recurrence); INF: 0%; CBF: 1.1%; DF: 3.9%; DFS: 95%; OS: 97%; and CSS: 99%. Four (4%) Grade 3 toxicities (one transient breast pain and three fibrosis) were observed. Cosmesis was rated good/excellent in 89% of patients at 4 years. Conclusions: Four-year efficacy, cosmesis, and toxicity using 3D-CRT to deliver APBI appear comparable to other experiences with similar follow-up. However, additional patients, further follow-up, and mature Phase III data are needed to evaluate thoroughly the extent of application, limitations, and complete value of this particular form of APBI.« less

Survey of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Japan by the Japan 3-D Conformal External Beam Radiotherapy Group

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nagata, Yasushi; Hiraoka, Masahiro; Mizowaki, Takashi

2009-10-01

Purpose: To recognize the current status of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in Japan, using a nationwide survey conducted by the Japan 3-D Conformal External Beam Radiotherapy Group. Methods and Materials: The questionnaire was sent by mail to 117 institutions. Ninety-four institutions (80%) responded by the end of November 2005. Fifty-three institutions indicated that they have already started SBRT, and 38 institutions had been reimbursed by insurance. Results: A total of 1111 patients with histologically confirmed lung cancer were treated. Among these patients, 637 had T1N0M0 and 272 had T2N0M0 lung cancer. Metastatic lung cancer was found in 702 and histologicallymore » unconfirmed lung tumor in 291 patients. Primary liver cancer was found in 207 and metastatic liver cancer in 76 patients. The most frequent schedule used for primary lung cancer was 48Gy in 4 fractions at 22 institutions (52%), followed by 50Gy in 5 fractions at 11 institutions (26%) and 60Gy in 8 fractions at 4 institutions (10%). The tendency was the same for metastatic lung cancer. The average number of personnel involved in SBRT was 1.8 radiation oncologists, including 1.1 certified radiation oncologists, 2.8 technologists, 0.7 nurses, and 0.6 certified quality assurance personnel and 0.3 physicists. The most frequent amount of time for treatment planning was 61-120min, for quality assurance was 50-60min, and for treatment was 30min. There were 14 (0.6% of all cases) reported Grade 5 complications: 11 cases of radiation pneumonitis, 2 cases of hemoptysis, and 1 case of radiation esophagitis. Conclusion: The current status of SBRT in Japan was surveyed.« less

Five-year prospective patient evaluation of bladder and bowel symptoms after dose-escalated radiotherapy for prostate cancer with the BeamCath (registered) technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fransson, Per; Bergstroem, Per; Loefroth, Per-Olov

2006-10-01

Purpose: Late side effects were prospectively evaluated up to 5 years after dose-escalated external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and were compared with a previously treated series with conventional conformal technique. Methods and Materials: Bladder and bowel symptoms were prospectively evaluated with the Prostate Cancer Symptom Scale (PCSS) questionnaire up to 5 years posttreatment. In all, 257 patients completed the questionnaire 5 years posttreatment. A total of 168 patients were treated with the conformal technique at doses <71 Gy, and 195 were treated with the dose-escalated stereotactic BeamCath (registered) technique comprising three dose levels: 74 Gy (n = 68), 76 Gy (nmore » = 74), and 78 Gy (n = 53). Results: For all dose groups analyzed together, 5 years after treatment, urinary starting problems decreased and urinary incontinence increased in comparison to baseline values. No increase in other bladder symptoms or frequency was detected. When comparing dose groups after 5 years, both the 74-Gy and 78-Gy groups reported increased urinary starting problems compared with patients given the conventional dose (<71 Gy). No increased incontinence was seen in the 76-Gy or the 78-Gy groups. Bowel symptoms were slightly increased during the follow-up period in comparison to baseline. Dose escalation with stereotactic EBRT (74-78 Gy) did not increase gastrointestinal late side effects after 5 years in comparison to doses <71 Gy. Conclusion: Dose-escalated EBRT with the BeamCath (registered) technique with doses up to 78 Gy is tolerable, and the toxicity profile is similar to that observed with conventional doses <71 Gy.« less

External Beam Accelerated Partial-Breast Irradiation Using 32 Gy in 8 Twice-Daily Fractions: 5-Year Results of a Prospective Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pashtan, Itai M.; Recht, Abram; Ancukiewicz, Marek

Purpose: External beam accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is an increasingly popular technique for treatment of patients with early stage breast cancer following breast-conserving surgery. Here we present 5-year results of a prospective trial. Methods and Materials: From October 2003 through November 2005, 98 evaluable patients with stage I breast cancer were enrolled in the first dose step (32 Gy delivered in 8 twice-daily fractions) of a prospective, multi-institutional, dose escalation clinical trial of 3-dimensional conformal external beam APBI (3D-APBI). Median age was 61 years; median tumor size was 0.8 cm; 89% of tumors were estrogen receptor positive; 10% hadmore » a triple-negative phenotype; and 1% had a HER-2-positive subtype. Median follow-up was 71 months (range, 2-88 months; interquartile range, 64-75 months). Results: Five patients developed ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR), for a 5-year actuarial IBTR rate of 5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1%-10%). Three of these cases occurred in patients with triple-negative disease and 2 in non-triple-negative patients, for 5-year actuarial IBTR rates of 33% (95% CI, 0%-57%) and 2% (95% CI, 0%-6%; P<.0001), respectively. On multivariable analysis, triple-negative phenotype was the only predictor of IBTR, with borderline statistical significance after adjusting for tumor grade (P=.0537). Conclusions: Overall outcomes were excellent, particularly for patients with estrogen receptor-positive disease. Patients in this study with triple-negative breast cancer had a significantly higher IBTR rate than patients with other receptor phenotypes when treated with 3D-APBI. Larger, prospective 3D-APBI clinical trials should continue to evaluate the effect of hormone receptor phenotype on IBTR rates.« less

External beam accelerated partial-breast irradiation using 32 gy in 8 twice-daily fractions: 5-year results of a prospective study.

PubMed

Pashtan, Itai M; Recht, Abram; Ancukiewicz, Marek; Brachtel, Elena; Abi-Raad, Rita F; D'Alessandro, Helen A; Levy, Antonin; Wo, Jennifer Y; Hirsch, Ariel E; Kachnic, Lisa A; Goldberg, Saveli; Specht, Michelle; Gadd, Michelle; Smith, Barbara L; Powell, Simon N; Taghian, Alphonse G

2012-11-01

External beam accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is an increasingly popular technique for treatment of patients with early stage breast cancer following breast-conserving surgery. Here we present 5-year results of a prospective trial. From October 2003 through November 2005, 98 evaluable patients with stage I breast cancer were enrolled in the first dose step (32 Gy delivered in 8 twice-daily fractions) of a prospective, multi-institutional, dose escalation clinical trial of 3-dimensional conformal external beam APBI (3D-APBI). Median age was 61 years; median tumor size was 0.8 cm; 89% of tumors were estrogen receptor positive; 10% had a triple-negative phenotype; and 1% had a HER-2-positive subtype. Median follow-up was 71 months (range, 2-88 months; interquartile range, 64-75 months). Five patients developed ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR), for a 5-year actuarial IBTR rate of 5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1%-10%). Three of these cases occurred in patients with triple-negative disease and 2 in non-triple-negative patients, for 5-year actuarial IBTR rates of 33% (95% CI, 0%-57%) and 2% (95% CI, 0%-6%; P<.0001), respectively. On multivariable analysis, triple-negative phenotype was the only predictor of IBTR, with borderline statistical significance after adjusting for tumor grade (P=.0537). Overall outcomes were excellent, particularly for patients with estrogen receptor-positive disease. Patients in this study with triple-negative breast cancer had a significantly higher IBTR rate than patients with other receptor phenotypes when treated with 3D-APBI. Larger, prospective 3D-APBI clinical trials should continue to evaluate the effect of hormone receptor phenotype on IBTR rates. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From spinning conformal blocks to matrix Calogero-Sutherland models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schomerus, Volker; Sobko, Evgeny

2018-04-01

In this paper we develop further the relation between conformal four-point blocks involving external spinning fields and Calogero-Sutherland quantum mechanics with matrix-valued potentials. To this end, the analysis of [1] is extended to arbitrary dimensions and to the case of boundary two-point functions. In particular, we construct the potential for any set of external tensor fields. Some of the resulting Schrödinger equations are mapped explicitly to the known Casimir equations for 4-dimensional seed conformal blocks. Our approach furnishes solutions of Casimir equations for external fields of arbitrary spin and dimension in terms of functions on the conformal group. This allows us to reinterpret standard operations on conformal blocks in terms of group-theoretic objects. In particular, we shall discuss the relation between the construction of spinning blocks in any dimension through differential operators acting on seed blocks and the action of left/right invariant vector fields on the conformal group.

Accelerating Airy beams with non-parabolic trajectories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Besieris, Ioannis M.; Shaarawi, Amr M.

2014-11-01

A class of Airy accelerating beams with non-parabolic trajectories are derived by means of a novel application of a conformal transformation originally due to Bateman. It is also shown that the salient features of these beams are very simply incorporated in a solution which is derived by applying a conventional conformal transformation together with a Galilean translation to the basic accelerating Airy beam solution of the two-dimensional paraxial equation. Motivation for the non-parabolic beam trajectories is provided and the effects of finite-energy requirements are discussed.

A Model for the Flexibility of the Distal Histidine in Dehaloperoxidase-Hemoglobin A Based on X-ray Crystal Structures of the Carbon Monoxide Adduct

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Dehaloperoxidase hemoglobin A (DHP A) is a multifunctional hemoglobin that appears to have evolved oxidative pathways for the degradation of xenobiotics as a protective function that complements the oxygen transport function. DHP A possesses at least two internal binding sites, one for substrates and one for inhibitors, which include various halogenated phenols and indoles. Herein, we report the X-ray crystallographic structure of the carbonmonoxy complex (DHPCO). Unlike other DHP structures with 6-coordinated heme, the conformation of the distal histidine (H55) in DHPCO is primarily external or solvent exposed, despite the fact that the heme Fe is 6-coordinated. As observed generally in globins, DHP exhibits two distal histidine conformations (one internal and one external). In previous structural studies, we have shown that the distribution of H55 conformations is weighted strongly toward the external position when the DHP heme Fe is 5-coordinated. The large population of the external conformation of the distal histidine observed in DHPCO crystals at pH 6.0 indicates that some structural factor in DHP must account for the difference from other globins, which exhibit a significant external conformation only when pH < 4.5. While the original hypothesis suggested that interaction with a heme-Fe-bound ligand was the determinant of H55 conformation, the current study forces a refinement of that hypothesis. The external or open conformation of H55 is observed to have interactions with two propionate groups in heme, at distances of 3.82 and 2.73 Å, respectively. A relatively weak hydrogen bonding interaction between H55 and CO, combined with strong interactions with heme propionate (position 6), is hypothesized to strengthen the external conformation of H55. Density function theory (DFT) calculations were conducted to test whether there is a weaker hydrogen bond interaction between H55 and heme bonded CO or O2. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to examine how the tautomeric forms of H55 affect the dynamic motions of the distal histidine that govern the switching between open and closed conformations. The calculations support the modified hypothesis suggesting a competition between the strength of interactions with heme ligand and the heme propionates as the factors that determine the conformation of the distal histidine. PMID:24670063

Effect of beam arrangement on oral cavity dose in external beam radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Vincent W.C.; Yang Zhining; Zhang Wuzhe

This study compared the oral cavity dose between the routine 7-beam intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) beam arrangement and 2 other 7-beam IMRT with the conventional radiotherapy beam arrangements in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Ten NPC patients treated by the 7-beam routine IMRT technique (IMRT-7R) between April 2009 and June 2009 were recruited. Using the same computed tomography data, target information, and dose constraints for all the contoured structures, 2 IMRT plans with alternative beam arrangements (IMRT-7M and IMRT-7P) by avoiding the anterior facial beam and 1 conventional radiotherapy plan (CONRT) were computed using the Pinnacle treatment planning system. Dose-volumemore » histograms were generated for the planning target volumes (PTVs) and oral cavity from which the dose parameters and the conformity index of the PTV were recorded for dosimetric comparisons among the plans with different beam arrangements. The dose distributions to the PTVs were similar among the 3 IMRT beam arrangements, whereas the differences were significant between IMRT-7R and CONRT plans. For the oral cavity dose, the 3 IMRT beam arrangements did not show significant difference. Compared with IMRT-7R, CONRT plan showed a significantly lower mean dose, V30 and V-40, whereas the V-60 was significantly higher. The 2 suggested alternative beam arrangements did not significantly reduce the oral cavity dose. The impact of varying the beam angles in IMRT of NPC did not give noticeable effect on the target and oral cavity. Compared with IMRT, the 2-D conventional radiotherapy irradiated a greater high-dose volume in the oral cavity.« less

A comparative study on low-energy ion beam and neutralized beam modifications of naked DNA and biological effect on mutation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarapirom, S.; Thongkumkoon, P.; Prakrajang, K.; Anuntalabhochai, S.; Yu, L. D.

2012-02-01

DNA conformation change or damage induced by low-energy ion irradiation has been of great interest owing to research developments in ion beam biotechnology and ion beam application in biomedicine. Mechanisms involved in the induction of DNA damage may account for effect from implanting ion charge. In order to check this effect, we used both ion beam and neutralized beam at keV energy to bombard naked DNA. Argon or nitrogen ion beam was generated and extracted from a radiofrequency (RF) ion source and neutralized by microwave-driven plasma in the beam path. Plasmid DNA pGFP samples were irradiated with the ion or neutralized beam in vacuum, followed by gel electrophoresis to observe changes in the DNA conformations. It was revealed that the ion charge played a certain role in inducing DNA conformation change. The subsequent DNA transfer into bacteria Escherichia coli ( E. coli) for mutation analysis indicated that the charged ion beam induced DNA change had high potential in mutation induction while neutralized beam did not. The intrinsic reason was attributed to additional DNA deformation and contortion caused by ion charge exchange effect so that the ion beam induced DNA damage could hardly be completely repaired, whereas the neutralized beam induced DNA change could be more easily recoverable owing to absence of the additional DNA deformation and contortion.

Conformally encapsulated multi-electrode arrays with seamless insulation

DOEpatents

Tabada, Phillipe J.; Shah, Kedar G.; Tolosa, Vanessa; Pannu, Satinderall S.; Tooker, Angela; Delima, Terri; Sheth, Heeral; Felix, Sarah

2016-11-22

Thin-film multi-electrode arrays (MEA) having one or more electrically conductive beams conformally encapsulated in a seamless block of electrically insulating material, and methods of fabricating such MEAs using reproducible, microfabrication processes. One or more electrically conductive traces are formed on scaffold material that is subsequently removed to suspend the traces over a substrate by support portions of the trace beam in contact with the substrate. By encapsulating the suspended traces, either individually or together, with a single continuous layer of an electrically insulating material, a seamless block of electrically insulating material is formed that conforms to the shape of the trace beam structure, including any trace backings which provide suspension support. Electrical contacts, electrodes, or leads of the traces are exposed from the encapsulated trace beam structure by removing the substrate.

Monte Carlo-based parametrization of the lateral dose spread for clinical treatment planning of scanned proton and carbon ion beams.

PubMed

Parodi, Katia; Mairani, Andrea; Sommerer, Florian

2013-07-01

Ion beam therapy using state-of-the-art pencil-beam scanning offers unprecedented tumour-dose conformality with superior sparing of healthy tissue and critical organs compared to conventional radiation modalities for external treatment of deep-seated tumours. For inverse plan optimization, the commonly employed analytical treatment-planning systems (TPSs) have to meet reasonable compromises in the accuracy of the pencil-beam modelling to ensure good performances in clinically tolerable execution times. In particular, the complex lateral spreading of ion beams in air and in the traversed tissue is typically approximated with ideal Gaussian-shaped distributions, enabling straightforward superimposition of several scattering contributions. This work presents the double Gaussian parametrization of scanned proton and carbon ion beams in water that has been introduced in an upgraded version of the worldwide first commercial ion TPS for clinical use at the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT). First, the Monte Carlo results obtained from a detailed implementation of the HIT beamline have been validated against available experimental data. Then, for generating the TPS lateral parametrization, radial beam broadening has been calculated in a water target placed at a representative position after scattering in the beamline elements and air for 20 initial beam energies for each ion species. The simulated profiles were finally fitted with an idealized double Gaussian distribution that did not perfectly describe the nature of the data, thus requiring a careful choice of the fitting conditions. The obtained parametrization is in clinical use not only at the HIT center, but also at the Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica.

Monte Carlo-based parametrization of the lateral dose spread for clinical treatment planning of scanned proton and carbon ion beams

PubMed Central

Parodi, Katia; Mairani, Andrea; Sommerer, Florian

2013-01-01

Ion beam therapy using state-of-the-art pencil-beam scanning offers unprecedented tumour-dose conformality with superior sparing of healthy tissue and critical organs compared to conventional radiation modalities for external treatment of deep-seated tumours. For inverse plan optimization, the commonly employed analytical treatment-planning systems (TPSs) have to meet reasonable compromises in the accuracy of the pencil-beam modelling to ensure good performances in clinically tolerable execution times. In particular, the complex lateral spreading of ion beams in air and in the traversed tissue is typically approximated with ideal Gaussian-shaped distributions, enabling straightforward superimposition of several scattering contributions. This work presents the double Gaussian parametrization of scanned proton and carbon ion beams in water that has been introduced in an upgraded version of the worldwide first commercial ion TPS for clinical use at the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT). First, the Monte Carlo results obtained from a detailed implementation of the HIT beamline have been validated against available experimental data. Then, for generating the TPS lateral parametrization, radial beam broadening has been calculated in a water target placed at a representative position after scattering in the beamline elements and air for 20 initial beam energies for each ion species. The simulated profiles were finally fitted with an idealized double Gaussian distribution that did not perfectly describe the nature of the data, thus requiring a careful choice of the fitting conditions. The obtained parametrization is in clinical use not only at the HIT center, but also at the Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica. PMID:23824133

Current external beam radiation therapy quality assurance guidance: does it meet the challenges of emerging image-guided technologies?

PubMed

Palta, Jatinder R; Liu, Chihray; Li, Jonathan G

2008-01-01

The traditional prescriptive quality assurance (QA) programs that attempt to ensure the safety and reliability of traditional external beam radiation therapy are limited in their applicability to such advanced radiation therapy techniques as three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, inverse treatment planning, stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy, and image-guided radiation therapy. The conventional QA paradigm, illustrated by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group 40 (TG-40) report, consists of developing a consensus menu of tests and device performance specifications from a generic process model that is assumed to apply to all clinical applications of the device. The complexity, variation in practice patterns, and level of automation of high-technology radiotherapy renders this "one-size-fits-all" prescriptive QA paradigm ineffective or cost prohibitive if the high-probability error pathways of all possible clinical applications of the device are to be covered. The current approaches to developing comprehensive prescriptive QA protocols can be prohibitively time consuming and cost ineffective and may sometimes fail to adequately safeguard patients. It therefore is important to evaluate more formal error mitigation and process analysis methods of industrial engineering to more optimally focus available QA resources on process components that have a significant likelihood of compromising patient safety or treatment outcomes.

Conformational study of 2-phenylethylamine by molecular-beam Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy.

PubMed

López, Juan C; Cortijo, Vanessa; Blanco, Susana; Alonso, Jose L

2007-08-28

The conformational preferences of the simplest amine neurotransmitter 2-phenylethylamine have been investigated using molecular beam Fourier transform microwave (MB-FTMW) spectroscopy. Two new conformers have been observed together with the two previously reported by Godfrey et al. [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1995, 117, 8204]. The (14)N nuclear quadrupole hyperfine structure has been resolved for all four conformers. Comparison of the experimental rotational and quadrupole coupling constants with those calculated theoretically provides a conclusive test for the identification of all conformers. The two most stable conformers present a gauche (folded) disposition of the alkyl-amine chain and are stabilised by a weak NH...pi interaction between the amino group and the aromatic ring. The other two conformers show an anti (extended) arrangement of the alkyl-amine chain. Tunnelling splittings have been observed in the spectrum of one of the anti conformers. The post expansion relative abundances in the supersonic jet have been also investigated and related to the conformer energies.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy to bilateral lower limb extremities concurrently: a planning case study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fitzgerald, Emma, E-mail: emmafitz1390@gmail.com; Miles, Wesley; Fenton, Paul

2014-09-15

Non-melanomatous skin cancers represent 80% of all newly diagnosed cancers in Australia with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) being the most common. A previously healthy 71-year-old woman presented with widespread and tender superficial skin cancers on the lower bilateral limbs. External beam radiation therapy through the use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was employed as the treatment modality of choice as this technique provides conformal dose distribution to a three-dimensional treatment volume while reducing toxicity to surrounding tissues. The patient was prescribed a dose of 60 Gy to the planning target volume (PTV) with 1.0 cmmore » bolus over the ventral surface of each limb. The beam arrangement consisted of six treatment fields that avoided entry and exit through the contralateral limb. The treatment plans met the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) guidelines and produced highly conformal dosimetric results. Skin toxicity was measured against the National Cancer Institute: Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI: CTCAE) version 3. A well-tolerated treatment was delivered with excellent results given the initial extent of the disease. This case study has demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of IMRT for skin cancers as an alternative to surgery and traditional superficial radiation therapy, utilising a complex PTV of the extremities for patients with similar presentations.« less

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy to bilateral lower limb extremities concurrently: a planning case study

PubMed Central

Fitzgerald, Emma; Miles, Wesley; Fenton, Paul; Frantzis, Jim

2014-01-01

Non-melanomatous skin cancers represent 80% of all newly diagnosed cancers in Australia with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) being the most common. A previously healthy 71-year-old woman presented with widespread and tender superficial skin cancers on the lower bilateral limbs. External beam radiation therapy through the use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was employed as the treatment modality of choice as this technique provides conformal dose distribution to a three-dimensional treatment volume while reducing toxicity to surrounding tissues. The patient was prescribed a dose of 60 Gy to the planning target volume (PTV) with 1.0 cm bolus over the ventral surface of each limb. The beam arrangement consisted of six treatment fields that avoided entry and exit through the contralateral limb. The treatment plans met the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) guidelines and produced highly conformal dosimetric results. Skin toxicity was measured against the National Cancer Institute: Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI: CTCAE) version 3. A well-tolerated treatment was delivered with excellent results given the initial extent of the disease. This case study has demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of IMRT for skin cancers as an alternative to surgery and traditional superficial radiation therapy, utilising a complex PTV of the extremities for patients with similar presentations. PMID:26229657

Experimental demonstration of conformal phased array antenna via transformation optics.

PubMed

Lei, Juan; Yang, Juxing; Chen, Xi; Zhang, Zhiya; Fu, Guang; Hao, Yang

2018-02-28

Transformation Optics has been proven a versatile technique for designing novel electromagnetic devices and it has much wider applicability in many subject areas related to general wave equations. Among them, quasi-conformal transformation optics (QCTO) can be applied to minimize anisotropy of transformed media and has opened up the possibility to the design of broadband antennas with arbitrary geometries. In this work, a wide-angle scanning conformal phased array based on all-dielectric QCTO lens is designed and experimentally demonstrated. Excited by the same current distribution as such in a conventional planar array, the conformal system in presence of QCTO lens can preserve the same radiation characteristics of a planar array with wide-angle beam-scanning and low side lobe level (SLL). Laplace's equation subject to Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions is adopted to construct the mapping between the virtual and physical spaces. The isotropic lens with graded refractive index is realized by all-dielectric holey structure after an effective parameter approximation. The measurements of the fabricated system agree well with the simulated results, which demonstrate its excellent wide-angle beam scanning performance. Such demonstration paves the way to a robust but efficient array synthesis, as well as multi-beam and beam forming realization of conformal arrays via transformation optics.

External Beam Radiation Therapy for Cancer

Cancer.gov

External beam radiation therapy is used to treat many types of cancer. it is a local treatment, where a machine aims radiation at your cancer. Learn more about different types of external beam radiation therapy, and what to expect if you're receiving treatment.

Study of Image Qualities From 6D Robot-Based CBCT Imaging System of Small Animal Irradiator.

PubMed

Sharma, Sunil; Narayanasamy, Ganesh; Clarkson, Richard; Chao, Ming; Moros, Eduardo G; Zhang, Xin; Yan, Yulong; Boerma, Marjan; Paudel, Nava; Morrill, Steven; Corry, Peter; Griffin, Robert J

2017-01-01

To assess the quality of cone beam computed tomography images obtained by a robotic arm-based and image-guided small animal conformal radiation therapy device. The small animal conformal radiation therapy device is equipped with a 40 to 225 kV X-ray tube mounted on a custom made gantry, a 1024 × 1024 pixels flat panel detector (200 μm resolution), a programmable 6 degrees of freedom robot for cone beam computed tomography imaging and conformal delivery of radiation doses. A series of 2-dimensional radiographic projection images were recorded in cone beam mode by placing and rotating microcomputed tomography phantoms on the "palm' of the robotic arm. Reconstructed images were studied for image quality (spatial resolution, image uniformity, computed tomography number linearity, voxel noise, and artifacts). Geometric accuracy was measured to be 2% corresponding to 0.7 mm accuracy on a Shelley microcomputed tomography QA phantom. Qualitative resolution of reconstructed axial computed tomography slices using the resolution coils was within 200 μm. Quantitative spatial resolution was found to be 3.16 lp/mm. Uniformity of the system was measured within 34 Hounsfield unit on a QRM microcomputed tomography water phantom. Computed tomography numbers measured using the linearity plate were linear with material density ( R 2 > 0.995). Cone beam computed tomography images of the QRM multidisk phantom had minimal artifacts. Results showed that the small animal conformal radiation therapy device is capable of producing high-quality cone beam computed tomography images for precise and conformal small animal dose delivery. With its high-caliber imaging capabilities, the small animal conformal radiation therapy device is a powerful tool for small animal research.

Dosimetric effect of Elekta Beam Modulator micromultileaf in three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy for prostate cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carosi, Alessandra, E-mail: alessandra.carosi@katamail.com; Ingrosso, Gianluca; Ponti, Elisabetta

2014-07-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze the dosimetric effect of Elekta Beam Modulator in 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) and in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for localized prostate cancer. We compared treatment plans developed with 2 different Elekta multileaf collimators (MLC): Beam Modulator micro-MLC (mMLC) (4-mm leaf width at the isocenter) and standard MLC (10-mm leaf width at the isocenter). The comparison was performed for 15 patients with localized prostate cancer in 3DCRT and IMRT delivery; a total of 60 treatment plans were processed. The dose-volume histograms were used to provide the quantitative comparison between plans. In particular,more » we analyzed differences between rectum and bladder sparing in terms of a set of appropriate Vx (percentage of organ at risk [OAR] volume receiving the x dose) and differences between target conformity and coverage in terms of coverage factor and conformation number. Our analysis demonstrates that in 3DCRT there is an advantage in the use of Elekta Beam Modulator mMLC in terms of organ sparing; in particular, a significant decrease in rectal V{sub 60} and V{sub 50} (p = 0.001) and in bladder V{sub 70} and V{sub 65} (p = 0.007 and 0.002, respectively) was found. Moreover, a better target dose conformity was obtained (p = 0.002). IMRT plans comparison demonstrated no significant differences between the use of the 4 or 10-mm MLCs. Our analysis shows that in 3DCRT the use of the Elekta Beam Modulator mMLC gives a gain in target conformity and in OARs dose sparing whereas in IMRT plans there is no advantage.« less

Conformal Microwave Array (CMA) Applicators for Hyperthermia of Diffuse Chestwall Recurrence

PubMed Central

Stauffer, Paul R.; Maccarini, Paolo; Arunachalam, Kavitha; Craciunescu, Oana; Diederich, Chris; Juang, Titania; Rossetto, Francesca; Schlorff, Jaime; Milligan, Andrew; Hsu, Joe; Sneed, Penny; Vujaskovic, Zeljko

2010-01-01

Purpose This article summarizes the evolution of microwave array applicators for heating large area chestwall disease as an adjuvant to external beam radiation, systemic chemotherapy, and potentially simultaneous brachytherapy. Methods Current devices used for thermotherapy of chestwall recurrence are reviewed. The largest conformal array applicator to date is evaluated in four studies: i) ability to conform to the torso is demonstrated with a CT scan of a torso phantom and MR scan of the conformal waterbolus component on a mastectomy patient; ii) Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) and temperature distributions are calculated with electromagnetic and thermal simulation software for a mastectomy patient; iii). SAR patterns are measured with a scanning SAR probe in liquid muscle phantom for a buried coplanar waveguide CMA; and iv) heating patterns and patient tolerance of CMA applicators are characterized in a clinical pilot study with 13 patients. Results CT and MR scans demonstrate excellent conformity of CMA applicators to contoured anatomy. Simulations demonstrate effective control of heating over contoured anatomy. Measurements confirm effective coverage of large treatment areas with no gaps. In 42 hyperthermia treatments, CMA applicators provided well-tolerated effective heating of up to 500cm2 regions, achieving target temperatures of Tmin=41.4±0.7°C, T90=42.1±0.6°C, Tave=42.8±0.6°C, and Tmax=44.3±0.8°C as measured in an average of 90 points per treatment. Summary The CMA applicator is an effective thermal therapy device for heating large-area superficial disease such as diffuse chestwall recurrence. It is able to cover over three times the treatment area of conventional hyperthermia devices while conforming to typical body contours. PMID:20849262

Dosimetric quality assurance of highly conformal external beam treatments: from 2D phantom comparisons to 4D patient dose reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feygelman, V.; Nelms, B.

2013-06-01

As IMRT technology continues to evolve, so do the dosimetric QA methods. A historical review of those is presented, starting with longstanding techniques such as film and ion chamber in a phantom and progressing towards 3D and 4D dose reconstruction in the patient. Regarding patient-specific QA, we envision that the currently prevalent limited comparison of dose distributions in the phantom by γ-analysis will be eventually replaced by clinically meaningful patient dose analyses with improved sensitivity and specificity. In a larger sense, we envision a future of QA built upon lessons from the rich history of "quality" as a science and philosophy. This future will aim to improve quality (and ultimately reduce cost) via advanced commissioning processes that succeed in detecting and rooting out systematic errors upstream of patient treatment, thus reducing our reliance on, and the resource burden associated with, per-beam/per-plan inspection.

Heavy-ion conformal irradiation in the shallow-seated tumor therapy terminal at HIRFL.

PubMed

Li, Qiang; Dai, Zhongying; Yan, Zheng; Jin, Xiaodong; Liu, Xinguo; Xiao, Guoqing

2007-11-01

Basic research related to heavy-ion cancer therapy has been done at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP), Chinese Academy of Sciences since 1995. Now a plan of clinical trial with heavy ions has been launched at IMP. First, superficially placed tumor treatment with heavy ions is expected in the therapy terminal at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL), where carbon ion beams with energy up to 100 MeV/u can be supplied. The shallow-seated tumor therapy terminal at HIRFL is equipped with a passive beam delivery system including two orthogonal dipole magnets, which continuously scan pencil beams laterally and generate a broad and uniform irradiation field, a motor-driven energy degrader and a multi-leaf collimator. Two different types of range modulator, ripple filter and ridge filter with which Guassian-shaped physical dose and uniform biological effective dose Bragg peaks can be shaped for therapeutic ion beams respectively, have been designed and manufactured. Therefore, two-dimensional and three-dimensional conformal irradiations to tumors can be performed with the passive beam delivery system at the earlier therapy terminal. Both the conformal irradiation methods have been verified experimentally and carbon-ion conformal irradiations to patients with superficially placed tumors have been carried out at HIRFL since November 2006.

Additive patterning of ion-beam-sputtered non-conformal Ni80Fe20 and Co70Fe30 magnetic films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redondo, C.; Moralejo, S.; Castaño, F.; Lee, W.; Nielsch, K.; Ross, C. A.; Castaño, F. J.

2006-04-01

Additive patterning processes of magnetic films grown using an ion-beam sputter (IBS) system designed to produce non-conformal films are described. The effects of the ion-gun beam current and Ar pressure on the sputtering rates and roughness of Ni80Fe20 and Co70Fe30 magnetic thin films are investigated using atomic-force microscopy (AFM) and the films' magnetic properties are measured using spatially resolved magneto-optical magnetometry. By tailoring the plasma solid angle, non-conformal film growth allows for simple additive patterning down to lateral dimensions ranging from a few microns to the deep-submicron regime, using templates defined by photolithography or electron-beam lithography, and shadow masks created using templated self-assembly. The magnetization reversal exhibited by patterned sub-200 nm nanodisc arrays with different lateral edge-roughness will be discussed.

Dosimetric comparison between proton beam therapy and photon radiation therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Wu, Chen-Ta; Motegi, Atsushi; Motegi, Kana; Hotta, Kenji; Kohno, Ryosuke; Tachibana, Hidenobu; Kumagai, Motoki; Nakamura, Naoki; Hojo, Hidehiro; Niho, Seiji; Goto, Koichi; Akimoto, Tetsuo

2016-08-10

To assess the feasibility of proton beam therapy for the patients with locally advanced non-small lung cancer. The dosimetry was analyzed retrospectively to calculate the doses to organs at risk, such as the lung, heart, esophagus and spinal cord. A dosimetric comparison between proton beam therapy and dummy photon radiotherapy (three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy) plans was performed. Dummy intensity-modulated radiotherapy plans were also generated for the patients for whom curative three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy plans could not be generated. Overall, 33 patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer were treated with proton beam therapy between December 2011 and August 2014. The median age of the eligible patients was 67 years (range: 44-87 years). All the patients were treated with chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin/vinorelbine or carboplatin. The median prescribed dose was 60 GyE (range: 60-66 GyE). The mean normal lung V20 GyE was 23.6% (range: 14.9-32%), and the mean normal lung dose was 11.9 GyE (range: 6.0-19 GyE). The mean esophageal V50 GyE was 25.5% (range: 0.01-63.6%), the mean heart V40 GyE was 13.4% (range: 1.4-29.3%) and the mean maximum spinal cord dose was 40.7 GyE (range: 22.9-48 GyE). Based on dummy three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy planning, 12 patients were regarded as not being suitable for radical thoracic three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy. All the dose parameters of proton beam therapy, except for the esophageal dose, were lower than those for the dummy three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy plans. In comparison to the intensity-modulated radiotherapy plan, proton beam therapy also achieved dose reduction in the normal lung. None of the patients experienced grade 4 or worse non-hematological toxicities. Proton beam therapy for patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer was feasible and was superior to three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for several dosimetric parameters. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma (NRSTS) in pediatric and young adult patients: Results from a prospective study using limited-margin radiotherapy.

PubMed

Tinkle, Christopher L; Fernandez-Pineda, Israel; Sykes, April; Lu, Zhaohua; Hua, Chia-Ho; Neel, Michael D; Bahrami, Armita; Shulkin, Barry L; Kaste, Sue C; Pappo, Alberto; Spunt, Sheri L; Krasin, Matthew J

2017-11-15

Indications for and delivery of adjuvant therapies for pediatric nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma (NRSTS) have been derived largely from adult studies; therefore, significant concern remains regarding radiation exposure to normal tissue. The authors report long-term treatment outcomes and toxicities for pediatric and young adult patients with high-grade NRSTS who were treated on a prospective trial using limited-margin radiotherapy. Sixty-two patients (ages 3-22 years) with predominantly high-grade NRSTS requiring radiation were treated on a phase 2 institutional study of conformal external-beam radiotherapy and/or brachytherapy using a 1.5-cm to 2-cm anatomically constrained margin. The estimated cumulative incidence of local failure, Gray's method estimated cumulative incidence of local failure, Kaplan-Meier method estimated survival, competing-risk regression model determined predictors of disease outcome, and toxicity was reported according to CTCAE v2.0. At a median follow-up of 5.1 years (range, 0.2-10.9 years), 9 patients had experienced local failure. The 5-year overall cumulative incidence of local failure was 14.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.2%-25%), and all but 1 local failure occurred outside the highest-dose irradiation volume. The 5-year Kaplan-Meier estimates for event-free and overall survival were 49.3% (95% CI, 36.3%-61.1%) and 67.9% (95% CI, 54.2%-78.3%), respectively. Multivariable analysis indicated that younger age was the only independent predictor of local recurrence (P = .004). The 5-year cumulative incidence of grade 3 or 4 late toxicity was 15% (95% CI, 7.2%-25.3%). The delivery of limited-margin radiotherapy using conformal external-beam radiotherapy or brachytherapy provides a high rate of local tumor control without an increase in marginal failures and with acceptable treatment-related morbidity. Cancer 2017;123:4419-29. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study to assess the efficacy of tadalafil (Cialis[reg]) in the treatment of erectile dysfunction following three-dimensional conformal external-beam radiotherapy for prostatic carcinoma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Incrocci, Luca; Slagter, Cleo; Slob, A. Koos

2006-10-01

Purpose: Erectile dysfunction after three-dimensional conformal external-beam radiotherapy (3DCRT) for prostatic carcinoma is reported in as many as 64% of those patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of the oral drug tadalafil (Cialis (registered) ) in patients with erectile dysfunction after radiotherapy for prostatic carcinoma. Methods and Materials: Patients (N = 358) who completed radiotherapy at least 12 months before the study were approached by mail. All patients had been treated by 3DCRT; 60 patients were included and entered a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study lasting 12 weeks. They received 20 mg of tadalafil or placebomore » for 6 weeks. Drug or placebo was taken on demand at patient's discretion, with no restrictions regarding the consumption of alcohol or food, at least once a week and no more than once daily. At 6 weeks patients crossed over to the alternative treatment. Data were collected using the Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP) and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaires. Side effects were also recorded. Results: Mean age at study entry was 69 years. All patients completed the study. For almost all questions of the IIEF questionnaire there was a significant increase in mean scores from baseline with tadalafil, but not with placebo. Sixty-seven percent of the patients reported an improvement of erectile function with tadalafil (placebo: 20%), and 48% reported successful intercourse with tadalafil (placebo: 9%) (p < 0.0001). Side effects were mild or moderate. Conclusions: Tadalafil is an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction after 3DCRT for prostatic carcinoma with successful intercourse reported in almost 50% of the patients, and it is well tolerated.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mao, W; Hrycushko, B; Yan, Y

Purpose: Traditional external beam radiotherapy for cervical cancer requires setup by external skin marks. In order to improve treatment accuracy and reduce planning margin for more conformal therapy, it is essential to monitor tumor positions interfractionally and intrafractionally. We demonstrate feasibility of monitoring cervical tumor motion online using EPID imaging from Beam’s Eye View. Methods: Prior to treatment, 1∼2 cylindrical radio opaque markers were implanted into inferior aspect of cervix tumor. During external beam treatments on a Varian 2100C by 4-field 3D plans, treatment beam images were acquired continuously by an EPID. A Matlab program was developed to locate internalmore » markers on MV images. Based on 2D marker positions obtained from different treatment fields, their 3D positions were estimated for every treatment fraction. Results: There were 398 images acquired during different treatment fractions of three cervical cancer patients. Markers were successfully located on every frame of image at an analysis speed of about 1 second per frame. Intrafraction motions were evaluated by comparing marker positions relative to the position on the first frame of image. The maximum intrafraction motion of the markers was 1.6 mm. Interfraction motions were evaluated by comparing 3D marker positions at different treatment fractions. The maximum interfraction motion was up to 10 mm. Careful comparison found that this is due to patient positioning since the bony structures shifted with the markers. Conclusion: This method provides a cost-free and simple solution for online tumor tracking for cervical cancer treatment since it is feasible to acquire and export EPID images with fast analysis in real time. This method does not need any extra equipment or deliver extra dose to patients. The online tumor motion information will be very useful to reduce planning margins and improve treatment accuracy, which is particularly important for SBRT treatment with long delivery time.« less

PET imaging for treatment verification of ion therapy: Implementation and experience at GSI Darmstadt and MGH Boston

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parodi, Katia; Bortfeld, Thomas; Enghardt, Wolfgang; Fiedler, Fine; Knopf, Antje; Paganetti, Harald; Pawelke, Jörg; Shakirin, Georgy; Shih, Helen

2008-06-01

Ion beams offer the possibility of improved conformation of the dose delivered to the tumor with better sparing of surrounding tissue and critical structures in comparison to conventional photon and electron external radiation treatment modalities. Full clinical exploitation of this advantage can benefit from in vivo confirmation of the actual beam delivery and, in particular, of the ion range in the patient. During irradiation, positron emitters like 15O (half-life T1/2≈2 min) and 11C ( T1/2≈20 min) are formed in nuclear interactions between the ions and the tissue. Detection of this transient radioactivity via positron emission tomography (PET) and comparison with the expectation based on the prescribed beam application may serve as an in vivo, non-invasive range validation method of the whole treatment planning and delivery chain. For technical implementation, PET imaging during irradiation (in-beam) requires the development of customized, limited angle detectors with data acquisition synchronized with the beam delivery. Alternatively, commercial PET or PET/CT scanners in close proximity to the treatment site enable detection of the residual activation from long-lived emitters shortly after treatment (offline). This paper reviews two clinical examples using a dedicated in-beam PET scanner for verification of carbon ion therapy at GSI Darmstadt, Germany, as well as a commercial offline PET/CT tomograph for post-radiation imaging of proton treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. Challenges as well as pros and cons of the two imaging approaches in dependence of the different ion type and beam delivery system are discussed.

Multiple sclerosis, brain radiotherapy, and risk of neurotoxicity: The Mayo Clinic experience

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, Robert C.; Lachance, Daniel H.; Lucchinetti, Claudia F.

2006-11-15

Purpose: The aim of this study was a retrospective assessment of neurotoxicity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to the brain. Methods and Materials: We studied 15 consecutively treated patients with MS who received brain EBRT. Neurologic toxicity was assessed with the Common Toxicity Criteria v.3.0. Results: Median follow-up for the 5 living patients was 6.0 years (range, 3.3-27.4 years). No exacerbation of MS occurred in any patient during EBRT. Five patients had Grade 4 neurologic toxicity and 1 had possible Grade 5 toxicity. Kaplan-Meier estimated risk of neurotoxicity greater than Grade 4 at 5more » years was 57% (95% confidence interval, 27%-82%). Toxicity occurred at 37.5 to 54.0 Gy at a median of 1.0 year (range, 0.2-4.3 years) after EBRT. Univariate analysis showed an association between opposed-field irradiation of the temporal lobes, central white matter, and brainstem and increased risk of neurotoxicity (p < 0.04). Three of 6 cases of toxicity occurred in patients treated before 1986. Conclusions: External beam radiotherapy of the brain in patients with MS may be associated with an increased risk of neurotoxicity compared with patients without demyelinating illnesses. However, this risk is associated with treatment techniques that may not be comparable to modern, conformal radiotherapy.« less

Three-dimensional intrafractional internal target motions in accelerated partial breast irradiation using three-dimensional conformal external beam radiotherapy.

PubMed

Hirata, Kimiko; Yoshimura, Michio; Mukumoto, Nobutaka; Nakamura, Mitsuhiro; Inoue, Minoru; Sasaki, Makoto; Fujimoto, Takahiro; Yano, Shinsuke; Nakata, Manabu; Mizowaki, Takashi; Hiraoka, Masahiro

2017-07-01

We evaluated three-dimensional intrafractional target motion, divided into respiratory-induced motion and baseline drift, in accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). Paired fluoroscopic images were acquired simultaneously using orthogonal kV X-ray imaging systems at pre- and post-treatment for 23 patients who underwent APBI with external beam radiotherapy. The internal target motion was calculated from the surgical clips placed around the tumour cavity. The peak-to-peak respiratory-induced motions ranged from 0.6 to 1.5mm in all directions. A systematic baseline drift of 1.5mm towards the posterior direction and a random baseline drift of 0.3mm in the lateral-medial and cranial-caudal directions were observed. The baseline for an outer tumour cavity drifted towards the lateral and posterior directions, and that for an upper tumour cavity drifted towards the cranial direction. Moderate correlations were observed between the posterior baseline drift and the patients' physical characteristics. The posterior margin for intrafractional uncertainties was larger than 5mm in patients with greater fat thickness due to the baseline drift. The magnitude of the intrafractional motion was not uniform according to the direction, patients' physical characteristics, or tumour cavity location due to the baseline drift. Therefore, the intrafractional systematic movement should be properly managed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of strong-column weak-beam design provision on the seismic fragility of RC frame buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surana, Mitesh; Singh, Yogendra; Lang, Dominik H.

2018-04-01

Incremental dynamic analyses are conducted for a suite of low- and mid-rise reinforced-concrete special moment-resisting frame buildings. Buildings non-conforming and conforming to the strong-column weak-beam (SCWB) design criterion are considered. These buildings are designed for the two most severe seismic zones in India (i.e., zone IV and zone V) following the provisions of Indian Standards. It is observed that buildings non-conforming to the SCWB design criterion lead to an undesirable column failure collapse mechanism. Although yielding of columns cannot be avoided, even for buildings conforming to a SCWB ratio of 1.4, the observed collapse mechanism changes to a beam failure mechanism. This change in collapse mechanism leads to a significant increase in the building's global ductility capacity, and thereby in collapse capacity. The fragility analysis study of the considered buildings suggests that considering the SCWB design criterion leads to a significant reduction in collapse probability, particularly in the case of mid-rise buildings.

Conventional external beam radiotherapy for central nervous system malignancies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halperin, E.C.; Burger, P.C.

1985-11-01

Fractionated external beam photon radiotherapy is an important component of the clinical management of malignant disease of the central nervous system. The practicing neurologist or neurosurgeon frequently relies on the consultative and treatment skills of a radiotherapist. This article provides a review for the nonradiotherapist of the place of conventional external beam radiotherapy in neuro-oncology. 23 references.

In-air RBS measurements at the LAMFI external beam setup

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Silva, T. F.; Added, N.; Moro, M. V.

2014-11-11

This work describes new developments in the external beam setup of the Laboratory of Material Analysis with Ion Beams of the University of São Paulo (LAMFI-USP). This setup was designed to be a versatile analytical station to analyze a broad range of samples. In recent developments, we seek the external beam Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) analysis to complement the Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) measurements. This work presents the initial results of the external beam RBS analysis as well as recent developments to improve the energy resolution RBS measurements, in particular tests to seek for sources of resolution degradation. Thesemore » aspects are discussed and preliminary results of in-air RBS analysis of some test samples are presented.« less

Laser beam projection with adaptive array of fiber collimators. II. Analysis of atmospheric compensation efficiency.

PubMed

Lachinova, Svetlana L; Vorontsov, Mikhail A

2008-08-01

We analyze the potential efficiency of laser beam projection onto a remote object in atmosphere with incoherent and coherent phase-locked conformal-beam director systems composed of an adaptive array of fiber collimators. Adaptive optics compensation of turbulence-induced phase aberrations in these systems is performed at each fiber collimator. Our analysis is based on a derived expression for the atmospheric-averaged value of the mean square residual phase error as well as direct numerical simulations. Operation of both conformal-beam projection systems is compared for various adaptive system configurations characterized by the number of fiber collimators, the adaptive compensation resolution, and atmospheric turbulence conditions.

Trajectory modulated prone breast irradiation: a LINAC-based technique combining intensity modulated delivery and motion of the couch.

PubMed

Fahimian, Benjamin; Yu, Victoria; Horst, Kathleen; Xing, Lei; Hristov, Dimitre

2013-12-01

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) provides a non-invasive treatment alternative for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI), however, limitations in achievable dose conformity of current EBRT techniques have been correlated to reported toxicity. To enhance the conformity of EBRT APBI, a technique for conventional LINACs is developed, which through combined motion of the couch, intensity modulated delivery, and a prone breast setup, enables wide-angular coronal arc irradiation of the ipsilateral breast without irradiating through the thorax and contralateral breast. A couch trajectory optimization technique was developed to determine the trajectories that concurrently avoid collision with the LINAC and maintain the target within the MLC apertures. Inverse treatment planning was performed along the derived trajectory. The technique was experimentally implemented by programming the Varian TrueBeam™ STx in Developer Mode. The dosimetric accuracy of the delivery was evaluated by ion chamber and film measurements in phantom. The resulting optimized trajectory was shown to be necessarily non-isocentric, and contain both translation and rotations of the couch. Film measurements resulted in 93% of the points in the measured two-dimensional dose maps passing the 3%/3mm Gamma criterion. Preliminary treatment plan comparison to 5-field 3D-conformal, IMRT, and VMAT demonstrated enhancement in conformity, and reduction of the normal tissue V50% and V100% parameters that have been correlated with EBRT toxicity. The feasibility of wide-angular intensity modulated partial breast irradiation using motion of the couch has been demonstrated experimentally on a standard LINAC for the first time. For patients eligible for a prone setup, the technique may enable improvement of dose conformity and associated dose-volume parameters correlated with toxicity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cobalt-60 Machines and Medical Linear Accelerators: Competing Technologies for External Beam Radiotherapy.

PubMed

Healy, B J; van der Merwe, D; Christaki, K E; Meghzifene, A

2017-02-01

Medical linear accelerators (linacs) and cobalt-60 machines are both mature technologies for external beam radiotherapy. A comparison is made between these two technologies in terms of infrastructure and maintenance, dosimetry, shielding requirements, staffing, costs, security, patient throughput and clinical use. Infrastructure and maintenance are more demanding for linacs due to the complex electric componentry. In dosimetry, a higher beam energy, modulated dose rate and smaller focal spot size mean that it is easier to create an optimised treatment with a linac for conformal dose coverage of the tumour while sparing healthy organs at risk. In shielding, the requirements for a concrete bunker are similar for cobalt-60 machines and linacs but extra shielding and protection from neutrons are required for linacs. Staffing levels can be higher for linacs and more staff training is required for linacs. Life cycle costs are higher for linacs, especially multi-energy linacs. Security is more complex for cobalt-60 machines because of the high activity radioactive source. Patient throughput can be affected by source decay for cobalt-60 machines but poor maintenance and breakdowns can severely affect patient throughput for linacs. In clinical use, more complex treatment techniques are easier to achieve with linacs, and the availability of electron beams on high-energy linacs can be useful for certain treatments. In summary, there is no simple answer to the question of the choice of either cobalt-60 machines or linacs for radiotherapy in low- and middle-income countries. In fact a radiotherapy department with a combination of technologies, including orthovoltage X-ray units, may be an option. Local needs, conditions and resources will have to be factored into any decision on technology taking into account the characteristics of both forms of teletherapy, with the primary goal being the sustainability of the radiotherapy service over the useful lifetime of the equipment. Copyright © 2016 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rapid Prototyping across the Spectrum: RF to Optical 3D Electromagnetic Structures

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-17

34Imprintable, Bendable, and Shape-Conformable Polymer Electrolytes for Versatile-Shaped Lithium - Ion Batteries ," Advanced Materials, vol. 25, pp. 1395-1400...center; and (d) close-up of light aperture etched with a focused ion beam [104] ............ 22 Figure 16: (a) Conformal antenna patterned by...where the features are defined using focused ion beam milling (e.g. fishnet patterns) [20], standard micro-/nano- lithography processes that are

Radiotherapy in poor risk patients with stage I cancer of the endometrium: results of not giving external beam radiotherapy.

PubMed

DeCruze, B; Guthrie, D

1999-01-01

Poor prognosis (poorly differentiated and/or deep myometrial invasion) Stage I endometrial cancer can have a relapse rate as high as 50%. Traditionally, most clinical oncologists treat these patients with external beam radiotherapy after surgery but there is no evidence to show that this improves survival. The retrospective study looks at the results of not giving external beam radiotherapy in 25 consecutive patients and compares the results with a group of 13 consecutive patients who did have such treatment. The two groups were comparable with regard to age, degree of differentiation and degree of invasion. Survival was comparable in the two groups. There is no evidence of any obvious decrease in survival from withholding external beam radiotherapy, but this was not a prospective randomized controlled trial. This study illustrates that it is essential that the Medical Research Council ASTEC trial should be supported because this will determine the true place of external beam radiotherapy in such patients.

Communication: Polarizable polymer chain under external electric field in a dilute polymer solution.

PubMed

Budkov, Yu A; Kolesnikov, A L; Kiselev, M G

2015-11-28

We study the conformational behavior of polarizable polymer chain under an external homogeneous electric field within the Flory type self-consistent field theory. We consider the influence of electric field on the polymer coil as well as on the polymer globule. We show that when the polymer chain conformation is a coil, application of external electric field leads to its additional swelling. However, when the polymer conformation is a globule, a sufficiently strong field can induce a globule-coil transition. We show that such "field-induced" globule-coil transition at the sufficiently small monomer polarizabilities goes quite smoothly. On the contrary, when the monomer polarizability exceeds a certain threshold value, the globule-coil transition occurs as a dramatic expansion in the regime of first-order phase transition. The developed theoretical model can be applied to predicting polymer globule density change under external electric field in order to provide more efficient processes of polymer functionalization, such as sorption, dyeing, and chemical modification.

SU-E-J-181: Effect of Prostate Motion On Combined Brachytherapy and External Beam Dose Based On Daily Motion of the Prostate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Narayana, V; McLaughlin, P; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

2015-06-15

Purpose: In this study, the adequacy of target expansions on the combined external beam and implant dose was examined based on the measured daily motion of the prostate. Methods: Thirty patients received an I–125 prostate implant prescribed to dose of 90Gy. This was followed by external beam to deliver a dose of 90Gyeq (external beam equivalent) to the prostate over 25 to 30 fractions. An ideal IMRT plan was developed by optimizing the external beam dose based on the delivered implant dose. The implant dose was converted to an equivalent external beam dose using the linear quadratic model. Patients weremore » set up on the treatment table by daily orthogonal imaging and aligning the marker seeds in the prostate. Orthogonal images were obtained at the end of treatment to assess prostate intrafraction motion. Based on the observed motion of the markers between the initial and final images, 5 individual plans showing the actual dose delivered to the patient were calculated. A final true dose distribution was established based on summing the implant dose and the 5 external beam plans. Dose to the prostate, seminal vesicles, lymphnodes and normal tissues, rectal wall, urethra and lower sphincter were calculated and compared to ideal. On 18 patients who were sexually active, dose to the corpus cavernosum and internal pudendal artery was also calculated. Results: The average prostate motion in 3 orthogonal directions was less than 1 mm with a standard deviation of less than +2 mm. Dose and volume parameters showed that there was no decrease in dose to the targets and a marginal decrease in dose to in normal tissues. Conclusion: Dose delivered by seed implant moves with the prostate, decreasing the impact of intrafractions dose movement on actual dose delivered. Combined brachytherapy and external beam dose delivered to the prostate was not sensitive to prostate motion.« less

Matching of electron beams for conformal therapy of target volumes at moderate depths.

PubMed

Zackrisson, B; Karlsson, M

1996-06-01

The basic requirements for conformal electron therapy are an accelerator with a wide range of energies and field shapes. The beams should be well characterised in a full 3-D dose planning system which has been verified for the geometries of the current application. Differences in the basic design of treatment units have been shown to have a large influence on beam quality and dosimetry. Modern equipment can deliver electron beams of good quality with a high degree of accuracy. A race-track microtron with minimised electron scattering and a multi-leaf collimator (MLC) for electron collimating will facilitate the isocentric technique as a general treatment technique for electrons. This will improve the possibility of performing combined electron field techniques in order to conform the dose distribution with no or minimal use of a bolus. Furthermore, the isocentric technique will facilitate multiple field arrangements that decrease the problems with distortion of the dose distribution due to inhomogeneities, etc. These situations are demonstrated by clinical examples where isocentric, matched electron fields for treatment of the nose, thyroid and thoracic wall have been used.

Radiation therapy and esophageal cancer.

PubMed

Shridhar, Ravi; Almhanna, Khaldoun; Meredith, Kenneth L; Biagioli, Matthew C; Chuong, Michael D; Cruz, Alex; Hoffe, Sarah E

2013-04-01

Squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma account for more than 90% of all esophageal cancer cases. Although the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma has declined, the incidence of adenocarcinoma has risen due to increases in obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The authors examine the role of radiation therapy alone (external beam and brachytherapy) for the management of esophageal cancer or combined with other modalities. The impact on staging and appropriate stratification of patients referred for curative vs palliative intent with modalities is reviewed. The authors also explore the role of emerging radiation technologies. Current data show that neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical resection is the accepted standard of care, with 3-year overall survival rates ranging from 30% to 60%. The benefit of adjuvant radiation therapy is limited to patients with node-positive cancer. The survival benefit of surgical resection after chemoradiotherapy remains controversial. External beam radiation therapy alone results in few long-term survivors and is considered palliative at best. Radiation dose-escalation has failed to improve local control or survival. Brachytherapy can provide better long-term palliation of dysphagia than metal stent placement. Although three-dimensional conformal treatment planning is the accepted standard, the roles of IMRT and proton therapy are evolving and potentially reduce adverse events due to better sparing of normal tissue. Future directions will evaluate the benefit of induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy, the role of surgery in locally advanced disease, and the identification of responders prior to treatment based on microarray analysis.

Real-time determination of laser beam quality by modal decomposition.

PubMed

Schmidt, Oliver A; Schulze, Christian; Flamm, Daniel; Brüning, Robert; Kaiser, Thomas; Schröter, Siegmund; Duparré, Michael

2011-03-28

We present a real-time method to determine the beam propagation ratio M2 of laser beams. The all-optical measurement of modal amplitudes yields M2 parameters conform to the ISO standard method. The experimental technique is simple and fast, which allows to investigate laser beams under conditions inaccessible to other methods.

Sample holder with optical features

DOEpatents

Milas, Mirko; Zhu, Yimei; Rameau, Jonathan David

2013-07-30

A sample holder for holding a sample to be observed for research purposes, particularly in a transmission electron microscope (TEM), generally includes an external alignment part for directing a light beam in a predetermined beam direction, a sample holder body in optical communication with the external alignment part and a sample support member disposed at a distal end of the sample holder body opposite the external alignment part for holding a sample to be analyzed. The sample holder body defines an internal conduit for the light beam and the sample support member includes a light beam positioner for directing the light beam between the sample holder body and the sample held by the sample support member.

Transmission electron microscope sample holder with optical features

DOEpatents

Milas, Mirko [Port Jefferson, NY; Zhu, Yimei [Stony Brook, NY; Rameau, Jonathan David [Coram, NY

2012-03-27

A sample holder for holding a sample to be observed for research purposes, particularly in a transmission electron microscope (TEM), generally includes an external alignment part for directing a light beam in a predetermined beam direction, a sample holder body in optical communication with the external alignment part and a sample support member disposed at a distal end of the sample holder body opposite the external alignment part for holding a sample to be analyzed. The sample holder body defines an internal conduit for the light beam and the sample support member includes a light beam positioner for directing the light beam between the sample holder body and the sample held by the sample support member.

Integral radiation dose to normal structures with conformal external beam radiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aoyama, Hidefumi; Westerly, David Clark; Mackie, Thomas Rockwell

2006-03-01

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the integral dose (ID) received by normal tissue from intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: Twenty-five radiation treatment plans including IMRT using a conventional linac with both 6 MV (6MV-IMRT) and 20 MV (20MV-IMRT), as well as three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) using 6 MV (6MV-3DCRT) and 20 MV (20MV-3DCRT) and IMRT using tomotherapy (6MV) (Tomo-IMRT), were created for 5 patients with localized prostate cancer. The ID (mean dose x tissue volume) received by normal tissue (NTID) was calculated from dose-volume histograms. Results: The 6MV-IMRT resulted in 5.0% lower NTID thanmore » 6MV-3DCRT; 20 MV beam plans resulted in 7.7%-11.2% lower NTID than 6MV-3DCRT. Tomo-IMRT NTID was comparable to 6MV-IMRT. Compared with 6MV-3DCRT, 6MV-IMRT reduced IDs to the rectal wall and penile bulb by 6.1% and 2.7%, respectively. Tomo-IMRT further reduced these IDs by 11.9% and 16.5%, respectively. The 20 MV did not reduce IDs to those structures. Conclusions: The difference in NTID between 3DCRT and IMRT is small. The 20 MV plans somewhat reduced NTID compared with 6 MV plans. The advantage of tomotherapy over conventional IMRT and 3DCRT for localized prostate cancer was demonstrated in regard to dose sparing of rectal wall and penile bulb while slightly decreasing NTID as compared with 6MV-3DCRT.« less

Role of the external NH2 linker on the conformation of surface immobilized single strand DNA probes and their SERS detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Lijie; Langlet, Michel; Stambouli, Valerie

2017-03-01

The conformation and topological properties of DNA single strand probe molecules attached on solid surfaces are important, notably for the performances of devices such as biosensors. Commonly, the DNA probes are tethered to the surface using external linkers such as NH2. In this study, the role and influence of this amino-linker on the immobilization way and conformation of DNA probes on Ag nanoparticle surface is emphasized using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). We compare the SERS spectra and their reproducibility in the case of two groups of DNA polybase probes which are polyA, polyC, polyT, and polyG. In the first group, the polybases exhibit an external NH2 functional linker while in the second group the polybases are NH2-free. The results show that the reproducibility of SERS spectra is enhanced in the case of the first group. It leads us to propose two models of polybase conformation on Ag surface according to the presence or the absence of the external NH2 linker. In the presence of the NH2 external linker, the latter would act as a major anchoring point. As a result, the polybases are much ordered with a less random orientation than in the case of NH2-free polybases. Consequently, in view of further in situ hybridization for biosensing applications, it is strongly recommended to use NH2 linker functionalized DNA probes.

Predictors of Long-Term Toxicity Using Three-Dimensional Conformal External Beam Radiotherapy to Deliver Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaitelman, Simona F.; Kim, Leonard H.; Grills, Inga S.

Purpose: We analyzed variables associated with long-term toxicity using three-dimensional conformal external beam radiation therapy (3D-CRT) to deliver accelerated partial breast irradiation. Methods and Materials: One hundred patients treated with 3D-CRT accelerated partial breast irradiation were evaluated using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 scale. Cosmesis was scored using Harvard criteria. Multiple dosimetric and volumetric parameters were analyzed for their association with worst and last (W/L) toxicity outcomes. Results: Sixty-two patients had a minimum of 36 months of toxicity follow-up (median follow-up, 4.8 years). The W/L incidence of poor-fair cosmesis, any telangiectasia, and grade {>=}2 induration, volume reduction,more » and pain were 16.4%/11.5%, 24.2%/14.5%, 16.1%/9.7%, 17.7%/12.9%, and 11.3%/3.2%, respectively. Only the incidence of any telangiectasia was found to be predicted by any dosimetric parameter, with the absolute breast volume receiving 5% to 50% of the prescription dose (192.5 cGy-1925 cGy) being significant. No associations with maximum dose, volumes of lumpectomy cavity, breast, modified planning target volume, and PTV, dose homogeneity index, number of fields, and photon energy used were identified with any of the aforementioned toxicities. Non-upper outer quadrant location was associated with grade {>=}2 volume reduction (p = 0.02 W/p = 0.04 L). A small cavity-to-skin distance was associated with a grade {>=}2 induration (p = 0.03 W/p = 0.01 L), a borderline significant association with grade {>=}2 volume reduction (p = 0.06 W/p = 0.06 L) and poor-fair cosmesis (p = 0.08 W/p = 0.09 L), with threshold distances ranging from 5 to 8 mm. Conclusions: No dose--volume relationships associated with long-term toxicity were identified in this large patient cohort with extended follow-up. Cosmetic results were good-to-excellent in 88% of patients at 5 years.« less

Five-Year Outcomes, Cosmesis, and Toxicity With 3-Dimensional Conformal External Beam Radiation Therapy to Deliver Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rodríguez, Núria, E-mail: nrodriguez@parcdesalutmar.cat; Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona; Sanz, Xavier

2013-12-01

Purpose: To report the interim results from a study comparing the efficacy, toxicity, and cosmesis of breast-conserving treatment with accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) or whole breast irradiation (WBI) using 3-dimensional conformal external beam radiation therapy (3D-CRT). Methods and Materials: 102 patients with early-stage breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving surgery were randomized to receive either WBI (n=51) or APBI (n=51). In the WBI arm, 48 Gy was delivered to the whole breast in daily fractions of 2 Gy, with or without additional 10 Gy to the tumor bed. In the APBI arm, patients received 37.5 Gy in 3.75 Gy permore » fraction delivered twice daily. Toxicity results were scored according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Common Toxicity Criteria. Skin elasticity was measured using a dedicated device (Multi-Skin-Test-Center MC-750-B2, CKelectronic-GmbH). Cosmetic results were assessed by the physician and the patients as good/excellent, regular, or poor. Results: The median follow-up time was 5 years. No local recurrences were observed. No significant differences in survival rates were found. APBI reduced acute side effects and radiation doses to healthy tissues compared with WBI (P<.01). Late skin toxicity was no worse than grade 2 in either group, without significant differences between the 2 groups. In the ipsilateral breast, the areas that received the highest doses (ie, the boost or quadrant) showed the greatest loss of elasticity. WBI resulted in a greater loss of elasticity in the high-dose area compared with APBI (P<.05). Physician assessment showed that >75% of patients in the APBI arm had excellent or good cosmesis, and these outcomes appear to be stable over time. The percentage of patients with excellent/good cosmetic results was similar in both groups. Conclusions: APBI delivered by 3D-CRT to the tumor bed for a selected group of early-stage breast cancer patients produces 5-year results similar to those achieved with conventional WBI.« less

A comparison between cobalt and linear accelerator-based treatment plans for conformal and intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

PubMed

Adams, E J; Warrington, A P

2008-04-01

The simplicity of cobalt units gives them the advantage of reduced maintenance, running costs and downtime when compared with linear accelerators. However, treatments carried out on such units are typically limited to simple techniques. This study has explored the use of cobalt beams for conformal and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Six patients, covering a range of treatment sites, were planned using both X-ray photons (6/10 MV) and cobalt-60 gamma rays (1.17 and 1.33 MeV). A range of conformal and IMRT techniques were considered, as appropriate. Conformal plans created using cobalt beams for small breast, meningioma and parotid cases were found to compare well with those created using X-ray photons. By using additional fields, acceptable conformal plans were also created for oesophagus and prostate cases. IMRT plans were found to be of comparable quality for meningioma, parotid and thyroid cases on the basis of dose-volume histogram analysis. We conclude that it is possible to plan high-quality radical radiotherapy treatments for cobalt units. A well-designed beam blocking/compensation system would be required to enable a practical and efficient alternative to multileaf collimator (MLC)-based linac treatments to be offered. If cobalt units were to have such features incorporated into them, they could offer considerable benefits to the radiotherapy community.

Propagation characteristics of a focused laser beam in a strontium barium niobate photorefractive crystal under reverse external electric field.

PubMed

Guo, Q L; Liang, B L; Wang, Y; Deng, G Y; Jiang, Y H; Zhang, S H; Fu, G S; Simmonds, P J

2014-10-01

The propagation characteristics of a focused laser beam in a SBN:75 photorefractive crystal strongly depend on the signal-to-background intensity ratio (R=I_s/I_b) under reverse external electric field. In the range 20>R>0.05, the laser beam shows enhanced self-defocusing behavior with increasing external electric field, while it shows self-focusing in the range 0.03>R>0.01. Spatial solitons are observed under a suitable reverse external electric field for R=0.025. A theoretical model is proposed to explain the experimental observations, which suggest a new type of soliton formation due to "enhancement" not "screening" of the external electrical field.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bazalova, Magdalena, E-mail: bazalova@stanford.edu; Nelson, Geoff; Noll, John M.

Purpose: Small animal radiation therapy has advanced significantly in recent years. Whereas in the past dose was delivered using a single beam and a lead shield for sparing of healthy tissue, conformal doses can be now delivered using more complex dedicated small animal radiotherapy systems with image guidance. The goal of this paper is to investigate dose distributions for three small animal radiation treatment modalities. Methods: This paper presents a comparison of dose distributions generated by the three approaches—a single-field irradiator with a 200 kV beam and no image guidance, a small animal image-guided conformal system based on a modified microCTmore » scanner with a 120 kV beam developed at Stanford University, and a dedicated conformal system, SARRP, using a 220 kV beam developed at Johns Hopkins University. The authors present a comparison of treatment plans for the three modalities using two cases: a mouse with a subcutaneous tumor and a mouse with a spontaneous lung tumor. A 5 Gy target dose was calculated using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo codes. Results: All treatment modalities generated similar dose distributions for the subcutaneous tumor case, with the highest mean dose to the ipsilateral lung and bones in the single-field plan (0.4 and 0.4 Gy) compared to the microCT (0.1 and 0.2 Gy) and SARRP (0.1 and 0.3 Gy) plans. The lung case demonstrated that due to the nine-beam arrangements in the conformal plans, the mean doses to the ipsilateral lung, spinal cord, and bones were significantly lower in the microCT plan (2.0, 0.4, and 1.9 Gy) and the SARRP plan (1.5, 0.5, and 1.8 Gy) than in single-field irradiator plan (4.5, 3.8, and 3.3 Gy). Similarly, the mean doses to the contralateral lung and the heart were lowest in the microCT plan (1.5 and 2.0 Gy), followed by the SARRP plan (1.7 and 2.2 Gy), and they were highest in the single-field plan (2.5 and 2.4 Gy). For both cases, dose uniformity was greatest in the single-field irradiator plan followed by the SARRP plan due to the sensitivity of the lower energy microCT beam to target heterogeneities and image noise. Conclusions: The two treatment planning examples demonstrate that modern small animal radiotherapy techniques employing image guidance, variable collimation, and multiple beam angles deliver superior dose distributions to small animal tumors as compared to conventional treatments using a single-field irradiator. For deep-seated mouse tumors, however, higher-energy conformal radiotherapy could result in higher doses to critical organs compared to lower-energy conformal radiotherapy. Treatment planning optimization for small animal radiotherapy should therefore be developed to take full advantage of the novel conformal systems.« less

Modality comparison for small animal radiotherapy: A simulation study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bazalova, Magdalena, E-mail: bazalova@stanford.edu; Nelson, Geoff; Noll, John M.

