Operator control systems and methods for swing-free gantry-style cranes

DOEpatents

Feddema, J.T.; Petterson, B.J.; Robinett, R.D. III

1998-07-28

A system and method are disclosed for eliminating swing motions in gantry-style cranes while subject to operator control. The present invention comprises an infinite impulse response (IIR) filter and a proportional-integral (PI) feedback controller. The IIR filter receives input signals (commanded velocity or acceleration) from an operator input device and transforms them into output signals in such a fashion that the resulting motion is swing free (i.e., end-point swinging prevented). The parameters of the IIR filter are updated in real time using measurements from a hoist cable length encoder. The PI feedback controller compensates for modeling errors and external disturbances, such as wind or perturbations caused by collision with objects. The PI feedback controller operates on cable swing angle measurements provided by a cable angle sensor. The present invention adjusts acceleration and deceleration to eliminate oscillations. An especially important feature of the present invention is that it compensates for variable-length cable motions from multiple cables attached to a suspended payload. 10 figs.

SU-G-BRB-09: Kompeito-Shot: Development of a Novel Verification System for 3D Beam Alignment Including the Sag of Gantry Head

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

Tsuneda, M; Nishio, T; Saito, A

Purpose: High accuracy of beam axis is required for high-precision radiation therapy. It is impossible to quantitatively and directly evaluate the sagging effect of the gantry head using current methods (star-shot and Winston-Lutz tests) when the gantry head sags under the weight of MLC and X-Y jaws. We introduce a novel method “Kompeito-shot (3D star-shot)” for the verification of 3D beam alignment (3D isocentricity). This method enables direct measurement of the sagging effect. We developed the system and examined the concept of this system. Methods: The system composed of a plastic scintillator (PS), a truncated cone-shaped mirror, a plane mirrormore » and a CCD camera. Two types of PS were compared. One consisted of a column PS (Co system), the other consisted of a column PS inserted into a barrel PS with shading film in between (Co-Ba system). The system was irradiated with a 6-MV photon beam and the scintillation light was measured using the CCD camera through the mirror system. The gantry angle was set from 270 to 300 degrees to mimic the sagging of the gantry head for evaluating the accuracy of the system. The distance between a center of PS and entrance / exit points were calculated to analyze the gantry angle. And, the calculated gantry angle and the irradiated gantry angle were compared. Results: We compared the measured image of Co system and that of Co-Ba system. Entrance and exit areas were visualized clearly. The histogram showing the difference between the calculated gantry angle and the irradiated gantry angle was fitted with a Gaussian function. Mean and standard deviation of Co-Ba system were smaller than that of Co system by one order of magnitude. Conclusion: We developed the Kompeito-shot system and evaluated the accuracy of the system. The basic concept works for the verification of 3D isocentricity.« less

Correlations between Preoperative Angle Parameters and Postoperative Unpredicted Refractive Errors after Cataract Surgery in Open Angle Glaucoma (AOD 500).

PubMed

Lee, Wonseok; Bae, Hyoung Won; Lee, Si Hyung; Kim, Chan Yun; Seong, Gong Je

2017-03-01

To assess the accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) power prediction for cataract surgery with open angle glaucoma (OAG) and to identify preoperative angle parameters correlated with postoperative unpredicted refractive errors. This study comprised 45 eyes from 45 OAG subjects and 63 eyes from 63 non-glaucomatous cataract subjects (controls). We investigated differences in preoperative predicted refractive errors and postoperative refractive errors for each group. Preoperative predicted refractive errors were obtained by biometry (IOL-master) and compared to postoperative refractive errors measured by auto-refractometer 2 months postoperatively. Anterior angle parameters were determined using swept source optical coherence tomography. We investigated correlations between preoperative angle parameters [angle open distance (AOD); trabecular iris surface area (TISA); angle recess area (ARA); trabecular iris angle (TIA)] and postoperative unpredicted refractive errors. In patients with OAG, significant differences were noted between preoperative predicted and postoperative real refractive errors, with more myopia than predicted. No significant differences were recorded in controls. Angle parameters (AOD, ARA, TISA, and TIA) at the superior and inferior quadrant were significantly correlated with differences between predicted and postoperative refractive errors in OAG patients (-0.321 to -0.408, p<0.05). Superior quadrant AOD 500 was significantly correlated with postoperative refractive differences in multivariate linear regression analysis (β=-2.925, R²=0.404). Clinically unpredicted refractive errors after cataract surgery were more common in OAG than in controls. Certain preoperative angle parameters, especially AOD 500 at the superior quadrant, were significantly correlated with these unpredicted errors.

Operator control systems and methods for swing-free gantry-style cranes

DOEpatents

Feddema, John T.; Petterson, Ben J.; Robinett, III, Rush D.

1998-01-01

A system and method for eliminating swing motions in gantry-style cranes while subject to operator control is presented. The present invention comprises an infinite impulse response ("IIR") filter and a proportional-integral ("PI") feedback controller (50). The IIR filter receives input signals (46) (commanded velocity or acceleration) from an operator input device (45) and transforms them into output signals (47) in such a fashion that the resulting motion is swing free (i.e., end-point swinging prevented). The parameters of the IIR filter are updated in real time using measurements from a hoist cable length encoder (25). The PI feedback controller compensates for modeling errors and external disturbances, such as wind or perturbations caused by collision with objects. The PI feedback controller operates on cable swing angle measurements provided by a cable angle sensor (27). The present invention adjusts acceleration and deceleration to eliminate oscillations. An especially important feature of the present invention is that it compensates for variable-length cable motions from multiple cables attached to a suspended payload.

Correlations between Preoperative Angle Parameters and Postoperative Unpredicted Refractive Errors after Cataract Surgery in Open Angle Glaucoma (AOD 500)

PubMed Central

Lee, Wonseok; Bae, Hyoung Won; Lee, Si Hyung; Kim, Chan Yun

2017-01-01

Purpose To assess the accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) power prediction for cataract surgery with open angle glaucoma (OAG) and to identify preoperative angle parameters correlated with postoperative unpredicted refractive errors. Materials and Methods This study comprised 45 eyes from 45 OAG subjects and 63 eyes from 63 non-glaucomatous cataract subjects (controls). We investigated differences in preoperative predicted refractive errors and postoperative refractive errors for each group. Preoperative predicted refractive errors were obtained by biometry (IOL-master) and compared to postoperative refractive errors measured by auto-refractometer 2 months postoperatively. Anterior angle parameters were determined using swept source optical coherence tomography. We investigated correlations between preoperative angle parameters [angle open distance (AOD); trabecular iris surface area (TISA); angle recess area (ARA); trabecular iris angle (TIA)] and postoperative unpredicted refractive errors. Results In patients with OAG, significant differences were noted between preoperative predicted and postoperative real refractive errors, with more myopia than predicted. No significant differences were recorded in controls. Angle parameters (AOD, ARA, TISA, and TIA) at the superior and inferior quadrant were significantly correlated with differences between predicted and postoperative refractive errors in OAG patients (-0.321 to -0.408, p<0.05). Superior quadrant AOD 500 was significantly correlated with postoperative refractive differences in multivariate linear regression analysis (β=-2.925, R2=0.404). Conclusion Clinically unpredicted refractive errors after cataract surgery were more common in OAG than in controls. Certain preoperative angle parameters, especially AOD 500 at the superior quadrant, were significantly correlated with these unpredicted errors. PMID:28120576

A novel verification method using a plastic scintillator imagining system for assessment of gantry sag in radiotherapy.

PubMed

Tsuneda, Masato; Nishio, Teiji; Saito, Akito; Tanaka, Sodai; Suzuki, Tatsuhiko; Kawahara, Daisuke; Matsushita, Keiichiro; Nishio, Aya; Ozawa, Shuichi; Karasawa, Kumiko; Nagata, Yasushi

2018-06-01

High accuracy of the beam-irradiated position is required for high-precision radiation therapy such as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Users generally perform the verification of the mechanical and radiation isocenters using the star shot test and the Winston Lutz test that allow evaluation of the displacement at the isocenter. However, these methods are unable to evaluate directly and quantitatively the sagging angle that is caused by the weight of the gantry itself along the gantry rotation axis. In addition, the verification of the central axis of the irradiated beam that is not dependent at the isocenter is needed for the mechanical quality assurance of a nonisocentric irradiation technique. In this study, we have developed a prototype system for the verification of three-dimensional (3D) beam alignment and we have verified the system concept for 3D isocentricity. Our system allows detection of the central axis in 3D coordinates and evaluation of the irradiated oblique angle to the gantry rotation axis, i.e., the sagging angle. In order to measure the central axis of the irradiated beam in 3D coordinates, we constructed the prototype verification system consisting of a column-shaped plastic scintillator (CoPS), a truncated cone-shaped mirror (TCsM), and a cooled charged-coupled device (CCD) camera. This verification system was irradiated with 6-MV photon beams and the scintillation light was measured using the CCD camera. The central axis on the axial plane (two-dimensional (2D) central axis) was acquired from the integration of the scintillation light along the major axis of the CoPS, and the central axis in 3D coordinates (3D central axis) was acquired from two curve-shaped profiles which were reflected by the TCsM. We verified the calculation accuracy of the gantry rotation axis, θ z . Additionally, we calculated the 3D central axis and the sagging angle

SU-F-T-264: VMAT QA with 2D Radiation Measuring Equipment Attached to Gantry

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

Fung, A

2016-06-15

Purpose: To introduce a method of VMAT QA by 2D measuring device. The 2D device is attached to the gantry throughout measurement duration. This eliminates error caused by the angular dependence of the radiation detectors. Methods: A 2D radiation measuring device was attached to the gantry of linear accelerator. The center of the detector plane was at the isocenter. For each patient plan, two verification plans were created for QA purpose. One was like an ordinary VMAT plan, to be used for radiation delivery. The other is a plan with gantry angle fixed at zero, so the dose distribution asmore » seen by the rotating 2D device. Points above 10% dose threshold were analyzed. Data is in tolerance if it fits within the 3 mm or 3% dose gamma criteria. For each patient, the plan was passed when 95% of all the points in the 2D matrix fit the gamma criteria. The following statistics were calculated: number of patient plans passed, percentage of all points passed, average percentage difference of all points. Results: VMAT QA was performed for patients during one year in our department, and the results were analyzed. All irradiation was with 6 MV photon beam. Each plan has calculated and measured doses compared. After collecting one year’s result, with 81 patient plans analyzed, all (100%) of the plans passed the gamma criteria. Of the points analyzed from all plans, 98.8% of all points passed. Conclusion: This method of attaching a 2D measuring device on the linac gantry proves to be an accurate way for VMAT QA. It is simple to use and low cost, and it eliminates the problem of directional dependence.« less

View of LADEE's Gantry!

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-07

This image shows an evening view gantry at Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., on Sept. 4, 2013. In this photograph, the gantry surrounds the Minotaur V rocket that will launch NASA LADEE. The gantry is now removed and the Minotaur is getting ready to launch LADEE at 11:27 p.m. EDT tonight. Image credit: NASA Wallops/Patrick Black

Detection and correction for EPID and gantry sag during arc delivery using cine EPID imaging

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

Rowshanfarzad, Pejman; Sabet, Mahsheed; O'Connor, Daryl J.

2012-02-15

Purpose: Electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) have been studied and used for pretreatment and in-vivo dosimetry applications for many years. The application of EPIDs for dosimetry in arc treatments requires accurate characterization of the mechanical sag of the EPID and gantry during rotation. Several studies have investigated the effects of gravity on the sag of these systems but each have limitations. In this study, an easy experiment setup and accurate algorithm have been introduced to characterize and correct for the effect of EPID and gantry sag during arc delivery. Methods: Three metallic ball bearings were used as markers in themore » beam: two of them fixed to the gantry head and the third positioned at the isocenter. EPID images were acquired during a 360 deg. gantry rotation in cine imaging mode. The markers were tracked in EPID images and a robust in-house developed MATLAB code was used to analyse the images and find the EPID sag in three directions as well as the EPID + gantry sag by comparison to the reference gantry zero image. The algorithm results were then tested against independent methods. The method was applied to compare the effect in clockwise and counter clockwise gantry rotations and different source-to-detector distances (SDDs). The results were monitored for one linear accelerator over a course of 15 months and six other linear-accelerators from two treatment centers were also investigated using this method. The generalized shift patterns were derived from the data and used in an image registration algorithm to correct for the effect of the mechanical sag in the system. The Gamma evaluation (3%, 3 mm) technique was used to investigate the improvement in alignment of cine EPID images of a fixed field, by comparing both individual images and the sum of images in a series with the reference gantry zero image. Results: The mechanical sag during gantry rotation was dependent on the gantry angle and was larger in the in-plane direction

SU-E-T-130: Are Proton Gantries Needed? An Analysis of 4332 Patient Proton Gantry Treatment Plans From the Past 10 Years

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

Yan, S; Lu, H; Flanz, J

2015-06-15

Purpose: To ascertain the necessity of a proton gantry, as compared to the feasibility of using a horizontal fixed proton beam-line for treatment with advanced technology. Methods: To calculate the percentage of patients that can be treated with a horizontal fixed beam-line instead of a gantry, we analyze the distributions of beam orientations of our proton gantry patients treated over the past 10 years. We identify three horizontal fixed beam geometries (FIXED, BEND and MOVE) with the patient in lying and/or sitting positions. The FIXED geometry includes only table/chair rotations and translations. In BEND, the beam can be bent up/downmore » for up to 20 degrees. MOVE allows for patient head/body angle adjustment. Based on the analysis, we select eight patients whose plan involves beams which are still challenging to achieve with a horizontal fixed beam. These beams are removed in the pencil beam scanning (PBS) plan optimized for the fixed beam-line (PBS-fix). We generate non-coplanar PBS-gantry plans for comparison, and perform a robustness analysis. Results: The percentage of patients with head-and-neck/brain tumors that can be treated with horizontal fixed beam is 44% in FIXED, 70% in 20-degrees BEND, and 100% in 90-degrees MOVE. For torso regions, 99% of the patients can be treated in 20-degree BEND. The target coverage is more homogeneous with PBS-fix plans compared to the clinical scattering treatment plans. The PBS-fix plans reduce the mean dose to organs-at-risk by a factor of 1.1–28.5. PBS-gantry plans are as good as PBS-fix plans, sometimes marginally better. Conclusion: The majority of the beam orientations can be realized with a horizontal fixed beam-line. Challenging non-coplanar beams can be eliminated with PBS delivery. Clinical implementation of the proposed fixed beam-line requires use of robotic patient positioning, further developments in immobilization, and image guidance. However, our results suggest that fixed beam-lines can be as

Enhanced Pedestrian Navigation Based on Course Angle Error Estimation Using Cascaded Kalman Filters

PubMed Central

Park, Chan Gook

2018-01-01

An enhanced pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) based navigation algorithm, which uses two cascaded Kalman filters (TCKF) for the estimation of course angle and navigation errors, is proposed. The proposed algorithm uses a foot-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU), waist-mounted magnetic sensors, and a zero velocity update (ZUPT) based inertial navigation technique with TCKF. The first stage filter estimates the course angle error of a human, which is closely related to the heading error of the IMU. In order to obtain the course measurements, the filter uses magnetic sensors and a position-trace based course angle. For preventing magnetic disturbance from contaminating the estimation, the magnetic sensors are attached to the waistband. Because the course angle error is mainly due to the heading error of the IMU, and the characteristic error of the heading angle is highly dependent on that of the course angle, the estimated course angle error is used as a measurement for estimating the heading error in the second stage filter. At the second stage, an inertial navigation system-extended Kalman filter-ZUPT (INS-EKF-ZUPT) method is adopted. As the heading error is estimated directly by using course-angle error measurements, the estimation accuracy for the heading and yaw gyro bias can be enhanced, compared with the ZUPT-only case, which eventually enhances the position accuracy more efficiently. The performance enhancements are verified via experiments, and the way-point position error for the proposed method is compared with those for the ZUPT-only case and with other cases that use ZUPT and various types of magnetic heading measurements. The results show that the position errors are reduced by a maximum of 90% compared with the conventional ZUPT based PDR algorithms. PMID:29690539

Gantries and dose delivery systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meer, David; Psoroulas, Serena

2015-06-01

Particle therapy is a field in remarkable development, with the goal of increasing the number of indications which could benefit from such treatments and the access to the therapy. The therapeutic usage of a particle beam defines the technical requirements of all the elements of the therapy chain: we summarize the main characteristics of accelerators, the beam line, the treatment room, the integrated therapy and imaging systems used in particle therapy. Aiming at a higher flexibility in the choice of treatments, an increasing number of centers around the world have chosen to equip their treatment rooms with gantries, rotating beam line structures that allow a complete flexibility in the choice of the treatment angle. We review the current designs. A particle therapy gantry though is a quite expensive structure, and future development will increasingly consider reducing the cost and the footprint. Increasing the number of indications also means development in the delivery techniques and solving some of the issues which traditionally affected particle therapy, for example the precision of the delivery in presence of motion and the large penumbras for low depths. We show the current strategies in these fields, focusing on pencil beam scanning (PBS), and give some hints about future developments.

SU-G-TeP2-04: Comprehensive Machine Isocenter Evaluation with Separation of Gantry, Collimator, and Table Variables

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

Hancock, S; Clements, C; Hyer, D

2016-06-15

Purpose: To develop and demonstrate application of a method that characterizes deviation of linac x-ray beams from the centroid of the volumetric radiation isocenter as a function of gantry, collimator, and table variables. Methods: A set of Winston-Lutz ball-bearing images was used to determine the gantry radiation isocenter as the midrange of deviation values resulting from gantry and collimator rotation. Also determined were displacement of table axis from gantry isocenter and recommended table axis adjustment. The method, previously reported, has been extended to include the effect of collimator walkout by obtaining measurements with 0 and 180 degree collimator rotation formore » each gantry angle. Twelve images were used to characterize the volumetric isocenter for the full range of available gantry, collimator, and table rotations. Results: Three Varian True Beam, two Elekta Infinity and four Versa HD linacs at five institutions were tested using identical methodology. Varian linacs exhibited substantially less deviation due to head sag than Elekta linacs (0.4 mm vs. 1.2 mm on average). One linac from each manufacturer had additional isocenter deviation of 0.3 to 0.4 mm due to jaw instability with gantry and collimator rotation. For all linacs, the achievable isocenter tolerance was dependent on adjustment of collimator position offset, transverse position steering, and alignment of the table axis with gantry isocenter, facilitated by these test results. The pattern and magnitude of table axis wobble vs. table angle was reproducible and unique to each machine. Conclusion: This new method provides a comprehensive set of isocenter deviation values including all variables. It effectively facilitates minimization of deviation between beam center and target (ball-bearing) position. This method was used to quantify the effect of jaw instability on isocenter deviation and to identify the offending jaw. The test is suitable for incorporation into a routine machine

Image movement of the Elekta EPID during gantry rotation: Effects on the verification of dose distributions.

PubMed

Köhn, J; Licher, J; Mielke, M; Loutfi-Krauss, B; Blümer, N; Heine, B; Rödel, C; Scherf, C; Ramm, U

2017-02-01

The use of Electronic Portal Imaging Devices (EPIDs) to acquire dosimetric information, especially for 3D-back-projection, has been increasingly extended. For a precise back-projection, the accurate knowledge of the movement characteristics of the EPID during gantry rotation is an essential requirement. Measurements were conducted with different alignments of steel balls, which were mounted on the treatment table to avoid secondary effects such as the mechanical sag of gantry or jaws. The image movement of the EPID was determined by comparing the predicted projections of the phantoms with the EPID acquired image. Effects on dosimetric verifications were evaluated by γ-evaluation. The measurement results showed that the shift of the EPID image is larger in Y direction than in X direction. A maximum rotation of 0.3° and nodding of 2.4° of the detector was calculated. Changes in SDD were found up to 10mm. The angles of nodding are overall higher at discrete gantry angles in comparison to images detected for continuous rotation. Using these results we were able to correct the EPID images used for verification measurements. γ-evaluation revealed a significantly improved agreement between planned and measured EPID signal values. The measurement methods and algorithms introduced in this study are simple and comprehensive. Using these methods and algorithms we were able to quantify the major effects on geometrical and dosimetric characteristics. This allows the correction of EPID signal measurements for these effects related to the gantry angle, leading to an improved γ-evaluation for treatment plans. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a compact superconducting rotating-gantry for heavy-ion therapy

PubMed Central

Iwata, Yoshiyuki; Noda, K.; Murakami, T.; Shirai, T.; Furukawa, T.; Fujita, T.; Mori, S.; Sato, S.; Mizushima, K.; Shouda, K.; Fujimoto, T.; Arai, H.; Ogitsu, T.; Obana, T.; Amemiya, N.; Orikasa, T.; Takami, S.; Takayama, S.

2014-01-01

An isocentric superconducting rotating-gantry for heavy-ion therapy is being developed [ 1]. This rotating gantry can transport heavy ions having 430 MeV/u to an isocenter with irradiation angles of over ±180°, and is further capable of performing fast raster-scanning irradiation [ 2]. A layout of the beam-transport line for the compact rotating-gantry is presented in Fig. 1. The rotating gantry has 10 superconducting magnets (BM01-10), a pair of the scanning magnets (SCM-X and SCM-Y) and two pairs of beam profile- monitor and steering magnets (ST01-02 and PRN01-02). For BM01-BM06 and BM09-BM10, the combined-function superconducting magnets are employed. Further, these superconducting magnets are designed for fast slewing of the magnetic field to follow the multiple flattop operation of the synchrotron [ 3]. The use of the combined-function superconducting magnets with optimized beam optics allows a compact gantry design with a large scan size at the isocenter; the length and the radius of the gantry will be to be ∼13 and 5.5 m, respectively, which are comparable to those for the existing proton gantries. Furthermore, the maximum scan size at the isocenter is calculated to be as large as ∼200 mm square for heavy-ion beams at the maximum energy of 430 MeV/u. All of the superconducting magnets were designed, and their magnetic fields were calculated using the Opera-3d code [ 4]. With the calculated magnetic fields, beam-tracking simulations were made. The simulation results agreed well with those of the linear beam-optics calculation, proving validity of the final design for the superconducting magnets. The five out of 10 superconducting magnets, as well as the model magnet were currently manufactured. With these magnets, rotation tests, magnetic field measurements and fast slewing tests were conducted. However, we did not observe any significant temperature increase, which may cause a quench problem. Further, results of the magnetic field measurements roughly

Motion control of nonlinear gantry crane system via priority-based fitness scheme in firefly algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaafar, Hazriq Izzuan; Latif, Norfaneysa Abd; Kassim, Anuar Mohamed; Abidin, Amar Faiz Zainal; Hussien, Sharifah Yuslinda Syed; Aras, Mohd Shahrieel Mohd

2015-05-01

Advanced manufacturing technology made Gantry Crane System (GCS) is one of the suitable heavy machinery transporters and frequently employed in handling with huge materials. The interconnection of trolley movement and payload oscillation has a technical impact which needs to be considered. Once the trolley moves to the desired position with high speed, this will induce undesirable's payload oscillation. This frequent unavoidable load swing causes an efficiency drop, load damages and even accidents. In this paper, a new control strategy of Firefly Algorithm (FA) will be developed to obtain five optimal controller parameters (PID and PD) via Priority-based Fitness Scheme (PFS). Combinations of these five parameters are utilized for controlling trolley movement and minimizing the angle of payload oscillation. This PFS is prioritized based on steady-state error (SSE), overshoot (OS) and settling time (Ts) according to the needs and circumstances. Lagrange equation will be chosen for modeling and simulation will be conducted by using related software. Simulation results show that the proposed control strategy is efficient to control the trolley movement to the desired position and minimize the angle of payload oscillation.

TU-CD-304-04: Scanning Field Total Body Irradiation Using Dynamic Arc with Variable Dose Rate and Gantry Speed

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

Yi, B; Xu, H; Mutaf, Y

2015-06-15

Purpose: Enable a scanning field total body irradiation (TBI) technique, using dynamic arcs, which is biologically equivalent to a moving couch TBI. Methods: Patient is treated slightly above the floor and the treatment field scans across the patient by a moving gantry. MLC positions change during gantry motion to keep same field opening at the level of the treatment plane (170 cm). This is done to mimic the same geometry as the moving couch TBI technique which has been used in our institution for over 10 years. The dose rate and the gantry speed are determined considering a constant speedmore » of the moving field, variations in SSD and slanted depths resulting from oblique gantry angles. An Eclipse (Varian) planning system is commissioned to accommodate the extended SSD. The dosimetric foundations of the technique have been thoroughly investigated using phantom measurements. Results: Dose uniformity better than 2% across 180 cm length at 10cm depth is achieved by moving the gantry from −55 to +55 deg. Treatment range can be extended by increasing gantry range. No device such as a gravity-oriented compensator is needed to achieve a uniform dose. It is feasible to modify the dose distribution by adjusting the dose rate at each gantry angle to compensate for body thickness differences. Total treatment time for 2 Gy AP/PA fields is 40–50 minutes excluding patient set up time, at the machine dose rate of 100 MU/min. Conclusion: This novel yet transportable moving field technique enables TBI treatment in a small treatment room with less program development preparation than other techniques. Treatment length can be extended per need, and. MLC-based thickness compensation and partial lung blocking are also possible.« less

Detector system dose verification comparisons for arc therapy: couch vs. gantry mount

PubMed Central

Manikandan, Arjunan; Nandy, Maitreyee; Sureka, Chandra Sekaran; Gossman, Michael S.; Sujatha, Nadendla; Rajendran, Vivek Thirupathur

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the performance of a gantry‐mounted detector system and a couch set detector system using a systematic multileaf collimator positional error manually introduced for volumetric‐modulated arc therapy. Four head and neck and esophagus VMAT plans were evaluated by measurement using an electronic portal imaging device and an ion chamber array. Each plan was copied and duplicated with a 1 mm systematic MLC positional error in the left leaf bank. Direct comparison of measurements for plans with and without the error permitted observational characteristics for quality assurance performance between detectors. A total of 48 different plans were evaluated for this testing. The mean percentage planar dose differences required to satisfy a 95% match between plans with and without the MLCPE were 5.2% ± 0.5% for the chamber array with gantry motion, 8.12% ± 1.04% for the chamber array with a static gantry at 0°, and 10.9% ± 1.4% for the EPID with gantry motion. It was observed that the EPID was less accurate due to overresponse of the MLCPE in the left leaf bank. The EPID always images bank‐A on the ipsilateral side of the detector, whereas for a chamber array or for a patient, that bank changes as it crosses the ‐90° or +90° position. A couch set detector system can reproduce the TPS calculated values most consistently. We recommend it as the most reliable patient specific QA system for MLC position error testing. This research is highlighted by the finding of up to 12.7% dose variation for H/N and esophagus cases for VMAT delivery, where the mere source of error was the stated clinically acceptability of 1 mm MLC position deviation of TG‐142. PACS numbers: 87.56.‐v, 87.55.‐x, 07.57.KP, 29.40.‐n, 85.25.Pb PMID:24892330

29 CFR 1926.1438 - Overhead & gantry cranes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 8 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Overhead & gantry cranes. 1926.1438 Section 1926.1438 Labor... (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION Cranes and Derricks in Construction § 1926.1438 Overhead & gantry cranes. (a) Permanently installed overhead and gantry cranes. The requirements of § 1910...

Commissioning of a proton gantry equipped with dual x-ray imagers and a robotic patient positioner, and evaluation of the accuracy of single-beam image registration for this system

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

Wang, Ning; Ghebremedhin, Abiel; Patyal, Baldev, E-mail: bpatyal@llu.eduss

Purpose: To check the accuracy of a gantry equipped with dual x-ray imagers and a robotic patient positioner for proton radiotherapy, and to evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of single-beam registration using the robotic positioner. Methods: One of the proton treatment rooms at their institution was upgraded to include a robotic patient positioner (couch) with 6 degrees of freedom and dual orthogonal kilovoltage x-ray imaging panels. The wander of the proton beam central axis, the wander of the beamline, and the orthogonal image panel crosswires from the gantry isocenter were measured for different gantry angles. The couch movement accuracy andmore » couch wander from the gantry isocenter were measured for couch loadings of 50–300 lb with couch rotations from 0° to ±90°. The combined accuracy of the gantry, couch, and imagers was checked using a custom-made 30 × 30 × 30 cm{sup 3} Styrofoam phantom with beekleys embedded in it. A treatment in this room can be set up and registered at a setup field location, then moved precisely to any other treatment location without requiring additional image registration. The accuracy of the single-beam registration strategy was checked for treatments containing multiple beams with different combinations of gantry angles, couch yaws, and beam locations. Results: The proton beam central axis wander from the gantry isocenter was within 0.5 mm with gantry rotations in both clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) directions. The maximum wander of the beamline and orthogonal imager crosswire centers from the gantry isocenter were within 0.5 and 0.8 mm, respectively, with the gantry rotations in CW and CCW directions. Vertical and horizontal couch wanders from the gantry isocenter were within 0.4 and 1.3 mm, respectively, for couch yaw from 0° to ±90°. For a treatment with multiple beams with different gantry angles, couch yaws, and beam locations, the measured displacements of treatment beam locations from the one

Error tracking control for underactuated overhead cranes against arbitrary initial payload swing angles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Menghua; Ma, Xin; Rong, Xuewen; Tian, Xincheng; Li, Yibin

2017-02-01

This paper exploits an error tracking control method for overhead crane systems for which the error trajectories for the trolley and the payload swing can be pre-specified. The proposed method does not require that the initial payload swing angle remains zero, whereas this requirement is usually assumed in conventional methods. The significant feature of the proposed method is its superior control performance as well as its strong robustness over different or uncertain rope lengths, payload masses, desired positions, initial payload swing angles, and external disturbances. Owing to the same attenuation behavior, the desired error trajectory for the trolley for each traveling distance is not needed to be reset, which is easy to implement in practical applications. By converting the error tracking overhead crane dynamics to the objective system, we obtain the error tracking control law for arbitrary initial payload swing angles. Lyapunov techniques and LaSalle's invariance theorem are utilized to prove the convergence and stability of the closed-loop system. Simulation and experimental results are illustrated to validate the superior performance of the proposed error tracking control method.

Gantry for medical particle therapy facility

DOEpatents

Trbojevic, Dejan

2013-04-23

A particle therapy gantry for delivering a particle beam to a patient includes a beam tube having a curvature defining a particle beam path and a plurality of superconducting, variable field magnets sequentially arranged along the beam tube for guiding the particle beam along the particle path. In a method for delivering a particle beam to a patient through a gantry, a particle beam is guided by a plurality of variable field magnets sequentially arranged along a beam tube of the gantry and the beam is alternately focused and defocused with alternately arranged focusing and defocusing variable field magnets.

Gantry for medical particle therapy facility

DOEpatents

Trbojevic, Dejan [Wading River, NY

2012-05-08

A particle therapy gantry for delivering a particle beam to a patient includes a beam tube having a curvature defining a particle beam path and a plurality of fixed field magnets sequentially arranged along the beam tube for guiding the particle beam along the particle path. In a method for delivering a particle beam to a patient through a gantry, a particle beam is guided by a plurality of fixed field magnets sequentially arranged along a beam tube of the gantry and the beam is alternately focused and defocused with alternately arranged focusing and defocusing fixed field magnets.

SU-E-J-213: Imaging and Treatment Isocenter Verification of a Gantry Mounted Proton Therapy System

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

Price, S; Goddu, S; Rankine, L

2014-06-01

Purpose: The Mevion proton therapy machine is the first to feature a gantry mounted sychro-cyclotron. In addition, the system utilizes a 6D motion couch and kV imaging for precise proton therapy. To quantify coincidence between these systems, isocentricity tests were performed based on kV imaging alignment using radiochromic film. Methods: The 100 ton gantry and 6D robotic couch can rotate 190° around isocenter to provide necessary beam angles for treatment. The kV sources and detector panels are deployed as needed to acquire orthogonal portals. Gantry and couch mechanical isocenter were tested using star-shots and radiochromic-film (RCF). Using kV imaging, themore » star-shot phantom was aligned to an embedded fiducial and the isocenter was marked on RCF with a pinprick. The couch and gantry stars were performed by irradiating films at every 45° and 30°, respectively. A proton beam with a range and modulation-width of 18 cm was used. A Winston-Lutz test was also performed at the same gantry and couch rotations using a custom jig holding RCF and a tungsten ball placed at isocenter. A 2 cm diameter circular aperture was used for the irradiation. Results: The couch star-shot indicated a minimum tangent circle of 0.6 mm, with a 0.9 mm offset from the manually marked isocenter. The gantry star-shot showed a 0.6 mm minimum tangent circle with a 0.5 mm offset from the pinprick. The Winston Lutz test performed for gantry rotation showed a maximum deviation from center of 0.5 mm. Conclusion: Based on star-shots and Winston-Lutz tests, the proton gantry and 6D couch isocentricity are within 1 mm. In this study, we have shown that the methods commonly utilized for Linac characterization can be applied to proton therapy. This revolutionary proton therapy system possesses excellent agreement between the mechanical and radiation isocenter, providing highly precise treatment.« less

Commissioning and quality assurance for VMAT delivery systems: An efficient time-resolved system using real-time EPID imaging.

PubMed

Zwan, Benjamin J; Barnes, Michael P; Hindmarsh, Jonathan; Lim, Seng B; Lovelock, Dale M; Fuangrod, Todsaporn; O'Connor, Daryl J; Keall, Paul J; Greer, Peter B

2017-08-01

An ideal commissioning and quality assurance (QA) program for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) delivery systems should assess the performance of each individual dynamic component as a function of gantry angle. Procedures within such a program should also be time-efficient, independent of the delivery system and be sensitive to all types of errors. The purpose of this work is to develop a system for automated time-resolved commissioning and QA of VMAT control systems which meets these criteria. The procedures developed within this work rely solely on images obtained, using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) without the presence of a phantom. During the delivery of specially designed VMAT test plans, EPID frames were acquired at 9.5 Hz, using a frame grabber. The set of test plans was developed to individually assess the performance of the dose delivery and multileaf collimator (MLC) control systems under varying levels of delivery complexities. An in-house software tool was developed to automatically extract features from the EPID images and evaluate the following characteristics as a function of gantry angle: dose delivery accuracy, dose rate constancy, beam profile constancy, gantry speed constancy, dynamic MLC positioning accuracy, MLC speed and acceleration constancy, and synchronization between gantry angle, MLC positioning and dose rate. Machine log files were also acquired during each delivery and subsequently compared to information extracted from EPID image frames. The largest difference between measured and planned dose at any gantry angle was 0.8% which correlated with rapid changes in dose rate and gantry speed. For all other test plans, the dose delivered was within 0.25% of the planned dose for all gantry angles. Profile constancy was not found to vary with gantry angle for tests where gantry speed and dose rate were constant, however, for tests with varying dose rate and gantry speed, segments with lower dose rate and higher gantry

SU-E-T-325: The New Evaluation Method of the VMAT Plan Delivery Using Varian DynaLog Files and Modulation Complexity Score (MCS)

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

Tateoka, K; Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, JP; Fujimomo, K

2014-06-01

Purpose: The aim of the study is to evaluate the use of Varian DynaLog files to verify VMAT plans delivery and modulation complexity score (MCS) of VMAT. Methods: Delivery accuracy of machine performance was quantified by multileaf collimator (MLC) position errors, gantry angle errors and fluence delivery accuracy for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). The relationship between machine performance and plan complexity were also investigated using the modulation complexity score (MCS). Plan and Actual MLC positions, gantry angles and delivered fraction of monitor units were extracted from Varian DynaLog files. These factors were taken from the record and verify systemmore » of MLC control file. Planned and delivered beam data were compared to determine leaf position errors and gantry angle errors. Analysis was also performed on planned and actual fluence maps reconstructed from those of the DynaLog files. This analysis was performed for all treatment fractions of 5 prostate VMAT plans. The analysis of DynaLog files have been carried out by in-house programming in Visual C++. Results: The root mean square of leaf position and gantry angle errors were about 0.12 and 0.15, respectively. The Gamma of planned and actual fluence maps at 3%/3 mm criterion was about 99.21. The gamma of the leaf position errors were not directly related to plan complexity as determined by the MCS. Therefore, the gamma of the gantry angle errors were directly related to plan complexity as determined by the MCS. Conclusion: This study shows Varian dynalog files for VMAT plan can be diagnosed delivery errors not possible with phantom based quality assurance. Furthermore, the MCS of VMAT plan can evaluate delivery accuracy for patients receiving of VMAT. Machine performance was found to be directly related to plan complexity but this is not the dominant determinant of delivery accuracy.« less

Technical Note: Confirming the prescribed angle of CT localizer radiographs and c-arm projection acquisitions

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

Szczykutowicz, Timothy P., E-mail: tszczykutowicz@uwhealth.org; Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706

2016-02-15

Purpose: Accurate CT radiograph angle is not usually important in diagnostic CT. However, there are applications in radiation oncology and interventional radiology in which the orientation of the x-ray source and detector with respect to the patient is clinically important. The authors present a method for measuring the accuracy of the tube/detector assembly with respect to the prescribed tube/detector position for CT localizer, fluoroscopic, and general radiograph imaging using diagnostic, mobile, and c-arm based CT systems. Methods: A mathematical expression relating the x-ray projection of two metal BBs is related to gantry angle. Measurement of the BBs at a prescribedmore » gantry (i.e., c-arm) angle can be obtained and using this relation the prescribed versus actual gantry angle compared. No special service mode or proprietary information is required, only access to projection images is required. Projection images are available in CT via CT localizer radiographs and in the interventional setting via fluorography. Results: The technique was demonstrated on two systems, a mobile CT scanner and a diagnostic CT scanner. The results confirmed a known issue with the mobile scanner and accurately described the CT localizer angle of the diagnostic system tested. Conclusions: This method can be used to quantify gantry angle, which is important when projection images are used for procedure guidance, such as in brachytherapy and interventional radiology applications.« less

An isocenter estimation tool for proton gantry alignment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Peter; Hu, Dongming

2017-12-01

A novel tool has been developed to automate the process of locating the isocenter, center of rotation, and sphere of confusion of a proton therapy gantry. The tool uses a Radian laser tracker to estimate how the coordinate frame of the front-end beam-line components changes as the gantry rotates. The coordinate frames serve as an empirical model of gantry flexing. Using this model, the alignment of the front and back-end beam-line components can be chosen to minimize the sphere of confusion, improving the overall beam positioning accuracy of the gantry. This alignment can be performed without the beam active, improving the efficiency of installing new systems at customer sites.

Automated gantry-type stitching system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thrash, Patrick J. (Inventor); Miller, Jeffrey L. (Inventor); Pallas, Kenneth G. (Inventor); Trank, Robert C. (Inventor); Fox, Rhoda (Inventor); Korte, Mike (Inventor); Codos, Richard (Inventor); Korolev, Aleksandr (Inventor); Collan, William (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A stitching system includes a gantry that is movable along a material support table. Mounted to the gantry are a plurality of stitching heads and bobbins. The stitching heads are individually controllable in a z-direction, and the bobbins are individually controllable in the z-direction. Each stitching head is paired with a bobbin. Each pair of stitching heads and the bobbins is controlled synchronously in the z-direction. The stitching system is well-suited for stitching preforms of aircraft wing covers and other preforms having variable thickness and compound, contoured three-dimensional surfaces.

Integrated radiotherapy imaging system (IRIS): design considerations of tumour tracking with linac gantry-mounted diagnostic x-ray systems with flat-panel detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berbeco, Ross I.; Jiang, Steve B.; Sharp, Gregory C.; Chen, George T. Y.; Mostafavi, Hassan; Shirato, Hiroki

2004-01-01

The design of an integrated radiotherapy imaging system (IRIS), consisting of gantry mounted diagnostic (kV) x-ray tubes and fast read-out flat-panel amorphous-silicon detectors, has been studied. The system is meant to be capable of three main functions: radiographs for three-dimensional (3D) patient set-up, cone-beam CT and real-time tumour/marker tracking. The goal of the current study is to determine whether one source/panel pair is sufficient for real-time tumour/marker tracking and, if two are needed, the optimal position of each relative to other components and the isocentre. A single gantry-mounted source/imager pair is certainly capable of the first two of the three functions listed above and may also be useful for the third, if combined with prior knowledge of the target's trajectory. This would be necessary because only motion in two dimensions is visible with a single imager/source system. However, with previously collected information about the trajectory, the third coordinate may be derived from the other two with sufficient accuracy to facilitate tracking. This deduction of the third coordinate can only be made if the 3D tumour/marker trajectory is consistent from fraction to fraction. The feasibility of tumour tracking with one source/imager pair has been theoretically examined here using measured lung marker trajectory data for seven patients from multiple treatment fractions. The patients' selection criteria include minimum mean amplitudes of the tumour motions greater than 1 cm peak-to-peak. The marker trajectory for each patient was modelled using the first fraction data. Then for the rest of the data, marker positions were derived from the imager projections at various gantry angles and compared with the measured tumour positions. Our results show that, due to the three dimensionality and irregular trajectory characteristics of tumour motion, on a fraction-to-fraction basis, a 'monoscopic' system (single source/imager) is inadequate for

Under conditions of large geometric miss, tumor control probability can be higher for static gantry intensity-modulated radiation therapy compared to volume-modulated arc therapy for prostate cancer.

PubMed

Balderson, Michael; Brown, Derek; Johnson, Patricia; Kirkby, Charles

2016-01-01

The purpose of this work was to compare static gantry intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with volume-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in terms of tumor control probability (TCP) under scenarios involving large geometric misses, i.e., those beyond what are accounted for when margin expansion is determined. Using a planning approach typical for these treatments, a linear-quadratic-based model for TCP was used to compare mean TCP values for a population of patients who experiences a geometric miss (i.e., systematic and random shifts of the clinical target volume within the planning target dose distribution). A Monte Carlo approach was used to account for the different biological sensitivities of a population of patients. Interestingly, for errors consisting of coplanar systematic target volume offsets and three-dimensional random offsets, static gantry IMRT appears to offer an advantage over VMAT in that larger shift errors are tolerated for the same mean TCP. For example, under the conditions simulated, erroneous systematic shifts of 15mm directly between or directly into static gantry IMRT fields result in mean TCP values between 96% and 98%, whereas the same errors on VMAT plans result in mean TCP values between 45% and 74%. Random geometric shifts of the target volume were characterized using normal distributions in each Cartesian dimension. When the standard deviations were doubled from those values assumed in the derivation of the treatment margins, our model showed a 7% drop in mean TCP for the static gantry IMRT plans but a 20% drop in TCP for the VMAT plans. Although adding a margin for error to a clinical target volume is perhaps the best approach to account for expected geometric misses, this work suggests that static gantry IMRT may offer a treatment that is more tolerant to geometric miss errors than VMAT. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pilot performance and workload using simulated GPS track angle error displays

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-01-01

The effect on simulated GPS instrument approach performance and workload resulting from the addition of Track Angle Error (TAE) information to cockpit RNAV receiver displays in explicit analog form was studied experimentally (S display formats, 6 pil...

Effectiveness of Variable-Gain Kalman Filter Based on Angle Error Calculated from Acceleration Signals in Lower Limb Angle Measurement with Inertial Sensors

PubMed Central

Watanabe, Takashi

2013-01-01

The wearable sensor system developed by our group, which measured lower limb angles using Kalman-filtering-based method, was suggested to be useful in evaluation of gait function for rehabilitation support. However, it was expected to reduce variations of measurement errors. In this paper, a variable-Kalman-gain method based on angle error that was calculated from acceleration signals was proposed to improve measurement accuracy. The proposed method was tested comparing to fixed-gain Kalman filter and a variable-Kalman-gain method that was based on acceleration magnitude used in previous studies. First, in angle measurement in treadmill walking, the proposed method measured lower limb angles with the highest measurement accuracy and improved significantly foot inclination angle measurement, while it improved slightly shank and thigh inclination angles. The variable-gain method based on acceleration magnitude was not effective for our Kalman filter system. Then, in angle measurement of a rigid body model, it was shown that the proposed method had measurement accuracy similar to or higher than results seen in other studies that used markers of camera-based motion measurement system fixing on a rigid plate together with a sensor or on the sensor directly. The proposed method was found to be effective in angle measurement with inertial sensors. PMID:24282442

Application of advanced shearing techniques to the calibration of autocollimators with small angle generators and investigation of error sources.

PubMed

Yandayan, T; Geckeler, R D; Aksulu, M; Akgoz, S A; Ozgur, B

2016-05-01

The application of advanced error-separating shearing techniques to the precise calibration of autocollimators with Small Angle Generators (SAGs) was carried out for the first time. The experimental realization was achieved using the High Precision Small Angle Generator (HPSAG) of TUBITAK UME under classical dimensional metrology laboratory environmental conditions. The standard uncertainty value of 5 mas (24.2 nrad) reached by classical calibration method was improved to the level of 1.38 mas (6.7 nrad). Shearing techniques, which offer a unique opportunity to separate the errors of devices without recourse to any external standard, were first adapted by Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) to the calibration of autocollimators with angle encoders. It has been demonstrated experimentally in a clean room environment using the primary angle standard of PTB (WMT 220). The application of the technique to a different type of angle measurement system extends the range of the shearing technique further and reveals other advantages. For example, the angular scales of the SAGs are based on linear measurement systems (e.g., capacitive nanosensors for the HPSAG). Therefore, SAGs show different systematic errors when compared to angle encoders. In addition to the error-separation of HPSAG and the autocollimator, detailed investigations on error sources were carried out. Apart from determination of the systematic errors of the capacitive sensor used in the HPSAG, it was also demonstrated that the shearing method enables the unique opportunity to characterize other error sources such as errors due to temperature drift in long term measurements. This proves that the shearing technique is a very powerful method for investigating angle measuring systems, for their improvement, and for specifying precautions to be taken during the measurements.

SU-E-J-172: Bio-Physical Effects of Patients Set-Up Errors According to Whole Breast Irradiation Techniques

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

Lee, S; Suh, T; Park, S

2015-06-15

Purpose: The dose-related effects of patient setup errors on biophysical indices were evaluated for conventional wedge (CW) and field-in-field (FIF) whole breast irradiation techniques. Methods: The treatment plans for 10 patients receiving whole left breast irradiation were retrospectively selected. Radiobiological and physical effects caused by dose variations were evaluated by shifting the isocenters and gantry angles of the treatment plans. Dose-volume histograms of the planning target volume (PTV), heart, and lungs were generated, and conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), tumor control probability (TCP), and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) were determined. Results: For “isocenter shift plan” with posterior direction,more » the D95 of the PTV decreased by approximately 15% and the TCP of the PTV decreased by approximately 50% for the FIF technique and by 40% for the CW; however, the NTCPs of the lungs and heart increased by about 13% and 1%, respectively, for both techniques. Increasing the gantry angle decreased the TCPs of the PTV by 24.4% (CW) and by 34% (FIF). The NTCPs for the two techniques differed by only 3%. In case of CW, the CIs and HIs were much higher than that of the FIF in all cases. It had a significant difference between two techniques (p<0.01). According to our results, however, the FIF had more sensitive response by set up errors rather than CW in bio-physical aspects. Conclusions: The radiobiological-based analysis can detect significant dosimetric errors then, can provide a practical patient quality assurance method to guide the radiobiological and physical effects.« less

A novel method to correct for pitch and yaw patient setup errors in helical tomotherapy.

PubMed

Boswell, Sarah A; Jeraj, Robert; Ruchala, Kenneth J; Olivera, Gustavo H; Jaradat, Hazim A; James, Joshua A; Gutierrez, Alonso; Pearson, Dave; Frank, Gary; Mackie, T Rock

2005-06-01

An accurate means of determining and correcting for daily patient setup errors is important to the cancer outcome in radiotherapy. While many tools have been developed to detect setup errors, difficulty may arise in accurately adjusting the patient to account for the rotational error components. A novel, automated method to correct for rotational patient setup errors in helical tomotherapy is proposed for a treatment couch that is restricted to motion along translational axes. In tomotherapy, only a narrow superior/inferior section of the target receives a dose at any instant, thus rotations in the sagittal and coronal planes may be approximately corrected for by very slow continuous couch motion in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. Results from proof-of-principle tests indicate that the method improves the accuracy of treatment delivery, especially for long and narrow targets. Rotational corrections about an axis perpendicular to the transverse plane continue to be implemented easily in tomotherapy by adjustment of the initial gantry angle.

Error analysis of speed of sound reconstruction in ultrasound limited angle transmission tomography.

PubMed

Jintamethasawat, Rungroj; Lee, Won-Mean; Carson, Paul L; Hooi, Fong Ming; Fowlkes, J Brian; Goodsitt, Mitchell M; Sampson, Richard; Wenisch, Thomas F; Wei, Siyuan; Zhou, Jian; Chakrabarti, Chaitali; Kripfgans, Oliver D

2018-04-07

We have investigated limited angle transmission tomography to estimate speed of sound (SOS) distributions for breast cancer detection. That requires both accurate delineations of major tissues, in this case by segmentation of prior B-mode images, and calibration of the relative positions of the opposed transducers. Experimental sensitivity evaluation of the reconstructions with respect to segmentation and calibration errors is difficult with our current system. Therefore, parametric studies of SOS errors in our bent-ray reconstructions were simulated. They included mis-segmentation of an object of interest or a nearby object, and miscalibration of relative transducer positions in 3D. Close correspondence of reconstruction accuracy was verified in the simplest case, a cylindrical object in homogeneous background with induced segmentation and calibration inaccuracies. Simulated mis-segmentation in object size and lateral location produced maximum SOS errors of 6.3% within 10 mm diameter change and 9.1% within 5 mm shift, respectively. Modest errors in assumed transducer separation produced the maximum SOS error from miscalibrations (57.3% within 5 mm shift), still, correction of this type of error can easily be achieved in the clinic. This study should aid in designing adequate transducer mounts and calibration procedures, and in specification of B-mode image quality and segmentation algorithms for limited angle transmission tomography relying on ray tracing algorithms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SU-E-I-56: Scan Angle Reduction for a Limited-Angle Intrafraction Verification (LIVE) System

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

Ren, L; Zhang, Y; Yin, F

Purpose: To develop a novel adaptive reconstruction strategy to further reduce the scanning angle required by the limited-angle intrafraction verification (LIVE) system for intrafraction verification. Methods: LIVE acquires limited angle MV projections from the exit fluence of the arc treatment beam or during gantry rotation between static beams. Orthogonal limited-angle kV projections are also acquired simultaneously to provide additional information. LIVE considers the on-board 4D-CBCT images as a deformation of the prior 4D-CT images, and solves the deformation field based on deformation models and data fidelity constraint. LIVE reaches a checkpoint after a limited-angle scan, and reconstructs 4D-CBCT for intrafractionmore » verification at the checkpoint. In adaptive reconstruction strategy, a larger scanning angle of 30° is used for the first checkpoint, and smaller scanning angles of 15° are used for subsequent checkpoints. The onboard images reconstructed at the previous adjacent checkpoint are used as the prior images for reconstruction at the current checkpoint. As the algorithm only needs to reconstruct the small deformation occurred between adjacent checkpoints, projections from a smaller scan angle provide enough information for the reconstruction. XCAT was used to simulate tumor motion baseline drift of 2mm along sup-inf direction at every subsequent checkpoint, which are 15° apart. Adaptive reconstruction strategy was used to reconstruct the images at each checkpoint using orthogonal 15° kV and MV projections. Results: Results showed that LIVE reconstructed the tumor volumes accurately using orthogonal 15° kV-MV projections. Volume percentage differences (VPDs) were within 5% and center of mass shifts (COMS) were within 1mm for reconstruction at all checkpoints. Conclusion: It's feasible to use an adaptive reconstruction strategy to further reduce the scan angle needed by LIVE to allow faster and more frequent intrafraction verification to

SU-E-T-392: Evaluation of Ion Chamber/film and Log File Based QA to Detect Delivery Errors

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

Nelson, C; Mason, B; Kirsner, S

2015-06-15

Purpose: Ion chamber and film (ICAF) is a method used to verify patient dose prior to treatment. More recently, log file based QA has been shown as an alternative for measurement based QA. In this study, we delivered VMAT plans with and without errors to determine if ICAF and/or log file based QA was able to detect the errors. Methods: Using two VMAT patients, the original treatment plan plus 7 additional plans with delivery errors introduced were generated and delivered. The erroneous plans had gantry, collimator, MLC, gantry and collimator, collimator and MLC, MLC and gantry, and gantry, collimator, andmore » MLC errors. The gantry and collimator errors were off by 4{sup 0} for one of the two arcs. The MLC error introduced was one in which the opening aperture didn’t move throughout the delivery of the field. For each delivery, an ICAF measurement was made as well as a dose comparison based upon log files. Passing criteria to evaluate the plans were ion chamber less and 5% and film 90% of pixels pass the 3mm/3% gamma analysis(GA). For log file analysis 90% of voxels pass the 3mm/3% 3D GA and beam parameters match what was in the plan. Results: Two original plans were delivered and passed both ICAF and log file base QA. Both ICAF and log file QA met the dosimetry criteria on 4 of the 12 erroneous cases analyzed (2 cases were not analyzed). For the log file analysis, all 12 erroneous plans alerted a mismatch in delivery versus what was planned. The 8 plans that didn’t meet criteria all had MLC errors. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that log file based pre-treatment QA was able to detect small errors that may not be detected using an ICAF and both methods of were able to detect larger delivery errors.« less

Design of Conduction-cooled HTS Coils for a Rotating Gantry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takayama, Shigeki; Koyanagi, Kei; Yamaguchi, Akiko; Tasaki, Kenji; Kurusu, Tsutomu; Ishii, Yusuke; Amemiya, Naoyuki; Ogitsu, Toru; Noda, Koji

Carbon ion cancer therapy is becoming more widespread due to its high curative effects and low burden on patients. Carbon ions are delivered to patients through electromagnets on a rotating gantry.A rotating gantry is attractive because it allows carbon ions to irradiate a tumor from any direction without changing the posture of the patient. On the other hand, because of the high magnetic rigidity of carbon ions, the weight of a rotating gantry for carbon cancer therapy is about three times higher than one for proton cancer therapy, according to our estimation. The use of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets has been considered for reducing the size of the rotating gantry for carbon cancer therapy. The target weight is 200 t or less,which is equivalent to the weight of a typical rotating gantry for proton cancer therapy.In this study, the magnet layout of the rotating gantry and the superconducting magnets were designed from the viewpoint of beam optics.When applying high-temperature superconductors to accelerator magnets, there are some issues that should be considered, for example, the influence of tape magnetization and manufacturing accuracy on the field quality, the thermal stability of the conduction-cooled HTS coils under an alternating magnetic field, and methods to protect the coils from thermal runaway caused by an anomalous thermal input such as that due to beam loss. First, the thermal stability of the conduction-cooled HTS coils was simulated numerically, and the thermal runaway current was calculated in a static situation.

MO-FG-303-04: A Smartphone Application for Automated Mechanical Quality Assurance of Medical Accelerators

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

Kim, H; Lee, H; Choi, K

Purpose: The mechanical quality assurance (QA) of medical accelerators consists of a time consuming series of procedures. Since most of the procedures are done manually – e.g., checking gantry rotation angle with the naked eye using a level attached to the gantry –, it is considered to be a process with high potential for human errors. To remove the possibilities of human errors and reduce the procedure duration, we developed a smartphone application for automated mechanical QA. Methods: The preparation for the automated process was done by attaching a smartphone to the gantry facing upward. For the assessments of gantrymore » and collimator angle indications, motion sensors (gyroscope, accelerator, and magnetic field sensor) embedded in the smartphone were used. For the assessments of jaw position indicator, cross-hair centering, and optical distance indicator (ODI), an optical-image processing module using a picture taken by the high-resolution camera embedded in the smartphone was implemented. The application was developed with the Android software development kit (SDK) and OpenCV library. Results: The system accuracies in terms of angle detection error and length detection error were < 0.1° and < 1 mm, respectively. The mean absolute error for gantry and collimator rotation angles were 0.03° and 0.041°, respectively. The mean absolute error for the measured light field size was 0.067 cm. Conclusion: The automated system we developed can be used for the mechanical QA of medical accelerators with proven accuracy. For more convenient use of this application, the wireless communication module is under development. This system has a strong potential for the automation of the other QA procedures such as light/radiation field coincidence and couch translation/rotations.« less

A Swiss cheese error detection method for real-time EPID-based quality assurance and error prevention.

PubMed

Passarge, Michelle; Fix, Michael K; Manser, Peter; Stampanoni, Marco F M; Siebers, Jeffrey V

2017-04-01

To develop a robust and efficient process that detects relevant dose errors (dose errors of ≥5%) in external beam radiation therapy and directly indicates the origin of the error. The process is illustrated in the context of electronic portal imaging device (EPID)-based angle-resolved volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) quality assurance (QA), particularly as would be implemented in a real-time monitoring program. A Swiss cheese error detection (SCED) method was created as a paradigm for a cine EPID-based during-treatment QA. For VMAT, the method compares a treatment plan-based reference set of EPID images with images acquired over each 2° gantry angle interval. The process utilizes a sequence of independent consecutively executed error detection tests: an aperture check that verifies in-field radiation delivery and ensures no out-of-field radiation; output normalization checks at two different stages; global image alignment check to examine if rotation, scaling, and translation are within tolerances; pixel intensity check containing the standard gamma evaluation (3%, 3 mm) and pixel intensity deviation checks including and excluding high dose gradient regions. Tolerances for each check were determined. To test the SCED method, 12 different types of errors were selected to modify the original plan. A series of angle-resolved predicted EPID images were artificially generated for each test case, resulting in a sequence of precalculated frames for each modified treatment plan. The SCED method was applied multiple times for each test case to assess the ability to detect introduced plan variations. To compare the performance of the SCED process with that of a standard gamma analysis, both error detection methods were applied to the generated test cases with realistic noise variations. Averaged over ten test runs, 95.1% of all plan variations that resulted in relevant patient dose errors were detected within 2° and 100% within 14° (<4% of patient dose delivery

Flight Test Results of an Angle of Attack and Angle of Sideslip Calibration Method Using Output-Error Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siu, Marie-Michele; Martos, Borja; Foster, John V.

2013-01-01

As part of a joint partnership between the NASA Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) and the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI), research on advanced air data calibration methods has been in progress. This research was initiated to expand a novel pitot-static calibration method that was developed to allow rapid in-flight calibration for the NASA Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) facility. This approach uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology coupled with modern system identification methods that rapidly computes optimal pressure error models over a range of airspeed with defined confidence bounds. Subscale flight tests demonstrated small 2-s error bounds with significant reduction in test time compared to other methods. Recent UTSI full scale flight tests have shown airspeed calibrations with the same accuracy or better as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accepted GPS 'four-leg' method in a smaller test area and in less time. The current research was motivated by the desire to extend this method for inflight calibration of angle of attack (AOA) and angle of sideslip (AOS) flow vanes. An instrumented Piper Saratoga research aircraft from the UTSI was used to collect the flight test data and evaluate flight test maneuvers. Results showed that the output-error approach produces good results for flow vane calibration. In addition, maneuvers for pitot-static and flow vane calibration can be integrated to enable simultaneous and efficient testing of each system.

Quantitative evaluation of statistical errors in small-angle X-ray scattering measurements

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

Sedlak, Steffen M.; Bruetzel, Linda K.; Lipfert, Jan

A new model is proposed for the measurement errors incurred in typical small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments, which takes into account the setup geometry and physics of the measurement process. The model accurately captures the experimentally determined errors from a large range of synchrotron and in-house anode-based measurements. Its most general formulation gives for the variance of the buffer-subtracted SAXS intensity σ 2(q) = [I(q) + const.]/(kq), whereI(q) is the scattering intensity as a function of the momentum transferq;kand const. are fitting parameters that are characteristic of the experimental setup. The model gives a concrete procedure for calculating realistic measurementmore » errors for simulated SAXS profiles. In addition, the results provide guidelines for optimizing SAXS measurements, which are in line with established procedures for SAXS experiments, and enable a quantitative evaluation of measurement errors.« less

Do Bat Gantries and Underpasses Help Bats Cross Roads Safely?

