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Sample records for medical accelerators rooms

  1. Discussion of feasibility to carry out intensity modulated radiation therapy in conventional medical electron linear accelerator treatment rooms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Haiyou; Liu Liping; Liang Yueqin; Zhang Liang; Yu Shui

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the feasibility about the shielding effect of conventional medical electron linear accelerator treatment in the existing rooms to carry out intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Methods: The estimation model given in NCRP REPORT No. 151- S tructural Shielding Design and Evaluation for Megavoltage X-and Gamma-Ray Radiotherapy Facilities i s adopted by linking instances, which presents the calculation methods on radiation level at the ambience of megavoltage medical electron linear accelerator treatment room. Results: The radiation level, as well as the additional annual effect dose of occupational and public at the ambience of accelerator treatment room, in crease to a certain extent, when conventional medical electron linear accelerator treatment room; are used to carry out IMRT. Conclusion: It is necessary to make environmental impact assessment for conventional medical electron linear accelerator treatment rooms, which will be used to execute IMRT. (authors)

  2. Occupational doses due to photoneutrons in medical linear accelerators rooms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soares, Alessandro Facure Neves de Salles

    2006-04-01

    Medical linear accelerators, with maximum photon energies above 10 MeV, are becoming of common use in Brazil. Although desirable in the therapeutic point of view, the increase in photon energies causes the generation of undesired neutrons, which are produced through nuclear reactions between photons and the high Z target nuclei of the materials that constitute the accelerator head. In this work, MCNP simulation was undertaken to examine the neutron equivalent doses around the accelerators head and at the entrance of medical linear accelerators treatment rooms, some of them licensed in Brazil by the National Regulatory Agency (CNEN). The simulated neutron dose equivalents varied between 2 e 26 μ Sv/Gy RX , and the results were compared with calculations performed with the use of some semi-empirical equations found in literature. It was found that the semi-empirical equations underestimate the simulated neutron doses in the majority of the cases, if compared to the simulated values, suggesting that these equations must be revised, due to the increasing number of high energy machines in the country. (author)

  3. Application of NCRP REPORT No.151 for evaluating the radiation level at the ambience of megavoltage medical electron linear accelerator treatment room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Haiyou; Yu Shui

    2011-01-01

    Objective: The estimation model,on radiation level at the ambience of medical electron linear accelerator treatment rooms, is derived on the basis of NCRP REPORT No.151, which presents the calculation model of shielding design about barrier thicknesses of megavoltage medical electron linear accelerator treatment rooms. Methods: The estimation model comes from NCRP REPORT No.151- S tructural Shielding Design and Evaluation for Megavoltage X-and Gamma-Ray Radiotherapy Facilities , which presents the calculation model of shielding design about megavoltage medical electron linear accelerator treatment rooms, and the dose rate at isocenter replaces the workload, and the occupancy factor and the use factor are forsaken, then the converse deduction is done according to barrier thicknesses of shielding materials. Ultimately, the estimation model, on radiation level at the ambience of medical electron linear accelerator treatment rooms, is derived. Results: It can be regarded as a systematic estimation model for calculating the radiation level at the ambience of medical electron linear accelerator treatment room. Conclusion: The estimation model has certain practical value to evaluate the radiation level at the ambience of medical electron linear accelerator treatment room. (authors)

  4. Personnel hazards from medical electron accelerator photoneutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCall, R.C.; Jenkins, T.M.; Shore, R.A.; LaRiviere, P.D.

    1979-12-01

    For medical accelerators, neutron penetration through the room entry door is the major personnel hazard. Most therapy accelerator rooms are designed with at least a rudimentary maze to avoid the use of massive doors. Often, however, the maze may be similar to those shown in scale outline drawings of some medical electron accelerator rooms where the authors have made neutron measurements outside the doors which were of different thicknesses and compositions. The results are tabulated. It should be noted that there can be significant dose equivalents (H) at the door when a maze is inadequate, and that all three components - fast neutron, thermal neutron, and neutron capture γ rays - can be equally important

  5. Practical high-density shielding materials for medical linear accelerator rooms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barish, R.J.

    1990-01-01

    High-energy linear accelerators are replacing lower energy units in radiation therapy centers. Radiation protection requirements necessitate expensive reconstruction of existing treatment rooms to accommodate these new machines. We describe two shielding materials: one made by embedding small pieces of scrap steel in cement, and the other made with cast iron in cement. Both materials produce high-density barriers at low cost using standard construction methods

  6. Some folded issues related to over-shielded and unplanned rooms for medical linear accelerators - A case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhammad, Wazir; Ullah, Asad; Hussain, Amjad; Ali, Nawab; Alam, Khan; Khan, Gulzar; Matiullah; Maeng, Seongjin; Lee, Sang Hoon

    2015-08-01

    A medical linear accelerator (LINAC) room must be properly shielded to limit the outside radiation exposure to an acceptable safe level defined by individual state and international regulations. However, along with this prime objective, some additional issues are also important. The current case-study was designed to unfold the issues related to over-shielded and unplanned treatment rooms for LINACs. In this connection, an apparently unplanned and over-shielded treatment room of 610 × 610 cm2 in size was compared with a properly designed treatment room of 762 × 762 cm2 in size ( i.e., by following the procedures and recommendations of the IAEA Safety Reports Series No. 47 and NCRP 151). Evaluation of the unplanned room indicated that it was over-shielded and that its size was not suitable for total body irradiation (TBI), although the license for such a treatment facility had been acquired for the installed machine. An overall 14.96% reduction in the total shielding volume ( i.e., concrete) for an optimally planned room as compared to a non-planned room was estimated. Furthermore, the inner room's dimensions were increased by 25%, in order to accommodate TBI patients. These results show that planning and design of the treatment rooms are imperative to avoid extra financial burden to the hospitals and to provide enough space for easy and safe handling of the patients. A spacious room is ideal for storing treatment accessories and facilitates TBI treatment.

  7. The neutron dose equivalent around high energy medical electron linear accelerators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Poje Marina

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The measurement of neutron dose equivalent was made in four dual energy linear accelerator rooms. Two of the rooms were reconstructed after decommissioning of 60Co units, so the main limitation was the space. The measurements were performed by a nuclear track etched detectors LR-115 associated with the converter (radiator that consist of 10B and with the active neutron detector Thermo BIOREM FHT 742. The detectors were set at several locations to evaluate the neutron ambient dose equivalent and/or neutron dose rate to which medical personnel could be exposed. Also, the neutron dose dependence on collimator aperture was analyzed. The obtained neutron dose rates outside the accelerator rooms were several times smaller than the neutron dose rates inside the accelerator rooms. Nevertheless, the measured neutron dose equivalent was not negligible from the aspect of the personal dosimetry with almost 2 mSv a year per person in the areas occupied by staff (conservative estimation. In rooms with 15 MV accelerators, the neutron exposure to the personnel was significantly lower than in the rooms having 18 MV accelerators installed. It was even more pronounced in the room reconstructed after the 60Co decommissioning. This study confirms that shielding from the neutron radiation should be considered when building vaults for high energy linear accelerators, especially when the space constraints exist.

  8. Occupational doses due to photoneutrons in medical linear accelerators rooms; Doses ocupacionais devido a neutrons em salas de aceleradores lineares de uso medico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soares, Alessandro Facure Neves de Salles

    2006-04-15

    Medical linear accelerators, with maximum photon energies above 10 MeV, are becoming of common use in Brazil. Although desirable in the therapeutic point of view, the increase in photon energies causes the generation of undesired neutrons, which are produced through nuclear reactions between photons and the high Z target nuclei of the materials that constitute the accelerator head. In this work, MCNP simulation was undertaken to examine the neutron equivalent doses around the accelerators head and at the entrance of medical linear accelerators treatment rooms, some of them licensed in Brazil by the National Regulatory Agency (CNEN). The simulated neutron dose equivalents varied between 2 e 26 {mu} Sv/Gy{sub RX}, and the results were compared with calculations performed with the use of some semi-empirical equations found in literature. It was found that the semi-empirical equations underestimate the simulated neutron doses in the majority of the cases, if compared to the simulated values, suggesting that these equations must be revised, due to the increasing number of high energy machines in the country. (author)

  9. Occupational dose due to neutrons in medical linear accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larcher, Ana M.; Bonet Duran, Stella M.; Lerner, Ana M.

    2000-01-01

    This paper describes a semi-empirical method to calculate the occupational dose due to neutrons and capture gamma rays in medical linear accelerators. It compares theoretical dose values with measurements performed in several 15 MeV medical accelerators installed in the country. Good agreement has been found between calculations made using the model and dose measurements, except for those accelerator rooms in which the maze length was shorter than the postulated tenth value distance. For those cases the model seems to overestimate neutron dose. The results demonstrate that the semi-empirical model is a good tool for quick and conservative shielding calculations for radiation protection purposes. Nevertheless, it is necessary to continue with the measurements in order to perform a more accurate validation of the model. (author)

  10. Medical Proton Accelerator Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Comsan, M.N.H.

    2008-01-01

    A project for a medical proton accelerator for cancer treatment is outlined. The project is motivated by the need for a precise modality for cancer curing especially in children. Proton therapy is known by its superior radiation and biological effectiveness as compared to photon or electron therapy. With 26 proton and 3 heavy-ion therapy complexes operating worldwide only one (p) exists in South Africa, and none in south Asia and the Middle East. The accelerator of choice should provide protons with energy 75 MeV for eye treatment and 250 MeV for body treatment. Four treatment rooms are suggested: two with isocentric gantries, one with fixed beams and one for development. Passive scanning is recommended. The project can serve Middle East and North Africa with ∼ 400 million populations. The annual capacity of the project is estimated as 1,100 to be compared with expected radiation cases eligible for proton cancer treatment of not less than 200,000

  11. Discussion on the optimization design on mazes of medical linear accelerator facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao Lei; Zhang Wenyi; Liu Baiqun; Hou Changsong; Zhao Lancai

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To discuss the differences on the design and evaluation between the L-type and Z-type mazes of typical medical electric linear accelerator. Methods: The study is conducted by choosing some typical medical electric linear accelerators used in China, further analyzing on the running conditions of the accelerators in the mode of MV-X-ray, and referring to the late NCRP Report 51 and other references. Results: The radiation levels at the access to therapy room are effectively reduced by Z-type mazes. Conclusions: The Z-type mazes are advisable during the optimization design. (authors)

  12. Accelerators for Medical Applications What is so Special?

    CERN Document Server

    Schippers, J.M.

    2016-01-01

    Specific requirements of accelerators for radiation therapy with protons or ions will be discussed. The focus will be on accelerator design, operational and formal aspects. We will discuss the special requirements to reach a high reliability for patient treatments as well as an accurate delivery of the dose at the correct position in the patient using modern techniques like pencil beam scanning. It will be shown that the requirements of the accelerated beam differ from those in a nuclear physics laboratory. The way of operating such a medical device requires not only operators, but also the possibility to have a safe machine operation by non accelerator specialists at different operating sites (treatment rooms). It will be shown that the organisation and role of the control/interlock system can be considered as being the most dedicated in a particle-therapy providing facility.

  13. Heavy ion medical accelerator, HIMAC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Satoru

    1993-01-01

    The heavy ion beam is undoutedly suitable for the cancer treatment. The supriority of the heavy ions over the conventional radiations including protons and neutrons comes mainly from physical characteristics of a heavy particle with multiple charges. A straggling angle due to a multiple Coulomb scattering process in a human body is small for heavy ions, and the small scattering angle results in a good dose localization in a transverse direction. An ionization ratio of the heavy ion beam makes a very sharp peak at the ends of their range. The height of the peak is higher for the heavier ions and shows excellent biomedical effects around Ne ions. In order to apply heavy ion beams to cancer treatment, Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) has been constructed at National Institute of Radiological Sciences. The accelerator complex consists of two ion sources, two successive linac tanks, a pair of synchrotron rings, a beam transport system and an irradiation system. An operation frequency is 100 MHz for two linacs, and the ion energy is 6.0 MeV/u at the output end of the linac. The other four experimental rooms are prepared for basic experiments. The synchrotron accelerates ions up to 800 MeV/u for a charge to mass ratio of 1/2. The long beam transport line provides two vertical beams in addition with two horizontal beams for the treatment. The three treatment rooms are prepared one of which is equipped with both horizontal and vertical beam lines. The whole facility will be open for all scientists who have interests in the heavy ion science as well as the biophysics. The conceptual design study of HIMAC started in 1984, and the construction of the accelerator complex was begun in March 1988. The beam acceleration tests of the injector system was successfully completed in March of this year, and tests of the whole system will be finished throughout this fyscal year. (author)

  14. Measurement of the radiation in the accelerator-therapy room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zutz, Hayo

    2013-01-01

    The measurement of the scattering radiation in the accelerator-therapy room of the PTB is described. The accelerators are commercial linear accelerators of the firm Elektra of the type ''Precise''. The measurements were performed by means of secondary-normal ionization chambers and a special measurement technique developed in the PTB both with and without the used beam. (HSI)

  15. Personnel hazards from medical electron accelerator photoneutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mcall, R.C.; Jenkins, T.M.; Shore, R.A.; LaRiviere, P.D.

    1980-01-01

    Medical electron accelerators operated in the photon mode produce significant amounts of photoneutrons at energies above 15 MeV. There can be definite radiation problems at doors of treatment rooms where operating consoles are often located. These problems are due in large part to inadequate maze design by physicists unaccustomed to shielding against neutrons. The radiation field at the door is an unusual combination of low energy neutrons, thermal neutrons and capture γ-rays from the concrete walls of the maze and the door itself. While this radiation field is dependent upon the actual construction details, these three components each contribute roughly one-third of the total dose equivalent. Reducing these high radiation levels presents a formidable problem. The neutrons can be absorbed by hydrogenous material which can be attached to the door, but the neutron capture γ-rays would require massive amounts of lead for the required attenuation. Both measurements and Monte Carlo calculations are presented to illustrate the problem. Some possible shielding solutions are presented for pre-existing treatment rooms, as well as design recommendations for new rooms. (H.K.)

  16. Advanced Accelerators for Medical Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uesaka, Mitsuru; Koyama, Kazuyoshi

    We review advanced accelerators for medical applications with respect to the following key technologies: (i) higher RF electron linear accelerator (hereafter “linac”); (ii) optimization of alignment for the proton linac, cyclotron and synchrotron; (iii) superconducting magnet; (iv) laser technology. Advanced accelerators for medical applications are categorized into two groups. The first group consists of compact medical linacs with high RF, cyclotrons and synchrotrons downsized by optimization of alignment and superconducting magnets. The second group comprises laser-based acceleration systems aimed of medical applications in the future. Laser plasma electron/ion accelerating systems for cancer therapy and laser dielectric accelerating systems for radiation biology are mentioned. Since the second group has important potential for a compact system, the current status of the established energy and intensity and of the required stability are given.

  17. Shielding design for the target room of the proton accelerator research center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Min, Y. S.; Lee, C. W.; Mun, K. J.; Nam, J.; Kim, J. Y.

    2010-01-01

    The Proton Engineering Frontier Project (PEFP) has been developing a 100-MeV proton linear accelerator. Also, PEFP has been designing the Proton Accelerator Research Center (PARC). In the Accelerator Tunnel and Beam Experiment Hall in PARC, 10 target rooms for the 20- and 100-MeV beamline facilities exist in the Beam Experiment Hall. For the 100-MeV target rooms during 100-MeV proton beam extraction, a number of high energy neutrons, ranging up to 100-MeV, are produced. Because of the high beam current and space limitations of each target room, the shielding design of each target room should be considered seriously. For the shielding design of the 100-MeV target rooms of the PEFP, a permanent and removable local shield structure was adopted. To optimize shielding performance, we evaluated four different shield materials (concrete, HDPE, lead, iron). From the shielding calculation results, we confirmed that the proposed shielding design made it possible to keep the dose rate below the 'as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA)' objective.

  18. A study on optimization of photoneutron shielding in a medical accelerator room by using Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yong Nam; Jeong, Kyoungkeun; Kim, Joo Young; Lee, Chang Geol; Seong, Jinsil; Choi, Sang Hyun; Kim, Chan Hyeong

    2008-01-01

    Medical linear accelerators operating above 10 MV require door shielding for neutrons in addition to photons. A criterion for choice of optimal configuration of lamination of BPE (Borated Polyethylene) and lead is not clear. Moreover, optimal configuration cannot be determined by the conventional method using an analytical formula and simple measurement. This study performs Monte Carlo simulation of radiation field in a commercial LINAC room with 15 MV X-ray sources. Considering two configuration of lamination such as 'lead-BPE' and 'lead-BPE-lead', dose equivalents are calculated by using the MCNPX code and comparative analyses are performed with each other. The obtained results show that there is no significant difference in neuron shielding between both configurations, whereas lead-BPE-lead is more effective for photon shielding. It is also noted that the absolute values of neutron doses are much greater than that of photon doses outside as well as inside the door, by three orders of magnitude. As a conclusion, the laminating of lead-BPE is suggested as the optimal configuration from the viewpoint of simplicity in fabrication and handling, even though it has no significant difference from lead-BPE-lead in terms of total dose equivalent. (author)

  19. Dedicated medical ion accelerator design study. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-12-01

    Results and conclusions are reported from a design study for a dedicated medical accelerator. Basing efforts on the current consensus regarding medical requirements, the resulting demands on accelerator and beam delivery systems were analyzed, and existing accelerator technology was reviewed to evaluate the feasibility of meeting these demands. This general analysis was augmented and verified by preparing detailed preliminary designs for sources of therapeutic beams of neutrons, protons and heavy ions. The study indicates that circular accelerators are the most desirable and economical solutions for such sources. Synchrotrons are clearly superior for beams of helium and heavier ions, while synchrotrons and cyclotrons seem equally well suited for protons although they have different strengths and weaknesses. Advanced techniques of beam delivery are of utmost importance in fully utilizing the advantages of particle beams. Several issues are invloved here. First, multi-treatment room arrangements are essential for making optimal use of the high dose rate capabilities of ion accelerators. The design of corresponding beam switching systems, the principles of which are already developed for physics experimental areas, pose no problems. Second, isocentric beam delivery substantially enhances flexibility of dose delivery. After several designs for such devices were completed, it was concluded that high field magnets are necessary to keep size, bulk and cost acceptable. Third, and most important, is the generation of large, homogeneous radiation fields. This is presently accomplished with the aid of scattering foils, occluding rings, collimators, ridge filters, and boluses. A novel approach, three-dimensional beam scanning, was developed here, and the most demanding components of such a system (fast-scanning magnet and power supply) were built and tested

  20. Accelerator development for medical applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanabe, Eiji

    2007-01-01

    Electron linear accelerators have been widely used in medical applications, especially in radiation therapy for cancer treatment. There are more than 7,000 medical electron linear accelerators in the world, treating over 250,000 patients per day. This paper reviews the current status of accelerator applications and technologies in radiation therapy, and presents the anticipated requirements for advanced radiation therapy technology in the foreseeable future. (author)

  1. Accelerator for medical applications and electron acceleration by laser plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosokai, Tomonao; Uesaka, Mitsuru

    2006-01-01

    In this article, the current status of radiation therapies in Japan and updated medical accelerators are reviewed. For medical use, there is a strong demand of a compact and flexible accelerator. At present, however, we have only two choices of the S-band linac with one or two rotation axis combined with the multi leaf collimator, or the X-band linac with a rather flexible robotic arm. In addition, the laser plasma cathode that is the second generation of the laser wake-field accelerator (LWFA) is studied as a high-quality electron source for medical use though it is still at the stage of the basic research. The potential of LWFA as medical accelerator near future is discussed based on updated results of laser plasma cathode experiment in Univ. of Tokyo. (author)

  2. Distribution of residual long-lived radioactivity in the inner concrete walls of a compact medical cyclotron vault room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujibuchi, Toshioh; Nohtomi, Akihiro; Baba, Shingo; Sasaki, Masayuki; Komiya, Isao; Umedzu, Yoshiyuki; Honda, Hiroshi

    2015-01-01

    Compact medical cyclotrons have been set up to generate the nuclides necessary for positron emission tomography. In accelerator facilities, neutrons activate the concrete used to construct the vault room; this activation increases with the use of an accelerator. The activation causes a substantial radioactive waste management problem when facilities are decommissioned. In the present study, several concrete cores from the walls, ceiling and floor of a compact medical cyclotron vault room were samples 2 years after the termination of operations, and the radioactivity concentrations of radionuclides were estimated. Cylindrical concrete cores 5 cm in diameter and 10 cm in length were bored from the concrete wall, ceiling and floor. Core boring was performed at 18 points. The gamma-ray spectrum of each sample was measured using a high-purity germanium detector. The degree of activation of the concrete in the cyclotron vault room was analyzed, and the range and tendency toward activation in the vault room were examined. (60)Co and (152)Eu were identified by gamma-ray spectrometry of the concrete samples. (152)Eu and (60)Co are produced principally from the stable isotopes of europium and cobalt by neutron capture reactions. The radioactivity concentration did not vary much between the surface of the concrete and at a depth of 10 cm. Although the radioactivity concentration near the target was higher than the clearance level for radioactive waste indicated in IAEA RS-G-1.7, the mean radioactivity concentration in the walls and floor was lower than the clearance level. The radioactivity concentration of the inner concrete wall of the medical cyclotron vault room was not uniform. The areas exceeding the clearance level were in the vicinity of the target, but most of the building did not exceed the clearance levels.

  3. Medical uses of accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradbury, J.N.

    1981-01-01

    A variety of particle accelerators have either potential or already demonstrated uses in connection with medically-related research, diagnosis, and treatment. For cancer radiotherapy, nuclear particles including protons, neutrons, heavy ions, and negative pi mesons have advantages compared to conventional radiations in terms of dose localization and/or biological effectiveness. Clinical evaluations of these particles are underway at a number of institutions. Accelerator-produced radionuclides are in widespread use for research and routine diagnostic purposes. Elemental analysis techniques with charged particles and neutrons are being applied to bone, blood, and other tissues. Finally, low-dose medical imaging can be accomplished with accelerated protons and heavy ions. The status and future of these programs are discussed

  4. Presentation of a semiempirical method for the calculation of doses due to neutrons and capture gamma rays inside high energy accelerators rooms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larcher, A.M.; Bonet Duran, S.M.

    1998-01-01

    Full text: Medical electron accelerators operating above 10 MeV produce radiation beams that are contaminated with neutrons. Therefore, shielding design for high energy accelerator rooms must consider the neutron component of the radiation field. In this paper a semiempirical method is presented to calculate doses due to neutrons and capture gamma rays inside the room and the maze. The calculation method is based on the knowledge of the neutron yield Q (neutrons/Gy of photons at isocenter) and the average energy of the primary beam of neutrons Eo (MeV). The method constitutes an appropriate tool for shielding facilities evaluation. The accuracy of the method has been contrasted with data obtained from the literature and an excellent correlation among the calculations and the measured values was achieved. In addition, the method has been used in the verification of experimental data corresponding to a 15 MeV linear accelerator installed in the country with similar results. (author) [es

  5. Application of accelerator in the medical aspects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Lisheng; Wang Bairong; Yang Zhongping

    2014-01-01

    In recent years, the human life span compared with before there is an obvious increase in. With the extension of life, cancer incidence is increasing, at the same time, the diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been the development of. Based on the review of the past and present situation of diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the accelerator and the future to introduce, divided into the accelerator treatment, cancer diagnosis, accelerator accelerator with radioactive isotopes, medical accelerator conditions and medical accelerator built five content. (authors)

  6. A versatile program for the calculation of linear accelerator room shielding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassan, Zeinab El-Taher; Farag, Nehad M; Elshemey, Wael M

    2018-03-22

    This work aims at designing a computer program to calculate the necessary amount of shielding for a given or proposed linear accelerator room design in radiotherapy. The program (Shield Calculation in Radiotherapy, SCR) has been developed using Microsoft Visual Basic. It applies the treatment room shielding calculations of NCRP report no. 151 to calculate proper shielding thicknesses for a given linear accelerator treatment room design. The program is composed of six main user-friendly interfaces. The first enables the user to upload their choice of treatment room design and to measure the distances required for shielding calculations. The second interface enables the user to calculate the primary barrier thickness in case of three-dimensional conventional radiotherapy (3D-CRT), intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and total body irradiation (TBI). The third interface calculates the required secondary barrier thickness due to both scattered and leakage radiation. The fourth and fifth interfaces provide a means to calculate the photon dose equivalent for low and high energy radiation, respectively, in door and maze areas. The sixth interface enables the user to calculate the skyshine radiation for photons and neutrons. The SCR program has been successfully validated, precisely reproducing all of the calculated examples presented in NCRP report no. 151 in a simple and fast manner. Moreover, it easily performed the same calculations for a test design that was also calculated manually, and produced the same results. The program includes a new and important feature that is the ability to calculate required treatment room thickness in case of IMRT and TBI. It is characterised by simplicity, precision, data saving, printing and retrieval, in addition to providing a means for uploading and testing any proposed treatment room shielding design. The SCR program provides comprehensive, simple, fast and accurate room shielding calculations in radiotherapy.

  7. Basis of medical accelerator. Synchrotron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawachi, Kiyomitsu

    2014-01-01

    On the synchrotron as a medical accelerator, this paper introduces the basic principle, basic techniques and the like. The accelerator, when synchrotron is adopted as an ion beam radiotherapy system, is the composite accelerator composed of ion sources, injector, and synchrotron. This paper introduces the overall structure of synchrotron, and conceptually explains the basic behavior of high-frequency waves and magnetic field of synchrotron, as well as the deflection electromagnet of medical synchrotron and the operation pattern of high-frequency acceleration system. The types of synchrotron can be classified to the function combination type and function separation type, and this paper introduces the features of each type and various types of synchrotrons. It also explains beam dynamics important for ensuring the stability of beams, with a focus on the coordinate system, vertical movement, and lateral movement. In addition, it explains the incidence and outgoing of beams that are important for properly operating the accelerator, with a focus on their techniques. (A.O.)

  8. Applications of Particle Accelerators in Medical Physics

    CERN Document Server

    Cuttone, G

    2008-01-01

    Particle accelerators are often associated to high energy or nuclear physics. As well pointed out in literature [1] if we kindly analyse the number of installation worldwide we can easily note that about 50% is mainly devoted to medical applications (radiotherapy, medical radioisotopes production, biomedical research). Particle accelerators are also playing an important indirect role considering the improvement of the technical features of medical diagnostic. In fact the use of radionuclide for advanced medical imaging is strongly increasing either in conventional radiography (CT and MRI) and also in nuclear medicine for Spect an PET imaging. In this paper role of particle accelerators for medical applications will be presented together with the main solutions applied.

  9. Special radiation protection aspects of medical accelerators

    CERN Document Server

    Silari, Marco

    2001-01-01

    Radiation protection aspects relevant to medical accelerators are discussed. An overview is first given of general safety requirements. Next. shielding and labyrinth design are discussed in some detail for the various types of accelerators, devoting more attention to hadron machines as they are far less conventional than electron linear accelerators. Some specific aspects related to patient protection are also addressed. Finally, induced radioactivity in accelerator components and shielding walls is briefly discussed. Three classes of machines are considered: (1) medical electron linacs for 'conventional' radiation therapy. (2) low energy cyclotrons for production of radionuclides mainly for medical diagnostics and (3) medium energy cyclotrons and synchrotrons for advanced radiation therapy with protons or light ion beams (hadron therapy). (51 refs).

  10. Compact accelerator for medical therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caporaso, George J.; Chen, Yu-Jiuan; Hawkins, Steven A.; Sampayan, Stephen E.; Paul, Arthur C.

    2010-05-04

    A compact accelerator system having an integrated particle generator-linear accelerator with a compact, small-scale construction capable of producing an energetic (.about.70-250 MeV) proton beam or other nuclei and transporting the beam direction to a medical therapy patient without the need for bending magnets or other hardware often required for remote beam transport. The integrated particle generator-accelerator is actuable as a unitary body on a support structure to enable scanning of a particle beam by direction actuation of the particle generator-accelerator.

  11. Neutrons from medical electron accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swanson, W.P.; McCall, R.C.

    1979-06-01

    The significant sources of photoneutrons within a linear-accelerator treatment head are identified and absolute estimates of neutron production per treatment dose are given for typical components. Measured data obtained at a variety of accelerator installations are presented and compared with these calculations. It is found that the high-Z materials within the treatment head do not significantly alter the neutron fluence, but do substantially reduce the average energy of the transmitted spectrum. Reflected neutrons from the concrete treatment room contribute to the neutron fluence, but not substantially to the patient integral dose, because of a further reduction in average energy. Absolute depth-dose distributions for realistic neutron spectra are calculated, and a rapid falloff with depth is found

  12. High energy medical accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mandrillon, P.

    1990-01-01

    The treatment of tumours with charged particles, ranging from protons to 'light ions' (carbon, oxygen, neon), has many advantages, but up to now has been little used because of the absence of facilities. After the successful pioneering work carried out with accelerators built for physics research, machines dedicated to this new radiotherapy are planned or already in construction. These high energy medical accelerators are presented in this paper. (author) 15 refs.; 14 figs.; 8 tabs

  13. Research on cw electron accelerators using room-temperature rf structures: Annual report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-01-01

    This joint NBS-Los Alamos project of ''Research on CW Electron Accelerators Using Room-Temperature RF Structures'' began seven years ago with the goal of developing a technology base for cw electron accelerators. In this report we describe our progress during FY 1986 and present our plans for completion of the project. First, however, it is appropriate to review the past contributions of the project, describe its status, and indicate its future benefits

  14. Neutron radiation from medical electron accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCall, R.C.

    1983-01-01

    A method is described using simple gold foils and relatively inexpensive moderators to measure neutron fluences, both fast nd thermal, which then can be converted to dose equivalent using a few simple formulas. The method is sensitive, easy to calibrate, and should work at most accelerators regardless of energy or room geometry

  15. SU-E-T-270: Optimized Shielding Calculations for Medical Linear Accelerators (LINACs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhammad, W; Lee, S; Hussain, A

    2012-06-01

    The purpose of radiation shielding is to reduce the effective equivalent dose from a medical linear accelerator (LINAC) to a point outside the room to a level determined by individual state/international regulations. The study was performed to design LINAC's room for newly planned radiotherapy centers. Optimized shielding calculations were performed for LINACs having maximum photon energy of 20 MV based on NCRP 151. The maximum permissible dose limits were kept 0.04 mSv/week and 0.002 mSv/week for controlled and uncontrolled areas respectively by following ALARA principle. The planned LINAC's room was compared to the already constructed (non-optimized) LINAC's room to evaluate the shielding costs and the other facilities those are directly related to the room design. In the evaluation process it was noted that the non-optimized room size (i.e., 610 × 610 cm 2 or 20 feet × 20 feet) is not suitable for total body irradiation (TBI) although the machine installed inside was having not only the facility of TBI but the license was acquired. By keeping this point in view, the optimized INAC's room size was kept 762 × 762 cm 2. Although, the area of the optimized rooms was greater than the non-planned room (i.e., 762 × 762 cm 2 instead of 610 × 610 cm 2), the shielding cost for the optimized LINAC's rooms was reduced by 15%. When optimized shielding calculations were re-performed for non-optimized shielding room (i.e., keeping room size, occupancy factors, workload etc. same), it was found that the shielding cost may be lower to 41 %. In conclusion, non- optimized LINAC's room can not only put extra financial burden on the hospital but also can cause of some serious issues related to providing health care facilities for patients. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  16. Simulation of a medical linear accelerator for teaching purposes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Rhys; Lamey, Michael; MacPherson, Miller; Carlone, Marco

    2015-05-08

    Simulation software for medical linear accelerators that can be used in a teaching environment was developed. The components of linear accelerators were modeled to first order accuracy using analytical expressions taken from the literature. The expressions used constants that were empirically set such that realistic response could be expected. These expressions were programmed in a MATLAB environment with a graphical user interface in order to produce an environment similar to that of linear accelerator service mode. The program was evaluated in a systematic fashion, where parameters affecting the clinical properties of medical linear accelerator beams were adjusted independently, and the effects on beam energy and dose rate recorded. These results confirmed that beam tuning adjustments could be simulated in a simple environment. Further, adjustment of service parameters over a large range was possible, and this allows the demonstration of linear accelerator physics in an environment accessible to both medical physicists and linear accelerator service engineers. In conclusion, a software tool, named SIMAC, was developed to improve the teaching of linear accelerator physics in a simulated environment. SIMAC performed in a similar manner to medical linear accelerators. The authors hope that this tool will be valuable as a teaching tool for medical physicists and linear accelerator service engineers.

  17. Applications of Particle Accelerators in Medical Physics

    OpenAIRE

    Cuttone, G

    2008-01-01

    Particle accelerators are often associated to high energy or nuclear physics. As well pointed out in literature [1] if we kindly analyse the number of installation worldwide we can easily note that about 50% is mainly devoted to medical applications (radiotherapy, medical radioisotopes production, biomedical research). Particle accelerators are also playing an important indirect role considering the improvement of the technical features of medical diagnostic. In fact the use of radionuclide f...

  18. [Technical Gap of Chinese Medical Accelerator and Its Development Path].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Xinzhi

    2017-11-30

    With the reform and opening up the tide through nearly four decades of development, our medical accelerator business isfacing new era demands now, in this new historical opportunity in front of the younger generation of medical accelerator staff must assume the older generation of scientific research personnel are different of the historical responsibility. Based on the development of the predecessors, we try to analyze the current situation of the domestic accelerator, establish the new development ideas of the domestic medical accelerator, and directly face and solve the dilemma facing the development of the domestic accelerator.

  19. RF linear accelerators for medical and industrial applications

    CERN Document Server

    Hanna, Samy

    2012-01-01

    This unique resource offers you a clear overview of medical and industrial accelerators. Using minimal mathematics, this book focuses on offering thorough explanations of basic concepts surrounding the operation of accelerators. you find well illustrated discussions designed to help you use accelerator-based systems in a safer, more productive, and more reliable manner.This practical book details the manufacturing process for producing accelerators for medical and industrial applications. You become knowledgeable about the commonly encountered real-world manufacturing issues and potential sources of defects which help you avoid costly production problems. From principles of operation and the role of accelerators in cancer radiation therapy, to manufacturing techniques and future trends in accelerator design and applications, this easy-to-comprehend volume quickly brings you up-to-speed with the critical concepts you need to understand for your work in the field.

  20. Operation of medical accelerator PATRO at Hyogo Ion Beam Medical Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itano, A.; Akagi, T.; Higashi, A.; Fukushima, S.; Fujita, A.; Honda, Y.; Isa, H.; Nishikigouri, K.

    2004-01-01

    PATRO (Particle Accelerator for Therapy, Radiology and Oncology) is a medical accelerator facility for hadrontherapy of cancer at Hyogo Ion Beam Medical Center (HIBMC). Beam particles are proton (230 MeV) and carbon (320 MeV/u). After the beam commissioning and the tuning of irradiation system in 2000, we performed the clinical trials with proton and carbon beams from May 2001 until July 2002. We operated the accelerator for about 11,000 hours since the beginning of the beam tuning until the end of the clinical trials and for about 5,000 hours during the clinical trials. No serious troubles happened during the clinical trials. The stability and the reproducibility of the beams were well proved. (author)

  1. Medical applications of accelerators

    CERN Document Server

    Rossi, Sandro

    1998-01-01

    At Present, about five thousands accelerators are devoted to biomedical applications. They are mainly used in radiotherapy, research and medical radioisotopes production. In this framework oncological hadron-therapy deserves particular attention since it represents a field in rapid evolution thanks to the joint efforts of laboratories with long experiences in particle physics. It is the case of CERN where the design of an optimised synchrotron for medical applications has been pursued. These lectures present these activities with particular attention to the new developments which are scientifically interesting and/or economically promising.

  2. Technical Note: A proposal of air ventilation system design criteria for a clinical room in a heavy-ion medical facility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kum, Oyeon

    2018-04-16

    An optimized air ventilation system design for a treatment room in Heavy-ion Medical Facility is an important issue in the aspects of nuclear safety because the activated air produced in a treatment room can directly affect the medical staff and the general public in the radiation-free area. Optimized design criteria of air ventilation system for a clinical room in 430 MeV/u carbon ion beam medical accelerator facility was performed by using a combination of MCNPX2.7.0 and CINDER'90 codes. Effective dose rate and its accumulated effective dose by inhalation and residual gamma were calculated for a normal treatment scenario (2 min irradiation for one fraction) as a function of decay time. Natural doses around the site were measured before construction and used as reference data. With no air ventilation system, the maximum effective dose rate was about 3 μSv/h (total dose of 90 mSv/y) and minimum 0.2 μSv/h (total dose of 6 mSv/y), which are over the legal limits for medical staff and for the general public. Although inhalation dose contribution was relatively small, it was considered seriously because of its long-lasting effects in the body. The integrated dose per year was 1.8 mSv/y in the radiation-free area with the 20-min rate of air ventilation system. An optimal air ventilation rate of 20 min is proposed for a clinical room, which also agrees with the best mechanical design value. © 2018 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  3. Neutron yield of medical electron accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCall, R.C.

    1988-01-01

    Shielding calculations for medical electron accelerators above about 10 MeV require some knowledge of the neutron emission from the machine. This knowledge might come from the manufacturer's specifications or from published measurements of the neutron leakage of that particular model and energy of accelerator. In principle, the yield can be calculated if details of the accelerator design are known. These details are often not available because the manufacturer considers them proprietary. A broader knowledge of neutron emission would be useful and it is the purpose of this paper to present such information

  4. Characteristics of induced activity from medical linear accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yizhen; Evans, Michael D.C.; Podgorsak, Ervin B.

    2005-01-01

    A study of the induced activity in a medical linear accelerator (linac) room was carried out on several linac installations. Higher beam energy, higher dose rate, and larger field size generally result in higher activation levels at a given point of interest, while the use of multileaf collimators (MLC) can also increase the activation level at the isocenter. Both theoretical and experimental studies reveal that the activation level in the morning before any clinical work increases from Monday to Saturday and then decreases during the weekend. This weekly activation picture keeps stable from one week to another during standard clinical operation of the linac. An effective half-life for a given point in the treatment room can be determined from the measured or calculated activity decay curves. The effective half-life for points inside the treatment field is longer than that for points outside of the field in the patient plane, while a larger field and longer irradiation time can also make the effective half-life longer. The activation level reaches its practical saturation value after a 30 min continuous irradiation, corresponding to 12 000 MU at a 'dose rate' of 400 MU/min. A 'dose' of 300 MU was given 20 times in 15 min intervals to determine the trends in the activation level in a typical clinical mode. As well, a long-term (85 h over a long weekend) decay curve was measured to evaluate the long-term decay of room activation after a typical day of clinical linac use. A mathematical model for the activation level at the isocenter has been established and shown to be useful in explaining and predicting the induced activity levels for typical clinical and experimental conditions. The activation level for a 22 MeV electron beam was also measured and the result shows it is essentially negligible

  5. Report of the Study Group on Medical Uses of Accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1978-01-01

    Medical uses of accelerators to raise the welfare of peoples are advancing rapidly due to the improvement of using technology. Under the situation, the Study Group on Medical Uses of Accelerators set up in the Science and Technology Agency has surveyed the status in Japan of radiation therapy of cancers and nuclear medicine with accelerators, and has studied on the future research and development in this field. The present report should contribute to the plans by the Government for the future. The results obtained by the study Group are described: the trends of medicine for the next ten years, especially the advances of cancer diagnosis and treatment and nuclear medicine; and medical radiation sources and the accelerators as their generators expected to be in practical utilization. As for the particles from accelerators used for medical purposes, there are fast neutrons, protons, helium particles, charged heavy particles, and π-mesons. For diagnosis and treatment, the radiation sources must be chosen according to the purposes, and their combination becomes necessary. (Mori, K.)

  6. Evaluation of accelerated stability test conditions for medicated chewing gums.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maggi, Lauretta; Conte, Ubaldo; Nhamias, Alain; Grenier, Pascal; Vergnault, Guy

    2013-10-01

    The overall stability of medicated chewing gums is investigated under different storage conditions. Active substances with different chemical stabilities in solid state are chosen as model drugs. The dosage form is a three layer tablet obtained by direct compression. The gum core contains the active ingredient while the external layers are formulated to prevent gum adhesion to the punches of the tableting machine. Two accelerated test conditions (40°C/75% RH and 30°C/65% RH) are performed for 6 months. Furthermore, a long-term stability test at room conditions is conducted to verify the predictability of the results obtained from the stress tests. Some drugs are stable in all the conditions tested, but other drugs, generally considered stable in solid dosage forms, have shown relevant stability problems particularly when stress test conditions are applied to this particular semi-solid dosage forms. For less stable drugs, the stress conditions of 40°C/75% RH are not always predictable of chewing gum stability at room temperature and may produce false negative; intermediate conditions, 30°C/65% RH, are more predictive for this purpose, the results of drug content found after 6 months at intermediate stress conditions and 12 months at room conditions are generally comparable. But the results obtained show that only long-term conditions stability tests gave consistent results. During aging, the semi solid nature of the gum base itself, may also influence the drug delivery rate during chewing and great attention should be given also to the dissolution stability.

  7. Occupational radiation protection around medical linear accelerators: measurements and semi-analytical approaches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donadille, L.; Derreumaux, S.; Mantione, J.; Robbes, I.; Trompier, F.; Amgarou, K.; Asselineau, B.; Martin, A.

    2008-01-01

    Full text: X-rays produced by high-energy (larger than 6 MeV) medical electron linear accelerators create secondary neutron radiation fields mainly by photonuclear reactions inside the materials of the accelerator head, the patient and the walls of the therapy room. Numerous papers were devoted to the study of neutron production in medical linear accelerators and resulting decay of activation products. However, data associated to doses delivered to workers in treatment conditions are scarce. In France, there are more than 350 external radiotherapy facilities representing almost all types of techniques and designs. IRSN carried out a measurement campaign in order to investigate the variation of the occupational dose according the different encountered situations. Six installations were investigated, associated with the main manufacturers (Varian, Elekta, General Electrics, Siemens), for several nominal energies, conventional and IMRT techniques, and bunker designs. Measurements were carried out separately for neutron and photon radiation fields, and for radiation associated with the decay of the activation products, by means of radiometers, tissue-equivalent proportional counters and spectrometers (neutron and photon spectrometry). They were performed at the positions occupied by the workers, i.e. outside the bunker during treatments, inside between treatments. Measurements have been compared to published data. In addition, semi-empirical analytical approaches recommended by international protocols were used to estimate doses inside and outside the bunkers. The results obtained by both approaches were compared and analysed. The annual occupational effective dose was estimated to about 1 mSv, including more than 50 % associated with the decay of activation products and less than 10 % due to direct exposure to leakage neutrons produced during treatments. (author)

  8. Stabilisation Evaluation of Medical Linear Accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nasukha

    1996-01-01

    Medical linear accelerator are widely used for cancer treatment in radiotherapy. Radiation beam stability of accelerators, Megatron 20 and 12 were evaluated for a month with RMI daily constancy tool. Un stability less than 3 % for 7,10,12,15,18 MeV of electron beam and photon beam 15MV of Megatron 20 and photon beam 12MV of Megatron 12. Electron beam of 5 MeV of Megatron 20 should be set to get better salability, especially its radiofrequency

  9. Medical heavy ion accelerator proposals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gough, R.A.

    1985-05-01

    For several decades, accelerators designed primarily for research in nuclear and high energy physics have been adapted for biomedical research including radiotherapeutic treatment of human diseases such as pituitary disorders, cancer, and more recently, arteriovascular malformations. The particles used in these treatments include pions, protons and heavier ions such as carbon, neon, silicon and argon. Maximum beam energies must be available to penetrate into an equivalent of about 30 cm of water, requiring treatment beams of 250 to 1000 MeV/nucleon. Certain special treatments of superficial melanoma, however, require that beam energies as low as 70 MeV/nucleon also be available. Intensities must be adequate to complete a 100 rad treatment fraction in about 1 minute. For most heavy ion treatments, this corresponds to 10 7 -10 9 ions/second at the patient. Because this research is best conducted in a dedicated, hospital-based facility, and because of the clinical need for ultra-high reliability, the construction of new and dedicated facilities has been proposed. Heavy ion accelerators can provide a variety of ions and energies, permitting treatment plans that exploit the properties of the ion best suited to each individual treatment, and that employ radioactive beams (such as 11 C and 19 Ne) to precisely confirm the dose localization. The favored technical approach in these proposals utilizes a conventional, strong-focusing synchrotron capable of fast switching between ions and energies, and servicing multiple treatment rooms. Specialized techniques for shaping the dose to conform to irregularly-shaped target volumes, while simultaneously sparing surrounding, healthy tissue and critical structures, are employed in each treatment room, together with the sophisticated dosimetry necessary for verification, monitoring, and patient safety. 3 refs., 8 figs

  10. A beam-matching concept for medical linear accelerators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sjöström, David; Bjelkengren, Ulf; Ottosson, Wiviann

    2009-01-01

    The flexibility in radiotherapy can be improved if a patient can be moved between any one of the department's medical linear accelerators without the need to change anything in the patient's treatment plan. For this to be possible, the dosimetric characteristics of the various accelerators must...

  11. Calibration and application of medical particle accelerators to space radiation experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryu, Kwangsun; Park, Miyoung; Chae, Jangsoo; Yoon, Sangpil; Shin, Dongho

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce radioisotope facilities and medical particle accelerators that can be applied to space radiation experiments and the experimental conditions required by the space radiation experiments. Space radiation experiments on the ground are critical in determining the lifetimes of satellites and in choosing or preparing the appropriate electrical parts to assure the designated mission lifetime. Before the completion of building the 100-MeV proton linear accelerator in Gyeongju, or even after the completion, the currently existing proton accelerators for medical purposes could suggest an alternative plan. We have performed experiments to calibrate medical proton beam accelerators to investigate whether the beam conditions are suitable for applications to space radiation experiments. Based on the calibration results, we propose reference beam operation conditions for space radiation experiments.

  12. Heavy ion medical accelerator in chiba

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirao, Y.; Ogawa, H.; Yamada, S.

    1992-12-01

    The HIMAC (Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba) construction project has been promoted by NIRS (National Institute of Radiological Sciences) as one of the projects of 'Comprehensive 10 year Strategy for Cancer Control' HIMAC is the first heavy-ion accelerator dedicated to medicine in the world, and its design parameters are based on the radiological requirements. It consists of two types of ion sources, an RFQ and an Alvarez linacs, dual synchrotron rings, high energy beam transport lines, and irradiation facilities for treatment and experiments. This report mainly describes the outline of the structure and performance of each HIMAC subsystem. (J.P.N.)

  13. High-performance control system for a heavy-ion medical accelerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lancaster, H.D.; Magyary, S.B.; Sah, R.C.

    1983-03-01

    A high performance control system is being designed as part of a heavy ion medical accelerator. The accelerator will be a synchrotron dedicated to clinical and other biomedical uses of heavy ions, and it will deliver fully stripped ions at energies up to 800 MeV/nucleon. A key element in the design of an accelerator which will operate in a hospital environment is to provide a high performance control system. This control system will provide accelerator modeling to facilitate changes in operating mode, provide automatic beam tuning to simplify accelerator operations, and provide diagnostics to enhance reliability. The control system being designed utilizes many microcomputers operating in parallel to collect and transmit data; complex numerical computations are performed by a powerful minicomputer. In order to provide the maximum operational flexibility, the Medical Accelerator control system will be capable of dealing with pulse-to-pulse changes in beam energy and ion species.

  14. High-performance control system for a heavy-ion medical accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lancaster, H.D.; Magyary, S.B.; Sah, R.C.

    1983-03-01

    A high performance control system is being designed as part of a heavy ion medical accelerator. The accelerator will be a synchrotron dedicated to clinical and other biomedical uses of heavy ions, and it will deliver fully stripped ions at energies up to 800 MeV/nucleon. A key element in the design of an accelerator which will operate in a hospital environment is to provide a high performance control system. This control system will provide accelerator modeling to facilitate changes in operating mode, provide automatic beam tuning to simplify accelerator operations, and provide diagnostics to enhance reliability. The control system being designed utilizes many microcomputers operating in parallel to collect and transmit data; complex numerical computations are performed by a powerful minicomputer. In order to provide the maximum operational flexibility, the Medical Accelerator control system will be capable of dealing with pulse-to-pulse changes in beam energy and ion species

  15. Building a Smooth Medical Service for Operating Room Using RFID Technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lun-Ping Hung

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to the information technology advancement, the feasibility for the establishment of mobile medical environments has been strengthened. Using RFID to facilitate the tracing of patients’ mobile position in hospital has attracted more attentions from researchers due to the demand on advanced features. Traditionally, the management of surgical treatment is generally manually operated and there is no consistent operating procedure for patients transferring among wards, surgery waiting rooms, operating rooms, and recovery rooms, resulting in panicky and urgent transferring work among departments and, thus, leading to delays and errors. In this paper, we propose a new framework using radio frequency identification (RFID technology for a mobilized surgical process monitoring system. Through the active tag, an application management system used before, during, and after the surgical processes has been proposed. The concept of signal level matrix, SLM, was proposed to accurately identify patients and dynamically track patients’ location. By updating patient’s information real-time, the preprocessing time needed for various tasks and incomplete transfers among departments can be reduced, the medical resources can be effectively used, unnecessary medical disputes can be reduced, and more comprehensive health care environment can be provided. The feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed system are demonstrated with a number of experimental results.

  16. Closed-loop approach for situation awareness of medical devices and operating room infrastructure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rockstroh Max

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, approaches for information and control integration in the digital operating room have emerged. A major step towards an intelligent operating room and a cooperative technical environment would be autonomous adaptation of medical devices and systems to the surgical workflow. The OR staff should be freed from information seeking and maintenance tasks. We propose a closed-loop concept integrating workflow monitoring, processing and (semi-automatic interaction to bridge the gap between OR integration of medical devices and workflow-related information management.

  17. [Design and Implementation of a Mobile Operating Room Information Management System Based on Electronic Medical Record].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Baozhen; Liu, Zhiguo; Wang, Xianwen

    2015-06-01

    A mobile operating room information management system with electronic medical record (EMR) is designed to improve work efficiency and to enhance the patient information sharing. In the operating room, this system acquires the information from various medical devices through the Client/Server (C/S) pattern, and automatically generates XML-based EMR. Outside the operating room, this system provides information access service by using the Browser/Server (B/S) pattern. Software test shows that this system can correctly collect medical information from equipment and clearly display the real-time waveform. By achieving surgery records with higher quality and sharing the information among mobile medical units, this system can effectively reduce doctors' workload and promote the information construction of the field hospital.

  18. Role of accelerator science and technology in medical science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uesaka, Mitsuru

    2006-01-01

    Updated status of compact and advanced-compact medical accelerator development is reviewed. In their applications, medical physics and medical physicist are necessary. Their educational programs have started in several universities and institutes. As one important new trend on life-science, the research on the synergy of DDS (Drug Delivery System) and physical energies are proposed. (author)

  19. Shielding calculation for treatment rooms of high energy linear accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elleithy, M.A.