Purpose: Small animal radiation therapy has advanced significantly in recent years. Whereas in the past dose was delivered using a single beam and a lead shield for sparing of healthy tissue, conformal doses can be now delivered using more complex dedicated small animal radiotherapy systems with image guidance. The goal of this paper is to investigate dose distributions for three small animal radiation treatment modalities. Methods: This paper presents a comparison of dose distributions generated by the three approaches—a single-field irradiator with a 200 kV beam and no image guidance, a small animal image-guided conformal system based on a modified microCTmore » scanner with a 120 kV beam developed at Stanford University, and a dedicated conformal system, SARRP, using a 220 kV beam developed at Johns Hopkins University. The authors present a comparison of treatment plans for the three modalities using two cases: a mouse with a subcutaneous tumor and a mouse with a spontaneous lung tumor. A 5 Gy target dose was calculated using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo codes. Results: All treatment modalities generated similar dose distributions for the subcutaneous tumor case, with the highest mean dose to the ipsilateral lung and bones in the single-field plan (0.4 and 0.4 Gy) compared to the microCT (0.1 and 0.2 Gy) and SARRP (0.1 and 0.3 Gy) plans. The lung case demonstrated that due to the nine-beam arrangements in the conformal plans, the mean doses to the ipsilateral lung, spinal cord, and bones were significantly lower in the microCT plan (2.0, 0.4, and 1.9 Gy) and the SARRP plan (1.5, 0.5, and 1.8 Gy) than in single-field irradiator plan (4.5, 3.8, and 3.3 Gy). Similarly, the mean doses to the contralateral lung and the heart were lowest in the microCT plan (1.5 and 2.0 Gy), followed by the SARRP plan (1.7 and 2.2 Gy), and they were highest in the single-field plan (2.5 and 2.4 Gy). For both cases, dose uniformity was greatest in the single-field irradiator plan followed by the SARRP plan due to the sensitivity of the lower energy microCT beam to target heterogeneities and image noise. Conclusions: The two treatment planning examples demonstrate that modern small animal radiotherapy techniques employing image guidance, variable collimation, and multiple beam angles deliver superior dose distributions to small animal tumors as compared to conventional treatments using a single-field irradiator. For deep-seated mouse tumors, however, higher-energy conformal radiotherapy could result in higher doses to critical organs compared to lower-energy conformal radiotherapy. Treatment planning optimization for small animal radiotherapy should therefore be developed to take full advantage of the novel conformal systems.« less

Health-Related Quality of Life 2 Years After Treatment With Radical Prostatectomy, Prostate Brachytherapy, or External Beam Radiotherapy in Patients With Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferrer, Montserrat; CIBER en Epidemiologia y Salud Publica; Suarez, Jose Francisco

Purpose: To compare treatment impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with localized prostate cancer, from before treatment to 2 years after the intervention. Methods and Materials: This was a longitudinal, prospective study of 614 patients with localized prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy (134), three-dimensional external conformal radiotherapy (205), and brachytherapy (275). The HRQL questionnaires administered before and after treatment (months 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24) were the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (General and Prostate Specific), the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC), and the American Urological Associationmore » Symptom Index. Differences between groups were tested by analysis of variance and within-group changes by univariate repeated-measures analysis of variance. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) models were constructed to assess between-group differences in HRQL at 2 years of follow-up after adjusting for clinical variables. Results: In each treatment group, HRQL initially deteriorated after treatment with subsequent partial recovery. However, some dimension scores were still significantly lower after 2 years of treatment. The GEE models showed that, compared with the brachytherapy group, radical prostatectomy patients had worse EPIC sexual summary and urinary incontinence scores (-20.4 and -14.1; p < 0.001), and external radiotherapy patients had worse EPIC bowel, sexual, and hormonal summary scores (-3.55, -5.24, and -1.94; p < 0.05). Prostatectomy patients had significantly better EPIC urinary irritation scores than brachytherapy patients (+4.16; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Relevant differences between treatment groups persisted after 2 years of follow-up. Radical prostatectomy had a considerable negative effect on sexual functioning and urinary continence. Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy had a moderate negative impact on bowel functioning, and brachytherapy caused moderate urinary irritation. These results provide relevant information for clinical decision making.« less

Effect of electron beam cooling on transversal and longitudinal emittance of an external proton beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilian, K.; Machner, H.; Magiera, A.; Prasuhn, D.; von Rossen, P.; Siudak, R.; Stein, H. J.; Stockhorst, H.

2018-02-01

Benefits of electron cooling to the quality of extracted ion beams from storage rings are discussed. The transversal emittances of an external proton beam with and without electron cooling at injection energy are measured with the GEM detector assembly. While the horizontal emittance remains the vertical emittance shrinks by the cooling process. The longitudinal momentum variance is also reduced by cooling.

Kilovoltage radiotherapy for companion animals: dosimetric comparison of 300 kV, 450 kV, and 6 MV X-ray beams.

PubMed

Seo, Jaehyeon; Son, Jaeman; Cho, Yeona; Park, Nohwon; Kim, Dong Wook; Kim, Jinsung; Yoon, Myonggeun

2018-04-12

Radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer in companion animals is currently administered using megavoltage X-ray machines. Because these machines are expensive, most animal hospitals do not perform radiotherapy. This study evaluated the ability of relatively inexpensive kilovoltage X-ray machines to treat companion animals. A simulation study based on a treatment planning system was performed for tumors of the brain (non-infectious meningoencephalitis), nasal cavity (malignant nasal tumors), forefoot (malignant muscular tumors), and abdomen (malignant intestinal tumors). The results of kilovoltage (300 kV and 450 kV) and megavoltage (6 MV) X-ray beams were compared. Whereas 300 kV and 6 MV X-ray beams provided optimal radiation dose homogeneity and conformity, respectively, for brain tumors, 6 MV X-rays provided optimal homogeneity and radiation conformity for nasal cavity, forefoot and abdominal tumors. Although megavoltage X-ray beams provided better radiation dose distribution in most treated animals, the differences between megavoltage and kilovoltage X-ray beams were relatively small. The similar therapeutic effects of kilovoltage and 6 MV X-ray beams suggest that kilovoltage X-ray beams may be effective alternatives to megavoltage X-ray beams in treating cancers in companion animals.

Conformal array design on arbitrary polygon surface with transformation optics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deng, Li, E-mail: dengl@bupt.edu.cn; Hong, Weijun, E-mail: hongwj@bupt.edu.cn; Zhu, Jianfeng

2016-06-15

A transformation-optics based method to design a conformal antenna array on an arbitrary polygon surface is proposed and demonstrated in this paper. This conformal antenna array can be adjusted to behave equivalently as a uniformly spaced linear array by applying an appropriate transformation medium. An typical example of general arbitrary polygon conformal arrays, not limited to circular array, is presented, verifying the proposed approach. In summary, the novel arbitrary polygon surface conformal array can be utilized in array synthesis and beam-forming, maintaining all benefits of linear array.

Adjuvant external beam radiotherapy in the treatment of endometrial cancer (MRC ASTEC and NCIC CTG EN.5 randomised trials): pooled trial results, systematic review, and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Blake, P; Swart, Ann Marie; Orton, J; Kitchener, H; Whelan, T; Lukka, H; Eisenhauer, E; Bacon, M; Tu, D; Parmar, M K B; Amos, C; Murray, C; Qian, W

2009-01-10

Early endometrial cancer with low-risk pathological features can be successfully treated by surgery alone. External beam radiotherapy added to surgery has been investigated in several small trials, which have mainly included women at intermediate risk of recurrence. In these trials, postoperative radiotherapy has been shown to reduce the risk of isolated local recurrence but there is no evidence that it improves recurrence-free or overall survival. We report the findings from the ASTEC and EN.5 trials, which investigated adjuvant external beam radiotherapy in women with early-stage disease and pathological features suggestive of intermediate or high risk of recurrence and death from endometrial cancer. Between July, 1996, and March, 2005, 905 (789 ASTEC, 116 EN.5) women with intermediate-risk or high-risk early-stage disease from 112 centres in seven countries (UK, Canada, Poland, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, USA) were randomly assigned after surgery to observation (453) or to external beam radiotherapy (452). A target dose of 40-46 Gy in 20-25 daily fractions to the pelvis, treating five times a week, was specified. Primary outcome measure was overall survival, and all analyses were by intention to treat. These trials were registered ISRCTN 16571884 (ASTEC) and NCT 00002807 (EN.5). After a median follow-up of 58 months, 135 women (68 observation, 67 external beam radiotherapy) had died. There was no evidence that overall survival with external beam radiotherapy was better than observation, hazard ratio 1.05 (95% CI 0.75-1.48; p=0.77). 5-year overall survival was 84% in both groups. Combining data from ASTEC and EN.5 in a meta-analysis of trials confirmed that there was no benefit in terms of overall survival (hazard ratio 1.04; 95% CI 0.84-1.29) and can reliably exclude an absolute benefit of external beam radiotherapy at 5 years of more than 3%. With brachytherapy used in 53% of women in ASTEC/EN.5, the local recurrence rate in the observation group at 5 years was 6.1%. Adjuvant external beam radiotherapy cannot be recommended as part of routine treatment for women with intermediate-risk or high-risk early-stage endometrial cancer with the aim of improving survival. The absolute benefit of external beam radiotherapy in preventing isolated local recurrence is small and is not without toxicity.

Physical and engineering aspect of carbon beam therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanai, Tatsuaki; Kanematsu, Nobuyuki; Minohara, Shinichi; Yusa, Ken; Urakabe, Eriko; Mizuno, Hideyuki; Iseki, Yasushi; Kanazawa, Mitsutaka; Kitagawa, Atsushi; Tomitani, Takehiro

2003-08-01

Conformal irradiation system of HIMAC has been up-graded for a clinical trial using a technique of a layer-stacking method. The system has been developed for localizing irradiation dose to target volume more effectively than the present irradiation dose. With dynamic control of the beam modifying devices, a pair of wobbler magnets, and multileaf collimator and range shifter, during the irradiation, more conformal radiotherapy can be achieved. The system, which has to be adequately safe for patient irradiations, was constructed and tested from a viewpoint of safety and the quality of the dose localization realized. A secondary beam line has been constructed for use of radioactive beam in heavy-ion radiotherapy. Spot scanning method has been adapted for the beam delivery system of the radioactive beam. Dose distributions of the spot beam were measured and analyzed taking into account of aberration of the beam optics. Distributions of the stopped positron-emitter beam can be observed by PET. Pencil beam of the positron-emitter, about 1 mm size, can also be used for measurements ranges of the test beam in patients using positron camera. The positron camera, consisting of a pair of Anger-type scintillation detectors, has been developed for this verification before treatment. Wash-out effect of the positron-emitter was examined using the positron camera installed. In this report, present status of the HIMAC irradiation system is described in detail.

An external milli-beam for archaeometric applications on the AGLAE IBA facility of the Louvre museum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calligaro, T.; Dran, J.-C.; Hamon, H.; Moignard, B.; Salomon, J.

1998-03-01

External beam lines have been built on numerous IBA facilities for the analysis of works of art to avoid sampling and vacuum potentially detrimental to the integrity of such precious objects. On the other hand, growing interest lies on microprobe systems which provide a high lateral resolution but which usually work under vacuum. Until recently, the AGLAE facility was equipped with separate external beam and microprobe lines. The need of a better spatial resolution in the external beam mode has led us to combine them into a single system which exhibits numerous advantages and allows the analysis of small heterogeneities like inclusions in gemstones or tiny components of composite samples. The triplet of quadrupole lenses bought from Oxford is used to focus the beam. By using a 0.75 μm thick Al foil as the exit window, blowing a helium flow around the beam spot and reducing the window-sample distance below 3 mm, a beam size of about 30 μm can be reached. The experimental setup includes two Si(Li), a HPGe and a Si surface barrier detectors for the simultaneous implementation of PIXE, NRA and RBS. The full description of this device is given as well as a few applications to highlight its capability.

Development and Commissioning of an External Beam Facility in the Union College Ion Beam Analysis Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoskowitz, Joshua; Clark, Morgan; Labrake, Scott; Vineyard, Michael

2015-10-01

We have developed an external beam facility for the 1.1-MV tandem Pelletron accelerator in the Union College Ion Beam Analysis Laboratory. The beam is extracted from an aluminum pipe through a 1 / 4 ' ' diameter window with a 7.5- μm thick Kapton foil. This external beam facility allows us to perform ion beam analysis on samples that cannot be put under vacuum, including wet samples and samples too large to fit into the scattering chamber. We have commissioned the new facility by performing proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis of several samples of environmental interest. These include samples of artificial turf, running tracks, and a human tooth with an amalgam filling. A 1.7-MeV external proton beam was incident on the samples positioned 2 cm from the window. The resulting X-rays were measured using a silicon drift detector and were analyzed using GUPIX software to determine the concentrations of elements in the samples. The results on the human tooth indicate that while significant concentrations of Hg, Ag, and Sn are present in the amalgam filling, only trace amounts of Hg appear to have leached into the tooth. The artificial turf and running tracks show rather large concentrations of a broad range of elements and trace amounts of Pb in the turf infill.

A detailed evaluation of TomoDirect 3DCRT planning for whole-breast radiation therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fields, Emma C.; Rabinovitch, Rachel; Ryan, Nicole E.

2013-01-01

The goal of this work was to develop planning strategies for whole-breast radiotherapy (WBRT) using TomoDirect three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (TD-3DCRT) and to compare TD-3DCRT with conventional 3DCRT and TD intensity-modulated radiation therapy (TD-IMRT) to evaluate differences in WBRT plan quality. Computed tomography (CT) images of 10 women were used to generate 150 WBRT plans, varying in target structures, field width (FW), pitch, and number of beams. Effects on target and external maximum doses (EMD), organ-at-risk (OAR) doses, and treatment time were assessed for each parameter to establish an optimal planning technique. Using this technique, TD-3DCRT plans were generated andmore » compared with TD-IMRT and standard 3DCRT plans. FW 5.0 cm with pitch = 0.250 cm significantly decreased EMD without increasing lung V20 Gy. Increasing number of beams from 2 to 6 and using an additional breast planning structure decreased EMD though increased lung V20 Gy. Changes in pitch had minimal effect on plan metrics. TD-3DCRT plans were subsequently generated using FW 5.0 cm, pitch = 0.250 cm, and 2 beams, with additional beams or planning structures added to decrease EMD when necessary. TD-3DCRT and TD-IMRT significantly decreased target maximum dose compared to standard 3DCRT. FW 5.0 cm with 2 to 6 beams or novel planning structures or both allow for TD-3DCRT WBRT plans with excellent target coverage and OAR doses. TD-3DCRT plans are comparable to plans generated using TD-IMRT and provide an alternative to conventional 3DCRT for WBRT.« less

Decreasing Temporal Lobe Dose With Five-Field Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Treatment of Pituitary Macroadenomas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parhar, Preeti K.; Duckworth, Tamara; Shah, Parinda

2010-10-01

Purpose: To compare temporal lobe dose delivered by three pituitary macroadenoma irradiation techniques: three-field three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), three-field intensity-modulated radiotherapy (3F IMRT), and a proposed novel alternative of five-field IMRT (5F IMRT). Methods and Materials: Computed tomography-based external beam radiotherapy planning was performed for 15 pituitary macroadenoma patients treated at New York University between 2002 and 2007 using: 3D-CRT (two lateral, one midline superior anterior oblique [SAO] beams), 3F IMRT (same beam angles), and 5F IMRT (same beam angles with additional right SAO and left SAO beams). Prescription dose was 45 Gy. Target volumes were: gross tumor volume (GTV)more » = macroadenoma, clinical target volume (CTV) = GTV, and planning target volume = CTV + 0.5 cm. Structure contouring was performed by two radiation oncologists guided by an expert neuroradiologist. Results: Five-field IMRT yielded significantly decreased temporal lobe dose delivery compared with 3D-CRT and 3F IMRT. Temporal lobe sparing with 5F IMRT was most pronounced at intermediate doses: mean V25Gy (% of total temporal lobe volume receiving {>=}25 Gy) of 13% vs. 28% vs. 29% for right temporal lobe and 14% vs. 29% vs. 30% for left temporal lobe for 5F IMRT, 3D-CRT, and 3F IMRT, respectively (p < 10{sup -7} for 5F IMRT vs. 3D-CRT and 5F IMRT vs. 3F IMRT). Five-field IMRT plans did not compromise target coverage, exceed normal tissue dose constraints, or increase estimated brain integral dose. Conclusions: Five-field IMRT irradiation technique results in a statistically significant decrease in the dose to the temporal lobes and may thus help prevent neurocognitive sequelae in irradiated pituitary macroadenoma patients.« less

Biological effective dose for comparison and combination of external beam and low-dose rate interstitial brachytherapy prostate cancer treatment plans

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jani, Ashesh B.; Hand, Christopher M.; Lujan, Anthony E.

2004-03-31

We report a methodology for comparing and combining dose information from external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and interstitial brachytherapy (IB) components of prostate cancer treatment using the biological effective dose (BED). On a prototype early-stage prostate cancer patient treated with EBRT and low-dose rate I-125 brachytherapy, a 3-dimensional dose distribution was calculated for each of the EBRT and IB portions of treatment. For each component of treatment, the BED was calculated on a point-by-point basis to produce a BED distribution. These individual BED distributions could then be summed for combined therapies. BED dose-volume histograms (DVHs) of the prostate, urethra, rectum, andmore » bladder were produced and compared for various combinations of EBRT and IB. Transformation to BED enabled computation of the relative contribution of each modality to the prostate dose, as the relative weighting of EBRT and IB was varied. The BED-DVHs of the prostate and urethra demonstrated dramatically increased inhomogeneity with the introduction of even a small component of IB. However, increasing the IB portion relative to the EBRT component resulted in lower dose to the surrounding normal structures, as evidenced by the BED-DVHs of the bladder and rectum. Conformal EBRT and low-dose rate IB conventional dose distributions were successfully transformed to the common 'language' of BED distributions for comparison and for merging prostate cancer radiation treatment plans. The results of this analysis can assist physicians in quantitatively determining the best combination and weighting of radiation treatment modalities for individual patients.« less

Intermediate-term results of image-guided brachytherapy and high-technology external beam radiotherapy in cervical cancer: Chiang Mai University experience.

PubMed

Tharavichitkul, Ekkasit; Chakrabandhu, Somvilai; Wanwilairat, Somsak; Tippanya, Damrongsak; Nobnop, Wannapha; Pukanhaphan, Nantaka; Galalae, Razvan M; Chitapanarux, Imjai

2013-07-01

To evaluate the outcomes of image-guided brachytherapy combined with 3D conformal or intensity modulated external beam radiotherapy (3D CRT/IMRT) in cervical cancer at Chiang Mai University. From 2008 to 2011, forty-seven patients with locally advanced cervical cancer were enrolled in this study. All patients received high-technology (3D CRT/IMRT) whole pelvic radiotherapy with a total dose of 45-46 Gy plus image-guided High-Dose-Rate intracavitary brachytherapy 6.5-7 Gy × 4 fractions to a High-Risk Clinical Target Volume (HR-CTV) according to GEC-ESTRO recommendations. The dose parameters of the HR-CTV for bladder, rectum and sigmoid colon were recorded, as well as toxicity profiles. In addition, the endpoints for local control, disease-free, metastasis-free survival and overall survival were calculated. At the median follow-up time of 26 months, the local control, disease-free survival, and overall survival rates were 97.9%, 85.1%, and 93.6%, respectively. The mean dose of HR-CTV, bladder, rectum and sigmoid were 93.1, 88.2, 69.6, and 72 Gy, respectively. In terms of late toxicity, the incidence of grade 3-4 bladder and rectum morbidity was 2.1% and 2.1%, respectively. A combination of image-guided brachytherapy and IMRT/3D CRT showed very promising results of local control, disease-free survival, metastasis-free survival and overall survival rates. It also caused a low incidence of grade 3-4 toxicity in treated study patients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Yttrium-90 microspheres for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: A review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salem, Riad; Hunter, Russell D.

2006-10-01

To present a critical review of yttrium-90 (TheraSphere) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Medical literature databases (Medline, Cochrane Library, and CANCERLIT) were searched for available literature concerning the treatment of HCC with TheraSphere. These publications were reviewed for scientific and clinical validity. Studies pertaining to the use of yttrium-90 for HCC date back to the 1960s. The results from the early animal safety studies established a radiation exposure range of 50-100 Gy to be used in human studies. Phase I dose escalation studies followed, which were instrumental in delineating radiation dosimetry and safety parameters in humans. These earlymore » studies emphasized the importance of differential arteriolar density between hypervascular HCC and surrounding liver parenchyma. Current trends in research have focused on advancing techniques to safely implement this technology as an alternative to traditional methods of treating unresectable HCC, such as external beam radiotherapy, conformal beam radiotherapy, ethanol ablation, trans-arterial chemoembolization, and radiofrequency ablation. Yttrium-90 (TheraSphere) is an outpatient treatment option for HCC. Current and future research should focus on implementing multicenter phase II and III trials comparing TheraSphere with other therapies for HCC.« less

Clinical Implications of TiGRT Algorithm for External Audit in Radiation Oncology.

PubMed

Shahbazi-Gahrouei, Daryoush; Saeb, Mohsen; Monadi, Shahram; Jabbari, Iraj

2017-01-01

Performing audits play an important role in quality assurance program in radiation oncology. Among different algorithms, TiGRT is one of the common application software for dose calculation. This study aimed to clinical implications of TiGRT algorithm to measure dose and compared to calculated dose delivered to the patients for a variety of cases, with and without the presence of inhomogeneities and beam modifiers. Nonhomogeneous phantom as quality dose verification phantom, Farmer ionization chambers, and PC-electrometer (Sun Nuclear, USA) as a reference class electrometer was employed throughout the audit in linear accelerators 6 and 18 MV energies (Siemens ONCOR Impression Plus, Germany). Seven test cases were performed using semi CIRS phantom. In homogeneous regions and simple plans for both energies, there was a good agreement between measured and treatment planning system calculated dose. Their relative error was found to be between 0.8% and 3% which is acceptable for audit, but in nonhomogeneous organs, such as lung, a few errors were observed. In complex treatment plans, when wedge or shield in the way of energy is used, the error was in the accepted criteria. In complex beam plans, the difference between measured and calculated dose was found to be 2%-3%. All differences were obtained between 0.4% and 1%. A good consistency was observed for the same type of energy in the homogeneous and nonhomogeneous phantom for the three-dimensional conformal field with a wedge, shield, asymmetric using the TiGRT treatment planning software in studied center. The results revealed that the national status of TPS calculations and dose delivery for 3D conformal radiotherapy was globally within acceptable standards with no major causes for concern.

Clinical Implications of TiGRT Algorithm for External Audit in Radiation Oncology

PubMed Central

Shahbazi-Gahrouei, Daryoush; Saeb, Mohsen; Monadi, Shahram; Jabbari, Iraj

2017-01-01

Background: Performing audits play an important role in quality assurance program in radiation oncology. Among different algorithms, TiGRT is one of the common application software for dose calculation. This study aimed to clinical implications of TiGRT algorithm to measure dose and compared to calculated dose delivered to the patients for a variety of cases, with and without the presence of inhomogeneities and beam modifiers. Materials and Methods: Nonhomogeneous phantom as quality dose verification phantom, Farmer ionization chambers, and PC-electrometer (Sun Nuclear, USA) as a reference class electrometer was employed throughout the audit in linear accelerators 6 and 18 MV energies (Siemens ONCOR Impression Plus, Germany). Seven test cases were performed using semi CIRS phantom. Results: In homogeneous regions and simple plans for both energies, there was a good agreement between measured and treatment planning system calculated dose. Their relative error was found to be between 0.8% and 3% which is acceptable for audit, but in nonhomogeneous organs, such as lung, a few errors were observed. In complex treatment plans, when wedge or shield in the way of energy is used, the error was in the accepted criteria. In complex beam plans, the difference between measured and calculated dose was found to be 2%–3%. All differences were obtained between 0.4% and 1%. Conclusions: A good consistency was observed for the same type of energy in the homogeneous and nonhomogeneous phantom for the three-dimensional conformal field with a wedge, shield, asymmetric using the TiGRT treatment planning software in studied center. The results revealed that the national status of TPS calculations and dose delivery for 3D conformal radiotherapy was globally within acceptable standards with no major causes for concern. PMID:28989910

External-cavity beam combining of 4-channel quantum cascade lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yue; Zhang, Jin-Chuan; Zhou, Yu-Hong; Jia, Zhi-Wei; Zhuo, Ning; Zhai, Shen-Qiang; Wang, Li-Jun; Liu, Jun-Qi; Liu, Shu-Man; Liu, Feng-Qi; Wang, Zhan-Guo

2017-09-01

We demonstrate an external-cavity (EC) beam combining of 4-channel quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with an output coupler which makes different QCL beams propagating coaxially. A beam combining efficiency of 35% (up to 75% near threshold) is obtained with a beam quality M2 of 5.5. A peak power of 0.64 W is achieved at a wavelength of 4.7 μm. The differences of spot characteristic between coupled and uncoupled are also showed in this letter. The QCLs in this EC system do not have heat crosstalk so that the system can be used for high power beam combining of QCLs.

WE-F-16A-05: Use of 3D-Printers to Create a Tissue Equivalent 3D-Bolus for External Beam Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burleson, S; Baker, J; Hsia, A

2014-06-15

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to demonstrate that a non-expensive 3D-printer can be used to manufacture a 3D-bolus for external beam therapy. The printed bolus then can be modeled in our treatment planning system to ensure accurate dose delivery to the patient. Methods: We developed a simple method to manufacture a patient-specific custom 3Dbolus. The bolus is designed using Eclipse Treatment Planning System, contoured onto the patients CT images. The bolus file is exported from Eclipse to 3D-printer software, and then printed using a 3D printer. Various tests were completed to determine the properties of the printing material.more » Percent depth dose curves in this material were measured with electron and photon beams for comparison to other materials. In order to test the validity of the 3D printed bolus for treatment planning, a custom bolus was printed and tested on the Rando phantom using film for a dose plane comparison. We compared the dose plane measured on the film to the same dose plane exported from our treatment planning system using Film QA software. The gamma-dose distribution tool was used in our film analysis. Results: We compared point measurements throughout the dose plane and were able to achieve greater than 95% passing rate at 3% dose difference and 3 mm distance to agreement, which is our departments acceptable gamma pixel parameters. Conclusion: The printed 3D bolus has proven to be accurately modeled in our treatment planning system, it is more conformal to the patient surface and more durable than other bolus currently used (wax, superflab etc.). It is also more convenient and less costly than comparable bolus from milling machine companies.« less

The two conformers of acetanilide unraveled using LA-MB-FTMW spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabezas, C.; Varela, M.; Caminati, W.; Mata, S.; López, J. C.; Alonso, J. L.

2011-07-01

Acetanilide has been investigated by laser ablation molecular beam Fourier transform microwave LA-MB-FTMW spectroscopy. The rotational spectrum of both trans and cis conformers have been analyzed to determine the rotational and 14N quadrupole coupling the constants. The spectrum of the less abundant cis conformer has been assigned for the first time. The doublets observed for this conformer have been interpreted in terms of the tunneling motion between two equivalent non-planar conformations through a small barrier in which the acetamide group and phenyl ring plane are perpendicular. The results are compared with those of the related formanilide.

A rapid communication from the AAPM Task Group 201: recommendations for the QA of external beam radiotherapy data transfer. AAPM TG 201: quality assurance of external beam radiotherapy data transfer.

PubMed

Siochi, R Alfredo; Balter, Peter; Bloch, Charles D; Santanam, Lakshmi; Blodgett, Kurt; Curran, Bruce H; Engelsman, Martijn; Feng, Wenzheng; Mechalakos, Jim; Pavord, Dan; Simon, Tom; Sutlieff, Steven; Zhu, X Ronald

2010-12-04

The transfer of radiation therapy data among the various subsystems required for external beam treatments is subject to error. Hence, the establishment and management of a data transfer quality assurance program is strongly recommended. It should cover the QA of data transfers of patient specific treatments, imaging data, manually handled data and historical treatment records. QA of the database state (logical consistency and information integrity) is also addressed to ensure that accurate data are transferred.

Adjuvant external beam radiotherapy in the treatment of endometrial cancer (MRC ASTEC and NCIC CTG EN.5 randomised trials): pooled trial results, systematic review, and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Summary Background Early endometrial cancer with low-risk pathological features can be successfully treated by surgery alone. External beam radiotherapy added to surgery has been investigated in several small trials, which have mainly included women at intermediate risk of recurrence. In these trials, postoperative radiotherapy has been shown to reduce the risk of isolated local recurrence but there is no evidence that it improves recurrence-free or overall survival. We report the findings from the ASTEC and EN.5 trials, which investigated adjuvant external beam radiotherapy in women with early-stage disease and pathological features suggestive of intermediate or high risk of recurrence and death from endometrial cancer. Methods Between July, 1996, and March, 2005, 905 (789 ASTEC, 116 EN.5) women with intermediate-risk or high-risk early-stage disease from 112 centres in seven countries (UK, Canada, Poland, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, USA) were randomly assigned after surgery to observation (453) or to external beam radiotherapy (452). A target dose of 40–46 Gy in 20–25 daily fractions to the pelvis, treating five times a week, was specified. Primary outcome measure was overall survival, and all analyses were by intention to treat. These trials were registered ISRCTN 16571884 (ASTEC) and NCT 00002807 (EN.5). Findings After a median follow-up of 58 months, 135 women (68 observation, 67 external beam radiotherapy) had died. There was no evidence that overall survival with external beam radiotherapy was better than observation, hazard ratio 1·05 (95% CI 0·75–1·48; p=0·77). 5-year overall survival was 84% in both groups. Combining data from ASTEC and EN.5 in a meta-analysis of trials confirmed that there was no benefit in terms of overall survival (hazard ratio 1·04; 95% CI 0·84–1·29) and can reliably exclude an absolute benefit of external beam radiotherapy at 5 years of more than 3%. With brachytherapy used in 53% of women in ASTEC/EN.5, the local recurrence rate in the observation group at 5 years was 6·1%. Interpretation Adjuvant external beam radiotherapy cannot be recommended as part of routine treatment for women with intermediate-risk or high-risk early-stage endometrial cancer with the aim of improving survival. The absolute benefit of external beam radiotherapy in preventing isolated local recurrence is small and is not without toxicity. Funding Medical Research Council, National Cancer Research Network, National Cancer Institute of Canada, with funds from the Canadian Cancer Society. PMID:19070891

Development of an external beam nuclear microprobe on the Aglae facility of the Louvre museum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calligaro, T.; Dran, J.-C.; Ioannidou, E.; Moignard, B.; Pichon, L.; Salomon, J.

2000-03-01

The external beam line of our facility has been recently equipped with the focusing system previously mounted on a classical nuclear microprobe. When using a 0.1 μm thick Si 3N 4 foil for the exit window and flowing helium on the sample under analysis, a beam spot as small as 10 μm is attainable at a distance of 3 mm from the window. Elemental micromapping is performed by mechanical scanning. An electronic device has been designed which allows XY scanning by moving the sample under the beam by steps down to 0.1 μm. Beam monitoring is carried out by means of the weak X-ray signal emitted by the exit foil and detected by a specially designed Si(Li) detector cooled by Peltier effect. The characteristics of external beams of protons and alpha particles are evaluated by means of resonance scanning and elemental mapping of a grid. An example of application is presented, dealing with elemental micro-mapping of inclusions in gemstones.

The geometry of organophosphonates: Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy and ab initio study of diethyl methylphosphonate, diethyl ethylphosphonate, and diisopropyl methylphosphonate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DaBell, Ryan S.; Suenram, Richard D.; Lavrich, Richard J.; Lochner, J. Michael; Ellzy, Michael W.; Sumpter, Kenneth; Jensen, James O.; Samuels, Alan C.

2004-12-01

The rotational spectra of diethyl methylphosphonate (DEMP), diethyl ethylphosphonate (DEEP), and diisopropyl methylphosphonate (DIMP) in supersonic expansions have been acquired using Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy. Spectroscopic constants have been determined for five distinct conformers of the three molecules. Experimental data have been compared to ab initio calculations performed for each species. For both DEMP and DEEP, the calculations indicate the presence of several low-energy conformers (i.e., ⩽˜400 cm -1 above the ground state) may be present at room temperature (300 K) for both DEMP and DEEP. When entrained in a supersonic expansion, the rotational temperatures of the samples are much colder (˜2 K); nonetheless, spectra from three conformers of DEEP are still observed experimentally, whereas only one conformer of DEMP is observed. In contrast, only a single low-energy conformer of DIMP is predicted by theory, and is present in the molecular beam. The relative abundance of low-energy conformers of DEMP and DEEP is attributed to the flexibility of the ethoxy groups within each molecule. The presence of multiple DEEP conformers in the supersonic beam indicates a more complex potential energy surface for this molecule that is directly related to conformational shifts of the PCH 2CH 3 group. Conversely, the absence of low-energy conformers of DIMP is attributed to steric hindrance between isopropoxy groups in the molecule. The internal rotation barrier for the PCH 3 group in DEMP and DIMP is compared to that found in DMMP and several phosphonate-based chemical weapon agents.

A Multi-institutional Clinical Trial of Rectal Dose Reduction via Injected Polyethylene-Glycol Hydrogel During Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer: Analysis of Dosimetric Outcomes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Song, Danny Y., E-mail: dsong2@jhmi.edu; Herfarth, Klaus K.; Uhl, Matthias

2013-09-01

Purpose: To characterize the effect of a prostate-rectum spacer on dose to rectum during external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer and to assess for factors correlated with rectal dose reduction. Methods and Materials: Fifty-two patients at 4 institutions were enrolled into a prospective pilot clinical trial. Patients underwent baseline scans and then were injected with perirectal spacing hydrogel and rescanned. Intensity modulated radiation therapy plans were created on both scans for comparison. The objectives were to establish rates of creation of ≥7.5 mm of prostate-rectal separation, and decrease in rectal V70 of ≥25%. Multiple regression analysis was performed tomore » evaluate the associations between preinjection and postinjection changes in rectal V70 and changes in plan conformity, rectal volume, bladder volume, bladder V70, planning target volume (PTV), and postinjection midgland separation, gel volume, gel thickness, length of PTV/gel contact, and gel left-to-right symmetry. Results: Hydrogel resulted in ≥7.5-mm prostate-rectal separation in 95.8% of patients; 95.7% had decreased rectal V70 of ≥25%, with a mean reduction of 8.0 Gy. There were no significant differences in preinjection and postinjection prostate, PTV, rectal, and bladder volumes. Plan conformities were significantly different before versus after injection (P=.02); plans with worse conformity indexes after injection compared with before injection (n=13) still had improvements in rectal V70. In multiple regression analysis, greater postinjection reduction in V70 was associated with decreased relative postinjection plan conformity (P=.01). Reductions in V70 did not significantly vary by institution, despite significant interinstitutional variations in plan conformity. There were no significant relationships between reduction in V70 and the other characteristics analyzed. Conclusions: Injection of hydrogel into the prostate-rectal interface resulted in dose reductions to rectum for >90% of patients treated. Rectal sparing was statistically significant across a range of 10 to 75 Gy and was demonstrated within the presence of significant interinstitutional variability in plan conformity, target definitions, and injection results.« less

Commissioning of a conformal irradiation system for heavy-ion radiotherapy using a layer-stacking method.

PubMed

Kanai, Tatsuaki; Kanematsu, Nobuyuki; Minohara, Shinichi; Komori, Masataka; Torikoshi, Masami; Asakura, Hiroshi; Ikeda, Noritoshi; Uno, Takayuki; Takei, Yuka

2006-08-01

The commissioning of conformal radiotherapy system using heavy-ion beams at the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) is described in detail. The system at HIMAC was upgraded for a clinical trial using a new technique: large spot uniform scanning with conformal layer stacking. The system was developed to localize the irradiation dose to the target volume more effectively than with the old system. With the present passive irradiation method using a ridge filter, a scatterer, a pair of wobbler magnets, and a multileaf collimator, the width of the spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) in the radiation field could not be changed. With dynamic control of the beam-modifying devices during irradiation, a more conformal radiotherapy could be achieved. In order to safely perform treatments with this conformal therapy, the moving devices should be watched during irradiation and the synchronousness among the devices should be verified. This system, which has to be safe for patient irradiations, was constructed and tested for safety and for the quality of the dose localization realized. Through these commissioning tests, we were successfully able to prepare the conformal technique using layer stacking for patients. Subsequent to commissioning the technique has been applied to patients in clinical trials.

Memory, metamemory, and social cues: Between conformity and resistance.

PubMed

Zawadzka, Katarzyna; Krogulska, Aleksandra; Button, Roberta; Higham, Philip A; Hanczakowski, Maciej

2016-02-01

When presented with responses of another person, people incorporate these responses into memory reports: a finding termed memory conformity. Research on memory conformity in recognition reveals that people rely on external social cues to guide their memory responses when their own ability to respond is at chance. In this way, conforming to a reliable source boosts recognition performance but conforming to a random source does not impair it. In the present study we assessed whether people would conform indiscriminately to reliable and unreliable (random) sources when they are given the opportunity to exercise metamemory control over their responding by withholding answers in a recognition test. In Experiments 1 and 2, we found the pattern of memory conformity to reliable and unreliable sources in 2 variants of a free-report recognition test, yet at the same time the provision of external cues did not affect the rate of response withholding. In Experiment 3, we provided participants with initial feedback on their recognition decisions, facilitating the discrimination between the reliable and unreliable source. This led to the reduction of memory conformity to the unreliable source, and at the same time modulated metamemory decisions concerning response withholding: participants displayed metamemory conformity to the reliable source, volunteering more responses in their memory report, and metamemory resistance to the random source, withholding more responses from the memory report. Together, the results show how metamemory decisions dissociate various types of memory conformity and that memory and metamemory decisions can be independent of each other. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved.

Advances in Radiotherapy for Glioblastoma

PubMed Central

Mann, Justin; Ramakrishna, Rohan; Magge, Rajiv; Wernicke, A. Gabriella

2018-01-01

External beam radiotherapy (RT) has long played a crucial role in the treatment of glioblastoma. Over the past several decades, significant advances in RT treatment and image-guidance technology have led to enormous improvements in the ability to optimize definitive and salvage treatments. This review highlights several of the latest developments and controversies related to RT, including the treatment of elderly patients, who continue to be a fragile and vulnerable population; potential salvage options for recurrent disease including reirradiation with chemotherapy; the latest imaging techniques allowing for more accurate and precise delineation of treatment volumes to maximize the therapeutic ratio of conformal RT; the ongoing preclinical and clinical data regarding the combination of immunotherapy with RT; and the increasing evidence of cancer stem-cell niches in the subventricular zone which may provide a potential target for local therapies. Finally, continued development on many fronts have allowed for modestly improved outcomes while at the same time limiting toxicity. PMID:29379468

Advances in Radiotherapy for Glioblastoma.

PubMed

Mann, Justin; Ramakrishna, Rohan; Magge, Rajiv; Wernicke, A Gabriella

2017-01-01

External beam radiotherapy (RT) has long played a crucial role in the treatment of glioblastoma. Over the past several decades, significant advances in RT treatment and image-guidance technology have led to enormous improvements in the ability to optimize definitive and salvage treatments. This review highlights several of the latest developments and controversies related to RT, including the treatment of elderly patients, who continue to be a fragile and vulnerable population; potential salvage options for recurrent disease including reirradiation with chemotherapy; the latest imaging techniques allowing for more accurate and precise delineation of treatment volumes to maximize the therapeutic ratio of conformal RT; the ongoing preclinical and clinical data regarding the combination of immunotherapy with RT; and the increasing evidence of cancer stem-cell niches in the subventricular zone which may provide a potential target for local therapies. Finally, continued development on many fronts have allowed for modestly improved outcomes while at the same time limiting toxicity.

Towards ion beam therapy based on laser plasma accelerators.

PubMed

Karsch, Leonhard; Beyreuther, Elke; Enghardt, Wolfgang; Gotz, Malte; Masood, Umar; Schramm, Ulrich; Zeil, Karl; Pawelke, Jörg

2017-11-01

Only few ten radiotherapy facilities worldwide provide ion beams, in spite of their physical advantage of better achievable tumor conformity of the dose compared to conventional photon beams. Since, mainly the large size and high costs hinder their wider spread, great efforts are ongoing to develop more compact ion therapy facilities. One promising approach for smaller facilities is the acceleration of ions on micrometre scale by high intensity lasers. Laser accelerators deliver pulsed beams with a low pulse repetition rate, but a high number of ions per pulse, broad energy spectra and high divergences. A clinical use of a laser based ion beam facility requires not only a laser accelerator providing beams of therapeutic quality, but also new approaches for beam transport, dosimetric control and tumor conformal dose delivery procedure together with the knowledge of the radiobiological effectiveness of laser-driven beams. Over the last decade research was mainly focused on protons and progress was achieved in all important challenges. Although currently the maximum proton energy is not yet high enough for patient irradiation, suggestions and solutions have been reported for compact beam transport and dose delivery procedures, respectively, as well as for precise dosimetric control. Radiobiological in vitro and in vivo studies show no indications of an altered biological effectiveness of laser-driven beams. Laser based facilities will hardly improve the availability of ion beams for patient treatment in the next decade. Nevertheless, there are possibilities for a need of laser based therapy facilities in future.

SU-F-T-212: A Comparison of Treatment Strategies for Intracranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lamberton, T; Slater, J; Wroe, A

2016-06-15

Purpose: Stereotactic radiosurgery is an effective and noninvasive treatment for intracranial lesions that uses highly focused radiation beams in a single treatment fraction. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dosimetric differences between the treatment brain metastasis with a proton beam vs. intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Methods: Ten separate brain metastasis targets where chosen and treatment plans were created for each, using three different strategies: custom proton beam shaping devices, standardized proton beam shaping devices, and IMRT. Each plan was required to satisfy set parameters for providing adequate coverage and minimizing risk to adjacent tissues. The effectivenessmore » of each plan was calculated by comparing the homogeneity index, conformity index, and V12 for each target using a paired one tailed T-test (α=0.05). Specific comparison of the conformity indices was also made using a subcategory containing targets with volume>1cc. Results: There was no significant difference between the homogeneity indices of the three plans (p>0.05), showing that each plan has the capability of adequately covering the targets. There was a statistically significant difference (p<0.01) between the conformity indices of the custom and the standard proton plan, as with the custom proton and IMRT (p<0.01), with custom proton showing stronger conformity to the target in both cases. There was also a statistical difference between the V12 of all three plans (Custom v. Standardized: p=0.02, Custom v. IMRT: p<0.01, Standardized v. IMRT: p<0.01) with custom proton supplying the lowest dose to surrounding tissues. For large targets (volume>1cc) there was no statistical difference between the proton plans and the IMRT treatment for the conformity index. Conclusion: A custom proton plan is the recommended treatment explored in this study as it is the most reliable way of effectively treating the target while sparing the maximum amount of normal tissue.« less

Optimization of leaf margins for lung stereotactic body radiotherapy using a flattening filter-free beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wakai, Nobuhide, E-mail: wakai@naramed-u.ac.jp; Sumida, Iori; Otani, Yuki

Purpose: The authors sought to determine the optimal collimator leaf margins which minimize normal tissue dose while achieving high conformity and to evaluate differences between the use of a flattening filter-free (FFF) beam and a flattening-filtered (FF) beam. Methods: Sixteen lung cancer patients scheduled for stereotactic body radiotherapy underwent treatment planning for a 7 MV FFF and a 6 MV FF beams to the planning target volume (PTV) with a range of leaf margins (−3 to 3 mm). Forty grays per four fractions were prescribed as a PTV D95. For PTV, the heterogeneity index (HI), conformity index, modified gradient indexmore » (GI), defined as the 50% isodose volume divided by target volume, maximum dose (Dmax), and mean dose (Dmean) were calculated. Mean lung dose (MLD), V20 Gy, and V5 Gy for the lung (defined as the volumes of lung receiving at least 20 and 5 Gy), mean heart dose, and Dmax to the spinal cord were measured as doses to organs at risk (OARs). Paired t-tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: HI was inversely related to changes in leaf margin. Conformity index and modified GI initially decreased as leaf margin width increased. After reaching a minimum, the two values then increased as leaf margin increased (“V” shape). The optimal leaf margins for conformity index and modified GI were −1.1 ± 0.3 mm (mean ± 1 SD) and −0.2 ± 0.9 mm, respectively, for 7 MV FFF compared to −1.0 ± 0.4 and −0.3 ± 0.9 mm, respectively, for 6 MV FF. Dmax and Dmean for 7 MV FFF were higher than those for 6 MV FF by 3.6% and 1.7%, respectively. There was a positive correlation between the ratios of HI, Dmax, and Dmean for 7 MV FFF to those for 6 MV FF and PTV size (R = 0.767, 0.809, and 0.643, respectively). The differences in MLD, V20 Gy, and V5 Gy for lung between FFF and FF beams were negligible. The optimal leaf margins for MLD, V20 Gy, and V5 Gy for lung were −0.9 ± 0.6, −1.1 ± 0.8, and −2.1 ± 1.2 mm, respectively, for 7 MV FFF compared to −0.9 ± 0.6, −1.1 ± 0.8, and −2.2 ± 1.3 mm, respectively, for 6 MV FF. With the heart inside the radiation field, the mean heart dose showed a V-shaped relationship with leaf margins. The optimal leaf margins were −1.0 ± 0.6 mm for both beams. Dmax to the spinal cord showed no clear trend for changes in leaf margin. Conclusions: The differences in doses to OARs between FFF and FF beams were negligible. Conformity index, modified GI, MLD, lung V20 Gy, lung V5 Gy, and mean heart dose showed a V-shaped relationship with leaf margins. There were no significant differences in optimal leaf margins to minimize these parameters between both FFF and FF beams. The authors’ results suggest that a leaf margin of −1 mm achieves high conformity and minimizes doses to OARs for both FFF and FF beams.« less

Scaling the spectral beam combining channel by multiple diode laser stacks in an external cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Huicheng; Ruan, Xu; Du, Weichuan; Wang, Zhao; Lei, Fuchuan; Yu, Junhong; Tan, Hao

2017-04-01

Spectral beam combining of a broad area diode laser is a promising technique for direct diode laser applications. We present an experimental study of three mini-bar stacks in an external cavity on spectral beam combining in conjunction with spatial beam combining. At the pump current of 70 A, a CW output power of 579 W, spectral bandwidth of 18.8 nm and electro-optical conversion efficiency of 47% are achieved. The measured M 2 values of spectral beam combining are 18.4 and 14.7 for the fast and the slow axis, respectively. The brightness of the spectral beam combining output is 232 MW · cm-2 · sr-1.

First Experiences in Intensity Modulated Radiation Surgery at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery: A Dosimetric Point of View

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lárraga-Gutiérrez, José M.; Celis-López, Miguel A.

2003-09-01

The National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City has acquired a Novalis® shaped beam radiosurgery unit. The institute is pioneer in the use of new technologies for neuroscience. The Novalis® unit allows the use of conformal beam radiosurgery/therapy and the more advanced modality of conformal therapy: Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). In the present work we present the first cases of treatments that use the IMRT technique and show its ability to protect organs at risk, such as brainstem and optical vias.

What to Know about External Beam Radiation Therapy

MedlinePlus

... Radiation Therapy: What To Know About External Beam Radiation Therapy Before treatment starts: You will meet with a doctor or ... and show the therapist where to aim the radiation. When you go for treatment: ■ Don’t have powder, deodorant, Band-Aids ® , or ...

Electro-optic harmonic conversion to switch a laser beam out of a cavity

DOEpatents

Haas, Roger A.; Henesian, Mark A.

1987-01-01

The invention is a switch to permit a laser beam to escape a laser cavity through the use of an externally applied electric field across a harmonic conversion crystal. Amplification takes place in the laser cavity, and then the laser beam is switched out by the laser light being harmonically converted with dichroic or polarization sensitive elements present to alter the optical path of the harmonically converted laser light. Modulation of the laser beam can also be accomplished by varying the external electric field.

The Patient Burden of Bladder Outlet Obstruction after Prostate Cancer Treatment.

PubMed

Liberman, Daniel; Jarosek, Stephanie; Virnig, Beth A; Chu, Haitao; Elliott, Sean P

2016-05-01

Bladder outlet obstruction after prostate cancer therapy imposes a significant burden on health and quality of life in men. Our objective was to describe the burden of bladder outlet obstruction after prostate cancer therapy by detailing the type of procedures performed and how often those procedures were repeated in men with recurrent bladder outlet obstruction. Using SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results)-Medicare linked data from 1992 to 2007 with followup through 2009 we identified 12,676 men who underwent at least 1 bladder outlet obstruction procedure after prostate cancer therapy, including external beam radiotherapy in 3,994, brachytherapy in 1,485, brachytherapy plus external beam radiotherapy in 1,847, radical prostatectomy in 4,736, radical prostatectomy plus external beam radiotherapy in 369 and cryotherapy in 245. Histogram, incidence rates and Cox proportional hazards models with repeat events analysis were done to describe the burden of repeat bladder outlet obstruction treatments stratified by prostate cancer therapy type. We describe the type of bladder outlet obstruction surgery grouped by level of invasiveness. At a median followup of 8.8 years 44.6% of men underwent 2 or more bladder outlet obstruction procedures. Compared to men who underwent radical prostatectomy those treated with brachytherapy and brachytherapy plus external beam radiotherapy were at increased adjusted risk for repeat bladder outlet obstruction treatment (HR 1.2 and 1.32, respectively, each p <0.05). After stricture incision the men treated with radical prostatectomy or radical prostatectomy plus external beam radiotherapy were most likely to undergo dilation at a rate of 34.7% to 35.0%. Stricture resection/ablation was more common after brachytherapy, external beam radiotherapy or brachytherapy plus external beam radiotherapy at a rate of 28.9% to 41.2%. Almost half of the men with bladder outlet obstruction after prostate cancer therapy undergo more than 1 procedure. Furthermore men with bladder outlet obstruction after radiotherapy undergo more invasive endoscopic therapies and are at higher risk for multiple treatments than men with bladder outlet obstruction after radical prostatectomy. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Beam profiles measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucks, H.; Marcowitz, S. M.; Wheeler, R. W.

1969-01-01

Beam profilometer, using thermoluminescent dosimeters, gives a quantitative and qualitative representation of the focus of an external protron beam of a synchrotron. The total number of particles in the beam, particle distribution, and the shape of the beam are determined.

Effect of External Electric Field on Substrate Transport of a Secondary Active Transporter.

PubMed

Zhang, Ji-Long; Zheng, Qing-Chuan; Yu, Li-Ying; Li, Zheng-Qiang; Zhang, Hong-Xing

2016-08-22

Substrate transport across a membrane accomplished by a secondary active transporter (SAT) is essential to the normal physiological function of living cells. In the present research, a series of all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations under different electric field (EF) strengths was performed to investigate the effect of an external EF on the substrate transport of an SAT. The results show that EF both affects the interaction between substrate and related protein's residues by changing their conformations and tunes the timeline of the transport event, which collectively reduces the height of energy barrier for substrate transport and results in the appearance of two intermediate conformations under the existence of an external EF. Our work spotlights the crucial influence of external EFs on the substrate transport of SATs and could provide a more penetrating understanding of the substrate transport mechanism of SATs.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mwidu, U; Devic, S; Shehadeh, M

Purpose: A retrospective comparison of dose distributions achievable by High dose rate brachytherapy (HDRBT), Helical TomoTherapy (TOMO), CyberKnife (CK) and RapidArc (RA) in locally advanced inoperable cervical cancer patients is presented. Methods: Five patients with advanced stage cervical carcinoma were selected for this study after a full course of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), chemotherapy and HDR Brachytherapy. To highlight any significant similarities/differences in dose distributions, high-risk clinical target volume (HRCTV) coverage, organs at risk (OAR) sparing, and machine specific delivery limitations, we used D90 (dose received by 90% of the volume) as the parameter for HRCTV coverage as recommended bymore » the GEC-ESTRO Working Group. We also compared both integral and differential dose volume histograms (DVH) between different dose distributions treatment modalities for HRCTV and OAR. Results: TOMO and RA provided the most conformal dose distributions to HRCTV. Median doses (in Gy) to organs at risk were; for rectal wall: 1.7±0.6, 2.5±0.6,1.2±0.3, and 1.5±0.6, and for bladder wall: 1.6±0.1, 2.4±0.4, 0.8±0.6, and 1.5±0.5, for HDRBT, TOMO, CK, and RA, respectively. Conclusion: Contemporary EBRT modalities might be able to replace brachytherapy treatments for cervix cancer. While brachytherapy dose distributions feature high dose gradients, EBRT modalities provide highly conformal dose distributions to the target. However, it is still not clear whether a highly conformal dose or high gradient dose is more clinically relevant for the HRCTV in cervix cancer patients.« less

Fast wavelength tuning techniques for external cavity lasers

DOEpatents

Wysocki, Gerard [Princeton, NJ; Tittel, Frank K [Houston, TX

2011-01-11

An apparatus comprising a laser source configured to emit a light beam along a first path, an optical beam steering component configured to steer the light beam from the first path to a second path at an angle to the first path, and a diffraction grating configured to reflect back at least a portion of the light beam along the second path, wherein the angle determines an external cavity length. Included is an apparatus comprising a laser source configured to emit a light beam along a first path, a beam steering component configured to redirect the light beam to a second path at an angle to the first path, wherein the optical beam steering component is configured to change the angle at a rate of at least about one Kilohertz, and a diffraction grating configured to reflect back at least a portion of the light beam along the second path.

External beam pixe programs at the University of California, Davis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eldred, R.A.

A PIXE system in which large or delicate samples are excited by a low-current external proton beam is described. This system has been used to analyze historical printed books and manuscripts, as well as a large variety of archeological artifacts. The steps used to protect the sample from unnecessary beam current are examined. A recent thorough study of the first volume of the Gutenberg 42-line Bible is described in some detail.

Effect of tertiary multileaf collimator (MLC) on foetal dose during three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) of a brain tumour during pregnancy.

PubMed

Sharma, Dayananda S; Jalali, Rakesh; Tambe, Chandrashekhar M; Animesh; Deshpande, Deepak D

2004-01-01

The aim of this work was to measure the dose to foetus both in vivo and in vitro during three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) in a pregnant patient with a pituitary adenoma. The study was then extended to assess the components contributing to the foetal dose such as collimator scatter, internal scatter, head leakage, wedge scatter and multileaf collimator (MLC) effect. A 30-year-old pregnant woman with a non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma was planned for 3DCRT with 6MV X-ray using four equally weighted MLC-shaped non-coplanar wedged portals. In vivo dosimetry was carried out using thermoluminescent (TL) phosphor powder, which was placed at different positions on the patient, corresponding to different locations in the uterus and also at external os. In vitro measurements were also performed on a simulated phantom using the same set-up parameters and beam arrangement to verify the in vivo measured dose. Experiments were carried out to measure the respective contributions of different components towards peripheral dose. In vitro measured dose to foetus was found to be slightly more than that of in vivo measurement with a maximum of 0.044% of the prescribed dose of 45Gy, which corresponded to 0.0199+/-0.0008Gy. Thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD) kept at the external os of the patient showed a dose of 0.031% of the prescribed dose. Among the various components of the peripheral dose (foetal dose) measured, head leakage was found to be the leading cause contributing 52%, followed by wedge scatter (31%), collimator scatter (14%) and internal scatter (13%). The use of MLC reduced not only the volume of normal brain irradiation as compared to open fields but also the peripheral dose by 10%. Radiotherapy of brain tumours during pregnancy poses a unique clinical situation and decisions to deliver radiotherapy should be taken after detailed in vitro and in vivo dosimetric measurements. Our findings suggest that the beam arrangement using 3-4-fields generally used for 3DCRT of brain tumour with MLC for optimal coverage can be employed for pregnant patients even in early trimester. A possible increase in foetal dose from wedges to a large extent can be compensated with the use of MLC.

The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) evidence-based review of the role of radiosurgery for malignant glioma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsao, May N.; Mehta, Minesh P.; Whelan, Timothy J.

2005-09-01

Purpose: To systematically review the evidence for the use of stereotactic radiosurgery or stereotactic fractionated radiation therapy in adult patients with malignant glioma. Methods: Key clinical questions to be addressed in this evidence-based review were identified. Outcomes considered were overall survival, quality of life or symptom control, brain tumor control or response and toxicity. MEDLINE (1990-2004 June Week 2), CANCERLIT (1990-2003), CINAHL (1990-2004 June Week 2), EMBASE (1990-2004 Week 25), and the Cochrane library (2004 issue 2) databases were searched using OVID. In addition, the Physician Data Query clinical trials database, the proceedings of the American Society of Clinical Oncologymore » (1997-2004), ASTRO (1997-2004), and the European Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) (1997-2003) were searched. Data from the literature search were reviewed and tabulated. This process included an assessment of the level of evidence. Results: For patients with newly diagnosed malignant glioma, radiosurgery as boost therapy with conventional external beam radiation was examined in one randomized trial, five prospective cohort studies, and seven retrospective series. There is Level I evidence that the use of radiosurgery boost followed by external beam radiotherapy and carmustine (BCNU) does not confer benefit with respect to overall survival, quality of life, or patterns of failure as compared with external beam radiotherapy and BCNU. There is Level I-III evidence of toxicity associated with radiosurgery boost as compared with external beam radiotherapy alone. The results of the prospective and retrospective studies may be influenced by selection bias. Radiosurgery used as salvage for recurrent or progressive malignant glioma after conventional external beam radiotherapy failure was reported in zero randomized trials, three prospective cohort studies, and five retrospective series. The available data are sparse and insufficient to make absolute recommendations. Stereotactic fractionated radiation therapy has been reported as boost therapy with external beam radiotherapy for patients with newly diagnosed malignant glioma in only three prospective studies. As primary therapy alone without conventional external beam radiotherapy for newly diagnosed malignant glioma patients, stereotactic fractionated radiation therapy has been reported in only one prospective study. There were only three prospective series and two retrospective studies reported for patients with recurrent or progressive malignant glioma. Conclusions: For patients with malignant glioma, there is Level I-III evidence that the use of radiosurgery boost followed by external beam radiotherapy and BCNU does not confer benefit in terms of overall survival, local brain control, or quality of life as compared with external beam radiotherapy and BCNU. The use of radiosurgery boost is associated with increased toxicity. For patients with malignant glioma, there is insufficient evidence regarding the benefits/harms of using radiosurgery at the time progression or recurrence. There is also insufficient evidence regarding the benefits/harms in the use of stereotactic fractionated radiation therapy for patients with newly diagnosed or progressive/recurrent malignant glioma.« less

Evaluation of surface and shallow depth dose reductions using a Superflab bolus during conventional and advanced external beam radiotherapy.

PubMed

Yoon, Jihyung; Xie, Yibo; Zhang, Rui

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a methodology to reduce scatter and leakage radiations to patients' surface and shallow depths during conventional and advanced external beam radiotherapy. Superflab boluses of different thicknesses were placed on top of a stack of solid water phantoms, and the bolus effect on surface and shallow depth doses for both open and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) beams was evaluated using thermoluminescent dosimeters and ion chamber measurements. Contralateral breast dose reduction caused by the bolus was evaluated by delivering clinical postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) plans to an anthropomorphic phantom. For the solid water phantom measurements, surface dose reduction caused by the Superflab bolus was achieved only in out-of-field area and on the incident side of the beam, and the dose reduction increased with bolus thickness. The dose reduction caused by the bolus was more significant at closer distances from the beam. Most of the dose reductions occurred in the first 2-cm depth and stopped at 4-cm depth. For clinical PMRT treatment plans, surface dose reductions using a 1-cm Superflab bolus were up to 31% and 62% for volumetric-modulated arc therapy and 4-field IMRT, respectively, but there was no dose reduction for Tomotherapy. A Superflab bolus can be used to reduce surface and shallow depth doses during external beam radiotherapy when it is placed out of the beam and on the incident side of the beam. Although we only validated this dose reduction strategy for PMRT treatments, it is applicable to any external beam radiotherapy and can potentially reduce patients' risk of developing radiation-induced side effects. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

SU-D-19A-06: The Effect of Beam Parameters On Very High-Energy Electron Radiotherapy: A Planning Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Palma, B; Bazalova, M; Qu, B

Purpose: We evaluated the effect of very high-energy electron (VHEE) beam parameters on the planning of a lung cancer case by means of Monte Carlo simulations. Methods: We simulated VHEE radiotherapy plans using the EGSnrc/BEAMnrc-DOSXYZnrc code. We selected a lung cancer case that was treated with 6MV photon VMAT to be planned with VHEE. We studied the effect of beam energy (80 MeV, 100 MeV, and 120 MeV), number of equidistant beams (16 or 32), and beamlets sizes (3 mm, 5 mm or 7 mm) on PTV coverage, sparing of organs at risk (OARs) and dose conformity. Inverse-planning optimization wasmore » performed in a research version of RayStation (RaySearch Laboratories AB) using identical objective functions and constraints for all VHEE plans. Results: Similar PTV coverage and dose conformity was achieved by all the VHEE plans. The 100 MeV and 120 MeV VHEE plans were equivalent amongst them and were superior to the 80 MeV plan in terms of OARs sparing. The effect of using 16 or 32 equidistant beams was a mean difference in average dose of 2.4% (0%–7.7%) between the two plans. The use of 3 mm beamlet size systematically reduced the dose to all the OARs. Based on these results we selected the 100MeV-16beams-3mm-beamlet-size plan to compare it against VMAT. The selected VHEE plan was more conformal than VMAT and improved OAR sparing (heart and trachea received 125% and 177% lower dose, respectively) especially in the low-dose region. Conclusion: We determined the VHEE beam parameters that maximized the OAR dose sparing and dose conformity of the actually delivered VMAT plan of a lung cancer case. The selected parameters could be used for the planning of other treatment sites with similar size, shape, and location. For larger targets, a larger beamlet size might be used without significantly increasing the dose. B Palma: None. M Bazalova: None. B Hardemark: Employee, RaySearch Americas. E Hynning: Employee, RaySearch Americas. B Qu: None. B Loo Jr.: Research support, RaySearch, Varian. P Maxim: Research support, RaySearch, Varian.« less

First experimental-based characterization of oxygen ion beam depth dose distributions at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurz, C.; Mairani, A.; Parodi, K.

2012-08-01

Over the last decades, the application of proton and heavy-ion beams to external beam radiotherapy has rapidly increased. Due to the favourable lateral and depth dose profile, the superposition of narrow ion pencil beams may enable a highly conformal dose delivery to the tumour, with better sparing of the surrounding healthy tissue in comparison to conventional radiation therapy with photons. To fully exploit the promised clinical advantages of ion beams, an accurate planning of the patient treatments is required. The clinical treatment planning system (TPS) at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (HIT) is based on a fast performing analytical algorithm for dose calculation, relying, among others, on laterally integrated depth dose distributions (DDDs) simulated with the FLUKA Monte Carlo (MC) code. Important input parameters of these simulations need to be derived from a comparison of the simulated DDDs with measurements. In this work, the first measurements of 16O ion DDDs at HIT are presented with a focus on the determined Bragg peak positions and the understanding of factors influencing the shape of the distributions. The measurements are compared to different simulation approaches aiming to reproduce the acquired data at best. A simplified geometrical model is first used to optimize important input parameters, not known a priori, in the simulations. This method is then compared to a more realistic, but also more time-consuming simulation approach better accounting for the experimental set-up and the measuring process. The results of this work contributed to a pre-clinical oxygen ion beam database, which is currently used by a research TPS for corresponding radio-biological cell experiments. A future extension to a clinical database used by the clinical TPS at HIT is foreseen. As a side effect, the performed investigations showed that the typical water equivalent calibration approach of experimental data acquired with water column systems leads to slight deviations between the experimentally determined and the real Bragg peak positions. For improved accuracy, the energy dependence of the stopping power, and herewith the water equivalent thickness, of the material downstream of the water tank should be considered in the analysis of measured data.

4D dose calculation and delivery with interplay effects between respiratory motion and uniform scanning proton beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Qingya

2011-12-01

Proton radiotherapy has advantages to deliver accurate high conformal radiation dose to the tumor while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue and critical structures. However, the treatment effectiveness is degraded greatly due to patient free breathing during treatment delivery. Motion compensation for proton radiotherapy is especially challenging as proton beam is more sensitive to the density change along the beam path. Tumor respiratory motion during treatment delivery will affect the proton dose distribution and the selection of optimized parameters for treatment planning, which has not been fully addressed yet in the existing approaches for proton dose calculation. The purpose of this dissertation is to develop an approach for more accurate dose delivery to a moving tumor in proton radiotherapy, i.e., 4D proton dose calculation and delivery, for the uniform scanning proton beam. A three-step approach has been carried out to achieve this goal. First, a solution for the proton output factor calculation which will convert the prescribed dose to machine deliverable monitor unit for proton dose delivery has been proposed and implemented. The novel sector integration method is accurate and time saving, which considers the various beam scanning patterns and treatment field parameters, such as aperture shape, aperture size, measuring position, beam range, and beam modulation. Second, tumor respiratory motion behavior has been statistically characterized and the results have been applied to advanced image guided radiation treatment. Different statistical analysis and correlation discovery approaches have been investigated. The internal / external motion correlation patterns have been simulated, analyzed, and applied in a new hybrid gated treatment to improve the target coverage. Third, a dose calculation method has been developed for 4D proton treatment planning which integrates the interplay effects of tumor respiratory motion patterns and proton beam delivery mechanism. These three steps provide an innovative integrated framework for accurate 4D proton dose calculation and treatment planning for a moving tumor, which extends the functionalities of existing 3D planning systems. In short, this dissertation work addresses a few important problems for effective proton radiotherapy to a moving target. The outcomes of the dissertation are very useful for motion compensation with advanced image guided proton treatment.

Analysis of errors detected in external beam audit dosimetry program at Mexican radiotherapy centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Álvarez-Romero, José T.; Tovar-Muñoz, Víctor M.

2012-10-01

Presented and analyzed are the causes of deviation observed in the pilot postal dosimetry audit program to verify the absorbed dose to water Dw in external beams of teletherapy 60Co and/or linear accelerators in Mexican radiotherapy centers, during the years 2007-2011.

Rotationally resolved electronic spectroscopy study of the conformational space of 3-methoxyphenol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilke, Martin; Schneider, Michael; Wilke, Josefin; Ruiz-Santoyo, José Arturo; Campos-Amador, Jorge J.; González-Medina, M. Elena; Álvarez-Valtierra, Leonardo; Schmitt, Michael

2017-07-01

Conformational preferences are determined by (de-)stabilization effects like intramolecular hydrogen bonds or steric hindrance of adjacent substituents and thus, influence the stability and reactivity of the conformers. In the present contribution, we investigate the conformational landscape of 3-methoxyphenol using a combination of high resolution electronic spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. Three of the four possible conformational isomers were characterized in their electronic ground and lowest excited singlet states on the basis of their rotational constants and other molecular parameters. The absence of one conformer in molecular beam studies can be explained by its non-planar structure in the excited state, which leads to a vanishingly small Franck-Condon factor of the respective origin excitation.

Dosimetric impact of tumor bed delineation variability based on 4DCT scan for external-beam partial breast irradiation.

PubMed

Guo, Bing; Li, Jianbin; Wang, Wei; Li, Fengxiang; Guo, Yanluan; Li, Yankang; Liu, Tonghai

2015-01-01

This study sought to evaluate the dosimetric impact of tumor bed delineation variability (based on clips, seroma or both clips and seroma) during external-beam partial breast irradiation (EB-PBI) planned utilizing four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) scans. 4DCT scans of 20 patients with a seroma clarity score (SCS) 3~5 and ≥5 surgical clips were included in this study. The combined volume of the tumor bed formed using clips, seroma, or both clips and seroma on the 10 phases of 4DCT was defined as the internal gross target volume (termed IGTVC, IGTVS and IGTVC+S, respectively). A 1.5-cm margin was added by defining the planning target volume (termed PTVC, PTVS and PTVC+S, respectively). Three treatment plans were established using the 4DCT images (termed EB-PBIC, EB-PBIS, EB-PBIC+S, respectively). The results showed that the volume of IGTVC+S was significantly larger than that of IGTVCand IGTVS. Similarly, the volume of PTVC+S was markedly larger than that of PTVC and PTVS. However, the PTV coverage for EB-PBIC+S was similar to that of EB-PBIC and EB-PBIS, and there were no significant differences in the homogeneity index or conformity index between the three treatment plans (P=0.878, 0.086). The EB-PBIS plan resulted in the lowest ipsilateral normal breast and ipsilateral lung doses compared with the EB-PBIC and EB-PBIC+S plans. To conclude, the volume variability delineated based on clips, seroma or both clips and seroma resulted in dosimetric variability for organs at risk, but did not show a marked influence on the dosimetric distribution.

Dosimetric impact of tumor bed delineation variability based on 4DCT scan for external-beam partial breast irradiation

PubMed Central

Guo, Bing; Li, Jianbin; Wang, Wei; Li, Fengxiang; Guo, Yanluan; Li, Yankang; Liu, Tonghai

2015-01-01

This study sought to evaluate the dosimetric impact of tumor bed delineation variability (based on clips, seroma or both clips and seroma) during external-beam partial breast irradiation (EB-PBI) planned utilizing four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) scans. 4DCT scans of 20 patients with a seroma clarity score (SCS) 3~5 and ≥5 surgical clips were included in this study. The combined volume of the tumor bed formed using clips, seroma, or both clips and seroma on the 10 phases of 4DCT was defined as the internal gross target volume (termed IGTVC, IGTVS and IGTVC+S, respectively). A 1.5-cm margin was added by defining the planning target volume (termed PTVC, PTVS and PTVC+S, respectively). Three treatment plans were established using the 4DCT images (termed EB-PBIC, EB-PBIS, EB-PBIC+S, respectively). The results showed that the volume of IGTVC+S was significantly larger than that of IGTVCand IGTVS. Similarly, the volume of PTVC+S was markedly larger than that of PTVC and PTVS. However, the PTV coverage for EB-PBIC+S was similar to that of EB-PBIC and EB-PBIS, and there were no significant differences in the homogeneity index or conformity index between the three treatment plans (P=0.878, 0.086). The EB-PBIS plan resulted in the lowest ipsilateral normal breast and ipsilateral lung doses compared with the EB-PBIC and EB-PBIC+S plans. To conclude, the volume variability delineated based on clips, seroma or both clips and seroma resulted in dosimetric variability for organs at risk, but did not show a marked influence on the dosimetric distribution. PMID:26885108

External Beam Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation Yields Favorable Outcomes in Patients with Prior Breast Augmentation

PubMed Central

Lei, Rachel Y.; Leonard, Charles E.; Howell, Kathryn T.; Henkenberns, Phyllis L.; Johnson, Timothy K.; Hobart, Tracy L.; Kercher, Jane M.; Widner, Jodi L.; Kaske, Terese; Barke, Lora D.; Carter, Dennis L.

2014-01-01

Purpose: To report outcomes in breast cancer patients with prior breast augmentation treated with external beam accelerated partial breast irradiation (EB-APBI) utilizing intensity-modulated radiotherapy or 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, both with IGRT. Materials and Methods: Sixteen stage 0/1 breast cancer patients with previous elective bilateral augmentation were treated post-lumpectomy on institutional EB-APBI trials (01185132 and 01185145 on clinicaltrials.gov). Patients received 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions over five consecutive days. Breast/chest wall pain and cosmesis were rated by patient; cosmesis was additionally evaluated by physician per RTOG criteria. Results: The median follow-up from accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) completion was 23.9 months (range, 1.2–58.6). Little to no change in cosmesis or pain from baseline was reported. Cosmetic outcomes at last follow-up were judged by patients as excellent/good in 81.2% (13/16), and by physicians as excellent/good in 93.8% (15/16). Ten patients (62.5%) reported no breast/chest wall pain, five (31.2%) reported mild pain, and one (6.2%) reported moderate pain. All patients remain disease free at last follow-up. The median ipsilateral breast, planning target volume (PTV), and implant volumes were 614, 57, and 333 cm3. The median ratios of PTV/ipsilateral breast volume (implant excluded) and PTV/total volume (implant included) were 9 and 6%. Conclusion: These 16 breast cancer cases with prior bilateral augmentation treated with EB-APBI demonstrate favorable clinical outcomes. Further exploration of EB-APBI as a treatment option for this patient population is warranted. PMID:24995159

Radical External Beam Radiotherapy for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer in Japan: Changing Trends in the Patterns of Care Process Survey

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ogawa, Kazuhiko, E-mail: kogawa@med.u-ryukyu.ac.jp; Nakamura, Katsumasa; Sasaki, Tomonari

2011-12-01

Purpose: To delineate changing trends in radical external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer in Japan. Methods and Materials: Data from 841 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated with EBRT in the Japanese Patterns of Care Study (PCS) from 1996 to 2005 were analyzed. Results: Significant increases in the proportions of patients with stage T1 to T2 disease and decrease in prostate-specific antigen values were observed. Also, there were significant increases in the percentages of patients treated with radiotherapy by their own choice. Median radiation doses were 65.0 Gy and 68.4 Gy from 1996 to 1998 and from 1999more » to 2001, respectively, increasing to 70 Gy from 2003 to 2005. Moreover, conformal therapy was more frequently used from 2003 to 2005 (84.9%) than from 1996 to 1998 (49.1%) and from 1999 to 2001 (50.2%). On the other hand, the percentage of patients receiving hormone therapy from 2003 to 2005 (81.1%) was almost the same as that from 1996 to 1998 (86.3%) and from 1999 to 2001 (89.7%). Compared with the PCS in the United States, patient characteristics and patterns of treatments from 2003 to 2005 have become more similar to those in the United States than those from 1996 to 1998 and those from 1999 to 2001. Conclusions: This study indicates a trend toward increasing numbers of patients with early-stage disease and increasing proportions of patients treated with higher radiation doses with advanced equipment among Japanese prostate cancer patients treated with EBRT during 1996 to 2005 survey periods. Patterns of care for prostate cancer in Japan are becoming more similar to those in the United States.« less

A study of the effect of in-line and perpendicular magnetic fields on beam characteristics of electron guns in medical linear accelerators.