PubMed Central

Berthinussen, Anna; Altringham, John

2012-01-01

Major roads can reduce bat abundance and diversity over considerable distances. To mitigate against these effects and comply with environmental law, many European countries install bridges, gantries or underpasses to make roads permeable and safer to cross. However, through lack of appropriate monitoring, there is little evidence to support their effectiveness. Three underpasses and four bat gantries were investigated in northern England. Echolocation call recordings and observations were used to determine the number of bats using underpasses in preference to crossing the road above, and the height at which bats crossed. At gantries, proximity to the gantry and height of crossing bats were measured. Data were compared to those from adjacent, severed commuting routes that had no crossing structure. At one underpass 96% of bats flew through it in preference to crossing the road. This underpass was located on a pre-construction commuting route that allowed bats to pass without changing flight height or direction. At two underpasses attempts to divert bats from their original commuting routes were unsuccessful and bats crossed the road at the height of passing vehicles. Underpasses have the potential to allow bats to cross roads safely if built on pre-construction commuting routes. Bat gantries were ineffective and used by a very small proportion of bats, even up to nine years after construction. Most bats near gantries crossed roads along severed, pre-construction commuting routes at heights that put them in the path of vehicles. Crossing height was strongly correlated with verge height, suggesting that elevated verges may have some value in mitigation, but increased flight height may be at the cost of reduced permeability. Green bridges should be explored as an alternative form of mitigation. Robust monitoring is essential to assess objectively the case for mitigation and to ensure effective mitigation. PMID:22719941

The deficit of joint position sense in the chronic unstable ankle as measured by inversion angle replication error.

PubMed

Nakasa, Tomoyuki; Fukuhara, Kohei; Adachi, Nobuo; Ochi, Mitsuo

2008-05-01

Functional instability is defined as a repeated ankle inversion sprain and a giving way sensation. Previous studies have described the damage of sensori-motor control in ankle sprain as being a possible cause of functional instability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inversion angle replication errors in patients with functional instability after ankle sprain. The difference between the index angle and replication angle was measured in 12 subjects with functional instability, with the aim of evaluating the replication error. As a control group, the replication errors of 17 healthy volunteers were investigated. The side-to-side differences of the replication errors were compared between both the groups, and the relationship between the side-to-side differences of the replication errors and the mechanical instability were statistically analyzed in the unstable group. The side-to-side difference of the replication errors was 1.0 +/- 0.7 degrees in the unstable group and 0.2 +/- 0.7 degrees in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference between both the groups. The side-to-side differences of the replication errors in the unstable group did not statistically correlate to the anterior talar translation and talar tilt. The patients with functional instability had the deficit of joint position sense in comparison with healthy volunteers. The replication error did not correlate to the mechanical instability. The patients with functional instability should be treated appropriately in spite of having less mechanical instability.

A novel method for routine quality assurance of volumetric-modulated arc therapy.

PubMed

Wang, Qingxin; Dai, Jianrong; Zhang, Ke

2013-10-01

Volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is delivered through synchronized variation of gantry angle, dose rate, and multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf positions. The delivery dynamic nature challenges the parameter setting accuracy of linac control system. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel method for routine quality assurance (QA) of VMAT linacs. ArcCheck is a detector array with diodes distributing in spiral pattern on cylindrical surface. Utilizing its features, a QA plan was designed to strictly test all varying parameters during VMAT delivery on an Elekta Synergy linac. In this plan, there are 24 control points. The gantry rotates clockwise from 181° to 179°. The dose rate, gantry speed, and MLC positions cover their ranges commonly used in clinic. The two borders of MLC-shaped field seat over two columns of diodes of ArcCheck when the gantry rotates to the angle specified by each control point. The ratio of dose rate between each of these diodes and the diode closest to the field center is a certain value and sensitive to the MLC positioning error of the leaf crossing the diode. Consequently, the positioning error can be determined by the ratio with the help of a relationship curve. The time when the gantry reaches the angle specified by each control point can be acquired from the virtual inclinometer that is a feature of ArcCheck. The gantry speed between two consecutive control points is then calculated. The aforementioned dose rate is calculated from an acm file that is generated during ArcCheck measurements. This file stores the data measured by each detector in 50 ms updates with each update in a separate row. A computer program was written in MATLAB language to process the data. The program output included MLC positioning errors and the dose rate at each control point as well as the gantry speed between control points. To evaluate this method, this plan was delivered for four consecutive weeks. The actual dose rate and gantry speed were

The Use of Analog Track Angle Error Display for Improving Simulated GPS Approach Performance

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-08-01

The effect of adding track angle error (TAE) information to general aviation aircraft cockpit displays used for GPS : nonprecision instrument approaches was studied experimentally. Six pilots flew 120 approaches in a Frasca 242 light : twin aircraft ...

GPS measurement error gives rise to spurious 180 degree turning angles and strong directional biases in animal movement data.

PubMed

Hurford, Amy

2009-05-20

Movement data are frequently collected using Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, but recorded GPS locations are subject to errors. While past studies have suggested methods to improve location accuracy, mechanistic movement models utilize distributions of turning angles and directional biases and these data present a new challenge in recognizing and reducing the effect of measurement error. I collected locations from a stationary GPS collar, analyzed a probabilistic model and used Monte Carlo simulations to understand how measurement error affects measured turning angles and directional biases. Results from each of the three methods were in complete agreement: measurement error gives rise to a systematic bias where a stationary animal is most likely to be measured as turning 180 degrees or moving towards a fixed point in space. These spurious effects occur in GPS data when the measured distance between locations is <20 meters. Measurement error must be considered as a possible cause of 180 degree turning angles in GPS data. Consequences of failing to account for measurement error are predicting overly tortuous movement, numerous returns to previously visited locations, inaccurately predicting species range, core areas, and the frequency of crossing linear features. By understanding the effect of GPS measurement error, ecologists are able to disregard false signals to more accurately design conservation plans for endangered wildlife.

A novel constrained H2 optimization algorithm for mechatronics design in flexure-linked biaxial gantry.

PubMed

Ma, Jun; Chen, Si-Lu; Kamaldin, Nazir; Teo, Chek Sing; Tay, Arthur; Mamun, Abdullah Al; Tan, Kok Kiong

2017-11-01

The biaxial gantry is widely used in many industrial processes that require high precision Cartesian motion. The conventional rigid-link version suffers from breaking down of joints if any de-synchronization between the two carriages occurs. To prevent above potential risk, a flexure-linked biaxial gantry is designed to allow a small rotation angle of the cross-arm. Nevertheless, the chattering of control signals and inappropriate design of the flexure joint will possibly induce resonant modes of the end-effector. Thus, in this work, the design requirements in terms of tracking accuracy, biaxial synchronization, and resonant mode suppression are achieved by integrated optimization of the stiffness of flexures and PID controller parameters for a class of point-to-point reference trajectories with same dynamics but different steps. From here, an H 2 optimization problem with defined constraints is formulated, and an efficient iterative solver is proposed by hybridizing direct computation of constrained projection gradient and line search of optimal step. Comparative experimental results obtained on the testbed are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel beam optics concept in a particle therapy gantry utilizing the advantages of superconducting magnets.

PubMed

Gerbershagen, Alexander; Meer, David; Schippers, Jacobus Maarten; Seidel, Mike

2016-09-01

A first order design of the beam optics of a superconducting proton therapy gantry beam is presented. The possibilities of superconducting magnets with respect to the beam optics such as strong fields, large apertures and superposition of different multipole fields have been exploited for novel concepts in a gantry. Since various techniques used in existing gantries have been used in our first design steps, some examples of the existing superconducting gantry designs are described and the necessary requirements of such a gantry are explained. The study of a gantry beam optics design is based on superconducting combined function magnets. The simulations have been performed in first order with the conventional beam transport codes. The superposition of strong dipole and quadrupole fields generated by superconducting magnets enables the introduction of locally achromatic bending sections without increasing the gantry size. A rigorous implementation of such beam optics concepts into the proposed gantry design dramatically increases the momentum acceptance compared to gantries with normal conducting magnets. In our design this large acceptance has been exploited by the implementation of a degrader within the gantry and a potential possibility to use the same magnetic field for all energies used in a treatment, so that the superconducting magnets do not have to vary their fields during a treatment. This also enables very fast beam energy changes, which is beneficial for spreading the Bragg peak over the thickness of the tumor. The results show an improvement of its momentum acceptance. Large momentum acceptance in the gantry creates a possibility to implement faster dose application techniques. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Evaluating the four-dimensional cone beam computed tomography with varying gantry rotation speed

PubMed Central

Maria Das, K J; Mohamed Ali, Shajahan; Agarwal, Arpita; Mishra, Surendra P; Kumar, Shaleen

2016-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the four-dimensional cone beam CT (4DCBCT) imaging with different gantry rotation speed. Methods: All the 4DCBCT image acquisitions were carried out in Elekta XVI Symmetry™ system (Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden). A dynamic thorax phantom with tumour mimicking inserts of diameter 1, 2 and 3 cm was programmed to simulate the respiratory motion (4 s) of the target. 4DCBCT images were acquired with different gantry rotation speeds (36°, 50°, 75°, 100°, 150° and 200° min−1). Owing to the technical limitation of 4DCBCT system, average cone beam CT (CBCT) images derived from the 10 phases of 4DCBCT were used for the internal target volume (ITV) contouring. ITVs obtained from average CBCT were compared with the four-dimensional CT (4DCT). In addition, the image quality of 4DCBCT was also evaluated for various gantry rotation speeds using Catphan® 600 (The Phantom Laboratory Inc., Salem, NY). Results: Compared to 4DCT, the average CBCT underestimated the ITV. The ITV deviation increased with increasing gantry speed (−10.8% vs −17.8% for 36° and 200° min−1 in 3-cm target) and decreasing target size (−17.8% vs −26.8% for target diameter 3 and 1 cm in 200° min−1). Similarly, the image quality indicators such as spatial resolution, contrast-to-noise ratio and uniformity also degraded with increasing gantry rotation speed. Conclusion: The impact of gantry rotation speed has to be considered when using 4DCBCT for ITV definition. The phantom study demonstrated that 4DCBCT with slow gantry rotation showed better image quality and less ITV deviation. Advances in knowledge: Usually, the gantry rotation period of Elekta 4DCBCT system is kept constant at 4 min (50° min−1) for acquisition, and any attempt of decreasing/increasing the acquisition duration requires careful investigation. In this study, the 4DCBCT images with different gantry rotation speed were evaluated. PMID:26916281

SU-F-T-384: Step and Shoot IMRT, VMAT and Autoplan VMAT Nasopharnyx Plan Robustness to Linear Accelerator Delivery Errors

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

Pogson, EM; Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres, Liverpool, NSW; Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, NSW

Purpose: To identify the robustness of different treatment techniques in respect to simulated linac errors on the dose distribution to the target volume and organs at risk for step and shoot IMRT (ssIMRT), VMAT and Autoplan generated VMAT nasopharynx plans. Methods: A nasopharynx patient dataset was retrospectively replanned with three different techniques: 7 beam ssIMRT, one arc manual generated VMAT and one arc automatically generated VMAT. Treatment simulated uncertainties: gantry, collimator, MLC field size and MLC shifts, were introduced into these plans at increments of 5,2,1,−1,−2 and −5 (degrees or mm) and recalculated in Pinnacle. The mean and maximum dosesmore » were calculated for the high dose PTV, parotids, brainstem, and spinal cord and then compared to the original baseline plan. Results: Simulated gantry angle errors have <1% effect on the PTV, ssIMRT is most sensitive. The small collimator errors (±1 and ±2 degrees) impacted the mean PTV dose by <2% for all techniques, however for the ±5 degree errors mean target varied by up to 7% for the Autoplan VMAT and 10% for the max dose to the spinal cord and brain stem, seen in all techniques. The simulated MLC shifts introduced the largest errors for the Autoplan VMAT, with the larger MLC modulation presumably being the cause. The most critical error observed, was the MLC field size error, where even small errors of 1 mm, caused significant changes to both the PTV and the OAR. The ssIMRT is the least sensitive and the Autoplan the most sensitive, with target errors of up to 20% over and under dosages observed. Conclusion: For a nasopharynx patient the plan robustness observed is highest for the ssIMRT plan and lowest for the Autoplan generated VMAT plan. This could be caused by the more complex MLC modulation seen for the VMAT plans. This project is supported by a grant from NSW Cancer Council.« less

Bounding the error on bottom estimation for multi-angle swath bathymetry sonar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mullins, Geoff K.; Bird, John S.

2005-04-01

With the recent introduction of multi-angle swath bathymetry (MASB) sonar to the commercial marketplace (e.g., Benthos Inc., C3D sonar, 2004), additions must be made to the current sonar lexicon. The correct interpretation of measurements made with MASB sonar, which uses filled transducer arrays to compute angle-of-arrival information (AOA) from backscattered signal, is essential not only for mapping, but for applications such as statistical bottom classification. In this paper it is shown that aside from uncorrelated channel to channel noise, there exists a tradeoff between effects that govern the error bounds on bottom estimation for surfaces having shallow grazing angle and surfaces distributed along a radial arc centered at the transducer. In the first case, as the bottom aligns with the radial direction to the receiver, footprint shift and shallow grazing angle effects dominate the uncertainty in physical bottom position (surface aligns along a single AOA). Alternatively, if signal from a radial arc arrives, a single AOA is usually estimated (not necessarily at the average location of the surface). Through theoretical treatment, simulation, and field measurements, the aforementioned factors affecting MASB bottom mapping are examined. [Work supported by NSERC.

SU-F-T-230: A Simple Method to Assess Accuracy of Dynamic Wave Arc Irradiation Using An Electronic Portal Imaging Device and Log Files

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

Hirashima, H; Miyabe, Y; Yokota, K

2016-06-15

Purpose: The Dynamic Wave Arc (DWA) technique, where the multi-leaf collimator (MLC) and gantry/ring move simultaneously in a predefined non-coplanar trajectory, has been developed on the Vero4DRT. The aim of this study is to develop a simple method for quality assurance of DWA delivery using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) measurements and log files analysis. Methods: The Vero4DRT has an EPID on the beam axis, the resolution of which is 0.18 mm/pixel at the isocenter plane. EPID images were acquired automatically. To verify the detection accuracy of the MLC position by EPID images, the MLC position with intentional errorsmore » was assessed. Tests were designed considering three factors: (1) accuracy of the MLC position (2) dose output consistency with variable dose rate (160–400 MU/min), gantry speed (2.4–6°/s), ring speed (0.5–2.5°/s), and (3) MLC speed (1.6–4.2 cm/s). All the patterns were delivered to the EPID and compared with those obtained with a stationary radiation beam with a 0° gantry angle. The irradiation log, including the MLC position and gantry/ring angle, were recorded simultaneously. To perform independent checks of the machine accuracy, the MLC position and gantry/ring angle position were assessed using log files. Results: 0.1 mm intentional error can be detected by the EPID, which is smaller than the EPID pixel size. The dose outputs with different conditions of the dose rate and gantry/ring speed and MLC speed showed good agreement, with a root mean square (RMS) error of 0.76%. The RMS error between the detected and recorded data were 0.1 mm for the MLC position, 0.12° for the gantry angle, and 0.07° for the ring angle. Conclusion: The MLC position and dose outputs in variable conditions during DWA irradiation can be easily detected using EPID measurements and log file analysis. The proposed method is useful for routine verification. This research is (partially) supported by the Practical Research for Innovative

Image acquisition optimization of a limited-angle intrafraction verification (LIVE) system for lung radiotherapy.

PubMed

Zhang, Yawei; Deng, Xinchen; Yin, Fang-Fang; Ren, Lei

2018-01-01

Limited-angle intrafraction verification (LIVE) has been previously developed for four-dimensional (4D) intrafraction target verification either during arc delivery or between three-dimensional (3D)/IMRT beams. Preliminary studies showed that LIVE can accurately estimate the target volume using kV/MV projections acquired over orthogonal view 30° scan angles. Currently, the LIVE imaging acquisition requires slow gantry rotation and is not clinically optimized. The goal of this study is to optimize the image acquisition parameters of LIVE for different patient respiratory periods and gantry rotation speeds for the effective clinical implementation of the system. Limited-angle intrafraction verification imaging acquisition was optimized using a digital anthropomorphic phantom (XCAT) with simulated respiratory periods varying from 3 s to 6 s and gantry rotation speeds varying from 1°/s to 6°/s. LIVE scanning time was optimized by minimizing the number of respiratory cycles needed for the four-dimensional scan, and imaging dose was optimized by minimizing the number of kV and MV projections needed for four-dimensional estimation. The estimation accuracy was evaluated by calculating both the center-of-mass-shift (COMS) and three-dimensional volume-percentage-difference (VPD) between the tumor in estimated images and the ground truth images. The robustness of LIVE was evaluated with varied respiratory patterns, tumor sizes, and tumor locations in XCAT simulation. A dynamic thoracic phantom (CIRS) was used to further validate the optimized imaging schemes from XCAT study with changes of respiratory patterns, tumor sizes, and imaging scanning directions. Respiratory periods, gantry rotation speeds, number of respiratory cycles scanned and number of kV/MV projections acquired were all positively correlated with the estimation accuracy of LIVE. Faster gantry rotation speed or longer respiratory period allowed less respiratory cycles to be scanned and less kV/MV projections

Dosimetric effects of patient rotational setup errors on prostate IMRT treatments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Weihua; Yang, Yong; Li, Xiang; Heron, Dwight E.; Saiful Huq, M.; Yue, Ning J.

2006-10-01

The purpose of this work is to determine dose delivery errors that could result from systematic rotational setup errors (ΔΦ) for prostate cancer patients treated with three-phase sequential boost IMRT. In order to implement this, different rotational setup errors around three Cartesian axes were simulated for five prostate patients and dosimetric indices, such as dose-volume histogram (DVH), tumour control probability (TCP), normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) and equivalent uniform dose (EUD), were employed to evaluate the corresponding dosimetric influences. Rotational setup errors were simulated by adjusting the gantry, collimator and horizontal couch angles of treatment beams and the dosimetric effects were evaluated by recomputing the dose distributions in the treatment planning system. Our results indicated that, for prostate cancer treatment with the three-phase sequential boost IMRT technique, the rotational setup errors do not have significant dosimetric impacts on the cumulative plan. Even in the worst-case scenario with ΔΦ = 3°, the prostate EUD varied within 1.5% and TCP decreased about 1%. For seminal vesicle, slightly larger influences were observed. However, EUD and TCP changes were still within 2%. The influence on sensitive structures, such as rectum and bladder, is also negligible. This study demonstrates that the rotational setup error degrades the dosimetric coverage of target volume in prostate cancer treatment to a certain degree. However, the degradation was not significant for the three-phase sequential boost prostate IMRT technique and for the margin sizes used in our institution.

Quantitative evaluation of patient-specific quality assurance using online dosimetry system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Jae-Yong; Shin, Young-Ju; Sohn, Seung-Chang; Min, Jung-Whan; Kim, Yon-Lae; Kim, Dong-Su; Choe, Bo-Young; Suh, Tae-Suk

2018-01-01

In this study, we investigated the clinical performance of an online dosimetry system (Mobius FX system, MFX) by 1) dosimetric plan verification using gamma passing rates and dose volume metrics and 2) error-detection capability evaluation by deliberately introduced machine error. Eighteen volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans were studied. To evaluate the clinical performance of the MFX, we used gamma analysis and dose volume histogram (DVH) analysis. In addition, to evaluate the error-detection capability, we used gamma analysis and DVH analysis utilizing three types of deliberately introduced errors (Type 1: gantry angle-independent multi-leaf collimator (MLC) error, Type 2: gantry angle-dependent MLC error, and Type 3: gantry angle error). A dosimetric verification comparison of physical dosimetry system (Delt4PT) and online dosimetry system (MFX), gamma passing rates of the two dosimetry systems showed very good agreement with treatment planning system (TPS) calculation. For the average dose difference between the TPS calculation and the MFX measurement, most of the dose metrics showed good agreement within a tolerance of 3%. For the error-detection comparison of Delta4PT and MFX, the gamma passing rates of the two dosimetry systems did not meet the 90% acceptance criterion with the magnitude of error exceeding 2 mm and 1.5 ◦, respectively, for error plans of Types 1, 2, and 3. For delivery with all error types, the average dose difference of PTV due to error magnitude showed good agreement between calculated TPS and measured MFX within 1%. Overall, the results of the online dosimetry system showed very good agreement with those of the physical dosimetry system. Our results suggest that a log file-based online dosimetry system is a very suitable verification tool for accurate and efficient clinical routines for patient-specific quality assurance (QA).

A novel technique for VMAT QA with EPID in cine mode on a Varian TrueBeam linac

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bo; Adamson, Justus; Rodrigues, Anna; Zhou, Fugen; Yin, Fang-fang; Wu, Qiuwen

2013-10-01

Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is a relatively new treatment modality for dynamic photon radiation therapy. Pre-treatment quality assurance (QA) is necessary and many efforts have been made to apply electronic portal imaging device (EPID)-based IMRT QA methods to VMAT. It is important to verify the gantry rotation speed during delivery as this is a new variable that is also modulated in VMAT. In this paper, we present a new technique to perform VMAT QA using an EPID. The method utilizes EPID cine mode and was tested on Varian TrueBeam in research mode. The cine images were acquired during delivery and converted to dose matrices after profile correction and dose calibration. A sub-arc corresponding to each cine image was extracted from the original plan and its portal image prediction was calculated. Several analyses were performed including 3D γ analysis (2D images + gantry angle axis), 2D γ analysis, and other statistical analyses. The method was applied to 21 VMAT photon plans of 3 photon energies. The accuracy of the cine image information was investigated. Furthermore, this method's sensitivity to machine delivery errors was studied. The pass rate (92.8 ± 1.4%) for 3D γ analysis was comparable to those from Delta4 system (99.9 ± 0.1%) under similar criteria (3%, 3 mm, 5% threshold and 2° angle to agreement) at 6 MV. The recorded gantry angle and start/stop MUs were found to have sufficient accuracy for clinical QA. Machine delivery errors can be detected through combined analyses of 3D γ, gantry angle, and percentage dose difference. In summary, we have developed and validated a QA technique that can simultaneously verify the gantry angle and delivered MLC fluence for VMAT treatment.This technique is efficient and its accuracy is comparable to other QA methods.

High gantry for lifting and handling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerley, J. J., Jr.; Tereniak, W. T.

1977-01-01

Standard gantry has been inexpensively modified with standard pipes to allow lifting of heavy loads to distances between 14 and 30 ft. Addition of air mounts permits extensive and sensitive equipment to be moved smoothly and safely over smooth or moderately rough surfaces. Unit has been tested at 6000 pounds without yielding.

Characterisation of residual ionospheric errors in bending angles using GNSS RO end-to-end simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, C. L.; Kirchengast, G.; Zhang, K. F.; Norman, R.; Li, Y.; Zhang, S. C.; Carter, B.; Fritzer, J.; Schwaerz, M.; Choy, S. L.; Wu, S. Q.; Tan, Z. X.

2013-09-01

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) is an innovative meteorological remote sensing technique for measuring atmospheric parameters such as refractivity, temperature, water vapour and pressure for the improvement of numerical weather prediction (NWP) and global climate monitoring (GCM). GNSS RO has many unique characteristics including global coverage, long-term stability of observations, as well as high accuracy and high vertical resolution of the derived atmospheric profiles. One of the main error sources in GNSS RO observations that significantly affect the accuracy of the derived atmospheric parameters in the stratosphere is the ionospheric error. In order to mitigate the effect of this error, the linear ionospheric correction approach for dual-frequency GNSS RO observations is commonly used. However, the residual ionospheric errors (RIEs) can be still significant, especially when large ionospheric disturbances occur and prevail such as during the periods of active space weather. In this study, the RIEs were investigated under different local time, propagation direction and solar activity conditions and their effects on RO bending angles are characterised using end-to-end simulations. A three-step simulation study was designed to investigate the characteristics of the RIEs through comparing the bending angles with and without the effects of the RIEs. This research forms an important step forward in improving the accuracy of the atmospheric profiles derived from the GNSS RO technique.

Design and Test Results of Superconducting Magnet for Heavy-Ion Rotating Gantry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takayama, S.; Koyanagi, K.; Miyazaki, H.; Takami, S.; Orikasa, T.; Ishii, Y.; Kurusu, T.; Iwata, Y.; Noda, K.; Obana, T.; Suzuki, K.; Ogitsu, T.; Amemiya, N.

2017-07-01

Heavy-ion radiotherapy has a high curative effect in cancer treatment and also can reduce the burden on patients. These advantages have been generally recognized. Furthermore, a rotating gantry can irradiate a tumor with ions from any direction without changing the position of the patient. This can reduce the physical dose on normal cells, and is thus commonly used in proton radiotherapy. However, because of the high magnetic rigidity of carbon ions, the weight of the rotating gantry for heavy-ion therapy is about three-times heavier than those used for proton cancer therapy, according to our estimation. To overcome this issue, we developed a small and lightweight rotating gantry in collaboration with the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS). The compact rotating gantry was composed of ten low-temperature superconducting (LTS) magnets that were designed from the viewpoint of beam optics. These LTS magnets have a surface-winding coil-structure and provide both dipole and quadrupole fields. The maximum dipole and quadrupole magnetic field of the magnets were 2.88 T and 9.3 T/m, respectively. The rotating gantry was installed at NIRS, and beam commissioning is in progress to achieve the required beam quality. In the three years since 2013, in a project supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), we have been developing high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets with the aim of a further size reduction of the rotating gantry. To develop fundamental technologies for designing and fabricating HTS magnets, a model magnet was manufactured. The model magnet was composed of 24 saddle-shaped HTS coils and generated a magnetic field of 1.2 T. In the presentation, recent progress in this research will be reported.

Research on carrying capacity of hydrostatic slideway on heavy-duty gantry CNC machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Chao; Guo, Tieneng; Wang, Yijie; Dai, Qin

2017-05-01

Hydrostatic slideway is a key part in the heavy-duty gantry CNC machine, which supports the total weight of the gantry and moves smoothly along the table. Therefore, the oil film between sliding rails plays an important role on the carrying capacity and precision of machine. In this paper, the oil film in no friction is simulated with three-dimensional CFD. The carrying capacity of heavy hydrostatic slideway, pressure and velocity characteristic of the flow field are analyzed. The simulation result is verified through comparing with the experimental data obtained from the heavy-duty gantry machine. For the requirement of engineering, the oil film carrying capacity is analyzed with simplified theoretical method. The precision of the simplified method is evaluated and the effectiveness is verified with the experimental data. The simplified calculation method is provided for designing oil pad on heavy-duty gantry CNC machine hydrostatic slideway.

Application of round grating angle measurement composite error amendment in the online measurement accuracy improvement of large diameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Biao; Yu, Xiaofen; Li, Qinzhao; Zheng, Yu

2008-10-01

The paper aiming at the influence factor of round grating dividing error, rolling-wheel produce eccentricity and surface shape errors provides an amendment method based on rolling-wheel to get the composite error model which includes all influence factors above, and then corrects the non-circle measurement angle error of the rolling-wheel. We make soft simulation verification and have experiment; the result indicates that the composite error amendment method can improve the diameter measurement accuracy with rolling-wheel theory. It has wide application prospect for the measurement accuracy higher than 5 μm/m.

Mitigation of Angle Tracking Errors Due to Color Dependent Centroid Shifts in SIM-Lite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nemati, Bijan; An, Xin; Goullioud, Renaud; Shao, Michael; Shen, Tsae-Pyng; Wehmeier, Udo J.; Weilert, Mark A.; Wang, Xu; Werne, Thomas A.; Wu, Janet P.;

SU-E-T-618: Dosimetric Comparison of Manual and Beam Angle Optimization of Gantry Angles in IMRT for Cervical Cancer

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

Lin, X; Sun, T; Liu, T

2014-06-01

Purpose: To evaluate the dosimetric characteristics of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment plan with beam angle optimization. Methods: Ten post-operation patients with cervical cancer were included in this analysis. Two IMRT plans using seven beams were designed in each patient. A standard coplanar equi-space beam angles were used in the first plan (plan 1), whereas the selection of beam angle was optimized by beam angle optimization algorithm in Varian Eclipse treatment planning system for the same number of beams in the second plan (plan 2). Two plans were designed for each patient with the same dose-volume constraints and prescription dose. Allmore » plans were normalized to the mean dose to PTV. The dose distribution in the target, the dose to the organs at risk and total MU were compared. Results: For conformity and homogeneity in PTV, no statistically differences were observed in the two plans. For the mean dose in bladder, plan 2 were significantly lower than plan 1(p<0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed between two plans for the mean doses in rectum, left and right femur heads. Compared with plan1, the average monitor units reduced 16% in plan 2. Conclusion: The IMRT plan based on beam angle optimization for cervical cancer could reduce the dose delivered to bladder and also reduce MU. Therefore there were some dosimetric advantages in the IMRT plan with beam angle optimization for cervical cancer.« less

Calculation of stochastic broadening due to noise and field errors in the simple map in action-angle coordinates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinton, Courtney; Punjabi, Alkesh; Ali, Halima

2008-11-01

The simple map is the simplest map that has topology of divertor tokamaks [1]. Recently, the action-angle coordinates for simple map are analytically calculated, and simple map is constructed in action-angle coordinates [2]. Action-angle coordinates for simple map can not be inverted to real space coordinates (R,Z). Because there is logarithmic singularity on the ideal separatrix, trajectories can not cross separatrix [2]. Simple map in action-angle coordinates is applied to calculate stochastic broadening due to magnetic noise and field errors. Mode numbers for noise + field errors from the DIII-D tokamak are used. Mode numbers are (m,n)=(3,1), (4,1), (6,2), (7,2), (8,2), (9,3), (10,3), (11,3), (12,3) [3]. The common amplitude δ is varied from 0.8X10-5 to 2.0X10-5. For this noise and field errors, the width of stochastic layer in simple map is calculated. This work is supported by US Department of Energy grants DE-FG02-07ER54937, DE-FG02-01ER54624 and DE-FG02-04ER54793 1. A. Punjabi, H. Ali, T. Evans, and A. Boozer, Phys. Let. A 364, 140--145 (2007). 2. O. Kerwin, A. Punjabi, and H. Ali, to appear in Physics of Plasmas. 3. A. Punjabi and H. Ali, P1.012, 35^th EPS Conference on Plasma Physics, June 9-13, 2008, Hersonissos, Crete, Greece.

SU-E-J-28: Gantry Speed Significantly Affects Image Quality and Imaging Dose for 4D Cone-Beam Computed Tomography On the Varian Edge Platform

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

Santoso, A; Song, K; Gardner, S

Purpose: 4D-CBCT facilitates assessment of tumor motion at treatment position. We investigated the effect of gantry speed on 4D-CBCT image quality and dose using the Varian Edge On-Board Imager (OBI). Methods: A thoracic protocol was designed using a 125 kVp spectrum. Image quality parameters were obtained via 4D acquisition using a Catphan phantom with a gating system. A sinusoidal waveform was executed with a five second period and superior-inferior motion. 4D-CBCT scans were sorted into 4 and 10 phases. Image quality metrics included spatial resolution, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), uniformity index (UI), Hounsfield unit (HU) sensitivity, and RMS error (RMSE) ofmore » motion amplitude. Dosimetry was accomplished using Gafchromic XR-QA2 films within a CIRS Thorax phantom. This was placed on the gating phantom using the same motion waveform. Results: High contrast resolution decreased linearly from 5.93 to 4.18 lp/cm, 6.54 to 4.18 lp/cm, and 5.19 to 3.91 lp/cm for averaged, 4 phase, and 10 phase 4DCBCT volumes respectively as gantry speed increased from 1.0 to 6.0 degs/sec. CNRs decreased linearly from 4.80 to 1.82 as the gantry speed increased from 1.0 to 6.0 degs/sec, respectively. No significant variations in UIs, HU sensitivities, or RMSEs were observed with variable gantry speed. Ion chamber measurements compared to film yielded small percent differences in plastic water regions (0.1–9.6%), larger percent differences in lung equivalent regions (7.5–34.8%), and significantly larger percent differences in bone equivalent regions (119.1–137.3%). Ion chamber measurements decreased from 17.29 to 2.89 cGy with increasing gantry speed from 1.0 to 6.0 degs/sec. Conclusion: Maintaining technique factors while changing gantry speed changes the number of projections used for reconstruction. Increasing the number of projections by decreasing gantry speed decreases noise, however, dose is increased. The future of 4DCBCT’s clinical utility relies on further

Tracking Accuracy of a Real-Time Fiducial Tracking System for Patient Positioning and Monitoring in Radiation Therapy

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

Shchory, Tal; Schifter, Dan; Lichtman, Rinat

Purpose: In radiation therapy there is a need to accurately know the location of the target in real time. A novel radioactive tracking technology has been developed to answer this need. The technology consists of a radioactive implanted fiducial marker designed to minimize migration and a linac mounted tracking device. This study measured the static and dynamic accuracy of the new tracking technology in a clinical radiation therapy environment. Methods and Materials: The tracking device was installed on the linac gantry. The radioactive marker was located in a tissue equivalent phantom. Marker location was measured simultaneously by the radioactive trackingmore » system and by a Microscribe G2 coordinate measuring machine (certified spatial accuracy of 0.38 mm). Localization consistency throughout a volume and absolute accuracy in the Fixed coordinate system were measured at multiple gantry angles over volumes of at least 10 cm in diameter centered at isocenter. Dynamic accuracy was measured with the marker located inside a breathing phantom. Results: The mean consistency for the static source was 0.58 mm throughout the tested region at all measured gantry angles. The mean absolute position error in the Fixed coordinate system for all gantry angles was 0.97 mm. The mean real-time tracking error for the dynamic source within the breathing phantom was less than 1 mm. Conclusions: This novel radioactive tracking technology has the potential to be useful in accurate target localization and real-time monitoring for radiation therapy.« less

Tracking accuracy of a real-time fiducial tracking system for patient positioning and monitoring in radiation therapy.

PubMed

Shchory, Tal; Schifter, Dan; Lichtman, Rinat; Neustadter, David; Corn, Benjamin W

2010-11-15

In radiation therapy there is a need to accurately know the location of the target in real time. A novel radioactive tracking technology has been developed to answer this need. The technology consists of a radioactive implanted fiducial marker designed to minimize migration and a linac mounted tracking device. This study measured the static and dynamic accuracy of the new tracking technology in a clinical radiation therapy environment. The tracking device was installed on the linac gantry. The radioactive marker was located in a tissue equivalent phantom. Marker location was measured simultaneously by the radioactive tracking system and by a Microscribe G2 coordinate measuring machine (certified spatial accuracy of 0.38 mm). Localization consistency throughout a volume and absolute accuracy in the Fixed coordinate system were measured at multiple gantry angles over volumes of at least 10 cm in diameter centered at isocenter. Dynamic accuracy was measured with the marker located inside a breathing phantom. The mean consistency for the static source was 0.58 mm throughout the tested region at all measured gantry angles. The mean absolute position error in the Fixed coordinate system for all gantry angles was 0.97 mm. The mean real-time tracking error for the dynamic source within the breathing phantom was less than 1 mm. This novel radioactive tracking technology has the potential to be useful in accurate target localization and real-time monitoring for radiation therapy. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 68477 - Overhead and Gantry Cranes; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-14

...] Overhead and Gantry Cranes; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of... requirements specified in the Standard on Overhead and Gantry Cranes (29 CFR 1910.179). DATES: Comments must be... information (29 U.S.C. 657). The paperwork provisions of the Standard on Overhead and Gantry Cranes specify...

Evaluation of joint position sense measured by inversion angle replication error in patients with an osteochondral lesion of the talus.

PubMed

Nakasa, Tomoyuki; Adachi, Nobuo; Shibuya, Hayatoshi; Okuhara, Atsushi; Ochi, Mitsuo

2013-01-01

The etiology of the osteochondral lesion of the talar dome (OLT) remains unclear. A joint position sense deficit of the ankle is reported to be a possible cause of ankle disorder. Repeated contact of the articular surface of the talar dome with the plafond during inversion might be a cause of OLT. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the joint position sense deficit by measuring the replication error of the inversion angle in patients with OLT. The replication error, which is the difference between the index angle and replication angle in inversion, was measured in 15 patients with OLT. The replication error in 15 healthy volunteers was evaluated as a control group. The side to side differences of the replication errors between the patients with OLT and healthy volunteers and the replication errors in each angle between the involved and uninvolved ankle in the patients with OLT were investigated. Finally, the side to side differences of the replication errors between the patients with OLT with a traumatic and nontraumatic history were compared. The side to side difference in the patients with OLT (1.3° ± 0.2°) was significantly greater than that in the healthy subjects (0.4° ± 0.7°) (p ≤ .05). Significant differences were found between the involved and uninvolved sides at 10°, 15°, 20°, and 25° in the patients with OLT. No significant difference (p > .05) was found between the patients with traumatic and nontraumatic OLT. The present study found that the patients with OLT have a joint position sense deficit during inversion movement, regardless of a traumatic history. Although various factors for the etiology of OLT have been reported, the joint position sense deficit in inversion might be a cause of OLT. Copyright © 2013 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improving treatment geometries in total skin electron therapy: Experimental investigation of linac angles and floor scatter dose contributions using Cherenkov imaging.

PubMed

Andreozzi, Jacqueline M; Brůža, Petr; Tendler, Irwin I; Mooney, Karen E; Jarvis, Lesley A; Cammin, Jochen; Li, Harold; Pogue, Brian W; Gladstone, David J

2018-06-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the optimal treatment geometry for total skin electron therapy (TSET) using a new optimization metric from Cherenkov image analysis, and to investigate the sensitivity of the Cherenkov imaging method to floor scatter effects in this unique treatment setup. Cherenkov imaging using an intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) was employed to measure the relative surface dose distribution as a 2D image in the total skin electron treatment plane. A 1.2 m × 2.2 m × 1 cm white polyethylene sheet was placed vertically at a source to surface distance (SSD) of 300 cm, and irradiated with 6 MeV high dose rate TSET beams. The linear accelerator coordinate system used stipulates 0° is the bottom of the gantry arc, and progresses counterclockwise so that gantry angle 270° produces a horizontal beam orthogonal to the treatment plane. First, all unique pairs of treatment beams were analyzed to determine the performance of the currently recommended symmetric treatment angles (±20° from the horizontal), compared to treatment geometries unconstrained to upholding gantry angle symmetry. This was performed on two medical linear accelerators (linacs). Second, the extent of the floor scatter contributions to measured surface dose at the extended SSD required for TSET were imaged using three gantry angles of incidence: 270° (horizontal), 253° (-17°), and 240° (-30°). Images of the surface dose profile at each angle were compared to the standard concrete floor when steel plates, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and solid water were placed on the ground at the base of the treatment plane. Postprocessing of these images allowed for comparison of floor material-based scatter profiles with previously published simulation results. Analysis of the symmetric treatment geometry (270 ± 20°) and the identified optimal treatment geometry (270 + 23° and 270 - 17°) showed a 16% increase in the 90% isodose area for the latter field pair on the first

Alternating-gradient canted cosine theta superconducting magnets for future compact proton gantries

DOE PAGES

Wan, Weishi; Brouwer, Lucas; Caspi, Shlomo; ...

2015-10-23

We present a design of superconducting magnets, optimized for application in a gantry for proton therapy. We have introduced a new magnet design concept, called an alternating-gradient canted cosine theta (AG-CCT) concept, which is compatible with an achromatic layout. This layout allows a large momentum acceptance. The 15 cm radius of the bore aperture enables the application of pencil beam scanning in front of the SC-magnet. The optical and dynamic performance of a gantry based on these magnets has been analyzed using the fields derived (via Biot-Savart law) from the actual windings of the AG-CCT combined with the full equationsmore » of motion. The results show that with appropriate higher order correction, a large 3D volume can be rapidly scanned with little beam shape distortion. A very big advantage is that all this can be done while keeping the AG-CCT fields fixed. This reduces the need for fast field ramping of the superconducting magnets between the successive beam energies used for the scanning in depth and it is important for medical application since this reduces the technical risk (e.g., a quench) associated with fast field changes in superconducting magnets. For proton gantries the corresponding superconducting magnet system holds promise of dramatic reduction in weight. For heavier ion gantries there may furthermore be a significant reduction in size.« less

Alternating-gradient canted cosine theta superconducting magnets for future compact proton gantries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Weishi; Brouwer, Lucas; Caspi, Shlomo; Prestemon, Soren; Gerbershagen, Alexander; Schippers, Jacobus Maarten; Robin, David

2015-10-01

We present a design of superconducting magnets, optimized for application in a gantry for proton therapy. We have introduced a new magnet design concept, called an alternating-gradient canted cosine theta (AG-CCT) concept, which is compatible with an achromatic layout. This layout allows a large momentum acceptance. The 15 cm radius of the bore aperture enables the application of pencil beam scanning in front of the SC-magnet. The optical and dynamic performance of a gantry based on these magnets has been analyzed using the fields derived (via Biot-Savart law) from the actual windings of the AG-CCT combined with the full equations of motion. The results show that with appropriate higher order correction, a large 3D volume can be rapidly scanned with little beam shape distortion. A very big advantage is that all this can be done while keeping the AG-CCT fields fixed. This reduces the need for fast field ramping of the superconducting magnets between the successive beam energies used for the scanning in depth and it is important for medical application since this reduces the technical risk (e.g., a quench) associated with fast field changes in superconducting magnets. For proton gantries the corresponding superconducting magnet system holds promise of dramatic reduction in weight. For heavier ion gantries there may furthermore be a significant reduction in size.

WE-G-BRA-04: Common Errors and Deficiencies in Radiation Oncology Practice

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

Kry, S; Dromgoole, L; Alvarez, P

Purpose: Dosimetric errors in radiotherapy dose delivery lead to suboptimal treatments and outcomes. This work reviews the frequency and severity of dosimetric and programmatic errors identified by on-site audits performed by the IROC Houston QA center. Methods: IROC Houston on-site audits evaluate absolute beam calibration, relative dosimetry data compared to the treatment planning system data, and processes such as machine QA. Audits conducted from 2000-present were abstracted for recommendations, including type of recommendation and magnitude of error when applicable. Dosimetric recommendations corresponded to absolute dose errors >3% and relative dosimetry errors >2%. On-site audits of 1020 accelerators at 409 institutionsmore » were reviewed. Results: A total of 1280 recommendations were made (average 3.1/institution). The most common recommendation was for inadequate QA procedures per TG-40 and/or TG-142 (82% of institutions) with the most commonly noted deficiency being x-ray and electron off-axis constancy versus gantry angle. Dosimetrically, the most common errors in relative dosimetry were in small-field output factors (59% of institutions), wedge factors (33% of institutions), off-axis factors (21% of institutions), and photon PDD (18% of institutions). Errors in calibration were also problematic: 20% of institutions had an error in electron beam calibration, 8% had an error in photon beam calibration, and 7% had an error in brachytherapy source calibration. Almost all types of data reviewed included errors up to 7% although 20 institutions had errors in excess of 10%, and 5 had errors in excess of 20%. The frequency of electron calibration errors decreased significantly with time, but all other errors show non-significant changes. Conclusion: There are many common and often serious errors made during the establishment and maintenance of a radiotherapy program that can be identified through independent peer review. Physicists should be cautious

SU-E-T-444: Gravity Effect On Maximum Leaf Speed in Dynamic IMRT Treatments

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

Olasolo, J; Pellejero, S; Gracia, M

Purpose: A leaf sequencing algorithm has been recently developed in our department. Our purpose is to utilize this algorithm to reduce treatment time by studying the feasibility of using several maximum leaf speeds depending on gantry angle and leaf thickness (0.5 or 1 cm at isocenter). To do so, the gravity effect on MLC performance has been examined by means of analysing the dynalog files. Methods: Leaf position errors has been ascertained according to gantry angle and leaf speed in MLC Millenium120 (Varian). In order to do this, the following test has been designed: all leaves move in synchrony, withmore » same speed and 1 cm gap between opposite leaves. This test is implemented for 18 different speeds: 0.25-0.5-0.75-1-1.25-1.5-1.75-2-2.1-2.2-2.3-2.4-2.5-2.6-2.7-2.8-2.9-3.0 cm/s and 8 gantry angles: 0-45-90-135-180-225-270-315. Collimator angle is 2 degrees in all cases since it is the most usual one in IMRT treatments in our department. Dynamic tolerance is 2 mm. Dynalogs files of 10 repetitions of the test are analysed with a Mathlab in-house developed software and RMS error and 95th percentiles are calculated. Varian recommends 2.5 cm/s as the maximum leaf speed for its segmentation algorithm. In our case, we accept this speed in the most restrictive situation: gantry angle 270 and 1 cm leaf thickness. Maximum speeds for the rest of the cases are calculated by keeping the difference between 95th percentile and dynamic tolerance. In this way, beam hold-off probability does not increase. Results: Maximum speeds every 45 degrees of gantry rotation have been calculated for both leaf thickness. These results are 2.9-2.9-2.9-2.9-2.7-2.6-2.6-2.7 cm/s for 0.5 cm leaf thickness and 2.7-2.7-2.7-2.7-2.6-2.5-2.5-2.6 cm/s for 1 cm leaf thickness. Conclusion: Gravity effect on MLC positioning has been studied. Maximum leaf speed according to leaf thickness and gantry angle have been calculated which reduces treatment time.« less

SU-E-T-83: A Study On Evaluating the Directional Dependency of 2D Seven 29 Ion Chamber Array Clinically with Different IMRT Plans

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

Kumar, Syam; Aswathi, C.P.

Purpose: To evaluate the directional dependency of 2D seven 29 ion chamber array clinically with different IMRT plans. Methods: 25 patients already treated with IMRT plans were selected for the study. Verification plans were created for each treatment plan in eclipse 10 treatment planning system using the AAA algorithm with the 2D array and the Octavius CT phantom. Verification plans were done 2 times for a single patient. First plan with real IMRT (plan-related approach) and second plan with zero degree gantry angle (field-related approach). Measurements were performed on a Varian Clinac-iX, linear accelerator equipped with a millennium 120 multileafmore » collimator. Fluence was measured for all the delivered plans and analyzed using the verisoft software. Comparison was done by selecting the fluence delivered in static gantry (zero degree gantry) versus IMRT with real gantry angles. Results: The gamma pass percentage is greater than 97 % for all IMRT delivered with zero gantry angle and between 95%–98% for real gantry angles. Dose difference between the TPS calculated and measured for IMRT delivered with zero gantry angle was found to be between (0.03 to 0.06Gy) and with real gantry angles between (0.02 to 0.05Gy). There is a significant difference between the gamma analysis between the zero degree and true angle with a significance of 0.002. Standard deviation of gamma pass percentage between the IMRT plans with zero gantry angle was 0.68 and for IMRT with true gantry angle was found to be 0.74. Conclusion: The gamma analysis for IMRT with zero degree gantry angles shows higher pass percentage than IMRT delivered with true gantry angles. Verification plans delivered with true gantry angles lower the verification accuracy when 2D array is used for measurement.« less

Measuring Scale Errors in a Laser Tracker’s Horizontal Angle Encoder Through Simple Length Measurement and Two-Face System Tests

PubMed Central

Muralikrishnan, B.; Blackburn, C.; Sawyer, D.; Phillips, S.; Bridges, R.

2010-01-01

We describe a method to estimate the scale errors in the horizontal angle encoder of a laser tracker in this paper. The method does not require expensive instrumentation such as a rotary stage or even a calibrated artifact. An uncalibrated but stable length is realized between two targets mounted on stands that are at tracker height. The tracker measures the distance between these two targets from different azimuthal positions (say, in intervals of 20° over 360°). Each target is measured in both front face and back face. Low order harmonic scale errors can be estimated from this data and may then be used to correct the encoder’s error map to improve the tracker’s angle measurement accuracy. We have demonstrated this for the second order harmonic in this paper. It is important to compensate for even order harmonics as their influence cannot be removed by averaging front face and back face measurements whereas odd orders can be removed by averaging. We tested six trackers from three different manufacturers. Two of those trackers are newer models introduced at the time of writing of this paper. For older trackers from two manufacturers, the length errors in a 7.75 m horizontal length placed 7 m away from a tracker were of the order of ± 65 μm before correcting the error map. They reduced to less than ± 25 μm after correcting the error map for second order scale errors. Newer trackers from the same manufacturers did not show this error. An older tracker from a third manufacturer also did not show this error. PMID:27134789

Monte Carlo based, patient-specific RapidArc QA using Linac log files.

PubMed

Teke, Tony; Bergman, Alanah M; Kwa, William; Gill, Bradford; Duzenli, Cheryl; Popescu, I Antoniu

2010-01-01

A Monte Carlo (MC) based QA process to validate the dynamic beam delivery accuracy for Varian RapidArc (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) using Linac delivery log files (DynaLog) is presented. Using DynaLog file analysis and MC simulations, the goal of this article is to (a) confirm that adequate sampling is used in the RapidArc optimization algorithm (177 static gantry angles) and (b) to assess the physical machine performance [gantry angle and monitor unit (MU) delivery accuracy]. Ten clinically acceptable RapidArc treatment plans were generated for various tumor sites and delivered to a water-equivalent cylindrical phantom on the treatment unit. Three Monte Carlo simulations were performed to calculate dose to the CT phantom image set: (a) One using a series of static gantry angles defined by 177 control points with treatment planning system (TPS) MLC control files (planning files), (b) one using continuous gantry rotation with TPS generated MLC control files, and (c) one using continuous gantry rotation with actual Linac delivery log files. Monte Carlo simulated dose distributions are compared to both ionization chamber point measurements and with RapidArc TPS calculated doses. The 3D dose distributions were compared using a 3D gamma-factor analysis, employing a 3%/3 mm distance-to-agreement criterion. The dose difference between MC simulations, TPS, and ionization chamber point measurements was less than 2.1%. For all plans, the MC calculated 3D dose distributions agreed well with the TPS calculated doses (gamma-factor values were less than 1 for more than 95% of the points considered). Machine performance QA was supplemented with an extensive DynaLog file analysis. A DynaLog file analysis showed that leaf position errors were less than 1 mm for 94% of the time and there were no leaf errors greater than 2.5 mm. The mean standard deviation in MU and gantry angle were 0.052 MU and 0.355 degrees, respectively, for the ten cases analyzed. The accuracy and

Analysis of naturalistic driving videos of fleet services drivers to estimate driver error and potentially distracting behaviors as risk factors for rear-end versus angle crashes.

PubMed

Harland, Karisa K; Carney, Cher; McGehee, Daniel

2016-07-03

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and odds of fleet driver errors and potentially distracting behaviors just prior to rear-end versus angle crashes. Analysis of naturalistic driving videos among fleet services drivers for errors and potentially distracting behaviors occurring in the 6 s before crash impact. Categorical variables were examined using the Pearson's chi-square test, and continuous variables, such as eyes-off-road time, were compared using the Student's t-test. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of a driver error or potentially distracting behavior being present in the seconds before rear-end versus angle crashes. Of the 229 crashes analyzed, 101 (44%) were rear-end and 128 (56%) were angle crashes. Driver age, gender, and presence of passengers did not differ significantly by crash type. Over 95% of rear-end crashes involved inadequate surveillance compared to only 52% of angle crashes (P < .0001). Almost 65% of rear-end crashes involved a potentially distracting driver behavior, whereas less than 40% of angle crashes involved these behaviors (P < .01). On average, drivers spent 4.4 s with their eyes off the road while operating or manipulating their cell phone. Drivers in rear-end crashes were at 3.06 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.73-5.44) times adjusted higher odds of being potentially distracted than those in angle crashes. Fleet driver driving errors and potentially distracting behaviors are frequent. This analysis provides data to inform safe driving interventions for fleet services drivers. Further research is needed in effective interventions to reduce the likelihood of drivers' distracting behaviors and errors that may potentially reducing crashes.

Modelling safety of gantry crane operations using Petri nets.

PubMed

Singh, Karmveer; Raj, Navneet; Sahu, S K; Behera, R K; Sarkar, Sobhan; Maiti, J

2017-03-01

Being a powerful tool in modelling industrial and service operations, Petri net (PN) has been extremely used in different domains, but its application in safety study is limited. In this study, we model the gantry crane operations used for industrial activities using generalized stochastic PNs. The complete cycle of operations of the gantry crane is split into three parts namely inspection and loading, movement of load, and unloading of load. PN models are developed for all three parts and the whole system as well. The developed PN models have captured the safety issues through reachability tree. The hazardous states are identified and how they ultimately lead to some unwanted accidents is demonstrated. The possibility of falling of load and failure of hook, sling, attachment and hoist rope are identified. Possible suggestions based on the study are presented for redesign of the system. For example, mechanical stoppage of operations in case of loosely connected load, and warning system for use of wrong buttons is tested using modified models.

Statistical quality control for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) delivery by using the machine's log data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheong, Kwang-Ho; Lee, Me-Yeon; Kang, Sei-Kwon; Yoon, Jai-Woong; Park, Soah; Hwang, Taejin; Kim, Haeyoung; Kim, Kyoung Ju; Han, Tae Jin; Bae, Hoonsik

2015-07-01

The aim of this study is to set up statistical quality control for monitoring the volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) delivery error by using the machine's log data. Eclipse and a Clinac iX linac with the RapidArc system (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, USA) are used for delivery of the VMAT plan. During the delivery of the RapidArc fields, the machine determines the delivered monitor units (MUs) and the gantry angle's position accuracy and the standard deviations of the MU ( σMU: dosimetric error) and the gantry angle ( σGA: geometric error) are displayed on the console monitor after completion of the RapidArc delivery. In the present study, first, the log data were analyzed to confirm its validity and usability; then, statistical process control (SPC) was applied to monitor the σMU and the σGA in a timely manner for all RapidArc fields: a total of 195 arc fields for 99 patients. The MU and the GA were determined twice for all fields, that is, first during the patient-specific plan QA and then again during the first treatment. The sMU and the σGA time series were quite stable irrespective of the treatment site; however, the sGA strongly depended on the gantry's rotation speed. The σGA of the RapidArc delivery for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) was smaller than that for the typical VMAT. Therefore, SPC was applied for SBRT cases and general cases respectively. Moreover, the accuracy of the potential meter of the gantry rotation is important because the σGA can change dramatically due to its condition. By applying SPC to the σMU and σGA, we could monitor the delivery error efficiently. However, the upper and the lower limits of SPC need to be determined carefully with full knowledge of the machine and log data.

63. Photograph of line drawing. SITE PLAN OF GANTRY CRANE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

63. Photograph of line drawing. SITE PLAN OF GANTRY CRANE TRACKS AND 20,000 POUND MOTOR TEST AND LAUNCH FACILITY ('BLAST PIT'), OCTOBER 1946 - White Sands Missile Range, V-2 Rocket Facilities, Near Headquarters Area, White Sands, Dona Ana County, NM

8. VIEW OF GANTRY ROOM, POWERHOUSE, SHOWING 25TON WHITING MOVABLE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

8. VIEW OF GANTRY ROOM, POWERHOUSE, SHOWING 25-TON WHITING MOVABLE CRANE AND BRIDGE - Nine Mile Hydroelectric Development, Powerhouse, State Highway 291 along Spokane River, Nine Mile Falls, Spokane County, WA

A discrete time-varying internal model-based approach for high precision tracking of a multi-axis servo gantry.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhen; Yan, Peng; Jiang, Huan; Ye, Peiqing

2014-09-01

In this paper, we consider the discrete time-varying internal model-based control design for high precision tracking of complicated reference trajectories generated by time-varying systems. Based on a novel parallel time-varying internal model structure, asymptotic tracking conditions for the design of internal model units are developed, and a low order robust time-varying stabilizer is further synthesized. In a discrete time setting, the high precision tracking control architecture is deployed on a Voice Coil Motor (VCM) actuated servo gantry system, where numerical simulations and real time experimental results are provided, achieving the tracking errors around 3.5‰ for frequency-varying signals. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a MPPC-based prototype gantry for future MRI-PET scanners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurei, Y.; Kataoka, J.; Kato, T.; Fujita, T.; Ohshima, T.; Taya, T.; Yamamoto, S.

2014-12-01

We have developed a high spatial resolution, compact Positron Emission Tomography (PET) module designed for small animals and intended for use in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. This module consists of large-area, 4 × 4 ch MPPC arrays (S11830-3344MF; Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.) optically coupled with Ce-doped (Lu,Y)2(SiO4)O (Ce:LYSO) scintillators fabricated into 16 × 16 matrices of 0.5 × 0.5 mm2 pixels. We set the temperature sensor (LM73CIMK-0; National Semiconductor Corp.) at the rear of the MPPC acceptance surface, and apply optimum voltage to maintain the gain. The eight MPPC-based PET modules and coincidence circuits were assembled into a gantry arranged in a ring 90 mm in diameter to form the MPPC-based PET system. We have developed two types PET gantry: one made of non-magnetic metal and the other made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resins. The PET gantry was positioned around the RF coil of the 4.7 T MRI system. We took an image of a point }22Na source under fast spin echo (FSE) and gradient echo (GE), in order to measure the interference between the MPPC-based PET and MRI. The spatial resolution of PET imaging in a transaxial plane of about 1 mm (FWHM) was achieved in all cases. Operating with PET made of ABS has no effect on MR images, while operating with PET made of non-magnetic metal has a significant detrimental effect on MR images. This paper describes our quantitative evaluations of PET images and MR images, and presents a more advanced version of the gantry for future MRI/DOI-PET systems.

GANTRY SIGNAL EAST OF TOWER AT MILEPOST 203.0, LOOKING WEST, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

GANTRY SIGNAL EAST OF TOWER AT MILEPOST 203.0, LOOKING WEST, EQUIPPED WITH B&O COLOR-POSITION-LIGHT SIGNAL HEAD FOR WESTBOUND TRAINS. - Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Z Tower, State Route 46, Keyser, Mineral County, WV

SU-E-T-789: Validation of 3DVH Accuracy On Quantifying Delivery Errors Based On Clinical Relevant DVH Metrics

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

Ma, T; Kumaraswamy, L

Purpose: Detection of treatment delivery errors is important in radiation therapy. However, accurate quantification of delivery errors is also of great importance. This study aims to evaluate the 3DVH software’s ability to accurately quantify delivery errors. Methods: Three VMAT plans (prostate, H&N and brain) were randomly chosen for this study. First, we evaluated whether delivery errors could be detected by gamma evaluation. Conventional per-beam IMRT QA was performed with the ArcCHECK diode detector for the original plans and for the following modified plans: (1) induced dose difference error up to ±4.0% and (2) control point (CP) deletion (3 to 10more » CPs were deleted) (3) gantry angle shift error (3 degree uniformly shift). 2D and 3D gamma evaluation were performed for all plans through SNC Patient and 3DVH, respectively. Subsequently, we investigated the accuracy of 3DVH analysis for all cases. This part evaluated, using the Eclipse TPS plans as standard, whether 3DVH accurately can model the changes in clinically relevant metrics caused by the delivery errors. Results: 2D evaluation seemed to be more sensitive to delivery errors. The average differences between ECLIPSE predicted and 3DVH results for each pair of specific DVH constraints were within 2% for all three types of error-induced treatment plans, illustrating the fact that 3DVH is fairly accurate in quantifying the delivery errors. Another interesting observation was that even though the gamma pass rates for the error plans are high, the DVHs showed significant differences between original plan and error-induced plans in both Eclipse and 3DVH analysis. Conclusion: The 3DVH software is shown to accurately quantify the error in delivered dose based on clinically relevant DVH metrics, where a conventional gamma based pre-treatment QA might not necessarily detect.« less

Pencil beam characteristics of the next-generation proton scanning gantry of PSI: design issues and initial commissioning results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedroni, E.; Meer, D.; Bula, C.; Safai, S.; Zenklusen, S.

2011-07-01

In this paper we report on the main design features, on the realization process and on selected first results of the initial commissioning of the new Gantry 2 of PSI for the delivery of proton therapy with new advanced pencil beam scanning techniques. We present briefly the characteristics of the new gantry system with main emphasis on the beam optics, on the characterization of the pencil beam used for scanning and on the performance of the scanning system. The idea is to give an overview of the major components of the whole system. The main long-term technical goal of the new equipment of Gantry 2 is to expand the use of pencil beam scanning to the whole spectrum of clinical indications including moving targets. We report here on the initial experience and problems encountered in the development of the system with selected preliminary results of the ongoing commissioning of Gantry 2.