    2006-01-01

    A review of German Institute of Standardization (DIN) scheme of the shielding calculation and the essential data required has been done for X-rays and electron beam in the energy range from 1 MeV to 50 MeV. Shielding calculation was done for primary and secondary radiations generated during X-ray operation of Linac. In addition, shielding was done against X-rays generated (Bremsstrahlung) by useful electron beams. The calculations also covered the neutrons generated from the interactions of useful X-rays (at energies above 8 MeV) with the surrounding. The present application involved the computation of shielding against the double scattered components of X-rays and neutrons in the maze area and the thickness of the paraffin wax of the room door. A new developed computer program was designed to assist shielding thickness calculations for a new Linac installation or in replacing an existing machine. The program used a combination of published tables and figures in computing the shielding thickness at different locations for all possible radiation situations. The DIN published data of 40 MeV accelerator room was compared with the program calculations. It was found that there is good agreement between both calculations. The developed program improved the accuracy and speed of calculation

  20. Moonshot Acceleration Factor: Medical Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sevick-Muraca, Eva M; Frank, Richard A; Giger, Maryellen L; Mulshine, James L

    2017-11-01

    Medical imaging is essential to screening, early diagnosis, and monitoring responses to cancer treatments and, when used with other diagnostics, provides guidance for clinicians in choosing the most effective patient management plan that maximizes survivorship and quality of life. At a gathering of agency officials, patient advocacy organizations, industry/professional stakeholder groups, and clinical/basic science academicians, recommendations were made on why and how one should build a "cancer knowledge network" that includes imaging. Steps to accelerate the translation and clinical adoption of cancer discoveries to meet the goals of the Cancer Moonshot include harnessing computational power and architectures, developing data sharing policies, and standardizing medical imaging and in vitro diagnostics. Cancer Res; 77(21); 5717-20. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  1. Industrial and medical applications of accelerators with energies less than 20 MeV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duggan, J.L.

    1983-01-01

    In this paper the medical and industrial application of small accelerators is reviewed. Most of the material is taken from the Seventh Conference on the Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry, which was held in Denton, Texas in November of 1982. The areas covered include medical linacs, cyclotron design and production of medical radioisotopes, radiation processing, ion implantation for the metallurgical and semiconductor industries, oil and mineral exploration, trace, surface and bulk analysis, and unique accelerators for all of the above applications

  2. The third person in the room: frequency, role, and influence of companions during primary care medical encounters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schilling, Lisa M; Scatena, Lisa; Steiner, John F; Albertson, Gail A; Lin, C T; Cyran, Lisa; Ware, Lindsay; Anderson, Robert J

    2002-08-01

    We wanted to characterize patient accompaniment to medical encounters and to explore the rationale and influence of the companion on the primary care medical encounter. This was a descriptive study. Academic general internal medicine physicians, patients, and patient companions participated. We measured the frequency of waiting and examination room companions, the reasons for accompaniment, the influence on the encounter, and the overall helpfulness of the companion as assessed by patients and companions. We also determined the physicianamprsquos assessment of the companionamprsquos influence, helpfulness, and behavior during the encounter. Companions were in the examination room for 16% of visits; 93% were family members. The rationales for waiting and examination room companions were to help with transportation, provide emotional support, and provide company. Examination room companions helped communicate concerns to the physician, remember the physicianamprsquos advice, make decisions, and communicate their own concerns to the physician. Patients believed that examination room companions influenced 75% of medical encounters, mainly by improving communication between physician and patient. Physicians agreed that examination room companions favorably influenced physician and patient understanding (60% and 46% of encounters, respectively). Patients indicated that waiting and examination room companions were very helpful for 71% and 83% of visits, respectively. Companions frequently accompany patients to their primary care medical encounters. They are often family members, and they assume important roles in enhancing patient and physician understanding.

  3. The application of accelerator for medical therapy in Indonesia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yunasfi; Mudjiono; Irwati, Dwi; Hanifa

    2003-01-01

    The study of the application of accelerator for medical therapy in Indonesia was carried out. Accelerator that used for therapy is an electron lintier accelerator (Linac) which can radiate electron beam and X-ray. This study shows that there are 8 unit of Linac distributed at 6 big hospitals in Indonesia, especially in Jakarta. This study also shows that radiotherapy facilities in Indonesia is un sufficient of. Therefore, providing radiotherapy facilities for hospitals, especially the big hospitals in Indonesia is necessary

  4. On isocentre adjustment and quality control in linear accelerator based radiosurgery with circular collimators and room lasers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Treuer, H. [Department of Stereotaxy and Functional Neurosurgery, University of Cologne, Cologne (Germany). E-mail: h.treuer at uni-koeln.de; Hoevels, M.; Luyken, K.; Gierich, A.; Sturm, V. [Department of Stereotaxy and Functional Neurosurgery, University of Cologne, Cologne (Germany); Kocher, M.; Mueller, R.-P. [Department of Radiotherapy, University of Cologne, Cologne (Germany)

    2000-08-01

    We have developed a densitometric method for measuring the isocentric accuracy and the accuracy of marking the isocentre position for linear accelerator based radiosurgery with circular collimators and room lasers. Isocentric shots are used to determine the accuracy of marking the isocentre position with room lasers and star shots are used to determine the wobble of the gantry and table rotation movement, the effect of gantry sag, the stereotactic collimator alignment, and the minimal distance between gantry and table rotation axes. Since the method is based on densitometric measurements, beam spot stability is implicitly tested. The method developed is also suitable for quality assurance and has proved to be useful in optimizing isocentric accuracy. The method is simple to perform and only requires a film box and film scanner for instrumentation. Thus, the method has the potential to become widely available and may therefore be useful in standardizing the description of linear accelerator based radiosurgical systems. (author)

  5. On isocentre adjustment and quality control in linear accelerator based radiosurgery with circular collimators and room lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Treuer, H.; Kocher, M.; Mueller, R.-P.

    2000-01-01

    We have developed a densitometric method for measuring the isocentric accuracy and the accuracy of marking the isocentre position for linear accelerator based radiosurgery with circular collimators and room lasers. Isocentric shots are used to determine the accuracy of marking the isocentre position with room lasers and star shots are used to determine the wobble of the gantry and table rotation movement, the effect of gantry sag, the stereotactic collimator alignment, and the minimal distance between gantry and table rotation axes. Since the method is based on densitometric measurements, beam spot stability is implicitly tested. The method developed is also suitable for quality assurance and has proved to be useful in optimizing isocentric accuracy. The method is simple to perform and only requires a film box and film scanner for instrumentation. Thus, the method has the potential to become widely available and may therefore be useful in standardizing the description of linear accelerator based radiosurgical systems. (author)

  6. High-quality laser-accelerated ion beams for medical applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harman, Zoltan; Keitel, Christoph H. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Salamin, Yousef I. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); American University of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)

    2009-07-01

    Cancer radiation therapy requires accelerated ion beams of high energy sharpness and a narrow spatial profile. As shown recently, linearly and radially polarized, tightly focused and thus extremely strong laser beams should permit the direct acceleration of light atomic nuclei up to energies that may offer the potentiality for medical applications. Radially polarized beams have better emittance than their linearly polarized counterparts. We put forward the direct laser acceleration of ions, once the refocusing of ion beams by external fields is solved or radially polarized laser pulses of sufficient power can be generated.

  7. A review of ion sources for medical accelerators (invited)a)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muramatsu, M.; Kitagawa, A.

    2012-02-01

    There are two major medical applications of ion accelerators. One is a production of short-lived isotopes for radionuclide imaging with positron emission tomography and single photon emission computer tomography. Generally, a combination of a source for negative ions (usually H- and/or D-) and a cyclotron is used; this system is well established and distributed over the world. Other important medical application is charged-particle radiotherapy, where the accelerated ion beam itself is being used for patient treatment. Two distinctly different methods are being applied: either with protons or with heavy-ions (mostly carbon ions). Proton radiotherapy for deep-seated tumors has become widespread since the 1990s. The energy and intensity are typically over 200 MeV and several 1010 pps, respectively. Cyclotrons as well as synchrotrons are utilized. The ion source for the cyclotron is generally similar to the type for production of radioisotopes. For a synchrotron, one applies a positive ion source in combination with an injector linac. Carbon ion radiotherapy awakens a worldwide interest. About 6000 cancer patients have already been treated with carbon beams from the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan. These clinical results have clearly verified the advantages of carbon ions. Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center and Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center have been successfully launched. Several new facilities are under commissioning or construction. The beam energy is adjusted to the depth of tumors. It is usually between 140 and 430 MeV/u. Although the beam intensity depends on the irradiation method, it is typically several 108 or 109 pps. Synchrotrons are only utilized for carbon ion radiotherapy. An ECR ion source supplies multi-charged carbon ions for this requirement. Some other medical applications with ion beams attract developer's interests. For example, the several types of accelerators are under

  8. Current heavy particle medical accelerator programs in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawachi, K.

    1987-01-01

    The first clinical trial of proton radiotherapy in Japan started at National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in 1979. The proton which is provided from the NIRS medical cyclotron, has an energy of 70 MeV, and has been used for only superficial or short range tumor therapy. Recently, the cyclotron has been raised the energy up to 90 MeV and a vertical treatment line of protons has been completed in the basement of the cyclotron building. In 1983, Particle Radiation Medical Science Center (PARMS) of the University of Tsukuba started to treat patients with 250 MeV proton beam. The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (IPCR) has a plan to construct a heavy ion biomedical irradiation facility in the Ring (Separate Sector) Cyclotron building. The facility will be completed in 1989 and will be used for proton and helium ion therapy. Recently, several hospitals have proposed to construct the dedicated proton therapy facilities. The National Cancer Center of Japan, and the PARMS of the University of Tsukuba have taken active parts in such projects. At present time, there is a step to make a decision of the type of accelerators. Another program is a construction of the NIRS Heavy Particle Medical Accelerator which is possible to provide Helium to Argon ions for therapy. The paper describes the accelerators for proton therapy and for heavy ion therapy in some detail

  9. Control room lay-out

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toma, Violeta

    2004-01-01

    TRIUMF (Tri-University Meson Facility) is Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics. There are 6 accelerators and 3 Control Rooms at TRIUMF. The main control room serves the big cyclotron, the 500 MeV, and the adjacent experiment. The 42 MeV and two 32 MeV ones are production dedicated. These cyclotrons belong to a private company but are operated by TRIUMF staff from ATG (Applied Technology Group) Control Room. The last is ISAC (Isotope Acceleration and Separation) Control Room, from which the LINAC is controlled. Research areas cover theoretical (2 subjects), pure (5 subjects) and applied (8 subjects) physics. In the early '70s, as the 500 MeV was being completed, the first Control Room was built in the main accelerator building. The recent topics covered by this paper are proton and pion therapy, what are the operator's duties?, the CP42, TR30 and TR13 cyclotron control rooms, the ISAC control systems including control room modification. Due to the nature of an operator's job, the Control Room layout is pretty important. This is true for any work environment, but when working shifts it becomes essential. Lots of time and effort, not to mention money, were spent to figure out the optimum configuration. It seems to me that the key factor in the control room layout is versatility, and this is because it has to keep happy a group of people with different inclinations, which have a tendency to become quite moody after the second night shift. No matter what, there will still be unhappy people, but we are trying our best. (Y. Tanaka)

  10. If additional shielding required for the linear accelerator room when modern treatment techniques are intensively used

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, Albert V.; Atkocius, Vydmantas; Aleknavicius, Eduardas

    2001-01-01

    Full text: Introduction - When the new linear accelerator is to be installed in radiotherapy department the responsible personnel should perform necessary estimations and calculations of the protective barriers for the accelerator treatment room. These methods are described in details in literature. However, if modern treatment techniques are planned to be intensively used on this machine, additional concern rises regarding adequacy of these calculations. The new Saturne-43 linear accelerator with three photon energies of 8, 15 and 25 MV recently installed at our department was, planned to be used for conventional treatment techniques as well as for conformal and total body treatments. The method of conformal therapy generally employs more small fields per one treated patient than conventional techniques. It leads to the use of more linear accelerator monitor units for the average treatment. It was estimated that 'beam on' time of an accelerator to deliver the same dose to the tumor is up to 3 times more than for conventional methods. The total body technique contribute to the extra time on of an accelerator because of extended distance to the dose prescription point. Altogether intensive clinical use of these modern techniques will noticeably increase 'beam on' time of an accelerator and rise question regarding validity of the traditionally calculated shielding of the treatment room. Materials and methods - IAEA-TECDOC-1040 and NCRP Report No 49 suggest considering three main components incident on the protective barriers: direct radiation, scatter radiation and leakage radiation. The formulas for these components are similar and dose equivalent limits are proportional to the workload. For the conventional treatments workloads of direct, scattered and leakage radiation are equal and calculated by the division of total prescribed dose (for all treated per week patients) to the machine isocenter to average tissue maximum ratio. These workloads for conformal and TBI

  11. An injector system of a NDZ-20 medical electron linear accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Houwen; Lai Qiji; Zhu Yizhang; Yang Fangxin

    1987-01-01

    The structure and characteristic of an injector system of a NDZ-20 medical electron linear accelerator are described. A bombarded type of Pierce electron gun is used. There are pre-focusing coil, deflecting coil, steering coil and beam pulse lead cutting coil in drift tube region. They control electron beam efficiently for ARC, ADC and BLC of the accelerator. ARC and ADC can increase stability and reliability of the accelerator operation, and BLC improves energy spectrum of the back feed accelerator

  12. Design and construction of the clean room for proton beam accelerator assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, J. S.; Song, I. T.

    2000-09-01

    The objective of this report is to design, construction and evaluation of clean room for proton beam accelerator assembly. The design conditions o Class : 1,000(1,000 ea ft 3 ), o Flow Rate : 200 m 3 /h m 2 , o Temperature : 22 deg C±2, o Humidity : 55%±5. The main design results are summarized as follows: o Air-handling unit : Cooling Capacity : 13,500 kcal/h, Heating Capacity : 10,300 kcal/h, Humidity Capacity : 4 kg/h, Flow Rate : 150 CMM o Air Shower : Flow Rate : 35 CMM, Size : 1500 x 1000 x 2200, Material : In-steel, Out-SUS304, Filter : PRE + HEPA, AIR Velocity : 25 m/s o Relief Damper : Size : Φ250, Casing : SS41, Blade : AL, Shaft : SUS304, Weight Ring : SS41, Grill : AL o HEPA Filter Box : Filter Box Size : 670 x 670 x 630, Filter Size : 610 x 610 x 150, Frame: Poly Wood, Media : Glass Fiber, Filter Efficiency : 0.3μm, 99.97%, Separator : AL, Flow Rate : 17 CMM, Damper Size : Φ300 Following this report will be used important data for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the clean room, for high precision apparatus assembly laboratory

  13. Environmental impact assessment methods of the radiation generated by the runing medical linear accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin haihua; Yao Zhigang

    2014-01-01

    This article describes the environmental impact assessment methods of the radiation generated by the runing. medical linear accelerator. The material and thickness of shielding wall and protective doors of the linear accelerator were already knew, therefore we can evaluate the radiation by the runing. medical linear accelerator whether or not in the normal range of national standard by calculating the annual effective radiation dose of the surrounding personnel suffered. (authors)

  14. Determination Of The QUART Ion Chamber Stability By Using Medical Linear Accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nasukha.

    1990-01-01

    The Quality Assurance Radiation Therapy (QUART) ion chamber was designed for quality assurance measurements of the medical linear accelerator at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Westmead Hospital in Sydney-Australia. The ion chamber has been calibrated by using the 6 MV medical linear accelerator against the farmer dosimeter. The Medical Physics Department Protocol, Westmead Hospital, Sydney (Australia) was used to check the stability of QUART ion chamber by determination of calibration factor for a period of time. It was found that the stability of the seven chambers were less than 2% for more than 125 days. (author). 4 refs, 7 figs

  15. Variables influencing medical student learning in the operating room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwind, Cathy J; Boehler, Margaret L; Rogers, David A; Williams, Reed G; Dunnington, Gary; Folse, Roland; Markwell, Stephen J

    2004-02-01

    The operating room (OR) is an important venue where surgeons do much of medical student teaching and yet there has been little work evaluating variables that influence learning in this unique environment. We designed this study to identify variables that affected medical student learning in the OR. We developed a questionnaire based on surgery faculty observations of learning in the OR. The medical students completed the questionnaire on 114 learning episodes in the OR. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to establish the strength of association between various variables and the student's overall perception of learning. The students evaluated 27 variables that might impact their learning in the OR. Strong correlations were identified between the attending physician's attitude, interactions and teaching ability in the OR and the environment being conducive to learning. Surgical faculty behavior is a powerful determinant of student perceptions of what provides for a favorable learning environment in the OR.

  16. Engineering Prototype for a Compact Medical Dielectric Wall Accelerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zografos, Anthony; Hening, Andy; Joshkin, Vladimir; Leung, Kevin; Pearson, Dave; Pearce-Percy, Henry; Rougieri, Mario; Parker, Yoko; Weir, John [CPAC, Livermore, CA (United States); Blackfield, Donald; Chen, Yu-Jiuan; Falabella, Steven; Guethlein, Gary; Poole, Brian [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Hamm, Robert W. [R and M Technical Enterprises, Pleasanton, CA (United States); Becker, Reinard [Scientific Software Service, Gelnhausen (Germany)

    2011-12-13

    A compact accelerator system architecture based on the dielectric wall accelerator (DWA) for medical proton beam therapy has been developed by the Compact Particle Acceleration Corporation (CPAC). The major subsystems are a Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) injector linac, a pulsed kicker to select the desired proton bunches, and a DWA linear accelerator incorporating a high gradient insulator (HGI) with stacked Blumleins to produce the required acceleration energy. The Blumleins are switched with solid state laser-driven optical switches integrated into the Blumlein assemblies. Other subsystems include a high power pulsed laser, fiber optic distribution system, electrical charging system, and beam diagnostics. An engineering prototype has been constructed and characterized, and these results will be used within the next three years to develop an extremely compact 150 MeV system capable of modulating energy, beam current, and spot size on a shot-to-shot basis. This paper presents the details the engineering prototype, experimental results, and commercialization plans.

  17. Engineering Prototype for a Compact Medical Dielectric Wall Accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zografos, Anthony; Hening, Andy; Joshkin, Vladimir; Leung, Kevin; Pearson, Dave; Pearce-Percy, Henry; Rougieri, Mario; Parker, Yoko; Weir, John; Blackfield, Donald; Chen, Yu-Jiuan; Falabella, Steven; Guethlein, Gary; Poole, Brian; Hamm, Robert W.; Becker, Reinard

    2011-01-01

    A compact accelerator system architecture based on the dielectric wall accelerator (DWA) for medical proton beam therapy has been developed by the Compact Particle Acceleration Corporation (CPAC). The major subsystems are a Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) injector linac, a pulsed kicker to select the desired proton bunches, and a DWA linear accelerator incorporating a high gradient insulator (HGI) with stacked Blumleins to produce the required acceleration energy. The Blumleins are switched with solid state laser-driven optical switches integrated into the Blumlein assemblies. Other subsystems include a high power pulsed laser, fiber optic distribution system, electrical charging system, and beam diagnostics. An engineering prototype has been constructed and characterized, and these results will be used within the next three years to develop an extremely compact 150 MeV system capable of modulating energy, beam current, and spot size on a shot-to-shot basis. This paper presents the details the engineering prototype, experimental results, and commercialization plans.

  18. The final technical report of the CRADA, 'Medical Accelerator Technology'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, W.T.; Rawls, J.M.

    2000-01-01

    Under this CRADA, Berkeley Lab and the industry partner, General Atomics (GA), have cooperatively developed hadron therapy technologies for commercialization. Specifically, Berkeley Lab and GA jointly developed beam transport systems to bring the extracted protons from the accelerator to the treatment rooms, rotating gantries to aim the treatment beams precisely into patients from any angle, and patient positioners to align the patient accurately relative to the treatment beams. We have also jointly developed a patient treatment delivery system that controls the radiation doses in the patient, and hardware to improve the accelerator performances, including a radio-frequency ion source and its low-energy beam transport (LEBT) system. This project facilitated the commercialization of the DOE-developed technologies in hadron therapy by the private sector in order to improve the quality of life of the nation

  19. Remanent radiation fields around medical linear accelerators due to the induced radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabol, J.; Khalifa, O.; Berka, Z.; Stankus, P.; Frencl, L.

    1998-01-01

    Radiation fields around two linear accelerators, Saturn 43 and a Saturn 2 Plus, installed at radiotherapy department is Prague, were measured and interpreted. The measurements included the determination of the dose equivalent rate resulting from photons emitted by induced radionuclides produced in reactions of high-energy photons with certain elements present in air and accelerator components as well as in the shielding and building materials in the treatment rooms, which are irradiated by high-energy X-rays, and due to radionuclides formed by capture of photoneutrons. While scattered photons and photoneutrons are only present during the accelerator operation, residual radioactivity creates a remanent radiation field persisting for some time after the instrument shutdown. The activity induced in the accessories is also an important source of exposure. (P.A.)

  20. A proton medical accelerator by the SBIR route - an example of technology transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, R.L.

    1989-01-01

    Medical facilities for radiation treatment of cancer with protons have been established in many laboratories throughout the world. Essentially all of these have been designed as physics facilities, however, because of the requirement for protons up to 250 MeV. Most of the experience on this branch of accelerator technology lies in the national laboratories and a few large universities. A major issue is the transfer of this technology to the commercial sector to provide hospitals with simple, reliable, and relatively inexpensive accelerators for this application. The author has chosen the SBIR route to accomplish this goal. ACCTEK Associates has received grants from the National Cancer Institute for development of the medical accelerator and beam delivery systems. Considerable encouragement and help has been received from Argonne National Laboratory and the Department of Energy. The experiences to date and the pros and cons on this approach to commercializing medical accelerators are described. (orig.)

  1. A proton medical accelerator by the SBIR route: An example of technology transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, R.L.

    1988-01-01

    Medical facilities for radiation treatment of cancer with protons have been established in many laboratories throughout the world. Essentially all of these have been designed as physics facilities, however, because of the requirement for protons up to 250 MeV. Most of the experience in this branch of accelerator technology lies in the national laboratories and a few large universities. A major issue is the transfer of this technology to the commercial sector to provide hospitals with simple, reliable, and relatively inexpensive accelerators for this application. The author has chosen the SBIR route to accomplish this goal. ACCTEK Associates have received grants from the National Cancer Institute for development of the medical accelerator and beam delivery systems. Considerable encouragement and help has been received from Argonne National Laboratory and the Department of Energy. The experiences to date and the pros and cons on this approach to commercializing medical accelerators are described. 4 refs., 1 fig

  2. Proposed medical applications of the National Accelerator Centre facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, D.T.L.

    1982-01-01

    The National Accelerator Centre is at present under construction at Faure, near Cape Town. The complex will house a 200 MeV separated-sector cyclotron which will provide high quality beams for nuclear physics and related diciplines as well as high intensity beams for medical use. The medical aspects catered for will include particle radiotherapy, isotope production and possibly proton radiography. A 30-bed hospital is to be constructed on the site. Building operations are well advanced and the medical facilities should be available for use by the end of 1984

  3. Developing a clinical proton accelerator facility: Consortium-assisted technology transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slater, J.M.; Miller, D.W.; Slater, J.W.

    1991-01-01

    A hospital-based proton accelerator facility has emerged from the efforts of a consortium of physicists, engineers and physicians from several high-energy physics laboratories, industries and universities, working together to develop the requirements and conceptual design for a clinical program. A variable-energy medical synchrotron for accelerating protons to a prescribed energy, intensity and beam quality, has been placed in a hospital setting at Loma Linda University Medical Center for treating patients with localized cancer. Treatments began in October 1990. Scientists from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory; Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories; the Paul Scherrer Institute; Uppsala, Sweden; Argonne, Brookhaven and Los Alamos National Laboratories; and Loma Linda University, all cooperated to produce the conceptual design. Loma Linda University contracted with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory to design and build a 250 MeV synchrotron and beam transport system, the latter to guide protons into four treatment rooms. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories consulted with Loma Linda University on the design of the beam delivery system (nozzle). A gantry concept devised by scientists at Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory, was adapted and fabricated by Science Applications International Corporation. The control and safety systems were designed and developed by Loma Linda University Radiation Research Laboratory. Presently, the synchrotron, beam transport system and treatment room hardware have been installed and tested and are operating satisfactorily

  4. An examination of medical linear accelerator ion-chamber performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karolis, C.; Lee, C.; Rinks, A.

    1996-01-01

    Full text: The company ( Radiation Oncology Physics and Engineering Services Pty Ltd) provides medical physics services to four radiotherapy centres in NSW with a total of 6 high energy medical linear accelerators manufactured by three different companies. As part of the services, the stability of the accelerator ion chamber system is regularly examined for constancy and periodically for absolute calibration. Each accelerator ion chamber has exhibited undesirable behaviour from time to time, sometimes leading to its replacement. This presentation describes the performance of the ion chambers for some of the linacs over a period of 12-18 months and the steps taken by the manufacturer to address the problems encountered. As part of our commissioning procedure of new linacs, an absolute calibration of the accelerator output (photon and electron beams) is repeated several times over the period following examination of the physical properties of the radiation beams. These calibrations were undertaken in water using the groups calibrated ion chamber/electrometer system and were accompanied by constancy checks using an acrylic phantom and field instruments. Constancy checks were performed daily for a period of 8 weeks during the initial life of the accelerator and thereafter weekly. For one accelerator, the ion chamber was replaced 6 times in the first eighteen months of its life due to severe drifts in output, found to be due to pressure changes in one half of the chamber In another accelerator, erratic swings of 2% were observed for a period of nine months, particularly with the electron beams, before the manufacturer offered to change the chamber with another constructed from different materials. In yet another accelerator the ion chamber has shown consistent erratic behaviour, but this has not been addressed by the manufacturer. In another popular accelerator, the dosimetry was found to be very stable until some changes in the tuning were introduced resulting in small

  5. Design and construction of the clean room for proton beam accelerator assembly

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, J. S.; Song, I. T

    2000-09-01

    The objective of this report is to design, construction and evaluation of clean room for proton beam accelerator assembly. The design conditions o Class : 1,000(1,000 ea ft{sup 3}), o Flow Rate : 200 m{sup 3}/h m{sup 2}, o Temperature : 22 deg C{+-}2, o Humidity : 55%{+-}5. The main design results are summarized as follows: o Air-handling unit : Cooling Capacity : 13,500 kcal/h, Heating Capacity : 10,300 kcal/h, Humidity Capacity : 4 kg/h, Flow Rate : 150 CMM o Air Shower : Flow Rate : 35 CMM, Size : 1500 x 1000 x 2200, Material : In-steel, Out-SUS304, Filter : PRE + HEPA, AIR Velocity : 25 m/s o Relief Damper : Size : {phi}250, Casing : SS41, Blade : AL, Shaft : SUS304, Weight Ring : SS41, Grill : AL o HEPA Filter Box : Filter Box Size : 670 x 670 x 630, Filter Size : 610 x 610 x 150, Frame: Poly Wood, Media : Glass Fiber, Filter Efficiency : 0.3{mu}m, 99.97%, Separator : AL, Flow Rate : 17 CMM, Damper Size : {phi}300 Following this report will be used important data for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the clean room, for high precision apparatus assembly laboratory.

  6. Structural shielding of medical X-ray rooms for diagnostic installations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rabitsch, H.

    1979-06-01

    In Part I (RIG 8), the various design procedures for shielding against X-rays are discussed and compared. In particular, this comparison is carried out between the shielding obtained conforming to the Austrian Regulations for Radiation Protection and that obtained from the DIN-standard DIN 6812; this latter includes the various operating conditions of diagnostic installations up to 150 kV. Several examples for particular structural shielding components in medical radiation rooms are given. (author)

  7. Laser-wakefield accelerators for medical phase contrast imaging: Monte Carlo simulations and experimental studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cipiccia, S.; Reboredo, D.; Vittoria, Fabio A.; Welsh, G. H.; Grant, P.; Grant, D. W.; Brunetti, E.; Wiggins, S. M.; Olivo, A.; Jaroszynski, D. A.

    2015-05-01

    X-ray phase contrast imaging (X-PCi) is a very promising method of dramatically enhancing the contrast of X-ray images of microscopic weakly absorbing objects and soft tissue, which may lead to significant advancement in medical imaging with high-resolution and low-dose. The interest in X-PCi is giving rise to a demand for effective simulation methods. Monte Carlo codes have been proved a valuable tool for studying X-PCi including coherent effects. The laser-plasma wakefield accelerators (LWFA) is a very compact particle accelerator that uses plasma as an accelerating medium. Accelerating gradient in excess of 1 GV/cm can be obtained, which makes them over a thousand times more compact than conventional accelerators. LWFA are also sources of brilliant betatron radiation, which are promising for applications including medical imaging. We present a study that explores the potential of LWFA-based betatron sources for medical X-PCi and investigate its resolution limit using numerical simulations based on the FLUKA Monte Carlo code, and present preliminary experimental results.

  8. A proton medical accelerator by the SBIR route — an example of technology transfer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, R. L.

    1989-04-01

    Medical facilities for radiation treatment of cancer with protons have been established in many laboratories throughout the world. Essentially all of these have been designed as physics facilities, however, because of the requirement for protons up to 250 MeV. Most of the experience in this branch of accelerator technology lies in the national laboratories and a few large universities. A major issue is the transfer of this technology to the commercial sector to provide hospitals with simple, reliable and relatively inexpensive accelerators for this application. The author has chosen the SBIR route to accomplish this goal. ACCTEK Associates has received grants from the National Cancer Institute for development of the medical accelerator and beam delivery systems. Considerable encouragement and help has been received from Argonne National Laboratory and the Department of Energy. The experiences to date and the pros and cons on this approach to commercializing medical accelerators are described.

  9. CAS Accelerators for Medical Applications in Vösendorf, Austria

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN Accelerator School

    2015-01-01

    The CERN Accelerator School (CAS) and MedAustron jointly organised a course on Accelerators for Medical Applications in Vösendorf, Austria between 26 May and 5 June 2015. The course was held at the Eventhotel Pyramide on the outskirts of Vienna, and was attended by 76 participants from 29 countries, coming from as far away as Canada, China, Lithuania, Thailand, Ukraine and Russia.       The intensive programme comprised 37 lectures. The emphasis was on using charged particle beams for cancer therapy and the programme began by covering the way in which particles interact with biological material, how this translates into the dose needed for treatment and how this dose is best delivered. The different accelerator options for providing the particles needed were then presented in some detail. The production of radioisotopes and how these are used for diagnostics and therapy was also covered, together with a look at novel acceleration techniques that may play a role i...

  10. Evaluation of neutron doses beyond of primary shielding of rooms housing clinical linear accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rezende, Gabriel Fonseca da Silva

    2011-01-01

    The growing need to build radiotherapy rooms in places with lack of available space leads to the necessity of unconventional solutions for the shielding projects. In most cases, adding metals to the primary barriers is the best way to shield the rooms properly. However, when photons with energies equal to or great than 10 MeV interact with nuclei of materials with high atomic number, neutrons are ejected and can result in a problem of radioprotection both inside and outside the room. Currently, the only empirical formula existing in the literature to assess the dose equivalent due to neutrons beyond the laminated barriers works only under very specific conditions, and a validation of this formula had not yet been done. In this work, the Monte Carlo code MCNPX was used to verify the validity of the above formula for cases of primary barriers containing lead or iron sheets in rooms that house linear accelerators with 10, 15 and 18 MV. Moreover, such a code was used to evaluate the coefficient of neutron production and tenth-value layer for neutrons in concrete, both parameters that directly influence the equation studied. The study results showed that over 90% of the values compared between the formula and the simulations present discrepancies above 100%, which led to conclude that the formula from the literature produces values that do not match the reality. In addition, there were inconsistencies in the parameters that make up the formula, leading to a need to review this formula in order to build a new model that will better represent the real case. (author)

  11. EURADOS intercomparison exercise on Monte Carlo modelling of a medical linear accelerator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caccia, Barbara; Le Roy, Maïwenn; Blideanu, Valentin; Andenna, Claudio; Arun, Chairmadurai; Czarnecki, Damian; El Bardouni, Tarek; Gschwind, Régine; Huot, Nicolas; Martin, Eric; Zink, Klemens; Zoubair, Mariam; Price, Robert; de Carlan, Loïc

    2017-01-01

    In radiotherapy, Monte Carlo (MC) methods are considered a gold standard to calculate accurate dose distributions, particularly in heterogeneous tissues. EURADOS organized an international comparison with six participants applying different MC models to a real medical linear accelerator and to one homogeneous and four heterogeneous dosimetric phantoms. The aim of this exercise was to identify, by comparison of different MC models with a complete experimental dataset, critical aspects useful for MC users to build and calibrate a simulation and perform a dosimetric analysis. Results show on average a good agreement between simulated and experimental data. However, some significant differences have been observed especially in presence of heterogeneities. Moreover, the results are critically dependent on the different choices of the initial electron source parameters. This intercomparison allowed the participants to identify some critical issues in MC modelling of a medical linear accelerator. Therefore, the complete experimental dataset assembled for this intercomparison will be available to all the MC users, thus providing them an opportunity to build and calibrate a model for a real medical linear accelerator.

  12. Flexibility in hospital building and application by means of standardized medical room types

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kamp, Pieter; Kooistra, Rien; Ankersmid, H.A.H.G.; Bonnema, Gerrit Maarten

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents an approach to standardization of hospital rooms. As hospitals are becoming more complex, the need for quality assurance and validation increases as well. Several sources mention the responsibility of the medical personnel for the quality and safety of the equipment with which

  13. Accelerator Production of Isotopes for Medical Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lapi, Suzanne

    2014-03-01

    The increase in use of radioisotopes for medical imaging and therapy has led to the development of novel routes of isotope production. For example, the production and purification of longer-lived position emitting radiometals has been explored to allow for nuclear imaging agents based on peptides, antibodies and nanoparticles. These isotopes (64Cu, 89Zr, 86Y) are typically produced via irradiation of solid targets on smaller medical cyclotrons at dedicated facilities. Recently, isotope harvesting from heavy ion accelerator facilities has also been suggested. The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) will be a new national user facility for nuclear science to be completed in 2020. Radioisotopes could be produced by dedicated runs by primary users or may be collected synergistically from the water in cooling-loops for the primary beam dump that cycle the water at flow rates in excess of hundreds of gallons per minute. A liquid water target system for harvesting radioisotopes at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) was designed and constructed as the initial step in proof-of-principle experiments to harvest useful radioisotopes in this manner. This talk will provide an overview of isotope production using both dedicated machines and harvesting from larger accelerators typically used for nuclear physics. Funding from Department of Energy under DESC0007352 and DESC0006862.

  14. Consumer opinions of emergency room medical care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMillan, J R; Younger, M S; DeWine, L C

    1984-12-01

    If hospital management is to adapt successfully to an increasingly competitive environment, and to retain a viable emergency department, it well be necessary to objectively and accurately assess the hospital's image in the community served. Knowledge of the consumers' views is an essential input into the formulation of strategic plans. This article reports on a study in which consumer opinions on 15 dimensions of emergency room health care were obtained from 723 respondents using a mail questionnaire. Findings reveal that consumers view the emergency room as being more expensive than other health care providers. Except for being available or convenient, little or no advantage is perceived for the emergency room over the personal physician. Even though the emergency room has specialized staff and equipment, consumers do not believe patients receive better or faster treatment in an emergency room than would be obtained in a physician's office. Unless changed, these perceptions will diminish the role of the emergency room in the delivery of health care services.

  15. Dose levels due to neutrons in the vicinity of high energy medical accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGinley, P.H.; Wood, M.; Sohrabi, M.; Mills, M.; Rodriguez, R.

    1976-01-01

    High energy photons are generated for use in radiation therapy by the decelleration of electrons in metal targets. Fast neutrons are also generated as a result of (γ, n) and (e, e'n) interactions in the target, beam compensator filter, and collimator material. In this work the adsorbed dose to neutrons was measured at the center of a 10 x 10 cm photon beam and 5 cm outside of the beam edge for a number of treatment units. Dose levels due to slow and fast neutrons were also established outside of the treatment rooms and a Bonner sphere neutron spectrometer system was employed to determine the neutron energy spectrum due to stray neutron radiation at each accelerator. For the linac it was found that the neutron dose at the beam center was 0.0039% of the photon dose and values of 0.049% and 0.053% were observed for the Allis Chalmers betatron and the Brown Boveri Betatron. Dose equivalent rates in the range of 0.3 to 22.5 mrem/hr were measured for points outside the treatment rooms when the accelerators were operated at a photon dose rate of 100 rad/min at the treatment position

  16. Evaluation of the Induced Activity in Air by the External Proton Beam in the Target Room of the Proton Accelerator Facility of Proton Engineering Frontier Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Cheol Woo; Lee, Young Ouk; Cho, Young Sik; Ahn, So Hyun

    2007-01-01

    One of the radiological concerns is the worker's exposure level and the concentration of the radionuclides in the air after shutdown, for the safety analysis on the proton accelerator facility. Although, the primary radiation source is the protons accelerated up to design value, all of the radio-nuclide is produced from the secondary neutron and photon induced reaction in air. Because, the protons don't penetrate the acceleration equipment like the DTL tank wall or BTL wall, secondary neutrons or photons are only in the air in the accelerator tunnel building because of the short range of the proton in the materials. But, for the case of the target rooms, external proton beams are occasionally used in the various experiments. When these external proton beams travel through air from the end of the beam transport line to the target, they interact directly with air and produce activation products from the proton induced reaction. The external proton beam will be used in the target rooms in the accelerator facility of the Proton Accelerator Frontier Project (PEFP). In this study, interaction characteristics of the external proton beam with air and induced activity in air from the direct interaction of the proton beam were evaluated

  17. Accelerating medical innovation at USC: realizing the dream of Alfred E. Mann.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gosset, Nathalie; Lasch, Jonathan G

    2012-07-01

    Alfred E. Mann's vision is to create organizations that will help medical innovations born in academic environments evolve into commercially fit solutions, without the risk of being abandoned under the financial pressures early stage start-ups often experience. In 1998, Mann worked with Stephen Sample, president of USC, to create the first AMI for Biomedical Engineering, an organization fueled by an endowment valued at approximately US$160 million today. Technology-acceleration centers come in different flavors. AMI USC's recipe has evolved since its creation, with edits that incorporate lessons learned and improvements brought by its expanding network of talented resource people. Its 15-member staff, consisting of three-fourths industry professionals, includes seasoned generalists and specialists in medical technology commercialization. Although the support varies with each invention, some recurring ingredients weave into the AMI approach to accelerating medical innovation.

  18. Shielding design of a treatment room for an accelerator-based epithermal neutron irradiation facility for BNCT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, J.F.; Blue, T.E.

    1996-01-01

    Protecting the facility personnel and the general public from radiation exposure is a primary safety concern of an accelerator-based epithermal neutron irradiation facility. This work makes an attempt at answering the questions open-quotes How much?close quotes and open-quotes What kind?close quotes of shielding will meet the occupational limits of such a facility. Shielding effectiveness is compared for ordinary and barytes concretes in combination with and without borated polyethylene. A calculational model was developed of a treatment room, patient open-quotes scatterer,close quotes and the epithermal neutron beam. The Monte Carlo code, MCNP, was used to compute the total effective dose equivalent rates at specific points of interest outside of the treatment room. A conservative occupational effective dose rate limit of 0.01 mSv h -1 was the guideline for this study. Conservative Monte Carlo calculations show that constructing the treatment room walls with 1.5 m of ordinary concrete, 1.2 m of barytes concrete, 1.0 m of ordinary concrete preceded by 10 cm of 5% boron-polyethylene, or 0.8 m of barytes concrete preceded by 10 cm of 5% boron-polyethylene will adequately protect facility personnel. 20 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs

  19. Shielding Calculations for Industrial 5/7.5MeV Electron Accelerators Using the MCNP Monte Carlo Code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peri, E.; Orion, I.

    2014-01-01

    High energy X-rays from accelerators are used to irradiate food ingredients to prevent growth and development of unwanted biological organisms in food, in order to extend the shelf life of products. High energy photons can cause food activation due to (D 3 ,n) reactions. Until 2004, to eliminate the possibility of food activation, the electron energy was limited to 5 MeV X-rays for food irradiation. In 2004, the FDA approved the usage of up to 7.5 MeV, but only with tantalum and gold targets (1). Higher X-ray energy results an increased flux of X-rays in the forward direction, increased penetration, and higher photon dose rate due to better electron-to-photon conversion. These improvements could decrease the irradiation time and allow irradiation of larger packages, thereby providing higher production rates with lower treatment cost. Medical accelerators usually work with 6-18 MV electron energy with tungsten target to convert the electron beam to X-rays. In order to protect the patients, the accelerator head is protected with a heavy lead shielding; therefore, the bremsstrahlung is emitted only in the forward direction. There are many publications and standards that guide how to design optimal shielding for medical accelerator rooms. The shielding data for medical accelerators is not applicable for industrial accelerators, since the data is for different conversion targets, different X-Ray energies, and only for the forward direction. Collimators are not always in use in industrial accelerators, and therefore bremsstrahlung photons can be emitted in all directions. The bremsstrahlung spectrum and dose rate change as a function of the emission angle. The dose rate decreases from maximum in the forward direction (0°) to minimum at 180° by 1-2 orders of magnitude. In order to design and calculate optimal shielding for food accelerator rooms, there is a need to have the bremsstrahlung spectrum data, dose rates and concrete attenuation data in all emission directions

  20. Re-Shielding of Cobalt-60 Teletherapy Rooms for Tomotherapy and Conventional Linear Accelerators using Monte Carlo Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çeçen, Yiğit; Yazgan, Çağrı

    2017-09-01

    Purpose. Nearly all Cobalt-60 teletherapy machines were removed around the world during the last two decades. The remaining ones are being used for experimental purposes. However, the rooms of these teletherapy machines are valuable because of lack of space in radiotherapy clinics. In order to place a new technology treatment machine in one of these rooms, one should re-shield the room since it was designed only for 1.25 MeV gamma beams on average. Mostly, the vendor of the new machine constructs the new shielding of the room using their experience. However, every radiotherapy room has different surrounding work areas and it would be wise to shield the room considering these special conditions. Also, the shield design goal of the clinic may be much lower than the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or the local association accepts. The study shows re-shielding of a Cobalt-60 room, specific to the clinic, using Monte Carlo simulations. Materials & Methods: First, a 6 MV Tomotherapy machine, then a 10 MV conventional linear accelerator (LINAC) was placed inside the Cobalt-60 teletherapy room. The photon flux outside the room was simulated using Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP6.1) code before and after re-shielding. For the Tomotherapy simulation, flux distributions around the machine were obtained from the vendor and implemented as the source of the model. The LINAC model was more generic with the 10 MeV electron source, the tungsten target, first and secondary collimators. The aim of the model was to obtain the maximum (40x40 cm2) open field at the isocenter. Two different simulations were carried out for gantry angles 90o and 270o. The LINAC was placed in the room such that the primary walls were A' (Gantry 270o) and C' (Gantry 90o) (figure 1). The second part of the study was to model the re-shielding of the room for Tomotherapy and for the conventional LINAC, separately. The aim was to investigate the recommended shielding by the vendors. Left side of the room

  1. Construction Status of the Beamline for Radio-Isotope Production in the Korea Multi-purpose Accelerator Complex

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, B. H.; Yoon, S. P.; Seol, K. T.; Kim, H. S.; Kwon, H. J.; Cho, Y. S. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    The 100-MeV beamline consist of 5 target room, a TR 103 as one of these is operating beamline, and a TR 101 as the other beamline is under construction as shown in Fig. 1. The TR 101 as beamline target room will be used for the high value-added medical isotope production and increased utilization of the proton accelerator. The optical system of the beamline consisted of dipole and quadrupole, and it included beam position monitor (BPM) and current transformer (CT) for beam diagnostics. The beamline was inserted into the carbon block and the aluminum collimator, the end of pipe as beam window was used for the aluminum to reduce the radioactive of materials. The target transfer equipment is being installed for RI production. The RI Beamline was aligned using the laser tracker, and vacuum leak was not detected by the helium leak detector. This facility is expected to the high value-added medical isotope production and increased utilization of the proton accelerator.

  2. [Management of an elderly patient in the emergency room at the end of life : A medical ethics challenge].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michels, G; Nies, R; Ortmann, S; Pfister, R; Salomon, F

    2018-04-01

    A 94-year-old patient with cardiogenic shock due to myocardial infarction was admitted via the emergency room. A coronary angiography and intensive care were requested. The need for care due to dementia was known. After case discussion in the interdisciplinary and multiprofessional treatment team, the decision for a palliative care concept in the form of symptom control was made in the emergency room, taking into account the patient's medical history, the current situation, and the presumed patient consent. The integration of medical ethics aspects and palliative medicine into "geriatric emergency medicine" will present a challenge in the future.

  3. Some issues that easily to be overlooked during the environmental impact assessment of medical electrical accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu Jie; Zhou Qifu; Chen Dongliang

    2011-01-01

    This paper mainly introduces the contents of shielding design in the No. 151 report of NCRP published in 2005, discusses some issues that easily to be overlooked during the environmental impact assessment of medical electrical accelerators in China. Some references will be provided in the medical electrical accelerators' shielding design and assessment to achieved the purpose of scientific, reasonable, feasible and economical radiation shielding protection. (authors)

  4. Smartphone application for mechanical quality assurance of medical linear accelerators

    Science.gov (United States)

    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.

  5. Smartphone application for mechanical quality assurance of medical linear accelerators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    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.

  6. Determination of the exposure speed of radiation emitted by the linear accelerator, using the code MCNP5 to evaluate the radiotherapy room shields of ABC Hospital

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corral B, J. R.

    2015-01-01

    Humans should avoid exposure to radiation, because the consequences are harmful to health. Although there are different emission sources of radiation, generated by medical devices they are usually of great interest, since people who attend hospitals are exposed in one way or another to ionizing radiation. Therefore, is important to conduct studies on radioactive levels that are generated in hospitals, as a result of the use of medical equipment. To determine levels of exposure speed of a radioactive facility there are different methods, including the radiation detector and computational method. This thesis uses the computational method. With the program MCNP5 was determined the speed of the radiation exposure in the radiotherapy room of Cancer Center of ABC Hospital in Mexico City. In the application of computational method, first the thicknesses of the shields were calculated, using variables as: 1) distance from the shield to the source; 2) desired weekly equivalent dose; 3) weekly total dose equivalent emitted by the equipment; 4) occupation and use factors. Once obtained thicknesses, we proceeded to model the bunker using the mentioned program. The program uses the Monte Carlo code to probabilistic ally determine the phenomena of interaction of radiation with the shield, which will be held during the X-ray emission from the linear accelerator. The results of computational analysis were compared with those obtained experimentally with the detection method, for which was required the use of a Geiger-Muller counter and the linear accelerator was programmed with an energy of 19 MV with 500 units monitor positioning the detector in the corresponding boundary. (Author)

  7. Hospital-based proton linear accelerator for particle therapy and radioisotope production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lennox, Arlene J.

    1991-05-01

    Taking advantage of recent advances in linear accelerator technology, it is possible for a hospital to use a 70 MeV proton linac for fast neutron therapy, boron neutron capture therapy, proton therapy for ocular melanomas, and production of radiopharmaceuticals. The linac can also inject protons into a synchrotron for proton therapy of deep-seated tumors. With 180 μA average current, a single linac can support all these applications. This paper presents a conceptual design for a medical proton linac, switchyard, treatment rooms, and isotope production rooms. Special requirements for each application are outlined and a layout for sharing beam among the applications is suggested.

  8. A novel technique to optimise the length of a linear accelerator treatment room maze without compromising radiation protection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Affan, I A M; Evans, S C; Qutub, M; Hugtenburg, R P

    2018-03-01

    Simulations with the FLUktuierende KAskade (FLUKA) Monte Carlo code were used to establish the possibility of introducing lead to cover the existing concrete walls of a linear accelerator treatment room maze, in order to reduce the dose of the scattered photons at the maze entrance. In the present work, a pilot study performed at Singleton Hospital in Swansea was used to pioneer the use of lead sheets of various thicknesses to absorb scattered low energy photons in the maze. The dose reduction was considered to be due to the strong effect of the photoelectric interaction in lead resulting in attenuation of the back-scattered photons. Calculations using FLUKA with mono-energetic photons were used to represent the main components of the x-ray spectrum up to 10 MV. Mono-energetic photons were used to enable the study of the behaviour of each energy component from the associated interaction processes. The results showed that adding lead of 1 to 4 mm thickness to the walls and floor of the maze reduced the dose at the maze entrance by up to 80%. Subsequent scatter dose measurements performed at the maze entrance of an existing treatment room with lead sheet of 1.3 mm thickness added to the maze walls and floor supported the results from the simulations. The dose reduction at the maze entrance with the lead in place was up to 50%. The variation between simulation and measurement was attributed to the fact that insufficient lead was available to completely cover the maze walls and floor. This novel proposal of partly, or entirely, covering the maze walls with lead a few millimetres in thickness has implications for the design of linear accelerator treatment rooms since it has the potential to provide savings, in terms of space and costs, when an existing maze requires upgrading in an environment where space is limited and the maze length cannot be extended sufficiently to reduce the dose.

  9. Correlated histogram representation of Monte Carlo derived medical accelerator photon-output phase space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schach Von Wittenau, Alexis E.

    2003-01-01

    A method is provided to represent the calculated phase space of photons emanating from medical accelerators used in photon teletherapy. The method reproduces the energy distributions and trajectories of the photons originating in the bremsstrahlung target and of photons scattered by components within the accelerator head. The method reproduces the energy and directional information from sources up to several centimeters in radial extent, so it is expected to generalize well to accelerators made by different manufacturers. The method is computationally both fast and efficient overall sampling efficiency of 80% or higher for most field sizes. The computational cost is independent of the number of beams used in the treatment plan.

  10. Shielding for neutrons produced by medical linear accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rebello, Wilson F.; Silva, Ademir X.

    2007-01-01

    The shielding system called Multileaf Shielding (MLS) was designed in Brazil to be used for protection patients, who undergo radiotherapy treatment, against undesired neutrons produced in the medical linear accelerator heads. During the conceiving of the MLS it was necessary to evaluate its efficiency. For that purpose, several simulations using the Monte Carlo N-particle radiation transport code, MCNP5, were made, in order to evaluate the response of the new shielding system. The results showed a significant neutron dose reduction after the inclusion of the MLS. This work aims to presenting these simulation results. (author)

  11. A history of radiation shielding of x-ray therapy rooms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGinley, P.H.; Miner, M.S.

    1996-01-01

    In this report the history of shielding for radiation treatment rooms is traced from the time of the discovery of x rays to the present. During the early part of the twentieth century the hazards from ionizing radiation were recognized and the use of lead and other materials became common place for shielding against x rays. Techniques for the calculation of the shield thickness needed for x ray protection were developed in the 1920's, and shielding materials were characterized in terms of the half value layer or simple exponential factors. At the same time, better knowledge of the interaction between radiation and matter was acquired. With the development of high energy medical accelerators after 1940, new and more complex shielding problems had to be addressed. Recently, shielding requirements have become more stringent as standards for exposure of personnel and the general public have been reduced. The art of shielding of radiation treatment facilities is still being developed, and the need for a revision of the reports on shielding of medical accelerators from the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements is emphasized in this article. (author). 61 Refs., 3 Tabs

  12. Technology and applications of advanced accelerator concepts

    CERN Document Server

    Chou, Weiren

    2016-01-01

    Since its invention in the 1920s, particle accelerators have made tremendous progress in accelerator science, technology and applications. However, the fundamental acceleration principle, namely, to apply an external radiofrequency (RF) electric field to accelerate charged particles, remains unchanged. As this method (either room temperature RF or superconducting RF) is approaching its intrinsic limitation in acceleration gradient (measured in MeV/m), it becomes apparent that new methods with much higher acceleration gradient (measured in GeV/m) must be found for future very high energy accelerators as well as future compact (table-top or room-size) accelerators. This volume introduces a number of advanced accelerator concepts (AAC) — their principles, technologies and potential applications. For the time being, none of them stands out as a definitive direction in which to go. But these novel ideas are in hot pursuit and look promising. Furthermore, some AAC requires a high power laser system. This has the ...

  13. The Influence of Used Construction Material and Its Thickness on the Neutron Dose Rate Around the Linear Accelerator - Experimental Results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krpan, I; Miklavcic, I.; Poje, M.; Radolic, V.; Vukovic, B.; Zivkovic, A.; Faj, D.; Ivkovic, A.