PubMed

Constantin, Dragoş E; Fahrig, Rebecca; Keall, Paul J

2011-07-01

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for real-time guidance during radiotherapy is an active area of research and development. One aspect of the problem is the influence of the MRI scanner, modeled here as an external magnetic field, on the medical linear accelerator (linac) components. The present work characterizes the behavior of two medical linac electron guns with external magnetic fields for in-line and perpendicular orientations of the linac with respect to the MRI scanner. Two electron guns, Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, are considered as representative models for this study. Emphasis was placed on the in-line design approach in which case the MRI scanner and the linac axes of symmetry coincide and assumes no magnetic shielding of the linac. For the in-line case, the magnetic field from a 0.5 T open MRI (GE Signa SP) magnet with a 60 cm gap between its poles was computed and used in full three dimensional (3D) space charge simulations, whereas for the perpendicular case the magnetic field was constant. For the in-line configuration, it is shown that the electron beam is not deflected from the axis of symmetry of the gun and the primary beam current does not vanish even at very high values of the magnetic field, e.g., 0.16 T. As the field strength increases, the primary beam current has an initial plateau of constant value after which its value decreases to a minimum corresponding to a field strength of approximately 0.06 T. After the minimum is reached, the current starts to increase slowly. For the case when the beam current computation is performed at the beam waist position the initial plateau ends at 0.016 T for Litton L-2087 and at 0.012 T for Varian VTC6364. The minimum value of the primary beam current is 27.5% of the initial value for Litton L-2087 and 22.9% of the initial value for Varian VTC6364. The minimum current is reached at 0.06 and 0.062 T for Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, respectively. At 0.16 T the beam current increases to 40.2 and 31.4% from the original value of the current for Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, respectively. In contrast, for the case when the electron gun is perpendicular to the magnetic field, the electron beam is deflected from the axis of symmetry even at small values of the magnetic field. As the strength of the magnetic field increases, so does the beam deflection, leading to a sharp decrease of the primary beam current which vanishes at about 0.007 T for Litton L-2087 and at 0.006 T for Varian VTC6364, respectively. At zero external field, the beam rms emittance computed at beam waist is 1.54 and 1.29n-mm-mrad for Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, respectively. For the inline configuration, there are two particular values of the external field where the beam rms emittance reaches a minimum. Litton L-2087 rms emittance reaches a minimum of 0.72n and 2.01 n-mm-mrad at 0.026 and 0.132 T, respectively. Varian VTC6364 rms emittance reaches a minimum of 0.34n and 0.35n-mm-mrad at 0.028 and 0.14 T, respectively. Beam radius dependence on the external field is shown for the in-line configuration for both electron guns. 3D space charge simulation of two electron guns, Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, were performed for in-line and perpendicular external magnetic fields. A consistent behavior of Pierce guns in external magnetic fields was proven. For the in-line configuration, the primary beam current does not vanish but a large reduction of beam current (up to 77.1%) is observed at higher field strengths; the beam directionality remains unchanged. It was shown that for a perpendicular configuration the current vanishes due to beam bending under the action of the Lorentz force. For in-line configuration it was determined that the rms beam emittance reaches two minima for relatively high values of the external magnetic field.

A study of the effect of in-line and perpendicular magnetic fields on beam characteristics of electron guns in medical linear accelerators

PubMed Central

Constantin, Dragoş E.; Fahrig, Rebecca; Keall, Paul J.

2011-01-01

Purpose: Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for real-time guidance during radiotherapy is an active area of research and development. One aspect of the problem is the influence of the MRI scanner, modeled here as an external magnetic field, on the medical linear accelerator (linac) components. The present work characterizes the behavior of two medical linac electron guns with external magnetic fields for in-line and perpendicular orientations of the linac with respect to the MRI scanner. Methods: Two electron guns, Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, are considered as representative models for this study. Emphasis was placed on the in-line design approach in which case the MRI scanner and the linac axes of symmetry coincide and assumes no magnetic shielding of the linac. For the in-line case, the magnetic field from a 0.5 T open MRI (GE Signa SP) magnet with a 60 cm gap between its poles was computed and used in full three dimensional (3D) space charge simulations, whereas for the perpendicular case the magnetic field was constant. Results: For the in-line configuration, it is shown that the electron beam is not deflected from the axis of symmetry of the gun and the primary beam current does not vanish even at very high values of the magnetic field, e.g., 0.16 T. As the field strength increases, the primary beam current has an initial plateau of constant value after which its value decreases to a minimum corresponding to a field strength of approximately 0.06 T. After the minimum is reached, the current starts to increase slowly. For the case when the beam current computation is performed at the beam waist position the initial plateau ends at 0.016 T for Litton L-2087 and at 0.012 T for Varian VTC6364. The minimum value of the primary beam current is 27.5% of the initial value for Litton L-2087 and 22.9% of the initial value for Varian VTC6364. The minimum current is reached at 0.06 and 0.062 T for Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, respectively. At 0.16 T the beam current increases to 40.2 and 31.4% from the original value of the current for Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, respectively. In contrast, for the case when the electron gun is perpendicular to the magnetic field, the electron beam is deflected from the axis of symmetry even at small values of the magnetic field. As the strength of the magnetic field increases, so does the beam deflection, leading to a sharp decrease of the primary beam current which vanishes at about 0.007 T for Litton L-2087 and at 0.006 T for Varian VTC6364, respectively. At zero external field, the beam rms emittance computed at beam waist is 1.54 and 1.29π-mm-mrad for Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, respectively. For the in-line configuration, there are two particular values of the external field where the beam rms emittance reaches a minimum. Litton L-2087 rms emittance reaches a minimum of 0.72π and 2.01π-mm-mrad at 0.026 and 0.132 T, respectively. Varian VTC6364 rms emittance reaches a minimum of 0.34π and 0.35π-mm-mrad at 0.028 and 0.14 T, respectively. Beam radius dependence on the external field is shown for the in-line configuration for both electron guns. Conclusions: 3D space charge simulation of two electron guns, Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, were performed for in-line and perpendicular external magnetic fields. A consistent behavior of Pierce guns in external magnetic fields was proven. For the in-line configuration, the primary beam current does not vanish but a large reduction of beam current (up to 77.1%) is observed at higher field strengths; the beam directionality remains unchanged. It was shown that for a perpendicular configuration the current vanishes due to beam bending under the action of the Lorentz force. For in-line configuration it was determined that the rms beam emittance reaches two minima for relatively high values of the external magnetic field. PMID:21859019

Harmony of spinning conformal blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schomerus, Volker; Sobko, Evgeny; Isachenkov, Mikhail

2017-03-01

Conformal blocks for correlation functions of tensor operators play an increasingly important role for the conformal bootstrap programme. We develop a universal approach to such spinning blocks through the harmonic analysis of certain bundles over a coset of the conformal group. The resulting Casimir equations are given by a matrix version of the Calogero-Sutherland Hamiltonian that describes the scattering of interacting spinning particles in a 1-dimensional external potential. The approach is illustrated in several examples including fermionic seed blocks in 3D CFT where they take a very simple form.

Protective carrier for microcircuit devices

DOEpatents

Robinson, Lyle A.

1976-10-26

An improved protective carrier for microcircuit devices having beam leads wherein a compressible member is disposed on the carrier base beneath and overlapping the periphery of an aperture in a flexible circuit element, the element being adapted to receive and make electrical contact with microcircuit device beam leads, the compressible member disposed or arranged to achieve flexing of the circuit element against the microcircuit device beam leads to conform to variations in thicknesses of the device beam leads or circuit element electrical paths and thereby insure electrical connection between the beam leads and the electrical paths.

First experiences with the LHC BLM sanity checks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emery, J.; Dehning, B.; Effinger, E.; Nordt, A.; Sapinski, M. G.; Zamantzas, C.

2010-12-01

The reliability concerns have driven the design of the Large Hardron Collider (LHC) Beam Loss Monitoring (BLM) system from the early stage of the studies up to the present commissioning and the latest development of diagnostic tools. To protect the system against non-conformities, new ways of automatic checking have been developed and implemented. These checks are regularly and systematically executed by the LHC operation team to ensure that the system status is after each test "as good as new". The sanity checks are part of this strategy. They are testing the electrical part of the detectors (ionisation chamber or secondary emission detector), their cable connections to the front-end electronics, further connections to the back-end electronics and their ability to request a beam abort. During the installation and in the early commissioning phase, these checks have shown their ability to find also non-conformities caused by unexpected failure event scenarios. In every day operation, a non-conformity discovered by this check inhibits any further injections into the LHC until the check confirms the absence of non-conformities.

The Electrical Structure of Discharges Modified by Electron Beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haas, F. A.; Braithwaite, N. St. J.

1997-10-01

Injection of an electron beam into a low pressure plasma modifies both the electrical structure and the distributions of charged particle energies. The electrical structure is investigated here in a one-dimensional model by representing the discharge as two collisionless sheaths with a monenergetic electron beam, linked by a quasi-neutral collisional region. The latter is modelled by fluid equations in which the beam current decreases with position. Since the electrodes are connected by an external conductor this implies through Kirchoff's laws that the thermal electron current must correspondingly increase with position. Given the boundary conditions and beam input at the first electrode then the rest of the system is uniquely described. The model reveals the dependence of the sheath potentials at the emitting and absorbing surfaces on the beam current. The model is relevant to externally injected beams and to electron beams originating from secondary processes on surfaces exposed to the plasma.

An arbitrary-shaped acoustic cloak with merits beyond the internal and external cloaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Baolei; Li, Tinghua; Wu, Jun; Hui, Ming; Yuan, Gang; Zhu, Yongsheng

2017-01-01

Based on transformation acoustics, an arbitrary-shaped acoustic cloak capable of functioning as an information exchange-enabling internal cloak and a movement-allowing external cloak is presented. The general expressions of material parameters for the acoustic cloaks with arbitrarily conformal or non-conformal boundaries are derived, and then the performances of developed cloaks are validated by full-wave simulations. Finally, the different characteristics of the linear and nonlinear transformations-based cloaks are compared and analyzed. The proposed cloak could lead to wider applications beyond that of normal cloaks, since it effectively compensates the insufficiencies of traditional internal and external cloaks. Besides, this work also provides a new method to design bifunctional device and suggests an alternative way to make a large object invisible.

Improvements to the internal and external antenna H(-) ion sources at the Spallation Neutron Source.

PubMed

Welton, R F; Dudnikov, V G; Han, B X; Murray, S N; Pennisi, T R; Pillar, C; Santana, M; Stockli, M P; Turvey, M W

2014-02-01

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), a large scale neutron production facility, routinely operates with 30-40 mA peak current in the linac. Recent measurements have shown that our RF-driven internal antenna, Cs-enhanced, multi-cusp ion sources injects ∼55 mA of H(-) beam current (∼1 ms, 60 Hz) at 65-kV into a Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator through a closely coupled electrostatic Low-Energy Beam Transport system. Over the last several years a decrease in RFQ transmission and issues with internal antennas has stimulated source development at the SNS both for the internal and external antenna ion sources. This report discusses progress in improving internal antenna reliability, H(-) yield improvements which resulted from modifications to the outlet aperture assembly (applicable to both internal and external antenna sources) and studies made of the long standing problem of beam persistence with the external antenna source. The current status of the external antenna ion source will also be presented.

Kinetics of protein unfolding at interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yano, Yohko F.

2012-12-01

The conformation of protein molecules is determined by a balance of various forces, including van der Waals attraction, electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, and conformational entropy. When protein molecules encounter an interface, they are often adsorbed on the interface. The conformation of an adsorbed protein molecule strongly depends on the interaction between the protein and the interface. Recent time-resolved investigations have revealed that protein conformation changes during the adsorption process due to the protein-protein interaction increasing with increasing interface coverage. External conditions also affect the protein conformation. This review considers recent dynamic observations of protein adsorption at various interfaces and their implications for the kinetics of protein unfolding at interfaces.

Laser desorption single-conformation UV and IR spectroscopy of the sulfonamide drug sulfanilamide, the sulfanilamide-water complex, and the sulfanilamide dimer.

PubMed

Uhlemann, Thomas; Seidel, Sebastian; Müller, Christian W

2017-06-07

We have studied the conformational preferences of the sulfonamide drug sulfanilamide, its dimer, and its monohydrated complex through laser desorption single-conformation UV and IR spectroscopy in a molecular beam. Based on potential energy curves for the inversion of the anilinic and the sulfonamide NH 2 groups calculated at DFT level, we suggest that the zero-point level wave function of the sulfanilamide monomer is appreciably delocalized over all four conformer wells. The sulfanilamide dimer, and the monohydrated complex each exhibit a single isomer in the molecular beam. The isomeric structures of the sulfanilamide dimer and the monohydrated sulfanilamide complex were assigned based on their conformer-specific IR spectra in the NH and OH stretch region. Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) analysis of the calculated electron density in the water complex suggests that the water molecule is bound side-on in a hydrogen bonding pocket, donating one O-HO[double bond, length as m-dash]S hydrogen bond and accepting two hydrogen bonds, a NHO and a CHO hydrogen bond. QTAIM analysis of the dimer electron density suggests that the C i symmetry dimer structure exhibits two dominating N-HO[double bond, length as m-dash]S hydrogen bonds, and three weaker types of interactions: two CHO bonds, two CHN bonds, and a chalcogen OO interaction. Most interestingly, the molecular beam dimer structure closely resembles the R dimer unit - the dimer unit with the greatest interaction energy - of the α, γ, and δ crystal polymorphs. Interacting Quantum Atoms analysis provides evidence that the total intermolecular interaction in the dimer is dominated by the short-range exchange-correlation contribution.

SU-G-BRC-14: Multi-Lesion, Multi-Rx, Brain Radiosurgery with Novel Single Isocenter Technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Honig, N; Alani, S; Schlocker, A

Purpose: There is a strong trend to treat multiple brain metastases with radiosurgery rather than whole brain irradiation. This feasibility study investigates a novel planning technique for radio-surgical treatment of multiple brain lesions with differing dose prescriptions, a single isocenter, and dynamic conformal arcs. The novel technique will be compared to the well-established single-isocenter volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) technique commonly used for treating brain lesions. Methods: Six patients with metastatic brain lesions were selected for a prospective treatment planning study to evaluate Interdigitating MLC Dynamic Conformal Arc (IMDCA) technique. Arcs were planned for simultaneous irradiation to maximize beam deliverymore » efficiency. To accommodate varying PTV dose prescriptions, selected arcs were re-irradiated in reverse. Beam weights were adjusted until all prescription constraints were met. The number of lesions ranged between 2 to 4 (mode = 3). For comparison, SRS VMAT plans were generated utilizing an established single-isocenter, 3 arc planning template. All plans were compared by means of Paddick conformity index (PCI), RTOG Conformity Index (RCI), gradient index (GI), and the normal brain volume receiving 10% (V10) of the highest prescription dose. The monitor units and delivery time were tabulated for each plan. Results: IMDCA achieved conformal plans (PCI = 0.72±0.03, RCI = 1.33±0.03) with steep dose fall-off (GI = 3.79±0.03) on average for all of the plans evaluated. The VMAT plans had slightly better conformity (PCI = 0.85 ± 0.03, RCI = 1.13 ± 0.03) than IMDCA, but overall worse GI (4.29 ± 0.06). IMDCA plans had lower V10% values, required 50% fewer MUs, and had 34% shorter beam delivery time on average compared to VMAT plans. Conclusion: IMDCA plans with varying dose prescriptions for multiple lesions, had comparable dosimetric coverage as VMAT plans, but were obtained with significantly lower integral dose, fewer monitor units, and quicker delivery time.« less

The drift chamber array at the external target facility in HIRFL-CSR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Y. Z.; Sun, Z. Y.; Wang, S. T.; Duan, L. M.; Sun, Y.; Yan, D.; Tang, S. W.; Yang, H. R.; Lu, C. G.; Ma, P.; Yu, Y. H.; Zhang, X. H.; Yue, K.; Fang, F.; Su, H.

2018-06-01

A drift chamber array at the External Target Facility in HIRFL-CSR has been constructed for three-dimensional particle tracking in high-energy radioactive ion beam experiments. The design, readout, track reconstruction program and calibration procedures for the detector are described. The drift chamber array was tested in a 311 AMeV 40Ar beam experiment. The detector performance based on the measurements of the beam test is presented. A spatial resolution of 230 μm is achieved.

Evaluation of a mixed beam therapy for post-mastectomy breast cancer patients: bolus electron conformal therapy combined with intensity modulated photon radiotherapy and volumetric modulated photon arc therapy.

PubMed

Zhang, Rui; Heins, David; Sanders, Mary; Guo, Beibei; Hogstrom, Kenneth

2018-05-10

The purpose of this study was to assess the potential benefits and limitations of a mixed beam therapy, which combined bolus electron conformal therapy (BECT) with intensity modulated photon radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated photon arc therapy (VMAT), for left-sided post-mastectomy breast cancer patients. Mixed beam treatment plans were produced for nine post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) patients previously treated at our clinic with VMAT alone. The mixed beam plans consisted of 40 Gy to the chest wall area using BECT, 40 Gy to the supraclavicular area using parallel opposed IMRT, and 10 Gy to the total planning target volume (PTV) by optimizing VMAT on top of the BECT+IMRT dose distribution. The treatment plans were created in a commercial treatment planning system (TPS), and all plans were evaluated based on PTV coverage, dose homogeneity index (DHI), conformity index (CI), dose to organs at risk (OARs), normal tissue complication probability (NTCP), and secondary cancer complication probability (SCCP). The standard VMAT alone planning technique was used as the reference for comparison. Both techniques produced clinically acceptable PMRT plans but with a few significant differences: VMAT showed significantly better CI (0.70 vs. 0.53, p < 0.001) and DHI (0.12 vs. 0.20, p < 0.001) over mixed beam therapy. For normal tissues, mixed beam therapy showed better OAR sparing and significantly reduced NTCP for cardiac mortality (0.23% vs. 0.80%, p = 0.01) and SCCP for contralateral breast (1.7% vs. 3.1% based on linear model, and 1.2% vs. 1.9% based on linear-exponential model, p < 0.001 in both cases), but showed significantly higher mean (50.8 Gy vs. 49.3 Gy, p < 0.001) and maximum skin doses (59.7 Gy vs. 53.3 Gy, p < 0.001) compared with VMAT. Patients with more tissue (minimum distance between the distal PTV surface and lung approximately > 0.5 cm and volume of tissue between the distal PTV surface and heart or lung approximately > 250 cm 3 ) between distal PTV surface and lung may benefit the most from mixed beam therapy. This work has demonstrated that mixed beam therapy (BECT+IMRT : VMAT = 4 : 1) produces clinically acceptable plans having reduced OAR doses and risks of side effects compared with VMAT. Even though VMAT alone produces more homogenous and conformal dose distributions, mixed beam therapy remains as a viable option for treating post-mastectomy patients, possibly leading to reduced normal tissue complications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Improvement of radiological penumbra using intermediate energy photons (IEP) for stereotactic radiosurgery.

PubMed

O'Malley, Lauren; Pignol, Jean-Philippe; Beachey, David J; Keller, Brian M; Presutti, Joseph; Sharpe, Michael

2006-05-21

Using efficient immobilization and dedicated beam collimation devices, stereotactic radiosurgery ensures highly conformal treatment of small tumours with limited microscopic extension. One contribution to normal tissue irradiation remains the radiological penumbra. This work aims at demonstrating that intermediate energy photons (IEP), above orthovoltage but below megavoltage, improve dose distribution for stereotactic radiosurgery for small irradiation field sizes due to a dramatic reduction of radiological penumbra. Two different simulation systems were used: (i) Monte Carlo simulation to investigate the dose distribution of monoenergetic IEP between 100 keV and 1 MeV in water phantom; (ii) the Pinnacle3 TPS including a virtual IEP unit to investigate the dosimetry benefit of treating with 11 non-coplanar beams a 2 cm tumour in the middle of a brain adjacent to a 1 mm critical structure. Radiological penumbrae below 300 microm are generated for field size below 2 x 2 cm2 using monoenergetic IEP beams between 200 and 400 keV. An 800 kV beam generated in a 0.5 mm tungsten target maximizes the photon intensity in this range. Pinnacle3 confirms the dramatic reduction in penumbra size. DVHs show for a constant dose distribution conformality, improved dose distribution homogeneity and better sparing of critical structures using a 800 kV beam compared to a 6 MV beam.

Improvement of radiological penumbra using intermediate energy photons (IEP) for stereotactic radiosurgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Malley, Lauren; Pignol, Jean-Philippe; Beachey, David J.; Keller, Brian M.; Presutti, Joseph; Sharpe, Michael

2006-05-01

Using efficient immobilization and dedicated beam collimation devices, stereotactic radiosurgery ensures highly conformal treatment of small tumours with limited microscopic extension. One contribution to normal tissue irradiation remains the radiological penumbra. This work aims at demonstrating that intermediate energy photons (IEP), above orthovoltage but below megavoltage, improve dose distribution for stereotactic radiosurgery for small irradiation field sizes due to a dramatic reduction of radiological penumbra. Two different simulation systems were used: (i) Monte Carlo simulation to investigate the dose distribution of monoenergetic IEP between 100 keV and 1 MeV in water phantom; (ii) the Pinnacle3 TPS including a virtual IEP unit to investigate the dosimetry benefit of treating with 11 non-coplanar beams a 2 cm tumour in the middle of a brain adjacent to a 1 mm critical structure. Radiological penumbrae below 300 µm are generated for field size below 2 × 2 cm2 using monoenergetic IEP beams between 200 and 400 keV. An 800 kV beam generated in a 0.5 mm tungsten target maximizes the photon intensity in this range. Pinnacle3 confirms the dramatic reduction in penumbra size. DVHs show for a constant dose distribution conformality, improved dose distribution homogeneity and better sparing of critical structures using a 800 kV beam compared to a 6 MV beam.

[Comparison of SIB-IMRT treatment plans for upper esophageal carcinoma].

PubMed

Fu, Wei-hua; Wang, Lv-hua; Zhou, Zong-mei; Dai, Jian-rong; Hu, Yi-min

2003-06-01

To implement simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy(SIB-IMRT) plans for upper esophageal carcinoma and investigate the dose profiles of tumor and electively treated region and the dose to organs at risk (OARs). SIB-IMRT plans were designed for two patients with upper esophageal carcinoma. Two target volumes were predefined: PTV1, the target volume of the primary lesion, which was given to 67.2 Gy, and PTV2, the target volume of electively treated region, which was given to 50.4 Gy. With the same dose-volume constraints, but different beams arrangements (3, 5, 7, or 9 equispaced coplanar beams), four plans were generated. Indices, including dose distribution, dose volume histogram (DVH) and conformity index, were used for comparison of these plans. The plan with three intensity-modulated beams could produce good dose distribution for the two target volumes. The dose conformity to targets and the dose to OARs were improved as the beam number increased. The dose distributions in targets changed little when the beam number increased from 7 to 9. Five to seven intensity-modulated beams can produce desirable dose distributions for simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) treatment for upper esophageal carcinoma. The primary tumor can get higher equivalent dose by SIB treatments. It is easier and more efficient to design plans with equispaced coplanar beams. The efficacy of SIB-IMRT remains to be determined by the clinical outcome.

Dosimetric comparison of peripheral NSCLC SBRT using Acuros XB and AAA calculation algorithms.

PubMed

Ong, Chloe C H; Ang, Khong Wei; Soh, Roger C X; Tin, Kah Ming; Yap, Jerome H H; Lee, James C L; Bragg, Christopher M

2017-01-01

There is a concern for dose calculation in highly heterogenous environments such as the thorax region. This study compares the quality of treatment plans of peripheral non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) using 2 calculation algorithms, namely, Eclipse Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) and Acuros External Beam (AXB), for 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) data from 20 anonymized patients were studied using Varian Eclipse planning system, AXB, and AAA version 10.0.28. A 3DCRT plan and a VMAT plan were generated using AAA and AXB with constant plan parameters for each patient. The prescription and dose constraints were benchmarked against Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0915 protocol. Planning parameters of the plan were compared statistically using Mann-Whitney U tests. Results showed that 3DCRT and VMAT plans have a lower target coverage up to 8% when calculated using AXB as compared with AAA. The conformity index (CI) for AXB plans was 4.7% lower than AAA plans, but was closer to unity, which indicated better target conformity. AXB produced plans with global maximum doses which were, on average, 2% hotter than AAA plans. Both 3DCRT and VMAT plans were able to achieve D95%. VMAT plans were shown to be more conformal (CI = 1.01) and were at least 3.2% and 1.5% lower in terms of PTV maximum and mean dose, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference for doses received by organs at risk (OARs) regardless of calculation algorithms and treatment techniques. In general, the difference in tissue modeling for AXB and AAA algorithm is responsible for the dose distribution between the AXB and the AAA algorithms. The AXB VMAT plans could be used to benefit patients receiving peripheral NSCLC SBRT. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On finding the analytic dependencies of the external field potential on the control function when optimizing the beam dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovsyannikov, A. D.; Kozynchenko, S. A.; Kozynchenko, V. A.

2017-12-01

When developing a particle accelerator for generating the high-precision beams, the injection system design is of importance, because it largely determines the output characteristics of the beam. At the present paper we consider the injection systems consisting of electrodes with given potentials. The design of such systems requires carrying out simulation of beam dynamics in the electrostatic fields. For external field simulation we use the new approach, proposed by A.D. Ovsyannikov, which is based on analytical approximations, or finite difference method, taking into account the real geometry of the injection system. The software designed for solving the problems of beam dynamics simulation and optimization in the injection system for non-relativistic beams has been developed. Both beam dynamics and electric field simulations in the injection system which use analytical approach and finite difference method have been made and the results presented in this paper.

Simulation of the development and interaction of instabilities in a relativistic electron beam under variation of the beam wall thickness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Badarin, A. A.; Kurkin, S. A.; Koronovskii, A. A.

The development and interaction of Bursian and diocotron instabilities in an annular relativistic electron beam propagating in a cylindrical drift chamber are investigated analytically and numerically as functions of the beam wall thickness and the magnitude of the external uniform magnetic field. It is found that the interaction of instabilities results in the formation of a virtual cathode with a complicated rotating helical structure and several reflection regions (electron bunches) in the azimuthal direction. It is shown that the number of electron bunches in the azimuthal direction increases with decreasing beam wall thickness and depends in a complicated manner onmore » the magnitude of the external magnetic field.« less

Quasi-plane-hypothesis of strain coordination for RC beams seismically strengthened with externally-bonded or near-surface mounted fiber reinforced plastic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Zhenhua; Zeng, Xiantao; Liu, Hanlong; Zhou, Fengjun

2013-03-01

The application of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), including carbon FRP and glass FRP, for structural repair and strengthening has grown due to their numerous advantages over conventional materials such as externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) and near-surface mounted (NSM) strengthening techniques. This paper summarizes the results from 21 reinforced concrete beams strengthened with different methods, including externally-bonded and near-surface mounted FRP, to study the strain coordination of the FRP and steel rebar of the RC beam. Since there is relative slipping between the RC beam and the FRP, the strain of the FRP and steel rebar of the RC beam satisfy the quasi-plane-hypothesis; that is, the strain of the longitudinal fiber that parallels the neutral axis of the plated beam within the scope of the effective height ( h 0) of the cross section is in direct proportion to the distance from the fiber to the neutral axis. The strain of the FRP and steel rebar satisfies the equation: ɛ FRP= βɛ steel, and the value of β is equal to 1.1-1.3 according to the test results.

The use of cognitive-behavioral treatment including hypnosis for claustrophobia in cancer patients.

PubMed

Steggles, S

1999-04-01

Two case studies are reported to illustrate the use of a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral approach to treat claustrophobia in cancer patients undergoing external beam radiation therapy. Hypnosis was an essential component of the cognitive-behavioral approach. Both patients responded favorably to the psychological intervention and completed the required external beam radiation therapy.

Hole-cyclotron instability in semiconductor quantum plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Areeb, F.; Rasheed, A.; Jamil, M.; Siddique, M.; Sumera, P.

2018-01-01

The excitation of electrostatic hole-cyclotron waves generated by an externally injected electron beam in semiconductor plasmas is examined using a quantum hydrodynamic model. The quantum effects such as tunneling potential, Fermi degenerate pressure, and exchange-correlation potential are taken care of. The growth rate of the wave is analyzed on varying the parameters normalized by hole-plasma frequency, like the angle θ between propagation vector and B0∥z ̂ , speed of the externally injected electron beam v0∥k , thermal temperature of the electron beam τ, external magnetic field B0∥z ̂ that modifies the hole-cyclotron frequency, and finally, the semiconductor electron number density. The instability of the hole-cyclotron wave seeks its applications in semiconductor devices.

Fabrication challenges associated with conformal optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaefer, John; Eichholtz, Richard A.; Sulzbach, Frank C.

2001-09-01

A conformal optic is typically an optical window that conforms smoothly to the external shape of a system platform to improve aerodynamics. Conformal optics can be on-axis, such as an ogive missile dome, or off-axis, such as in a free form airplane wing. A common example of conformal optics is the automotive head light window that conforms to the body of the car aerodynamics and aesthetics. The unusual shape of conformal optics creates tremendous challenges for design, manufacturing, and testing. This paper will discuss fabrication methods that have been successfully demonstrated to produce conformal missile domes and associated wavefront corrector elements. It will identify challenges foreseen with more complex free-form configurations. Work presented in this paper was directed by the Precision Conformal Optics Consortium (PCOT). PCOT is comprised of both industrial and academic members who teamed to develop and demonstrate conformal optical systems suitable for insertion into future military programs. The consortium was funded under DARPA agreement number MDA972-96-9-08000.

Metasurface external cavity laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Luyao, E-mail: luyaoxu.ee@ucla.edu; Curwen, Christopher A.; Williams, Benjamin S.

2015-11-30

A vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting-laser is demonstrated in the terahertz range, which is based upon an amplifying metasurface reflector composed of a sub-wavelength array of antenna-coupled quantum-cascade sub-cavities. Lasing is possible when the metasurface reflector is placed into a low-loss external cavity such that the external cavity—not the sub-cavities—determines the beam properties. A near-Gaussian beam of 4.3° × 5.1° divergence is observed and an output power level >5 mW is achieved. The polarized response of the metasurface allows the use of a wire-grid polarizer as an output coupler that is continuously tunable.

First experimental demonstration of an isotropic electromagnetic cloak with strict conformal mapping

PubMed Central

Ma, Yungui; Liu, Yichao; Lan, Lu; Wu, Tiantian; Jiang, Wei; Ong, C. K.; He, Sailing

2013-01-01

In the past years quasi-conformal mapping has been generally used to design broadband electromagnetic cloaks. However, this technique has some inherit practical limitations such as the lateral beam shift, rendering the device visible or difficult to hide a large object. In this work we circumvent these issues by using strict conformal mapping to build the first isotropic cloak. Microwave near-field measurement shows that our device (with dielectric constant larger than unity everywhere) has a very good cloaking performance and a broad frequency response. The present dielectric approach could be technically extended to the fabrication of other conformal devices at higher frequencies. PMID:23851589

Impact of Body Mass Index on Outcomes After Conformal Radiotherapy in Patients With Prostate Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geinitz, Hans, E-mail: hans.geinitz@lrz.tu-muenchen.de; Thamm, Reinhard; Mueller, Tobias

2011-09-01

Purpose: Several retrospective analyses have suggested that obese men with prostate cancer treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) have outcomes inferior to those of normal-weight men. However, a recently presented analysis for the first time challenged this association between body mass index (BMI) and treatment failure. It is therefore important to provide further data on this issue. Methods and Materials: This was a retrospective analysis of 564 men treated with risk-adapted conformal EBRT at a single institution. Low-risk patients received EBRT alone, and the other patients received EBRT plus endocrine treatment. In addition, high-risk patients were treated to higher EBRTmore » doses (74 Gy). A rectal balloon catheter for internal immobilization, which can be identified on portal images, was used in 261 patients (46%). Thus, localization did not rely on bony landmarks alone in these cases. Results: The median BMI was 26, and 15% of patients had BMI {>=}30. Neither univariate nor multivariate analyses detected any significant impact of BMI on biochemical relapse, prostate cancer-specific survival, or overall survival. The 5-year biochemical relapse rate was 21% and prostate cancerspecific survival 96%. Conclusions: The present analysis of a large cohort of consecutively treated patients suggests that efforts to reduce prostate movement and geographic miss might result in comparable outcomes in obese and normal-weight patients.« less

Flory-type theories of polymer chains under different external stimuli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budkov, Yu A.; Kiselev, M. G.

2018-01-01

In this Review, we present a critical analysis of various applications of the Flory-type theories to a theoretical description of the conformational behavior of single polymer chains in dilute polymer solutions under a few external stimuli. Different theoretical models of flexible polymer chains in the supercritical fluid are discussed and analysed. Different points of view on the conformational behavior of the polymer chain near the liquid-gas transition critical point of the solvent are presented. A theoretical description of the co-solvent-induced coil-globule transitions within the implicit-solvent-explicit-co-solvent models is discussed. Several explicit-solvent-explicit-co-solvent theoretical models of the coil-to-globule-to-coil transition of the polymer chain in a mixture of good solvents (co-nonsolvency) are analysed and compared with each other. Finally, a new theoretical model of the conformational behavior of the dielectric polymer chain under the external constant electric field in the dilute polymer solution with an explicit account for the many-body dipole correlations is discussed. The polymer chain collapse induced by many-body dipole correlations of monomers in the context of statistical thermodynamics of dielectric polymers is analysed.

Distributed Beam Former for Distributed-Aperture Electronically Steered Antennas

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

of planar or conformal aperture, it will be replaced by a distributed aperture configuration with a base-band digital network that is used to combine...beam forming network that can be designed with pre-set scanning directions. The beam former for this stage can be realized using a printed Butler...matrix (Bona et al, 2002; Neron and Delisle, 2005), a printed Rotman lens (Kilic and Dahlstrom, 2005) or other switched time delay system. The

The comparison of 5-field conformal radiotherapy techniques for the treatment of prostate cancer: The best for femoral head sparing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zare, Mahkameh; Lashkari, Marzieh, E-mail: m-lashkari@sina.tums.ac.ir; Ghalehtaki, Reza

2016-01-01

External radiotherapy is a standard treatment procedure for localized prostate cancer. Given the relatively high long term survival treatment complications have been brought in center of attention. In this planning study, between 2012 and 2014, CT simulation data of 90 consecutive high-risk prostate cancer patients were collected. In the first phase, all were planned for whole pelvis irradiation up to 46Gy in 23 daily fractions. In the second phase, only the prostate gland was the target of radiation. Next, the subjects were divided randomly into three groups and each received a unique 5field conformal radiation plan including Plan A (Gantrymore » angle: 0, 60, 120, 240, and 300), Plan B (Gantry angles: 0, 90, 120, 240, and 270) and Plan C (Gantry angles: 0, 60, 90, 270, and 300). The total dose was 70Gy. For each patient, the rectum, bladder, and both femoral heads were contoured as the at risk organs (OAR). From dose volume histograms, the proportional dose of PTV V100, the bladder and rectum V80 and V90 and femoral head V50 and V100 were calculated in all subjects and compared across plans. A statistically significant difference in the femoral head V50 and V100 was found between our studied 5field plans so that in Plan A (beam angles: 0, 60, 120, 240 and 300) less dose was received by both heads of femur. This study suggests that 5 field treatment planning including an anterior, two anterior oblique and two posterior oblique portals to be more proper for 3D conformal radiotherapy in order to spare femoral head with acceptable PTV coverage, and bladder and rectal doses.« less

Strengthening Performance of PALF-Epoxy Composite Plate on Reinforced Concrete Beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Siew C.; Tong, Foo S.; Doh, Shu I.; Gimbun, Jolius; Ong, Huey R.; Serigar, Januar P.

2018-03-01

This paper presents the effective strengthening potential of pineapple leaves fiber (PALF)-epoxy composite plate on reinforced concrete (RC) beam. At first the PALF is treated with alkali (NaOH) and its morphology is observed via scanning electron microscope (SEM). The composite plates made of PALF and epoxy with fiber loading ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 v/v was tested for its flexural behaviour. The composite was then used for external RC beam strengthening. The structural properties of RC beams were evaluated and all the beams were tested under four-point bending. It was found that the flexural strength increased as the fiber volume ratio increases. The maximum flexural strength (301.94 MPa) was obtained at the fiber volume ratio of 40%. The beam strengthened with PALF-epoxy composite plate has a 7% higher beam capacity compared to the control beam. Cracks formed at the edge of the plate of PALF-strengthened beams resulted in diagonal cracking. Result from this work shows that the PALF-epoxy composite plate has the potential to be used as external strengthening material for RC beam.

21 CFR 82.2050 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... PROVISIONALLY LISTED COLORS AND SPECIFICATIONS Externally Applied Drugs and Cosmetics § 82.2050 General. A batch of a straight color listed in this subpart may be certified, in accordance with the provisions of this part, for use in externally applied drugs and cosmetics, if such batch conforms to the...

Generation of a pulsed low-energy electron beam using the channel spark device

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elgarhy, M. A. I., E-mail: elgarhy@azhar.edu.eg; Hassaballa, S. E.; Rashed, U. M.

2015-12-15

For the generation of low-energy electron beam, the design and characteristics of channel spark discharge (CSD) operating at a low voltage are presented in this paper. The discharge voltage, discharge current, X-ray emissions, and electron beam current were experimentally determined. The effects of the applied voltage, working gas pressure, and external capacitance on the CSD and beam parameters were measured. At an applied voltage of 11 kV, an oxygen gas pressure of 25 mTorr, and an external capacitance of 16.45 nF, the maximum measured current was 900 A. The discharge current increased with the increase in the pressure and capacitance,more » while its periodic time decreased with the increase in the pressure. Two types of the discharge were identified and recorded: the hollow cathode discharge and the conduction discharge. A Faraday cup was used to measure the beam current. The maximum measured beam current was 120 A, and the beam signal exhibited two peaks. The increase in both the external capacitance and the applied discharge voltage increased the maximum electron beam current. The electron-beam pulse time decreased with the increase in the gas pressure at a constant voltage and increased with the decrease in the applied discharge voltage. At an applied voltage of 11 kV and an oxygen gas pressure of 15 mTorr, the maximum beam energy was 2.8 keV. The X-ray signal intensity decreased with the increase in the gas pressure and increased with the increase in the capacitance.« less

A study of the effect of in-line and perpendicular magnetic fields on beam characteristics of electron guns in medical linear accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Constantin, Dragos E.; Fahrig, Rebecca; Keall, Paul J.

Purpose: Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for real-time guidance during radiotherapy is an active area of research and development. One aspect of the problem is the influence of the MRI scanner, modeled here as an external magnetic field, on the medical linear accelerator (linac) components. The present work characterizes the behavior of two medical linac electron guns with external magnetic fields for in-line and perpendicular orientations of the linac with respect to the MRI scanner. Methods: Two electron guns, Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, are considered as representative models for this study. Emphasis was placed on the in-line design approachmore » in which case the MRI scanner and the linac axes of symmetry coincide and assumes no magnetic shielding of the linac. For the in-line case, the magnetic field from a 0.5 T open MRI (GE Signa SP) magnet with a 60 cm gap between its poles was computed and used in full three dimensional (3D) space charge simulations, whereas for the perpendicular case the magnetic field was constant. Results: For the in-line configuration, it is shown that the electron beam is not deflected from the axis of symmetry of the gun and the primary beam current does not vanish even at very high values of the magnetic field, e.g., 0.16 T. As the field strength increases, the primary beam current has an initial plateau of constant value after which its value decreases to a minimum corresponding to a field strength of approximately 0.06 T. After the minimum is reached, the current starts to increase slowly. For the case when the beam current computation is performed at the beam waist position the initial plateau ends at 0.016 T for Litton L-2087 and at 0.012 T for Varian VTC6364. The minimum value of the primary beam current is 27.5% of the initial value for Litton L-2087 and 22.9% of the initial value for Varian VTC6364. The minimum current is reached at 0.06 and 0.062 T for Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, respectively. At 0.16 T the beam current increases to 40.2 and 31.4% from the original value of the current for Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, respectively. In contrast, for the case when the electron gun is perpendicular to the magnetic field, the electron beam is deflected from the axis of symmetry even at small values of the magnetic field. As the strength of the magnetic field increases, so does the beam deflection, leading to a sharp decrease of the primary beam current which vanishes at about 0.007 T for Litton L-2087 and at 0.006 T for Varian VTC6364, respectively. At zero external field, the beam rms emittance computed at beam waist is 1.54 and 1.29{pi}-mm-mrad for Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, respectively. For the in-line configuration, there are two particular values of the external field where the beam rms emittance reaches a minimum. Litton L-2087 rms emittance reaches a minimum of 0.72{pi} and 2.01{pi}-mm-mrad at 0.026 and 0.132 T, respectively. Varian VTC6364 rms emittance reaches a minimum of 0.34{pi} and 0.35{pi}-mm-mrad at 0.028 and 0.14 T, respectively. Beam radius dependence on the external field is shown for the in-line configuration for both electron guns. Conclusions: 3D space charge simulation of two electron guns, Litton L-2087 and Varian VTC6364, were performed for in-line and perpendicular external magnetic fields. A consistent behavior of Pierce guns in external magnetic fields was proven. For the in-line configuration, the primary beam current does not vanish but a large reduction of beam current (up to 77.1%) is observed at higher field strengths; the beam directionality remains unchanged. It was shown that for a perpendicular configuration the current vanishes due to beam bending under the action of the Lorentz force. For in-line configuration it was determined that the rms beam emittance reaches two minima for relatively high values of the external magnetic field.« less

Multi-frequency klystron designed for high efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jensen, Aaron

A multi-frequency klystron has an electron gun which generates a beam, a circuit of bunch-align-collect (BAC) tuned cavities that bunch the beam and amplify an RF signal, a collector where the beam is collected and dumped, and a standard output cavity and waveguide coupled to a window to output RF power at a fundamental mode to an external load. In addition, the klystron has additional bunch-align-collect (BAC) cavities tuned to a higher harmonic frequency, and a harmonic output cavity and waveguide coupled via a window to an additional external load.

Comparison of PDR brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy in the case of breast cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teymournia, L.; Berger, D.; Kauer-Dorner, D.; Poljanc, K.; Seitz, W.; Aiginger, H.; Kirisits, C.

2009-04-01

Pulsed dose rate brachytherapy (PDR) was compared to external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in the case of breast cancer. The benefits were figured out by evaluation of dosimetric parameters and calculating the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). PDR plans were set up for five randomly chosen left-sided breast cancer patients delivering a total dose of 50.4 Gy to the target (dose rate 0.8 Gy h-1). For EBRT five left-sided breast cancer patients were planned using 3D-conformal tangential photon beams with a prescribed total dose of 50 Gy (2 Gy/fraction) to the total breast volume. For plan ranking and NTCP calculation the physical dose was first converted into the biologically effective dose (BED) and then into the normalized total dose (NTD) using the linear quadratic model with an α/β ratio of 3 Gy. In PDR the relative effectiveness (RE) was calculated for each dose bin of the differential dose volume histogram to get the BED. NTCPs were calculated for the ipsilateral lung and the heart as contoured on CT slices based on the Lyman model and the Kutcher reduction scheme. Dosimetric parameters as Vth (percentage of the total volume exceeding a threshold dose) and Jackson's fdam (fraction of the organ damaged) were also used to figure out the benefits. The comparison of calculated NTCPs in PDR and EBRT showed no difference between these two modalities. All values were below 0.01%. fdam derived from EBRT was always higher (mean value 8.95% versus 1.21% for the lung). The mean V10 and V20 of the lung related to BED were 6.32% and 1.72% for PDR versus 11.72% and 9.59% for EBRT. When using dosimetric parameters as Vth and fdam, PDR was mostly superior to EBRT in respect of sparing normal tissues. NTCP calculation as a single method of modality ranking showed a lack of information, especially when normal tissue was exposed to low radiation doses.

SU-E-J-32: Dosimetric Evaluation Based On Pre-Treatment Cone Beam CT for Spine Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy: Does Region of Interest Focus Matter?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Magnelli, A; Xia, P

2015-06-15

Purpose: Spine stereotactic body radiotherapy requires very conformal dose distributions and precise delivery. Prior to treatment, a KV cone-beam CT (KV-CBCT) is registered to the planning CT to provide image-guided positional corrections, which depend on selection of the region of interest (ROI) because of imperfect patient positioning and anatomical deformation. Our objective is to determine the dosimetric impact of ROI selections. Methods: Twelve patients were selected for this study with the treatment regions varied from C-spine to T-spine. For each patient, the KV-CBCT was registered to the planning CT three times using distinct ROIs: one encompassing the entire patient, amore » large ROI containing large bony anatomy, and a small target-focused ROI. Each registered CBCT volume, saved as an aligned dataset, was then sent to the planning system. The treated plan was applied to each dataset and dose was recalculated. The tumor dose coverage (percentage of target volume receiving prescription dose), maximum point dose to 0.03 cc of the spinal cord, and dose to 10% of the spinal cord volume (V10) for each alignment were compared to the original plan. Results: The average magnitude of tumor coverage deviation was 3.9%±5.8% with external contour, 1.5%±1.1% with large ROI, 1.3%±1.1% with small ROI. Spinal cord V10 deviation from plan was 6.6%±6.6% with external contour, 3.5%±3.1% with large ROI, and 1.2%±1.0% with small ROI. Spinal cord max point dose deviation from plan was: 12.2%±13.3% with external contour, 8.5%±8.4% with large ROI, and 3.7%±2.8% with small ROI. Conclusion: A small ROI focused on the target results in the smallest deviation from planned dose to target and cord although rotations at large distances from the targets were observed. It is recommended that image fusion during CBCT focus narrowly on the target volume to minimize dosimetric error. Improvement in patient setups may further reduce residual errors.« less

[Description of latest generation equipment in external radiotherapy].

PubMed

Pellejero, S; Lozares, S; Mañeru, F

2009-01-01

Both the planning systems and the form of administering radiotherapy have changed radically since the introduction of 3D planning. At present treatment planning based on computerised axial tomography (CAT) images is standard practice in radiotherapy services. In recent years lineal accelerators for medical use have incorporated technology capable of administering intensity modulated radiation beams (IMRT). With this mode distributions of conformed doses are generated that adjust to the three dimensional form of the white volume, providing appropriate coverage and a lower dose to nearby risk organs. The use of IMRT is rapidly spreading amongst radiotherapy centres throughout the world. This growing use of IMRT has focused attention on the need for greater control of the geometric uncertainties in positioning the patient and control of internal movements. To this end, both flat and volumetric image systems have been incorporated into the treatment equipment, making image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) possible. This article offers a brief description of the latest advances included in the planning and administration of radiotherapy treatment.

Late Toxicity and Patient Self-Assessment of Breast Appearance/Satisfaction on RTOG 0319: A Phase 2 Trial of 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy-Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation Following Lumpectomy for Stages I and II Breast Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chafe, Susan, E-mail: susan.chafe@albertahealthservices.ca; Moughan, Jennifer; McCormick, Beryl

2013-08-01

Purpose: Late toxicities and cosmetic analyses of patients treated with accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) on RTOG 0319 are presented. Methods and Materials: Patients with stages I to II breast cancer ≤3 cm, negative margins, and ≤3 positive nodes were eligible. Patients received three-dimensional conformal external beam radiation therapy (3D-CRT; 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions twice daily over 5 days). Toxicity and cosmesis were assessed by the patient (P), the radiation oncologist (RO), and the surgical oncologist (SO) at 3, 6, and 12 months from the completion of treatment and then annually. National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adversemore » Events, version 3.0, was used to grade toxicity. Results: Fifty-two patients were evaluable. Median follow-up was 5.3 years (range, 1.7-6.4 years). Eighty-two percent of patients rated their cosmesis as good/excellent at 1 year, with rates of 64% at 3 years. At 3 years, 31 patients were satisfied with the treatment, 5 were not satisfied but would choose 3D-CRT again, and none would choose standard radiation therapy. The worst adverse event (AE) per patient reported as definitely, probably, or possibly related to radiation therapy was 36.5% grade 1, 50% grade 2, and 5.8% grade 3 events. Grade 3 AEs were all skin or musculoskeletal-related. Treatment-related factors were evaluated to potentially establish an association with observed toxicity. Surgical bed volume, target volume, the number of beams used, and the use of bolus were not associated with late cosmesis. Conclusions: Most patients enrolled in RTOG 0319 were satisfied with their treatment, and all would choose to have the 3D-CRT APBI again.« less

Late toxicity and patient self-assessment of breast appearance/satisfaction on RTOG 0319: a phase 2 trial of 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy-accelerated partial breast irradiation following lumpectomy for stages I and II breast cancer.

PubMed

Chafe, Susan; Moughan, Jennifer; McCormick, Beryl; Wong, John; Pass, Helen; Rabinovitch, Rachel; Arthur, Douglas W; Petersen, Ivy; White, Julia; Vicini, Frank A

2013-08-01

Late toxicities and cosmetic analyses of patients treated with accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) on RTOG 0319 are presented. Patients with stages I to II breast cancer ≤3 cm, negative margins, and ≤3 positive nodes were eligible. Patients received three-dimensional conformal external beam radiation therapy (3D-CRT; 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions twice daily over 5 days). Toxicity and cosmesis were assessed by the patient (P), the radiation oncologist (RO), and the surgical oncologist (SO) at 3, 6, and 12 months from the completion of treatment and then annually. National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 3.0, was used to grade toxicity. Fifty-two patients were evaluable. Median follow-up was 5.3 years (range, 1.7-6.4 years). Eighty-two percent of patients rated their cosmesis as good/excellent at 1 year, with rates of 64% at 3 years. At 3 years, 31 patients were satisfied with the treatment, 5 were not satisfied but would choose 3D-CRT again, and none would choose standard radiation therapy. The worst adverse event (AE) per patient reported as definitely, probably, or possibly related to radiation therapy was 36.5% grade 1, 50% grade 2, and 5.8% grade 3 events. Grade 3 AEs were all skin or musculoskeletal-related. Treatment-related factors were evaluated to potentially establish an association with observed toxicity. Surgical bed volume, target volume, the number of beams used, and the use of bolus were not associated with late cosmesis. Most patients enrolled in RTOG 0319 were satisfied with their treatment, and all would choose to have the 3D-CRT APBI again. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Microwave Spectroscopy of 2-PENTANONE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andresen, Maike; Nguyen, Ha Vinh Lam; Kleiner, Isabelle; Stahl, Wolfgang

2017-06-01

Methyl propyl ketone (MPK) or 2-Pentanone is known to be an alarm pheroromone released by the mandibular glands of the bees. It is a highly volatile compound. This molecule was studied by a combination of quantum chemical calculations and microwave spectroscopy in order to get informations about the lowest energy conformers and their structures.The rotational spectrum of 2-pentanone was measured using the molecular beam Fourier transform microwave spectrometer in Aachen operating between 2 and 26.5 GHz. Ab initio calculations determine 4 conformers but only two of them are observed in our jet-beam conditions.The lowest conformer has a C_{1} structure and its spectrum shows internal rotation splittings arising from two methyl groups. The internal splittings of 305 transitions for this conformer were analyzed using the XIAM code It led to the determination of the values for the barrier heights hindering the internal rotation of two methyl groups of 239 cm^{-1} and 980 cm^{-1} respectively. The next energy conformer has a C_{s} structure and the analysis of the internal splittings of 134 transitions using the XIAM code and the BELGI code led to the determination of internal rotation barrier height of 186 cm^{-1}. Comparisons of quantum chemistry and experimental results will be discussed. H. Hartwig, H. Dreizler, Z. Naturforsch. 51a, 923 (1996). J. T. Hougen, I. Kleiner and M. Godefroid, J. Mol. Spectrosc., 163, 559-586 (1994).

Effect of strong electric field on the conformational integrity of insulin.

PubMed

Wang, Xianwei; Li, Yongxiu; He, Xiao; Chen, Shude; Zhang, John Z H

2014-10-02

A series of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations up to 1 μs for bovine insulin monomer in different external electric fields were carried out to study the effect of external electric field on conformational integrity of insulin. Our results show that the secondary structure of insulin is kept intact under the external electric field strength below 0.15 V/nm, but disruption of secondary structure is observed at 0.25 V/nm or higher electric field strength. Although the starting time of secondary structure disruption of insulin is not clearly correlated with the strength of the external electric field ranging between 0.15 and 0.60 V/nm, long time MD simulations demonstrate that the cumulative effect of exposure time under the electric field is a major cause for the damage of insulin's secondary structure. In addition, the strength of the external electric field has a significant impact on the lifetime of hydrogen bonds when it is higher than 0.60 V/nm. The fast evolution of some hydrogen bonds of bovine insulin in the presence of the 1.0 V/nm electric field shows that different microwaves could either speed up protein folding or destroy the secondary structure of globular proteins deponding on the intensity of the external electric field.

Optical properties of monolayer polystyrene microspheres driven by a direct current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, Xinbing; Pan, Qian; Zhao, Xinwei; Hao, Ruirui; Bai, Xue

2018-04-01

Polystyrene microspheres (PSMs) with diameters of 5 μm and 10 μm are prepared on garnet by a self-assembly method. The pressure generated by quartz sheet/PSM/garnet/graphite is measured by a resistance strain sensor as a function of the external direct current (DC) voltage. The surface morphology of the PSMs are observed by optical microscopy. The polarization properties of the linearly and circularly polarized laser beams with a wavelength of 1550 nm reflected from the different PSMs are researched by a Thorlabs PAX 5710 IR3 Polarization Analyzing System as a function of the external DC voltage. The results show that the PSMs with different sizes can be damaged when the external pressure exceeds its critical value of 3.0 MPa, but the critical DC voltages are different. The optical polarization properties of the circularly polarized laser beam can be changed with the external DC voltage, whereas the linearly polarized laser beam cannot be changed.

Stability of aerosol droplets in Bessel beam optical traps under constant and pulsed external forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

David, Grégory; Esat, Kıvanç; Hartweg, Sebastian; Cremer, Johannes; Chasovskikh, Egor; Signorell, Ruth

2015-04-01

We report on the dynamics of aerosol droplets in optical traps under the influence of additional constant and pulsed external forces. Experimental results are compared with simulations of the three-dimensional droplet dynamics for two types of optical traps, the counter-propagating Bessel beam (CPBB) trap and the quadruple Bessel beam (QBB) trap. Under the influence of a constant gas flow (constant external force), the QBB trap is found to be more stable compared with the CPBB trap. By contrast, under pulsed laser excitation with laser pulse durations of nanoseconds (pulsed external force), the type of trap is of minor importance for the droplet stability. It typically needs pulsed laser forces that are several orders of magnitude higher than the optical forces to induce escape of the droplet from the trap. If the droplet strongly absorbs the pulsed laser light, these escape forces can be strongly reduced. The lower stability of absorbing droplets is a result of secondary thermal processes that cause droplet escape.

Stability of aerosol droplets in Bessel beam optical traps under constant and pulsed external forces.

PubMed

David, Grégory; Esat, Kıvanç; Hartweg, Sebastian; Cremer, Johannes; Chasovskikh, Egor; Signorell, Ruth

2015-04-21

We report on the dynamics of aerosol droplets in optical traps under the influence of additional constant and pulsed external forces. Experimental results are compared with simulations of the three-dimensional droplet dynamics for two types of optical traps, the counter-propagating Bessel beam (CPBB) trap and the quadruple Bessel beam (QBB) trap. Under the influence of a constant gas flow (constant external force), the QBB trap is found to be more stable compared with the CPBB trap. By contrast, under pulsed laser excitation with laser pulse durations of nanoseconds (pulsed external force), the type of trap is of minor importance for the droplet stability. It typically needs pulsed laser forces that are several orders of magnitude higher than the optical forces to induce escape of the droplet from the trap. If the droplet strongly absorbs the pulsed laser light, these escape forces can be strongly reduced. The lower stability of absorbing droplets is a result of secondary thermal processes that cause droplet escape.

The heavy atom microwave structure of 2-methyltetrahydrofuran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van, Vinh; Stahl, Wolfgang; Nguyen, Ha Vinh Lam

2016-11-01

The rotational spectra of 2-methyltetrahydrofuran have been observed using a pulsed molecular beam Fourier transform microwave spectrometer operating in the frequency range 2-26.5 GHz. Conformational analysis using quantum chemical calculations yields two stable conformers; both of them possess an envelope structure. The conformational transformation can occur via two different transition states. The Cremer-Pople notation for five-membered rings is chosen for describing the conformations. Only one conformer with equatorial position of the methyl group is assigned in the experimental spectrum. The fits of its parent species, 13C- and 18O-isotopologues result in highly accurate molecular parameters, and enable the determination of a heavy atom rs structure using Kraitchman's equations. This experimentally determined structure is in excellent agreement with the structure calculated by anharmonic frequency calculations.

Photovoltaic spatial solitons affected by a resistor in the external circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiao Sheng; She, Wei Long

2002-09-01

We have found that the FWHM of one-dimensional photovoltaic spatial soliton is modified by the space-charge field in the crystal, which can be controlled by a resistor in the external circuit. In this case, the photovoltaic contribution of a background beam is taken into account. In a crystal with a positive perturbation of refractive index, the FWHM of dark soliton decreases with the resistance of the resistor, while the FWHM of bright soliton increases with the resistance. Furthermore, when R (the ratio of the effective Glass constant of a signal beam over a background beam) is higher than 1, we can switch a dark soliton to a bright soliton by decreasing the resistance or vice versa. During such process, both the wavelengths and the intensities of the signal beam and the background beam are kept unchanged.

External audits of electron beams using mailed TLD dosimetry: preliminary results.

PubMed

Gomola, I; Van Dam, J; Isern-Verdum, J; Verstraete, J; Reymen, R; Dutreix, A; Davis, B; Huyskens, D

2001-02-01

A feasibility study has been performed to investigate the possibility of using mailed thermoluminescence dosimetry (TLD) for external audits of clinical electron beams in Europe. In the frame of the EC Network Project for Quality Assurance in Radiotherapy, instruction sheets and mailing procedures have been defined for mailed TLD dosimetry using the dedicated holder developed by a panel of experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Three hundred and thirty electron beam set-ups have been checked in the reference centres and some local centres of the EC Network Project and in addition through the centres participating to the EORTC Radiotherapy Group trial 22922. The mean ratio of measured dose to stated dose is 0.2% and the standard deviation of measured dose to stated dose is 3.2%. In seven beam set-ups, deviations greater than 10% were observed (max. 66%), showing the usefulness of these checks. The results of this feasibility study (instruction sheets, mailing procedures, holder) are presently endorsed by the EQUAL-ESTRO structure in order to offer in the future to all ESTRO members the possibility to request external audits of clinical electron beams.

21 CFR 74.1101 - FD&C Blue No. 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Drugs § 74.1101 FD&C Blue No. 1 (a) Identity. (1) For ingested drugs, the color additive FD&C Blue No. 1 shall conform in identity to the requirements of § 74.101(a)(1). (2) For externally applied drugs, the color additive FD&C Blue No. 1 shall conform in identity to the requirements of...

Conformation and structural changes of diblock copolymers with octopus-like micelle formation in the presence of external stimuli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dammertz, K.; Saier, A. M.; Marti, O.; Amirkhani, M.

2014-04-01

External stimuli such as vapours and electric fields can be used to manipulate the formation of AB-diblock copolymers on surfaces. We study the conformational variation of PS-b-PMMA (polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate)), PS and PMMA adsorbed on mica and their response to saturated water or chloroform atmospheres. Using specimens with only partial polymer coverage, new unanticipated effects were observed. Water vapour, a non-solvent for all three polymers, was found to cause high surface mobility. In contrast, chloroform vapour (a solvent for all three polymers) proved to be less efficient. Furthermore, the influence of an additional applied electric field was investigated. A dc field oriented parallel to the sample surface induces the formation of polymer islands which assemble into wormlike chains. Moreover, PS-b-PMMA forms octopus-like micelles (OLMs) on mica. Under the external stimuli mentioned above, the wormlike formations of OLMs are able to align in the direction of the external electric field. In the absence of an electric field, the OLMs disaggregate and exhibit phase separated structures under chloroform vapour.

Effect of External Post-tensioning in Retrofitting of RC Beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manisekar, R.

2018-05-01

There are large number of existing concrete bridges in distressed condition in India and other countries, and they need retrofitting solutions. External post-tensioning is a prime technique for bridge retrofitting. It is being applied for retrofitting of bridges in India and other countries. Although the technique is becoming popular in retrofitting, various issues regarding performance of post-retrofitting behaviour need to be studied in detail. RC beam specimens of rectangular section were distressed by means of cracks to a certain limit, and were retrofitted by external post-tensioning. Retrofitted specimens were tested to fail to study the post-retrofitting behaviour. Retrofitting has increased the ultimate load carrying capacity by 81% with reference to the control beam, and recovered the deflection. This paper intends to report the results of the experimental investigations, and conclusions.

Experiment study on RC frame retrofitted by the external structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chunyang; Shi, Junji; Hiroshi, Kuramoto; Taguchi, Takashi; Kamiya, Takashi

2016-09-01

A new retrofitting method is proposed herein for reinforced concrete (RC) structures through attachment of an external structure. The external structure consists of a fiber concrete encased steel frame, connection slab and transverse beams. The external structure is connected to the existing structure through a connection slab and transverse beams. Pseudostatic experiments were carried out on one unretrofitted specimen and three retrofitted frame specimens. The characteristics, including failure mode, crack pattern, hysteresis loops behavior, relationship of strain and displacement of the concrete slab, are demonstrated. The results show that the load carrying capacity is obviously increased, and the extension length of the slab and the number of columns within the external frame are important influence factors on the working performance of the existing structure. In addition, the displacement difference between the existing structure and the outer structure was caused mainly by three factors: shear deformation of the slab, extraction of transverse beams, and drift of the conjunction part between the slab and the existing frame. Furthermore, the total deformation determined by the first two factors accounted for approximately 80% of the damage, therefore these factors should be carefully considered in engineering practice to enhance the effects of this new retrofitting method.

On Interactions of Oscillation Modes for a Weakly Non-Linear Undamped Elastic Beam with AN External Force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

BOERTJENS, G. J.; VAN HORSSEN, W. T.

2000-08-01

In this paper an initial-boundary value problem for the vertical displacement of a weakly non-linear elastic beam with an harmonic excitation in the horizontal direction at the ends of the beam is studied. The initial-boundary value problem can be regarded as a simple model describing oscillations of flexible structures like suspension bridges or iced overhead transmission lines. Using a two-time-scales perturbation method an approximation of the solution of the initial-boundary value problem is constructed. Interactions between different oscillation modes of the beam are studied. It is shown that for certain external excitations, depending on the phase of an oscillation mode, the amplitude of specific oscillation modes changes.

Volumetric modulation arc radiotherapy with flattening filter-free beams compared with static gantry IMRT and 3D conformal radiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer: a feasibility study.

PubMed

Nicolini, Giorgia; Ghosh-Laskar, Sarbani; Shrivastava, Shyam Kishore; Banerjee, Sushovan; Chaudhary, Suresh; Agarwal, Jai Prakash; Munshi, Anusheel; Clivio, Alessandro; Fogliata, Antonella; Mancosu, Pietro; Vanetti, Eugenio; Cozzi, Luca

2012-10-01

A feasibility study was performed to evaluate RapidArc (RA), and the potential benefit of flattening filter-free beams, on advanced esophageal cancer against intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT). The plans for 3D-CRT and IMRT with three to seven and five to seven fixed beams were compared against double-modulated arcs with avoidance sectors to spare the lungs for 10 patients. All plans were optimized for 6-MV photon beams. The RA plans were studied for conventional and flattening filter-free (FFF) beams. The objectives for the planning target volume were the volume receiving ≥ 95% or at most 107% of the prescribed dose of <1% with a dose prescription of 59.4 Gy. For the organs at risk, the lung volume (minus the planning target volume) receiving ≥ 5 Gy was <60%, that receiving 20 Gy was <20%-30%, and the mean lung dose was <15.0 Gy. The heart volume receiving 45 Gy was <20%, volume receiving 30 Gy was <50%. The spinal dose received by 1% was <45 Gy. The technical delivery parameters for RA were assessed to compare the normal and FFF beam characteristics. RA and IMRT provided equivalent coverage and homogeneity, slightly superior to 3D-CRT. The conformity index was 1.2 ± 0.1 for RA and IMRT and 1.5 ± 0.2 for 3D-CRT. The mean lung dose was 12.2 ± 4.5 for IMRT, 11.3 ± 4.6 for RA, and 10.8 ± 4.4 for RA with FFF beams, 18.2 ± 8.5 for 3D-CRT. The percentage of volume receiving ≥ 20 Gy ranged from 23.6% ± 9.1% to 21.1% ± 9.7% for IMRT and RA (FFF beams) and 39.2% ± 17.0% for 3D-CRT. The heart and spine objectives were met by all techniques. The monitor units for IMRT and RA were 457 ± 139, 322 ± 20, and 387 ± 40, respectively. RA with FFF beams showed, compared with RA with normal beams, a ∼20% increase in monitor units per Gray, a 90% increase in the average dose rate, and 20% reduction in beam on time (owing to different gantry speeds). RA demonstrated, compared with conventional IMRT, a similar target coverage and some better dose sparing to the organs at risk; the advantage against conventional 3D-CRT was more evident. RA with FFF beams resulted in minor improvements in plan quality but with the potential for additional useful reduction in the treatment time. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of the position of the methoxy group on the stabilities of the syn and anti conformers of 4-, 5-, and 6-methoxyindole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilke, Martin; Brand, Christian; Wilke, Josefin; Schmitt, Michael

2017-07-01

Even though the two possible rotamers of methoxy-substituted indoles only differ in the orientation of a methoxy group, this slight geometry change can have a strong influence on the stabilities and further molecular properties of the conformers. In the present study, we evaluate the effect of the methyl group position on the presence of different conformers in molecular beam studies for the systems 4-, 5-, and 6-methoxyindole. By using rotationally resolved electronic Stark spectroscopy in combination with high level ab initio calculations the structures of the observable conformers have been assigned and reasons for the absence of the missing conformers discussed. Thereby, we could show that the relative ground state energies and isomerization barriers for both conformers strongly depend on the position of the methoxy group and are the main explanation for the absence of the syn conformers of 4-, and 5-methoxyindole.

Two-dimensional silicon-based detectors for ion beam therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martišíková, M.; Granja, C.; Jakůbek, J.; Hartmann, B.; Telsemeyer, J.; Huber, L.; Brons, S.; Pospíšil, S.; Jäkel, O.

2012-02-01

Radiation therapy with ion beams is a highly precise kind of cancer treatment. As ion beams traverse material, the highest ionization density occurs at the end of their path. Due to this Bragg-peak, ion beams enable higher dose conformation to the tumor and increased sparing of the surrounding tissue, in comparison to standard radiation therapy using high energy photons. Ions heavier than protons offer in addition increased biological effectiveness and lower scattering. The Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT) is a state-of-the-art ion beam therapy facility and the first hospital-based facility in Europe. It provides proton and carbon ion treatments. A synchrotron is used for ion acceleration. For dose delivery to the patient, narrow pencil-like beams are scanned over the target volume.

Study on shear strengthening of RC continuous T-beams using different layers of CFRP strips

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alferjani, M. B. S.; Samad, A. A. Abdul; Mohamad, Noridah

2015-05-15

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates are externally bonded to reinforced concrete (RC) members to provide additional strength such as flexural, shear, etc. However, this paper presents the results of an experimental investigation for enhancing the shear capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) continuous T- beams using different layers of CFRP wrapping schemes. A total of three concrete beams were tested and various sheet configurations and layouts were studied to determine their effects on ultimate shear strength and shear capacity of the beams. One beam was kept as control beams, while other beams were strengthened with externally bonded CFRP strips withmore » three side bonding and one or two layers of CFRP strips. From the test results, it was found that all schemes were found to be effective in enhancing the shear strength of RC beams. It was observed that the strength increases with the number of sheet layers provided the most effective strengthening for RC continuous T- beam. Beam strengthened using this scheme showed 23.21% increase in shear capacity as compared to the control beam. Two prediction models available in literature were used for computing the contribution of CFRP strips and compared with the experimental results.« less

Influence of thermal deformation in cavity mirrors on beam propagation characteristics of high-power slab lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhen; Xiao, Longsheng; Wang, Wei; Wu, Chao; Tang, Xiahui

2018-01-01

Owing to their good diffusion cooling and low sensitivity to misalignment, slab-shape negative-branch unstable-waveguide resonators are widely used for high-power lasers in industry. As the output beam of the resonator is astigmatic, an external beam shaping system is required. However, the transverse dimension of the cavity mirrors in the resonator is large. For a long-time operation, the heating of cavity mirrors can be non-uniform. This results in micro-deformation and a change in the radius of curvature of the cavity mirrors, and leads to an output beam of an offset optical axis of the resonator. It was found that a change in the radius of curvature of 0.1% (1 mm) caused by thermal deformation generates a transverse displacement of 1.65 mm at the spatial filter of the external beam shaping system, and an output power loss of more than 80%. This can potentially burn out the spatial filter. In order to analyze the effect of the offset optical axis of the beam on the external optical path, we analyzed the transverse displacement and rotational misalignments of the spatial filter. For instance, if the transverse displacement was 0.3 mm, the loss in the output power was 9.6% and a sidelobe appeared in the unstable direction. If the angle of rotation was 5°, the loss in the output power was 2%, and the poles were in the direction of the waveguide. Based on these results, by adjusting the bending mirror, the deviation angle of the output beam of the resonator cavity was corrected, in order to obtain maximum output power and optimal beam quality. Finally, the propagation characteristics of the corrected output beam were analyzed.