75 FR 44288 - Overhead and Gantry Cranes; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-28

...] Overhead and Gantry Cranes; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of... requirements specified in the Standard on Overhead and Gantry Cranes (29 CFR 1910.179). DATES: Comments must be... requirements for: Marking the rated load of cranes; preparing certification records to verify the inspection of...

SU-E-T-144: Effective Analysis of VMAT QA Generated Trajectory Log Files for Medical Accelerator Predictive Maintenance

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

Able, CM; Baydush, AH; Nguyen, C

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of SPC analysis for a model predictive maintenance process that uses accelerator generated parameter and performance data contained in trajectory log files. Methods: Each trajectory file is decoded and a total of 131 axes positions are recorded (collimator jaw position, gantry angle, each MLC, etc.). This raw data is processed and either axis positions are extracted at critical points during the delivery or positional change over time is used to determine axis velocity. The focus of our analysis is the accuracy, reproducibility and fidelity of each axis. A reference positional trace of the gantry andmore » each MLC is used as a motion baseline for cross correlation (CC) analysis. A total of 494 parameters (482 MLC related) were analyzed using Individual and Moving Range (I/MR) charts. The chart limits were calculated using a hybrid technique that included the use of the standard 3σ limits and parameter/system specifications. Synthetic errors/changes were introduced to determine the initial effectiveness of I/MR charts in detecting relevant changes in operating parameters. The magnitude of the synthetic errors/changes was based on: TG-142 and published analysis of VMAT delivery accuracy. Results: All errors introduced were detected. Synthetic positional errors of 2mm for collimator jaw and MLC carriage exceeded the chart limits. Gantry speed and each MLC speed are analyzed at two different points in the delivery. Simulated Gantry speed error (0.2 deg/sec) and MLC speed error (0.1 cm/sec) exceeded the speed chart limits. Gantry position error of 0.2 deg was detected by the CC maximum value charts. The MLC position error of 0.1 cm was detected by the CC maximum value location charts for every MLC. Conclusion: SPC I/MR evaluation of trajectory log file parameters may be effective in providing an early warning of performance degradation or component failure for medical accelerator systems.« less

Design and assessment of a novel SPECT system for desktop open-gantry imaging of small animals: A simulation study

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

Zeraatkar, Navid; Farahani, Mohammad Hossein; Rahmim, Arman

Purpose: Given increasing efforts in biomedical research utilizing molecular imaging methods, development of dedicated high-performance small-animal SPECT systems has been growing rapidly in the last decade. In the present work, we propose and assess an alternative concept for SPECT imaging enabling desktop open-gantry imaging of small animals. Methods: The system, PERSPECT, consists of an imaging desk, with a set of tilted detector and pinhole collimator placed beneath it. The object to be imaged is simply placed on the desk. Monte Carlo (MC) and analytical simulations were utilized to accurately model and evaluate the proposed concept and design. Furthermore, a dedicatedmore » image reconstruction algorithm, finite-aperture-based circular projections (FABCP), was developed and validated for the system, enabling more accurate modeling of the system and higher quality reconstructed images. Image quality was quantified as a function of different tilt angles in the acquisition and number of iterations in the reconstruction algorithm. Furthermore, more complex phantoms including Derenzo, Defrise, and mouse whole body were simulated and studied. Results: The sensitivity of the PERSPECT was 207 cps/MBq. It was quantitatively demonstrated that for a tilt angle of 30°, comparable image qualities were obtained in terms of normalized squared error, contrast, uniformity, noise, and spatial resolution measurements, the latter at ∼0.6 mm. Furthermore, quantitative analyses demonstrated that 3 iterations of FABCP image reconstruction (16 subsets/iteration) led to optimally reconstructed images. Conclusions: The PERSPECT, using a novel imaging protocol, can achieve comparable image quality performance in comparison with a conventional pinhole SPECT with the same configuration. The dedicated FABCP algorithm, which was developed for reconstruction of data from the PERSPECT system, can produce high quality images for small-animal imaging via accurate modeling of the system as

22. V2 GANTRY, LAUNCH COMPLEX 33: GENERAL VIEW, LOOKING WEST ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

22. V-2 GANTRY, LAUNCH COMPLEX 33: GENERAL VIEW, LOOKING WEST AND UPWARD FROM APRON OF BLAST PIT, 20,000 POUND MOTOR TEST AND LAUNCH FACILITY - White Sands Missile Range, V-2 Rocket Facilities, Near Headquarters Area, White Sands, Dona Ana County, NM

21. V2 GANTRY, LAUNCH COMPLEX 33: VIEW OF CRANE WITH ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

21. V-2 GANTRY, LAUNCH COMPLEX 33: VIEW OF CRANE WITH BLAST PIT OF 20,000 POUND MOTOR TEST AND LAUNCH FACILITY, IN FOREGROUND, LOOKING WEST - White Sands Missile Range, V-2 Rocket Facilities, Near Headquarters Area, White Sands, Dona Ana County, NM

Angle-domain common-image gathers from anisotropic Gaussian beam migration and its application to anisotropy-induced imaging errors analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Jianguang; Wang, Yun; Yu, Changqing; Chen, Peng

2017-02-01

An approach for extracting angle-domain common-image gathers (ADCIGs) from anisotropic Gaussian beam prestack depth migration (GB-PSDM) is presented in this paper. The propagation angle is calculated in the process of migration using the real-value traveltime information of Gaussian beam. Based on the above, we further investigate the effects of anisotropy on GB-PSDM, where the corresponding ADCIGs are extracted to assess the quality of migration images. The test results of the VTI syncline model and the TTI thrust sheet model show that anisotropic parameters ɛ, δ, and tilt angle 𝜃, have a great influence on the accuracy of the migrated image in anisotropic media, and ignoring any one of them will cause obvious imaging errors. The anisotropic GB-PSDM with the true anisotropic parameters can obtain more accurate seismic images of subsurface structures in anisotropic media.

SU-G-JeP3-06: Lower KV Image Dose Are Expected From a Limited-Angle Intra-Fractional Verification (LIVE) System for SBRT Treatments

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

Ding, G; Yin, F; Ren, L

Purpose: In order to track the tumor movement for patient positioning verification during arc treatment delivery or in between 3D/IMRT beams for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), the limited-angle kV projections acquisition simultaneously during arc treatment delivery or in-between static treatment beams as the gantry moves to the next beam angle was proposed. The purpose of this study is to estimate additional imaging dose resulting from multiple tomosynthesis acquisitions in-between static treatment beams and to compare with that of a conventional kV-CBCT acquisition. Methods: kV imaging system integrated into Varian TrueBeam accelerators was modeled using EGSnrc Monte Carlo user code,more » BEAMnrc and DOSXYZnrc code was used in dose calculations. The simulated realistic kV beams from the Varian TrueBeam OBI 1.5 system were used to calculate dose to patient based on CT images. Organ doses were analyzed using DVHs. The imaging dose to patient resulting from realistic multiple tomosynthesis acquisitions with each 25–30 degree kV source rotation between 6 treatment beam gantry angles was studied. Results: For a typical lung SBRT treatment delivery much lower (20–50%) kV imaging doses from the sum of realistic six tomosynthesis acquisitions with each 25–30 degree x-ray source rotation between six treatment beam gantry angles were observed compared to that from a single CBCT image acquisition. Conclusion: This work indicates that the kV imaging in this proposed Limited-angle Intra-fractional Verification (LIVE) System for SBRT Treatments has a negligible imaging dose increase. It is worth to note that the MV imaging dose caused by MV projection acquisition in-between static beams in LIVE can be minimized by restricting the imaging to the target region and reducing the number of projections acquired. For arc treatments, MV imaging acquisition in LIVE does not add additional imaging dose as the MV images are acquired from treatment beams directly

Design of an all-attitude flight control system to execute commanded bank angles and angles of attack

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burgin, G. H.; Eggleston, D. M.

1976-01-01

A flight control system for use in air-to-air combat simulation was designed. The input to the flight control system are commanded bank angle and angle of attack, the output are commands to the control surface actuators such that the commanded values will be achieved in near minimum time and sideslip is controlled to remain small. For the longitudinal direction, a conventional linear control system with gains scheduled as a function of dynamic pressure is employed. For the lateral direction, a novel control system, consisting of a linear portion for small bank angle errors and a bang-bang control system for large errors and error rates is employed.

Errors in radiation oncology: A study in pathways and dosimetric impact

PubMed Central

Drzymala, Robert E.; Purdy, James A.; Michalski, Jeff

2005-01-01

As complexity for treating patients increases, so does the risk of error. Some publications have suggested that record and verify (R&V) systems may contribute in propagating errors. Direct data transfer has the potential to eliminate most, but not all, errors. And although the dosimetric consequences may be obvious in some cases, a detailed study does not exist. In this effort, we examined potential errors in terms of scenarios, pathways of occurrence, and dosimetry. Our goal was to prioritize error prevention according to likelihood of event and dosimetric impact. For conventional photon treatments, we investigated errors of incorrect source‐to‐surface distance (SSD), energy, omitted wedge (physical, dynamic, or universal) or compensating filter, incorrect wedge or compensating filter orientation, improper rotational rate for arc therapy, and geometrical misses due to incorrect gantry, collimator or table angle, reversed field settings, and setup errors. For electron beam therapy, errors investigated included incorrect energy, incorrect SSD, along with geometric misses. For special procedures we examined errors for total body irradiation (TBI, incorrect field size, dose rate, treatment distance) and LINAC radiosurgery (incorrect collimation setting, incorrect rotational parameters). Likelihood of error was determined and subsequently rated according to our history of detecting such errors. Dosimetric evaluation was conducted by using dosimetric data, treatment plans, or measurements. We found geometric misses to have the highest error probability. They most often occurred due to improper setup via coordinate shift errors or incorrect field shaping. The dosimetric impact is unique for each case and depends on the proportion of fields in error and volume mistreated. These errors were short‐lived due to rapid detection via port films. The most significant dosimetric error was related to a reversed wedge direction. This may occur due to incorrect collimator

Motion control of a gantry crane with a container

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shugailo, T. S.; Yushkov, M. P.

2018-05-01

The transportation of a container by a gantry crane in a given time from one point of space to another is considered. The system is at rest at the end of the motion. A maximum admissible speed is taken into account. The control force is found using either the Pontryagin maximum principle or the generalized Gauss principle. The advantages of the second method over the first one is demonstrated.

High precision tracking control of a servo gantry with dynamic friction compensation.

PubMed

Zhang, Yangming; Yan, Peng; Zhang, Zhen

2016-05-01

This paper is concerned with the tracking control problem of a voice coil motor (VCM) actuated servo gantry system. By utilizing an adaptive control technique combined with a sliding mode approach, an adaptive sliding mode control (ASMC) law with friction compensation scheme is proposed in presence of both frictions and external disturbances. Based on the LuGre dynamic friction model, a dual-observer structure is used to estimate the unmeasurable friction state, and an adaptive control law is synthesized to effectively handle the unknown friction model parameters as well as the bound of the disturbances. Moreover, the proposed control law is also implemented on a VCM servo gantry system for motion tracking. Simulations and experimental results demonstrate good tracking performance, which outperform traditional control approaches. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical implementation and error sensitivity of a 3D quality assurance protocol for prostate and thoracic IMRT

PubMed Central

Cotter, Christopher; Turcotte, Julie Catherine; Crawford, Bruce; Sharp, Gregory; Mah'D, Mufeed

2015-01-01

This work aims at three goals: first, to define a set of statistical parameters and plan structures for a 3D pretreatment thoracic and prostate intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) quality assurance (QA) protocol; secondly, to test if the 3D QA protocol is able to detect certain clinical errors; and third, to compare the 3D QA method with QA performed with single ion chamber and 2D gamma test in detecting those errors. The 3D QA protocol measurements were performed on 13 prostate and 25 thoracic IMRT patients using IBA's COMPASS system. For each treatment planning structure included in the protocol, the following statistical parameters were evaluated: average absolute dose difference (AADD), percent structure volume with absolute dose difference greater than 6% (ADD6), and 3D gamma test. To test the 3D QA protocol error sensitivity, two prostate and two thoracic step‐and‐shoot IMRT patients were investigated. Errors introduced to each of the treatment plans included energy switched from 6 MV to 10 MV, multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf errors, linac jaws errors, monitor unit (MU) errors, MLC and gantry angle errors, and detector shift errors. QA was performed on each plan using a single ion chamber and 2D array of ion chambers for 2D and 3D QA. Based on the measurements performed, we established a uniform set of tolerance levels to determine if QA passes for each IMRT treatment plan structure: maximum allowed AADD is 6%; maximum 4% of any structure volume can be with ADD6 greater than 6%, and maximum 4% of any structure volume may fail 3D gamma test with test parameters 3%/3 mm DTA. Out of the three QA methods tested the single ion chamber performed the worst by detecting 4 out of 18 introduced errors, 2D QA detected 11 out of 18 errors, and 3D QA detected 14 out of 18 errors. PACS number: 87.56.Fc PMID:26699299

SU-F-E-18: Training Monthly QA of Medical Accelerators: Illustrated Instructions for Self-Learning

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

Court, L; Wang, H; Aten, D

Purpose: To develop and test clear illustrated instructions for training of monthly mechanical QA of medical linear accelerators. Methods: Illustrated instructions were created for monthly mechanical QA with tolerance tabulated, and underwent several steps of review and refinement. Testers with zero QA experience were then recruited from our radiotherapy department (1 student, 2 computational scientists and 8 dosimetrists). The following parameters were progressively de-calibrated on a Varian C-series linac: Group A = gantry angle, ceiling laser position, X1 jaw position, couch longitudinal position, physical graticule position (5 testers); Group B = Group A + wall laser position, couch lateral andmore » vertical position, collimator angle (3 testers); Group C = Group B + couch angle, wall laser angle, and optical distance indicator (3 testers). Testers were taught how to use the linac, and then used the instructions to try to identify these errors. A physicist observed each session, giving support on machine operation, as necessary. The instructions were further tested with groups of therapists, graduate students and physics residents at multiple institutions. We have also changed the language of the instructions to simulate using the instructions with non-English speakers. Results: Testers were able to follow the instructions. They determined gantry, collimator and couch angle errors within 0.4, 0.3, and 0.9degrees of the actual changed values, respectively. Laser positions were determined within 1mm, and jaw positions within 2mm. Couch position errors were determined within 2 and 3mm for lateral/longitudinal and vertical errors, respectively. Accessory positioning errors were determined within 1mm. ODI errors were determined within 2mm when comparing with distance sticks, and 6mm when using blocks, indicating that distance sticks should be the preferred approach for inexperienced staff. Conclusion: Inexperienced users were able to follow these instructions

Coherent errors in quantum error correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenbaum, Daniel; Dutton, Zachary

Analysis of quantum error correcting (QEC) codes is typically done using a stochastic, Pauli channel error model for describing the noise on physical qubits. However, it was recently found that coherent errors (systematic rotations) on physical data qubits result in both physical and logical error rates that differ significantly from those predicted by a Pauli model. We present analytic results for the logical error as a function of concatenation level and code distance for coherent errors under the repetition code. For data-only coherent errors, we find that the logical error is partially coherent and therefore non-Pauli. However, the coherent part of the error is negligible after two or more concatenation levels or at fewer than ɛ - (d - 1) error correction cycles. Here ɛ << 1 is the rotation angle error per cycle for a single physical qubit and d is the code distance. These results support the validity of modeling coherent errors using a Pauli channel under some minimum requirements for code distance and/or concatenation. We discuss extensions to imperfect syndrome extraction and implications for general QEC.

SU-F-T-459: ArcCHECK Machine QA : Highly Efficient Quality Assurance Tool for VMAT, SRS & SBRT Linear Accelerator Delivery

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

Mhatre, V; Patwe, P; Dandekar, P

Purpose: Quality assurance (QA) of complex linear accelerators is critical and highly time consuming. ArcCHECK Machine QA tool is used to test geometric and delivery aspects of linear accelerator. In this study we evaluated the performance of this tool. Methods: Machine QA feature allows user to perform quality assurance tests using ArcCHECK phantom. Following tests were performed 1) Gantry Speed 2) Gantry Rotation 3) Gantry Angle 4)MLC/Collimator QA 5)Beam Profile Flatness & Symmetry. Data was collected on trueBEAM stX machine for 6 MV for a period of one year. The Gantry QA test allows to view errors in gantry angle,more » rotation & assess how accurately the gantry moves around the isocentre. The MLC/Collimator QA tool is used to analyze & locate the differences between leaf bank & jaw position of linac. The flatness & Symmetry test quantifies beam flatness & symmetry in IEC-y & x direction. The Gantry & Flatness/Symmetry test can be performed for static & dynamic delivery. Results: The Gantry speed was 3.9 deg/sec with speed maximum deviation around 0.3 deg/sec. The Gantry Isocentre for arc delivery was 0.9mm & static delivery was 0.4mm. The maximum percent positive & negative difference was found to be 1.9 % & – 0.25 % & maximum distance positive & negative diff was 0.4mm & – 0.3 mm for MLC/Collimator QA. The Flatness for Arc delivery was 1.8 % & Symmetry for Y was 0.8 % & X was 1.8 %. The Flatness for gantry 0°,270°,90° & 180° was 1.75,1.9,1.8 & 1.6% respectively & Symmetry for X & Y was 0.8,0.6% for 0°, 0.6,0.7% for 270°, 0.6,1% for 90° & 0.6,0.7% for 180°. Conclusion: ArcCHECK Machine QA is an useful tool for QA of Modern linear accelerators as it tests both geometric & delivery aspects. This is very important for VMAT, SRS & SBRT treatments.« less

Beam’s-eye-view imaging during non-coplanar lung SBRT

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

Yip, Stephen S. F., E-mail: syip@lroc.harvard.edu; Rottmann, Joerg; Berbeco, Ross I.

Purpose: Beam’s-eye-view (BEV) imaging with an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) can be performed during lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to monitor the tumor location in real-time. Image quality for each patient and treatment field depends on several factors including the patient anatomy and the gantry and couch angles. The authors investigated the angular dependence of automatic tumor localization during non-coplanar lung SBRT delivery. Methods: All images were acquired at a frame rate of 12 Hz with an amorphous silicon EPID. A previously validated markerless lung tumor localization algorithm was employed with manual localization as the reference. From tenmore » SBRT patients, 12 987 image frames of 123 image sequences acquired at 48 different gantry–couch rotations were analyzed. δ was defined by the position difference of the automatic and manual localization. Results: Regardless of the couch angle, the best tracking performance was found in image sequences with a gantry angle within 20° of 250° (δ = 1.40 mm). Image sequences acquired with gantry angles of 150°, 210°, and 350° also led to good tracking performances with δ = 1.77–2.00 mm. Overall, the couch angle was not correlated with the tracking results. Among all the gantry–couch combinations, image sequences acquired at (θ = 30°, ϕ = 330°), (θ = 210°, ϕ = 10°), and (θ = 250°, ϕ = 30°) led to the best tracking results with δ = 1.19–1.82 mm. The worst performing combinations were (θ = 90° and 230°, ϕ = 10°) and (θ = 270°, ϕ = 30°) with δ > 3.5 mm. However, 35% (17/48) of the gantry–couch rotations demonstrated substantial variability in tracking performances between patients. For example, the field angle (θ = 70°, ϕ = 10°) was acquired for five patients. While the tracking errors were ≤1.98 mm for three patients, poor performance was found for the other two patients with δ ≥ 2.18 mm, leading to average tracking error of 2.70 mm. Only

Telemetry location error in a forested habitat

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chu, D.S.; Hoover, B.A.; Fuller, M.R.; Geissler, P.H.; Amlaner, Charles J.

1989-01-01

The error associated with locations estimated by radio-telemetry triangulation can be large and variable in a hardwood forest. We assessed the magnitude and cause of telemetry location errors in a mature hardwood forest by using a 4-element Yagi antenna and compass bearings toward four transmitters, from 21 receiving sites. The distance error from the azimuth intersection to known transmitter locations ranged from 0 to 9251 meters. Ninety-five percent of the estimated locations were within 16 to 1963 meters, and 50% were within 99 to 416 meters of actual locations. Angles with 20o of parallel had larger distance errors than other angles. While angle appeared most important, greater distances and the amount of vegetation between receivers and transmitters also contributed to distance error.

RaptorX-Angle: real-value prediction of protein backbone dihedral angles through a hybrid method of clustering and deep learning.

PubMed

Gao, Yujuan; Wang, Sheng; Deng, Minghua; Xu, Jinbo

2018-05-08

Protein dihedral angles provide a detailed description of protein local conformation. Predicted dihedral angles can be used to narrow down the conformational space of the whole polypeptide chain significantly, thus aiding protein tertiary structure prediction. However, direct angle prediction from sequence alone is challenging. In this article, we present a novel method (named RaptorX-Angle) to predict real-valued angles by combining clustering and deep learning. Tested on a subset of PDB25 and the targets in the latest two Critical Assessment of protein Structure Prediction (CASP), our method outperforms the existing state-of-art method SPIDER2 in terms of Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE). Our result also shows approximately linear relationship between the real prediction errors and our estimated bounds. That is, the real prediction error can be well approximated by our estimated bounds. Our study provides an alternative and more accurate prediction of dihedral angles, which may facilitate protein structure prediction and functional study.

Optimal reconstruction angles

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

Cook, G.O. Jr.; Knight, L.

1979-07-01

The question of optimal projection angles has recently become of interest in the field of reconstruction from projections. Here, studies are concentrated on the n x n pixel space, where literative algorithms such as ART and direct matrix techniques due to Katz are considered. The best angles are determined in a Gauss--Markov statistical sense as well as with respect to a function-theoretical error bound. The possibility of making photon intensity a function of angle is also examined. Finally, the best angles to use in an ART-like algorithm are studied. A certain set of unequally spaced angles was found to bemore » preferred in several contexts. 15 figures, 6 tables.« less

SU-F-T-320: Assessing Placement Error of Optically Stimulated Luminescent in Vivo Dosimeters Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

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

Riegel, A; Klein, E; Tariq, M

Purpose: Optically-stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSLDs) are increasingly utilized for in vivo dosimetry of complex radiation delivery techniques such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Evaluation of clinical uncertainties such as placement error has not been performed. This work retrospectively investigates the magnitude of placement error using conebeam computed tomography (CBCT) and its effect on measured/planned dose agreement. Methods: Each OSLD was placed at a physicist-designated location on the patient surface on a weekly basis. The location was given in terms of a gantry angle and two-dimensional offset from central axis. The OSLDs were placed before dailymore » image guidance. We identified 77 CBCTs from 25 head-and-neck patients who received IMRT or VMAT, where OSLDs were visible on the CT image. Grossly misplaced OSLDs were excluded (e.g. wrong laterality). CBCTs were registered with the treatment plan and the distance between the planned and actual OSLD location was calculated in two dimensions in the beam’s eye view. Distances were correlated with measured/planned dose percent differences. Results: OSLDs were grossly misplaced for 5 CBCTs (6.4%). For the remaining 72 CBCTs, average placement error was 7.0±6.0 mm. These errors were not correlated with measured/planned dose percent differences (R{sup 2}=0.0153). Generalizing the dosimetric effect of placement errors may be unreliable. Conclusion: Correct placement of OSLDs for IMRT and VMAT treatments is critical to accurate and precise in vivo dosimetry. Small placement errors could produce large disagreement between measured and planned dose. Further work includes expansion to other treatment sites, examination of planned dose at the actual point of OSLD placement, and the influence of imageguided shifts on measured/planned dose agreement.« less

The effect of dimple error on the horizontal launch angle and side spin of the golf ball during putting.

PubMed

Richardson, Ashley K; Mitchell, Andrew C S; Hughes, Gerwyn

2017-02-01

This study aimed to examine the effect of the impact point on the golf ball on the horizontal launch angle and side spin during putting with a mechanical putting arm and human participants. Putts of 3.2 m were completed with a mechanical putting arm (four putter-ball combinations, total of 160 trials) and human participants (two putter-ball combinations, total of 337 trials). The centre of the dimple pattern (centroid) was located and the following variables were measured: distance and angle of the impact point from the centroid and surface area of the impact zone. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify whether impact variables had significant associations with ball roll variables, horizontal launch angle and side spin. Significant associations were identified between impact variables and horizontal launch angle with the mechanical putting arm but this was not replicated with human participants. The variability caused by "dimple error" was minimal with the mechanical putting arm and not evident with human participants. Differences between the mechanical putting arm and human participants may be due to the way impulse is imparted on the ball. Therefore it is concluded that variability of impact point on the golf ball has a minimal effect on putting performance.

Accounting for optical errors in microtensiometry.

PubMed

Hinton, Zachary R; Alvarez, Nicolas J

2018-09-15

Drop shape analysis (DSA) techniques measure interfacial tension subject to error in image analysis and the optical system. While considerable efforts have been made to minimize image analysis errors, very little work has treated optical errors. There are two main sources of error when considering the optical system: the angle of misalignment and the choice of focal plane. Due to the convoluted nature of these sources, small angles of misalignment can lead to large errors in measured curvature. We demonstrate using microtensiometry the contributions of these sources to measured errors in radius, and, more importantly, deconvolute the effects of misalignment and focal plane. Our findings are expected to have broad implications on all optical techniques measuring interfacial curvature. A geometric model is developed to analytically determine the contributions of misalignment angle and choice of focal plane on measurement error for spherical cap interfaces. This work utilizes a microtensiometer to validate the geometric model and to quantify the effect of both sources of error. For the case of a microtensiometer, an empirical calibration is demonstrated that corrects for optical errors and drastically simplifies implementation. The combination of geometric modeling and experimental results reveal a convoluted relationship between the true and measured interfacial radius as a function of the misalignment angle and choice of focal plane. The validated geometric model produces a full operating window that is strongly dependent on the capillary radius and spherical cap height. In all cases, the contribution of optical errors is minimized when the height of the spherical cap is equivalent to the capillary radius, i.e. a hemispherical interface. The understanding of these errors allow for correct measure of interfacial curvature and interfacial tension regardless of experimental setup. For the case of microtensiometry, this greatly decreases the time for experimental setup

Reducing 4DCBCT imaging time and dose: the first implementation of variable gantry speed 4DCBCT on a linear accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, Ricky T.; Stankovic, Uros; Sonke, Jan-Jakob; Keall, Paul J.

2017-06-01

Four dimensional cone beam computed tomography (4DCBCT) uses a constant gantry speed and imaging frequency that are independent of the patient’s breathing rate. Using a technique called respiratory motion guided 4DCBCT (RMG-4DCBCT), we have previously demonstrated that by varying the gantry speed and imaging frequency, in response to changes in the patient’s real-time respiratory signal, the imaging dose can be reduced by 50-70%. RMG-4DCBCT optimally computes a patient specific gantry trajectory to eliminate streaking artefacts and projection clustering that is inherent in 4DCBCT imaging. The gantry trajectory is continuously updated as projection data is acquired and the patient’s breathing changes. The aim of this study was to realise RMG-4DCBCT for the first time on a linear accelerator. To change the gantry speed in real-time a potentiometer under microcontroller control was used to adjust the current supplied to an Elekta Synergy’s gantry motor. A real-time feedback loop was developed on the microcontroller to modulate the gantry speed and projection acquisition in response to the real-time respiratory signal so that either 40, RMG-4DCBCT40, or 60, RMG-4DCBCT60, uniformly spaced projections were acquired in 10 phase bins. Images of the CIRS dynamic Thorax phantom were acquired with sinusoidal breathing periods ranging from 2 s to 8 s together with two breathing traces from lung cancer patients. Image quality was assessed using the contrast to noise ratio (CNR) and edge response width (ERW). For the average patient, with a 3.8 s breathing period, the imaging time and image dose were reduced by 37% and 70% respectively. Across all respiratory rates, RMG-4DCBCT40 had a CNR in the range of 6.5 to 7.5, and RMG-4DCBCT60 had a CNR between 8.7 and 9.7, indicating that RMG-4DCBCT allows consistent and controllable CNR. In comparison, the CNR for conventional 4DCBCT drops from 20.4 to 6.2 as the breathing rate increases from 2 s to 8 s. With RMG-4DCBCT

Study of the magnets used for a mobile isocenter carbon ion gantry.

PubMed

Moreno, Jhonnatan Osorio; Pullia, Marco G; Priano, Cristiana; Lante, Valeria; Necchi, Monica M; Savazzi, Simone

2013-07-01

A conceptual design of a mobile isocenter carbon ion gantry was carried out in the framework of the Particle Training Network for European Radiotherapy (PARTNER) and Union of Light Ion Centres in Europe (ULICE) projects. To validate the magnets used in this gantry, Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations were performed with COMSOL multiphysics; the purpose was to evaluate the magnetic field quality and the influence of additional support structures for correctors, 90° bending dipole and quadrupoles, both in dynamic and static regimes. Due to the low ramp rates, the dynamic effects do not disturb the homogeneity and the magnetic field level. The differences between the stationary field and the corresponding dynamic field after the end of the ramps are in the order of 10(-4); it implies that the magnets can be operated without significant field lag at the nominal ramp rate. However, even in static regime the magnetic length of corrector magnet decreases by 5% when the rotator mechanical structure is considered. The simulations suggest an optimization phase of the correctors in the rotator.

Study of the magnets used for a mobile isocenter carbon ion gantry

PubMed Central

Moreno, Jhonnatan Osorio; Pullia, Marco G.; Priano, Cristiana; Lante, Valeria; Necchi, Monica M.; Savazzi, Simone

2013-01-01

A conceptual design of a mobile isocenter carbon ion gantry was carried out in the framework of the Particle Training Network for European Radiotherapy (PARTNER) and Union of Light Ion Centres in Europe (ULICE) projects. To validate the magnets used in this gantry, Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations were performed with COMSOL multiphysics; the purpose was to evaluate the magnetic field quality and the influence of additional support structures for correctors, 90° bending dipole and quadrupoles, both in dynamic and static regimes. Due to the low ramp rates, the dynamic effects do not disturb the homogeneity and the magnetic field level. The differences between the stationary field and the corresponding dynamic field after the end of the ramps are in the order of 10–4; it implies that the magnets can be operated without significant field lag at the nominal ramp rate. However, even in static regime the magnetic length of corrector magnet decreases by 5% when the rotator mechanical structure is considered. The simulations suggest an optimization phase of the correctors in the rotator. PMID:23824120

Modeling coherent errors in quantum error correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenbaum, Daniel; Dutton, Zachary

2018-01-01

Analysis of quantum error correcting codes is typically done using a stochastic, Pauli channel error model for describing the noise on physical qubits. However, it was recently found that coherent errors (systematic rotations) on physical data qubits result in both physical and logical error rates that differ significantly from those predicted by a Pauli model. Here we examine the accuracy of the Pauli approximation for noise containing coherent errors (characterized by a rotation angle ɛ) under the repetition code. We derive an analytic expression for the logical error channel as a function of arbitrary code distance d and concatenation level n, in the small error limit. We find that coherent physical errors result in logical errors that are partially coherent and therefore non-Pauli. However, the coherent part of the logical error is negligible at fewer than {ε }-({dn-1)} error correction cycles when the decoder is optimized for independent Pauli errors, thus providing a regime of validity for the Pauli approximation. Above this number of correction cycles, the persistent coherent logical error will cause logical failure more quickly than the Pauli model would predict, and this may need to be combated with coherent suppression methods at the physical level or larger codes.

Evaluation of lens distortion errors in video-based motion analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poliner, Jeffrey; Wilmington, Robert; Klute, Glenn K.; Micocci, Angelo

1993-01-01

In an effort to study lens distortion errors, a grid of points of known dimensions was constructed and videotaped using a standard and a wide-angle lens. Recorded images were played back on a VCR and stored on a personal computer. Using these stored images, two experiments were conducted. Errors were calculated as the difference in distance from the known coordinates of the points to the calculated coordinates. The purposes of this project were as follows: (1) to develop the methodology to evaluate errors introduced by lens distortion; (2) to quantify and compare errors introduced by use of both a 'standard' and a wide-angle lens; (3) to investigate techniques to minimize lens-induced errors; and (4) to determine the most effective use of calibration points when using a wide-angle lens with a significant amount of distortion. It was seen that when using a wide-angle lens, errors from lens distortion could be as high as 10 percent of the size of the entire field of view. Even with a standard lens, there was a small amount of lens distortion. It was also found that the choice of calibration points influenced the lens distortion error. By properly selecting the calibration points and avoidance of the outermost regions of a wide-angle lens, the error from lens distortion can be kept below approximately 0.5 percent with a standard lens and 1.5 percent with a wide-angle lens.

Can a surgeon drill accurately at a specified angle?

PubMed Central

Brioschi, Valentina; Cook, Jodie; Arthurs, Gareth I

2016-01-01

Objectives To investigate whether a surgeon can drill accurately a specified angle and whether surgeon experience, task repetition, drill bit size and perceived difficulty influence drilling angle accuracy. Methods The sample population consisted of final-year students (n=25), non-specialist veterinarians (n=22) and board-certified orthopaedic surgeons (n=8). Each participant drilled a hole twice in a horizontal oak plank at 30°, 45°, 60°, 80°, 85° and 90° angles with either a 2.5  or a 3.5 mm drill bit. Participants then rated the perceived difficulty to drill each angle. The true angle of each hole was measured using a digital goniometer. Results Greater drilling accuracy was achieved at angles closer to 90°. An error of ≤±4° was achieved by 84.5 per cent of participants drilling a 90° angle compared with approximately 20 per cent of participants drilling a 30–45° angle. There was no effect of surgeon experience, task repetition or drill bit size on the mean error for intended versus achieved angle. Increased perception of difficulty was associated with the more acute angles and decreased accuracy, but not experience level. Clinical significance This study shows that surgeon ability to drill accurately (within ±4° error) is limited, particularly at angles ≤60°. In situations where drill angle is critical, use of computer-assisted navigation or custom-made drill guides may be preferable. PMID:27547423

Solar cell angle of incidence corrections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burger, Dale R.; Mueller, Robert L.

1995-01-01

Literature on solar array angle of incidence corrections was found to be sparse and contained no tabular data for support. This lack along with recent data on 27 GaAs/Ge 4 cm by 4 cm cells initiated the analysis presented in this paper. The literature cites seven possible contributors to angle of incidence effects: cosine, optical front surface, edge, shadowing, UV degradation, particulate soiling, and background color. Only the first three are covered in this paper due to lack of sufficient data. The cosine correction is commonly used but is not sufficient when the incident angle is large. Fresnel reflection calculations require knowledge of the index of refraction of the coverglass front surface. The absolute index of refraction for the coverglass front surface was not known nor was it measured due to lack of funds. However, a value for the index of refraction was obtained by examining how the prediction errors varied with different assumed indices and selecting the best fit to the set of measured values. Corrections using front surface Fresnel reflection along with the cosine correction give very good predictive results when compared to measured data, except there is a definite trend away from predicted values at the larger incident angles. This trend could be related to edge effects and is illustrated by a use of a box plot of the errors and by plotting the deviation of the mean against incidence angle. The trend is for larger deviations at larger incidence angles and there may be a fourth order effect involved in the trend. A chi-squared test was used to determine if the measurement errors were normally distributed. At 10 degrees the chi-squared test failed, probably due to the very small numbers involved or a bias from the measurement procedure. All other angles showed a good fit to the normal distribution with increasing goodness-of-fit as the angles increased which reinforces the very small numbers hypothesis. The contributed data only went to 65 degrees

Reassessment of the Necessity of the Proton Gantry: Analysis of Beam Orientations From 4332 Treatments at the Massachusetts General Hospital Proton Center Over the Past 10 Years

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

Yan, Susu, E-mail: syan5@mgh.harvard.edu; Lu, Hsiao-Ming; Flanz, Jay

2016-05-01

Purpose: To retrospectively analyze the beam approaches used in gantry-based proton treatments, and to reassess the practical advantages of the gantry, compared with beam approaches that are achievable without a gantry, in the context of present-day technology. Methods and Materials: We reviewed the proton therapy plans of 4332 patients treated on gantries at our hospital, delivered by the double scattering technique (n=4228) and, more recently, pencil beam scanning (PBS) (n=104). Beam approaches, relative to the patient frame, were analyzed individually to identify cases that could be treated without a gantry. Three treatment configurations were considered, with the patient in lying position,more » sitting position, or both. The FIXED geometry includes a fixed horizontal portal. The BEND geometry enables a limited vertical inflection of the beam by up to 20°. The MOVE geometry allows for flexibility of the patient head and body setup. Results: The percentage of patients with head and neck tumors that could be treated without a gantry using double scattering was 44% in FIXED, 70% in 20° BEND, and 100% in 90° MOVE. For torso regions, 99% of patients could be treated in 20° BEND. Of 104 PBS treatments, all but 1 could be reproduced with FIXED geometry. The only exception would require a 10° BEND capability. Note here that the PBS treatments were applied to select anatomic sites, including only 2 patients with skull-base tumors. Conclusions: The majority of practical beam approaches can be realized with gantry-less delivery, aided by limited beam bending and patient movements. Practical limitations of the MOVE geometry, and treatments requiring a combination of lying and sitting positions, may lower the percentage of head and neck patients who could be treated without a gantry. Further investigation into planning, immobilization, and imaging is needed to remove the practical limitations and to facilitate proton treatment without a gantry.« less

A light-weight compact proton gantry design with a novel dose delivery system for broad-energetic laser-accelerated beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masood, U.; Cowan, T. E.; Enghardt, W.; Hofmann, K. M.; Karsch, L.; Kroll, F.; Schramm, U.; Wilkens, J. J.; Pawelke, J.

2017-07-01

Proton beams may provide superior dose-conformity in radiation therapy. However, the large sizes and costs limit the widespread use of proton therapy (PT). The recent progress in proton acceleration via high-power laser systems has made it a compelling alternative to conventional accelerators, as it could potentially reduce the overall size and cost of the PT facilities. However, the laser-accelerated beams exhibit different characteristics than conventionally accelerated beams, i.e. very intense proton bunches with large divergences and broad-energy spectra. For the application of laser-driven beams in PT, new solutions for beam transport, such as beam capture, integrated energy selection, beam shaping and delivery systems are required due to the specific beam parameters. The generation of these beams are limited by the low repetition rate of high-power lasers and this limitation would require alternative solutions for tumour irradiation which can efficiently utilize the available high proton fluence and broad-energy spectra per proton bunch to keep treatment times short. This demands new dose delivery system and irradiation field formation schemes. In this paper, we present a multi-functional light-weight and compact proton gantry design for laser-driven sources based on iron-less pulsed high-field magnets. This achromatic design includes improved beam capturing and energy selection systems, with a novel beam shaping and dose delivery system, so-called ELPIS. ELPIS system utilizes magnetic fields, instead of physical scatterers, for broadening the spot-size of broad-energetic beams while capable of simultaneously scanning them in lateral directions. To investigate the clinical feasibility of this gantry design, we conducted a treatment planning study with a 3D treatment planning system augmented for the pulsed beams with optimizable broad-energetic widths and selectable beam spot sizes. High quality treatment plans could be achieved with such unconventional beam

A light-weight compact proton gantry design with a novel dose delivery system for broad-energetic laser-accelerated beams.

PubMed

Masood, U; Cowan, T E; Enghardt, W; Hofmann, K M; Karsch, L; Kroll, F; Schramm, U; Wilkens, J J; Pawelke, J

2017-07-07

Proton beams may provide superior dose-conformity in radiation therapy. However, the large sizes and costs limit the widespread use of proton therapy (PT). The recent progress in proton acceleration via high-power laser systems has made it a compelling alternative to conventional accelerators, as it could potentially reduce the overall size and cost of the PT facilities. However, the laser-accelerated beams exhibit different characteristics than conventionally accelerated beams, i.e. very intense proton bunches with large divergences and broad-energy spectra. For the application of laser-driven beams in PT, new solutions for beam transport, such as beam capture, integrated energy selection, beam shaping and delivery systems are required due to the specific beam parameters. The generation of these beams are limited by the low repetition rate of high-power lasers and this limitation would require alternative solutions for tumour irradiation which can efficiently utilize the available high proton fluence and broad-energy spectra per proton bunch to keep treatment times short. This demands new dose delivery system and irradiation field formation schemes. In this paper, we present a multi-functional light-weight and compact proton gantry design for laser-driven sources based on iron-less pulsed high-field magnets. This achromatic design includes improved beam capturing and energy selection systems, with a novel beam shaping and dose delivery system, so-called ELPIS. ELPIS system utilizes magnetic fields, instead of physical scatterers, for broadening the spot-size of broad-energetic beams while capable of simultaneously scanning them in lateral directions. To investigate the clinical feasibility of this gantry design, we conducted a treatment planning study with a 3D treatment planning system augmented for the pulsed beams with optimizable broad-energetic widths and selectable beam spot sizes. High quality treatment plans could be achieved with such unconventional beam

A highly accurate dynamic contact angle algorithm for drops on inclined surface based on ellipse-fitting.

PubMed

Xu, Z N; Wang, S Y

2015-02-01

To improve the accuracy in the calculation of dynamic contact angle for drops on the inclined surface, a significant number of numerical drop profiles on the inclined surface with different inclination angles, drop volumes, and contact angles are generated based on the finite difference method, a least-squares ellipse-fitting algorithm is used to calculate the dynamic contact angle. The influences of the above three factors are systematically investigated. The results reveal that the dynamic contact angle errors, including the errors of the left and right contact angles, evaluated by the ellipse-fitting algorithm tend to increase with inclination angle/drop volume/contact angle. If the drop volume and the solid substrate are fixed, the errors of the left and right contact angles increase with inclination angle. After performing a tremendous amount of computation, the critical dimensionless drop volumes corresponding to the critical contact angle error are obtained. Based on the values of the critical volumes, a highly accurate dynamic contact angle algorithm is proposed and fully validated. Within nearly the whole hydrophobicity range, it can decrease the dynamic contact angle error in the inclined plane method to less than a certain value even for different types of liquids.

Northwest Angle, Minnesota

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-02

Minnesota's Northwest Angle is the northernmost point of the continental United States. The Angle became part of the US due to a map error during the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Located in the Lake of the Woods, driving there requires crossing the US-Canada border twice. The image was acquired September 22, 2013, covers an area of 40 by 55 km, and is located at 49.2 degrees north, 95.1 degrees west. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21997

Flow tilt angle measurements using lidar anemometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dellwik, Ebba; Mann, Jakob

2010-05-01

A new way of estimating near-surface mean flow tilt angles from ground based Doppler lidar measurements is presented. The results are compared with traditional mast based in-situ sonic anemometry. The tilt angle assessed with the lidar is based on 10 or 30 minute mean values of the velocity field from a conically scanning lidar. In this mode of measurement, the lidar beam is rotated in a circle by a prism with a fixed angle to the vertical at varying focus distances. By fitting a trigonometric function to the scans, the mean vertical velocity can be estimated. Lidar measurements from (1) a fetch-limited beech forest site taken at 48-175m above ground level, (2) a reference site in flat agricultural terrain and (3) a second reference site in very complex terrain are presented. The method to derive flow tilt angles and mean vertical velocities from lidar has several advantages compared to sonic anemometry; there is no flow distortion caused by the instrument itself, there are no temperature effects and the instrument misalignment can be corrected for by comparing tilt estimates at various heights. Contrary to mast-based instruments, the lidar measures the wind field with the exact same alignment error at a multitude of heights. Disadvantages with estimating vertical velocities from a lidar compared to mast-based measurements are slightly increased levels of statistical errors due to limited sampling time, because the sampling is disjunct and a requirement for homogeneous flow. The estimated mean vertical velocity is biased if the flow over the scanned circle is not homogeneous. However, the error on the mean vertical velocity due to flow inhomogeneity can be approximated by a function of the angle of the lidar beam to the vertical, the measurement height and the vertical gradient of the mean vertical velocity, whereas the error due to flow inhomogeneity on the horizontal mean wind speed is independent of the lidar beam angle. For the presented measurements over

Non-contact measurement of rotation angle with solo camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gan, Xiaochuan; Sun, Anbin; Ye, Xin; Ma, Liqun

2015-02-01

For the purpose to measure a rotation angle around the axis of an object, a non-contact rotation angle measurement method based on solo camera was promoted. The intrinsic parameters of camera were calibrated using chessboard on principle of plane calibration theory. The translation matrix and rotation matrix between the object coordinate and the camera coordinate were calculated according to the relationship between the corners' position on object and their coordinates on image. Then the rotation angle between the measured object and the camera could be resolved from the rotation matrix. A precise angle dividing table (PADT) was chosen as the reference to verify the angle measurement error of this method. Test results indicated that the rotation angle measurement error of this method did not exceed +/- 0.01 degree.

The control system of synchronous movement of the gantry crane supports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Odnokopylov, I. G.; Gneushev, V. V.; Galtseva, O. V.; Natalinova, N. M.; Li, J.; Serebryakov, D. I.

2017-01-01

The paper presents study findings on synchronization of the gantry crane support movement. Asynchrony moving speed bearings may lead to an emergency mode at the natural rate of deformed metal structure alignment. The use of separate control of asynchronous motors with the vector control method allows synchronizing the movement speed of crane supports and achieving a balance between the motors. Simulation results of various control systems are described. Recommendations regarding the system further application are given.

Study on temperature measurement of gas turbine blade based on analysis of error caused by the reflected radiation and emission angle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dong; Feng, Chi; Gao, Shan; Chen, Liwei; Daniel, Ketui

2018-06-01

Accurate measurement of gas turbine blade temperature is of great significance as far as blade health monitoring is concerned. An important method for measuring this temperature is the use of a radiation pyrometer. In this research, error of the pyrometer caused by reflected radiation from the surfaces surrounding the target and the emission angle of the target was analyzed. Important parameters for this analysis were the view factor between interacting surfaces, spectral directional emissivity, pyrometer operating wavelength and the surface temperature distribution on the blades and the vanes. The interacting surface of the rotor blade and the vane models used were discretized using triangular surface elements from which contour integral was used to calculate the view factor between the surface elements. Spectral directional emissivities were obtained from an experimental setup of Ni based alloy samples. A pyrometer operating wavelength of 1.6 μm was chosen. Computational fluid dynamics software was used to simulate the temperature distribution of the rotor blade and the guide vane based on the actual gas turbine input parameters. Results obtained in this analysis show that temperature error introduced by reflected radiation and emission angle ranges from  ‑23 K to 49 K.

MA-9 ASTRONAUT COOPER LOOKS OVER MERCURY SPACECRAFT FAITH 7 FROM INSIDE LC 14 GANTRY

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1963-01-01

Pilot and spacecraft - Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, wearing his Mercury pressure suit, looks over the spacecraft which he named ''Faith 7'' at the top of the Pad 14 gantry at Cape Canaveral. Cooper is prime pilot for the MA-9 mission.

Design of 6 MeV X-band electron linac for dual-head gantry radiotherapy system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Seung-wook; Lee, Seung-Hyun; Lee, Jong-Chul; Kim, Huisu; Ha, Donghyup; Ghergherehchi, Mitra; Chai, Jongseo; Lee, Byung-no; Chae, Moonsik

2017-12-01

A compact 6 MeV electron linac is being developed at Sungkyunkwan University, in collaboration with the Korea atomic energy research institute (KAERI). The linac will be used as an X-ray source for a dual-head gantry radiotherapy system. X-band technology has been employed to satisfy the size requirement of the dual-head gantry radiotherapy machine. Among the several options available, we selected a pi/2-mode, standing-wave, side-coupled cavity. This choice of radiofrequency (RF) cavity design is intended to enhance the shunt impedance of each cavity in the linac. An optimum structure of the RF cavity with a high-performance design was determined by applying a genetic algorithm during the optimization procedure. This paper describes the detailed design process for a single normal RF cavity and the entire structure, including the RF power coupler and coupling cavity, as well as the beam dynamics results.

Optimized point dose measurement for monitor unit verification in intensity modulated radiation therapy using 6 MV photons by three different methodologies with different detector-phantom combinations: A comparative study

PubMed Central

Sarkar, Biplab; Ghosh, Bhaswar; Sriramprasath; Mahendramohan, Sukumaran; Basu, Ayan; Goswami, Jyotirup; Ray, Amitabh

2010-01-01

The study was aimed to compare accuracy of monitor unit verification in intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) using 6 MV photons by three different methodologies with different detector phantom combinations. Sixty patients were randomly chosen. Zero degree couch and gantry angle plans were generated in a plastic universal IMRT verification phantom and 30×30×30 cc water phantom and measured using 0.125 cc and 0.6 cc chambers, respectively. Actual gantry and couch angle plans were also measured in water phantom using 0.6 cc chamber. A suitable point of measurement was chosen from the beam profile for each field. When the zero-degree gantry, couch angle plans and actual gantry, couch angle plans were measured by 0.6 cc chamber in water phantom, the percentage mean difference (MD) was 1.35%, 2.94 % and Standard Deviation (SD) was 2.99%, 5.22%, respectively. The plastic phantom measurements with 0.125 cc chamber Semiflex ionisation chamber (SIC) showed an MD=4.21% and SD=2.73 %, but when corrected for chamber-medium response, they showed an improvement, with MD=3.38 % and SD=2.59 %. It was found that measurements with water phantom and 0.6cc chamber at gantry angle zero degree showed better conformity than other measurements of medium-detector combinations. Correction in plastic phantom measurement improved the result only marginally, and actual gantry angle measurement in a flat- water phantom showed higher deviation. PMID:20927221

Deep learning methods for protein torsion angle prediction.

PubMed

Li, Haiou; Hou, Jie; Adhikari, Badri; Lyu, Qiang; Cheng, Jianlin

2017-09-18

Deep learning is one of the most powerful machine learning methods that has achieved the state-of-the-art performance in many domains. Since deep learning was introduced to the field of bioinformatics in 2012, it has achieved success in a number of areas such as protein residue-residue contact prediction, secondary structure prediction, and fold recognition. In this work, we developed deep learning methods to improve the prediction of torsion (dihedral) angles of proteins. We design four different deep learning architectures to predict protein torsion angles. The architectures including deep neural network (DNN) and deep restricted Boltzmann machine (DRBN), deep recurrent neural network (DRNN) and deep recurrent restricted Boltzmann machine (DReRBM) since the protein torsion angle prediction is a sequence related problem. In addition to existing protein features, two new features (predicted residue contact number and the error distribution of torsion angles extracted from sequence fragments) are used as input to each of the four deep learning architectures to predict phi and psi angles of protein backbone. The mean absolute error (MAE) of phi and psi angles predicted by DRNN, DReRBM, DRBM and DNN is about 20-21° and 29-30° on an independent dataset. The MAE of phi angle is comparable to the existing methods, but the MAE of psi angle is 29°, 2° lower than the existing methods. On the latest CASP12 targets, our methods also achieved the performance better than or comparable to a state-of-the art method. Our experiment demonstrates that deep learning is a valuable method for predicting protein torsion angles. The deep recurrent network architecture performs slightly better than deep feed-forward architecture, and the predicted residue contact number and the error distribution of torsion angles extracted from sequence fragments are useful features for improving prediction accuracy.

Ocular Biometrics of Myopic Eyes With Narrow Angles.

PubMed

Chong, Gabriel T; Wen, Joanne C; Su, Daniel Hsien-Wen; Stinnett, Sandra; Asrani, Sanjay

2016-02-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the ocular biometrics between myopic patients with and without narrow angles. Patients with a stable myopic refraction (myopia worse than -1.00 D spherical equivalent) were prospectively recruited. Angle status was assessed using gonioscopy and biometric measurements were performed using an anterior segment optical coherence tomography and an IOLMaster. A total of 29 patients (58 eyes) were enrolled with 13 patients (26 eyes) classified as having narrow angles and 16 patients (32 eyes) classified as having open angles. Baseline demographics of age, sex, and ethnicity did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. The patients with narrow angles were on average older than those with open angles but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.12). The central anterior chamber depth was significantly less in the eyes with narrow angles (P=0.05). However, the average lens thickness, although greater in the eyes with narrow angles, did not reach statistical significance (P=0.10). Refractive error, axial lengths, and iris thicknesses did not differ significantly between the 2 groups (P=0.32, 0.47, 0.15). Narrow angles can occur in myopic eyes. Routine gonioscopy is therefore recommended for all patients regardless of refractive error.

Solar Tracking Error Analysis of Fresnel Reflector

PubMed Central

Zheng, Jiantao; Yan, Junjie; Pei, Jie; Liu, Guanjie

2014-01-01

Depending on the rotational structure of Fresnel reflector, the rotation angle of the mirror was deduced under the eccentric condition. By analyzing the influence of the sun tracking rotation angle error caused by main factors, the change rule and extent of the influence were revealed. It is concluded that the tracking errors caused by the difference between the rotation axis and true north meridian, at noon, were maximum under certain conditions and reduced at morning and afternoon gradually. The tracking error caused by other deviations such as rotating eccentric, latitude, and solar altitude was positive at morning, negative at afternoon, and zero at a certain moment of noon. PMID:24895664

Ametropia, retinal anatomy, and OCT abnormality patterns in glaucoma. 1. Impacts of refractive error and interartery angle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elze, Tobias; Baniasadi, Neda; Jin, Qingying; Wang, Hui; Wang, Mengyu

2017-12-01

Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) is widely used in clinical practice to support glaucoma diagnosis. Clinicians frequently interpret peripapillary RNFLT areas marked as abnormal by OCT machines. However, presently, clinical OCT machines do not take individual retinal anatomy variation into account, and according diagnostic biases have been shown particularly for patients with ametropia. The angle between the two major temporal retinal arteries (interartery angle, IAA) is considered a fundamental retinal ametropia marker. Here, we analyze peripapillary spectral domain OCT RNFLT scans of 691 glaucoma patients and apply multivariate logistic regression to quantitatively compare the diagnostic bias of spherical equivalent (SE) of refractive error and IAA and to identify the precise retinal locations of false-positive/negative abnormality marks. Independent of glaucoma severity (visual field mean deviation), IAA/SE variations biased abnormality marks on OCT RNFLT printouts at 36.7%/22.9% of the peripapillary area, respectively. 17.2% of the biases due to SE are not explained by IAA variation, particularly in inferonasal areas. To conclude, the inclusion of SE and IAA in OCT RNFLT norms would help to increase diagnostic accuracy. Our detailed location maps may help clinicians to reduce diagnostic bias while interpreting retinal OCT scans.

Cone beam CT imaging with limited angle of projections and prior knowledge for volumetric verification of non-coplanar beam radiation therapy: a proof of concept study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Bowen; Xing, Lei; Han, Bin; Koong, Albert; Chang, Daniel; Cheng, Jason; Li, Ruijiang

2013-11-01

Non-coplanar beams are important for treatment of both cranial and noncranial tumors. Treatment verification of such beams with couch rotation/kicks, however, is challenging, particularly for the application of cone beam CT (CBCT). In this situation, only limited and unconventional imaging angles are feasible to avoid collision between the gantry, couch, patient, and on-board imaging system. The purpose of this work is to develop a CBCT verification strategy for patients undergoing non-coplanar radiation therapy. We propose an image reconstruction scheme that integrates a prior image constrained compressed sensing (PICCS) technique with image registration. Planning CT or CBCT acquired at the neutral position is rotated and translated according to the nominal couch rotation/translation to serve as the initial prior image. Here, the nominal couch movement is chosen to have a rotational error of 5° and translational error of 8 mm from the ground truth in one or more axes or directions. The proposed reconstruction scheme alternates between two major steps. First, an image is reconstructed using the PICCS technique implemented with total-variation minimization and simultaneous algebraic reconstruction. Second, the rotational/translational setup errors are corrected and the prior image is updated by applying rigid image registration between the reconstructed image and the previous prior image. The PICCS algorithm and rigid image registration are alternated iteratively until the registration results fall below a predetermined threshold. The proposed reconstruction algorithm is evaluated with an anthropomorphic digital phantom and physical head phantom. The proposed algorithm provides useful volumetric images for patient setup using projections with an angular range as small as 60°. It reduced the translational setup errors from 8 mm to generally <1 mm and the rotational setup errors from 5° to <1°. Compared with the PICCS algorithm alone, the integration of rigid

SU-F-I-05: Dose Symmetry for CTDI Equivalent Measurements with Limited Angle CBCT

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

Singh, V; McKenney, S; Sunde, P

Purpose: CTDI measurements, useful for characterizing the x-ray output for multi-detector CT (MDCT), require a 360° rotation of the gantry; this presents a problem for cone beam CT (CBCT) due to its limited angular rotation. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate a methodology for overcoming this limited angular rotation so that CTDI measurements can also be made on CBCT systems making it possible to compare the radiation output from both types of system with a common metric. Methods: The symmetry of the CTDI phantom allows a 360° CTDI measurement to be replaced with two 180° measurements. A pencilmore » chamber with a real-time digitizer was placed at the center of the head phantom (16 cm, PMMA) and the resulting exposure measurement from a 180° acquisition was doubled. A pair of edge measurements, each obtained with the gantry passing through the same 180 arc, was obtained with the pencil chamber at opposite edges of the diameter of the phantom and then summed. The method was demonstrated on a clinical CT scanner (Philips, Brilliance6) and then implemented on an interventional system (Siemens, Axiom Artis). Results: The equivalent CTDI measurement agreed with the conventional CTDI measurement within 8%. The discrepancy in the two measurements is largely attributed to uncertainties in cropping the waveform to a 180°acquisition. (Note: Because of the reduced fan angle in the CBCT, CTDI is not directly comparable to MDCT values when a 32 cm phantom is used.) Conclusion: The symmetry-based CTDI measurement is an equivalent measurement to the conventional CTDI measurement when the fan angle is large enough to encompass the phantom diameter. This allows a familiar metric of radiation output to be employed on systems with a limited angular rotation.« less

Dynamic modelling of a double-pendulum gantry crane system incorporating payload

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

Ismail, R. M. T. Raja; Ahmad, M. A.; Ramli, M. S.

The natural sway of crane payloads is detrimental to safe and efficient operation. Under certain conditions, the problem is complicated when the payloads create a double pendulum effect. This paper presents dynamic modelling of a double-pendulum gantry crane system based on closed-form equations of motion. The Lagrangian method is used to derive the dynamic model of the system. A dynamic model of the system incorporating payload is developed and the effects of payload on the response of the system are discussed. Extensive results that validate the theoretical derivation are presented in the time and frequency domains.

A 3D gantry single photon emission tomograph with hemispherical coverage for dedicated breast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tornai, Martin P.; Bowsher, James E.; Archer, Caryl N.; Peter, Jörg; Jaszczak, Ronald J.; MacDonald, Lawrence R.; Patt, Bradley E.; Iwanczyk, Jan S.

2003-01-01

A novel tomographic gantry was designed, built and initially evaluated for single photon emission imaging of metabolically active lesions in the pendant breast and near chest wall. Initial emission imaging measurements with breast lesions of various uptake ratios are presented. Methods: A prototype tomograph was constructed utilizing a compact gamma camera having a field-of-view of <13×13 cm 2 with arrays of 2×2×6 mm 3 quantized NaI(Tl) scintillators coupled to position sensitive PMTs. The camera was mounted on a radially oriented support with 6 cm variable radius-of-rotation. This unit is further mounted on a goniometric cradle providing polar motion, and in turn mounted on an azimuthal rotation stage capable of indefinite vertical axis-of-rotation about the central rotation axis (RA). Initial measurements with isotopic Tc-99 m (140 keV) to evaluate the system include acquisitions with various polar tilt angles about the RA. Tomographic measurements were made of a frequency and resolution cold-rod phantom filled with aqueous Tc-99 m. Tomographic and planar measurements of 0.6 and 1.0 cm diameter fillable spheres in an available ˜950 ml hemi-ellipsoidal (uncompressed) breast phantom attached to a life-size anthropomorphic torso phantom with lesion:breast-and-body:cardiac-and-liver activity concentration ratios of 11:1:19 were compared. Various photopeak energy windows from 10-30% widths were obtained, along with a 35% scatter window below a 15% photopeak window from the list mode data. Projections with all photopeak window and camera tilt conditions were reconstructed with an ordered subsets expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithm capable of reconstructing arbitrary tomographic orbits. Results: As iteration number increased for the tomographically measured data at all polar angles, contrasts increased while signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) decreased in the expected way with OSEM reconstruction. The rollover between contrast improvement and SNR degradation of the

Measurement method of rotation angle and clearance in intelligent spherical hinge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Penghao; Lu, Yichang; Chen, Shiyi; Hu, Yi; Zhu, Lianqing

2018-06-01

Precision ball hinges are widely applied in parallel mechanisms, robotics, and other areas, but their rotation orientation and angle cannot be obtained during passive motion. The simultaneous clearance error in a precision ball hinge’s motion also can not be determined. In this paper we propose an intelligent ball hinge (IBH) that can detect the rotation angle and moving clearance, based on our previous research results. The measurement model was optimized to promote measurement accuracy and resolution, and an optimal design for the IBH’s structure was determined. The experimental data showed that the measurement accuracy and resolution of the modified scheme were improved. Within  ±10° and  ±  20°, the average errors of the uniaxial measurements were 0.29° and 0.42°, respectively. The resolution of the measurements was 15″. The source of the measurement errors was analyzed through theory and experimental data and several key error sources were determined. A point capacitance model for measuring the clearance error is proposed, which is useful not only in compensating for the angle measurement error but also in realizing the motion clearance of an IBH in real-time.