    2013-01-01

    Since linear accelerators for medical radiotherapy do not have active radioactive sources it makes them adequate from the radioprotection point of view. However, when operating at the energy higher than 10 MeV, they can become a source of unwanted neutron radiation in the giant dipole resonance reaction between the photon beam and the accelerator head material. Neutrons created in this reaction are almost isotropic in direction with an energy range between 700 keV and 1 MeV. During the accelerator installation and different phases of the construction work around the accelerator, a neutron dose rate at several important locations was investigated. Both passive (solid state nuclear track etched detectors - CR 39 and/or LR-115 with the 10B foil) and active detectors (Thermo Biorem FHT 752) were used. A higher photon dose rate was measured around the accelerator facility. An effective photon dose reduction was achieved using steel plates. However, this was the secondary source of neutrons in the reaction between the photons and steel plates, since higher values were measured. Neutron reduction was done by additional layers of barite concrete. A very conservative assessment of the effective dose was done for the medical personnel inside the control room. At the accelerator extreme operating regime (fixed accelerator direction - gantry angle, highest energy possible used), the neutron dose rate in the control room of 12 μSv/h was measured. Knowing the number of working days and number of patients per technician (per day), an exposure to the neutron dose of 1,1 mSv per year was calculated.(author)

  14. Planetary method to measure the neutrons spectrum in lineal accelerators of medical use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vega C, H. R.; Benites R, J. L.

    2014-08-01

    A novel procedure to measure the neutrons spectrum originated in a lineal accelerator of medical use has been developed. The method uses a passive spectrometer of Bonner spheres. The main advantage of the method is that only requires of a single shot of the accelerator. When this is used around a lineal accelerator is necessary to operate it under the same conditions so many times like the spheres that contain the spectrometer, activity that consumes enough time. The developed procedure consists on situating all the spheres of the spectrometer at the same time and to realize the reading making a single shot. With this method the photo neutrons spectrum produced by a lineal accelerator Varian ix of 15 MV to 100 cm of the isocenter was determined, with the spectrum is determined the total flow and the ambient dose equivalent. (Author)

  15. Ethical views, attitudes and reactions of Romanian medical students to the dissecting room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bob, M H; Popescu, Codruţa Alina; Armean, M S; Suciu, Soimita Mihaela; Buzoianu, Anca Dana

    2014-01-01

    Our objective was to evaluate the attitudes and views of first year medical students towards cadaver dissection in anatomy learning and discuss various findings in relation with ethical problems). The study was conducted at the "Iuliu Hat ieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, during the academic year 2012-2013 at the end of the second semester. There were 121 first year medical students included. We developed a questionnaire to asses among other, the degree of fear, anxiety and stress in the dissection room, methods of coping, ethical aspects of dissection and hand it to the students. 34.7% of students experienced different levels of fear on exposure to the dissection room practical sessions. Many students experienced anxiety in reaction to dissection. In the first semester most students reported physical and behavioral reaction towards certain stimuli, with a decrease in the second semester. Recurring visual images of cadavers, reported by 57% of students in the first semester, dropped to 44.6% in the second semester. Students used most frequently the "rationalization and emotional detachment" as a coping method. Anatomists, most often the firsts who need to be aware of emotional and ethical issues, need to explain in detail the steps necessary for dissection and that dissection is performed with the respect of legislation, ethics and human rights.

  16. Continuity of Accelerator Operations during an Extended Pandemic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noel Okay

    2010-01-01

    The Operations group for the Continuous Electron Accelerator Facility in Newport News Virginia has developed a Continuity of Operations plan for pandemic conditions when high absenteeism may impact accelerator control room operations. Protocols to address both the potential spread of illnesses in the control room environment as well as maintaining minimum staffing requirements for contiguous accelerator operation will be presented. During acute pandemic conditions local government restrictions may prevent continued operations but during extended periods of high absenteeism accelerator operations can continue when some added precautionary measures and staffing adjustments are made in the way business is done.

  17. Accelerator-based BNCT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreiner, A J; Baldo, M; Bergueiro, J R; Cartelli, D; Castell, W; Thatar Vento, V; Gomez Asoia, J; Mercuri, D; Padulo, J; Suarez Sandin, J C; Erhardt, J; Kesque, J M; Valda, A A; Debray, M E; Somacal, H R; Igarzabal, M; Minsky, D M; Herrera, M S; Capoulat, M E; Gonzalez, S J; del Grosso, M F; Gagetti, L; Suarez Anzorena, M; Gun, M; Carranza, O

    2014-06-01

    The activity in accelerator development for accelerator-based BNCT (AB-BNCT) both worldwide and in Argentina is described. Projects in Russia, UK, Italy, Japan, Israel, and Argentina to develop AB-BNCT around different types of accelerators are briefly presented. In particular, the present status and recent progress of the Argentine project will be reviewed. The topics will cover: intense ion sources, accelerator tubes, transport of intense beams, beam diagnostics, the (9)Be(d,n) reaction as a possible neutron source, Beam Shaping Assemblies (BSA), a treatment room, and treatment planning in realistic cases. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Some advances in medical applications of low energy accelerators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valković, V.; Moschini, G.

    1991-05-01

    Medical applications of low energy accelerators include: the use of nuclear analytical methods and procedures for laboratory studies and routine measurements; material productions and modifications to meet special requirements; radioisotope productions and their applications in radiopharmaceuticals as well as in positron emission tomography; and radiotherapy with ions, based on improved understanding of the interaction of charged particles with living tissue. Some of the recent advances in these fields are critically summarized. The plan for an improved charged particle facility in a hospital environment dedicated to applications in biology and medicine is presented.

  19. Activation products in a treatment room of a 15 MV linear accelerator for medical use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Leon M, H. A.; Soto B, T. G.; Rivera P, E.; Hernandez D, V. M.; Vega C, H. R.

    2012-10-01

    Linacs working above 8 MV produce an undesirable neutron field mainly through (γ, n) nuclear reactions. Due to room-return effect inside the vault there is a thermal neutron flux that is constant regarded the distance to the isocenter. When thermal neutrons collide with the bunker walls and the Linac head some radioisotopes are induced in the concrete, wedges and collimators due to neutron and photon activation. The aim of this work is to study the induced radioisotopes in concrete samples and a wedge, which emits gamma-ray during its decay, the presence of this protons will represent a radiological risk for the patient. Induced radioisotopes were studied with a 15 MV Linac, and a gamma-ray spectrometer with a Nal(Tl) scintillator where 846.8, 1368.6 and 1778.8 keV gamma-rays were observed, these photons are produced during the decay of 54 Mn, 24 Na and 28 Al respectively, being in agreement with radionuclides reported in the literature. (Author)

  20. Establishing the estimation model on radiation level at the ambience of 60Co radiotherapy treatment room based on NCRP REPORT No.151

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Haiyou; Liu Liping; Liang Yueqin; Yu Shui

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To establish the estimation model to evaluate the radiation level at the ambience of 60 Co radiotherapy treatment room. Methods: The estimation model derives from NCRP REPORT No.151- S tructural Shielding Design and Evaluation for Megavoltage X-and Gamma-Ray Radiotherapy Facilities b y making appropriate adjustment, which presents the calculation methods on radiation level at the ambience of megavoltage medical electron linear accelerator treatment room. Results: The application scope of estimation model from NCRP REPORT No.151 is extended to γ-radiotherapy facilities, and it can be regarded as a new model for calculating the radiation level at the ambience of 60 Co radiotherapy treatment room. Conclusion: The estimation model has certain reference value to evaluate the radiation level at the ambience of 60 Co radiotherapy treatment room. (authors)

  1. Procedure to measure the neutrons spectrum around a lineal accelerator for radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vega C, H. R.; Hernandez D, V. M.; Letechipia de L, C.; Benites R, J. L.; Salas L, M. A.

    2013-10-01

    An experimental procedure was developed, by means of Bonner spheres, to measure the neutrons spectrum around Linacs of medical use that only requires of a single shot of the accelerator; to this procedure we denominate Planetary or Isocentric method. One of the problems associated to the neutrons spectrum measurement in a radiotherapy room with lineal accelerator is because inside the room a mixed, intense and pulsed radiation field takes place affecting the detection systems based on active detector; this situation is solved using a passive detector. In the case of the Bonner spheres spectrometer the active detector has been substituted by activation detectors, trace detectors or thermoluminescent dosimeters. This spectrometer uses several spheres that are situated one at a time in the measurement point, this way to have the complete measurements group the accelerator should be operated, under the same conditions, so many times like spheres have the spectrometer, this activity can consume a long time and in occasions due to the work load of Linac to complicate the measurement process too. The procedure developed in this work consisted on to situate all the spectrometer spheres at the same time and to make the reading by means of a single shot, to be able to apply this procedure, is necessary that before the measurements two characteristics are evaluated: the cross-talking of the spheres and the symmetry conditions of the neutron field. This method has been applied to determine the photo-neutrons spectrum produced by a lineal accelerator of medical use Varian ix of 15 MV to 100 cm of the isocenter located to 5 cm of depth of a solid water mannequin of 30 x 30 x 15 cm. The spectrum was used to determine the total flow and the environmental dose equivalent. (Author)

  2. Photographic art in exam rooms may reduce white coat hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harper, Michael B; Kanayama-Trivedi, Stacy; Caldito, Gloria; Montgomery, David; Mayeaux, E J; DelRosso, Lourdes M

    2015-12-01

    Blood pressure (BP) elevation in medical office settings in patients who are normotensive in nonmedical settings is an effect known as 'white coat hypertension'. This phenomenon is thought to be due to situational anxiety caused by the experience of visiting a doctor and the anxiety-inducing nature of the medical office. Our study was designed to determine if carefully selected photographic art could counter the anxiety that causes white coat hypertension and lead to lower BP recordings in some patients. 117 adults, non-pregnant patients from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Family Medicine Resident Clinic participated in this study. After the triage nurse measured the BP, the patients were randomly placed in either an exam room with standard medical posters (control room) or in an exam room with photographic art (photo room). The BP was measured in the exam room. After the medical visit, the patients switched rooms and the BP was measured a third time. The patients were asked to fill out a questionnaire to identify room preference. On average, the BP obtained in the control rooms was higher than that obtained in the photo rooms. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean arterial pressure, systolic BP and diastolic BP between the control room and the photo room. Landscape photographic art may have the beneficial effect of reducing BP in medical office examination rooms. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  3. Is single room hospital accommodation associated with differences in healthcare-associated infection, falls, pressure ulcers or medication errors? A natural experiment with non-equivalent controls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, Michael; Maben, Jill; Murrells, Trevor; Griffiths, Peter

    2016-07-01

    A wide range of patient benefits have been attributed to single room hospital accommodation including a reduction in adverse patient safety events. However, studies have been limited to the US with limited evidence from elsewhere. The aim of this study was to assess the impact on safety outcomes of the move to a newly built all single room acute hospital. A natural experiment investigating the move to 100% single room accommodation in acute assessment, surgical and older people's wards. Move to 100% single room accommodation compared to 'steady state' and 'new build' control hospitals. Falls, pressure ulcer, medication error, meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile rates from routine data sources were measured over 36 months. Five of 15 time series in the wards that moved to single room accommodation revealed changes that coincided with the move to the new all single room hospital: specifically, increased fall, pressure ulcer and Clostridium difficile rates in the older people's ward, and temporary increases in falls and medication errors in the acute assessment unit. However, because the case mix of the older people's ward changed, and because the increase in falls and medication errors on the acute assessment ward did not last longer than six months, no clear effect of single rooms on the safety outcomes was demonstrated. There were no changes to safety events coinciding with the move at the new build control site. For all changes in patient safety events that coincided with the move to single rooms, we found plausible alternative explanations such as case-mix change or disruption as a result of the re-organization of services after the move. The results provide no evidence of either benefit or harm from all single room accommodation in terms of safety-related outcomes, although there may be short-term risks associated with a move to single rooms. © The Author(s) 2016.

  4. Status report of pelletron accelerator and ECR based heavy ion accelerator programme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, A.K.

    2015-01-01

    The BARC-TIFR Pelletron Accelerator is completing twenty seven years of round-the-clock operation, serving diverse users from institutions within and outside DAE. Over the years, various developmental activities and application oriented programs have been initiated at Pelletron Accelerator Facility, resulting into enhanced utilization of the accelerator. We have also been pursuing an ECR based heavy ion accelerator programme under XII th Plan, consisting of an 18 GHz superconducting ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) ion source and a room temperature RFQ (Radio Frequency Quadrupole) followed by low and high beta superconducting niobium resonator cavities. This talk will provide the current status of Pelletron Accelerator and the progress made towards the ECR based heavy ion accelerator program at BARC. (author)

  5. Evaluation of the Accelerate Pheno System: Results from Two Academic Medical Centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lutgring, Joseph D; Bittencourt, Cassiana; McElvania TeKippe, Erin; Cavuoti, Dominick; Hollaway, Rita; Burd, Eileen M

    2018-04-01

    Rapid diagnostic tests are needed to improve patient care and to combat the problem of antimicrobial resistance. The Accelerate Pheno system (Accelerate Diagnostics, Tucson, AZ) is a new diagnostic device that can provide rapid bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results directly from a positive blood culture. The device was compared to the standard of care at two academic medical centers. There were 298 blood cultures included in the study, and the Accelerate Pheno system provided a definitive identification result in 218 instances (73.2%). The Accelerate Pheno system provided a definitive and correct result for 173 runs (58.1%). The Accelerate Pheno system demonstrated an overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 94.7%, 98.9%, 83.7%, and 99.7%, respectively. An AST result was available for analysis in 146 instances. The overall category agreement was 94.1% with 12 very major errors, 5 major errors, and 55 minor errors. After a discrepancy analysis, there were 5 very major errors and 4 major errors. The Accelerate Pheno system provided an identification result in 1.4 h and an AST result in 6.6 h; the identification and AST results were 41.5 h and 48.4 h faster than those with the standard of care, respectively. This study demonstrated that the Accelerate Pheno system is able to provide fast and accurate organism identification and AST data. A limitation is the frequency with which cultures required the use of alternative identification and AST methods. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

  6. Accelerators for Medicine

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2018-01-01

    This lecture will review the different applications of particle accelerators to the medical field, from cancer treatment with beams of accelerator-produced particles (photons, electrons, protons, ions and neutrons) to the generation of radioactive isotopes used in medical diagnostics, in cancer therapy and in the new domain of theragnostics. For each application will be outlined the state of the art, the potential, and the accelerator challenges to be faced to meet the increasing demand for therapeutic procedures based on accelerators.

  7. A quality control method for detecting energy changes of medical accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGinley, P.H.

    2000-01-01

    A description is presented of a simple and sensitive method for detecting a change in the energy of the electrons bombarding the target of medical accelerators. This technique is useful for x-ray beams with end point energy in the range of 15.7 to 25 MeV. The method is based on the photoactivation of 16 O and 14 N in a small sample of ammonium nitrate. It was found that the ratio of the activity induced in the oxygen divided by that produced in the nitrogen can be used as a quality control technique to detect a change in the energy of the electrons that bombard the target of the accelerator. An electron energy change of the order of 0.2 MeV can be determined using this method. (author)

  8. Frontier of Advanced Accelerator Applications and Medical Treatments Using Nuclear Techniques. Abstract

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2015-01-01

    To address the challenges of research-based practice, developing advanced accelerator applications, and medical treatments using nuclear tecniqoes, researchers from Rajamakala University of Technology Lanna, Office of Atoms for Peace, and Chiang Mai University have joined in hosting this conference. Nuclear medicine, amedical specialty, diagnoses and treats diseases in a safe and painless way. Nuclear techniques can determine medical information that may otherwise be unavailable, require surgery, or necessitate more expensive and invasive diagnostic tests. Advance in nuclear techniques also offer the potential to detect abnormalities at earlier stages, leasding to earlier treatment and a more successful prognosis.

  9. Workshop on Accelerator Operation (WAO 2001)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bailey, R.

    2001-01-01

    The 3rd Workshop on Accelerator Operation (WAO 2001) followed earlier workshops in 1996 and 1998. Most topics relevant for the efficient and effective operation of accelerators were covered. These included the tools and utilities necessary in the control rooms; the organization of accelerator operation (process monitoring, shift work, stress); the monitoring of beam quality; safety issues and standards; and questions particularly relevant for superconducting accelerators, in particular cryogenics. (author)

  10. Hospital Patient Room Design: The Issues Facing 23 Occupational Groups Who Work in Medical/Surgical Patient Rooms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavender, Steven A; Sommerich, Carolyn M; Patterson, Emily S; Sanders, Elizabeth B-N; Evans, Kevin D; Park, Sanghyun; Umar, Radin Zaid Radin; Li, Jing

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to learn from a wide range of hospital staff members about how the design of the patient room in which they work adversely affects their ergonomics or hinders their job performance. In addition to providing a healing space for patients, hospital patient rooms need to serve as functional workplaces for the people who provide clinical care, to clean, or to maintain room functions. Therefore, from a design perspective, it is important to understand the needs of all the users of hospital patient rooms with regard to room design. One hundred forty-seven people, representing 23 different occupational stakeholder groups, participated in either focus groups or interviews in which they were asked to identify room design issues that affect the performance of their work tasks. Key issues shared across multiple stakeholder groups included an inability to have eye contact with the patient when entering the room, inadequate space around the bed for the equipment used by stakeholders, the physical demands experienced as stakeholders move furnishings to accomplish their activities or access equipment, and a lack of available horizontal surfaces. Unique issues were also identified for a number of stakeholder groups. There are a number of issues that should be addressed in the next generation of hospital patient rooms, or when refurbishing existing facilities, so that all occupational stakeholder groups can work effectively, efficiently, and without undue physical stress. © The Author(s) 2015.

  11. Accelerator mass spectrometry and associated facilities at Inter-University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi, India

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Pankaj; Bohra, Archna; Ojha, S.; Gargari, S.; Joshi, R.; Roonwal, G.S.; Chopra, S.; Pattanaik, J.K.; Balakrishnan, S.

    2011-01-01

    Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) facility at Inter-University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) is developed by upgrading its existing 15UD Pelletron accelerator. Since last two decades Pelletron is mainly used for nuclear physics, materials science, atomic physics, radiation biology and accelerator mass spectrometry is recent development. In addition, a chemistry laboratory in clean room for the chemical processing of samples for AMS studies has also been established. At present the AMS facility is used for 10 Be, 26 Al measurements and soon other long lived radio-isotopes will also be used

  12. Radiation protection in the operating room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kunz, B.; Stargardt, A.

    1978-01-01

    On the basis of legally provided area dose measurements and time records of fluoroscopic examinations during the operation, radiation doses to medical personnel and patients are evaluated. Adequate radiation protection measures and a careful behaviour in the operating room keep the radiation exposure to the personnel below the maximum permissible exposure. Taking into account the continuous personnel radiation monitoring and medical supervision, radiation hazards in the operating room can be considered low

  13. Reaction of Medical Students to Experiences in Dissection Room ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Conclusion: The present study findings show that smell of the dissection room, touch and fear of cadaver were the commonest cause of their symptoms experienced while study in dissection room for the majority of students. Thus, instructors are should give awareness raising education before the commencement of the ...

  14. Using films and television shows with a medical theme as a medium to accelerate the spread of medical humanities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Wenting; Qian, Haihong

    2017-05-23

    People have more visual experiences than ever before, and the same is true for situations in medicine. More mature films and television shows with a medical theme have been available over the past 20 years. In mainland China, the TV series "Angel Heart" has generated a wave of universal concern since it truly depicts the work of health care workers and it reflects the sharp distinction between doctors and patients to a certain extent. Riding this wave, many medical documentaries like The Human World have also been launched in China and have garnered sizable audiences. Such films and television shows with a medical theme strive to depict the lives of ordinary people. When watching these medical documentaries, audiences are able to better comprehend the work of health care workers in light of their life experiences and feelings towards current society. Audiences can gain a profound understanding of the medical humanities through films and television shows with a medical theme. We look forward to more such films and television shows with a medical theme that depict "hospitals-the realest place" on camera. Films and television shows with a medical theme can serve as a storytelling medium to accelerate the spread of medical humanities and to promote harmony among doctors, patients, and the public.

  15. Accelerator driven neutron sources in Korea. Current and future

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Young-Ouk; Oh, Byung-Hoon; Hong, Bong-Geun; Chang, Jonghwa; Chang, Moon-Hee; Kim, Guinyun; Kim, Gi-Donng; Choi, Byung-Ho

    2008-01-01

    The Pohang Neutron Facility, based on a 65 MeV electron linear accelerator, has a neutron-gamma separation circuit, water-moderated tantalum target and 12 m TOF. It produces pulsed photonuclear neutrons with ≅2 μs width, 50 mA peak current and 15 Hz repetition, mainly for the neutron nuclear data production in up to keV energies. The Tandem Van de Graff at Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) is dedicated to measure MeV energy neutron capture and total cross section using TOF and prompt gamma ray detection system. The facility pulsed ≅10 8 mono-energetic neutrons/sec from 3 H(p,n) reaction with 1-2 ns width and 125 ns period. Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (KIRAMS) has the MC50 medical cyclotron which accelerates protons up to an energy of 45 MeV and has several beam ports for proton or neutron irradiations. Beam current can be controlled from a few nano amperes to 50 uA. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has a plan to develop a neutron source by using 20 MeV electron accelerator. This photo-neutron source will be mainly used for nuclear data measurements based on time-of-flight experiments. A high intensity fast neutron source is also proposed to respond growing demands of fast neutrons, especially for the fusion material test. Throughput will be as high as several 10 13 neutrons/sec from D-T reaction powered by a high current (200 mA) ion source, a drive-in target and cooling systems, and closed circuit tritium ventilation/recovery systems. The Proton Engineering Frontier Project (PEFP) is developing a 100 MeV, 20 mA pulsed proton linear accelerator equipped with 5 target rooms, one of which is dedicated to produce neutrons using tungsten target. PEFP also proposes the 1-2 GeV rapid cycling synchrotron accelerator as an extension of the PEFP linac, which can be used for nuclear and high energy physics experiment, spallation neutron source, radioisotope, medical research, etc. (author)

  16. Monte Carlo simulation of a medical linear accelerator for radiotherapy use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serrano, B.; Hachem, A.; Franchisseur, E.; Herault, J.; Marcie, S.; Costa, A.; Bensadoun, R. J.; Barthe, J.; Gerard, J. P.

    2006-01-01

    A Monte Carlo code MCNPX (Monte Carlo N-particle) was used to model a 25 MV photon beam from a PRIMUS (KD2-Siemens) medical linear electron accelerator at the Centre Antoine Lacassagne in Nice. The entire geometry including the accelerator head and the water phantom was simulated to calculate the dose profile and the relative depth-dose distribution. The measurements were done using an ionisation chamber in water for different square field ranges. The first results show that the mean electron beam energy is not 19 MeV as mentioned by Siemens. The adjustment between the Monte Carlo calculated and measured data is obtained when the mean electron beam energy is ∼15 MeV. These encouraging results will permit to check calculation data given by the treatment planning system, especially for small fields in high gradient heterogeneous zones, typical for intensity modulated radiation therapy technique. (authors)

  17. Shielding of medically used proton accelerators; Abschirmung von medizinisch genutzten Protonenbeschleunigern

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ewen, Klaus

    2014-10-01

    In several standards of the standards committee radiology (NRA) the shielding of proton accelerators (cyclotrons) for medical utilization is described. Proton beams can be used in nuclear medicine for PET (proton emission tomography) isotope production or for radiotherapeutic use. The dominating radiation from proton induced nuclear reactions is fast neutron radiation. The calculation procedure for appropriate shielding measures according to the NAR standards is described step-by-step. AN adequate shielding of fast neutrons is also sufficient for the generated gamma radiation.

  18. 2 MeV, 60 kW dual-beam type electron accelerator irradiation facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yotsumoto, Keiichi; Kanazawa, Takao; Haruyama, Yasuyuki; Agematsu, Takashi; Mizuhashi, Kiyoshi; Sunaga, Hiromi; Washino, Masamitsu; Tamura, Naoyuki

    1984-02-01

    The specification of new irradiation facility which has been constructed from 1978 through 1981 as the replacement of 1st Accelerator of JAERI, TRCRE are described. The accelerator is the Cockcroft-Walton type and both vertical and horizontal accelerating tubes are arranged on a single high voltage generator. Transferring of the high voltage to the horizontal accelerating tube is performed with the high voltage changing system in the pressure vessel. The output ratings of the accelerator are 2 MV of acceleration voltage and 30 mA of beam current. By providing the dual beam system, two irradiation rooms, one for vertical and the other for horizontal beam, are independently operationable. Persons can enter the horizontal irradiation room for experimental setting even when the vertical irradiation room is in operation. The specification of the buildings, the exhaust air treatment system, the irradiation conveyor and the safety observation system are also described. (author)

  19. Use of bubbles dosemeters to measure the neutrons leakage radiations around a medical accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourgois, L.

    1999-01-01

    In this study, the neutron component has been determined on a medical accelerator (Saturne 43F type accelerator) with the help of bubbles detectors marketed by the Bubble Technology Industry society. BD-PND type dosemeters with sensitivities from 0.1 to 0.23 bubbles/micro sievert have been used. These dosemeters have important advantages: they are small enough and then, homogeneously irradiated, they are insensitive to intense electromagnetic fields and to photons and electrons, they can used several times by compression, the reading of the device does not need expensive means and it is possible to multiply the measure points. (N.C.)

  20. Photoneutrons from medical linear accelerators--radiobiological measurements and risk estimates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hall, Eric J.; Martin, Stewart G.; Amols, Howard; Hei, Tom K.

    1995-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the oncogenic potential of the photoneutrons produced by high energy medical linear accelerators. Methods and Materials: An established line of cells of rodent origin (C 3 H 10T1/2) was used to assess the oncogenic potential of the radiation dose received in the breast of an anthropomorphic 'randoman' phanton, while the cervix received a dose of 70 Gy. Experiments were performed at 6 MV, below the threshold for the production of photoneutrons, and at 20 MV where the dose includes about 0.01 Gy of photoneutrons as well as scattered x-rays. Results: A significantly higher transformation incidence was observed for the 20-MV machine, consistent with the measured neutron dose of about 0.01 Gy and a quality factor of 20. Conclusion: An estimate can be made of the additional deaths from second malignancies that might result from the photoneutrons generated by higher energy linear accelerators (Linacs), which must be offset against the possible improvements in survival that might result from the higher tumor doses made possible by the increased percentage depth doses

  1. Radiant Ceiling Panels Combined with Localized Methods for Improved Thermal Comfort of Both Patient and Medical Staff in Patient Room

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mori, Sakura; Barova, Mariya; Bolashikov, Zhecho Dimitrov

    2012-01-01

    The objectives were to identify whether ceiling installed radiant heating panels can provide thermal comfort to the occupants in a patient room, and to determine a method for optimal thermal environment to both patient and medical staff simultaneously. The experiments were performed in a climate...... mattress were used to provide local heating for the patient. The effects of the methods were identified by comparing the manikin based equivalent temperatures. The optimal thermal comfort level for both patient and medical staff would obtained when two conventional cotton blankets were used with extra...... chamber resembling a single-bed patient room under convective air conditioning alone or combined with the ceiling installed radiant heating panels. Two thermal manikins simulated a patient lying in the bed and a doctor standing next to the patient. Conventional cotton blanket, electric blanket, electric...

  2. Accelerator Based Neutron Beams for Neutron Capture Therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yanch, Jacquelyn C.

    2003-01-01

    The DOE-funded accelerator BNCT program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has resulted in the only operating accelerator-based epithermal neutron beam facility capable of generating significant dose rates in the world. With five separate beamlines and two different epithermal neutron beam assemblies installed, we are currently capable of treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis in less than 15 minutes (knee joints) or 4 minutes (finger joints) or irradiating patients with shallow brain tumors to a healthy tissue dose of 12.6 Gy in 3.6 hours. The accelerator, designed by Newton scientific Incorporated, is located in dedicated laboratory space that MIT renovated specifically for this project. The Laboratory for Accelerator Beam Applications consists of an accelerator room, a control room, a shielded radiation vault, and additional laboratory space nearby. In addition to the design, construction and characterization of the tandem electrostatic accelerator, this program also resulted in other significant accomplishments. Assemblies for generating epithermal neutron beams were designed, constructed and experimentally evaluated using mixed-field dosimetry techniques. Strategies for target construction and target cooling were implemented and tested. We demonstrated that the method of submerged jet impingement using water as the coolant is capable of handling power densities of up to 6 x 10(sup 7) W/m(sup 2) with heat transfer coefficients of 10(sup 6)W/m(sup 2)-K. Experiments with the liquid metal gallium demonstrated its superiority compared with water with little effect on the neutronic properties of the epithermal beam. Monoenergetic proton beams generated using the accelerator were used to evaluate proton RBE as a function of LET and demonstrated a maximum RBE at approximately 30-40 keV/um, a finding consistent with results published by other researchers. We also developed an experimental approach to biological intercomparison of epithermal beams and

  3. Deuteron and neutron induced activation in the Eveda accelerator materials: implications for the accelerator maintenance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia, M.; Sanz, J.; Garcia, N.; Cabellos, O. [Madrid Univ. Politecnica, C/ Jose Gutierrez Abascal, lnstituto de Fusion Nuclear (Spain); Sauvan, R. [Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED), Madrid (Spain); Moreno, C.; Sedano, L.A. [CIEMAT-Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas Medioambientales y Tecnologicas, Association Euratom-CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: The IFMIF (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility) is an accelerator-based DLi neutron source designed to test fusion reactor candidate materials for high fluence neutrons. Before deciding IFMIF construction, an engineering design and associated experimental data acquisition, defined as EVEDA, has been proposed. Along the EVEDA accelerator, deuteron beam losses collide with the accelerator materials, producing activation and consequent radiations responsible of dose. Calculation of the dose rates in the EVEDA accelerator room is necessary in order to analyze the feasibility for manual maintenance. Dose rates due to the activation produced by the deuteron beam losses interaction with the accelerator materials, will be calculated with the ACAB activation code, using EAF2007 library for deuteron activation cross-sections. Also, dose rates from the activation induced by the neutron source produced by the interaction of deuteron beam losses with the accelerator materials and the deuterium implanted in the structural lattice, will be calculated with the SRIM2006, TMAP7, DROSG2000/NEUYIE, MCNPX and ACAB codes. All calculations will be done for the EVEDA accelerator with the room temperature DTL structure, which is based on copper cavities for the DTL. Some calculations will be done for the superconducting DTL structure, based on niobium cavities for the DTL working at cryogenic temperature. Final analysis will show the dominant mechanisms and major radionuclides contributing to the surface dose rates. (authors)

  4. The radiation field measurement and analysis outside the shielding of A 10 MeV electron irradiation accelerator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Jing; Li, Juexin; Xu, Bing; Li, Yuxiong

    2011-10-01

    Electron accelerators are employed widely for diverse purposes in the irradiation-processing industry, from sterilizing medical products to treating gemstones. Because accelerators offer high efficiency, high power, and require little preventative maintenance, they are becoming more and more popular than using the 60Co isotope approach. However, the electron accelerator exposes potential radiation hazards. To protect workers and the public from exposure to radiation, the radiation field around the electronic accelerator must be assessed, especially that outside the shielding. Thus, we measured the radiation dose at different positions outside the shielding of a 10-MeV electron accelerator using a new data-acquisition unit named Mini-DDL (Mini-Digital Data Logging). The measurements accurately reflect the accelerator's radiation status. In this paper, we present our findings, results and compare them with our theoretical calculations. We conclude that the measurements taken outside the irradiation hall are consistent with the findings from our calculations, except in the maze outside the door of the accelerator room. We discuss the reason for this discrepancy.

  5. The radiation field measurement and analysis outside the shielding of A 10 MeV electron irradiation accelerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shang Jing [National Synchrotron Radiation Lab, University of Science and Technology of China (China); Li Juexin, E-mail: juexin@ustc.edu.cn [National Synchrotron Radiation Lab, University of Science and Technology of China (China); Xu Bing; Li Yuxiong [National Synchrotron Radiation Lab, University of Science and Technology of China (China)

    2011-10-01

    Electron accelerators are employed widely for diverse purposes in the irradiation-processing industry, from sterilizing medical products to treating gemstones. Because accelerators offer high efficiency, high power, and require little preventative maintenance, they are becoming more and more popular than using the {sup 60}Co isotope approach. However, the electron accelerator exposes potential radiation hazards. To protect workers and the public from exposure to radiation, the radiation field around the electronic accelerator must be assessed, especially that outside the shielding. Thus, we measured the radiation dose at different positions outside the shielding of a 10-MeV electron accelerator using a new data-acquisition unit named Mini-DDL (Mini-Digital Data Logging). The measurements accurately reflect the accelerator's radiation status. In this paper, we present our findings, results and compare them with our theoretical calculations. We conclude that the measurements taken outside the irradiation hall are consistent with the findings from our calculations, except in the maze outside the door of the accelerator room. We discuss the reason for this discrepancy.

  6. Workshop on the accelerator for particle therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, M.; Ujeno, Y.

    1991-02-01

    A two-day workshop on the accelerator for particle therapy was held on August 22-23, 1990, with the aim of mutual understanding of medical accelerators among investigators. The state-of-the-art facilities in Japan and medical proton accelerators in Japan and other countries were introduced. This is a compilation of papers presented at the workshop: (1) particle radiotherapy at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS); (2) proton therapy; (3) treatment planning, especially for photon and electron therapies; (4) heavy ion synchrotron project at the NIRS; (5) medical proton accelerator project of Tsukuba University and recent status of Loma Linda University Medical Center Proton Beam Facility; (6) inspection report on the Loma Linda University Medical Center Proton Beam Facility; (7) accelerator project of Kyoto University; (8) actual conditions of the 7 MeV proton linear accelerator; (9) design study of superconducting compact cyclotron prototype model; (10) medical superconducting prototype cyclotron; (11) RCNP cyclotron cascade project; (12) beam extraction from synchrotron; (13) radiation safety design in high energy particle accelerator facilities. (N.K.)

  7. Accelerated Threshold Fatigue Crack Growth Effect-Powder Metallurgy Aluminum Alloy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piascik, R. S.; Newman, J. A.

    2002-01-01

    Fatigue crack growth (FCG) research conducted in the near threshold regime has identified a room temperature creep crack growth damage mechanism for a fine grain powder metallurgy (PM) aluminum alloy (8009). At very low (Delta) K, an abrupt acceleration in room temperature FCG rate occurs at high stress ratio (R = K(sub min)/K(sub max)). The near threshold accelerated FCG rates are exacerbated by increased levels of K(sub max) (K(sub max) = 0.4 K(sub IC)). Detailed fractographic analysis correlates accelerated FCG with the formation of crack-tip process zone micro-void damage. Experimental results show that the near threshold and K(sub max) influenced accelerated crack growth is time and temperature dependent.

  8. Failure modes and effects criticality analysis and accelerated life testing of LEDs for medical applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawant, M.; Christou, A.

    2012-12-01

    While use of LEDs in Fiber Optics and lighting applications is common, their use in medical diagnostic applications is not very extensive. Since the precise value of light intensity will be used to interpret patient results, understanding failure modes [1-4] is very important. We used the Failure Modes and Effects Criticality Analysis (FMECA) tool to identify the critical failure modes of the LEDs. FMECA involves identification of various failure modes, their effects on the system (LED optical output in this context), their frequency of occurrence, severity and the criticality of the failure modes. The competing failure modes/mechanisms were degradation of: active layer (where electron-hole recombination occurs to emit light), electrodes (provides electrical contact to the semiconductor chip), Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) surface layer (used to improve current spreading and light extraction), plastic encapsulation (protective polymer layer) and packaging failures (bond wires, heat sink separation). A FMECA table is constructed and the criticality is calculated by estimating the failure effect probability (β), failure mode ratio (α), failure rate (λ) and the operating time. Once the critical failure modes were identified, the next steps were generation of prior time to failure distribution and comparing with our accelerated life test data. To generate the prior distributions, data and results from previous investigations were utilized [5-33] where reliability test results of similar LEDs were reported. From the graphs or tabular data, we extracted the time required for the optical power output to reach 80% of its initial value. This is our failure criterion for the medical diagnostic application. Analysis of published data for different LED materials (AlGaInP, GaN, AlGaAs), the Semiconductor Structures (DH, MQW) and the mode of testing (DC, Pulsed) was carried out. The data was categorized according to the materials system and LED structure such as AlGaInP-DH-DC, Al

  9. A new Main Control Room for the AGS complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ingrassia, P.F.; Zaharatos, R.M.; Dyling, O.H.

    1991-01-01

    A new Main Control Room (MCR) has been built to control the accelerators of the AGS Complex. A new physical environment was produced to better control light, sound, temperature, and traffic. New control consoles were built around the work-stations that make up the distributed control system. Equipment placement within consoles and console placement within the room reflect attention to the 'human factors' needs of the operator

  10. Ion sources for medical accelerators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barletta, W. A.; Chu, W. T.; Leung, K. N.

    1998-02-01

    Advanced injector systems for proton synchrotrons and accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy systems are being developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Multicusp ion sources, particularly those driven by radio frequency, have been tested for these applications. The use of a radio frequency induction discharge provides clean, reliable, and long-life source operation. It has been demonstrated that the multicusp ion source can provide good-quality positive hydrogen ion beams with a monatomic ion fraction higher than 90%. The extractable ion current densities from this type of source can meet the injector requirements for both proton synchrotron and accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy projects.

  11. AAPM Medical Physics Practice Guideline 8.a.: Linear accelerator performance tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Koren; Balter, Peter; Duhon, John; White, Gerald A; Vassy, David L; Miller, Robin A; Serago, Christopher F; Fairobent, Lynne A

    2017-07-01

    The purpose of this guideline is to provide a list of critical performance tests in order to assist the Qualified Medical Physicist (QMP) in establishing and maintaining a safe and effective quality assurance (QA) program. The performance tests on a linear accelerator (linac) should be selected to fit the clinical patterns of use of the accelerator and care should be given to perform tests which are relevant to detecting errors related to the specific use of the accelerator. A risk assessment was performed on tests from current task group reports on linac QA to highlight those tests that are most effective at maintaining safety and quality for the patient. Recommendations are made on the acquisition of reference or baseline data, the establishment of machine isocenter on a routine basis, basing performance tests on clinical use of the linac, working with vendors to establish QA tests and performing tests after maintenance. The recommended tests proposed in this guideline were chosen based on the results from the risk analysis and the consensus of the guideline's committee. The tests are grouped together by class of test (e.g., dosimetry, mechanical, etc.) and clinical parameter tested. Implementation notes are included for each test so that the QMP can understand the overall goal of each test. This guideline will assist the QMP in developing a comprehensive QA program for linacs in the external beam radiation therapy setting. The committee sought to prioritize tests by their implication on quality and patient safety. The QMP is ultimately responsible for implementing appropriate tests. In the spirit of the report from American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group 100, individual institutions are encouraged to analyze the risks involved in their own clinical practice and determine which performance tests are relevant in their own radiotherapy clinics. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on

  12. Engineering Process Monitoring for Control Room Operation

    CERN Document Server

    Bätz, M

    2001-01-01

    A major challenge in process operation is to reduce costs and increase system efficiency whereas the complexity of automated process engineering, control and monitoring systems increases continuously. To cope with this challenge the design, implementation and operation of process monitoring systems for control room operation have to be treated as an ensemble. This is only possible if the engineering of the monitoring information is focused on the production objective and is lead in close collaboration of control room teams, exploitation personnel and process specialists. In this paper some principles for the engineering of monitoring information for control room operation are developed at the example of the exploitation of a particle accelerator at the European Laboratory for Nuclear Research (CERN).

  13. Air quality monitoring of the post-operative recovery room and locations surrounding operating theaters in a medical center in Taiwan.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chin-Sheng Tang

    Full Text Available To prevent surgical site infection (SSI, the airborne microbial concentration in operating theaters must be reduced. The air quality in operating theaters and nearby areas is also important to healthcare workers. Therefore, this study assessed air quality in the post-operative recovery room, locations surrounding the operating theater area, and operating theaters in a medical center. Temperature, relative humidity (RH, and carbon dioxide (CO2, suspended particulate matter (PM, and bacterial concentrations were monitored weekly over one year. Measurement results reveal clear differences in air quality in different operating theater areas. The post-operative recovery room had significantly higher CO2 and bacterial concentrations than other locations. Bacillus spp., Micrococcus spp., and Staphylococcus spp. bacteria often existed in the operating theater area. Furthermore, Acinetobacter spp. was the main pathogen in the post-operative recovery room (18% and traumatic surgery room (8%. The mixed effect models reveal a strong correlation between number of people in a space and high CO2 concentration after adjusting for sampling locations. In conclusion, air quality in the post-operative recovery room and operating theaters warrants attention, and merits long-term surveillance to protect both surgical patients and healthcare workers.

  14. Air quality monitoring of the post-operative recovery room and locations surrounding operating theaters in a medical center in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Chin-Sheng; Wan, Gwo-Hwa

    2013-01-01

    To prevent surgical site infection (SSI), the airborne microbial concentration in operating theaters must be reduced. The air quality in operating theaters and nearby areas is also important to healthcare workers. Therefore, this study assessed air quality in the post-operative recovery room, locations surrounding the operating theater area, and operating theaters in a medical center. Temperature, relative humidity (RH), and carbon dioxide (CO2), suspended particulate matter (PM), and bacterial concentrations were monitored weekly over one year. Measurement results reveal clear differences in air quality in different operating theater areas. The post-operative recovery room had significantly higher CO2 and bacterial concentrations than other locations. Bacillus spp., Micrococcus spp., and Staphylococcus spp. bacteria often existed in the operating theater area. Furthermore, Acinetobacter spp. was the main pathogen in the post-operative recovery room (18%) and traumatic surgery room (8%). The mixed effect models reveal a strong correlation between number of people in a space and high CO2 concentration after adjusting for sampling locations. In conclusion, air quality in the post-operative recovery room and operating theaters warrants attention, and merits long-term surveillance to protect both surgical patients and healthcare workers.

  15. Medical research and multidisciplinary applications with laser-accelerated beams: the ELIMED netwotk at ELI-Beamlines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tramontana, A.; Anzalone, A.; Candiano, G.; Carpinelli, M.; Cirrone, G. A. P.; Cuttone, G.; Korn, G.; Licciardello, T.; Maggiore, M.; Manti, L.; Margarone, D.; Musumarra, A.; Perozziello, F.; Pisciotta, P.; Raffaele, L.; Romano, F.; Romano, F. P.; Stancampiano, C.; Schillaci, F.; Scuderi, V.; Torrisi, L.; Tudisco, S.

    2014-04-01

    Laser accelerated proton beams represent nowadays an attractive alternative to the conventional ones and they have been proposed in different research fields. In particular, the interest has been focused in the possibility of replacing conventional accelerating machines with laser-based accelerators in order to develop a new concept of hadrontherapy facilities, which could result more compact and less expensive. With this background the ELIMED (ELIMED: ELI-Beamlines MEDical applications) research project has been launched by LNS-INFN researchers (Laboratori Nazionali del Sud-Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Catania, IT) and ASCR-FZU researchers (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic-Fyzikální ústar, Prague, Cz), within the pan-European ELI-Beamlines facility framework. Its main purposes are the demonstration of future applications in hadrontherapy of optically accelerated protons and the realization of a laser-accelerated ion transport beamline for multidisciplinary applications. Several challenges, starting from laser-target interaction and beam transport development, up to dosimetric and radiobiological issues, need to be overcome in order to reach the final goals. The design and the realization of a preliminary beam handling and dosimetric system and of an advanced spectrometer for high energy (multi-MeV) laser-accelerated ion beams will be shortly presented in this work.

  16. Verification of radiodynamic therapy by medical linear accelerator using a mouse melanoma tumor model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Junko; Murakami, Mami; Mori, Takashi; Iwahashi, Hitoshi

    2018-02-09

    Combined treatment with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and X-rays improves tumor suppression in vivo. This is because the accumulated protoporphyrin IX from 5-ALA enhances the generation of ROS by the X-ray irradiation. In the present study, a high-energy medical linear accelerator was used instead of a non-medical low energy X-ray irradiator, which had been previously used. Tumor-bearing mice implanted with B16-BL6 melanoma cells were treated with fractionated doses of irradiation (in total, 20 or 30 Gy), using two types of X-ray irradiator after 5-ALA administration. Suppression of tumor growth was enhanced with X-ray irradiation in combination with 5-ALA treatment compared with X-ray treatment alone, using both medical and non-medical X-ray irradiators. 5-ALA has been used clinically for photodynamic therapy. Thus, "radiodynamic therapy", using radiation from medical linacs as a physical driving force, rather than the light used in photodynamic therapy, may have potential clinical applications.

  17. Calibration of PADC-based neutron area dosemeters in the neutron field produced in the treatment room of a medical LINAC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bedogni, R.; Domingo, C.; Esposito, A.; Gentile, A.; García-Fusté, M.J.; San-Pedro, M. de; Tana, L.; D’Errico, F.; Ciolini, R.; Di Fulvio, A.

    2013-01-01

    PADC-based nuclear track detectors have been widely used as convenient ambient dosemeters in many working places. However, due to the large energy dependence of their response in terms of ambient dose equivalent (H ∗ (10)) and to the diversity of workplace fields in terms of energy distribution, the appropriate calibration of these dosemeters is a delicate task. These are among the reasons why ISO has introduced the 12789 Series of Standards, where the simulated workplace neutron fields are introduced and their use to calibrate neutron dosemeters is recommended. This approach was applied in the present work to the UAB PADC-based nuclear track detectors. As a suitable workplace, the treatment room of a 15 MV Varian CLINAC DHX medical accelerator, located in the Ospedale S. Chiara (Pisa), was chosen. Here the neutron spectra in two points of tests (1.5 m and 2 m from the isocenter) were determined with the INFN-LNF Bonner Sphere Spectrometer equipped with Dysprosium activation foils (Dy-BSS), and the values of H ∗ (10) were derived on this basis. The PADC dosemeters were exposed in these points. Their workplace specific H*(10) responses were determined and compared with those previously obtained in different simulated workplace or reference (ISO 8529) neutron fields. - Highlights: ► The neutron field of a medical LINAC was used to calibrate PADC neutron dosemeters. ► The neutron spectra were derived with a Dy-foil based Bonner Sphere Spectrometer. ► Workplace specific calibration factor were derived for the PADC dosemeters. ► These factors were compared with those obtained in reference neutron fields

  18. Generation of ozone and safety aspects in an accelerator facility of BARC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubey, Praveen; Sawatkar, Aparna R.; Sathe, Arun P.; Soundararajan, S.; Sarma, K.S.S.

    2009-01-01

    Industrial electron beam accelerators up to 10 MeV are commonly employed for different applications. During normal operation of an accelerator, the principal hazard is the high radiation level produced. Experiments and applications in which the electron beam is used to irradiate materials outside the accelerator vacuum system are associated with problems such as radiation damage and production of considerable quantities of ozone. The possible generation of ozone during the operation of an electron beam accelerator is of special interest due to reactivity, corrosivity and the toxic characteristics of ozone. Industrial hygiene surveys were conducted to estimate the airborne concentration of ozone during operations of the electron beam accelerator (Type: ILU-6; 2 MeV; 20 KW) at varied operating parameters. The ozone concentration in the accelerator room was measured at different powers of the accelerator and the ozone decay pattern was also observed after beam shut down. Ozone in the accelerator room was measured by different methods such as colorimetry using neutral buffered potassium iodide, chemiluminescence method using ethylene and by using electrochemical sensor. An air velocity meter was used to measure the linear air velocity across the exhaust grills and the number of air changes available in the accelerator room was calculated. Necessary control measures were suggested to keep the occupational exposure of the personnel to ozone concentrations well within the Threshold Limit Values. (author)

  19. CEBAF Control Room Renovation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michael Spata; Thomas Oren

    2005-01-01

    The Machine Control Center (MCC) at Jefferson Lab's Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) was initially constructed in the early 1990s and based on proven technology of that era. Through our experience over the last 15 years and in our planning for the facility's 12 GeV upgrade we reevaluated the control room environment to capitalize on emerging visualization and display technologies and improve workflow processes and ergonomic attributes. This effort also sets the foundation for the redevelopment of the accelerator's control system to deliver high reliability performance with improvements in beam specifications management and information flow. The complete renovation was performed over a three-week maintenance period with no interruption to beam operations. We present the results of this effort

  20. CEBAF Control Room Renovation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michael Spata; Thomas Oren

    2005-01-01

    The Machine Control Center at Jefferson Lab's Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility was initially constructed in the early 1990s and based on proven technology of that era. Through our experience over the last 15 years and in our planning for the facilities 12 GeV upgrade we reevaluated the control room environment to capitalize on emerging visualization and display technologies and improve on workflow processes and ergonomic attributes. This effort also sets the foundation for the redevelopment of the accelerator's control system to deliver high reliability performance with improvements in beam specifications management and information flow. The complete renovation was performed over a three-week period with no interruption to beam operations. We present the results of this effort

  1. APT accelerator technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schneider, J. David

    1996-01-01

    The proposed accelerator production of tritium (APT) project requires an accelerator that provides a cw proton beam of 100 m A at 1300 MeV. Since the majority of the technical risk of a high-current cw (continuous-wave, 100% DF) accelerator resides in the low-energy section, Los Alamos is building a 20 MeV duplicate of the accelerator front end to confirm design codes, beam performance, and demonstrate operational reliability. We report on design details of this low-energy demonstration accelerator (LEDA) and discuss the integrated design of the full accelerator for the APT plant. LEDA's proton injector is under test and has produced more than 130 mA at 75 keV. Fabrication is proceeding on a 6.7- MeV, 8-meter-long RFQ, and detailed design is underway on coupled-cavity drift-tube linac (CCDTL) structures. In addition, detailed design and technology experiments are underway on medium-beta superconducting cavities to assess the feasibility of replacing the conventional (room-temperature copper) high-energy linac with a linac made of niobium superconducting RF cavities. (author)

  2. A new main control room for the AGS complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ingrassia, P.F.; Zaharatos, R.M.; Dyling, O.H.

    1991-01-01

    A new Main Control Room (MCR) has been built to control the accelerators of the AGS Complex. A new physical environment was produced to better control light, sound, temperature, and traffic. New control consoles were built around the work-stations that make up the distributed control system. Equipment placement within consoles and console placement within the room reflect attention to the ''human factors'' needs of the operator. 1 ref., 2 figs

  3. Study of behaviour of the monitor chambers of a linear accelerator for medical use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brosed, A.; Lopez-Bote, M.A.; Blanco, M.A.; Galvez, M.