Dose-Escalated Robotic SBRT for Stage I–II Prostate Cancer

PubMed Central

Meier, Robert

2015-01-01

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is the precise external delivery of very high-dose radiotherapy to targets in the body, with treatment completed in one to five fractions. SBRT should be an ideal approach for organ-confined prostate cancer because (I) dose-escalation should yield improved rates of cancer control; (II) the unique radiobiology of prostate cancer favors hypofractionation; and (III) the conformal nature of SBRT minimizes high-dose radiation delivery to immediately adjacent organs, potentially reducing complications. This approach is also more convenient for patients, and is cheaper than intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Several external beam platforms are capable of delivering SBRT for early-stage prostate cancer, although most of the mature reported series have employed a robotic non-coplanar platform (i.e., CyberKnife). Several large studies report 5-year biochemical relapse rates which compare favorably to IMRT. Rates of late GU toxicity are similar to those seen with IMRT, and rates of late rectal toxicity may be less than with IMRT and low-dose rate brachytherapy. Patient-reported quality of life (QOL) outcomes appear similar to IMRT in the urinary domain. Bowel QOL may be less adversely affected by SBRT than with other radiation modalities. After 5 years of follow-up, SBRT delivered on a robotic platform is yielding outcomes at least as favorable as IMRT, and may be considered appropriate therapy for stage I–II prostate cancer. PMID:25905037

Comparison study of the partial-breast irradiation techniques: Dosimetric analysis of three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, electron beam therapy, and helical tomotherapy depending on various tumor locations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Min-Joo; Park, So-Hyun; Research Institute of Biomedical Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul

2013-10-01

The partial-breast irradiation (PBI) technique, an alternative to whole-breast irradiation, is a beam delivery method that uses a limited range of treatment volume. The present study was designed to determine the optimal PBI treatment modalities for 8 different tumor locations. Treatment planning was performed on computed tomography (CT) data sets of 6 patients who had received lumpectomy treatments. Tumor locations were classified into 8 subsections according to breast quadrant and depth. Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), electron beam therapy (ET), and helical tomotherapy (H-TOMO) were utilized to evaluate the dosimetric effect for each tumor location. Conformation number (CN), radical dosemore » homogeneity index (rDHI), and dose delivered to healthy tissue were estimated. The Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, and Bonferroni tests were used for statistical analysis. The ET approach showed good sparing effects and acceptable target coverage for the lower inner quadrant—superficial (LIQ-S) and lower inner quadrant—deep (LIQ-D) locations. The H-TOMO method was the least effective technique as no evaluation index achieved superiority for all tumor locations except CN. The ET method is advisable for treating LIQ-S and LIQ-D tumors, as opposed to 3D-CRT or H-TOMO, because of acceptable target coverage and much lower dose applied to surrounding tissue.« less

The Resistive-Wall Instability in Multipulse Linear Induction Accelerators

DOE PAGES

Ekdahl, Carl

2017-05-01

The resistive-wall instability results from the Lorentz force on the beam due to the beam image charge and current. If the beam pipe is perfectly conducting, the electric force due to the image charge attracts the beam to the pipe wall, and the magnetic force due to the image current repels the beam from the wall. For a relativistic beam, these forces almost cancel, leaving a slight attractive force, which is easily overcome by external magnetic focusing. However, if the beam pipe is not perfectly conducting, the magnetic field due to the image current decays on a magnetic-diffusion time scale.more » If the beam pulse is longer than the magnetic diffusion time, the repulsion of the beam tail will be weaker than the repulsion of the beam head. In the absence of an external focusing force, this causes a head-to-tail sweep of the beam toward the wall. This instability is usually thought to be a concern only for long-pulse relativistic electron beams. However, with the advent of multipulse, high current linear induction accelerators, the possibility of pulse-to-pulse coupling of this instability should be investigated. Lastly, we have explored pulse-to-pulse coupling using the linear accelerator model for Dual Axis Radiography for Hydrodynamic Testing beam dynamics code, and we present the results of this paper.« less

The Resistive-Wall Instability in Multipulse Linear Induction Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ekdahl, Carl

The resistive-wall instability results from the Lorentz force on the beam due to the beam image charge and current. If the beam pipe is perfectly conducting, the electric force due to the image charge attracts the beam to the pipe wall, and the magnetic force due to the image current repels the beam from the wall. For a relativistic beam, these forces almost cancel, leaving a slight attractive force, which is easily overcome by external magnetic focusing. However, if the beam pipe is not perfectly conducting, the magnetic field due to the image current decays on a magnetic-diffusion time scale.more » If the beam pulse is longer than the magnetic diffusion time, the repulsion of the beam tail will be weaker than the repulsion of the beam head. In the absence of an external focusing force, this causes a head-to-tail sweep of the beam toward the wall. This instability is usually thought to be a concern only for long-pulse relativistic electron beams. However, with the advent of multipulse, high current linear induction accelerators, the possibility of pulse-to-pulse coupling of this instability should be investigated. Lastly, we have explored pulse-to-pulse coupling using the linear accelerator model for Dual Axis Radiography for Hydrodynamic Testing beam dynamics code, and we present the results of this paper.« less

The external scanning proton microprobe of Firenze: A comprehensive description

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuntini, L.; Massi, M.; Calusi, S.

2007-06-01

An external proton scanning microbeam setup is installed on the -30° line of the new 3 MV tandem accelerator in Firenze; the most relevant features of the line, such as detection setup for IBA measurements, target viewing system, beam diagnostic and transport are described here. With our facility we can work with a beam spot on sample better than 10 μm full-width half-maximum (FWHM) and an intensity of some nanoamperes. Standard beam exit windows are silicon nitride (Si 3N 4) TEM membranes, 100 nm thick and 0.5×0.5 mm 2 wide; we also successfully performed measurements using membranes 1×1 mm 2 wide, 100 nm thick, and 2×2 mm 2 wide, 200 and 500 nm thick. Exploiting the yield of Si X-rays produced by the beam in the exit window as an indirect measurement of the charge, a beam charge monitor system was implemented. The analytical capabilities of the microbeam have been extended by integrating a two-detector PIXE setup with BS and PIGE detectors; the external scanning proton microprobe in Firenze is thus a powerful instrument to fully characterize samples by ion beam analysis, through the simultaneous collection of PIXE, PIGE and BS elemental maps. Its characteristics can make it often competitive with traditional in vacuum microbeam for measurements of thick targets.

Characteristics of a Linearly Tapered Slot Antenna (LTSA) Conformed Longitudinally Around a Cylinder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jordan, Jennifer L.; Ponchak, George E.; Tavassolian, Negar; Tentzeris, Manos M.

2007-01-01

The family of tapered slot antennas (TSA s) is suitable for numerous applications. Their ease of fabrication, wide bandwidth, and high gain make them desirable for military and commercial systems. Fabrication on thin, flexible substrates allows the TSA to be conformed over a given body, such as an aircraft wing or a piece of clothing for wearable networks. Previously, a Double Exponentially Tapered Slot Antenna (DETSA) was conformed around an exponential curvature, which showed that the main beam skewed towards the direction of curvature. This paper presents a Linearly Tapered Slot Antenna (LTSA) conformed longitudinally around a cylinder. Measured and simulated radiation patterns and the direction of maximum H co-polarization (Hco) as a function of the cylinder radius are presented.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kang, S; Suh, T; Chung, J

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dosimetric and radiobiological impact of Acuros XB (AXB) and Anisotropic Analytic Algorithm (AAA) dose calculation algorithms on prostate stereotactic body radiation therapy plans with both conventional flattened (FF) and flattening-filter free (FFF) modes. Methods: For thirteen patients with prostate cancer, SBRT planning was performed using 10-MV photon beam with FF and FFF modes. The total dose prescribed to the PTV was 42.7 Gy in 7 fractions. All plans were initially calculated using AAA algorithm in Eclipse treatment planning system (11.0.34), and then were re-calculated using AXB with the same MUsmore » and MLC files. The four types of plans for different algorithms and beam energies were compared in terms of homogeneity and conformity. To evaluate the radiobiological impact, the tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) calculations were performed. Results: For PTV, both calculation algorithms and beam modes lead to comparable homogeneity and conformity. However, the averaged TCP values in AXB plans were always lower than in AAA plans with an average difference of 5.3% and 6.1% for 10-MV FFF and FF beam, respectively. In addition, the averaged NTCP values for organs at risk (OARs) were comparable. Conclusion: This study showed that prostate SBRT plan were comparable dosimetric results with different dose calculation algorithms as well as delivery beam modes. For biological results, even though NTCP values for both calculation algorithms and beam modes were similar, AXB plans produced slightly lower TCP compared to the AAA plans.« less

Multileaf collimator-based linear accelerator radiosurgery: five-year efficiency analysis.

PubMed

Lawson, Joshua D; Fox, Tim; Waller, Anthony F; Davis, Lawrence; Crocker, Ian

2009-03-01

In 1989, Emory University initiated a linear accelerator (linac) radiosurgery program using circular collimators. In 2001, the program converted to a multileaf collimator. Since then, the treatment parameters of each patient have been stored in the record-and-verify system. Three major changes have occurred in the radiosurgery program in the past 6 years: in 2002, treatment was changed from static conformal beams to dynamic conformal arc (DCA) therapy, and all patients were imaged before treatment. Beginning in 2005, a linac was used, with the opportunity to treat at higher dose rates (600-1,000 monitor units/min). The aim of this study was to analyze the time required to deliver radiosurgery and the factors affecting treatment delivery. Benchmark data are provided for centers contemplating initiating linac radiosurgery programs. Custom software was developed to mine the record-and-verify system database and automatically perform a chart review on patients who underwent stereotactic radiosurgery from March 2001 to October 2006. The software extracted 510 patients who underwent stereotactic radiosurgery, and the following information was recorded for each patient: treatment technique, treatment time (from initiation of imaging, if done, to completion of therapy), number of isocenters, number of fields, total monitor units, and dose rate. Of the 510 patients, 395 were treated with DCA therapy and 115 with static conformal beams. The average number of isocenters treated was 1.06 (range, 1-4). The average times to deliver treatment were 24.1 minutes for patients who underwent DCA therapy and 19.3 minutes for those treated with static conformal beams, reflecting the lack of imaging in the latter patients. Eighty percent of patients were treated in <30 minutes. For the patients who underwent DCA therapy, the times required to treat 1, 2, 3, and 4 isocenters were 23.9, 24.8, 33.1, and 37.8 minutes, respectively. Average beam-on time for these patients was 11.4 minutes. There has been no significant reduction in treatment delivery with the use of 1,000 monitor units/min, reflecting the fact that beam-on time is not the major determinant of overall treatment time. Multileaf collimator-based linac radiosurgery can be delivered efficiently in <30 minutes in the vast majority of patients. Given the limited treatment room utilization required for stereotactic radiosurgery treatments, this study calls into question the need for a dedicated radiosurgery unit for even busy treatment centers.

Second cancer incidence risk estimates using BEIR VII models for standard and complex external beam radiotherapy for early breast cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Donovan, E. M.; James, H.; Bonora, M.

2012-10-15

Purpose: To compare organ specific cancer incidence risks for standard and complex external beam radiotherapy (including cone beam CT verification) following breast conservation surgery for early breast cancer.Method: Doses from breast radiotherapy and kilovoltage cone beam CT (CBCT) exposures were obtained from thermoluminescent dosimeter measurements in an anthropomorphic phantom in which the positions of radiosensitive organs were delineated. Five treatment deliveries were investigated: (i) conventional tangential field whole breast radiotherapy (WBRT), (ii) noncoplanar conformal delivery applicable to accelerated partial beast irradiation (APBI), (iii) two-volume simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) treatment, (iv) forward planned three-volume SIB, and (v) inverse-planned three volume SIB.more » Conformal and intensity modulated radiotherapy methods were used to plan the complex treatments. Techniques spanned the range from simple methods appropriate for patient cohorts with a low cancer recurrence risk to complex plans relevant to cohorts with high recurrence risk. Delineated organs at risk included brain, salivary glands, thyroid, contralateral breast, left and right lung, esophagus, stomach, liver, colon, and bladder. Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) VII cancer incidence models were applied to the measured mean organ doses to determine lifetime attributable risk (LAR) for ages at exposure from 35 to 80 yr according to radiotherapy techniques, and included dose from the CBCT imaging. Results: All LAR decreased with age at exposure and were lowest for brain, thyroid, liver, and bladder (<0.1%). There was little dependence of LAR on radiotherapy technique for these organs and for colon and stomach. LAR values for the lungs for the three SIB techniques were two to three times those from WBRT and APBI. Uncertainties in the LAR models outweigh any differences in lung LAR between the SIB methods. Constraints in the planning of the SIB methods ensured that contralateral breast doses and LAR were comparable to WBRT, despite their added complexity. The smaller irradiated volume of the ABPI plan contributed to a halving of LAR for contralateral breast compared with the other plan types. Daily image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) for a left breast protocol using kilovoltage CBCT contributed <10% to LAR for the majority of organs, and did not exceed 22% of total organ dose. Conclusions: Phantom measurements and calculations of LAR from the BEIR VII models predict that complex breast radiotherapy techniques do not increase the theoretical risk of second cancer incidence for organs distant from the treated breast, or the contralateral breast where appropriate plan constraints are applied. Complex SIB treatments are predicted to increase the risk of second cancer incidence in the lungs compared to standard whole breast radiotherapy; this is outweighed by the threefold reduction in 5 yr local recurrence risk for patients of high risk of recurrence, and young age, from the use of radiotherapy. APBI may have a favorable impact on risk of second cancer in the contralateral breast and lung for older patients at low risk of recurrence. Intensive use of IGRTincreased the estimated values of LAR but these are dominated by the effect of the dose from the radiotherapy, and any increase in LAR from IGRT is much lower than the models' uncertainties.« less

Stability of aerosol droplets in Bessel beam optical traps under constant and pulsed external forces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

David, Grégory; Esat, Kıvanç; Hartweg, Sebastian

We report on the dynamics of aerosol droplets in optical traps under the influence of additional constant and pulsed external forces. Experimental results are compared with simulations of the three-dimensional droplet dynamics for two types of optical traps, the counter-propagating Bessel beam (CPBB) trap and the quadruple Bessel beam (QBB) trap. Under the influence of a constant gas flow (constant external force), the QBB trap is found to be more stable compared with the CPBB trap. By contrast, under pulsed laser excitation with laser pulse durations of nanoseconds (pulsed external force), the type of trap is of minor importance formore » the droplet stability. It typically needs pulsed laser forces that are several orders of magnitude higher than the optical forces to induce escape of the droplet from the trap. If the droplet strongly absorbs the pulsed laser light, these escape forces can be strongly reduced. The lower stability of absorbing droplets is a result of secondary thermal processes that cause droplet escape.« less

Liquid metal ion source assembly for external ion injection into an electron string ion source (ESIS)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Segal, M. J., E-mail: mattiti@gmail.com; University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7700; Bark, R. A.

An assembly for a commercial Ga{sup +} liquid metal ion source in combination with an ion transportation and focusing system, a pulse high-voltage quadrupole deflector, and a beam diagnostics system has been constructed in the framework of the iThemba LABS (Cape Town, South Africa)—JINR (Dubna, Russia) collaboration. First, results on Ga{sup +} ion beam commissioning will be presented. Outlook of further experiments for measurements of charge breeding efficiency in the electron string ion source with the use of external injection of Ga{sup +} and Au{sup +} ion beams will be reported as well.

Conformal image-guided microbeam radiation therapy at the ESRF biomedical beamline ID17

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Donzelli, Mattia, E-mail: donzelli@esrf.fr; Bräuer-Krisch, Elke; Nemoz, Christian

Purpose: Upcoming veterinary trials in microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) demand for more advanced irradiation techniques than in preclinical research with small animals. The treatment of deep-seated tumors in cats and dogs with MRT requires sophisticated irradiation geometries from multiple ports, which impose further efforts to spare the normal tissue surrounding the target. Methods: This work presents the development and benchmarking of a precise patient alignment protocol for MRT at the biomedical beamline ID17 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). The positioning of the patient prior to irradiation is verified by taking x-ray projection images from different angles. Results: Usingmore » four external fiducial markers of 1.7  mm diameter and computed tomography-based treatment planning, a target alignment error of less than 2  mm can be achieved with an angular deviation of less than 2{sup ∘}. Minor improvements on the protocol and the use of smaller markers indicate that even a precision better than 1  mm is technically feasible. Detailed investigations concerning the imaging dose lead to the conclusion that doses for skull radiographs lie in the same range as dose reference levels for human head radiographs. A currently used online dose monitor for MRT has been proven to give reliable results for the imaging beam. Conclusions: The ESRF biomedical beamline ID17 is technically ready to apply conformal image-guided MRT from multiple ports to large animals during future veterinary trials.« less

Moment redistribution in continuous reinforced concrete beams strengthened with carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer laminates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aiello, M. A.; Valente, L.; Rizzo, A.

2007-09-01

The results of tests on continuous steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (RC) beams, with and without an external strengthening, are presented. The internal flexural steel reinforcement was designed so that to allow steel yielding before the collapse of the beams. To prevent the shear failure, steel stirrups were used. The tests also included two nonstrengthened control beams; the other specimens were strengthened with different configurations of externally bonded carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates. In order to prevent the premature failure from delamination of the CFRP strengthening, a wrapping was also applied. The experimental results obtained show that it is possible to achieve a sufficient degree of moment redistribution if the strengthening configuration is chosen properly, confirming the results provided by two simple numerical models.

Space Construction Automated Fabrication Experiment Definition Study. (SCAFEDS), part 3. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

A range of tasks focused on a baseline system concept is discussed. A beam builder concept developed to produce a triangular beam is discussed. Beam elements used laminated graphite and glass composite strip material with external surface coatings are described.

TU-H-BRC-03: Evaluation of Very High-Energy Electron (VHEE) Beams in Comparison to VMAT and PBS Treatment Plans

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schueler, E; Loo, B; Maxim, P

2016-06-15

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of very high-energy electron (VHEE) beams in comparison to clinically delivered treatment plans generated with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) technology. Methods: Three clinical cases were selected (prostate, lung, and pediatric CNS). The VHEE plans were calculated in the Monte Carlo EGSnrc code and pencil beam doses were calculated using the DOSxyznrc MC code for 100 and 200 MeV beams. Treatment plans with VHEE, VMAT, and PBS were optimized in a research version of RayStation using an in house build script in ordermore » to minimize operator bias between the different techniques. Results: For the prostate cancer case, the PBS plan showed lower mean organ at risk (OAR) doses compared to the other modalities. An exception was the femoral heads, due to the lateral beam arrangements. The VMAT plan showed lower mean doses to the rectum and the bladder compared to the 100 MeV VHEE plan. The lung cancer case showed minor differences between the three modalities. However, the PBS plan showed a lower contralateral lung dose. The pediatric CNS case showed a better conformity and lower spinal cord dose for the 100 MeV VHEE plan. For all cases, the 200 MeV VHEE plans were found to be similar to or better than the 100 MeV VHEE plans. Conclusion: The present study showed that VHEE plans are similar or superior to VMAT plans with reduced mean OAR dose and increased target conformity for a variety of clinical cases. With increased VHEE energy, better conformity and even higher reductions in mean OAR doses can be achieved. Funding: DoD, Award#:W81XWH-13-1-0165, Weston Havens Foundation, Bio-X (Stanford University), the Office of the Dean of the Medical School, the Office of the Provost (Stanford University), and the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation. BL and PM are founders of TibaRay,Inc. BL and PM have received research grants from Varian and RaySearch Laboratory.« less

Biochemical Response to Androgen Deprivation Therapy Before External Beam Radiation Therapy Predicts Long-term Prostate Cancer Survival Outcomes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zelefsky, Michael J., E-mail: zelefskm@mskcc.org; Gomez, Daniel R.; Polkinghorn, William R.

2013-07-01

Purpose: To determine whether the response to neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) defined by a decline in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) to nadir values is associated with improved survival outcomes after external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: One thousand forty-five patients with localized prostate cancer were treated with definitive EBRT in conjunction with neoadjuvant and concurrent ADT. A 6-month course of ADT was used (3 months during the neoadjuvant phase and 2 to 3 months concurrently with EBRT). The median EBRT prescription dose was 81 Gy using a conformal-based technique. The median follow-up time was 8.5more » years. Results: The 10-year PSA relapse-free survival outcome among patients with pre-radiation therapy PSA nadirs of ≤0.3 ng/mL was 74.3%, compared with 57.7% for patients with higher PSA nadir values (P<.001). The 10-year distant metastases-free survival outcome among patients with pre-radiation therapy PSA nadirs of ≤0.3 ng/mL was 86.1%, compared with 78.6% for patients with higher PSA nadir values (P=.004). In a competing-risk analysis, prostate cancer-related deaths were also significantly reduced among patients with pre-radiation therapy PSA nadirs of <0.3 ng/mL compared with higher values (7.8% compared with 13.7%; P=.009). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that the pre-EBRT PSA nadir value was a significant predictor of long-term biochemical tumor control, distant metastases-free survival, and cause-specific survival outcomes. Conclusions: Pre-radiation therapy nadir PSA values of ≤0.3 ng/mL after neoadjuvant ADT were associated with improved long-term biochemical tumor control, reduction in distant metastases, and prostate cancer-related death. Patients with higher nadir values may require alternative adjuvant therapies to improve outcomes.« less

3-DIMENSIONAL EXTERNAL BEAM RADIOTHERAPY FOR PROSTATE CANCER INCREASES THE RISK OF HIP FRACTURE

PubMed Central

Elliott, Sean P.; Jarosek, Stephanie L.; Alanee, Shaheen R.; Konety, Badrinath R.; Dusenbery, Kathryn E.; Virnig, Beth A.

2011-01-01

Background Hip fracture is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Pelvic external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is known to increase the risk of hip fractures in women but the effect in men is unknown. Methods 45,662 men aged ≥66 years, diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1992–2004 were identified from the SEER-Medicare database. Using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards models, the primary outcome of hip fracture risk was compared among men who received radical prostatectomy (RP), EBRT, EBRT+androgen suppression therapy (AST) or AST alone, controlling for age, osteoporosis, race and other comorbidities. A secondary outcome was distal forearm fractures as an indicator of fragility fracture risk outside the radiation field. Results After controlling for covariates, EBRT increased the risk of hip fractures by 76% (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.38–2.40) without increasing the risk of distal forearm fractures (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.56–1.14). Combination therapy with EBRT+AST increased the risk of hip fracture 145% relative to RP (HR 2.45, 95% CI 1.88–3.19) and by 40% relative to EBRT (HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.17–1.68). EBRT+AST increased the risk of distal forearm fracture by 43% relative to RP (HR 1.43, 95% CI 0.97–2.10). The number needed to treat to result in 1 hip fracture through 10 years was 51 (95% CI 31–103). Conclusion In men with prostate cancer, pelvic 3-D conformal EBRT is associated with a 76% increased risk of hip fracture. This risk is slightly increased further by the addition of short-course AST to EBRT. This risk associated with EBRT is site-specific as there is no increase in the risk of fall-related fractures outside the radiation field. PMID:21412999

Dosimetric verification of radiotherapy treatment planning systems in Serbia: national audit

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Independent external audits play an important role in quality assurance programme in radiation oncology. The audit supported by the IAEA in Serbia was designed to review the whole chain of activities in 3D conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) workflow, from patient data acquisition to treatment planning and dose delivery. The audit was based on the IAEA recommendations and focused on dosimetry part of the treatment planning and delivery processes. Methods The audit was conducted in three radiotherapy departments of Serbia. An anthropomorphic phantom was scanned with a computed tomography unit (CT) and treatment plans for eight different test cases involving various beam configurations suggested by the IAEA were prepared on local treatment planning systems (TPSs). The phantom was irradiated following the treatment plans for these test cases and doses in specific points were measured with an ionization chamber. The differences between the measured and calculated doses were reported. Results The measurements were conducted for different photon beam energies and TPS calculation algorithms. The deviation between the measured and calculated values for all test cases made with advanced algorithms were within the agreement criteria, while the larger deviations were observed for simpler algorithms. The number of measurements with results outside the agreement criteria increased with the increase of the beam energy and decreased with TPS calculation algorithm sophistication. Also, a few errors in the basic dosimetry data in TPS were detected and corrected. Conclusions The audit helped the users to better understand the operational features and limitations of their TPSs and resulted in increased confidence in dose calculation accuracy using TPSs. The audit results indicated the shortcomings of simpler algorithms for the test cases performed and, therefore the transition to more advanced algorithms is highly desirable. PMID:22971539

Dosimetric verification of radiotherapy treatment planning systems in Serbia: national audit.

PubMed

Rutonjski, Laza; Petrović, Borislava; Baucal, Milutin; Teodorović, Milan; Cudić, Ozren; Gershkevitsh, Eduard; Izewska, Joanna

2012-09-12

Independent external audits play an important role in quality assurance programme in radiation oncology. The audit supported by the IAEA in Serbia was designed to review the whole chain of activities in 3D conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) workflow, from patient data acquisition to treatment planning and dose delivery. The audit was based on the IAEA recommendations and focused on dosimetry part of the treatment planning and delivery processes. The audit was conducted in three radiotherapy departments of Serbia. An anthropomorphic phantom was scanned with a computed tomography unit (CT) and treatment plans for eight different test cases involving various beam configurations suggested by the IAEA were prepared on local treatment planning systems (TPSs). The phantom was irradiated following the treatment plans for these test cases and doses in specific points were measured with an ionization chamber. The differences between the measured and calculated doses were reported. The measurements were conducted for different photon beam energies and TPS calculation algorithms. The deviation between the measured and calculated values for all test cases made with advanced algorithms were within the agreement criteria, while the larger deviations were observed for simpler algorithms. The number of measurements with results outside the agreement criteria increased with the increase of the beam energy and decreased with TPS calculation algorithm sophistication. Also, a few errors in the basic dosimetry data in TPS were detected and corrected. The audit helped the users to better understand the operational features and limitations of their TPSs and resulted in increased confidence in dose calculation accuracy using TPSs. The audit results indicated the shortcomings of simpler algorithms for the test cases performed and, therefore the transition to more advanced algorithms is highly desirable.

Design, construction and measurements of an alpha magnet as a solution for compact bunch compressor for the electron beam from Thermionic RF Gun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajabi, A.; Jazini, J.; Fathi, M.; Sharifian, M.; Shokri, B.

2018-03-01

The beam produced by a thermionic RF gun has wide energy spread that makes it unsuitable for direct usage in photon sources. Here in the present work, we optimize the extracted beam from a thermionic RF gun by a compact economical bunch compressor. A compact magnetic bunch compressor (Alpha magnet) is designed and constructed. A comparison between simulation results and experimental measurements shows acceptable conformity. The beam dynamics simulation results show a reduction of the energy spread as well as a compression of length less than 1 ps with 2.3 mm-mrad emittance.

Method for energy recovery of spent ERL beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marhauser, Frank; Hannon, Fay; Rimmer, Robert

A method for recovering energy from spent energy recovered linac (ERL) beams. The method includes adding a plurality of passive decelerating cavities at the beam dump of the ERL, adding one or more coupling waveguides between the passive decelerating cavities, setting an adequate external Q (Qext) to adjust to the beam loading situation, and extracting the RF energy through the coupling waveguides.

Prefabricated Roof Beams for Hardened Shelters

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-08-01

beam with a composite concrete slab. Based on the results of the concept evaluation, a test program was designed and conducted to validate the steel...ultimaw, strength. The results of these tests showed that the design procedure accurately predicts the response of the ste,-confined concrete composite...BENDING OF EXTERNALLY REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS ........ 67 TABLE 9. SINGLE POINT LOAD BEAM TEST RESULTS

SU-E-T-09: A Clinical Implementation and Optimized Dosimetry Study of Freiberg Flap Skin Surface Treatment in High Dose Rate Brachytherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Syh, J; Syh, J; Patel, B

Purpose: This case study was designated to confirm the optimized plan was used to treat skin surface of left leg in three stages. 1. To evaluate dose distribution and plan quality by alternating of the source loading catheters pattern in flexible Freiberg Flap skin surface (FFSS) applicator. 2. To investigate any impact on Dose Volume Histogram (DVH) of large superficial surface target volume coverage. 3. To compare the dose distribution if it was treated with electron beam. Methods: The Freiburg Flap is a flexible mesh style surface mold for skin radiation or intraoperative surface treatments. The Freiburg Flap consists ofmore » multiple spheres that are attached to each other, holding and guiding up to 18 treatment catheters. The Freiburg Flap also ensures a constant distance of 5mm from the treatment catheter to the surface. Three treatment trials with individual planning optimization were employed: 18 channels, 9 channels of FF and 6 MeV electron beam. The comparisons were highlighted in target coverage, dose conformity and dose sparing of surrounding tissues. Results: The first 18 channels brachytherapy plan was generated with 18 catheters inside the skin-wrapped up flap (Figure 1A). A second 9 catheters plan was generated associated with the same calculation points which were assigned to match prescription for target coverage as 18 catheters plan (Figure 1B). The optimized inverse plan was employed to reduce the dose to adjacent structures such as tibia or fibula. The comparison of DVH’s was depicted on Figure 2. External beam of electron RT plan was depicted in Figure 3. Overcall comparisons among these three were illustrated in Conclusion: The 9-channel Freiburg flap flexible skin applicator offers a reasonably acceptable plan without compromising the coverage. Electron beam was discouraged to use to treat curved skin surface because of low target coverage and high dose in adjacent tissues.« less

A new e-beam application in the pharmaceutical industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadat, Theo; Malcolm, Fiona

2005-10-01

The paper presents a new electron beam application in the pharmaceutical industry: an in-line self-shielded atropic transfer system using electron beam for surface decontamination of products entering a pharmaceutical filling line. The unit was developed by Linac Technologies in response to the specifications of a multi-national pharmaceutical company, to solve the risk of microbial contamination entering a filling line housed inside an isolator. In order to fit the sterilization unit inside the pharmaceutical plant, a "miniature" low-energy (200 keV) electron beam accelerator and e-beam tunnel were designed, all conforming to the pharmaceutical good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulations. Process validation using biological indicators is described, with reference to the regulations governing the pharmaceutical industry. Other industrial applications of a small-sized self-shielded electron beam sterilization unit are mentioned.

Simultaneous Single-Molecule Force and Fluorescence Sampling of DNA Nanostructure Conformations Using Magnetic Tweezers.

PubMed

Kemmerich, Felix E; Swoboda, Marko; Kauert, Dominik J; Grieb, M Svea; Hahn, Steffen; Schwarz, Friedrich W; Seidel, Ralf; Schlierf, Michael

2016-01-13

We present a hybrid single-molecule technique combining magnetic tweezers and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements. Through applying external forces to a paramagnetic sphere, we induce conformational changes in DNA nanostructures, which are detected in two output channels simultaneously. First, by tracking a magnetic bead with high spatial and temporal resolution, we observe overall DNA length changes along the force axis. Second, the measured FRET efficiency between two fluorescent probes monitors local conformational changes. The synchronized orthogonal readout in different observation channels will facilitate deciphering the complex mechanisms of biomolecular machines.

Carcinoma of the cervix, stage III. Results of radiation therapy.

PubMed

Montana, G S; Fowler, W C; Varia, M A; Walton, L A; Mack, Y; Shemanski, L

1986-01-01

From April 1969 through December 1980, 203 patients with Stage III epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix were treated with radiation therapy with curative intent. The disease-free survival at 2, 5, and 10 years was 50%, 33%, and 27%, respectively. The survival was better for patients with Stage IIIB disease than for those with Stage IIIA disease. Eighty-eight patients were treated with external beam therapy only, and 115 received external beam and brachytherapy. The disease-free survival was better for the combination therapy group initially, but this difference was not sustained beyond 5 years. One hundred eight patients experienced recurrence within the irradiated field, for a locoregional recurrence rate of 53%. Twenty-seven patients had complications (13%). The complications were mild in 13 patients, moderate in 4 patients, and severe in 10 patients. A study was made of the relationship of the dose to Point A and the occurrence of complications. Similar analyses were made of the bladder and rectal doses and the subsequent occurrence of urinary and intestinal complications. In these analyses, the mean dose to Point A and the critical organs was higher for the groups of patients with complications than for those patients without complications. This relationship was also observed when the patients were stratified for treatment with either external beam plus brachytherapy or external beam therapy alone.

Experience of micromultileaf collimator linear accelerator based single fraction stereotactic radiosurgery: Tumor dose inhomogeneity, conformity, and dose fall off

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hong, Linda X.; Garg, Madhur; Lasala, Patrick

2011-03-15

Purpose: Sharp dose fall off outside a tumor is essential for high dose single fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) plans. This study explores the relationship among tumor dose inhomogeneity, conformity, and dose fall off in normal tissues for micromultileaf collimator (mMLC) linear accelerator (LINAC) based cranial SRS plans. Methods: Between January 2007 and July 2009, 65 patients with single cranial lesions were treated with LINAC-based SRS. Among them, tumors had maximum diameters {<=}20 mm: 31; between 20 and 30 mm: 21; and >30 mm: 13. All patients were treated with 6 MV photons on a Trilogy linear accelerator (Varian Medical Systems,more » Palo Alto, CA) with a tertiary m3 high-resolution mMLC (Brainlab, Feldkirchen, Germany), using either noncoplanar conformal fixed fields or dynamic conformal arcs. The authors also created retrospective study plans with identical beam arrangement as the treated plan but with different tumor dose inhomogeneity by varying the beam margins around the planning target volume (PTV). All retrospective study plans were normalized so that the minimum PTV dose was the prescription dose (PD). Isocenter dose, mean PTV dose, RTOG conformity index (CI), RTOG homogeneity index (HI), dose gradient index R{sub 50}-R{sub 100} (defined as the difference between equivalent sphere radius of 50% isodose volume and prescription isodose volume), and normal tissue volume (as a ratio to PTV volume) receiving 50% prescription dose (NTV{sub 50}) were calculated. Results: HI was inversely related to the beam margins around the PTV. CI had a ''V'' shaped relationship with HI, reaching a minimum when HI was approximately 1.3. Isocenter dose and mean PTV dose (as percentage of PD) increased linearly with HI. R{sub 50}-R{sub 100} and NTV{sub 50} initially declined with HI and then reached a plateau when HI was approximately 1.3. These trends also held when tumors were grouped according to their maximum diameters. The smallest tumor group (maximum diameters {<=}20 mm) had the most HI dependence for dose fall off. For treated plans, CI averaged 2.55{+-}0.79 with HI 1.23{+-}0.06; the average R{sub 50}-R{sub 100} was 0.41{+-}0.08, 0.55{+-}0.10, and 0.65{+-}0.09 cm, respectively, for tumors {<=}20 mm, between 20 and 30 mm, and >30 mm. Conclusions: Tumor dose inhomogeneity can be used as an important and convenient parameter to evaluate mMLC LINAC-based SRS plans. Sharp dose fall off in the normal tissue is achieved with sufficiently high tumor dose inhomogeneity. By adjusting beam margins, a homogeneity index of approximately 1.3 would provide best conformity for the authors' SRS system.« less

Are Educational Governance Reforms in a Post-Conflict Society Conforming to Global Standards? Examining the Application of Education Convergence Theory in an Internationally Supervised and Politicized Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Komatsu, Taro

2016-01-01

This article examines whether and to what extent educational reforms in a post-conflict society conform to "global (regional) standards," and explores the meaning of inconsistencies observed in the process of global reform transfer. Among the nations of the world, nowhere is the influence of external forces on educational reforms more…

TU-D-201-03: Results of a Survey On the Implementation of the TG-51 Protocol and Associated Addendum On Reference Dosimetry of External Beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, G; Muir, B; Culberson, W

Purpose: The working group on the review and extension of the TG-51 protocol (WGTG51) collected data from American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) members with respect to their current TG-51 and associated addendum usage in the interest of considering future protocol addenda and guidance on reference dosimetry best practices. This study reports an overview of this survey on dosimetry of external beams. Methods: Fourteen survey questions were developed by WGTG51 and released in November 2015. The questions collected information on reference dosimetry, beam quality specification, and ancillary calibration equipment. Results: Of the 190 submissions completed worldwide (U.S. 70%), 83%more » were AAPM members. Of the respondents, 33.5% implemented the TG-51 addendum, with the maximum calibration difference for any photon beam, with respect to the original TG-51 protocol, being <1% for 97.4% of responses. One major finding is that 81.8% of respondents used the same cylindrical ionization chamber for photon and electron dosimetry, implying that many clinics are foregoing the use of parallel-plate chambers. Other evidence suggests equivalent dosimetric results can be obtained with both cylindrical and parallel-plate chambers in electron beams. This, combined with users comfort with cylindrical chambers for electrons will likely impact recommendations put forward in an upcoming electron beam addendum to the TG-51 protocol. Data collected on ancillary equipment showed 58.2% (45.0%) of the thermometers (barometers) in use for beam calibration had NIST traceable calibration certificates, but 48.4% (42.7%) were never recalibrated. Conclusion: This survey provides a snapshot of TG-51 external beam reference dosimetry practice in radiotherapy centers. Findings demonstrate the rapid take-up of the TG-51 photon beam addendum and raise issues for the WGTG51 to focus on going forward, including guidelines on ancillary equipment and the choice of chamber for electron beam dosimetry.« less

Laser probes of the potential energy landscapes and conformational isomerization dynamics of flexible biomolecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dian, Brian; Clarkson, Jasper; Zwier, Timothy

2003-03-01

Using a combination of 2-color resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI), laser-induced fluorescence excitation (LIF), resonant ion-dip infrared spectroscopy (RIDIRS), fluorescence-dip infrared spectroscopy (FDIRS), and UV-UV hole-burning spectroscopy, the conformational preferences of a series of flexible biomolecules, including melatonin, N-acetyl-tryptophan methyl amide (NATMA), and their close analogs, have been determined in a molecular beam. These molecules are sufficiently complex to have hundreds of conformational minima, yet small enough that their potential energy landscapes can be explored in some detail. Once the conformational preferences of the molecules are established, these molecules are then studied using infrared-ultraviolet hole-filling and IR-induced population transfer spectroscopy. These methods utilize selective infrared excitation of single conformations of the molecule in the early portions of a gas-phase expansion, followed by collisional re-cooling of the excited population into its conformational minima for subsequent conformation-specific detection. Efficient isomerization is induced by the infrared excitation that redistributes population between the same conformations that have population in the absence of infrared excitation. Examples will be given in which the quantum yields for transfer of the population into the various conformational minima depend both on which conformation is excited and on which hydride stretch vibration is excited within a given conformation; that is, they are both conformation-selective and mode-selective.

Iodine binding to explore the conformational state of internal chains of amylopectin.

PubMed

Shen, Xinyu; Bertoft, Eric; Zhang, Genyi; Hamaker, Bruce R

2013-10-15

Previous studies have found that the proportion of long chains of amylopectin correlates to its functional and nutritional properties. As a possible explanation of this correlation, the iodine binding property of amylopectin internal chains was investigated as an indirect evidence of their ability to form helices for intra- or inter-molecular interactions. Waxy and amylose-extender waxy corn starches were hydrolyzed by β-amylase for varying periods of time to incrementally remove the external chains, and the absorbance and the wavelength of maximum absorbance of iodine binding were examined. Experimental results suggest that iodine can bind with both external and internal chains; a significant amount of absorption comes from the latter, as stepwise removal of external chains only somewhat reduced absorption. Internal amylopectin chains, thus, were concluded to likely pre-exist in helical form, as opposed to a conformational change into helices facilitating iodine binding in the absence of external chains. Such internal chain helical structures possibly drive intermolecular interactions that would explain why amylopectin with high proportion of internal chains form harder gels, create pastes less prone to shear breakdown, and are more slowly digesting. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Generation of high-order Bessel vortex beam carrying orbital angular momentum using multilayer amplitude-phase-modulated surfaces in radiofrequency domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kou, Na; Yu, Shixing; Li, Long

2017-01-01

A high-order Bessel vortex beam carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) is generated by using multilayer amplitude-phase-modulated surfaces (APMSs) at 10 GHz. The APMS transmitarray is composed of four-layer conformal square-loop (FCSL) surfaces with both amplitude and phase modulation. The APMS can transform a quasi-spherical wave emitted from the feeding source into a pseudo non-diffractive high-order Bessel vortex beam with OAM. The APMS for a second-order Bessel beam carrying OAM in the n = 2 mode is designed, fabricated, and measured. Full-wave simulation and measurement results confirm that Bessel vortex beams with OAM can be effectively generated using the proposed APMS transmitarray.

TU-G-BRB-03: Iterative Optimization of Normalized Transmission Maps for IMRT Using Arbitrary Beam Profiles.

PubMed

Choi, K; Suh, T; Xing, L

2012-06-01

Newly available flattening filter free (FFF) beam increases the dose rate by 3∼6 times at the central axis. In reality, even flattening filtered beam is not perfectly flat. In addition, the beam profiles across different fields may not have the same amplitude. The existing inverse planning formalism based on the total-variation of intensity (or fluence) map cannot consider these properties of beam profiles. The purpose of this work is to develop a novel dose optimization scheme with incorporation of the inherent beam profiles to maximally utilize the efficacy of arbitrary beam profiles while preserving the convexity of the optimization problem. To increase the accuracy of the problem formalism, we decompose the fluence map as an elementwise multiplication of the inherent beam profile and a normalized transmission map (NTM). Instead of attempting to optimize the fluence maps directly, we optimize the NTMs and beam profiles separately. A least-squares problem constrained by total-variation of NTMs is developed to derive the optimal fluence maps that balances the dose conformality and FFF beam delivery efficiency. With the resultant NTMs, we find beam profiles to renormalized NTMs. The proposed method iteratively optimizes and renormalizes NTMs in a closed loop manner. The advantage of the proposed method is demonstrated by using a head-neck case with flat beam profiles and a prostate case with non-flat beam profiles. The obtained NTMs achieve more conformal dose distribution while preserving piecewise constancy compared to the existing solution. The proposed formalism has two major advantages over the conventional inverse planning schemes: (1) it provides a unified framework for inverse planning with beams of arbitrary fluence profiles, including treatment with beams of mixed fluence profiles; (2) the use of total-variation constraints on NTMs allows us to optimally balance the dose confromality and deliverability for a given beam configuration. This project was supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation (0854492), National Cancer Institute (1R01 CA104205), and Leading Foreign Research Institute Recruitment Program by the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (K20901000001-09E0100-00110). To the authors' best knowledgement, there is no conflict interest. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Design concept for improved photo-scan tube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malling, L. R.

1967-01-01

Conceptual photo-scan tube avoids complexity of internal beam scanning and beam-current adjustment by optical scan readout. It differs from a conventional image orthicon in its use of an external oscilloscope tube.

Dynamic assessment of reinforced concrete beams repaired with externally bonded FRP sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonfiglioli, B.; Pascale, G.

2006-01-01

This research deals with RC beams strengthened with FRP. An experimental research is presented which is aimed at evaluating the capability of an experimental modal analysis to assess the stiffness decrease due to damage, as well as the stiffness recovery due to strengthening. Ten beams were tested. All of them were subjected to loading cycles with increasing load levels in order to induce cracking of different severity in them. The beams were then retrofitted by externally bonded FRP sheets. Three types of composites were used. The number of layers was varied, too. Modal tests were carried out after each loading-unloading cycle. The modal frequencies and damping ratios were determined for the first four vibration modes. The results obtained indicate that an experimental modal analysis can give useful information on the severity of damage and the effectiveness of strengthening.

Dosimetric characteristics of Novalis Tx system with high definition multileaf collimator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang Zheng; Wang Zhiheng; Wu, Q. Jackie

A new Novalis Tx system equipped with a high definition multileaf collimator (HDMLC) recently became available to perform both image-guided radiosurgery and conventional radiotherapy. It is capable of delivering a highly conformal radiation dose with three energy modes: 6 MV photon energy, 15 MV photon energy, and 6 MV photon energy in a stereotactic radiosurgery mode with 1000 MU/min dose rate. Dosimetric characteristics of the new Novalis Tx treatment unit with the HDMLC are systematically measured for commissioning. A high resolution diode detector and miniion-chamber detector are used to measure dosimetric data for a range of field sizes from 4x4more » mm to 400x400 mm. The commissioned Novalis Tx system has passed the RPC stereotactic radiosurgery head phantom irradiation test. The Novalis Tx system not only expands its capabilities with three energy modes, but also achieves better beam conformity and sharer beam penumbra with HDMLC. Since there is little beam data information available for the new Novalis Tx system, we present in this work the dosimetric data of the new modality for reference and comparison.« less

In vivo verification of particle therapy: how Compton camera configurations affect 3D image quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackin, D.; Draeger, E.; Peterson, S.; Polf, J.; Beddar, S.

2017-05-01

The steep dose gradients enabled by the Bragg peaks of particle therapy beams are a double edged sword. They enable highly conformal dose distributions, but even small deviations from the planned beam range can cause overdosing of healthy tissue or under-dosing of the tumour. To reduce this risk, particle therapy treatment plans include margins large enough to account for all the sources of range uncertainty, which include patient setup errors, patient anatomy changes, and CT number to stopping power ratios. Any system that could verify the beam range in vivo, would allow reduced margins and more conformal dose distributions. Toward our goal developing such a system based on Compton camera (CC) imaging, we studied how three configurations (single camera, parallel opposed, and orthogonal) affect the quality of the 3D images. We found that single CC and parallel opposed configurations produced superior images in 2D. The increase in parallax produced by an orthogonal CC configuration was shown to be beneficial in producing artefact free 3D images.

SU-E-T-356: Efficient Segmentation of Flattening Filter Free Photon Beamsfor 3D-Conformal SBRT Treatment Planning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barbiere, J; Beninati, G; Ndlovu, A

2015-06-15

Purpose: It has been argued that a 3D-conformal technique (3DCRT) is suitable for SBRT due to its simplicity for non-coplanar planning and delivery. It has also been hypothesized that a high dose delivered in a short time can enhance indirect cell death due to vascular damage as well as limiting intrafraction motion. Flattening Filter Free (FFF) photon beams are ideal for high dose rate treatment but their conical profiles are not ideal for 3DCRT. The purpose of our work is to present a method to efficiently segment an FFF beam for standard 3DCRT planning. Methods: A 10×10 cm Varian Truemore » Beam 6X FFF beam profile was analyzed using segmentation theory to determine the optimum segmentation intensity required to create an 8 cm uniform dose profile. Two segments were automatically created in sequence with a Varian Eclipse treatment planning system by converting isodoses corresponding to the calculated segmentation intensity to contours and applying the “fit and shield” tool. All segments were then added to the FFF beam to create a single merged field. Field blocking can be incorporated but was not used for clarity. Results: Calculation of the segmentation intensity using an algorithm originally proposed by Xia and Verhey indicated that each segment should extend to the 92% isodose. The original FFF beam with 100% at the isocenter at a depth of 10 cm was reduced to 80% at 4cm from the isocenter; the segmented beam had +/−2.5 % uniformity up to 4.4cm from the isocenter. An additional benefit of our method is a 50% decrease in the 80%-20% penumbra of 0.6cm compared to 1.2cm in the original FFF beam. Conclusion: Creation of two optimum segments can flatten a FFF beam and also reduce its penumbra for clinical 3DCRT SBRT treatment.« less

SU-E-T-110: An Investigation On Monitor Unit Threshold and Effects On IMPT Delivery in Proton Pencil Beam Planning System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Syh, J; Ding, X; Syh, J

2015-06-15

Purpose: An approved proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) treatment plan might not be able to deliver because of existed extremely low monitor unit per beam spot. A dual hybrid plan with higher efficiency of higher spot monitor unit and the efficacy of less number of energy layers were searched and optimized. The range of monitor unit threshold setting was investigated and the plan quality was evaluated by target dose conformity. Methods: Certain limitations and requirements need to be checks and tested before a nominal proton PBS treatment plan can be delivered. The plan needs to be met the machine characterization,more » specification in record and verification to deliver the beams. Minimal threshold of monitor unit, e.g. 0.02, per spot was set to filter the low counts and plan was re-computed. Further MU threshold increment was tested in sequence without sacrificing the plan quality. The number of energy layer was also alternated due to elimination of low count layer(s). Results: Minimal MU/spot threshold, spot spacing in each energy layer and total number of energy layer and the MU weighting of beam spots of each beam were evaluated. Plan optimization between increases of the spot MU (efficiency) and less energy layers of delivery (efficacy) was adjusted. 5% weighting limit of total monitor unit per beam was feasible. Scarce spreading of beam spots was not discouraging as long as target dose conformity within 3% criteria. Conclusion: Each spot size is equivalent to the relative dose in the beam delivery system. The energy layer is associated with the depth of the targeting tumor. Our work is crucial to maintain the best possible quality plan. To keep integrity of all intrinsic elements such as spot size, spot number, layer number and the carried weighting of spots in each layer is important in this study.« less

The Low-Temperature Vibrational Behavior of Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

light is extracted from the vacuum ultraviolet storage ring in a 40- × 40-mrad solid angle. The collimated beam is delivered through a vacuum pipe ...a role in the stabilization of the D2 conformer. It is suspect that the presence of the shear planes stabilizes the D2 conformer at such extreme...findings in this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other authorized documents

External-beam irradiation of carcinoma of the penis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sagerman, R.H.; Yu, W.S.; Chung, C.T.

1984-07-01

Twenty-four patients with biopsy-proved squamous-cell carcinoma of the penis underwent external-beam radiation therapy between 1966 and 1980. Fifteen were treated for the primary tumor and 9 for metastatic inguinal lymphadenopathy; no patient received prophylactic nodal irradiation. Seven out of 9 tumors in stage I, 2/3 in stage II, and 1/3 in stage IV were controlled for three years. Control of fixed, inoperable groin nodes was poor, and none of these patients survived beyond 1 1/2 years.

Optimal Treatment of Malignant Long Bone Fracture: Influence of Method of Repair and External Beam Irradiation on the Pathway and Efficacy of Fracture Healing

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

Long Bone Fracture: Influence of Method of Repair and External Beam Irradiation on the Pathway and Efficacy of Fracture Healing 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER...in the fifth quarter of the award. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Fracture healing , bone healing , endochondral ossification, intramembranous ossification...of radiation on the two pathways of bone healing and propose an optimal method of surgical fracture repair for managing malignant osteoporotic

High Contrast Internal and External Coronagraph Masks Produced by Various Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatha; Wilson, Daniel; White, Victor; Muller, Richard; Dickie, Matthew; Yee, Karl; Ruiz, Ronald; Shaklan, Stuart; Cady, Eric; Kern, Brian;

High energy micro electron beam generation using chirped laser pulse in the presence of an axial magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akou, H., E-mail: h.akou@nit.ac.ir; Hamedi, M.

2015-10-15

In this paper, the generation of high-quality and high-energy micro electron beam in vacuum by a chirped Gaussian laser pulse in the presence of an axial magnetic field is numerically investigated. The features of energy and angular spectra, emittances, and position distribution of electron beam are compared in two cases, i.e., in the presence and absence of an external magnetic field. The electron beam is accelerated with higher energy and qualified in spatial distribution in the presence of the magnetic field. The presence of an axial magnetic field improves electron beam spatial quality as well as its gained energy throughmore » keeping the electron motion parallel to the direction of propagation for longer distances. It has been found that a 64 μm electron bunch with about MeV initial energy becomes a 20 μm electron beam with high energy of the order of GeV, after interacting with a laser pulse in the presence of an external magnetic field.« less

A simulation-based study on the influence of beam hardening in X-ray computed tomography for dimensional metrology.

PubMed

Lifton, Joseph J; Malcolm, Andrew A; McBride, John W

2015-01-01

X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a radiographic scanning technique for visualising cross-sectional images of an object non-destructively. From these cross-sectional images it is possible to evaluate internal dimensional features of a workpiece which may otherwise be inaccessible to tactile and optical instruments. Beam hardening is a physical process that degrades the quality of CT images and has previously been suggested to influence dimensional measurements. Using a validated simulation tool, the influence of spectrum pre-filtration and beam hardening correction are evaluated for internal and external dimensional measurements. Beam hardening is shown to influence internal and external dimensions in opposition, and to have a greater influence on outer dimensions compared to inner dimensions. The results suggest the combination of spectrum pre-filtration and a local gradient-based surface determination method are able to greatly reduce the influence of beam hardening in X-ray CT for dimensional metrology.

Over-under double-pass interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schindler, Rudolf A. (Inventor)

1980-01-01

An over-under double-pass interferometer in which the beamsplitter area and thickness can be reduced to conform only with optical flatness considerations is achieved by offsetting the optical center line of one cat's-eye retroreflector relative to the optical center line of the other in order that one split beam be folded into a plane distinct from the other folded split beam. The beamsplitter is made transparent in one area for a first folded beam to be passed to a mirror for doubling back and is made totally reflective in another area for the second folded beam to be reflected to a mirror for doubling back. The two beams thus doubled back are combined in the central, beam-splitting area of the beamsplitter and passed to a detector. This makes the beamsplitter insensitive to minimum-thickness requirements and selection of material.

Quality assurance for gamma knives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, E.D.; Banks, W.W.; Fischer, L.E.

1995-09-01

This report describes and summarizes the results of a quality assurance (QA) study of the Gamma Knife, a nuclear medical device used for the gamma irradiation of intracranial lesions. Focus was on the physical aspects of QA and did not address issues that are essentially medical, such as patient selection or prescription of dose. A risk-based QA assessment approach was used. Sample programs for quality control and assurance are included. The use of the Gamma Knife was found to conform to existing standards and guidelines concerning radiation safety and quality control of external beam therapies (shielding, safety reviews, radiation surveys,more » interlock systems, exposure monitoring, good medical physics practices, etc.) and to be compliant with NRC teletherapy regulations. There are, however, current practices for the Gamma Knife not covered by existing, formalized regulations, standards, or guidelines. These practices have been adopted by Gamma Knife users and continue to be developed with further experience. Some of these have appeared in publications or presentations and are slowly finding their way into recommendations of professional organizations.« less

Early-stage central lung cancer and volumetric modulated arc therapy: a dosimetric case study with literature review.

PubMed

Valakh, Vladimir; Chan, Philip; D'Adamo, Karen; Micaily, Bizhan

2013-10-01

In the present article we review on the use of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) for a small lung nodule that was centrally located in close proximity to the mediastinal structures. An inoperable patient with central, clinical stage IA adenocarcinoma of the right lung was treated with external-beam radiation therapy of 52.5 Gy in 15 factions. A single 360° coplanar arc VMAT plan (360-VMAT) was used for treatment and compared to step-and-shoot Intensity Modulation Radiotherapy (IMRT) and a single 180° ipsilateral partial arc VMAT plan (180-VMAT). Planning Target Volume (PTV) coverage was not different, and 360-VMAT had the highest dose homogeneity. Both 360-VMAT and 180-VMAT reduced esophageal dose compared to IMRT. While IMRT had the lowest lung dose, all 3 plans achieved acceptable sparing of the lung. 180-VMAT had the highest dose conformity. Both 360-VMAT and 180-VMAT improved esophageal sparing compared to IMRT. Use of VMAT in early-stage, centrally located NSCLC is a promising treatment approach and merits additional investigation.

Treatment planning for radiotherapy with very high-energy electron beams and comparison of VHEE and VMAT plans

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bazalova-Carter, Magdalena; Qu, Bradley; Palma, Bianey

2015-05-15

Purpose: The aim of this work was to develop a treatment planning workflow for rapid radiotherapy delivered with very high-energy electron (VHEE) scanning pencil beams of 60–120 MeV and to study VHEE plans as a function of VHEE treatment parameters. Additionally, VHEE plans were compared to clinical state-of-the-art volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) photon plans for three cases. Methods: VHEE radiotherapy treatment planning was performed by linking EGSnrc Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculations with inverse treatment planning in a research version of RayStation. In order to study the effect of VHEE treatment parameters on VHEE dose distributions, a MATLAB graphicalmore » user interface (GUI) for calculation of VHEE MC pencil beam doses was developed. Through the GUI, pediatric case MC simulations were run for a number of beam energies (60, 80, 100, and 120 MeV), number of beams (13, 17, and 36), pencil beam spot (0.1, 1.0, and 3.0 mm) and grid (2.0, 2.5, and 3.5 mm) sizes, and source-to-axis distance, SAD (40 and 50 cm). VHEE plans for the pediatric case calculated with the different treatment parameters were optimized and compared. Furthermore, 100 MeV VHEE plans for the pediatric case, a lung, and a prostate case were calculated and compared to the clinically delivered VMAT plans. All plans were normalized such that the 100% isodose line covered 95% of the target volume. Results: VHEE beam energy had the largest effect on the quality of dose distributions of the pediatric case. For the same target dose, the mean doses to organs at risk (OARs) decreased by 5%–16% when planned with 100 MeV compared to 60 MeV, but there was no further improvement in the 120 MeV plan. VHEE plans calculated with 36 beams outperformed plans calculated with 13 and 17 beams, but to a more modest degree (<8%). While pencil beam spacing and SAD had a small effect on VHEE dose distributions, 0.1–3 mm pencil beam sizes resulted in identical dose distributions. For the 100 MeV VHEE pediatric plan, OAR doses were up to 70% lower and the integral dose was 33% lower for VHEE compared to 6 MV VMAT. Additionally, VHEE conformity indices (CI{sub 100} = 1.09 and CI{sub 50} = 4.07) were better than VMAT conformity indices (CI{sub 100} = 1.30 and CI{sub 50} = 6.81). The 100 MeV VHEE lung plan resulted in mean dose decrease to all OARs by up to 27% for the same target coverage compared to the clinical 6 MV flattening filter-free (FFF) VMAT plan. The 100 MeV prostate plan resulted in 3% mean dose increase to the penile bulb and the urethra, but all other OAR mean doses were lower compared to the 15 MV VMAT plan. The lung case CI{sub 100} and CI{sub 50} conformity indices were 3% and 8% lower, respectively, in the VHEE plan compared to the VMAT plan. The prostate case CI{sub 100} and CI{sub 50} conformity indices were 1% higher and 8% lower, respectively, in the VHEE plan compared to the VMAT plan. Conclusions: The authors have developed a treatment planning workflow for MC dose calculation of pencil beams and optimization for treatment planning of VHEE radiotherapy. The authors have demonstrated that VHEE plans resulted in similar or superior dose distributions for pediatric, lung, and prostate cases compared to clinical VMAT plans.« less

External cervical resorption: an analysis using cone beam and microfocus computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy.

PubMed

Gunst, V; Mavridou, A; Huybrechts, B; Van Gorp, G; Bergmans, L; Lambrechts, P

2013-09-01

To provide a three-dimensional representation of external cervical resorption (ECR) with microscopy, stereo microscopy, cone beam computed tomography (CT), microfocus CT and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). External cervical resorption is an aggressive form of root resorption, leading to a loss of dental hard tissues. This is due to clastic action, activated by a damage of the covering cementum and stimulated probably by infection. Clinically, it is a challenging situation as it is characterized by a late symptomatology. This is due to the pericanalar protection from a resorption-resistant sheet, composed of pre-dentine and surrounding dentine. The clastic activity is often associated with an attempt to repair, seen by the formation of osteoid tissue. Cone beam CT is extremely useful in the diagnoses and treatment planning of ECR. SEM analyses provide a better insight into the activity of osteoclasts. The root canal is surrounded by a layer of dentine that is resistant to resorption. © 2013 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Histological changes in the human prostate after radiotherapy and salvage high intensity focused ultrasound

PubMed Central

Chalasani, Venu; Martinez, Carlos H.; Williams, Andrew K.; Kwan, Kevin; Chin, Joseph L.

2010-01-01

The histological changes (both macroscopic and microscopic) in the prostate following the combination of external beam radiotherapy and salvage high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) have not been previously described. This article describes the case of a 65-year-old male who presented with recurrent localized prostate cancer after undergoing external beam radiotherapy for low-risk prostate cancer. He was treated with salvage HIFU, and 4 weeks later presented with symptoms and signs consistent with a prostatorectal fistula. During a period of conservative management, his serum prostate-specific antigen levels started rising after having reached a nadir. A radical cystoprostatectomy and repair of fistula were performed after conservative management failed. Histological changes of dense fibrosis were noted in the region where the prostate should have been located. A literature review of the histological findings in the prostate after HIFU is discussed in this article, as well as the available evidence for the management of patients with local failure after the combination of external beam radiotherapy and salvage HIFU. PMID:20694085

Patient safety in external beam radiotherapy, results of the ACCIRAD project: Recommendations for radiotherapy institutions and national authorities on assessing risks and analysing adverse error-events and near misses.

PubMed

Malicki, Julian; Bly, Ritva; Bulot, Mireille; Godet, Jean-Luc; Jahnen, Andreas; Krengli, Marco; Maingon, Philippe; Prieto Martin, Carlos; Skrobala, Agnieszka; Valero, Marc; Jarvinen, Hannu

2018-05-02

The ACCIRAD project, commissioned by the European Commission (EC) to develop guidelines for risk analysis of accidental and unintended exposures in external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), was completed in the year 2014. In 2015, the "General guidelines on risk management in external beam radiotherapy" were published as EC report Radiation Protection (RP)-181. The present document is the third and final report of the findings from the ACCIRAD project. The main aim of this paper is to describe the key features of the risk management process and to provide general guidelines for radiotherapy departments and national authorities on risk assessment and analysis of adverse error-events and near misses. The recommendations provided here and in EC report RP-181 are aimed at promoting the harmonisation of risk management systems across Europe, improving patient safety, and enabling more reliable inter-country comparisons. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Generating AN Optimum Treatment Plan for External Beam Radiation Therapy.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabus, Irwin

1990-01-01

The application of linear programming to the generation of an optimum external beam radiation treatment plan is investigated. MPSX, an IBM linear programming software package was used. All data originated from the CAT scan of an actual patient who was treated for a pancreatic malignant tumor before this study began. An examination of several alternatives for representing the cross section of the patient showed that it was sufficient to use a set of strategically placed points in the vital organs and tumor and a grid of points spaced about one half inch apart for the healthy tissue. Optimum treatment plans were generated from objective functions representing various treatment philosophies. The optimum plans were based on allowing for 216 external radiation beams which accounted for wedges of any size. A beam reduction scheme then reduced the number of beams in the optimum plan to a number of beams small enough for implementation. Regardless of the objective function, the linear programming treatment plan preserved about 95% of the patient's right kidney vs. 59% for the plan the hospital actually administered to the patient. The clinician, on the case, found most of the linear programming treatment plans to be superior to the hospital plan. An investigation was made, using parametric linear programming, concerning any possible benefits derived from generating treatment plans based on objective functions made up of convex combinations of two objective functions, however, this proved to have only limited value. This study also found, through dual variable analysis, that there was no benefit gained from relaxing some of the constraints on the healthy regions of the anatomy. This conclusion was supported by the clinician. Finally several schemes were found that, under certain conditions, can further reduce the number of beams in the final linear programming treatment plan.

An experimentally based analytical model for the shear capacity of FRP-strengthened reinforced concrete beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellegrino, C.; Modena, C.

2008-05-01

This paper deals with the shear strengthening of Reinforced Concrete (RC) flexural members with externally bonded Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRPs). The interaction between an external FRP and an internal transverse steel reinforcement is not considered in actual code recommendations, but it strongly influences the efficiency of the shear strengthening rehabilitation technique and, as a consequence, the computation of interacting contributions to the nominal shear strength of beams. This circumstance is also discussed on the basis of the results of an experimental investigation of rectangular RC beams strengthened in shear with "U-jacketed" carbon FRP sheets. Based on experimental results of the present and other investigations, a new analytical model for describing the shear capacity of RC beams strengthened according to the most common schemes (side-bonded and "U-jacketed"), taking into account the interaction between steel and FRP shear strength contributions, is proposed.

Delivery confirmation of bolus electron conformal therapy combined with intensity modulated x-ray therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kavanaugh, James A.; Hogstrom, Kenneth R.; Fontenot, Jonas P.

2013-02-15

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that a bolus electron conformal therapy (ECT) dose plan and a mixed beam plan, composed of an intensity modulated x-ray therapy (IMXT) dose plan optimized on top of the bolus ECT plan, can be accurately delivered. Methods: Calculated dose distributions were compared with measured dose distributions for parotid and chest wall (CW) bolus ECT and mixed beam plans, each simulated in a cylindrical polystyrene phantom that allowed film dose measurements. Bolus ECT plans were created for both parotid and CW PTVs (planning target volumes) using 20 and 16 MeV beams, respectively,more » whose 90% dose surface conformed to the PTV. Mixed beam plans consisted of an IMXT dose plan optimized on top of the bolus ECT dose plan. The bolus ECT, IMXT, and mixed beam dose distributions were measured using radiographic films in five transverse and one sagittal planes for a total of 36 measurement conditions. Corrections for film dose response, effects of edge-on photon irradiation, and effects of irregular phantom optical properties on the Cerenkov component of the film signal resulted in high precision measurements. Data set consistency was verified by agreement of depth dose at the intersections of the sagittal plane with the five measured transverse planes. For these same depth doses, results for the mixed beam plan agreed with the sum of the individual depth doses for the bolus ECT and IMXT plans. The six mean measured planar dose distributions were compared with those calculated by the treatment planning system for all modalities. Dose agreement was assessed using the 4% dose difference and 0.2 cm distance to agreement. Results: For the combined high-dose region and low-dose region, pass rates for the parotid and CW plans were 98.7% and 96.2%, respectively, for the bolus ECT plans and 97.9% and 97.4%, respectively, for the mixed beam plans. For the high-dose gradient region, pass rates for the parotid and CW plans were 93.1% and 94.62%, respectively, for the bolus ECT plans and 89.2% and 95.1%, respectively, for the mixed beam plans. For all regions, pass rates for the parotid and CW plans were 98.8% and 97.3%, respectively, for the bolus ECT plans and 97.5% and 95.9%, respectively, for the mixed beam plans. For the IMXT component of the mixed beam plans, pass rates for the parotid and CW plans were 93.7% and 95.8%. Conclusions: Bolus ECT and mixed beam therapy dose delivery to the phantom were more accurate than IMXT delivery, adding confidence to the use of planning, fabrication, and delivery for bolus ECT tools either alone or as part of mixed beam therapy. The methodology reported in this work could serve as a basis for future standardization of the commissioning of bolus ECT or mixed beam therapy. When applying this technology to patients, it is recommended that an electron dose algorithm more accurate than the pencil beam algorithm, e.g., a Monte Carlo algorithm or analytical transport such as the pencil beam redefinition algorithm, be used for planning to ensure the desired accuracy.« less

Monolayer and/or few-layer graphene on metal or metal-coated substrates

DOEpatents

Sutter, Peter Werner; Sutter, Eli Anguelova

2015-04-14

Disclosed is monolayer and/or few-layer graphene on metal or metal-coated substrates. Embodiments include graphene mirrors. In an example, a mirror includes a substrate that has a surface exhibiting a curvature operable to focus an incident beam onto a focal plane. A graphene layer conformally adheres to the substrate, and is operable to protect the substrate surface from degradation due to the incident beam and an ambient environment.

The Structure of Phenylglycinol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simao, Alcides; Peña, Isabel; Cabezas, Carlos; Alonso, José L.

2014-06-01

The most abundant conformer of the amino alcohol D-phenylglycinol has been observed in gas phase using broadband chirped pulse Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy (CP-FTMW) and laser ablation molecular beam Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy (LA-MB-FTMW). The rotational spectra corresponding to seven monosubstituted 13C, one monosubstituted 15N and one monosubstituted 18O species have been observed in their natural abundance, and the rs structure has been derived. The observed conformer is stabilized by O-H\\cdotsN, N-H\\cdotsπ intramolecular hydrogen bond network.

Numerical procedures for the calculation of the stresses in monocoques III : calculation of the bending moments in fuselage frames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoff, N J; Libby, Paul A; Klein, Bertran

1946-01-01

This report deals with the calculation of the bending moments in and the distortions of fuselage rings upon which known concentrated and distributed loads are acting. In the procedure suggested, the ring is divided into a number of beams each having a constant radius of curvature. The forces and moments caused in the end sections of the beams by individual unit displacements of the end sections are listed in a table designated as the operations table in conformity with Southwell's nomenclature. The operations table and the external loads are equivalent to a set of linear equations. For their solution the following three procedures are presented: 1) Southwell's method of systematic relaxations. This is a step-by-step approximation procedure guided by the physical interpretation of the changes in the values of the unknown. 2) The growing unit procedure in which the individual beams are combined successively into beams of increasing length until finally the entire ring becomes a single beam. In each step of the procedure a set of not more than three simultaneous linear equations is solved. 3) Solution of the entire set of simultaneous equations by the methods of the matrix calculus. In order to demonstrate the manner in which the calculations may be carried out, the following numerical examples are worked out: 1) Curved beam with both its end sections rigidly fixed. The load is a concentrated force. 2) Egg-shape ring with symmetric concentrated loads. 3) Circular ring with antisymmetric concentrated loads and shear flow (torsion of the fuselage). 4) Same with V-braces incorporated in the ring. 5) Egg-shape ring with antisymmetric concentrated loads and shear flow (torsion of the fuselage). 6) Same with V-braces incorporated in the ring. The results of these calculations are checked, whenever possible, by calculations carried out according to known methods of analysis. The agreement is found to be good. The amount of work necessary for the solution of ring problems by the methods described in the present report is practically independent of the degree of redundancy of the structure. For this reason the methods are recommended for use particularly in problems of rings having one or more internal bracing elements.

Proton therapy in the clinic.

PubMed

DeLaney, Thomas F

2011-01-01

The clinical advantage for proton radiotherapy over photon approaches is the marked reduction in integral dose to the patient, due to the absence of exit dose beyond the proton Bragg peak. The integral dose with protons is approximately 60% lower than that with any external beam photon technique. Pediatric patients, because of their developing normal tissues and anticipated length of remaining life, are likely to have the maximum clinical gain with the use of protons. Proton therapy may also allow treatment of some adult tumors to much more effective doses, because of normal tissue sparing distal to the tumor. Currently, the most commonly available proton treatment technology uses 3D conformal approaches based on (a) distal range modulation, (b) passive scattering of the proton beam in its x- and y-axes, and (c) lateral beam-shaping. It is anticipated that magnetic pencil beam scanning will become the dominant mode of proton delivery in the future, which will lower neutron scatter associated with passively scattered beam lines, reduce the need for expensive beam-shaping devices, and allow intensity-modulated proton radiotherapy. Proton treatment plans are more sensitive to variations in tumor size and normal tissue changes over the course of treatment than photon plans, and it is expected that adaptive radiation therapy will be increasingly important for proton therapy as well. While impressive treatment results have been reported with protons, their cost is higher than for photon IMRT. Hence, protons should ideally be employed for anatomic sites and tumors not well treated with photons. While protons appear cost-effective for pediatric tumors, their cost-effectiveness for treatment of some adult tumors, such as prostate cancer, is uncertain. Comparative studies have been proposed or are in progress to more rigorously assess their value for a variety of sites. The utility of proton therapy will be enhanced by technological developments that reduce its cost. Combinations of 3D protons with IMRT photons may offer improved treatment plans at lower cost than pure proton plans. Hypofractionation with proton therapy appears to be safe and cost-effective for many tumor sites, such as for selected liver, lung and pancreas cancers, and may yield significant reduction in the cost of a therapy course. Together, these offer practical strategies for expanding the clinical availability of proton therapy. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

General Conformity Training Modules: Appendix A Sample Emissions Calculations

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Appendix A of the training modules gives example calculations for external and internal combustion sources, construction, fuel storage and transfer, on-road vehicles, aircraft operations, storage piles, and paved roads.