Note: high precision angle generator using multiple ultrasonic motors and a self-calibratable encoder.

PubMed

Kim, Jong-Ahn; Kim, Jae Wan; Kang, Chu-Shik; Jin, Jonghan; Eom, Tae Bong

2011-11-01

We present an angle generator with high resolution and accuracy, which uses multiple ultrasonic motors and a self-calibratable encoder. A cylindrical air bearing guides a rotational motion, and the ultrasonic motors achieve high resolution over the full circle range with a simple configuration. The self-calibratable encoder can compensate the scale error of a divided circle (signal period: 20") effectively by applying the equal-division-averaged method. The angle generator configures a position feedback control loop using the readout of the encoder. By combining the ac and dc operation mode, the angle generator produced stepwise angular motion with 0.005" resolution. We also evaluated the performance of the angle generator using a precision angle encoder and an autocollimator. The expanded uncertainty (k = 2) in the angle generation was estimated less than 0.03", which included the calibrated scale error and the nonlinearity error. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Calibration Errors in Interferometric Radio Polarimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hales, Christopher A.

2017-08-01

Residual calibration errors are difficult to predict in interferometric radio polarimetry because they depend on the observational calibration strategy employed, encompassing the Stokes vector of the calibrator and parallactic angle coverage. This work presents analytic derivations and simulations that enable examination of residual on-axis instrumental leakage and position-angle errors for a suite of calibration strategies. The focus is on arrays comprising alt-azimuth antennas with common feeds over which parallactic angle is approximately uniform. The results indicate that calibration schemes requiring parallactic angle coverage in the linear feed basis (e.g., the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) need only observe over 30°, beyond which no significant improvements in calibration accuracy are obtained. In the circular feed basis (e.g., the Very Large Array above 1 GHz), 30° is also appropriate when the Stokes vector of the leakage calibrator is known a priori, but this rises to 90° when the Stokes vector is unknown. These findings illustrate and quantify concepts that were previously obscure rules of thumb.

Robotically Assembled Aerospace Structures: Digital Material Assembly using a Gantry-Type Assembler

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trinh, Greenfield; Copplestone, Grace; O'Connor, Molly; Hu, Steven; Nowak, Sebastian; Cheung, Kenneth; Jenett, Benjamin; Cellucci, Daniel

2017-01-01

This paper evaluates the development of automated assembly techniques for discrete lattice structures using a multi-axis gantry type CNC machine. These lattices are made of discrete components called digital materials. We present the development of a specialized end effector that works in conjunction with the CNC machine to assemble these lattices. With this configuration we are able to place voxels at a rate of 1.5 per minute. The scalability of digital material structures due to the incremental modular assembly is one of its key traits and an important metric of interest. We investigate the build times of a 5x5 beam structure on the scale of 1 meter (325 parts), 10 meters (3,250 parts), and 30 meters (9,750 parts). Utilizing the current configuration with a single end effector, performing serial assembly with a globally fixed feed station at the edge of the build volume, the build time increases according to a scaling law of n4, where n is the build scale. Build times can be reduced significantly by integrating feed systems into the gantry itself, resulting in a scaling law of n3. A completely serial assembly process will encounter time limitations as build scale increases. Automated assembly for digital materials can assemble high performance structures from discrete parts, and techniques such as built in feed systems, parallelization, and optimization of the fastening process will yield much higher throughput.

Robotically Assembled Aerospace Structures: Digital Material Assembly using a Gantry-Type Assembler

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trinh, Greenfield; Copplestone, Grace; O'Connor, Molly; Hu, Steven; Nowak, Sebastian; Cheung, Kenneth; Jenett, Benjamin; Cellucci, Daniel

2017-01-01

This paper evaluates the development of automated assembly techniques for discrete lattice structures using a multi-axis gantry type CNC machine. These lattices are made of discrete components called "digital materials." We present the development of a specialized end effector that works in conjunction with the CNC machine to assemble these lattices. With this configuration we are able to place voxels at a rate of 1.5 per minute. The scalability of digital material structures due to the incremental modular assembly is one of its key traits and an important metric of interest. We investigate the build times of a 5x5 beam structure on the scale of 1 meter (325 parts), 10 meters (3,250 parts), and 30 meters (9,750 parts). Utilizing the current configuration with a single end effector, performing serial assembly with a globally fixed feed station at the edge of the build volume, the build time increases according to a scaling law of n4, where n is the build scale. Build times can be reduced significantly by integrating feed systems into the gantry itself, resulting in a scaling law of n3. A completely serial assembly process will encounter time limitations as build scale increases. Automated assembly for digital materials can assemble high performance structures from discrete parts, and techniques such as built in feed systems, parallelization, and optimization of the fastening process will yield much higher throughput.

Quality assurance of dynamic parameters in volumetric modulated arc therapy.

PubMed

Manikandan, A; Sarkar, B; Holla, R; Vivek, T R; Sujatha, N

2012-07-01

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate quality assurance checks for accuracy of gantry speed and position, dose rate and multileaf collimator (MLC) speed and position for a volumetric modulated arc treatment (VMAT) modality (Synergy S; Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden), and to check that all the necessary variables and parameters were synchronous. Three tests (for gantry position-dose delivery synchronisation, gantry speed-dose delivery synchronisation and MLC leaf speed and positions) were performed. The average error in gantry position was 0.5° and the average difference was 3 MU for a linear and a parabolic relationship between gantry position and delivered dose. In the third part of this test (sawtooth variation), the maximum difference was 9.3 MU, with a gantry position difference of 1.2°. In the sweeping field method test, a linear relationship was observed between recorded doses and distance from the central axis, as expected. In the open field method, errors were encountered at the beginning and at the end of the delivery arc, termed the "beginning" and "end" errors. For MLC position verification, the maximum error was -2.46 mm and the mean error was 0.0153 ±0.4668 mm, and 3.4% of leaves analysed showed errors of >±1 mm. This experiment demonstrates that the variables and parameters of the Synergy S are synchronous and that the system is suitable for delivering VMAT using a dynamic MLC.

Quality assurance of dynamic parameters in volumetric modulated arc therapy

PubMed Central

Manikandan, A; Sarkar, B; Holla, R; Vivek, T R; Sujatha, N

2012-01-01

Objectives The purpose of this study was to demonstrate quality assurance checks for accuracy of gantry speed and position, dose rate and multileaf collimator (MLC) speed and position for a volumetric modulated arc treatment (VMAT) modality (Synergy® S; Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden), and to check that all the necessary variables and parameters were synchronous. Methods Three tests (for gantry position–dose delivery synchronisation, gantry speed–dose delivery synchronisation and MLC leaf speed and positions) were performed. Results The average error in gantry position was 0.5° and the average difference was 3 MU for a linear and a parabolic relationship between gantry position and delivered dose. In the third part of this test (sawtooth variation), the maximum difference was 9.3 MU, with a gantry position difference of 1.2°. In the sweeping field method test, a linear relationship was observed between recorded doses and distance from the central axis, as expected. In the open field method, errors were encountered at the beginning and at the end of the delivery arc, termed the “beginning” and “end” errors. For MLC position verification, the maximum error was −2.46 mm and the mean error was 0.0153 ±0.4668 mm, and 3.4% of leaves analysed showed errors of >±1 mm. Conclusion This experiment demonstrates that the variables and parameters of the Synergy® S are synchronous and that the system is suitable for delivering VMAT using a dynamic MLC. PMID:22745206

Bounded-Angle Iterative Decoding of LDPC Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolinar, Samuel; Andrews, Kenneth; Pollara, Fabrizio; Divsalar, Dariush

2009-01-01

Bounded-angle iterative decoding is a modified version of conventional iterative decoding, conceived as a means of reducing undetected-error rates for short low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. For a given code, bounded-angle iterative decoding can be implemented by means of a simple modification of the decoder algorithm, without redesigning the code. Bounded-angle iterative decoding is based on a representation of received words and code words as vectors in an n-dimensional Euclidean space (where n is an integer).

Error Modeling of Multi-baseline Optical Truss. Part II; Application to SIM Metrology Truss Field Dependent Error

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Liwei Dennis; Milman, Mark; Korechoff, Robert

2004-01-01

The current design of the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) employs a 19 laser-metrology-beam system (also called L19 external metrology truss) to monitor changes of distances between the fiducials of the flight system's multiple baselines. The function of the external metrology truss is to aid in the determination of the time-variations of the interferometer baseline. The largest contributor to truss error occurs in SIM wide-angle observations when the articulation of the siderostat mirrors (in order to gather starlight from different sky coordinates) brings to light systematic errors due to offsets at levels of instrument components (which include comer cube retro-reflectors, etc.). This error is labeled external metrology wide-angle field-dependent error. Physics-based model of field-dependent error at single metrology gauge level is developed and linearly propagated to errors in interferometer delay. In this manner delay error sensitivity to various error parameters or their combination can be studied using eigenvalue/eigenvector analysis. Also validation of physics-based field-dependent model on SIM testbed lends support to the present approach. As a first example, dihedral error model is developed for the comer cubes (CC) attached to the siderostat mirrors. Then the delay errors due to this effect can be characterized using the eigenvectors of composite CC dihedral error. The essence of the linear error model is contained in an error-mapping matrix. A corresponding Zernike component matrix approach is developed in parallel, first for convenience of describing the RMS of errors across the field-of-regard (FOR), and second for convenience of combining with additional models. Average and worst case residual errors are computed when various orders of field-dependent terms are removed from the delay error. Results of the residual errors are important in arriving at external metrology system component requirements. Double CCs with ideally co-incident vertices

Analysis of ionospheric structure influences on residual ionospheric errors in GNSS radio occultation bending angles based on ray tracing simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Congliang; Kirchengast, Gottfried; Sun, Yueqiang; Zhang, Kefei; Norman, Robert; Schwaerz, Marc; Bai, Weihua; Du, Qifei; Li, Ying

2018-04-01

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) technique is widely used to observe the atmosphere for applications such as numerical weather prediction and global climate monitoring. The ionosphere is a major error source to RO at upper stratospheric altitudes, and a linear dual-frequency bending angle correction is commonly used to remove the first-order ionospheric effect. However, the higher-order residual ionospheric error (RIE) can still be significant, so it needs to be further mitigated for high-accuracy applications, especially from 35 km altitude upward, where the RIE is most relevant compared to the decreasing magnitude of the atmospheric bending angle. In a previous study we quantified RIEs using an ensemble of about 700 quasi-realistic end-to-end simulated RO events, finding typical RIEs at the 0.1 to 0.5 µrad noise level, but were left with 26 exceptional events with anomalous RIEs at the 1 to 10 µrad level that remained unexplained. In this study, we focused on investigating the causes of the high RIE of these exceptional events, employing detailed along-ray-path analyses of atmospheric and ionospheric refractivities, impact parameter changes, and bending angles and RIEs under asymmetric and symmetric ionospheric structures. We found that the main causes of the high RIEs are a combination of physics-based effects - where asymmetric ionospheric conditions play the primary role, more than the ionization level driven by solar activity - and technical ray tracer effects due to occasions of imperfect smoothness in ionospheric refractivity model derivatives. We also found that along-ray impact parameter variations of more than 10 to 20 m are possible due to ionospheric asymmetries and, depending on prevailing horizontal refractivity gradients, are positive or negative relative to the initial impact parameter at the GNSS transmitter. Furthermore, mesospheric RIEs are found generally higher than upper-stratospheric ones, likely due to

Deflection angle detecting system for the large-angle and high-linearity fast steering mirror using quadrant detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Yingxue; Wu, Jiabin; San, Xiaogang; Gao, Shijie; Ding, Shaohang; Wang, Jing; Wang, Tao

2018-02-01

A deflection angle detecting system (DADS) using a quadrant detector (QD) is developed to achieve the large deflection angle and high linearity for the fast steering mirror (FSM). The mathematical model of the DADS is established by analyzing the principle of position detecting and error characteristics of the QD. Based on this mathematical model, the method of optimizing deflection angle and linearity of FSM is demonstrated, which is proved feasible by simulation and experimental results. Finally, a QD-based FSM is designed and tested. The results show that it achieves 0.72% nonlinearity, ±2.0 deg deflection angle, and 1.11-μrad resolution. Therefore, the application of this method will be beneficial to design the FSM.

Spirality: A Noval Way to Measure Spiral Arm Pitch Angle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shields, Douglas W.; Boe, Benjamin; Henderson, Casey L.; Hartley, Matthew; Davis, Benjamin L.; Pour Imani, Hamed; Kennefick, Daniel; Kennefick, Julia D.

2015-01-01

We present the MATLAB code Spirality, a novel method for measuring spiral arm pitch angles by fitting galaxy images to spiral templates of known pitch. For a given pitch angle template, the mean pixel value is found along each of typically 1000 spiral axes. The fitting function, which shows a local maximum at the best-fit pitch angle, is the variance of these means. Error bars are found by varying the inner radius of the measurement annulus and finding the standard deviation of the best-fit pitches. Computation time is typically on the order of 2 minutes per galaxy, assuming at least 8 GB of working memory. We tested the code using 128 synthetic spiral images of known pitch. These spirals varied in the number of spiral arms, pitch angle, degree of logarithmicity, radius, SNR, inclination angle, bar length, and bulge radius. A correct result is defined as a result that matches the true pitch within the error bars, with error bars no greater than ±7°. For the non-logarithmic spiral sample, the correct answer is similarly defined, with the mean pitch as function of radius in place of the true pitch. For all synthetic spirals, correct results were obtained so long as SNR > 0.25, the bar length was no more than 60% of the spiral's diameter (when the bar was included in the measurement), the input center of the spiral was no more than 6% of the spiral radius away from the true center, and the inclination angle was no more than 30°. The synthetic spirals were not deprojected prior to measurement. The code produced the correct result for all barred spirals when the measurement annulus was placed outside the bar. Additionally, we compared the code's results against 2DFFT results for 203 visually selected spiral galaxies in GOODS North and South. Among the entire sample, Spirality's error bars overlapped 2DFFT's error bars 64% of the time. For those galaxies in which Source code is available by email request from the primary author.

Study on verifying the angle measurement performance of the rotary-laser system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jin; Ren, Yongjie; Lin, Jiarui; Yin, Shibin; Zhu, Jigui

2018-04-01

An angle verification method to verify the angle measurement performance of the rotary-laser system was developed. Angle measurement performance has a great impact on measuring accuracy. Although there is some previous research on the verification of angle measuring uncertainty for the rotary-laser system, there are still some limitations. High-precision reference angles are used in the study of the method, and an integrated verification platform is set up to evaluate the performance of the system. This paper also probes the error that has biggest influence on the verification system. Some errors of the verification system are avoided via the experimental method, and some are compensated through the computational formula and curve fitting. Experimental results show that the angle measurement performance meets the requirement for coordinate measurement. The verification platform can evaluate the uncertainty of angle measurement for the rotary-laser system efficiently.

An interpretation of radiosonde errors in the atmospheric boundary layer

Treesearch

Bernadette H. Connell; David R. Miller

1995-01-01

The authors review sources of error in radiosonde measurements in the atmospheric boundary layer and analyze errors of two radiosonde models manufactured by Atmospheric Instrumentation Research, Inc. The authors focus on temperature and humidity lag errors and wind errors. Errors in measurement of azimuth and elevation angles and pressure over short time intervals and...

Moments of inclination error distribution computer program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myler, T. R.

1981-01-01

A FORTRAN coded computer program is described which calculates orbital inclination error statistics using a closed-form solution. This solution uses a data base of trajectory errors from actual flights to predict the orbital inclination error statistics. The Scott flight history data base consists of orbit insertion errors in the trajectory parameters - altitude, velocity, flight path angle, flight azimuth, latitude and longitude. The methods used to generate the error statistics are of general interest since they have other applications. Program theory, user instructions, output definitions, subroutine descriptions and detailed FORTRAN coding information are included.

Technical Note: Kinect V2 surface filtering during gantry motion for radiotherapy applications.

PubMed

Nazir, Souha; Rihana, Sandy; Visvikis, Dimitris; Fayad, Hadi

2018-04-01

In radiotherapy, the Kinect V2 camera, has recently received a lot of attention concerning many clinical applications including patient positioning, respiratory motion tracking, and collision detection during the radiotherapy delivery phase. However, issues associated with such applications are related to some materials and surfaces reflections generating an offset in depth measurements especially during gantry motion. This phenomenon appears in particular when the collimator surface is observed by the camera; resulting in erroneous depth measurements, not only in Kinect surfaces itself, but also as a large peak when extracting a 1D respiratory signal from these data. In this paper, we proposed filtering techniques to reduce the noise effect in the Kinect-based 1D respiratory signal, using a trend removal filter, and in associated 2D surfaces, using a temporal median filter. Filtering process was validated using a phantom, in order to simulate a patient undergoing radiotherapy treatment while having the ground truth. Our results indicate a better correlation between the reference respiratory signal and its corresponding filtered signal (Correlation coefficient of 0.76) than that of the nonfiltered signal (Correlation coefficient of 0.13). Furthermore, surface filtering results show a decrease in the mean square distance error (85%) between the reference and the measured point clouds. This work shows a significant noise compensation and surface restitution after surface filtering and therefore a potential use of the Kinect V2 camera for different radiotherapy-based applications, such as respiratory tracking and collision detection. © 2018 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Flow tilt angles near forest edges - Part 2: Lidar anemometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dellwik, E.; Mann, J.; Bingöl, F.

2010-05-01

A novel way of estimating near-surface mean flow tilt angles from ground based Doppler lidar measurements is presented. The results are compared with traditional mast based in-situ sonic anemometry. The tilt angle assessed with the lidar is based on 10 or 30 min mean values of the velocity field from a conically scanning lidar. In this mode of measurement, the lidar beam is rotated in a circle by a prism with a fixed angle to the vertical at varying focus distances. By fitting a trigonometric function to the scans, the mean vertical velocity can be estimated. Lidar measurements from (1) a fetch-limited beech forest site taken at 48-175 m a.g.l. (above ground level), (2) a reference site in flat agricultural terrain and (3) a second reference site in complex terrain are presented. The method to derive flow tilt angles and mean vertical velocities from lidar has several advantages compared to sonic anemometry; there is no flow distortion caused by the instrument itself, there are no temperature effects and the instrument misalignment can be corrected for by assuming zero tilt angle at high altitudes. Contrary to mast-based instruments, the lidar measures the wind field with the exact same alignment error at a multitude of heights. Disadvantages with estimating vertical velocities from a lidar compared to mast-based measurements are potentially slightly increased levels of statistical errors due to limited sampling time, because the sampling is disjunct, and a requirement for homogeneous flow. The estimated mean vertical velocity is biased if the flow over the scanned circle is not homogeneous. It is demonstrated that the error on the mean vertical velocity due to flow inhomogeneity can be approximated by a function of the angle of the lidar beam to the vertical and the vertical gradient of the mean vertical velocity, whereas the error due to flow inhomogeneity on the horizontal mean wind speed is independent of the lidar beam angle. For the presented measurements

Space-Borne Laser Altimeter Geolocation Error Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Fang, J.; Ai, Y.

2018-05-01

This paper reviews the development of space-borne laser altimetry technology over the past 40 years. Taking the ICESAT satellite as an example, a rigorous space-borne laser altimeter geolocation model is studied, and an error propagation equation is derived. The influence of the main error sources, such as the platform positioning error, attitude measurement error, pointing angle measurement error and range measurement error, on the geolocation accuracy of the laser spot are analysed by simulated experiments. The reasons for the different influences on geolocation accuracy in different directions are discussed, and to satisfy the accuracy of the laser control point, a design index for each error source is put forward.

Optical Enhancement of Exoskeleton-Based Estimation of Glenohumeral Angles

PubMed Central

Cortés, Camilo; Unzueta, Luis; de los Reyes-Guzmán, Ana; Ruiz, Oscar E.; Flórez, Julián

2016-01-01

In Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation (RAR) the accurate estimation of the patient limb joint angles is critical for assessing therapy efficacy. In RAR, the use of classic motion capture systems (MOCAPs) (e.g., optical and electromagnetic) to estimate the Glenohumeral (GH) joint angles is hindered by the exoskeleton body, which causes occlusions and magnetic disturbances. Moreover, the exoskeleton posture does not accurately reflect limb posture, as their kinematic models differ. To address the said limitations in posture estimation, we propose installing the cameras of an optical marker-based MOCAP in the rehabilitation exoskeleton. Then, the GH joint angles are estimated by combining the estimated marker poses and exoskeleton Forward Kinematics. Such hybrid system prevents problems related to marker occlusions, reduced camera detection volume, and imprecise joint angle estimation due to the kinematic mismatch of the patient and exoskeleton models. This paper presents the formulation, simulation, and accuracy quantification of the proposed method with simulated human movements. In addition, a sensitivity analysis of the method accuracy to marker position estimation errors, due to system calibration errors and marker drifts, has been carried out. The results show that, even with significant errors in the marker position estimation, method accuracy is adequate for RAR. PMID:27403044

Influence of incident angle on the decoding in laser polarization encoding guidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Muchun; Chen, Yanru; Zhao, Qi; Xin, Yu; Wen, Hongyuan

2009-07-01

Dynamic detection of polarization states is very important for laser polarization coding guidance systems. In this paper, a set of dynamic polarization decoding and detection system used in laser polarization coding guidance was designed. Detection process of the normal incident polarized light is analyzed with Jones Matrix; the system can effectively detect changes in polarization. Influence of non-normal incident light on performance of polarization decoding and detection system is studied; analysis showed that changes in incident angle will have a negative impact on measure results, the non-normal incident influence is mainly caused by second-order birefringence and polarization sensitivity effect generated in the phase delay and beam splitter prism. Combined with Fresnel formula, decoding errors of linearly polarized light, elliptically polarized light and circularly polarized light with different incident angles into the detector are calculated respectively, the results show that the decoding errors increase with increase of incident angle. Decoding errors have relations with geometry parameters, material refractive index of wave plate, polarization beam splitting prism. Decoding error can be reduced by using thin low-order wave-plate. Simulation of detection of polarized light with different incident angle confirmed the corresponding conclusions.

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

Langner, U; Langen, K

Purpose: To investigate the effect of spot size variation as function of gantry angle on the quality of treatment plans for pencil beam scanning proton plans. Method: Three homogeneous 26×26×7cm dose volumes with different ranges and SOBPs were delivered on the matrixxPT 2D array at gantry angles of 0 and 270 degrees. The spot size sigma varies by 1.8, 7.8, and 1.4%, for nominal energies of 215, 183, and 103 MeV (Range 29, 22, and 8cm, respectively). The resulting dose planes are compared and evaluated with the gamma index for 2%/2mm and 1%/1mm criteria. Results: Patient specific QA is performedmore » at a gantry angle of 0 degrees. However, beam sigmas vary as function of gantry angle because of the beam optics for each gantry. This will cause differences between the delivered and planned treatment plans. Delivered plans were compared and a gamma pass rate of 96.5% for criteria of 2%/2mm and 91.4% for 1%/1mm were seen for plans with a nominal energy of 183 MeV. For plans with a nominal energy of 103 MeV, gamma pass rates of 97.3% for 2%/2mm and 91.5% for 1%/1mm were seen. For plans with a nominal energy of 215 MeV the pass rate was 99.8% for 1%/1mm between the two gantry angles. Conclusion: Differences in beam sigma of up to 7.8% do not cause significant differences in the dose distribution of different spot size gammas.« less

Improved model for correcting the ionospheric impact on bending angle in radio occultation measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angling, Matthew J.; Elvidge, Sean; Healy, Sean B.

2018-04-01

The standard approach to remove the effects of the ionosphere from neutral atmosphere GPS radio occultation measurements is to estimate a corrected bending angle from a combination of the L1 and L2 bending angles. This approach is known to result in systematic errors and an extension has been proposed to the standard ionospheric correction that is dependent on the squared L1 / L2 bending angle difference and a scaling term (κ). The variation of κ with height, time, season, location and solar activity (i.e. the F10.7 flux) has been investigated by applying a 1-D bending angle operator to electron density profiles provided by a monthly median ionospheric climatology model. As expected, the residual bending angle is well correlated (negatively) with the vertical total electron content (TEC). κ is more strongly dependent on the solar zenith angle, indicating that the TEC-dependent component of the residual error is effectively modelled by the squared L1 / L2 bending angle difference term in the correction. The residual error from the ionospheric correction is likely to be a major contributor to the overall error budget of neutral atmosphere retrievals between 40 and 80 km. Over this height range κ is approximately linear with height. A simple κ model has also been developed. It is independent of ionospheric measurements, but incorporates geophysical dependencies (i.e. solar zenith angle, solar flux, altitude). The global mean error (i.e. bias) and the standard deviation of the residual errors are reduced from -1.3×10-8 and 2.2×10-8 for the uncorrected case to -2.2×10-10 rad and 2.0×10-9 rad, respectively, for the corrections using the κ model. Although a fixed scalar κ also reduces bias for the global average, the selected value of κ (14 rad-1) is only appropriate for a small band of locations around the solar terminator. In the daytime, the scalar κ is consistently too high and this results in an overcorrection of the bending angles and a positive bending

An Emprical Point Error Model for Tls Derived Point Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozendi, Mustafa; Akca, Devrim; Topan, Hüseyin

2016-06-01

The random error pattern of point clouds has significant effect on the quality of final 3D model. The magnitude and distribution of random errors should be modelled numerically. This work aims at developing such an anisotropic point error model, specifically for the terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) acquired 3D point clouds. A priori precisions of basic TLS observations, which are the range, horizontal angle and vertical angle, are determined by predefined and practical measurement configurations, performed at real-world test environments. A priori precision of horizontal (𝜎𝜃) and vertical (𝜎𝛼) angles are constant for each point of a data set, and can directly be determined through the repetitive scanning of the same environment. In our practical tests, precisions of the horizontal and vertical angles were found as 𝜎𝜃=±36.6𝑐𝑐 and 𝜎𝛼=±17.8𝑐𝑐, respectively. On the other hand, a priori precision of the range observation (𝜎𝜌) is assumed to be a function of range, incidence angle of the incoming laser ray, and reflectivity of object surface. Hence, it is a variable, and computed for each point individually by employing an empirically developed formula varying as 𝜎𝜌=±2-12 𝑚𝑚 for a FARO Focus X330 laser scanner. This procedure was followed by the computation of error ellipsoids of each point using the law of variance-covariance propagation. The direction and size of the error ellipsoids were computed by the principal components transformation. The usability and feasibility of the model was investigated in real world scenarios. These investigations validated the suitability and practicality of the proposed method.

Angle performance on optima MDxt

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

David, Jonathan; Kamenitsa, Dennis

2012-11-06

Angle control on medium current implanters is important due to the high angle-sensitivity of typical medium current implants, such as halo implants. On the Optima MDxt, beam-to-wafer angles are controlled in both the horizontal and vertical directions. In the horizontal direction, the beam angle is measured through six narrow slits, and any angle adjustment is made by electrostatically steering the beam, while cross-wafer beam parallelism is adjusted by changing the focus of the electrostatic parallelizing lens (P-lens). In the vertical direction, the beam angle is measured through a high aspect ratio mask, and any angle adjustment is made by slightlymore » tilting the wafer platen prior to implant. A variety of tests were run to measure the accuracy and repeatability of Optima MDxt's angle control. SIMS profiles of a high energy, channeling sensitive condition show both the cross-wafer angle uniformity, along with the small-angle resolution of the system. Angle repeatability was quantified by running a channeling sensitive implant as a regular monitor over a seven month period and measuring the sheet resistance-to-angle sensitivity. Even though crystal cut error was not controlled for in this case, when attributing all Rs variation to angle changes, the overall angle repeatability was measured as 0.16 Degree-Sign (1{sigma}). A separate angle repeatability test involved running a series of V-curves tests over a four month period using low crystal cut wafers selected from the same boule. The results of this test showed the angle repeatability to be <0.1 Degree-Sign (1{sigma}).« less

Daily Orthogonal Kilovoltage Imaging Using a Gantry-Mounted On-Board Imaging System Results in a Reduction in Radiation Therapy Delivery Errors

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

Russo, Gregory A., E-mail: gregory.russo@bmc.org; Qureshi, Muhammad M.; Truong, Minh-Tam

2012-11-01

Purpose: To determine whether the use of routine image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) using pretreatment on-board imaging (OBI) with orthogonal kilovoltage X-rays reduces treatment delivery errors. Methods and Materials: A retrospective review of documented treatment delivery errors from 2003 to 2009 was performed. Following implementation of IGRT in 2007, patients received daily OBI with orthogonal kV X-rays prior to treatment. The frequency of errors in the pre- and post-IGRT time frames was compared. Treatment errors (TEs) were classified as IGRT-preventable or non-IGRT-preventable. Results: A total of 71,260 treatment fractions were delivered to 2764 patients. A total of 135 (0.19%) TEsmore » occurred in 39 (1.4%) patients (3.2% in 2003, 1.1% in 2004, 2.5% in 2005, 2% in 2006, 0.86% in 2007, 0.24% in 2008, and 0.22% in 2009). In 2007, the TE rate decreased by >50% and has remained low (P = .00007, compared to before 2007). Errors were classified as being potentially preventable with IGRT (e.g., incorrect site, patient, or isocenter) vs. not. No patients had any IGRT-preventable TEs from 2007 to 2009, whereas there were 9 from 2003 to 2006 (1 in 2003, 2 in 2004, 2 in 2005, and 4 in 2006; P = .0058) before the implementation of IGRT. Conclusions: IGRT implementation has a patient safety benefit with a significant reduction in treatment delivery errors. As such, we recommend the use of IGRT in routine practice to complement existing quality assurance measures.« less

Daily orthogonal kilovoltage imaging using a gantry-mounted on-board imaging system results in a reduction in radiation therapy delivery errors.

PubMed

Russo, Gregory A; Qureshi, Muhammad M; Truong, Minh-Tam; Hirsch, Ariel E; Orlina, Lawrence; Bohrs, Harry; Clancy, Pauline; Willins, John; Kachnic, Lisa A

2012-11-01

To determine whether the use of routine image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) using pretreatment on-board imaging (OBI) with orthogonal kilovoltage X-rays reduces treatment delivery errors. A retrospective review of documented treatment delivery errors from 2003 to 2009 was performed. Following implementation of IGRT in 2007, patients received daily OBI with orthogonal kV X-rays prior to treatment. The frequency of errors in the pre- and post-IGRT time frames was compared. Treatment errors (TEs) were classified as IGRT-preventable or non-IGRT-preventable. A total of 71,260 treatment fractions were delivered to 2764 patients. A total of 135 (0.19%) TEs occurred in 39 (1.4%) patients (3.2% in 2003, 1.1% in 2004, 2.5% in 2005, 2% in 2006, 0.86% in 2007, 0.24% in 2008, and 0.22% in 2009). In 2007, the TE rate decreased by >50% and has remained low (P = .00007, compared to before 2007). Errors were classified as being potentially preventable with IGRT (e.g., incorrect site, patient, or isocenter) vs. not. No patients had any IGRT-preventable TEs from 2007 to 2009, whereas there were 9 from 2003 to 2006 (1 in 2003, 2 in 2004, 2 in 2005, and 4 in 2006; P = .0058) before the implementation of IGRT. IGRT implementation has a patient safety benefit with a significant reduction in treatment delivery errors. As such, we recommend the use of IGRT in routine practice to complement existing quality assurance measures. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Utilization of optical tracking to validate a software-driven isocentric approach to robotic couch movements for proton radiotherapy.

PubMed

Hsi, Wen C; Law, Aaron; Schreuder, Andreas N; Zeidan, Omar A

2014-08-01

An optical tracking and positioning system (OTPS) was developed to validate the software-driven isocentric (SDI) approach to control the six-degrees-of-freedom movement of a robotic couch. The SDI approach to movements rotating around a predefined isocenter, referred to as a GeoIso, instead of a mechanical pivot point was developed by the robot automation industry. With robotic couch-sag corrections for weight load in a traditional SDI approach, movements could be accurately executed for a GeoIso located within a 500 mm cubic volume on the couch for treatments. The accuracy of SDI movement was investigated using the OTPS. The GeoIso was assumed to align with the proton beam isocenter (RadIso) for gantry at the reference angle. However, the misalignment between GeoIso and RadIso was quantitatively investigated by measuring the displacements at various couch angles for a target placed at the RadIso at an initial couch angle. When circular target displacements occur on a plane, a relative isocenter shift (RIS) correction could be applied in the SDI movement to minimize target displacements. Target displacements at a fixed gantry angle without and with RIS correction were measured for 12 robotic couches. Target displacements for various gantry angles were performed on three couches in gantry rooms to study the gantry-induced RadIso shift. The RIS correction can also be applied for the RadIso shift. A new SDI approach incorporating the RIS correction with the couch sag is described in this study. In parallel, the accuracy of SDI translation movements for various weight loads of patients on the couch was investigated during positioning of patients for proton prostate treatments. For a fixed gantry angle, measured target displacements without RIS correction for couch rotations in the horizontal plane varied from 4 to 20 mm. However, measured displacements perpendicular to couch rotation plane were about 2 mm for all couches. Extracted misalignments of GeoIso and RadIso in

SU-E-J-56: Static Gantry Digital Tomosynthesis From the Beam’s-Eye-View

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

Partain, L; Kwon, J; Boyd, D

Purpose We have designed a novel TumoTrak™ x-ray system that delivers 19 distinct kV views with the linac gantry stationary. It images MV treatment beam above and below the patient with a kV tomosysthesis slice image from the therapy beam’s-eye-view. Results will be high quality images without MLC shadowing for notable improvements relative to conventional fluoroscopic MV imaging and fluoroscopic kV imaging. Methods A complete design has a kV electron beam multisource X-ray tube that fits around the MV treatment beam path, with little interference with normal radiotherapy and unblocked by the multi-leaf-collimator. To simulate digital tomosynthesis, we used cone-beammore » CT projection data from a lung SBRT patient. These data were acquired at 125 kVp and 11 fps (0.4 mAs per projection). We chose 19 projections evenly spaced over 27° around one of the treatment angles (240°). Digital tomosynthesis reconstruction of a slice through the tumor was performed using iterative reconstruction. The visibility of the lesion was assessed for the reconstructed digital tomosynthesis (DTS), using fluoroscopy MV images acquired during radiation therapy, and a kV single projection image acquired at the same angle as the treatment field (240°). Results The fluoroscopic DTS images provide the best tumor contrast, surpassing the conventional radiographic and the in-treatment MV portal images. The electron beam multisource X-ray tube design has been completed and the tube is being fabricated. The estimated time to cycle through all 19 projections is 700 ms, enabling high frame-rate imaging. While the initial proposed use case is for image guided and gated treatment delivery, the enhanced imaging will also deliver superior radiographic images for patient setup. Conclusion The proposed device will deliver high quality planar images from the beam’s-eye-view without MLC obstruction. The prototype has been designed and is being assembled with first imaging scheduled for May

Error of the slanted edge method for measuring the modulation transfer function of imaging systems.

PubMed

Xie, Xufen; Fan, Hongda; Wang, Hongyuan; Wang, Zebin; Zou, Nianyu

2018-03-01

The slanted edge method is a basic approach for measuring the modulation transfer function (MTF) of imaging systems; however, its measurement accuracy is limited in practice. Theoretical analysis of the slanted edge MTF measurement method performed in this paper reveals that inappropriate edge angles and random noise reduce this accuracy. The error caused by edge angles is analyzed using sampling and reconstruction theory. Furthermore, an error model combining noise and edge angles is proposed. We verify the analyses and model with respect to (i) the edge angle, (ii) a statistical analysis of the measurement error, (iii) the full width at half-maximum of a point spread function, and (iv) the error model. The experimental results verify the theoretical findings. This research can be referential for applications of the slanted edge MTF measurement method.

Three dimensional thermal stresses in angle-ply composite laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, O. Hayden, Jr.

1988-01-01

The room temperature stress distributions and shapes of a family of angle ply graphite/epoxy laminates have been obtained using a three-dimensional linear finite element analysis. The sensitivity of the corners to fiber angle variations is examined, in addition to the errors introduced by assuming planes of symmetry which do not exist in angle-ply laminates. The results show that angle ply laminates with 'clustered' plies will tend to delaminate at diagonally opposite corners, and that matrix cracks in this family of laminates will be initiated in the laminate interior.

Analog track angle error displays improve simulated GPS approach performance

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

Pilots flying non-precision instrument approaches traditionally rely on a course deviation indicator (CDI) analog display of cross track error (XTE) information. THe new generation of GPS based area navigation (RNAV) receivers can also compute accura...

Age, Gender, Biometry, Refractive Error, and the Anterior Chamber Angle among Alaskan Eskimos

PubMed Central

Wojciechowski, Robert; Congdon, Nathan; Anninger, William; Broman, Aimee Teo

2011-01-01

Background The prevalence of angle-closure glaucoma (ACG) is greater for Eskimos/Inuit than it is for any other ethnic group in the world. Although it has been suggested that this prevalence may be due to a population tendency toward shallower anterior chamber angles, available evidence for other populations such as Chinese with high rates of ACG has not consistently demonstrated such a tendency. Methods A reticule, slit-lamp, and standard Goldmann one-mirror goniolens were used to make measurements in the anterior chamber (AC) angle according to a previously reported protocol for biometric gonioscopy (BG) (Ophthalmology 1999;106:2161–7). Measurements were made in all four quadrants of one eye among 133 phakic Alaskan Eskimos aged 40 years and older. Automatic refraction, dilated examination of the anterior segment and optic nerve, and A-scan measurements of AC depth, lens thickness, and axial length were also carried out for all subjects. Results Both central and peripheral AC measurements for the Eskimo subjects were significantly lower than those previously reported by us for Chinese, blacks, and whites under the identical protocol. Eskimos also seemed to have somewhat more hyperopia. There were no differences in biometric measurements between men and women in this Eskimo population. Angle measurements by BG seemed to decline more rapidly over life among Eskimos and Chinese than blacks or whites. Although there was a significant apparent decrease in AC depth, increase in lens thickness, and increase in hyperopia with age among Eskimos, all of these trends seemed to reverse in the seventh decade and beyond. Conclusions Eskimos do seem to have shallower ACs than do other racial groups. Measurements of the AC angle seem to decline more rapidly over life among Eskimos than among blacks or whites, a phenomenon also observed by us among Chinese, another group with high ACG prevalence. This apparent more rapid decline may be due to a cohort effect with higher

A gantry-based tri-modality system for bioluminescence tomography

PubMed Central

Yan, Han; Lin, Yuting; Barber, William C.; Unlu, Mehmet Burcin; Gulsen, Gultekin

2012-01-01

A gantry-based tri-modality system that combines bioluminescence (BLT), diffuse optical (DOT), and x-ray computed tomography (XCT) into the same setting is presented here. The purpose of this system is to perform bioluminescence tomography using a multi-modality imaging approach. As parts of this hybrid system, XCT and DOT provide anatomical information and background optical property maps. This structural and functional a priori information is used to guide and restrain bioluminescence reconstruction algorithm and ultimately improve the BLT results. The performance of the combined system is evaluated using multi-modality phantoms. In particular, a cylindrical heterogeneous multi-modality phantom that contains regions with higher optical absorption and x-ray attenuation is constructed. We showed that a 1.5 mm diameter bioluminescence inclusion can be localized accurately with the functional a priori information while its source strength can be recovered more accurately using both structural and the functional a priori information. PMID:22559540

Methods to model and predict the ViewRay treatment deliveries to aid patient scheduling and treatment planning

PubMed Central

Liu, Shi; Wu, Yu; Wooten, H. Omar; Green, Olga; Archer, Brent; Li, Harold

2016-01-01

A software tool is developed, given a new treatment plan, to predict treatment delivery time for radiation therapy (RT) treatments of patients on ViewRay magnetic resonance image‐guided radiation therapy (MR‐IGRT) delivery system. This tool is necessary for managing patient treatment scheduling in our clinic. The predicted treatment delivery time and the assessment of plan complexities could also be useful to aid treatment planning. A patient's total treatment delivery time, not including time required for localization, is modeled as the sum of four components: 1) the treatment initialization time; 2) the total beam‐on time; 3) the gantry rotation time; and 4) the multileaf collimator (MLC) motion time. Each of the four components is predicted separately. The total beam‐on time can be calculated using both the planned beam‐on time and the decay‐corrected dose rate. To predict the remain‐ing components, we retrospectively analyzed the patient treatment delivery record files. The initialization time is demonstrated to be random since it depends on the final gantry angle of the previous treatment. Based on modeling the relationships between the gantry rotation angles and the corresponding rotation time, linear regression is applied to predict the gantry rotation time. The MLC motion time is calculated using the leaves delay modeling method and the leaf motion speed. A quantitative analysis was performed to understand the correlation between the total treatment time and the plan complexity. The proposed algorithm is able to predict the ViewRay treatment delivery time with the average prediction error 0.22 min or 1.82%, and the maximal prediction error 0.89 min or 7.88%. The analysis has shown the correlation between the plan modulation (PM) factor and the total treatment delivery time, as well as the treatment delivery duty cycle. A possibility has been identified to significantly reduce MLC motion time by optimizing the positions of closed MLC pairs. The

Methods to model and predict the ViewRay treatment deliveries to aid patient scheduling and treatment planning.

PubMed

Liu, Shi; Wu, Yu; Wooten, H Omar; Green, Olga; Archer, Brent; Li, Harold; Yang, Deshan

2016-03-08

A software tool is developed, given a new treatment plan, to predict treatment delivery time for radiation therapy (RT) treatments of patients on ViewRay magnetic resonance image-guided radiation therapy (MR-IGRT) delivery system. This tool is necessary for managing patient treatment scheduling in our clinic. The predicted treatment delivery time and the assessment of plan complexities could also be useful to aid treatment planning. A patient's total treatment delivery time, not including time required for localization, is modeled as the sum of four components: 1) the treatment initialization time; 2) the total beam-on time; 3) the gantry rotation time; and 4) the multileaf collimator (MLC) motion time. Each of the four components is predicted separately. The total beam-on time can be calculated using both the planned beam-on time and the decay-corrected dose rate. To predict the remain-ing components, we retrospectively analyzed the patient treatment delivery record files. The initialization time is demonstrated to be random since it depends on the final gantry angle of the previous treatment. Based on modeling the relationships between the gantry rotation angles and the corresponding rotation time, linear regression is applied to predict the gantry rotation time. The MLC motion time is calculated using the leaves delay modeling method and the leaf motion speed. A quantitative analysis was performed to understand the correlation between the total treatment time and the plan complexity. The proposed algorithm is able to predict the ViewRay treatment delivery time with the average prediction error 0.22min or 1.82%, and the maximal prediction error 0.89 min or 7.88%. The analysis has shown the correlation between the plan modulation (PM) factor and the total treatment delivery time, as well as the treatment delivery duty cycle. A possibility has been identified to significantly reduce MLC motion time by optimizing the positions of closed MLC pairs. The accuracy of

Using doppler radar images to estimate aircraft navigational heading error

DOEpatents

Doerry, Armin W [Albuquerque, NM; Jordan, Jay D [Albuquerque, NM; Kim, Theodore J [Albuquerque, NM

2012-07-03

A yaw angle error of a motion measurement system carried on an aircraft for navigation is estimated from Doppler radar images captured using the aircraft. At least two radar pulses aimed at respectively different physical locations in a targeted area are transmitted from a radar antenna carried on the aircraft. At least two Doppler radar images that respectively correspond to the at least two transmitted radar pulses are produced. These images are used to produce an estimate of the yaw angle error.

An a-posteriori finite element error estimator for adaptive grid computation of viscous incompressible flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Heng

2000-10-01

In this thesis, an a-posteriori error estimator is presented and employed for solving viscous incompressible flow problems. In an effort to detect local flow features, such as vortices and separation, and to resolve flow details precisely, a velocity angle error estimator e theta which is based on the spatial derivative of velocity direction fields is designed and constructed. The a-posteriori error estimator corresponds to the antisymmetric part of the deformation-rate-tensor, and it is sensitive to the second derivative of the velocity angle field. Rationality discussions reveal that the velocity angle error estimator is a curvature error estimator, and its value reflects the accuracy of streamline curves. It is also found that the velocity angle error estimator contains the nonlinear convective term of the Navier-Stokes equations, and it identifies and computes the direction difference when the convective acceleration direction and the flow velocity direction have a disparity. Through benchmarking computed variables with the analytic solution of Kovasznay flow or the finest grid of cavity flow, it is demonstrated that the velocity angle error estimator has a better performance than the strain error estimator. The benchmarking work also shows that the computed profile obtained by using etheta can achieve the best matching outcome with the true theta field, and that it is asymptotic to the true theta variation field, with a promise of fewer unknowns. Unstructured grids are adapted by employing local cell division as well as unrefinement of transition cells. Using element class and node class can efficiently construct a hierarchical data structure which provides cell and node inter-reference at each adaptive level. Employing element pointers and node pointers can dynamically maintain the connection of adjacent elements and adjacent nodes, and thus avoids time-consuming search processes. The adaptive scheme is applied to viscous incompressible flow at different

Utilization of optical tracking to validate a software-driven isocentric approach to robotic couch movements for proton radiotherapy

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

Hsi, Wen C., E-mail: Wen.Hsi@Mclaren.org, E-mail: Wenchien.hsi@sphic.org.cn; Zeidan, Omar A., E-mail: omar.zeidan@orlandohealth.com; Law, Aaron

Purpose: An optical tracking and positioning system (OTPS) was developed to validate the software-driven isocentric (SDI) approach to control the six-degrees-of-freedom movement of a robotic couch. Methods: The SDI approach to movements rotating around a predefined isocenter, referred to as a GeoIso, instead of a mechanical pivot point was developed by the robot automation industry. With robotic couch-sag corrections for weight load in a traditional SDI approach, movements could be accurately executed for a GeoIso located within a 500 mm cubic volume on the couch for treatments. The accuracy of SDI movement was investigated using the OTPS. The GeoIso wasmore » assumed to align with the proton beam isocenter (RadIso) for gantry at the reference angle. However, the misalignment between GeoIso and RadIso was quantitatively investigated by measuring the displacements at various couch angles for a target placed at the RadIso at an initial couch angle. When circular target displacements occur on a plane, a relative isocenter shift (RIS) correction could be applied in the SDI movement to minimize target displacements. Target displacements at a fixed gantry angle without and with RIS correction were measured for 12 robotic couches. Target displacements for various gantry angles were performed on three couches in gantry rooms to study the gantry-induced RadIso shift. The RIS correction can also be applied for the RadIso shift. A new SDI approach incorporating the RIS correction with the couch sag is described in this study. In parallel, the accuracy of SDI translation movements for various weight loads of patients on the couch was investigated during positioning of patients for proton prostate treatments. Results: For a fixed gantry angle, measured target displacements without RIS correction for couch rotations in the horizontal plane varied from 4 to 20 mm. However, measured displacements perpendicular to couch rotation plane were about 2 mm for all couches. Extracted

The impact of acquisition angle differences on three-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography.

PubMed

Tu, Shengxian; Holm, Niels R; Koning, Gerhard; Maeng, Michael; Reiber, Johan H C

2011-08-01

Three-dimensional (3D) quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) requires two angiographic views to restore vessel dimensions. This study investigated the impact of acquisition angle differences (AADs) of the two angiographic views on the assessed dimensions by 3D QCA. X-ray angiograms of an assembled brass phantom with different types of straight lesions were recorded at multiple angiographic projections. The projections were randomly matched as pairs and 3D QCA was performed in those pairs with AAD larger than 25°. The lesion length and diameter stenosis in three different lesions, a circular concentric severe lesion (A), a circular concentric moderate lesion (B), and a circular eccentric moderate lesion (C), were measured by 3D QCA. The acquisition protocol was repeated for a silicone bifurcation phantom, and the bifurcation angles and bifurcation core volume were measured by 3D QCA. The measurements were compared with the true dimensions if applicable and their correlation with AAD was studied. 50 matched pairs of angiographic views were analyzed for the brass phantom. The average value of AAD was 48.0 ± 14.1°. The percent diameter stenosis was slightly overestimated by 3D QCA for all lesions: A (error 1.2 ± 0.9%, P < 0.001); B (error 0.6 ± 0.5%, P < 0.001); C (error 1.1 ± 0.6%, P < 0.001). The correlation of the measurements with AAD was only significant for lesion A (R(2) = 0.151, P = 0.005). The lesion length was slightly overestimated by 3D QCA for lesion A (error 0.06 ± 0.18 mm, P = 0.026), but well assessed for lesion B (error -0.00 ± 0.16 mm, P = 0.950) and lesion C (error -0.01 ± 0.18 mm, P = 0.585). The correlation of the measurements with AAD was not significant for any lesion. Forty matched pairs of angiographic views were analyzed for the bifurcation phantom. The average value of AAD was 49.1 ± 15.4°. 3D QCA slightly overestimated the proximal angle (error 0.4 ± 1.1°, P = 0.046) and the distal angle (error 1.5 ± 1.3°, P < 0.001). The

The Dual-Angle Method for Fast, Sensitive T1 Measurement in Vivo with Low-Angle Adiabatic Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bottomley, P. A.; Ouwerkerk, R.

A new method for measuring T1 based on a measurement of the ratio, R, of the steady-state partially saturated NMR signals acquired at two fixed low flip angles (<90°) and a single sequence-repetition period, TR, is presented, The flip angles are chosen to optimize both the signal-to-noise ratio per unit time relative to the best possible Ernst-angle performance and the sensitivity with which a measurement of R can resolve differences in T1. A flip-angle pair at of around (60°, 15°) yields 70-79% of the maximum achievable Ernst-angle signal-to-noise ratio and a near-linear dependence of R on TR/ T1 with gradient of about 2:1 over the range 0.1 ≤ TR/ T1 ≤ 1. Errors in hip-angle and excitation-field ( B1) inhomogeneity result in roughly proportionate errors in the apparent T1. The method is best implemented with adiabatic low-angle pulses such as B1-independent rotation (BIR-4) or BIR-4 phase-cycled (BIRP) pulses, which permit measurements with surface coils. Experimental validation was obtained at 2 T by comparison of unlocalized inversion-recovery and dual-angle proton ( 1H) and phosphorus ( 31P) measurements from vials containing doped water with 0.04 ≤ T1 ≤ 2.8 s and from the metabolites in the calf muscles of eight human volunteers. Calf muscle values of 6 ± 0.5 s for phosphocreatine and around 3.7 ± 0.8 s for the adenosine triphosphates (ATP) were in good agreement with inversion-recovery T1 values and values from the literature. Use of the dual-angle method accelerated T1 measurement time by about fivefold over inversion recovery. The dual-angle method was implemented in a one-dimensional localized surface-coil 31P spectroscopy sequence, producing consistent T1 measurements from phantoms, the calf muscle, and the human liver. 31P T1 values of ATP in the livers of six volunteers were about 0.5 ± 0.1 to 0.6 ± 0.2 s: the total exam times were about 35 minutes per subject. The method is ideally suited to low-sensitivity and/or low

Contact angle distribution of particles at fluid interfaces.

PubMed

Snoeyink, Craig; Barman, Sourav; Christopher, Gordon F

2015-01-27

Recent measurements have implied a distribution of interfacially adsorbed particles' contact angles; however, it has been impossible to measure statistically significant numbers for these contact angles noninvasively in situ. Using a new microscopy method that allows nanometer-scale resolution of particle's 3D positions on an interface, we have measured the contact angles for thousands of latex particles at an oil/water interface. Furthermore, these measurements are dynamic, allowing the observation of the particle contact angle with high temporal resolution, resulting in hundreds of thousands of individual contact angle measurements. The contact angle has been found to fit a normal distribution with a standard deviation of 19.3°, which is much larger than previously recorded. Furthermore, the technique used allows the effect of measurement error, constrained interfacial diffusion, and particle property variation on the contact angle distribution to be individually evaluated. Because of the ability to measure the contact angle noninvasively, the results provide previously unobtainable, unique data on the dynamics and distribution of the adsorbed particles' contact angle.

Pennation angle dependency in skeletal muscle tissue doppler strain in dynamic contractions.

PubMed

Lindberg, Frida; Öhberg, Fredrik; Granåsen, Gabriel; Brodin, Lars-Åke; Grönlund, Christer

2011-07-01

Tissue velocity imaging (TVI) is a Doppler based ultrasound technique that can be used to study regional deformation in skeletal muscle tissue. The aim of this study was to develop a biomechanical model to describe the TVI strain's dependency on the pennation angle. We demonstrate its impact as the subsequent strain measurement error using dynamic elbow contractions from the medial and the lateral part of biceps brachii at two different loadings; 5% and 25% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). The estimated pennation angles were on average about 4° in extended position and increased to a maximal of 13° in flexed elbow position. The corresponding relative angular error spread from around 7% up to around 40%. To accurately apply TVI on skeletal muscles, the error due to angle changes should be compensated for. As a suggestion, this could be done according to the presented model. Copyright © 2011 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Renal artery origins: best angiographic projection angles.

PubMed

Verschuyl, E J; Kaatee, R; Beek, F J; Patel, N H; Fontaine, A B; Daly, C P; Coldwell, D M; Bush, W H; Mali, W P

1997-10-01

To determine the best projection angles for imaging the renal artery origins in profile. A mathematical model of the anatomy at the renal artery origins in the transverse plane was used to analyze the amount of aortic lumen that projects over the renal artery origins at various projection angles. Computed tomographic (CT) angiographic data about the location of 400 renal artery origins in 200 patients were statistically analyzed. In patients with an abdominal aortic diameter no larger than 3.0 cm, approximately 0.5 mm of the proximal part of the renal artery and origin may be hidden from view if there is a projection error of +/-10 degrees from the ideal image. A combination of anteroposterior and 20 degrees and 40 degrees left anterior oblique projections resulted in a 92% yield of images that adequately profiled the renal artery origins. Right anterior oblique projections resulted in the least useful images. An error in projection angle of +/-10 degrees is acceptable for angiographic imaging of the renal artery origins. Patients sex, site of interest (left or right artery), and local diameter of the abdominal aorta are important factors to consider.

An algorithm for selecting the most accurate protocol for contact angle measurement by drop shape analysis.

PubMed

Xu, Z N

2014-12-01

In this study, an error analysis is performed to study real water drop images and the corresponding numerically generated water drop profiles for three widely used static contact angle algorithms: the circle- and ellipse-fitting algorithms and the axisymmetric drop shape analysis-profile (ADSA-P) algorithm. The results demonstrate the accuracy of the numerically generated drop profiles based on the Laplace equation. A significant number of water drop profiles with different volumes, contact angles, and noise levels are generated, and the influences of the three factors on the accuracies of the three algorithms are systematically investigated. The results reveal that the above-mentioned three algorithms are complementary. In fact, the circle- and ellipse-fitting algorithms show low errors and are highly resistant to noise for water drops with small/medium volumes and contact angles, while for water drop with large volumes and contact angles just the ADSA-P algorithm can meet accuracy requirement. However, this algorithm introduces significant errors in the case of small volumes and contact angles because of its high sensitivity to noise. The critical water drop volumes of the circle- and ellipse-fitting algorithms corresponding to a certain contact angle error are obtained through a significant amount of computation. To improve the precision of the static contact angle measurement, a more accurate algorithm based on a combination of the three algorithms is proposed. Following a systematic investigation, the algorithm selection rule is described in detail, while maintaining the advantages of the three algorithms and overcoming their deficiencies. In general, static contact angles over the entire hydrophobicity range can be accurately evaluated using the proposed algorithm. The ease of erroneous judgment in static contact angle measurements is avoided. The proposed algorithm is validated by a static contact angle evaluation of real and numerically generated water drop

Characterization and clinical evaluation of a novel 2D detector array for conventional and flattening filter free (FFF) IMRT pre-treatment verification.

PubMed

Sekar, Yuvaraj; Thoelking, Johannes; Eckl, Miriam; Kalichava, Irakli; Sihono, Dwi Seno Kuncoro; Lohr, Frank; Wenz, Frederik; Wertz, Hansjoerg

2018-04-01

The novel MatriXX FFF (IBA Dosimetry, Germany) detector is a new 2D ionization chamber detector array designed for patient specific IMRT-plan verification including flattening-filter-free (FFF) beams. This study provides a detailed analysis of the characterization and clinical evaluation of the new detector array. The verification of the MatriXX FFF was subdivided into (i) physical dosimetric tests including dose linearity, dose rate dependency and output factor measurements and (ii) patient specific IMRT pre-treatment plan verifications. The MatriXX FFF measurements were compared to the calculated dose distribution of a commissioned treatment planning system by gamma index and dose difference evaluations for 18 IMRT-sequences. All IMRT-sequences were measured with original gantry angles and with collapsing all beams to 0° gantry angle to exclude the influence of the detector's angle dependency. The MatriXX FFF was found to be linear and dose rate independent for all investigated modalities (deviations ≤0.6%). Furthermore, the output measurements of the MatriXX FFF were in very good agreement to reference measurements (deviations ≤1.8%). For the clinical evaluation an average pixel passing rate for γ (3%,3mm) of (98.5±1.5)% was achieved when applying a gantry angle correction. Also, with collapsing all beams to 0° gantry angle an excellent agreement to the calculated dose distribution was observed (γ (3%,3mm) =(99.1±1.1)%). The MatriXX FFF fulfills all physical requirements in terms of dosimetric accuracy. Furthermore, the evaluation of the IMRT-plan measurements showed that the detector particularly together with the gantry angle correction is a reliable device for IMRT-plan verification including FFF. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

A Monte-Carlo study to assess the effect of 1.5 T magnetic fields on the overall robustness of pencil-beam scanning proton radiotherapy plans for prostate cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurz, Christopher; Landry, Guillaume; Resch, Andreas F.; Dedes, George; Kamp, Florian; Ganswindt, Ute; Belka, Claus; Raaymakers, Bas W.; Parodi, Katia

2017-11-01

Combining magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) and proton therapy (PT) using pencil-beam scanning (PBS) may improve image-guided radiotherapy. We aimed at assessing the impact of a magnetic field on PBS-PT plan quality and robustness. Specifically, the robustness against anatomical changes and positioning errors in an MRI-guided scenario with a 30 cm radius 1.5 T magnetic field was studied for prostate PT. Five prostate cancer patients with three consecutive CT images (CT1-3) were considered. Single-field uniform dose PBS-PT plans were generated on the segmented CT1 with Monte-Carlo-based treatment planning software for inverse optimization. Plans were optimized at 90° gantry angle without B-field (no B), with  ±1.5 T B-field (B and minus B), as well as at 81° gantry angle and  +1.5 T (B G81). Plans were re-calculated on aligned CT2 and CT3 to study the impact of anatomical changes. Dose distributions were compared in terms of changes in DVH parameters, proton range and gamma-index pass-rates. To assess the impact of positioning errors, DVH parameters were compared for  ±5 mm CT1 patient shifts in anterior-posterior (AP) and left-right (LR) direction. Proton beam deflection considerably reduced robustness against inter-fractional changes for the B scenario. Range agreement, gamma-index pass-rates and PTV V95% were significantly lower compared to no B. Improved robustness was obtained for minus B and B G81, the latter showing only minor differences to no B. The magnetic field introduced slight dosimetric changes under LR shifts. The impact of AP shifts was considerably larger, and equivalent for scenarios with and without B-field. Results suggest that robustness equivalent to PT without magnetic field can be achieved by adaptation of the treatment parameters, such as B-field orientation (minus B) with respect to the patient and/or gantry angle (B G81). MRI-guided PT for prostate cancer might thus be implemented without compromising robustness

Impact of Measurement Error on Synchrophasor Applications

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

Liu, Yilu; Gracia, Jose R.; Ewing, Paul D.