    1988-01-01

    An experimental procedure to study the nature and behaviour of the monitor chambers of a linear accelerator for medical use is presented. The procedure has been applied to a Siemens accelerator, Mevatron-77, that has two different types of monitor chambers: sealed for the photon beam and unsealed for the electron ones. As it was expected, no deviations in the dose per monitor unit has been obtained for the photon beam. Variations in the absorbed dose per monitor unit have been observed for the electron beams up to 6% along the working day. Practical solutions compensating this fact are pointed out and the standard recommendations on the control of dose per monitor unit are discussed. (Author)

  4. Evaluating the attendance of medical staff and room occupancy during palliative radiotherapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adamietz, Irenaeus A. [University of Bochum, Department of Radiation Oncology, Bochum (Germany); Marienhospital Herne, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Herne (Germany); Micke, Oliver [Franziskus-Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology, Bielefeld (Germany); Popp, Wolfgang [Prime Networks AG, Basel (Switzerland); Sack, Horst [DEGRO, Berlin (Germany)

    2014-09-15

    Attendance of staff and use of resources during treatment have an impact on costs. For palliative radiotherapy, no reliable data are available on the subject. Therefore, the measurement of selected variables (staff absorbance and room occupancy) based on daily palliative irradiation was the aim of our prospective study. The analysis is part of a larger study conducted by the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO). A total of 172 palliative radiation treatments were followed up prospectively between October 2009 and March 2010. The study was performed at two experienced radiotherapy departments (Herne and Bielefeld) and evaluated the attendance of medical personnel and room occupancy related to the selected steps of the treatment procedure: treatment planning and daily application of radiation dose. Computed tomography for treatment planning engaged the unit for 19 min (range: 17-22 min). The localization of target volume required on average 28 min of a technician's working time. The mean attendance of the entire staff (radiation oncologist, physicist, technician) for treatment planning was 159 min, while the total room occupancy was 140 min. Depending on the type of treatment, the overall duration of a radiotherapy session varied on average between 8 and 18 min. The staff was absorbed by the first treatment session (including portal imaging) for 8-27 min. Mean room occupancy was 18 min (range: 6-65 min). The longest medical staff attendance was observed during an initial irradiation session (mean: 11 min). Radiotherapy sessions with weekly performed field verifications occupied the rooms slightly longer (mean: 10 min, range: 4-25 min) than daily radiotherapy sessions (mean: 9 min, range: 3-29 min). We observed that the patients' symptoms, their condition, and their social environment confounded the time schedule. Target localization, treatment planning, and performance of palliative radiotherapy absorb resources to an extent comparable to

  5. Assessment of abuse-related injuries: a comparative study of forensic physicians, emergency room physicians, emergency room nurses and medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reijnders, Udo J L; Giannakopoulos, Georgios F; de Bruin, Kim H

    2008-01-01

    A comparative study was made investigating whether emergency room physicians, emergency room nurses, forensic physicians, and interns are competent in describing, recognising and determining the possible cause of injuries. The injury assessment scores varied from good--adequate--fail and remained blank in various participant groups. Forensic physicians scored significantly better than emergency room staff and interns in the assessment of abuse-related injuries. There were almost no differences noted between emergency room physicians and emergency room nurses. For the functional group with more or less than 4 to 6 years of experience, no significant differences were noted for scoring good in all 5 cases. The fact that forensic physicians scored better than the emergency room staff is probably explained by the fact that almost all practicing forensic physicians have been officially qualified. Training in this field for all professionals involved in such assessment should be mandatory.

  6. A high-power rf linear accelerator for FELS [free-electron lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheffield, R.L.; Watson, J.M.

    1987-01-01

    This paper describes the design of a high average current rf linear accelerator suitable for driving short-wavelength free-electron lasers (FEL). It is concluded that the design of a room-temperature rf linear acelerator that can meet the stringent requirements of a high-power short-wavelength FEL appears possible. The accelerator requires the use of an advanced photoelectric injector that is under development; the accelerator components, however, do not require appreciable development. At these large beam currents, low-frequency, large-bore room-temperature cavities can be highly efficient and give all specified performance with minimal risk. 20 refs

  7. Microwave system of the 7-10 MeV electron linear accelerator ALIN for medical applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, D.; Iliescu, E.; Stirbet, M.; Oproiu, C.; Vintan, I.

    1978-01-01

    A detailed description of the Central Institute of Physics 10 MeV linear microwave system and its associated subsystems are presented. Methods of impedance matching to obtain maximum power transfer are described along with broadband design methods for transmission-line impedance transformers. Experimental results for such microwave devices are included. With respect to microwave device performances, simultaneous high efficiency and high power capability with reliability and long life at relatively low unit cost have only recently been achieved as typical device characteristics. Industrial, medical and scientific application of microwave electron accelerators have markedly influenced microwave research progress. Radiographic linear accelerators have grown substantially mainly during the past few years. Following this, the improvements of microwave device performances solicit our attention. The first electron therapy Linear Accelerator ALIN 10 marks a new stage in the development of such instrumentation. Its subsequent ALIN 15 is designed to produce a maximum energy of 18 MeV to widen its applicability in radiotherapy. In addition, a new electron linear accelerator of 8 MeV for nondestructive testing has been started. (author)

  8. Laser Radiation Pressure Accelerator for Quasi-Monoenergetic Proton Generation and Its Medical Implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, C. S.; Shao, X.; Liu, T. C.; Su, J. J.; He, M. Q.; Eliasson, B.; Tripathi, V. K.; Dudnikova, G.; Sagdeev, R. Z.; Wilks, S.; Chen, C. D.; Sheng, Z. M.

    Laser radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) of ultrathin foils of subwavelength thickness provides an efficient means of quasi-monoenergetic proton generation. With an optimal foil thickness, the ponderomotive force of the intense short-pulse laser beam pushes the electrons to the edge of the foil, while balancing the electric field due to charge separation. The electron and proton layers form a self-organized plasma double layer and are accelerated by the radiation pressure of the laser, the so-called light sail. However, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability can limit the acceleration and broaden the energy of the proton beam. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations have shown that the formation of finger-like structures due to the nonlinear evolution of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability limits the acceleration and leads to a leakage of radiation through the target by self-induced transparency. We here review the physics of quasi-monoenergetic proton generation by RPA and recent advances in the studies of energy scaling of RPA, and discuss the RPA of multi-ion and gas targets. The scheme for generating quasi-monoenergetic protons with RPA has the potential of leading to table-top accelerators as sources for producing monoenergetic 50-250 MeV protons. We also discuss potential medical implications, such as particle therapy for cancer treatment, using quasi-monoenergetic proton beams generated from RPA. Compact monoenergetic ion sources also have applications in many other areas such as high-energy particle physics, space electronics radiation testing, and fast ignition in laser fusion.

  9. IAE pulsed electrostatic accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Afanas'ev, V.P.; Ganzhelyuk, M.L.; Kozlov, L.D.; Koltypin, E.A.; Molchanov, Yu.D.; Otroshchenko, G.A.; Yan'kov, G.B.

    1976-01-01

    The modernized pulse electrostatic accelerator using the klystron ion grouping and the beam interruption system prior to acceleration is described. The accelerator is modernized in order to improve parameters of a current pulse and to decrease the background in the measurement room. The ion beam of needed dimensions is obtained with the help of a high-frequency source and a beam grouping and deflection system. The general view of the beam grouping and deflection system is shown. The ion beam forming process is considered in detail. The modernized electrostatic accelerator permits to obtain a pulse current with a pulse length of 1.5 ns and an amplitude of 1.5 - 2 μA. With the repetition frequency of 2 MHz, the average target current is about 6 μA

  10. Computer vision based room interior design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Nasir; Hussain, Saddam; Ahmad, Kashif; Conci, Nicola

    2015-12-01

    This paper introduces a new application of computer vision. To the best of the author's knowledge, it is the first attempt to incorporate computer vision techniques into room interior designing. The computer vision based interior designing is achieved in two steps: object identification and color assignment. The image segmentation approach is used for the identification of the objects in the room and different color schemes are used for color assignment to these objects. The proposed approach is applied to simple as well as complex images from online sources. The proposed approach not only accelerated the process of interior designing but also made it very efficient by giving multiple alternatives.

  11. Introducing a system for automated control of rotation axes, collimator and laser adjustment for a medical linear accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winkler, Peter; Bergmann, Helmar; Stuecklschweiger, Georg; Guss, Helmuth

    2003-01-01

    Mechanical stability and precise adjustment of rotation axes, collimator and room lasers are essential for the success of radiotherapy and particularly stereotactic radiosurgery with a linear accelerator. Quality assurance procedures, at present mainly based on visual tests and radiographic film evaluations, should desirably be little time consuming and highly accurate. We present a method based on segmentation and analysis of digital images acquired with an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) that meets these objectives. The method can be employed for routine quality assurance with a square field formed by the built-in collimator jaws as well as with a circular field using an external drill hole collimator. A number of tests, performed to evaluate accuracy and reproducibility of the algorithm, yielded very satisfying results. Studies performed over a period of 18 months prove the applicability of the inspected accelerator for stereotactic radiosurgery

  12. ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATIONS OF LINEAR PROTON ACCELERATOR STRUCTURES USING DIELECTRIC WALL ACCELERATORS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, S; Poole, B; Caporaso, G

    2007-01-01

    Proton accelerator structures for medical applications using Dielectric Wall Accelerator (DWA) technology allow for the utilization of high electric field gradients on the order of 100 MV/m to accelerate the proton bunch. Medical applications involving cancer therapy treatment usually desire short bunch lengths on the order of hundreds of picoseconds in order to limit the extent of the energy deposited in the tumor site (in 3D space, time, and deposited proton charge). Electromagnetic simulations of the DWA structure, in combination with injections of proton bunches have been performed using 3D finite difference codes in combination with particle pushing codes. Electromagnetic simulations of DWA structures includes these effects and also include the details of the switch configuration and how that switch time affects the electric field pulse which accelerates the particle beam

  13. Calculation of Appropriate Minimum Size of Isolation Rooms based on Questionnaire Survey of Experts and Analysis on Conditions of Isolation Room Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Won, An-Na; Song, Hae-Eun; Yang, Young-Kwon; Park, Jin-Chul; Hwang, Jung-Ha

    2017-07-01

    After the outbreak of the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic, issues were raised regarding response capabilities of medical institutions, including the lack of isolation rooms at hospitals. Since then, the government of Korea has been revising regulations to enforce medical laws in order to expand the operation of isolation rooms and to strengthen standards regarding their mandatory installation at hospitals. Among general and tertiary hospitals in Korea, a total of 159 are estimated to be required to install isolation rooms to meet minimum standards. For the purpose of contributing to hospital construction plans in the future, this study conducted a questionnaire survey of experts and analysed the environment and devices necessary in isolation rooms, to determine their appropriate minimum size to treat patients. The result of the analysis is as follows: First, isolation rooms at hospitals are required to have a minimum 3,300mm minor axis and a minimum 5,000mm major axis for the isolation room itself, and a minimum 1,800mm minor axis for the antechamber where personal protective equipment is donned and removed. Second, the 15 ㎡-or-larger standard for the floor area of isolation rooms will have to be reviewed and standards for the minimum width of isolation rooms will have to be established.

  14. Game theory: applications for surgeons and the operating room environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFadden, David W; Tsai, Mitchell; Kadry, Bassam; Souba, Wiley W

    2012-11-01

    Game theory is an economic system of strategic behavior, often referred to as the "theory of social situations." Very little has been written in the medical literature about game theory or its applications, yet the practice of surgery and the operating room environment clearly involves multiple social situations with both cooperative and non-cooperative behaviors. A comprehensive review was performed of the medical literature on game theory and its medical applications. Definitive resources on the subject were also examined and applied to surgery and the operating room whenever possible. Applications of game theory and its proposed dilemmas abound in the practicing surgeon's world, especially in the operating room environment. The surgeon with a basic understanding of game theory principles is better prepared for understanding and navigating the complex Operating Room system and optimizing cooperative behaviors for the benefit all stakeholders. Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Can Accelerators Meet the Medical Isotopes Needs of the World?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruth, Thomas

    2011-10-01

    Over 80% of all Nuclear Medicine procedures make use of the radionuclide Tc-99 for SPECT imaging of heart disease, cancer and other disorders. Historically TC-99 has been produced from a generator through the decay of Mo-99 where the Mo-99 is a fission product of U-235. Five reactors around the world supply the market. However, these reactors are aging (many over 50 years old) and governments are reluctant to replace them. Therefore researchers have turned to accelerators as a potential source of this important radionuclide. In Canada the government has funded research project for two accelerator approaches: Mo-100(gamma,n)Mo-99 and Mo-100(p,2n)Tc-99m where the photons are generated from the conversion of high powered electrons into Bremsstrahlung radiation and the protons generated in low energy cyclotrons (15-25 MeV). The goal of these project is to provide the Government with sufficient information so that an informed decision can be made with respect to future supplies of medical isotopes for Canada. International interest has been expressed by the IAEA as a way to allow Member States with existing cyclotron programs to take advantage of the direct production route. This talk will describe the challenges with the approaches and the progress to date.

  16. High gradient RF test results of S-band and C-band cavities for medical linear accelerators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Degiovanni, A.; Bonomi, R.; Garlasché, M.; Verdú-Andrés, S.; Wegner, R.; Amaldi, U.

    2018-05-01

    TERA Foundation has proposed and designed hadrontherapy facilities based on novel linacs, i.e. high gradient linacs which accelerate either protons or light ions. The overall length of the linac, and therefore its cost, is almost inversely proportional to the average accelerating gradient. With the scope of studying the limiting factors for high gradient operation and to optimize the linac design, TERA, in collaboration with the CLIC Structure Development Group, has conducted a series of high gradient experiments. The main goals were to study the high gradient behavior and to evaluate the maximum gradient reached in 3 and 5.7 GHz structures to direct the design of medical accelerators based on high gradient linacs. This paper summarizes the results of the high power tests of 3.0 and 5.7 GHz single-cell cavities.

  17. Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFAG)accelerators and their medical application in proton therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fourrier, J.

    2008-10-01

    Radiotherapy uses particle beams to irradiate and kill cancer tumors while sparing healthy tissues. Bragg peak shape of the proton energy loss in matter allows a ballistic improvement of the dose deposition compared with X rays. Thus, the irradiated volume can be precisely adjusted to the tumour. This thesis, in the frame of the RACCAM project, aims to the study and the design of a proton therapy installation based on a fixed field alternating gradient (FFAG) accelerator in order to build a spiral sector FFAG magnet for validation. First, we present proton therapy to define medical specifications leading to the technical specifications of a proton therapy installation. Secondly, we introduce FFAG accelerators through their past and on-going projects which are on their way around the world before developing the beam dynamic theories in the case of invariant focusing optics (scaling FFAG). We describe modelling and simulation tools developed to study the dynamics in a spiral scaling FFAG accelerator. Then we explain the spiral optic parameter search which has leaded to the construction of a magnet prototype. Finally, we describe the RACCAM project proton therapy installation starting from the injector cyclotron and ending with the extraction system. (author)

  18. Accelerator Physics for ILC and CLIC

    CERN Document Server

    Zimmermann, F

    2010-01-01

    This paper summarizes the second part of the “accelerator physics lectures” delivered at the Ambleside Linear Collider School 2009. It discusses more specific linear-collider issues: superconducting and room-temperature linear accelerators, particle sources for electrons and positrons, synchrotron radiation and damping, intensity limits, beam stability, and beam delivery system – including final focus, collimation, and beam-beam effects. It also presents an overview of the International Linear Collider (ILC), a description of the two beam acceleration scheme of the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC), and a comparison of the ILC and CLIC parameters.

  19. Accelerated Near-Threshold Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of an Aluminum Powder Metallurgy Alloy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piascik, Robert S.; Newman, John A.

    2002-01-01

    Fatigue crack growth (FCG) research conducted in the near threshold regime has identified a room temperature creep crack growth damage mechanism for a fine grain powder metallurgy (PM) aluminum alloy (8009). At very low DK, an abrupt acceleration in room temperature FCG rate occurs at high stress ratio (R = Kmin/Kmax). The near threshold accelerated FCG rates are exacerbated by increased levels of Kmax (Kmax less than 0.4 KIC). Detailed fractographic analysis correlates accelerated FCG with the formation of crack-tip process zone micro-void damage. Experimental results show that the near threshold and Kmax influenced accelerated crack growth is time and temperature dependent.

  20. Physics design of an accelerator for an accelerator-driven subcritical system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhihui Li

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available An accelerator-driven subcritical system (ADS program was launched in China in 2011, which aims to design and build an ADS demonstration facility with the capability of more than 1000 MW thermal power in multiple phases lasting about 20 years. The driver linac is defined to be 1.5 GeV in energy, 10 mA in current and in cw operation mode. To meet the extremely high reliability and availability, the linac is designed with much installed margin and fault tolerance, including hot-spare injectors and local compensation method for key element failures. The accelerator complex consists of two parallel 10-MeV injectors, a joint medium-energy beam transport line, a main linac, and a high-energy beam transport line. The superconducting acceleration structures are employed except for the radio frequency quadrupole accelerators (RFQs which are at room temperature. The general design considerations and the beam dynamics design of the driver linac complex are presented here.

  1. Medical linear accelerator mounted mini-beam collimator: design, fabrication and dosimetric characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cranmer-Sargison, G; Crewson, C; Davis, W M; Sidhu, N P; Kundapur, V

    2015-09-07

    The goal of this work was to design, build and experimentally characterize a linear accelerator mounted mini-beam collimator for use at a nominal 6 MV beam energy. Monte Carlo simulation was used in the design and dosimetric characterization of a compact mini-beam collimator assembly mounted to a medical linear accelerator. After fabrication, experimental mini-beam dose profiles and central axis relative output were measured and the results used to validate the simulation data. The simulation data was then used to establish traceability back to an established dosimetric code of practice. The Monte Carlo simulation work revealed that changes in collimator blade width have a greater influence on the valley-to-peak dose ratio than do changes in blade height. There was good agreement between the modeled and measured profile data, with the exception of small differences on either side of the central peak dose. These differences were found to be systematic across all depths and result from limitations associated with the collimator fabrication. Experimental mini-beam relative output and simulation data agreed to better than ± 2.0%, which is well within the level of uncertainty required for dosimetric traceability of non-standard field geometries. A mini-beam collimator has now been designed, built and experimentally characterized for use with a commercial linear accelerator operated at a nominal 6 MV beam energy.

  2. Progress Toward NLC/GLC Prototype Accelerator Structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, J

    2004-01-01

    The accelerator structure groups for NLC (Next Linear Collider) and GLC (Global Linear Colliders) have successfully collaborated on the research and development of a major series of advanced accelerator structures based on room-temperature technology at X-band frequency. The progress in design, simulation, microwave measurement and high gradient tests are summarized in this paper. The recent effort in design and fabrication of the accelerator structure prototype for the main linac is presented in detail including HOM (High Order Mode) suppression and design of HOM couplers and fundamental mode couplers, optimized accelerator cavities as well as plans for future structures

  3. Decontamination of the activation product based on a legal revision of the cyclotron vault room on the non-self-shield compact medical cyclotron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Komiya, Isao; Umezu, Yoshiyuki; Fujibuchi, Toshiou; Nakamura, Kazumasa; Baba, Shingo; Honda, Hiroshi

    2016-01-01

    The non-self-shield compact medical cyclotron and the cyclotron vault room were in operation for 27 years. They have now been decommissioned. We efficiently implemented a technique to identify an activation product in the cyclotron vault room. Firstly, the distribution of radioactive concentrations in the concrete of the cyclotron vault room was estimated by calculation from the record of the cyclotron operation. Secondly, the comparison of calculated results with an actual measurement was performed using a NaI scintillation survey meter and a high-purity germanium detector. The calculated values were overestimated as compared to the values measured using the Nal scintillation survey meter and the high-purity germanium detector. However, it could limit the decontamination area. By simulating the activation range, we were able to minimize the concrete core sampling. Finally, the appropriate range of radioactivated area in the cyclotron vault room was decontaminated based on the results of the calculation. After decontamination, the radioactive concentration was below the detection limit value in all areas inside the cyclotron vault room. By these procedures, the decommissioning process of the cyclotron vault room was more efficiently performed. (author)

  4. A study on the calculation of the shielding wall thickness in medical linear accelerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Dong Yeon [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Dongnam Ins. of Radiological and Medical Science, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Park, Eun Tae [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Inje University Busan Paik Hospital, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jung Hoon [Dept. of Radiological science, college of health sciences, Catholic University of Pusan, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-06-15

    The purpose of this study is to calculate the thickness of shielding for concrete which is mainly used for radiation shielding and study of the walls constructed to shield medical linear accelerator. The optimal shielding thickness was calculated using MCNPX(Ver.2.5.0) for 10 MV of photon beam energy generated by linear accelerator. As a result, the TVL for photon shielding was formed at 50⁓100 cm for pure concrete and concrete with Boron+polyethylene at 80⁓100 cm. The neutron shielding was calculated 100⁓140 cm for pure concrete and concrete with Boron+polyethylene at 90⁓100 cm. Based on this study, the concrete is considered to be most efficient method of using steel plates and adding Boron+polyethylene th the concrete.

  5. Advanced accelerator and mm-wave structure research at LANL

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simakov, Evgenya Ivanovna [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2016-06-22

    This document outlines acceleration projects and mm-wave structure research performed at LANL. The motivation for PBG research is described first, with reference to couplers for superconducting accelerators and structures for room-temperature accelerators and W-band TWTs. These topics are then taken up in greater detail: PBG structures and the MIT PBG accelerator; SRF PBG cavities at LANL; X-band PBG cavities at LANL; and W-band PBG TWT at LANL. The presentation concludes by describing other advanced accelerator projects: beam shaping with an Emittance Exchanger, diamond field emitter array cathodes, and additive manufacturing of novel accelerator structures.

  6. A study on the reliability evaluation of shot peened aluminium alloy using accelerated life test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nam, Ji Hun; Cheong, Seong Kyun; Kang, Min Woo

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, the concept of accelerated life test, which is a popular research field nowadays, is applied to the shot peened material. To predict the efficient and exact room temperature fatigue characteristics from the high temperature fatigue data, the adequate accelerated model is investigated. Ono type rotary bending fatigue tester and high temperature chamber were used for the experiment. Room temperature fatigue lives were predicted by applying accelerated models and doing reliability evaluation. Room temperature fatigue tests were accomplished to check the effectiveness of predicted data and the adequate accelerated life test models were presented by considering errors. Experimental result using Arrhenius model, fatigue limit obtain almost 5.45% of error, inverse power law has about 1.36% of error, so we found that inverse power law is applied well to temperature-life relative of shot peended material

  7. Neutron fluence produced in medical accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castro, R.C.; Silva, A.X. da; Crispim, V.R.

    2004-01-01

    Radiotherapy with photon and electron beams still represents the most diffused technique to control and treat tumour diseases. To increase the treatment efficiency, accelerators of higher energy are used, the increase of electron and photon energy is joined with generation of undesired fast neutron that contaminated the therapeutic beam and give a non-negligible contribution to the patient dose. In this work we have simulated with the MCNP4B code the produced neutron spectra in the interaction between the beam and the head to the accelerator and estimating the equivalent dose for neutrons by x-ray dose for aims far from the targets. (author)

  8. Status on the compilation of nuclear data for medical radioisotopes produced by accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gandarias-Cruz, D.; Okamoto, K.

    1988-10-01

    The status of data on excitation functions and thick target yields for medical radioisotopes produced by accelerators is summarized. Most of the information was extracted from the compiled data in EXFOR (EXCHANGE FORMAT) which is a common format used by the co-operating nuclear data centres in the world. The nuclear decay mode, half-life, production method, Q-value, maximum cross-section value and the energy at this maximum, are tabulated. For some commonly used reactions, the available excitation functions are plotted in graph. (author). 353 refs

  9. An MCNP-based model for the evaluation of the photoneutron dose in high energy medical electron accelerators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carinou, Eleutheria; Stamatelatos, Ion Evangelos; Kamenopoulou, Vassiliki; Georgolopoulou, Paraskevi; Sandilos, Panayotis

    The development of a computational model for the treatment head of a medical electron accelerator (Elekta/Philips SL-18) by the Monte Carlo code mcnp-4C2 is discussed. The model includes the major components of the accelerator head and a pmma phantom representing the patient body. Calculations were performed for a 14 MeV electron beam impinging on the accelerator target and a 10 cmx10 cm beam area at the isocentre. The model was used in order to predict the neutron ambient dose equivalent at the isocentre level and moreover the neutron absorbed dose distribution within the phantom. Calculations were validated against experimental measurements performed by gold foil activation detectors. The results of this study indicated that the equivalent dose at tissues or organs adjacent to the treatment field due to photoneutrons could be up to 10% of the total peripheral dose, for the specific accelerator characteristics examined. Therefore, photoneutrons should be taken into account when accurate dose calculations are required to sensitive tissues that are adjacent to the therapeutic X-ray beam. The method described can be extended to other accelerators and collimation configurations as well, upon specification of treatment head component dimensions, composition and nominal accelerating potential.

  10. An MCNP-based model of a medical linear accelerator x-ray photon beam.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ajaj, F A; Ghassal, N M

    2003-09-01

    The major components in the x-ray photon beam path of the treatment head of the VARIAN Clinac 2300 EX medical linear accelerator were modeled and simulated using the Monte Carlo N-Particle radiation transport computer code (MCNP). Simulated components include x-ray target, primary conical collimator, x-ray beam flattening filter and secondary collimators. X-ray photon energy spectra and angular distributions were calculated using the model. The x-ray beam emerging from the secondary collimators were scored by considering the total x-ray spectra from the target as the source of x-rays at the target position. The depth dose distribution and dose profiles at different depths and field sizes have been calculated at a nominal operating potential of 6 MV and found to be within acceptable limits. It is concluded that accurate specification of the component dimensions, composition and nominal accelerating potential gives a good assessment of the x-ray energy spectra.

  11. Resonant coupling applied to superconducting accelerator structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Potter, James M.; Krawczyk, Frank L.

    2013-01-01

    The concept of resonant coupling and the benefits that accrue from its application is well known in the world of room temperature coupled cavity linacs. Design studies show that it can be applied successfully between sections of conventional elliptical superconducting coupled cavity accelerator structures and internally to structures with spoked cavity resonators. The coupling mechanisms can be designed without creating problems with high field regions or multipactoring. The application of resonant coupling to superconducting accelerators eliminates the need for complex cryogenic mechanical tuners and reduces the time needed to bring a superconducting accelerator into operation.

  12. Revisiting the Operating Room Basics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tushar Chakravorty

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Young doctors walking into the operating room are eager to develop their skills to become efficient and knowledgeable professionals in future. But precious little is done to actively develop the basic practical skills of the budding doctors. They remain unaware about the layout of the operating room, the OR etiquette and often do not have sound scientific understanding and importance of meticulous execution of the basic operating room protocols. This article stresses the need to develop the basics of OR protocol and to improve the confidence of the young doctor by strengthening his foundation by showing him that attention to the basics of medical care and empathy for the patient can really make a difference to the outcome of a treatment.

  13. Accelerator reliability workshop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hardy, L.; Duru, Ph.; Koch, J.M.; Revol, J.L.; Van Vaerenbergh, P.; Volpe, A.M.; Clugnet, K.; Dely, A.; Goodhew, D.

    2002-01-01

    About 80 experts attended this workshop, which brought together all accelerator communities: accelerator driven systems, X-ray sources, medical and industrial accelerators, spallation sources projects (American and European), nuclear physics, etc. With newly proposed accelerator applications such as nuclear waste transmutation, replacement of nuclear power plants and others. Reliability has now become a number one priority for accelerator designers. Every part of an accelerator facility from cryogenic systems to data storage via RF systems are concerned by reliability. This aspect is now taken into account in the design/budget phase, especially for projects whose goal is to reach no more than 10 interruptions per year. This document gathers the slides but not the proceedings of the workshop

  14. Accelerator reliability workshop

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hardy, L; Duru, Ph; Koch, J M; Revol, J L; Van Vaerenbergh, P; Volpe, A M; Clugnet, K; Dely, A; Goodhew, D

    2002-07-01

    About 80 experts attended this workshop, which brought together all accelerator communities: accelerator driven systems, X-ray sources, medical and industrial accelerators, spallation sources projects (American and European), nuclear physics, etc. With newly proposed accelerator applications such as nuclear waste transmutation, replacement of nuclear power plants and others. Reliability has now become a number one priority for accelerator designers. Every part of an accelerator facility from cryogenic systems to data storage via RF systems are concerned by reliability. This aspect is now taken into account in the design/budget phase, especially for projects whose goal is to reach no more than 10 interruptions per year. This document gathers the slides but not the proceedings of the workshop.

  15. QALMA: A computational toolkit for the analysis of quality protocols for medical linear accelerators in radiation therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, Md Mushfiqur; Lei, Yu; Kalantzis, Georgios

    2018-01-01

    Quality Assurance (QA) for medical linear accelerator (linac) is one of the primary concerns in external beam radiation Therapy. Continued advancements in clinical accelerators and computer control technology make the QA procedures more complex and time consuming which often, adequate software accompanied with specific phantoms is required. To ameliorate that matter, we introduce QALMA (Quality Assurance for Linac with MATLAB), a MALAB toolkit which aims to simplify the quantitative analysis of QA for linac which includes Star-Shot analysis, Picket Fence test, Winston-Lutz test, Multileaf Collimator (MLC) log file analysis and verification of light & radiation field coincidence test.

  16. I'm dreaming of a white clean room...

    CERN Multimedia

    Katarina Anthony

    2014-01-01

    New HIE-ISOLDE cryomodules are now under construction in a state-of-the-art clean room facility in SM18.   The HIE-ISOLDE clean rooms in SM18. HIE-ISOLDE is set to be the world's leading nuclear physics site, ultimately accelerating radioactive nuclei to an impressive 10 MeV/u. Helping the facility reach this energy are new superconducting cryomodules, the first quarter-wave cavity module to be assembled at CERN and necessitating a custom clean-room in SM18. At a towering five metres tall, the new clean room houses a custom assembly frame and associated equipment, moving the components of the 6 tonne cryomodules both vertically and horizontally while they are being assembled. "Each cryomodule is made up of some 10,000 parts, which have come from across the continents to be assembled here," says CERN TE engineer Lloyd Williams, who is managing quality assurance for the project. "Each part is checked by the CERN team, catalogued and thoroughly cleaned, befor...

  17. Retrospective Chart Review of Skin-to-Skin Contact in the Operating Room and Administration of Analgesic and Anxiolytic Medication to Women After Cesarean Birth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, Debra L; Lawrence, Stephen; Xu, Jing; Melsom, Janice

    2018-04-01

    Transporting a newborn out of the operating room after cesarean birth can contribute to maternal awareness of discomfort, anxiety, and the need for administration of analgesics and anxiolytics for relief. This retrospective study analyzed the association between skin-to-skin contact in the operating room and administration of analgesics and anxiolytics to women in the operating and recovery rooms after cesarean birth. Our results indicated a trend toward decreased medication administration for women who experienced skin-to-skin contact and add to evidence supporting the incorporation of skin-to-skin contact in the operating room as the standard of care for cesarean birth. This practice has the potential to enhance the birth experience, promote breastfeeding, and provide greater safety with less exposure to opioids and benzodiazepines for women and their newborns. © 2018 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

  18. PAs and NPs in an emergency room-linked acute care clinic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Currey, C J

    1984-12-01

    The use of hospital emergency rooms for nonurgent care during evenings hours often strains medical resources and may affect the quality of emergency care. One facility's effective use of an after-hours acute care clinic staffed by PAs and NPs to divert nonurgent problems away from its emergency room is outlined. PAs and NPs work during peak demand hours (evenings and weekends) under the supervision of an emergency room physician, and receive supplementary support from other emergency room personnel. Incoming patients are referred to the emergency room or acute care clinic, depending on the nature of their problems. Acute care clinic patients are then treated by the PA or NP and either released or referred to an emergency room physician, if their conditions warrant additional treatment. As a result, use of the acute care clinic has greatly reduced the amount of non-urgent medical treatment in the emergency room and has provided other advantages to both patients and staff as well. These advantages and the encouraging statistics following six months of the clinic's operation are discussed.

  19. [Comprehensive system integration and networking in operating rooms].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feußner, H; Ostler, D; Kohn, N; Vogel, T; Wilhelm, D; Koller, S; Kranzfelder, M

    2016-12-01

    A comprehensive surveillance and control system integrating all devices and functions is a precondition for realization of the operating room of the future. Multiple proprietary integrated operation room systems are currently available with a central user interface; however, they only cover a relatively small part of all functionalities. Internationally, there are at least three different initiatives to promote a comprehensive systems integration and networking in the operating room: the Japanese smart cyber operating theater (SCOT), the American medical device plug-and-play interoperability program (MDPnP) and the German secure and dynamic networking in operating room and hospital (OR.NET) project supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Within the framework of the internationally advanced OR.NET project, prototype solution approaches were realized, which make short-term and mid-term comprehensive data retrieval systems probable. An active and even autonomous control of the medical devices by the surveillance and control system (closed loop) is expected only in the long run due to strict regulatory barriers.

  20. Disbursement of $65 million to the State of Texas for construction of a Regional Medical Technology Center at the former Superconducting Super Collider Site, Waxahachie, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-05-01

    As part of a settlement agreement between the US DOE and the State of Texas, DOE proposes to transfer $65 million of federal funds to the Texas National Research Laboratory Commission (TNLRC) for construction of the Regional Medical Technology Center (RMTC) to be located in Ellis County, Texas. The RMTC would be a state-of-the-art medical facility for proton cancer therapy, operated by the State of Texas in conjunction with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The RMTC would use the linear accelerator assets of the recently terminated DOE Superconducting Super Collider Project to accelerate protons to high energies for the treatment of cancer patients. The current design provides for treatment areas, examination rooms, support laboratories, diagnostic imaging equipment, and office space as well as the accelerators (linac and synchrotron) and beam steering and shaping components. The potential environmental consequences of the proposed action are expected to be minor

  1. Accelerating physician workforce transformation through competitive graduate medical education funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, David C; Robertson, Russell G

    2013-11-01

    Graduate medical education (GME) has fallen short in training physicians to meet changes in the US population and health care delivery systems. The shortfall in training has happened despite a consensus on the need for accelerated change. This article discusses the varied causes of GME inertia and proposes a new funding mechanism coupled to a competitive peer-review process. The result would be to reward GME programs that are aligned with publicly set priorities for specialty numbers and training content. New teaching organizations and residency programs would compete on an equal footing with existing ones. Over a decade, all current programs would undergo peer review, with low review scores leading to partial, but meaningful, decreases in funding. This process would incentivize incremental and continual change in GME and would provide a mechanism for funding innovative training through special requests for proposals.

  2. Neutron dose to patients treated with high-energy medical accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGinley, P.H.

    2001-01-01

    The neutron dose equivalent received by patients treated with high energy x-ray beams was measured in this research. A total of 13 different medical accelerators were evaluated in terms of the neutron dose equivalent in the patient plane and at the beam center. The neutron dose equivalent at the beam center was found to ranged from 0.02 to 9.4 mSv per Sv of x-ray dose and values from 0.029 to 2.58 mSv per Sv of x-ray were measured in the patient plane. It was concluded that the neutron levels meet the International Electrotechnical Commission standard for the patient plane. It was also concluded that when intensity modulated radiation treatment is conducted the neutron dose equivalent received by the patient will increase by a factor of 2 to 10. (author)

  3. Neutron spectrometry and determination of neutron ambient dose equivalents in different LINAC radiotherapy rooms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Domingo, C.; Garcia-Fuste, M.J.; Morales, E.; Amgarou, K.; Terron, J.A.; Rosello, J.; Brualla, L.; Nunez, L.; Colmenares, R.; Gomez, F.; Hartmann, G.H.; Sanchez-Doblado, F.; Fernandez, F.

    2010-01-01

    A project has been set up to study the effect on a radiotherapy patient of the neutrons produced around the LINAC accelerator head by photonuclear reactions induced by photons above ∼8 MeV. These neutrons may reach directly the patient, or they may interact with the surrounding materials until they become thermalised, scattering all over the treatment room and affecting the patient as well, contributing to peripheral dose. Spectrometry was performed with a calibrated and validated set of Bonner spheres at a point located at 50 cm from the isocenter, as well as at the place where a digital device for measuring neutrons, based on the upset of SRAM memories induced by thermal neutrons, is located inside the treatment room. Exposures have taken place in six LINAC accelerators with different energies (from 15 to 23 MV) with the aim of relating the spectrometer measurements with the readings of the digital device under various exposure and room geometry conditions. The final purpose of the project is to be able to relate, under any given treatment condition and room geometry, the readings of this digital device to patient neutron effective dose and peripheral dose in organs of interest. This would allow inferring the probability of developing second malignancies as a consequence of the treatment. Results indicate that unit neutron fluence spectra at 50 cm from the isocenter do not depend on accelerator characteristics, while spectra at the place of the digital device are strongly influenced by the treatment room geometry.

  4. Device- and system-independent personal touchless user interface for operating rooms : One personal UI to control all displays in an operating room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Meng; Fallavollita, Pascal; Habert, Séverine; Weidert, Simon; Navab, Nassir

    2016-06-01

    In the modern day operating room, the surgeon performs surgeries with the support of different medical systems that showcase patient information, physiological data, and medical images. It is generally accepted that numerous interactions must be performed by the surgical team to control the corresponding medical system to retrieve the desired information. Joysticks and physical keys are still present in the operating room due to the disadvantages of mouses, and surgeons often communicate instructions to the surgical team when requiring information from a specific medical system. In this paper, a novel user interface is developed that allows the surgeon to personally perform touchless interaction with the various medical systems, switch effortlessly among them, all of this without modifying the systems' software and hardware. To achieve this, a wearable RGB-D sensor is mounted on the surgeon's head for inside-out tracking of his/her finger with any of the medical systems' displays. Android devices with a special application are connected to the computers on which the medical systems are running, simulating a normal USB mouse and keyboard. When the surgeon performs interaction using pointing gestures, the desired cursor position in the targeted medical system display, and gestures, are transformed into general events and then sent to the corresponding Android device. Finally, the application running on the Android devices generates the corresponding mouse or keyboard events according to the targeted medical system. To simulate an operating room setting, our unique user interface was tested by seven medical participants who performed several interactions with the visualization of CT, MRI, and fluoroscopy images at varying distances from them. Results from the system usability scale and NASA-TLX workload index indicated a strong acceptance of our proposed user interface.

  5. Particle accelerators in the Czech lands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janovsky, I.

    2007-01-01

    The paper is structured as follows: A short look into history of accelerators; Particle accelerators in the Czech lands (Accelerators at the Institute of Nuclear Physics; Accelerators at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University; Czechoslovak betatron, accelerators for non-destructive testing and radiotherapy; Czechoslovak high-frequency linear electron accelerator; Czechoslovak-Soviet microtron; Accelerators at the State Research Institute of Textiles; Accelerators at the Kablo Vrchlabi plant; and Cyclotrons in the medical sector. (P.A.)

  6. Accelerator technical design report for high-intensity proton accelerator facility project, J-PARC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2003-03-01

    This report presents the detail of the technical design of the accelerators for the High-Intensity Proton Accelerator Facility Project, J-PARC. The accelerator complex comprises a 400-MeV room-temperature linac (600-MeV superconducting linac), 3-GeV rapid-cycling synchrotron (RCS), and a 50-GeV synchrotron (MR). The 400-MeV beam is injected to the RCS, being accelerated to 3 GEV. The 1-MW beam thus produced is guided to the Materials Life Science Experimental Facility, with both the pulsed spallation neutron source and muon source. A part of the beam is transported to the MR, which provides the 0.75-MW beam to either the Nuclear and Fundamental Particle Experimental Facility or the Neutrino Production Target. On the other hand, the beam accelerated to 600 MeV by the superconducting linac is used for the Nuclear Waster Transmutation Experiment. In this way, this facility is unique, being multipurpose one, including many new inventions and Research and Development Results. This report is based upon the accomplishments made by the Accelerator Group and others of the Project Team, which is organized on the basis of the Agreement between JAERI and KEK on the Construction and Research and Development of the High-Intensity Proton Accelerator Facility. (author)

  7. VEDs for charged particle accelerators: Indian scenario

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhandari, R.K.

    2012-01-01

    In the initial times after their invention, the charged particle accelerators have, primarily, been used for fundamental studies on nuclei and atoms. From the first modern accelerator, the cathode ray tube, used by J.J. Thomson for the discovery of electron, very recently the gigantic 27 km circumference Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is operational in the search of Higg's boson and related physics issues. Particle accelerators have emerged as powerful microscopes for investigating the finest details of cells, genes, molecules, atoms, protons, neutrons, muons, electrons, quarks and, possibly, still undiscovered even more fundamental constituents of the universe, such as dark matter and dark energy. Several noble prize winning discoveries have been made using accelerators. Accelerators are now being used in a wide area of industrial and medical applications. They are used for the production of radioisotopes for medical imaging, cancer therapy, food sterilization, treatment of waste water, sterilization of medical equipment, material modification, mass spectroscopy, cargo scanning, fabrication of semiconductors etc. Ongoing effort towards the development of accelerators with megawatt beam power is showing hope for a cleaner source of nuclear energy and treatment of nuclear waste. Several tens of thousands of accelerators are presently operational in the world for basic research and applications. Development of new accelerators has several times been driven by new technologies and materials and sometimes they have driven the technological developments towards cutting edge. Some examples are ultra-high vacuum in large volumes, superfluid helium in cryogenics, cryocoolers, superconducting magnets and RF cavities, high power vacuum electronic devices, global control systems, superfast computing and communication networks, giant data storage/processing systems etc. India has been pursuing a fairly robust programme of accelerator development at various institutions. It

  8. Accelerating Improvements in the Energy Efficiency of Room Air Conditioners (RACs) in India: Potential, Cost-Benefit, and Policies (Interim Assessment)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abhyankar, Nikit [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Shah, Nihar [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Park, Won Young [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Phadke, Amol [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2016-06-01

    Falling AC prices, increasing incomes, increasing urbanization, and high cooling requirements due to hot climate are all driving increasing uptake of Room Air Conditioners (RACs) in the Indian market. Air conditioning already comprises 40-60% of summer peak load in large metropolitan Indian cities such as Delhi and is likely to contribute 150 GW to the peak demand in 2030. Standards and labeling policies have contributed to improving the efficiency of RACs in India by about 2.5% in the last 10 years (2.5% per year) while inflation adjusted RAC prices have continued to decline. In this paper, we assess the technical feasibility, cost-benefit, and required policy enhancements by further accelerating the efficiency improvement of RACs in India. We find that there are examples of significantly more accelerated improvements such as those in Japan and Korea where AC efficiency improved by more than 7% per year resulting in almost a doubling of energy efficiency in 7 to 10 years while inflation adjusted AC prices continued to decline. We find that the most efficient RAC sold on the Indian market is almost twice as efficient as the typical AC sold on the market and hence see no technology constraints in a similar acceleration of improvement of efficiency. If starting 2018, AC efficiency improves at a rate of 6% instead of 3%, 40-60 GW of peak load (equivalent to connected load of 5-6 billion LED bulbs), and over 75 TWh/yr (equivalent to 60 million consumers consuming 100 kWh/month) will be saved by 2030; total peak load reduction would be as high as 50 GW. The net present value (NPV) of the consumer benefit between 2018-2030 will range from Rs 18,000 Cr in the most conservative case (in which prices don’t continue to decline and increase based estimates of today’s cost of efficiency improvement) to 140,000 Cr in a more realistic case (in which prices are not affected by accelerated efficiency improvement as shown by historical experience). This benefit is achievable by

  9. Medical Cyclotrons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friesel, D. L.; Antaya, T. A.

    Particle accelerators were initially developed to address specific scientific research goals, yet they were used for practical applications, particularly medical applications, within a few years of their invention. The cyclotron's potential for producing beams for cancer therapy and medical radioisotope production was realized with the early Lawrence cyclotrons and has continued with their more technically advanced successors — synchrocyclotrons, sector-focused cyclotrons and superconducting cyclotrons. While a variety of other accelerator technologies were developed to achieve today's high energy particles, this article will chronicle the development of one type of accelerator — the cyclotron, and its medical applications. These medical and industrial applications eventually led to the commercial manufacture of both small and large cyclotrons and facilities specifically designed for applications other than scientific research.

  10. Is there a future for high energy accelerators?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tigner, M.

    1993-01-01

    The question of continuing viability of high energy accelerators as instruments of fundamental physics is discussed. It is seen that the next decade in elementary CM energies beyond SSC may be achievable with accelerators that can be imagined now. Beyond that there is room for doubt that accelerators will be the instrument of choice. History teaches that there is a good likelihood that the present perspective on the matter will be much different when the results from the few TeV region of elementary collision energies are in hand

  11. [Operating room during natural disaster: lessons from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukuda, Ikuo; Hashimoto, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Yasuyuki; Satomi, Susumu; Unno, Michiaki; Ohuchi, Noriaki; Nakaji, Shigeyuki

    2012-03-01

    Objective of this study is to clarify damages in operating rooms after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. To survey structural and non-structural damage in operating theaters, we sent questionnaires to 155 acute care hospitals in Tohoku area. Questionnaires were sent back from 105 hospitals (70.3%). Total of 280 patients were undergoing any kinds of operations during the earthquake and severe seismic tremor greater than JMA Seismic Intensity 6 hit 49 hospitals. Operating room staffs experienced life-threatening tremor in 41 hospitals. Blackout occurred but emergency electronic supply unit worked immediately in 81 out of 90 hospitals. However, emergency power plant did not work in 9 hospitals. During earthquake some materials fell from shelves in 44 hospitals and medical instruments fell down in 14 hospitals. In 5 hospitals, they experienced collapse of operating room wall or ceiling causing inability to maintain sterile operative field. Damage in electric power and water supply plus damage in logistics made many operating rooms difficult to perform routine surgery for several days. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake affected medical supply in wide area of Tohoku district and induced dysfunction of operating room. Supply-chain management of medical goods should be reconsidered to prepare severe natural disaster.

  12. Overview of accelerators in medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lennox, A.J.

    1993-06-01

    Accelerators used for medicine include synchrotrons, cyclotrons, betatrons, microtrons, and electron, proton, and light ion linacs. Some accelerators which were formerly found only at physics laboratories are now being considered for use in hospital-based treatment and diagnostic facilities. This paper presents typical operating parameters for medical accelerators and gives specific examples of clinical applications for each type of accelerator, with emphasis on recent developments in the field

  13. Advanced Accelerator Concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siemann, Robert

    1998-04-01

    Current particle accelerators rely on conventional or superconducting radio frequency cavities to accelerate beams of protons or electrons for nuclear and particle research and for medical and materials science studies. New methods for achieving larger accelerating gradients have been proposed and are being studied. These include the use of high power lasers, laser driven plasmas, wake fields generated by intense low energy beams, and millimeter wavelength EM structures. The studies to date, and the prospects for practical applications of these new ideas will be discussed.

  14. Radiation doses inside industrial irradiation installation with linear electron accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lima, Alexandre R.; Pelegrineli, Samuel Q.; Alo, Gabriel F.; Silva, Francisco C.A. Da

    2015-01-01

    Aceletron Industrial Irradiation Company is the unique installation in South America to provide industrial irradiation service using two linear electron accelerators of 18 kW and 10 MeV energy. The electron beam technology allows using electrons to irradiate many goods and materials, such as hospital and medical equipment, cosmetics, herbal products, polymers, peat, gemstones and food. Aceletron Company uses a concrete bunker with 3.66 m of thickness to provide the necessary occupational and environmental radiation protection of X-rays produced. The bunker is divided in main four areas: irradiation room, maze, tower and pit. Inside the irradiation room the x-rays radiation rates are measured in two ways: direct beam and 90 deg C. The rates produced in the conveyor system using 10 MeV energy are 500 Gy/min/mA and 15 Gy/min/mA, respectively. For a 1.8 mA current, the rates produced are 900 Gy/min and 27 Gy/min, respectively. Outside the bunker the radiation rate is at background level, but in the tower door and modulation room the radiation rate is 10 μSv/h. In 2014, during a routine operation, an effective dose of 30.90 mSv was recorded in a monthly individual dosimeter. After the investigation, it was concluded that the dose was only in the dosimeter because it felt inside the irradiation room. As Aceletron Company follows the principles of safety culture, it was decided to perform the radiation isodose curves, inside the four areas of the installation, to know exactly the hotspots positions, exposure times and radiation doses. Five hotspots were chosen taking into account worker's routes and possible operational places. The first experiment was done using a package with three TLD and OSLD dosimeters to obtain better statistical results. The first results for the five hotspots near the accelerator machine showed that the radiation dose rates were between 26 Gy/h and 31 Gy/h. The final measurements were performed using a package with one TLD and one OSLD

  15. Radiation doses inside industrial irradiation installation with linear electron accelerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lima, Alexandre R., E-mail: alexandre.lima@cnen.gov.br [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Pelegrineli, Samuel Q.; Alo, Gabriel F., E-mail: samuelfisica@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: gabriel.alo@aceletron.com.br [Aceletron Irradiacao Industrial, Aceletrica Comercio e Representacoes Ltda, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Silva, Francisco C.A. Da, E-mail: dasilva@ird.gov.br [Instituto de Radioprotecao e Dosimetria (IRD/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2015-07-01

    Aceletron Industrial Irradiation Company is the unique installation in South America to provide industrial irradiation service using two linear electron accelerators of 18 kW and 10 MeV energy. The electron beam technology allows using electrons to irradiate many goods and materials, such as hospital and medical equipment, cosmetics, herbal products, polymers, peat, gemstones and food. Aceletron Company uses a concrete bunker with 3.66 m of thickness to provide the necessary occupational and environmental radiation protection of X-rays produced. The bunker is divided in main four areas: irradiation room, maze, tower and pit. Inside the irradiation room the x-rays radiation rates are measured in two ways: direct beam and 90 deg C. The rates produced in the conveyor system using 10 MeV energy are 500 Gy/min/mA and 15 Gy/min/mA, respectively. For a 1.8 mA current, the rates produced are 900 Gy/min and 27 Gy/min, respectively. Outside the bunker the radiation rate is at background level, but in the tower door and modulation room the radiation rate is 10 μSv/h. In 2014, during a routine operation, an effective dose of 30.90 mSv was recorded in a monthly individual dosimeter. After the investigation, it was concluded that the dose was only in the dosimeter because it felt inside the irradiation room. As Aceletron Company follows the principles of safety culture, it was decided to perform the radiation isodose curves, inside the four areas of the installation, to know exactly the hotspots positions, exposure times and radiation doses. Five hotspots were chosen taking into account worker's routes and possible operational places. The first experiment was done using a package with three TLD and OSLD dosimeters to obtain better statistical results. The first results for the five hotspots near the accelerator machine showed that the radiation dose rates were between 26 Gy/h and 31 Gy/h. The final measurements were performed using a package with one TLD and one OSLD

  16. Assessment of Clinical Stressful Factors Among Academic Students of Nursing and Operating Room of Dezful University of Medical Sciences (2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojtaba Raji

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objective: Nursing students are exposed to clinical environmental stresses in addition to educational environmental stresses. The aim of this study was to assessment of clinical stressful factors among Academic Students of Nursing and Operating Room of Dezful University of Medical Sciences in 2015.Materials and Methods: This study was a description-analytical study with 234 students of nursing and operation room up to two semesters for enrolled. Data was using a self-made researcher Questionnaire consisted of demographic information and clinical stressful factors. Data analysis was performed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS-PC (v.20.Results: The findings showed that the main stressors in students of nursing and operation room were unpleasant emotions and least stressful areas were interpersonal communication in a clinical environment. The results showed that the average score of the field of education and humiliating experiences using Spearman correlation test (P=0/045 (r=0/16.Conclusion: Study showed, the mean stress is the moderate level. Stressful areas obtained in the four areas of personal communication, clinical practice stressful, unpleasant feelings and humiliating experience that fortunately, in many cases reform and change.

  17. Accelerators and superconductivity: A marriage of convenience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, M.

    1987-01-01

    This lecture deals with the relationship between accelerator technology in high-energy-physics laboratories and the development of superconductors. It concentrates on synchrotron magnets, showing how their special requirements have brought about significant advances in the technology, particularly the development of filamentary superconducting composites. Such developments have made large superconducting accelerators an actuality: the Tevatron in routine operation, the Hadron Electron Ring Accelerator (HERA) under construction, and the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) and Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the conceptual design stage. Other applications of superconductivity have also been facilitated - for example medical imaging and small accelerators for industrial and medical use. (orig.)

  18. Microdroplets Accelerate Ring Opening of Epoxides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Yin-Hung; Sathyamoorthi, Shyam; Bain, Ryan M.; Zare, Richard N.