Proton Beam Therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paganetti, Harald

2017-01-01

Cancer therapy is a multi-modality approach including surgery, systemic or targeted chemotherapy, radiation (external beam or radionuclide), and immunotherapy. Radiation is typically administered using external beam photon therapy. Proton therapy has been around for more than 60 years but was restricted to research laboratories until the 1990s. Since then clinical proton therapy has been growing rapidly with currently more than 50 facilities worldwide. The interest in proton therapy stems from the physical properties of protons allowing for advanced dose sculpting around the target and sparing of healthy tissue. This review first evaluates the basics of proton therapy physics and technology and then outlines some of the current physical, biological, and clinical challenges. Solving these will ultimately determine whether proton therapy will continue on its path to becoming mainstream.

Green high-power tunable external-cavity GaN diode laser at 515  nm.

PubMed

Chi, Mingjun; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Petersen, Paul Michael

2016-09-15

A 480 mW green tunable diode laser system is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. The laser system is based on a GaN broad-area diode laser and Littrow external-cavity feedback. The green laser system is operated in two modes by switching the polarization direction of the laser beam incident on the grating. When the laser beam is p-polarized, an output power of 50 mW with a tunable range of 9.2 nm is achieved. When the laser beam is s-polarized, an output power of 480 mW with a tunable range of 2.1 nm is obtained. This constitutes the highest output power from a tunable green diode laser system.

A constitutively activating mutation alters the dynamics and energetics of a key conformational change in a ligand-free G protein-coupled receptor.

PubMed

Tsukamoto, Hisao; Farrens, David L

2013-09-27

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) undergo dynamic transitions between active and inactive conformations. Usually, these conversions are triggered when the receptor detects an external signal, but some so-called constitutively activating mutations, or CAMs, induce a GPCR to bind and activate G proteins in the absence of external stimulation, in ways still not fully understood. Here, we investigated how a CAM alters the structure of a GPCR and the dynamics involved as the receptor transitions between different conformations. Our approach used site-directed fluorescence labeling (SDFL) spectroscopy to compare opsin, the ligand-free form of the GPCR rhodopsin, with opsin containing the CAM M257Y, focusing specifically on key movements that occur in the sixth transmembrane helix (TM6) during GPCR activation. The site-directed fluorescence labeling data indicate opsin is constrained to an inactive conformation both in detergent micelles and lipid membranes, but when it contains the M257Y CAM, opsin is more dynamic and can interact with a G protein mimetic. Further study of these receptors using tryptophan-induced quenching (TrIQ) methods indicates that in detergent, the CAM significantly increases the population of receptors in the active state, but not in lipids. Subsequent Arrhenius analysis of the TrIQ data suggests that, both in detergent and lipids, the CAM lowers the energy barrier for TM6 movement, a key transition required for conversion between the inactive and active conformations. Together, these data suggest that the lowered energy barrier is a primary effect of the CAM on the receptor dynamics and energetics.

Carbon-ion radiotherapy for marginal lymph node recurrences of cervical cancer after definitive radiotherapy: a case report.

PubMed

Tamaki, Tomoaki; Ohno, Tatsuya; Kiyohara, Hiroki; Noda, Shin-ei; Ohkubo, Yu; Ando, Ken; Wakatsuki, Masaru; Kato, Shingo; Kamada, Tadashi; Nakano, Takashi

2013-04-05

Recurrences of cervical cancer after definitive radiotherapy often occur at common iliac or para-aortic lymph nodes as marginal lymph node recurrences. Patients with these recurrences have a chance of long-term survival by optimal re-treatment with radiotherapy. However, the re-irradiation often overlaps the initial and the secondary radiotherapy fields and can result in increased normal tissue toxicities in the bowels or the stomach. Carbon-ion radiotherapy, a form of particle beam radiotherapy using accelerated carbon ions, offers more conformal and sharp dose distribution than X-ray radiotherapy. Therefore, this approach enables the delivery of high radiation doses to the target while sparing its surrounding normal tissues. Marginal lymph node recurrences in common iliac lymph nodes after radiotherapy were treated successfully by carbon-ion radiotherapy in two patients. These two patients were initially treated with a combination of external beam radiotherapy and intracavitary and interstitial brachytherapy. However, the diseases recurred in the lymph nodes near the border of the initial radiotherapy fields after 22 months and 23 months. Because re-irradiation with X-ray radiotherapy may deliver high doses to a section of the bowels, carbon-ion radiotherapy was selected to treat the lymph node recurrences. A total dose of 48 Gy (RBE) in 12 fractions over 3 weeks was given to the lymph node recurrences, and the tumors disappeared completely with no severe acute toxicities. The two patients showed no evidence of disease for 75 months and 63 months after the initial radiotherapy and for 50 months and 37 months after the carbon-ion radiotherapy, respectively. No severe late adverse effects are observed in these patients. The two presented cases suggest that the highly conformal dose distribution of carbon-ion radiotherapy may be beneficial in the treatment of marginal lymph node recurrences after radiotherapy. In addition, the higher biological effect of carbon-ion radiotherapy and its superior dose distribution may provide more effective tumor control in treatment for re-irradiation of the marginal recurrences in radiation resistant tumors other than cervical cancer.

SU-E-T-410: Evaluation of Treatment Modalities for Stereotactic Lung Radiation Therapy: A Phantom Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mohatt, D; Malhotra, H

Purpose: To evaluate and verify the accuracy of alternative treatment modalities for stereotactic lung therapy with end-to-end testing. We compared three dimensional conformal therapy (3DCRT), dynamic conformal arc therapy (DCAT), intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment using 6 MV, 6 MV flattening filter free (FFF) and 10 MV FFF photons. Methods: A QUASAR respiratory motion phantom was utilized with custom ion chamber and gafchromatic EBT2 film inserts. The phantom contained a low density lung medium with a cylindrical polystyrene tumor (35 cc). Pseudo representative structures for various organs at risk (OAR) were created. Allmore » treatment plans were created using Eclipse ver. 11 using the same image and structure sets, and delivered via Varian TrueBeam STx linear accelerator equipped with high definition MLC. Evaluation of plan quality followed ROTG 0813 criterion for conformity index (CI100%), high dose spillage, D2cm, and R50%. Results: All treatment plans met the OAR dose constraints per protocol and could be delivered without any beam hold offs or other interlocks and hence were deemed clinically safe. For equivalent beam energies, target conformity was improved for all modalities when switching to FFF mode. Treatment efficiency increased for VMAT FFF by a factor of 3–4 over IMRT, and up to factor of 7 when compared to 3DCRT. Pass rates were > 97% for all treatment using gamma criteria of 3%, 3mm. Absolute dose at iso-center was verified with ion chamber, and found to be within 2% of the treatment planning system. Conclusion: The higher dose rate associated with FFF not only reduces delivery times, but in most cases enhances plan quality. The one modality with succeeding best results for all RTOG criterions was VMAT 6 MV FFF. This end-to-end testing provides necessary confidence in the entire dose delivery chain for lung SBRT patients.« less

The Inherent Conformational Preferences of Glutamine-Containing Peptides: the Role for Side-Chain Backbone Hydrogen Bonds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, Patrick S.; McBurney, Carl; Gellman, Samuel H.; Zwier, Timothy S.

2015-06-01

Glutamine is widely known to be found in critical regions of peptides which readily fold into amyloid fibrils, the structures commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease and glutamine repeat diseases such as Huntington's disease. Building on previous single-conformation data on Gln-containing peptides containing an aromatic cap on the N-terminus (Z-Gln-OH and Z-Gln-NHMe), we present here single-conformation UV and IR spectra of Ac-Gln-NHBn and Ac-Ala-Gln-NHBn, with its C-terminal benzyl cap. These results point towards side-chain to backbone hydrogen bonds dominating the structures observed in the cold, isolated environment of a molecular beam. We have identified and assigned three main conformers for Ac-Gln-NHBn all involving primary side-chain to backbone interactions. Ac-Ala-Gln-NHBn extends the peptide chain by one amino acid, but affords an improvement in the conformational flexibility. Despite this increase in the flexibility, only a single conformation is observed in the gas-phase: a structure which makes use of both side-chain-to-backbone and backbone-to-backbone hydrogen bonds.

The role of amino acid side chains in stabilizing dipeptides: the laser ablation Fourier transform microwave spectrum of Ac-Val-NH2.

PubMed

León, I; Alonso, E R; Mata, S; Cabezas, C; Rodríguez, M A; Grabow, J-U; Alonso, J L

2017-09-20

The steric effects imposed by the isopropyl group of valine in the conformational stabilization of the capped dipeptide N-acetyl-l-valinamide (Ac-Val-NH 2 ) have been studied by laser ablation molecular beam Fourier transform microwave (LA-MB-FTMW) spectroscopy. The rotational and quadrupole coupling constants of the two 14 N nuclei determined in this work show that this dipeptide exists as a mixture of C 7 and C 5 conformers in the supersonic expansion. The conformers are stabilized by a C[double bond, length as m-dash]OH-N intramolecular hydrogen bond closing a seven- or a five-membered ring, respectively. The observation of both conformers is in good agreement with previous results on the related dipeptides containing different residues, confirming that the polarity/non-polarity of the side chains of the amino acid is responsible for the conformational locking/unlocking. The voluminous isopropyl group is not able to prevent the less stable C 5 conformer from forming but it destabilizes the C[double bond, length as m-dash]OH-N interaction.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nunes, R. P.; Rizzato, F. B.

This work analyzes the transversal dynamics of an inhomogeneous and mismatched charged particle beam. The beam is azimuthally symmetric, initially cold, and evolves in a linear channel permeated by an external constant magnetic field. Based on a Lagrangian approach, a low-dimensional model for the description of the beam dynamics has been obtained. The small set of nonlinear dynamical equations provided results that are in reasonable agreement with that ones observed in full self-consistent N-particle beam numerical simulations.

49 CFR 178.346-4 - Outlets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... must conform to § 178.345-11 and this section. (b) External self-closing stop-valves are not authorized as an alternative to internal self-closing stop-valves on loading/unloading outlets. [Amdt. 178-89...

Fractionation in normal tissues: the (α/β)eff concept can account for dose heterogeneity and volume effects.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Aswin L; Nahum, Alan E

2013-10-07

The simple Linear-Quadratic (LQ)-based Withers iso-effect formula (WIF) is widely used in external-beam radiotherapy to derive a new tumour dose prescription such that there is normal-tissue (NT) iso-effect when changing the fraction size and/or number. However, as conventionally applied, the WIF is invalid unless the normal-tissue response is solely determined by the tumour dose. We propose a generalized WIF (gWIF) which retains the tumour prescription dose, but replaces the intrinsic fractionation sensitivity measure (α/β) by a new concept, the normal-tissue effective fractionation sensitivity, [Formula: see text], which takes into account both the dose heterogeneity in, and the volume effect of, the late-responding normal-tissue in question. Closed-form analytical expressions for [Formula: see text] ensuring exact normal-tissue iso-effect are derived for: (i) uniform dose, and (ii) arbitrary dose distributions with volume-effect parameter n = 1 from the normal-tissue dose-volume histogram. For arbitrary dose distributions and arbitrary n, a numerical solution for [Formula: see text] exhibits a weak dependence on the number of fractions. As n is increased, [Formula: see text] increases from its intrinsic value at n = 0 (100% serial normal-tissue) to values close to or even exceeding the tumour (α/β) at n = 1 (100% parallel normal-tissue), with the highest values of [Formula: see text] corresponding to the most conformal dose distributions. Applications of this new concept to inverse planning and to highly conformal modalities are discussed, as is the effect of possible deviations from LQ behaviour at large fraction sizes.

Optimal Treatment of Malignant Long Bone Fracture: Influence of Method of Repair and External Beam Irradiation on the Pathway and Efficacy of Fracture Healing

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

stiffness, or a partial snap with lower yield force and stiffness (Figure 4). Three dimensional micro CT analysis around fracture Figure 3. (a-b... fractures with plate fixation on both sides and irradiation on the left while the contralateral limb serves as a non-radiated internal control. The...AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-13-1-0430 TITLE: Optimal Treatment of Malignant Long Bone Fracture : Influence of Method of Repair and External Beam

Water equivalent thickness values of materials used in beams of protons, helium, carbon and iron ions.

PubMed

Zhang, Rui; Taddei, Phillip J; Fitzek, Markus M; Newhauser, Wayne D

2010-05-07

Heavy charged particle beam radiotherapy for cancer is of increasing interest because it delivers a highly conformal radiation dose to the target volume. Accurate knowledge of the range of a heavy charged particle beam after it penetrates a patient's body or other materials in the beam line is very important and is usually stated in terms of the water equivalent thickness (WET). However, methods of calculating WET for heavy charged particle beams are lacking. Our objective was to test several simple analytical formulas previously developed for proton beams for their ability to calculate WET values for materials exposed to beams of protons, helium, carbon and iron ions. Experimentally measured heavy charged particle beam ranges and WET values from an iterative numerical method were compared with the WET values calculated by the analytical formulas. In most cases, the deviations were within 1 mm. We conclude that the analytical formulas originally developed for proton beams can also be used to calculate WET values for helium, carbon and iron ion beams with good accuracy.

Water equivalent thickness values of materials used in beams of protons, helium, carbon and iron ions

PubMed Central

Zhang, Rui; Taddei, Phillip J; Fitzek, Markus M; Newhauser, Wayne D

2010-01-01

Heavy charged particle beam radiotherapy for cancer is of increasing interest because it delivers a highly conformal radiation dose to the target volume. Accurate knowledge of the range of a heavy charged particle beam after it penetrates a patient’s body or other materials in the beam line is very important and is usually stated in terms of the water equivalent thickness (WET). However, methods of calculating WET for heavy charged particle beams are lacking. Our objective was to test several simple analytical formulas previously developed for proton beams for their ability to calculate WET values for materials exposed to beams of protons, helium, carbon and iron ions. Experimentally measured heavy charged particle beam ranges and WET values from an iterative numerical method were compared with the WET values calculated by the analytical formulas. Inmost cases, the deviations were within 1 mm. We conclude that the analytical formulas originally developed for proton beams can also be used to calculate WET values for helium, carbon and iron ion beams with good accuracy. PMID:20371908

SU-E-T-571: Newly Emerging Integrated Transmission Detector Systems Provide Online Quality Assurance of External Beam Radiation Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoffman, D; Chung, E; Hess, C

2015-06-15

Purpose: Two newly emerging transmission detectors positioned upstream from the patient have been evaluated for online quality assurance of external beam radiotherapy. The prototype for the Integral Quality Monitor (IQM), developed by iRT Systems GmbH (Koblenz, Germany) is a large-area ion chamber mounted on the linac accessory tray to monitor photon fluence, energy, beam shape, and gantry position during treatment. The ion chamber utilizes a thickness gradient which records variable response dependent on beam position. The prototype of Delta4 Discover™, developed by ScandiDos (Uppsala, Sweden) is a linac accessory tray mounted 4040 diode array that measures photon fluence during patientmore » treatment. Both systems are employable for patient specific QA prior to treatment delivery. Methods: Our institution evaluated the reproducibility of measurements using various beam types, including VMAT treatment plans with both the IQM ion chamber and the Delta4 Discover diode array. Additionally, the IQM’s effect on photon fluence, dose response, simulated beam error detection, and the accuracy of the integrated barometer, thermometer, and inclinometer were characterized. The evaluated photon beam errors are based on the annual tolerances specified in AAPM TG-142. Results: Repeated VMAT treatments were measured with 0.16% reproducibility by the IQM and 0.55% reproducibility by the Delta4 Discover. The IQM attenuated 6, 10, and 15 MV photon beams by 5.43±0.02%, 4.60±0.02%, and 4.21±0.03% respectively. Photon beam profiles were affected <1.5% in the non-penumbra regions. The IQM’s ion chamber’s dose response was linear and the thermometer, barometer, and inclinometer agreed with other calibrated devices. The device detected variations in monitor units delivered (1%), field position (3mm), single MLC leaf positions (13mm), and photon energy. Conclusion: We have characterized two new transmissions detector systems designed to provide in-vivo like measurements upstream from the patient. Both systems demonstrate substantial utility for online treatment verification and QA of photon external beam radiotherapy.« less

Comparing four volumetric modulated arc therapy beam arrangements for the treatment of early-stage prostate cancer

PubMed Central

Elith, Craig A; Dempsey, Shane E; Warren-Forward, Helen M

2014-01-01

Introduction This study compared four different volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) beam arrangements for the treatment of early-stage prostate cancer examining plan quality and the impact on a radiotherapy department's resources. Methods Twenty prostate cases were retrospectively planned using four VMAT beam arrangements (1) a partial arc (PA), (2) one arc (1A), (3) one arc plus a partial arc (1A + PA) and (4) two arcs (2A). The quality of the dose distributions generated were compared by examining the overall plan quality, the homogeneity and conformity to the planning target volume (PTV), the number of monitor units and the dose delivered to the organs at risk. Departmental resources were considered by recording the planning time and beam delivery time. Results Each technique produced a plan of similar quality that was considered adequate for treatment; though some differences were noted. The 1A, 1A + PA and 2A plans demonstrated a better conformity to the PTV which correlated to improved sparing of the rectum in the 60–70 Gy range for the 1A + PA and 2A techniques. The time needed to generate the plans was different for each technique ranging from 13.1 min for 1A + PA to 17.8 min for 1A. The PA beam delivery time was fastest with a mean time of 0.9 min. Beam-on times then increased with an increase in the number of arcs up to an average of 2.2 min for the 2A technique. Conclusion Which VMAT technique is best suited for clinical implementation for the treatment of prostate cancer may be dictated by the individual patient and the availability of departmental resources. PMID:26229643

Polymeric Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

funding have been established, including membership at the BNLS X27C Beam Line, two visiting ASEE Summer faculty, two EOARD programs, two CINT...complement these efforts, collaborative programs with external funding have been established, including membership at the BNLS X27C Beam Line, one visiting

Acceleration and stability of a high-current ion beam in induction fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karas', V. I.; Manuilenko, O. V.; Tarakanov, V. P.; Federovskaya, O. V.

2013-03-01

A one-dimensional nonlinear analytic theory of the filamentation instability of a high-current ion beam is formulated. The results of 2.5-dimensional numerical particle-in-cell simulations of acceleration and stability of an annular compensated ion beam (CIB) in a linear induction particle accelerator are presented. It is shown that additional transverse injection of electron beams in magnetically insulated gaps (cusps) improves the quality of the ion-beam distribution function and provides uniform beam acceleration along the accelerator. The CIB filamentation instability in both the presence and the absence of an external magnetic field is considered.

Shear Strengthening of RC Deep Beam Using Externally Bonded GFRP Fabrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumari, A.; Patel, S. S.; Nayak, A. N.

2018-06-01

This work presents the experimental investigation of RC deep beams wrapped with externally bonded Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) fabrics in order to study the Load versus deflection behavior, cracking pattern, failure modes and ultimate shear strength. A total number of five deep beams have been casted, which is designed with conventional steel reinforcement as per IS: 456 (Indian standard plain and reinforced concrete—code for practice, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, 2000). The spans to depth ratio for all RC deep beams have been kept less than 2 as per the above specification. Out of five RC deep beams, one without retrofitting serves as a reference beam and the rest four have been wrapped with GFRP fabrics in multiple layers and tested with two point loading condition. The first cracking load, ultimate load and the shear contribution of GFRP to the deep beams have been observed. A critical discussion is made with respect to the enhancement of the strength, behaviour and performance of retrofitted deep beams in comparison to the deep beam without GFRP in order to explore the potential use of GFRP for strengthening the RC deep beams. Test results have demonstrated that the deep beams retrofitted with GFRP shows a slower development of the diagonal cracks and improves shear carrying capacity of the RC deep beam. A comparative study of the experimental results with the theoretical ones predicted by various researchers available in the literatures has also been presented. It is observed that the ultimate load of the beams retrofitted with GFRP fabrics increases with increase of number of GFRP layers up to a specific number of layers, i.e. 3 layers, beyond which it decreases.

Shear Strengthening of RC Deep Beam Using Externally Bonded GFRP Fabrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumari, A.; Patel, S. S.; Nayak, A. N.

2018-02-01

This work presents the experimental investigation of RC deep beams wrapped with externally bonded Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) fabrics in order to study the Load versus deflection behavior, cracking pattern, failure modes and ultimate shear strength. A total number of five deep beams have been casted, which is designed with conventional steel reinforcement as per IS: 456 (Indian standard plain and reinforced concrete—code for practice, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, 2000). The spans to depth ratio for all RC deep beams have been kept less than 2 as per the above specification. Out of five RC deep beams, one without retrofitting serves as a reference beam and the rest four have been wrapped with GFRP fabrics in multiple layers and tested with two point loading condition. The first cracking load, ultimate load and the shear contribution of GFRP to the deep beams have been observed. A critical discussion is made with respect to the enhancement of the strength, behaviour and performance of retrofitted deep beams in comparison to the deep beam without GFRP in order to explore the potential use of GFRP for strengthening the RC deep beams. Test results have demonstrated that the deep beams retrofitted with GFRP shows a slower development of the diagonal cracks and improves shear carrying capacity of the RC deep beam. A comparative study of the experimental results with the theoretical ones predicted by various researchers available in the literatures has also been presented. It is observed that the ultimate load of the beams retrofitted with GFRP fabrics increases with increase of number of GFRP layers up to a specific number of layers, i.e. 3 layers, beyond which it decreases.

Longitudinal density modulation and energy conversion in intense beams.

PubMed

Harris, J R; Neumann, J G; Tian, K; O'Shea, P G

2007-08-01

Density modulation of charged particle beams may occur as a consequence of deliberate action, or may occur inadvertently because of imperfections in the particle source or acceleration method. In the case of intense beams, where space charge and external focusing govern the beam dynamics, density modulation may, under some circumstances, be converted to velocity modulation, with a corresponding conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy. Whether this will occur depends on the properties of the beam and the initial modulation. This paper describes the evolution of discrete and continuous density modulations on intense beams and discusses three recent experiments related to the dynamics of density-modulated electron beams.

Betatron radiation based diagnostics for plasma wakefield accelerated electron beams at the SPARC_LAB test facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shpakov, V.; Anania, M. P.; Biagioni, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Curcio, A.; Dabagov, S.; Ferrario, M.; Filippi, F.; Marocchino, A.; Paroli, B.; Pompili, R.; Rossi, A. R.; Zigler, A.

2016-09-01

Recent progress with wake-field acceleration has shown a great potential in providing high gradient acceleration fields, while the quality of the beams remains relatively poor. Precise knowledge of the beam size at the exit from the plasma and matching conditions for the externally injected beams are the key for improvement of beam quality. Betatron radiation emitted by the beam during acceleration in the plasma is a powerful tool for the transverse beam size measurement, being also non-intercepting. In this work we report on the technical solutions chosen at SPARC_LAB for such diagnostics tool, along with expected parameters of betatron radiation.

MO-C-17A-10: Comparison of Dose Deformable Accumulation by Using Parallel and Serial Approaches

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Z; Li, M; Wong, J

Purpose: The uncertainty of dose accumulation over multiple CT datasets with deformable fusion may have significant impact on clinical decisions. In this study, we investigate the difference of two dose summation approaches involving deformable fusion. Methods: Five patients, four external beam and one brachytherapy(BT), were chosen for the study. The BT patient was treated with CT-based HDR. The CT image sets acquired in the imageguidance process (8-11 CTs/patient) were used to determine the dose delivered to the four external beam patients. (prostate, pelvis, lung and head and neck). For the HDR patient (cervix), five CT image sets and the correspondingmore » BT plans were used. In total 44 CT datasets and RT dose/plans were imported into the image fusion software MiM (6.0.4) for analysis.For each of the five clinical cases, the dose from each fraction was accumulated into the primary CT dataset by using both Parallel and Serial approaches. The dose-volume histogram (DVH) for CTV and selected organs-at-risks (OAR) were generated. The D95(CTV), OAR(mean) and OAR(max) for the four external beam cases the D90(CTV), and the max dose to bladder and rectum for the BT case were compared. Results: For the four external beam patients, the difference in D95(CTV) were <1.2% PD between the parallel and the serial approaches. The differences of the OAR(mean) and the OAR(max ) range from 0 to 3.7% and <1% PD respectively. For the HDR patient, the dose difference for D90 is 11% PD while that of the max dose to bladder and rectum were 11.5% and 23.3% respectively. Conclusion: For external beam treatments, the parallel and serial approaches have <5% difference probably because tumor volume and OAR have less changes from fraction to fraction. For the brachytherapy case, >10% dose difference between the two approaches was observed as significant volume changes of tumor and OAR were observed among treatment fractions.« less

Quality of life and satisfaction with information after radical prostatectomy, radical external beam radiotherapy and postoperative radiotherapy: a long-term follow-up study.

PubMed

Nicolaisen, Marianne; Müller, Stig; Patel, Hitendra R H; Hanssen, Tove Aminda

2014-12-01

To assess patients' symptoms, quality of life and satisfaction with information three to four years after radical prostatectomy, radical external beam radiotherapy and postoperative radiotherapy and to analyse differences between treatment groups and the relationship between disease-specific, health-related and overall quality of life and satisfaction with information. Radical prostate cancer treatments are associated with changes in quality of life. Differences between patients undergoing different treatments in symptoms and quality of life have been reported, but there are limited long-term data comparing radical prostatectomy with radical external beam radiotherapy and postoperative radiotherapy. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study sample included 143 men treated with radical prostatectomy and/or radical external beam radiotherapy. Quality of life was measured using the 12-item Short Form Health Survey and the 50-item Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite Instrument. Questions assessing overall Quality of life and satisfaction with information were included. Descriptive statistics and interference statistical methods were applied to analyse the data. Radical external beam radiotherapy was associated with less urinary incontinence and better urinary function. There were no differences between the groups for disease-specific quality of life sum scores. Sexual quality of life was reported very low in all groups. Disease-specific quality of life and health-related quality of life were associated with overall quality of life. Patients having undergone surgery were more satisfied with information, and there was a positive correlation between quality of life and patient satisfaction. Pretreatment information and patient education lead to better quality of life and satisfaction. This study indicates a need for structured, pretreatment information and follow-up for all men going through radical prostate cancer treatment. Long-term quality of life effects should be considered when planning follow-up and information for men after radical prostate cancer treatment. Structured and organised information/education may increase preparedness for symptoms and bother after the treatment, improve symptom management strategies and result in improved quality of life. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Over-under double-pass interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schindler, R. A. (Inventor)

1977-01-01

An over-under double pass interferometer in which the beamsplitter area and thickness can be reduced to conform only with optical flatness considerations was achieved by offsetting the optical center line of one cat's-eye retroreflector relative to the optical center line of the other in order that one split beam be folded into a plane distinct from the other folded split beam. The beamsplitter is made transparent in one area for a first folded beam to be passed to a mirror for doubling back and is made totally reflective in another area for the second folded beam to be reflected to a mirror for doubling back. The two beams thus doubled back are combined in the central, beamsplitting area of the beamsplitting and passed to a detector. This makes the beamsplitter insensitive to minimum thickness requirements and selection of material.

Single molecule views of Nature's nano-machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ha, Taekjip

2006-03-01

We are interested in the perturbational analysis of biological molecules to better understand their mechanisms. Our readout is the fluorescence signal from individual biomolecules, mainly in the form of single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). We are pioneering approaches to perturb and control biomolecular conformations using external force (combination of single molecule FRET and optical trap) or other biological motifs (DNA hybridization, G-quadruplex, aptamers,.). In this talk, I will present our latest results on mapping the conformational energy landscape of the Holliday junction through simultaneous fluorescence and force measurements. In addition, a new nanomechanical device called single molecule nano-metronome will be discussed with an outlook toward controlling protein conformations using nucleic acids motifs.

Distinguishing Signatures of Multipathway Conformational Transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierse, Christopher A.; Dudko, Olga K.

2017-02-01

The folding and binding of biomolecules into functional conformations are thought to be commonly mediated by multiple pathways rather than a unique route. Yet even in experiments where one can "see" individual conformational transitions, their stochastic nature generally precludes one from determining whether the transitions occurred through one or multiple pathways. We establish model-free, observable signatures in the response of macromolecules to force that unambiguously identify multiple pathways—even when the pathways themselves cannot be resolved. The unified analytical description reveals that, through multiple pathways, the response of molecules to external forces can be shaped in diverse ways, resulting in a rich design space for a tailored biological function already at the single-molecule level.

Toward improved target conformity for two spot scanning proton therapy delivery systems using dynamic collimation

PubMed Central

Moignier, Alexandra; Gelover, Edgar; Smith, Blake R.; Wang, Dongxu; Flynn, Ryan T.; Kirk, Maura L.; Lin, Liyong; Solberg, Timothy D.; Lin, Alexander; Hyer, Daniel E.

2016-01-01

Purpose: To quantify improvement in target conformity in brain and head and neck tumor treatments resulting from the use of a dynamic collimation system (DCS) with two spot scanning proton therapy delivery systems (universal nozzle, UN, and dedicated nozzle, DN) with median spot sizes of 5.2 and 3.2 mm over a range of energies from 100 to 230 MeV. Methods: Uncollimated and collimated plans were calculated with both UN and DN beam models implemented within our in-house treatment planning system for five brain and ten head and neck datasets in patients previously treated with spot scanning proton therapy. The prescription dose and beam angles from the clinical plans were used for both the UN and DN plans. The average reduction of the mean dose to the 10-mm ring surrounding the target between the uncollimated and collimated plans was calculated for the UN and the DN. Target conformity was analyzed using the mean dose to 1-mm thickness rings surrounding the target at increasing distances ranging from 1 to 10 mm. Results: The average reductions of the 10-mm ring mean dose for the UN and DN plans were 13.7% (95% CI: 11.6%–15.7%; p < 0.0001) and 11.5% (95% CI: 9.5%–13.5%; p < 0.0001) across all brain cases and 7.1% (95% CI: 4.4%–9.8%; p < 0.001) and 6.3% (95% CI: 3.7%–9.0%; p < 0.001), respectively, across all head and neck cases. The collimated UN plans were either more conformal (all brain cases and 60% of the head and neck cases) than or equivalent (40% of the head and neck cases) to the uncollimated DN plans. The collimated DN plans offered the highest conformity. Conclusions: The DCS added either to the UN or DN improved the target conformity. The DCS may be of particular interest for sites with UN systems looking for a more economical solution than upgrading the nozzle to improve the target conformity of their spot scanning proton therapy system. PMID:26936726

Conformational Selection and Induced Fit Mechanisms in the Binding of an Anticancer Drug to the c-Src Kinase

PubMed Central

Morando, Maria Agnese; Saladino, Giorgio; D’Amelio, Nicola; Pucheta-Martinez, Encarna; Lovera, Silvia; Lelli, Moreno; López-Méndez, Blanca; Marenchino, Marco; Campos-Olivas, Ramón; Gervasio, Francesco Luigi

2016-01-01

Understanding the conformational changes associated with the binding of small ligands to their biological targets is a fascinating and meaningful question in chemistry, biology and drug discovery. One of the most studied and important is the so-called “DFG-flip” of tyrosine kinases. The conserved three amino-acid DFG motif undergoes an “in to out” movement resulting in a particular inactive conformation to which “type II” kinase inhibitors, such as the anti-cancer drug Imatinib, bind. Despite many studies, the details of this prototypical conformational change are still debated. Here we combine various NMR experiments and surface plasmon resonance with enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations to shed light into the conformational dynamics associated with the binding of Imatinib to the proto-oncogene c-Src. We find that both conformational selection and induced fit play a role in the binding mechanism, reconciling opposing views held in the literature. Moreover, an external binding pose and local unfolding (cracking) of the aG helix are observed. PMID:27087366

Atomic view of the histidine environment stabilizing higher-pH conformations of pH-dependent proteins

PubMed Central

Valéry, Céline; Deville-Foillard, Stéphanie; Lefebvre, Christelle; Taberner, Nuria; Legrand, Pierre; Meneau, Florian; Meriadec, Cristelle; Delvaux, Camille; Bizien, Thomas; Kasotakis, Emmanouil; Lopez-Iglesias, Carmen; Gall, Andrew; Bressanelli, Stéphane; Le Du, Marie-Hélène; Paternostre, Maïté; Artzner, Franck

2015-01-01

External stimuli are powerful tools that naturally control protein assemblies and functions. For example, during viral entry and exit changes in pH are known to trigger large protein conformational changes. However, the molecular features stabilizing the higher pH structures remain unclear. Here we elucidate the conformational change of a self-assembling peptide that forms either small or large nanotubes dependent on the pH. The sub-angstrom high-pH peptide structure reveals a globular conformation stabilized through a strong histidine-serine H-bond and a tight histidine-aromatic packing. Lowering the pH induces histidine protonation, disrupts these interactions and triggers a large change to an extended β-sheet-based conformation. Re-visiting available structures of proteins with pH-dependent conformations reveals both histidine-containing aromatic pockets and histidine-serine proximity as key motifs in higher pH structures. The mechanism discovered in this study may thus be generally used by pH-dependent proteins and opens new prospects in the field of nanomaterials. PMID:26190377

Conformational Selection and Induced Fit Mechanisms in the Binding of an Anticancer Drug to the c-Src Kinase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morando, Maria Agnese; Saladino, Giorgio; D'Amelio, Nicola; Pucheta-Martinez, Encarna; Lovera, Silvia; Lelli, Moreno; López-Méndez, Blanca; Marenchino, Marco; Campos-Olivas, Ramón; Gervasio, Francesco Luigi

2016-04-01

Understanding the conformational changes associated with the binding of small ligands to their biological targets is a fascinating and meaningful question in chemistry, biology and drug discovery. One of the most studied and important is the so-called “DFG-flip” of tyrosine kinases. The conserved three amino-acid DFG motif undergoes an “in to out” movement resulting in a particular inactive conformation to which “type II” kinase inhibitors, such as the anti-cancer drug Imatinib, bind. Despite many studies, the details of this prototypical conformational change are still debated. Here we combine various NMR experiments and surface plasmon resonance with enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations to shed light into the conformational dynamics associated with the binding of Imatinib to the proto-oncogene c-Src. We find that both conformational selection and induced fit play a role in the binding mechanism, reconciling opposing views held in the literature. Moreover, an external binding pose and local unfolding (cracking) of the aG helix are observed.

DNA Packaging in Bacteriophage: Is Twist Important?

PubMed Central

Spakowitz, Andrew James; Wang, Zhen-Gang

2005-01-01

We study the packaging of DNA into a bacteriophage capsid using computer simulation, specifically focusing on the potential impact of twist on the final packaged conformation. We perform two dynamic simulations of packaging a polymer chain into a spherical confinement: one where the chain end is rotated as it is fed, and one where the chain is fed without end rotation. The final packaged conformation exhibits distinct differences in these two cases: the packaged conformation from feeding with rotation exhibits a spool-like character that is consistent with experimental and previous theoretical work, whereas feeding without rotation results in a folded conformation inconsistent with a spool conformation. The chain segment density shows a layered structure, which is more pronounced for packaging with rotation. However, in both cases, the conformation is marked by frequent jumps of the polymer chain from layer to layer, potentially influencing the ability to disentangle during subsequent ejection. Ejection simulations with and without Brownian forces show that Brownian forces are necessary to achieve complete ejection of the polymer chain in the absence of external forces. PMID:15805174

DNA packaging in bacteriophage: is twist important?

PubMed

Spakowitz, Andrew James; Wang, Zhen-Gang

2005-06-01

We study the packaging of DNA into a bacteriophage capsid using computer simulation, specifically focusing on the potential impact of twist on the final packaged conformation. We perform two dynamic simulations of packaging a polymer chain into a spherical confinement: one where the chain end is rotated as it is fed, and one where the chain is fed without end rotation. The final packaged conformation exhibits distinct differences in these two cases: the packaged conformation from feeding with rotation exhibits a spool-like character that is consistent with experimental and previous theoretical work, whereas feeding without rotation results in a folded conformation inconsistent with a spool conformation. The chain segment density shows a layered structure, which is more pronounced for packaging with rotation. However, in both cases, the conformation is marked by frequent jumps of the polymer chain from layer to layer, potentially influencing the ability to disentangle during subsequent ejection. Ejection simulations with and without Brownian forces show that Brownian forces are necessary to achieve complete ejection of the polymer chain in the absence of external forces.

WE-G-16A-01: Evolution of Radiation Treatment Planning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rothenberg, L; Mohan, R; Van Dyk, J

Welcome and Introduction - Lawrence N. Rothenberg This symposium is one a continuing series of presentations at AAPM Annual Meetings on the historical aspects of medical physics, radiology, and radiation oncology that have been organized by the AAPM History Committee. Information on previous presentations including “Early Developments in Teletherapy” (Indianapolis 2013), “Historical Aspects of Cross-Sectional Imaging” (Charlotte 2012), “Historical Aspects of Brachytherapy” (Vancouver 2011), “50 Years of Women in Medical Physics” (Houston 2008), and “Roentgen's Early Investigations” (Minneapolis 2007) can be found in the Education Section of the AAPM Website. The Austin 2014 History Symposium will be on “Evolution ofmore » Radiation Treatment Planning.” Overview - Radhe Mohan Treatment planning is one of the most critical components in the chain of radiation therapy of cancers. Treatment plans of today contain a wide variety of sophisticated information conveying the potential clinical effectiveness of the designed treatment to practitioners. Examples of such information include dose distributions superimposed on three- or even four-dimensional anatomic images; dose volume histograms, dose, dose-volume and dose-response indices for anatomic structures of interest; etc. These data are used for evaluating treatment plans and for making treatment decisions. The current state-of-the-art has evolved from the 1940s era when the dose to the tumor and normal tissues was estimated approximately by manual means. However, the symposium will cover the history of the field from the late-1950's, when computers were first introduced for treatment planning, to the present state involving the use of high performance computing and advanced multi-dimensional anatomic, functional and biological imaging, focusing only on external beam treatment planning. The symposium will start with a general overview of the treatment planning process including imaging, structure delineation, assignment of dose requirements, consideration of uncertainties, selection of beam configurations and shaping of beams, and calculations, optimization and evaluation of dose distributions. This will be followed by three presentations covering the evolution of treatment planning, which parallels the evolution of computers, availability of advanced volumetric imaging and the development of novel technologies such as dynamic multi-leaf collimators and online image guidance. This evolution will be divided over three distinct periods - prior to 1970's, the 2D era; from 1980 to the mid-1990's, the 3D era; and from the mid 1990's to today, the IMRT era. When the World was Flat: The Two-Dimensional Radiation Therapy Era” - Jacob Van Dyk In the 2D era, anatomy was defined with the aid of solder wires, special contouring devices and projection x-rays. Dose distributions were calculated manually from single field, flat surface isodoses on transparencies. Precalculated atlases of generic dose distributions were produced by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Massive time-shared main frames and mini-computers were used to compute doses at individual points or dose distributions in a single plane. Beam shapes were generally rectangular, with wedges, missing tissue compensators and occasional blocks to shield critical structures. Dose calculations were measurement-based or they used primary and scatter calculations based on scatter-air ratio methodologies. Dose distributions were displayed on line printers as alpha-numeric character maps or isodose patterns made with pen plotters. More than Pretty Pictures: 3D Treatment Planning and Conformal Therapy - Benedick A. Fraass The introduction of computed tomography allowed the delineation of anatomy three-dimensionally and, supported partly by contracts from the National Cancer Institute, made possible the introduction and clinical use of 3D treatment planning, leading to development and use of 3D conformal therapy in the 1980's. 3D computer graphics and 3D anatomical structure definitions made possible Beam's Eye View (BEV) displays, making conformal beam shaping and much more sophisticated beam arrangements possible. These conformal plans significantly improved target dose coverage as well as normal tissue sparing. The use of dose volume histograms, gross/clinical/planning target volumes, MRI and PET imaging, multileaf collimators, and computer-controlled treatment delivery made sophisticated planning approaches practical. The significant improvements in dose distributions and analysis achievable with 3D conformal therapy made possible formal dose escalation and normal tissue tolerance clinical studies that set new and improved expectations for improved local control and decreasing complications in many clinical sites. From the Art to the State of the Art: Inverse Planning and IMRT - Thomas R. Bortfeld While the potential of intensity modulation was recognized in the mid- 1980's, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) did not become a reality until the mid-1990's. Broad beams of photons could be sub-divided into narrow beamlets whose intensities could be determined using sophisticated optimization algorithms to appropriately balance tumor dose with normal tissue sparing. The development of dynamic multi-leaf collimators (on conventional linear accelerators as well as in helical delivery devices) enabled the efficient delivery of IMRT. The evolution of IMRT planning is continuing in the form of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and through advanced optimization tools, such as multi-criteria optimization, automated IMRT planning, and robust optimization to protect dose distributions against uncertainties. IMRT also facilitates “dose painting” in which different sub-volumes of the target are prescribed different doses. Clearly, these advancements are being made possible by the increasing power and lower cost of computers and developments in other fields such as imaging and operations research. Summary - Radhe Mohan The history does not end here. The advancement of treatment planning is expected to continue, leading to further automation and improvements in conformality and robustness of dose distributions, particularly in the area of particle therapy. Radiobiological modeling will gain emphasis as part of the planning process. Learning Objectives: The scope of changes in technology and the capabilities of radiation treatment planning The impact of these changes in the quality of treatment plans and optimality of dose distributions The impact of development in other fields (imaging, computers, operations research, etc.) on the evolution of radiation treatment planning.« less

The Conformational Flexibility of the Acyltransferase from the Disorazole Polyketide Synthase Is Revealed by an X-ray Free-Electron Laser Using a Room-Temperature Sample Delivery Method for Serial Crystallography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mathews, Irimpan I.; Allison, Kim; Robbins, Thomas

The crystal structure of the trans-acyltransferase (AT) from the disorazole polyketide synthase (PKS) was determined at room temperature to a resolution of 2.5 Å using a new method for sample delivery directly into an X-ray free-electron laser. A novel sample extractor efficiently delivered limited quantities of microcrystals directly from the native crystallization solution into the X-ray beam at room temperature. The AT structure revealed important catalytic features of this core PKS enzyme, including the occurrence of conformational changes around the active site. The implications of these conformational changes on polyketide synthase reaction dynamics are discussed.

The Conformational Flexibility of the Acyltransferase from the Disorazole Polyketide Synthase Is Revealed by an X-ray Free-Electron Laser Using a Room-Temperature Sample Delivery Method for Serial Crystallography

DOE PAGES

Mathews, Irimpan I.; Allison, Kim; Robbins, Thomas; ...

2017-08-23

The crystal structure of the trans-acyltransferase (AT) from the disorazole polyketide synthase (PKS) was determined at room temperature to a resolution of 2.5 Å using a new method for sample delivery directly into an X-ray free-electron laser. A novel sample extractor efficiently delivered limited quantities of microcrystals directly from the native crystallization solution into the X-ray beam at room temperature. The AT structure revealed important catalytic features of this core PKS enzyme, including the occurrence of conformational changes around the active site. The implications of these conformational changes on polyketide synthase reaction dynamics are discussed.

Complete response in a patient with gynecological hidradenocarcinoma treated with exclusive external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy: a case report.

PubMed

Giannelli, Flavio; Chiola, Ilaria; Belgioia, Liliana; Garelli, Stefania; Pastorino, Alice; Marcenaro, Michela; Mammoliti, Serafina; Costantini, Sergio; Bizzarri, Nicolò; Vellone, Valerio; Barra, Salvina; Corvò, Renzo

2017-12-01

Hidradenocarcinoma (HC) is a very rare disease. This case report illustrates a successful treatment of a 60-year-old woman with vulvo-vaginal localization of hidradenocarcinoma treated with external beam radiotherapy delivered by helical tomotherapy with a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB), followed by brachytherapy. External beam radiotherapy dose prescription was 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions, five fractions per week to whole pelvis (planning target volume 1 - PTV1), 60.2 Gy in 28 fractions to SIB1 (fundus of uterus and right inguinal node), and 58.8 Gy in 28 fractions to SIB2 (lower/middle third of vagina, paraurethral region and right inguinal lymph nodes). Brachytherapy dose prescription was 28 Gy in 4 fractions for cervix, fundus of uterus and upper third of vagina (HR-CTV1), and 22 Gy in 4 fractions to middle third of vagina and paraurethral region (HR-CTV2). D 90 for whole treatment was 91.9 Gy and 86.0 Gy for HR-CTV1 and HR-CTV2, respectively. Patient remained 12-months disease-free without treatment related side effects.

Generation of a cylindrically symmetric, polarized laser beam with narrow linewidth and fine tunability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirayama, Toru; Kozawa, Yuichi; Nakamura, Takahiro; Sato, Shunichi

2006-12-01

We demonstrated a generation of cylindrically symmetric, polarized laser beams with narrow linewidth and fine tunability. Since an LP11 mode beam in an optical fiber is a superposition of an HE21 (hybrid) mode beam and a TE01 or TM01 mode beam, firstly, a higher order transverse (TEM01 or TEM10) mode laser beam with narrow linewidth and fine tunability was generated from an external cavity diode laser (ECDL) in conjunction with a phase adjustment plate. Then the beam generated was passed in a two mode optical fiber. A doughnut shaped laser beam with the cylindrically symmetric polarization (a radially or azimuthally polarized beam) was obtained by properly adding stress-induced birefringence in the optical fiber.

Integrated Electro-optical Laser-Beam Scanners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boord, Warren T.

1990-01-01

Scanners using solid-state devices compact, consume little power, and have no moving parts. Integrated electro-optical laser scanner, in conjunction with external lens, points outgoing beam of light in any number of different directions, depending on number of upper electrodes. Offers beam-deflection angles larger than those of acousto-optic scanners. Proposed for such diverse applications as nonimpact laser printing, color imaging, ranging, barcode reading, and robotic vision.

Microdosimetric investigation at the therapeutic proton beam facility of CATANA.

PubMed

De Nardo, L; Moro, D; Colautti, P; Conte, V; Tornielli, G; Cuttone, G

2004-01-01

Proton beams (62 Mev) are used by the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud of the Italian Institute of Nuclear Physics to treat eye melanoma tumours at the therapeutic facility called CATANA. A cylindrical slim tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) of 2.7 mm external diameter has been used to compare the radiation quality of two spread-out Bragg peaks (SOBP) at the CATANA proton beam.

Phase Space Generation for Proton and Carbon Ion Beams for External Users' Applications at the Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center.

PubMed

Tessonnier, Thomas; Marcelos, Tiago; Mairani, Andrea; Brons, Stephan; Parodi, Katia

2015-01-01

In the field of radiation therapy, accurate and robust dose calculation is required. For this purpose, precise modeling of the irradiation system and reliable computational platforms are needed. At the Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center (HIT), the beamline has been already modeled in the FLUKA Monte Carlo (MC) code. However, this model was kept confidential for disclosure reasons and was not available for any external team. The main goal of this study was to create efficiently phase space (PS) files for proton and carbon ion beams, for all energies and foci available at HIT. PSs are representing the characteristics of each particle recorded (charge, mass, energy, coordinates, direction cosines, generation) at a certain position along the beam path. In order to achieve this goal, keeping a reasonable data size but maintaining the requested accuracy for the calculation, we developed a new approach of beam PS generation with the MC code FLUKA. The generated PSs were obtained using an infinitely narrow beam and recording the desired quantities after the last element of the beamline, with a discrimination of primaries or secondaries. In this way, a unique PS can be used for each energy to accommodate the different foci by combining the narrow-beam scenario with a random sampling of its theoretical Gaussian beam in vacuum. PS can also reproduce the different patterns from the delivery system, when properly combined with the beam scanning information. MC simulations using PS have been compared to simulations, including the full beamline geometry and have been found in very good agreement for several cases (depth dose distributions, lateral dose profiles), with relative dose differences below 0.5%. This approach has also been compared with measured data of ion beams with different energies and foci, resulting in a very satisfactory agreement. Hence, the proposed approach was able to fulfill the different requirements and has demonstrated its capability for application to clinical treatment fields. It also offers a powerful tool to perform investigations on the contribution of primary and secondary particles produced in the beamline. These PSs are already made available to external teams upon request, to support interpretation of their measurements.

Land vehicle antennas for satellite mobile communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haddad, H. A.; Pieper, B. V.; Mckenna, D. B.

1985-01-01

The RF performance, size, pointing system, and cost were investigated concepts are: for a mechanically steered 1 x 4 tilted microstrip array, a mechanically steered fixed-beam conformal array, and an electronically steered conformal phased array. Emphasis is on the RF performance of the tilted 1 x 4 antenna array and methods for pointing the various antennas studied to a geosynchronous satellite. An updated version of satellite isolations in a two-satellite system is presented. Cost estimates for the antennas in quantities of 10,000 and 100,000 unites are summarized.

A Constitutively Activating Mutation Alters the Dynamics and Energetics of a Key Conformational Change in a Ligand-free G Protein-coupled Receptor*

PubMed Central

Tsukamoto, Hisao; Farrens, David L.

2013-01-01

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) undergo dynamic transitions between active and inactive conformations. Usually, these conversions are triggered when the receptor detects an external signal, but some so-called constitutively activating mutations, or CAMs, induce a GPCR to bind and activate G proteins in the absence of external stimulation, in ways still not fully understood. Here, we investigated how a CAM alters the structure of a GPCR and the dynamics involved as the receptor transitions between different conformations. Our approach used site-directed fluorescence labeling (SDFL) spectroscopy to compare opsin, the ligand-free form of the GPCR rhodopsin, with opsin containing the CAM M257Y, focusing specifically on key movements that occur in the sixth transmembrane helix (TM6) during GPCR activation. The site-directed fluorescence labeling data indicate opsin is constrained to an inactive conformation both in detergent micelles and lipid membranes, but when it contains the M257Y CAM, opsin is more dynamic and can interact with a G protein mimetic. Further study of these receptors using tryptophan-induced quenching (TrIQ) methods indicates that in detergent, the CAM significantly increases the population of receptors in the active state, but not in lipids. Subsequent Arrhenius analysis of the TrIQ data suggests that, both in detergent and lipids, the CAM lowers the energy barrier for TM6 movement, a key transition required for conversion between the inactive and active conformations. Together, these data suggest that the lowered energy barrier is a primary effect of the CAM on the receptor dynamics and energetics. PMID:23940032

Scale magnetic effect in quantum electrodynamics and the Wigner-Weyl formalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernodub, M. N.; Zubkov, M. A.

2017-09-01

The scale magnetic effect (SME) is the generation of electric current due to a conformal anomaly in an external magnetic field in curved spacetime. The effect appears in a vacuum with electrically charged massless particles. Similarly to the Hall effect, the direction of the induced anomalous current is perpendicular to the direction of the external magnetic field B and to the gradient of the conformal factor τ , while the strength of the current is proportional to the beta function of the theory. In massive electrodynamics the SME remains valid, but the value of the induced current differs from the current generated in the system of massless fermions. In the present paper we use the Wigner-Weyl formalism to demonstrate that in accordance with the decoupling property of heavy fermions the corresponding anomalous conductivity vanishes in the large-mass limit with m2≫|e B | and m ≫|∇τ | .

Inverse-optimized 3D conformal planning: Minimizing complexity while achieving equivalence with beamlet IMRT in multiple clinical sites

PubMed Central

Fraass, Benedick A.; Steers, Jennifer M.; Matuszak, Martha M.; McShan, Daniel L.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Inverse planned intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) has helped many centers implement highly conformal treatment planning with beamlet-based techniques. The many comparisons between IMRT and 3D conformal (3DCRT) plans, however, have been limited because most 3DCRT plans are forward-planned while IMRT plans utilize inverse planning, meaning both optimization and delivery techniques are different. This work avoids that problem by comparing 3D plans generated with a unique inverse planning method for 3DCRT called inverse-optimized 3D (IO-3D) conformal planning. Since IO-3D and the beamlet IMRT to which it is compared use the same optimization techniques, cost functions, and plan evaluation tools, direct comparisons between IMRT and simple, optimized IO-3D plans are possible. Though IO-3D has some similarity to direct aperture optimization (DAO), since it directly optimizes the apertures used, IO-3D is specifically designed for 3DCRT fields (i.e., 1–2 apertures per beam) rather than starting with IMRT-like modulation and then optimizing aperture shapes. The two algorithms are very different in design, implementation, and use. The goals of this work include using IO-3D to evaluate how close simple but optimized IO-3D plans come to nonconstrained beamlet IMRT, showing that optimization, rather than modulation, may be the most important aspect of IMRT (for some sites). Methods: The IO-3D dose calculation and optimization functionality is integrated in the in-house 3D planning/optimization system. New features include random point dose calculation distributions, costlet and cost function capabilities, fast dose volume histogram (DVH) and plan evaluation tools, optimization search strategies designed for IO-3D, and an improved, reimplemented edge/octree calculation algorithm. The IO-3D optimization, in distinction to DAO, is designed to optimize 3D conformal plans (one to two segments per beam) and optimizes MLC segment shapes and weights with various user-controllable search strategies which optimize plans without beamlet or pencil beam approximations. IO-3D allows comparisons of beamlet, multisegment, and conformal plans optimized using the same cost functions, dose points, and plan evaluation metrics, so quantitative comparisons are straightforward. Here, comparisons of IO-3D and beamlet IMRT techniques are presented for breast, brain, liver, and lung plans. Results: IO-3D achieves high quality results comparable to beamlet IMRT, for many situations. Though the IO-3D plans have many fewer degrees of freedom for the optimization, this work finds that IO-3D plans with only one to two segments per beam are dosimetrically equivalent (or nearly so) to the beamlet IMRT plans, for several sites. IO-3D also reduces plan complexity significantly. Here, monitor units per fraction (MU/Fx) for IO-3D plans were 22%–68% less than that for the 1 cm × 1 cm beamlet IMRT plans and 72%–84% than the 0.5 cm × 0.5 cm beamlet IMRT plans. Conclusions: The unique IO-3D algorithm illustrates that inverse planning can achieve high quality 3D conformal plans equivalent (or nearly so) to unconstrained beamlet IMRT plans, for many sites. IO-3D thus provides the potential to optimize flat or few-segment 3DCRT plans, creating less complex optimized plans which are efficient and simple to deliver. The less complex IO-3D plans have operational advantages for scenarios including adaptive replanning, cases with interfraction and intrafraction motion, and pediatric patients. PMID:22755717

Accelerator/Experiment Operations - FY 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Czarapata, P.

2015-10-01

This Technical Memorandum summarizes the Fermilab accelerator and experiment operations for FY 2015. It is one of a series of annual publications intended to gather information in one place. In this case, the information concerns the FY 2015 NOvA, MINOS+ and MINERvA experiments using the Main Injector Neutrino Beam (NuMI), the activities in the SciBooNE Hall using the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB), and the SeaQuest experiment and Meson Test Beam (MTest) activities in the 120 GeV external Switchyard beam (SY120).

Pilot Quality Control Program for Audit RT External Beams at Mexican Hospitals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alvarez R, J T; Tovar M, V M

2008-08-11

A pilot quality control program for audit 18 radiotherapy RT external beams at 13 Mexican hospitals is described--for eleven {sup 60}Co beams and seven photon beams of 6, 10 and 15 MV from accelerators. This program contains five parts: a) Preparation of the TLD-100 powder: washing, drying and annealing (one hour 400 deg. C plus 24 hrs 80 deg. C). b) Sending two IAEA type capsules to the hospitals for irradiation at the hospital to a nominal D{sub W} = 2 Gy{center_dot}c) Preparation at the SSDL of ten calibration curves CC in the range of 0.5 Gy to 6 Gymore » in terms of absorbed dose to water D{sub W} for {sup 60}Co with traceability to primary laboratory NRC (Canada), according to a window irradiation: 26/10/2007-7/12/2007. d) Reading all capsules that match their hospital time irradiation and the SSDL window irradiation. f) Evaluation of the Dw imparted by the hospitals.« less

Trace element fingerprinting of jewellery rubies by external beam PIXE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calligaro, T.; Poirot, J.-P.; Querré, G.

1999-04-01

External beam PIXE analysis allows the non-destructive in situ characterisation of gemstones mounted on jewellery pieces. This technique was used for the determination of the geographical origin of 64 rubies set on a high-valued necklace. The trace element content of these gemstones was measured and compared to that of a set of rubies of known sources. Multivariate statistical processing of the results allowed us to infer the provenance of rubies : one comes from Thailand/Cambodia deposit while the remaining are attributed to Burma. This highlights the complementary capabilities of PIXE and conventional gemological observations.

Adjuvant radiotherapy for stage I endometrial cancer.

PubMed

Kong, A; Johnson, N; Cornes, P; Simera, I; Collingwood, M; Williams, C; Kitchener, H

2007-04-18

The role of adjuvant radiotherapy (both pelvic external beam radiotherapy and vaginal intracavity brachytherapy) in stage I endometrial cancer following total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (TAH and BSO) remains unclear. To assess the efficacy of adjuvant radiotherapy following surgery for stage I endometrial cancer. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CancerLit, Physician Data Query (PDQ) of National Cancer Institute. Handsearching was also carried out where appropriate. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which compared adjuvant radiotherapy versus no radiotherapy following surgery for patients with stage I endometrial cancer were included. Quality of the studies was assessed and data collected using a predefined data collection form. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Secondary endpoints were locoregional recurrence, distant recurrence and endometrial cancer death. Data on quality of life (QOL) and morbidity were also collected. A meta-analysis on included trials was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager Software 4.2. The meta-analysis was performed on four trials (1770 patients). The addition of pelvic external beam radiotherapy to surgery reduced locoregional recurrence, a relative risk (RR) of 0.28 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17 to 0.44, p < 0.00001), which is a 72% reduction in the risk of pelvic relapse (95% CI 56% to 83%) and an absolute risk reduction of 6% (95% CI of 4 to 8%). The number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent one locoregional recurrence is 16.7 patients (95% CI 12.5 to 25). The reduction in the risk of locoregional recurrence did not translate into either a reduction in the risk of distant recurrence or death from all causes or endometrial cancer death. A subgroup analysis of women with multiple high risk factors (including stage 1c and grade 3) showed a trend toward the reduction in the risk of death from all causes and endometrial cancer death in patients who underwent adjuvant external beam radiotherapy. Patients with stage I endometrial carcinoma have different risks of local and distant recurrence depending on the presence of risk factors including stage 1c, grade 3, lymphovascular space invasion and age. Though external beam pelvic radiotherapy reduced locoregional recurrence by 72%, there is no evidence to suggest that it reduced the risk of death. In patients with multiple high risk factors, including stage 1c and grade 3, there was a trend towards a survival benefit and adjuvant external beam radiotherapy may be justified. For patients with only one risk factor, grade 3 or stage 1c, no definite conclusion can be made and data from ongoing studies ( ASTEC; Lukka) are awaited. External beam radiotherapy carries a risk of toxicity and should be avoided in stage 1 endometrial cancer patients with no high risk factors.

SU-F-T-471: Simulated External Beam Delivery Errors Detection with a Large Area Ion Chamber Transmission Detector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoffman, D; Dyer, B; Kumaran Nair, C

Purpose: The Integral Quality Monitor (IQM), developed by iRT Systems GmbH (Koblenz, Germany) is a large-area, linac-mounted ion chamber used to monitor photon fluence during patient treatment. Our previous work evaluated the change of the ion chamber’s response to deviations from static 1×1 cm2 and 10×10 cm2 photon beams and other characteristics integral to use in external beam detection. The aim of this work is to simulate two external beam radiation delivery errors, quantify the detection of simulated errors and evaluate the reduction in patient harm resulting from detection. Methods: Two well documented radiation oncology delivery errors were selected formore » simulation. The first error was recreated by modifying a wedged whole breast treatment, removing the physical wedge and calculating the planned dose with Pinnacle TPS (Philips Radiation Oncology Systems, Fitchburg, WI). The second error was recreated by modifying a static-gantry IMRT pharyngeal tonsil plan to be delivered in 3 unmodulated fractions. A radiation oncologist evaluated the dose for simulated errors and predicted morbidity and mortality commiserate with the original reported toxicity, indicating that reported errors were approximately simulated. The ion chamber signal of unmodified treatments was compared to the simulated error signal and evaluated in Pinnacle TPS again with radiation oncologist prediction of simulated patient harm. Results: Previous work established that transmission detector system measurements are stable within 0.5% standard deviation (SD). Errors causing signal change greater than 20 SD (10%) were considered detected. The whole breast and pharyngeal tonsil IMRT simulated error increased signal by 215% and 969%, respectively, indicating error detection after the first fraction and IMRT segment, respectively. Conclusion: The transmission detector system demonstrated utility in detecting clinically significant errors and reducing patient toxicity/harm in simulated external beam delivery. Future work will evaluate detection of other smaller magnitude delivery errors.« less

Implementation of Quality Systems in Nuclear Medicine: Why It Matters. An Outcome Analysis (Quality Management Audits in Nuclear Medicine Part III).

PubMed

Dondi, Maurizio; Paez, Diana; Torres, Leonel; Marengo, Mario; Delaloye, Angelika Bischof; Solanki, Kishor; Van Zyl Ellmann, Annare; Lobato, Enrique Estrada; Miller, Rodolfo Nunez; Giammarile, Francesco; Pascual, Thomas

2018-05-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) developed a comprehensive program-Quality Management Audits in Nuclear Medicine (QUANUM). This program covers all aspects of nuclear medicine practices including, but not limited to, clinical practice, management, operations, and services. The QUANUM program, which includes quality standards detailed in relevant checklists, aims at introducing a culture of comprehensive quality audit processes that are patient oriented, systematic, and outcome based. This paper will focus on the impact of the implementation of QUANUM on daily routine practices in audited centers. Thirty-seven centers, which had been externally audited by experts under IAEA auspices at least 1 year earlier, were invited to run an internal audit using the QUANUM checklists. The external audits also served as training in quality management and the use of QUANUM for the local teams, which were responsible of conducting the internal audits. Twenty-five out of the 37 centers provided their internal audit report, which was compared with the previous external audit. The program requires that auditors score each requirement within the QUANUM checklists on a scale of 0-4, where 0-2 means nonconformance and 3-4 means conformance to international regulations and standards on which QUANUM is based. Our analysis covering both general and clinical areas assessed changes on the conformance status on a binary manner and the level of conformance scores. Statistical analysis was performed using nonparametric statistical tests. The evaluation of the general checklists showed a global improvement on both the status and the levels of conformances (P < 0.01). The evaluation of the requirements by checklist also showed a significant improvement in all, with the exception of Hormones and Tumor marker determinations, where changes were not significant. Of the 25 evaluated institutions, 88% (22 of 25) and 92% (23 of 25) improved their status and levels of conformance, respectively. Fifty-five requirements, on average, increased from nonconformance to conformance status. In 8 key areas, the number of improved requirements was well above the average: Administration & Management (checklist 2); Radiation Protection & Safety (checklist 4); General Quality Assurance system (checklist 6); Imaging Equipment Quality Assurance or Quality Control (checklist 7); General Diagnostic (checklist 9); General Therapeutic (checklist 12); Radiopharmacy Level 1 (checklist 14); and Radiopharmacy Level 2 (checklist 15). Analysis of results related to clinical activities showed an overall positive impact on both the status and the level of conformance to international standards. Similar results were obtained for the most frequently performed clinical imaging and therapeutic procedures. Our study shows that the implementation of a comprehensive quality management system through the IAEA QUANUM program has a positive impact on nuclear medicine practices. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Targets for production of the medical radioisotopes with alpha and proton or deuteron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolarz, Anna; Kowalska, J. A.; Jastrzebski, J.; Choiński, J.; Sitarz, M.; Szkliniarz, K.; Trzcińska, A.; Zipper, W.

2018-05-01

The research quantities of some medical radioisotopes were produced in reactions induced by 32 MeV internal alpha beam (211At, Sc isotopes), 16 MeV and 28 MeV proton beams (Sc isotopes) and 8 MeV deuteron beam (Sc isotopes). The frame-less targets used for irradiation with internal alpha beam were prepared from elemental (Bi for 211At) and compound (CaCO3 for Sc radioisotopes) materials. The CaCO3 powder targets were also used for production of Sc radioisotopes with proton or deuteron external beams. Methods developed for preparation of the targets suitable for the irradiating beam type are described in this work.

Predicting fatigue service life extension of RC bridges with externally bonded CFRP repairs.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the fatigue performance of RC beams : strengthened with different externally bonded CFRP systems. Seven specimens were fabricated; three had : no CFRP; the remaining four had one of two CFRP...

Renyi entropy for local quenches in 2D CFT from numerical conformal blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusuki, Yuya; Takayanagi, Tadashi

2018-01-01

We study the time evolution of Renyi entanglement entropy for locally excited states in two dimensional large central charge CFTs. It generically shows a logarithmical growth and we compute the coefficient of log t term. Our analysis covers the entire parameter regions with respect to the replica number n and the conformal dimension h O of the primary operator which creates the excitation. We numerically analyse relevant vacuum conformal blocks by using Zamolodchikov's recursion relation. We find that the behavior of the conformal blocks in two dimensional CFTs with a central charge c, drastically changes when the dimensions of external primary states reach the value c/32. In particular, when h O ≥ c/32 and n ≥ 2, we find a new universal formula Δ {S}_A^{(n)}˜eq nc/24(n-1) log t. Our numerical results also confirm existing analytical results using the HHLL approximation.

Steerable Beam Array Antenna for Use in ATS-6 Test Program

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-05-01

The design and development of an advanced L-Band microstrip phased array antenna for aircraft is described. The array is: : Electronically steerable in elevation, Conformal to the surface of an aircraft, 0.20 inch thick, Low cost fabrication techniqu...

PARMELA_B: a new version of PARMELA with coherent synchrotron radiation effects and a finite difference space charge routine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koltenbah, Benjamin E. C.; Parazzoli, Claudio G.; Greegor, Robert B.; Dowell, David H.

2002-07-01

Recent interest in advanced laser light sources has stimulated development of accelerator systems of intermediate beam energy, 100-200 MeV, and high charge, 1-10 nC, for high power FEL applications and high energy, 1-2 GeV, high charge, SASE-FEL applications. The current generation of beam transport codes which were developed for high-energy, low-charge beams with low self-fields are inadequate to address this energy and charge regime, and better computational tools are required to accurately calculate self-fields. To that end, we have developed a new version of PARMELA, named PARMELA_B and written in Fortran 95, which includes a coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) routine and an improved, generalized space charge (SC) routine. An electron bunch is simulated by a collection of macro-particles, which traverses a series of beam line elements. At each time step through the calculation, the momentum of each particle is updated due to the presence of external and self-fields. The self-fields are due to CSR and SC. For the CSR calculations, the macro-particles are further combined into macro-particle-bins that follow the central trajectory of the bend. The energy change through the time step is calculated from expressions derived from the Liénard-Wiechart formulae, and from this energy change the particle's momentum is updated. For the SC calculations, we maintain the same rest-frame-electrostatic approach of the original PARMELA; however, we employ a finite difference Poisson equation solver instead of the symmetrical ring algorithm of the original code. In this way, we relax the symmetry assumptions in the original code. This method is based upon standard numerical procedures and conserves momentum to first order. The SC computational grid is adaptive and conforms to the size of the pulse as it evolves through the calculation. We provide descriptions of these two algorithms, validation comparisons with other CSR and SC methods, and a limited comparison with experimental results.

A slender tract of glycine residues is required for translocation of the VP2 protein N-terminal domain through the parvovirus MVM capsid channel to initiate infection.

PubMed

Castellanos, Milagros; Pérez, Rebeca; Rodríguez-Huete, Alicia; Grueso, Esther; Almendral, José M; Mateu, Mauricio G

2013-10-01

Viruses constitute paradigms to study conformational dynamics in biomacromolecular assemblies. Infection by the parvovirus MVM (minute virus of mice) requires a conformational rearrangement that involves the intracellular externalization through capsid channels of the 2Nt (N-terminal region of VP2). We have investigated the role in this process of conserved glycine residues in an extended glycine-rich tract located immediately after 2Nt. Based on the virus structure, residues with hydrophobic side chains of increasing volume were substituted for glycine residues 31 or 33. Mutations had no effect on capsid assembly or stability, but inhibited virus infectivity. All mutations, except those to alanine residues which had minor effects, impaired 2Nt externalization in nuclear maturing virions and in purified virions, to an extent that correlated with the side chain size. Different biochemical and biophysical analyses were consistent with this result. Importantly, all of the tested glycine residue replacements impaired the capacity of the virion to initiate infection, at ratios correlating with their restrictive effects on 2Nt externalization. Thus small residues within the evolutionarily conserved glycine-rich tract facilitate 2Nt externalization through the capsid channel, as required by this virus to initiate cell entry. The results demonstrate the exquisite dependence on geometric constraints of a biologically relevant translocation event in a biomolecular complex.

Flexural behaviour of RCC beams with externally bonded FRP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vignesh, S. Arun; Sumathi, A.; Saravana Raja Mohan, K.

2017-07-01

The increasing use of carbon and glass fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets for strengthening existing reinforced concrete beams has generated considerable interest in understanding the behavior of the FRP sheets when subjected to bending. The study on flexure includes various parameters like percentage of increase in strength of the member due to the externally bonded Fiber reinforced polymer, examining the crack patterns, reasons of debonding of the fibre from the structure, scaling, convenience of using the fibres, cost effectiveness etc. The present work aims to study experimentally about the reasons behind the failure due to flexure of an EB-FRP concrete beam by studying the various parameters. Deflection control may become as important as flexural strength for the design of FRPreinforced concrete structures. A numerical model is created using FEM software and the results are compared with that of the experiment.

Positron emission tomography imaging approaches for external beam radiation therapies: current status and future developments

PubMed Central

Price, P M; Green, M M

2011-01-01

In an era in which it is possible to deliver radiation with high precision, there is a heightened need for enhanced imaging capabilities to improve tumour localisation for diagnostic, planning and delivery purposes. This is necessary to increase the accuracy and overall efficacy of all types of external beam radiotherapy (RT), including particle therapies. Positron emission tomography (PET) has the potential to fulfil this need by imaging fundamental aspects of tumour biology. The key areas in which PET may support the RT process include improving disease diagnosis and staging; assisting tumour volume delineation; defining tumour phenotype or biological tumour volume; assessment of treatment response; and in-beam monitoring of radiation dosimetry. The role of PET and its current developmental status in these key areas are overviewed in this review, highlighting the advantages and drawbacks. PMID:21427180

An Apparatus For Student Projects Using External-Beam PIXE And PIGE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correll, Francis D.; Edsall, Douglas W.; DePooter, Katherine A.; Maskell, Nicholas D.; Vanhoy, Jeffrey R.

2011-06-01

We recently installed a simple endstation at the Naval Academy Tandem Accelerator Laboratory to support student projects using external-beam PIXE and PIGE. It consists of a short, graphite-lined beamline extension with a thin window, an interlocked box that surrounds the target, detectors for x- and gamma rays, provision for flooding the target with helium gas, easily changed x-ray absorbers, and a compact video camera for monitoring the position of the beam spot. We used this system to measure the elemental composition of colonial-era architectural materials, principally bricks and mortar, from James Madison's Montpelier, the reconstructed Virginia estate of the fourth President of the United States. We describe the design and construction of the system, relate some of our experiences using it, and present some preliminary data from our investigations.