2015-07-01

Phasor measurement units (PMUs), a type of synchrophasor, are powerful diagnostic tools that can help avert catastrophic failures in the power grid. Because of this, PMU measurement errors are particularly worrisome. This report examines the internal and external factors contributing to PMU phase angle and frequency measurement errors and gives a reasonable explanation for them. It also analyzes the impact of those measurement errors on several synchrophasor applications: event location detection, oscillation detection, islanding detection, and dynamic line rating. The primary finding is that dynamic line rating is more likely to be influenced by measurement error. Other findings include themore » possibility of reporting nonoscillatory activity as an oscillation as the result of error, failing to detect oscillations submerged by error, and the unlikely impact of error on event location and islanding detection.« less

Global distortion of GPS networks associated with satellite antenna model errors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardellach, E.; Elósegui, P.; Davis, J. L.

2007-07-01

Recent studies of the GPS satellite phase center offsets (PCOs) suggest that these have been in error by ˜1 m. Previous studies had shown that PCO errors are absorbed mainly by parameters representing satellite clock and the radial components of site position. On the basis of the assumption that the radial errors are equal, PCO errors will therefore introduce an error in network scale. However, PCO errors also introduce distortions, or apparent deformations, within the network, primarily in the radial (vertical) component of site position that cannot be corrected via a Helmert transformation. Using numerical simulations to quantify the effects of PCO errors, we found that these PCO errors lead to a vertical network distortion of 6-12 mm per meter of PCO error. The network distortion depends on the minimum elevation angle used in the analysis of the GPS phase observables, becoming larger as the minimum elevation angle increases. The steady evolution of the GPS constellation as new satellites are launched, age, and are decommissioned, leads to the effects of PCO errors varying with time that introduce an apparent global-scale rate change. We demonstrate here that current estimates for PCO errors result in a geographically variable error in the vertical rate at the 1-2 mm yr-1 level, which will impact high-precision crustal deformation studies.

Global Distortion of GPS Networks Associated with Satellite Antenna Model Errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cardellach, E.; Elosequi, P.; Davis, J. L.

2007-01-01

Recent studies of the GPS satellite phase center offsets (PCOs) suggest that these have been in error by approx.1 m. Previous studies had shown that PCO errors are absorbed mainly by parameters representing satellite clock and the radial components of site position. On the basis of the assumption that the radial errors are equal, PCO errors will therefore introduce an error in network scale. However, PCO errors also introduce distortions, or apparent deformations, within the network, primarily in the radial (vertical) component of site position that cannot be corrected via a Helmert transformation. Using numerical simulations to quantify the effects of PC0 errors, we found that these PCO errors lead to a vertical network distortion of 6-12 mm per meter of PCO error. The network distortion depends on the minimum elevation angle used in the analysis of the GPS phase observables, becoming larger as the minimum elevation angle increases. The steady evolution of the GPS constellation as new satellites are launched, age, and are decommissioned, leads to the effects of PCO errors varying with time that introduce an apparent global-scale rate change. We demonstrate here that current estimates for PCO errors result in a geographically variable error in the vertical rate at the 1-2 mm/yr level, which will impact high-precision crustal deformation studies.

GNSS Clock Error Impacts on Radio Occultation Retrievals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Jan; Sokolovskiy, Sergey; Schreiner, Bill; Yoon, Yoke

2017-04-01

We assess the impacts of GPS and GLONASS clock errors on radio occultation retrieval of bending angle, refractivity, and temperature from low Earth orbit. The major contributing factor is the interpretation of GNSS clock offsets sampled at 30 sec or longer intervals. Using 1 Hz GNSS clock estimates as truth we apply several interpolation and fitting schemes to evaluate how they affect the accuracy of atmospheric retrieval products. The results are organized by GPS and GLONASS space vehicle and the GNSS clock interpolation/fitting scheme. We find that bending angle error is roughly similar for all current GPS transmitters (about 0.7 mcrad) but note some differences related to the type of atomic oscillator onboard the transmitter satellite. GLONASS bending angle errors show more variation over the constellation and are approximately two times larger than GPS. An investigation of the transmitter clock spectra reveals this is due to more power in periods between 2-10 sec. Retrieved refractivity and temperature products show clear differences between GNSS satellite generations, and indicate that GNSS clocks sampled at intervals smaller than 5 sec significantly improve accuracy, particularly for GLONASS. We conclude by summarizing the tested GNSS clock estimation and application strategies in the context of current and future radio occultation missions.

Photometric theory for wide-angle phenomena

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Usher, Peter D.

1990-01-01

An examination is made of the problem posed by wide-angle photographic photometry, in order to extract a photometric-morphological history of Comet P/Halley. Photometric solutions are presently achieved over wide angles through a generalization of an assumption-free moment-sum method. Standard stars in the field allow a complete solution to be obtained for extinction, sky brightness, and the characteristic curve. After formulating Newton's method for the solution of the general nonlinear least-square problem, an implementation is undertaken for a canonical data set. Attention is given to the problem of random and systematic photometric errors.

Reflective properties of randomly rough surfaces under large incidence angles.

PubMed

Qiu, J; Zhang, W J; Liu, L H; Hsu, P-f; Liu, L J

2014-06-01

The reflective properties of randomly rough surfaces at large incidence angles have been reported due to their potential applications in some of the radiative heat transfer research areas. The main purpose of this work is to investigate the formation mechanism of the specular reflection peak of rough surfaces at large incidence angles. The bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of rough aluminum surfaces with different roughnesses at different incident angles is measured by a three-axis automated scatterometer. This study used a validated and accurate computational model, the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method, to compare and analyze the measurement BRDF results. It is found that the RCWA results show the same trend of specular peak as the measurement. This paper mainly focuses on the relative roughness at the range of 0.16<σ/λ<5.35. As the relative roughness decreases, the specular peak enhancement dramatically increases and the scattering region significantly reduces, especially under large incidence angles. The RCWA and the Rayleigh criterion results have been compared, showing that the relative error of the total integrated scatter increases as the roughness of the surface increases at large incidence angles. In addition, the zero-order diffractive power calculated by RCWA and the reflectance calculated by Fresnel equations are compared. The comparison shows that the relative error declines sharply when the incident angle is large and the roughness is small.

Moment expansion for ionospheric range error

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mallinckrodt, A.; Reich, R.; Parker, H.; Berbert, J.

1972-01-01

On a plane earth, the ionospheric or tropospheric range error depends only on the total refractivity content or zeroth moment of the refracting layer and the elevation angle. On a spherical earth, however, the dependence is more complex; so for more accurate results it has been necessary to resort to complex ray-tracing calculations. A simple, high-accuracy alternative to the ray-tracing calculation is presented. By appropriate expansion of the angular dependence in the ray-tracing integral in a power series in height, an expression is obtained for the range error in terms of a simple function of elevation angle, E, at the expansion height and of the mth moment of the refractivity, N, distribution about the expansion height. The rapidity of convergence is heavily dependent on the choice of expansion height. For expansion heights in the neighborhood of the centroid of the layer (300-490 km), the expansion to N = 2 (three terms) gives results accurate to about 0.4% at E = 10 deg. As an analytic tool, the expansion affords some insight on the influence of layer shape on range errors in special problems.

Traveltime inversion and error analysis for layered anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Fan; Zhou, Hua-wei

2011-02-01

While tilted transverse isotropy (TTI) is a good approximation of the velocity structure for many dipping and fractured strata, it is still challenging to estimate anisotropic depth models even when the tilted angle is known. With the assumption of weak anisotropy, we present a TTI traveltime inversion approach for models consisting of several thickness-varying layers where the anisotropic parameters are constant for each layer. For each model layer the inversion variables consist of the anisotropic parameters ɛ and δ, the tilted angle φ of its symmetry axis, layer velocity along the symmetry axis, and thickness variation of the layer. Using this method and synthetic data, we evaluate the effects of errors in some of the model parameters on the inverted values of the other parameters in crosswell and Vertical Seismic Profile (VSP) acquisition geometry. The analyses show that the errors in the layer symmetry axes sensitively affect the inverted values of other parameters, especially δ. However, the impact of errors in δ on the inversion of other parameters is much less than the impact on δ from the errors in other parameters. Hence, a practical strategy is first to invert for the most error-tolerant parameter layer velocity, then progressively invert for ɛ in crosswell geometry or δ in VSP geometry.

High-speed reference-beam-angle control technique for holographic memory drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Ken-ichiro; Ogata, Takeshi; Hosaka, Makoto; Fujita, Koji; Okuyama, Atsushi

2016-09-01

We developed a holographic memory drive for next-generation optical memory. In this study, we present the key technology for achieving a high-speed transfer rate for reproduction, that is, a high-speed control technique for the reference beam angle. In reproduction in a holographic memory drive, there is the issue that the optimum reference beam angle during reproduction varies owing to distortion of the medium. The distortion is caused by, for example, temperature variation, beam irradiation, and moisture absorption. Therefore, a reference-beam-angle control technique to position the reference beam at the optimum angle is crucial. We developed a new optical system that generates an angle-error-signal to detect the optimum reference beam angle. To achieve the high-speed control technique using the new optical system, we developed a new control technique called adaptive final-state control (AFSC) that adds a second control input to the first one derived from conventional final-state control (FSC) at the time of angle-error-signal detection. We established an actual experimental system employing AFSC to achieve moving control between each page (Page Seek) within 300 µs. In sequential multiple Page Seeks, we were able to realize positioning to the optimum angles of the reference beam that maximize the diffracted beam intensity. We expect that applying the new control technique to the holographic memory drive will enable a giga-bit/s-class transfer rate.

Tilt Error in Cryospheric Surface Radiation Measurements at High Latitudes: A Model Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogren, W.; Kylling, A.; Burkhart, J. F.

2015-12-01

We have evaluated the magnitude and makeup of error in cryospheric radiation observations due to small sensor misalignment in in-situ measurements of solar irradiance. This error is examined through simulation of diffuse and direct irradiance arriving at a detector with a cosine-response foreoptic. Emphasis is placed on assessing total error over the solar shortwave spectrum from 250nm to 4500nm, as well as supporting investigation over other relevant shortwave spectral ranges. The total measurement error introduced by sensor tilt is dominated by the direct component. For a typical high latitude albedo measurement with a solar zenith angle of 60◦, a sensor tilted by 1, 3, and 5◦ can respectively introduce up to 2.6, 7.7, and 12.8% error into the measured irradiance and similar errors in the derived albedo. Depending on the daily range of solar azimuth and zenith angles, significant measurement error can persist also in integrated daily irradiance and albedo.

Kinematic error magnitude in the single-mass inverted pendulum model of human standing posture.

PubMed

Fok, Kai Lon; Lee, Jae; Vette, Albert H; Masani, Kei

2018-06-01

Many postural control studies employ a single-mass inverted pendulum model (IPM) to represent the body during standing. However, it is not known to what degree and for what conditions the model's kinematic assumptions are valid. Our first objective was to quantify the IPM error, corresponding to a distance change between the ankle joint and center of mass (COM) during unrestricted, natural, unperturbed standing. A second objective was to quantify the error of having the ankle joint angle represent the COM angle. Eleven young participants completed five standing conditions: quiet standing with eyes open (EO) and closed (EC), voluntarily swaying forward (VSf) and backward (VSb), and freely moving (FR). The modified Helen-Hayes marker model was used to capture the body kinematics. The COM distance changed <0.1% during EO and EC, <0.25% during VSf and VSb, and <1.5% during FR. The ankle angle moderately and positively correlated with the COM angle for EO, EC, and VSf, indicating that temporal features of the ankle angle moderately represent those of the COM angle. However, a considerable offset between the two existed, which needs to be considered when estimating the COM angle using the ankle angle. For VSb and FR, the correlation coefficients were low and/or negative, suggesting that a large error would result from using the ankle angle as an estimate of the COM angle. Insights from this study will be critical for deciding when to use the IPM in postural control research and for interpreting associated results. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SU-F-T-281: Monte Carlo Investigation of Sources of Dosimetric Discrepancies with 2D Arrays

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

Afifi, M; Deiab, N; El-Farrash, A

2016-06-15

Purpose: Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) poses a number of challenges for properly measuring commissioning data and quality assurance (QA). Understanding the limitations and use of dosimeters to measure these dose distributions is critical to safe IMRT implementation. In this work, we used Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the possible sources of discrepancy between our measurement with 2D array system and our dose calculation using our treatment planning system (TPS). Material and Methods: MCBEAM and MCSIM Monte Carlo codes were used for treatment head simulation and phantom dose calculation. Accurate modeling of a 6MV beam from Varian trilogy machine wasmore » verified by comparing simulated and measured percentage depth doses and profiles. Dose distribution inside the 2D array was calculated using Monte Carlo simulations and our TPS. Then Cross profiles for different field sizes were compared with actual measurements for zero and 90° gantry angle setup. Through the analysis and comparison, we tried to determine the differences and quantify a possible angular calibration factor. Results: Minimum discrepancies was seen in the comparison between the simulated and the measured profiles for the zero gantry angles at all studied field sizes (4×4cm{sup 2}, 10×10cm{sup 2}, 15×15cm{sup 2}, and 20×20cm{sup 2}). Discrepancies between our measurements and calculations increased dramatically for the cross beam profiles at the 90° gantry angle. This could ascribe mainly to the different attenuation caused by the layer of electronics at the base behind the ion chambers in the 2D array. The degree of attenuation will vary depending on the angle of beam incidence. Correction factors were implemented to correct the errors. Conclusion: Monte Carlo modeling of the 2D arrays and the derivation of angular dependence correction factors will allow for improved accuracy of the device for IMRT QA.« less

A low-cost GPS/INS integrated vehicle heading angle measurement system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Ye; Gao, Tongyue; Ding, Yi

2018-04-01

GPS can provide continuous heading information, but the accuracy is easily affected by the velocity and shelter from buildings or trees. For vehicle systems, we propose a low-cost heading angle update algorithm. Based on the GPS/INS integrated navigation kalman filter, we add the GPS heading angle to the measurement vector, and establish its error model. The experiment results show that this algorithm can effectively improve the accuracy of GPS heading angle.

Smartphone application for mechanical quality assurance of medical linear accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hwiyoung; Lee, Hyunseok; In Park, Jong; Choi, Chang Heon; Park, So-Yeon; Kim, Hee Jung; Kim, Young Suk; Ye, Sung-Joon

2017-06-01

Mechanical quality assurance (QA) of medical linear accelerators consists of time-consuming and human-error-prone procedures. We developed a smartphone application system for mechanical QA. The system consists of two smartphones: one attached to a gantry for obtaining real-time information on the mechanical parameters of the medical linear accelerator, and another displaying real-time information via a Bluetooth connection with the former. Motion sensors embedded in the smartphone were used to measure gantry and collimator rotations. Images taken by the smartphone’s high-resolution camera were processed to evaluate accuracies of jaw-positioning, crosshair centering and source-to-surface distance (SSD). The application was developed using Android software development kit and OpenCV library. The accuracy and precision of the system was validated against an optical rotation stage and digital calipers, prior to routine QA measurements of five medical linear accelerators. The system accuracy and precision in measuring angles and lengths were determined to be 0.05  ±  0.05° and 0.25  ±  0.14 mm, respectively. The mean absolute errors (MAEs) in QA measurements of gantry and collimator rotation were 0.05  ±  0.04° and 0.05  ±  0.04°, respectively. The MAE in QA measurements of light field was 0.39  ±  0.36 mm. The MAEs in QA measurements of crosshair centering and SSD were 0.40  ±  0.35 mm and 0.41  ±  0.32 mm, respectively. In conclusion, most routine mechanical QA procedures could be performed using the smartphone application system with improved precision and within a shorter time-frame, while eliminating potential human errors.

Smartphone application for mechanical quality assurance of medical linear accelerators.

PubMed

Kim, Hwiyoung; Lee, Hyunseok; Park, Jong In; Choi, Chang Heon; Park, So-Yeon; Kim, Hee Jung; Kim, Young Suk; Ye, Sung-Joon

2017-06-07

Mechanical quality assurance (QA) of medical linear accelerators consists of time-consuming and human-error-prone procedures. We developed a smartphone application system for mechanical QA. The system consists of two smartphones: one attached to a gantry for obtaining real-time information on the mechanical parameters of the medical linear accelerator, and another displaying real-time information via a Bluetooth connection with the former. Motion sensors embedded in the smartphone were used to measure gantry and collimator rotations. Images taken by the smartphone's high-resolution camera were processed to evaluate accuracies of jaw-positioning, crosshair centering and source-to-surface distance (SSD). The application was developed using Android software development kit and OpenCV library. The accuracy and precision of the system was validated against an optical rotation stage and digital calipers, prior to routine QA measurements of five medical linear accelerators. The system accuracy and precision in measuring angles and lengths were determined to be 0.05  ±  0.05° and 0.25  ±  0.14 mm, respectively. The mean absolute errors (MAEs) in QA measurements of gantry and collimator rotation were 0.05  ±  0.04° and 0.05  ±  0.04°, respectively. The MAE in QA measurements of light field was 0.39  ±  0.36 mm. The MAEs in QA measurements of crosshair centering and SSD were 0.40  ±  0.35 mm and 0.41  ±  0.32 mm, respectively. In conclusion, most routine mechanical QA procedures could be performed using the smartphone application system with improved precision and within a shorter time-frame, while eliminating potential human errors.

North error estimation based on solar elevation errors in the third step of sky-polarimetric Viking navigation.

PubMed

Száz, Dénes; Farkas, Alexandra; Barta, András; Kretzer, Balázs; Egri, Ádám; Horváth, Gábor

2016-07-01

The theory of sky-polarimetric Viking navigation has been widely accepted for decades without any information about the accuracy of this method. Previously, we have measured the accuracy of the first and second steps of this navigation method in psychophysical laboratory and planetarium experiments. Now, we have tested the accuracy of the third step in a planetarium experiment, assuming that the first and second steps are errorless. Using the fists of their outstretched arms, 10 test persons had to estimate the elevation angles (measured in numbers of fists and fingers) of black dots (representing the position of the occluded Sun) projected onto the planetarium dome. The test persons performed 2400 elevation estimations, 48% of which were more accurate than ±1°. We selected three test persons with the (i) largest and (ii) smallest elevation errors and (iii) highest standard deviation of the elevation error. From the errors of these three persons, we calculated their error function, from which the North errors (the angles with which they deviated from the geographical North) were determined for summer solstice and spring equinox, two specific dates of the Viking sailing period. The range of possible North errors Δ ω N was the lowest and highest at low and high solar elevations, respectively. At high elevations, the maximal Δ ω N was 35.6° and 73.7° at summer solstice and 23.8° and 43.9° at spring equinox for the best and worst test person (navigator), respectively. Thus, the best navigator was twice as good as the worst one. At solstice and equinox, high elevations occur the most frequently during the day, thus high North errors could occur more frequently than expected before. According to our findings, the ideal periods for sky-polarimetric Viking navigation are immediately after sunrise and before sunset, because the North errors are the lowest at low solar elevations.

North error estimation based on solar elevation errors in the third step of sky-polarimetric Viking navigation

PubMed Central

Száz, Dénes; Farkas, Alexandra; Barta, András; Kretzer, Balázs; Egri, Ádám

2016-01-01

The theory of sky-polarimetric Viking navigation has been widely accepted for decades without any information about the accuracy of this method. Previously, we have measured the accuracy of the first and second steps of this navigation method in psychophysical laboratory and planetarium experiments. Now, we have tested the accuracy of the third step in a planetarium experiment, assuming that the first and second steps are errorless. Using the fists of their outstretched arms, 10 test persons had to estimate the elevation angles (measured in numbers of fists and fingers) of black dots (representing the position of the occluded Sun) projected onto the planetarium dome. The test persons performed 2400 elevation estimations, 48% of which were more accurate than ±1°. We selected three test persons with the (i) largest and (ii) smallest elevation errors and (iii) highest standard deviation of the elevation error. From the errors of these three persons, we calculated their error function, from which the North errors (the angles with which they deviated from the geographical North) were determined for summer solstice and spring equinox, two specific dates of the Viking sailing period. The range of possible North errors ΔωN was the lowest and highest at low and high solar elevations, respectively. At high elevations, the maximal ΔωN was 35.6° and 73.7° at summer solstice and 23.8° and 43.9° at spring equinox for the best and worst test person (navigator), respectively. Thus, the best navigator was twice as good as the worst one. At solstice and equinox, high elevations occur the most frequently during the day, thus high North errors could occur more frequently than expected before. According to our findings, the ideal periods for sky-polarimetric Viking navigation are immediately after sunrise and before sunset, because the North errors are the lowest at low solar elevations. PMID:27493566

Error analysis and corrections to pupil diameter measurements with Langley Research Center's oculometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fulton, C. L.; Harris, R. L., Jr.

1980-01-01

Factors that can affect oculometer measurements of pupil diameter are: horizontal (azimuth) and vertical (elevation) viewing angle of the pilot; refraction of the eye and cornea; changes in distance of eye to camera; illumination intensity of light on the eye; and counting sensitivity of scan lines used to measure diameter, and output voltage. To estimate the accuracy of the measurements, an artificial eye was designed and a series of runs performed with the oculometer system. When refraction effects are included, results show that pupil diameter is a parabolic function of the azimuth angle similar to the cosine function predicted by theory: this error can be accounted for by using a correction equation, reducing the error from 6% to 1.5% of the actual diameter. Elevation angle and illumination effects were found to be negligible. The effects of counting sensitivity and output voltage can be calculated directly from system documentation. The overall accuracy of the unmodified system is about 6%. After correcting for the azimuth angle errors, the overall accuracy is approximately 2%.

First-order approximation error analysis of Risley-prism-based beam directing system.

PubMed

Zhao, Yanyan; Yuan, Yan

2014-12-01

To improve the performance of a Risley-prism system for optical detection and measuring applications, it is necessary to be able to determine the direction of the outgoing beam with high accuracy. In previous works, error sources and their impact on the performance of the Risley-prism system have been analyzed, but their numerical approximation accuracy was not high. Besides, pointing error analysis of the Risley-prism system has provided results for the case when the component errors, prism orientation errors, and assembly errors are certain. In this work, the prototype of a Risley-prism system was designed. The first-order approximations of the error analysis were derived and compared with the exact results. The directing errors of a Risley-prism system associated with wedge-angle errors, prism mounting errors, and bearing assembly errors were analyzed based on the exact formula and the first-order approximation. The comparisons indicated that our first-order approximation is accurate. In addition, the combined errors produced by the wedge-angle errors and mounting errors of the two prisms together were derived and in both cases were proved to be the sum of errors caused by the first and the second prism separately. Based on these results, the system error of our prototype was estimated. The derived formulas can be implemented to evaluate beam directing errors of any Risley-prism beam directing system with a similar configuration.

SU-E-T-629: Prediction of the ViewRay Radiotherapy Treatment Time for Clinical Logistics

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

Liu, S; Wooten, H; Wu, Y

Purpose: An algorithm is developed in our clinic, given a new treatment plan, to predict treatment delivery time for radiation therapy (RT) treatments of patients on ViewRay magnetic resonance-image guided radiation therapy (MR-IGRT) delivery system. This algorithm is necessary for managing patient treatment appointments, and is useful as an indicator to assess the treatment plan complexity. Methods: A patient’s total treatment delivery time, not including time required for localization, may be described as the sum of four components: (1) the treatment initialization time; (2) the total beam-on time; (3) the gantry rotation time; and (4) the multileaf collimator (MLC) motionmore » time. Each of the four components is predicted separately. The total beam-on time can be calculated using both the planned beam-on time and the decay-corrected delivery dose rate. To predict the remaining components, we quantitatively analyze the patient treatment delivery record files. The initialization time is demonstrated to be random since it depends on the final gantry angle and MLC leaf positions of the previous treatment. Based on modeling the relationships between the gantry rotation angles and the corresponding rotation time, and between the furthest MLC leaf moving distance and the corresponding MLC motion time, the total delivery time is predicted using linear regression. Results: The proposed algorithm has demonstrated the feasibility of predicting the ViewRay treatment delivery time for any treatment plan of any patient. The average prediction error is 0.89 minutes or 5.34%, and the maximal prediction error is 2.09 minutes or 13.87%. Conclusion: We have developed a treatment delivery time prediction algorithm based on the analysis of previous patients’ treatment delivery records. The accuracy of our prediction is sufficient for guiding and arranging patient treatment appointments on a daily basis. The predicted delivery time could also be used as an indicator to assess

Tilt error in cryospheric surface radiation measurements at high latitudes: a model study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogren, Wiley Steven; Faulkner Burkhart, John; Kylling, Arve

2016-03-01

We have evaluated the magnitude and makeup of error in cryospheric radiation observations due to small sensor misalignment in in situ measurements of solar irradiance. This error is examined through simulation of diffuse and direct irradiance arriving at a detector with a cosine-response fore optic. Emphasis is placed on assessing total error over the solar shortwave spectrum from 250 to 4500 nm, as well as supporting investigation over other relevant shortwave spectral ranges. The total measurement error introduced by sensor tilt is dominated by the direct component. For a typical high-latitude albedo measurement with a solar zenith angle of 60°, a sensor tilted by 1, 3, and 5° can, respectively introduce up to 2.7, 8.1, and 13.5 % error into the measured irradiance and similar errors in the derived albedo. Depending on the daily range of solar azimuth and zenith angles, significant measurement error can persist also in integrated daily irradiance and albedo. Simulations including a cloud layer demonstrate decreasing tilt error with increasing cloud optical depth.

Control of Angular Intervals for Angle-Multiplexed Holographic Memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinoshita, Nobuhiro; Muroi, Tetsuhiko; Ishii, Norihiko; Kamijo, Koji; Shimidzu, Naoki

2009-03-01

In angle-multiplexed holographic memory, the full width at half maximum of the Bragg selectivity curves is dependent on the angle formed between the medium and incident laser beams. This indicates the possibility of high density and high multiplexing number by varying the angular intervals between adjacent holograms. We propose an angular interval scheduling for closely stacking holograms into medium even when the angle range is limited. We obtained bit error rates of the order of 10-4 under the following conditions: medium thickness of 1 mm, laser beam wavelength of 532 nm, and angular multiplexing number of 300.

Maximum kinetic energy considerations in proton stereotactic radiosurgery.

PubMed

Sengbusch, Evan R; Mackie, Thomas R

2011-04-12

The purpose of this study was to determine the maximum proton kinetic energy required to treat a given percentage of patients eligible for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with coplanar arc-based proton therapy, contingent upon the number and location of gantry angles used. Treatment plans from 100 consecutive patients treated with SRS at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center between June of 2007 and March of 2010 were analyzed. For each target volume within each patient, in-house software was used to place proton pencil beam spots over the distal surface of the target volume from 51 equally-spaced gantry angles of up to 360°. For each beam spot, the radiological path length from the surface of the patient to the distal boundary of the target was then calculated along a ray from the gantry location to the location of the beam spot. This data was used to generate a maximum proton energy requirement for each patient as a function of the arc length that would be spanned by the gantry angles used in a given treatment. If only a single treatment angle is required, 100% of the patients included in the study could be treated by a proton beam with a maximum kinetic energy of 118 MeV. As the length of the treatment arc is increased to 90°, 180°, 270°, and 360°, the maximum energy requirement increases to 127, 145, 156, and 179 MeV, respectively. A very high percentage of SRS patients could be treated at relatively low proton energies if the gantry angles used in the treatment plan do not span a large treatment arc. Maximum proton kinetic energy requirements increase linearly with size of the treatment arc.

Global optimization method based on ray tracing to achieve optimum figure error compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaolin; Guo, Xuejia; Tang, Tianjin

2017-02-01

Figure error would degrade the performance of optical system. When predicting the performance and performing system assembly, compensation by clocking of optical components around the optical axis is a conventional but user-dependent method. Commercial optical software cannot optimize this clocking. Meanwhile existing automatic figure-error balancing methods can introduce approximate calculation error and the build process of optimization model is complex and time-consuming. To overcome these limitations, an accurate and automatic global optimization method of figure error balancing is proposed. This method is based on precise ray tracing to calculate the wavefront error, not approximate calculation, under a given elements' rotation angles combination. The composite wavefront error root-mean-square (RMS) acts as the cost function. Simulated annealing algorithm is used to seek the optimal combination of rotation angles of each optical element. This method can be applied to all rotational symmetric optics. Optimization results show that this method is 49% better than previous approximate analytical method.

Attitude control with realization of linear error dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paielli, Russell A.; Bach, Ralph E.

1993-01-01

An attitude control law is derived to realize linear unforced error dynamics with the attitude error defined in terms of rotation group algebra (rather than vector algebra). Euler parameters are used in the rotational dynamics model because they are globally nonsingular, but only the minimal three Euler parameters are used in the error dynamics model because they have no nonlinear mathematical constraints to prevent the realization of linear error dynamics. The control law is singular only when the attitude error angle is exactly pi rad about any eigenaxis, and a simple intuitive modification at the singularity allows the control law to be used globally. The forced error dynamics are nonlinear but stable. Numerical simulation tests show that the control law performs robustly for both initial attitude acquisition and attitude control.

Influence of Joint Angle on EMG-Torque Model During Constant-Posture, Torque-Varying Contractions.

PubMed

Liu, Pu; Liu, Lukai; Clancy, Edward A

2015-11-01

Relating the electromyogram (EMG) to joint torque is useful in various application areas, including prosthesis control, ergonomics and clinical biomechanics. Limited study has related EMG to torque across varied joint angles, particularly when subjects performed force-varying contractions or when optimized modeling methods were utilized. We related the biceps-triceps surface EMG of 22 subjects to elbow torque at six joint angles (spanning 60° to 135°) during constant-posture, torque-varying contractions. Three nonlinear EMG σ -torque models, advanced EMG amplitude (EMG σ ) estimation processors (i.e., whitened, multiple-channel) and the duration of data used to train models were investigated. When EMG-torque models were formed separately for each of the six distinct joint angles, a minimum "gold standard" error of 4.01±1.2% MVC(F90) resulted (i.e., error relative to maximum voluntary contraction at 90° flexion). This model structure, however, did not directly facilitate interpolation across angles. The best model which did so achieved a statistically equivalent error of 4.06±1.2% MVC(F90). Results demonstrated that advanced EMG σ processors lead to improved joint torque estimation as do longer model training durations.

Three-parameter error analysis method based on rotating coordinates in rotating birefringent polarizer system

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

Cao, Junjie; Jia, Hongzhi, E-mail: hzjia@usst.edu.cn

2015-11-15

We propose error analysis using a rotating coordinate system with three parameters of linearly polarized light—incidence angle, azimuth angle on the front surface, and angle between the incidence and vibration planes—and demonstrate the method on a rotating birefringent prism system. The transmittance and angles are calculated plane-by-plane using a birefringence ellipsoid model and the final transmitted intensity equation is deduced. The effects of oblique incidence, light interference, beam convergence, and misalignment of the rotation and prism axes are discussed. We simulate the entire error model using MATLAB and conduct experiments based on a built polarimeter. The simulation and experimental resultsmore » are consistent and demonstrate the rationality and validity of this method.« less

A Universal Formula for Extracting the Euler Angles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shuster, Malcolm D.; Markley, F. Landis

2004-01-01

Recently, the authors completed a study of the Davenport angles, which are a generalization of the Euler angles for which the initial and final Euler axes need not be either mutually parallel or mutually perpendicular or even along the coordinate axes. During the conduct of that study, those authors discovered a relationship which can be used to compute straightforwardly the Euler angles characterizing a proper-orthogonal direction-cosine matrix for an arbitrary Euler-axis set satisfying n(sub 1) x n(sub 2) = 0 and n(sub 3) x n(sub 1) = 0, which is also satisfied by the more usual Euler angles we encounter commonly in the practice of Astronautics. Rather than leave that relationship hidden in an article with very different focus from the present Engineering note, we present it and the universal algorithm derived from it for extracting the Euler angles from the direction-cosine matrix here. We also offer literal "code" for performing the operations, numerical examples, and general considerations about the extraction of Euler angles which are not universally known, particularly, the treatment of statistical error.

A spectral filter for ESMR's sidelobe errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chesters, D.

1979-01-01

Fourier analysis was used to remove periodic errors from a series of NIMBUS-5 electronically scanned microwave radiometer brightness temperatures. The observations were all taken from the midnight orbits over fixed sites in the Australian grasslands. The angular dependence of the data indicates calibration errors consisted of broad sidelobes and some miscalibration as a function of beam position. Even though an angular recalibration curve cannot be derived from the available data, the systematic errors can be removed with a spectral filter. The 7 day cycle in the drift of the orbit of NIMBUS-5, coupled to the look-angle biases, produces an error pattern with peaks in its power spectrum at the weekly harmonics. About plus or minus 4 K of error is removed by simply blocking the variations near two- and three-cycles-per-week.

Error measuring system of rotary Inductosyn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chengjun; Zou, Jibin; Fu, Xinghe

2008-10-01

The inductosyn is a kind of high-precision angle-position sensor. It has important applications in servo table, precision machine tool and other products. The precision of inductosyn is calibrated by its error. It's an important problem about the error measurement in the process of production and application of the inductosyn. At present, it mainly depends on the method of artificial measurement to obtain the error of inductosyn. Therefore, the disadvantages can't be ignored such as the high labour intensity of the operator, the occurrent error which is easy occurred and the poor repeatability, and so on. In order to solve these problems, a new automatic measurement method is put forward in this paper which based on a high precision optical dividing head. Error signal can be obtained by processing the output signal of inductosyn and optical dividing head precisely. When inductosyn rotating continuously, its zero position error can be measured dynamically, and zero error curves can be output automatically. The measuring and calculating errors caused by man-made factor can be overcome by this method, and it makes measuring process more quickly, exactly and reliably. Experiment proves that the accuracy of error measuring system is 1.1 arc-second (peak - peak value).

Modeling of Geometric Error in Linear Guide Way to Improved the vertical three-axis CNC Milling machine’s accuracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwintarini, Widiyanti; Wibowo, Agung; Arthaya, Bagus M.; Yuwana Martawirya, Yatna

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study was to improve the accuracy of three-axis CNC Milling Vertical engines with a general approach by using mathematical modeling methods of machine tool geometric errors. The inaccuracy of CNC machines can be caused by geometric errors that are an important factor during the manufacturing process and during the assembly phase, and are factors for being able to build machines with high-accuracy. To improve the accuracy of the three-axis vertical milling machine, by knowing geometric errors and identifying the error position parameters in the machine tool by arranging the mathematical modeling. The geometric error in the machine tool consists of twenty-one error parameters consisting of nine linear error parameters, nine angle error parameters and three perpendicular error parameters. The mathematical modeling approach of geometric error with the calculated alignment error and angle error in the supporting components of the machine motion is linear guide way and linear motion. The purpose of using this mathematical modeling approach is the identification of geometric errors that can be helpful as reference during the design, assembly and maintenance stages to improve the accuracy of CNC machines. Mathematically modeling geometric errors in CNC machine tools can illustrate the relationship between alignment error, position and angle on a linear guide way of three-axis vertical milling machines.

Rail Mounted Gantry Crane Scheduling Optimization in Railway Container Terminal Based on Hybrid Handling Mode

PubMed Central

Zhu, Xiaoning

2014-01-01

Rail mounted gantry crane (RMGC) scheduling is important in reducing makespan of handling operation and improving container handling efficiency. In this paper, we present an RMGC scheduling optimization model, whose objective is to determine an optimization handling sequence in order to minimize RMGC idle load time in handling tasks. An ant colony optimization is proposed to obtain near optimal solutions. Computational experiments on a specific railway container terminal are conducted to illustrate the proposed model and solution algorithm. The results show that the proposed method is effective in reducing the idle load time of RMGC. PMID:25538768

Large Angle Reorientation of a Solar Sail Using Gimballed Mass Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sperber, E.; Fu, B.; Eke, F. O.

2016-06-01

This paper proposes a control strategy for the large angle reorientation of a solar sail equipped with a gimballed mass. The algorithm consists of a first stage that manipulates the gimbal angle in order to minimize the attitude error about a single principal axis. Once certain termination conditions are reached, a regulator is employed that selects a single gimbal angle for minimizing both the residual attitude error concomitantly with the body rate. Because the force due to the specular reflection of radiation is always directed along a reflector's surface normal, this form of thrust vector control cannot generate torques about an axis normal to the plane of the sail. Thus, in order to achieve three-axis control authority a 1-2-1 or 2-1-2 sequence of rotations about principal axes is performed. The control algorithm is implemented directly in-line with the nonlinear equations of motion and key performance characteristics are identified.

An MLC-based linac QA procedure for the characterization of radiation isocenter and room lasers' position.

PubMed

Rosca, Florin; Lorenz, Friedlieb; Hacker, Fred L; Chin, Lee M; Ramakrishna, Naren; Zygmanski, Piotr

2006-06-01

We have designed and implemented a new stereotactic linac QA test with stereotactic precision. The test is used to characterize gantry sag, couch wobble, cone placement, MLC offsets, and room lasers' positions relative to the radiation isocenter. Two MLC star patterns, a cone pattern, and the laser line patterns are recorded on the same imaging medium. Phosphor plates are used as imaging medium due to their sensitivity to red light. The red light of room lasers erases some of the irradiation information stored on the phosphor plates enabling accurate and direct measurements for the position of room lasers and radiation isocenter. Using film instead of the phosphor plate as imaging medium is possible, however, it is less practical. The QA method consists of irradiating four phosphor plates that record the gantry sag between the 0 degrees and 180 degrees gantry angles, the position and stability of couch rotational axis, the sag between the 90 degrees and 270 degrees gantry angles, the accuracy of cone placement on the collimator, the MLC offsets from the collimator rotational axis, and the position of laser lines relative to the radiation isocenter. The estimated accuracy of the method is +/- 0.2 mm. The observed reproducibility of the method is about +/- 0.1 mm. The total irradiation/ illumination time is about 10 min per image. Data analysis, including the phosphor plate scanning, takes less than 5 min for each image. The method characterizes the radiation isocenter geometry with the high accuracy required for the stereotactic radiosurgery. In this respect, it is similar to the standard ball test for stereotactic machines. However, due to the usage of the MLC instead of the cross-hair/ball, it does not depend on the cross-hair/ball placement errors with respect to the lasers and it provides more information on the mechanical integrity of the linac/couch/laser system. Alternatively, it can be used as a highly accurate QA procedure for the nonstereotactic machines

Geolocation error tracking of ZY-3 three line cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Hongbo

2017-01-01

The high-accuracy geolocation of high-resolution satellite images (HRSIs) is a key issue for mapping and integrating multi-temporal, multi-sensor images. In this manuscript, we propose a new geometric frame for analysing the geometric error of a stereo HRSI, in which the geolocation error can be divided into three parts: the epipolar direction, cross base direction, and height direction. With this frame, we proved that the height error of three line cameras (TLCs) is independent of nadir images, and that the terrain effect has a limited impact on the geolocation errors. For ZY-3 error sources, the drift error in both the pitch and roll angle and its influence on the geolocation accuracy are analysed. Epipolar and common tie-point constraints are proposed to study the bundle adjustment of HRSIs. Epipolar constraints explain that the relative orientation can reduce the number of compensation parameters in the cross base direction and have a limited impact on the height accuracy. The common tie points adjust the pitch-angle errors to be consistent with each other for TLCs. Therefore, free-net bundle adjustment of a single strip cannot significantly improve the geolocation accuracy. Furthermore, the epipolar and common tie-point constraints cause the error to propagate into the adjacent strip when multiple strips are involved in the bundle adjustment, which results in the same attitude uncertainty throughout the whole block. Two adjacent strips-Orbit 305 and Orbit 381, covering 7 and 12 standard scenes separately-and 308 ground control points (GCPs) were used for the experiments. The experiments validate the aforementioned theory. The planimetric and height root mean square errors were 2.09 and 1.28 m, respectively, when two GCPs were settled at the beginning and end of the block.

Smartphone-Guided Needle Angle Selection During CT-Guided Procedures.

PubMed

Xu, Sheng; Krishnasamy, Venkatesh; Levy, Elliot; Li, Ming; Tse, Zion Tsz Ho; Wood, Bradford John

2018-01-01

In CT-guided intervention, translation from a planned needle insertion angle to the actual insertion angle is estimated only with the physician's visuospatial abilities. An iPhone app was developed to reduce reliance on operator ability to estimate and reproduce angles. The iPhone app overlays the planned angle on the smartphone's camera display in real-time based on the smartphone's orientation. The needle's angle is selected by visually comparing the actual needle with the guideline in the display. If the smartphone's screen is perpendicular to the planned path, the smartphone shows the Bull's-Eye View mode, in which the angle is selected after the needle's hub overlaps the tip in the camera. In phantom studies, we evaluated the accuracies of the hardware, the Guideline mode, and the Bull's-Eye View mode and showed the app's clinical efficacy. A proof-of-concept clinical case was also performed. The hardware accuracy was 0.37° ± 0.27° (mean ± SD). The mean error and navigation time were 1.0° ± 0.9° and 8.7 ± 2.3 seconds for a senior radiologist with 25 years' experience and 1.5° ± 1.3° and 8.0 ± 1.6 seconds for a junior radiologist with 4 years' experience. The accuracy of the Bull's-Eye View mode was 2.9° ± 1.1°. Combined CT and smart-phone guidance was significantly more accurate than CT-only guidance for the first needle pass (p = 0.046), which led to a smaller final targeting error (mean distance from needle tip to target, 2.5 vs 7.9 mm). Mobile devices can be useful for guiding needle-based interventions. The hardware is low cost and widely available. The method is accurate, effective, and easy to implement.

Investigation of the Dynamic Contact Angle Using a Direct Numerical Simulation Method.

PubMed

Zhu, Guangpu; Yao, Jun; Zhang, Lei; Sun, Hai; Li, Aifen; Shams, Bilal

2016-11-15

A large amount of residual oil, which exists as isolated oil slugs, remains trapped in reservoirs after water flooding. Numerous numerical studies are performed to investigate the fundamental flow mechanism of oil slugs to improve flooding efficiency. Dynamic contact angle models are usually introduced to simulate an accurate contact angle and meniscus displacement of oil slugs under a high capillary number. Nevertheless, in the oil slug flow simulation process, it is unnecessary to introduce the dynamic contact angle model because of a negligible change in the meniscus displacement after using the dynamic contact angle model when the capillary number is small. Therefore, a critical capillary number should be introduced to judge whether the dynamic contact model should be incorporated into simulations. In this study, a direct numerical simulation method is employed to simulate the oil slug flow in a capillary tube at the pore scale. The position of the interface between water and the oil slug is determined using the phase-field method. The capacity and accuracy of the model are validated using a classical benchmark: a dynamic capillary filling process. Then, different dynamic contact angle models and the factors that affect the dynamic contact angle are analyzed. The meniscus displacements of oil slugs with a dynamic contact angle and a static contact angle (SCA) are obtained during simulations, and the relative error between them is calculated automatically. The relative error limit has been defined to be 5%, beyond which the dynamic contact angle model needs to be incorporated into the simulation to approach the realistic displacement. Thus, the desired critical capillary number can be determined. A three-dimensional universal chart of critical capillary number, which functions as static contact angle and viscosity ratio, is given to provide a guideline for oil slug simulation. Also, a fitting formula is presented for ease of use.

Error reduction program: A progress report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Syed, S. A.

1984-01-01

Five finite differences schemes were evaluated for minimum numerical diffusion in an effort to identify and incorporate the best error reduction scheme into a 3D combustor performance code. Based on this evaluated, two finite volume method schemes were selected for further study. Both the quadratic upstream differencing scheme (QUDS) and the bounded skew upstream differencing scheme two (BSUDS2) were coded into a two dimensional computer code and their accuracy and stability determined by running several test cases. It was found that BSUDS2 was more stable than QUDS. It was also found that the accuracy of both schemes is dependent on the angle that the streamline make with the mesh with QUDS being more accurate at smaller angles and BSUDS2 more accurate at larger angles. The BSUDS2 scheme was selected for extension into three dimensions.

Analysis of a range estimator which uses MLS angle measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Downing, David R.; Linse, Dennis

1987-01-01

A concept that uses the azimuth signal from a microwave landing system (MLS) combined with onboard airspeed and heading data to estimate the horizontal range to the runway threshold is investigated. The absolute range error is evaluated for trajectories typical of General Aviation (GA) and commercial airline operations (CAO). These include constant intercept angles for GA and CAO, and complex curved trajectories for CAO. It is found that range errors of 4000 to 6000 feet at the entry of MLS coverage which then reduce to 1000-foot errors at runway centerline intercept are possible for GA operations. For CAO, errors at entry into MLS coverage of 2000 feet which reduce to 300 feet at runway centerline interception are possible.

SU-E-T-268: Proton Radiosurgery End-To-End Testing Using Lucy 3D QA Phantom

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

Choi, D; Gordon, I; Ghebremedhin, A

2014-06-01

Purpose: To check the overall accuracy of proton radiosurgery treatment delivery using ready-made circular collimator inserts and fixed thickness compensating boluses. Methods: Lucy 3D QA phantom (Standard Imaging Inc. WI, USA) inserted with GaFchromicTM film was irradiated with laterally scattered and longitudinally spread-out 126.8 MeV proton beams. The tests followed every step in the proton radiosurgery treatment delivery process: CT scan (GE Lightspeed VCT), target contouring, treatment planning (Odyssey 5.0, Optivus, CA), portal calibration, target localization using robotic couch with image guidance and dose delivery at planned gantry angles. A 2 cm diameter collimator insert in a 4 cm diametermore » radiosurgery cone and a 1.2 cm thick compensating flat bolus were used for all beams. Film dosimetry (RIT114 v5.0, Radiological Imaging Technology, CO, USA) was used to evaluate the accuracy of target localization and relative dose distributions compared to those calculated by the treatment planning system. Results: The localization accuracy was estimated by analyzing the GaFchromic films irradiated at gantry 0, 90 and 270 degrees. We observed 0.5 mm shift in lateral direction (patient left), ±0.9 mm shift in AP direction and ±1.0 mm shift in vertical direction (gantry dependent). The isodose overlays showed good agreement (<2mm, 50% isodose lines) between measured and calculated doses. Conclusion: Localization accuracy depends on gantry sag, CT resolution and distortion, DRRs from treatment planning computer, localization accuracy of image guidance system, fabrication of ready-made aperture and cone housing. The total deviation from the isocenter was 1.4 mm. Dose distribution uncertainty comes from distal end error due to bolus and CT density, in addition to localization error. The planned dose distribution was well matched (>90%) to the measured values 2%/2mm criteria. Our test showed the robustness of our proton radiosurgery treatment delivery system

An intelligent system with EMG-based joint angle estimation for telemanipulation.

PubMed

Suryanarayanan, S; Reddy, N P; Gupta, V

1996-01-01

Bio-control of telemanipulators is being researched as an alternate control strategy. This study investigates the use of surface EMG from the biceps to predict joint angle during flexion of the arm that can be used to control an anthropomorphic telemanipulator. An intelligent system based on neural networks and fuzzy logic has been developed to use the processed surface EMG signal and predict the joint angle. The system has been tested on various angles of flexion-extension of the arm and at several speeds of flexion-extension. Preliminary results show the RMS error between the predicted angle and the actual angle to be less than 3% during training and less than 15% during testing. The technique of direct bio-control using EMG has the potential as an interface for telemanipulation applications.

Particle Filter with Novel Nonlinear Error Model for Miniature Gyroscope-Based Measurement While Drilling Navigation

PubMed Central

Li, Tao; Yuan, Gannan; Li, Wang

2016-01-01

The derivation of a conventional error model for the miniature gyroscope-based measurement while drilling (MGWD) system is based on the assumption that the errors of attitude are small enough so that the direction cosine matrix (DCM) can be approximated or simplified by the errors of small-angle attitude. However, the simplification of the DCM would introduce errors to the navigation solutions of the MGWD system if the initial alignment cannot provide precise attitude, especially for the low-cost microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensors operated in harsh multilateral horizontal downhole drilling environments. This paper proposes a novel nonlinear error model (NNEM) by the introduction of the error of DCM, and the NNEM can reduce the propagated errors under large-angle attitude error conditions. The zero velocity and zero position are the reference points and the innovations in the states estimation of particle filter (PF) and Kalman filter (KF). The experimental results illustrate that the performance of PF is better than KF and the PF with NNEM can effectively restrain the errors of system states, especially for the azimuth, velocity, and height in the quasi-stationary condition. PMID:26999130

Particle Filter with Novel Nonlinear Error Model for Miniature Gyroscope-Based Measurement While Drilling Navigation.

PubMed

Li, Tao; Yuan, Gannan; Li, Wang

2016-03-15

The derivation of a conventional error model for the miniature gyroscope-based measurement while drilling (MGWD) system is based on the assumption that the errors of attitude are small enough so that the direction cosine matrix (DCM) can be approximated or simplified by the errors of small-angle attitude. However, the simplification of the DCM would introduce errors to the navigation solutions of the MGWD system if the initial alignment cannot provide precise attitude, especially for the low-cost microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensors operated in harsh multilateral horizontal downhole drilling environments. This paper proposes a novel nonlinear error model (NNEM) by the introduction of the error of DCM, and the NNEM can reduce the propagated errors under large-angle attitude error conditions. The zero velocity and zero position are the reference points and the innovations in the states estimation of particle filter (PF) and Kalman filter (KF). The experimental results illustrate that the performance of PF is better than KF and the PF with NNEM can effectively restrain the errors of system states, especially for the azimuth, velocity, and height in the quasi-stationary condition.

Reliability of Memories Protected by Multibit Error Correction Codes Against MBUs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ming, Zhu; Yi, Xiao Li; Chang, Liu; Wei, Zhang Jian

2011-02-01

As technology scales, more and more memory cells can be placed in a die. Therefore, the probability that a single event induces multiple bit upsets (MBUs) in adjacent memory cells gets greater. Generally, multibit error correction codes (MECCs) are effective approaches to mitigate MBUs in memories. In order to evaluate the robustness of protected memories, reliability models have been widely studied nowadays. Instead of irradiation experiments, the models can be used to quickly evaluate the reliability of memories in the early design. To build an accurate model, some situations should be considered. Firstly, when MBUs are presented in memories, the errors induced by several events may overlap each other, which is more frequent than single event upset (SEU) case. Furthermore, radiation experiments show that the probability of MBUs strongly depends on angles of the radiation event. However, reliability models which consider the overlap of multiple bit errors and angles of radiation event have not been proposed in the present literature. In this paper, a more accurate model of memories with MECCs is presented. Both the overlap of multiple bit errors and angles of event are considered in the model, which produces a more precise analysis in the calculation of mean time to failure (MTTF) for memory systems under MBUs. In addition, memories with scrubbing and nonscrubbing are analyzed in the proposed model. Finally, we evaluate the reliability of memories under MBUs in Matlab. The simulation results verify the validity of the proposed model.

Gravity field error analysis for pendulum formations by a semi-analytical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Huishu; Reubelt, Tilo; Antoni, Markus; Sneeuw, Nico

2017-03-01

Many geoscience disciplines push for ever higher requirements on accuracy, homogeneity and time- and space-resolution of the Earth's gravity field. Apart from better instruments or new observables, alternative satellite formations could improve the signal and error structure compared to Grace. One possibility to increase the sensitivity and isotropy by adding cross-track information is a pair of satellites flying in a pendulum formation. This formation contains two satellites which have different ascending nodes and arguments of latitude, but have the same orbital height and inclination. In this study, the semi-analytical approach for efficient pre-mission error assessment is presented, and the transfer coefficients of range, range-rate and range-acceleration gravitational perturbations are derived analytically for the pendulum formation considering a set of opening angles. The new challenge is the time variations of the opening angle and the range, leading to temporally variable transfer coefficients. This is solved by Fourier expansion of the sine/cosine of the opening angle and the central angle. The transfer coefficients are further applied to assess the error patterns which are caused by different orbital parameters. The simulation results indicate that a significant improvement in accuracy and isotropy is obtained for small and medium initial opening angles of single polar pendulums, compared to Grace. The optimal initial opening angles are 45° and 15° for accuracy and isotropy, respectively. For a Bender configuration, which is constituted by a polar Grace and an inclined pendulum in this paper, the behaviour of results is dependent on the inclination (prograde vs. retrograde) and on the relative baseline orientation (left or right leading). The simulation for a sun-synchronous orbit shows better results for the left leading case.

Detection Angle Calibration of Pressure-Sensitive Paints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bencic, Timothy J.

2000-01-01

Uses of the pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) techniques in areas other than external aerodynamics continue to expand. The NASA Glenn Research Center has become a leader in the application of the global technique to non-conventional aeropropulsion applications including turbomachinery testing. The use of the global PSP technique in turbomachinery applications often requires detection of the luminescent paint in confined areas. With the limited viewing usually available, highly oblique illumination and detection angles are common in the confined areas in these applications. This paper will describe the results of pressure, viewing and excitation angle dependence calibrations using three popular PSP formulations to get a better understanding of the errors associated with these non-traditional views.

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

Balderson, Michael, E-mail: michael.balderson@rmp.uhn.ca; Brown, Derek; Johnson, Patricia

The purpose of this work was to compare static gantry intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with volume-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in terms of tumor control probability (TCP) under scenarios involving large geometric misses, i.e., those beyond what are accounted for when margin expansion is determined. Using a planning approach typical for these treatments, a linear-quadratic–based model for TCP was used to compare mean TCP values for a population of patients who experiences a geometric miss (i.e., systematic and random shifts of the clinical target volume within the planning target dose distribution). A Monte Carlo approach was used to account for themore » different biological sensitivities of a population of patients. Interestingly, for errors consisting of coplanar systematic target volume offsets and three-dimensional random offsets, static gantry IMRT appears to offer an advantage over VMAT in that larger shift errors are tolerated for the same mean TCP. For example, under the conditions simulated, erroneous systematic shifts of 15 mm directly between or directly into static gantry IMRT fields result in mean TCP values between 96% and 98%, whereas the same errors on VMAT plans result in mean TCP values between 45% and 74%. Random geometric shifts of the target volume were characterized using normal distributions in each Cartesian dimension. When the standard deviations were doubled from those values assumed in the derivation of the treatment margins, our model showed a 7% drop in mean TCP for the static gantry IMRT plans but a 20% drop in TCP for the VMAT plans. Although adding a margin for error to a clinical target volume is perhaps the best approach to account for expected geometric misses, this work suggests that static gantry IMRT may offer a treatment that is more tolerant to geometric miss errors than VMAT.« less

Under soggy skies on a Sunday morning, the Space Shuttle Endeavour is encased in the Mate-DeMate gantry during turnaround processing at NASA DFRC

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-12-07

Under soggy skies on a Sunday morning, the Space Shuttle Endeavour is encased in the Mate-DeMate gantry during turnaround processing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center following its STS-126 landing at Edwards Air Force Base a week earlier.

Suppression of vapor cell temperature error for spin-exchange-relaxation-free magnetometer

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

Lu, Jixi, E-mail: lujixi@buaa.edu.cn; Qian, Zheng; Fang, Jiancheng

2015-08-15

This paper presents a method to reduce the vapor cell temperature error of the spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) magnetometer. The fluctuation of cell temperature can induce variations of the optical rotation angle, resulting in a scale factor error of the SERF magnetometer. In order to suppress this error, we employ the variation of the probe beam absorption to offset the variation of the optical rotation angle. The theoretical discussion of our method indicates that the scale factor error introduced by the fluctuation of the cell temperature could be suppressed by setting the optical depth close to one. In our experiment, we adjustmore » the probe frequency to obtain various optical depths and then measure the variation of scale factor with respect to the corresponding cell temperature changes. Our experimental results show a good agreement with our theoretical analysis. Under our experimental condition, the error has been reduced significantly compared with those when the probe wavelength is adjusted to maximize the probe signal. The cost of this method is the reduction of the scale factor of the magnetometer. However, according to our analysis, it only has minor effect on the sensitivity under proper operating parameters.« less

Predicting tibiotalar and subtalar joint angles from skin-marker data with dual-fluoroscopy as a reference standard.

PubMed

Nichols, Jennifer A; Roach, Koren E; Fiorentino, Niccolo M; Anderson, Andrew E

2016-09-01

Evidence suggests that the tibiotalar and subtalar joints provide near six degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion. Yet, kinematic models frequently assume one DOF at each of these joints. In this study, we quantified the accuracy of kinematic models to predict joint angles at the tibiotalar and subtalar joints from skin-marker data. Models included 1 or 3 DOF at each joint. Ten asymptomatic subjects, screened for deformities, performed 1.0m/s treadmill walking and a balanced, single-leg heel-rise. Tibiotalar and subtalar joint angles calculated by inverse kinematics for the 1 and 3 DOF models were compared to those measured directly in vivo using dual-fluoroscopy. Results demonstrated that, for each activity, the average error in tibiotalar joint angles predicted by the 1 DOF model were significantly smaller than those predicted by the 3 DOF model for inversion/eversion and internal/external rotation. In contrast, neither model consistently demonstrated smaller errors when predicting subtalar joint angles. Additionally, neither model could accurately predict discrete angles for the tibiotalar and subtalar joints on a per-subject basis. Differences between model predictions and dual-fluoroscopy measurements were highly variable across subjects, with joint angle errors in at least one rotation direction surpassing 10° for 9 out of 10 subjects. Our results suggest that both the 1 and 3 DOF models can predict trends in tibiotalar joint angles on a limited basis. However, as currently implemented, neither model can predict discrete tibiotalar or subtalar joint angles for individual subjects. Inclusion of subject-specific attributes may improve the accuracy of these models. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Higher-order ionospheric error at Arecibo, Millstone, and Jicamarca

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matteo, N. A.; Morton, Y. T.

2010-12-01

The ionosphere is a dominant source of Global Positioning System receiver range measurement error. Although dual-frequency receivers can eliminate the first-order ionospheric error, most second- and third-order errors remain in the range measurements. Higher-order ionospheric error is a function of both electron density distribution and the magnetic field vector along the GPS signal propagation path. This paper expands previous efforts by combining incoherent scatter radar (ISR) electron density measurements, the International Reference Ionosphere model, exponential decay extensions of electron densities, the International Geomagnetic Reference Field, and total electron content maps to compute higher-order error at ISRs in Arecibo, Puerto Rico; Jicamarca, Peru; and Millstone Hill, Massachusetts. Diurnal patterns, dependency on signal direction, seasonal variation, and geomagnetic activity dependency are analyzed. Higher-order error is largest at Arecibo with code phase maxima circa 7 cm for low-elevation southern signals. The maximum variation of the error over all angles of arrival is circa 8 cm.

Adaptive color halftoning for minimum perceived error using the blue noise mask

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Qing; Parker, Kevin J.

1997-04-01

Color halftoning using a conventional screen requires careful selection of screen angles to avoid Moire patterns. An obvious advantage of halftoning using a blue noise mask (BNM) is that there are no conventional screen angle or Moire patterns produced. However, a simple strategy of employing the same BNM on all color planes is unacceptable in case where a small registration error can cause objectionable color shifts. In a previous paper by Yao and Parker, strategies were presented for shifting or inverting the BNM as well as using mutually exclusive BNMs for different color planes. In this paper, the above schemes will be studied in CIE-LAB color space in terms of root mean square error and variance for luminance channel and chrominance channel respectively. We will demonstrate that the dot-on-dot scheme results in minimum chrominance error, but maximum luminance error and the 4-mask scheme results in minimum luminance error but maximum chrominance error, while the shift scheme falls in between. Based on this study, we proposed a new adaptive color halftoning algorithm that takes colorimetric color reproduction into account by applying 2-mutually exclusive BNMs on two different color planes and applying an adaptive scheme on other planes to reduce color error. We will show that by having one adaptive color channel, we obtain increased flexibility to manipulate the output so as to reduce colorimetric error while permitting customization to specific printing hardware.