    2018-05-01

    The nucleophilic opening of an epoxide is a classic organic reaction that has widespread utility in both academic and industrial applications. We have studied the reaction of limonene oxide with morpholine to form 1-methyl-2-morpholino-4-(prop-1-en-2-yl) cyclohexan-1-ol in bulk solution and in electrosprayed microdroplets with a 1:1 v/ v water/methanol solvent system. We find that even after 90 min at room temperature, there is no product detected by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in bulk solution whereas in room-temperature microdroplets (2-3 μm in diameter), the yield is already 0.5% in a flight time of 1 ms as observed by mass spectrometry. This constitutes a rate acceleration of 105 in the microdroplet environment, if we assume that as much as 5% of product is formed in bulk after 90 min of reaction time. We examine how the reaction rate depends on droplet size, solvent composition, sheath gas pressure, and applied voltage. These factors profoundly influence the extent of reaction. This dramatic acceleration is not limited to just one system. We have also found that the nucleophilic opening of cis-stilbene oxide by morpholine is similarly accelerated. Such large acceleration factors in reaction rates suggest the use of microdroplets for ring opening of epoxides in other systems, which may have practical significance if such a procedure could be scaled. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  19. Microdroplets Accelerate Ring Opening of Epoxides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Yin-Hung; Sathyamoorthi, Shyam; Bain, Ryan M.; Zare, Richard N.

    2018-03-01

    The nucleophilic opening of an epoxide is a classic organic reaction that has widespread utility in both academic and industrial applications. We have studied the reaction of limonene oxide with morpholine to form 1-methyl-2-morpholino-4-(prop-1-en-2-yl) cyclohexan-1-ol in bulk solution and in electrosprayed microdroplets with a 1:1 v/v water/methanol solvent system. We find that even after 90 min at room temperature, there is no product detected by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in bulk solution whereas in room-temperature microdroplets (2-3 μm in diameter), the yield is already 0.5% in a flight time of 1 ms as observed by mass spectrometry. This constitutes a rate acceleration of 105 in the microdroplet environment, if we assume that as much as 5% of product is formed in bulk after 90 min of reaction time. We examine how the reaction rate depends on droplet size, solvent composition, sheath gas pressure, and applied voltage. These factors profoundly influence the extent of reaction. This dramatic acceleration is not limited to just one system. We have also found that the nucleophilic opening of cis-stilbene oxide by morpholine is similarly accelerated. Such large acceleration factors in reaction rates suggest the use of microdroplets for ring opening of epoxides in other systems, which may have practical significance if such a procedure could be scaled. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, H; Lee, H; Choi, K; Ye, S

    2015-01-01

    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 gantry 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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, H [Interdisciplinary Program in Radiation applied Life Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, H; Choi, K [Program in Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Department of Transdisciplinary Studies, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Ye, S [Interdisciplinary Program in Radiation applied Life Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Program in Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Department of Transdisciplinary Studies, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-06-15

    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 gantry 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.

  2. Statistical analysis of operating efficiency and failures of a medical linear accelerator for ten years

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ju, Sang Gyu; Huh, Seung Jae; Han, Young Yih

    2005-01-01

    To improve the management of a medical linear accelerator, the records of operational failures of a Varian CL2100C over a ten year period were retrospectively analyzed. The failures were classified according to the involved functional subunits, with each class rated into one of three levels depending on the operational conditions. The relationships between the failure rate and working ratio and between the failure rate and outside temperature were investigated. In addition, the average life time of the main part and the operating efficiency over the last 4 years were analyzed. Among the recorded failures (total 587 failures), the most frequent failure was observed in the parts related with the collimation system, including the monitor chamber, which accounted for 20% of all failures. With regard to the operational conditions, 2nd level of failures, which temporally interrupted treatments, were the most frequent. Third level of failures, which interrupted treatment for more than several hours, were mostly caused by the accelerating subunit. The number of failures was increased with number of treatments and operating time. The average life-times of the Klystron and Thyratron became shorter as the working ratio increased, and were 42 and 83% of the expected values, respectively. The operating efficiency was maintained at 95% or higher, but this value slightly decreased. There was no significant correlation between the number of failures and the outside temperature. The maintenance of detailed equipment problems and failures records over a long period of time can provide good knowledge of equipment function as well as the capability of predicting future failure. More rigorous equipment maintenance is required for old medical linear accelerators for the advanced avoidance of serious failure and to improve the quality of patient treatment

  3. ORNL 25 MV tandem accelerator control system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Juras, R.C.; Biggerstaff, J.A.; Hoglund, D.E.

    1985-01-01

    The CAMAC-based control system for the 25 MV tandem electrostatic accelerator of the Holifield Heavy Ion Research Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was specified by ORNL and built by the National Electrostatics Corporation. Two Perkin-Elmer 32-bit minicomputers are used in the system, a message switching computer and a supervisory computer. The message switching computer transmits and receives control information on six serial highways. This computer shares memory with the supervisory computer. Operator consoles are located on a serial highway; control is by means of a console CRT, trackball, and assignable shaft encoders and meters. Two identical consoles operate simultaneously: one is located in the tandem control room; the other is located in the cyclotron control room to facilitate operation during injection of tandem beams into the cyclotron or when beam lines under control of the cyclotron control system are used. The supervisory computer is used for accelerator parameter setup calculations, actual accelerator setup for new beams based on scaled, recorded parameters from previously run beams, and various other functions. Nearly seven years of control system operation and improvements will be discussed

  4. Progress toward NLC / GLC prototype accelerator structures

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, J W; Arkan, T; Baboi, N; Boffo, C; Bowden, G B; Burke, D L; Carter, H; Chan, J; Cornuelle, J; Döbert, Steffen; Dolgashev, Valery A; Finley, D; Gonin, I; Higashi, Y; Higo, T; Jones, R M; Khabiboulline, T; Kume, T; Lewandowski, J; Li, Z; Miller, R H; Mishra, S; Morozumi, Y; Nantista, C; Pearson, C; Romanov, G; Ruth, Ronald D; Solyak, N; Tantawi, S; Toge, N; Ueno, K; Wilson, P B; Xiao, L

    2004-01-01

    The accelerator structure groups for NLC (Next Linear Collider) and GLC (Global Linear Colliders) have successfully collaborated on the research and development of a major series of advanced accelerator structures based on room-temperature technology at X-band frequency. The progress in design, simulation, microwave measurement and high gradient tests are summarized in this paper. The recent effort in design and fabrication of the accelerator structure prototype for the main linac is presented in detail including HOM (High Order Mode) suppression and couplers, fundamental mode couplers, optimized accelerator cavities as well as plans for future structures. We emphasize techniques to reduce the field on the surface of the copper structures (in order to achieve high accelerating gradients), limit the dipole wakefields (to relax alignment tolerance and prevent a beam break up instability) and improve shunt impedance (to reduce the RF power required).

  5. The continuous electron beam accelerator facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grunder, H.A.

    1989-01-01

    Tunnel construction and accelerator component development, assembly, and testing are under way at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility. CEBAF's 4-GeV, 200-μA superconducting recirculating accelerator will provide cw beam to simultaneous experiments in three end stations for studies of the nuclear many-body system, its quark substructure, and the strong and electroweak interactions governing this form of matter. Prototype accelerating cavities, assembled in cryostats and tested on site, continue to exceed performance specifications. An on-site liquid helium capability supports cryostat development and cavity testing. Major elements of the accelerator instrumentation and control hardware and software are in use in cryogenics, rf, and injector tests. Prototype rf systems have been operated and prototype klystrons have been ordered. The initial, 100-keV, room-temperature region of the 45-MeV injector is operational and meets specifications. CEBAF's end stations have been conceptually designed; experimental equipment conceptual designs will be completed in 1989. 2 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs

  6. Digital linear accelerator: The advantages for radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andric, S.; Maksimovic, M.; Dekic, M.; Clark, T.

    1998-01-01

    Technical performances of Digital Linear Accelerator were presented to point out its advantages for clinical radiotherapy treatment. The accelerator installation is earned out at Military Medical Academy, Radiotherapy Department, by Medes and Elekta companies. The unit offers many technical advantages with possibility of introduction new conformal treatment techniques as stereotactic radiosurgery, total body and total skin irradiation. In the paper are underlined advantages in relation to running conventional accelerator units at Yugoslav radiotherapy departments, both from technical and medical point of view. (author)

  7. The miniature accelerator

    CERN Multimedia

    Antonella Del Rosso

    2015-01-01

    The image that most people have of CERN is of its enormous accelerators and their capacity to accelerate particles to extremely high energies. But thanks to some cutting-edge studies on beam dynamics and radiofrequency technology, along with innovative construction techniques, teams at CERN have now created the first module of a brand-new accelerator, which will be just 2 metres long. The potential uses of this miniature accelerator will include deployment in hospitals for the production of medical isotopes and the treatment of cancer. It’s a real David-and-Goliath story.   Serge Mathot, in charge of the construction of the "mini-RFQ", pictured with the first of the four modules that will make up the miniature accelerator. The miniature accelerator consists of a radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ), a component found at the start of all proton accelerator chains around the world, from the smallest to the largest. The LHC is designed to produce very high-intensity beams ...

  8. Modern accelerators in ancient Rome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1988-01-01

    For the first time, the achievements and hopes of the broad European accelerator community were brought together in a European Particle Accelerator Conference, held in Rome in June. Ranging from the vast machines at CERN to the small medical accelerators operating in thousands of hospitals, the programme underlined how modern civilization has benefited from the ability to handle charged particle beams

  9. Modern accelerators in ancient Rome

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anon.

    1988-09-15

    For the first time, the achievements and hopes of the broad European accelerator community were brought together in a European Particle Accelerator Conference, held in Rome in June. Ranging from the vast machines at CERN to the small medical accelerators operating in thousands of hospitals, the programme underlined how modern civilization has benefited from the ability to handle charged particle beams.

  10. Comorbidity in Emergency Room: the Psychiatrist’s Perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Alice Luís

    2013-01-01

    The author puts forward some considerations about the psychiatric practice in the emergency room of a general hospital. Clinical practice in the emergency room should be highlighted by collaborative work between several medical subspecialities, in- cluding internal medicine and neurology. This is particularly true for patients with comorbidity in order to provide quality of care. Finally, the author reviews several clinical cases and suggests guidelines for their management.

  11. FFAGs: Front-end for neutrino factories and medical accelerators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mori, Yoshiharu

    The idea of Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFAG) accelerator was originated by different people and groups in the early 1950s. It was independently introduced by Ohkawa [Ohkawa (1953)], Symon et al. [Symon et al. (1956)], and Kolomensky [Kolomensky and Lebedev (1966)] when the strong Alternate Gradient (AG) focusing and the phase stability schemes were applied to particle acceleration. The first FFAG electron model was developed in the MURA accelerator project led by Kerst and Cole in the late 1950s. Since then, they have fabricated several electron models in the early 1960s [Symon et al. (1956)]. However, the studies did not lead to a single practical FFAG accelerator for the following 50 years. Because of the difficulties of treating non-linear magnetic field and RF acceleration for non-relativistic particles, the proton FFAG, especially, was not accomplished until recently. In 2000, the FFAG concept was revived with the world's first proton FFAG (POP) which was developed at KEK [Aiba (2000); Mori (1999)]. Since then, in many places [Berg (2004); Johnstone et al. (2004); Mori (2011); Ruggiero (2004); Trbojevic (2004)], FFAGs have been developed and constructed...

  12. Development of a Tandem-ElectroStatic-Quadrupole accelerator facility for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kreiner, A.J.; Thatar Vento, V.; Levinas, P.; Bergueiro, J.; Burlon, A.A.; Di Paolo, H.; Kesque, J.M.; Valda, A.A.; Debray, M.E.; Somacal, H.R.; Minsky, D.M.; Estrada, L.; Hazarabedian, A.; Johann, F.; Suarez Sandin, J.C.; Castell, W.; Davidson, J.; Davidson, M.; Repetto, M.; Obligado, M.; Nery, J.P.; Huck, H.; Igarzabal, M.; Fernandez Salares, A.

    2008-01-01

    There is a generalized perception that the availability of suitable particle accelerators installed in hospitals, as neutron sources, may be crucial for the advancement of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). An ongoing project to develop a Tandem-ElectroStatic-Quadrupole (TESQ) accelerator facility for Accelerator-Based (AB)-BNCT is described here. The project goal is a machine capable of delivering 30 mA of 2.4-2.5 MeV protons to be used in conjunction with a neutron production target based on the 7 Li(p,n) 7 Be reaction slightly beyond its resonance at 2.25 MeV. A folded tandem, with 1.20-1.25 MV terminal voltage, combined with an ESQ chain is being designed and constructed. This machine is conceptually shown to be capable of accelerating a 30 mA proton beam to 2.5 MeV. These are the specifications needed to produce sufficiently intense and clean epithermal neutron beams, based on the 7 Li(p,n) 7 Be reaction, to perform BNCT treatment for deep-seated tumors in less than an hour. This electrostatic machine is one of the technologically simplest and cheapest solutions for optimized AB-BNCT. At present there is no BNCT facility in the world with the characteristics presented in this work. For the accelerator, results on its design, construction and beam transport calculations are discussed. Taking into account the peculiarities of the expected irradiation field, the project also considers a specific study of the treatment room. This study aims at the design of the treatment room emphasizing aspects related to patient, personnel and public radiation protection; dose monitoring; patient positioning and room construction. The design considers both thermal (for the treatment of shallow tumors) and epithermal (for deep-seated tumors) neutron beams entering the room through a port connected to the accelerator via a moderation and neutron beam shaping assembly. Preliminary results of dose calculations for the treatment room design, using the MCNP program, are presented

  13. New generation of compact electron accelerators for radiation technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Auslender, V.L.; Balakin, V.E.; Kraynov, G.S.

    1995-01-01

    Compact electron accelerators with energy range 0.25-1.0 MeV and beam power up to 32 kw are described. The feeding high voltage is formed by converter (working frequency 20 khz), coreless step-up transformer and a set of rectifying sections. The rectifying multiplier circuit used in rectifying sections permits to reach voltage gradient along accelerator's axis up to 14 kV/cm. The accelerators with vertical and horizontal position are described. The accelerators can be produced together with local radiation shielding and various underbeam transportation systems for irradiation of different products. Such version can be installed in any room facing general requirements for electric equipment

  14. Applied Physics Research at the Idaho Accelerator Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Date, D. S.; Hunt, A. W.; Chouffani, K.; Wells, D. P.

    2011-01-01

    The Idaho Accelerator Center, founded in 1996 and based at Idaho State University, supports research, education, and high technology economic development in the United States. The research center currently has eight electron linear accelerators ranging in energy from 6 to 44 MeV with the latter linear accelerator capable of picosecond pulses, a 2 MeV positive-ion Van de Graaff, a 4 MV Nec tandem Pelletron, and a pulsed-power 8 k A, 10 MeV electron induction accelerator. Current research emphases include, accelerator physics research, accelerator based medical isotope production, active interrogation techniques for homeland security and nuclear nonproliferation applications, non destructive testing and materials science studies in support of industry as well as the development of advanced nuclear fuels, pure and applied radio-biology, and medical physics. This talk will highlight three of these areas including the production of the isotopes 99 Tc and 67 Cu for medical diagnostics and therapy, as well as two new technologies currently under development for nuclear safeguards and homeland security - namely laser Compton scattering and the polarized photofission of actinides

  15. The electron accelerator Ridgetron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashizaki, N.; Hattori, T.; Odera, M.; Fujisawa, T.

    1999-01-01

    Many electron accelerators of DC or RF type have been widely used for electron beam irradiation (curing, crosslinking of polymers, sterilization of medical disposables, preservation of food, etc.). Regardless of the acceleration energy, the accelerators to be installed in industrial facilities, have to satisfy the requires of compact size, low power consumption and stable operation. The DC accelerator is realized very compact in the energy under 300 keV, however, it is large to prevent the discharge of an acceleration column in the energy over 300 keV. The RF electron accelerator Ridgetron has been developed to accelerate the continuous beam of the 0.5-10 MeV range in compact space. It is the first example as an electron accelerator incorporated a ridged RF cavity. A prototype system of final energy of 2.5 MeV has been studied to confirm the feasibility at present

  16. An investigation of the efficiency in simulating 6 MV medical accelerator using OMEGA/BEAM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai Zhenhui; Wang Xuetao; Zhu Lin; Zhang Yu; Liu Xiaowei

    2013-01-01

    Background: Monte Carlo simulation techniques are presently considered to be the most reliable method for radiation therapy treatment planning. However, long simulation times involved when using the general-purpose Monte Carlo code systems have led to the development of special-purpose Monte Carlo programs. Purpose: This paper attempts to improve computing efficiency for dose calculation in the EGSnrc modeling of clinical linear accelerator by selecting proper parameters. Methods: Several variance reduction techniques including uniform bremsstrahlung splitting, selective bremsstrahlung splitting, directional bremsstrahlung splitting are applied in BEAMnrc simulating medical accelerator treatment head to generate phase-space file which is selected as a source for DOSXYZnrc simulation, both photon splitting and particle recycling are used to improve the efficiency in the calculation of dose profile in water phantom. Results: The splitting number for maximum efficiency in directional bremsstrahlung splitting (no electron splitting) is 2500 in the BEAMnrc simulation. The highest efficiency of DOSXYZnrc simulation is given when photon splitting number is set to 40. Conclusions: Efficiency can be significantly improved by setting appropriate bremsstrahlung splitting and optimized photon splitting number and particle recycling number. (authors)

  17. An electronic logbook for the HEP control room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roediger, G.; Pomatto, P.; Kyriakopulos, J.; Panacek, S.; Canal, P.; Kubarovsky, A.

    2001-01-01

    The Control Room Logbook (CRL) is designed to improve and replace the paper logbooks traditionally used in the HEP accelerator control room. Its features benefit the on-line coordinator, the shift operators, and the remote observers. The author explains some of the most attractive features for each of these roles. The features include the ability to configure the logbook for the specific needs of a collaboration, a large variety of entry types an operator can add by simply clicking and dragging, and a flexible web interface for the remote observer to keep up with control room activities. The entries and saved as UTF-8 based XML files, which allowed us to give the data structure and meaning such that it can easily be parsed in the present and far into the future. The XML tag data is also indexed in a relational database, making queries on dates, keywords, entry type and other criteria feasible and fast. The CRL is used in the D0 control room. This presentation also discusses our experience with deployment, platform independence and other interesting issues that arose with the installation and use of logbook

  18. An Electronic Logbook for the HEP Control Room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gary Roediger

    2001-01-01

    The Control Room Logbook (CRL) is designed to improve and replace the paper logbooks traditionally used in the HEP accelerator control room. Its features benefit the on-line coordinator, the shift operators, and the remote observers. This paper explains some of the most attractive features for each of these roles. The features include the ability to configure the logbook for the specific needs of a collaboration, a large variety of entry types an operator can add by simply clicking and dragging, and a flexible web interface for the remote observer to keep up with control room activities. The entries are saved as UTF-8 based XML files, which allowed us to give the data structure and meaning such that it can easily be parsed in the present and far into the future. The XML tag data is also indexed in a relational database, making queries on dates, keywords, entry type and other criteria feasible and fast. The CRL is used in the D0 control room. This presentation also discusses our experience with deployment, platform independence and other interesting issues that arose with the installation and use of the logbook

  19. AN IMPACT OF THE EFFICIENT FUNCTIONING OF THE VENTILATION AND AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM ON THERMAL COMFORT OF THE MEDICAL STAFF IN THE OPERATING ROOM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomasz Jankowski

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Ventilation and air conditioning systems are necessary for developing proper parameters of indoor envi-ronment in operating rooms. The main task of ventilation and air conditioning in those specific areas consists in creating desirable temperature, reducing the number of microorganisms and the concen-trations of hazardous gases and substances in the air, as well as ensuring the proper direction of airflow. In Poland, indoor environment in operating rooms has to comply with the requirements set out in three regulations (Journal of Laws of 2002 No. 75, item 690, as amended, Journal of Laws of 2002 No. 217, item 1833, Journal of Laws of 2011 No. 31, item 158, as amended and the document entitled "Guidelines for the design of general hospitals". Given insufficient accuracy of the abovementioned national documents, it is a common practice to use foreign standards, i.e. ASHRAE Standard 170-2013, DIN 1946-4: 2008 and FprCEN TR 16244: 2011. When considering the conditions for thermal comfort, it is important to bear in mind a close link between air flow velocity and air temperature. Air in the zone occupied by patients and medical staff must not cause the sensation of draft. Furthermore, air velocity should be sufficient to eliminate interference caused by the presence of people and other sources of heat. It should also reduce the turbulence level in the air in the operating room. Efficient functioning of ventilation and air conditioning was tested during treatments and operations carried out on three wards of a Warsaw hospital. Tests were performed with the participation of medical staff from various surgical units. They were asked to perform minor manual tasks to simulate work on the op-erating table, and to complete a questionnaire on subjective thermal sensation. The applied methodology is widely used during testing of general and local ventilation in public buildings. Air temperature, relative humidity, air flow supply and exhaust air from the

  20. Post-accelerator LINAC design for the VECC RIB project

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    acclerator type of RIB facility. The scheme utilises the existing = 130 room temperature variable energy cyclotron machine as the primary accelerator for the production of RIBs and radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) and LINAC modules for ...

  1. Evaluating Operating Room Turnaround Times and Cancellations at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Amsink, William L

    2005-01-01

    .... This study describes the inefficient use of the current operating room management software system, and identifies strategies to improve operating room efficiency by analyzing the most common causes...

  2. Comparison of quality assurance for performance and safety characteristics of the facility for Boron Neutron Capture therapy in Petten/NL with medical electron accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rassow, Juergen; Stecher-Rasmussen, Finn; Voorbraak, Wim; Moss, Ray; Vroegindeweij, Corine; Hideghety, Katalin; Sauerwein, Wolfgang

    2001-01-01

    Background and purpose: The European Council Directive on health protection 97/43/EURATOM requires radiotherapy quality assurance programmes for performance and safety characteristics including acceptance and repeated tests. For Boron Neutron Capture therapy (BNCT) at the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten/NL such a programme has been developed on the basis of IEC publications for medical electron accelerators. Results: The fundamental differences of clinical dosimetry for medical electron accelerators and BNCT are presented and the order of magnitude of dose components and their stability and that of the main other influencing parameter 10 B concentration for BNCT patient treatments. A comparison is given for requirements for accelerators and BNCT units indicating items which are not transferable, equal or additional. Preliminary results of in vivo measurements done with a set of 55 Mn, 63 Cu and 197 Au activation foils for all single fields for the four fractions at all 15 treated patients show with <±4% up to now a worse reproducibility than the used dose monitoring systems (±1.5%) caused by influence of hair position on the foil-skull distance. Conclusions: Despite the more complex clinical dosimetry (because of four relevant dose components, partly of different linear energy transfer (LET)) BNCT can be regulated following the principles of quality assurance procedures for therapy with medical electron accelerators. The reproducibility of applied neutron fluence (proportional to absorbed doses) and the main safety aspects are equal for all teletherapy methods including BNCT

  3. Accelerators and associated infrastructure at IUAC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roy, Amit

    2009-01-01

    Full text: The 15UD Pelletron accelerator forms the heart of the core facilities of IUAC and has been in regular operation round the clock, 7 days a week except during maintenance periods with a remarkable uptime of more than 90% since July 1991. The accelerator augmentation programme intends to provide superconducting linear accelerator modules to boost the energy of ions in the range of 500-600 MeV. On-line beam acceleration with superbuncher, first linac module and rebuncher was successfully conducted and first nuclear physics experiment was performed using this beam. The fabrication of the second and third linac modules with sixteen resonators is going on in full swing and construction is expected to be completed within this year. The first element of the high current injector is a High Tc superconducting magnet ECR source, which would be followed by a room temperature radio frequency quadrupole accelerator and drift tube linac cavities. Prototypes of the RFQ working at 48.5 MHz, and that of the DTL working at 97 MHz have been fabricated and undergoing tests. (author)

  4. Procedure to measure the neutrons spectrum around a lineal accelerator for radiotherapy; Procedimiento para medir el espectro de los neutrones en torno a un acelerador lineal para radioterapia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vega C, H. R.; Hernandez D, V. M.; Letechipia de L, C. [Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Unidad Academica de Estudios Nucleares, Cipres No. 10, Fracc. La Penuela, 98060 Zacatecas (Mexico); Benites R, J. L. [Servicios de Salud de Nayarit, Centro Estatal de Cancerologia, Calzada de la Cruz 116 Sur, 63000 Tepic, Nayarit (Mexico); Salas L, M. A., E-mail: fermineutron@yahoo.com [Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Unidad Academica de Agronomia, Apdo. Postal 336, 98000 Zacatecas (Mexico)

    2013-10-15

    An experimental procedure was developed, by means of Bonner spheres, to measure the neutrons spectrum around Linacs of medical use that only requires of a single shot of the accelerator; to this procedure we denominate Planetary or Isocentric method. One of the problems associated to the neutrons spectrum measurement in a radiotherapy room with lineal accelerator is because inside the room a mixed, intense and pulsed radiation field takes place affecting the detection systems based on active detector; this situation is solved using a passive detector. In the case of the Bonner spheres spectrometer the active detector has been substituted by activation detectors, trace detectors or thermoluminescent dosimeters. This spectrometer uses several spheres that are situated one at a time in the measurement point, this way to have the complete measurements group the accelerator should be operated, under the same conditions, so many times like spheres have the spectrometer, this activity can consume a long time and in occasions due to the work load of Linac to complicate the measurement process too. The procedure developed in this work consisted on to situate all the spectrometer spheres at the same time and to make the reading by means of a single shot, to be able to apply this procedure, is necessary that before the measurements two characteristics are evaluated: the cross-talking of the spheres and the symmetry conditions of the neutron field. This method has been applied to determine the photo-neutrons spectrum produced by a lineal accelerator of medical use Varian ix of 15 MV to 100 cm of the isocenter located to 5 cm of depth of a solid water mannequin of 30 x 30 x 15 cm. The spectrum was used to determine the total flow and the environmental dose equivalent. (Author)

  5. Accelerator business in Japan expanding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1992-01-01

    Accelerators have become to be used increasingly in Japan in such fields as medicine, physics research and industry. This has caused stiff competition for market share by the manufacturers of accelerators. Electron beam accelerators for industrial use provide an indispensable means for adding values to products, for example, electric cables with incombustible insulators. Linear accelerators for the nondestructive inspection of nuclear components have been widely installed at equipment manufacturing plants. Active efforts have been exerted to develop small synchrotron radiation accelerators for next generation electronic industry. Cyclotrons for producing short life radioisotopes for medical diagnosis and electron beam accelerators for radiation therapy are also used routinely. The suppliers of accelerators include the companies manufacturing heavy electric machinery, heavy machinery and the engineering division of steelmakers. Accelerator physics is being formed, but universities do not yet offer the course regarding accelerators. Accelerator use in Japan and the trend of accelerator manufacturers are reported. (K.I.)

  6. The Doctrinal Basis for Medical Stability Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    lead actor, preferably a HN agency, but sometimes the military must take the lead in medical stability operations when overwhelming violence prevents...34 Assessment Tasks Administration of hospital Communications Obstetrics , Pediatrics, Emergency room. Operating room Nursing procedures Medical supply

  7. Foucault could have been an operating room nurse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riley, Robin; Manias, Elizabeth

    2002-08-01

    Operating room nursing is an under-researched area of nursing practice. The stereotypical image of operating room nursing is one of task- and technically-orientated aspects of practice, where nurses work in a medical model and are dominated by constraints from outside their sphere of influence. This paper explores the possibility of understanding operating room nursing in a different way. Using the work of Michel Foucault to analyse the work of operating room nursing, this paper argues the relevance of the framework for a more in-depth analysis of this specialty area of practice. The concepts of power, discipline and subjectivity are used to demonstrate how operating room nursing is constructed as a discipline and how operating room nurses act to govern and construct the specialty. Exemplars are drawn from extensive professional experience, from guidelines of professional operating room nursing associations, as well as published texts. The focus is predominantly on the regulation of space and time to maintain the integrity of the sterile surgical field and issues of management, as well as the use of the ethical concept of the 'surgical conscience'. This form of analysis provides a level and depth of inquiry that has rarely been undertaken in operating room nursing. As such, it has the potential to provide a much needed, different view of operation room nursing that can only help to strengthen its professional foundations and development.

  8. Medical Applications

    OpenAIRE

    Biscari, C.; Falbo, L.

    2016-01-01

    The use of accelerators for medical applications has evolved from initial experimentation to turn-key devices commonly operating in hospitals. New applications are continuously being developed around the world, and the hadrontherapy facilities of the newest generation are placed at the frontier between industrial production and advanced R&D. An introduction to the different medical application accelerators is followed by a description of the hadrontherapy facilities, with special emphasis on ...

  9. Re-envisioning the operator consoles for Dhruva control room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gaur, S.; Sridharan, P.; Nair, P.M.; Diwakar, M.P.; Gohel, N.; Pithawa, C.K.

    2012-01-01

    Control Room design is undergoing rapid changes with the progressive adoption of computerization and Automation. Advances in man-machine interfaces have further accelerated this trend. This paper presents the design and main features of Operator consoles (OC) for Dhruva control room developed using new technologies. The OCs have been designed so as not to burden the operator with information overload but to help him quickly assess the situation and timely take appropriate steps. The consoles provide minimalistic yet intuitive interfaces, context sensitive navigation, display of important information and progressive disclosure of situation based information. The use of animations, 3D graphics, and real time trends with the benefit of hardware acceleration to provide a resolution independent rich user experience. The use of XAML, an XML based Mark-up Language for User Interface definition and C for application logic resulted in complete separation of visual design, content, and logic. This also resulted in a workflow where separate teams could work on the UI and the logic of an application. The introduction of Model View View-Model has led to more testable and maintainable software. (author)

  10. Pelletron accelerator at Panjab University Chandigarh

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Nirmal; Mehta, Devinder

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of pelletron accelerator at Panjab University is to develop a low-energy accelerator laboratory within the university infrastructure. It will be housing a tandem electrostatic accelerator. The facility will bring together the available scientific expertise from a wide range of applications, viz. medical, biological and physical sciences and engineering that utilize accelerator-based technologies and techniques. It will play an important role in promoting integrated research and education across scientific disciplines available in the campus. (author)

  11. Accelerating Energy Efficiency Improvements in Room Air Conditioners in India: Potential, Costs-Benefits, and Policies

    OpenAIRE

    Abhyankar, N; Shah, N; Park, WY; Phadke, AA

    2017-01-01

    Rising incomes, increasing urbanization, and large cooling demand prompted by India’s hot, humid climate are driving increasing uptake of room air conditioners (ACs). Air conditioning already accounts for 40-60% of summer peak load in large Indian cities such as Delhi and is on track to contribute 140 gigawatts (GW) ( 30%) to peak demand in 2030. India’s standards and labeling policies improved the market average efficiency of room ACs by about 35% between 2006 and 2016 (3% per year) even as ...

  12. Industrial Application of Accelerators

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2017-01-01

    At CERN, we are very familiar with large, high energy particle accelerators. However, in the world outside CERN, there are more than 35000 accelerators which are used for applications ranging from treating cancer, through making better electronics to removing harmful micro-organisms from food and water. These are responsible for around $0.5T of commerce each year. Almost all are less than 20 MeV and most use accelerator types that are somewhat different from what is at CERN. These lectures will describe some of the most common applications, some of the newer applications in development and the accelerator technology used for them. It will also show examples of where technology developed for particle physics is now being studied for these applications. Rob Edgecock is a Professor of Accelerator Science, with a particular interest in the medical applications of accelerators. He works jointly for the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the International Institute for Accelerator Applications at the Univer...

  13. Industrial Application of Accelerators

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2017-01-01

    At CERN, we are very familiar with large, high energy particle accelerators. However, in the world outside CERN, there are more than 35000 accelerators which are used for applications ranging from treating cancer, through making better electronics to removing harmful micro-organisms from food and water. These are responsible for around $0.5T of commerce each year. Almost all are less than 20 MeV and most use accelerator types that are somewhat different from what is at CERN. These lectures will describe some of the most common applications, some of the newer applications in development and the accelerator technology used for them. It will also show examples of where technology developed for particle physics is now being studied for these applications. Rob Edgecock is a Professor of Accelerator Science, with a particular interest in the medical applications of accelerators. He works jointly for the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the International Institute for Accelerator Applications at the Uni...

  14. Recent developments of ion sources for life-science studies at the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (invited)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kitagawa, A.; Drentje, A. G.; Fujita, T.; Muramatsu, M. [National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Fukushima, K.; Shiraishi, N.; Suzuki, T.; Takahashi, K.; Takasugi, W. [Accelerator Engineering Corporation, Chiba (Japan); Biri, S.; Rácz, R. [Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Bem tér 18/C, H-4026 Debrecen (Hungary); Kato, Y. [Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan); Uchida, T.; Yoshida, Y. [Bio-Nano Electronics Research Centre, Toyo University, Kawagoe (Japan)

    2016-02-15

    With about 1000-h of relativistic high-energy ion beams provided by Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba, about 70 users are performing various biology experiments every year. A rich variety of ion species from hydrogen to xenon ions with a dose rate of several Gy/min is available. Carbon, iron, silicon, helium, neon, argon, hydrogen, and oxygen ions were utilized between 2012 and 2014. Presently, three electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRISs) and one Penning ion source are available. Especially, the two frequency heating techniques have improved the performance of an 18 GHz ECRIS. The results have satisfied most requirements for life-science studies. In addition, this improved performance has realized a feasible solution for similar biology experiments with a hospital-specified accelerator complex.

  15. Emergency room management of radiation accidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosenberg, R.; Mettler, F.A. Jr.

    1990-01-01

    Emergency room management of radioactively contaminated patients who have an associated medical injury requiring immediate attention must be handled with care. Radioactive contamination of the skin of a worker is not a medical emergency and is usually dealt with at the plant. Effective preplanning and on-the-scene triage will allow the seriously injured and contaminated patients to get the medical care they need with a minimum of confusion and interference. Immediate medical and surgical priorities always take precedence over radiation injuries and radioactive contamination. Probably the most difficult aspect of emergency management is the rarity of such accidents and hence the unfamiliarity of the medical staff with the appropriate procedures. The authors discuss how the answer to these problems is preplanning, having a simple and workable procedure and finally having 24-h access to experts

  16. Calculation of the neutrons shielding in cyclotron accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ribeiro, Martha S.; Sanches, Matias P.; Rodrigues, Demerval L.

    2000-01-01

    The objective of radioprotection in cyclotron facilities is to reduce the dose levels in the workplaces to classify them like supervised areas. In this way, the radiation dose rates in areas occupied by workers during cyclotron operations should not exceed 7,5 μSv/h. In controlled areas these levels are not observed and some rigorous controls must be exerted by administrative procedures or protection mechanisms. The Cyclotron Laboratory at IPEN-CNEN/SP has a cyclotron model Cyclone 30, 30 MeV, used for research and it is also used for radioisotopes production for medical diagnosis and therapeutical applications. Among them, 123 I, 67 Ga and 18 F can be pointed. When accelerator is operating, failures in perforations and paths that conduce to room accelerator can be occur and thus, the dose levels are higher than that established by law. For this reason, a review for shielding structure was necessary in order to optimize radiation dose. The purpose of this work was to determine the shielding thickness and adequate material to diminish the dose rates in workplaces to a value below 7,5 μSv/h. It was used a method to employ the equivalent dose value in the facility areas for neutrons fluency rate for the principal reactions in target irradiation processes. The purposed shielding for the vault doors ensures dose levels lower than established limits to supervised areas. (author)

  17. From accelerators to storage rings to

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panofsky, W.K.H.

    1983-02-01

    This talk gives a general but highly subjective overview of the expectation for accelerators and colliders for high energy physics, but not extended developments of accelerators and storage rings for application to nuclear structure physics, synchrotron radiation, medical applications or industrial use

  18. Positron emission medical measurements with accelerated radioactive ion beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Llacer, J.

    1988-01-01

    This paper reviews in some detail the process by which a heavy ion accelerator can be used to inject positron emitting radioactive particles into a human body for a range of possible medical measurements. The process of radioactive beam generation and injection is described, followed by a study of the relationship between activity that can be injected versus dose to the patient as a function of which of the positron emitting ions is used. It is found that 6 C 10 and 10 Ne 19 are the two isotopes that appear more promising for injection into humans. The design considerations for a non-tomographic instrument to obtain images from beam injections are outlined and the results of 10 Ne 19 preliminary measurements with human phantoms and actual patients for the determination of end-of-range of cancer therapy ion beams is reported. Accuracies in the order of ±1 mm in the measurements of stopping point of a therapy beam with safe doses to the patient are reported. The paper concludes with a simple analysis of requirements to extend the technique to on-line verification of cancer treatment and to nuclear medicine research and diagnostics measurements. 17 refs.; 16 figs.; 3 tabs

  19. Impact of healthcare design on patients' perception of a rheumatology outpatient infusion room

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bukh, Gunhild; Tommerup, Anne Marie Munk; Madsen, Ole Rintek

    2015-01-01

    Evidence-based healthcare design is a concept aimed at reducing stress factors in the physical environment for the benefit of patients and the medical staff. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of room modifications on patients' perception of an outpatient infusion room used...... the potential to improve patients' perception of outpatient infusion rooms used for treating rheumatologic diseases....

  20. CERN opens up its control rooms to youngsters

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN Bulletin

    2011-01-01

    CERN is inviting 13 to 18 year-olds to come and spend a couple of hours in the control rooms of the LHC and its experiments. Registration is now open.   Is your neighbour's kid eager to come and see what's going on in the CERN control rooms for himself? Is your niece from Germany fascinated by the famous accelerator near Geneva that she's heard about and asking to know more? Then Researchers Night is for them! From 6.00 p.m. on Friday 23 September until 1.00 a.m. the following morning, the LHC and its experiments will open their doors to 13 to 18 year-olds. They are invited to come and spend a couple of hours in the control rooms watching the physicists and taking part in various activities. ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, TOTEM, and the CERN Control Centre (CCC) will all be welcoming visitors. For this second year of CERN's involvement in European Researchers Night, the CERN exhibitions will be open late and special activities will be organised in Microcosm....

  1. Adjoint acceleration of Monte Carlo simulations using TORT/MCNP coupling approach: A case study on the shielding improvement for the cyclotron room of the Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheu, R. J.; Sheu, R. D.; Jiang, S. H.; Kao, C. H.

    2005-01-01

    Full-scale Monte Carlo simulations of the cyclotron room of the Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital were carried out to improve the original inadequate maze design. Variance reduction techniques are indispensable in this study to facilitate the simulations for testing a variety of configurations of shielding modification. The TORT/MCNP manual coupling approach based on the Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (CADIS) methodology has been used throughout this study. The CADIS utilises the source and transport biasing in a consistent manner. With this method, the computational efficiency was increased significantly by more than two orders of magnitude and the statistical convergence was also improved compared to the unbiased Monte Carlo run. This paper describes the shielding problem encountered, the procedure for coupling the TORT and MCNP codes to accelerate the calculations and the calculation results for the original and improved shielding designs. In order to verify the calculation results and seek additional accelerations, sensitivity studies on the space-dependent and energy-dependent parameters were also conducted. (authors)

  2. Monte-Carlo simulation of the SL-ELEKTA-20 medical linear accelerator. Dosimetric study of a water phantom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thiam, Ch. O.

    2003-06-01

    In radiotherapy, it is essential to have a precise knowledge of the dose delivered in the target volume and the neighbouring critical organs. To be usable clinically, the models of calculation must take into account the exact characteristics of the beams used and the densities of fabrics. Today we can use sophisticated irradiation techniques and get a more precise assessment of the dose and with a better knowledge of its distribution. Thus in this report, will be detailed a simulation of the head of irradiation of accelerator SL-ELEKTA-20 in electrons mode and a dosimetric study of a water phantom. This study is carried out with the code of simulation Monte Carlo GATE adapted for applications of medical physics; the results are compared with the data obtained by the anticancer center 'Jean Perrin' on a similar accelerator. (author)

  3. Development of small C-band standing-wave accelerator structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miura, S.; Takahashi, A.; Hisanaga, N.; Sekido, H.; Yoshizumi, A.

    2000-01-01

    We have newly developed a compact C-band (5712 MHz) standing-wave accelerator for the medical product/waste sterilization applications. The accelerator consists of an electron gun operating at 25 kV DC followed by a single-cell pre-buncher and 3-cell buncher section, and 11-cell of the side-coupled standing-wave accelerating structure. The total length including the electron gun is about 600 mm. The first high-power test was performed in March 2000, where the accelerator successively generated the electron beam of 9 MeV energy and 160 mA peak-current at 3.8 MW RF input power. Mitsubishi Heavy Industry starts to serve the sterilization systems using C-band accelerator reported here, and also supplies the accelerator components for the medical oncology applications. (author)

  4. Creating an adaptive healing room for neurology patients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Daemen, E.M.L; Behere, S.; Cuppen, R.P.G.; Facey, J.; Flinsenberg, I.C.M.; Loenen, van E.J.; Rajae-Joordens, R.J.E.

    2013-01-01

    Informed by the experiences of patients and medical staff, Philips has designed a room for neurology patients that retains a clinical feel when treatment is being carried out, but can flex to create a moretailored, personal ambiende.

  5. Advanced Accelerator Applications in Medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rimjiaem, Sakhorn

    2015-01-01

    besides the original purpose on development of particle acceleratora as research tools in nuclear and high-energy physics, there are large variety of accelerators used in various fileds from fundamental research to industrial usesand applications chemistry, biology and medicine. Pratical accelators used in various field of medical applications since serveral decades. Even through, a large fraction of applications is emphasized on cancer therappy, the number of accelerators used in midicine for other diagnostics and treatments has increased steady over the years. Several types of accelerated particles are used including electron, proton, neutron and ions. Presently, relativistic electron beams and radiation from linear accelerators (linas) are widely used. A combination of positron emission tomography (PRT) and radiotherapy is an example of excellent invention early detection and treat of cancer tumors. The most developments for proton and heavy ion therapy as well as a modern boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) are also great incoming effective systems. This talk will focus on developments of the accelrator systems as well as overview on biophysical properties and medical aspects of the diacnostics and treatments.

  6. A novel interactive educational system in the operating room--the IE system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakayama, Takayuki; Numao, Noboru; Yoshida, Soichiro; Ishioka, Junichiro; Matsuoka, Yoh; Saito, Kazutaka; Fujii, Yasuhisa; Kihara, Kazunori

    2016-02-02

    The shortage of surgeon is one of the serious problems in Japan. To solve the problem, various efforts have been undertaken to improve surgical education and training. However, appropriate teaching methods in the operating room have not been well established. The aim of this study is to assess the utility of a novel interactive educational (IE) system for surgical education on urologic surgeries in the operating room. A total of 20 Japanese medical students were educated on urologic surgery using the IE system in the operating room. The IE system consists of two parts. The first is three-dimensional (3D) magnified vision of the operative field using a 3D head-mounted display and a 3D endoscope. The second is interactive educative communication between medical students and surgeons using a small-sized wireless communication device. The satisfaction level with the IE system and the physical burden on medical students was examined via questionnaire. All students utilized the IE system in urologic surgery and responded to the survey. Most students were satisfied with the IE system. They also felt more welcomed by the surgeon when using the IE system than when not using it. No major unpleasant symptoms were observed but five students (25 %) experienced mild eye fatigue as a result of viewing the medical images. The IE system has the potential to motivate students to become interested in surgery and could be an efficient method of surgical education in the operating room.

  7. The beam business: Accelerators in industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamm, Robert W.; Hamm, Marianne E.

    2011-01-01

    Most physicists know that particle accelerators are widely used for treating cancer. But few are acquainted with the depth and breadth of their use in a myriad of applications outside of pure science and medicine. Society benefits from the use of particle beams in the areas of communications, transportation, the environment, security, health, and safety - in terms both of the global economy and quality of life. On the manufacturing level, the use of industrial accelerators has resulted in the faster and cheaper production of better parts for medical devices, automobiles, aircraft, and virtually all modern electronics. Consumers also benefit from the use of accelerators to explore for oil, gas, and minerals; sterilize food, wastewater, and medical supplies; and aid in the development of drugs and biomaterials.

  8. Research on cw electron accelerators using room-temperature rf structures. Annual report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-01-01

    Highlights reported include: measurement of the 100 keV chopped beam emittance, completion of installation of the entire 5 MeV injector linac system with all rf power and drive, extensive field mapping of one end magnet, completion of construction of the 12 MeV linac for the racetrack microtron (RTM), installation of most of the control system, and first acceleration of beam to 5 MeV. Plans for completion of the project are discussed. When the RTM is operating, it is expected to have many unique performance characteristics, including the cw nature of the beam, high current, easily variable energy over a wide range, excellent emittance, and small energy spread. Plans for future uses in the areas of nuclear physics, dosimetry research and standards, accelerator development, and free electron laser research are discussed. 19 refs

  9. SU-E-J-137: Image Registration Tool for Patient Setup in Korea Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator Center

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, M; Suh, T [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Research Institute of Biomedical Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cho, W [Borame Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jung, W [Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: A potential validation tool for compensating patient positioning error was developed using 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registration. Methods: For 2D/3D registration, digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR) and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) images were applied. The ray-casting algorithm is the most straightforward method for generating DRR. We adopted the traditional ray-casting method, which finds the intersections of a ray with all objects, voxels of the 3D-CT volume in the scene. The similarity between the extracted DRR and orthogonal image was measured by using a normalized mutual information method. Two orthogonal images were acquired from a Cyber-Knife system from the anterior-posterior (AP) and right lateral (RL) views. The 3D-CT and two orthogonal images of an anthropomorphic phantom and head and neck cancer patient were used in this study. For 3D/3D registration, planning CT and in-room CT image were applied. After registration, the translation and rotation factors were calculated to position a couch to be movable in six dimensions. Results: Registration accuracies and average errors of 2.12 mm ± 0.50 mm for transformations and 1.23° ± 0.40° for rotations were acquired by 2D/3D registration using an anthropomorphic Alderson-Rando phantom. In addition, registration accuracies and average errors of 0.90 mm ± 0.30 mm for transformations and 1.00° ± 0.2° for rotations were acquired using CT image sets. Conclusion: We demonstrated that this validation tool could compensate for patient positioning error. In addition, this research could be the fundamental step for compensating patient positioning error at the first Korea heavy-ion medical accelerator treatment center.

  10. SU-E-J-137: Image Registration Tool for Patient Setup in Korea Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, M; Suh, T; Cho, W; Jung, W

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: A potential validation tool for compensating patient positioning error was developed using 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registration. Methods: For 2D/3D registration, digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR) and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) images were applied. The ray-casting algorithm is the most straightforward method for generating DRR. We adopted the traditional ray-casting method, which finds the intersections of a ray with all objects, voxels of the 3D-CT volume in the scene. The similarity between the extracted DRR and orthogonal image was measured by using a normalized mutual information method. Two orthogonal images were acquired from a Cyber-Knife system from the anterior-posterior (AP) and right lateral (RL) views. The 3D-CT and two orthogonal images of an anthropomorphic phantom and head and neck cancer patient were used in this study. For 3D/3D registration, planning CT and in-room CT image were applied. After registration, the translation and rotation factors were calculated to position a couch to be movable in six dimensions. Results: Registration accuracies and average errors of 2.12 mm ± 0.50 mm for transformations and 1.23° ± 0.40° for rotations were acquired by 2D/3D registration using an anthropomorphic Alderson-Rando phantom. In addition, registration accuracies and average errors of 0.90 mm ± 0.30 mm for transformations and 1.00° ± 0.2° for rotations were acquired using CT image sets. Conclusion: We demonstrated that this validation tool could compensate for patient positioning error. In addition, this research could be the fundamental step for compensating patient positioning error at the first Korea heavy-ion medical accelerator treatment center

  11. Complete rooming-in care of newborn infants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoo Min Lee

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Purpose : In Kyung Hee East-West Neo Medical Center, Seoul,Korea, efforts to raise rooming-in care success rate have been undertaken since when the hospital was established in 2006. We intended to analyze our experience over the past 3 years of period and to discuss the advantages of rooming-in. Methods : We analyzed the rooming-in practice rate, failure rate, and the breast feeding rate. Subjects were 860 normal healthy neonates from June 2006 to June 2009. Results: Among these 860 cases, 83 babies were required separation out of rooming-in in the middle of the course. Among these 83 cases, 70 cases had to stop the course due to poor condition of babies and 13 cases due to maternal condition. 70 cases of infant’s causes consist of 68 cases of NICU admission and 2 cases of poor feeding support. The other 13 cases of separation include refusal by maternal condition. Therefore the success rate of rooming-in for the last 3 years was 90.3%, that is 777 cases among the total 860 cases. The percentage of exclusive breast feeding was 64%, that of mixed feeding with breast and formula feeding was 25%, and formula feeding only was 11%. Conclusion : We experienced successful rooming-in care for the last 3 years. Nursery facilities should educate and encourage the advantages of rooming-in, including the good formation of attachment between mother and infant, emotional stability, protection from infection, and increased breast feeding rate so that rooming-in care can be fully established.

  12. Clinical Experience of Auditory Brainstem Response Testing on Pediatric Patients in the Operating Room

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guangwei Zhou

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives. To review our experience of conducting auditory brainstem response (ABR test on children in the operating room and discuss the benefits versus limitations of this practice. Methods. Retrospective review study conducted in a pediatric tertiary care facility. A total of 267 patients identified with usable data, including ABR results, medical and surgical notes, and follow-up evaluation. Results. Hearing status successfully determined in all patients based on the ABR results form the operating room. The degrees and the types of hearing loss also documented in most of the cases. In addition, multiple factors that may affect the outcomes of ABR in the operating room identified. Conclusions. Hearing loss in children with complicated medical issues can be accurately evaluated via ABR testing in the operating room. Efforts should be made to eliminate adverse factors to ABR recording, and caution should be taken when interpreting ABR results from the operating room.

  13. Accelerator development programme in India - an outlook

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhandari, R.K.

    2011-01-01

    With the construction of the VEC, Indus-1, Indus-2, superconducting cyclotron, superconducting heavy ion linac boosters etc. and implementation of other accelerator R and D programmes, we are now 'equipped' to take a quantum jump in the accelerator field. We have highly trained and skilled manpower that can take up challenges in this rapidly growing field both for research as well as applications. Serious planning is going on in the country to construct accelerator facilities for versatile Rare Ion Beams (RIB), powerful spallation source, advanced synchrotron source, high power beam for ADS etc. There is strong demand by the medical community for a proton/heavy ion cancer therapy facility and for accelerator-produced radioisotopes for medical diagnostics. Proliferation of accelerators in the industry field is long overdue in our country and welcome realization is coming. In this presentation a glimpse of the intended growth of accelerator field in the country will be given. Interesting challenges are there not only for the accelerator community, which has to grow, but also for the industry. Since the general trend is now to construct high intensity and high beam power accelerators - both for research as well as applications - the associated problems of radiation safety will be highlighted. (author)

  14. Radiation Protection Elephants in the Room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vetter, R. J.

    2004-01-01

    As our system of radiological protection evolves, several significant issues loom within radiation protection discussions and publications. These issues influence the nature of epidemiological and radiobiological research and the establishment of radiation protection recommendations, standards, and regulations. These issues are like the proverbial e lephants in the room . They are large, and it is unwise to ignore them. This paper discusses the impact of three young elephants as they make their presence increasingly obvious: increased cancer susceptibility from early-life exposure to radiation, terrorism and fear of radiation, and patient safety. Increased cancer susceptibility from early-life exposure to radiation is emerging as a discussion topic related to the safety of computed tomography (CT) and other medical modalities. Shortly after publication of CT dose data, manufacturers were helping to reduce doses to children by increasing flexibility for adjustment of technique factors. Also, radiation epidemiological data are being used in the development of guidance on exposure to chemical carcinogens during early life. Re-emergence of public fear of radiation has been fueled by threats of radiological dispersion devises and confusing messages about personal decontamination, emergency room acceptance or rejection of contaminated victims, and environmental clean-up. Finally, several professional publications have characterized risk of medical radiation exposure in terms of patient deaths even though epidemiological data do not support such conclusions. All three of these elephants require excellent science and sophisticated data analysis to coax them from the room. Anecdotal communications that confuse the public should be avoided. These are not the only elephants in the room, but these three are making their presence increasingly obvious. This paper discusses the need for radiation protection professionals to rely on good science in the evolution of the system of

  15. MONITORING OF INDIVIDUAL DOSES FOR MEDICAL WORKERS OF DENTAL POLYCLINIC’S X-RAY ROOMS IN DUSHANBE, THE REPUBLIC OF TADJIKISTAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. U. Hakimova

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the data and analyses of personnel’s average annual external exposure doses monitoring via the thermoluminescent dosimetry method used for X-ray radiological personnel in dental polyclinics of Dushanbe, Tadjikistan Republic over a 5-year period ( 2010–2014 . Out of 42 registered medical institutions dental polyclinics amounted up to only just 14%. For this work thermoluminescent dosimeters were used ( with LiF: Mg, Ti with the thermoluminescent dosimetric installation “ Harshaw – 4500” as the reader device. Monitoring results comparison of individual dose equivalent Hp ( 10 values was conducted for two groups of medical workers: medical doctors and X-ray lab technicians. It is demonstrated that radiological technicians’ professional exposure doses are on the average by 23% higher than those for medical doctors.The average individual exposure doses over the above indicated period amount to 0,93 mSv and 1,3 mSv for doctors and X-ray lab technicians, respectively, and are in the range from 0,45 mSv to 2,39 mSv. The doses include contribution from the natural background. The values of doses recorded for the personnel in dental polyclinic correspond to those recorded for the workers in the routine X-ray rooms.