Bremsstrahlung Diode Performance on Mercury MIV A

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-01

generator, experiments are performed utilizing both carbon (C) and tantalum (Ta) converters. An array of CaF2 thermoluminescent dosimeters ( TLDs ...an Al cylinder of 4-mm wall thickness; this thickness is sufficient to isolate the TLDs from externally produced Compton electrons . The measured PD...production of Mercury, a series of large-area electron -beam (e-beam) diode experiments are performed in which the e-beam is deposited onto either a

Technologies for delivery of proton and ion beams for radiotherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owen, Hywel; Holder, David; Alonso, Jose; Mackay, Ranald

2014-05-01

Recent developments for the delivery of proton and ion beam therapy have been significant, and a number of technological solutions now exist for the creation and utilisation of these particles for the treatment of cancer. In this paper we review the historical development of particle accelerators used for external beam radiotherapy and discuss the more recent progress towards more capable and cost-effective sources of particles.

Flexural strength using Steel Plate, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) on reinforced concrete beam in building technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarigan, Johannes; Patra, Fadel Muhammad; Sitorus, Torang

2018-03-01

Reinforced concrete structures are very commonly used in buildings because they are cheaper than the steel structures. But in reality, many concrete structures are damaged, so there are several ways to overcome this problem, by providing reinforcement with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) and reinforcement with steel plates. Each type of reinforcements has its advantages and disadvantages. In this study, researchers discuss the comparison between flexural strength of reinforced concrete beam using steel plates and Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP). In this case, the researchers use Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) as external reinforcements. The dimension of the beams is 15 x 25 cm with the length of 320 cm. Based on the analytical results, the strength of the beam with CFRP is 1.991 times its initial, GFRP is 1.877 times while with the steel plate is 1.646 times. Based on test results, the strength of the beam with CFRP is 1.444 times its initial, GFRP is 1.333 times while the steel plate is 1.167 times. Based on these test results, the authors conclude that beam with CFRP is the best choice for external reinforcement in building technology than the others.

Fabrication of a self-sensing electroactive polymer bimorph actuator based on polyvinylidene fluoride and its electrostrictive terpolymer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engel, Leeya; Van Volkinburg, Kyle R.; Ben-David, Moti; Washington, Gregory N.; Krylov, Slava; Shacham-Diamand, Yosi

2016-04-01

In this paper, we report on the fabrication of a self-sensing electroactive polymer cantilevered bimorph beam actuator and its frequency response. Tip deflections of the beam, induced by applying an AC signal across ferroelectric relaxor polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE)), reached a magnitude of 350μm under a field of ~55MV/m and were recorded externally using a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). Deflections were determined simultaneously by applying a sensing model to the voltage measured across the bimorph's integrated layer of piezoelectric polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). The sensing model treats the structure as a simple Euler- Bernoulli cantilevered beam with two distributed active elements represented through the use of generalized functions and offers a method through which real time tip deflection can be measured without the need for external visualization. When not being used as a sensing element, the PVDF layer can provide an additional means for actuation of the beam via the converse piezoelectric effect, resulting in bidirectional control of the beam's deflections. Integration of flexible sensing elements together with modeling of the electroactive polymer beam can benefit the developing field of polymer microactuators which have applications in soft robotics as "smart" prosthetics/implants, haptic displays, tools for less invasive surgery, and sensing.

Route, mechanism, and implications of proton import during Na+/K+ exchange by native Na+/K+-ATPase pumps

PubMed Central

Vedovato, Natascia

2014-01-01

A single Na+/K+-ATPase pumps three Na+ outwards and two K+ inwards by alternately exposing ion-binding sites to opposite sides of the membrane in a conformational sequence coupled to pump autophosphorylation from ATP and auto-dephosphorylation. The larger flow of Na+ than K+ generates outward current across the cell membrane. Less well understood is the ability of Na+/K+ pumps to generate an inward current of protons. Originally noted in pumps deprived of external K+ and Na+ ions, as inward current at negative membrane potentials that becomes amplified when external pH is lowered, this proton current is generally viewed as an artifact of those unnatural conditions. We demonstrate here that this inward current also flows at physiological K+ and Na+ concentrations. We show that protons exploit ready reversibility of conformational changes associated with extracellular Na+ release from phosphorylated Na+/K+ pumps. Reversal of a subset of these transitions allows an extracellular proton to bind an acidic side chain and to be subsequently released to the cytoplasm. This back-step of phosphorylated Na+/K+ pumps that enables proton import is not required for completion of the 3 Na+/2 K+ transport cycle. However, the back-step occurs readily during Na+/K+ transport when external K+ ion binding and occlusion are delayed, and it occurs more frequently when lowered extracellular pH raises the probability of protonation of the externally accessible carboxylate side chain. The proton route passes through the Na+-selective binding site III and is distinct from the principal pathway traversed by the majority of transported Na+ and K+ ions that passes through binding site II. The inferred occurrence of Na+/K+ exchange and H+ import during the same conformational cycle of a single molecule identifies the Na+/K+ pump as a hybrid transporter. Whether Na+/K+ pump–mediated proton inflow may have any physiological or pathophysiological significance remains to be clarified. PMID:24688018

SU-E-T-621: Planning Methodologies for Cancer of the Anal Canal: Comparing IMRT, Rapid Arc, and Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McGlade, J; Kassaee, A

2015-06-15

Purpose: To evaluate planning methods for anal canal cancer and compare the results of 9-field Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (Varian, RapidArc), and Proton Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS). Methods: We generated plans with IMRT, RapidArc (RA) and PBS for twenty patients for both initial phase including nodes and cone down phase of treatment using Eclipe (Varian). We evaluated the advantage of each technique for each phase. RA plans used 2 to 4 arcs and various collimator orientations. PBS used two posterior oblique fields. We evaluated the plans comparing dose volume histogram (DVH), locations of hot spots, andmore » PTV dose conformity. Results: Due to complex shape of target, for RA plans, multiple arcs (>2) are required to achieve optimal PTV conformity. When the PTV exceeds 15 cm in the superior-inferior direction, limitations of deliverability start to dominate. The PTV should be divided into a superior and an inferior structure. The optimization is performed with fixed jaws for each structure and collimator set to 90 degrees for the inferior PTV. Proton PBS plans show little advantage in small bowel sparing when treating the nodes. However, PBS plan reduces volumetric dose to the bladder at the cost of higher doses to the perineal skin. IMRT plans provide good target conformity, but they generate hot spots outside of the target volume. Conclusion: When using one planning technique for entire course of treatment, Multiple arc (>2) RA plans are better as compared to IMRT and PBS plans. When combining techniques, RA for the initial phase in combination with PBS for the cone down phase results in the most optimal plans.« less

Partial breast radiotherapy with simple teletherapy techniques.

PubMed

Fekete, Gábor; Újhidy, Dóra; Együd, Zsófia; Kiscsatári, Laura; Marosi, Gusztáv; Kahán, Zsuzsanna; Varga, Zoltán

2015-01-01

A prospective pilot study of partial breast irradiation (PBI) with conventional vs hypofractionated schedules was set out. The study aimed to determine efficacy, acute and late side effects, and the preference of photon vs electron irradiation based on individual features. Patients were enrolled according to internationally accepted guidelines on PBI. Conformal radiotherapy plans were generated with both photon and electron beams, and the preferred technique based on dose homogeneity and the radiation exposure of healthy tissues was applied. For electron dose verification, a special phantom was constructed. Patients were randomized for fractionation schedules of 25 × 2 vs 13 × 3Gy. Skin and breast changes were registered at the time of and ≥1 year after the completion of radiotherapy. Dose homogeneity was better with photons. If the tumor bed was located in the inner quadrants, electron beam gave superior results regarding conformity and sparing of organ at risk (OAR). If the tumor was situated in the lateral quadrants, conformity was better with photons. A depth of the tumor bed ≥3.0cm predicted the superiority of photon irradiation (odds ratio [OR] = 23.6, 95% CI: 5.2 to 107.5, p < 0.001) with >90% sensitivity and specificity. After a median follow-up of 39 months, among 72 irradiated cases, 1 local relapse out of the tumor bed was detected. Acute radiodermatitis of grade I to II, hyperpigmentation, and telangiectasia developed ≥1 year after radiotherapy, exclusively after electron beam radiotherapy. The choice of electrons or photons for PBI should be based on tumor bed location; the used methods are efficient and feasible. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sole, Claudio V., E-mail: cvsole@uc.cl; School of Medicine, Complutense University, Madrid; Service of Radiation Oncology, Instituto de Radiomedicina, Santiago

Purpose: To perform a joint analysis of data from 3 contributing centers within the intraoperative electron-beam radiation therapy (IOERT)-Spanish program, to determine the potential of IOERT as an anticipated boost before external beam radiation therapy in the multidisciplinary treatment of pediatric extremity soft-tissue sarcomas. Methods and Materials: From June 1993 to May 2013, 62 patients (aged <21 years) with a histologic diagnosis of primary extremity soft-tissue sarcoma with absence of distant metastases, undergoing limb-sparing grossly resected surgery, external beam radiation therapy (median dose 40 Gy) and IOERT (median dose 10 Gy) were considered eligible for this analysis. Results: After a median follow-up ofmore » 66 months (range, 4-235 months), 10-year local control, disease-free survival, and overall survival was 85%, 76%, and 81%, respectively. In multivariate analysis after adjustment for other covariates, tumor size >5 cm (P=.04) and R1 margin status (P=.04) remained significantly associated with local relapse. In regard to overall survival only margin status (P=.04) retained association on multivariate analysis. Ten patients (16%) reported severe chronic toxicity events (all grade 3). Conclusions: An anticipated IOERT boost allowed for external beam radiation therapy dose reduction, with high local control and acceptably low toxicity rates. The combined radiosurgical approach needs to be tested in a prospective trial to confirm these results.« less

Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) modeling of late rectal bleeding following external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer: A Test of the QUANTEC-recommended NTCP model.

PubMed

Liu, Mitchell; Moiseenko, Vitali; Agranovich, Alexander; Karvat, Anand; Kwan, Winkle; Saleh, Ziad H; Apte, Aditya A; Deasy, Joseph O

2010-10-01

Validating a predictive model for late rectal bleeding following external beam treatment for prostate cancer would enable safer treatments or dose escalation. We tested the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) model recommended in the recent QUANTEC review (quantitative analysis of normal tissue effects in the clinic). One hundred and sixty one prostate cancer patients were treated with 3D conformal radiotherapy for prostate cancer at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in a prospective protocol. The total prescription dose for all patients was 74 Gy, delivered in 2 Gy/fraction. 159 3D treatment planning datasets were available for analysis. Rectal dose volume histograms were extracted and fitted to a Lyman-Kutcher-Burman NTCP model. Late rectal bleeding (>grade 2) was observed in 12/159 patients (7.5%). Multivariate logistic regression with dose-volume parameters (V50, V60, V70, etc.) was non-significant. Among clinical variables, only age was significant on a Kaplan-Meier log-rank test (p=0.007, with an optimal cut point of 77 years). Best-fit Lyman-Kutcher-Burman model parameters (with 95% confidence intervals) were: n = 0.068 (0.01, +infinity); m =0.14 (0.0, 0.86); and TD50 = 81 (27, 136) Gy. The peak values fall within the 95% QUANTEC confidence intervals. On this dataset, both models had only modest ability to predict complications: the best-fit model had a Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of rs = 0.099 (p = 0.11) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.62; the QUANTEC model had rs=0.096 (p= 0.11) and a corresponding AUC of 0.61. Although the QUANTEC model consistently predicted higher NTCP values, it could not be rejected according to the χ(2) test (p = 0.44). Observed complications, and best-fit parameter estimates, were consistent with the QUANTEC-preferred NTCP model. However, predictive power was low, at least partly because the rectal dose distribution characteristics do not vary greatly within this patient cohort.

Direct 2-Arm Comparison Shows Benefit of High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Boost vs External Beam Radiation Therapy Alone for Prostate Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khor, Richard; Duchesne, Gillian; Monash University, Melbourne

Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of patients treated for intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer with a single schedule of either external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRB) boost or EBRT alone. Methods and Materials: From 2001-2006, 344 patients received EBRT with HDRB boost for definitive treatment of intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer. The prescribed EBRT dose was 46 Gy in 23 fractions, with a HDR boost of 19.5 Gy in 3 fractions. This cohort was compared to a contemporaneously treated cohort who received EBRT to 74 Gy in 37 fractions, using a matched pair analysis. Three-dimensional conformal EBRTmore » was used. Matching was performed using a propensity score matching technique. High-risk patients constituted 41% of the matched cohorts. Five-year clinical and biochemical outcomes were analyzed. Results: Initial significant differences in prognostic indicators between the unmatched treatment cohorts were rendered negligible after matching, providing a total of 688 patients. Median biochemical follow-up was 60.5 months. The 5-year freedom from biochemical failure was 79.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 74.3%-85.0%) and 70.9% (95% CI, 65.4%-76.0%) for the HDRB and EBRT groups, respectively, equating to a hazard ratio of 0.59 (95% CI, 0.43-0.81, P=.0011). Interaction analyses showed no alteration in HDR efficacy when planned androgen deprivation therapy was administered (P=.95), but a strong trend toward reduced efficacy was shown compared to EBRT in high-risk cases (P=.06). Rates of grade 3 urethral stricture were 0.3% (95% CI, 0%-0.9%) and 11.8% (95% CI, 8.1%-16.5%) for EBRT and HDRB, respectively (P<.0001). No differences in clinical outcomes were observed. Conclusions: This comparison of 2 individual contemporaneously treated HDRB and EBRT approaches showed improved freedom from biochemical progression with the HDR approach. The benefit was more pronounced in intermediate- risk patients but needs to be weighed against an increased risk of urethral toxicity.« less

Three-dimensional external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer increases the risk of hip fracture.

PubMed

Elliott, Sean P; Jarosek, Stephanie L; Alanee, Shaheen R; Konety, Badrinath R; Dusenbery, Kathryn E; Virnig, Beth A

2011-10-01

Hip fracture is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Pelvic external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is known to increase the risk of hip fractures in women, but the effect in men is unknown. From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database, 45,662 men who were aged ≥66 years and diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1992-2004 were identified. By using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards models, the primary outcome of hip fracture risk was compared among men who received radical prostatectomy (RP), EBRT, EBRT plus androgen suppression therapy (AST), or AST alone. Age, osteoporosis, race, and other comorbidities were statistically controlled. A secondary outcome was distal forearm fracture as an indicator of the risk of fall-related fracture outside the radiation field. After covariates were statistically controlled, the findings showed that EBRT increased the risk of hip fractures by 76% (hazards ratio [HR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-2.40) without increasing the risk of distal forearm fractures (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.56-1.14). Combination therapy with EBRT plus AST increased the risk of hip fracture 145% relative to RP alone (HR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.88-3.19) and by 40% relative to EBRT alone (HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.17-1.68). EBRT plus AST increased the risk of distal forearm fracture by 43% relative to RP alone (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 0.97-2.10). The number needed to treat to result in 1 hip fracture during a 10-year period was 51 patients (95% CI, 31-103). In men with prostate cancer, pelvic 3-D conformal EBRT was associated with a 76% increased risk of hip fracture. This risk was slightly increased further by the addition of short-course AST to EBRT. This risk associated with EBRT must be site-specific as there was no increase in the risk of fall-related fractures in bones that were outside the radiation field. Copyright © 2011 American Cancer Society.

Polypyrrole Actuator Based on Electrospun Microribbons.

PubMed

Beregoi, Mihaela; Evanghelidis, Alexandru; Diculescu, Victor C; Iovu, Horia; Enculescu, Ionut

2017-11-01

The development of soft actuators by using inexpensive raw materials and straightforward fabrication techniques, aiming at creating and developing muscle like micromanipulators, represents an important challenge nowadays. Providing such devices with biomimetic qualities, for example, sensing different external stimuli, adds even more complexity to the task. We developed electroactive polymer-coated microribbons that undergo conformational changes in response to external physical and chemical parameters. These were prepared following three simple steps. During the first step nylon-6/6 microribbons were fabricated by electrospinning. In a second step the microribbons were one side coated with a metallic layer. Finally, a conducting layer of polypyrrole was added by means of electrochemical deposition. Strips of polypyrrole-coated aligned microribbon meshes were tested as actuators responding to current, pH, and temperature. The electrochemical activity of the microstructured actuators was investigated by recording cyclic voltammograms. Chronopontentiograms for specific current, pH, and temperature values were obtained in electrolytes with different compositions. It was shown that, upon variation of the external stimulus, the actuator undergoes conformational changes due to the reduction processes of the polypyrrole layer. The ability of the actuator to hold and release thin wires, and to collect polystyrene microspheres from the bottom of the electrochemical cell, was also investigated.

Conformal mapping for multiple terminals

PubMed Central

Wang, Weimin; Ma, Wenying; Wang, Qiang; Ren, Hao

2016-01-01

Conformal mapping is an important mathematical tool that can be used to solve various physical and engineering problems in many fields, including electrostatics, fluid mechanics, classical mechanics, and transformation optics. It is an accurate and convenient way to solve problems involving two terminals. However, when faced with problems involving three or more terminals, which are more common in practical applications, existing conformal mapping methods apply assumptions or approximations. A general exact method does not exist for a structure with an arbitrary number of terminals. This study presents a conformal mapping method for multiple terminals. Through an accurate analysis of boundary conditions, additional terminals or boundaries are folded into the inner part of a mapped region. The method is applied to several typical situations, and the calculation process is described for two examples of an electrostatic actuator with three electrodes and of a light beam splitter with three ports. Compared with previously reported results, the solutions for the two examples based on our method are more precise and general. The proposed method is helpful in promoting the application of conformal mapping in analysis of practical problems. PMID:27830746

Surface dosimetry for breast radiotherapy in the presence of immobilization cast material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, Andrew; Hardcastle, Nicholas; Metcalfe, Peter; Cutajar, Dean; Quinn, Alexandra; Foo, Kerwyn; Cardoso, Michael; Barlin, Sheree; Rosenfeld, Anatoly

2011-02-01

Curative breast radiotherapy typically leaves patients with varying degrees of cosmetic damage. One problem interfering with cosmetically acceptable breast radiotherapy is the external contour for large pendulous breasts which often results in high doses to skin folds. Thermoplastic casts are often employed to secure the breasts to maintain setup reproducibility and limit the presence of skin folds. This paper aims to determine changes in surface dose that can be attributed to the use of thermoplastic immobilization casts. Skin dose for a clinical hybrid conformal/IMRT breast plan was measured using radiochromic film and MOSFET detectors at a range of water equivalent depths representative of the different skin layers. The radiochromic film was used as an integrating dosimeter, while the MOSFETs were used for real-time dosimetry to isolate the contribution of skin dose from individual IMRT segments. Strips of film were placed at various locations on the breast and the MOSFETs were used to measure skin dose at 16 positions spaced along the film strips for comparison of data. The results showed an increase in skin dose in the presence of the immobilization cast of up to 45.7% and 62.3% of the skin dose without the immobilization cast present as measured with Gafchromic EBT film and MOSFETs, respectively. The increase in skin dose due to the immobilization cast varied with the angle of beam incidence and was greatest when the beam was normally incident on the phantom. The increase in surface dose with the immobilization cast was greater under entrance dose conditions compared to exit dose conditions.

Predictive parameters for selection of electronic tissue compensation radiotherapy in early-stage breast cancer patients after breast-conserving surgery.

PubMed

Song, Yanbo; Zhang, Miao; Gan, Lu; Chen, Xiaopin; Zhang, Tao; Yue, Ning J; Goyal, Sharad; Haffty, Bruce; Ren, Guosheng

2016-05-31

Electronic tissue compensation (eComp) is an external beam planning technique allowing user to manually generate dynamic beam fluence to produce more uniform or modulated dose distribution. In this study, we compared the effectiveness between conventional three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) and eComp for whole breast irradiation. 3DCRT and eComp planning techniques were used to generate treatment plans for 60 whole breast patients, respectively. The planning goal was to cover 95% of the planning target volume (PTV) with 95% of the prescription dose while minimizing doses to lung, heart, and skin. Comparing to 3DCRT plans, on the average, eComp treatment planning process was about 7 minutes longer, but resulted in lower lung V20Gy, lower mean skin dose, with similar heart dose. The benefits were more pronounced for larger breast patients. Statistical analyses were performed between critical organ doses and patient anatomic features, i.e., central lung distance (CLD), maximal heart distance (MHD), maximal heart length (MHL) and breast separation (BS) to explore any correlations and planning method selection. It was found that to keep the lung V20Gy lower than 20% and mean skin dose lower than 85% of the prescription dose, eComp was the preferred method for patients with more than 2.3 cm CLD or larger than 22.5 cm BS. The study results may be useful in providing a handy criterion in clinical practice allowing us to easily choose between different planning techniques to satisfy the planning goal with minimal increase in complexity and cost.

Predictions of toroidal rotation and torque sources arising in non-axisymmetric perturbed magnetic fields in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, M.; Satake, S.; Suzuki, Y.; Shinohara, K.; Yoshida, M.; Narita, E.; Nakata, M.; Aiba, N.; Shiraishi, J.; Hayashi, N.; Matsunaga, G.; Matsuyama, A.; Ide, S.

2017-11-01

Capabilities of the integrated framework consisting of TOPICS, OFMC, VMEC and FORTEC-3D, have been extended to calculate toroidal rotation in fully non-axisymmetric perturbed magnetic fields for demonstrating operation scenarios in actual tokamak geometry and conditions. The toroidally localized perturbed fields due to the test blanket modules and the tangential neutral beam ports in ITER augment the neoclassical toroidal viscosity (NTV) substantially, while do not significantly influence losses of beam ions and alpha particles in an ITER L-mode discharge. The NTV takes up a large portion of total torque in ITER and fairly decelerates toroidal rotation, but the change in toroidal rotation may have limited effectiveness against turbulent heat transport. The error field correction coils installed in JT-60SA can externally apply the perturbed fields, which may alter the NTV and the resultant toroidal rotation profiles. However, the non-resonant n=18 components of the magnetic fields arising from the toroidal field ripple mainly contribute to the NTV, regardless of the presence of the applied field by the coil current of 10 kA , where n is the toroidal mode number. The theoretical model of the intrinsic torque due to the fluctuation-induced residual stress is calibrated by the JT-60U data. For five JT-60U discharges, the sign of the calibration factor conformed to the gyrokinetic linear stability analysis and a range of the amplitude thereof was revealed. This semi-empirical approach opens up access to an attempt on predicting toroidal rotation in H-mode plasmas.

Photon Beaming in External Compton models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutter, Anne; Spanier, Felix

In attempt to model blazar emission spectra, External Compton models have been employed to fit the observed data. In these models photons from the accretion disk or the CMB are upscat-tered via the Compton effect by the electrons and contribute to the emission. In previous works the resulting scattered photon angular distribution has been calculated for ultrarelativistic elec-trons. This work aims to extend the result to the case of mildly relativistic electrons. Hence, the beaming pattern produced by a relativistic moving blob consisting of isotropic distributed electrons, which scatter photons of an isotropic external radiation is calculated numerically. The isotropic photon density distribution in the blob frame is Lorentz-transformed into the rest frame of the electron and results in an anisotropic distribution with a preferred direction where it is upscattered by the electrons. The photon density distribution is determined and transformed back into the blob frame. As the photons in the rest frame of the electrons are dis-tributed anisotropically the scattering does not reproduce this anisotropic distribution. When transforming back into the blob frame the resulting photon distribution won't be isotropic. Approximations have shown that the resulting photon distribution is boosted more strongly than a distribution assumed to be isotropic in the rest frame of the electrons. Hence, in order to obtain the beaming caused by external Compton it is of particular interest to derive a more exact approximation of the resulting photon angular distribution.

Short-term Androgen-Deprivation Therapy Improves Prostate Cancer-Specific Mortality in Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Dose-Escalated External Beam Radiation Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zumsteg, Zachary S.; Spratt, Daniel E.; Pei, Xin

2013-03-15

Purpose: We investigated the benefit of short-term androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer (PC) receiving dose-escalated external beam radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: The present retrospective study comprised 710 intermediate-risk PC patients receiving external beam radiation therapy with doses of ≥81 Gy at a single institution from 1992 to 2005, including 357 patients receiving neoadjuvant and concurrent ADT. Prostate-specific antigen recurrence-free survival (PSA-RFS) and distant metastasis (DM) were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models. PC-specific mortality (PCSM) was assessed using competing-risks analysis. Results: The median follow-up was 7.9 years. Despite being more likelymore » to have higher PSA levels, Gleason score 4 + 3 = 7, multiple National Comprehensive Cancer Network intermediate-risk factors, and older age (P≤.001 for all comparisons), patients receiving ADT had improved PSA-RFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.598; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.435-0.841; P=.003), DM (HR, 0.424; 95% CI, 0.219-0.819; P=.011), and PCSM (HR, 0.380; 95% CI, 0.157-0.921; P=.032) on univariate analysis. Using multivariate analysis, ADT was an even stronger predictor of improved PSA-RFS (adjusted HR [AHR], 0.516; 95% CI, 0.360-0.739; P<.001), DM (AHR, 0.347; 95% CI, 0.176-0.685; P=.002), and PCSM (AHR, 0.297; 95% CI, 0.128-0.685; P=.004). Gleason score 4 + 3 = 7 and ≥50% positive biopsy cores were other independent predictors of PCSM. Conclusions: Short-term ADT improves PSA-RFS, DM, and PCSM in patients with intermediate-risk PC undergoing dose-escalated external beam radiation therapy.« less

L-Boronophenylalanine-Mediated Boron Neutron Capture Therapy for Malignant Glioma Progressing After External Beam Radiation Therapy: A Phase I Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kankaanranta, Leena; Seppaelae, Tiina; Koivunoro, Hanna

Purpose: To investigate the safety of boronophenylalanine-mediated boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) in the treatment of malignant gliomas that progress after surgery and conventional external beam radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: Adult patients who had histologically confirmed malignant glioma that had progressed after surgery and external beam radiotherapy were eligible for this Phase I study, provided that >6 months had elapsed from the last date of radiation therapy. The first 10 patients received a fixed dose, 290 mg/kg, of L-boronophenylalanine-fructose (L-BPA-F) as a 2-hour infusion before neutron irradiation, and the remaining patients were treated with escalating doses of L-BPA-F, eithermore » 350 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, or 450 mg/kg, using 3 patients on each dose level. Adverse effects were assessed using National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria version 2.0. Results: Twenty-two patients entered the study. Twenty subjects had glioblastoma, and 2 patients had anaplastic astrocytoma, and the median cumulative dose of prior external beam radiotherapy was 59.4 Gy. The maximally tolerated L-BPA-F dose was reached at the 450 mg/kg level, where 4 of 6 patients treated had a grade 3 adverse event. Patients who were given >290 mg/kg of L-BPA-F received a higher estimated average planning target volume dose than those who received 290 mg/kg (median, 36 vs. 31 Gy [W, i.e., a weighted dose]; p = 0.018). The median survival time following BNCT was 7 months. Conclusions: BNCT administered with an L-BPA-F dose of up to 400 mg/kg as a 2-hour infusion is feasible in the treatment of malignant gliomas that recur after conventional radiation therapy.« less

External Beam Boost for Cancer of the Cervix Uteri When Intracavitary Therapy Cannot Be Performed

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barraclough, Lisa Helen; Swindell, Ric; Livsey, Jacqueline E.

2008-07-01

Purpose: To assess the outcome of patients treated with radical radiotherapy for cervical cancer who received an external beam boost, in place of intracavitary brachytherapy (ICT), after irradiation to the whole pelvis. Methods and Materials: Case notes were reviewed for all patients treated in this way in a single center between 1996 and 2004. Patient and tumor details, the reasons why ICT was not possible, and treatment outcome were documented. Results: Forty-four patients were identified. The mean age was 56.4 years (range, 26-88 years). Clinical International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics or radiologic stage for Stages I, II, III, andmore » IV, respectively, was 16%, 48%, 27%, and 7%. A total radiation dose of 54-70 Gy was given (75% received {>=}60 Gy). Reasons for ICT not being performed were technical limitations in 73%, comorbidity or isolation limitations in 23%, and patient choice in 4%. The median follow-up was 2.3 years. Recurrent disease was seen in 48%, with a median time to recurrence of 2.3 years. Central recurrence was seen in 16 of the 21 patients with recurrent disease. The 5-year overall survival rate was 49.3%. The 3-year cancer-specific survival rate by stage was 100%, 70%, and 42% for Stages I, II, and III, respectively. Late Grades 1 and 2 bowel, bladder, and vaginal toxicity were seen in 41%. Late Grade 3 toxicity was seen in 2%. Conclusion: An external beam boost is a reasonable option after external beam radiotherapy to the pelvis when it is not possible to perform ICT.« less

Secondary radiation measurements for particle therapy applications: charged particles produced by 4He and 12C ion beams in a PMMA target at large angle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rucinski, A.; Battistoni, G.; Collamati, F.; De Lucia, E.; Faccini, R.; Frallicciardi, P. M.; Mancini-Terracciano, C.; Marafini, M.; Mattei, I.; Muraro, S.; Paramatti, R.; Piersanti, L.; Pinci, D.; Russomando, A.; Sarti, A.; Sciubba, A.; Solfaroli Camillocci, E.; Toppi, M.; Traini, G.; Voena, C.; Patera, V.

2018-03-01

Proton and carbon ion beams are used in the clinical practice for external radiotherapy treatments achieving, for selected indications, promising and superior clinical results with respect to x-ray based radiotherapy. Other ions, like \

The Conformational Flexibility of the Acyltransferase from the Disorazole Polyketide Synthase Is Revealed by an X-ray Free-Electron Laser Using a Room-Temperature Sample Delivery Method for Serial Crystallography

PubMed Central

Allison, Kim; Robbins, Thomas; Lyubimov, Artem Y.; Uervirojnangkoorn, Monarin; Brunger, Axel T.; Khosla, Chaitan; DeMirci, Hasan; McPhillips, Scott E.; Hollenbeck, Michael; Soltis, Michael; Cohen, Aina E.

2017-01-01

The crystal structure of the trans-acyltrans-ferase (AT) from the disorazole polyketide synthase (PKS) was determined at room temperature to a resolution of 2.5 Å using a new method for the direct delivery of the sample into an X-ray free-electron laser. A novel sample extractor efficiently delivered limited quantities of microcrystals directly from the native crystallization solution into the X-ray beam at room temperature. The AT structure revealed important catalytic features of this core PKS enzyme, including the occurrence of conformational changes around the active site. The implications of these conformational changes for polyketide synthase reaction dynamics are discussed. PMID:28832129

The development and role of megavoltage cone beam computerized tomography in radiation oncology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morin, Olivier

External beam radiation therapy has now the ability to deliver doses that conform tightly to a tumor volume. The steep dose gradients planned in these treatments make it increasingly important to reproduce the patient position and anatomy at each treatment fraction. For this reason, considerable research now focuses on in-room three-dimensional imaging. This thesis describes the first clinical megavoltage cone beam computed tomography (MVCBCT) system, which utilizes a conventional linear accelerator equipped with an amorphous silicon flat panel detector. The document covers the system development and investigation of its clinical applications over the last 4-5 years. The physical performance of the system was evaluated and optimized for soft-tissue contrast resolution leading to recommendations of imaging protocols to use for specific clinical applications and body sites. MVCBCT images can resolve differences of 5% in electron density for a mean dose of 9 cGy. Hence, the image quality of this system is sufficient to differentiate some soft-tissue structures. The absolute positioning accuracy with MVCBCT is better than 1 mm. The accuracy of isodose lines calculated using MVCBCT images of head and neck patients is within 3% and 3 mm. The system shows excellent stability in image quality, CT# calibration, radiation exposure and absolute positioning over a period of 8 months. A procedure for MVCBCT quality assurance was developed. In our clinic, MVCBCT has been used to detect non rigid spinal cord distortions, to position a patient with a paraspinous tumor close to metallic hardware, to position prostate cancer patients using gold markers or soft-tissue landmarks, to monitor head and neck anatomical changes and their dosimetric consequences, and to complement the convention CT for treatment planning in presence of metallic implants. MVCBCT imaging is changing the clinical practice of our department by increasingly revealing patient-specific errors. New verification protocols are being developed to minimize those errors thus moving the practice of radiation therapy one step closer to personalized medicine.

Continuous wavelength tunable laser source with optimum positioning of pivot axis for grating

DOEpatents

Pushkarsky, Michael; Amone, David F.

2010-06-08

A laser source (10) for generating a continuously wavelength tunable light (12) includes a gain media (16), an optical output coupler (36F), a cavity collimator (38A), a diffraction grating (30), a grating beam (54), and a beam attacher (56). The diffraction grating (30) is spaced apart from the cavity collimator (38A) and the grating (30) cooperates with the optical output coupler (36F) to define an external cavity (32). The grating (30) includes a grating face surface (42A) that is in a grating plane (42B). The beam attacher (56) retains the grating beam (54) and allows the grating beam (54) and the grating (30) to effectively pivot about a pivot axis (33) that is located approximately at an intersection of a pivot plane (50) and the grating plane (42B). As provided herein, the diffraction grating (30) can be pivoted about the unique pivot axis (33) to move the diffraction grating (30) relative to the gain media (16) to continuously tune the lasing frequency of the external cavity (32) and the wavelength of the output light (12) so that the output light (12) is mode hop free.

Algebraic classification of Weyl anomalies in arbitrary dimensions.

PubMed

Boulanger, Nicolas

2007-06-29

Conformally invariant systems involving only dimensionless parameters are known to describe particle physics at very high energy. In the presence of an external gravitational field, the conformal symmetry may generalize to the Weyl invariance of classical massless field systems in interaction with gravity. In the quantum theory, the latter symmetry no longer survives: A Weyl anomaly appears. Anomalies are a cornerstone of quantum field theory, and, for the first time, a general, purely algebraic understanding of the universal structure of the Weyl anomalies is obtained, in arbitrary dimensions and independently of any regularization scheme.

The role of external beam radiotherapy in the treatment of hepatocellular cancer.

PubMed

Chino, Fumiko; Stephens, Sarah Jo; Choi, Steve S; Marin, Daniele; Kim, Charles Y; Morse, Michael A; Godfrey, Devon J; Czito, Brian G; Willett, Christopher G; Palta, Manisha

2018-04-12

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing in incidence and mortality. Although the prognosis remains poor, long-term survival has improved from 3% in 1970 to an 18% 5-year survival rate today. This is likely because of the introduction of well tolerated, oral antiviral therapies for hepatitis C. Curative options for patients with HCC are often limited by underlying liver dysfunction/cirrhosis and medical comorbidities. Less than one-third of patients are candidates for surgery, which is the current gold standard for cure. Nonsurgical treatments include embolotherapies, percutaneous ablation, and ablative radiation. Technological advances in radiation delivery in the past several decades now allow for safe and effective ablative doses to the liver. Conformal techniques allow for both dose escalation to target volumes and normal tissue sparing. Multiple retrospective and prospective studies have demonstrated that hypofractionated image-guided radiation therapy, used as monotherapy or in combination with other liver-directed therapies, can provide excellent local control that is cost effective. Therefore, as the HCC treatment paradigm continues to evolve, ablative radiation treatment has moved from a palliative treatment to both a "bridge to transplant" and a definitive treatment. Cancer 2018. © 2018 American Cancer Society. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Physics-aspects of dose accuracy in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy: source dosimetry, treatment planning, equipment performance and in vivo verification techniques

PubMed Central

Bradley, David; Nisbet, Andrew

2012-01-01

This study provides a review of recent publications on the physics-aspects of dosimetric accuracy in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. The discussion of accuracy is primarily concerned with uncertainties, but methods to improve dose conformation to the prescribed intended dose distribution are also noted. The main aim of the paper is to review current practical techniques and methods employed for HDR brachytherapy dosimetry. This includes work on the determination of dose rate fields around brachytherapy sources, the capability of treatment planning systems, the performance of treatment units and methods to verify dose delivery. This work highlights the determinants of accuracy in HDR dosimetry and treatment delivery and presents a selection of papers, focusing on articles from the last five years, to reflect active areas of research and development. Apart from Monte Carlo modelling of source dosimetry, there is no clear consensus on the optimum techniques to be used to assure dosimetric accuracy through all the processes involved in HDR brachytherapy treatment. With the exception of the ESTRO mailed dosimetry service, there is little dosimetric audit activity reported in the literature, when compared with external beam radiotherapy verification. PMID:23349649

Physics-aspects of dose accuracy in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy: source dosimetry, treatment planning, equipment performance and in vivo verification techniques.

PubMed

Palmer, Antony; Bradley, David; Nisbet, Andrew

2012-06-01

This study provides a review of recent publications on the physics-aspects of dosimetric accuracy in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. The discussion of accuracy is primarily concerned with uncertainties, but methods to improve dose conformation to the prescribed intended dose distribution are also noted. The main aim of the paper is to review current practical techniques and methods employed for HDR brachytherapy dosimetry. This includes work on the determination of dose rate fields around brachytherapy sources, the capability of treatment planning systems, the performance of treatment units and methods to verify dose delivery. This work highlights the determinants of accuracy in HDR dosimetry and treatment delivery and presents a selection of papers, focusing on articles from the last five years, to reflect active areas of research and development. Apart from Monte Carlo modelling of source dosimetry, there is no clear consensus on the optimum techniques to be used to assure dosimetric accuracy through all the processes involved in HDR brachytherapy treatment. With the exception of the ESTRO mailed dosimetry service, there is little dosimetric audit activity reported in the literature, when compared with external beam radiotherapy verification.

Submillimeter Schottky Diodes with Electron Beam Lithography.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-12-01

Timer 2: external clock, oneshot , 0’ sixteen bit counting modes are .,selected, no data is entered; interrupts are disabled. Timer 3: external clock and...CLOCK, ONESHOT MODE, NO INTERRUPTS, 00031* 16 BIT COUNTING MODE, OUTPUT IS EN- 00032 * ABLED; NO DATA IS ENTERED, 00033 00034 * TIMER3: EXT CLOCK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Truong, Minh Tam, E-mail: mitruong@bu.edu; Kachnic, Lisa A.; Grillone, Gregory A.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of conformal external beam radiotherapy (RT) for local control of progressive airway amyloidosis. Methods and Materials: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with biopsy-proven progressive airway amyloidosis treated with conformal RT between 2000 and 2006 at Boston Medical Center. The patients were evaluated for performance status and pulmonary function, with computed tomography and endoscopy after RT compared with the pretreatment studies. Local control was defined as the lack of progression of airway wall thickening on computed tomography imaging and stable endobronchial deposits by endoscopy. Results: A total of 10 symptomatic airway amyloidosis patients (3more » laryngeal and 7 tracheobronchial) received RT to a median total dose of 20 Gy in 10 fractions within 2 weeks. At a median follow-up of 6.7 years (range, 1.5-10.3), 8 of the 10 patients had local control. The remaining 2 patients underwent repeat RT 6 and 8.4 months after initial RT, 1 for persistent bronchial obstruction and 1 for progression of subglottic amyloid disease with subsequent disease control. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status improved at a median of 18 months after RT compared with the baseline values, from a median score of 2 to a median of 1 (p = .035). Airflow (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) measurements increased compared with the baseline values at each follow-up evaluation, reaching a 10.7% increase (p = .087) at the last testing (median duration, 64.8 months). Acute toxicity was limited to Grade 1-2 esophagitis, occurring in 40% of patients. No late toxicity was observed. Conclusions: RT prevented progressive amyloid deposition in 8 of 10 patients, resulting in a marginally increased forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and improved functional capacity, without late morbidity.« less

Consistency in seroma contouring for partial breast radiotherapy: Impact of guidelines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wong, Elaine K.; Truong, Pauline T.; Kader, Hosam A.

2006-10-01

Purpose: Inconsistencies in contouring target structures can undermine the precision of conformal radiation therapy (RT) planning and compromise the validity of clinical trial results. This study evaluated the impact of guidelines on consistency in target volume contouring for partial breast RT planning. Methods and Materials: Guidelines for target volume definition for partial breast radiation therapy (PBRT) planning were developed by members of the steering committee for a pilot trial of PBRT using conformal external beam planning. In phase 1, delineation of the breast seroma in 5 early-stage breast cancer patients was independently performed by a 'trained' cohort of four radiationmore » oncologists who were provided with these guidelines and an 'untrained' cohort of four radiation oncologists who contoured without guidelines. Using automated planning software, the seroma target volume (STV) was expanded into a clinical target volume (CTV) and planning target volume (PTV) for each oncologist. Means and standard deviations were calculated, and two-tailed t tests were used to assess differences between the 'trained' and 'untrained' cohorts. In phase 2, all eight radiation oncologists were provided with the same contouring guidelines, and were asked to delineate the seroma in five new cases. Data were again analyzed to evaluate consistency between the two cohorts. Results: The 'untrained' cohort contoured larger seroma volumes and had larger CTVs and PTVs compared with the 'trained' cohort in three of five cases. When seroma contouring was performed after review of contouring guidelines, the differences in the STVs, CTVs, and PTVs were no longer statistically significant. Conclusion: Guidelines can improve consistency among radiation oncologists performing target volume delineation for PBRT planning.« less

Conformal Therapy Improves the Therapeutic Index of Patients with Anal Canal Cancer Treated with Combined Chemotherapy and External Beam Radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vuong, Te; Kopek, Neil; Ducruet, Thierry

2007-04-01

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) in patients with anal canal cancer, in terms of local control (LC), freedom from relapse (FFR), and overall survival (OS) rates, and to estimate long-term toxicity data. Methods and Materials: Sixty historical patients, treated with conventional radiation techniques (C-RT), were used as controls, and 62 consecutive patients were treated with 3D-CRT. Patients treated with 3D-CRT received 54 Gy in 30 fractions delivered continuously, compared with 45-58.9 Gy (median dose, 54 Gy) in a split course in patients treated with C-RT. Chemotherapy consisted of 5-fluorouracil with either mitomycin-C or cis-platinummore » given concurrently with radiation. Survival curves were performed using the Kaplan-Meier model, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis of risk factors. Results: No differences in stage and age distribution were observed between the two groups. Patients treated with 3D-CRT and C-RT had an actuarial 5-year LC rate of 85.1% and 61.1%, respectively (p = 0.0056); the FFR rate was 70.2% and 46.1% (p = 0.0166), and the OS rate was 80.7% and 53.9% (p = 0.0171). In multivariate analysis, factors of significance for LC were nodal (N) status (p < 0.001); for OS, 3D-CRT (p = 0.038), N status (p 0.011), and T status (p = 0.012); and for FFR, 3D-CRT (p = 0.024) and N status (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The use of 3D-CRT allows patients with anal canal cancer to complete radiation and chemotherapy without interruption for toxicity, with significant improvements in LC, FFR, and OS.« less

Interim Cosmetic Results and Toxicity Using 3D Conformal External Beam Radiotherapy to Deliver Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation in Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer Treated With Breast-Conserving Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vicini, Frank A.; Chen, Peter; Wallace, Michelle

2007-11-15

Purpose: We present our ongoing clinical experience utilizing three-dimensional (3D)-conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) to deliver accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) in patients with early-stage breast cancer treated with breast-conserving therapy. Methods and Materials: Ninety-one consecutive patients were treated with APBI using our previously reported 3D-CRT technique. The clinical target volume consisted of the lumpectomy cavity plus a 10- to 15 -mm margin. The prescribed dose was 34 or 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions given over 5 consecutive days. The median follow-up was 24 months. Twelve patients have been followed for {>=}4 years, 20 for {>=}3.5 years, 29 for >3.0 years,more » 33 for {>=}2.5 years, and 46 for {>=}2.0 years. Results: No local recurrences developed. Cosmetic results were rated as good/excellent in 100% of evaluable patients at {>=} 6 months (n = 47), 93% at 1 year (n = 43), 91% at 2 years (n = 21), and in 90% at {>=}3 years (n = 10). Erythema, hyperpigmentation, breast edema, breast pain, telangiectasias, fibrosis, and fat necrosis were evaluated at 6, 24, and 36 months after treatment. All factors stabilized by 3 years posttreatment with grade I or II rates of 0%, 0%, 0%, 0%, 9%, 18%, and 9%, respectively. Only 2 patients (3%) developed grade III toxicity (breast pain), which resolved with time. Conclusions: Delivery of APBI with 3D-CRT resulted in minimal chronic ({>=}6 months) toxicity to date with good/excellent cosmetic results. Additional follow-up is needed to assess the long-term efficacy of this form of APBI.« less

Longitudinal Fracture Analysis of a Two-Dimensional Functionally Graded Beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizov, V.

2017-11-01

Longitudinal fracture in a two-dimensional functionally graded beam is analyzed. The modulus of elasticity varies continuously in the beam cross-section. The beam is clamped in its right-hand end. The external loading consists of one longitudinal force applied at the free end of the lower crack arm. The longitudinal crack is located in the beam mid-plane. The fracture is studied in terms of the strain energy release rate. The solution derived is used to elucidate the effects of material gradients along the height as well as along the width of the beam cross-section on the fracture behaviour. The results obtained indicate that the fracture in two-dimensional functionally graded beams can be regulated efficiently by employing appropriate material gradients.

CW 50W/M2 = 10.9 diode laser source by spectral beam combining based on a transmission grating.

PubMed

Zhang, Jun; Peng, Hangyu; Fu, Xihong; Liu, Yun; Qin, Li; Miao, Guoqing; Wang, Lijun

2013-02-11

An external cavity structure based on the -1st transmission grating is introduced to spectral beam combining a 970 nm diode laser bar. A CW output power of 50.8 W, an electro-optical conversion efficiency of 45%, a spectral beam combining efficiency of 90.2% and a holistic M(2) value of 10.9 are achieved. This shows a way for a diode laser source with several KW power and diffraction-limited beam quality at the same time.

Very high-energy electron (VHEE) beams in radiation therapy; Treatment plan comparison between VHEE, VMAT, and PPBS.

PubMed

Schüler, Emil; Eriksson, Kjell; Hynning, Elin; Hancock, Steven L; Hiniker, Susan M; Bazalova-Carter, Magdalena; Wong, Tony; Le, Quynh-Thu; Loo, Billy W; Maxim, Peter G

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of very high-energy electron beams (VHEE) in comparison to clinically derived treatment plans generated with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and proton pencil beam scanning (PPBS) technology. We developed a custom optimization script that could be applied automatically across modalities to eliminate operator bias during IMRT optimization. Four clinical cases were selected (prostate cancer, lung cancer, pediatric brain tumor, and head and neck cancer (HNC)). The VHEE beams were calculated in the EGSnrc/DOSXYZnrc Monte Carlo code for 100 and 200 MeV beams. Treatment plans with VHEE, VMAT, and PPBS were optimized in a research version of RayStation using an in-house developed script to minimize operator bias between the different techniques. The in-house developed script generated similar or superior plans to the clinically used plans. In the comparisons between the modalities, the integral dose was lowest for the PPBS-generated plans in all cases. For the prostate case, the 200 MeV VHEE plan showed reduced integral dose and reduced organ at risk (OAR) dose compared to the VMAT plan. For all other cases, both the 100 and the 200 MeV VHEE plans were superior to the VMAT plans, and the VHEE plans showed better conformity and lower spinal cord dose in the pediatric brain case and lower brain stem dose in the HNC case when compared to the PPBS plan. The automated optimization developed in this study generated similar or superior plans as compared to the clinically used plan and represents an unbiased approach to compare treatment plans generated for different modalities. In the present study, we also show that VHEE plans are similar or superior to VMAT plans with reduced mean OAR dose and increased target conformity for a variety of clinical cases, and VHEE plans can even achieve reductions in OAR doses compared to PPBS plans for shallow targets. With increased VHEE energy, better conformity and even higher reductions in mean OAR doses are achieved. On the whole, VHEE was intermediate between photon VMAT and PPBS for OAR sparing. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Experimental and numerical investigation on laser-assisted bending of pre-loaded metal plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowak, Zdzisław; Nowak, Marcin; Widłaszewski, Jacek; Kurp, Piotr

2018-01-01

The laser forming technique has an important disadvantage, which is the limitation of plastic deformation generated by a single laser beam pass. To increase the plastic deformation it is possible to apply external forces in the laser forming process. In this paper, we investigate the influence of external pre-loads on the laser bending of steel plate. The pre-loads investigated generate bending towards the laser beam. The thermal, elastic-plastic analysis is performed using the commercial nonlinear finite element analysis package ABAQUS. The focus of the paper is to identify how this pattern of the pre-load influence the final bend angle of the plate.

Outcomes of Pituitary Radiation for Cushing's Disease.

PubMed

Ironside, Natasha; Chen, Ching-Jen; Lee, Cheng-Chia; Trifiletti, Daniel M; Vance, Mary Lee; Sheehan, Jason P

2018-06-01

Achievement of biochemical remission with preservation of normal pituitary function is the goal of treatment for Cushing's disease. For patients with persistent or recurrent Cushing's disease after transsphenoidal resection, radiation therapy may be a safe and effective treatment. Stereotactic radiosurgery is favored over conventional fractionated external beam radiation. Hormonal recurrence rates range from 0% to 36% at 8 years after treatment. Tumor control rates are high. New pituitary hormone deficiency is the most common adverse effect after stereotactic radiosurgery and external beam radiation. The effects of radiation planning optimization and use of adjuvant medication on endocrine remission rates warrant investigation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The success of primary chemotherapy for group D heritable retinoblastoma.

PubMed

Cohen, V M L; Kingston, J; Hungerford, J L

2009-07-01

To report the ocular survival and event-free survival following primary multiagent chemotherapy for group D, heritable bilateral retinoblastoma (RB). The RB database was used to identify children with heritable, bilateral RB treated with primary chemotherapy (six cycles of vincristine, etoposide and carboplatin). Only Group D eyes with more than 12 months' follow-up were analysed. The timing, number and type of salvage treatments were recorded. Kaplan-Meier estimates for the ocular survival and event-free survival (percentage of eyes that avoided external beam radiotherapy and/or enucleation) were performed as a function of time. Of 18 group D eyes, two (11%) were treated successfully with chemotherapy alone, nine (50%) underwent successful salvage treatment, and seven (39%) were enucleated. The median time from completing chemotherapy to enucleation was 9 months (range 4 to 25 months). Ocular survival was 67% at 2 years. External beam radiotherapy proved successful salvage treatment in five of nine eyes, so the event-free survival was 34% at 2 years. Multiagent chemotherapy alone is rarely sufficient for the preservation of group D eyes. External beam radiotherapy and plaque radiotherapy remain important salvage treatments for advanced, heritable retinoblastoma.

Fast neutron detection at near-core location of a research reactor with a SiC detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lei; Jarrell, Josh; Xue, Sha; Tan, Chuting; Blue, Thomas; Cao, Lei R.

2018-04-01

The measurable charged-particle produced from the fast neutron interactions with the Si and C nucleuses can make a wide bandgap silicon carbide (SiC) sensor intrinsically sensitive to neutrons. The 4H-SiC Schottky detectors have been fabricated and tested at up to 500 °C, presenting only a slightly degraded energy resolution. The response spectrum of the SiC detectors were also obtained by exposing the detectors to external neutron beam irradiation and at a near-core location where gamma-ray field is intense. The fast neutron flux of these two locations are ∼ 4 . 8 × 104cm-2 ṡs-1 and ∼ 2 . 2 × 107cm-2 ṡs-1, respectively. At the external beam location, a Si detector was irradiated side-by-side with SiC detector to disjoin the neutron response from Si atoms. The contribution of gamma ray, neutron scattering, and charged-particles producing reactions in the SiC was discussed. The fast neutron detection efficiencies were determined to be 6 . 43 × 10-4 for the external fast neutron beam irradiation and 6 . 13 × 10-6 for the near-core fast neutron irradiation.

Linear induction accelerators made from pulse-line cavities with external pulse injection.

PubMed

Smith, I

1979-06-01

Two types of linear induction accelerator have been reported previously. In one, unidirectional voltage pulses are generated outside the accelerator and injected into the accelerator cavity modules, which contain ferromagnetic material to reduce energy losses in the form of currents induced, in parallel with the beam, in the cavity structure. In the other type, the accelerator cavity modules are themselves pulse-forming lines with energy storage and switches; parallel current losses are made zero by the use of circuits that generate bidirectional acceleration waveforms with a zero voltage-time integral. In a third type of design described here, the cavities are externally driven, and 100% efficient coupling of energy to the beam is obtained by designing the external pulse generators to produce bidirectional voltage waveforms with zero voltage-time integral. A design for such a pulse generator is described that is itself one hundred percent efficient and which is well suited to existing pulse power techniques. Two accelerator cavity designs are described that can couple the pulse from such a generator to the beam; one of these designs provides voltage doubling. Comparison is made between the accelerating gradients that can be obtained with this and the preceding types of induction accelerator.

Complete response in a patient with gynecological hidradenocarcinoma treated with exclusive external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy: a case report

PubMed Central

Giannelli, Flavio; Chiola, Ilaria; Garelli, Stefania; Pastorino, Alice; Marcenaro, Michela; Mammoliti, Serafina; Costantini, Sergio; Bizzarri, Nicolò; Vellone, Valerio; Barra, Salvina; Corvò, Renzo

2017-01-01

Hidradenocarcinoma (HC) is a very rare disease. This case report illustrates a successful treatment of a 60-year-old woman with vulvo-vaginal localization of hidradenocarcinoma treated with external beam radiotherapy delivered by helical tomotherapy with a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB), followed by brachytherapy. External beam radiotherapy dose prescription was 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions, five fractions per week to whole pelvis (planning target volume 1 – PTV1), 60.2 Gy in 28 fractions to SIB1 (fundus of uterus and right inguinal node), and 58.8 Gy in 28 fractions to SIB2 (lower/middle third of vagina, paraurethral region and right inguinal lymph nodes). Brachytherapy dose prescription was 28 Gy in 4 fractions for cervix, fundus of uterus and upper third of vagina (HR-CTV1), and 22 Gy in 4 fractions to middle third of vagina and paraurethral region (HR-CTV2). D90 for whole treatment was 91.9 Gy and 86.0 Gy for HR-CTV1 and HR-CTV2, respectively. Patient remained 12-months disease-free without treatment related side effects. PMID:29441103

A TCP model for external beam treatment of intermediate-risk prostate cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walsh, Sean; Putten, Wil van der

2013-03-15

Purpose: Biological models offer the ability to predict clinical outcomes. The authors describe a model to predict the clinical response of intermediate-risk prostate cancer to external beam radiotherapy for a variety of fractionation regimes. Methods: A fully heterogeneous population averaged tumor control probability model was fit to clinical outcome data for hyper, standard, and hypofractionated treatments. The tumor control probability model was then employed to predict the clinical outcome of extreme hypofractionation regimes, as utilized in stereotactic body radiotherapy. Results: The tumor control probability model achieves an excellent level of fit, R{sup 2} value of 0.93 and a root meanmore » squared error of 1.31%, to the clinical outcome data for hyper, standard, and hypofractionated treatments using realistic values for biological input parameters. Residuals Less-Than-Or-Slanted-Equal-To 1.0% are produced by the tumor control probability model when compared to clinical outcome data for stereotactic body radiotherapy. Conclusions: The authors conclude that this tumor control probability model, used with the optimized radiosensitivity values obtained from the fit, is an appropriate mechanistic model for the analysis and evaluation of external beam RT plans with regard to tumor control for these clinical conditions.« less

Effect of molecular conformation on the mechanofluorochromic properties based on DDIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mai, Runsheng; Peng, Huojun; Meng, Yuying; Chang, Xinyue; Jiang, Yue; Gao, Jinwei; Zhou, Guofu; Liu, Jun-ming

2017-07-01

Mechanofluorochromic (MFC) materials are smart materials in that their absorption and/or emission can respond to mechanical stimuli. They have received much attention recently. Although there have been several new material systems designed, little work has been done regarding the influence of molecular conformation on MFC properties. Herein, to disclose the relationship between molecular conformation and MFC properties, two molecules based on a 6, 12-Dihydro-6, 12-diaza-indeno[1,2-b]fluorine (DDIF) building block with thienyl linker, BDDIF-Th and BDDIF-BTh, have been designed and synthesized. Optical and electrochemical properties have been studied by UV-vis spectrometer and cyclic voltammetry measurements. Weak aggregation-induced emission (AIE) phenomena were obtained in the tetrahydrofuran (THF)/water solution. MFC behaviors suggest that BDDIF-Th is more sensible to the external mechanical forces than BDDIF-BTh. The color change could be attributed to the appearance of new emission peak instead of a bathochromic or hypsochromic effect. Theoretical calculations reveal that MFC performance is highly related to the molecular conformation, meaning that the BDDIF-BTh with perpendicular conformation is more difficult to flatten than the comparatively planar BDDIF-Th.

Parallel cascade selection molecular dynamics (PaCS-MD) to generate conformational transition pathway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harada, Ryuhei; Kitao, Akio

2013-07-01

Parallel Cascade Selection Molecular Dynamics (PaCS-MD) is proposed as a molecular simulation method to generate conformational transition pathway under the condition that a set of "reactant" and "product" structures is known a priori. In PaCS-MD, the cycle of short multiple independent molecular dynamics simulations and selection of the structures close to the product structure for the next cycle are repeated until the simulated structures move sufficiently close to the product. Folding of 10-residue mini-protein chignolin from the extended to native structures and open-close conformational transition of T4 lysozyme were investigated by PaCS-MD. In both cases, tens of cycles of 100-ps MD were sufficient to reach the product structures, indicating the efficient generation of conformational transition pathway in PaCS-MD with a series of conventional MD without additional external biases. Using the snapshots along the pathway as the initial coordinates, free energy landscapes were calculated by the combination with multiple independent umbrella samplings to statistically elucidate the conformational transition pathways.

Dynamic and Progressive Control of DNA Origami Conformation by Modulating DNA Helicity with Chemical Adducts.

PubMed

Chen, Haorong; Zhang, Hanyu; Pan, Jing; Cha, Tae-Gon; Li, Shiming; Andréasson, Joakim; Choi, Jong Hyun

2016-05-24

DNA origami has received enormous attention for its ability to program complex nanostructures with a few nanometer precision. Dynamic origami structures that change conformation in response to environmental cues or external signals hold great promises in sensing and actuation at the nanoscale. The reconfiguration mechanism of existing dynamic origami structures is mostly limited to single-stranded hinges and relies almost exclusively on DNA hybridization or strand displacement. Here, we show an alternative approach by demonstrating on-demand conformation changes with DNA-binding molecules, which intercalate between base pairs and unwind DNA double helices. The unwinding effect modulates the helicity mismatch in DNA origami, which significantly influences the internal stress and the global conformation of the origami structure. We demonstrate the switching of a polymerized origami nanoribbon between different twisting states and a well-constrained torsional deformation in a monomeric origami shaft. The structural transformation is shown to be reversible, and binding isotherms confirm the reconfiguration mechanism. This approach provides a rapid and reversible means to change DNA origami conformation, which can be used for dynamic and progressive control at the nanoscale.

Differential optoacoustic absorption detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shumate, M. S. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

A differential optoacoustic absorption detector employed two tapered cells in tandem or in parallel. When operated in tandem, two mirrors were used at one end remote from the source of the beam of light directed into one cell back through the other, and a lens to focus the light beam into the one cell at a principal focus half way between the reflecting mirror. Each cell was tapered to conform to the shape of the beam so that the volume of one was the same as for the other, and the volume of each received maximum illumination. The axes of the cells were placed as close to each other as possible in order to connect a differential pressure detector to the cells with connecting passages of minimum length. An alternative arrangement employed a beam splitter and two lenses to operate the cells in parallel.

Pseudomorphic In(y)Ga(1-y)As/GaAs/Al(x)Ga(1-x)As single quantum well surface-emitting lasers with integrated 45 deg beam deflectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Jae-Hoon; Larsson, Anders; Lee, Luke P.

1991-01-01

The paper reports on the first demonstration of pseudomorphic InGaAs single quantum well surface-emitting lasers (SELs), with etched vertical mirrors and integrated 45-deg beam deflectors fabricated by ion beam etching. 100-micron-wide broad-area SELs exhibited a threshold current of 320 mA, a total power of 126 mW, and a total external differential quantum efficiency of 0.09 W/A for a 500-micron-long cavity. The perpendicular far-field pattern of broad-area SELs showed a full width at half maximum of about 20 deg. Lasers with various types of cavities fabricated from the same wafer were compared. Broad-area edge-emitting lasers had a threshold current of 200 mA, a total power of 700 mW, and a total external differential quantum efficiency of 0.52 W/A.

Observation of divergent-beam X-ray diffraction from a crystal of diamond using synchrotron radiation.

PubMed

Glazer, A M; Collins, S P; Zekria, D; Liu, J; Golshan, M

2004-03-01

In 1947 Kathleen Lonsdale conducted a series of experiments on X-ray diffraction using a divergent beam external to a crystal sample. Unlike the Kossel technique, where divergent X-rays are excited by the presence of fluorescing atoms within the crystal, the use of an external divergent source made it possible to study non-fluorescing crystals. The resulting photographs not only illustrated the complexity of X-ray diffraction from crystals in a truly beautiful way, but also demonstrated unprecedented experimental precision. This long-forgotten work is repeated here using a synchrotron radiation source and, once again, considerable merit is found in Lonsdale's technique. The results of this experiment suggest that, through the use of modern 'third-generation' synchrotron sources, divergent-beam diffraction could soon enjoy a renaissance for high-precision lattice-parameter determination and the study of crystal perfection.

Cherenkov imaging during volumetric modulated arc therapy for real-time radiation beam tracking and treatment response monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreozzi, Jacqueline M.; Zhang, Rongxiao; Glaser, Adam K.; Gladstone, David J.; Jarvis, Lesley A.; Pogue, Brian W.

2016-03-01

External beam radiotherapy utilizes high energy radiation to target cancer with dynamic, patient-specific treatment plans. The otherwise invisible radiation beam can be observed via the optical Cherenkov photons emitted from interaction between the high energy beam and tissue. Using a specialized camera-system, the Cherenkov emission can thus be used to track the radiation beam on the surface of the patient in real-time, even for complex cases such as volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Two patients undergoing VMAT of the head and neck were imaged and analyzed, and the viability of the system to provide clinical feedback was established.

Off-axis spectral beam combining of Bragg reflection waveguide photonic crystal diode lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Fangyuan; Wang, Lijie; Zhao, Yufei; Hou, Guanyu; Shu, Shili; Zhang, Jun; Peng, Hangyu; Tian, Sicong; Tong, Cunzhu; Wang, Lijun

2018-06-01

The spectral beam combining (SBC) of Bragg reflection waveguide photonic crystal (BRW-PC) diode lasers was studied for the first time. An off-axis feedback system was constructed using a stripe mirror and a spatial filter to control beam quality in the external cavity. It was found that the BRW-PC diode lasers with a low divergence and a circular beam provided a simplified and cost-effective SBC. The off-axis feedback broke the beam quality limit of a single element, and an M 2 factor of 3.8 times lower than that of a single emitter in the slow axis was demonstrated.

High-power continuous-wave tunable 544- and 272-nm beams based on a diode-oscillator fiber-amplifier for calcium spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Kwang-Hoon; Kim, Yonghee; Park, Hyunmin; Cha, Yong-Ho; Kim, Taek-Soo; Lee, Lim; Lim, Gwon; Han, Jaemin; Ko, Kwang-Hee; Jeong, Do-Young

2015-08-01

Continuous-wave single-frequency tunable 544- and 272-nm beams have been demonstrated by the second- and fourth-harmonic conversions of a 1088-nm fundamental beam from a diode-oscillator fiber-amplifier. The single-pass second-harmonic generation with a MgO-doped periodically poled stoichiometric LiTaO3 crystal and the external-cavity frequency-doubling technique with a bulk BBO crystal were employed to achieve an approximately 6-W 544-nm beam and a 1.5-W 272-nm beam, respectively. We characterized the second- and fourth-harmonic generations and discussed their applications to calcium spectroscopy.

Phase-locking of annular-combination CO2 laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Tingxiang; Chen, Mei; Zhang, Rongzhu; Xiao, Qianyi

2015-07-01

A new annular-combination resonator structure adopting the external-injection phase-locking technology is presented theoretically for that the beam quality of stable annular resonator is not satisfying. The phase-locking principle and feasibility are characterized by energy density of injection beam and coupling coefficient. Based on the diffraction theory, output mode of the resonator with phase-locking is deduced and simulated. Results also confirm that injection beam have a good control effect on output mode. The intensity distributions of output beam are studied briefly and indicate that this new resonator which is adaptable to annular gain media can produce high-power laser beam with high quality.

Coherent phonon optics in a chip with an electrically controlled active device.

PubMed

Poyser, Caroline L; Akimov, Andrey V; Campion, Richard P; Kent, Anthony J

2015-02-05

Phonon optics concerns operations with high-frequency acoustic waves in solid media in a similar way to how traditional optics operates with the light beams (i.e. photons). Phonon optics experiments with coherent terahertz and sub-terahertz phonons promise a revolution in various technical applications related to high-frequency acoustics, imaging, and heat transport. Previously, phonon optics used passive methods for manipulations with propagating phonon beams that did not enable their external control. Here we fabricate a phononic chip, which includes a generator of coherent monochromatic phonons with frequency 378 GHz, a sensitive coherent phonon detector, and an active layer: a doped semiconductor superlattice, with electrical contacts, inserted into the phonon propagation path. In the experiments, we demonstrate the modulation of the coherent phonon flux by an external electrical bias applied to the active layer. Phonon optics using external control broadens the spectrum of prospective applications of phononics on the nanometer scale.

Automatic external filling for the ion source gas bottle of a Van de Graaff accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strivay, D.; Bastin, T.; Dehove, C.; Dumont, P. D.; Marchal, A.; Garnir, H.; Weber, G.

1997-09-01

We describe a fully automatic system we developed to fill, from an external gas bottle, the ion source terminal gas storage bottle of a 2 MV Van de Graaff accelerator without depressing the 25 bar insulating gas. The system is based on a programmable automate ordering electropneumatical valves. The only manual operation is the connection of the external gas cylinder. The time needed for a gas change is reduced to typically 15 min (depending on the residual pressure wished for the gas removed from the terminal bottle). To check this system we study the ionic composition of the ion beam delivered by our accelerator after different gas changes. The switching magnet of our accelerator was used to analyse the ionic composition of the accelerated beams in order to verify the degree of elimination of the previous gases in the system.

Conformation-selective resonant photoelectron imaging from dipole-bound states of cold 3-hydroxyphenoxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Guo-Zhu; Huang, Dao-Ling; Wang, Lai-Sheng

2017-07-01

We report a photoelectron imaging and photodetachment study of cryogenically cooled 3-hydroxyphenoxide (3HOP) anions, m-HO(C6H4)O-. In a previous preliminary study, two conformations of the cold 3HOP anions with different dipole bound states were observed [D. L. Huang et al., J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 6, 2153 (2015)]. Five near-threshold vibrational resonances were revealed in the photodetachment spectrum from the dipole-bound excited states of the two conformations. Here, we report a more extensive investigation of the two conformers with observation of thirty above-threshold vibrational resonances in a wide spectral range between 18 850 and 19 920 cm-1 (˜1000 cm-1 above the detachment thresholds). By tuning the detachment laser to the vibrational resonances in the photodetachment spectrum, high-resolution conformation-selective resonant photoelectron images are obtained. Using information of the autodetachment channels and theoretical vibrational frequencies, we are able to assign the resonant peaks in the photodetachment spectrum: seventeen are assigned to vibrational levels of anti-3HOP, eight to syn-3HOP, and five to overlapping vibrational levels of both conformers. From the photodetachment spectrum and the conformation-selective resonant photoelectron spectra, we have obtained fourteen fundamental vibrational frequencies for the neutral syn- and anti-m-HO(C6H4)Oṡ radicals. The possibility to produce conformation-selected neutral beams using resonant photodetachment via dipole-bound excited states of anions is discussed.

Guidelines on the implementation of diode in vivo dosimetry programs for photon and electron external beam therapy.

PubMed

Alecu, R; Loomis, T; Alecu, J; Ochran, T

1999-01-01

Semiconductor diodes offer many advantages for clinical dosimetry: high sensitivity, real-time readout, simple instrumentation, robustness and air pressure independence. The feasibility and usefulness of in vivo dosimetry with diodes has been shown by numerous publications, but very few, if any, refer to the utilization of diodes in electron beam dosimetry. The purpose of this paper is to present our methods for implementing an effective IVD program for external beam therapy with photons and electrons and to evaluate a new type of diodes. Methods of deciding on reasonable action levels along with calibration procedures, established according to the type of measurements intended to be performed and the action limits, are discussed. Correction factors to account for nonreference clinical conditions for new types of diodes (designed for photon and electron beams) are presented and compared with those required by older models commercially available. The possibilities and limitations of each type of diode are presented, emphasizing the importance of using the appropriate diode for each task and energy range.

On charged particle equilibrium violation in external photon fields.

PubMed

Bouchard, Hugo; Seuntjens, Jan; Palmans, Hugo

2012-03-01

In a recent paper by Bouchard et al. [Med. Phys. 36(10), 4654-4663 (2009)], a theoretical model of quality correction factors for idealistic so-called plan-class specific reference (PCSR) fields was proposed. The reasoning was founded on the definition of PCSR fields made earlier by Alfonso et al. [Med. Phys. 35(11), 5179-5186 (2008)], requiring the beam to achieve charged particle equilibrium (CPE), in a time-averaged sense, in the reference medium. The relation obtained by Bouchard et al. was derived using Fano's theorem (1954) which states that if CPE is established in a given medium, the dose is independent of point-to-point density variations. A potential misconception on the achievability of the condition required by Fano (1954) might be responsible for false practical conclusions, both in the definition of PCSR fields as well as the theoretical model of quality correction factor. In this paper, the practical achievability of CPE in external beams is treated in detail. The fact that this condition is not achievable in single or composite deliveries is illustrated by an intuitive method and is also formally demonstrated. Fano's theorem is not applicable in external beam radiation dosimetry without (virtually) removing attenuation effects, and therefore, the relation conditionally defined by Bouchard et al. (2009) cannot be valid in practice. A definition of PCSR fields in the recent formalism for nonstandard beams proposed by Alfonso et al. (2008) should be modified, revising the criterion of CPE condition. The authors propose reconsidering the terminology used to describe standard and nonstandard beams. The authors argue that quality correction factors of intensity modulated radiation therapy PCSR fields (i.e., k(Q(pcsr),Q) (f(pcsr),f(ref) )) could be unity under ideal conditions, but it is concluded that further investigation is necessary to confirm that hypothesis.

Appendage mountable electronic devices conformable to surfaces

DOEpatents

Rogers, John; Ying, Ming; Bonifas, Andrew; Lu, Nanshu

2017-01-24

Disclosed are appendage mountable electronic systems and related methods for covering and conforming to an appendage surface. A flexible or stretchable substrate has an inner surface for receiving an appendage, including an appendage having a curved surface, and an opposed outer surface that is accessible to external surfaces. A stretchable or flexible electronic device is supported by the substrate inner and/or outer surface, depending on the application of interest. The electronic device in combination with the substrate provides a net bending stiffness to facilitate conformal contact between the inner surface and a surface of the appendage provided within the enclosure. In an aspect, the system is capable of surface flipping without adversely impacting electronic device functionality, such as electronic devices comprising arrays of sensors, actuators, or both sensors and actuators.