Error compensation of single-antenna attitude determination using GNSS for Low-dynamic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wen; Yu, Chao; Cai, Miaomiao

2017-04-01

GNSS-based single-antenna pseudo-attitude determination method has attracted more and more attention from the field of high-dynamic navigation due to its low cost, low system complexity, and no temporal accumulated errors. Related researches indicate that this method can be an important complement or even an alternative to the traditional sensors for general accuracy requirement (such as small UAV navigation). The application of single-antenna attitude determining method to low-dynamic carrier has just started. Different from the traditional multi-antenna attitude measurement technique, the pseudo-attitude attitude determination method calculates the rotation angle of the carrier trajectory relative to the earth. Thus it inevitably contains some deviations comparing with the real attitude angle. In low-dynamic application, these deviations are particularly noticeable, which may not be ignored. The causes of the deviations can be roughly classified into three categories, including the measurement error, the offset error, and the lateral error. Empirical correction strategies for the formal two errors have been promoted in previous study, but lack of theoretical support. In this paper, we will provide quantitative description of the three type of errors and discuss the related error compensation methods. Vehicle and shipborne experiments were carried out to verify the feasibility of the proposed correction methods. Keywords: Error compensation; Single-antenna; GNSS; Attitude determination; Low-dynamic

A method on error analysis for large-aperture optical telescope control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yanrui; Wang, Qiang; Yan, Fabao; Liu, Xiang; Huang, Yongmei

2016-10-01

For large-aperture optical telescope, compared with the performance of azimuth in the control system, arc second-level jitters exist in elevation under different speeds' working mode, especially low-speed working mode in the process of its acquisition, tracking and pointing. The jitters are closely related to the working speed of the elevation, resulting in the reduction of accuracy and low-speed stability of the telescope. By collecting a large number of measured data to the elevation, we do analysis on jitters in the time domain, frequency domain and space domain respectively. And the relation between jitter points and the leading speed of elevation and the corresponding space angle is concluded that the jitters perform as periodic disturbance in space domain and the period of the corresponding space angle of the jitter points is 79.1″ approximately. Then we did simulation, analysis and comparison to the influence of the disturbance sources, like PWM power level output disturbance, torque (acceleration) disturbance, speed feedback disturbance and position feedback disturbance on the elevation to find that the space periodic disturbance still exist in the elevation performance. It leads us to infer that the problems maybe exist in angle measurement unit. The telescope employs a 24-bit photoelectric encoder and we can calculate the encoder grating angular resolution as 79.1016'', which is as the corresponding angle value in the whole encoder system of one period of the subdivision signal. The value is approximately equal to the space frequency of the jitters. Therefore, the working elevation of the telescope is affected by subdivision errors and the period of the subdivision error is identical to the period of encoder grating angular. Through comprehensive consideration and mathematical analysis, that DC subdivision error of subdivision error sources causes the jitters is determined, which is verified in the practical engineering. The method that analyze error

Small-Caliber Projectile Target Impact Angle Determined From Close Proximity Radiographs

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-01

discrete motion data that can be numerically modeled using linear aerodynamic theory or 6-degrees-of- freedom equations of motion. The values of Fφ...Prediction Excel® Spreadsheet shown in figure 9. The Gamma at Impact Spreadsheet uses the linear aerodynamics model , equations 5 and 6, to calculate αT...trajectory angle error via consideration of the RMS fit errors of the actual firings. However, the linear aerodynamics model does not include this effect

Possibility of measuring Adler angles in charged current single pion neutrino-nucleus interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez, F.

2016-05-01

Uncertainties in modeling neutrino-nucleus interactions are a major contribution to systematic errors in long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. Accurate modeling of neutrino interactions requires additional experimental observables such as the Adler angles which carry information about the polarization of the Δ resonance and the interference with nonresonant single pion production. The Adler angles were measured with limited statistics in bubble chamber neutrino experiments as well as in electron-proton scattering experiments. We discuss the viability of measuring these angles in neutrino interactions with nuclei.

Two-Dimensional Micro-/Nanoradian Angle Generator with High Resolution and Repeatability Based on Piezo-Driven Double-Axis Flexure Hinge and Three Capacitive Sensors.

PubMed

Tan, Xinran; Zhu, Fan; Wang, Chao; Yu, Yang; Shi, Jian; Qi, Xue; Yuan, Feng; Tan, Jiubin

2017-11-19

This study presents a two-dimensional micro-/nanoradian angle generator (2D-MNAG) that achieves high angular displacement resolution and repeatability using a piezo-driven flexure hinge for two-dimensional deflections and three capacitive sensors for output angle monitoring and feedback control. The principal error of the capacitive sensor for precision microangle measurement is analyzed and compensated for; so as to achieve a high angle output resolution of 10 nrad (0.002 arcsec) and positioning repeatability of 120 nrad (0.024 arcsec) over a large angular range of ±4363 μrad (±900 arcsec) for the 2D-MNAG. The impact of each error component, together with the synthetic error of the 2D-MNAG after principal error compensation are determined using Monte Carlo simulation for further improvement of the 2D-MNAG.

Validation of the relative insensitivity of volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plan quality to gantry space resolution

PubMed Central

Cora, Stefania; Khan, Ehsan Ullah

2017-01-01

Abstract Volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is an efficient form of radiotherapy used to deliver intensity-modulated radiotherapy beams. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative insensitivity of VMAT plan quality to gantry angle spacing (GS). Most previous VMAT planning and dosimetric work for GS resolution has been conducted for single arc VMAT. In this work, a quantitative comparison of dose–volume indices (DIs) was made for partial-, single- and double-arc VMAT plans optimized at 2°, 3° and 4° GS, representing a large variation in deliverable multileaf collimator segments. VMAT plans of six prostate cancer and six head-and-neck cancer patients were simulated for an Elekta SynergyS® Linac (Elekta Ltd, Crawley, UK), using the SmartArc™ module of Pinnacle³ TPS, (version 9.2, Philips Healthcare). All optimization techniques generated clinically acceptable VMAT plans, except for the single-arc for the head-and-neck cancer patients. Plan quality was assessed by comparing the DIs for the planning target volume, organs at risk and normal tissue. A GS of 2°, with finest resolution and consequently highest intensity modulation, was considered to be the reference, and this was compared with GS 3° and 4°. The differences between the majority of reference DIs and compared DIs were <2%. The metrics, such as treatment plan optimization time and pretreatment (phantom) dosimetric calculation time, supported the use of a GS of 4°. The ArcCHECK™ phantom–measured dosimetric agreement verifications resulted in a >95.0% passing rate, using the criteria for γ (3%, 3 mm). In conclusion, a GS of 4° is an optimal choice for minimal usage of planning resources without compromise of plan quality. PMID:27974507

Irradiance measurement errors due to the assumption of a Lambertian reference panel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kimes, D. S.; Kirchner, J. A.

1982-01-01

A technique is presented for determining the error in diurnal irradiance measurements that results from the non-Lambertian behavior of a reference panel under various irradiance conditions. Spectral biconical reflectance factors of a spray-painted barium sulfate panel, along with simulated sky radiance data for clear and hazy skies at six solar zenith angles, were used to calculate the estimated panel irradiances and true irradiances for a nadir-looking sensor in two wavelength bands. The inherent errors in total spectral irradiance (0.68 microns) for a clear sky were 0.60, 6.0, 13.0, and 27.0% for solar zenith angles of 0, 45, 60, and 75 deg, respectively. The technique can be used to characterize the error of a specific panel used in field measurements, and thus eliminate any ambiguity of the effects of the type, preparation, and aging of the paint.

Optimization design of the angle detecting system used in the fast steering mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Ying-xue; Wu, Jia-bin; San, Xiao-gang; Gao, Shi-jie; Ding, Shao-hang; Wang, Jing; Wang, Tao; Wang, Hui-xian

2018-01-01

In this paper, in order to design a fast steering mirror (FSM) with large deflection angle and high linearity, a deflection angle detecting system (DADS) using quadrant detector (QD) is developed. And the mathematical model describing DADS is established by analyzing the principle of position detecting and error characteristics of QD. Based on this mathematical model, the variation tendencies of deflection angle and linearity of FSM are simulated. Then, by changing the parameters of the DADS, the optimization of deflection angle and linearity of FSM is demonstrated. Finally, a QD-based FSM is designed based on this method, which achieves ±2° deflection angle and 0.72% and 0.68% linearity along x and y axis, respectively. Moreover, this method will be beneficial to the design of large deflection angle and high linearity FSM.

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

The estimation of pointing angle and normalized surface scattering cross section from GEOS-3 radar altimeter measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, G. S.; Curry, W. J.

1977-01-01

The statistical error of the pointing angle estimation technique is determined as a function of the effective receiver signal to noise ratio. Other sources of error are addressed and evaluated with inadequate calibration being of major concern. The impact of pointing error on the computation of normalized surface scattering cross section (sigma) from radar and the waveform attitude induced altitude bias is considered and quantitative results are presented. Pointing angle and sigma processing algorithms are presented along with some initial data. The intensive mode clean vs. clutter AGC calibration problem is analytically resolved. The use clutter AGC data in the intensive mode is confirmed as the correct calibration set for the sigma computations.

Research of misalignment between dithered ring laser gyro angle rate input axis and dither axis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Geng; Wu, Wenqi; FAN, Zhenfang; LU, Guangfeng; Hu, Shaomin; Luo, Hui; Long, Xingwu

2014-12-01

The strap-down inertial navigation system (SINS), especially the SINS composed by dithered ring laser gyroscope (DRLG) is a kind of equipment, which providing high reliability and performance for moving vehicles. However, the mechanical dither which is used to eliminate the "Lock-In" effect can cause vibration disturbance to the INS and lead to dithering coupling problem in the inertial measurement unit (IMU) gyroscope triad, so its further application is limited. Among DRLG errors between the true gyro rotation rate and the measured rotation rate, the frequently considered one is the input axis misalignment between input reference axis which is perpendicular to the mounting surface and gyro angular rate input axis. But the misalignment angle between DRLG dither axis and gyro angular rate input axis is often ignored by researchers, which is amplified by dither coupling problem and that would lead to negative effects especially in high accuracy SINS. In order to study the problem more clearly, the concept of misalignment between DRLG dither axis and gyro angle rate input axis is researched. Considering the error of misalignment is of the order of 10-3 rad. or even smaller, the best way to measure it is using DRLG itself by means of an angle exciter as an auxiliary. In this paper, the concept of dither axis misalignment is explained explicitly firstly, based on this, the frequency of angle exciter is induced as reference parameter, when DRLG is mounted on the angle exciter in a certain angle, the projections of angle exciter rotation rate and mechanical oscillation rate on the gyro input axis are both sensed by DRLG. If the dither axis has misalignment error with the gyro input axis, there will be four major frequencies detected: the frequency of angle exciter, the dither mechanical frequency, sum and difference frequencies of the former two frequencies. Then the amplitude spectrum of DRLG output signal obtained by the using LabVIEW program. if there are only angle

Beam angle selection incorporation of anatomical heterogeneities for pencil beam scanning charged-particle therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toramatsu, Chie; Inaniwa, Taku

2016-12-01

In charged particle therapy with pencil beam scanning (PBS), localization of the dose in the Bragg peak makes dose distributions sensitive to lateral tissue heterogeneities. The sensitivity of a PBS plan to lateral tissue heterogeneities can be reduced by selecting appropriate beam angles. The purpose of this study is to develop a fast and accurate method of beam angle selection for PBS. The lateral tissue heterogeneity surrounding the path of the pencil beams at a given angle was quantified with the heterogeneity number representing the variation of the Bragg peak depth across the cross section of the beams using the stopping power ratio of body tissues with respect to water. To shorten the computation time, one-dimensional dose optimization was conducted along the central axis of the pencil beams as they were directed by the scanning magnets. The heterogeneity numbers were derived for all possible beam angles for treatment. The angles leading to the minimum mean heterogeneity number were selected as the optimal beam angle. Three clinical cases of head and neck cancer were used to evaluate the developed method. Dose distributions and their robustness to setup and range errors were evaluated for all tested angles, and their relation to the heterogeneity numbers was investigated. The mean heterogeneity number varied from 1.2 mm-10.6 mm in the evaluated cases. By selecting a field with a low mean heterogeneity number, target dose coverage and robustness against setup and range errors were improved. The developed method is simple, fast, accurate and applicable for beam angle selection in charged particle therapy with PBS.

Comparison of forward- and back-projection in vivo EPID dosimetry for VMAT treatment of the prostate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedford, James L.; Hanson, Ian M.; Hansen, Vibeke N.

2018-01-01

In the forward-projection method of portal dosimetry for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), the integrated signal at the electronic portal imaging device (EPID) is predicted at the time of treatment planning, against which the measured integrated image is compared. In the back-projection method, the measured signal at each gantry angle is back-projected through the patient CT scan to give a measure of total dose to the patient. This study aims to investigate the practical agreement between the two types of EPID dosimetry for prostate radiotherapy. The AutoBeam treatment planning system produced VMAT plans together with corresponding predicted portal images, and a total of 46 sets of gantry-resolved portal images were acquired in 13 patients using an iViewGT portal imager. For the forward-projection method, each acquisition of gantry-resolved images was combined into a single integrated image and compared with the predicted image. For the back-projection method, iViewDose was used to calculate the dose distribution in the patient for comparison with the planned dose. A gamma index for 3% and 3 mm was used for both methods. The results were investigated by delivering the same plans to a phantom and repeating some of the deliveries with deliberately introduced errors. The strongest agreement between forward- and back-projection methods is seen in the isocentric intensity/dose difference, with moderate agreement in the mean gamma. The strongest correlation is observed within a given patient, with less correlation between patients, the latter representing the accuracy of prediction of the two methods. The error study shows that each of the two methods has its own distinct sensitivity to errors, but that overall the response is similar. The forward- and back-projection EPID dosimetry methods show moderate agreement in this series of prostate VMAT patients, indicating that both methods can contribute to the verification of dose delivered to the patient.

A demonstration of position angle-only weak lensing shear estimators on the GREAT3 simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whittaker, Lee; Brown, Michael L.; Battye, Richard A.

2015-12-01

We develop and apply the position angle-only shear estimator of Whittaker, Brown & Battye to realistic galaxy images. This is done by demonstrating the method on the simulations of the third GRavitational lEnsing Accuracy Testing (GREAT3) challenge, which include contributions from anisotropic point spread functions (PSFs). We measure the position angles of the galaxies using three distinct methods - the integrated light method, quadrupole moments of surface brightness, and using model-based ellipticity measurements provided by IM3SHAPE. A weighting scheme is adopted to address biases in the position angle measurements which arise in the presence of an anisotropic PSF. Biases on the shear estimates, due to measurement errors on the position angles and correlations between the measurement errors and the true position angles, are corrected for using simulated galaxy images and an iterative procedure. The properties of the simulations are estimated using the deep field images provided as part of the challenge. A method is developed to match the distributions of galaxy fluxes and half-light radii from the deep fields to the corresponding distributions in the field of interest. We recover angle-only shear estimates with a performance close to current well-established model and moments-based methods for all three angle measurement techniques. The Q-values for all three methods are found to be Q ˜ 400. The code is freely available online at http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/mbrown/angle_only_shear/.

A wide-angle high Mach number modal expansion for infrasound propagation.

PubMed

Assink, Jelle; Waxler, Roger; Velea, Doru

2017-03-01

The use of modal expansions to solve the problem of atmospheric infrasound propagation is revisited. A different form of the associated modal equation is introduced, valid for wide-angle propagation in atmospheres with high Mach number flow. The modal equation can be formulated as a quadratic eigenvalue problem for which there are simple and efficient numerical implementations. A perturbation expansion for the treatment of attenuation, valid for stratified media with background flow, is derived as well. Comparisons are carried out between the proposed algorithm and a modal algorithm assuming an effective sound speed, including a real data case study. The comparisons show that the effective sound speed approximation overestimates the effect of horizontal wind on sound propagation, leading to errors in traveltime, propagation path, trace velocity, and absorption. The error is found to be dependent on propagation angle and Mach number.

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

Li, X; Yang, F

Purpose: Knowing MLC leaf positioning error over the course of treatment would be valuable for treatment planning, QA design, and patient safety. The objective of the current study was to quantify the MLC positioning accuracy for VMAT delivery of head and neck treatment plans. Methods: A total of 837 MLC log files were collected from 14 head and neck cancer patients undergoing full arc VMAT treatment on one Varian Trilogy machine. The actual and planned leaf gaps were extracted from the retrieved MLC log files. For a given patient, the leaf gap error percentage (LGEP), defined as the ratio ofmore » the actual leaf gap over the planned, was evaluated for each leaf pair at all the gantry angles recorded over the course of the treatment. Statistics describing the distribution of the largest LGEP (LLGEP) of the 60 leaf pairs including the maximum, minimum, mean, Kurtosis, and skewness were evaluated. Results: For the 14 studied patients, their PTV located at tonsil, base of tongue, larynx, supraglottis, nasal cavity, and thyroid gland with volume ranging from 72.0 cm{sup 3} to 602.0 cm{sup 3}. The identified LLGEP differed between patients. It ranged from 183.9% to 457.7% with a mean of 368.6%. For the majority of the patients, the LLGEP distributions peaked at non-zero positions and showed no obvious dependence on gantry rotations. Kurtosis and skewness, with minimum/maximum of 66.6/217.9 and 6.5/12.6, respectively, suggested relatively more peaked while right-skewed leaf error distribution pattern. Conclusion: The results indicate pattern of MLC leaf gap error differs between patients of lesion located at similar anatomic site. Understanding the systemic mechanisms underlying these observed error patterns necessitates examining more patient-specific plan parameters in a large patient cohort setting.« less

Deformation of angle profiles in forward kinematics for nullifying end-point offset while preserving movement properties.

PubMed

Zhang, Xudong

2002-10-01

This work describes a new approach that allows an angle-domain human movement model to generate, via forward kinematics, Cartesian-space human movement representation with otherwise inevitable end-point offset nullified but much of the kinematic authenticity retained. The approach incorporates a rectification procedure that determines the minimum postural angle change at the final frame to correct the end-point offset, and a deformation procedure that deforms the angle profile accordingly to preserve maximum original kinematic authenticity. Two alternative deformation schemes, named amplitude-proportional (AP) and time-proportional (TP) schemes, are proposed and formulated. As an illustration and empirical evaluation, the proposed approach, along with two deformation schemes, was applied to a set of target-directed right-hand reaching movements that had been previously measured and modeled. The evaluation showed that both deformation schemes nullified the final frame end-point offset and significantly reduced time-averaged position errors for the end-point as well as the most distal intermediate joint while causing essentially no change in the remaining joints. A comparison between the two schemes based on time-averaged joint and end-point position errors indicated that overall the TP scheme outperformed the AP scheme. In addition, no statistically significant difference in time-averaged angle error was identified between the raw prediction and either of the deformation schemes, nor between the two schemes themselves, suggesting minimal angle-domain distortion incurred by the deformation.

Two-Dimensional Micro-/Nanoradian Angle Generator with High Resolution and Repeatability Based on Piezo-Driven Double-Axis Flexure Hinge and Three Capacitive Sensors

PubMed Central

Tan, Xinran; Zhu, Fan; Wang, Chao; Yu, Yang; Shi, Jian; Qi, Xue; Yuan, Feng; Tan, Jiubin

2017-01-01

This study presents a two-dimensional micro-/nanoradian angle generator (2D-MNAG) that achieves high angular displacement resolution and repeatability using a piezo-driven flexure hinge for two-dimensional deflections and three capacitive sensors for output angle monitoring and feedback control. The principal error of the capacitive sensor for precision microangle measurement is analyzed and compensated for; so as to achieve a high angle output resolution of 10 nrad (0.002 arcsec) and positioning repeatability of 120 nrad (0.024 arcsec) over a large angular range of ±4363 μrad (±900 arcsec) for the 2D-MNAG. The impact of each error component, together with the synthetic error of the 2D-MNAG after principal error compensation are determined using Monte Carlo simulation for further improvement of the 2D-MNAG. PMID:29156595

Backward-gazing method for measuring solar concentrators shape errors.

PubMed

Coquand, Mathieu; Henault, François; Caliot, Cyril

2017-03-01

This paper describes a backward-gazing method for measuring the optomechanical errors of solar concentrating surfaces. It makes use of four cameras placed near the solar receiver and simultaneously recording images of the sun reflected by the optical surfaces. Simple data processing then allows reconstructing the slope and shape errors of the surfaces. The originality of the method is enforced by the use of generalized quad-cell formulas and approximate mathematical relations between the slope errors of the mirrors and their reflected wavefront in the case of sun-tracking heliostats at high-incidence angles. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the measurement accuracy is compliant with standard requirements of solar concentrating optics in the presence of noise or calibration errors. The method is suited to fine characterization of the optical and mechanical errors of heliostats and their facets, or to provide better control for real-time sun tracking.

Contemporary skull development - palatal angle analysis.

PubMed

Dostalova, T; Eliasova, H; Gabcova, D; Feberova, J; Kaminek, M

2015-01-01

The palatal angle is an important angle of the craniofacial complex. It is significant for the diagnosis of craniofacial disorders mainly for nasopharyngeal soft-tissue patterns.Background The dentists and otorhinolaryngologists use this relationship to establish proper treatment mechanics and evaluate facial profile. The aims of this study were to provide comparative cephalometric analyses of historical and contemporary skulls. A total of 190 cephalograms of 2 groups of subjects were evaluated. Dolphin Imaging 11.0 - Cephalometric Tracing Analysis was used for the analysis. Unpaired two-tailed t-test assuming equality of variances was used for all variables (at the significance level p = 0.0001). The -modern forensic skulls had larger palatal angle at average value of 8.60 degrees ± 4.35, than that of archeological ones, the average value of which was 6.50 degrees ± 3.92. The difference was found significant. Unpaired two-tailed t-test assuming equality of variances showed that historical and contemporary skulls had statistically significant results. The difference was -2.09 with standard error of 0.60 (95% confidence interval from -3.29 to -0.89). Two-tailed probability attained value of P was less than 0.0001. The difference between both groups was found significant. An increase in the palatal angle can be directly connected with anterior rotation of upper jaw(Tab. 2, Fig. 5, Ref. 19).

Design and performance of daily quality assurance system for carbon ion therapy at NIRS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saotome, N.; Furukawa, T.; Hara, Y.; Mizushima, K.; Tansho, R.; Saraya, Y.; Shirai, T.; Noda, K.

2017-09-01

At National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), we have been commissioning a rotating-gantry system for carbon-ion radiotherapy. This rotating gantry can transport heavy ions at 430 MeV/u to an isocenter with irradiation angles of ±180° that can rotate around the patient so that the tumor can be irradiated from any direction. A three-dimensional pencil-beam scanning irradiation system equipped with the rotating gantry enables the optimal use of physical characteristics of carbon ions to provide accurate treatment. To ensure the treatment quality using such a complex system, the calibration of the primary dose monitor, output check, range check, dose rate check, machine safety check, and some mechanical tests should be performed efficiently. For this purpose, we have developed a measurement system dedicated for quality assurance (QA) of this gantry system: the Daily QA system. The system consists of an ionization chamber system and a scintillator system. The ionization chamber system is used for the calibration of the primary dose monitor, output check, and dose rate check, and the scintillator system is used for the range check, isocenter, and gantry angle. The performance of the Daily QA system was verified by a beam test. The stability of the output was within 0.5%, and the range was within 0.5 mm. The coincidence of the coordinates between the patient-positioning system and the irradiation system was verified using the Daily QA system. Our present findings verified that the new Daily QA system for a rotating gantry is capable of verifying the irradiation system with sufficient accuracy.

Development of an iterative reconstruction method to overcome 2D detector low resolution limitations in MLC leaf position error detection for 3D dose verification in IMRT.

PubMed

Visser, R; Godart, J; Wauben, D J L; Langendijk, J A; Van't Veld, A A; Korevaar, E W

2016-05-21

The objective of this study was to introduce a new iterative method to reconstruct multi leaf collimator (MLC) positions based on low resolution ionization detector array measurements and to evaluate its error detection performance. The iterative reconstruction method consists of a fluence model, a detector model and an optimizer. Expected detector response was calculated using a radiotherapy treatment plan in combination with the fluence model and detector model. MLC leaf positions were reconstructed by minimizing differences between expected and measured detector response. The iterative reconstruction method was evaluated for an Elekta SLi with 10.0 mm MLC leafs in combination with the COMPASS system and the MatriXX Evolution (IBA Dosimetry) detector with a spacing of 7.62 mm. The detector was positioned in such a way that each leaf pair of the MLC was aligned with one row of ionization chambers. Known leaf displacements were introduced in various field geometries ranging from  -10.0 mm to 10.0 mm. Error detection performance was tested for MLC leaf position dependency relative to the detector position, gantry angle dependency, monitor unit dependency, and for ten clinical intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment beams. For one clinical head and neck IMRT treatment beam, influence of the iterative reconstruction method on existing 3D dose reconstruction artifacts was evaluated. The described iterative reconstruction method was capable of individual MLC leaf position reconstruction with millimeter accuracy, independent of the relative detector position within the range of clinically applied MU's for IMRT. Dose reconstruction artifacts in a clinical IMRT treatment beam were considerably reduced as compared to the current dose verification procedure. The iterative reconstruction method allows high accuracy 3D dose verification by including actual MLC leaf positions reconstructed from low resolution 2D measurements.

The reliability of humerothoracic angles during arm elevation depends on the representation of rotations.

PubMed

López-Pascual, Juan; Cáceres, Magda Liliana; De Rosario, Helios; Page, Álvaro

2016-02-08

The reliability of joint rotation measurements is an issue of major interest, especially in clinical applications. The effect of instrumental errors and soft tissue artifacts on the variability of human motion measures is well known, but the influence of the representation of joint motion has not yet been studied. The aim of the study was to compare the within-subject reliability of three rotation formalisms for the calculation of the shoulder elevation joint angles. Five repetitions of humeral elevation in the scapular plane of 27 healthy subjects were recorded using a stereophotogrammetry system. The humerothoracic joint angles were calculated using the YX'Y" and XZ'Y" Euler angle sequences and the attitude vector. A within-subject repeatability study was performed for the three representations. ICC, SEM and CV were the indices used to estimate the error in the calculation of the angle amplitudes and the angular waveforms with each method. Excellent results were obtained in all representations for the main angle (elevation), but there were remarkable differences for axial rotation and plane of elevation. The YX'Y" sequence generally had the poorest reliability in the secondary angles. The XZ'Y' sequence proved to be the most reliable representation of axial rotation, whereas the attitude vector had the highest reliability in the plane of elevation. These results highlight the importance of selecting the method used to describe the joint motion when within-subjects reliability is an important issue of the experiment. This may be of particular importance when the secondary angles of motions are being studied. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Correlation between Angle Kappa and Ocular Biometry in Koreans

PubMed Central

Choi, Se Rang

2013-01-01

Purpose To investigate normative angle kappa data and to examine whether correlations exist between angle kappa and ocular biometric measurements (e.g., refractive error, axial length) and demographic features in Koreans. Methods Data from 436 eyes (213 males and 223 females) were analyzed in this study. The angle kappa was measured using Orbscan II. We used ocular biometric measurements, including refractive spherical equivalent, interpupillary distance and axial length, to investigate the correlations between angle kappa and ocular biometry. The IOL Master ver. 5.02 was used to obtain axial length. Results The mean patient age was 57.5 ± 12.0 years in males and 59.4 ± 12.4 years in females (p = 0.11). Angle kappa averaged 4.70 ± 2.70 degrees in men and 4.89 ± 2.14 degrees in women (p = 0.48). Axial length and spherical equivalent were correlated with angle kappa (r = -0.342 and r = 0.197, respectively). The correlation between axial length and spherical equivalent had a negative correlation (r = -0.540, p < 0.001). Conclusions Angle kappa increased with spherical equivalent and age. Thus, careful manipulation should be considered in older and hyperopic patients when planning refractive or strabismus surgery. PMID:24311927

Comparison of three rf plasma impedance monitors on a high phase angle planar inductively coupled plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchiyama, H.; Watanabe, M.; Shaw, D. M.; Bahia, J. E.; Collins, G. J.

1999-10-01

Accurate measurement of plasma source impedance is important for verification of plasma circuit models, as well as for plasma process characterization and endpoint detection. Most impedance measurement techniques depend in some manner on the cosine of the phase angle to determine the impedance of the plasma load. Inductively coupled plasmas are generally highly inductive, with the phase angle between the applied rf voltage and the rf current in the range of 88 to near 90 degrees. A small measurement error in this phase angle range results in a large error in the calculated cosine of the angle, introducing large impedance measurement variations. In this work, we have compared the measured impedance of a planar inductively coupled plasma using three commercial plasma impedance monitors (ENI V/I probe, Advanced Energy RFZ60 and Advanced Energy Z-Scan). The plasma impedance is independently verified using a specially designed match network and a calibrated load, representing the plasma, to provide a measurement standard.

Low Frequency Error Analysis and Calibration for High-Resolution Optical Satellite's Uncontrolled Geometric Positioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Mi; Fang, Chengcheng; Yang, Bo; Cheng, Yufeng

2016-06-01

The low frequency error is a key factor which has affected uncontrolled geometry processing accuracy of the high-resolution optical image. To guarantee the geometric quality of imagery, this paper presents an on-orbit calibration method for the low frequency error based on geometric calibration field. Firstly, we introduce the overall flow of low frequency error on-orbit analysis and calibration, which includes optical axis angle variation detection of star sensor, relative calibration among star sensors, multi-star sensor information fusion, low frequency error model construction and verification. Secondly, we use optical axis angle change detection method to analyze the law of low frequency error variation. Thirdly, we respectively use the method of relative calibration and information fusion among star sensors to realize the datum unity and high precision attitude output. Finally, we realize the low frequency error model construction and optimal estimation of model parameters based on DEM/DOM of geometric calibration field. To evaluate the performance of the proposed calibration method, a certain type satellite's real data is used. Test results demonstrate that the calibration model in this paper can well describe the law of the low frequency error variation. The uncontrolled geometric positioning accuracy of the high-resolution optical image in the WGS-84 Coordinate Systems is obviously improved after the step-wise calibration.

Dynamic statistical optimization of GNSS radio occultation bending angles: advanced algorithm and performance analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Kirchengast, G.; Scherllin-Pirscher, B.; Norman, R.; Yuan, Y. B.; Fritzer, J.; Schwaerz, M.; Zhang, K.

2015-08-01

We introduce a new dynamic statistical optimization algorithm to initialize ionosphere-corrected bending angles of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based radio occultation (RO) measurements. The new algorithm estimates background and observation error covariance matrices with geographically varying uncertainty profiles and realistic global-mean correlation matrices. The error covariance matrices estimated by the new approach are more accurate and realistic than in simplified existing approaches and can therefore be used in statistical optimization to provide optimal bending angle profiles for high-altitude initialization of the subsequent Abel transform retrieval of refractivity. The new algorithm is evaluated against the existing Wegener Center Occultation Processing System version 5.6 (OPSv5.6) algorithm, using simulated data on two test days from January and July 2008 and real observed CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) and Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) measurements from the complete months of January and July 2008. The following is achieved for the new method's performance compared to OPSv5.6: (1) significant reduction of random errors (standard deviations) of optimized bending angles down to about half of their size or more; (2) reduction of the systematic differences in optimized bending angles for simulated MetOp data; (3) improved retrieval of refractivity and temperature profiles; and (4) realistically estimated global-mean correlation matrices and realistic uncertainty fields for the background and observations. Overall the results indicate high suitability for employing the new dynamic approach in the processing of long-term RO data into a reference climate record, leading to well-characterized and high-quality atmospheric profiles over the entire stratosphere.

Error Characterization of Flight Trajectories Reconstructed Using Structure from Motion

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-27

adjustment using IMU rotation information, the accuracy of the yaw, pitch and roll is limited and numerical errors can be as high as 1e-4 depending on...due to either zero mean, Gaussian noise and/or bias in the IMU measured yaw, pitch and roll angles. It is possible that when errors in these...requires both the information on how the camera is mounted to the IMU /aircraft and the measured yaw, pitch and roll at the time of the first image

SU-F-J-51: A Cone-Based Scintillator Detector for IGRT QA for Scattered and Scanning Proton Therapy

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

Oesten, H; Clasie, B; Jee, K

Purpose: IGRT commissioning and QA are critical components for precise delivery of proton treatment beams to patients. In order to ensure high quality IGRT, a new cone-based scintillator detector was evaluated for our QA activities for double-scattered and scanning proton modalities. This allows a routine evaluation of the gantry-angle dependent position offset between the radiation and imaging. Methods: The cone-based scintillator detector (XRV-124, Logos Systems, Int’l CA, USA) features a unique configuration of measuring stereotactic paths of proton and x-ray beams in a single setup with arbitrary gantry angles. For the beams-eye-view (BEV) analysis of x-ray crosshair images, a cylindricalmore » representation of the cone image was newly developed. The calibration accuracy was evaluated using different CT resolutions for a range of 55 – 95mm in patient’s cranial direction and ±9mm in the lateral direction. Energy-dependent spot sizes (σ) of pencil beams were characterized and compared to measurements by the MatriXX detector (IBA, Germany). Iso-centric deviations between radiation and x-ray imaging were characterized as a function of gantry angle. Results: The position calibration of the detector was successfully verified with a reproducible positioning by x-ray imaging. The measurements were reproducible within clinical tolerances (±1mm). The spot size vs. energy at zero gantry angle measured with the scintillating cone detector agreed with the MatriXX detector measurements within 17%. Conclusion: The new approach to investigate the accuracy of IGRT and pencil beam properties could successfully be implemented into the QA program. The system will improve efficiency in our QA activities for proton treatments.« less

Sensitivity of the diagnostic radiological index of protection to procedural factors in fluoroscopy.

PubMed

Jones, A Kyle; Pasciak, Alexander S; Wagner, Louis K

2016-07-01

To evaluate the sensitivity of the diagnostic radiological index of protection (DRIP), used to quantify the protective value of radioprotective garments, to procedural factors in fluoroscopy in an effort to determine an appropriate set of scatter-mimicking primary beams to be used in measuring the DRIP. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to determine the shape of the scattered x-ray spectra incident on the operator in different clinical fluoroscopy scenarios, including interventional radiology and interventional cardiology (IC). Two clinical simulations studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle and patient size, while technical factors were varied according to measured automatic dose rate control (ADRC) data. Factorial simulations studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle, field of view, patient size, and beam quality for constant technical factors. Average energy (Eavg) was the figure of merit used to condense fluence in each energy bin to a single numerical index. Beam quality had the strongest influence on the scattered spectrum in fluoroscopy. Many procedural factors affect the scattered spectrum indirectly through their effect on primary beam quality through ADRC, e.g., gantry angle and patient size. Lateral C-arm rotation, common in IC, increased the energy of the scattered spectrum, regardless of the direction of rotation. The effect of patient size on scattered radiation depended on ADRC characteristics, patient size, and procedure type. The scattered spectrum striking the operator in fluoroscopy is most strongly influenced by primary beam quality, particularly kV. Use cases for protective garments should be classified by typical procedural primary beam qualities, which are governed by the ADRC according to the impacts of patient size, anatomical location, and gantry angle.

Effect of the incidence angle to free space optical communication based on cat-eye modulating retro-reflector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lai-xian; Sun, Hua-yan; Zhao, Yan-zhong; Zheng, Yong-hui; Shan, Cong-miao

2013-08-01

Based on the cat-eye effect of optical system, free space optical communication based on cat-eye modulating retro-reflector can build communication link rapidly. Compared to classical free space optical communication system, system based on cat-eye modulating retro-reflector has great advantages such as building communication link more rapidly, a passive terminal is smaller, lighter and lower power consuming. The incident angle is an important factor of cat-eye effect, so it will affect the retro-reflecting communication link. In this paper, the principle and work flow of free space optical communication based on cat-eye modulating retro-reflector were introduced. Then, using the theory of geometric optics, the equivalent model of modulating retro-reflector with incidence angle was presented. The analytical solution of active area and retro-reflected light intensity of cat-eye modulating retro-reflector were given. Noise of PIN photodetector was analyzed, based on which, bit error rate of free space optical communication based on cat-eye modulating retro-reflector was presented. Finally, simulations were done to study the effect of incidence angle to the communication. The simulation results show that the incidence angle has little effect on active area and retro-reflected light intensity when the incidence beam is in the active field angle of cat-eye modulating retro-reflector. With certain system and condition, the communication link can rapidly be built when the incidence light beam is in the field angle, and the bit error rate increases greatly with link range. When link range is smaller than 35Km, the bit error rate is less than 10-16.

Fat fraction bias correction using T1 estimates and flip angle mapping.

PubMed

Yang, Issac Y; Cui, Yifan; Wiens, Curtis N; Wade, Trevor P; Friesen-Waldner, Lanette J; McKenzie, Charles A

2014-01-01

To develop a new method of reducing T1 bias in proton density fat fraction (PDFF) measured with iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation (IDEAL). PDFF maps reconstructed from high flip angle IDEAL measurements were simulated and acquired from phantoms and volunteer L4 vertebrae. T1 bias was corrected using a priori T1 values for water and fat, both with and without flip angle correction. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) maps were used to measure precision of the reconstructed PDFF maps. PDFF measurements acquired using small flip angles were then compared to both sets of corrected large flip angle measurements for accuracy and precision. Simulations show similar results in PDFF error between small flip angle measurements and corrected large flip angle measurements as long as T1 estimates were within one standard deviation from the true value. Compared to low flip angle measurements, phantom and in vivo measurements demonstrate better precision and accuracy in PDFF measurements if images were acquired at a high flip angle, with T1 bias corrected using T1 estimates and flip angle mapping. T1 bias correction of large flip angle acquisitions using estimated T1 values with flip angle mapping yields fat fraction measurements of similar accuracy and superior precision compared to low flip angle acquisitions. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dynamic Collimator Angle Adjustments During Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy to Account for Prostate Rotations

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

Boer, Johan de; Wolf, Anne Lisa; Szeto, Yenny Z.

2015-04-01

Purpose: Rotations of the prostate gland induce considerable geometric uncertainties in prostate cancer radiation therapy. Collimator and gantry angle adjustments can correct these rotations in intensity modulated radiation therapy. Modern volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatments, however, include a wide range of beam orientations that differ in modulation, and corrections require dynamic collimator rotations. The aim of this study was to implement a rotation correction strategy for VMAT dose delivery and validate it for left-right prostate rotations. Methods and Materials: Clinical VMAT treatment plans of 5 prostate cancer patients were used. Simulated left-right prostate rotations between +15° and −15° weremore » corrected by collimator rotations. We compared corrected and uncorrected plans by dose volume histograms, minimum dose (D{sub min}) to the prostate, bladder surface receiving ≥78 Gy (S78) and rectum equivalent uniform dose (EUD; n=0.13). Each corrected plan was delivered to a phantom, and its deliverability was evaluated by γ-evaluation between planned and delivered dose, which was reconstructed from portal images acquired during delivery. Results: On average, clinical target volume minimum dose (D{sub min}) decreased up to 10% without corrections. Negative left-right rotations were corrected almost perfectly, whereas D{sub min} remained within 4% for positive rotations. Bladder S78 and rectum EUD of the corrected plans matched those of the original plans. The average pass rate for the corrected plans delivered to the phantom was 98.9% at 3% per 3 mm gamma criteria. The measured dose in the planning target volume approximated the original dose, rotated around the simulated left-right angle, well. Conclusions: It is feasible to dynamically adjust the collimator angle during VMAT treatment delivery to correct for prostate rotations. This technique can safely correct for left-right prostate rotations up to 15°.« less

Errors induced by the neglect of polarization in radiance calculations for Rayleigh-scattering atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishchenko, M. I.; Lacis, A. A.; Travis, L. D.

1994-01-01

Although neglecting polarization and replacing the rigorous vector radiative transfer equation by its approximate scalar counterpart has no physical background, it is a widely used simplification when the incident light is unpolarized and only the intensity of the reflected light is to be computed. We employ accurate vector and scalar multiple-scattering calculations to perform a systematic study of the errors induced by the neglect of polarization in radiance calculations for a homogeneous, plane-parallel Rayleigh-scattering atmosphere (with and without depolarization) above a Lambertian surface. Specifically, we calculate percent errors in the reflected intensity for various directions of light incidence and reflection, optical thicknesses of the atmosphere, single-scattering albedos, depolarization factors, and surface albedos. The numerical data displayed can be used to decide whether or not the scalar approximation may be employed depending on the parameters of the problem. We show that the errors decrease with increasing depolarization factor and/or increasing surface albedo. For conservative or nearly conservative scattering and small surface albedos, the errors are maximum at optical thicknesses of about 1. The calculated errors may be too large for some practical applications, and, therefore, rigorous vector calculations should be employed whenever possible. However, if approximate scalar calculations are used, we recommend to avoid geometries involving phase angles equal or close to 0 deg and 90 deg, where the errors are especially significant. We propose a theoretical explanation of the large vector/scalar differences in the case of Rayleigh scattering. According to this explanation, the differences are caused by the particular structure of the Rayleigh scattering matrix and come from lower-order (except first-order) light scattering paths involving right scattering angles and right-angle rotations of the scattering plane.

Swing arm profilometer: analytical solutions of misalignment errors for testing axisymmetric optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Ling; Luo, Xiao; Liu, Zhenyu; Wang, Xiaokun; Hu, Haixiang; Zhang, Feng; Zheng, Ligong; Zhang, Xuejun

2016-07-01

The swing arm profilometer (SAP) has been playing a very important role in testing large aspheric optics. As one of most significant error sources that affects the test accuracy, misalignment error leads to low-order errors such as aspherical aberrations and coma apart from power. In order to analyze the effect of misalignment errors, the relation between alignment parameters and test results of axisymmetric optics is presented. Analytical solutions of SAP system errors from tested mirror misalignment, arm length L deviation, tilt-angle θ deviation, air-table spin error, and air-table misalignment are derived, respectively; and misalignment tolerance is given to guide surface measurement. In addition, experiments on a 2-m diameter parabolic mirror are demonstrated to verify the model; according to the error budget, we achieve the SAP test for low-order errors except power with accuracy of 0.1 μm root-mean-square.

Influence of different rotation angles in assessment of lung volumes by 3-dimensional sonography in comparison to magnetic resonance imaging in healthy fetuses.

PubMed

Kehl, Sven; Eckert, Sven; Sütterlin, Marc; Neff, K Wolfgang; Siemer, Jörn

2011-06-01

Three-dimensional (3D) sonographic volumetry is established in gynecology and obstetrics. Assessment of the fetal lung volume by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in congenital diaphragmatic hernias has become a routine examination. In vitro studies have shown a good correlation between 3D sonographic measurements and MRI. The aim of this study was to compare the lung volumes of healthy fetuses assessed by 3D sonography to MRI measurements and to investigate the impact of different rotation angles. A total of 126 fetuses between 20 and 40 weeks' gestation were measured by 3D sonography, and 27 of them were also assessed by MRI. The sonographic volumes were calculated by the rotational technique (virtual organ computer-aided analysis) with rotation angles of 6° and 30°. To evaluate the accuracy of 3D sonographic volumetry, percentage error and absolute percentage error values were calculated using MRI volumes as reference points. Formulas to calculate total, right, and left fetal lung volumes according to gestational age and biometric parameters were derived by stepwise regression analysis. Three-dimensional sonographic volumetry showed a high correlation compared to MRI (6° angle, R(2) = 0.971; 30° angle, R(2) = 0.917) with no systematic error for the 6° angle. Moreover, using the 6° rotation angle, the median absolute percentage error was significantly lower compared to the 30° angle (P < .001). The new formulas to calculate total lung volume in healthy fetuses only included gestational age and no biometric parameters (R(2) = 0.853). Three-dimensional sonographic volumetry of lung volumes in healthy fetuses showed a good correlation with MRI. We recommend using an angle of 6° because it assessed the lung volume more accurately. The specifically designed equations help estimate lung volumes in healthy fetuses.

A limited-angle intrafraction verification (LIVE) system for radiation therapy.

PubMed

Ren, Lei; Zhang, You; Yin, Fang-Fang

2014-02-01

Currently, no 3D or 4D volumetric x-ray imaging techniques are available for intrafraction verification of target position during actual treatment delivery or in-between treatment beams, which is critical for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments. This study aims to develop a limited-angle intrafraction verification (LIVE) system to use prior information, deformation models, and limited angle kV-MV projections to verify target position intrafractionally. The LIVE system acquires limited-angle kV projections simultaneously during arc treatment delivery or in-between static 3D/IMRT treatment beams as the gantry moves from one beam to the next. Orthogonal limited-angle MV projections are acquired from the beam's eye view (BEV) exit fluence of arc treatment beam or in-between static beams to provide additional anatomical information. MV projections are converted to kV projections using a linear conversion function. Patient prior planning CT at one phase is used as the prior information, and the on-board patient volume is considered as a deformation of the prior images. The deformation field is solved using the data fidelity constraint, a breathing motion model extracted from the planning 4D-CT based on principal component analysis (PCA) and a free-form deformation (FD) model. LIVE was evaluated using a 4D digital extended cardiac torso phantom (XCAT) and a CIRS 008A dynamic thoracic phantom. In the XCAT study, patient breathing pattern and tumor size changes were simulated from CT to treatment position. In the CIRS phantom study, the artificial target in the lung region experienced both size change and position shift from CT to treatment position. Varian Truebeam research mode was used to acquire kV and MV projections simultaneously during the delivery of a dynamic conformal arc plan. The reconstruction accuracy was evaluated by calculating the 3D volume percentage difference (VPD) and the center of mass (COM

A limited-angle intrafraction verification (LIVE) system for radiation therapy

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

Ren, Lei, E-mail: lei.ren@duke.edu; Yin, Fang-Fang; Zhang, You

Purpose: Currently, no 3D or 4D volumetric x-ray imaging techniques are available for intrafraction verification of target position during actual treatment delivery or in-between treatment beams, which is critical for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments. This study aims to develop a limited-angle intrafraction verification (LIVE) system to use prior information, deformation models, and limited angle kV-MV projections to verify target position intrafractionally. Methods: The LIVE system acquires limited-angle kV projections simultaneously during arc treatment delivery or in-between static 3D/IMRT treatment beams as the gantry moves from one beam to the next. Orthogonal limited-angle MV projectionsmore » are acquired from the beam's eye view (BEV) exit fluence of arc treatment beam or in-between static beams to provide additional anatomical information. MV projections are converted to kV projections using a linear conversion function. Patient prior planning CT at one phase is used as the prior information, and the on-board patient volume is considered as a deformation of the prior images. The deformation field is solved using the data fidelity constraint, a breathing motion model extracted from the planning 4D-CT based on principal component analysis (PCA) and a free-form deformation (FD) model. LIVE was evaluated using a 4D digital extended cardiac torso phantom (XCAT) and a CIRS 008A dynamic thoracic phantom. In the XCAT study, patient breathing pattern and tumor size changes were simulated from CT to treatment position. In the CIRS phantom study, the artificial target in the lung region experienced both size change and position shift from CT to treatment position. Varian Truebeam research mode was used to acquire kV and MV projections simultaneously during the delivery of a dynamic conformal arc plan. The reconstruction accuracy was evaluated by calculating the 3D volume percentage difference (VPD) and the

SU-F-T-457: A Filmless Method for Measurement of Couch Translation Per Gantry Rotation and Couch Speed for Tomotherapy Using ArcCheck

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

Yang, B; Wong, R; Geng, H

Purpose: To develop a filmless methodology based on an ArcCheck for QA measurement of the couch translation per gantry rotation and couch speed of a Tomotherapy unit. Methods: Two test plans recommended by TG148 were chosen for this study. A helical plan with 1 cm field size opened the leaves for 180 degrees at the 2nd, 7th and 12th of total 13 rotations and was used to verify if the couch travelled the expected distance per gantry rotation. The other test plan was a static plan with the gantry at 0°, 1cm field width and constant couch movement speed ofmore » 0.5mm/s. It was used for couch speed measurement. The ArcCheck was isocentrically set up and recorded movie files which took a snapshot exposure every 50ms. Due to the spiral pattern of diodes distribution, when one of the diodes of the ArcCheck located at the beam center, the dose profile as measured by the row of diodes which surrounded the center diode should have a symmetrical pattern. We divided the profile into left half A and right half B. Then a shape parameter was defined as S=Σ|(A−B)|/Σ(A+B). By searching the local minimum of S parameter, the beam center at different time could be located. The machine trajectory log data were also collected and analyzed for comparison. Results: The mean value of measured couch translation and couch speed by ArcCheck had less than 0.05% deviation from the planned values. For couch speed measurement, our result showed a mean value of 0.5002 with an uncertainty ±0.0031, which agreed very well with both the plan setting of 0.5 mm/s and the machine log data of 0.5005 mm/s. Conclusion: Couch translation measured using ArcCheck is accurate and comparable to the film-based measurement. This filmless method also provides a convenient and independent way for measuring couch speed.« less

A method for optical ground station reduce alignment error in satellite-ground quantum experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Dong; Wang, Qiang; Zhou, Jian-Wei; Song, Zhi-Jun; Zhong, Dai-Jun; Jiang, Yu; Liu, Wan-Sheng; Huang, Yong-Mei

2018-03-01

A satellite dedicated for quantum science experiments, has been developed and successfully launched from Jiuquan, China, on August 16, 2016. Two new optical ground stations (OGSs) were built to cooperate with the satellite to complete satellite-ground quantum experiments. OGS corrected its pointing direction by satellite trajectory error to coarse tracking system and uplink beacon sight, therefore fine tracking CCD and uplink beacon optical axis alignment accuracy was to ensure that beacon could cover the quantum satellite in all time when it passed the OGSs. Unfortunately, when we tested specifications of the OGSs, due to the coarse tracking optical system was commercial telescopes, the change of position of the target in the coarse CCD was up to 600μrad along with the change of elevation angle. In this paper, a method of reduce alignment error between beacon beam and fine tracking CCD is proposed. Firstly, OGS fitted the curve of target positions in coarse CCD along with the change of elevation angle. Secondly, OGS fitted the curve of hexapod secondary mirror positions along with the change of elevation angle. Thirdly, when tracking satellite, the fine tracking error unloaded on the real-time zero point position of coarse CCD which computed by the firstly calibration data. Simultaneously the positions of the hexapod secondary mirror were adjusted by the secondly calibration data. Finally the experiment result is proposed. Results show that the alignment error is less than 50μrad.

Impact of large field angles on the requirements for deformable mirror in imaging satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jae Jun; Mueller, Mark; Martinez, Ty; Agrawal, Brij

2018-04-01

For certain imaging satellite missions, a large aperture with wide field-of-view is needed. In order to achieve diffraction limited performance, the mirror surface Root Mean Square (RMS) error has to be less than 0.05 waves. In the case of visible light, it has to be less than 30 nm. This requirement is difficult to meet as the large aperture will need to be segmented in order to fit inside a launch vehicle shroud. To reduce this requirement and to compensate for the residual wavefront error, Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) deformable mirrors can be considered in the aft optics of the optical system. MEMS deformable mirrors are affordable and consume low power, but are small in size. Due to the major reduction in pupil size for the deformable mirror, the effective field angle is magnified by the diameter ratio of the primary and deformable mirror. For wide field of view imaging, the required deformable mirror correction is field angle dependant, impacting the required parameters of a deformable mirror such as size, number of actuators, and actuator stroke. In this paper, a representative telescope and deformable mirror system model is developed and the deformable mirror correction is simulated to study the impact of the large field angles in correcting a wavefront error using a deformable mirror in the aft optics.

Large field distributed aperture laser semiactive angle measurement system design with imaging fiber bundles.

PubMed

Xu, Chunyun; Cheng, Haobo; Feng, Yunpeng; Jing, Xiaoli

2016-09-01

A type of laser semiactive angle measurement system is designed for target detecting and tracking. Only one detector is used to detect target location from four distributed aperture optical systems through a 4×1 imaging fiber bundle. A telecentric optical system in image space is designed to increase the efficiency of imaging fiber bundles. According to the working principle of a four-quadrant (4Q) detector, fiber diamond alignment is adopted between an optical system and a 4Q detector. The structure of the laser semiactive angle measurement system is, we believe, novel. Tolerance analysis is carried out to determine tolerance limits of manufacture and installation errors of the optical system. The performance of the proposed method is identified by computer simulations and experiments. It is demonstrated that the linear region of the system is ±12°, with measurement error of better than 0.2°. In general, this new system can be used with large field of view and high accuracy, providing an efficient, stable, and fast method for angle measurement in practical situations.

Determination of facial symmetry in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients from three-dimensional data: technical report and assessment of measurement errors.

PubMed

Nkenke, Emeka; Lehner, Bernhard; Kramer, Manuel; Haeusler, Gerd; Benz, Stefanie; Schuster, Maria; Neukam, Friedrich W; Vairaktaris, Eleftherios G; Wurm, Jochen

2006-03-01

To assess measurement errors of a novel technique for the three-dimensional determination of the degree of facial symmetry in patients suffering from unilateral cleft lip and palate malformations. Technical report, reliability study. Cleft Lip and Palate Center of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany. The three-dimensional facial surface data of five 10-year-old unilateral cleft lip and palate patients were subjected to the analysis. Distances, angles, surface areas, and volumes were assessed twice. Calculations were made for method error, intraclass correlation coefficient, and repeatability of the measurements of distances, angles, surface areas, and volumes. The method errors were less than 1 mm for distances and less than 1.5 degrees for angles. The intraclass correlation coefficients showed values greater than .90 for all parameters. The repeatability values were comparable for cleft and noncleft sides. The small method errors, high intraclass correlation coefficients, and comparable repeatability values for cleft and noncleft sides reveal that the new technique is appropriate for clinical use.

In-gantry MRI guided prostate biopsy diagnosis of prostatitis and its relationship with PIRADS V.2 based score.

PubMed

Jyoti, Rajeev; Jina, Noel Hamesh; Haxhimolla, Hodo Z

2017-04-01

The recent literature has focussed predominantly on prostate cancer detection which has been revolutionized by multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI). Due to an overlap of features, prostatitis may mimic prostate cancer on MRI, especially in patients with chronic prostatitis. We retrospectively analysed our in-gantry MRI-guided biopsy (MRGB) results to determine incidental detection rate of prostatitis in Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PIRADS) 3, 4 and 5 foci reported on diagnostic MRI of the prostate. About 137 patients underwent in-gantry MRGB for lesions with PIRADS score of 3 or above. All the biopsies were performed utilizing the dynaTRIM™ system (Invio Inc, Germany) on a three-tesla MRI scanner (Ingenia 3.0T, Philips, Netherlands) by a Radiologist and a Urologist. We biopsied 228 lesions in 137 patients. There were 55 lesions that returned positive for prostate cancer with a Gleason Score of 3 + 3 = 6 or above. There were 62 lesions that showed inflammation. The distribution of these lesions was 3 (5%) in the central zone, 32 (52%) in the transitional zone and 27 (43%) in the peripheral zone. Inflammation was found in 36 (58%) PIRADS 3 lesions, 24 (39%) PIRADS 4 lesions and 2 (3%) PIRADS 5 lesions on pre biopsy MRI evaluation. In our series, biopsies which showed inflammation had a radiological appearance on mpMRI more likely of a PIRADS 3 or 4 lesions with only 3% of PIRADS 5 biopsies showing inflammation. This would suggest that a higher PIRADS score can more reliably differentiate between prostate cancer and prostatitis. © 2016 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

[Evaluation of accuracy of virtual occlusal definition in Angle class I molar relationship].

PubMed

Wu, L; Liu, X J; Li, Z L; Wang, X

2018-02-18

To evaluate the accuracy of virtual occlusal definition in non-Angle class I molar relationship, and to evaluate the clinical feasibility. Twenty pairs of models of orthognathic patients were included in this study. The inclusion criteria were: (1) finished with pre-surgical orthodontic treatment and (2) stable final occlusion. The exclusion criteria were: (1) existence of distorted teeth, (2) needs for segmentation, (3) defect of dentition except for orthodontic extraction ones, and (4) existence of tooth space. The tooth-extracted test group included 10 models with two premolars extracted during preoperative orthodontic treatment. Their molar relationships were not Angle class I relationship. The non-tooth-extracted test group included another 10 models without teeth extracted, therefore their molar relationships were Angle class I. To define the final occlusion in virtual environment, two steps were included: (1) The morphology data of upper and lower dentition were digitalized by surface scanner (Smart Optics/Activity 102; Model-Tray GmbH, Hamburg, Germany); (2) the virtual relationships were defined using 3Shape software. The control standard of final occlusion was manually defined using gypsum models and then digitalized by surface scanner. The final occlusion of test group and control standard were overlapped according to lower dentition morphology. Errors were evaluated by calculating the distance between the corresponding reference points of testing group and control standard locations. The overall errors for upper dentition between test group and control standard location were (0.51±0.18) mm in non-tooth-extracted test group and (0.60±0.36) mm in tooth-extracted test group. The errors were significantly different between these two test groups (P<0.05). However, in both test groups, the errors of each tooth in a single dentition does not differ from one another. There was no significant difference between errors in tooth-extracted test group and 1 mm (P

Usefulness of intraoperative radiographs in reducing errors of cup placement and leg length during total hip arthroplasty.

PubMed

Wind, Michael A; Morrison, J Craig; Christie, Michael J

2013-11-01

Traditional methods of component placement during total hip arthroplasty (THA) can lead to errors in cup abduction angle and leg length. Intraoperative radiographs were used to assess and correct errors during surgery in a consecutive series of 278 THAs performed by a single surgeon. After exclusions, 262 cases were available for cup abduction angle assessment and 224 for leg length discrepancy (LLD) assessment. Components were initially placed in a position determined as appropriate by the surgeon. Intraoperative radiographs were taken and appropriate corrections made. Postoperative radiographs were assessed at 6 weeks. Mean abduction angle on intraoperative radiographs was 39.6°±5.9° versus 38.6°±4.1° on postoperative radiographs. Thirty-eight cups were outside the target abduction range on intraoperative radiographs versus 4 on postoperative radiographs. Mean LLD was 3.7 mm ± 3.6 mm on intraoperative radiographs and 2.5 mm ± 2.7 mm on postoperative radiographs. Use of intraoperative radiographs is a valid, useful technique for minimizing errors in THA.

Quantification of Finger-Tapping Angle Based on Wearable Sensors

PubMed Central

Djurić-Jovičić, Milica; Jovičić, Nenad S.; Roby-Brami, Agnes; Popović, Mirjana B.; Kostić, Vladimir S.; Djordjević, Antonije R.

2017-01-01

We propose a novel simple method for quantitative and qualitative finger-tapping assessment based on miniature inertial sensors (3D gyroscopes) placed on the thumb and index-finger. We propose a simplified description of the finger tapping by using a single angle, describing rotation around a dominant axis. The method was verified on twelve subjects, who performed various tapping tasks, mimicking impaired patterns. The obtained tapping angles were compared with results of a motion capture camera system, demonstrating excellent accuracy. The root-mean-square (RMS) error between the two sets of data is, on average, below 4°, and the intraclass correlation coefficient is, on average, greater than 0.972. Data obtained by the proposed method may be used together with scores from clinical tests to enable a better diagnostic. Along with hardware simplicity, this makes the proposed method a promising candidate for use in clinical practice. Furthermore, our definition of the tapping angle can be applied to all tapping assessment systems. PMID:28125051

Quantification of Finger-Tapping Angle Based on Wearable Sensors.

PubMed

Djurić-Jovičić, Milica; Jovičić, Nenad S; Roby-Brami, Agnes; Popović, Mirjana B; Kostić, Vladimir S; Djordjević, Antonije R

2017-01-25

We propose a novel simple method for quantitative and qualitative finger-tapping assessment based on miniature inertial sensors (3D gyroscopes) placed on the thumb and index-finger. We propose a simplified description of the finger tapping by using a single angle, describing rotation around a dominant axis. The method was verified on twelve subjects, who performed various tapping tasks, mimicking impaired patterns. The obtained tapping angles were compared with results of a motion capture camera system, demonstrating excellent accuracy. The root-mean-square (RMS) error between the two sets of data is, on average, below 4°, and the intraclass correlation coefficient is, on average, greater than 0.972. Data obtained by the proposed method may be used together with scores from clinical tests to enable a better diagnostic. Along with hardware simplicity, this makes the proposed method a promising candidate for use in clinical practice. Furthermore, our definition of the tapping angle can be applied to all tapping assessment systems.