  16. Utilization of electron beam accelerators for polymer processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarma, K.S.S.

    2013-01-01

    During the last decade, electron beam processing has been amply demonstrated to the Indian cable industry by BARC using 2 MeV/20 kW electron beam (EB) accelerator (ILU-6 EBA facility) located at BARC-BRIT complex, Vashi. The electron beam accelerator is a machine producing high energy electrons which are made to impinge on the materials for inducing physical, chemical and biological modifications. The process is carried out at room temperature and in ambient atmospheric conditions. Lately, quite a few numbers of accelerators have been installed by the private cable industry and carrying out cross-linking of cable insulations for high performance viz. high temperature stability, good flame retardancy, lesser solvent-swelling, thinner insulations etc. The indigenously made accelerators at EB centre, particularly the 3 MeV/30 kW accelerator will be of much help for Indian industry for polymer processing as the market is poised to grow by adapting the technology

  17. Damage situation by the Great East Japan Earthquake and post-quake reconstruction project of the Tandem Accelerator Facility at the University of Tsukuba

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasa, Kimikazu

    2012-01-01

    The 12UD Pelletron tandem accelerator at the University of Tsukuba suffered serious damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011. On the day, the 12UD Pelletron tandem accelerator was in operation at 8 MV. The electricity supply went out during the earthquake. Fortunately, there were no causalties by the earthquake in the facility. However, all high voltage accelerating columns fell down in the accelerator tank. We decided to shut down the 12UD Pelletron tandem accelerator. At present, we have a plan to install a new middle-sized tandem accelerator instead of the broken 12UD Pelletron tandem accelerator at the 2nd target room connecting the beam line to existing facilities at the 1st target room. The construction of the new accelerator system will be completed by spring 2014. (author)

  18. A Miracle That Accelerates Operating Room Functionality: Sugammadex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erdal Dogan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Sugammadex offers a good alternative to the conventional decurarisation process currently performed with cholinesterase inhibitors. Sugammadex, which was developed specifically for the aminosteroid-structured rocuronium and vecuronium neuromuscular blockers, is a modified cyclodextrin made up of 8 glucose monomers arranged in a cylindrical shape. Methods. In this study, the goal was to investigate the efficacy of sugammadex. Sugammadex was used when there was insufficient decurarisation following neostigmine. This study was performed on 14 patients who experienced insufficient decurarisation (TOF <0.9 with neostigmine after general anaesthesia in the operating rooms of a university and a state hospital between June, 2012, and January, 2014. A dose of 2 mg/kg of sugammadex was administered. Results. Time elapsed until sugammadex administration following neostigmine 37 ± 6 min, following sugammadex it took 2.1 ± 0.9 min to reach TOF ≥ 0.9, and the extubation time was 3.2 ± 1.4 min. No statistically significant differences were detected in the hemodynamic parameters before and after sugammadex application. From the time of administration of sugammadex to the second postoperative hour, no side effects or complications occurred. None of the patients experienced acute respiratory failure or residual block during this time period. Conclusion. Sugammadex was successfully used to reverse rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block in patients where neostigmine was insufficient.

  19. Clinic exam room design: present and future.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freihoefer, Kara; Nyberg, Gary; Vickery, Christine

    2013-01-01

    This article aims to deconstruct various design qualities and strategies of clinic exam rooms, and discuss how they influence users' interaction and behavior in the space. Relevant literature supports the advantages and disadvantages of different design strategies. Annotated exam room prototypes illustrate the design qualities and strategies discussed. Advancements in technology and medicine, along with new legislative policies, are influencing the way care providers deliver care and ultimately clinic exam room designs. The patient-centered medical home model has encouraged primary care providers to make patients more active leaders of their health plan which will influence the overall functionality and configuration of clinic exam rooms. Specific design qualities discussed include overall size, location of doors and privacy curtains, positioning of exam tables, influence of technology in the consultation area, types of seating, and placement of sink and hand sanitizing dispensers. In addition, future trends of exam room prototypes are presented. There is a general lack of published evidence to support design professionals' design solutions for outpatient exam rooms. Future research should investigate such topics as the location of exam tables and privacy curtains as they relate to patient privacy; typical size and location of consultation table as it relates to patient connection and communication; and placement of sinks and sanitization dispensers as they relate to frequency and patterns of usage. Literature review, outpatient, technology, visual privacy.

  20. Telementoring systems in the operating room: a new approach in medical training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wachs, Juan P; Gomez, Gerardo

    2013-01-01

    This paper discusses the challenges and innovations related to the use of telementoring systems in the operating room. Most of the systems presented leverage on three types of interaction channels: audio, visual and physical. The audio channel enables the mentor to verbally instruct the trainee, and allows the trainee to ask questions. The visual channel is used to deliver annotations, alerts and other messages graphically to the trainee during the surgery. These visual representations are often displayed through a telestrator. The physical channel has been used in laparoscopic procedures by partially controlling the laparoscope through force-feedback. While in face to face instruction, the mentor produces gestures to convey certain aspects of the surgical instruction, there is not equivalent of this form of physical interaction between the mentor and trainee in open surgical procedures in telementoring systems. Even that the trend is to perform more minimally invasive surgery (MIS), trauma surgeries are still necessary, where initial resuscitation and stabilization of the patient in a timely manner is crucial. This paper presents a preliminary study conducted at the Indiana University Medical School and Purdue University, where initial lexicons of surgical instructive gestures (SIGs) were determined through systematic observation when mentor and trainee operate together. The paper concludes with potential ways to convey gestural information through surgical robots.

  1. Telementoring systems in the operating room: a new approach in medical training

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan P. Wachs

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the challenges and innovations related to the use of telementoring systems in the operating room. Most of the systems presented leverage on three types of interaction channels: audio, visual and physical. The audio channel enables the mentor to verbally instruct the trainee, and allows the trainee to ask questions. The visual channel is used to deliver annotations, alerts and other messages graphically to the trainee during the surgery. These visual representations are often displayed through a telestrator. The physical channel has been used in laparoscopic procedures by partially controlling the laparoscope through force-feedback. While in face to face instruction, the mentor produces gestures to convey certain aspects of the surgical instruction, there is not equivalent of this form of physical interaction between the mentor and trainee in open surgical procedures in telementoring systems. Even that the trend is to perform more minimally invasive surgery (MIS, trauma surgeries are still necessary, where initial resuscitation and stabilization of the patient in a timely manner is crucial. This paper presents a preliminary study conducted at the Indiana University Medical School and Purdue University, where initial lexicons of surgical instructive gestures (SIGs were determined through systematic observation when mentor and trainee operate together. The paper concludes with potential ways to convey gestural information through surgical robots.

  2. Vacuum system for Advanced Test Accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Denhoy, B.S.

    1981-01-01

    The Advanced Test Accelerator (ATA) is a pulsed linear electron beam accelerator designed to study charged particle beam propagation. ATA is designed to produce a 10,000 amp 50 MeV, 70 ns electron beam. The electron beam acceleration is accomplished in ferrite loaded cells. Each cell is capable of maintaining a 70 ns 250 kV voltage pulse across a 1 inch gap. The electron beam is contained in a 5 inch diameter, 300 foot long tube. Cryopumps turbomolecular pumps, and mechanical pumps are used to maintain a base pressure of 2 x 10 -6 torr in the beam tube. The accelerator will be installed in an underground tunnel. Due to the radiation environment in the tunnel, the controlling and monitoring of the vacuum equipment, pressures and temperatures will be done from the control room through a computer interface. This paper describes the vacuum system design, the type of vacuum pumps specified, the reasons behind the selection of the pumps and the techniques used for computer interfacing

  3. Vacuum system for Advanced Test Accelerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Denhoy, B.S.

    1981-09-03

    The Advanced Test Accelerator (ATA) is a pulsed linear electron beam accelerator designed to study charged particle beam propagation. ATA is designed to produce a 10,000 amp 50 MeV, 70 ns electron beam. The electron beam acceleration is accomplished in ferrite loaded cells. Each cell is capable of maintaining a 70 ns 250 kV voltage pulse across a 1 inch gap. The electron beam is contained in a 5 inch diameter, 300 foot long tube. Cryopumps turbomolecular pumps, and mechanical pumps are used to maintain a base pressure of 2 x 10/sup -6/ torr in the beam tube. The accelerator will be installed in an underground tunnel. Due to the radiation environment in the tunnel, the controlling and monitoring of the vacuum equipment, pressures and temperatures will be done from the control room through a computer interface. This paper describes the vacuum system design, the type of vacuum pumps specified, the reasons behind the selection of the pumps and the techniques used for computer interfacing.

  4. A shielding design for an accelerator-based neutron source for boron neutron capture therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hawk, A.E.; Blue, T.E. E-mail: blue.1@osu.edu; Woollard, J.E

    2004-11-01

    Research in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) at The Ohio State University Nuclear Engineering Department has been primarily focused on delivering a high quality neutron field for use in BNCT using an accelerator-based neutron source (ABNS). An ABNS for BNCT is composed of a proton accelerator, a high-energy beam transport system, a {sup 7}Li target, a target heat removal system (HRS), a moderator assembly, and a treatment room. The intent of this paper is to demonstrate the advantages of a shielded moderator assembly design, in terms of material requirements necessary to adequately protect radiation personnel located outside a treatment room for BNCT, over an unshielded moderator assembly design.

  5. Low energy accelerators for research and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhandari, R.K.

    2013-01-01

    Charged particle accelerators are instruments for producing a variety of radiations under controlled conditions for basic and applied research as well as applications. They have helped enormously to study the matter, atoms, nuclei, sub-nuclear particles and their constituents, forces involved in the related phenomena etc. No other man-made instrument has been so effective in such studies as the accelerator. The large accelerator constructed so far is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) housed in a tunnel of 27 km circumference, while a small accelerator can fit inside a room. Small accelerators accelerate charged particles such as electrons, protons, deuterons, alphas and, in general ions to low energy, generally, below several MeV. These particle beams are used for studies in nuclear astrophysics, atomic physics, material science, surface physics, bio sciences etc. They are used for ion beam analysis such as RBS, PIXE, NRA, AMS, CPAA etc. More importantly, the ion beams have important industrial applications like ion implantation, surface modification, isotope production etc. while electron beams are used for material processing, material modification, sterilization, food preservation, non destructive testing etc. In this talk, role of low energy accelerators in research and industry as well as medicine will be discussed. (author)

  6. THE USE OF DISPERSION STRENGTHENED COPPER IN ACCELERATOR DESIGNS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    VALDIVIEZ, R.; SCHRAGE, D.

    2000-01-01

    Dispersion strengthened copper, known by the trade name GLIDCOP(reg sign), has found various applications in accelerator designs. Glidcop has material properties similar to OFE copper, such as thermal and electrical conductivity. Unlike OFE, however, Glidcop has yield and ultimate strengths equivalent to those of mild-carbon steel, making it a good structural material. This paper covers some accelerator components fabricated with Glidcop, material properties measured from room to brazing temperatures, and a furnace-brazing process that has produced good, consistent results with Glidcop

  7. State registration and inspection programs for particle accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bailey, E.D.

    1976-01-01

    The Suggested State Regulations for Control of Radiation(SSRCR) are recommended by the Council of State Governments and the National Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors as the model regulations which states should adopt in order to have adequate regulation and uniformity from state to state. These regulations are used as a basis for reviewing the current status of accelerator regulation in each state. The SSRCR does contain a separate part for registration (Part B--Registration of Radiation Machine Facilities and Services) and a separate part (Part I--Radiation Safety Requirements for Particle Accelerators) with specific requirements for the possession and use of accelerators. In addition, medical accelerators have additional requirements in Part F--X-Rays in The Heating Acts. These regulations specify requirements related to limitations of use, shielding and safety design requirements, control and interlock systems, warning devices, operating procedures, radiation monitoring, and calibration of medical accelerators

  8. Control rooms and man-machine interface in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-08-01

    The importance of man-machine interface for ensuring safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants has always been recognized. Since the early 1970's, the concepts of operator support and human factors have been increasingly used to better define the role of control rooms. In the late 1970's, the lessons learned from experience considerably accelerated the development of recommendations and regulatory requirements governing the resources and data available to operators in nuclear power plant control rooms, and specified the expertise required to assist them in case of need. This document summarizes the steps which have been taken and are being planned around the world to improve the man-machine interface for safe and economic power generation. It intends to present to the reader useful examples on some selected control room design and man-machine interface practices for operation and surveillance of nuclear power plants. 53 refs, 94 figs, 27 tabs

  9. Monte Carlo simulation of medical linear accelerator using primo code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Omer, Mohamed Osman Mohamed Elhasan

    2014-12-01

    The use of monte Carlo simulation has become very important in the medical field and especially in calculation in radiotherapy. Various Monte Carlo codes were developed simulating interactions of particles and photons with matter. One of these codes is PRIMO that performs simulation of radiation transport from the primary electron source of a linac to estimate the absorbed dose in a water phantom or computerized tomography (CT). PRIMO is based on Penelope Monte Carlo code. Measurements of 6 MV photon beam PDD and profile were done for Elekta precise linear accelerator at Radiation and Isotopes Center Khartoum using computerized Blue water phantom and CC13 Ionization Chamber. accept Software was used to control the phantom to measure and verify dose distribution. Elektalinac from the list of available linacs in PRIMO was tuned to model Elekta precise linear accelerator. Beam parameter of 6.0 MeV initial electron energy, 0.20 MeV FWHM, and 0.20 cm focal spot FWHM were used, and an error of 4% between calculated and measured curves was found. The buildup region Z max was 1.40 cm and homogenous profile in cross line and in line were acquired. A number of studies were done to verily the model usability one of them is the effect of the number of histories on accuracy of the simulation and the resulted profile for the same beam parameters. The effect was noticeable and inaccuracies in the profile were reduced by increasing the number of histories. Another study was the effect of Side-step errors on the calculated dose which was compared with the measured dose for the same setting.It was in range of 2% for 5 cm shift, but it was higher in the calculated dose because of the small difference between the tuned model and measured dose curves. Future developments include simulating asymmetrical fields, calculating the dose distribution in computerized tomographic (CT) volume, studying the effect of beam modifiers on beam profile for both electron and photon beams.(Author)

  10. Recent progress in particle accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cole, F.T.; Mills, F.E.

    1988-01-01

    Many accelerators have also been built for medical radiography and therapy. Electron accelerators for this application are available commercially, using the electrons directly or bremsstrahlung photons. Neutrons produced by accelerator beams have also been used for therapy with considerable success, and several proton accelerators built for physics research have been adapted for direct therapy with protons. The first proton accelerator specifically for therapy is now being built. Separate from what might be called conventional accelerator technology, an entirely new field utilizing very highly pulsed power has been developed, and beams of short pulses of thousands or millions of amperes peak current in the MeV energy range are now available. These beams have important applications in high-energy particle acceleration, controlled fusion, industrial treatment of materials, and possibly in food preservation. All of these accelerators make use of external fields of acceleration. There is also vigorous research into new methods of acceleration, in many schemes making use of the intense accelerating fields, generated by laser beams or by plasma states of matter. This research has not as yet made traditional kinds of accelerators outmoded, but many workers hope that early in the next century there will be practical new acceleration methods making use of these very high fields. These developments are discussed in detail

  11. Medical Applications

    CERN Document Server

    Biscari, C.

    2014-12-19

    The use of accelerators for medical applications has evolved from initial experimentation to turn-key devices commonly operating in hospitals. New applications are continuously being developed around the world, and the hadrontherapy facilities of the newest generation are placed at the frontier between industrial production and advanced R&D. An introduction to the different medical application accelerators is followed by a description of the hadrontherapy facilities, with special emphasis on CNAO, and the report closes with a brief outlook on the future of this field.

  12. Medical Applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Biscari, C; Falbo, L

    2014-01-01

    The use of accelerators for medical applications has evolved from initial experimentation to turn-key devices commonly operating in hospitals. New applications are continuously being developed around the world, and the hadrontherapy facilities of the newest generation are placed at the frontier between industrial production and advanced R&D. An introduction to the different medical application accelerators is followed by a description of the hadrontherapy facilities, with special emphasis on CNAO, and the report closes with a brief outlook on the future of this field

  13. Heavy-ion-linac post-accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bollinger, L.M.

    1979-01-01

    The main features of the tandem-linac system for heavy-ion acceleration are reviewed and illustrated in terms of the technology and performance of the superconducting heavy-ion energy booster at Argonne. This technology is compared briefly with the corresponding technologies of the superconducting linac at Stony Brook and the room-temperature linac at Heidelberg. The performance possibilities for the near-term future are illustrated in terms of the proposed extension of the Argonne booster to form ATLAS

  14. Dose determination of Neutron contamination in radiothrapy rooms equiped with high energy linear accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shweikani, R.; Anjak, O.

    2014-03-01

    Radiotherapy represents the most widely spread technique to control and treat cancer. To increase the treatment efficiency, high-energy linear accelerators are used. However, applying high energy photon beams leads to a non-negligible dose of neutrons contaminating therapeutic beams. A high-energy (23 MV) linear accelerator (Varian 21EX) was studied. The CR-39 nuclear track detectors (NTDs) were used to study the variation of fast neutron relative intensities around a linear accelerator high energy photon beam and to determined the its variation on the patient plane at 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 cm from the center of the photon beam was. By increasing the distance from the center of the X-ray beam towards the periphery, the photoneutron dose equivalent decreased rapidly for the fields. Photoneutron intensity and distributions at isocenter level with the field sizes of 40*40 cm'2 at SSD=100cm around 23 MV photon beam using Nuclear Track Detectors were determined. The advantages of CR-39 NTD s over active detectors: 1- there is no pulse pileup problem. 2- no photon interference with neutron measurement. 3- no electronics are required. 4 - less prone to noise and interference. The photoneutron intensities were rapidly decreased as we move away from the isocenter of linear accelerators. As the use of simulation software MCNP match in the results we have obtained through direct measurements and the modeling results using the code MCNP (author).

  15. The History and Role of Accelerators in Radiation Oncology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Alfred

    2003-04-01

    Over one million people are diagnosed with cancer (excluding skin cancer) each year in the United States - about half of those patients will receive radiation as part of their treatment. Radiation Oncology is the field of medicine that specializes in the treatment of cancer with radiation. The evolution of Radiation Oncology, and its success as a cancer treatment modality, has generally paralleled developments in imaging and accelerator technologies. Accelerators, the topic of this paper, have proven to be highly reliable, safe and efficient sources of radiation for cancer treatment. Advances in accelerator technology, especially those that have provided higher energies and dose rates, and more localized (to the tumor volume) dose distributions, have enabled significant improvements in the outcomes of cancer treatments. The use of Cobalt 60 beams has greatly declined in the past decade. Radiation beams used in cancer treatment include x-rays, electrons, protons, negative pions, neutrons, and ions of helium, carbon, neon and silicon. X-rays and electrons, produced by linear electron accelerators, have been the most widely used. The history of medical accelerators can be traced from Roentgen's discovery of x-rays in 1895. The evolution of medical electron accelerators will be discussed and the use of x-ray tubes, electrostatic accelerators, betatrons, and linear accelerators will be described. Heavy particle cancer treatments began in 1955 using proton beams from the Berkeley 184-inch cyclotron. Accelerators that have been used for heavy particle therapy include the Berkeley Bevalac, Los Alamos Pion Facility, Fermi Laboratory, and various research and medical cyclotrons and synchrotrons. Heavy particle accelerators and their application for cancer treatment will be discussed.

  16. Permanent-magnet material applications in particle accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kraus, R.H. Jr.

    1992-01-01

    The modern charged particle accelerator has found application in a wide range of scientific research, industrial, medical, and defense fields. Researchers began to use permanent-magnet materials in particle accelerators soon after the invention of the alternating gradient principle, which showed that magnetic field could be used to control the transverse envelope of charged particle beams. The history of permanent-magnet use in accelerator physics and technology is outlined, current design methods and material properties of concern for particle accelerator applications are reviewed

  17. INVESTIGATION OF SECONDARY MIXED RADIATION FIELD AROUND A MEDICAL LINEAR ACCELERATOR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tulik, Piotr; Tulik, Monika; Maciak, Maciej; Golnik, Natalia; Kabat, Damian; Byrski, Tomasz; Lesiak, Jan

    2017-09-29

    The aim of this study is to investigate secondary mixed radiation field around linac, as the first part of an overall assessment of out-of-field contribution of neutron dose for new advanced radiation dose delivery techniques. All measurements were performed around Varian Clinic 2300 C/D accelerator at Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial, Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Krakow Branch. Recombination chambers REM-2 and GW2 were used for recombination index of radiation quality Q4 determination (as an estimate of quality factor Q), measurement of total tissue dose Dt and calculation of gamma and neutron components to Dt. Estimation of Dt and Q4 allowed for the ambient dose equivalent H*(10) per monitor unit (MU) calculations. Measurements around linac were performed on the height of the middle of the linac's head (three positions) and on the height of the linac's isocentre (five positions). Estimation of secondary radiation level was carried out for seven different configurations of upper and lower jaws position and multileaf collimator set open or closed in each position. Study includes the use of two photon beam modes: 6 and 18 MV. Spatial distribution of ambient dose equivalent H*(10) per MU on the height of the linac's head and on the standard couch height for patients during the routine treatment, as well as relative contribution of gamma and neutron secondary radiation inside treatment room were evaluated. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Review of Advanced Accelerator Concepts R & D in Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitagawa, Yoneyoshi; Uesaka, Mitsuru; Koyama, Kazuyoshi; Nakajima, Kaszuhisa; Tajima, Toshiki; Daido, Hiroyuki; Ogata, Atsushi; Nemoto, Koshichi; Nishida, Yasushi; Yugami, Noboru; Miyamoto, Shuji; Dobashi, Katsuhiro

    2004-12-01

    More than 15 Japanese laboratories are dedicated to the advanced and compact accelerator development. Some use ultra-intense lasers and others use microwave concepts. As for the laser electron accleration, the topics are the capillary acceleration and the mono-energetic acceleration. The laser ion acceleration is also active. As well, the compatization is proceeding of the current rf accelerator. The National Institute for Radiological Science is promoting an advanced accelerator concept project mainly for the medical application.

  19. The investigation of the design of hybrid operating room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang Weihao; Li Jun

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the design of the interventional operating room that can meet the needs of modern DSA operation, and the overall arrangement of the hybrid operating room should be reasonable, practical and perspective. Methods: The experience and understanding obtained from the designing and planning of the new Building of Radiology and Surgery in authors' hospital were summarized. In order to meet the requirements of aseptic surgical practices and a full-featured hybrid operating room the following factors should be carefully and synthetically taken into account: the room size, the functional sub-areas, the operational procedures, the aseptic specification, etc. Results: The sufficient verification and scientific design were the important link for building a hybrid operating room. It could provide the surgeons and interventional physicians with more alternative operating methods and it could represent the development trend of medical technology. Conclusion: When planning and designing a new DSA operating room, various factors related to the interventional procedures, such as the room size, the functional sub-areas, the operational procedures and the aseptic specification, should be carefully and synthetically taken into account. The standard of aseptic procedure must be strictly complied with and the various functional sub-areas need to be rationally distributed. The design of hybrid operating room, which joins the functions of both open surgery and interventional management together, should be scientific, practical and perspective. (authors)

  20. Computer code for shielding calculations of x-rays rooms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Affonso, R.R.W.; Borges, D. da S.; Lava, D.D.; Moreira, M. de L.; Guimarães, A.C.F.

    2015-01-01

    The building an effective barrier against ionizing radiation present in radiographic rooms requires consideration of many variables. The methodology used for thickness specification of primary and secondary, barrier of a traditional radiographic room, considers the following factors: Use Factor, Occupational Factor, distance between the source and the wall, Workload, Kerma in the air and distance between the patient and the source. With these data it was possible to develop a computer code, which aims to identify and use variables in functions obtained through graphics regressions provided by NCRP-147 (Structural Shielding Design for Medical X-Ray Imaging Facilities) report, for shielding calculation of room walls, and the walls of the dark room and adjacent areas. With the implemented methodology, it was made a code validation by comparison of results with a study case provided by the report. The obtained values for thickness comprise different materials such as concrete, lead and glass. After validation it was made a case study of an arbitrary radiographic room.The development of the code resulted in a user-friendly tool for planning radiographic rooms to comply with the limits established by CNEN-NN-3:01 published in september/2011. (authors)

  1. Technical Note: Mobile accelerator guidance using an optical tracker during docking in IOERT procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marinetto, Eugenio; Victores, Juan González; García-Sevilla, Mónica; Muñoz, Mercedes; Calvo, Felipe Ángel; Balaguer, Carlos; Desco, Manuel; Pascau, Javier

    2017-10-01

    Intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT) involves the delivery of a high radiation dose during tumor resection in a shorter time than other radiation techniques, thus improving local control of tumors. However, a linear accelerator device is needed to produce the beam safely. Mobile linear accelerators have been designed as dedicated units that can be moved into the operating room and deliver radiation in situ. Correct and safe dose delivery is a key concern when using mobile accelerators. The applicator is commonly fixed to the patient's bed to ensure that the dose is delivered to the prescribed location, and the mobile accelerator is moved to dock the applicator to the radiation beam output (gantry). In a typical clinical set-up, this task is time-consuming because of safety requirements and the limited degree of freedom of the gantry. The objective of this study was to present a navigation solution based on optical tracking for guidance of docking to improve safety and reduce procedure time. We used an optical tracker attached to the mobile linear accelerator to track the prescribed localization of the radiation collimator inside the operating room. Using this information, the integrated navigation system developed computes the movements that the mobile linear accelerator needs to perform to align the applicator and the radiation gantry and warns the physician if docking is unrealizable according to the available degrees of freedom of the mobile linear accelerator. Furthermore, we coded a software application that connects all the necessary functioning elements and provides a user interface for the system calibration and the docking guidance. The system could safeguard against the spatial limitations of the operating room, calculate the optimal arrangement of the accelerator and reduce the docking time in computer simulations and experimental setups. The system could be used to guide docking with any commercial linear accelerator. We believe that the

  2. Developments in the design of proton and ion accelerators for medical use

    CERN Document Server

    Bryant, P J

    1998-01-01

    Accelerators and medicine have been close companions since cyclotrons first made biological studies with particle beams possible in the 1930s. Later improvements, such as H-minus (H-) extraction, made cyclotrons the foremost, commercially-available producer of medical isotopes. Although the world's first hospital-based proton treatment centre, Loma Linda, uses a synchrotron, the cyclotron is now al so establishing a dominance in proton centres using passive beam spreading. However, two trends indicate a slightly different direction. The first is towards light ions and the second is towards 'penc il' beam scanning with active energy control. Together, these point to a new generation of synchrotrons with slow-beam-extraction systems that allow time for on-line dosimetry and provide very smooth spills. There are several variants for the slow extraction including the use of a betatron core and rf knockout. There are also methods for improving the spill quality such as rf channelling buckets a nd rf noise. The use...

  3. Experimental validation of neutron activation simulation of a varian medical linear accelerator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morato, S; Juste, B; Miro, R; Verdu, G; Diez, S

    2016-08-01

    This work presents a Monte Carlo simulation using the last version of MCNP, v. 6.1.1, of a Varian CLinAc emitting a 15MeV photon beam. The main objective of the work is to estimate the photoneutron production and activated products inside the medical linear accelerator head. To that, the Varian LinAc head was modelled in detail using the manufacturer information, and the model was generated with a CAD software and exported as a mesh to be included in the particle transport simulation. The model includes the transport of photoneutrons generated by primary photons and the (n, γ) reactions which can result in activation products. The validation of this study was done using experimental measures. Activation products have been identified by in situ gamma spectroscopy placed at the jaws exit of the LinAc shortly after termination of a high energy photon beam irradiation. Comparison between experimental and simulation results shows good agreement.

  4. Measurement of contamination by radioisotopes for medical examination and treatment in medical organizations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamada, Masahiko

    1975-01-01

    For safety control of radioactive contamination by medical examination and treatment in medical organizations, establishment of a Health and Physics Department is desired. It is necessary to dispose of radiopharmaceuticals according to the classification of safety and to separate the use of non-sealed nuclides from the radiotherapy room. In relation to radioactive air pollution, attention should be paid to the sampling test of hood, management of 133 Xe using room, and air pollution in the disposal storage room and patient urine storage room. Concerning the disposal of liquid waste, it is most important to devise entirely different method of disposal according to the level differences in the amount of diagnostic use and the therapeutic dose. The method of use is most important also for the decision of the size of storage tank. For sampling and monitoring it is advisable to use up to the 10th rank nuclide for safety counting in consideration of physicochemical conditions. (Chiba, N.)

  5. Recent Developments in Hadron Therapy Accelerators

    CERN Document Server

    Klein, Hans-Udo

    2005-01-01

    In the last decade interest and investments in Hadron Therapy Systems have been steadily increasing resulting in a substantial number of projects currently under construction or entering detailed planning stage. Main routes are pure proton therapy systems and Carbon ion therapy systems which can also run on protons. While the basic accelerator concept for hadron therapy systems is well established there are many considerations on the type and layout of the particle delivery system including the accelerator, an energy selection system, either a fixed beam set up or a rotating gantry, the "nozzle" containing either a scattering or a scanning system, the patient positioner, and all associated control systems. The requirements for the accelerator include most stable beams to match the demand of modern fast scanning systems as well as fast switching between treatment rooms. Currently an ion/proton synchrotron, a pure proton synchrotron, a normalconducting proton cyclotron and a newly developed compact superconduct...

  6. A New Type of Accelerator for Charged Particle Cancer Therapy

    CERN Document Server

    Edgecock, Rob

    2013-01-01

    acceleration of protons and light ions for the treatment of certain cancers. They have unique features as they combine techniques from the existing types of accelerators, cyclotrons and synchrotrons, and hence look to have advantages over both for this application. However, these unique features meant that it was necessary to build one of these accelerators to show that it works and to undertake a detailed conceptual design of a medical machine. Both of these have now been done. This paper will describe the concepts of this type of accelerator, show results from the proof-of-principle machine (EMMA) and described the medical machine (PAMELA).

  7. Accelerators for condensed matter research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, P.R.

    1990-01-01

    The requirement for high energy, high luminosity beams has stimulated the science and engineering of accelerators to a point where they open up opportunities for new areas of scientific application to benefit from the advances driven by particle physics. One area of great importance is the use of electron or positron storage rings as a source of intense VUV or X-ray synchrotron radiation. An accelerator application that has grown in prominence over the last 10 years has been spallation neutron sources. Neutrons offer an advantage over X-rays as a condensed matter probe because the neutron energy is usually of the same order as the room temperature thermal energy fluctuations in the sample being studied. Another area in which accelerators are playing an increasingly important role in condensed matter research concerns the use of Mu mesons, Muons, as a probe. This paper also presents a description of the ISIS Spallation Neutron Source. The design and status of the facility are described, and examples are given of its application to the study of condensed matter. (N.K.)

  8. THE CARE PROJECT - Coordinated Accelerator Research in Europe

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    A one-day presentation of the project will take place on Monday February 10th in the CERN Council Chamber. The meeting will start a 9am and is expected to end at 4:30pm. The meeting, which is open to the whole community, will present an initiative on accelerator R&D in Europe, supported by ECFA, with the aim to bid for European Union support through the Framework 6 scheme. This initiative is coordinated by a steering group (ESGARD - European Steering Group on Accelerator Research and Development), which has been set up to coordinate European efforts on accelerator R&D and the submission of such bids. The initial bids have to be submitted by April 15th. All those interested in accelerator R&D are welcome to attend. Presentation of the CARE project (Coordinated Accelerator Research in Europe) to be submitted within FP6 February 10th, at CERN in the council room Agenda Chair : C. Wyss 9:00 General presentation of FP6 and introduction of IA proposal (R. Aleksan) 9:45 Networking activities on e ...

  9. "Boarding" Psychiatric Patients in Emergency Rooms: One Court Says "No More".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appelbaum, Paul S

    2015-07-01

    "Boarding" involuntary psychiatric patients in medical emergency rooms is common in many parts of the United States. The practice, driven by a shortage of alternative resources, including limited inpatient capacity, can result in patients' being held for days without treatment or a hospital room, often in busy corridors or treatment rooms. A recent challenge to this practice led the Washington Supreme Court to declare it illegal and resulted in the appropriation of substantial funding to create new psychiatric beds. Centralized psychiatric crisis services, with appropriate payment models, may offer another approach to reducing the need for holding patients awaiting inpatient admission.

  10. Compact multi-energy electron linear accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanabe, E.; Hamm, R.W.

    1985-01-01

    Two distinctly different concepts that have been developed for compact multi-energy, single-section, standing-wave electron linear accelerator structures are presented. These new concepts, which utilize (a) variable nearest neighbor couplings and (b) accelerating field phase switching, provide the capability of continuously varying the electron output energy from the accelerator without degrading the energy spectrum. These techniques also provide the means for continuously varying the energy spectrum while maintaining a given average electron energy, and have been tested successfully with several accelerators of length from 0.1 m to 1.9 m. Theoretical amd experimental results from these accelerators, and demonstrated applications of these techniques to medical and industrial linear accelerator technology will be described. In addition, possible new applications available to research and industry from these techniques are presented. (orig.)

  11. RF Accelerating Structure for the Muon Cooling Experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corlett, J.; Green, M.; Li, D.; Holtkamp, N.; Moretti, A.; Kirk, H. G.; Palmer, R. B.; Zhao, Y.; Summers, D.

    1999-01-01

    The ionization cooling of muons requires longitudinal acceleration of the muons after scattering in a hydrogen target. In order to maximize the accelerating voltage, they propose using linear accelerating structures with cells bounded by thin beryllium metal foils. this produces an on-axis field equivalent to the maximum surface field, whereas with beam-pipes the accelerating field is approximately half that of the peak surface field in the cavity. The muons interact only weakly with the thin foils. A π/2 interleaved cavity structure has been chosen, with alternate cells coupled together externally, and the two groups of cells fed in quadrature. At present they are considering an operating temperature of 77K to gain a factor of at least two in Q-value over room temperature. They will describe the design of the π/2 interleaved cavity structure, design of an alternative π-mode open structure, preliminary experimental results from a low-power test cavity, and plans for high-power testing

  12. SU-F-T-475: An Evaluation of the Overlap Between the Acceptance Testing and Commissioning Processes for Conventional Medical Linear Accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrow, A; Rangaraj, D; Perez-Andujar, A; Krishnamurthy, N

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: This work’s objective is to determine the overlap of processes, in terms of sub-processes and time, between acceptance testing and commissioning of a conventional medical linear accelerator and to evaluate the time saved by consolidating the two processes. Method: A process map for acceptance testing for medical linear accelerators was created from vendor documentation (Varian and Elekta). Using AAPM TG-106 and inhouse commissioning procedures, a process map was created for commissioning of said accelerators. The time to complete each sub-process in each process map was evaluated. Redundancies in the processes were found and the time spent on each were calculated. Results: Mechanical testing significantly overlaps between the two processes - redundant work here amounts to 9.5 hours. Many beam non-scanning dosimetry tests overlap resulting in another 6 hours of overlap. Beam scanning overlaps somewhat - acceptance tests include evaluating PDDs and multiple profiles but for only one field size while commissioning beam scanning includes multiple field sizes and depths of profiles. This overlap results in another 6 hours of rework. Absolute dosimetry, field outputs, and end to end tests are not done at all in acceptance testing. Finally, all imaging tests done in acceptance are repeated in commissioning, resulting in about 8 hours of rework. The total time overlap between the two processes is about 30 hours. Conclusion: The process mapping done in this study shows that there are no tests done in acceptance testing that are not also recommended to do for commissioning. This results in about 30 hours of redundant work when preparing a conventional linear accelerator for clinical use. Considering these findings in the context of the 5000 linacs in the United states, consolidating acceptance testing and commissioning would have allowed for the treatment of an additional 25000 patients using no additional resources.

  13. SU-F-T-475: An Evaluation of the Overlap Between the Acceptance Testing and Commissioning Processes for Conventional Medical Linear Accelerators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morrow, A [Scott & White Hospital Temple, TX (United States); Rangaraj, D [Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, TX (United States); Perez-Andujar, A [University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (United States); Krishnamurthy, N [Baylor Scott & White Healthcare, Temple, TX (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: This work’s objective is to determine the overlap of processes, in terms of sub-processes and time, between acceptance testing and commissioning of a conventional medical linear accelerator and to evaluate the time saved by consolidating the two processes. Method: A process map for acceptance testing for medical linear accelerators was created from vendor documentation (Varian and Elekta). Using AAPM TG-106 and inhouse commissioning procedures, a process map was created for commissioning of said accelerators. The time to complete each sub-process in each process map was evaluated. Redundancies in the processes were found and the time spent on each were calculated. Results: Mechanical testing significantly overlaps between the two processes - redundant work here amounts to 9.5 hours. Many beam non-scanning dosimetry tests overlap resulting in another 6 hours of overlap. Beam scanning overlaps somewhat - acceptance tests include evaluating PDDs and multiple profiles but for only one field size while commissioning beam scanning includes multiple field sizes and depths of profiles. This overlap results in another 6 hours of rework. Absolute dosimetry, field outputs, and end to end tests are not done at all in acceptance testing. Finally, all imaging tests done in acceptance are repeated in commissioning, resulting in about 8 hours of rework. The total time overlap between the two processes is about 30 hours. Conclusion: The process mapping done in this study shows that there are no tests done in acceptance testing that are not also recommended to do for commissioning. This results in about 30 hours of redundant work when preparing a conventional linear accelerator for clinical use. Considering these findings in the context of the 5000 linacs in the United states, consolidating acceptance testing and commissioning would have allowed for the treatment of an additional 25000 patients using no additional resources.

  14. Laparoscopic assistance by operating room nurses: Results of a virtual-reality study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paschold, M; Huber, T; Maedge, S; Zeissig, S R; Lang, H; Kneist, W

    2017-04-01

    Laparoscopic assistance is often entrusted to a less experienced resident, medical student, or operating room nurse. Data regarding laparoscopic training for operating room nurses are not available. The aim of the study was to analyse the initial performance level and learning curves of operating room nurses in basic laparoscopic surgery compared with medical students and surgical residents to determine their ability to assist with this type of procedure. The study was designed to compare the initial virtual reality performance level and learning curves of user groups to analyse competence in laparoscopic assistance. The study subjects were operating room nurses, medical students, and first year residents. Participants performed three validated tasks (camera navigation, peg transfer, fine dissection) on a virtual reality laparoscopic simulator three times in 3 consecutive days. Laparoscopic experts were enrolled as a control group. Participants filled out questionnaires before and after the course. Nurses and students were comparable in their initial performance (p>0.05). Residents performed better in camera navigation than students and nurses and reached the expert level for this task. Residents, students, and nurses had comparable bimanual skills throughout the study; while, experts performed significantly better in bimanual manoeuvres at all times (p<0.05). The included user groups had comparable skills for bimanual tasks. Residents with limited experience reached the expert level in camera navigation. With training, nurses, students, and first year residents are equally capable of assisting in basic laparoscopic procedures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Evaluation of the shielding of a room for radiodiagnostic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Padilla R, Z. P.; Acuna D, E.; Escareno J, E.; Vega C, H. R.

    2011-10-01

    The X-ray discovery by Roentgen in 1895 and its application in diagnosis was a breakthrough in medicine. Worldwide, X-ray technique is one of the most widely used procedures in medical diagnosis. At the Mental Health Hospital of Calera Zacatecas a room has been designed as radiology room, however there is not a record of shielding characteristics. In order to determine the features of X-ray equipment that the room can host, in this work a series of calculations were carried out. Calculations were based upon the NCRP 151 recommendations and fulfilling the requirements given in the Mexican standard NOM-229-SSA1-2002. From the actual room conditions this can host a X-ray equipment without fluoroscopy, with a workload of 80 ma-min/week, with 125 k Vp as maximum operating voltage. From the actual conditions a set of recommendations, for better protection of radiation workers and public are also given. (Author)

  16. Control room philosophy: Principles of control room design and control room work

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skriver, Jan; Ramberg, Jasmine; Allwin, Pernilla

    2006-01-01

    In order to provide insights for improvement of work in control rooms several factors have to be considered. Knowledge of principles including control room philosophies will guide the recommended improvements. In addition to knowledge about specific principles an advantage for an organization can be an understanding of similarities and policies used in other high risk industry. The report has been developed on the basis of a document analysis of international standards and other guiding documents. (NUREG 0711, ISO 11064, ISO 6385, IEC 60964). In addition to the document analysis which has strived to compare the documents to see similarities in important principals, experience from working with control room design, modifications and evaluations in other high risk industries has pervaded the report. Important principles have been identified which are recommended to be included in a control room philosophy. Many of these are similar to the principles identified in the international standards. An additional principal which is regarded as important is the utilization of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) which can be used as a measure to target preventative means. Further more it is critical that the control room philosophy is easy to access and comprehend for all users. One of the challenges that remain after having developed a control room philosophy is how to utilize it in the daily work situation. It is vital that the document remains as a living document, guiding the continual improvement of the control room in the various life cycle stages

  17. Rf breakdown studies in room temperature electron linac structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loew, G.A.; Wang, J.W.

    1988-05-01

    This paper is an overall review of studies carried out by the authors and some of their colleagues on RF breakdown, Field Emission and RF processing in room temperature electron linac structure. The motivation behind this work is twofold: in a fundamental way, to contribute to the understanding of the RF breakdown phenomenon, and as an application, to determine the maximum electric field gradient that can be obtained and used safely in future e/sup +-/ linear colliders. Indeed, the next generation of these machines will have to reach into the TeV (10 12 eV) energy range, and the accelerating gradient will be to be of the crucial parameters affecting their design, construction and cost. For a specified total energy, the gradient sets the accelerator length, and once the RF structure, frequency and pulse repetition rate are selected, it also determines the peak and average power consumption. These three quantities are at the heart of the ultimate realizability and cost of these accelerators. 24 refs., 19 figs., 4 tabs

  18. IFMIF accelerators design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mosnier, A.; Ratzinger, U.

    2008-01-01

    The IFMIF requirement for 250 mA current of deuteron beams at a nominal energy of 40 MeV is met by means of two identical continuous wave (CW) 175 MHz linear accelerators running in parallel, each delivering a 125 mA, 40 MeV deuteron beam to the common target. This approach allows to stay within the current capability of present RF linac technology while providing operational redundancy in case of failure of one of the linacs. Each linac comprises a sequence of acceleration and beam transport/matching stages. The ion source generates a 140 mA deuteron beam at 100 keV. A low energy beam transport (LEBT) transfers the deuteron beam from the source to a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) cavity. The RFQ bunches and accelerates the 125 mA beam to 5 MeV. The RFQ output beam is injected through a matching section into a drift-tube-linac (DTL) where it is accelerated to the final energy of 40 MeV. In the reference design, the final acceleration stage is a conventional Alvarez-type DTL with post-couplers operating at room temperature. Operation of both the RFQ and the DTL at the same relatively low frequency is essential for accelerating the high current deuteron beam with low beam loss. The primary concern of the IFMIF linacs is the minimization of beam losses, which could limit their availability and maintainability due to excessive activation of the linac and irradiation of the environment. A careful beam dynamics design is therefore needed from the source to the target to avoid the formation of particle halo that could finally be lost in the linac or transfer lines. A superconducting solution for the high energy portion of the linac using, for example, CH-structure or coaxial-type resonators, could offer some advantages, in particular the reduction of operational costs. Careful beam dynamics simulations and comparison tests with beam during the EVEDA phase are however necessary in order to fully assess the technical feasibility of such alternative solutions

  19. Developments in accelerators and instrumentation relevant to imaging with charged particles and positron emitters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alonso, J.R.

    1980-11-01

    In past years particle accelerators have become increasingly important tools for the advancement of medical science. From the pace of advancing technology and current directions in medical research, it is clear that this relationship between accelerators and medicine will only grow stronger in future years. In view of this importance, this relationship is investigated in some detail, with an eye not so much towards the medical uses of the beams produced, but more towards the technology associated with these accelerators and the criteria which make for successful incorporation of these machines into the clinical environment. In order to lay the necessary groundwork, the different kinds of accelerators found in medical use today are reviewed briefly discussing salient points of each

  20. Accelerators for therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pohlit, W.

    1994-01-01

    In the past decades circular and linear electron accelerators have been developed for clinical use in radiation therapy of tumors with the aim of achieving a high radiation dose in the tumor and as low as possible dose in the adjacent normal tissues. Today about one thousand accelerators are in medical use throughout the world and many hundred thousand patients are treated every day with accelerator-produced radiation. There exists, however, a large number of patients who cannot be treated satisfactorily in this way. New types of radiations such as neutrons, negative pions, protons and heavy ions were therefore tested recently. The clinical experience with these radiations and with new types of treatment procedures indicate that in future the use of a scanning beam of high energy protons might be optimal for the treatment of tumors. (orig.)

  1. Accelerators: radiation safety and regulatory compliance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bandyopadhyay, Tapas

    2013-01-01

    Growth of accelerators, both positive ions and electron, is very high in India. This may be because of the wide acceptance of these machines in the industrial purposes, medical uses, material science studies, upcoming ADSS facility and many other reasons. Most of cases for societal uses, accelerators have to be installed in the dense public domain. Accelerators for basic research and development purposes to be installed may in public domain or in isolated site. These accelerators are to be classified into different categories in terms of regulatory compliance. Radiation shield design, HVAC system required to be in place with design so that the dose and effluent discharge in the public domain is within a limit considering different pathways. INDUS I and II at Indore, K-130 and K500 machine at VECC, Pelletron at TIFR, IUAC, BARC, EBC at Mumbai are in operation. Apart from this accelerators, a series of medical accelerators in operation and yet to be operational which are generally producing PET isotopes for the diagnosis purposes. VECC is aiming to operate 30 MeV proton machine with about 500 μA beam current for the production of PET, SPECT isotopes for diagnosis purposes and also therapeutic use in near future. Detail requirement in terms of choice of sites, source term estimation for achieving optimum shield thickness, ventilation system, site layout and planning , radioactive effluent handling both gaseous and liquid, decommission aspects will be discussed. (author)

  2. CEBAF Control Room Renovation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michael Spata; Anthony Cuffe; Thomas Oren

    2005-01-01

    The Machine Control Center (MCC) at Jefferson Lab's Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) was constructed in the early 1990s and based on proven technology of that era. Through our experience over the last 15 years and in our planning for the facilities 12 GeV upgrade we reevaluated the control room environment to capitalize on emerging visualization and display technologies and improve on work-flow processes and ergonomic attributes. The renovation was performed in two phases during the summer of 2004, with one phase occurring during machine operations and the latter, more extensive phase, occurring during our semi-annual shutdown period. The new facility takes advantage of advances in display technology, analog and video signal management, server technology, ergonomic workspace design, lighting engineering, acoustic ceilings and raised flooring solutions to provide a marked improvement in the overall environment of machine operations

  3. Technical and Economic Aspects of Designing an Efficient Room Air-Conditioner Program in India

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abhyankar, Nikit [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Div.; Shah, Nihar [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Div.; Phadke, Amol [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Div.; Park, Won Young [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Div.

    2017-09-05

    Several studies have projected a massive increase in the demand for air conditioners (ACs) over the next two decades in India. By 2030, room ACs could add 140 GW to the peak load, equivalent to over 30% of the total projected peak load. Therefore, there is significant interest among policymakers, regulators, and utilities in managing room AC demand by enhancing energy efficiency. Building on the historical success of the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s star-labeling program, Energy Efficiency Services Limited recently announced a program to accelerate the sale of efficient room ACs using bulk procurement, similar to their successful UJALA light-emitting diode (LED) bulk procurement program. This report discusses some of the key considerations in designing a bulk procurement or financial incentive program for enhancing room AC efficiency in India. We draw upon our previous research to demonstrate the overall technical potential and price impact of room AC efficiency improvement and its technical feasibility in India. We also discuss the importance of using low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and smart AC equipment that is demand response (DR) ready.

  4. Poster - 26: Electronic Waiting Room Management for a busy Cancer Centre

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kildea, John; Hijal, Tarek [McGill University Health Center (Canada)

    2016-08-15

    We describe an electronic waiting room management system that we have developed and deployed in our cancer centre. Our system connects with our electronic medical records systems, gathers data for a machine learning algorithm to predict future patient waiting times, and is integrated with a mobile phone app. The system has been in operation for over nine months and has led to reduced lines, calmer waiting rooms and overwhelming patient and staff satisfaction.

  5. Poster - 26: Electronic Waiting Room Management for a busy Cancer Centre

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kildea, John; Hijal, Tarek

    2016-01-01

    We describe an electronic waiting room management system that we have developed and deployed in our cancer centre. Our system connects with our electronic medical records systems, gathers data for a machine learning algorithm to predict future patient waiting times, and is integrated with a mobile phone app. The system has been in operation for over nine months and has led to reduced lines, calmer waiting rooms and overwhelming patient and staff satisfaction.

  6. The transfer of accelerator technology to industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Favale, A.

    1992-01-01

    The national laboratories and universities are sources for innovative accelerator technology developments. With the growing application of accelerators in such fields as semiconductor manufacturing, medical therapy isotope production, nuclear waste transmutation, materials testing, bomb detection, pure science, etc., it is becoming more important to transfer these technologies and build an accelerator industrial base. In this talk the methods of technology transfer, the issues involved in working with the labs and examples of successful technology transfers are discussed. (Author)

  7. The present situation and prospect of industrial irradiation accelerator industry in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Wenyan; Wang Chuanzhen; Hou Fuzhen

    2005-01-01

    Accelerator technology and the machines are an important part of the nuclear technology and also are the system integration of modern science technology. The application of accelerator technology has made the important breakthrough in many science research fields, in the development course of particle physics, several milestone developments are closely related to accelerator developments. In 1960s, accelerators gradually transferred from the science research to the national economy and society application fields. In 1970s, accelerators applied in many fields involved the industry, medical hygiene, agriculture, environmental protection, and proceed the development of new technique, new craft, new product, and developed lots of newly arisen edge industries, such as the medical equipments, no damage examination, ion injecting, radiation processing. Now accelerators have become a firmly established industry. This paper primarily reviewed the application of industrial radiation accelerators by the 20 years developments of accelerators in China. (author)

  8. Linear Accelerator Development for Cancer Treatment at SLRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Juntong, N.