SU-F-BRD-05: Dosimetric Comparison of Protocol-Based SBRT Lung Treatment Modalities: Statistically Significant VMAT Advantages Over Fixed- Beam IMRT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Best, R; Harrell, A; Geesey, C

2014-06-15

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to inter-compare and find statistically significant differences between flattened field fixed-beam (FB) IMRT with flattening-filter free (FFF) volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for stereotactic body radiation therapy SBRT. Methods: SBRT plans using FB IMRT and FFF VMAT were generated for fifteen SBRT lung patients using 6 MV beams. For each patient, both IMRT and VMAT plans were created for comparison. Plans were generated utilizing RTOG 0915 (peripheral, 10 patients) and RTOG 0813 (medial, 5 patients) lung protocols. Target dose, critical structure dose, and treatment time were compared and tested for statistical significance. Parametersmore » of interest included prescription isodose surface coverage, target dose heterogeneity, high dose spillage (location and volume), low dose spillage (location and volume), lung dose spillage, and critical structure maximum- and volumetric-dose limits. Results: For all criteria, we found equivalent or higher conformality with VMAT plans as well as reduced critical structure doses. Several differences passed a Student's t-test of significance: VMAT reduced the high dose spillage, evaluated with conformality index (CI), by an average of 9.4%±15.1% (p=0.030) compared to IMRT. VMAT plans reduced the lung volume receiving 20 Gy by 16.2%±15.0% (p=0.016) compared with IMRT. For the RTOG 0915 peripheral lesions, the volumes of lung receiving 12.4 Gy and 11.6 Gy were reduced by 27.0%±13.8% and 27.5%±12.6% (for both, p<0.001) in VMAT plans. Of the 26 protocol pass/fail criteria, VMAT plans were able to achieve an average of 0.2±0.7 (p=0.026) more constraints than the IMRT plans. Conclusions: FFF VMAT has dosimetric advantages over fixed beam IMRT for lung SBRT. Significant advantages included increased dose conformity, and reduced organs-at-risk doses. The overall improvements in terms of protocol pass/fail criteria were more modest and will require more patient data to establish difference trends of more statistical significance.« less

Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiation Therapy for Primary Kidney Cancer: A 3-Dimensional Conformal Technique Associated With Low Rates of Early Toxicity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pham, Daniel, E-mail: daniel.pham@petermac.org; Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria; Thompson, Ann

Purpose: To describe our 3-dimensional conformal planning approaches and report early toxicities with stereotactic body radiation therapy for the management of primary renal cell carcinoma. Methods and Materials: This is an analysis of a phase 1 trial of stereotactic body radiation therapy for primary inoperable renal cell carcinoma. A dose of 42 Gy/3 fractions was prescribed to targets ≥5 cm, whereas for <5 cm 26 Gy/1 fraction was used. All patients underwent a planning 4-dimensional CT to generate a planning target volume (PTV) from a 5-mm isotropic expansion of the internal target volume. Planning required a minimum of 8 fields prescribing to the minimummore » isodose surrounding the PTV. Intermediate dose spillage at 50% of the prescription dose (R50%) was measured to describe the dose gradient. Early toxicity (<6 months) was scored using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (v4.0). Results: From July 2012 to August 2013 a total of 20 patients (median age, 77 years) were recruited into a prospective clinical trial. Eleven patients underwent fractionated treatment and 9 patients a single fraction. For PTV targets <100 cm{sup 3} the median number of beams used was 8 (2 noncoplanar) to achieve an average R50% of 3.7. For PTV targets >100 cm{sup 3} the median beam number used was 10 (4 noncoplanar) for an average R50% value of 4.3. The R50% was inversely proportional to decreasing PTV volume (r=−0.62, P=.003) and increasing total beams used (r=−0.51, P=.022). Twelve of 20 patients (60%) suffered grade ≤2 early toxicity, whereas 8 of 20 patients (40%) were asymptomatic. Nausea, chest wall pain, and fatigue were the most common toxicities reported. Conclusion: A 3-dimensional conformal planning technique of 8-10 beams can be used to deliver highly tolerable stereotactic ablation to primary kidney targets with minimal early toxicities. Ongoing follow-up is currently in place to assess long-term toxicities and cancer control.« less

SU-E-J-86: Functional Conformal Planning for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy with CT-Pulmonary Ventilation Imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurosawa, T; Moriya, S; Sato, M

2015-06-15

Purpose: To evaluate the functional planning using CT-pulmonary ventilation imaging for conformal SBRT. Methods: The CT-pulmonary ventilation image was generated using the Jacobian metric in the in-house program with the NiftyReg software package. Using the ventilation image, the normal lung was split into three lung regions for functionality (high, moderate and low). The anatomical plan (AP) and functional plan (FP) were made for ten lung SBRT patients. For the AP, the beam angles were optimized with the dose-volume constraints for the normal lung sparing and the PTV coverage. For the FP, the gantry angles were also optimized with the additionalmore » constraint for high functional lung. The MLC aperture shapes were adjusted to the PTV with the additional 5 mm margin. The dosimetric parameters for PTV, the functional volumes, spinal cord and so on were compared in both plans. Results: Compared to the AP, the FP showed better dose sparing for high- and moderate-functional lungs with similar PTV coverage while not taking care of the low functional lung (High:−12.9±9.26% Moderate: −2.0±7.09%, Low: +4.1±12.2%). For the other normal organs, the FP and AP showed similar dose sparing in the eight patients. However, the FP showed that the maximum doses for spinal cord were increased with the significant increment of 16.4Gy and 21.0Gy in other two patients, respectively. Because the beam direction optimizer chose the unexpected directions passing through the spinal cord. Conclusion: Even the functional conformal SBRT can selectively reduce high- and moderatefunctional lung while keeping the PTV coverage. However, it would be careful that the optimizer would choose unexpected beam angles and the dose sparing for the other normal organs can be worse. Therefore, the planner needs to control the dose-volume constraints and also limit the beam angles in order to achieve the expected dose sparing and coverage.« less

SU-E-T-625: Potential for Reduced Radiation Induced Toxicity for the Treatment of Inoperable Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Using RapidArc Planning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pokhrel, D; Sood, S; Badkul, R

2015-06-15

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of using RapidArc (RA) treatment planning to reduce irradiation volume of normal lung and other organs at risk (OARs) in the treatment of inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods: A retrospective treatment planning and delivery study was performed to compare target coverage and the volumes of the normal lung, spinal cord, heart and esophagus on 4D-CT scan above their dose tolerances delivered by RA vs. IMRT for ten inoperable NSCLC patients (Stage I-IIIB). RA plans consisted of either one-full or two-partial co-planar arcs used to treat 95% of the planning target volume (PTV) withmore » 6MV beam to a prescription of 66Gy in 33 fractions. IMRT plans were generated using 5–7 co-planar fields with 6MV beam. PTV coverage, dose-volume histograms, homogeneity/conformity indices (CI), total number of monitor units(MUs), beam-on time and delivery accuracy were compared between the two treatment plans. Results: Similar target coverage was obtained between the two techniques. RA (CI=1.02) provided more conformal plans without loss of homogeneity compared to IMRT plans (CI=1.12). Compared to IMRT, RA achieved a significant median dose reduction in V10 (3%), V20 (8%), and mean lung dose (3%) on average, respectively. On average, V5 was comparable between the two treatment plans. RA reduced mean esophagus (6%), mean heart (18%), and maximum spinal cord dose (7%), on average, respectively. Total number of MUs and beam-on time were each reduced almost by a factor of 2 when compared to IMRT-patient comfort, reduced intra-fraction-motion and leakage dose. The average IMRT and RA QA pass rate was about 98% for both types of plans for 3%/3mm criterion. Conclusion: Compared to IMRT plans, RA provided not only comparable target coverage, but also improved conformity, treatment time, and significant reduction in irradiation of OARs. This may potentially allow for target dose escalation without increase in normal tissue toxicity.« less

Dose escalation using conformal high-dose-rate brachytherapy improves outcome in unfavorable prostate cancer.

PubMed

Martinez, Alvaro A; Gustafson, Gary; Gonzalez, José; Armour, Elwood; Mitchell, Chris; Edmundson, Gregory; Spencer, William; Stromberg, Jannifer; Huang, Raywin; Vicini, Frank

2002-06-01

To overcome radioresistance for patients with unfavorable prostate cancer, a prospective trial of pelvic external beam irradiation (EBRT) interdigitated with dose-escalating conformal high-dose-rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy was performed. Between November 1991 and August 2000, 207 patients were treated with 46 Gy pelvic EBRT and increasing HDR brachytherapy boost doses (5.50-11.5 Gy/fraction) during 5 weeks. The eligibility criteria were pretreatment prostate-specific antigen level >or=10.0 ng/mL, Gleason score >or=7, or clinical Stage T2b or higher. Patients were divided into 2 dose levels, low-dose biologically effective dose <93 Gy (58 patients) and high-dose biologically effective dose >93 Gy (149 patients). No patient received hormones. We used the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology definition for biochemical failure. The median age was 69 years. The mean follow-up for the group was 4.4 years, and for the low and high-dose levels, it was 7.0 and 3.4 years, respectively. The actuarial 5-year biochemical control rate was 74%, and the overall, cause-specific, and disease-free survival rate was 92%, 98%, and 68%, respectively. The 5-year biochemical control rate for the low-dose group was 52%; the rate for the high-dose group was 87% (p <0.001). Improvement occurred in the cause-specific survival in favor of the brachytherapy high-dose level (p = 0.014). On multivariate analysis, a low-dose level, higher Gleason score, and higher nadir value were associated with increased biochemical failure. The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Grade 3 gastrointestinal/genitourinary complications ranged from 0.5% to 9%. The actuarial 5-year impotency rate was 51%. Pelvic EBRT interdigitated with transrectal ultrasound-guided real-time conformal HDR prostate brachytherapy boost is both a precise dose delivery system and a very effective treatment for unfavorable prostate cancer. We demonstrated an incremental beneficial effect on biochemical control and cause-specific survival with higher doses. These results, coupled with the low risk of complications, the advantage of not being radioactive after implantation, and the real-time interactive planning, define a new standard for treatment.

Image guided radiation therapy applications for head and neck, prostate, and breast cancers using 3D ultrasound imaging and Monte Carlo dose calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraser, Danielle

In radiation therapy an uncertainty in the delivered dose always exists because anatomic changes are unpredictable and patient specific. Image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) relies on imaging in the treatment room to monitor the tumour and surrounding tissue to ensure their prescribed position in the radiation beam. The goal of this thesis was to determine the dosimetric impact on the misaligned radiation therapy target for three cancer sites due to common setup errors; organ motion, tumour tissue deformation, changes in body habitus, and treatment planning errors. For this purpose, a novel 3D ultrasound system (Restitu, Resonant Medical, Inc.) was used to acquire a reference image of the target in the computed tomography simulation room at the time of treatment planning, to acquire daily images in the treatment room at the time of treatment delivery, and to compare the daily images to the reference image. The measured differences in position and volume between daily and reference geometries were incorporated into Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculations. The EGSnrc (National Research Council, Canada) family of codes was used to model Varian linear accelerators and patient specific beam parameters, as well as to estimate the dose to the target and organs at risk under several different scenarios. After validating the necessity of MC dose calculations in the pelvic region, the impact of interfraction prostate motion, and subsequent patient realignment under the treatment beams, on the delivered dose was investigated. For 32 patients it is demonstrated that using 3D conformal radiation therapy techniques and a 7 mm margin, the prescribed dose to the prostate, rectum, and bladder is recovered within 0.5% of that planned when patient setup is corrected for prostate motion, despite the beams interacting with a new external surface and internal tissue boundaries. In collaboration with the manufacturer, the ultrasound system was adapted from transabdominal imaging to neck imaging. Two case studies of nasopharyngeal cancer are discussed. The deformation of disease-positive cervical lymph nodes was monitored throughout treatment. Node volumes shrunk to 17% of the initial volume, moved up 1.3 cm, and received up to a 12% lower dose than that prescribed. It is shown that difficulties in imaging soft tissue in the neck region are circumvented with ultrasound imaging, and after dosimetric verification it is argued that adaptive replanning may be more beneficial than patient realignment when intensity modulated radiation therapy techniques are used. Some of the largest dose delivery errors were found in external electron beam treatments for breast cancer patients who underwent breast conserving surgery. Inaccuracies in conventional treatment planning resulted in substantial target dose discrepancies of up to 88%. When patient setup errors, interfraction tumour bed motion, and tissue remodeling were considered, inadequate target coverage was exacerbated. This thesis quantifies the dose discrepancy between that prescribed and that delivered. I delve into detail for common IGRT treatment sites, and illuminate problems that have not received much attention for less common IGRT treatment sites.

Do technological advances in linear accelerators improve dosimetric outcomes in stereotaxy? A head-on comparison of seven linear accelerators using volumetric modulated arc therapy-based stereotactic planning.

PubMed

Sarkar, B; Pradhan, A; Munshi, A

2016-01-01

Linear accelerator (Linac) based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) using volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) has been used for treating small intracranial lesions. Recent development in the Linacs such as inbuilt micro multileaf collimator (MLC) and flattening filter free (FFF) beam are intended to provide a better dose conformity and faster delivery when using VMAT technique. This study was aimed to compare the dosimetric outcomes and monitor units (MUs) of the stereotactic treatment plans for different commercially available MLC models and beam profiles. Ten patients having 12 planning target volume (PTV)/gross target volume's (GTVs) who received the SRS/SRT treatment in our clinic using Axesse Linac (considered reference arm gold standard) were considered for this study. The test arms comprised of plans using Elekta Agility with FFF, Elekta Agility with the plane beam, Elekta APEX, Varian Millennium 120, Varian Millennium 120HD, and Elekta Synergy in Monaco treatment planning system. Planning constraints and calculation grid spacing were not altered in the test plans. To objectively evaluate the efficacy of MLC-beam model, the resultant dosimetric outcomes were subtracted from the reference arm parameters. V95%, V100%, V105%, D1%, maximum dose, and mean dose of PTV/GTV showed a maximum inter MLC - beam model variation of 1.5% and 2% for PTV and GTV, respectively. Average PTV conformity index and heterogeneity index shows a variation in the range 0.56-0.63 and 1.08-1.11, respectively. Mean dose difference (excluding Axesse) for all organs varied between 1.1 cGy and 74.8 cGy (mean dose = 6.1 cGy standard deviation [SD] = 26.9 cGy) and 1.7 cGy-194.5 cGy (mean dose 16.1 cGy SD = 57.2 cGy) for single and multiple fraction, respectively. The dosimetry of VMAT-based SRS/SRT treatment plan had minimal dependence on MLC and beam model variations. All tested MLC and beam model could fulfil the desired PTV coverage and organs at risk dose constraints. The only notable difference was the halving of the MU for FFF beam as compared to the plane beam. This has the potential to reduce the total patient on couch time by 15% (approximately 2 min).

Steady states of a diode with counterstreaming electron and positron beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ender, A. Ya.; Kuznetsov, V. I., E-mail: victor.kuznetsov@mail.ioffe.ru; Gruzdev, A. A.

2016-10-15

Steady states of a plasma layer with counterstreaming beams of oppositely charged particles moving without collisions in a self-consistent electric field are analyzed. The study is aimed at clarifying the mechanism of generation and reconstruction of pulsar radiation. Such a layer also models the processes occurring in Knudsen plasma diodes with counterstreaming electron and ion beams. The steady-state solutions are exhaustively classified. The existence of several solutions at the same external parameters is established.

The formation of an ion beam in a vacuum neutron tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agafonov, A. V.; Tarakanov, V. P.

2014-09-01

The formation of a deuteron beam in a diode with a plasma emitter that is integrated into the structure of a vacuum neutron tube is considered. Computations are carried out for plasma with given time dependences of parameters (density, relative concentration, and expansion velocity) at the inlet to an accelerating gap. It is shown that it is possible to increase the ion-beam current possible by sectioning the diode at the given external parameters.

Steady states of a diode with counterstreaming electron and positron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ender, A. Ya.; Kuznetsov, V. I.; Gruzdev, A. A.

2016-10-01

Steady states of a plasma layer with counterstreaming beams of oppositely charged particles moving without collisions in a self-consistent electric field are analyzed. The study is aimed at clarifying the mechanism of generation and reconstruction of pulsar radiation. Such a layer also models the processes occurring in Knudsen plasma diodes with counterstreaming electron and ion beams. The steady-state solutions are exhaustively classified. The existence of several solutions at the same external parameters is established.

Electrostatically frequency tunable micro-beam-based piezoelectric fluid flow energy harvester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezaee, Mousa; Sharafkhani, Naser

2017-07-01

This research investigates the dynamic behavior of a sandwich micro-beam based piezoelectric energy harvester with electrostatically adjustable resonance frequency. The system consists of a cantilever micro-beam immersed in a fluid domain and is subjected to the simultaneous action of cross fluid flow and nonlinear electrostatic force. Two parallel piezoelectric laminates are extended along the length of the micro-beam and connected to an external electric circuit which generates an output power as a result of the micro-beam oscillations. The fluid-coupled structure is modeled using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and the equivalent force terms for the fluid flow. Fluid induced forces comprise the added inertia force which is evaluated using equivalent added mass and the drag and lift forces which are evaluated using relative velocity and Van der Pol equation. In addition to flow velocity and fluid density, the influence of several design parameters such as external electrical resistance, piezo layer position, and dc voltage on the generated power are investigated by using Galerkin and step by step linearization method. It is shown that for given flowing fluid parameters, i.e., density and velocity, one can adjust the applied dc voltage to tune resonance frequency so that the lock-in phenomenon with steady large amplitude oscillations happens, also by adjusting the harvester parameters including the mechanical and electrical ones, the maximal output power of the harvester becomes possible.

Directionality of nose-emitted echolocation calls from bats without a nose leaf (Plecotus auritus).

PubMed

Jakobsen, Lasse; Hallam, John; Moss, Cynthia F; Hedenström, Anders

2018-02-13

All echolocating bats and whales measured to date emit a directional bio-sonar beam that affords them a number of advantages over an omni-directional beam, i.e. reduced clutter, increased source level and inherent directional information. In this study, we investigated the importance of directional sound emission for navigation through echolocation by measuring the sonar beam of brown long-eared bats, Plecotus auritus Plecotus auritus emits sound through the nostrils but has no external appendages to readily facilitate a directional sound emission as found in most nose emitters. The study shows that P. auritus , despite lacking an external focusing apparatus, emits a directional echolocation beam (directivity index=13 dB) and that the beam is more directional vertically (-6 dB angle at 22 deg) than horizontally (-6 dB angle at 35 deg). Using a simple numerical model, we found that the recorded emission pattern is achievable if P. auritus emits sound through the nostrils as well as the mouth. The study thus supports the hypothesis that a directional echolocation beam is important for perception through echolocation and we propose that animals with similarly non-directional emitter characteristics may facilitate a directional sound emission by emitting sound through both the nostrils and the mouth. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Rotational Spectrum of Sarin.

PubMed

Walker, A. R. Hight; Suenram, R. D.; Samuels, Alan; Jensen, James; Ellzy, Michael W.; Lochner, J. Michael; Zeroka, Daniel

2001-05-01

As part of an effort to examine the possibility of using molecular-beam Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy to unambiguously detect and monitor chemical warfare agents, we report the first observation and assignment of the rotational spectrum of the nerve agent Sarin (GB) (Methylphosphonofluoridic acid 1-methyl-ethyl ester, CAS #107-44-8) at frequencies between 10 and 22 GHz. Only one of the two low-energy conformers of this organophosphorus compound (C(4)H(10)FO(2)P) was observed in the rotationally cold (T(rot)<2 K) molecular beam. The experimental asymmetric-rotor ground-state rotational constants of this conformer are A=2874.0710(9) MHz, B=1168.5776(4) MHz, C=1056.3363(4) MHz (Type A standard uncertainties are given, i.e., 1sigma), as obtained from a least-squares analysis of 74 a-, b-, and c-type rotational transitions. Several of the transitions are split into doublets due to the internal rotation of the methyl group attached to the phosphorus. The three-fold-symmetry barrier to internal rotation estimated from these splittings is 677.0(4) cm(-1). Ab initio electronic structure calculations using Hartree-Fock, density functional, and Moller-Plesset perturbation theories have also been made. The structure of the lowest-energy conformer determined from a structural optimization at the MP2/6-311G(**) level of theory is consistent with our experimental findings. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Rotational Spectrum of Sarin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, A. R. Hight; Suenram, R. D.; Samuels, Alan; Jensen, James; Ellzy, Michael W.; Lochner, J. Michael; Zeroka, Daniel

2001-05-01

As part of an effort to examine the possibility of using molecular-beam Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy to unambiguously detect and monitor chemical warfare agents, we report the first observation and assignment of the rotational spectrum of the nerve agent Sarin (GB) (Methylphosphonofluoridic acid 1-methyl-ethyl ester, CAS #107-44-8) at frequencies between 10 and 22 GHz. Only one of the two low-energy conformers of this organophosphorus compound (C4H10FO2P) was observed in the rotationally cold (Trot<2 K) molecular beam. The experimental asymmetric-rotor ground-state rotational constants of this conformer are A=2874.0710(9) MHz, B=1168.5776(4) MHz, C=1056.3363(4) MHz (Type A standard uncertainties are given, i.e., 1σ), as obtained from a least-squares analysis of 74 a-, b-, and c-type rotational transitions. Several of the transitions are split into doublets due to the internal rotation of the methyl group attached to the phosphorus. The three-fold-symmetry barrier to internal rotation estimated from these splittings is 677.0(4) cm-1. Ab initio electronic structure calculations using Hartree-Fock, density functional, and Moller-Plesset perturbation theories have also been made. The structure of the lowest-energy conformer determined from a structural optimization at the MP2/6-311G** level of theory is consistent with our experimental findings.

On the direct acquisition of beam’s-eye-view images in MRI for integration with external beam radiotherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wachowicz, K.; Murray, B.; Fallone, B. G.

2018-06-01

The recent interest in the integration of external beam radiotherapy with a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging unit offers the potential for real-time adaptive tumour tracking during radiation treatment. The tracking of large tumours which follow a rapid trajectory may best be served by the generation of a projection image from the perspective of the beam source, or ‘beam’s eye view’ (BEV). This type of image projection represents the path of the radiation beam, thus enabling rapid compensations for target translations, rotations and deformations, as well time-dependent critical structure avoidance. MR units have been traditionally incapable of this type of imaging except through lengthy 3D acquisitions and ray tracing procedures. This work investigates some changes to the traditional MR scanner architecture that would permit the direct acquisition of a BEV image suitable for integration with external beam radiotherapy. Based on the theory presented in this work, a phantom was imaged with nonlinear encoding-gradient field patterns to demonstrate the technique. The phantom was constructed with agarose gel tubes spaced two cm apart at their base and oriented to converge towards an imaginary beam source 100 cm away. A corresponding virtual phantom was also created and subjected to the same encoding technique as in the physical demonstration, allowing the method to be tested without hardware limitations. The experimentally acquired and simulated images indicate the feasibility of the technique, showing a substantial amount of blur reduction in a diverging phantom compared to the conventional imaging geometry, particularly with the nonlinear gradients ideally implemented. The theory is developed to demonstrate that the method can be adapted in a number of different configurations to accommodate all proposed integration schemes for MR units and radiotherapy sources. Depending on the configuration, the implementation of this technique will require between two and four additional nonlinear encoding coils.

Experimental investigation of a 1 kA/cm² sheet beam plasma cathode electron gun.

PubMed

Kumar, Niraj; Pal, Udit Narayan; Pal, Dharmendra Kumar; Prajesh, Rahul; Prakash, Ram

2015-01-01

In this paper, a cold cathode based sheet-beam plasma cathode electron gun is reported with achieved sheet-beam current density ∼1 kA/cm(2) from pseudospark based argon plasma for pulse length of ∼200 ns in a single shot experiment. For the qualitative assessment of the sheet-beam, an arrangement of three isolated metallic-sheets is proposed. The actual shape and size of the sheet-electron-beam are obtained through a non-conventional method by proposing a dielectric charging technique and scanning electron microscope based imaging. As distinct from the earlier developed sheet beam sources, the generated sheet-beam has been propagated more than 190 mm distance in a drift space region maintaining sheet structure without assistance of any external magnetic field.

Predicting Behavioral Problems in Craniopharyngioma Survivors after Conformal Radiation Therapy

PubMed Central

Dolson, Eugenia P.; Conklin, Heather M.; Li, Chenghong; Xiong, Xiaoping; Merchant, Thomas E.

2009-01-01

Background Although radiation therapy is a primary treatment for craniopharyngioma, it can exacerbate existing problems related to the tumor and pre-irradiation management. Survival is often marked by neurologic deficits, panhypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus, cognitive deficiencies and behavioral and social problems. Procedure The Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used to evaluate behavioral and social problems during the first five years of follow-up in 27 patients with craniopharyngioma treated with conformal radiation therapy. Results All group averages for the CBCL scales were within the age-typical range at pre-irradiation baseline. Extent of surgical resection was implicated in baseline differences for the Internalizing, Externalizing, Behavior Problem and Social scores. Significant longitudinal changes were found in Internalizing, Externalizing, Behavior Problem and School scores that correlated with tumor and treatment related factors. Conclusions The most common variables implicated in post-irradiation behavioral and social problems were CSF shunting, presence of an Ommaya reservoir, diabetes insipidus, and low pre-irradiation growth hormone levels. PMID:19191345

Site-specific binding of a water molecule to the sulfa drugs sulfamethoxazole and sulfisoxazole: a laser-desorption isomer-specific UV and IR study.

PubMed

Uhlemann, Thomas; Seidel, Sebastian; Müller, Christian W

2018-03-07

To determine the preferred water molecule binding sites of the polybasic sulfa drugs sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and sulfisoxazole (SIX), we have studied their monomers and monohydrated complexes through laser-desorption conformer-specific UV and IR spectroscopy. Both the SMX and SIX monomer adopt a single conformer in the molecular beam. On the basis of their conformer-specific IR spectra in the NH stretch region, these conformers were assigned to the SMX and SIX global minimum structures, both exhibiting a staggered sulfonamide group and an intramolecular C-HO[double bond, length as m-dash]S hydrogen bond. The SMX-H 2 O and SIX-H 2 O complexes each adopt a single isomer in the molecular beam. Their isomeric structures were determined based on their isomer-specific IR spectra in the NH/OH stretch region. Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules analysis of the calculated electron densities revealed that in the SMX-H 2 O complex the water molecule donates an O-HN hydrogen bond to the heterocycle nitrogen atom and accepts an N-HO hydrogen bond from the sulfonamide NH group. In the SIX-H 2 O complex, however, the water molecule does not bind to the heterocycle but instead donates an O-HO[double bond, length as m-dash]S hydrogen bond to the sulfonamide group and accepts an N-HO hydrogen bond from the sulfonamide NH group. Both water complexes are additionally stabilized by a C ph -HOH 2 hydrogen bond. Interacting Quantum Atoms analysis suggests that all intermolecular hydrogen bonds are dominated by the short-range exchange-correlation contribution.

Elevation data fitting and precision analysis of Google Earth in road survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Haibin; Luan, Xiaohan; Li, Hanchao; Jia, Jiangkun; Chen, Zhao; Han, Leilei

2018-05-01

Objective: In order to improve efficiency of road survey and save manpower and material resources, this paper intends to apply Google Earth to the feasibility study stage of road survey and design. Limited by the problem that Google Earth elevation data lacks precision, this paper is focused on finding several different fitting or difference methods to improve the data precision, in order to make every effort to meet the accuracy requirements of road survey and design specifications. Method: On the basis of elevation difference of limited public points, any elevation difference of the other points can be fitted or interpolated. Thus, the precise elevation can be obtained by subtracting elevation difference from the Google Earth data. Quadratic polynomial surface fitting method, cubic polynomial surface fitting method, V4 interpolation method in MATLAB and neural network method are used in this paper to process elevation data of Google Earth. And internal conformity, external conformity and cross correlation coefficient are used as evaluation indexes to evaluate the data processing effect. Results: There is no fitting difference at the fitting point while using V4 interpolation method. Its external conformity is the largest and the effect of accuracy improvement is the worst, so V4 interpolation method is ruled out. The internal and external conformity of the cubic polynomial surface fitting method both are better than those of the quadratic polynomial surface fitting method. The neural network method has a similar fitting effect with the cubic polynomial surface fitting method, but its fitting effect is better in the case of a higher elevation difference. Because the neural network method is an unmanageable fitting model, the cubic polynomial surface fitting method should be mainly used and the neural network method can be used as the auxiliary method in the case of higher elevation difference. Conclusions: Cubic polynomial surface fitting method can obviously improve data precision of Google Earth. The error of data in hilly terrain areas meets the requirement of specifications after precision improvement and it can be used in feasibility study stage of road survey and design.

SU-E-T-159: Evaluation of a Patient Specific QA Tool Based On TG119

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ashmeg, S; Zhang, Y; O'Daniel, J

2014-06-01

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of a 3D patient specific QA tool by analysis of the results produced from associated software in homogenous phantom and heterogonous patient CT. Methods: IMRT and VMAT plans of five test suites introduced by TG119 were created in ECLIPSE on a solid water phantom. The ten plans -of increasing complexity- were delivered to Delta4 to give a 3D measurement. The Delta4's “Anatomy” software uses the measured dose to back-calculate the energy fluence of the delivered beams, which is used for dose calculation in a patient CT using a pencilbeam algorithm. The effect of the modulatedmore » beams' complexity on the accuracy of the “Anatomy” calculation was evaluated. Both measured and Anatomy doses were compared to ECLIPSE calculation using 3% - 3mm gamma criteria.We also tested the effect of heterogeneity by analyzing the results of “Anatomy” calculation on a Brain VMAT and a 3D conformal lung cases. Results: In homogenous phantom, the gamma passing rates were found to be as low as 74.75% for a complex plan with high modulation. The mean passing rates were 91.47% ± 6.35% for “Anatomy” calculation and 99.46% ± 0.62% for Delta4 measurements.As for the heterogeneous cases, the rates were 96.54%±3.67% and 83.87%±9.42% for Brain VMAT and 3D lung respectively. This increased error in the lung case could be due to the use of the pencil beam algorithm as opposed to the AAA used by ECLIPSE.Also, gamma analysis showed high discrepancy along the beam edge in the “Anatomy” calculated results. This suggests a poor beam modeling in the penumbra region. Conclusion: The results show various sources of errors in “Anatomy” calculations. These include beam modeling in the penumbra region, complexity of a modulated beam (shown in homogenous phantom and brain cases) and dose calculation algorithms (3D conformal lung case)« less

SU-F-T-188: A Robust Treatment Planning Technique for Proton Pencil Beam Scanning Cranial Spinal Irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, M; Mehta, M; Badiyan, S

2016-06-15

Purpose: To propose a proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) cranial spinal irradiation (CSI) treatment planning technique robust against patient roll, isocenter offset and proton range uncertainty. Method: Proton PBS plans were created (Eclipse V11) for three previously treated CSI patients to 36 Gy (1.8 Gy/fractions). The target volume was separated into three regions: brain, upper spine and lower spine. One posterior-anterior (PA) beam was used for each spine region, and two posterior-oblique beams (15° apart from PA direction, denoted as 2PO-15) for the brain region. For comparison, another plan using one PA beam for the brain target (denoted as 1PA)more » was created. Using the same optimization objectives, 98% CTV was optimized to receive the prescription dose. To evaluate plan robustness against patient roll, the gantry angle was increased by 3° and dose was recalculated without changing the proton spot weights. On the re-calculated plan, doses were then calculated using 12 scenarios that are combinations of isocenter shift (±3mm in X, Y, and Z directions) and proton range variation (±3.5%). The worst-case-scenario (WCS) brain CTV dosimetric metrics were compared to the nominal plan. Results: For both beam arrangements, the brain field(s) and upper-spine field overlap in the T2–T5 region depending on patient anatomy. The maximum monitor unit per spot were 48.7%, 47.2%, and 40.0% higher for 1PA plans than 2PO-15 plans for the three patients. The 2PO-15 plans have better dose conformity. At the same level of CTV coverage, the 2PO-15 plans have lower maximum dose and higher minimum dose to the CTV. The 2PO-15 plans also showed lower WCS maximum dose to CTV, while the WCS minimum dose to CTV were comparable between the two techniques. Conclusion: Our method of using two posterior-oblique beams for brain target provides improved dose conformity and homogeneity, and plan robustness including patient roll.« less

Radiotherapy for gastric lymphoma: a planning study of 3D conformal radiotherapy, the half-beam method, and intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

PubMed

Inaba, Koji; Okamoto, Hiroyuki; Wakita, Akihisa; Nakamura, Satoshi; Kobayashi, Kazuma; Harada, Ken; Kitaguchi, Mayuka; Sekii, Shuhei; Takahashi, Kana; Yoshio, Kotaro; Murakami, Naoya; Morota, Madoka; Ito, Yoshinori; Sumi, Minako; Uno, Takashi; Itami, Jun

2014-11-01

During radiotherapy for gastric lymphoma, it is difficult to protect the liver and kidneys in cases where there is considerable overlap between these organs and the target volume. This study was conducted to compare the three radiotherapy planning techniques of four-fields 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), half-field radiotherapy (the half-beam method) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) used to treat primary gastric lymphoma in which the planning target volume (PTV) had a large overlap with the left kidney. A total of 17 patients with gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) were included. In DLBCL, immunochemotherapy (Rituximab + CHOP) was followed by radiotherapy of 40 Gy to the whole stomach and peri-gastric lymph nodes. 3DCRT, the half-field method, and IMRT were compared with respect to the dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters and generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) to the kidneys, liver and PTV. The mean dose and gEUD for 3DCRT was higher than for IMRT and the half-beam method in the left kidney and both kidneys. The mean dose and gEUD of the left kidney was 2117 cGy and 2224 cGy for 3DCRT, 1520 cGy and 1637 cGy for IMRT, and 1100 cGy and 1357 cGy for the half-beam method, respectively. The mean dose and gEUD of both kidneys was 1335 cGy and 1559 cGy for 3DCRT, 1184 cGy and 1311 cGy for IMRT, and 700 cGy and 937 cGy for the half-beam method, respectively. Dose-volume histograms (DVHs) of the liver revealed a larger volume was irradiated in the dose range <25 Gy with 3DCRT, while the half-beam method irradiated a larger volume of liver with the higher dose range (>25 Gy). IMRT and the half-beam method had the advantages of dose reduction for the kidneys and liver. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.

Fan-beam intensity modulated proton therapy.

PubMed

Hill, Patrick; Westerly, David; Mackie, Thomas

2013-11-01

This paper presents a concept for a proton therapy system capable of delivering intensity modulated proton therapy using a fan beam of protons. This system would allow present and future gantry-based facilities to deliver state-of-the-art proton therapy with the greater normal tissue sparing made possible by intensity modulation techniques. A method for producing a divergent fan beam of protons using a pair of electromagnetic quadrupoles is described and particle transport through the quadrupole doublet is simulated using a commercially available software package. To manipulate the fan beam of protons, a modulation device is developed. This modulator inserts or retracts acrylic leaves of varying thickness from subsections of the fan beam. Each subsection, or beam channel, creates what effectively becomes a beam spot within the fan area. Each channel is able to provide 0-255 mm of range shift for its associated beam spot, or stop the beam and act as an intensity modulator. Results of particle transport simulations through the quadrupole system are incorporated into the MCNPX Monte Carlo transport code along with a model of the range and intensity modulation device. Several design parameters were investigated and optimized, culminating in the ability to create topotherapy treatment plans using distal-edge tracking on both phantom and patient datasets. Beam transport calculations show that a pair of electromagnetic quadrupoles can be used to create a divergent fan beam of 200 MeV protons over a distance of 2.1 m. The quadrupole lengths were 30 and 48 cm, respectively, with transverse field gradients less than 20 T/m, which is within the range of water-cooled magnets for the quadrupole radii used. MCNPX simulations of topotherapy treatment plans suggest that, when using the distal edge tracking delivery method, many delivery angles are more important than insisting on narrow beam channel widths in order to obtain conformal target coverage. Overall, the sharp distal falloff of a proton depth-dose distribution was found to provide sufficient control over the dose distribution to meet objectives, even with coarse lateral resolution and channel widths as large as 2 cm. Treatment plans on both phantom and patient data show that dose conformity suffers when treatments are delivered from less than approximately ten angles. Treatment time for a sample prostate delivery is estimated to be on the order of 10 min, and neutron production is estimated to be comparable to that found for existing collimated systems. Fan beam proton therapy is a method of delivering intensity modulated proton therapy which may be employed as an alternative to magnetic scanning systems. A fan beam of protons can be created by a set of quadrupole magnets and modified by a dual-purpose range and intensity modulator. This can be used to deliver inversely planned treatments, with spot intensities optimized to meet user defined dose objectives. Additionally, the ability of a fan beam delivery system to effectively treat multiple beam spots simultaneously may provide advantages as compared to spot scanning deliveries.

DEVELOPMENT OF SHORT UNDULATORS FOR ELECTRON-BEAM-RADIATION INTERACTION STUDIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Piot, P.; Andorf, M. B.; Fagerberg, G.

Interaction of an electron beam with external field or its own radiation has widespread applications ranging from coherent-radiation generation, phase space cooling or formation of temporally-structured beams. An efficient coupling mechanism between an electron beam and radiation field relies on the use of a magnetic undulator. In this contribution we detail our plans to build short (11-period) undulators with 7-cm period refurbishing parts of the aladdin U3 undulator [1]. Possible use of these undulators at available test facilities to support experiments relevant to cooling techniques and radiation sources are outlined.

Accelerator/Experiment Operations - FY 2014

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Czarapata, P.; Geer, S.; Geesaman, D.

2014-10-01

This Technical Memorandum (TM) summarizes the Fermilab accelerator and accelerator experiment operations for FY 2014. It is one of a series of annual publications intended to gather information in one place. In this case, the information concerns the FY 2014 MINOS and MINERvA experiments using the Main Injector Neutrino Beam (NuMI), the MiniBooNE experiment running in the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB), and the SeaQuest experiment and Meson Test Beam (MTest) activities in the 120 GeV external Switchyard beam (SY120). Each section was prepared by the relevant authors, and was somewhat edited for inclusion in this summary.

Beam Propagator for Weather Radars, Modules 1 and 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ortega, Edwin Campos

2013-10-08

This program simulates the beam propagation of weather radar pulses under particular and realistic atmospheric conditions (without using the assumption of standard refraction conditions). It consists of two modules: radiosondings_refract_index_many.pro (MAIN MODULE) beam_propagation_function.pro(EXTERNAL FUNCTION) FOR THE MAIN MODULE, THE CODE DOES OUTPUT--INTO A FILE--THE BEAM HEIGHT AS A FUNCTION OF RANGE. THE RADIOSONDE INPUT FILES SHOULD BE ALREADY AVAILABLE BY THE USER. FOR EXAMPLE, RADIOSONDE OBSERVATION FILES CAN BE OBTAINED AT: RADIOSONDE OBSERVATIONS DOWNLOADED AT "http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/soounding.html" OR "http://jervis.pyr.ec.gc.ca" THE EXTERNAL FUNCTION DOES THE ACTUAL COMPUTATION OF BEAM PROPAGATION. IT INCLUDES CONDITIONS OF ANOMALOUS PROPAGATION AND NEGATIVE ELEVATION ANGLES. THE EQUATIONSmore » USED HERE WERE DERIVED BY EDWIN CAMPOS, BASED ON THE SNELL-DESCARTES LAW OF REFRACTION, CONSIDERING THE EARTH CURVATURE. THE PROGRAM REQUIRES A COMPILER FOR THE INTERACTIVE DATA LANGUAGE (IDL). DESCRIPTION AND VALIDATION DETAILS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE PEER-REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE, AS FOLLOWS: Campos E. 2012. Estimating weather radar coverage over complex terrain, pp.26-32, peer reviewed, in Weather Radar and Hydrology, edited by Moore RJ, Cole SJ and Illingworth AJ. International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) Press, IAHS Publ. 351. ISBN 978-1-907161-26-1.« less

The small-animal radiation research platform (SARRP): dosimetry of a focused lens system.

PubMed

Deng, Hua; Kennedy, Christopher W; Armour, Elwood; Tryggestad, Erik; Ford, Eric; McNutt, Todd; Jiang, Licai; Wong, John

2007-05-21

A small animal radiation platform equipped with on-board cone-beam CT and conformal irradiation capabilities is being constructed for translational research. To achieve highly localized dose delivery, an x-ray lens is used to focus the broad beam from a 225 kVp x-ray tube down to a beam with a full width half maximum (FWHM) of approximately 1.5 mm in the energy range 40-80 keV. Here, we report on the dosimetric characteristics of the focused beam from the x-ray lens subsystem for high-resolution dose delivery. Using the metric of the average dose within a 1.5 mm diameter area, the dose rates at a source-to-surface distance (SSD) of 34 cm are 259 and 172 cGy min(-1) at 6 mm and 2 cm depths, respectively, with an estimated uncertainty of +/-5%. The per cent depth dose is approximately 56% at 2 cm depth for a beam at 34 cm SSD.

Glu-311 in External Loop 4 of the Sodium/Proline Transporter PutP Is Crucial for External Gate Closure.

PubMed

Bracher, Susanne; Guérin, Kamila; Polyhach, Yevhen; Jeschke, Gunnar; Dittmer, Sophie; Frey, Sabine; Böhm, Maret; Jung, Heinrich

2016-03-04

The available structural information on LeuT and structurally related transporters suggests that external loop 4 (eL4) and the outer end of transmembrane domain (TM) 10' participate in the reversible occlusion of the outer pathway to the solute binding sites. Here, the functional significance of eL4 and the outer region of TM10' are explored using the sodium/proline symporter PutP as a model. Glu-311 at the tip of eL4, and various amino acids around the outer end of TM10' are identified as particularly crucial for function. Substitutions at these sites inhibit the transport cycle, and affect in part ligand binding. In addition, changes at selected sites induce a global structural alteration in the direction of an outward-open conformation. It is suggested that interactions between the tip of eL4 and the peptide backbone at the end of TM10' participate in coordinating conformational alterations underlying the alternating access mechanism of transport. Together with the structural information on LeuT-like transporters, the results further specify the idea that common design and functional principles are maintained across different transport families. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Glu-311 in External Loop 4 of the Sodium/Proline Transporter PutP Is Crucial for External Gate Closure*

PubMed Central

Bracher, Susanne; Guérin, Kamila; Polyhach, Yevhen; Jeschke, Gunnar; Dittmer, Sophie; Frey, Sabine; Böhm, Maret; Jung, Heinrich

2016-01-01

The available structural information on LeuT and structurally related transporters suggests that external loop 4 (eL4) and the outer end of transmembrane domain (TM) 10′ participate in the reversible occlusion of the outer pathway to the solute binding sites. Here, the functional significance of eL4 and the outer region of TM10′ are explored using the sodium/proline symporter PutP as a model. Glu-311 at the tip of eL4, and various amino acids around the outer end of TM10′ are identified as particularly crucial for function. Substitutions at these sites inhibit the transport cycle, and affect in part ligand binding. In addition, changes at selected sites induce a global structural alteration in the direction of an outward-open conformation. It is suggested that interactions between the tip of eL4 and the peptide backbone at the end of TM10′ participate in coordinating conformational alterations underlying the alternating access mechanism of transport. Together with the structural information on LeuT-like transporters, the results further specify the idea that common design and functional principles are maintained across different transport families. PMID:26728461

Biologically important conformational features of DNA as interpreted by quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics computations of its simple fragments.

PubMed

Poltev, V; Anisimov, V M; Dominguez, V; Gonzalez, E; Deriabina, A; Garcia, D; Rivas, F; Polteva, N A

2018-02-01

Deciphering the mechanism of functioning of DNA as the carrier of genetic information requires identifying inherent factors determining its structure and function. Following this path, our previous DFT studies attributed the origin of unique conformational characteristics of right-handed Watson-Crick duplexes (WCDs) to the conformational profile of deoxydinucleoside monophosphates (dDMPs) serving as the minimal repeating units of DNA strand. According to those findings, the directionality of the sugar-phosphate chain and the characteristic ranges of dihedral angles of energy minima combined with the geometric differences between purines and pyrimidines determine the dependence on base sequence of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of WCDs. This work extends our computational study to complementary deoxydinucleotide-monophosphates (cdDMPs) of non-standard conformation, including those of Z-family, Hoogsteen duplexes, parallel-stranded structures, and duplexes with mispaired bases. For most of these systems, except Z-conformation, computations closely reproduce experimental data within the tolerance of characteristic limits of dihedral parameters for each conformation family. Computation of cdDMPs with Z-conformation reveals that their experimental structures do not correspond to the internal energy minimum. This finding establishes the leading role of external factors in formation of the Z-conformation. Energy minima of cdDMPs of non-Watson-Crick duplexes demonstrate different sequence-dependence features than those known for WCDs. The obtained results provide evidence that the biologically important regularities of 3D structure distinguish WCDs from duplexes having non-Watson-Crick nucleotide pairing.

Elemental analysis with external-beam PIXE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, E. K.; Wang, C. W.; Teng, P. K.; Huang, Y. M.; Chen, C. Y.

1992-05-01

A beamline system and experimental setup has been established for elemental analysis using PIXE with an external beam. Experiments for the study of the elemental composition of ancient Chinese potsherds (the Min and Ching ages) were performed. Continuum X-ray spectra from the samples bombarded by 3 MeV protons have been measured with a Si(Li) detector. From the analysis of PIXE data, the concentration of the main elements (Al, Si, K, and Ca) and of more than ten trace elements in the matrices and glazed surfaces were determined. Results for two different potsherds are presented, and those obtained from the glaze colorants are compared with the results of measurements on a Ching blue-and-white porcelain vase.

PIXE analysis of cystic fibrosis sweat samples with an external proton beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sommer, F.; Massonnet, B.

1987-03-01

PIXE analysis with an external proton beam is used to study, in four control and five cystic fibrosis children, the elemental composition of sweat samples collected from different parts of the body during entire body hyperthermia. We observe no significant difference of sweat rates and of temperature variations between the two groups during sweat test. The statistical study of results obtained by PIXE analysis allows us to pick out amongst 8 elements studied, 6 elements (Na, Cl, Ca, Mn, Cu, Br) significatively different between the two groups of subjects. Using regression analysis, Na, Cl and Br concentrations could be used in a predictive equation of the state of health.

Development of a RadFET Linear Array for Intracavitary in vivo Dosimetry During External Beam Radiotherapy and Brachytherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, R. A.; Benson, C.; Joyce, M. J.; Rodgers, K.

2004-08-01

We present the details of a new linear array dosimeter consisting of a chain of semiconductors mounted on an ultra-thin (50 /spl mu/m thick) flexible substrate and housed in an intracavitary catheter. The semiconductors, manufactured by NMRC Cork, have not been packaging and incorporate a passivation layer that allows them to be mounted on the substrate using flip-chip-bonding. This paper reports, for the first time, the construction of a multiple (ten) detector array suited to in vivo dosimetry in the rectum, esophagus and vagina during external beam radiotherapy, as well as being adaptable to in vivo dosimetry during brachytherapy and diagnostic radiology.

The light wave flow effect in a plane-parallel layer with a quasi-zero refractive index under the action of bounded light beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gadomsky, O. N., E-mail: gadomsky@mail.ru; Shchukarev, I. A., E-mail: blacxpress@gmail.com

2016-08-15

It is shown that external optical radiation in the 450–1200 nm range can be efficiently transformed under the action of bounded light beams to a surface wave that propagates along the external and internal boundaries of a plane-parallel layer with a quasi-zero refractive index. Reflection regimes with complex and real angles of refraction in the layer are considered. The layer with a quasi-zero refractive index in this boundary problem is located on a highly reflective metal substrate; it is shown that the uniform low reflection of light is achieved in the wavelength range under study.

Phase I Study of Concomitant Pemetrexed and Cisplatin Plus External Beam Radiation Therapy in Patients with Locally Advanced or Metastatic Esophageal or Gastroesophageal Junction Carcinomas.

PubMed

Elquza, Emad; Babiker, Hani M; Howell, Krisha J; Kovoor, Andrew I; Brown, Thomas David; Patel, Hitendra; Malangone, Steven A; Borad, Mitesh J; Dragovich, Tomislav

2016-01-01

To establish the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and safety profile of bi-weekly Pemetrexed (PEM) when combined with weekly cisplatin (CDDP) and standard dose external beam radiation (EBRT) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) carcinomas. We conducted an open label, single institution, phase I dose escalation study designed to evaluate up to 15-35 patients with advanced or metastatic esophageal and GEJ carcinomas. 10 patients were treated with bi-weekly PEM, weekly CDDP, and EBRT. The MTD of bi-weekly PEM was determined to be 500 mg/m(2).

External-beam PIXE spectrometry for the study of Punic jewellery (SW Spain): The geographical provenance of the palladium-bearing gold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ontalba Salamanca, M. Á.; Gómez-Tubío, B.; Ortega-Feliu, I.; Respaldiza, M. Á.; Luisa de la Bandera, M.; Ovejero Zappino, G.; Bouzas, A.; Gómez-Morón, A.

2006-08-01

This paper presents the study of a set of Punic gold items (400 B.C.), from the Museum of Cádiz (Spain). An external beam set-up has been employed for the absolutely non-destructive analysis of the objects. PIXE spectrometry has been performed in order to characterize the metallic alloys and the manufacturing techniques. Compositional differences have been found and soldering procedures have been identified. By comparison with the rings and other coetaneous jewellery, the presence of palladium in the bulk alloy of the earrings can be pointed out. The geographical provenance of the palladium-bearing gold is discussed based on geological and archaeological considerations.

NuMI Beam Flux Studies for MINERvA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aliaga Soplin, Leonidas

2012-03-01

MINERνA is a few-GeV neutrino scattering experiment which is required to understand the neutrino beam flux in order to make absolute cross section measurements. We have three techniques for constraining the flux: in situ measurements, external hadron production data and muon monitors. In this presentation I will discuss the details and our progress on these efforts.

Study of Italian Renaissance sculptures using an external beam nuclear microprobe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zucchiatti, A.; Bouquillon, A.; Moignard, B.; Salomon, J.; Gaborit, J. R.

2000-03-01

The use of an extracted proton micro-beam for the PIXE analysis of glazes is discussed in the context of the growing interest in the creation of an analytical database on Italian Renaissance glazed terracotta sculptures. Some results concerning the frieze of an altarpiece of the Louvre museum, featuring white angels and cherubs heads, are presented.

Beam Splitter For Welding-Torch Vision System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilbert, Jeffrey L.

1991-01-01

Compact welding torch equipped with along-the-torch vision system includes cubic beam splitter to direct preview light on weldment and to reflect light coming from welding scene for imaging. Beam splitter integral with torch; requires no external mounting brackets. Rugged and withstands vibrations and wide range of temperatures. Commercially available, reasonably priced, comes in variety of sizes and optical qualities with antireflection and interference-filter coatings on desired faces. Can provide 50 percent transmission and 50 percent reflection of incident light to exhibit minimal ghosting of image.

Effective shielding to measure beam current from an ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bayle, H., E-mail: bayle@bergoz.com; Delferrière, O.; Gobin, R.

To avoid saturation, beam current transformers must be shielded from solenoid, quad, and RFQ high stray fields. Good understanding of field distribution, shielding materials, and techniques is required. Space availability imposes compact shields along the beam pipe. This paper describes compact effective concatenated magnetic shields for IFMIF-EVEDA LIPAc LEBT and MEBT and for FAIR Proton Linac injector. They protect the ACCT Current Transformers beyond 37 mT radial external fields. Measurements made at Saclay on the SILHI source are presented.

SINGLE BUNCH BEAM BREAKUP - A GENERAL SOLUTION.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

WANG,J.M.; MANE,S.R.; TOWNE,N.

2000-06-26

Caporaso, Barletta and Neil (CBN) found in a solution to the problem of the single-bunch beam breakup in a linac[1]. However, their method applies only to the case of a beam traveling in a strongly betatron-focused linac under the influence of the resistive wall impedance. We suggest in this paper a method for dealing with the same problem. Our methods is more general; it applies to the same problem under any impedance, and it applies to a linac with or without external betatron focusing.

21 CFR 73.1991 - Zinc oxide.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Zinc oxide. 73.1991 Section 73.1991 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL LISTING OF COLOR... coloring externally applied drugs. (b) Specifications. Zinc oxide shall conform to the following...

Catheter tip force transducer for cardiovascular research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feldstein, C.; Lewis, G. W.; Silver, R. H.; Culler, V. H. (Inventor)

1976-01-01

A force transducer for measuring dynamic force activity within the heart of a subject essentially consists of a U-shaped beam of low elastic compliance material. Two lines extend from the beams's legs and a long coil spring is attached to the beam. A strain gauge is coupled to one of the beam's legs to sense deflections thereof. The beam with the tines and most of the spring are surrounded by a flexible tube, defining a catheter, which is insertable into a subject's heart through an appropriate artery. The tines are extractable from the catheter for implantation into the myocardium by pushing on the end of the spring which extends beyond the external end of the catheter.

Multileaf collimator tracking integrated with a novel x-ray imaging system and external surrogate monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krauss, Andreas; Fast, Martin F.; Nill, Simeon; Oelfke, Uwe

2012-04-01

We have previously developed a tumour tracking system, which adapts the aperture of a Siemens 160 MLC to electromagnetically monitored target motion. In this study, we exploit the use of a novel linac-mounted kilovoltage x-ray imaging system for MLC tracking. The unique in-line geometry of the imaging system allows the detection of target motion perpendicular to the treatment beam (i.e. the directions usually featuring steep dose gradients). We utilized the imaging system either alone or in combination with an external surrogate monitoring system. We equipped a Siemens ARTISTE linac with two flat panel detectors, one directly underneath the linac head for motion monitoring and the other underneath the patient couch for geometric tracking accuracy assessments. A programmable phantom with an embedded metal marker reproduced three patient breathing traces. For MLC tracking based on x-ray imaging alone, marker position was detected at a frame rate of 7.1 Hz. For the combined external and internal motion monitoring system, a total of only 85 x-ray images were acquired prior to or in between the delivery of ten segments of an IMRT beam. External motion was monitored with a potentiometer. A correlation model between external and internal motion was established. The real-time component of the MLC tracking procedure then relied solely on the correlation model estimations of internal motion based on the external signal. Geometric tracking accuracies were 0.6 mm (1.1 mm) and 1.8 mm (1.6 mm) in directions perpendicular and parallel to the leaf travel direction for the x-ray-only (the combined external and internal) motion monitoring system in spite of a total system latency of ˜0.62 s (˜0.51 s). Dosimetric accuracy for a highly modulated IMRT beam-assessed through radiographic film dosimetry-improved substantially when tracking was applied, but depended strongly on the respective geometric tracking accuracy. In conclusion, we have for the first time integrated MLC tracking with x-ray imaging in the in-line geometry and demonstrated highly accurate respiratory motion tracking.

Evaluation of the response of concurrent high dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy with external beam radiotherapy in management of early stage carcinoma cervix.

PubMed

Patidar, Arvind Kumar; Kumar, H S; Walke, Rahul V; Hirapara, Pushpendra H; Jakhar, Shankar Lal; Bardia, M R

2012-10-01

To evaluate local disease control and early complications of concomitant brachytherapy with external beam-radiotherapy in early stage carcinoma cervix. Fifty patients of early stage carcinoma cervix (FIGO-IB/IIA) were randomly divided into study group concomitant external beam irradiation (EBRT) and HDR-ICBT (intra-cavitary brachytherapy, xrt = 50 Gy/25 Fr, HDR 5.2 Gy*5 Fr) and the control group EBRT followed by HDR-ICBT (xrt = 50 Gy/25 Fr, HDR 7.5 Gy*3 Fr). Acute reactions and local disease response were compared between treatment and at 6-month follow up. Median overall treatment times were 38 and 61 days in the study and the control groups, respectively. Acute skin reactions and diarrhea were more in the study but manageable. At the completion of the study, there were 80 and 68 % complete responses, 16 and 20 % partial responses, 0 and 8 % stable diseases in the study group and the control group, respectively. Response was better in the study group but statistically insignificant. Larger number of patients and longer follow up are required to arrive at concrete conclusion.

Primary radiotherapy for carcinoma of the endometrium using external beam radiotherapy and single line source brachytherapy.

PubMed

Churn, M; Jones, B

1999-01-01

A small proportion of patients with adenocarcinoma of the endometrium are inoperable by virtue of severe concurrent medical conditions, gross obesity or advanced stage disease. They can be treated with primary radiotherapy with either curative or palliative intent. We report 37 such patients treated mainly with a combination of external beam radiotherapy and intracavitary brachytherapy using a single line source technique. The 5-year disease-specific survival for nonsurgically staged patients was 68.4% for FIGO Stages I and II and 33.3% for Stages III and IV. The incidence of late morbidity was acceptably low. Using the Franco-Italian Glossary, there was 27.0% grade 1 but no grade 2-4 bladder toxicity. For the rectum the rates were 18.9% grade 1, 5.4% grade 2, 2.7% grade 3, and no grade 4 toxicity. Methods of optimizing the dose distribution of the brachytherapy by means of variation of treatment length, radioactive source positions, and prescription point according to tumour bulk and individual anatomy are discussed. The biologically equivalent doses (BED) for combined external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy were calculated to be in the range of 78-107 Gy(3) or 57-75 Gy(10) at point 'A' and appear adequate for the control of Stage I cancers.

External Nasal Neuralgia: A Neuropathic Pain Within the Territory of the External Nasal Nerve.

PubMed

García-Moreno, Héctor; Aledo-Serrano, Ángel; Gimeno-Hernández, Jesús; Cuadrado, María-Luz

2015-10-01

Nasal pain is a challenging diagnosis and very little has been reported in the neurological literature. The nose is a sophisticated structure regarding its innervation, which is supplied by the first and second divisions of the trigeminal nerve. Painful cranial neuropathies are an important group in the differential diagnosis, although they have been described only scarcely. Here, we report a case that can conform a non-traumatic external nasal nerve neuralgia. A 76-year-old woman was referred to our office due to pain in her left nose. She was suffering from daily excruciating attacks, which were strictly limited to the territory supplied by her left external nasal nerve (left ala nasi and apex nasi). She denied previous traumatisms and the ancillary tests did not yield any underlying pathology. An anesthetic blockade of her left external nasal nerve achieved a marked reduction of the number of episodes as well as their intensity. External nasal neuralgia seems a specific neuralgia causing nasal pain. Anesthetic blockades of the external nasal nerve may be a valid treatment for this condition. © 2015 American Headache Society.

Spatial frequency performance limitations of radiation dose optimization and beam positioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, James M. P.; Stapleton, Shawn; Chaudary, Naz; Lindsay, Patricia E.; Jaffray, David A.

2018-06-01

The flexibility and sophistication of modern radiotherapy treatment planning and delivery methods have advanced techniques to improve the therapeutic ratio. Contemporary dose optimization and calculation algorithms facilitate radiotherapy plans which closely conform the three-dimensional dose distribution to the target, with beam shaping devices and image guided field targeting ensuring the fidelity and accuracy of treatment delivery. Ultimately, dose distribution conformity is limited by the maximum deliverable dose gradient; shallow dose gradients challenge techniques to deliver a tumoricidal radiation dose while minimizing dose to surrounding tissue. In this work, this ‘dose delivery resolution’ observation is rigorously formalized for a general dose delivery model based on the superposition of dose kernel primitives. It is proven that the spatial resolution of a delivered dose is bounded by the spatial frequency content of the underlying dose kernel, which in turn defines a lower bound in the minimization of a dose optimization objective function. In addition, it is shown that this optimization is penalized by a dose deposition strategy which enforces a constant relative phase (or constant spacing) between individual radiation beams. These results are further refined to provide a direct, analytic method to estimate the dose distribution arising from the minimization of such an optimization function. The efficacy of the overall framework is demonstrated on an image guided small animal microirradiator for a set of two-dimensional hypoxia guided dose prescriptions.

Development and validation of MCNPX-based Monte Carlo treatment plan verification system

PubMed Central

Jabbari, Iraj; Monadi, Shahram

2015-01-01

A Monte Carlo treatment plan verification (MCTPV) system was developed for clinical treatment plan verification (TPV), especially for the conformal and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plans. In the MCTPV, the MCNPX code was used for particle transport through the accelerator head and the patient body. MCTPV has an interface with TiGRT planning system and reads the information which is needed for Monte Carlo calculation transferred in digital image communications in medicine-radiation therapy (DICOM-RT) format. In MCTPV several methods were applied in order to reduce the simulation time. The relative dose distribution of a clinical prostate conformal plan calculated by the MCTPV was compared with that of TiGRT planning system. The results showed well implementation of the beams configuration and patient information in this system. For quantitative evaluation of MCTPV a two-dimensional (2D) diode array (MapCHECK2) and gamma index analysis were used. The gamma passing rate (3%/3 mm) of an IMRT plan was found to be 98.5% for total beams. Also, comparison of the measured and Monte Carlo calculated doses at several points inside an inhomogeneous phantom for 6- and 18-MV photon beams showed a good agreement (within 1.5%). The accuracy and timing results of MCTPV showed that MCTPV could be used very efficiently for additional assessment of complicated plans such as IMRT plan. PMID:26170554

The Molecular Structure of Phenetole Studied by Microwave Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferres, Lynn; Stahl, Wolfgang; Nguyen, Ha Vinh Lam

2016-06-01

A pulsed molecular beam Fourier transform microwave spectrometer operating in the frequency range 2 - 26.5 GHz was used to measure the spectrum of phenetole (ethyl phenyl ether or ethoxybenzene, C6H5OC2H5). The conformational landscape is completely determined by the orientations of the phenyl ring and the ethyl group. A two-dimensional potential energy surface was calculated at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. Two conformers were found: The trans conformer has a Cs symmetry, and the gauche conformer has the ethyl group tilted out of the phenyl plane by about 70°. Totally 186 rotational transitions were assigned to the more stable planar trans conformer, and fitted using a semi-rigid rotor model to measurement accuracy of 2 kHz. Highly accurate rotational and centrifugal distortion constants were determined. Several method and basis set combinations were applied to check for convergence and to compare with the experimentally deduced molecular parameters. The inertial defect of the observed conformer Δc = (Ic - Ia - Ib) = -6.718 uÅ2 confirms that the heavy atom skeleton is planar with two pairs of hydrogen atoms out of plane. All lines in the spectrum could be assigned to the trans conformer, which confirms that the gauche conformer cannot be observed under our measurement conditions. In agreement with the rather high torsional barrier of the methyl group (V3 = 1168 wn) calculated by quantum chemical methods, all assigned lines appeared sharp and no signs of splittings were observed for the methyl internal rotation.

Experimental investigation of a 1 kA/cm{sup 2} sheet beam plasma cathode electron gun

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, Niraj, E-mail: niraj.ceeri@gmail.com; Narayan Pal, Udit; Prajesh, Rahul

In this paper, a cold cathode based sheet-beam plasma cathode electron gun is reported with achieved sheet-beam current density ∼1 kA/cm{sup 2} from pseudospark based argon plasma for pulse length of ∼200 ns in a single shot experiment. For the qualitative assessment of the sheet-beam, an arrangement of three isolated metallic-sheets is proposed. The actual shape and size of the sheet-electron-beam are obtained through a non-conventional method by proposing a dielectric charging technique and scanning electron microscope based imaging. As distinct from the earlier developed sheet beam sources, the generated sheet-beam has been propagated more than 190 mm distance inmore » a drift space region maintaining sheet structure without assistance of any external magnetic field.« less

Generation of low-emittance electron beams in electrostatic accelerators for FEL applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Teng; Elias, Luis R.

1995-02-01

This paper reports results of transverse emittance studies and beam propagation in electrostatic accelerators for free electron laser applications. In particular, we discuss emittance growth analysis of a low current electron beam system consisting of a miniature thermoionic electron gun and a National Electrostatics Accelerator (NEC) tube. The emittance growth phenomenon is discussed in terms of thermal effects in the electron gun cathode and aberrations produced by field gradient changes occurring inside the electron gun and throughout the accelerator tube. A method of reducing aberrations using a magnetic solenoidal field is described. Analysis of electron beam emittance was done with the EGUN code. Beam propagation along the accelerator tube was studied using a cylindrically symmetric beam envelope equation that included beam self-fields and the external accelerator fields which were derived from POISSON simulations.

A multi-state coarse grained modeling approach for an intrinsically disordered peptide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramezanghorbani, Farhad; Dalgicdir, Cahit; Sayar, Mehmet

2017-09-01

Many proteins display a marginally stable tertiary structure, which can be altered via external stimuli. Since a majority of coarse grained (CG) models are aimed at structure prediction, their success for an intrinsically disordered peptide's conformational space with marginal stability and sensitivity to external stimuli cannot be taken for granted. In this study, by using the LKα 14 peptide as a test system, we demonstrate a bottom-up approach for constructing a multi-state CG model, which can capture the conformational behavior of this peptide in three distinct environments with a unique set of interaction parameters. LKα 14 is disordered in dilute solutions; however, it strictly adopts the α -helix conformation upon aggregation or when in contact with a hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface. Our bottom-up approach combines a generic base model, that is unbiased for any particular secondary structure, with nonbonded interactions which represent hydrogen bonds, electrostatics, and hydrophobic forces. We demonstrate that by using carefully designed all atom potential of mean force calculations from all three states of interest, one can get a balanced representation of the nonbonded interactions. Our CG model behaves intrinsically disordered in bulk water, folds into an α -helix in the presence of an interface or a neighboring peptide, and is stable as a tetrameric unit, successfully reproducing the all atom molecular dynamics simulations and experimental results.

A multi-state coarse grained modeling approach for an intrinsically disordered peptide.

PubMed

Ramezanghorbani, Farhad; Dalgicdir, Cahit; Sayar, Mehmet

2017-09-07

Many proteins display a marginally stable tertiary structure, which can be altered via external stimuli. Since a majority of coarse grained (CG) models are aimed at structure prediction, their success for an intrinsically disordered peptide's conformational space with marginal stability and sensitivity to external stimuli cannot be taken for granted. In this study, by using the LKα14 peptide as a test system, we demonstrate a bottom-up approach for constructing a multi-state CG model, which can capture the conformational behavior of this peptide in three distinct environments with a unique set of interaction parameters. LKα14 is disordered in dilute solutions; however, it strictly adopts the α-helix conformation upon aggregation or when in contact with a hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface. Our bottom-up approach combines a generic base model, that is unbiased for any particular secondary structure, with nonbonded interactions which represent hydrogen bonds, electrostatics, and hydrophobic forces. We demonstrate that by using carefully designed all atom potential of mean force calculations from all three states of interest, one can get a balanced representation of the nonbonded interactions. Our CG model behaves intrinsically disordered in bulk water, folds into an α-helix in the presence of an interface or a neighboring peptide, and is stable as a tetrameric unit, successfully reproducing the all atom molecular dynamics simulations and experimental results.

Percentage of Cancer Volume in Biopsy Cores Is Prognostic for Prostate Cancer Death and Overall Survival in Patients Treated With Dose-Escalated External Beam Radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vance, Sean M.; Stenmark, Matthew H.; Blas, Kevin

2012-07-01

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic utility of the percentage of cancer volume (PCV) in needle biopsy specimens for prostate cancer patients treated with dose-escalated external beam radiotherapy. Methods and Materials: The outcomes were analyzed for 599 men treated for localized prostate cancer with external beam radiotherapy to a minimal planning target volume dose of 75 Gy (range, 75-79.2). We assessed the effect of PCV and the pretreatment and treatment-related factors on the freedom from biochemical failure, freedom from metastasis, cause-specific survival, and overall survival. Results: The median number of biopsy cores was 7 (interquartile range, 6-12), median PCV was 10%more » (interquartile range, 2.5-25%), and median follow-up was 62 months. The PCV correlated with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk group and individual risk features, including T stage, prostate-specific antigen level, Gleason score, and percentage of positive biopsy cores. On log-rank analysis, the PCV stratified by quartile was prognostic for all endpoints, including overall survival. In addition, the PCV was a stronger prognostic factor than the percentage of positive biopsy cores when the two metrics were analyzed together. On multivariate analysis, the PCV predicted a worse outcome for all endpoints, including freedom from biochemical failure, (hazard ratio, 1.9; p = .0035), freedom from metastasis (hazard ratio, 1.7, p = .09), cause-specific survival (hazard ratio, 3.9, p = .014), and overall survival (hazard ratio, 1.8, p = .02). Conclusions: For patients treated with dose-escalated external beam radiotherapy, the volume of cancer in the biopsy specimen adds prognostic value for clinically relevant endpoints, particularly in intermediate- and high-risk patients. Although the PCV determination is more arduous than the percentage of positive biopsy cores, it provides superior risk stratification.« less

Phase II Trial of Combined High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy and External Beam Radiotherapy for Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate: Preliminary Results of RTOG 0321

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hsu, I-Chow, E-mail: ihsu@radonc.ucsf.ed; Bae, Kyounghwa; Shinohara, Katsuto

2010-11-01

Purpose: To estimate the rate of late Grade 3 or greater genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs) after treatment with external beam radiotherapy and prostate high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy. Methods and Materials: Each participating institution submitted computed tomography-based HDR brachytherapy dosimetry data electronically for credentialing and for each study patient. Patients with locally confined Stage T1c-T3b prostate cancer were eligible for the present study. All patients were treated with 45 Gy in 25 fractions using external beam radiotherapy and one HDR implant delivering 19 Gy in two fractions. All AEs were graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria formore » Adverse Events, version 3.0. Late GU/GI AEs were defined as those occurring >9 months from the start of the protocol treatment, in patients with {>=}18 months of potential follow-up. Results: A total of 129 patients from 14 institutions were enrolled in the present study. Of the 129 patients, 125 were eligible, and AE data were available for 112 patients at analysis. The pretreatment characteristics of the patients were as follows: Stage T1c-T2c, 91%; Stage T3a-T3b, 9%; prostate-specific antigen level {<=}10 ng/mL, 70%; prostate-specific antigen level >10 but {<=}20 ng/mL, 30%; and Gleason score 2-6, 10%; Gleason score 7, 72%; and Gleason score 8-10, 18%. At a median follow-up of 29.6 months, three acute and four late Grade 3 GU/GI AEs were reported. The estimated rate of late Grade 3-5 GU and GI AEs at 18 months was 2.56%. Conclusion: This is the first prospective, multi-institutional trial of computed tomography-based HDR brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy. The technique and doses used in the present study resulted in acceptable levels of AEs.« less

Modelling second malignancy risks from low dose rate and high dose rate brachytherapy as monotherapy for localised prostate cancer.