IMU-Based Joint Angle Measurement for Gait Analysis

PubMed Central

Seel, Thomas; Raisch, Jorg; Schauer, Thomas

2014-01-01

This contribution is concerned with joint angle calculation based on inertial measurement data in the context of human motion analysis. Unlike most robotic devices, the human body lacks even surfaces and right angles. Therefore, we focus on methods that avoid assuming certain orientations in which the sensors are mounted with respect to the body segments. After a review of available methods that may cope with this challenge, we present a set of new methods for: (1) joint axis and position identification; and (2) flexion/extension joint angle measurement. In particular, we propose methods that use only gyroscopes and accelerometers and, therefore, do not rely on a homogeneous magnetic field. We provide results from gait trials of a transfemoral amputee in which we compare the inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based methods to an optical 3D motion capture system. Unlike most authors, we place the optical markers on anatomical landmarks instead of attaching them to the IMUs. Root mean square errors of the knee flexion/extension angles are found to be less than 1° on the prosthesis and about 3° on the human leg. For the plantar/dorsiflexion of the ankle, both deviations are about 1°. PMID:24743160

Comparison of different passive knee extension torque-angle assessments.

PubMed

Freitas, Sandro R; Vaz, João R; Bruno, Paula M; Valamatos, Maria J; Mil-Homens, Pedro

2013-11-01

Previous studies have used isokinetic dynamometry to assess joint torques and angles during passive extension of the knee, often without reporting upon methodological errors and reliability outcomes. In addition, the reliability of the techniques used to measure passive knee extension torque-angle and the extent to which reliability may be affected by the position of the subjects is also unclear. Therefore, we conducted an analysis of the intra- and inter-session reliability of two methods of assessing passive knee extension: (A) a 2D kinematic analysis coupled to a custom-made device that enabled the direct measurement of resistance to stretch and (B) an isokinetic dynamometer used in two testing positions (with the non-tested thigh either flexed at 45° or in the neutral position). The intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) of torque, the slope of the torque-angle curve, and the parameters of the mathematical model that were fit to the torque-angle data for the above conditions were measured in sixteen healthy male subjects (age: 21.4 ± 2.1 yr; BMI: 22.6 ± 3.3 kg m(-2); tibial length: 37.4 ± 3.4 cm). The results found were: (1) methods A and B led to distinctly different torque-angle responses; (2) passive torque-angle relationship and stretch tolerance were influenced by the position of the non-tested thigh; and (3) ICCs obtained for torque were higher than for the slope and for the mathematical parameters that were fit to the torque-angle curve. In conclusion, the measurement method that is used and the positioning of subjects can influence the passive knee extension torque-angle outcome.

MO-AB-BRA-08: Rapid Treatment Field Uniformity Optimization for Total Skin Electron Beam Therapy Using Cherenkov Imaging

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

Andreozzi, J; Zhang, R; Glaser, A

Purpose: To evaluate treatment field heterogeneity resulting from gantry angle choice in total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT) following a modified Stanford dual-field technique, and determine a relationship between source to surface distance (SSD) and optimized gantry angle spread. Methods: Cherenkov imaging was used to image 62 treatment fields on a sheet of 1.2m x 2.2m x 1.2cm polyethylene following standard TSEBT setup at our institution (6 MeV, 888 MU/min, no spoiler, SSD=441cm), where gantry angles spanned from 239.5° to 300.5° at 1° increments. Average Cherenkov intensity and coefficient of variation in the region of interest were compared for themore » set of composite Cherenkov images created by summing all unique combinations of angle pairs to simulate dual-field treatment. The angle pair which produced the lowest coefficient of variation was further studied using an ionization chamber. The experiment was repeated at SSD=300cm, and SSD=370.5cm. Cherenkov imaging was also implemented during TSEBT of three patients. Results: The most uniform treatment region from a symmetric angle spread was achieved using gantry angles +/−17.5° about the horizontal axis at SSD=441cm, +/−18.5° at SSD=370.5cm, and +/−19.5° at SSD=300cm. Ionization chamber measurements comparing the original treatment spread (+/−14.5°) and the optimized angle pair (+/−17.5°) at SSD=441cm showed no significant deviation (r=0.999) in percent depth dose curves, and chamber measurements from nine locations within the field showed an improvement in dose uniformity from 24.41% to 9.75%. Ionization chamber measurements correlated strongly (r=0.981) with Cherenkov intensity measured concurrently on the flat Plastic Water phantom. Patient images and TLD results also showed modest uniformity improvements. Conclusion: A decreasing linear relationship between optimal angle spread and SSD was observed. Cherenkov imaging offers a new method of rapidly analyzing and optimizing TSEBT

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

Jones, A. Kyle, E-mail: kyle.jones@mdanderson.org

Purpose: To evaluate the sensitivity of the diagnostic radiological index of protection (DRIP), used to quantify the protective value of radioprotective garments, to procedural factors in fluoroscopy in an effort to determine an appropriate set of scatter-mimicking primary beams to be used in measuring the DRIP. Methods: Monte Carlo simulations were performed to determine the shape of the scattered x-ray spectra incident on the operator in different clinical fluoroscopy scenarios, including interventional radiology and interventional cardiology (IC). Two clinical simulations studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle and patient size, while technical factors were varied according tomore » measured automatic dose rate control (ADRC) data. Factorial simulations studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle, field of view, patient size, and beam quality for constant technical factors. Average energy (E{sub avg}) was the figure of merit used to condense fluence in each energy bin to a single numerical index. Results: Beam quality had the strongest influence on the scattered spectrum in fluoroscopy. Many procedural factors affect the scattered spectrum indirectly through their effect on primary beam quality through ADRC, e.g., gantry angle and patient size. Lateral C-arm rotation, common in IC, increased the energy of the scattered spectrum, regardless of the direction of rotation. The effect of patient size on scattered radiation depended on ADRC characteristics, patient size, and procedure type. Conclusions: The scattered spectrum striking the operator in fluoroscopy is most strongly influenced by primary beam quality, particularly kV. Use cases for protective garments should be classified by typical procedural primary beam qualities, which are governed by the ADRC according to the impacts of patient size, anatomical location, and gantry angle.« less

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

Jones, A; Pasciak, A; Wagner, L

Purpose: To evaluate the sensitivity of the Diagnostic Radiological Index of Protection (DRIP) to procedural factors in fluoroscopy in an effort to determine an appropriate set of scatter-mimicking primary beams (SMPB) to be used in measuring the DRIP. Methods: A series of clinical and factorial Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to determine the shape of the scattered X-ray spectra incident on the operator in different clinical fluoroscopy scenarios. Two clinical evaluations studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle and patient size while technical factors were varied according to measured automatic dose rate control (ADRC) data. Factorial evaluationsmore » studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle, field of view, patient size and beam quality for constant technical factors. Average energy was the figure of merit used to condense fluence in each energy bin to a single numerical index. Results: Beam quality had the strongest influence on the scattered spectrum in fluoroscopy. Many procedural factors affected the scattered spectrum indirectly through their effects on primary beam quality through ADRC, e.g., gantry angle and patient size. Lateral C-arm rotation, common in interventional cardiology, increased the energy of the scattered spectrum, regardless of the direction of rotation. The effect of patient size on scattered radiation depended on ADRC characteristics, patient size, and procedure type. Conclusion: The scattered spectrum striking the operator in fluoroscopy, and therefore the DRIP, is most strongly influenced by primary beam quality, particularly kV. Use cases for protective garments should be classified by typical procedural primary beam qualities, which are governed by the ADRC according to the impacts of patient size, anatomical location, and gantry angle. These results will help determine an appropriate set of SMPB to be used for measuring the DRIP.« less

The development and verification of a highly accurate collision prediction model for automated noncoplanar plan delivery

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

Yu, Victoria Y.; Tran, Angelia; Nguyen, Dan

2015-11-15

Purpose: Significant dosimetric benefits had been previously demonstrated in highly noncoplanar treatment plans. In this study, the authors developed and verified an individualized collision model for the purpose of delivering highly noncoplanar radiotherapy and tested the feasibility of total delivery automation with Varian TrueBeam developer mode. Methods: A hand-held 3D scanner was used to capture the surfaces of an anthropomorphic phantom and a human subject, which were positioned with a computer-aided design model of a TrueBeam machine to create a detailed virtual geometrical collision model. The collision model included gantry, collimator, and couch motion degrees of freedom. The accuracy ofmore » the 3D scanner was validated by scanning a rigid cubical phantom with known dimensions. The collision model was then validated by generating 300 linear accelerator orientations corresponding to 300 gantry-to-couch and gantry-to-phantom distances, and comparing the corresponding distance measurements to their corresponding models. The linear accelerator orientations reflected uniformly sampled noncoplanar beam angles to the head, lung, and prostate. The distance discrepancies between measurements on the physical and virtual systems were used to estimate treatment-site-specific safety buffer distances with 0.1%, 0.01%, and 0.001% probability of collision between the gantry and couch or phantom. Plans containing 20 noncoplanar beams to the brain, lung, and prostate optimized via an in-house noncoplanar radiotherapy platform were converted into XML script for automated delivery and the entire delivery was recorded and timed to demonstrate the feasibility of automated delivery. Results: The 3D scanner measured the dimension of the 14 cm cubic phantom within 0.5 mm. The maximal absolute discrepancy between machine and model measurements for gantry-to-couch and gantry-to-phantom was 0.95 and 2.97 cm, respectively. The reduced accuracy of gantry-to-phantom measurements

The development and verification of a highly accurate collision prediction model for automated noncoplanar plan delivery.

PubMed

Yu, Victoria Y; Tran, Angelia; Nguyen, Dan; Cao, Minsong; Ruan, Dan; Low, Daniel A; Sheng, Ke

2015-11-01

Significant dosimetric benefits had been previously demonstrated in highly noncoplanar treatment plans. In this study, the authors developed and verified an individualized collision model for the purpose of delivering highly noncoplanar radiotherapy and tested the feasibility of total delivery automation with Varian TrueBeam developer mode. A hand-held 3D scanner was used to capture the surfaces of an anthropomorphic phantom and a human subject, which were positioned with a computer-aided design model of a TrueBeam machine to create a detailed virtual geometrical collision model. The collision model included gantry, collimator, and couch motion degrees of freedom. The accuracy of the 3D scanner was validated by scanning a rigid cubical phantom with known dimensions. The collision model was then validated by generating 300 linear accelerator orientations corresponding to 300 gantry-to-couch and gantry-to-phantom distances, and comparing the corresponding distance measurements to their corresponding models. The linear accelerator orientations reflected uniformly sampled noncoplanar beam angles to the head, lung, and prostate. The distance discrepancies between measurements on the physical and virtual systems were used to estimate treatment-site-specific safety buffer distances with 0.1%, 0.01%, and 0.001% probability of collision between the gantry and couch or phantom. Plans containing 20 noncoplanar beams to the brain, lung, and prostate optimized via an in-house noncoplanar radiotherapy platform were converted into XML script for automated delivery and the entire delivery was recorded and timed to demonstrate the feasibility of automated delivery. The 3D scanner measured the dimension of the 14 cm cubic phantom within 0.5 mm. The maximal absolute discrepancy between machine and model measurements for gantry-to-couch and gantry-to-phantom was 0.95 and 2.97 cm, respectively. The reduced accuracy of gantry-to-phantom measurements was attributed to phantom setup

The development and verification of a highly accurate collision prediction model for automated noncoplanar plan delivery

PubMed Central

Yu, Victoria Y.; Tran, Angelia; Nguyen, Dan; Cao, Minsong; Ruan, Dan; Low, Daniel A.; Sheng, Ke

2015-01-01

Purpose: Significant dosimetric benefits had been previously demonstrated in highly noncoplanar treatment plans. In this study, the authors developed and verified an individualized collision model for the purpose of delivering highly noncoplanar radiotherapy and tested the feasibility of total delivery automation with Varian TrueBeam developer mode. Methods: A hand-held 3D scanner was used to capture the surfaces of an anthropomorphic phantom and a human subject, which were positioned with a computer-aided design model of a TrueBeam machine to create a detailed virtual geometrical collision model. The collision model included gantry, collimator, and couch motion degrees of freedom. The accuracy of the 3D scanner was validated by scanning a rigid cubical phantom with known dimensions. The collision model was then validated by generating 300 linear accelerator orientations corresponding to 300 gantry-to-couch and gantry-to-phantom distances, and comparing the corresponding distance measurements to their corresponding models. The linear accelerator orientations reflected uniformly sampled noncoplanar beam angles to the head, lung, and prostate. The distance discrepancies between measurements on the physical and virtual systems were used to estimate treatment-site-specific safety buffer distances with 0.1%, 0.01%, and 0.001% probability of collision between the gantry and couch or phantom. Plans containing 20 noncoplanar beams to the brain, lung, and prostate optimized via an in-house noncoplanar radiotherapy platform were converted into XML script for automated delivery and the entire delivery was recorded and timed to demonstrate the feasibility of automated delivery. Results: The 3D scanner measured the dimension of the 14 cm cubic phantom within 0.5 mm. The maximal absolute discrepancy between machine and model measurements for gantry-to-couch and gantry-to-phantom was 0.95 and 2.97 cm, respectively. The reduced accuracy of gantry-to-phantom measurements was

Poster — Thur Eve — 56: Design of Quality Assurance Methodology for VMAT system on Agility System equipped with CVDR

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

Thind, K; Tolakanahalli, R

2014-08-15

The aim of this study was to analyze the feasibility of designing comprehensive QA plans using iComCAT for Elekta machines equipped with Agility multileaf collimator and continuously variable dose rate. Test plans with varying MLC speed, gantry speed, and dose rate were created and delivered in a controlled manner. A strip test was designed with three 1 cm MLC positions and delivered using dynamic, StepNShoot and VMAT techniques. Plans were also designed to test error in MLC position with various gantry speeds and various MLC speeds. The delivery fluence was captured using the electronic portal-imaging device. Gantry speed was foundmore » to be within tolerance as per the Canadian standards. MLC positioning errors at higher MLC speed with gravity effects does add more than 2 mm discrepancy. More tests need to be performed to evaluate MLC performance using independent measurement systems. The treatment planning system with end-to-end testing necessary for commissioning was also investigated and found to have >95% passing rates within 3%/3mm gamma criteria. Future studies involve performing off-axis gantry starshot pattern and repeating the tests on three matched Elekta linear accelerators.« less

Quantification of LiDAR measurement uncertainty through propagation of errors due to sensor sub-systems and terrain morphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goulden, T.; Hopkinson, C.

2013-12-01

The quantification of LiDAR sensor measurement uncertainty is important for evaluating the quality of derived DEM products, compiling risk assessment of management decisions based from LiDAR information, and enhancing LiDAR mission planning capabilities. Current quality assurance estimates of LiDAR measurement uncertainty are limited to post-survey empirical assessments or vendor estimates from commercial literature. Empirical evidence can provide valuable information for the performance of the sensor in validated areas; however, it cannot characterize the spatial distribution of measurement uncertainty throughout the extensive coverage of typical LiDAR surveys. Vendor advertised error estimates are often restricted to strict and optimal survey conditions, resulting in idealized values. Numerical modeling of individual pulse uncertainty provides an alternative method for estimating LiDAR measurement uncertainty. LiDAR measurement uncertainty is theoretically assumed to fall into three distinct categories, 1) sensor sub-system errors, 2) terrain influences, and 3) vegetative influences. This research details the procedures for numerical modeling of measurement uncertainty from the sensor sub-system (GPS, IMU, laser scanner, laser ranger) and terrain influences. Results show that errors tend to increase as the laser scan angle, altitude or laser beam incidence angle increase. An experimental survey over a flat and paved runway site, performed with an Optech ALTM 3100 sensor, showed an increase in modeled vertical errors of 5 cm, at a nadir scan orientation, to 8 cm at scan edges; for an aircraft altitude of 1200 m and half scan angle of 15°. In a survey with the same sensor, at a highly sloped glacial basin site absent of vegetation, modeled vertical errors reached over 2 m. Validation of error models within the glacial environment, over three separate flight lines, respectively showed 100%, 85%, and 75% of elevation residuals fell below error predictions. Future

A two-angle far-field microscope imaging technique for spray flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kourmatzis, Agisilaos; Pham, Phuong X.; Masri, Assaad R.

2017-03-01

Backlight imaging is frequently used for the visualization of multiphase flows, where with appropriate microscope lenses, quantitative information on the spray structure can be attained. However, a key issue resides in the nature of the measurement which relies on a single viewing angle, hence preventing imaging of all liquid structures and features, such as those located behind other fragments. This paper presents results from an extensive experimental study aimed as a step forward towards resolving this problem by using a pair of high speed cameras oriented at 90 degrees to each other, and synchronized to two high-speed diode lasers. Both cameras are used with long distance microscope lenses. The images are processed as pairs allowing for identification and classification of the same liquid structure from two perspectives at high temporal (5 kHz) and spatial resolution (∼3 μm). Using a controlled mono-disperse spray, simultaneous, time-resolved visualization of the same spherical object being focused on one plane while de-focused on the other plane 90 degrees to the first has allowed for a quantification of shot-to-shot defocused size measurement error. An extensive error analysis is performed for spheroidal structures imaged from two angles and the dual angle technique is extended to measure the volume of non-spherical fragments for the first time, by ‘discretising’ a fragment into a number of constituent ellipses. Error analysis is performed based on measuring the known volumes of solid arbitrary shapes, and volume estimates were found to be within  ∼11% of the real volume for representative ‘ligament-like’ shapes. The contribution concludes by applying the ellipsoidal method to a real spray consisting of multiple non-spherical fragments. This extended approach clearly demonstrates potential to yield novel volume weighted quantities of non-spherical objects in turbulent multiphase flow applications.

A novel angle computation and calibration algorithm of bio-inspired sky-light polarization navigation sensor.

PubMed

Xian, Zhiwen; Hu, Xiaoping; Lian, Junxiang; Zhang, Lilian; Cao, Juliang; Wang, Yujie; Ma, Tao

2014-09-15

Navigation plays a vital role in our daily life. As traditional and commonly used navigation technologies, Inertial Navigation System (INS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can provide accurate location information, but suffer from the accumulative error of inertial sensors and cannot be used in a satellite denied environment. The remarkable navigation ability of animals shows that the pattern of the polarization sky can be used for navigation. A bio-inspired POLarization Navigation Sensor (POLNS) is constructed to detect the polarization of skylight. Contrary to the previous approach, we utilize all the outputs of POLNS to compute input polarization angle, based on Least Squares, which provides optimal angle estimation. In addition, a new sensor calibration algorithm is presented, in which the installation angle errors and sensor biases are taken into consideration. Derivation and implementation of our calibration algorithm are discussed in detail. To evaluate the performance of our algorithms, simulation and real data test are done to compare our algorithms with several exiting algorithms. Comparison results indicate that our algorithms are superior to the others and are more feasible and effective in practice.

Estimation of Finger Joint Angles Based on Electromechanical Sensing of Wrist Shape.

PubMed

Kawaguchi, Junki; Yoshimoto, Shunsuke; Kuroda, Yoshihiro; Oshiro, Osamu

2017-09-01

An approach to finger motion capture that places fewer restrictions on the usage environment and actions of the user is an important research topic in biomechanics and human-computer interaction. We proposed a system that electrically detects finger motion from the associated deformation of the wrist and estimates the finger joint angles using multiple regression models. A wrist-mounted sensing device with 16 electrodes detects deformation of the wrist from changes in electrical contact resistance at the skin. In this study, we experimentally investigated the accuracy of finger joint angle estimation, the adequacy of two multiple regression models, and the resolution of the estimation of total finger joint angles. In experiments, both the finger joint angles and the system output voltage were recorded as subjects performed flexion/extension of the fingers. These data were used for calibration using the least-squares method. The system was found to be capable of estimating the total finger joint angle with a root-mean-square error of 29-34 degrees. A multiple regression model with a second-order polynomial basis function was shown to be suitable for the estimation of all total finger joint angles, but not those of the thumb.

Saturation of the anisoplanatic error in horizontal imaging scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beck, Jeffrey; Bos, Jeremy P.

2017-09-01

We evaluate the piston-removed anisoplanatic error for smaller apertures imaging over long horizontal paths. Previous works have shown that the piston and tilt compensated anisoplanatic error saturates to values less than one squared radian. Under these conditions the definition of the isoplanatic angle is unclear. These works focused on nadir pointing telescope systems with aperture sizes between five meters and one half meter. We directly extend this work to horizontal imaging scenarios with aperture sizes smaller than one half meter. We assume turbulence is constant along the imaging path and that the ratio of the aperture size to the atmospheric coherence length is on the order of unity.

Slope angle estimation method based on sparse subspace clustering for probe safe landing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Haibo; Cao, Yunfeng; Ding, Meng; Zhuang, Likui

2018-06-01

To avoid planetary probes landing on steep slopes where they may slip or tip over, a new method of slope angle estimation based on sparse subspace clustering is proposed to improve accuracy. First, a coordinate system is defined and established to describe the measured data of light detection and ranging (LIDAR). Second, this data is processed and expressed with a sparse representation. Third, on this basis, the data is made to cluster to determine which subspace it belongs to. Fourth, eliminating outliers in subspace, the correct data points are used for the fitting planes. Finally, the vectors normal to the planes are obtained using the plane model, and the angle between the normal vectors is obtained through calculation. Based on the geometric relationship, this angle is equal in value to the slope angle. The proposed method was tested in a series of experiments. The experimental results show that this method can effectively estimate the slope angle, can overcome the influence of noise and obtain an exact slope angle. Compared with other methods, this method can minimize the measuring errors and further improve the estimation accuracy of the slope angle.

Autonomous satellite navigation using starlight refraction angle measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ning, Xiaolin; Wang, Longhua; Bai, Xinbei; Fang, Jiancheng

2013-05-01

An on-board autonomous navigation capability is required to reduce the operation costs and enhance the navigation performance of future satellites. Autonomous navigation by stellar refraction is a type of autonomous celestial navigation method that uses high-accuracy star sensors instead of Earth sensors to provide information regarding Earth's horizon. In previous studies, the refraction apparent height has typically been used for such navigation. However, the apparent height cannot be measured directly by a star sensor and can only be calculated by the refraction angle and an atmospheric refraction model. Therefore, additional errors are introduced by the uncertainty and nonlinearity of atmospheric refraction models, which result in reduced navigation accuracy and reliability. A new navigation method based on the direct measurement of the refraction angle is proposed to solve this problem. Techniques for the determination of the refraction angle are introduced, and a measurement model for the refraction angle is established. The method is tested and validated by simulations. When the starlight refraction height ranges from 20 to 50 km, a positioning accuracy of better than 100 m can be achieved for a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite using the refraction angle, while the positioning accuracy of the traditional method using the apparent height is worse than 500 m under the same conditions. Furthermore, an analysis of the factors that affect navigation accuracy, including the measurement accuracy of the refraction angle, the number of visible refracted stars per orbit and the installation azimuth of star sensor, is presented. This method is highly recommended for small satellites in particular, as no additional hardware besides two star sensors is required.

Error analysis of analytic solutions for self-excited near-symmetric rigid bodies - A numerical study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kia, T.; Longuski, J. M.

1984-01-01

Analytic error bounds are presented for the solutions of approximate models for self-excited near-symmetric rigid bodies. The error bounds are developed for analytic solutions to Euler's equations of motion. The results are applied to obtain a simplified analytic solution for Eulerian rates and angles. The results of a sample application of the range and error bound expressions for the case of the Galileo spacecraft experiencing transverse torques demonstrate the use of the bounds in analyses of rigid body spin change maneuvers.

SU-F-T-383: Robustness for Patient Setup Error in Total Body Irradiation Using Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT)

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

Takahashi, Y; National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Chiba; Tachibana, H

Purpose: Total body irradiation (TBI) and total marrow irradiation (TMI) using Tomotherapy have been reported. A gantry-based linear accelerator uses one isocenter during one rotational irradiation. Thus, 3–5 isocenter points should be used for a whole plan of TBI-VMAT during smoothing out the junctional dose distribution. IGRT provides accurate and precise patient setup for the multiple junctions, however it is evident that some setup errors should occur and affect accuracy of dose distribution in the area. In this study, we evaluated the robustness for patient’s setup error in VMAT-TBI. Methods: VMAT-TBI Planning was performed in an adult whole-body human phantommore » using Eclipse. Eight full arcs with four isocenter points using 6MV-X were used to cover the entire whole body. Dose distribution was optimized using two structures of patient’s body as PTV and lung. The two arcs were shared with one isocenter and the two arcs were 5 cm-overlapped with the other two arcs. Point absolute dose using ionization-chamber and planer relative dose distribution using film in the junctional regions were performed using water-equivalent slab phantom. In the measurements, several setup errors of (+5∼−5mm) were added. Results: The result of the chamber measurement shows the deviations were within ±3% when the setup errors were within ±3 mm. In the planer evaluation, the pass ratio of gamma evaluation (3%/2mm) shows more than 90% if the errors within ±3 mm. However, there were hot/cold areas in the edge of the junction even with acceptable gamma pass ratio. 5 mm setup error caused larger hot and cold areas and the dosimetric acceptable areas were decreased in the overlapped areas. Conclusion: It can be clinically acceptable for VMAT-TBI when patient setup error is within ±3mm. Averaging effects from patient random error would be helpful to blur the hot/cold area in the junction.« less

Investigation into the limitations of straightness interferometers using a multisensor-based error separation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weichert, Christoph; Köchert, Paul; Schötka, Eugen; Flügge, Jens; Manske, Eberhard

2018-06-01

The uncertainty of a straightness interferometer is independent of the component used to introduce the divergence angle between the two probing beams, and is limited by three main error sources, which are linked to each other: their resolution, the influence of refractive index gradients and the topography of the straightness reflector. To identify the configuration with minimal uncertainties under laboratory conditions, a fully fibre-coupled heterodyne interferometer was successively equipped with three different wedge prisms, resulting in three different divergence angles (4°, 8° and 20°). To separate the error sources an independent reference with a smaller reproducibility is needed. Therefore, the straightness measurement capability of the Nanometer Comparator, based on a multisensor error separation method, was improved to provide measurements with a reproducibility of 0.2 nm. The comparison results revealed that the influence of the refractive index gradients of air did not increase with interspaces between the probing beams of more than 11.3 mm. Therefore, over a movement range of 220 mm, the lowest uncertainty was achieved with the largest divergence angle. The dominant uncertainty contribution arose from the mirror topography, which was additionally determined with a Fizeau interferometer. The measured topography agreed within  ±1.3 nm with the systematic deviations revealed in the straightness comparison, resulting in an uncertainty contribution of 2.6 nm for the straightness interferometer.

Modification of Classical SPM for Slightly Rough Surface Scattering with Low Grazing Angle Incidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Li-Xin; Wei, Guo-Hui; Kim, Cheyoung; Wu, Zhen-Sen

2005-11-01

Based on the impedance/admittance rough boundaries, the reflection coefficients and the scattering cross section with low grazing angle incidence are obtained for both VV and HH polarizations. The error of the classical perturbation method at grazing angle is overcome for the vertical polarization at a rough Neumann boundary of infinite extent. The derivation of the formulae and the numerical results show that the backscattering cross section depends on the grazing angle to the fourth power for both Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions with low grazing angle incidence. Our results can reduce to that of the classical small perturbation method by neglecting the Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions. The project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 60101001 and the National Defense Foundation of China

SU-E-J-200: Operation of An Electron Accelerator On An Integrated MR-Linac System

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

Harasimowicz, J; Roberts, D; Shinton, I

2015-06-15

Purpose: An integrated MRI guided radiotherapy system poses a challenge of operating a linear accelerator in the presence of a magnetic field as the magnetic force acting on the electrons could Result in radiation source displacement and subsequent reduction of dose output. It was the purpose of this work to test the performance of a linac in the presence of a 1.5T MRI system. Methods: The first experimental MRI guided radiotherapy system at UMC-Utrecht consisting of an Elekta linac rotating around a 1.5T Magnex magnet was examined. A passive magnetic shield was simulated, designed and installed to reduce the influencemore » of the MRI magnet stray field on the electron beamline. The B field inside the shield was measured as a function of gantry angle and measurements of dose rate constancy upon gantry rotation were performed. Results: The magnitude of the magnetic field on the electron beam path without the shield was as high as 70G. It varied by up to 15G with gantry rotation due to the presence of metal beams in the bunker floor which resulted in dose output drop of up to 70% at certain gantry angles. With the prototype shield, field magnitude was reduced to well below 0.5G everywhere along the electron beam path. Field variation with gantry rotation was decreased to below 0.2G and enabled dose output of the linac to be recovered at all gantry angles. The homogeneity of the field inside the MRI magnet has not been compromised. Conclusion: It was demonstrated that the influence of the 1.5T magnet and the bunker design on the linac operation has been minimised. The performance will be further improved on the Elekta Atlantic system which incorporates a newly developed and optimised Philips magnet design and bunker construction. J Harasimowicz, D Roberts, I Shinton and S Sund are employed by Elekta Limited Crawley, H Wang and M Zhong are employed by Elekta Beijing Medical Systems Co. Ltd., J Overweg is employed by Philips Technologie GmbH Forschungslaboratorien.« less

Validity and Reliability of a Virtual Reality Game in Evaluating the Projected Frontal Plane Knee Angle When Landing From a Drop Vertical Jump.

PubMed

Mills, Kathryn; Idris, Aula; Pham, Thu-An; Porte, John; Wiggins, Mark; Kavakli, Manolya

2017-12-18

To determine the validity and reliability of the peak frontal plane knee angle evaluated by a virtual reality (VR) netball game when landing from a drop vertical jump (DVJ). Laboratory Methods: Forty participants performed 3 DVJs evaluated by 3-dimensional (3D) motion analysis and 3 DVJs evaluated by the VR game. Limits of agreement for the peak projected frontal plane knee angle and peak knee abduction were determined. Participants were given a consensus category of "Above threshold" or "Below threshold" based on a pre-specified threshold angle of 9˚ during landing. Classification agreement was determined using kappa coefficient and accuracy was determined using specificity and sensitivity. Ten participants returned 1-week later to determine intra-rater reliability, standard error of the measure and typical error. The mean difference in detected frontal plane knee angle was 3.39˚ (1.03˚, 5.74˚). Limits of agreement were -10.27˚ (-14.36˚, -6.19˚) to 17.05˚ (12.97˚, 21.14˚). Substantial agreement, specificity and sensitivity were observed for the threshold classification (ĸ = 0.66, [0.42, 0.88] specificity= 0.96 [0.78, 1.0], sensitivity= 0.75 [0.43, 0.95]). The game exhibited acceptable reliability over time (ICC (3,1) = 0.844) and error was approximately 2˚. The VR game reliably evaluated a projected frontal plane knee angle. While the knee angle detected by the VR game is strongly related peak knee abduction, the accuracy of detecting the exact angle was limited. A threshold approach may be a more accurate approach for gaming technology to evaluate frontal plane knee angles when landing from a jump.

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

A Vision-Based Dynamic Rotational Angle Measurement System for Large Civil Structures

PubMed Central

Lee, Jong-Jae; Ho, Hoai-Nam; Lee, Jong-Han

2012-01-01

In this paper, we propose a vision-based rotational angle measurement system for large-scale civil structures. Despite the fact that during the last decade several rotation angle measurement systems were introduced, they however often required complex and expensive equipment. Therefore, alternative effective solutions with high resolution are in great demand. The proposed system consists of commercial PCs, commercial camcorders, low-cost frame grabbers, and a wireless LAN router. The calculation of rotation angle is obtained by using image processing techniques with pre-measured calibration parameters. Several laboratory tests were conducted to verify the performance of the proposed system. Compared with the commercial rotation angle measurement, the results of the system showed very good agreement with an error of less than 1.0% in all test cases. Furthermore, several tests were conducted on the five-story modal testing tower with a hybrid mass damper to experimentally verify the feasibility of the proposed system. PMID:22969348

A vision-based dynamic rotational angle measurement system for large civil structures.

PubMed

Lee, Jong-Jae; Ho, Hoai-Nam; Lee, Jong-Han

2012-01-01

In this paper, we propose a vision-based rotational angle measurement system for large-scale civil structures. Despite the fact that during the last decade several rotation angle measurement systems were introduced, they however often required complex and expensive equipment. Therefore, alternative effective solutions with high resolution are in great demand. The proposed system consists of commercial PCs, commercial camcorders, low-cost frame grabbers, and a wireless LAN router. The calculation of rotation angle is obtained by using image processing techniques with pre-measured calibration parameters. Several laboratory tests were conducted to verify the performance of the proposed system. Compared with the commercial rotation angle measurement, the results of the system showed very good agreement with an error of less than 1.0% in all test cases. Furthermore, several tests were conducted on the five-story modal testing tower with a hybrid mass damper to experimentally verify the feasibility of the proposed system.

SU-E-T-425: Spherical Dose Distributions for Radiosurgery Using a Standardized MLC Plan

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

Popple, R; Brezovich, I; Wu, X

2014-06-01

Purpose: To investigate a standardized MLC treatment plan to generate small spherical dose distributions. Methods: The static virtual cone plan comprised six table positions with clockwise and counterclockwise arcs having collimator angles 45 and 135 degrees, respectively, at each position. The central two leaves of a 2.5 mm leaf width MLC were set to a constant gap. Control points were weighted proportional to the sine of the gantry angle. Plans were created for the 10 MV flattening-filter-free beam of a TrueBeam STx (Varian Medical Systems) with gaps of 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 mm and were delivered to a phantommore » containing radiochromic film. Dose was calculated using the Eclipse AAA (Varian Medical Systems). A dynamic plan in which the table and gantry moved simultaneously with 1.5 mm gap was also created and delivered using the TrueBeam developer mode. Results: The full-width-half-max (FWHM) varied with leaf gap, ranging from 5.2 to 6.2 mm. Calculated FWHM was smaller than measured by 0.7 mm for the 1 mm gap and ≤ 0.4 mm for the larger gaps. The measured-to-calculated dose ratio was 0.93, 0.96, 1.01, and 0.99 for 1 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm gaps, respectively. The dynamic results were the same as the static. The position deviations between the phantom target position and the center of the dose distribution were < 0.4 mm. Conclusion: The virtual cone can deliver spherical dose distributions suitable for radio surgery of small targets such as the trigeminal nerve. The Eclipse AAA accurately calculates the expected dose, particularly for leaf gap ≥ 1.5 mm. The measured dose distribution is slightly larger than the calculation, which is likely due to systematic leaf position error, isocenter variation due to gantry sag and table eccentricity, and inaccuracy in MLC leaf end modeling.« less

Compensation method for the influence of angle of view on animal temperature measurement using thermal imaging camera combined with depth image.

PubMed

Jiao, Leizi; Dong, Daming; Zhao, Xiande; Han, Pengcheng

2016-12-01

In the study, we proposed an animal surface temperature measurement method based on Kinect sensor and infrared thermal imager to facilitate the screening of animals with febrile diseases. Due to random motion and small surface temperature variation of animals, the influence of the angle of view on temperature measurement is significant. The method proposed in the present study could compensate the temperature measurement error caused by the angle of view. Firstly, we analyzed the relationship between measured temperature and angle of view and established the mathematical model for compensating the influence of the angle of view with the correlation coefficient above 0.99. Secondly, the fusion method of depth and infrared thermal images was established for synchronous image capture with Kinect sensor and infrared thermal imager and the angle of view of each pixel was calculated. According to experimental results, without compensation treatment, the temperature image measured in the angle of view of 74° to 76° showed the difference of more than 2°C compared with that measured in the angle of view of 0°. However, after compensation treatment, the temperature difference range was only 0.03-1.2°C. This method is applicable for real-time compensation of errors caused by the angle of view during the temperature measurement process with the infrared thermal imager. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Endeavour and its modified 747 carrier aircraft are illuminated by the morning sun after mating was completed in the Mate-DeMate gantry at NASA DFRC

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-12-09

The Space Shuttle Endeavour and its modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft are illuminated by the morning sun Tuesday after mating of the pair was completed overnight in the Mate-DeMate gantry at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. The pair are scheduled to depart Edwards Air Force Base on their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center early Wednesday morning, Dec. 10.

Propagation of angular errors in two-axis rotation systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torrington, Geoffrey K.

2003-10-01

Two-Axis Rotation Systems, or "goniometers," are used in diverse applications including telescope pointing, automotive headlamp testing, and display testing. There are three basic configurations in which a goniometer can be built depending on the orientation and order of the stages. Each configuration has a governing set of equations which convert motion between the system "native" coordinates to other base systems, such as direction cosines, optical field angles, or spherical-polar coordinates. In their simplest form, these equations neglect errors present in real systems. In this paper, a statistical treatment of error source propagation is developed which uses only tolerance data, such as can be obtained from the system mechanical drawings prior to fabrication. It is shown that certain error sources are fully correctable, partially correctable, or uncorrectable, depending upon the goniometer configuration and zeroing technique. The system error budget can be described by a root-sum-of-squares technique with weighting factors describing the sensitivity of each error source. This paper tabulates weighting factors at 67% (k=1) and 95% (k=2) confidence for various levels of maximum travel for each goniometer configuration. As a practical example, this paper works through an error budget used for the procurement of a system at Sandia National Laboratories.

Omnidirectional angle constraint based dynamic six-degree-of-freedom measurement for spacecraft rendezvous and docking simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Shendong; Yang, Linghui; Lin, Jiarui; Ren, Yongjie; Guo, Siyang; Zhu, Jigui

2018-04-01

In this paper we present a novel omnidirectional angle constraint based method for dynamic 6-DOF (six-degree-of-freedom) measurement. A photoelectric scanning measurement network is employed whose photoelectric receivers are fixed on the measured target. They are in a loop distribution and receive signals from rotating transmitters. Each receiver indicates an angle constraint direction. Therefore, omnidirectional angle constraints can be constructed in each rotation cycle. By solving the constrained optimization problem, 6-DOF information can be obtained, which is independent of traditional rigid coordinate system transformation. For the dynamic error caused by the measurement principle, we present an interpolation method for error reduction. Accuracy testing is performed in an 8  ×  8 m measurement area with four transmitters. The experimental results show that the dynamic orientation RMSEs (root-mean-square errors) are reduced from 0.077° to 0.044°, 0.040° to 0.030° and 0.032° to 0.015° in the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. The dynamic position RMSE is reduced from 0.65 mm to 0.24 mm. This method is applied during the final approach phase in the rendezvous and docking simulation. Experiments under different conditions are performed in a 40  ×  30 m area, and the method is verified to be effective.

Variability in Cobb angle measurements using reformatted computerized tomography scans.

PubMed

Adam, Clayton J; Izatt, Maree T; Harvey, Jason R; Askin, Geoffrey N

2005-07-15

Survey of intraobserver and interobserver measurement variability. To assess the use of reformatted computerized tomography (CT) images for manual measurement of coronal Cobb angles in idiopathic scoliosis. Cobb angle measurements in idiopathic scoliosis are traditionally made from standing radiographs, whereas CT is often used for assessment of vertebral rotation. Correlating Cobb angles from standing radiographs with vertebral rotations from supine CT is problematic because the geometry of the spine changes significantly from standing to supine positions, and 2 different imaging methods are involved. We assessed the use of reformatted thoracolumbar CT images for Cobb angle measurement. Preoperative CT of 12 patients with idiopathic scoliosis were used to generate reformatted coronal images. Five observers measured coronal Cobb angles on 3 occasions from each of the images. Intraobserver and interobserver variability associated with Cobb measurement from reformatted CT scans was assessed and compared with previous studies of measurement variability using plain radiographs. For major curves, 95% confidence intervals for intraobserver and interobserver variability were +/-6.6 degrees and +/-7.7 degrees, respectively. For minor curves, the intervals were +/-7.5 degrees and +/-8.2 degrees, respectively. Intraobserver and interobserver technical error of measurement was 2.4 degrees and 2.7 degrees, with reliability coefficients of 88% and 84%, respectively. There was no correlation between measurement variability and curve severity. Reformatted CT images may be used for manual measurement of coronal Cobb angles in idiopathic scoliosis with similar variability to manual measurement of plain radiographs.

Dynamic analysis and control PID path of a model type gantry crane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ospina-Henao, P. A.; López-Suspes, Framsol

2017-06-01

This paper presents an alternate form for the dynamic modelling of a mechanical system that simulates in real life a gantry crane type, using Euler’s classical mechanics and Lagrange formalism, which allows find the equations of motion that our model describe. Moreover, it has a basic model design system using the SolidWorks software, based on the material and dimensions of the model provides some physical variables necessary for modelling. In order to verify the theoretical results obtained, a contrast was made between solutions obtained by simulation in SimMechanics-Matlab and Euler-Lagrange equations system, has been solved through Matlab libraries for solving equation’s systems of the type and order obtained. The force is determined, but not as exerted by the spring, as this will be the control variable. The objective is to bring the mass of the pendulum from one point to another with a specified distance without the oscillation from it, so that, the answer is overdamped. This article includes an analysis of PID control in which the equations of motion of Euler-Lagrange are rewritten in the state space, once there, they were implemented in Simulink to get the natural response of the system to a step input in F and then draw the desired trajectories.

Complete Systematic Error Model of SSR for Sensor Registration in ATC Surveillance Networks

PubMed Central

Besada, Juan A.

2017-01-01

In this paper, a complete and rigorous mathematical model for secondary surveillance radar systematic errors (biases) is developed. The model takes into account the physical effects systematically affecting the measurement processes. The azimuth biases are calculated from the physical error of the antenna calibration and the errors of the angle determination dispositive. Distance bias is calculated from the delay of the signal produced by the refractivity index of the atmosphere, and from clock errors, while the altitude bias is calculated taking into account the atmosphere conditions (pressure and temperature). It will be shown, using simulated and real data, that adapting a classical bias estimation process to use the complete parametrized model results in improved accuracy in the bias estimation. PMID:28934157

Optical distortion correction of a liquid-gas interface and contact angle in cylindrical tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darzi, Milad; Park, Chanwoo

2017-05-01

Objects inside cylindrical tubes appear distorted as seen outside the tube due to the refraction of the light passing through different media. Such an optical distortion may cause significant errors in geometrical measurements using optical observations of objects (e.g., liquid-gas interfaces, solid particles, gas bubbles) inside the tubes. In this study, an analytical method using a point-by-point correction of the optical distortion was developed. For an experimental validation, the method was used to correct the apparent profiles of the water-air interfaces (menisci) in cylindrical glass tubes with different tube diameters and wall thicknesses. Then, the corrected meniscus profiles were used to calculate the corrected static contact angles. The corrected contact angle shows an excellent agreement with the reference contact angles as compared to the conventional contact angle measurement using apparent meniscus profiles.

Solutions on a high-speed wide-angle zoom lens with aspheric surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamanashi, Takanori

2012-10-01

Recent development in CMOS and digital camera technology has accelerated the business and market share of digital cinematography. In terms of optical design, this technology has increased the need to carefully consider pixel pitch and characteristics of the imager. When the field angle at the wide end, zoom ratio, and F-number are specified, choosing an appropriate zoom lens type is crucial. In addition, appropriate power distributions and lens configurations are required. At points near the wide end of a zoom lens, it is known that an aspheric surface is an effective means to correct off-axis aberrations. On the other hand, optical designers have to focus on manufacturability of aspheric surfaces and perform required analysis with respect to the surface shape. Centration errors aside, it is also important to know the sensitivity to aspheric shape errors and their effect on image quality. In this paper, wide angle cine zoom lens design examples are introduced and their main characteristics are described. Moreover, technical challenges are pointed out and solutions are proposed.

Propagation-of-uncertainty from contact angle and streaming potential measurements to XDLVO model assessments of membrane-colloid interactions.

PubMed

Muthu, Satish; Childress, Amy; Brant, Jonathan

2014-08-15

Membrane fouling assessed from a fundamental standpoint within the context of the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) model. The DLVO model requires that the properties of the membrane and foulant(s) be quantified. Membrane surface charge (zeta potential) and free energy values are characterized using streaming potential and contact angle measurements, respectively. Comparing theoretical assessments for membrane-colloid interactions between research groups requires that the variability of the measured inputs be established. The impact that such variability in input values on the outcome from interfacial models must be quantified to determine an acceptable variance in inputs. An interlaboratory study was conducted to quantify the variability in streaming potential and contact angle measurements when using standard protocols. The propagation of uncertainty from these errors was evaluated in terms of their impact on the quantitative and qualitative conclusions on extended DLVO (XDLVO) calculated interaction terms. The error introduced into XDLVO calculated values was of the same magnitude as the calculated free energy values at contact and at any given separation distance. For two independent laboratories to draw similar quantitative conclusions regarding membrane-foulant interfacial interactions the standard error in contact angle values must be⩽2.5°, while that for the zeta potential values must be⩽7 mV. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Portal dosimetry for VMAT using integrated images obtained during treatment

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

Bedford, James L., E-mail: James.Bedford@icr.ac.uk; Hanson, Ian M.; Hansen, Vibeke Nordmark

2014-02-15

Purpose: Portal dosimetry provides an accurate and convenient means of verifying dose delivered to the patient. A simple method for carrying out portal dosimetry for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is described, together with phantom measurements demonstrating the validity of the approach. Methods: Portal images were predicted by projecting dose in the isocentric plane through to the portal image plane, with exponential attenuation and convolution with a double-Gaussian scatter function. Appropriate parameters for the projection were selected by fitting the calculation model to portal images measured on an iViewGT portal imager (Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden) for a variety of phantommore » thicknesses and field sizes. This model was then used to predict the portal image resulting from each control point of a VMAT arc. Finally, all these control point images were summed to predict the overall integrated portal image for the whole arc. The calculated and measured integrated portal images were compared for three lung and three esophagus plans delivered to a thorax phantom, and three prostate plans delivered to a homogeneous phantom, using a gamma index for 3% and 3 mm. A 0.6 cm{sup 3} ionization chamber was used to verify the planned isocentric dose. The sensitivity of this method to errors in monitor units, field shaping, gantry angle, and phantom position was also evaluated by means of computer simulations. Results: The calculation model for portal dose prediction was able to accurately compute the portal images due to simple square fields delivered to solid water phantoms. The integrated images of VMAT treatments delivered to phantoms were also correctly predicted by the method. The proportion of the images with a gamma index of less than unity was 93.7% ± 3.0% (1SD) and the difference between isocenter dose calculated by the planning system and measured by the ionization chamber was 0.8% ± 1.0%. The method was highly sensitive to errors in monitor units

A Novel Angle Computation and Calibration Algorithm of Bio-Inspired Sky-Light Polarization Navigation Sensor

PubMed Central

Xian, Zhiwen; Hu, Xiaoping; Lian, Junxiang; Zhang, Lilian; Cao, Juliang; Wang, Yujie; Ma, Tao

2014-01-01

Navigation plays a vital role in our daily life. As traditional and commonly used navigation technologies, Inertial Navigation System (INS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can provide accurate location information, but suffer from the accumulative error of inertial sensors and cannot be used in a satellite denied environment. The remarkable navigation ability of animals shows that the pattern of the polarization sky can be used for navigation. A bio-inspired POLarization Navigation Sensor (POLNS) is constructed to detect the polarization of skylight. Contrary to the previous approach, we utilize all the outputs of POLNS to compute input polarization angle, based on Least Squares, which provides optimal angle estimation. In addition, a new sensor calibration algorithm is presented, in which the installation angle errors and sensor biases are taken into consideration. Derivation and implementation of our calibration algorithm are discussed in detail. To evaluate the performance of our algorithms, simulation and real data test are done to compare our algorithms with several exiting algorithms. Comparison results indicate that our algorithms are superior to the others and are more feasible and effective in practice. PMID:25225872

Knee rotation influences the femoral tunnel angle measurement after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a 3-dimensional computed tomography model study

PubMed Central

Tang, Jing; Thorhauer, Eric; Marsh, Chelsea; Fu, Freddie H.

2013-01-01

Purpose Femoral tunnel angle (FTA) has been proposed as a metric for evaluating whether ACL reconstruction was performed anatomically. In clinic, radiographic images are typically acquired with an uncertain amount of internal/external knee rotation. The extent to which knee rotation will influence FTA measurement is unclear. Furthermore, differences in FTA measurement between the two common positions (0° and 45° knee flexion) have not been established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of knee rotation on FTA measurement after ACL reconstruction. Methods Knee CT data from 16 subjects were segmented to produce 3D bone models. Central axes of tunnels were identified. The 0° and 45° flexion angles were simulated. Knee internal/external rotations were simulated in a range of ±20°. FTA was defined as the angle between the tunnel axis and femoral shaft axis, orthogonally projected into the coronal plane. Results Femoral tunnel angle was positively/negatively correlated with knee rotation angle at 0°/45° knee flexion. At 0° knee flexion, FTA for anterio-medial (AM) tunnels was significantly decreased at 20° of external knee rotation. At 45° knee flexion, more than 16° external or 19° internal rotation significantly altered FTA measurements for single-bundle tunnels; smaller rotations (±9° for AM, ±5° for PL) created significant errors in FTA measurements after double-bundle reconstruction. Conclusion Femoral tunnel angle measurements were correlated with knee rotation. Relatively small imaging malalignment introduced significant errors with knee flexed 45°. This study supports using the 0° flexion position for knee radiographs to reduce errors in FTA measurement due to knee internal/external rotation. Level of evidence Case–control study, Level III. PMID:23589127

Equilibrium contact angle or the most-stable contact angle?

PubMed

Montes Ruiz-Cabello, F J; Rodríguez-Valverde, M A; Cabrerizo-Vílchez, M A

2014-04-01

It is well-established that the equilibrium contact angle in a thermodynamic framework is an "unattainable" contact angle. Instead, the most-stable contact angle obtained from mechanical stimuli of the system is indeed experimentally accessible. Monitoring the susceptibility of a sessile drop to a mechanical stimulus enables to identify the most stable drop configuration within the practical range of contact angle hysteresis. Two different stimuli may be used with sessile drops: mechanical vibration and tilting. The most stable drop against vibration should reveal the changeless contact angle but against the gravity force, it should reveal the highest resistance to slide down. After the corresponding mechanical stimulus, once the excited drop configuration is examined, the focus will be on the contact angle of the initial drop configuration. This methodology needs to map significantly the static drop configurations with different stable contact angles. The most-stable contact angle, together with the advancing and receding contact angles, completes the description of physically realizable configurations of a solid-liquid system. Since the most-stable contact angle is energetically significant, it may be used in the Wenzel, Cassie or Cassie-Baxter equations accordingly or for the surface energy evaluation. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of the air’s refractive index on precision angle metrology with autocollimators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geckeler, Ralf D.; Křen, Petr; Just, Andreas; Schumann, Matthias; Krause, Michael

2018-07-01

In this paper, we discuss a substantial—though previously neglected—error source in precision metrology with autocollimators, specifically, changes in the air’s refractive index, with a focus on the dominant impact of pressure changes. Pressure decreases with increasing elevation above sea level and is subject to substantial variation due to weather changes. It causes changes in an autocollimator’s angle response which are proportional to the measured angle and which increase linearly with the beam length and air pressure. We characterise this important influence in detail by using extended theoretical and experimental investigations and derive strategies for correcting it. We discuss its implications for the comparison of autocollimator calibrations performed at different metrology institutes which is crucial for validating their calibration capabilities. This work aims at approaching fundamental limits in angle metrology with autocollimators.

Uncertainty in multispectral lidar signals caused by incidence angle effects

PubMed Central

Nevalainen, Olli; Hakala, Teemu; Kaasalainen, Mikko

2018-01-01

Multispectral terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is an emerging technology. Several manufacturers already offer commercial dual or three wavelength airborne laser scanners, while multispectral TLS is still carried out mainly with research instruments. Many of these research efforts have focused on the study of vegetation. The aim of this paper is to study the uncertainty of the measurement of spectral indices of vegetation with multispectral lidar. Using two spectral indices as examples, we find that the uncertainty is due to systematic errors caused by the wavelength dependency of laser incidence angle effects. This finding is empirical, and the error cannot be removed by modelling or instrument modification. The discovery and study of these effects has been enabled by hyperspectral and multispectral TLS, and it has become a subject of active research within the past few years. We summarize the most recent studies on multi-wavelength incidence angle effects and present new results on the effect of specular reflection from the leaf surface, and the surface structure, which have been suggested to play a key role. We also discuss the consequences to the measurement of spectral indices with multispectral TLS, and a possible correction scheme using a synthetic laser footprint. PMID:29503718

Longitudinal changes of angle configuration in primary angle-closure suspects: the Zhongshan Angle-Closure Prevention Trial.

PubMed

Jiang, Yuzhen; Chang, Dolly S; Zhu, Haogang; Khawaja, Anthony P; Aung, Tin; Huang, Shengsong; Chen, Qianyun; Munoz, Beatriz; Grossi, Carlota M; He, Mingguang; Friedman, David S; Foster, Paul J

2014-09-01

To determine longitudinal changes in angle configuration in the eyes of primary angle-closure suspects (PACS) treated by laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) and in untreated fellow eyes. Longitudinal cohort study. Primary angle-closure suspects aged 50 to 70 years were enrolled in a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Each participant was treated by LPI in 1 randomly selected eye, with the fellow eye serving as a control. Angle width was assessed in a masked fashion using gonioscopy and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) before and at 2 weeks, 6 months, and 18 months after LPI. Angle width in degrees was calculated from Shaffer grades assessed under static gonioscopy. Angle configuration was also evaluated using angle opening distance (AOD250, AOD500, AOD750), trabecular-iris space area (TISA500, TISA750), and angle recess area (ARA) measured in AS-OCT images. No significant difference was found in baseline measures of angle configuration between treated and untreated eyes. At 2 weeks after LPI, the drainage angle on gonioscopy widened from a mean of 13.5° at baseline to a mean of 25.7° in treated eyes, which was also confirmed by significant increases in all AS-OCT angle width measures (P<0.001 for all variables). Between 2 weeks and 18 months after LPI, a significant decrease in angle width was observed over time in treated eyes (P<0.001 for all variables), although the change over the first 5.5 months was not statistically significant for angle width measured under gonioscopy (P = 0.18), AOD250 (P = 0.167) and ARA (P = 0.83). In untreated eyes, angle width consistently decreased across all follow-up visits after LPI, with a more rapid longitudinal decrease compared with treated eyes (P values for all variables ≤0.003). The annual rate of change in angle width was equivalent to 1.2°/year (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8-1.6) in treated eyes and 1.6°/year (95% CI, 1.3-2.0) in untreated eyes (P<0.001). Angle width of treated eyes

Evaluating the Impact of Various Parameters on the Gamma Index Values of 2D Diode Array in IMRT Verification

PubMed Central

Jabbari, Keyvan; Pashaei, Fakhereh; Ay, Mohammad R.; Amouheidari, Alireza; Tavakoli, Mohammad B.

2018-01-01

Background: MapCHECK2 is a two-dimensional diode arrays planar dosimetry verification system. Dosimetric results are evaluated with gamma index. This study aims to provide comprehensive information on the impact of various factors on the gamma index values of MapCHECK2, which is mostly used for IMRT dose verification. Methods: Seven fields were planned for 6 and 18 MV photons. The azimuthal angle is defined as any rotation of collimators or the MapCHECK2 around the central axis, which was varied from 5 to −5°. The gantry angle was changed from −8 to 8°. Isodose sampling resolution was studied in the range of 0.5 to 4 mm. The effects of additional buildup on gamma index in three cases were also assessed. Gamma test acceptance criteria were 3%/3 mm. Results: The change of azimuthal angle in 5° interval reduced gamma index value by about 9%. The results of putting buildups of various thicknesses on the MapCHECK2 surface showed that gamma index was generally improved in thicker buildup, especially for 18 MV. Changing the sampling resolution from 4 to 2 mm resulted in an increase in gamma index by about 3.7%. The deviation of the gantry in 8° intervals in either directions changed the gamma index only by about 1.6% for 6 MV and 2.1% for 18 MV. Conclusion: Among the studied parameters, the azimuthal angle is one of the most effective factors on gamma index value. The gantry angle deviation and sampling resolution are less effective on gamma index value reduction. PMID:29535922

A study on dosimetric properties of electronic portal imaging device and its use as a quality assurance tool in Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy

PubMed Central

Sukumar, Prabakar; Padmanaban, Sriram; Jeevanandam, Prakash; Syam Kumar, S.A.; Nagarajan, Vivekanandan

2011-01-01

Aim In this study, the dosimetric properties of the electronic portal imaging device were examined and the quality assurance testing of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy was performed. Background RapidArc involves the variable dose rate, leaf speed and the gantry rotation. The imager was studied for the effects like dose, dose rate, field size, leaf speed and sag during gantry rotation. Materials and methods A Varian RapidArc machine equipped with 120 multileaf collimator and amorphous silicon detector was used for the study. The characteristics that are variable in RapidArc treatment were studied for the portal imager. The accuracy of a dynamic multileaf collimator position at different gantry angles and during gantry rotation was examined using the picket fence test. The control of the dose rate and gantry speed was verified using a test field irradiating seven strips of the same dose with different dose rate and gantry speeds. The control over leaf speed during arc was verified by irradiating four strips of different leaf speeds with the same dose in each strip. To verify the results, the RapidArc test procedure was compared with the X-Omat film and verified for a period of 6 weeks using EPID. Results The effect of gantry rotation on leaf accuracy was minimal. The dose in segments showed good agreement with mean deviation of 0.8% for dose rate control and 1.09% for leaf speed control over different gantry speeds. Conclusion The results provided a precise control of gantry speed, dose rate and leaf speeds during RapidArc delivery and were consistent over 6 weeks. PMID:24376989

Trafficking of excitatory amino acid transporter 2- laden vesiclesin cultured astrocytes: a comparison between approximate and exact determination of trajectory angles

PubMed Central

Cavender, Chapin E.; Gottipati, Manoj K.; Parpura, Vladimir

2014-01-01

A clear consensus concerning the mechanisms of intracellular secretory vesicle trafficking in astrocytes is lacking in the physiological literature. A good characterization of vesicle trafficking that may assist researchers in achieving that goal is the trajectory angle, defined as the angle between the trajectory of a vesicle and a line radial to the cell’s nucleus. In this study, we provide a precise definition of the trajectory angle, describe and compare two methods for its calculation in terms of measureable trafficking parameters, and give recommendations for the appropriate use of each method. We investigated the trafficking of excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) fluorescently tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) to quantify and validate the usefulness of each method. The motion of fluorescent puncta—taken to represent vesicles containing EAAT2-EGFP—was found to be typical of secretory vesicle trafficking. An exact method for calculating the trajectory angle of these puncta produced no error but required large computation time. An approximate method reduced the requisite computation time but produced an error that depended on the inverse of the ratio of the punctum’s initial distance from the nucleus centroid to its maximal displacement. Fitting this dependence to a power function allowed us to establish an exclusion distance from the centroid, beyond which the approximate method is much less likely to produce an error above acceptable 5 %. We recommend that the exact method be used to calculate the trajectory angle for puncta closer to the nucleus centroid than this exclusion distance. PMID:25408463

CME Velocity and Acceleration Error Estimates Using the Bootstrap Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michalek, Grzegorz; Gopalswamy, Nat; Yashiro, Seiji

2017-01-01

The bootstrap method is used to determine errors of basic attributes of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) visually identified in images obtained by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission's Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) instruments. The basic parameters of CMEs are stored, among others, in a database known as the SOHO/LASCO CME catalog and are widely employed for many research studies. The basic attributes of CMEs (e.g. velocity and acceleration) are obtained from manually generated height-time plots. The subjective nature of manual measurements introduces random errors that are difficult to quantify. In many studies the impact of such measurement errors is overlooked. In this study we present a new possibility to estimate measurements errors in the basic attributes of CMEs. This approach is a computer-intensive method because it requires repeating the original data analysis procedure several times using replicate datasets. This is also commonly called the bootstrap method in the literature. We show that the bootstrap approach can be used to estimate the errors of the basic attributes of CMEs having moderately large numbers of height-time measurements. The velocity errors are in the vast majority small and depend mostly on the number of height-time points measured for a particular event. In the case of acceleration, the errors are significant, and for more than half of all CMEs, they are larger than the acceleration itself.