    2014-01-01

    Linear accelerator (linac) technology has been widely utilised for cancer treatment in hospital. This linac utilised an accelerated electron beam to create x-ray beam for radiotherapy. At Synchrotron Light Research Institute (SLRI), the idea to fabricate the prototype of medical linac with low cost for domestic use in Thailand was proposed and the budget has been granted. There are three objectives of this proposal: 1) to develop prototype of medical linac by the ability of domestic people for reducing the machine import and maintenance costs,2) to encourage researching in science and technology concerning medical application for the practical use products, and 3) to develop knowledge and expertise in accelerator and concerning technologies of medical linac. In the first phase, the electron beam energy of the prototype machine will be 6 MeV or equivalent to x-ray energy of 6 MV based on discussions with several hospitals in the country. This energy level is considered suitable for the Thais due to shapes and sizes of the bodies. A brief introduction of background, objectives, and scope of the project will be presented together with the project timeline. Progression of project activities will also be discussed.

  9. GPU-Accelerated Text Mining

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cui, X.; Mueller, F.; Zhang, Y.; Potok, Thomas E.

    2009-01-01

    Accelerating hardware devices represent a novel promise for improving the performance for many problem domains but it is not clear for which domains what accelerators are suitable. While there is no room in general-purpose processor design to significantly increase the processor frequency, developers are instead resorting to multi-core chips duplicating conventional computing capabilities on a single die. Yet, accelerators offer more radical designs with a much higher level of parallelism and novel programming environments. This present work assesses the viability of text mining on CUDA. Text mining is one of the key concepts that has become prominent as an effective means to index the Internet, but its applications range beyond this scope and extend to providing document similarity metrics, the subject of this work. We have developed and optimized text search algorithms for GPUs to exploit their potential for massive data processing. We discuss the algorithmic challenges of parallelization for text search problems on GPUs and demonstrate the potential of these devices in experiments by reporting significant speedups. Our study may be one of the first to assess more complex text search problems for suitability for GPU devices, and it may also be one of the first to exploit and report on atomic instruction usage that have recently become available in NVIDIA devices

  10. Clinical Education Environment Experiences of Operating Room Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tahereh khazaei

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and purpose: The objective of medical education is to train competent and qualified workforce in order to provide services in various health environments. One of the important objectives of Operating Room students is to train workforce who can involve in patient’s health and recovery. Training these students should cause clinical ability and independent decision making during surgery. Since students during internship face with many problems, this study has been conducted to explore and describe the challenges and experiences.Methods: This qualitative study is a phenomenology that was conducted based on 20 students in the last semester of Operating Room associate’s degree with purposive sampling. Deep and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and data were analyzed by content analysis method.Results: The findings in 5 main themes: (1 Physical space and equipment in the operating room, (2 The student’s position in operating room, (3 Integrating knowledge and action, (4 Managing education environment and 5- Student’s viewpoint about operating room and working in it.Conclusions: Interviews with students revealed the educational environment challenges with which they are faced during their study. Teachers can provide solutions to overcome the challenges and create a positive atmosphere for students' learning using results of this study and students may continue their interest in education and improve the quality of their education.Keywords: CLINICAL EDUCATION, OPERATING ROOM STUDENTS, CHALLENGE

  11. Hotel room suicide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zarkowski, Paul; Avery, David

    2006-10-01

    The objective of our research was to quantify the increased risk of suicide associated with registering in local hotels/motels. Medical examiner case files of suicide in King County, Washington, were reviewed for years 2002-2004. The incidence of suicide in local residents registering in local hotels/motels was 223/100,000 which is significantly greater than the incidence of suicide in the general population of King County (11.7/100,000 p Hotel/motel guests from outside Washington had a significantly reduced incidence of suicide (3.9/100,000 p = 0.002). The study results suggest that there is an increased risk of suicide in local residents who register in local hotel rooms.

  12. Study of the radiation scattered and produced by concrete shielding of radiotherapy rooms and its effects on equivalent doses in patients' organs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braga, K.L.; Rebello, W.F.; Andrade, E.R.; Gavazza, S.; Medeiros, M.P.C.; Mendes, R.M.S.; Gomes, R.G.; Silva, M.G.; Thalhofer, J.L.; Silva, A.X.; Santos, R.F.G.

    2015-01-01

    Within a radiotherapy room, in addition to the primary beam, there is also secondary radiation due to the leakage of the accelerator head and the radiation scattering from room objects, patient and even the room's shielding itself, which is projected to protect external individuals disregarding its effects on the patient. This work aims to study the effect of concrete shielding wall over the patient, taking into account its contribution on equivalent doses. The MCNPX code was used to model the linear accelerator Varian 2100/2300 C/D operating at 18MeV, with MAX phantom representing the patient undergoing radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer following Brazilian Institute of Cancer four-fields radiation application protocol (0°, 90°, 180° and 270°). Firstly, the treatment was patterned within a standard radiotherapy room, calculating the equivalent doses on patient's organs individually. In a second step, this treatment was modeled withdrawing the walls, floor and ceiling from the radiotherapy room, and then the equivalent doses calculated again. Comparing these results, it was found that the concrete has an average shielding contribution of around 20% in the equivalent dose on the patient's organs. (author)

  13. Americium-241 use of measurement lead equivalent thickness for medical x-ray room: A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Khalid Matori; Husaini Saleh; Abd Aziz Mhd Ramli; Muhammad Jamal Md Isa; Mohd Firdaus Abd Rahman; Zainal Jamaluddin

    2010-01-01

    Lead equivalent thickness measurement of a shielding material in diagnostic radiology is very important to ensure that requirements for the purpose of radiation protection of patients, employees and the public are met. The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) has established that the irradiation room must have sufficient shielding thickness, for example for general radiography it must be at least equal to 2.0 mm of Pb, for panoramic dental radiography at least equal to 1.5 mm of Pb and for mammography should be a minimum of 1.0 mm of Pb. This paper presents a technique using americium-241 source to test and verify the integrity of the shielding thickness in term of lead equivalent for X-ray room at health centres. Results of measurement of 30 irradiation rooms conducted from 2009 to mid 2010 were analyzed for this presentation. Technical comparison of the attenuation of gamma rays from Am-241 source through the walls of the irradiation room and pieces of lead were used to assess the lead equivalent thickness of the walls. Results showed that 96.7 % of the irradiation rooms tested meet the requirements of the Ministry of Health and is suitable for the installation of the intended diagnostic X-ray apparatus. Some specific positions such as door knobs and locks, electrical plug sockets were identified with potential to not met the required lead equivalent thickness hence may contribute to higher radiation exposure to workers and the public. (author)

  14. Development of new electron beam accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Jiro

    1976-01-01

    Approximately two decades have elapsed since electron accelerators were first employed in industry. It is widely used in the fields of chemical and food industries and the prevention of pollution. The accelerators for industrial use are limited to those obtainable high current or high output, low cost and easy handling. The low energy (up to 2 or 3 MeV) accelerators applicable to industry include the rectification type (Cockcroft, Dynamitron, Van de Graaff etc.), the AC transformer type (resonance transformer, cascade transformer) and the transformer type. As the accelerators of higher energy (more than 3 MeV), there exist the linear accelerator and the electromagnetic induction type. The linear accelerators are widely employed for industrial and medical uses as the large output can be obtained. Though various types of accelerators are used in industry, more increasing demands in accordance with the diversification of application are not always satisfied. As it seems that the realization of a new accelerator of improved performance and cost requires long time, it may be important to perform the standardization by dividing the energy and output ranges. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

  15. The Prevessin Control Room during LEP's start up in 1989.

    CERN Multimedia

    1989-01-01

    The Prévessin Control Room saw its first momentous event when the 400 GeV beam for the SPS was commissioned in the presence of Project Leader John Adams. It was also here that the first proton-antiproton collisions were observed, in 1981. Eight years later, in 1989, operators and directors alike jumped for joy at the announcement of the first electron-positron collisions at the start up of LEP, the biggest accelerator in the world.

  16. Evaluation of area monitor response for neutrons in radiation field generated by a 15 MV clinic accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salgado, Ana Paula

    2011-01-01

    The clinical importance and usage of linear accelerators in cancer treatment increased significantly in the last years. Coupled with this growth came the concern about the use of accelerators with energies over to 10 MeV which produce therapeutic beam contaminated with neutrons generated when high-energy photons interact with high-atomic-number materials such as tungsten and lead present in the accelerator itself. At these facilities, measurements of the ambient dose equivalent for neutrons present difficulties owing to the existence of a mixed radiation field and possible electromagnetic interference near the accelerator. The Neutron Laboratory of the IRD - Brazilian Institute for Radioprotection and Dosimetry, aiming to evaluate the survey meters performance at these facilities, initiated studies of instrumentation response in the presence of different neutron spectra. Neutrons sources with average energies ranging from 0.55 to 4.2 MeV, four different survey meters and one ionization chamber to obtain the ratio between the dose due to neutrons and gamma radiation were used in this work. The evaluation of these measurements, performed in a 15 MV linear accelerator room is presented. This work presents results that demonstrate the complexity and care needed to make neutrons measurements in radiotherapy treatment rooms containing high energy clinical accelerators. (author)

  17. Xenon Recovery at Room Temperature using Metal-Organic Frameworks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Elsaidi, Sameh K. [Physical and Computational Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352 USA; Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, P. O. Box 426 Ibrahimia Alexandria 21321 Egypt; Ongari, Daniele [Laboratory of Molecular Simulation, Institut des Sciences et Ingeénierie Chimiques, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Rue de l' Industrie 17 1951 Sion Valais Switzerland; Xu, Wenqian [X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne IL 60439 USA; Mohamed, Mona H. [Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, P. O. Box 426 Ibrahimia Alexandria 21321 Egypt; Haranczyk, Maciej [IMDEA Materials Institute, c/Eric Kandel 2 28906 Getafe, Madrid Spain; Thallapally, Praveen K. [Physical and Computational Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352 USA

    2017-07-24

    Xenon is known to be a very efficient anesthetic gas but its cost prohibits the wider use in medical industry and other potential applications. It has been shown that Xe recovery and recycle from anesthetic gas mixture can significantly reduce its cost as anesthetic. The current technology uses series of adsorbent columns followed by low temperature distillation to recover Xe, which is expensive to use in medical facilities. Herein, we propose much efficient and simpler system to recover and recycle Xe from simulant exhale anesthetic gas mixture at room temperature using metal organic frameworks. Among the MOFs tested, PCN-12 exhibits unprecedented performance with high Xe capacity, Xe/N2 and Xe/O2 selectivity at room temperature. The in-situ synchrotron measurements suggest the Xe is occupied in the small pockets of PCN-12 compared to unsaturated metal centers (UMCs). Computational modeling of adsorption further supports our experimental observation of Xe binding sites in PCN-12.

  18. Xenon Recovery at Room Temperature using Metal-Organic Frameworks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Elsaidi, Sameh K. [Physical and Computational Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352 USA; Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, P. O. Box 426 Ibrahimia Alexandria 21321 Egypt; Ongari, Daniele [Laboratory of Molecular Simulation, Institut des Sciences et Ingeénierie Chimiques, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Rue de l' Industrie 17 1951 Sion Valais Switzerland; Xu, Wenqian [X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne IL 60439 USA; Mohamed, Mona H. [Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, P. O. Box 426 Ibrahimia Alexandria 21321 Egypt; Haranczyk, Maciej [IMDEA Materials Institute, c/Eric Kandel 2 28906 Getafe, Madrid Spain; Thallapally, Praveen K. [Physical and Computational Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352 USA

    2017-07-24

    Xenon is known to be a very efficient anesthetic gas but its cost prohibits the wider use in medical industry and other potential applications. It has been shown that Xe recovery and recycle from anesthetic gas mixture can significantly reduce its cost as anesthetic. The current technology uses series of adsorbent columns followed by low temperature distillation to recover Xe, which is expensive to use in medical facilities. Herein, we propose much efficient and simpler system to recover and recycle Xe from simulant exhale anesthetic gas mixture at room temperature using metal organic frameworks. Among the MOFs tested, PCN-12 exhibits unprecedented performance with high Xe capacity, Xe/O2, Xe/N2 and Xe/CO2 selectivity at room temperature. The in-situ synchrotron measurements suggest the Xe is occupied in the small pockets of PCN-12 compared to unsaturated metal centers (UMCs). Computational modeling of adsorption further supports our experimental observation of Xe binding sites in PCN-12.

  19. Performance of the Operating Room Personnel in following of the standards of Infection Control in the Educational Hospitals of Yasuj University of Medical Sciences in 2009

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Rostaminejad

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction & Objective: Surgical wound infection is one of the common nosocomial infections. During operation, members of the surgical team which are in contact with the tissue incision should observe the standards of infection control in the operating room since it has a great role in prevention and control of these infections. The present study aimed to determine the performance of the operating room personnel in observing the standards of infection control in educational hospitals of Yasuj University of Medical Sciences in 2009. Materials & Methods: Forty two operating room personnel participated in this cross-sectional analytic-descriptive study. A check list was used for unnoticeably collecting the data about the performance of personnel in respect of infection control standards at three different times. Their performances were classified into four levels (very weak, weak, moderate and good and the results were shown as absolute and relative frequency distribution. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and Fischer exact test by the SPSS software. Results: Performance of personnel in following the standards of infection control in this study was moderate. Conclusion: The results indicate that the participants of the study do not follow some of the standards of infection control in the operating rooms. Therefore, further activities of the committees of infection control and using of new antiseptic for surgical scrub are recommended.

  20. CAS CERN Accelerator School. 5. Advanced accelerator physics course. Proceedings. Vol. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turner, S.

    1995-01-01

    The fifth CERN Accelerator School (CAS) advanced course on Accelerator Physics was given at the Paradise Hotel, Rhodes, Greece from 20 September to 1 October 1993. Its syllabus was based on the previous similar courses held at Oxford 1985, Berlin 1987, Uppsala 1989 and Noordwijkerhout 1991, and whose proceedings were published as CERN Reports 97-03, 89-01, 90-04 and 92-01, respectively. The present volumes are intended to replace and to bring up to date all the material in earlier publications. They contain not only all the lectures given in the Rhodes course but a number of important contributions to previous courses which are thought to be essential for a complete understanding of all aspects of the design and construction of particle accelerators at an advanced level. They include sections on Hamiltonian equations and accelerator optics, chromaticity and dynamic beam aperture, particle tracking, the kinetic theory, longitudinal beam optics, coherent instabilities, beam-beam dynamics, intra-beam scattering, beam cooling, Schottky noise, beam radiation, neutralisation, beam polarisation, radio-frequency quadrupoles, as well as chapters on space charge, superconducting magnets, crystal bending, beam-beam measurement and accelerator medical applications. (orig.)

  1. CAS CERN Accelerator School. 5. Advanced accelerator physics course. Proceedings. Vol. 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turner, S [ed.

    1995-11-22

    The fifth CERN Accelerator School (CAS) advanced course on Accelerator Physics was given at the Paradise Hotel, Rhodes, Greece from 20 September to 1 October 1993. Its syllabus was based on the previous similar courses held at Oxford 1985, Berlin 1987, Uppsala 1989 and Noordwijkerhout 1991, and whose proceedings were published as CERN Reports 87-03, 89-01, 90-04 and 92-01, respectively. The present volumes are intended to replace and to bring up to date all the material in earlier publications. They contain not only all the lectures given in the Rhodes course but a number of important contributions to previous courses which are thought to be essential for a complete understanding of all aspects of the design and construction of particle accelerators at an advanced level. They include sections on Hamiltonian equations and accelerator optics, chromaticity and dynamic beam aperture, particle tracking, the kinetic theory, longitudinal beam optics, coherent instabilities, beam-beam dynamics, intra-beam scattering, beam cooling, Schottky noise, beam radiation, neutralisation, beam polarisation, radio-frequency quadrupoles, as well as chapters on space charge, superconducting magnets, crystal bending, beam-beam measurement and accelerator medical applications. (orig.).

  2. CAS CERN Accelerator School. 5. Advanced accelerator physics course. Proceedings. Vol. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turner, S.

    1995-01-01

    The fifth CERN Accelerator School (CAS) advanced course on Accelerator Physics was given at the Paradise Hotel, Rhodes, Greece from 20 September to 1 October 1993. Its syllabus was based on the previous similar courses held at Oxford 1985, Berlin 1987, Uppsala 1989 and Noordwijkerhout 1991, and whose proceedings were published as CERN Reports 87-03, 89-01, 90-04 and 92-01, respectively. The present volumes are intended to replace and to bring up to date all the material in earlier publications. They contain not only all the lectures given in the Rhodes course but a number of important contributions to previous courses which are thought to be essential for a complete understanding of all aspects of the design and construction of particle accelerators at an advanced level. They include sections on Hamiltonian equations and accelerator optics, chromaticity and dynamic beam aperture, particle tracking, the kinetic theory, longitudinal beam optics, coherent instabilities, beam-beam dynamics, intra-beam scattering, beam cooling, Schottky noise, beam radiation, neutralisation, beam polarisation, radio-frequency quadrupoles, as well as chapters on space charge, superconducting magnets, crystal bending, beam-beam measurement and accelerator medical applications. (orig.)

  3. CAS CERN Accelerator School. 5. Advanced accelerator physics course. Proceedings. Vol. 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turner, S [ed.

    1995-11-22

    The fifth CERN Accelerator School (CAS) advanced course on Accelerator Physics was given at the Paradise Hotel, Rhodes, Greece from 20 September to 1 October 1993. Its syllabus was based on the previous similar courses held at Oxford 1985, Berlin 1987, Uppsala 1989 and Noordwijkerhout 1991, and whose proceedings were published as CERN Reports 97-03, 89-01, 90-04 and 92-01, respectively. The present volumes are intended to replace and to bring up to date all the material in earlier publications. They contain not only all the lectures given in the Rhodes course but a number of important contributions to previous courses which are thought to be essential for a complete understanding of all aspects of the design and construction of particle accelerators at an advanced level. They include sections on Hamiltonian equations and accelerator optics, chromaticity and dynamic beam aperture, particle tracking, the kinetic theory, longitudinal beam optics, coherent instabilities, beam-beam dynamics, intra-beam scattering, beam cooling, Schottky noise, beam radiation, neutralisation, beam polarisation, radio-frequency quadrupoles, as well as chapters on space charge, superconducting magnets, crystal bending, beam-beam measurement and accelerator medical applications. (orig.).

  4. Production of Medical Isotopes with Electron Linacs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rotsch, D A; Alford, K.; Bailey, J. L.; Bowers, D. L.; Brossard, T.; Brown, M. A.; Chemerisov, S. D.; Ehst, D.; Greene, J.; Gromov, R. G.; Grudzinski, J.J.; Hafenrichter, L.; Hebden, A. S.; Henning, W.; Heltemes, T. A.; Jerden, J.; Jonah, C. D.; Kalensky, M.; Krebs, J. F.; Makarashvili, V.; Micklich, B.; Nolen, J.; Quigley, K. J.; Schneider, J. F.; Smith, N. A.; Stepinski, D. C.; Sun, Z.; Tkac, P.; Vandegrift, G. F.; Virgo, M J; Wesolowski, K. A.; Youker, A. J.

    2017-06-01

    Radioisotopes play important roles in numerous areas ranging from medical treatments to national security and basic research. Radionuclide production technology for medical applications has been pursued since the early 1900s both commercially and in nuclear science centers. Many medical isotopes are now in routine production and are used in day-to-day medical procedures. Despite these advancements, research is accelerating around the world to improve the existing production methodologies as well as to develop novel radionuclides for new medical appli-cations. Electron linear accelerators (linacs) represent a unique method for the production of radioisotopes. Even though the basic technology has been around for decades, only recently have electron linacs capable of producing photons with sufficient energy and flux for radioisotope production become available. Housed in Argonne Nation-al Laboratory’s Low Energy Accelerator Facility (LEAF) is a newly upgraded 55 MeV/25-kW electron linear ac-celerator, capable of producing a wide range of radioiso-topes. This talk will focus on the work being performed for the production of the medical isotopes 99Mo (99Mo/99mTc generator), 67Cu, and 47Sc.

  5. Evaluation of medical isotope production with the accelerator production of tritium (APT) facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benjamin, R.W.; Frey, G.D.; McLean, D.C., Jr; Spicer, K.M.; Davis, S.E.; Baron, S.; Frysinger, J.R.; Blanpied, G.; Adcock, D.

    1997-01-01

    The accelerator production of tritium (APT) facility, with its high beam current and high beam energy, would be an ideal supplier of radioisotopes for medical research, imaging, and therapy. By-product radioisotopes will be produced in the APT window and target cooling systems and in the tungsten target through spallation, neutron, and proton interactions. High intensity proton fluxes are potentially available at three different energies for the production of proton- rich radioisotopes. Isotope production targets can be inserted into the blanket for production of neutron-rich isotopes. Currently, the major production sources of radioisotopes are either aging or abroad, or both. The use of radionuclides in nuclear medicine is growing and changing, both in terms of the number of nuclear medicine procedures being performed and in the rapidly expanding range of procedures and radioisotopes used. A large and varied demand is forecast, and the APT would be an ideal facility to satisfy that demand

  6. A dose-per-pulse monitor for a dual-mode medical accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galbraith, D.M.; Martell, E.S.; Fueurstake, T.; Norrlinger, B.; Schwendener, H.; Rawlinson, J.A.

    1990-01-01

    On a radiotherapy accelerator, the dose monitoring system is the last level of protection between the patient and the extremely high dose rate which all accelerators are capable of producing. The risk of losing this level of protection is substantially reduced if two or more dose monitoring systems are used which are mechanically and electrically independent in design. This paper describes the installation of an independent radiation monitor in a dual-mode, computer-controlled accelerator with a moveable monitor chamber. The added device is fixed in the beam path, is capable of monitoring each beam pulse, and is capable of terminating irradiation within the pulse repetition period if any measured pulse is unacceptably high

  7. Accelerator-driven Medical Sterilization to Replace Co-60 Sources

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kroc, Thomas K. [Fermilab; Thangaraj, Jayakar C.T. [Fermilab; Penning, Richard T. [Fermilab; Kephart, Robert D. [Fermilab

    2017-08-11

    This report documents the results of a study prepared at the request of the Office of Radiological Security of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), as part of the Domestic Protect and Reduce mission by the Illinois Accelerator Research Center (IARC) of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The study included a literature survey of over 80 relevant documents and articles including industry standards, regulatory documents, technical papers, a court case, previous task force reports and industry white papers. The team also conducted interviews or had conversations with over 40 individuals representing over a dozen organizations over the course of its 10-month program. This report summarizes our findings, addresses the specific questions posed to us by NNSA, and concludes with a list of actionable recommendations.

  8. Harmonic ratcheting for fast acceleration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, N.; Brennan, J. M.; Peggs, S.

    2014-04-01

    A major challenge in the design of rf cavities for the acceleration of medium-energy charged ions is the need to rapidly sweep the radio frequency over a large range. From low-power medical synchrotrons to high-power accelerator driven subcritical reactor systems, and from fixed focus alternating gradient accelerators to rapid cycling synchrotrons, there is a strong need for more efficient, and faster, acceleration of protons and light ions in the semirelativistic range of hundreds of MeV/u. A conventional way to achieve a large, rapid frequency sweep (perhaps over a range of a factor of 6) is to use custom-designed ferrite-loaded cavities. Ferrite rings enable the precise tuning of the resonant frequency of a cavity, through the control of the incremental permeability that is possible by introducing a pseudoconstant azimuthal magnetic field. However, rapid changes over large permeability ranges incur anomalous behavior such as the "Q-loss" and "f-dot" loss phenomena that limit performance while requiring high bias currents. Notwithstanding the incomplete understanding of these phenomena, they can be ameliorated by introducing a "harmonic ratcheting" acceleration scheme in which two or more rf cavities take turns accelerating the beam—one turns on when the other turns off, at different harmonics—so that the radio frequency can be constrained to remain in a smaller range. Harmonic ratcheting also has straightforward performance advantages, depending on the particular parameter set at hand. In some typical cases it is possible to halve the length of the cavities, or to double the effective gap voltage, or to double the repetition rate. This paper discusses and quantifies the advantages of harmonic ratcheting in general. Simulation results for the particular case of a rapid cycling medical synchrotron ratcheting from harmonic number 9 to 2 show that stability and performance criteria are met even when realistic engineering details are taken into consideration.

  9. Room Acoustics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuttruff, Heinrich; Mommertz, Eckard

    The traditional task of room acoustics is to create or formulate conditions which ensure the best possible propagation of sound in a room from a sound source to a listener. Thus, objects of room acoustics are in particular assembly halls of all kinds, such as auditoria and lecture halls, conference rooms, theaters, concert halls or churches. Already at this point, it has to be pointed out that these conditions essentially depend on the question if speech or music should be transmitted; in the first case, the criterion for transmission quality is good speech intelligibility, in the other case, however, the success of room-acoustical efforts depends on other factors that cannot be quantified that easily, not least it also depends on the hearing habits of the listeners. In any case, absolutely "good acoustics" of a room do not exist.

  10. Vacuum design for the disk-and-washer accelerator structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruhe, J.R.; Hansborough, L.D.

    1982-02-01

    The disk-and-washer (DAW) accelerator structure is being developed for several applications. Because of its complicated geometry and newness, vacuum calculations for the DAW accelerator structure are not yet formalized. The applicable vacuum equations for this structure are presented and correlations for it have been made with the vacuum data from the Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility side-coupled accelerator structure. A calculation is presented for the DAW structure proposed for the Pion Generator for Medical Irradiations (PIGMI) accelerator

  11. Accelerating and focusing structures for PIGMI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swenson, D.A.; Bush, E.D. Jr.; Holsinger, R.F.; Manca, J.J.; Saito, N.; Stovall, J.E.

    1977-01-01

    The National Cancer Institute is supporting a program of accelerator development at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory aimed at the extension of proton linac technologies to produce the most suitable Pion Generator for Medical Irradiations (PIGMI). An optimized design of a pion generator suitable for a radiotherapy program at a major medical center has been established, consisting of a 250-keV injector, followed by a 35-meter-long drift-tube linac that accelerates the proton beam to 150 MeV, and an 85-meter-long coupled-cavity linac that accelerates the beam to its final energy of 650 MeV, where the average beam current of 100 microamperes impinges on one or more targets producing abundant quantities of π - mesons for radiotherapeutic applications. A number of extensions to proton linac technology are being pursued under the PIGMI program at LASL. A discussion is given of recent developments in three areas relevant to the acceleration and focusing of proton beams, namely, the alternating phase focused (APF) linac structure, the disk and washer linac structure, and small permanent magnet quadrupole lenses. The APF linac structure is being developed for the acceleration and focusing role from the injection energy of 250 keV to a few MeV, where a transition is made to a permanent magnet quadrupole focused linac structure. The disk and washer linac structure is under consideration for the high velocity portion of the design

  12. Development of 350 keV electron accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin Jiuchang; Cui Shan; Zhou Wenzhen; Cui Zhipeng; Shi Zhenghu; Lu Zhongcheng; Chen Shangwen; Zhang Lifeng; Cui Zongwei; Huang Jun; Yin Meng

    2007-01-01

    The 350 keV electron accelerator is used for irradiation and production of plas- tic film of the medical infusion bags. The body structure of Van de Graft accelerator and the high voltage power supply of Cockcrof-Walton accelerator are adopted in the electron accelerator. The 350 keV DC power supply is supplied by the high frequency power supply with 14 kHz and 35 kW. The body and DC power supply of the electron accelerator are installed in the tank filled with 0.3 MPa SF 6 . The electron accelerator is compact, self-shielding and suitable for on-line electron beam processing. The main characteristics of the facility are terminal voltage 370 kV, electron beam power 7 kW (350 keV/20 mA), scaning width 70 cm, irradiation dose inuniformity ≤7%. (authors)

  13. Accelerator Control and Global Networks State of the Art

    CERN Document Server

    Gurd, D P

    2004-01-01

    As accelerators increase in size and complexity, demands upon their control systems increase correspondingly. Machine complexity is reflected in complexity of control system hardware and software and careful configuration management is essential. Model-based procedures and fast feedback based upon even faster beam instrumentation are often required. Managing machine protection systems with tens of thousands of inputs is another significant challenge. Increased use of commodity hardware and software introduces new issues of security and control. Large new facilities will increasingly be built by national (e.g. SNS) or international (e.g. a linear collider) collaborations. Building an integrated control system for an accelerator whose development is geographically widespread presents particular problems, not all of them technical. Recent discussions of a “Global Accelerator Network” include the possibility of multiple remote control rooms and no more night shifts. Based upon current experien...

  14. The present status of medical application of particle accelerator. Started construction of a new medically dedicated proton accelerator facility in Tsukuba

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakae, Takeji; Maruhashi, Akira

    1999-01-01

    A new facility of PMRC starts the construction in the neighborhood of Tsukuba university hospital, in order to establish technical skill for practical use in the cancer treatment and to grope for new skill. The facility has a linac injection system, a compact synchrotron, two rotating gantry rooms and two fixed horizontal beam lines. The outline of the design arranged for the facility is reviewed. As one of the important technique for the treatment, investigation into target adjusting accuracy in respiration-gated proton irradiation is presented. (author)

  15. Reevaluation of photon activation yields of {sup 11}C. {sup 13}N, and {sup 15}O for the estimation of activity in gas and water induced by the operation of electron accelerates for medical use

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Masumoto, Kazuyoshi; Matsumura, Hiroshi; Bessho, Kotaro; Toyoda, Akihiro [High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Tsukuba (Japan); Kasako, Kazuaki [Shimizu Corporation, Tokyo (Japan)

    2016-09-15

    Activation of air and water in the electron linear accelerator for medical use has not been considered severely. By the new Japanese regulation for protection of radiation hazard, it became indispensable to evaluate of activation of air and water in the accelerator room. The measurement of induced activity in air and water components in the electron energy region of 10 to 20 MeV is very difficult, because this energy region is close to the threshold energy region of photonuclear reactions. Then, we measured the photonuclear reaction yields of {sup 13}N,{sup 15}O, and {sup 11}C by using the electron linear accelerator. Obtained data were compared with the data calculated by the Monte Carlo method. An activation experiment was performed at the Research Center for Electron Photon Science, Tohoku University. Highly purified SiO{sub 2}, Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}, and carbon disks were irradiated for 10 minutes by Bremsstrahlung converted by a tungsten plate. Induced activity from C, N, and O was obtained. Monte Carlo calculation was performed using MCNP5 and AERY (DCHAIN-SP) to simulate the experimental condition. Cross section data were adopted the KAERI dataset. In our experiment in hospital, calculated values were not agreed with experimental values. It might be three possible reasons as the cause of this deference, such as irradiation energy, calculation procedure and cross section data. Obtained data of this work, calculated and experimental values were good agreement with each other within one order. In this work, we used KAERI dataset of photonuclear reaction instead of JENDL. Therefore, it was found that the photonuclear cross section data of light elements are most important for yield calculation in these reactions. Further improvement for calculation using a new dataset JENDL/PD-2015 and considering electron energy spreading will be needed.

  16. Experience utilizing a 3.7 MeV tandem cascade accelerator (TCA) for PET radioisotope production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Welch, M.J.; Gaehle, G.; Dence, C.S.

    1994-01-01

    A 3.7 MeV TCA was installed at Washington University in the Spring of 1993 for evaluation as a PET isotope production accelerator. The accelerator was installed in a specially designed suite consisting of the accelerator room, a open-quotes hot labclose quotes and a open-quotes cold labclose quotes. The accelerator has been utilized routinely for PET isotope production since it's installation. Although the major radionuclide produced utilizing the TCA is oxygen-15, techniques for the production of fluorine-18 and nitrogen-13 have been developed. The novel techniques used to produce usable quantities of these latter two isotopes will be discussed

  17. Probabilistic safety assessment of the radiotherapy treatment with a linear accelerator for medical use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vilaragut Llanes, Juan Jose; Ferro Fernandez, Ruben; Rodriguez MartI, Manuel; Ramirez, Maria Luisa; Perez Mulas, Arturo; Barrientos Montero, Marta; Ortiz Lopez, Pedro; Somoano, Fernando; Delgado RodrIguez, Jose Miguel; Papadopulos, Susana B.; Pereira Jr, Pedro Paulo; Lopez Morones, Ramon; Larrinaga Cortina, Eduardo; Rivero Oliva, Jose de Jesus; Alemanny, Jorge

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents the results of the Probabilistic Safety Assessment to the radiotherapy treatment with an Electron Linear Accelerator for Medical Use, which was conducted in the framework of the Iberian-American Forum of Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Agencies. Potential accidental exposures during the treatment of patients, workers and members of the public were assessed, although the study was mainly focused on patients. The methodology of failure modes and effects analysis was used to define accident initiating events and methods of event tree and fault tree analysis to determine the accident sequences that may occur. After quantifying the frequency of occurrence of the accident sequences, an important analysis was carried out in order to determine the most significant events from the point of view of safety. The major contributors to risk were identified as well as the most appropriate safety recommendations to reduce it. (author)

  18. Medical writing on an accelerated path in India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shirke, Sarika

    2015-01-01

    The medical writing industry is on an upwards growth path in India. This is probably driven by an increasing urgency to have high-quality documents authored to support timely drug approvals, complemented by the realization that the competencies required are available in emerging geographies such as India. This article reviews the business landscape and the opportunities and challenges associated with outsourcing medical writing work India. It also analyzes the core competencies that a medical writer should possess and enlists various associations supporting learning in this domain.

  19. Hadrons accelerators in the cancer therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amaldi, U.; Silari, M.

    1998-01-01

    The use of hadrons accelerators ( protons and light ions) in the cancer therapy is tackled. After shorts introductory words about the medical reasons in favour of using charged heavy particles radiotherapy, an overall idea is given on the accelerators technology and on the guiding and focusing systems. The Italian project of hadron-therapy (the most important project of this kind in Europe) is introduced, with in reference the National Oncological Center of Hadron-therapy and the plans of two kinds of compact protons accelerators in order to introduce the therapy with protons in a great number of hospitals. Finally, the needs in radiation protection are discussed. (N.C.)

  20. Particle Accelerators: Activities and Developments in the CIEMAT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia Tabares, L.; Toral Fernandez, F.

    2010-01-01

    Although they have been in use for many years, particle accelerators are machines in constant evolution with a growing number of applications. They are not only used in basic science to understand the structure of matter, but they also have multiple technological, medical and analytical applications, etc. This fact led the CIEMAT to create the Accelerator Unit in late 2008, as part of the Technology department. Although the group had been carrying out accelerator-related activities for some time, the aim of creating the Unit was to develop not only accelerator components but also complete systems. This article contains a brief introduction to accelerators and also describes the current activities in our Unit. (Author) 8 refs.

  1. Effect of automated ultraviolet C-emitting device on decontamination of hospital rooms with and without real-time observation of terminal room disinfection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penno, Katie; Jandarov, Roman A; Sopirala, Madhuri M

    2017-11-01

    We studied the effectiveness of an ultraviolet C (UV-C) emitter in clinical settings and compared it with observed terminal disinfection. We cultured 22 hospital discharge rooms at a tertiary care academic medical center. Phase 1 (unobserved terminal disinfection) included cultures of 11 high-touch environmental surfaces (HTSs) after terminal room disinfection (AD) and after the use of a UV-C-emitting device (AUV). Phase 2 (observed terminal disinfection) included cultures before terminal room disinfection (BD), AD, and AUV. Zero-inflated Poisson regression compared mean colony forming units (CFU) between the groups. Two-sample proportion tests identified significance of the observed differences in proportions of thoroughly cleaned HTSs (CFU cleaning significantly reduced microbial burden and improved the thoroughness of terminal disinfection. We found no further benefit to UV-C use if standard terminal disinfection was observed. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Planetary method to measure the neutrons spectrum in lineal accelerators of medical use; Metodo planetario para medir el espectro de neutrones en aceleradores lineales de uso medico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vega C, H. R. [Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Unidad Academica de Estudios Nucleares, Cipres No. 10, Fracc. La Penuela, 98068 Zacatecas (Mexico); Benites R, J. L., E-mail: fermineutron@yahoo.com [Centro Estatal de Cancerologia de Nayarit, Servicio de Seguridad Radiologica, Calzada de la Cruz 118 Sur, 63000 Tepic, Nayarit (Mexico)

    2014-08-15

    A novel procedure to measure the neutrons spectrum originated in a lineal accelerator of medical use has been developed. The method uses a passive spectrometer of Bonner spheres. The main advantage of the method is that only requires of a single shot of the accelerator. When this is used around a lineal accelerator is necessary to operate it under the same conditions so many times like the spheres that contain the spectrometer, activity that consumes enough time. The developed procedure consists on situating all the spheres of the spectrometer at the same time and to realize the reading making a single shot. With this method the photo neutrons spectrum produced by a lineal accelerator Varian ix of 15 MV to 100 cm of the isocenter was determined, with the spectrum is determined the total flow and the ambient dose equivalent. (Author)

  3. Medical writing on an accelerated path in India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shirke, Sarika

    2015-01-01

    The medical writing industry is on an upwards growth path in India. This is probably driven by an increasing urgency to have high-quality documents authored to support timely drug approvals, complemented by the realization that the competencies required are available in emerging geographies such as India. This article reviews the business landscape and the opportunities and challenges associated with outsourcing medical writing work India. It also analyzes the core competencies that a medical writer should possess and enlists various associations supporting learning in this domain. PMID:26229746

  4. Qualitative safety analysis in accelerator based systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarkar, P.K.; Chowdhury, Lekha M.

    2006-01-01

    In recent developments connected to high energy and high current accelerators, the accelerator driven systems (ADS) and the Radioactive Ion Beam (RIB) facilities come in the forefront of application. For medical and industrial applications high current accelerators often need to be located in populated areas. These facilities pose significant radiological hazard during their operation and accidental situations. We have done a qualitative evaluation of radiological safety analysis using the probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) methods for accelerator-based systems. The major contribution to hazard comes from a target rupture scenario in both ADS and RIB facilities. Other significant contributors to hazard in the facilities are also discussed using fault tree and event tree methodologies. (author)

  5. Determination of the exposure speed of radiation emitted by the linear accelerator, using the code MCNP5 to evaluate the radiotherapy room shields of ABC Hospital; Determinacion de la rapidez de exposicion de la radiacion emitida por el acelerador lineal, utilizando el codigo MCNP5, para evaluar los blindajes de la sala de radioterapia del Hospital ABC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Corral B, J. R.

    2015-07-01

    Humans should avoid exposure to radiation, because the consequences are harmful to health. Although there are different emission sources of radiation, generated by medical devices they are usually of great interest, since people who attend hospitals are exposed in one way or another to ionizing radiation. Therefore, is important to conduct studies on radioactive levels that are generated in hospitals, as a result of the use of medical equipment. To determine levels of exposure speed of a radioactive facility there are different methods, including the radiation detector and computational method. This thesis uses the computational method. With the program MCNP5 was determined the speed of the radiation exposure in the radiotherapy room of Cancer Center of ABC Hospital in Mexico City. In the application of computational method, first the thicknesses of the shields were calculated, using variables as: 1) distance from the shield to the source; 2) desired weekly equivalent dose; 3) weekly total dose equivalent emitted by the equipment; 4) occupation and use factors. Once obtained thicknesses, we proceeded to model the bunker using the mentioned program. The program uses the Monte Carlo code to probabilistic ally determine the phenomena of interaction of radiation with the shield, which will be held during the X-ray emission from the linear accelerator. The results of computational analysis were compared with those obtained experimentally with the detection method, for which was required the use of a Geiger-Muller counter and the linear accelerator was programmed with an energy of 19 MV with 500 units monitor positioning the detector in the corresponding boundary. (Author)

  6. Prospects for Accelerator Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todd, Alan

    2011-02-01

    Accelerator technology today is a greater than US$5 billion per annum business. Development of higher-performance technology with improved reliability that delivers reduced system size and life cycle cost is expected to significantly increase the total accelerator technology market and open up new application sales. Potential future directions are identified and pitfalls in new market penetration are considered. Both of the present big market segments, medical radiation therapy units and semiconductor ion implanters, are approaching the "maturity" phase of their product cycles, where incremental development rather than paradigm shifts is the norm, but they should continue to dominate commercial sales for some time. It is anticipated that large discovery-science accelerators will continue to provide a specialty market beset by the unpredictable cycles resulting from the scale of the projects themselves, coupled with external political and economic drivers. Although fraught with differing market entry difficulties, the security and environmental markets, together with new, as yet unrealized, industrial material processing applications, are expected to provide the bulk of future commercial accelerator technology growth.

  7. Department of Accelerator Physics and Technology: Overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pachan, M.

    1999-01-01

    Full text: As presented at the overview seminar held on December 98, the activities of the Department were shared among several directions of accelerator applications, as well as research and development works on new accelerator techniques and technologies. In the group of proton and ion accelerators, two main tasks were advanced. The first was a further step in the optimization of operational parameters of multicusp ion-source, prepared for axial injection system in C-30 cyclotron. Another one is the participation in important modifications of r.f. acceleration system in heavy-ion accelerator C-200 of Warsaw University. In the broad field of electron accelerators our main attention was directed at medical applications. Most important of them was the designing and construction of a full scale technological model of a high-gradient accelerating structure for low-energy radiotherapy unit CO-LINE 1000. Microwave measurements, and tuning were accomplished, and the technical documentation for construction of radiation unit completed. This work was supported by the State Committee for Scientific Research. Preparatory work was continued to undertake in the year 1999 the design of two new medical accelerators. First is a new generation radiotherapy unit, with 15 MeV electron beam and two selected energies of X-ray photons. This accelerator should in future replace the existing Neptun 10 MeV units. The work will be executed in the frame of the Project-Ordered commissioned by the State Committee for Scientific Research. The next type of accelerators in preparation is the mobile, self-shielded electron-beam unit for inter operative irradiation. The specification of parameters was completed and study of possible solutions advanced. The programme of medical accelerator development is critically dependent on the existence of a metrological and experimental basis. Therefore the building of a former proton linear accelerator was adopted to the new function as electron accelerators

  8. Accelerated ion beam research at ATOMKI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiss, A.Z.

    2009-01-01

    The paper summarizes the studies on accelerated ion beams at ATOMKI and their technical background, their use from chemical analysis to biological, medical, geological, archaeological applications, their advance from material science to micromachining. (TRA)

  9. Overview of Accelerator Applications for Security and Defense

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antolak, Arlyn J.

    Particle accelerators play a key role in a broad set of defense and security applications, including war-fighter and asset protection, cargo inspection, nonproliferation, materials characterization, and stockpile stewardship. Accelerators can replace the high activity radioactive sources that pose a security threat to developing a radiological dispersal device, and, can be used to produce isotopes for medical, industrial, and research purposes. An overview of current and emerging accelerator technologies relevant to addressing the needs of defense and security is presented.

  10. Medical thoracoscopy | Elameen | Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Abstract. Medical thoracoscpy [MT] (pleuroscopy) is a minimally invasive procedure performed by using endoscopic telescope to visualize and evaluate the pleura, pleural space, ... It is performed by the pulmonary physician in an endoscopy suite or procedure room using non disposable rigid (or semi-rigid) instruments7.

  11. Three-dimensional point-cloud room model in room acoustics simulations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Markovic, Milos; Olesen, Søren Krarup; Hammershøi, Dorte

    2013-01-01

    acquisition and its representation with a 3D point-cloud model, as well as utilization of such a model for the room acoustics simulations. A room is scanned with a commercially available input device (Kinect for Xbox360) in two different ways; the first one involves the device placed in the middle of the room...... and rotated around the vertical axis while for the second one the device is moved within the room. Benefits of both approaches were analyzed. The device's depth sensor provides a set of points in a three-dimensional coordinate system which represents scanned surfaces of the room interior. These data are used...... to build a 3D point-cloud model of the room. Several models are created to meet requirements of different room acoustics simulation algorithms: plane fitting and uniform voxel grid for geometric methods and triangulation mesh for the numerical methods. Advantages of the proposed method over the traditional...

  12. Three-dimensional point-cloud room model for room acoustics simulations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Markovic, Milos; Olesen, Søren Krarup; Hammershøi, Dorte

    2013-01-01

    acquisition and its representation with a 3D point-cloud model, as well as utilization of such a model for the room acoustics simulations. A room is scanned with a commercially available input device (Kinect for Xbox360) in two different ways; the first one involves the device placed in the middle of the room...... and rotated around the vertical axis while for the second one the device is moved within the room. Benefits of both approaches were analyzed. The device's depth sensor provides a set of points in a three-dimensional coordinate system which represents scanned surfaces of the room interior. These data are used...... to build a 3D point-cloud model of the room. Several models are created to meet requirements of different room acoustics simulation algorithms: plane fitting and uniform voxel grid for geometric methods and triangulation mesh for the numerical methods. Advantages of the proposed method over the traditional...

  13. Industrialization of Superconducting RF Accelerator Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peiniger, Michael; Pekeler, Michael; Vogel, Hanspeter

    2012-01-01

    Superconducting RF (SRF) accelerator technology has basically existed for 50 years. It took about 20 years to conduct basic R&D and prototyping at universities and international institutes before the first superconducting accelerators were built, with industry supplying complete accelerator cavities. In parallel, the design of large scale accelerators using SRF was done worldwide. In order to build those accelerators, industry has been involved for 30 years in building the required cavities and/or accelerator modules in time and budget. To enable industry to supply these high tech components, technology transfer was made from the laboratories in the following three regions: the Americas, Asia and Europe. As will be shown, the manufacture of the SRF cavities is normally accomplished in industry whereas the cavity testing and module assembly are not performed in industry in most cases, yet. The story of industrialization is so far a story of customized projects. Therefore a real SRF accelerator product is not yet available in this market. License agreements and technology transfer between leading SRF laboratories and industry is a powerful tool for enabling industry to manufacture SRF components or turnkey superconducting accelerator modules for other laboratories and users with few or no capabilities in SRF technology. Despite all this, the SRF accelerator market today is still a small market. The manufacture and preparation of the components require a range of specialized knowledge, as well as complex and expensive manufacturing installations like for high precision machining, electron beam welding, chemical surface preparation and class ISO4 clean room assembly. Today, the involved industry in the US and Europe comprises medium-sized companies. In Japan, some big enterprises are involved. So far, roughly 2500 SRF cavities have been built by or ordered from industry worldwide. Another substantial step might come from the International Linear Collider (ILC) project

  14. Evaluation of the preparedness of the children's emergency rooms ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2017-02-09

    Feb 9, 2017 ... beds per nurse ranges from 3-15, giving a nurse: patient ratio of 1:3-15. (Table 1) .... Emergency Rooms (CHER) in the tertiary health institu- .... vices offered in our tertiary centres must go beyond the mundane ... medical tourism abroad as most often any care beyond the basic ... of general practitioner care.

  15. Department of Accelerator Physics and Technology: Overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pachan, M.

    1998-01-01

    (full text) In the context of general discussions concerning the activity of the Institute, it was important to look critically at current and future directions at the Department's activity. Attention is given to development of basic accelerator knowledge, realized at home and throughout international collaborations. Of importance is a steady improvement of metrological and experimental basis for accelerator research. Apart of this, some development tendencies were formulated during 1997, oriented to application fields of accelerators. As examples should be named: - medical applications: a) A serious effort was given to an idea of using the existing compact cyclotron C-30 as a source for creation of a diagnostic centre in Swierk. The proposition was formulated in contact with the Nuclear Medicine Department of the Medical Academy, and the ''Brodno'' General Hospital. In spite of declared medical interest in such an installation, the project was not approved, due to lack of proper financial support. b) Model measurements and verification of theoretical assumptions and calculations oriented on the design of a very short, high-gradiented acceleration structure for the low energy accelerator COLINE/1000 were done. This project will enable us to achieve ''source - isocentre distance'', of 1000 mm, instead of existing 800 mm. This is important for therapy. In 1998, this work will be supported by the State Committee for Scientific Research. c) Preliminary discussions, and design approach were undertaken in collaboration with the Centre of Oncology, for elaboration of a movable low-energy accelerator with electron beam output, matched to inter operational irradiation during surgical therapy of tumours. - applications in radiation technology: Comparison of isotope and machine radiation sources indicates that, under Polish conditions it is reasonable to use purpose-oriented high power accelerators. The working group composed of specialists from IChTJ and IPJ prepared the

  16. Career Maturity of Students in Accelerated versus Traditional Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borges, Nicole J.; Richard, George V.; Duffy, Ryan D.

    2007-01-01

    The authors assessed the career maturity of students in accelerated versus traditional academic programs. Students in traditional programs were hypothesized to be more advanced regarding their career decision making and development when compared with students in accelerated programs. The Medical Career Development Inventory (see M. L. Savickas,…

  17. Control console of the gamma calibration room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vilchis P, A.E.; Romero G, M.

    1999-01-01

    The Nuclear Centre of Mexico has a Ionizing Radiation Metrology Center (CMRI). This is in charge of the calibration in Mexico and Latin America of equipment dedicated to radiation measurement as industrial, medical as other fields. The importance to ensure that the equipment stay justly calibrated, it is imposed the necessity of automating the different rooms which the CMRI has. in this case it will be exposed the Calibration room for gamma radiation type. The operation of this application was carried out with the LabVIEW development platform and also in C language. The hardware associated is: personal computer with two cards using the 8255 device, 16 channels with optical isolation to manage input/output TTL type, 16 channels with optical isolation to management of charges to 127 V a.c., and 2 channels for 90V d.c. motors. (Author)

  18. An Analysis of Operating Room Performance Metrics at Reynolds Army Community Hospital

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-06-28

    Orthopedic Care NEC Physical Therapy Clinic Occupation Therapy Clinic Hypertension Clinic Physical Medicine Clinic Medical Clinics Cost Pool Medical...high ICU and ward occupancy rates are limited in the number of inpatient surgeries they can perform. On the other hand, hospitals with inefficient... Rheumatology , 9(5), 325 - 327. Mazzei, W.J. (1999). Maximizing operating room utilization: A landmark study. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 89(1), 1 -2. MEPRS

  19. Effects of Field Distortions in IH-APF Linac for a Compact Medical Accelerator

    CERN Document Server

    Kapin, Valery; Yamada, Satoru

    2004-01-01

    The project on developing compact medical accelerators for the tumor therapy using carbon ions has been started at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS). Alternating-phase-focused (APF) linac using an interdigital H-mode (IH) cavity has been proposed for the injector linac. The IH-cavity is a doubly ridged circular resonator loaded by the drift-tubes mounted on ridges with supporting stems. The effects of intrinsic and random field distortions in a practical design of the 4-Mev/u 200-MHz IH-APF linac are considered. The intrinsic field distortions in the IH-cavity are caused by an asymmetry of the gap fields due to presence of the stems and pair of ridges. The random field distortions are caused by drift-tube misalignments and non-regular deviations of the gap voltages from programmed values. The RF fields in the IH-cavity have been calculated using Microwave Studio (MWS) code. The effects of field distortions on beam dynamics have been simulated numerically. The intrinsic field distortions a...

  20. [Intelligent operating room suite : From passive medical devices to the self-thinking cognitive surgical assistant].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenngott, H G; Wagner, M; Preukschas, A A; Müller-Stich, B P

    2016-12-01

    Modern operating room (OR) suites are mostly digitally connected but until now the primary focus was on the presentation, transfer and distribution of images. Device information and processes within the operating theaters are barely considered. Cognitive assistance systems have triggered a fundamental rethinking in the automotive industry as well as in logistics. In principle, tasks in the OR, some of which are highly repetitive, also have great potential to be supported by automated cognitive assistance via a self-thinking system. This includes the coordination of the entire workflow in the perioperative process in both the operating theater and the whole hospital. With corresponding data from hospital information systems, medical devices and appropriate models of the surgical process, intelligent systems could optimize the workflow in the operating theater in the near future and support the surgeon. Preliminary results on the use of device information and automatically controlled OR suites are already available. Such systems include, for example the guidance of laparoscopic camera systems. Nevertheless, cognitive assistance systems that make use of knowledge about patients, processes and other pieces of information to improve surgical treatment are not yet available in the clinical routine but are urgently needed in order to automatically assist the surgeon in situation-related activities and thus substantially improve patient care.