PubMed

Murray, Louise; Mason, Joshua; Henry, Ann M; Hoskin, Peter; Siebert, Frank-Andre; Venselaar, Jack; Bownes, Peter

2016-08-01

To estimate the risks of radiation-induced rectal and bladder cancers following low dose rate (LDR) and high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy as monotherapy for localised prostate cancer and compare to external beam radiotherapy techniques. LDR and HDR brachytherapy monotherapy plans were generated for three prostate CT datasets. Second cancer risks were assessed using Schneider's concept of organ equivalent dose. LDR risks were assessed according to a mechanistic model and a bell-shaped model. HDR risks were assessed according to a bell-shaped model. Relative risks and excess absolute risks were estimated and compared to external beam techniques. Excess absolute risks of second rectal or bladder cancer were low for both LDR (irrespective of the model used for calculation) and HDR techniques. Average excess absolute risks of rectal cancer for LDR brachytherapy according to the mechanistic model were 0.71 per 10,000 person-years (PY) and 0.84 per 10,000 PY respectively, and according to the bell-shaped model, were 0.47 and 0.78 per 10,000 PY respectively. For HDR, the average excess absolute risks for second rectal and bladder cancers were 0.74 and 1.62 per 10,000 PY respectively. The absolute differences between techniques were very low and clinically irrelevant. Compared to external beam prostate radiotherapy techniques, LDR and HDR brachytherapy resulted in the lowest risks of second rectal and bladder cancer. This study shows both LDR and HDR brachytherapy monotherapy result in low estimated risks of radiation-induced rectal and bladder cancer. LDR resulted in lower bladder cancer risks than HDR, and lower or similar risks of rectal cancer. In absolute terms these differences between techniques were very small. Compared to external beam techniques, second rectal and bladder cancer risks were lowest for brachytherapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative sensitivities of functional MRI sequences in detection of local recurrence of prostate carcinoma after radical prostatectomy or external-beam radiotherapy.

PubMed

Roy, Catherine; Foudi, Fatah; Charton, Jeanne; Jung, Michel; Lang, Hervé; Saussine, Christian; Jacqmin, Didier

2013-04-01

The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the respective accuracies of three types of functional MRI sequences-diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI, and 3D (1)H-MR spectroscopy (MRS)-in the depiction of local prostate cancer recurrence after two different initial therapy options. From a cohort of 83 patients with suspicion of local recurrence based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics who were imaged on a 3-T MRI unit using an identical protocol including the three functional sequences with an endorectal coil, we selected 60 patients (group A, 28 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy; group B, 32 patients who underwent external-beam radiation) who had local recurrence ascertained on the basis of a transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy results and a reduction in PSA level after salvage therapy. All patients presented with a local relapse. Sensitivity with T2-weighted MRI and 3D (1)H-MRS sequences was 57% and 53%, respectively, for group A and 71% and 78%, respectively, for group B. DCE-MRI alone showed a sensitivity of 100% and 96%, respectively, for groups A and B. DWI alone had a higher sensitivity for group B (96%) than for group A (71%). The combination of T2-weighted imaging plus DWI plus DCE-MRI provided a sensitivity as high as 100% in group B. The performance of functional imaging sequences for detecting recurrence is different after radical prostatectomy and external-beam radiotherapy. DCE-MRI is a valid and efficient tool to detect prostate cancer recurrence in radical prostatectomy as well as in external-beam radiotherapy. The combination of DCE-MRI and DWI is highly efficient after radiation therapy. Three-dimensional (1)H-MRS needs to be improved. Even though it is not accurate enough, T2-weighted imaging remains essential for the morphologic analysis of the area.

Comprehensive MRI simulation methodology using a dedicated MRI scanner in radiation oncology for external beam radiation treatment planning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paulson, Eric S., E-mail: epaulson@mcw.edu; Erickson, Beth; Schultz, Chris

Purpose: The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiation oncology is expanding rapidly, and more clinics are integrating MRI into their radiation therapy workflows. However, radiation therapy presents a new set of challenges and places additional constraints on MRI compared to diagnostic radiology that, if not properly addressed, can undermine the advantages MRI offers for radiation treatment planning (RTP). The authors introduce here strategies to manage several challenges of using MRI for virtual simulation in external beam RTP. Methods: A total of 810 clinical MRI simulation exams were performed using a dedicated MRI scanner for external beam RTP ofmore » brain, breast, cervix, head and neck, liver, pancreas, prostate, and sarcoma cancers. Patients were imaged in treatment position using MRI-optimal immobilization devices. Radiofrequency (RF) coil configurations and scan protocols were optimized based on RTP constraints. Off-resonance and gradient nonlinearity-induced geometric distortions were minimized or corrected prior to using images for RTP. A multidisciplinary MRI simulation guide, along with window width and level presets, was created to standardize use of MR images during RTP. A quality assurance program was implemented to maintain accuracy and repeatability of MRI simulation exams. Results: The combination of a large bore scanner, high field strength, and circumferentially wrapped, flexible phased array RF receive coils permitted acquisition of thin slice images with high contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image intensity uniformity, while simultaneously accommodating patient setup and immobilization devices. Postprocessing corrections and alternative acquisition methods were required to reduce or correct off-resonance and gradient nonlinearity induced geometric distortions. Conclusions: The methodology described herein contains practical strategies the authors have implemented through lessons learned performing clinical MRI simulation exams. In their experience, these strategies provide robust, high fidelity, high contrast MR images suitable for external beam RTP.« less

Recent technical advances in general purpose mobile Satcom aviation terminals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sydor, John T.

1990-01-01

A second general aviation amplitude companded single sideband (ACSSB) aeronautical terminal was developed for use with the Ontario Air Ambulance Service (OAAS). This terminal is designed to have automatic call set up and take down and to interface with the Public Service Telephone Network (PSTN) through a ground earth station hub controller. The terminal has integrated RF and microprocessor hardware which allows such functions as beam steering and automatic frequency control to be software controlled. The terminal uses a conformal patch array system to provide almost full azimuthal coverage. Antenna beam steering is executed without relying on aircraft supplied orientation information.

49 CFR 571.108 - Standard No. 108; Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... the headlamp. Headlamp test fixture means a device designed to support a headlamp or headlamp assembly... to 1% of design life, or other equivalent method. Semiautomatic headlamp beam switching device is one... signal lamp must be designed to conform to the performance requirements of the vibration test, moisture...

49 CFR 571.108 - Standard No. 108; Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... the headlamp. Headlamp test fixture means a device designed to support a headlamp or headlamp assembly... to 1% of design life, or other equivalent method. Semiautomatic headlamp beam switching device is one... signal lamp must be designed to conform to the performance requirements of the vibration test, moisture...

Dosimetric impact of geometric errors due to respiratory motion prediction on dynamic multileaf collimator-based four-dimensional radiation delivery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vedam, S.; Docef, A.; Fix, M.

2005-06-15

The synchronization of dynamic multileaf collimator (DMLC) response with respiratory motion is critical to ensure the accuracy of DMLC-based four dimensional (4D) radiation delivery. In practice, however, a finite time delay (response time) between the acquisition of tumor position and multileaf collimator response necessitates predictive models of respiratory tumor motion to synchronize radiation delivery. Predicting a complex process such as respiratory motion introduces geometric errors, which have been reported in several publications. However, the dosimetric effect of such errors on 4D radiation delivery has not yet been investigated. Thus, our aim in this work was to quantify the dosimetric effectsmore » of geometric error due to prediction under several different conditions. Conformal and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans for a lung patient were generated for anterior-posterior/posterior-anterior (AP/PA) beam arrangements at 6 and 18 MV energies to provide planned dose distributions. Respiratory motion data was obtained from 60 diaphragm-motion fluoroscopy recordings from five patients. A linear adaptive filter was employed to predict the tumor position. The geometric error of prediction was defined as the absolute difference between predicted and actual positions at each diaphragm position. Distributions of geometric error of prediction were obtained for all of the respiratory motion data. Planned dose distributions were then convolved with distributions for the geometric error of prediction to obtain convolved dose distributions. The dosimetric effect of such geometric errors was determined as a function of several variables: response time (0-0.6 s), beam energy (6/18 MV), treatment delivery (3D/4D), treatment type (conformal/IMRT), beam direction (AP/PA), and breathing training type (free breathing/audio instruction/visual feedback). Dose difference and distance-to-agreement analysis was employed to quantify results. Based on our data, the dosimetric impact of prediction (a) increased with response time, (b) was larger for 3D radiation therapy as compared with 4D radiation therapy, (c) was relatively insensitive to change in beam energy and beam direction, (d) was greater for IMRT distributions as compared with conformal distributions, (e) was smaller than the dosimetric impact of latency, and (f) was greatest for respiration motion with audio instructions, followed by visual feedback and free breathing. Geometric errors of prediction that occur during 4D radiation delivery introduce dosimetric errors that are dependent on several factors, such as response time, treatment-delivery type, and beam energy. Even for relatively small response times of 0.6 s into the future, dosimetric errors due to prediction could approach delivery errors when respiratory motion is not accounted for at all. To reduce the dosimetric impact, better predictive models and/or shorter response times are required.« less

High resolution spectroscopy of 1,2-difluoroethane in a molecular beam: A case study of vibrational mode-coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mork, Steven W.; Miller, C. Cameron; Philips, Laura A.

1992-09-01

The high resolution infrared spectrum of 1,2-difluoroethane (DFE) in a molecular beam has been obtained over the 2978-2996 cm-1 spectral region. This region corresponds to the symmetric combination of asymmetric C-H stretches in DFE. Observed rotational fine structure indicates that this C-H stretch is undergoing vibrational mode coupling to a single dark mode. The dark mode is split by approximately 19 cm-1 due to tunneling between the two identical gauche conformers. The mechanism of the coupling is largely anharmonic with a minor component of B/C plane Coriolis coupling. Effects of centrifugal distortion along the molecular A-axis are also observed. Analysis of the fine structure identifies the dark state as being composed of C-C torsion, CCF bend, and CH2 rock. Coupling between the C-H stretches and the C-C torsion is of particular interest because DFE has been observed to undergo vibrationally induced isomerization from the gauche to trans conformer upon excitation of the C-H stretch.

Validating dose rate calibration of radiotherapy photon beams through IAEA/WHO postal audit dosimetry service.

PubMed

Jangda, Abdul Qadir; Hussein, Sherali

2012-05-01

In external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), the quality assurance (QA) of the radiation beam is crucial to the accurate delivery of the prescribed dose to the patient. One of the dosimetric parameters that require monitoring is the beam output, specified as the dose rate on the central axis under reference conditions. The aim of this project was to validate dose rate calibration of megavoltage photon beams using the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)/World Health Organisation (WHO) postal audit dosimetry service. Three photon beams were audited: a 6 MV beam from the low-energy linac and 6 and 18 MV beams from a dual high-energy linac. The agreement between our stated doses and the IAEA results was within 1% for the two 6 MV beams and within 2% for the 18 MV beam. The IAEA/WHO postal audit dosimetry service provides an independent verification of dose rate calibration protocol by an international facility.

Controlled conformational transitions in the MVM virion expose the VP1 N-terminus and viral genome without particle disassembly.

PubMed

Cotmore, S F; D'abramo, A M; Ticknor, C M; Tattersall, P

1999-02-01

Antisera were raised against peptides corresponding to the N-termini of capsid proteins VP1 and VP2 from the parvovirus minute virus of mice. Epitopes in the 142-amino-acid VP1-specific region were not accessible in the great majority of newly released viral particles, and sera directed against them failed to neutralize virus directly or deplete stocks of infectious virions. However, brief exposure to temperatures of 45 degreesC or more induced a conformational transition in a population of full virions, but not in empty viral particles, in which VP1-specific sequences became externally accessible. In contrast, the VP2 N-terminus was antibody-accessible in all full, but not empty, particles without prior treatment. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay, in which particles were heat-treated and/or preincubated with antibodies prior to electrophoresis, confirmed this pattern of epitope accessibility, showing that the heat-induced conformational transition produces a retarded form of virion that can be supershifted by incubation with VP1-specific sera. The proportion of virions undergoing transition increased with temperature, but at all temperatures up to 70 degreesC viral particles retained structure-specific antigenic determinants and remained essentially intact, without shedding individual polypeptide species or subunits. However, despite the apparent integrity of its protective coat, the genome became accessible to externally applied enzymes in an increasing proportion of virions through this temperature range, suggesting that the conformational transitions that expose VP1 likely also allow access to the genome. Heating particles to 80 degreesC or above finally induced disassembly to polypeptide monomers. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

21 CFR 74.2711 - D&C Yellow No. 11.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2711 D&C Yellow No. 11. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 11 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2260 - D&C Orange No. 10.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2260 D&C Orange No. 10. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 10 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2261 - D&C Orange No. 11.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2261 D&C Orange No. 11. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 11 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2254 - D&C Orange No. 4.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2254 D&C Orange No. 4. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 4 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2708 - D&C Yellow No. 8.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2708 D&C Yellow No. 8. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 8 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2707 - D&C Yellow No. 7.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2707 D&C Yellow No. 7. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 7 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

Stepfathers with Minor Children Living at Home: Parenting Perceptions and Relationship Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsiglio, William

1992-01-01

Used data from National Survey of Families and Households to examine stepfathers' (n=195) perceptions about stepfather role and relationship with their oldest minor stepchild living at home. Stepfathers with more fatherlike perceptions, socialization values emphasizing conformity to external authority and obedience, and wife/partner with positive…

21 CFR 74.2254 - D&C Orange No. 4.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2254 D&C Orange No. 4. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 4 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2707 - D&C Yellow No. 7.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2707 D&C Yellow No. 7. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 7 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2707 - D&C Yellow No. 7.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2707 D&C Yellow No. 7. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 7 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2260 - D&C Orange No. 10.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2260 D&C Orange No. 10. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 10 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2711 - D&C Yellow No. 11.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2711 D&C Yellow No. 11. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 11 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2260 - D&C Orange No. 10.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2260 D&C Orange No. 10. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 10 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2711 - D&C Yellow No. 11.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2711 D&C Yellow No. 11. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 11 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2708 - D&C Yellow No. 8.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2708 D&C Yellow No. 8. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 8 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2707 - D&C Yellow No. 7.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2707 D&C Yellow No. 7. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 7 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2261 - D&C Orange No. 11.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2261 D&C Orange No. 11. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 11 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2708 - D&C Yellow No. 8.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2708 D&C Yellow No. 8. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 8 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2261 - D&C Orange No. 11.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2261 D&C Orange No. 11. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 11 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2708 - D&C Yellow No. 8.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2708 D&C Yellow No. 8. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 8 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2254 - D&C Orange No. 4.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2254 D&C Orange No. 4. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 4 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2260 - D&C Orange No. 10.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2260 D&C Orange No. 10. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 10 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2711 - D&C Yellow No. 11.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2711 D&C Yellow No. 11. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 11 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2261 - D&C Orange No. 11.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2261 D&C Orange No. 11. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 11 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2254 - D&C Orange No. 4.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2254 D&C Orange No. 4. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Orange No. 4 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2708 - D&C Yellow No. 8.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2708 D&C Yellow No. 8. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 8 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

21 CFR 74.2711 - D&C Yellow No. 11.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2711 D&C Yellow No. 11. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Yellow No. 11 shall conform in identity and specifications to the... coloring externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling...

Considerations for the application of finite element beam modeling to vibration analysis of flight vehicle structures. Ph.D. Thesis - Case Western Reserve Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kvaternik, R. G.

1976-01-01

The manner of representing a flight vehicle structure as an assembly of beam, spring, and rigid-body components for vibration analysis is described. The development is couched in terms of a substructures methodology which is based on the finite-element stiffness method. The particular manner of employing beam, spring, and rigid-body components to model such items as wing structures, external stores, pylons supporting engines or external stores, and sprung masses associated with launch vehicle fuel slosh is described by means of several simple qualitative examples. A detailed numerical example consisting of a tilt-rotor VTOL aircraft is included to provide a unified illustration of the procedure for representing a structure as an equivalent system of beams, springs, and rigid bodies, the manner of forming the substructure mass and stiffness matrices, and the mechanics of writing the equations of constraint which enforce deflection compatibility at the junctions of the substructures. Since many structures, or selected components of structures, can be represented in this manner for vibration analysis, the modeling concepts described and their application in the numerical example shown should prove generally useful to the dynamicist.

Picolinic and isonicotinic acids: a Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy study.

PubMed

Peña, Isabel; Varela, Marcelino; Franco, Vanina G; López, Juan C; Cabezas, Carlos; Alonso, José L

2014-12-04

The rotational spectra of laser ablated picolinic and isonicotinic acids have been studied using broadband chirped pulse (CP-FTMW) and narrowband molecular beam (MB-FTMW) Fourier transform microwave spectroscopies. Two conformers of picolinic acid, s-cis-I and s-cis-II, and one conformer of isonicotinic acid have been identified through the analysis of their rotational spectra. The values of the inertial defect and the quadrupole coupling constants obtained for the most stable s-cis-I conformer of picolinic acid, evidence the formation of an O-H···N hydrogen bond between the acid group and the endocyclic N atom. The stabilization provided by this hydrogen bond compensates the destabilization energy due to the adoption of a -COOH trans configuration in this conformer. Its rs structure has been derived from the rotational spectra of several (13)C, (15)N, and (18)O species observed in their natural abundances. Mesomeric effects have been revealed by comparing the experimental values of the (14)N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants in the isomeric series of picolinic, isonicotinic, and nicotinic acids.

Modeling Conformal Growth in Photonic Crystals and Comparing to Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brzezinski, Andrew; Chen, Ying-Chieh; Wiltzius, Pierre; Braun, Paul

2008-03-01

Conformal growth, e.g. atomic layer deposition (ALD), of materials such as silicon and TiO2 on three dimensional (3D) templates is important for making photonic crystals. However, reliable calculations of optical properties as a function of the conformal growth, such as the optical band structure, are hampered by difficultly in accurately assessing a deposited material's spatial distribution. A widely used approximation ignores ``pinch off'' of precursor gas and assumes complete template infilling. Another approximation results in non-uniform growth velocity by employing iso-intensity surfaces of the 3D interference pattern used to create the template. We have developed an accurate model of conformal growth in arbitrary 3D periodic structures, allowing for arbitrary surface orientation. Results are compared with the above approximations and with experimentally fabricated photonic crystals. We use an SU8 polymer template created by 4-beam interference lithography, onto which various amounts of TiO2 are grown by ALD. Characterization is performed by analysis of cross-sectional scanning electron micrographs and by solid angle resolved optical spectroscopy.

Ferroelectric properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 films under ion-beam induced strain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jung-Kun; Nastasi, Michael

2012-11-01

The influence of an ion-beam induced biaxial stress on the ferroelectric and dielectric properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) films is investigated using the ion beam process as a novel approach to control external stress. Tensile stress is observed to decrease the polarization, permittivity, and ferroelectric fatigue resistance of the PZT films whose structure is monoclinic. However, a compressive stress increases all of them in monoclinic PZT films. The dependence of the permittivity on stress is found not to follow the phenomenological theory relating external forces to intrinsic properties of ferroelectric materials. Changes in the ferroelectric and dielectric properties indicate that the application of a biaxial stress modulates both extrinsic and intrinsic properties of PZT films. Different degrees of dielectric non-linearity suggests the density and mobility of non-180o domain walls, and the domain switching can be controlled by an applied biaxial stress and thereby influence the ferroelectric and dielectric properties.

A novel coaxial Ku-band transit radiation oscillator without external guiding magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ling, Junpu, E-mail: lingjunpu@163.com; Zhang, Jiande; He, Juntao

2014-02-15

A novel coaxial transit radiation oscillator without external guiding magnetic field is designed to generate high power microwave at Ku-band. By using a coaxial structure, the space-charge potential energy is suppressed significantly, that is good for enhancing efficient beam-wave interaction. In order to improve the transmission stability of the unmagnetized intense relativistic electron beam, a Pierce-like cathode is employed in the novel device. By contrast with conventional relativistic microwave generators, this kind of device has the advantages of high stability, non-guiding magnetic field, and high efficiency. Moreover, with the coaxial design, it is possible to improve the power-handing capacity bymore » increasing the radial dimension of the Ku-band device. With a 550 keV and 7.5 kA electron beam, a 1.25 GW microwave pulse at 12.08 GHz has been obtained in the simulation. The power conversion efficiency is about 30%.« less

Beam orientation optimization for intensity-modulated radiation therapy using mixed integer programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Ruijie; Dai, Jianrong; Yang, Yong; Hu, Yimin

2006-08-01

The purpose of this study is to extend an algorithm proposed for beam orientation optimization in classical conformal radiotherapy to intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and to evaluate the algorithm's performance in IMRT scenarios. In addition, the effect of the candidate pool of beam orientations, in terms of beam orientation resolution and starting orientation, on the optimized beam configuration, plan quality and optimization time is also explored. The algorithm is based on the technique of mixed integer linear programming in which binary and positive float variables are employed to represent candidates for beam orientation and beamlet weights in beam intensity maps. Both beam orientations and beam intensity maps are simultaneously optimized in the algorithm with a deterministic method. Several different clinical cases were used to test the algorithm and the results show that both target coverage and critical structures sparing were significantly improved for the plans with optimized beam orientations compared to those with equi-spaced beam orientations. The calculation time was less than an hour for the cases with 36 binary variables on a PC with a Pentium IV 2.66 GHz processor. It is also found that decreasing beam orientation resolution to 10° greatly reduced the size of the candidate pool of beam orientations without significant influence on the optimized beam configuration and plan quality, while selecting different starting orientations had large influence. Our study demonstrates that the algorithm can be applied to IMRT scenarios, and better beam orientation configurations can be obtained using this algorithm. Furthermore, the optimization efficiency can be greatly increased through proper selection of beam orientation resolution and starting beam orientation while guaranteeing the optimized beam configurations and plan quality.

Intraluminal low-dose-rate 192Ir brachytherapy combined with external beam radiotherapy and biliary stenting for unresectable extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma.

PubMed

Takamura, Akio; Saito, Hiroya; Kamada, Tadashi; Hiramatsu, Kazuhide; Takeuchi, Shuhei; Hasegawa, Masakazu; Miyamoto, Noriyuki

2003-12-01

To evaluate the results of combined-modality therapy, including external beam radiotherapy, intraluminal (192)Ir, and biliary stenting for extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma. Between 1988 and 1998, 93 patients with unresectable extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma underwent definitive radiotherapy. The dose of external beam radiotherapy was 50 Gy in 25 fractions. Low-dose-rate (192)Ir was delivered at a dose of 27-50 Gy (mean 39.2) at 0.5 cm from the source. An expandable metallic endoprosthesis was used to establish an internal bile passage. The median survival was 12 months, with a 1-, 3-, and 5-year actuarial survival rate of 50%, 10%, and 4%, respectively. Tumor length, hepatic invasion, and distant metastasis significantly affected survival. Ninety-six percent of patients could successfully remove external drainage catheters. The actuarial biliary patency rate for these patients at 1, 3, and 5 years was 52%, 29%, and 18%, respectively. Tumor length, tumor diameter and T stage were significantly associated with the patency rate. Mild-to-severe gastroduodenal complications were observed in 32 patients and were significantly associated with the active length of (192)Ir and linear source activity. Eight patients had treatment-related biliary fistula. Our combined-modality therapy provided reasonable local control and improved the quality of life of patients with extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma. Because none of the treatment characteristics had any impact on survival or biliary patency, lower dose levels and/or a localized target volume are recommended to minimize morbidity.

Combined Proton and Photon Conformal Radiotherapy for Intracranial Atypical and Malignant Meningioma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boskos, Christos; 251 General Hospital of Airforce, Athens; Feuvret, Loic

2009-10-01

Purpose: To evaluate retrospectively the efficacy of conformal fractionated radiotherapy combining proton and photon beams after primary surgery for treatment of atypical and malignant meningiomas. Patients and Methods: Between September 1999 and October 2006, 24 patients (12 male, 12 female) with histopathologically proven meningioma (atypical 19, malignant 5) received postoperative combined radiotherapy with a 201-MeV proton beam at the Centre Protontherapie d'Orsay and a high-energy photon beam. Six patients underwent gross total resection and 18 a subtotal resection. Median gross tumor volume and clinical target volume were 44.7 cm{sup 3} and 153.3 cm{sup 3}, respectively. Mean total irradiation dose wasmore » 65.01 CGE (cobalt gray equivalent), with a mean proton total dose of 34.05 CGE and a mean photon total dose 30.96 CGE. Results: The median (range) follow-up interval was 32.2 (1-72) months. The overall mean local relapse-free interval was 27.2 (10-50) months, 28.3 (10-50) months for atypical meningioma and 23 (13-33) months for malignant meningioma. Ten tumors recurred locally. One-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 8- year local control rates for the entire group of patients were 82.9% {+-} 7.8%, 82.9% {+-} 7.8%, 61.3% {+-} 11%, 61.3% {+-} 11%, 46.7% {+-} 12.3%, and 46.7% {+-} 12.3%, respectively. One-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 8- year overall survival rates were 100%, 95.5% {+-} 4.4%, 80.4% {+-} 8.8%, 65.3% {+-} 10.6%, 53.2% {+-} 11.6%, and 42.6% {+-} 13%, respectively. Survival was significantly associated with total dose. There was no acute morbidity of radiotherapy. One patient developed radiation necrosis 16 months after treatment. Conclusions: Postoperative combination of conformal radiotherapy with protons and photons for atypical and malignant meningiomas is a well-tolerated treatment producing long-term tumor stabilization.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ono, Tomohiro; Miyabe, Yuki, E-mail: miyabe@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Yamada, Masahiro

Purpose: The Vero4DRT system has the capability for dynamic tumor-tracking (DTT) stereotactic irradiation using a unique gimbaled x-ray head. The purposes of this study were to develop DTT conformal arc irradiation and to estimate its geometric and dosimetric accuracy. Methods: The gimbaled x-ray head, supported on an O-ring gantry, was moved in the pan and tilt directions during O-ring gantry rotation. To evaluate the mechanical accuracy, the gimbaled x-ray head was moved during the gantry rotating according to input command signals without a target tracking, and a machine log analysis was performed. The difference between a command and a measuredmore » position was calculated as mechanical error. To evaluate beam-positioning accuracy, a moving phantom, which had a steel ball fixed at the center, was driven based on a sinusoidal wave (amplitude [A]: 20 mm, time period [T]: 4 s), a patient breathing motion with a regular pattern (A: 16 mm, average T: 4.5 s), and an irregular pattern (A: 7.2–23.0 mm, T: 2.3–10.0 s), and irradiated with DTT during gantry rotation. The beam-positioning error was evaluated as the difference between the centroid position of the irradiated field and the steel ball on images from an electronic portal imaging device. For dosimetric accuracy, dose distributions in static and moving targets were evaluated with DTT conformal arc irradiation. Results: The root mean squares (RMSs) of the mechanical error were up to 0.11 mm for pan motion and up to 0.14 mm for tilt motion. The RMSs of the beam-positioning error were within 0.23 mm for each pattern. The dose distribution in a moving phantom with tracking arc irradiation was in good agreement with that in static conditions. Conclusions: The gimbal positional accuracy was not degraded by gantry motion. As in the case of a fixed port, the Vero4DRT system showed adequate accuracy of DTT conformal arc irradiation.« less

Feasibility of an online adaptive replanning method for cranial frameless intensity-modulated radiosurgery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Calvo, Juan Francisco, E-mail: jfcdrr@gmail.com; San José, Sol; Garrido, LLuís

2013-10-01

To introduce an approach for online adaptive replanning (i.e., dose-guided radiosurgery) in frameless stereotactic radiosurgery, when a 6-dimensional (6D) robotic couch is not available in the linear accelerator (linac). Cranial radiosurgical treatments are planned in our department using intensity-modulated technique. Patients are immobilized using thermoplastic mask. A cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan is acquired after the initial laser-based patient setup (CBCT{sub setup}). The online adaptive replanning procedure we propose consists of a 6D registration-based mapping of the reference plan onto actual CBCT{sub setup}, followed by a reoptimization of the beam fluences (“6D plan”) to achieve similar dosage as originally wasmore » intended, while the patient is lying in the linac couch and the original beam arrangement is kept. The goodness of the online adaptive method proposed was retrospectively analyzed for 16 patients with 35 targets treated with CBCT-based frameless intensity modulated technique. Simulation of reference plan onto actual CBCT{sub setup}, according to the 4 degrees of freedom, supported by linac couch was also generated for each case (4D plan). Target coverage (D99%) and conformity index values of 6D and 4D plans were compared with the corresponding values of the reference plans. Although the 4D-based approach does not always assure the target coverage (D99% between 72% and 103%), the proposed online adaptive method gave a perfect coverage in all cases analyzed as well as a similar conformity index value as was planned. Dose-guided radiosurgery approach is effective to assure the dose coverage and conformity of an intracranial target volume, avoiding resetting the patient inside the mask in a “trial and error” way so as to remove the pitch and roll errors when a robotic table is not available.« less

SU-F-J-110: MRI-Guided Single-Session Simulation, Online Adaptation, and Treatment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hill, P; Geurts, M; Mittauer, K

Purpose: To develop a combined simulation and treatment workflow for MRI-guided radiation therapy using the ViewRay treatment planning and delivery system. Methods: Several features of the ViewRay MRIdian planning and treatment workflows are used to simulate and treat patients that require emergent radiotherapy. A simple “pre-plan” is created on diagnostic imaging retrieved from radiology PACS, where conformal fields are created to target a volume defined by a physician based on review of the diagnostic images and chart notes. After initial consult in radiation oncology, the patient is brought to the treatment room, immobilized, and imaged in treatment position with amore » volumetric MR. While the patient rests on the table, the pre-plan is applied to the treatment planning MR and dose is calculated in the treatment geometry. After physician review, modification of the plan may include updating the target definition, redefining fields, or re-balancing beam weights. Once an acceptable treatment plan is finalized and approved, the patient is treated. Results: Careful preparation and judicious choices in the online planning process allow conformal treatment plans to be created and delivered in a single, thirty-minute session. Several advantages have been identified using this process as compared to conventional urgent CT simulation and delivery. Efficiency gains are notable, as physicians appreciate the predictable time commitment and patient waiting time for treatment is decreased. MR guidance in a treatment position offers both enhanced contrast for target delineation and reduction of setup uncertainties. The MRIdian system tools designed for adaptive radiotherapy are particularly useful, enabling plan changes to be made in minutes. Finally, the resulting plans, typically 6 conformal beams, are delivered as quickly as more conventional AP/PA beam arrangements with comparatively superior dose distributions. Conclusion: The ViewRay treatment planning software and delivery system can accommodate a fast simulation and treatment workflow.« less

Investigation of the optimum location of external markers for patient setup accuracy enhancement at external beam radiotherapy

PubMed Central

Torshabi, Ahmad Esmaili; Nankali, Saber

2016-01-01

In external beam radiotherapy, one of the most common and reliable methods for patient geometrical setup and/or predicting the tumor location is use of external markers. In this study, the main challenging issue is increasing the accuracy of patient setup by investigating external markers location. Since the location of each external marker may yield different patient setup accuracy, it is important to assess different locations of external markers using appropriate selective algorithms. To do this, two commercially available algorithms entitled a) canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and b) principal component analysis (PCA) were proposed as input selection algorithms. They work on the basis of maximum correlation coefficient and minimum variance between given datasets. The proposed input selection algorithms work in combination with an adaptive neuro‐fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) as a correlation model to give patient positioning information as output. Our proposed algorithms provide input file of ANFIS correlation model accurately. The required dataset for this study was prepared by means of a NURBS‐based 4D XCAT anthropomorphic phantom that can model the shape and structure of complex organs in human body along with motion information of dynamic organs. Moreover, a database of four real patients undergoing radiation therapy for lung cancers was utilized in this study for validation of proposed strategy. Final analyzed results demonstrate that input selection algorithms can reasonably select specific external markers from those areas of the thorax region where root mean square error (RMSE) of ANFIS model has minimum values at that given area. It is also found that the selected marker locations lie closely in those areas where surface point motion has a large amplitude and a high correlation. PACS number(s): 87.55.km, 87.55.N PMID:27929479

On-chip interference of single photons from an embedded quantum dot and an external laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prtljaga, N., E-mail: n.prtljaga@sheffield.ac.uk; Bentham, C.; O'Hara, J.

2016-06-20

In this work, we demonstrate the on-chip two-photon interference between single photons emitted by a single self-assembled InGaAs quantum dot and an external laser. The quantum dot is embedded within one arm of an air-clad directional coupler which acts as a beam-splitter for incoming light. Photons originating from an attenuated external laser are coupled to the second arm of the beam-splitter and then combined with the quantum dot photons, giving rise to two-photon quantum interference between dissimilar sources. We verify the occurrence of on-chip Hong-Ou-Mandel interference by cross-correlating the optical signal from the separate output ports of the directional coupler.more » This experimental approach allows us to use a classical light source (laser) to assess in a single step the overall device performance in the quantum regime and probe quantum dot photon indistinguishability on application realistic time scales.« less

The use of a single multielement standard for trace analysis in biological materials by external beam PIXE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biswas, S. K.; Khaliquzzaman, M.; Islam, M. M.; Khan, A. H.

1984-04-01

The validity of the use of a single multielement standard for mass calibration in thick-target external beam PIXE analysis of biological materials has been investigated. In this study, the NBS orchard leaf, SRM 1571, was used as the basic standard for trace element analysis in other biological materials. Using the present procedure, the concentrations of K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb and Sr were determined in several NBS reference materials such as bovine liver, spinach, rice flour, etc., generally in 20 μC irradiations with 2.0 MeV protons. The analytical results are compared with certified values of the NBS as well as with other measurements and the sources of errors are discussed.

Electron energy boosting in laser-wake-field acceleration with external magnetic field Bapprox1 T and laser prepulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hosokai, Tomonao; Zhidkov, Alexei; Yamazaki, Atsushi

2010-03-22

Hundred-mega-electron-volt electron beams with quasi-monoenergetic distribution, and a transverse geometrical emittance as small as approx0.02 pi mm mrad are generated by low power (7 TW, 45 fs) laser pulses tightly focused in helium gas jets in an external static magnetic field, Bapprox1 T. Generation of monoenergetic beams strongly correlates with appearance of a straight, at least 2 mm length plasma channel in a short time before the main laser pulse and with the energy of copropagating picosecond pedestal pulses (PPP). For a moderate energy PPP, the multiple or staged electron self-injection in the channel gives several narrow peaks in themore » electron energy distribution.« less

High external quantum efficiency and fill-factor InGaN/GaN heterojunction solar cells grown by NH3-based molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, J. R.; Neufeld, C. J.; Hurni, C. A.; Cruz, S. C.; Matioli, E.; Mishra, U. K.; Speck, J. S.

2011-03-01

High external quantum efficiency (EQE) p-i-n heterojunction solar cells grown by NH3-based molecular beam epitaxy are presented. EQE values including optical losses are greater than 50% with fill-factors over 72% when illuminated with a 1 sun AM0 spectrum. Optical absorption measurements in conjunction with EQE measurements indicate an internal quantum efficiency greater than 90% for the InGaN absorbing layer. By adjusting the thickness of the top p-type GaN window contact layer, it is shown that the short-wavelength (<365 nm) quantum efficiency is limited by the minority carrier diffusion length in highly Mg-doped p-GaN.

SU-F-T-485: Independent Remote Audits for TG51 NonCompliant Photon Beams Performed by the IROC Houston QA Center

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alvarez, P; Molineu, A; Lowenstein, J

Purpose: IROC-H conducts external audits for output check verification of photon and electron beams. Many of these beams can meet the geometric requirements of the TG 51 calibration protocol. For those photon beams that are non TG 51 compliant like Elekta GammaKnife, Accuray CyberKnife and TomoTherapy, IROC-H has specific audit tools to monitor the reference calibration. Methods: IROC-H used its TLD and OSLD remote monitoring systems to verify the output of machines with TG 51 non compliant beams. Acrylic OSLD miniphantoms are used for the CyberKnife. Special TLD phantoms are used for TomoTherapy and GammaKnife machines to accommodate the specificmore » geometry of each machine. These remote audit tools are sent to institutions to be irradiated and returned to IROC-H for analysis. Results: The average IROC-H/institution ratios for 480 GammaKnife, 660 CyberKnife and 907 rotational TomoTherapy beams are 1.000±0.021, 1.008±0.019, 0.974±0.023, respectively. In the particular case of TomoTherapy, the overall ratio is 0.977±0.022 for HD units. The standard deviations of all results are consistent with values determined for TG 51 compliant photon beams. These ratios have shown some changes compared to values presented in 2008. The GammaKnife results were corrected by an experimentally determined scatter factor of 1.025 in 2013. The TomoTherapy helical beam results are now from a rotational beam whereas in 2008 the results were from a static beam. The decision to change modality was based on recommendations from the users. Conclusion: External audits of beam outputs is a valuable tool to confirm the calibrations of photon beams regardless of whether the machine is TG 51 or TG 51 non compliant. The difference found for TomoTherapy units is under investigation. This investigation was supported by IROC grant CA180803 awarded by the NCI.« less

Megavoltage planar and cone-beam imaging with low-Z targets: dependence of image quality improvement on beam energy and patient separation.

PubMed

Robar, James L; Connell, Tanner; Huang, Weihong; Kelly, Robin G

2009-09-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the improvement of megavoltage planar and cone-beam CT (CBCT) image quality with the use of low atomic number (Z) external targets in the linear accelerator. In this investigation, two experimental megavoltage imaging beams were generated by using either 3.5 or 7.0 MeV electrons incident on aluminum targets installed above the level of the carousel in a linear accelerator (2100EX, Varian Medical, Inc., Palo Alto, CA). Images were acquired using an amorphous silicon detector panel. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in planar and CBCT images was measured as a function of dose and a comparison was made between the imaging beams and the standard 6 MV therapy beam. Phantoms of variable diameter were used to examine the loss of contrast due to beam hardening. Porcine imaging was conducted to examine qualitatively the advantages of the low-Z target approach in CBCT. In CBCT imaging CNR increases by factors as high as 2.4 and 4.3 for the 7.0 and 3.5 MeV/Al beams, respectively, compared to images acquired with 6 MV. Similar factors of improvement are observed in planar imaging. For the imaging beams, beam hardening causes a significant loss of the contrast advantage with increasing phantom diameter; however, for the 3.5 MeV/Al beam and a phantom diameter of 25 cm, a contrast advantage remains, with increases of contrast by factors of 1.5 and 3.4 over 6 MV for bone and lung inhale regions, respectively. The spatial resolution is improved slightly in CBCT images for the imaging beams. CBCT images of a porcine cranium demonstrate qualitatively the advantages of the low-Z target approach, showing greater contrast between tissues and improved visibility of fine detail. The use of low-Z external targets in the linear accelerator improves megavoltage planar and CBCT image quality significantly. CNR may be increased by a factor of 4 or greater. Improvement of the spatial resolution is also apparent.

Free electron laser using Rf coupled accelerating and decelerating structures

DOEpatents

Brau, Charles A.; Swenson, Donald A.; Boyd, Jr., Thomas J.

1984-01-01

A free electron laser and free electron laser amplifier using beam transport devices for guiding an electron beam to a wiggler of a free electron laser and returning the electron beam to decelerating cavities disposed adjacent to the accelerating cavities of the free electron laser. Rf energy is generated from the energy depleted electron beam after it emerges from the wiggler by means of the decelerating cavities which are closely coupled to the accelerating cavities, or by means of a second bore within a single set of cavities. Rf energy generated from the decelerated electron beam is used to supplement energy provided by an external source, such as a klystron, to thereby enhance overall efficiency of the system.

First experimental demonstration of magnetic-field assisted fast heating of a dense plasma core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujioka, Shinsuke; Sakata, Shohei; Lee, Seung Ho; Matsuo, Kazuki; Sawada, Hiroshi; Iwasa, Yuki; Law, King Fai Farley; Morita, Hitoki; Kojima, Sadaoki; Abe, Yuki; Yao, Akira; Hata, Masayasu; Johzaki, Tomoyuki; Sunahara, Atsushi; Ozaki, Tetsuo; Sakagami, Hitoshi; Morace, Alessio; Arikawa, Yasunobu; Yogo, Akifumi; Nishimura, Hiroaki; Nakai, Mitsuo; Shiraga, Hiroyuki; Sentoku, Yasuhiko; Nagatomo, Hideo; Azechi, Hiroshi; Firex Project Team

2016-10-01

Fast heating of a dense plasma core by an energetic electron beam is being studied on GEKKO-LFEX laser facility. Here, we introduce a laser-driven kilo-tesla external magnetic field to guide the diverging electron beam to the dense plasma core. This involve placing a spherical target in the magnetic field, compressing it with the GEKKO-XII laser beams and then using the LFEX laser beams injected into the dense plasma to generate the electron beam which do the fast heating. Cu-Ka emission is used to visualize transport or heating processes of a dense plasma. X-ray spectrum from a highly ionized Cu ions indicates several keV of the temperature increment induced by the LFEX.

Beam’s-eye-view dosimetrics (BEVD) guided rotational station parameter optimized radiation therapy (SPORT) planning based on reweighted total-variation minimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hojin; Li, Ruijiang; Lee, Rena; Xing, Lei

2015-03-01

Conventional VMAT optimizes aperture shapes and weights at uniformly sampled stations, which is a generalization of the concept of a control point. Recently, rotational station parameter optimized radiation therapy (SPORT) has been proposed to improve the plan quality by inserting beams to the regions that demand additional intensity modulations, thus formulating non-uniform beam sampling. This work presents a new rotational SPORT planning strategy based on reweighted total-variation (TV) minimization (min.), using beam’s-eye-view dosimetrics (BEVD) guided beam selection. The convex programming based reweighted TV min. assures the simplified fluence-map, which facilitates single-aperture selection at each station for single-arc delivery. For the rotational arc treatment planning and non-uniform beam angle setting, the mathematical model needs to be modified by additional penalty term describing the fluence-map similarity and by determination of appropriate angular weighting factors. The proposed algorithm with additional penalty term is capable of achieving more efficient and deliverable plans adaptive to the conventional VMAT and SPORT planning schemes by reducing the dose delivery time about 5 to 10 s in three clinical cases (one prostate and two head-and-neck (HN) cases with a single and multiple targets). The BEVD guided beam selection provides effective and yet easy calculating methodology to select angles for denser, non-uniform angular sampling in SPORT planning. Our BEVD guided SPORT treatment schemes improve the dose sparing to femoral heads in the prostate and brainstem, parotid glands and oral cavity in the two HN cases, where the mean dose reduction of those organs ranges from 0.5 to 2.5 Gy. Also, it increases the conformation number assessing the dose conformity to the target from 0.84, 0.75 and 0.74 to 0.86, 0.79 and 0.80 in the prostate and two HN cases, while preserving the delivery efficiency, relative to conventional single-arc VMAT plans.

Phase II multi-institutional clinical trial on a new mixed beam RT scheme of IMRT on pelvis combined with a carbon ion boost for high-risk prostate cancer patients.

PubMed

Marvaso, Giulia; Jereczek-Fossa, Barbara A; Vischioni, Barbara; Ciardo, Delia; Giandini, Tommaso; Hasegawa, Azusa; Cattani, Federica; Carrara, Mauro; Ciocca, Mario; Bedini, Nice; Villa, Sergio; Morlino, Sara; Russo, Stefania; Zerini, Dario; Colangione, Sarah Pia; Panaino, Costanza Maria Vittoria; Fodor, Cristiana; Santoro, Luigi; Pignoli, Emanuele; Valvo, Francesca; Valdagni, Riccardo; De Cobelli, Ottavio; Orecchia, Roberto

2017-05-12

Definition of the optimal treatment schedule for high-risk prostate cancer is under debate. A combination of photon intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) on pelvis with a carbon ion boost might be the optimal treatment scheme to escalate the dose on prostate and deliver curative dose with respect to normal tissue and quality of dose distributions. In fact, carbon ion beams offer the advantage to deliver hypofractionated radiotherapy (RT) using a significantly smaller number of fractions compared to conventional RT without increasing risks of late effects. This study is a prospective phase II clinical trial exploring safety and feasibility of a mixed beam scheme of carbon ion prostate boost followed by photon IMRT on pelvis. The study is designed to enroll 65 patients with localized high-risk prostate cancer at 3 different oncologic hospitals: Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, and Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica. The primary endpoint is the evaluation of safety and feasibility with acute toxicity scored up to 1 month after the end of RT. Secondary endpoints are treatment early (3 months after the end of RT) and long-term tolerability, quality of life, and efficacy. The study is not yet recruiting; in silico studies are ongoing and we expect to start recruitment by 2017. The present clinical trial aims at improving the current treatment for high-risk prostate cancer, evaluating safety and feasibility of a new RT mixed-beam scheme including photons and carbon ions. Encouraging results are coming from carbon ion facilities worldwide on the treatment of different tumors including prostate cancers. Carbon ions combine physical properties allowing for high dose conformity and advantageous radiobiological characteristics. The proposed mixed beam treatment has the advantage to combine a photon high conformity standard of care IMRT phase with a hypofractionated carbon ion RT boost delivered in a short overall treatment time.

SU-F-T-81: Treating Nose Skin Using Energy and Intensity Modulated Electron Beams with Monte Carlo Based Dose Calculation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jin, L; Fan, J; Eldib, A

Purpose: Treating nose skin with an electron beam is of a substantial challenge due to uneven nose surfaces and tissue heterogeneity, and consequently could have a great uncertainty of dose accuracy on the target. This work explored the method using Monte Carlo (MC)-based energy and intensity modulated electron radiotherapy (MERT), which would be delivered with a photon MLC in a standard medical linac (Artiste). Methods: The traditional treatment on the nose skin involves the usage of a bolus, often with a single energy electron beam. This work avoided using the bolus, and utilized mixed energies of electron beams. An in-housemore » developed Monte Carlo (MC)-based dose calculation/optimization planning system was employed for treatment planning. Phase space data (6, 9, 12 and 15 MeV) were used as an input source for MC dose calculations for the linac. To reduce the scatter-caused penumbra, a short SSD (61 cm) was used. A clinical case of the nose skin, which was previously treated with a single 9 MeV electron beam, was replanned with the MERT method. The resultant dose distributions were compared with the plan previously clinically used. The dose volume histogram of the MERT plan is calculated to examine the coverage of the planning target volume (PTV) and critical structure doses. Results: The target coverage and conformality in the MERT plan are improved as compared to the conventional plan. The MERT can provide more sufficient target coverage and less normal tissue dose underneath the nose skin. Conclusion: Compared to the conventional treatment technique, using MERT for the nose skin treatment has shown the dosimetric advantages in the PTV coverage and conformality. In addition, this technique eliminates the necessity of the cutout and bolus, which makes the treatment more efficient and accurate.« less

4D CT-based Treatment Planning for Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy and Proton Therapy for Distal Esophagus Cancer

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaodong; Zhao, Kuai-Le; Guerrero, Thomas M.; McGuire, Sean E.; Yaremko, Brian; Komaki, Ritsuko; Cox, James D.; Hui, Zhouguang; Li, Yupeng; Newhauser, Wayne D.; Mohan, Radhe; Liao, Zhongxing

2008-01-01

Purpose To compare three-dimensional (3D) and 4D computed tomography (CT)– based treatment plans for proton therapy or intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for esophageal cancer in terms of doses to the lung, heart, and spinal cord and variations in target coverage and normal tissue sparing. Materials and Methods IMRT and proton plans for 15 patients with distal esophageal cancer were designed from the 3D average CT scans and then recalculated on 10 4D CT data sets. Dosimetric data were compared for tumor coverage and normal tissue sparing. Results Compared with IMRT, median lung volumes exposed to 5,10, and 20 Gy and mean lung dose were reduced by 35.6%, 20.5%,5.8%, and 5.1 Gy for a two-beam proton plan and by 17.4%,8.4%,5%, and 2.9 Gy for a three-beam proton plan. The greater lung sparing in the two-beam proton plan was achieved at the expense of less conformity to the target (conformity index CI=1.99) and greater irradiation of the heart (heart-V40=41.8%) compared with the IMRT plan(CI=1.55, heart-V40=35.7%) or the three-beam proton plan (CI=1.46, heart-V40=27.7%). Target coverage differed by more than 2% between the 3D and 4D plans for patients with substantial diaphragm motion in the three-beam proton and IMRT plans. The difference in spinal cord maximum dose between 3D and 4D plans could exceed 5 Gy for the proton plans partly owing to variations in stomach gas-filling. Conclusions Proton therapy provided significantly better sparing of lung than did IMRT. Diaphragm motion and stomach gas-filling must be considered in evaluating target coverage and cord doses. PMID:18722278

Four-dimensional computed tomography-based treatment planning for intensity-modulated radiation therapy and proton therapy for distal esophageal cancer.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaodong; Zhao, Kuai-le; Guerrero, Thomas M; McGuire, Sean E; Yaremko, Brian; Komaki, Ritsuko; Cox, James D; Hui, Zhouguang; Li, Yupeng; Newhauser, Wayne D; Mohan, Radhe; Liao, Zhongxing

2008-09-01

To compare three-dimensional (3D) and four-dimensional (4D) computed tomography (CT)-based treatment plans for proton therapy or intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for esophageal cancer in terms of doses to the lung, heart, and spinal cord and variations in target coverage and normal tissue sparing. The IMRT and proton plans for 15 patients with distal esophageal cancer were designed from the 3D average CT scans and then recalculated on 10 4D CT data sets. Dosimetric data were compared for tumor coverage and normal tissue sparing. Compared with IMRT, median lung volumes exposed to 5, 10, and 20 Gy and mean lung dose were reduced by 35.6%, 20.5%, 5.8%, and 5.1 Gy for a two-beam proton plan and by 17.4%, 8.4%, 5%, and 2.9 Gy for a three-beam proton plan. The greater lung sparing in the two-beam proton plan was achieved at the expense of less conformity to the target (conformity index [CI], 1.99) and greater irradiation of the heart (heart-V40, 41.8%) compared with the IMRT plan(CI, 1.55, heart-V40, 35.7%) or the three-beam proton plan (CI, 1.46, heart-V40, 27.7%). Target coverage differed by more than 2% between the 3D and 4D plans for patients with substantial diaphragm motion in the three-beam proton and IMRT plans. The difference in spinal cord maximum dose between 3D and 4D plans could exceed 5 Gy for the proton plans partly owing to variations in stomach gas filling. Proton therapy provided significantly better sparing of lung than did IMRT. Diaphragm motion and stomach gas-filling must be considered in evaluating target coverage and cord doses.

Optimum location of external markers using feature selection algorithms for real-time tumor tracking in external-beam radiotherapy: a virtual phantom study.

PubMed

Nankali, Saber; Torshabi, Ahmad Esmaili; Miandoab, Payam Samadi; Baghizadeh, Amin

2016-01-08

In external-beam radiotherapy, using external markers is one of the most reliable tools to predict tumor position, in clinical applications. The main challenge in this approach is tumor motion tracking with highest accuracy that depends heavily on external markers location, and this issue is the objective of this study. Four commercially available feature selection algorithms entitled 1) Correlation-based Feature Selection, 2) Classifier, 3) Principal Components, and 4) Relief were proposed to find optimum location of external markers in combination with two "Genetic" and "Ranker" searching procedures. The performance of these algorithms has been evaluated using four-dimensional extended cardiac-torso anthropomorphic phantom. Six tumors in lung, three tumors in liver, and 49 points on the thorax surface were taken into account to simulate internal and external motions, respectively. The root mean square error of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) as prediction model was considered as metric for quantitatively evaluating the performance of proposed feature selection algorithms. To do this, the thorax surface region was divided into nine smaller segments and predefined tumors motion was predicted by ANFIS using external motion data of given markers at each small segment, separately. Our comparative results showed that all feature selection algorithms can reasonably select specific external markers from those segments where the root mean square error of the ANFIS model is minimum. Moreover, the performance accuracy of proposed feature selection algorithms was compared, separately. For this, each tumor motion was predicted using motion data of those external markers selected by each feature selection algorithm. Duncan statistical test, followed by F-test, on final results reflected that all proposed feature selection algorithms have the same performance accuracy for lung tumors. But for liver tumors, a correlation-based feature selection algorithm, in combination with a genetic search algorithm, proved to yield best performance accuracy for selecting optimum markers.

Carcinoma of the anal canal: Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) versus three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT).

PubMed

Sale, Charlotte; Moloney, Phillip; Mathlum, Maitham

2013-12-01

Patients with anal canal carcinoma treated with standard conformal radiotherapy frequently experience severe acute and late toxicity reactions to the treatment area. Roohipour et al. (Dis Colon Rectum 2008; 51: 147-53) stated a patient's tolerance of chemoradiation to be an important prediction of treatment success. A new intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique for anal carcinoma cases has been developed at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre aimed at reducing radiation to surrounding healthy tissue. A same-subject repeated measures design was used for this study, where five anal carcinoma cases at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre were selected. Conformal and IMRT plans were generated and dosimetric evaluations were performed. Each plan was prescribed a total of 54 Gray (Gy) over a course of 30 fractions to the primary site. The IMRT plans resulted in improved dosimetry to the planning target volume (PTV) and reduction in radiation to the critical structures (bladder, external genitalia and femoral heads). Statistically there was no difference between the IMRT and conformal plans in the dose to the small and large bowel; however, the bowel IMRT dose-volume histogram (DVH) doses were consistently lower. The IMRT plans were superior to the conformal plans with improved dose conformity and reduced radiation to the surrounding healthy tissue. Anecdotally it was found that patients tolerated the IMRT treatment better than the three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiation therapy. This study describes and compares the planning techniques.

Carcinoma of the anal canal: Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) versus three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT)

PubMed Central

Sale, Charlotte; Moloney, Phillip; Mathlum, Maitham

2013-01-01

Introduction Patients with anal canal carcinoma treated with standard conformal radiotherapy frequently experience severe acute and late toxicity reactions to the treatment area. Roohipour et al. (Dis Colon Rectum 2008; 51: 147–53) stated a patient's tolerance of chemoradiation to be an important prediction of treatment success. A new intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique for anal carcinoma cases has been developed at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre aimed at reducing radiation to surrounding healthy tissue. Methods A same-subject repeated measures design was used for this study, where five anal carcinoma cases at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre were selected. Conformal and IMRT plans were generated and dosimetric evaluations were performed. Each plan was prescribed a total of 54 Gray (Gy) over a course of 30 fractions to the primary site. Results The IMRT plans resulted in improved dosimetry to the planning target volume (PTV) and reduction in radiation to the critical structures (bladder, external genitalia and femoral heads). Statistically there was no difference between the IMRT and conformal plans in the dose to the small and large bowel; however, the bowel IMRT dose–volume histogram (DVH) doses were consistently lower. Conclusion The IMRT plans were superior to the conformal plans with improved dose conformity and reduced radiation to the surrounding healthy tissue. Anecdotally it was found that patients tolerated the IMRT treatment better than the three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiation therapy. This study describes and compares the planning techniques. PMID:26229623

Carcinoma of the anal canal: Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) versus three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sale, Charlotte; Moloney, Phillip; Mathlum, Maitham

Patients with anal canal carcinoma treated with standard conformal radiotherapy frequently experience severe acute and late toxicity reactions to the treatment area. Roohipour et al. (Dis Colon Rectum 2008; 51: 147–53) stated a patient's tolerance of chemoradiation to be an important prediction of treatment success. A new intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique for anal carcinoma cases has been developed at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre aimed at reducing radiation to surrounding healthy tissue. A same-subject repeated measures design was used for this study, where five anal carcinoma cases at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre were selected. Conformal and IMRTmore » plans were generated and dosimetric evaluations were performed. Each plan was prescribed a total of 54 Gray (Gy) over a course of 30 fractions to the primary site. The IMRT plans resulted in improved dosimetry to the planning target volume (PTV) and reduction in radiation to the critical structures (bladder, external genitalia and femoral heads). Statistically there was no difference between the IMRT and conformal plans in the dose to the small and large bowel; however, the bowel IMRT dose–volume histogram (DVH) doses were consistently lower. The IMRT plans were superior to the conformal plans with improved dose conformity and reduced radiation to the surrounding healthy tissue. Anecdotally it was found that patients tolerated the IMRT treatment better than the three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiation therapy. This study describes and compares the planning techniques.« less

Dosimetric inter-institutional comparison in European radiotherapy centres: Results of IAEA supported treatment planning system audit.

PubMed

Gershkevitsh, Eduard; Pesznyak, Csilla; Petrovic, Borislava; Grezdo, Joseph; Chelminski, Krzysztof; do Carmo Lopes, Maria; Izewska, Joanna; Van Dyk, Jacob

2014-05-01

One of the newer audit modalities operated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) involves audits of treatment planning systems (TPS) in radiotherapy. The main focus of the audit is the dosimetry verification of the delivery of a radiation treatment plan for three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiotherapy using high energy photon beams. The audit has been carried out in eight European countries - Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia, Poland and Portugal. The corresponding results are presented. The TPS audit reviews the dosimetry, treatment planning and radiotherapy delivery processes using the 'end-to-end' approach, i.e. following the pathway similar to that of the patient, through imaging, treatment planning and dose delivery. The audit is implemented at the national level with IAEA assistance. The national counterparts conduct the TPS audit at local radiotherapy centres through on-site visits. TPS calculated doses are compared with ion chamber measurements performed in an anthropomorphic phantom for eight test cases per algorithm/beam. A set of pre-defined agreement criteria is used to analyse the performance of TPSs. TPS audit was carried out in 60 radiotherapy centres. In total, 190 data sets (combination of algorithm and beam quality) have been collected and reviewed. Dosimetry problems requiring interventions were discovered in about 10% of datasets. In addition, suboptimal beam modelling in TPSs was discovered in a number of cases. The TPS audit project using the IAEA methodology has verified the treatment planning system calculations for 3D conformal radiotherapy in a group of radiotherapy centres in Europe. It contributed to achieving better understanding of the performance of TPSs and helped to resolve issues related to imaging, dosimetry and treatment planning.

Using an intense laser beam in interaction with muon/electron beam to probe the noncommutative QED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tizchang, S.; Batebi, S.; Haghighat, M.; Mohammadi, R.

2017-02-01

It is known that the linearly polarized photons can partly transform to circularly polarized ones via forward Compton scattering in a background such as the external magnetic field or noncommutative space time. Based on this fact we explore the effects of the NC-background on the scattering of a linearly polarized laser beam from an intense beam of charged leptons. We show that for a muon/electron beam flux {overline{ɛ}}_{μ, e}˜ 1{0}^{12}/{10}^{10} TeV cm-2 sec-1 and a linearly polarized laser beam with energy k 0 ˜1 eV and average power {overline{P}}_{laser}˜eq 1{0}^3 KW, the generation rate of circularly polarized photons is about R V ˜ 104 /sec for noncommutative energy scale ΛNC ˜ 10 TeV. This is fairly large and can grow for more intense beams in near future.

High-intensity polarized H- ion source for the RHIC SPIN physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zelenski, A.; Atoian, G.; Raparia, D.; Ritter, J.; Kolmogorov, A.; Davydenko, V.

2017-08-01

A novel polarization technique had been successfully implemented for the RHIC polarized H- ion source upgrade to higher intensity and polarization. In this technique a proton beam inside the high magnetic field solenoid is produced by ionization of the atomic hydrogen beam (from external source) in the He-gas ionizer cell. Further proton polarization is produced in the process of polarized electron capture from the optically-pumped Rb vapour. The use of high-brightness primary beam and large cross-sections of charge-exchange cross-sections resulted in production of high intensity H- ion beam of 85% polarization. High beam brightness and polarization resulted in 75% polarization at 23 GeV out of AGS and 60-65% beam polarization at 100-250 GeV colliding beams in RHIC. The status of un-polarized magnetron type (Cs-vapour loaded) BNL source is also discussed.

SU-E-T-125: Dosimetric Comparison of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Using Robotic Versus Traditional Linac Platform in Prostate Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hayes, T; Rella, J; Yang, J

Purpose: Recent development of an MLC for robotic external beam radiotherapy has the potential of new clinical application in conventionally fractionated radiation therapy. This study offers a dosimetric comparison of IMRT plans using Cyberknife with MLC versus conventional linac plans. Methods: Ten prostate cancer patients treated on a traditional linac with IMRT to 7920cGy at 180cGy/fraction were randomly selected. GTVs were defined as prostate plus proximal seminal vesicles. PTVs were defined as GTV+8mm in all directions except 5mm posteriorly. Conventional IMRT planning was performed on Philips Pinnacle and delivered on a standard linac with CBCT and 10mm collimator leaf width.more » For each case a Cyberknife plan was created using Accuray Multiplan with same CT data set, contours, and dose constraints. All dosimetric data was transferred to third party software for independent computation of contour volumes and DVH. Delivery efficiency was evaluated using total MU, treatment time, number of beams, and number of segments. Results: Evaluation criteria including percent target coverage, homogeneity index, and conformity index were found to be comparable. All dose constraints from QUANTEC were found to be statistically similar except rectum V50Gy and bladder V65Gy. Average rectum V50Gy was lower for robotic IMRT (30.07%±6.57) versus traditional (34.73%±3.62, p=0.0130). Average bladder V65Gy was lower for robotic (17.87%±12.74) versus traditional (21.03%±11.93, p=0.0405). Linac plans utilized 9 coplanar beams, 48.9±3.8 segments, and 19381±2399MU. Robotic plans utilized 38.4±9.0 non-coplanar beams, 85.5±21.0 segments and 42554.71±16381.54 MU. The average treatment was 15.02±0.60 minutes for traditional versus 20.90±2.51 for robotic. Conclusion: The robotic IMRT plans were comparable to the traditional IMRT plans in meeting the target volume dose objectives. Critical structure dose constraints were largely comparable although statistically significant differences were found in favor of the robotic platform in terms of rectum V50Gy and bladder V65Gy at a cost of 25% longer treatment time.« less

Feedback stabilization of quantum cascade laser beams for stand-off applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, Reik; Kendziora, Christopher A.; Furstenberg, Robert

2017-05-01

Techniques which apply tunable quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) for target illumination suffer from fluctuations of the laser beam direction. This manuscript describes a method to stabilize the beam direction by using an active feedback loop. This approach corrects and stabilizes the laser pointing direction using the signal from a 4-element photo sensor as input to control an active 2 dimensional Galvo mirror system. Results are presented for measurements using known perturbations as well as actual mode hops intrinsic to external cavity QCL during wavelength tuning.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krasnov, Igor, E-mail: Igor.Krasnov@hzg.de; Müller, Martin, E-mail: Martin.Mueller@hzg.de; Institute of Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht

An optically active bio-material is created by blending natural silk fibers with photoisomerizable chromophore molecules—azobenzenebromide (AzBr). The material converts the energy of unpolarized light directly into mechanical work with a well-defined direction of action. The feasibility of the idea to produce optically driven microsized actuators on the basis of bio-material (silk) is proven. The switching behavior of the embedded AzBr molecules was studied in terms of UV/Vis spectroscopy. To test the opto-mechanical properties of the modified fibers and the structural changes they undergo upon optically induced switching, single fiber X-ray diffraction with a micron-sized synchrotron radiation beam was combined inmore » situ with optical switching as well as with mechanical testing and monitoring. The crystalline regions of silk are not modified by the presence of the guest molecules, hence occupy only the amorphous part of the fibers. It is shown that chromophore molecules embedded into fibers can be reversibly switched between the trans and cis conformation by illumination with light of defined wavelengths. The host fibers respond to this switching with a variation of the internal stress. The amplitude of the mechanical response is independent of the applied external stress and its characteristic time is shorter than the relaxation time of the usual mechanical response of silk.« less

A head motion estimation algorithm for motion artifact correction in dental CT imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, Daniel; Elsayed Eldib, Mohamed; Hegazy, Mohamed A. A.; Hye Cho, Myung; Cho, Min Hyoung; Lee, Soo Yeol

2018-03-01

A small head motion of the patient can compromise the image quality in a dental CT, in which a slow cone-beam scan is adopted. We introduce a retrospective head motion estimation method by which we can estimate the motion waveform from the projection images without employing any external motion monitoring devices. We compute the cross-correlation between every two successive projection images, which results in a sinusoid-like displacement curve over the projection view when there is no patient motion. However, the displacement curve deviates from the sinusoid-like form when patient motion occurs. We develop a method to estimate the motion waveform with a single parameter derived from the displacement curve with aid of image entropy minimization. To verify the motion estimation method, we use a lab-built micro-CT that can emulate major head motions during dental CT scans, such as tilting and nodding, in a controlled way. We find that the estimated motion waveform conforms well to the actual motion waveform. To further verify the motion estimation method, we correct the motion artifacts with the estimated motion waveform. After motion artifact correction, the corrected images look almost identical to the reference images, with structural similarity index values greater than 0.81 in the phantom and rat imaging studies.

Driving Calmodulin Protein towards Conformational Shift by Changing Ionization States of Select Residues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Negi, Sunita; Rana Atilgan, Ali; Atilgan, Canan

2012-12-01

Proteins are complex systems made up of many conformational sub-states which are mainly determined by the folded structure. External factors such as solvent type, temperature, pH and ionic strength play a very important role in the conformations sampled by proteins. Here we study the conformational multiplicity of calmodulin (CaM) which is a protein that plays an important role in calcium signaling pathways in the eukaryotic cells. CaM can bind to a variety of other proteins or small organic compounds, and mediates different physiological processes by activating various enzymes. Binding of calcium ions and proteins or small organic molecules to CaM induces large conformational changes that are distinct to each interacting partner. In particular, we discuss the effect of pH variation on the conformations of CaM. By using the pKa values of the charged residues as a basis to assign protonation states, the conformational changes induced in CaM by reducing the pH are studied by molecular dynamics simulations. Our current view suggests that at high pH, barrier crossing to the compact form is prevented by repulsive electrostatic interactions between the two lobes. At reduced pH, not only is barrier crossing facilitated by protonation of residues, but also conformations which are on average more compact are attained. The latter are in accordance with the fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiment results of other workers. The key events leading to the conformational change from the open to the compact conformation are (i) formation of a salt bridge between the N-lobe and the linker, stabilizing their relative motions, (ii) bending of the C-lobe towards the N-lobe, leading to a lowering of the interaction energy between the two-lobes, (iii) formation of a hydrophobic patch between the two lobes, further stabilizing the bent conformation by reducing the entropic cost of the compact form, (iv) sharing of a Ca+2 ion between the two lobes.

Studies on the Conformational Landscape of Tert-Butyl Acetate Using Microwave Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, YueYue; Mouhib, Halima; Li, Guohua; Stahl, Wolfgang; Kleiner, Isabelle

2014-06-01

The tert-Butyl acetate molecule was studied using a combination of quantum chemical calculations and molecular beam Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy in the 9 to 14 GHz range. Due to its rather rigid frame, the molecule possesses only two different conformers: one of Cs and one of C1 symmetry. According to ab initio calculations, the Cs conformer is 46 kJ/mol lower in energy and is the one observed in the supersonic jet. We report on the structure and dynamics of the most abundant conformer of tert-butyl acetate, with accurate rotational and centrifugal distortion constants. Additionally, the barrier to internal rotation of the acetyl methyl group was determined. Splittings due to the internal rotation of the methyl group of up to 1.3 GHz were observed in the spectrum. Using the programs XIAM and BELGI-Cs, we determine the barrier height to be about 113 cm-1 and compare the molecular parameters obtained from these two codes. Additionally, the experimental rotational constants were used to validate numerous quantum chemical calculations. This study is part of a larger project which aims at determining the lowest energy conformers of organic esters and ketones which are of interest for flavor or perfume synthetic applications Project partly supported by the PHC PROCOPE 25059YB.

Ion therapy for uveal melanoma in new human eye phantom based on GEANT4 toolkit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mahdipour, Seyed Ali; Mowlavi, Ali Asghar, E-mail: amowlavi@hsu.ac.ir; ICTP, Associate Federation Scheme, Medical Physics Field, Trieste

Radiotherapy with ion beams like proton and carbon has been used for treatment of eye uveal melanoma for many years. In this research, we have developed a new phantom of human eye for Monte Carlo simulation of tumors treatment to use in GEANT4 toolkit. Total depth−dose profiles for the proton, alpha, and carbon incident beams with the same ranges have been calculated in the phantom. Moreover, the deposited energy of the secondary particles for each of the primary beams is calculated. The dose curves are compared for 47.8 MeV proton, 190.1 MeV alpha, and 1060 MeV carbon ions that havemore » the same range in the target region reaching to the center of tumor. The passively scattered spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) for each incident beam as well as the flux curves of the secondary particles including neutron, gamma, and positron has been calculated and compared for the primary beams. The high sharpness of carbon beam's Bragg peak with low lateral broadening is the benefit of this beam in hadrontherapy but it has disadvantages of dose leakage in the tail after its Bragg peak and high intensity of neutron production. However, proton beam, which has a good conformation with tumor shape owing to the beam broadening caused by scattering, can be a good choice for the large-size tumors.« less

SU-E-T-629: Feasibility Study of Treating Multiple Brain Tumors with Large Number of Noncoplanar IMRT Beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dong, P; Ma, L

Purpose: To study the feasibility of treating multiple brain tumors withlarge number of noncoplanar IMRT beams. Methods: Thirty beams are selected from 390 deliverable beams separated by six degree in 4pi space. Beam selection optimization is based on a column generation algorithm. MLC leaf size is 2 mm. Dose matrices are calculated with collapsed cone convolution and superposition method in a 2 mm by 2mm by 2 mm grid. Twelve brain tumors of various shapes, sizes and locations are used to generate four plans treating 3, 6, 9 and 12 tumors. The radiation dose was 20 Gy prescribed to themore » 100% isodose line. Dose Volume Histograms for tumor and brain were compared. Results: All results are based on a 2 mm by 2 mm by 2 mm CT grid. For 3, 6, 9 and 12 tumor plans, minimum tumor doses are all 20 Gy. Mean tumor dose are 20.0, 20.1, 20.1 and 20.1 Gy. Maximum tumor dose are 23.3, 23.6, 25.4 and 25.4 Gy. Mean ventricles dose are 0.7, 1.7, 2.4 and 3.1 Gy.Mean subventricular zone dose are 0.8, 1.3, 2.2 and 3.2 Gy. Average Equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) values for tumor are 20.1, 20.1, 20.2 and 20.2 Gy. The conformity index (CI) values are close to 1 for all 4 plans. The gradient index (GI) values are 2.50, 2.05, 2.09 and 2.19. Conclusion: Compared with published Gamma Knife treatment studies, noncoplanar IMRT treatment plan is superior in terms of dose conformity. Due to maximum limit of beams per plan, Gamma knife has to treat multiple tumors separately in different plans. Noncoplanar IMRT plans theoretically can be delivered in a single plan on any modern linac with an automated couch and image guidance. This warrants further study of using noncoplanar IMRT as a viable treatment solution for multiple brain tumors.« less

Functional dynamics of cell surface membrane proteins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishida, Noritaka; Osawa, Masanori; Takeuchi, Koh; Imai, Shunsuke; Stampoulis, Pavlos; Kofuku, Yutaka; Ueda, Takumi; Shimada, Ichio

2014-04-01

Cell surface receptors are integral membrane proteins that receive external stimuli, and transmit signals across plasma membranes. In the conventional view of receptor activation, ligand binding to the extracellular side of the receptor induces conformational changes, which convert the structure of the receptor into an active conformation. However, recent NMR studies of cell surface membrane proteins have revealed that their structures are more dynamic than previously envisioned, and they fluctuate between multiple conformations in an equilibrium on various timescales. In addition, NMR analyses, along with biochemical and cell biological experiments indicated that such dynamical properties are critical for the proper functions of the receptors. In this review, we will describe several NMR studies that revealed direct linkage between the structural dynamics and the functions of the cell surface membrane proteins, such as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels, membrane transporters, and cell adhesion molecules.