High precise measurement of tiny angle dimensional holes for the unit-holes of the LAMOST Focal Plane Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Zengxiang; Jin, Yi; Zhai, Chao; Xing, Xiaozheng

2008-07-01

In the LAMOST project, the unit-holes on the Focal Plane Plate are the final installation location of the optical fiber positioning system. Theirs precision will influence the observation efficiency of the LAMOST. For the unique requirements, the unit-holes on the Focal Plane Plate are composed by a series of tiny angle dimensional holes which dimensional angle are between 16' to 2.5°. According to these requirements, the measurement of the tiny angle dimensional holes for the unit-holes needs to less than 3'. And all the unit-holes point to the virtual sphere center of the Focal Plane Plate. To that end, the angle departure of the unit-holes axis is changed to the distance from the virtual sphere center of Focal Plane Plate to the unit-holes axis. That is the better way to evaluate the technical requirements of the dimensional angle errors. In the measuring process, common measuring methods do not fit for the tiny angle dimensional hole by CMM(coordinate measurement machine). An extraordinary way to solve this problem is to insert a measuring stick into a unit-hole, with a target ball on the stick. Then measure the low point of the ball center and pull out the stick for the high station of center. Finally, calculate the two points for the unit-hole axis to get the angle departure. But on the other hand, use this methods will bring extra errors for the measuring stick and the target ball. For better analysis this question, a series experiments are mentioned in this paper, which testify that the influence of the measure implement is little. With increasing the distance between the low point and the high point position in the measuring process should enhance the accuracy of dimensional angle measurement.

Extending the Utility of the Parabolic Approximation in Medical Ultrasound Using Wide-Angle Diffraction Modeling.

PubMed

Soneson, Joshua E

2017-04-01

Wide-angle parabolic models are commonly used in geophysics and underwater acoustics but have seen little application in medical ultrasound. Here, a wide-angle model for continuous-wave high-intensity ultrasound beams is derived, which approximates the diffraction process more accurately than the commonly used Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation without increasing implementation complexity or computing time. A method for preventing the high spatial frequencies often present in source boundary conditions from corrupting the solution is presented. Simulations of shallowly focused axisymmetric beams using both the wide-angle and standard parabolic models are compared to assess the accuracy with which they model diffraction effects. The wide-angle model proposed here offers improved focusing accuracy and less error throughout the computational domain than the standard parabolic model, offering a facile method for extending the utility of existing KZK codes.

Noise Estimation and Adaptive Encoding for Asymmetric Quantum Error Correcting Codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florjanczyk, Jan; Brun, Todd; CenterQuantum Information Science; Technology Team

We present a technique that improves the performance of asymmetric quantum error correcting codes in the presence of biased qubit noise channels. Our study is motivated by considering what useful information can be learned from the statistics of syndrome measurements in stabilizer quantum error correcting codes (QECC). We consider the case of a qubit dephasing channel where the dephasing axis is unknown and time-varying. We are able to estimate the dephasing angle from the statistics of the standard syndrome measurements used in stabilizer QECC's. We use this estimate to rotate the computational basis of the code in such a way that the most likely type of error is covered by the highest distance of the asymmetric code. In particular, we use the [ [ 15 , 1 , 3 ] ] shortened Reed-Muller code which can correct one phase-flip error but up to three bit-flip errors. In our simulations, we tune the computational basis to match the estimated dephasing axis which in turn leads to a decrease in the probability of a phase-flip error. With a sufficiently accurate estimate of the dephasing axis, our memory's effective error is dominated by the much lower probability of four bit-flips. Aro MURI Grant No. W911NF-11-1-0268.

SU-E-T-13: A Comparative Dosimetric Study On Radio-Dynamic Therapy for Pelvic Cancer Treatment: Strategies for Bone Marrow Dose and Volume Reduction

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

Li, C; Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province; Wang, B

Purpose: Radio-dynamic therapy (RDT) is a potentially effective modality for local and systemic cancer treatment. Using RDT, the administration of a radio-sensitizer enhances the biological effect of high-energy photons. Although the sensitizer uptake ratio of tumor to normal tissue is normally high, one cannot simply neglect its effect on critical structures. In this study, we aim to explore planning strategies to improve bone marrow sparing without compromising the plan quality for RDT treatment of pelvic cancers. Methods: Ten cervical and ten prostate cancer patients who previously received radiotherapy at our institution were selected for this study. For each patient, ninemore » plans were created using the Varian Eclipse treatmentplanning-system (TPS) with 3D-CRT, IMRT, and VMAT delivery techniques containing various gantry angle combinations and optimization parameters (dose constraints to the bone marrow). To evaluate the plans for bone marrow sparing, the dose-volume parameters V5, V10, V15, V20, V30, and V40 for bone marrow were examined. Effective doseenhancement factors for the sensitizer were used to weigh the dose-volume histograms for various tissues from individual fractions. Results: The planning strategies had different impacts on bone marrow sparing for the cervical and prostate cases. For the cervical cases, provided the bone marrow constraints were properly set during optimization, the dose to bone marrow sparing was found to be comparable between different IMRT and VMAT plans regardless of the gantry angle selection. For the prostate cases, however, careful selection of gantry angles could dramatically improve the bone marrow sparing, although the dose distribution in bone marrow was clinically acceptable for all prostate plans that we created. Conclusion: For intensity-modulated RDT planning for cervical cancer, planners should set bone marrow constraints properly to avoid any adverse damage, while for prostate cancer one can carefully

Error-related brain activity and error awareness in an error classification paradigm.

PubMed

Di Gregorio, Francesco; Steinhauser, Marco; Maier, Martin E

2016-10-01

Error-related brain activity has been linked to error detection enabling adaptive behavioral adjustments. However, it is still unclear which role error awareness plays in this process. Here, we show that the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN), an event-related potential reflecting early error monitoring, is dissociable from the degree of error awareness. Participants responded to a target while ignoring two different incongruent distractors. After responding, they indicated whether they had committed an error, and if so, whether they had responded to one or to the other distractor. This error classification paradigm allowed distinguishing partially aware errors, (i.e., errors that were noticed but misclassified) and fully aware errors (i.e., errors that were correctly classified). The Ne/ERN was larger for partially aware errors than for fully aware errors. Whereas this speaks against the idea that the Ne/ERN foreshadows the degree of error awareness, it confirms the prediction of a computational model, which relates the Ne/ERN to post-response conflict. This model predicts that stronger distractor processing - a prerequisite of error classification in our paradigm - leads to lower post-response conflict and thus a smaller Ne/ERN. This implies that the relationship between Ne/ERN and error awareness depends on how error awareness is related to response conflict in a specific task. Our results further indicate that the Ne/ERN but not the degree of error awareness determines adaptive performance adjustments. Taken together, we conclude that the Ne/ERN is dissociable from error awareness and foreshadows adaptive performance adjustments. Our results suggest that the relationship between the Ne/ERN and error awareness is correlative and mediated by response conflict. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

View Angle Effects on MODIS Snow Mapping in Forests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xin, Qinchuan; Woodcock, Curtis E.; Liu, Jicheng; Tan, Bin; Melloh, Rae A.; Davis, Robert E.

2012-01-01

Binary snow maps and fractional snow cover data are provided routinely from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). This paper investigates how the wide observation angles of MODIS influence the current snow mapping algorithm in forested areas. Theoretical modeling results indicate that large view zenith angles (VZA) can lead to underestimation of fractional snow cover (FSC) by reducing the amount of the ground surface that is viewable through forest canopies, and by increasing uncertainties during the gridding of MODIS data. At the end of the MODIS scan line, the total modeled error can be as much as 50% for FSC. Empirical analysis of MODIS/Terra snow products in four forest sites shows high fluctuation in FSC estimates on consecutive days. In addition, the normalized difference snow index (NDSI) values, which are the primary input to the MODIS snow mapping algorithms, decrease as VZA increases at the site level. At the pixel level, NDSI values have higher variances, and are correlated with the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in snow covered forests. These findings are consistent with our modeled results, and imply that consideration of view angle effects could improve MODIS snow monitoring in forested areas.

SU-F-T-430: Validation of IBEAM Evo Couch Top for Different Relative Electron Density (RED) Combination During Photon Beam Dose Calculation in Monaco− Treatment Planning System

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

Manigandan, D; Kumar, M; Mohandas, P

Purpose: Validation of iBEAM™ evo couch-top for different relative electron density (RED) combination during photon beam dose calculation in Monaco− TPS. Methods: The iBEAM™ evo couch-top has two layers:outer carbon fiber (CF) and inner foam core (FC). To study the beam intensity attenuation of couch-top, measured doses were compared with doses calculated for different REDs. Measurements were performed in solid water phantom with PTW-0.125cc ion-chamber positioned at center of the phantom with 5.3cm thickness slabs placed above and below the chamber. Similarly, in TPS, iBEAM™ evo couch-top was simulated and doses were calculated for different RED combinations (0.2CF-0.2FC, 0.4CF-0.2FC, 0.6CF-0.2FC,more » 0.8CF-0.2FC, and 1.0CF-0.2FC) by using Monte Carlo dose calculation algorithm in Monaco TPS (V5.1). Doses were measured for every 10 degree gantry angle separation, 10×10cm{sup 2} field size and 6MV photons. Then, attenuation is defined as the ratio of output at posterior gantry angle to output of its opposed anterior gantry angle (e.g.225°/45°). output fluctuation with different gantry angle was within ±0.21%. To confirm above results, dose-planes were measured for five pelvic VMAT plans (360°arc) in PTW two-dimensional array and compared with different calculated dose-planes of above-mentioned couch REDs. Gamma pass rates<1.00) were analyzed for 3%/2mm criteria. Results: Measured and calculated attenuation was in good agreement for the RED combination of 0.2CF-0.2FC and difference was within ±0.515%. However, other density combination showed difference of ±0.9841%, ±1.667%, ±2.9241% and ±2.8832% for 0.4CF-0.2FC, 0.6CF-0.2FC, 0.8CF-0.2FC, and 1.0CF-0.2FC, respectively. Maximum couch-top attenuation was observed at 110°–120° and 240°–250° and decreases linearly as the gantry angle approaches 180°. Moreover, gamma pass rate confirmed the above results and showed maximum pass rate of 96.23% for 0.2CF-0.2FC, whereas others were 95.72%, 95

Digital breast tomosynthesis geometry calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xinying; Mainprize, James G.; Kempston, Michael P.; Mawdsley, Gordon E.; Yaffe, Martin J.

2007-03-01

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) is a 3D x-ray technique for imaging the breast. The x-ray tube, mounted on a gantry, moves in an arc over a limited angular range around the breast while 7-15 images are acquired over a period of a few seconds. A reconstruction algorithm is used to create a 3D volume dataset from the projection images. This procedure reduces the effects of tissue superposition, often responsible for degrading the quality of projection mammograms. This may help improve sensitivity of cancer detection, while reducing the number of false positive results. For DBT, images are acquired at a set of gantry rotation angles. The image reconstruction process requires several geometrical factors associated with image acquisition to be known accurately, however, vibration, encoder inaccuracy, the effects of gravity on the gantry arm and manufacturing tolerances can produce deviations from the desired acquisition geometry. Unlike cone-beam CT, in which a complete dataset is acquired (500+ projections over 180°), tomosynthesis reconstruction is challenging in that the angular range is narrow (typically from 20°-45°) and there are fewer projection images (~7-15). With such a limited dataset, reconstruction is very sensitive to geometric alignment. Uncertainties in factors such as detector tilt, gantry angle, focal spot location, source-detector distance and source-pivot distance can produce several artifacts in the reconstructed volume. To accurately and efficiently calculate the location and angles of orientation of critical components of the system in DBT geometry, a suitable phantom is required. We have designed a calibration phantom for tomosynthesis and developed software for accurate measurement of the geometric parameters of a DBT system. These have been tested both by simulation and experiment. We will present estimates of the precision available with this technique for a prototype DBT system.

Longitudinal Changes of Angle Configuration in Primary Angle-Closure Suspects

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yuzhen; Chang, Dolly S.; Zhu, Haogang; Khawaja, Anthony P.; Aung, Tin; Huang, Shengsong; Chen, Qianyun; Munoz, Beatriz; Grossi, Carlota M.

2015-01-01

Objective To determine longitudinal changes in angle configuration in the eyes of primary angle-closure suspects (PACS) treated by laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) and in untreated fellow eyes. Design Longitudinal cohort study. Participants Primary angle-closure suspects aged 50 to 70 years were enrolled in a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Methods Each participant was treated by LPI in 1 randomly selected eye, with the fellow eye serving as a control. Angle width was assessed in a masked fashion using gonioscopy and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) before and at 2 weeks, 6 months, and 18 months after LPI. Main Outcome Measures Angle width in degrees was calculated from Shaffer grades assessed under static gonioscopy. Angle configuration was also evaluated using angle opening distance (AOD250, AOD500, AOD750), trabecular-iris space area (TISA500, TISA750), and angle recess area (ARA) measured in AS-OCT images. Results No significant difference was found in baseline measures of angle configuration between treated and untreated eyes. At 2 weeks after LPI, the drainage angle on gonioscopy widened from a mean of 13.5° at baseline to a mean of 25.7° in treated eyes, which was also confirmed by significant increases in all AS-OCT angle width measures (P<0.001 for all variables). Between 2 weeks and 18 months after LPI, a significant decrease in angle width was observed over time in treated eyes (P<0.001 for all variables), although the change over the first 5.5 months was not statistically significant for angle width measured under gonioscopy (P = 0.18), AOD250 (P = 0.167) and ARA (P = 0.83). In untreated eyes, angle width consistently decreased across all follow-up visits after LPI, with a more rapid longitudinal decrease compared with treated eyes (P values for all variables ≤0.003). The annual rate of change in angle width was equivalent to 1.2°/year (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8–1.6) in treated eyes and 1.6°/year (95% CI, 1

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

Qian, X; Wuu, C; Admovics, J

Purpose: A 3-D radiochromic plastic dosimeter has been used to cross-test the isocentricity of a high resolution image-guided small animal microirradiation platform. In this platform, the mouse stage rotating for cone beam CT imaging is perpendicular to the gantry rotation for sub-millimeter radiation delivery. A 3-D dosimeter can be used to verify both imaging and irradiation coordinates. Methods: A 3-D dosimeter and optical CT scanner were used in this study. In the platform, both mouse stage and gantry can rotate 360° with rotation axis perpendicular to each other. Isocentricity and coincidence of mouse stage and gantry rotations were evaluated usingmore » star patterns. A 3-D dosimeter was placed on mouse stage with center at platform isocenter approximately. For CBCT isocentricity, with gantry moved to 90°, the mouse stage rotated horizontally while the x-ray was delivered to the dosimeter at certain angles. For irradiation isocentricity, the gantry rotated 360° to deliver beams to the dosimeter at certain angles for star patterns. The uncertainties and agreement of both CBCT and irradiation isocenters can be determined from the star patterns. Both procedures were repeated 3 times using 3 dosimeters to determine short-term reproducibility. Finally, dosimeters were scanned using optical CT scanner to obtain the results. Results: The gantry isocentricity is 0.9 ± 0.1 mm and mouse stage rotation isocentricity is about 0.91 ± 0.11 mm. Agreement between the measured isocenters of irradiation and imaging coordinates was determined. The short-term reproducibility test yielded 0.5 ± 0.1 mm between the imaging isocenter and the irradiation isocenter, with a maximum displacement of 0.7 ± 0.1 mm. Conclusion: The 3-D dosimeter can be very useful in precise verification of targeting for a small animal irradiation research. In addition, a single 3-D dosimeter can provide information in both geometric and dosimetric uncertainty, which is crucial for translational

Error Sources in Proccessing LIDAR Based Bridge Inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bian, H.; Chen, S. E.; Liu, W.

2017-09-01

Bridge inspection is a critical task in infrastructure management and is facing unprecedented challenges after a series of bridge failures. The prevailing visual inspection was insufficient in providing reliable and quantitative bridge information although a systematic quality management framework was built to ensure visual bridge inspection data quality to minimize errors during the inspection process. The LiDAR based remote sensing is recommended as an effective tool in overcoming some of the disadvantages of visual inspection. In order to evaluate the potential of applying this technology in bridge inspection, some of the error sources in LiDAR based bridge inspection are analysed. The scanning angle variance in field data collection and the different algorithm design in scanning data processing are the found factors that will introduce errors into inspection results. Besides studying the errors sources, advanced considerations should be placed on improving the inspection data quality, and statistical analysis might be employed to evaluate inspection operation process that contains a series of uncertain factors in the future. Overall, the development of a reliable bridge inspection system requires not only the improvement of data processing algorithms, but also systematic considerations to mitigate possible errors in the entire inspection workflow. If LiDAR or some other technology can be accepted as a supplement for visual inspection, the current quality management framework will be modified or redesigned, and this would be as urgent as the refine of inspection techniques.

Modelling exoplanet detection with the LUVOIR Coronagraph: aberration sensitivity and error tolerances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juanola-Parramon, Roser; Zimmerman, Neil; Bolcar, Matthew R.; Rizzo, Maxime; Roberge, Aki

2018-01-01

The Coronagraph is a key instrument on the Large UV-Optical-Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor mission concept. The Apodized Pupil Lyot Coronagraph (APLC) is one of the baselined mask technologies to enable 1E10 contrast observations in the habitable zones of nearby stars. Both the LUVOIR architectures A and B present a segmented aperture as input pupil, introducing a set of random tip/tilt and piston errors, among others, that greatly affect the performance of the coronagraph instrument by increasing the wavefront errors hence reducing the instrument sensitivity. In this poster we present the latest results of the simulation of these effects for different working angle regions and discuss the achieved contrast for exoplanet detection and characterization, including simulated observations under these circumstances, setting boundaries for the tolerance of such errors.

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

Wijesooriya, K; Seitter, K; Desai, V

Purpose: To present our single institution experience on catching errors with trajectory log file analysis. The reported causes of failures, probability of occurrences (O), severity of effects (S), and the probability of the failures to be undetected (D) could be added to guidelines of FMEA analysis. Methods: From March 2013 to March 2014, 19569 patient treatment fields/arcs were analyzed. This work includes checking all 131 treatment delivery parameters for all patients, all treatment sites and all treatment delivery fractions. TrueBeam trajectory log files for all treatment field types as well as all imaging types were accessed, read in every 20ms,more » and every control point (total of 37 million parameters) compared to the physician approved plan in the planning system. Results: Couch angle outlier occurrence: N= 327, range = −1.7 −1.2 deg; gantry angle outlier occurrence: N =59, range = 0.09 – 5.61 deg, collimator angle outlier occurrence: N = 13, range = −0.2 – 0.2 deg. VMAT cases have slightly larger variations in mechanical parameters. MLC: 3D single control point fields have a maximum deviation of 0.04 mm, 39 step and shoot IMRT cases have MLC −0.3 – 0.5 mm deviations, all (1286) VMAT cases have −0.9 – 0.7 mm deviations. Two possible serious errors were found: 1) A 4 cm isocenter shift for the PA beam of an AP-PA pair, under-dosing a portion of PTV by 25%. 2) Delivery with MLC leaves abutted behind the jaws as opposed to the midline as planned, leading to a under-dosing of a small volume of the PTV by 25%, by just the boost plan. Due to their error origin, neither of these errors could have been detected by pre-treatment verification. Conclusion: Performing Trajectory Log file analysis could catch typically undetected errors to avoid potentially adverse incidents.« less

Ultrafast treatment plan optimization for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT)

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

Men Chunhua; Romeijn, H. Edwin; Jia Xun

2010-11-15

Purpose: To develop a novel aperture-based algorithm for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plan optimization with high quality and high efficiency. Methods: The VMAT optimization problem is formulated as a large-scale convex programming problem solved by a column generation approach. The authors consider a cost function consisting two terms, the first enforcing a desired dose distribution and the second guaranteeing a smooth dose rate variation between successive gantry angles. A gantry rotation is discretized into 180 beam angles and for each beam angle, only one MLC aperture is allowed. The apertures are generated one by one in a sequentialmore » way. At each iteration of the column generation method, a deliverable MLC aperture is generated for one of the unoccupied beam angles by solving a subproblem with the consideration of MLC mechanic constraints. A subsequent master problem is then solved to determine the dose rate at all currently generated apertures by minimizing the cost function. When all 180 beam angles are occupied, the optimization completes, yielding a set of deliverable apertures and associated dose rates that produce a high quality plan. Results: The algorithm was preliminarily tested on five prostate and five head-and-neck clinical cases, each with one full gantry rotation without any couch/collimator rotations. High quality VMAT plans have been generated for all ten cases with extremely high efficiency. It takes only 5-8 min on CPU (MATLAB code on an Intel Xeon 2.27 GHz CPU) and 18-31 s on GPU (CUDA code on an NVIDIA Tesla C1060 GPU card) to generate such plans. Conclusions: The authors have developed an aperture-based VMAT optimization algorithm which can generate clinically deliverable high quality treatment plans at very high efficiency.« less

Ultrafast treatment plan optimization for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT).

PubMed

Men, Chunhua; Romeijn, H Edwin; Jia, Xun; Jiang, Steve B

2010-11-01

To develop a novel aperture-based algorithm for volumetric modulated are therapy (VMAT) treatment plan optimization with high quality and high efficiency. The VMAT optimization problem is formulated as a large-scale convex programming problem solved by a column generation approach. The authors consider a cost function consisting two terms, the first enforcing a desired dose distribution and the second guaranteeing a smooth dose rate variation between successive gantry angles. A gantry rotation is discretized into 180 beam angles and for each beam angle, only one MLC aperture is allowed. The apertures are generated one by one in a sequential way. At each iteration of the column generation method, a deliverable MLC aperture is generated for one of the unoccupied beam angles by solving a subproblem with the consideration of MLC mechanic constraints. A subsequent master problem is then solved to determine the dose rate at all currently generated apertures by minimizing the cost function. When all 180 beam angles are occupied, the optimization completes, yielding a set of deliverable apertures and associated dose rates that produce a high quality plan. The algorithm was preliminarily tested on five prostate and five head-and-neck clinical cases, each with one full gantry rotation without any couch/collimator rotations. High quality VMAT plans have been generated for all ten cases with extremely high efficiency. It takes only 5-8 min on CPU (MATLAB code on an Intel Xeon 2.27 GHz CPU) and 18-31 s on GPU (CUDA code on an NVIDIA Tesla C1060 GPU card) to generate such plans. The authors have developed an aperture-based VMAT optimization algorithm which can generate clinically deliverable high quality treatment plans at very high efficiency.

Functional range of movement of the hand: declination angles to reachable space.

PubMed

Pham, Hai Trieu; Pathirana, Pubudu N; Caelli, Terry

2014-01-01

The measurement of the range of hand joint movement is an essential part of clinical practice and rehabilitation. Current methods use three finger joint declination angles of the metacarpophalangeal, proximal interphalangeal and distal interphalangeal joints. In this paper we propose an alternate form of measurement for the finger movement. Using the notion of reachable space instead of declination angles has significant advantages. Firstly, it provides a visual and quantifiable method that therapists, insurance companies and patients can easily use to understand the functional capabilities of the hand. Secondly, it eliminates the redundant declination angle constraints. Finally, reachable space, defined by a set of reachable fingertip positions, can be measured and constructed by using a modern camera such as Creative Senz3D or built-in hand gesture sensors such as the Leap Motion Controller. Use of cameras or optical-type sensors for this purpose have considerable benefits such as eliminating and minimal involvement of therapist errors, non-contact measurement in addition to valuable time saving for the clinician. A comparison between using declination angles and reachable space were made based on Hume's experiment on functional range of movement to prove the efficiency of this new approach.

Correcting intensity loss errors in the absence of texture-free reference samples during pole figure measurement

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

Saleh, Ahmed A., E-mail: asaleh@uow.edu.au

Even with the use of X-ray polycapillary lenses, sample tilting during pole figure measurement results in a decrease in the recorded X-ray intensity. The magnitude of this error is affected by the sample size and/or the finite detector size. These errors can be typically corrected by measuring the intensity loss as a function of the tilt angle using a texture-free reference sample (ideally made of the same alloy as the investigated material). Since texture-free reference samples are not readily available for all alloys, the present study employs an empirical procedure to estimate the correction curve for a particular experimental configuration.more » It involves the use of real texture-free reference samples that pre-exist in any X-ray diffraction laboratory to first establish the empirical correlations between X-ray intensity, sample tilt and their Bragg angles and thereafter generate correction curves for any Bragg angle. It will be shown that the empirically corrected textures are in very good agreement with the experimentally corrected ones. - Highlights: •Sample tilting during X-ray pole figure measurement leads to intensity loss errors. •Texture-free reference samples are typically used to correct the pole figures. •An empirical correction procedure is proposed in the absence of reference samples. •The procedure relies on reference samples that pre-exist in any texture laboratory. •Experimentally and empirically corrected textures are in very good agreement.« less

The Effect of Large Angles of Yaw on the Accuracy of Wing-Tip Yawmeters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golden, Jacob

1942-01-01

The present method used by the NACA for the measurement of sideslip angles in flight involves the use of a device called the yawmeter. The operation of this instrument depends on the motion of a free-swinging vane which, mounted ahead of the wing tip, alines itself with the local wind direction. Because of the flow pattern about the airplane, the local wind direction at the yaw vane may be slightly different from the direction of the relative wind and the yaw-vane readings may be in error. This error is corrected by using half the difference between the readings of two vanes, one on each wing, for unyawed flight as a calibration constant. It is possible, however, that, because of the change in location of the vane with respect to the flow pattern at large angles of yaw, the constant obtained for unyawed flight may not apply. The present report covers power-off tests made in the free-flight tunnel to check the validity of this method.

Closed-form integrator for the quaternion (euler angle) kinematics equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmore, Stephen A. (Inventor)

2000-01-01

The invention is embodied in a method of integrating kinematics equations for updating a set of vehicle attitude angles of a vehicle using 3-dimensional angular velocities of the vehicle, which includes computing an integrating factor matrix from quantities corresponding to the 3-dimensional angular velocities, computing a total integrated angular rate from the quantities corresponding to a 3-dimensional angular velocities, computing a state transition matrix as a sum of (a) a first complementary function of the total integrated angular rate and (b) the integrating factor matrix multiplied by a second complementary function of the total integrated angular rate, and updating the set of vehicle attitude angles using the state transition matrix. Preferably, the method further includes computing a quanternion vector from the quantities corresponding to the 3-dimensional angular velocities, in which case the updating of the set of vehicle attitude angles using the state transition matrix is carried out by (a) updating the quanternion vector by multiplying the quanternion vector by the state transition matrix to produce an updated quanternion vector and (b) computing an updated set of vehicle attitude angles from the updated quanternion vector. The first and second trigonometric functions are complementary, such as a sine and a cosine. The quantities corresponding to the 3-dimensional angular velocities include respective averages of the 3-dimensional angular velocities over plural time frames. The updating of the quanternion vector preserves the norm of the vector, whereby the updated set of vehicle attitude angles are virtually error-free.

Polarization Transfer in Wide-Angle Compton Scattering and Single-Pion Photoproduction from the Proton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanelli, C.; Cisbani, E.; Hamilton, D. J.; Salmé, G.; Wojtsekhowski, B.; Ahmidouch, A.; Annand, J. R. M.; Baghdasaryan, H.; Beaufait, J.; Bosted, P.; Brash, E. J.; Butuceanu, C.; Carter, P.; Christy, E.; Chudakov, E.; Danagoulian, S.; Day, D.; Degtyarenko, P.; Ent, R.; Fenker, H.; Fowler, M.; Frlez, E.; Gaskell, D.; Gilman, R.; Horn, T.; Huber, G. M.; de Jager, C. W.; Jensen, E.; Jones, M. K.; Kelleher, A.; Keppel, C.; Khandaker, M.; Kohl, M.; Kumbartzki, G.; Lassiter, S.; Li, Y.; Lindgren, R.; Lovelace, H.; Luo, W.; Mack, D.; Mamyan, V.; Margaziotis, D. J.; Markowitz, P.; Maxwell, J.; Mbianda, G.; Meekins, D.; Meziane, M.; Miller, J.; Mkrtchyan, A.; Mkrtchyan, H.; Mulholland, J.; Nelyubin, V.; Pentchev, L.; Perdrisat, C. F.; Piasetzky, E.; Prok, Y.; Puckett, A. J. R.; Punjabi, V.; Shabestari, M.; Shahinyan, A.; Slifer, K.; Smith, G.; Solvignon, P.; Subedi, R.; Wesselmann, F. R.; Wood, S.; Ye, Z.; Zheng, X.

2015-10-01

Wide-angle exclusive Compton scattering and single-pion photoproduction from the proton have been investigated via measurement of the polarization transfer from a circularly polarized photon beam to the recoil proton. The wide-angle Compton scattering polarization transfer was analyzed at an incident photon energy of 3.7 GeV at a proton scattering angle of θcmp=70 ° . The longitudinal transfer KLL, measured to be 0.645 ±0.059 ±0.048 , where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic, has the same sign as predicted for the reaction mechanism in which the photon interacts with a single quark carrying the spin of the proton. However, the observed value is ˜3 times larger than predicted by the generalized-parton-distribution-based calculations, which indicates a significant unknown contribution to the scattering amplitude.

[Measuring the effect of eyeglasses on determination of squint angle with Purkinje reflexes and the prism cover test].

PubMed

Barry, J C; Backes, A

1998-04-01

The alternating prism and cover test is the conventional test for the measurement of the angle of strabismus. The error induced by the prismatic effect of glasses is typically about 27-30%/10 D. Alternatively, the angle of strabismus can be measured with methods based on Purkinje reflex positions. This study examines the differences between three such options, taking into account the influence of glasses. The studied system comprised the eyes with or without glasses, a fixation object and a device for recording the eye position: in the case of the alternate prism and cover test, a prism bar was required; in the case of a Purkinje reflex based device, light sources for generation of reflexes and a camera for the documentation of the reflex positions were used. Measurements performed on model eyes and computer ray traces were used to analyze and compare the options. When a single corneal reflex is used, the misalignment of the corneal axis can be measured; the error in this measurement due to the prismatic effect of glasses was 7.6%/10 D, the smallest found in this study. The individual Hirschberg ratio can be determined by monocular measurements in three gaze directions. The angle of strabismus can be measured with Purkinje reflex based methods if the fundamental differences between these methods and the alternate prism and cover test, and if the influence of glasses and other sources of error are accounted for.

Sparse representation based SAR vehicle recognition along with aspect angle.

PubMed

Xing, Xiangwei; Ji, Kefeng; Zou, Huanxin; Sun, Jixiang

2014-01-01

As a method of representing the test sample with few training samples from an overcomplete dictionary, sparse representation classification (SRC) has attracted much attention in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) automatic target recognition (ATR) recently. In this paper, we develop a novel SAR vehicle recognition method based on sparse representation classification along with aspect information (SRCA), in which the correlation between the vehicle's aspect angle and the sparse representation vector is exploited. The detailed procedure presented in this paper can be summarized as follows. Initially, the sparse representation vector of a test sample is solved by sparse representation algorithm with a principle component analysis (PCA) feature-based dictionary. Then, the coefficient vector is projected onto a sparser one within a certain range of the vehicle's aspect angle. Finally, the vehicle is classified into a certain category that minimizes the reconstruction error with the novel sparse representation vector. Extensive experiments are conducted on the moving and stationary target acquisition and recognition (MSTAR) dataset and the results demonstrate that the proposed method performs robustly under the variations of depression angle and target configurations, as well as incomplete observation.

Effect of limbal marking prior to laser ablation on the magnitude of cyclotorsional error.

PubMed

Chen, Xiangjun; Stojanovic, Aleksandar; Stojanovic, Filip; Eidet, Jon Roger; Raeder, Sten; Øritsland, Haakon; Utheim, Tor Paaske

2012-05-01

To evaluate the residual registration error after limbal-marking-based manual adjustment in cyclotorsional tracker-controlled laser refractive surgery. Two hundred eyes undergoing custom surface ablation with the iVIS Suite (iVIS Technologies) were divided into limbal marked (marked) and non-limbal marked (unmarked) groups. Iris registration information was acquired preoperatively from all eyes. Preoperatively, the horizontal axis was recorded in the marked group for use in manual cyclotorsional alignment prior to surgical iris registration. During iris registration, the preoperative iris information was compared to the eye-tracker captured image. The magnitudes of the registration error angle and cyclotorsional movement during the subsequent laser ablation were recorded and analyzed. Mean magnitude of registration error angle (absolute value) was 1.82°±1.31° (range: 0.00° to 5.50°) and 2.90°±2.40° (range: 0.00° to 13.50°) for the marked and unmarked groups, respectively (P<.001). Mean magnitude of cyclotorsional movement during the laser ablation (absolute value) was 1.15°±1.34° (range: 0.00° to 7.00°) and 0.68°±0.97° (range: 0.00° to 6.00°) for the marked and unmarked groups, respectively (P=.005). Forty-six percent and 60% of eyes had registration error >2°, whereas 22% and 20% of eyes had cyclotorsional movement during ablation >2° in the marked and unmarked groups, respectively. Limbal-marking-based manual alignment prior to laser ablation significantly reduced cyclotorsional registration error. However, residual registration misalignment and cyclotorsional movements remained during ablation. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Measurement of lengths and angles by means of a photoelectric direct reading-off microscope

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

Priver, L.S.

1995-11-01

We consider the measurement of lengths and angles over a broad range with error amounting to fractions of a micrometer or angular second using a newly designed mockup of a photoelectric direct reading-off microscope. The microscope implements a pulse-position method of transforming information through application of a scanner in the form of a rotating polyhedral mirror.

Action errors, error management, and learning in organizations.

PubMed

Frese, Michael; Keith, Nina

2015-01-03

Every organization is confronted with errors. Most errors are corrected easily, but some may lead to negative consequences. Organizations often focus on error prevention as a single strategy for dealing with errors. Our review suggests that error prevention needs to be supplemented by error management--an approach directed at effectively dealing with errors after they have occurred, with the goal of minimizing negative and maximizing positive error consequences (examples of the latter are learning and innovations). After defining errors and related concepts, we review research on error-related processes affected by error management (error detection, damage control). Empirical evidence on positive effects of error management in individuals and organizations is then discussed, along with emotional, motivational, cognitive, and behavioral pathways of these effects. Learning from errors is central, but like other positive consequences, learning occurs under certain circumstances--one being the development of a mind-set of acceptance of human error.

Improvement of gray-scale representation of horizontally scanning holographic display using error diffusion.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Yuji; Takaki, Yasuhiro

2014-06-15

Horizontally scanning holography can enlarge both screen size and viewing zone angle. A microelectromechanical-system spatial light modulator, which can generate only binary images, is used to generate hologram patterns. Thus, techniques to improve gray-scale representation in reconstructed images should be developed. In this study, the error diffusion technique was used for the binarization of holograms. When the Floyd-Steinberg error diffusion coefficients were used, gray-scale representation was improved. However, the linearity in the gray-scale representation was not satisfactory. We proposed the use of a correction table and showed that the linearity was greatly improved.

Errors in causal inference: an organizational schema for systematic error and random error.

PubMed

Suzuki, Etsuji; Tsuda, Toshihide; Mitsuhashi, Toshiharu; Mansournia, Mohammad Ali; Yamamoto, Eiji

2016-11-01

To provide an organizational schema for systematic error and random error in estimating causal measures, aimed at clarifying the concept of errors from the perspective of causal inference. We propose to divide systematic error into structural error and analytic error. With regard to random error, our schema shows its four major sources: nondeterministic counterfactuals, sampling variability, a mechanism that generates exposure events and measurement variability. Structural error is defined from the perspective of counterfactual reasoning and divided into nonexchangeability bias (which comprises confounding bias and selection bias) and measurement bias. Directed acyclic graphs are useful to illustrate this kind of error. Nonexchangeability bias implies a lack of "exchangeability" between the selected exposed and unexposed groups. A lack of exchangeability is not a primary concern of measurement bias, justifying its separation from confounding bias and selection bias. Many forms of analytic errors result from the small-sample properties of the estimator used and vanish asymptotically. Analytic error also results from wrong (misspecified) statistical models and inappropriate statistical methods. Our organizational schema is helpful for understanding the relationship between systematic error and random error from a previously less investigated aspect, enabling us to better understand the relationship between accuracy, validity, and precision. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring the Viewing Angle of GW170817 with Electromagnetic and Gravitational Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finstad, Daniel; De, Soumi; Brown, Duncan A.; Berger, Edo; Biwer, Christopher M.

2018-06-01

The joint detection of gravitational waves (GWs) and electromagnetic (EM) radiation from the binary neutron star merger GW170817 ushered in a new era of multi-messenger astronomy. Joint GW–EM observations can be used to measure the parameters of the binary with better precision than either observation alone. Here, we use joint GW–EM observations to measure the viewing angle of GW170817, the angle between the binary’s angular momentum and the line of sight. We combine a direct measurement of the distance to the host galaxy of GW170817 (NGC 4993) of 40.7 ± 2.36 Mpc with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo GW data and find that the viewing angle is {32}-13+10 +/- 1.7 degrees (90% confidence, statistical, and systematic errors). We place a conservative lower limit on the viewing angle of ≥13°, which is robust to the choice of prior. This measurement provides a constraint on models of the prompt γ-ray and radio/X-ray afterglow emission associated with the merger; for example, it is consistent with the off-axis viewing angle inferred for a structured jet model. We provide for the first time the full posterior samples from Bayesian parameter estimation of LIGO/Virgo data to enable further analysis by the community.

Apparent contact angle and contact angle hysteresis on liquid infused surfaces.

PubMed

Semprebon, Ciro; McHale, Glen; Kusumaatmaja, Halim

2016-12-21

We theoretically investigate the apparent contact angle and contact angle hysteresis of a droplet placed on a liquid infused surface. We show that the apparent contact angle is not uniquely defined by material parameters, but also has a dependence on the relative size between the droplet and its surrounding wetting ridge formed by the infusing liquid. We derive a closed form expression for the contact angle in the limit of vanishing wetting ridge, and compute the correction for small but finite ridge, which corresponds to an effective line tension term. We also predict contact angle hysteresis on liquid infused surfaces generated by the pinning of the contact lines by the surface corrugations. Our analytical expressions for both the apparent contact angle and contact angle hysteresis can be interpreted as 'weighted sums' between the contact angles of the infusing liquid relative to the droplet and surrounding gas phases, where the weighting coefficients are given by ratios of the fluid surface tensions.

The Limits of Coding with Joint Constraints on Detected and Undetected Error Rates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolinar, Sam; Andrews, Kenneth; Pollara, Fabrizio; Divsalar, Dariush

2008-01-01

We develop a remarkably tight upper bound on the performance of a parameterized family of bounded angle maximum-likelihood (BA-ML) incomplete decoders. The new bound for this class of incomplete decoders is calculated from the code's weight enumerator, and is an extension of Poltyrev-type bounds developed for complete ML decoders. This bound can also be applied to bound the average performance of random code ensembles in terms of an ensemble average weight enumerator. We also formulate conditions defining a parameterized family of optimal incomplete decoders, defined to minimize both the total codeword error probability and the undetected error probability for any fixed capability of the decoder to detect errors. We illustrate the gap between optimal and BA-ML incomplete decoding via simulation of a small code.

Effects of 2D and 3D Error Fields on the SAS Divertor Magnetic Topology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trevisan, G. L.; Lao, L. L.; Strait, E. J.; Guo, H. Y.; Wu, W.; Evans, T. E.

2016-10-01

The successful design of plasma-facing components in fusion experiments is of paramount importance in both the operation of future reactors and in the modification of operating machines. Indeed, the Small Angle Slot (SAS) divertor concept, proposed for application on the DIII-D experiment, combines a small incident angle at the plasma strike point with a progressively opening slot, so as to better control heat flux and erosion in high-performance tokamak plasmas. Uncertainty quantification of the error fields expected around the striking point provides additional useful information in both the design and the modeling phases of the new divertor, in part due to the particular geometric requirement of the striking flux surfaces. The presented work involves both 2D and 3D magnetic error field analysis on the SAS strike point carried out using the EFIT code for 2D equilibrium reconstruction, V3POST for vacuum 3D computations and the OMFIT integrated modeling framework for data analysis. An uncertainty in the magnetic probes' signals is found to propagate non-linearly as an uncertainty in the striking point and angle, which can be quantified through statistical analysis to yield robust estimates. Work supported by contracts DE-FG02-95ER54309 and DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Geodesy by radio interferometry - Effects of atmospheric modeling errors on estimates of baseline length

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, J. L.; Herring, T. A.; Shapiro, I. I.; Rogers, A. E. E.; Elgered, G.

1985-01-01

Analysis of very long baseline interferometry data indicates that systematic errors in prior estimates of baseline length, of order 5 cm for approximately 8000-km baselines, were due primarily to mismodeling of the electrical path length of the troposphere and mesosphere ('atmospheric delay'). Here observational evidence for the existence of such errors in the previously used models for the atmospheric delay is discussed, and a new 'mapping' function for the elevation angle dependence of this delay is developed. The delay predicted by this new mapping function differs from ray trace results by less than approximately 5 mm, at all elevations down to 5 deg elevation, and introduces errors into the estimates of baseline length of less than about 1 cm, for the multistation intercontinental experiment analyzed here.

Accuracy of estimating Unicondylar Knee Replacement implant varus/valgus angles from antero-posterior radiographs.

PubMed

Khare, Rahul; Jaramaz, Branislav

2016-12-01

Unicondylar Knee Replacement (UKR) is an orthopedic surgical procedure to reduce pain and improve function in the knee. Load-bearing long-standing antero-posterior (AP) radiographs are typically used postoperatively to measure the leg alignment and assess the varus/valgus implant orientation. However, implant out-of-plane rotations, user variability, and X-ray acquisition parameters introduce errors in the estimation of the implant varus/valgus estimation. Previous work has explored the accuracy of various imaging modalities in this estimation. In this work, we explored the impact of out-of-plane rotations and X-ray acquisition parameters on the estimation of implant component varus/valgus angles. For our study, we used a single CT scan and positioned femoral and tibial implants under varying orientations within the CT volume. Then, a custom software application was used to obtain digitally reconstructed radiographs from the CT scan with implants under varying orientations. Two users were then asked to manually estimate the varus/valgus angles for the implants. We found that there was significant inter-user variability (p < 0.05) in the varus/valgus estimates for the two users. However, the 'ideal' measurements, obtained using actual implant orientations, showed small errors due to variations in implant orientation. We also found that variation in the projection center does not have a statistically significant impact (p < 0.01) on the estimation of implant varus/valgus angles. We conclude that manual estimates of UKR implant varus/valgus orientations are unreliable.

Spatial durbin error model for human development index in Province of Central Java.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Septiawan, A. R.; Handajani, S. S.; Martini, T. S.

2018-05-01

The Human Development Index (HDI) is an indicator used to measure success in building the quality of human life, explaining how people access development outcomes when earning income, health and education. Every year HDI in Central Java has improved to a better direction. In 2016, HDI in Central Java was 69.98 %, an increase of 0.49 % over the previous year. The objective of this study was to apply the spatial Durbin error model using angle weights queen contiguity to measure HDI in Central Java Province. Spatial Durbin error model is used because the model overcomes the spatial effect of errors and the effects of spatial depedency on the independent variable. Factors there use is life expectancy, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and purchasing power parity. Based on the result of research, we get spatial Durbin error model for HDI in Central Java with influencing factors are life expectancy, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and purchasing power parity.

Automated analysis of angle closure from anterior chamber angle images.

PubMed

Baskaran, Mani; Cheng, Jun; Perera, Shamira A; Tun, Tin A; Liu, Jiang; Aung, Tin

2014-10-21

To evaluate a novel software capable of automatically grading angle closure on EyeCam angle images in comparison with manual grading of images, with gonioscopy as the reference standard. In this hospital-based, prospective study, subjects underwent gonioscopy by a single observer, and EyeCam imaging by a different operator. The anterior chamber angle in a quadrant was classified as closed if the posterior trabecular meshwork could not be seen. An eye was classified as having angle closure if there were two or more quadrants of closure. Automated grading of the angle images was performed using customized software. Agreement between the methods was ascertained by κ statistic and comparison of area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC). One hundred forty subjects (140 eyes) were included, most of whom were Chinese (102/140, 72.9%) and women (72/140, 51.5%). Angle closure was detected in 61 eyes (43.6%) with gonioscopy in comparison with 59 eyes (42.1%, P = 0.73) using manual grading, and 67 eyes (47.9%, P = 0.24) with automated grading of EyeCam images. The agreement for angle closure diagnosis between gonioscopy and both manual (κ = 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI), 0.81-0.96) and automated grading of EyeCam images was good (κ = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63-0.85). The AUC for detecting eyes with gonioscopic angle closure was comparable for manual and automated grading (AUC 0.974 vs. 0.954, P = 0.31) of EyeCam images. Customized software for automated grading of EyeCam angle images was found to have good agreement with gonioscopy. Human observation of the EyeCam images may still be needed to avoid gross misclassification, especially in eyes with extensive angle closure. Copyright 2014 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

On-sky verification of the 6-h periodic basic angle variations of the Gaia satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Shilong; Lattanzi, Mario G.; Vecchiato, Alberto; Qi, Zhaoxiang; Crosta, Mariateresa; Tang, Zhenghong

2018-04-01

A Basic Angle (BA) of 106.5° separates the view directions of Gaia's two fields of view (FoV). A precise determination of the BA variations (BAV) is essential to guarantee a correct reconstruction of the global astrometric sphere, as residual systematic errors would result in, e.g., a bias in the parallaxes of the final Gaia catalog. The Basic Angle Monitoring (BAM) device, which provides a reliable and accurate estimation of BAV, shows that there exists a ~1 mas amplitude, 6-h period BA oscillation. It's essential to verify to what extent this signal is caused by real BAV, or is at least in part an effect of the BAM device itself. Here, we propose an astrometric on-sky approach to re-determine the 6-h periodic BAV. The results of this experiment, which treated a full day (17 Oct 2016) of Gaia astrometric data, recover a value for the 6-h oscillation of 1.856+/-0.857 mas. This is consistent, within the errors, with the BAM finding for that day.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for pancreatic and prostate cancer using pulsed low–dose rate delivery techniques

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

Li, Jie; Lang, Jinyi; Wang, Pei

2014-01-01

Reirradiation of patients who were previously treated with radiotherapy is vastly challenging. Pulsed low–dose rate (PLDR) external beam radiotherapy has the potential to reduce normal tissue toxicities while providing significant tumor control for recurrent cancers. This work investigates treatment planning techniques for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)-based PLDR treatment of various sites, including cases with pancreatic and prostate cancer. A total of 20 patients with clinical recurrence were selected for this study, including 10 cases with pancreatic cancer and 10 with prostate cancer. Large variations in the target volume were included to test the ability of IMRT using the existing treatmentmore » planning system and optimization algorithm to deliver uniform doses in individual gantry angles/fields for PLDR treatments. Treatment plans were generated with 10 gantry angles using the step-and-shoot IMRT delivery technique, which can be delivered in 3-minute intervals to achieve an effective low dose rate of 6.7 cGy/min. Instead of dose constraints on critical structures, ring structures were mainly used in PLDR-IMRT optimization. In this study, the PLDR-IMRT plans were compared with the PLDR-3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) plans and the PLDR-RapidArc plans. For the 10 cases with pancreatic cancer that were investigated, the mean planning target volume (PTV) dose for each gantry angle in the PLDR-IMRT plans ranged from 17.6 to 22.4 cGy. The maximum doses ranged between 22.9 and 34.8 cGy. The minimum doses ranged from 8.2 to 17.5 cGy. For the 10 cases with prostate cancer that were investigated, the mean PTV doses for individual gantry angles ranged from 18.8 to 22.6 cGy. The maximum doses per gantry angle were between 24.0 and 34.7 cGy. The minimum doses per gantry angle ranged from 4.4 to 17.4 cGy. A significant reduction in the organ at risk (OAR) dose was observed with the PLDR-IMRT plan when compared with that using the PLDR

Polarization Transfer in Wide-Angle Compton Scattering and Single-Pion Photoproduction from the Proton

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

Fanelli, C.; Cisbani, E.; Hamilton, D. J.

Wide-angle exclusive Compton scattering and single-pion photoproduction from the proton have been investigated via measurement of the polarization transfer from a circularly polarized photon beam to the recoil proton. The wide-angle Compton scattering polarization transfer was analyzed at an incident photon energy of 3.7 GeV at a proton scattering angle of theta(p)(cm) cm = 70 degrees. The longitudinal transfer K-LL, measured to be 0.645 +/- 0.059 +/- 0.048, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic, has the same sign as predicted for the reaction mechanism in which the photon interacts with a single quark carrying themore » spin of the proton. However, the observed value is similar to 3 times larger than predicted by the generalized-parton-distribution-based calculations, which indicates a significant unknown contribution to the scattering amplitude.« less

Development of Human Posture Simulation Method for Assessing Posture Angles and Spinal Loads

PubMed Central

Lu, Ming-Lun; Waters, Thomas; Werren, Dwight

2015-01-01

Video-based posture analysis employing a biomechanical model is gaining a growing popularity for ergonomic assessments. A human posture simulation method of estimating multiple body postural angles and spinal loads from a video record was developed to expedite ergonomic assessments. The method was evaluated by a repeated measures study design with three trunk flexion levels, two lift asymmetry levels, three viewing angles and three trial repetitions as experimental factors. The study comprised two phases evaluating the accuracy of simulating self and other people’s lifting posture via a proxy of a computer-generated humanoid. The mean values of the accuracy of simulating self and humanoid postures were 12° and 15°, respectively. The repeatability of the method for the same lifting condition was excellent (~2°). The least simulation error was associated with side viewing angle. The estimated back compressive force and moment, calculated by a three dimensional biomechanical model, exhibited a range of 5% underestimation. The posture simulation method enables researchers to simultaneously quantify body posture angles and spinal loading variables with accuracy and precision comparable to on-screen posture matching methods. PMID:26361435

Design of a microbial contamination detector and analysis of error sources in its optical path.

PubMed

Zhang, Chao; Yu, Xiang; Liu, Xingju; Zhang, Lei

2014-05-01

Microbial contamination is a growing concern in the food safety today. To effectively control the types and degree of microbial contamination during food production, this paper introduces a design for a microbial contamination detector that can be used for quick in-situ examination. The designed detector can identify the category of microbial contamination by locating its characteristic absorption peak and then can calculate the concentration of the microbial contamination by fitting the absorbance vs. concentration lines of standard samples with gradient concentrations. Based on traditional scanning grating detection system, this design improves the light splitting unit to expand the scanning range and enhance the accuracy of output wavelength. The motor rotation angle φ is designed to have a linear relationship with the output wavelength angle λ, which simplifies the conversion of output spectral curves into wavelength vs. light intensity curves. In this study, we also derive the relationship between the device's major sources of errors and cumulative error of the output wavelengths, and suggest a simple correction for these errors. The proposed design was applied to test pigments and volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) which evaluated microbial contamination degrees of meats, and the deviations between the measured values and the pre-set values were only in a low range of 1.15% - 1.27%.

Protein backbone and sidechain torsion angles predicted from NMR chemical shifts using artificial neural networks

PubMed Central

Shen, Yang; Bax, Ad

2013-01-01

A new program, TALOS-N, is introduced for predicting protein backbone torsion angles from NMR chemical shifts. The program relies far more extensively on the use of trained artificial neural networks than its predecessor, TALOS+. Validation on an independent set of proteins indicates that backbone torsion angles can be predicted for a larger, ≥ 90% fraction of the residues, with an error rate smaller than ca 3.5%, using an acceptance criterion that is nearly two-fold tighter than that used previously, and a root mean square difference between predicted and crystallographically observed (φ,ψ) torsion angles of ca 12°. TALOS-N also reports sidechain χ1 rotameric states for about 50% of the residues, and a consistency with reference structures of 89%. The program includes a neural network trained to identify secondary structure from residue sequence and chemical shifts. PMID:23728592

Ray tracing evaluation of a technique for correcting the refraction errors in satellite tracking data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, C. S.; Rowlett, J. R.; Hendrickson, B. E.

1978-01-01

Errors may be introduced in satellite laser ranging data by atmospheric refractivity. Ray tracing data have indicated that horizontal refractivity gradients may introduce nearly 3-cm rms error when satellites are near 10-degree elevation. A correction formula to compensate for the horizontal gradients has been developed. Its accuracy is evaluated by comparing it to refractivity profiles. It is found that if both spherical and gradient correction formulas are employed in conjunction with meteorological measurements, a range resolution of one cm or less is feasible for satellite elevation angles above 10 degrees.

A unified model for transfer alignment at random misalignment angles based on second-order EKF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Xiao; Mei, Chunbo; Qin, Yongyuan; Yan, Gongmin; Liu, Zhenbo

2017-04-01

In the transfer alignment process of inertial navigation systems (INSs), the conventional linear error model based on the small misalignment angle assumption cannot be applied to large misalignment situations. Furthermore, the nonlinear model based on the large misalignment angle suffers from redundant computation with nonlinear filters. This paper presents a unified model for transfer alignment suitable for arbitrary misalignment angles. The alignment problem is transformed into an estimation of the relative attitude between the master INS (MINS) and the slave INS (SINS), by decomposing the attitude matrix of the latter. Based on the Rodriguez parameters, a unified alignment model in the inertial frame with the linear state-space equation and a second order nonlinear measurement equation are established, without making any assumptions about the misalignment angles. Furthermore, we employ the Taylor series expansions on the second-order nonlinear measurement equation to implement the second-order extended Kalman filter (EKF2). Monte-Carlo simulations demonstrate that the initial alignment can be fulfilled within 10 s, with higher accuracy and much smaller computational cost compared with the traditional unscented Kalman filter (UKF) at large misalignment angles.

Reconstructing for joint angles on the shoulder and elbow from non-invasive electroencephalographic signals through electromyography

PubMed Central

Choi, Kyuwan

2013-01-01

In this study, first the cortical activities over 2240 vertexes on the brain were estimated from 64 channels electroencephalography (EEG) signals using the Hierarchical Bayesian estimation while 5 subjects did continuous arm reaching movements. From the estimated cortical activities, a sparse linear regression method selected only useful features in reconstructing the electromyography (EMG) signals and estimated the EMG signals of 9 arm muscles. Then, a modular artificial neural network was used to estimate four joint angles from the estimated EMG signals of 9 muscles: one for movement control and the other for posture control. The estimated joint angles using this method have the correlation coefficient (CC) of 0.807 (±0.10) and the normalized root-mean-square error (nRMSE) of 0.176 (±0.29) with the actual joint angles. PMID:24167469

Method and apparatus for multiple-projection, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scanning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feldmesser, Howard S. (Inventor); Magee, Thomas C. (Inventor); Charles, Jr., Harry K. (Inventor); Beck, Thomas J. (Inventor)

2007-01-01

Methods and apparatuses for advanced, multiple-projection, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning systems include combinations of a conical collimator; a high-resolution two-dimensional detector; a portable, power-capped, variable-exposure-time power supply; an exposure-time control element; calibration monitoring; a three-dimensional anti-scatter-grid; and a gantry-gantry base assembly that permits up to seven projection angles for overlapping beams. Such systems are capable of high precision bone structure measurements that can support three dimensional bone modeling and derivations of bone strength, risk of injury, and efficacy of countermeasures among other properties.

Impact of basic angle variations on the parallax zero point for a scanning astrometric satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butkevich, Alexey G.; Klioner, Sergei A.; Lindegren, Lennart; Hobbs, David; van Leeuwen, Floor

2017-07-01

Context. Determination of absolute parallaxes by means of a scanning astrometric satellite such as Hipparcos or Gaia relies on the short-term stability of the so-called basic angle between the two viewing directions. Uncalibrated variations of the basic angle may produce systematic errors in the computed parallaxes. Aims: We examine the coupling between a global parallax shift and specific variations of the basic angle, namely those related to the satellite attitude with respect to the Sun. Methods: The changes in observables produced by small perturbations of the basic angle, attitude, and parallaxes were calculated analytically. We then looked for a combination of perturbations that had no net effect on the observables. Results: In the approximation of infinitely small fields of view, it is shown that certain perturbations of the basic angle are observationally indistinguishable from a global shift of the parallaxes. If these kinds of perturbations exist, they cannot be calibrated from the astrometric observations but will produce a global parallax bias. Numerical simulations of the astrometric solution, using both direct and iterative methods, confirm this theoretical result. For a given amplitude of the basic angle perturbation, the parallax bias is smaller for a larger basic angle and a larger solar aspect angle. In both these respects Gaia has a more favourable geometry than Hipparcos. In the case of Gaia, internal metrology is used to monitor basic angle variations. Additionally, Gaia has the advantage of detecting numerous quasars, which can be used to verify the parallax zero point.

SU-F-BRE-16: VMAT Commissioning and Quality Assurance (QA) of An Elekta Synergy-STM Linac Using ICOM Test HarnessTM

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

Nguyen, A; Ironwood CRC, Phoenix, AZ; Rajaguru, P

2014-06-15

Purpose: To establish a set of tests based on the iCOM software that can be used to commission and perform periodic QA of VMAT delivery on the Elekta Synergy-S, commonly known as the Beam Modulator (BM). Methods: iCOM is used to create and deliver customized treatment fields to characterize the system in terms of 1) MLC positioning accuracy under static and dynamic delivery with full gantry rotation, 2) MLC positioning with known errors, 3) Maximum dose rate, 4) Maximum MLC speed, 5) Maximum gantry speed, 6) Synchronization: gantry speed versus dose rate, and 7) Synchronization: MLC speed versus dose rate.more » The resulting images were captured on the iView GT and exported in DICOM format to Dosimetry Check™ system for visual and quantitative analysis. For the initial commissioning phase, the system tests described should be supplemented with extensive patient QAs covering all clinically relevant treatment sites. Results: The system performance test suite showed that on our Synergy-S, MLC positioning was accurate under both static and dynamic deliveries. Intentional errors of 1 mm were also easily identified on both static and dynamic picket fence tests. Maximum dose rate was verified with stop watch to be consistently between 475-480 MU/min. Maximum gantry speed and MLC speed were 5.5 degree/s and 2.5 cm/s respectively. After accounting for beam flatness, both synchronization tests, gantry versus dose rate and MLC speed versus dose rate, were successful as the fields were uniform across the strips and there were no obvious cold/hot spots. Conclusion: VMAT commissioning and quality assurance should include machine characterization tests in addition to patient QAs. Elekta iCOM is a valuable tool for the design of customized VMAT field with specific MU, MLC leaf positions, dose rate, and indirect control of MLC and gantry speed at each of its control points.« less

Error reduction and parameter optimization of the TAPIR method for fast T1 mapping.

PubMed

Zaitsev, M; Steinhoff, S; Shah, N J

2003-06-01

A methodology is presented for the reduction of both systematic and random errors in T(1) determination using TAPIR, a Look-Locker-based fast T(1) mapping technique. The relations between various sequence parameters were carefully investigated in order to develop recipes for choosing optimal sequence parameters. Theoretical predictions for the optimal flip angle were verified experimentally. Inversion pulse imperfections were identified as the main source of systematic errors in T(1) determination with TAPIR. An effective remedy is demonstrated which includes extension of the measurement protocol to include a special sequence for mapping the inversion efficiency itself. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Image Processing Of Images From Peripheral-Artery Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, David L.; Tarbox, Lawrence R.; Cist, David B.; Faul, David D.

1988-06-01

A system is being developed to test the possibility of doing peripheral, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) with a single contrast injection using a moving gantry system. Given repositioning errors that occur between the mask and contrast-containing images, factors affecting the success of subtractions following image registration have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. For a 1 mm gantry displacement, parallax and geometric image distortion (pin-cushion) both give subtraction errors following registration that are approximately 25% of the error resulting from no registration. Image processing techniques improve the subtractions. The geometric distortion effect is reduced using a piece-wise, 8 parameter unwarping method. Plots of image similarity measures versus pixel shift are well behaved and well fit by a parabola, leading to the development of an iterative, automatic registration algorithm that uses parabolic prediction of the new minimum. The registration algorithm converges quickly (less than 1 second on a MicroVAX) and is relatively immune to the region of interest (ROI) selected.

Error begat error: design error analysis and prevention in social infrastructure projects.