  1. Pulsed radiobiology with laser-driven plasma accelerators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giulietti, Antonio; Grazia Andreassi, Maria; Greco, Carlo

    2011-05-01

    Recently, a high efficiency regime of acceleration in laser plasmas has been discovered, allowing table top equipment to deliver doses of interest for radiotherapy with electron bunches of suitable kinetic energy. In view of an R&D program aimed to the realization of an innovative class of accelerators for medical uses, a radiobiological validation is needed. At the present time, the biological effects of electron bunches from the laser-driven electron accelerator are largely unknown. In radiobiology and radiotherapy, it is known that the early spatial distribution of energy deposition following ionizing radiation interactions with DNA molecule is crucial for the prediction of damages at cellular or tissue levels and during the clinical responses to this irradiation. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the radio-biological effects obtained with electron bunches from a laser-driven electron accelerator compared with bunches coming from a IORT-dedicated medical Radio-frequency based linac's on human cells by the cytokinesis block micronucleus assay (CBMN). To this purpose a multidisciplinary team including radiotherapists, biologists, medical physicists, laser and plasma physicists is working at CNR Campus and University of Pisa. Dose on samples is delivered alternatively by the "laser-linac" operating at ILIL lab of Istituto Nazionale di Ottica and an RF-linac operating for IORT at Pisa S. Chiara Hospital. Experimental data are analyzed on the basis of suitable radiobiological models as well as with numerical simulation based on Monte Carlo codes. Possible collective effects are also considered in the case of ultrashort, ultradense bunches of ionizing radiation.

  2. A neutron survey of a 25 MV x-ray clinical linac treatment room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Price, Kenneth W.; Holeman, George R.; Nath, Ravinder

    1978-01-01

    Neutron production in high energy x-ray radiotherapy machines results in unnecessary dose to patients and has been of recent interest to private and Federal agencies. An activation technique has been used to measure fast and thermal neutron fluxes in the high energy x-ray beam, and at radial distances of 1 and 2 meters from the beam axis of the 25 MV Sagittaire Linear Accelerator located at the Yale-New Haven Hospital's Cancer Therapy Center. Phosphorous pentoxide activation detectors were used to monitor the thermal flux and the fast neutron flux above 0.7 MeV neutron energy. Unlike other techniques for measuring neutrons, this detector has been shown to be insensitive to high energy photon interference at the photon dose rates present in the beam. Neutron spectra at various distances from the accelerator target were computed for the treatment room geometry using the Morse Monte Carlo Code (R.C. McCall, SLAC, Personal Communication). Normalization of these spectra provided the means by which the activation products measured in the phosphorous were converted to fast neutron fluxes. Dose equivalent conversion factors were applied to each energy of the calculated neutron spectra and integrated, resulting in fast neutron flux to dose equivalent conversion factors at various locations in the treatment room. Fast neutron dose equivalent was found to maximize in the photon beam, (0.005 - .007 neutron Rem/photon Rad) and decrease with distance thereafter. Thermal neutron dose equivalent was found to be essentially constant through- out the treatment room (∼ 3.35x10 -5 neutron Rem/ photon Rad). (author)

  3. High gradient tests of SLAC Linear Collider Accelerator Structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, J.W.; Deruyter, H.; Eichner, J.; Fant, K.H.; Hoag, H.A.; Koontz, R.F.; Lavine, T.; Loew, G.A.; Loewen, R.; Menegat, L.

    1994-08-01

    This paper describes the current SLAC R ampersand D program to develop room temperature accelerator structures for the Next Linear Collider (NLC). The structures are designed to operate at 11.4 GHz at an accelerating gradient in the range of 50 to 100 MV/m. In the past year a 26 cm constant-impedance traveling-wave section, a 75 cm constant-impedance traveling-wave section, and a 1.8 m traveling-wave section with detuned deflecting modes have been high-power tested. The paper presents a brief description of the RF test setup, the design and manufacturing details of the structures, and a discussion of test results including field emission, RF processing, dark current spectrum and RF breakdown

  4. Electron accelerators for environmental protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimek, Z.

    1998-01-01

    The primary objective of this publication is to provide information suitable for electron accelerators implementation in facilities applying radiation technology for environmental protection. It should be noticed that radiation processing has been successfully used in the fields of crosslinking polymer curing and medical products sterilization for more than 40 years. Practical application of radiation technology today extends on SO 2 and NO x removal from the flue gas (one of major power intensive radiation processing), destruction and removal of organic chemicals from water, decreasing bacteria content in the irradiated sludge and waste water. On the other hand the increased awareness of environmental pollution hazards and more stringent waste regulations in many countries may open stronger support for environmentally oriented technologies. This publication provides an evaluation of electron accelerators capabilities in respect of environmental applications where technological and economical criteria are now well defined. In order to determine the potential of electron accelerators, the literature data were examined as well visits and meetings with various accelerator manufacturers were performed by the author. Experience of the author in accelerator facilities construction and exploitation including those which were used for environmental protection are significant part of this publication. The principle of accelerator action was described in Chapter 1. Early development, accelerator classification and fields of accelerators application were included to this chapter as well. Details of accelerator construction was described in Chapter 2 to illustrate physical capability of accelerators to perform the function of ionizing radiation source. Electron beam extraction devices, under beam equipment, electron beam parameters and measuring methods were characterized in this chapter as well. Present studies of accelerator technology was described in Chapter 3, where

  5. Effluent Monitoring System Design for the Proton Accelerator Research Center of PEFP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jun Yeon; Mun, Kyeong Jun; Cho, Jang Hyung; Jo, Jeong Hee

    2010-01-01

    Since host site host site was selected Gyeong-ju city in January, 2006. we need design revision of Proton Accelerator research center to reflect on host site characteristics and several conditions. Also the IAC recommended maximization of space utilization and construction cost saving. After GA(General Arrangement) is made a decision, it is necessary to evaluate the radiation analysis of every controlled area in the proton accelerator research center such as accelerator tunnel, Klystron gallery, beam experimental hall, target rooms and ion beam application building to keep dose rate below the ALARA(As Low As Reasonably achievable) objective. Our staff has reviewed and made a shielding design of them. In this paper, According to accelerator operation mode and access conditions based on radiation analysis and shielding design, we made the exhaust system configuration of controlled area in the proton accelerator research center. Also, we installed radiation monitor and set its alarm value for each radiation area

  6. Assessment of beam stability of high energy and low energy Varian medical linear accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayesh, K.; Mohan, R.; Joshi, R.C.; Ganesh, T.; Hegazy, M.; Oubaye, A.J.; AI Idrisi, Maha

    2008-01-01

    An accurate measurement of the dose delivered to the tumor in external beam radiotherapy is one of the primary responsibilities of a medical physicist. In general, such measurements have been based on the application of a dosimetry protocol and quality assurance procedures. Clinically one must be able to assess the beam quality, flatness and symmetry and variation in the output on daily basis. Flatness and symmetry are the main parameters for determining the pattern of a photon and electron beam produced by linear accelerators. The quality assurance in routine clinical practice of radiotherapy and consequently the treatment-outcome depends definitely on the physical parameters of treatment-delivery. Several recommendations from national and international associations are reported to define the limits for the beam parameters. The review of literature and various reports on quality assurance in radiotherapy show that for flatness, symmetry and output constancy the optimal level of deviation should be within ±3%

  7. Radiation protection studies for medical particle accelerators using FLUKA Monte Carlo code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Infantino, Angelo; Mostacci, Domiziano; Cicoria, Gianfranco; Lucconi, Giulia; Pancaldi, Davide; Vichi, Sara; Zagni, Federico; Marengo, Mario

    2017-01-01

    Radiation protection (RP) in the use of medical cyclotrons involves many aspects both in the routine use and for the decommissioning of a site. Guidelines for site planning and installation, as well as for RP assessment, are given in international documents; however, the latter typically offer analytic methods of calculation of shielding and materials activation, in approximate or idealised geometry set-ups. The availability of Monte Carlo (MC) codes with accurate up-to-date libraries for transport and interaction of neutrons and charged particles at energies below 250 MeV, together with the continuously increasing power of modern computers, makes the systematic use of simulations with realistic geometries possible, yielding equipment and site-specific evaluation of the source terms, shielding requirements and all quantities relevant to RP at the same time. In this work, the well-known FLUKA MC code was used to simulate different aspects of RP in the use of biomedical accelerators, particularly for the production of medical radioisotopes. In the context of the Young Professionals Award, held at the IRPA 14 conference, only a part of the complete work is presented. In particular, the simulation of the GE PETtrace cyclotron (16.5 MeV) installed at S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital evaluated the effective dose distribution around the equipment; the effective number of neutrons produced per incident proton and their spectral distribution; the activation of the structure of the cyclotron and the vault walls; the activation of the ambient air, in particular the production of "4"1Ar. The simulations were validated, in terms of physical and transport parameters to be used at the energy range of interest, through an extensive measurement campaign of the neutron environmental dose equivalent using a rem-counter and TLD dosemeters. The validated model was then used in the design and the licensing request of a new Positron Emission Tomography facility. (authors)

  8. Laser-driven particle acceleration towards radiobiology and medicine

    CERN Document Server

    2016-01-01

    This book deals with the new method of laser-driven acceleration for application to radiation biophysics and medicine. It provides multidisciplinary contributions from world leading scientist in order to assess the state of the art of innovative tools for radiation biology research and medical applications of ionizing radiation. The book contains insightful contributions on highly topical aspects of spatio-temporal radiation biophysics, evolving over several orders of magnitude, typically from femtosecond and sub-micrometer scales. Particular attention is devoted to the emerging technology of laser-driven particle accelerators and their applicatio to spatio-temporal radiation biology and medical physics, customization of non-conventional and selective radiotherapy and optimized radioprotection protocols.

  9. Room with a View: Ethical Encounters in Room 13

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grube, Vicky

    2012-01-01

    In this article, the author describes ethical encounters in Room 13, a schoolroom where children made what they wanted, posed their own questions, and ran an art room like a small business. In Room 13 children had the responsibility to maintain all aspects of the art studio. Specific decisions fell to an annually elected management team, a small…

  10. Comments on shielding for dual energy accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rossi, M. C.; Lincoln, H. M.; Quarin, D. J.; Zwicker, R. D.

    2008-01-01

    Determination of shielding requirements for medical linear accelerators has been greatly facilitated by the publication of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) latest guidelines on this subject in NCRP Report No. 151. In the present report the authors review their own recent experience with patient treatments on conventional dual energy linear accelerators to examine the various input parameters needed to follow the NCRP guidelines. Some discussion is included of workloads, occupancy, use factors, and field size, with the effects of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatments included. Studies of collimator settings showed average values of 13.1x16.2 cm 2 for 6 MV and 14.1x16.8 cm 2 for 18 MV conventional ports, and corresponding average unblocked areas of 228 and 254 cm 2 , respectively. With an average of 77% of the field area unblocked, this gives a mean irradiated area of 196 cm 2 for the 18 MV beam, which dominates shielding considerations for most dual energy machines. Assuming conservatively small room dimensions, a gantry bin angle of 18 deg. was found to represent a reasonable unit for tabulation of use factors. For conventional 18 MV treatments it was found that the usual treatment angles of 0, 90, 180, and 270 deg. were still favored, and use factors of 0.25 represent reasonable estimates for these beams. As expected, the IMRT fields (all at 6 MV) showed a high degree of gantry angle randomization, with no bin having a use factor in excess of 0.10. It is concluded that unless a significant number of patients are treated with high energy IMRT, the traditional use factors of 0.25 are appropriate for the dominant high energy beam

  11. Comments on shielding for dual energy accelerators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, M C; Lincoln, H M; Quarin, D J; Zwicker, R D

    2008-06-01

    Determination of shielding requirements for medical linear accelerators has been greatly facilitated by the publication of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) latest guidelines on this subject in NCRP Report No. 151. In the present report the authors review their own recent experience with patient treatments on conventional dual energy linear accelerators to examine the various input parameters needed to follow the NCRP guidelines. Some discussion is included of workloads, occupancy, use factors, and field size, with the effects of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatments included. Studies of collimator settings showed average values of 13.1 x 16.2 cm2 for 6 MV and 14.1 x 16.8 cm2 for 18 MV conventional ports, and corresponding average unblocked areas of 228 and 254 cm2, respectively. With an average of 77% of the field area unblocked, this gives a mean irradiated area of 196 cm2 for the 18 MV beam, which dominates shielding considerations for most dual energy machines. Assuming conservatively small room dimensions, a gantry bin angle of 18 degrees was found to represent a reasonable unit for tabulation of use factors. For conventional 18 MV treatments it was found that the usual treatment angles of 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees were still favored, and use factors of 0.25 represent reasonable estimates for these beams. As expected, the IMRT fields (all at 6 MV) showed a high degree of gantry angle randomization, with no bin having a use factor in excess of 0.10. It is concluded that unless a significant number of patients are treated with high energy IMRT, the traditional use factors of 0.25 are appropriate for the dominant high energy beam.

  12. Operating room management and operating room productivity: the case of Germany.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berry, Maresi; Berry-Stölzle, Thomas; Schleppers, Alexander

    2008-09-01

    We examine operating room productivity on the example of hospitals in Germany with independent anesthesiology departments. Linked to anesthesiology group literature, we use the ln(Total Surgical Time/Total Anesthesiologists Salary) as a proxy for operating room productivity. We test the association between operating room productivity and different structural, organizational and management characteristics based on survey data from 87 hospitals. Our empirical analysis links improved operating room productivity to greater operating room capacity, appropriate scheduling behavior and management methods to realign interests. From this analysis, the enforcing jurisdiction and avoiding advance over-scheduling appear to be the implementable tools for improving operating room productivity.

  13. Intraoperative radiation therapy using mobile electron linear accelerators: Report of AAPM Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group No. 72

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sam Beddar, A.; Biggs, Peter J.; Chang Sha; Ezzell, Gary A.; Faddegon, Bruce A.; Hensley, Frank W.; Mills, Michael D.

    2006-01-01

    Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) has been customarily performed either in a shielded operating suite located in the operating room (OR) or in a shielded treatment room located within the Department of Radiation Oncology. In both cases, this cancer treatment modality uses stationary linear accelerators. With the development of new technology, mobile linear accelerators have recently become available for IORT. Mobility offers flexibility in treatment location and is leading to a renewed interest in IORT. These mobile accelerator units, which can be transported any day of use to almost any location within a hospital setting, are assembled in a nondedicated environment and used to deliver IORT. Numerous aspects of the design of these new units differ from that of conventional linear accelerators. The scope of this Task Group (TG-72) will focus on items that particularly apply to mobile IORT electron systems. More specifically, the charges to this Task Group are to (i) identify the key differences between stationary and mobile electron linear accelerators used for IORT (ii) describe and recommend the implementation of an IORT program within the OR environment, (iii) present and discuss radiation protection issues and consequences of working within a nondedicated radiotherapy environment, (iv) describe and recommend the acceptance and machine commissioning of items that are specific to mobile electron linear accelerators, and (v) design and recommend an efficient quality assurance program for mobile systems

  14. Ion accelerator applications in medicine and cultural heritage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Denker, A.; Cordini, D.; Heufelder, J.; Homeyer, H.; Kluge, H.; Simiantonakis, I.; Stark, R.; Weber, A.

    2007-01-01

    Formerly, accelerator laboratories were mainly dedicated to nuclear physics. Today, they are used in up-coming research fields and applications like material analysis and material science as well as biology, medicine or archaeology. Practical applications have been developed, involving hospitals, industry and even humanists in the use of accelerators. This paper focuses on some medical and analytical applications of the HMI accelerator facility, especially for eye tumour therapy and archaeology. The innovation of techniques to measure the dose distribution, the development of an automated monitoring procedure allowing an improved and accelerated patient positioning, and the implementation of a modern treatment planning system will be presented first. In the second part, the employment of accelerators in better understanding of our cultural heritage will be shown

  15. Chemical acceleration of a neutral granulated blast-furnace slag activated by sodium carbonate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovtun, Maxim; Kearsley, Elsabe P.; Shekhovtsova, Julia

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents results of a study on chemical acceleration of a neutral granulated blast-furnace slag activated using sodium carbonate. As strength development of alkali-activated slag cements containing neutral GBFS and sodium carbonate as activator at room temperature is known to be slow, three accelerators were investigated: sodium hydroxide, ordinary Portland cement and a combination of silica fume and slaked lime. In all cements, the main hydration product is C–(A)–S–H, but its structure varies between tobermorite and riversideite depending on the accelerator used. Calcite and gaylussite are present in all systems and they were formed due to either cation exchange reaction between the slag and the activator, or carbonation. With accelerators, compressive strength up to 15 MPa can be achieved within 24 h in comparison to 2.5 MPa after 48 h for a mix without an accelerator

  16. Application of electron accelerator worldwide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machi, Sueo

    2003-01-01

    Electron accelerator is an important radiation source for radiation technology, which covers broad fields such as industry, health care, food and environmental protection. There are about 1,000 electron accelerators for radiation processing worldwide. Electron accelerator has advantage over Co-60 irradiator in term of high dose rate and power, assurance of safety, and higher economic performance at larger volume of irradiation. Accelerator generating higher energy in the range of 10 MeV and high power electron beam is now commercially available. There is a trend to use high-energy electron accelerator replacing Co-60 in case of large through-put of medical products. Irradiated foods, in particular species, are on the commercial market in 35 countries. Electron accelerator is used efficiently and economically for production of new or modified polymeric materials through radiation-induced cross-linking, grafting and polymerization reaction. Another important application of electron beam is the curing of surface coatings in the manufacture of products. Electron accelerators of large capacity are used for cleaning exhaust gases in industrial scale. Economic feasibility studies of this electron beam process have shown that this technology is more cost effective than the conventional process. It should be noted that the conventional limestone process produce gypsum as a by-product, which cannot be used in some countries. By contrast, the by-product of the electron beam process is a valuable fertilizer. (Y. Tanaka)

  17. Application of electron accelerator worldwide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Machi, Sueo [Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc., Tokyo (Japan)

    2003-02-01

    Electron accelerator is an important radiation source for radiation technology, which covers broad fields such as industry, health care, food and environmental protection. There are about 1,000 electron accelerators for radiation processing worldwide. Electron accelerator has advantage over Co-60 irradiator in term of high dose rate and power, assurance of safety, and higher economic performance at larger volume of irradiation. Accelerator generating higher energy in the range of 10 MeV and high power electron beam is now commercially available. There is a trend to use high-energy electron accelerator replacing Co-60 in case of large through-put of medical products. Irradiated foods, in particular species, are on the commercial market in 35 countries. Electron accelerator is used efficiently and economically for production of new or modified polymeric materials through radiation-induced cross-linking, grafting and polymerization reaction. Another important application of electron beam is the curing of surface coatings in the manufacture of products. Electron accelerators of large capacity are used for cleaning exhaust gases in industrial scale. Economic feasibility studies of this electron beam process have shown that this technology is more cost effective than the conventional process. It should be noted that the conventional limestone process produce gypsum as a by-product, which cannot be used in some countries. By contrast, the by-product of the electron beam process is a valuable fertilizer. (Y. Tanaka)

  18. The Psychoactive Effects of Psychiatric Medication: The Elephant in the Room

    OpenAIRE

    Moncrieff, J; Cohen, D; Porter, S

    2013-01-01

    The psychoactive effects of psychiatric medications have been obscured by the presumption that these medications have disease-specific actions. Exploiting the parallels with the psychoactive effects and uses of recreational substances helps to highlight the psychoactive properties of psychiatric medications and their impact on people with psychiatric problems. We discuss how psychoactive effects produced by different drugs prescribed in psychiatric practice might modify various disturbing and...

  19. Investigation of linear accelerator pulse delivery using fast organic scintillator measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beierholm, Anders Ravnsborg; Andersen, Claus Erik; Lindvold, Lars René

    2010-01-01

    Fiber-coupled organic plastic scintillators present an attractive method for time-resolved dose measurements during radiotherapy. Most organic scintillators exhibit a fast response, making it possible to use them to measure individual high-energy X-ray pulses from a medical linear accelerator...... performed on Varian medical linear accelerators, delivering 6 MV X-ray beams. The dose delivery per radiation pulse was found to agree with expectations within roughly 1%, although minor discrepancies and transients were evident in the measurements....

  20. Case review analysis of operating room decisions to cancel surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Ju-Hsin; Chen, Ke-Wei; Chen, Kuen-Bao; Poon, Kin-Shing; Liu, Shih-Kai

    2014-07-23

    Cancellation of surgery close to scheduled time causes a waste of healthcare resources. The current study analyzes surgery cancellations occurring after the patient has been prepared for the operating room, in order to see whether improvements in the surgery planning process may reduce the number of cancellations. In a retrospective chart review of operating room surgery cancellations during the period from 2006 to 2011, cancellations were divided into the following categories: inadequate NPO; medical; surgical; system; airway; incomplete evaluation. The relative use of these reasons in relation to patient age and surgical department was then evaluated. Forty-one percent of cancellations were for other than medical reasons. Among these, 17.7% were due to incomplete evaluation, and 8.2% were due to family issues. Sixty seven percent of cancelled cases eventually received surgery. The relative use of individual reasons for cancellation varied with patient age and surgical department. The difference between cancellations before and after anesthesia was dependent on the causes of cancellation, but not age, sex, ASA status, or follow-up procedures required. Almost half of the cancellations were not due to medical reasons, and these cancellations could be reduced by better administrative and surgical planning and better communication with the patient and/or his family.

  1. Digital angiography and surgery in the same room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goldman, M.L.; Hack, S.N.; Sarrafizadeh, M.S.; Marar, H.G.; Behar, D.J.; Chigurupati, R.C.; Klein, S.I.; Widlus, D.M.; Fortune, J.B.

    1986-01-01

    Albany Medical Center and private industries (XRE and United X-ray corporations) have collaborated to develop a room within the operating suite that allows high-speed and high-resolution digital angiography and surgery to be performed simultaneously. Patients who have sustained massive trauma can be transferred directly from the ambulance to this new facility. While the patient is undergoing exploratory laparotomy, other vital areas of the body can be evaluated by angiography. This combined approach of surgery and angiography has also led to improved management of patients with massive or occult intestinal hemorrhage and patients with peripheral vascular disease. Other patients undergoing difficult emergency or elective surgery, as in the biliary tract, can now have available the benefits of an operating room facility that also allows high-resolution fluoroscopy and complete angiography to be undertaken

  2. Modeling of electron beams produced by linear accelerator installed at CNSTN / optimization study for the case of radiation sterilization of medical products and pharmaceutical

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jellikh, Jihed

    2011-01-01

    The evolution of particle accelerators has led to the disposal of a very wide diversity of applications, such as the technique of treatment with Beta radiations. an electron accelerator has been installed at the National Center for nuclear Sciences and Technologies CNSTN) with the aim of controlling this technology, its development and its use in the areas of agriculture, industry, human health and scientific research. this project is committed for the study of the exploitation of this new facility in the field of radio-sterilization of medical, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and laboratory products. A numerical tool has been then developed to simulate the radio processing and to simplify this process. Due to this option of dose distribution modeling inside a studied product, it's possible to estimate the best configuration for the accelerator parameter setting. It is a solution allowing to guarantee at once the conformity of the treatment of a product, as well as the reliability of the installation.

  3. Safety and regulatory aspects of accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Pitamber

    2017-01-01

    Particle accelerators are devices that produce beams of energetic ions and electrons which have applications in various fields. Historically, particle accelerators were developed for nuclear physics research. Although the particle physics community is still the main user group, joined by others. There is also an increasing interest in radiation therapy in the medical world and industry has been a long-time user of ion implantation an many other applications. Accelerators are also being used for nuclear energy generation using Thorium and waste management through incineration of minor actinides using accelerator driven sub-critical reactor system (ADS). This is of great interest to India as it has large resources of good quality thorium. The ADS are considered to be an inherently safe system as the reactor is sub-critical. However, ADS require high energy and high current proton beams which involve complex technologies. Accelerators deliver energy to the charged particles by means of electromagnetic fields. Depending on how the electric and magnetic fields are used, the accelerators can be grouped in three categories namely electrostatic or DC accelerators, RF accelerators and colliding rings. In DC accelerators, particles pass through a high voltage and gain energy given by E= qV where q is the charge of ion and V is the voltage tough which ion pass. In order to sustain high voltage accelerator column section is housed inside a pressure vessel which is filled with gas, normally SF_6, at high pressure (100 -150 psig)

  4. Interior design criteria for successful hospital patient rooms

    OpenAIRE

    Bilir, Seda

    1997-01-01

    Ankara : The Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design and Institute of Fine Arts of Bilkent University, 1997. Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 1997. Includes bibliographical references leaves 94-99 In this study, the design requirements of hospital acute-care patient rooms, which support the recovery and well-being of the patients, are examined. Patients' psycho-spatial needs which may be complementary to the healing effects of the medical treatme...

  5. Light ion linacs for medical applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradbury, J.N.; Knapp, E.A.; Nagle, D.E.

    1975-01-01

    Recent advances in linear accelerator technology point to the feasibility of designing and developing practical medical linacs for producing protons, neutrons, or π mesons for the radiation therapy of cancer. Additional uses of such linacs could include radioisotope production and charged particle radiography. For widespread utilization medical linacs must exhibit reasonable cost, compactness, reliability, and simplicity of operation. Possible extensions of current accelerator technology which might provide these characteristics are discussed in connection with linac design, fabrication techniques, materials, power sources, injectors, and particle collection and delivery systems. Parameters for a medical proton linac for producing pions are listed. (U.S.)

  6. Radiation protection and dosimetry problems around medium energy accelerators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pavlovic, R; Pavlovic, S; Markovic, S [Inst. of Nuclear Sciences Vinca, Belgrade (Yugoslavia); Boreli, F [Fac. of Electrical Engineering, Belgrade (Yugoslavia)

    1996-12-31

    In the Institute of Nuclear Sciences `VINCA`, the Accelerator Installation `TESLA`, which is an ion accelerator facility consisting of an isochronous cyclotron `VINCY`, a heavy ion source, a D{sup -} / H{sup -} ion source, three low energy and five high energy experimental channels is now under construction. The Tesla Accelerator Installation should by the principal facility for basic and applied research in physics, chemistry, biology, and material science, as well as for production of radioisotopes, medical diagnostics and therapy with radioisotopes and accelerated particle beams. Some problems in defining radiation protection and safety programme, particularly problems in construction appropriate shielding barriers at the Accelerator Installation `TESLA` are discussed in this paper. (author) 1 fig., 9 refs.

  7. Survey of electronic safety systems in accelerator applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahoney, K.

    1997-01-01

    This paper presents the preliminary results and analysis of a comprehensive survey of the implementation of accelerator safety interlock systems from over 30 international labs. At the present time there is not a self consistent means to evaluate both the experiences and level of protection provided by electronic safety interlock systems. This research is intended to analyze the strength and weaknesses of several different types of interlock system implementation methodologies. Research, medical, and industrial accelerators are compared. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) was one of the first large particle accelerators to implement a safety interlock system using programmable logic controllers. Since that time all of the major new U.S. accelerator construction projects plan to use some form of programmable electronics as part of a safety interlock system in some capacity

  8. Estimation of the thermal neutron flux in a PET cyclotron room via radioactive analysis of the bolts of a wall socket in the room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogata, Y.; Ishigure, N.; Mochizuki, S.; Ito, K.; Hatano, K.; Abe, J.; Miyahara, H.; Masumoto, K.; Nakamura, H.; Matsumura, H.

    2008-01-01

    Full text: Since positron emission nuclides for PET (Positron Emission Tomography) have short half-lives, they are mainly produced by on-site cyclotrons. Significant amounts of neutrons are generated together with the operating of the cyclotron, and then materials in the room are activated. To quantify the neutron flux density will lead the prediction of the extent of the activation. We tried to estimate the neutron flux of the room via the radioactive analysis of bolts in the room. The cyclotron (Cypris HM-18, Sumitomo Heavy Industry) is able to accelerate protons and deuterons up to 18 and 10 MeV, respectively. The routine charge current is 20μA. The cyclotron is housed in a room with 1 m thickness concrete wall. A couple of bolts of a wall socket were removed to investigate the components and the radioactivities, which were analyzed by fluorescent X-ray spectroscopy and by gamma-ray spectroscopy, respectively. We compared the neutron flux estimated by the bolts analysis with the results measured by the gold foil activation method. The weight sum of the bolts was 1.257 g. They were made of nickel plated brass, and predominantly consisted of Cu (63%) and Zn (34%). Four nuclides, 69m Zn, 65 Zn, 64 Cu, and 60 Co, were detected in the bolts. The activity of 64 Cu half-life of 12.7 h, led the last few days history of neutron flux, and the activity of 65 Zn, 244 d, led the last few years history. The analysis of the bolts activity estimated the thermal neutron flux at 4∼6x10 5 cm -2 s -1 . This figure agreed with the value, 6∼9x10 5 cm -2 s -1 , computed from the activated gold foil near the bolts. Bolts are quite generally installed in such a room. Therefore, the radioactive analysis of the bolts leads convenient and effective estimation of neutron flux there. Consequently, the radioactive analysis of the bolts in the cyclotron room allowed us to estimate the neutron flux in the room. (author)

  9. Safety guidance and inspection program for particle accelerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Do Whey [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hee Seock; Yeo, In Whan [Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Pohang (Korea, Republic of)] (and others)

    2001-03-15

    The inspection program and the safety guidance were developed to enhance the radiation protection for the use of particle accelerators. First the classification of particle accelerators was conducted to develop the safety inspection protocol efficiently. The status of particle accelerators which were operated at the inside and outside of the country, and their safety programs were surveyed. The characteristics of radiation production was researched for each type of particle accelerators. Two research teams were launched for industrial and research accelerators and for medical accelerators, respectively. In each stages of a design, a fabrication, an installation, a commissioning, and normal operation of accelerators, those safety inspection protocols were developed. Because all protocols resulted from employing safety experts, doing the questionnaire, and direct facility surveys, it can be applicable to present safety problem directly. The detail improvement concepts were proposed to revise the domestic safety rule. This results might also be useful as a practical guidance for the radiation safety officer of an accelerator facility, and as the detail standard for the governmental inspection authorities.

  10. Accelerated color development of irradiated radiochromic dye films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chappas, W.J.

    1981-01-01

    The radiochromic dye films developed by Chalkley and McLaughlin are quickly becoming one of the principal methods for secondary dosimetry. Their useful dose and dose rate ranges, long-term color stability, small and flexible size, and ease of reading make them ideal for spatial dose distribution measurements in the complex targets often encountered in industry. At room temperature, however, their response is slow, requiring several hours after irradiation for full color development. This work examines the effect of humidity on the film's time response and describes a method for accelerating the film's color development. By keeping the film in a controlled humidity environment or through a simple heating technique, the film can be read in minutes instead of hours after irradiation. The results are shown to be identical to those of films stored for 24 hours at room temperature

  11. Hypoxia Room

    Data.gov (United States)

    Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Hypoxia Room is a 8x8x8 ft. clear vinyl plastic and aluminum frame construction enclosure located within USAREIM laboratory 028. The Hypoxia Room (manufactured...

  12. International symposium on utilization of accelerators. Proceedings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-01-01

    The programme of the IAEA in the Utilization of Low Energy Accelerators is implemented through the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications and the Department of Technical Cooperation. One aspect of the IAEA programme is to conduct symposia to highlight new developments, promote training and transfer of technology. Particle accelerators, originally developed for basic research in nuclear physics, have matured into versatile tools for applications in other branches of science, as well as in industry and medicine. In terms of numbers, electron accelerators have achieved the greatest usage being applied routinely for tasks like polymerisation of plastics, waste and flue gas treatment and sterilization of foodstuffs and medical devices. In addition, they are in widespread use in hospitals for cancer treatment. In the electronics industry, ion accelerators are utilized for implanting atoms into the surface layer of semiconductor materials. Ion implanters are also used for hardening metallic surfaces for medical implants and bearings. In the medical field, medium energy cyclotrons are used to produce isotopes for diagnostic, as well as, therapeutic applications. Recently, there has been an increased interest in proton accelerators with energies of a few hundred MeV for the treatment of deep lying tumours. Protons deposit most of their energy near the end of their path minimizing the radiation dose to surface tissue and vital organs that must be crossed to reach the target zone. Synchrotron radiation sources utilize high energy electrons that can be contained for many hours in storage rings in conjunction with specialized magnetic systems to emit synchrotron radiation in the wavelength range from infrared to X rays. Synchrotron radiation is used increasingly in macromolecular crystallography to locate the position of atoms in large protein molecules, to facilitate the understanding of the human genome and to design new anti-viral drugs. Synchrotron based X ray

  13. Effect of Room Ventilation Rates in Rodent Rooms with Direct-Exhaust IVC Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geertsema, Roger S; Lindsell, Claire E

    2015-09-01

    When IVC are directly exhausted from a rodent housing room, the air quality of the room can become independent of the intracage air quality and may reduce the need for high room ventilation rates. This study assessed the effect of decreasing the ventilation rate in rodent rooms using direct-exhaust IVC systems. The study was conducted over 16 wk and compared conditions in 8 rodent rooms that had ventilation rates of 5 to 6 air changes per hour (ACH) with those in rooms at 10 to 12 ACH. At the low ventilation rate, rooms had higher CO₂ concentrations, higher dew point temperature, and lower particulate levels and spent a greater percentage of time above the temperature set point than did rooms at the high rate. The levels of allergens and endotoxins in room air were the same regardless of the ventilation rate. Differences seen in parameters within cages at the 2 ventilation rates were operationally irrelevant. We detected no total volatile organic compounds in the room that were attributable to ammonia, regardless of the ventilation rate. Clearing the air of ethanol after a spill took longer at the low compared with high rate. However, ethanol clearance was faster at the low rate when the demand-control system was activated than at the high ventilation rate alone. Air quality in the room and in the cages were acceptable with room ventilation rates of 5 to 6 ACH in rodent rooms that use direct-exhaust IVC systems.

  14. Performance limiting effects in X-band accelerators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Faya Wang

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Acceleration gradient is a critical parameter for the design of future TeV-scale linear colliders. The major obstacle to higher gradient in room-temperature accelerators is rf breakdown, which is still a very mysterious phenomenon that depends on the geometry and material of the accelerator as well as the input power and operating frequency. Pulsed heating has been associated with breakdown for many years; however, there have been no experiments that clearly separate field and heating effects on the breakdown rate. Recently, such experiments have been performed at SLAC with both standing-wave and traveling-wave structures. These experiments have demonstrated that pulsed heating is limiting the gradient. Nevertheless the X-band structures breakdown studies show damage to the iris surfaces in locations of high electric field rather than of high magnetic field after thousands of breakdowns. It is not yet clear how the relative roles of electric field, magnetic field, and heating factor into the damage caused by rf breakdown. Thus, a dual-moded cavity has been designed to better study the electric field, magnetic field, and pulsed heating effects on breakdown damage.

  15. Room temperature superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sleight, A.W.

    1995-01-01

    If the Holy Grail of room temperature superconductivity could be achieved, the impact on could be enormous. However, a useful room temperature superconductor for most applications must possess a T c somewhat above room temperature and must be capable of sustaining superconductivity in the presence of magnetic fields while carrying a significant current load. The authors will return to the subject of just what characteristics one might seek for a compound to be a room temperature superconductor. 30 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

  16. Ultrasonic acoustic levitation for fast frame rate X-ray protein crystallography at room temperature

    OpenAIRE

    Soichiro Tsujino; Takashi Tomizaki

    2016-01-01

    Increasing the data acquisition rate of X-ray diffraction images for macromolecular crystals at room temperature at synchrotrons has the potential to significantly accelerate both structural analysis of biomolecules and structure-based drug developments. Using lysozyme model crystals, we demonstrated the rapid acquisition of X-ray diffraction datasets by combining a high frame rate pixel array detector with ultrasonic acoustic levitation of protein crystals in liquid droplets. The rapid spinn...

  17. Room acoustics modeling using a point-cloud representation of the room geometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Markovic, Milos; Olesen, Søren Krarup; Hammershøi, Dorte

    2013-01-01

    Room acoustics modeling is usually based on the room geometry that is parametrically described prior to a sound transmission calculation. This is a highly room-specific task and rather time consuming if a complex geometry is to be described. Here, a run time generic method for an arbitrary room...... geometry acquisition is presented. The method exploits a depth sensor of the Kinect device that provides a point based information of a scanned room interior. After post-processing of the Kinect output data, a 3D point-cloud model of the room is obtained. Sound transmission between two selected points...... level of user immersion by a real time acoustical simulation of a dynamic scenes....

  18. TUGAS ROOM ATTENDANT DALAM MENANGANI COMPLAINT TAMU DELUXE ROOM HOTEL HYAAT REGENCY BANDUNG

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Gustia Purnama

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract - The problem is how meticulous the duties and responsibilities of the room attendant in the deluxe room Hotel Hyatt Regency Bandung, standard operational procedures in the deluxe room Hotel Hyatt Regency Bandung, and handling guest complaint in deluxe room Hotel Hyatt Regency Bandung. Author uses descriptive analysis, which is a form of writing in the actual situation describes strive about the object of research, then the data obtained in the form of a report compiled in. Based on the results of observation it can be concluded that the task and responsibility of the room attendant in the deluxe room Hyatt Regency Bandung already carry it out in accordance with standard operational procedures (SOP which is divided into two shifts, morning and evening shift which has a slightly different task, standard operational procedures in the deluxe room Hyatt Regency Bandung has been standard operating procedure in applying it at the hotel Hyatt Regency Bandung, and Guest complaint handling in deluxe room Hyatt Regency Bandung Hotel how to deal with and resolve the complaint vary slightly in view of the type of complaint. Based on the results of observation and discussion, the authors conclude that the Duty room attendant in handling customers compaint deluxe room in the Hyatt Regency Bandung Hotel when his handlers was conducted appropriately and propesional effects will be good for the image of the hyatt regency hotel bandung.   Keywords: Room Attendant, Complaint, Deluxe room   Abstraksi - Masalah yang di teliti adalah tugas dan tanggung jawab room attendant di deluxe room Hotel Hyatt Regency Bandung, standar operasional prosedur di deluxe room Hotel Hyatt Regency Bandung, dan penanganan complaint tamu di deluxe room Hotel Hyatt Regency Bandung.  Metode yang di gunakan menggunakan analisis deskriptif, yaitu bentuk penulisan yang di upayakan menggambarkan keadaan yang sebenarnya tetang objek penelitian,kemudian data yang di peroleh disusun

  19. Illustrated instructions for mechanical quality assurance of a medical linear accelerator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Court, Laurence; Wang, He; Aten, David; Brown, Derek; MacGregor, Hannelie; du Toit, Monique; Chi, Melinda; Gao, Song; Yock, Adam; Aristophanous, Michalis; Balter, Peter

    2018-03-03

    The purpose of this study was to develop and test a set of illustrated instructions for effective training for mechanical quality assurance (QA) of medical linear accelerators (linac). Illustrated instructions were created for mechanical QA and underwent several steps of review, testing, and refinement. Eleven testers with no recent QA experience were then recruited from our radiotherapy department (one student, two computational scientists, and eight dosimetrists). This group was selected because they have experience of radiation therapy but no preconceived ideas about how to do QA. The following parameters were progressively decalibrated on a Varian C-series linac: Group A = gantry angle, ceiling laser position, X1 jaw position, couch longitudinal position, physical graticule position (five testers); Group B = Group A + wall laser position, couch lateral and vertical position, collimator angle (three testers); Group C = Group B + couch angle, wall laser angle, and optical distance indicator (three testers). Testers were taught how to use the linac and then used the instructions to try to identify these errors. An experienced physicist observed each session, giving support on machine operation as necessary. Testers were able to follow the instructions. They determined gantry, collimator, and couch angle errors within 0.4°, 0.3°, and 0.9° of the actual changed values, respectively. Laser positions were determined within 1 mm and jaw positions within 2 mm. Couch position errors were determined within 2 mm and 3 mm for lateral/longitudinal and vertical errors, respectively. Accessory-positioning errors were determined within 1 mm. Optical distance indicator errors were determined within 2 mm when comparing with distance sticks and 6 mm when using blocks, indicating that distance sticks should be the preferred approach for inexperienced staff. Inexperienced users were able to follow these instructions and catch errors within the criteria suggested

  20. Reviews of accelerator science and technology

    CERN Document Server

    Chou, Weiren

    2008-01-01

    Particle accelerators are a major invention of the 20th century. In the last eight decades, they have evolved enormously and have fundamentally changed the way we live, think and work. Accelerators are the most powerful microscopes for viewing the tiniest inner structure of cells, genes, molecules, atoms and their constituents such as protons, neutrons, electrons, neutrinos and quarks. This opens up a whole new world for materials science, chemistry and molecular biology.Accelerators with megawatt beam power may ultimately solve a critical problem faced by our society, namely, the treatment of nuclear waste and the supply of an alternative type of energy. There are also tens of thousands of small accelerators all over the world. They are used every day for medical imaging, cancer therapy, radioisotope production, high-density chip-making, mass spectrometry, cargo x-ray/gamma-ray imaging, detection of explosives and illicit drugs, and weapons. This volume provides a comprehensive review of this driving and fas...

  1. Epidemiological profile of work-related accidents with biological exposure among medical students in a surgical emergency room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reis, Phillipe Geraldo Teixeira de Abreu; Driessen, Anna Luiza; da Costa, Ana Claudia Brenner Affonso; Nasr, Adonis; Collaço, Iwan Augusto; Tomasich, Flávio Daniel Saavedra

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the accidents with biological material among medical students interning in a trauma emergency room and identify key related situations, attributed causes and prevention. we conducted a study with a quantitative approach. Data were collected through a questionnaire applied via internet, with closed, multiple-choice questions regarding accidents with biological material. The sample comprised 100 students. thirty-two had accidents with biological material. Higher-risk activities were local anesthesia (39.47%), suture (18.42%) and needle recapping (15.79%). The main routes of exposure to biological material were the eyes or mucosa, with 34%, and syringe needle puncture, with 45%. After contamination, only 52% reported the accident to the responsible department. The main causes of accidents and routes of exposure found may be attributed to several factors, such as lack of training and failure to use personal protective equipment. Educational and preventive actions are extremely important to reduce the incidence of accidents with biological materials and improve the conduct of post-exposure. It is important to understand the main causes attributed and situations related, so as general and effective measures can be applied.

  2. Applications of the Strategic Defense Initiative's Compact Accelerators

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Montanarelli, Nick

    1992-01-01

    ...) was recently incorporated into the design of a cancer therapy unit at the Loma Linda University Medical Center, an SDI sponsored compact induction linear accelerator may replace Cobalt 60 radiation...

  3. Evaluation of the environmental equivalent dose rate using area monitors for neutrons in clinical linear accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salgado, Ana Paula; Pereira, Walsan Wagner; Patrao, Karla C. de Souza; Fonseca, Evaldo S. da; Batista, Delano V.S.

    2009-01-01

    The Neutron Laboratory of the Radioprotection and Dosimetry Institute - IRD/CNEN, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, initiated studies on the process of calibration of neutron area monitors and the results of the measurements performed at radiotherapy treatment rooms, containing clinical accelerators

  4. Preliminary application in teaching of medical imaging with picture archiving and communication systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei Yuqing; Hu Jian; Wang Xuejian; Cao Jun; Tong Juan; Shen Guiquan; Luo Min; Luo Song

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate PACS (picture archiving and communication systems) in the teaching of medical imaging. Methods: Large screen multimedia reading room and electronic study room were built with GE PACS and Angel RIS (radiology information system) and end-term picture-word work-station. Pictures and words of PACS were unloaded directly for teaching and teaching image bank and test image bank. Results: Large screen multimedia reading room, classroom, and electronic study room were built successfully. Valuable information of nearly 5000 patients in the teaching imaging bank of PACS was accumulated. Classic medical imaging teaching mode was changed. Real-time and multi-mode teaching were realized, and teaching effect was greatly improved. The PACS-based teaching model was accepted pleasantly by students. Conclusion: PACS is very useful to improve the teaching quality of medical imaging and it is worth to popularize

  5. A study for estimate of contamination source with numerical simulation method in the turbulent type clean room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Sang Mok; Hwang, Young Kyu; Kim, Dong Kwon

    2015-01-01

    Contamination in a clean room may appear even more complicated by the effect of complicated manufacturing processes and indoor equipment. For this reason, detailed information about the concentration of pollutant particles in the clean room is needed to control the level of contamination financially and efficiently without any problem in manufacturing process. Allocation method has been developed as one of main ideas to fulfill a function of controlling contamination under the situation. By using this method, weighting factor can be predicted based on cleanliness on sampling spots and the values based on numerical analysis. In this point, the weighting factor indicates how each of contaminant sources influences the concentration of pollutant in the clean room. In this paper, when applied allocation method, we propose zoning method to accelerate the calculation time. And it was applied to cleanliness the actual improvement of the turbulent type clean room. As a result, we could estimate quantitatively the amount of contamination generated from the pollution sources. And was proved by experiments that it is possible to improve the level of cleanliness of the clean rooms by using these results.

  6. Evaluation of the room shielding thickness of Hi-Art tomotherapy system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Haikuan; Wu Jinhai; Gu Naigu; Gao Yiming; Wang Li; Huang Weiqin; Wang Fengxian

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we calculate and evaluate the room shielding thickness of a Hi-Art tomotherapy system, which is a new type of radiotherapy facility. Due to the self-shielding of the accelerator,only scattered beam and beam leakage were considered in calculating the room shielding thickness. The radiation field of the tomotherapy system was used as the basic data to calculate the shielding thickness of every 15 degree solid angle. The maximum shielding thickness required of each shielding wall was at the position with the angle of 15 degree, and the calculated shielding thickness were 1023, 975, 917, 1460, 1147 and 1189 mm for the east wall,south wall,west wall, north wall, the roof and the floor,respectively. According to the calculation results, all shielding walls, ceiling and floor could meet the requirement of the radiation protection, but the north wall thickness of 1200 mm was a little thinner. (authors)

  7. A comprehensive operating room information system using the Kinect sensors and RFID.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nouei, Mahyar Taghizadeh; Kamyad, Ali Vahidian; Soroush, Ahmad Reza; Ghazalbash, Somayeh

    2015-04-01

    Occasionally, surgeons do need various types of information to be available rapidly, efficiently and safely during surgical procedures. Meanwhile, they need to free up hands throughout the surgery to necessarily access the mouse to control any application in the sterility mode. In addition, they are required to record audio as well as video files, and enter and save some data. This is an attempt to develop a comprehensive operating room information system called "Medinav" to tackle all mentioned issues. An integrated and comprehensive operating room information system is introduced to be compatible with Health Level 7 (HL7) and digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM). DICOM is a standard for handling, storing, printing, and transmitting information in medical imaging. Besides, a natural user interface (NUI) is designed specifically for operating rooms where touch-less interactions with finger and hand tracking are in use. Further, the system could both record procedural data automatically, and view acquired information from multiple perspectives graphically. A prototype system is tested in a live operating room environment at an Iranian teaching hospital. There are also contextual interviews and usability satisfaction questionnaires conducted with the "MediNav" system to investigate how useful the proposed system could be. The results reveal that integration of these systems into a complete solution is the key to not only stream up data and workflow but maximize surgical team usefulness as well. It is now possible to comprehensively collect and visualize medical information, and access a management tool with a touch-less NUI in a rather quick, practical, and harmless manner.

  8. [Design of an anesthesia and micro-environment information management system in mobile operating room].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xianwen; Liu, Zhiguo; Zhang, Wenchang; Wu, Qingfu; Tan, Shulin

    2013-08-01

    We have designed a mobile operating room information management system. The system is composed of a client and a server. A client, consisting of a PC, medical equipments, PLC and sensors, provides the acquisition and processing of anesthesia and micro-environment data. A server is a powerful computer that stores the data of the system. The client gathers the medical device data by using the C/S mode, and analyzes the obtained HL7 messages through the class library call. The client collects the micro-environment information with PLC, and finishes the data reading with the OPC technology. Experiment results showed that the designed system could manage the patient anesthesia and micro-environment information well, and improve the efficiency of the doctors' works and the digital level of the mobile operating room.

  9. Electron accelerators: History, applications, and perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martins, M. N.; Silva, T. F.

    2014-02-01

    This paper will present an outlook on sources of radiation, focusing on electron accelerators. We will review advances that were important for the development of particle accelerators, concentrating on those that led to modern electron accelerators. Electron accelerators are multipurpose machines that deliver beams with energies spanning five orders of magnitude, and are used in applications that range from fundamental studies of particle interactions to cross-linking polymer chains in industrial plants. Each accelerator type presents specific characteristics that make it more suitable for certain applications. Our work will focus on radiation sources for medical applications, dominated by electron linacs (linear accelerators), and those used for research, field where electron rings dominate. We will outline the main technological advances that occurred in the past decades, which made possible the construction of machines fit for clinical environments. Their compactness, efficiency and reliability have been key to their acceptance in clinical applications. This outline will include advances that allowed for the construction of brighter synchrotron light sources, where the relevant beam characteristics are good optical quality and high beam current. The development of insertion devices will also be discussed, as well the development of Free Electron Lasers (FEL). We conclude the review with an outline of the new developments of electron accelerators and the expectations for Energy Recovery Linacs.

  10. Design Optimization of the Fast Switched Chopper Dipole Magnet for the MedAustron Project

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(CDS)2083482; Borburgh, Jan

    The MedAustron hadron therapy centre currently under construction in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, is a synchrotron based accelerator facility for cancer treatment with protons and carbon ions. The concept for such a machine first originated at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in 1999 as the Proton-Ion Medical Machine Study (PIMMS). The first centre based on this concept was the National Centre for Oncological Treatment (CNAO) built in Italy, which treated its first patient in November 2012. The MedAustron accelerator complex consists of three particle sources, a linear accelerator, a synchrotron, an extraction line, and four irradiation rooms (1 experimental area with horizontal fixed beam, 2 fixed beam line rooms (one horizontal, and one horizontal and vertical) and a rotating gantry treatment room). It will be capable of accelerating 1H+ protons to energies of 60-250 MeV for clinical purposes, and up to 800 MeV for research purposes. It will also accelerate 12C6+ carbon ions to energies of...

  11. The research status of induced radioactivity in accelerator facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Feng; Deng Daping

    2005-01-01

    The hazards of subsequent-radiation produced by high-energy accelerator must be no ignore. The principle of induced radioactivity and the hazards to the people were introduced in this article. The radiation levels around the treatment head and in the air of the treatment room were discussed thor-oughly. Some effects of the induced radioactivity were also mentioned. At last, the article talks about some problems in present researches and some directions for the following study. (authors)

  12. Power supplies in 14 UD pelletron accelerator and its control (Paper No. CP 12)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaze, M.Y.; Bhalerao, P.J.; Tambvekar, V.V.

    1990-01-01

    14UD Pelletron is a 14 million volt tandem heavy ion accelerator. For generation of the accelerating voltage, heavy ion beams and transporting the beam through low energy injector systems, accelerator, high energy system, analysing magnets and finally upto the target different types of types of D.C. power supplies with varying capacity and specifications are used in this accelerator. Broadly these power supplies can be classified in three different types: (1)D.C. high voltage low current voltage regulated supplies, (2)Low voltage high current current regulated high precision D.C. power supplies, and (3)Medium power current regulated D.C. power supplies. These power supplies are described and systems where they are used are mentioned. They are interfaced with CAMAC module and are controlled and monitored remotely from the control room through the serial highway link. (author). 2 figs

  13. Accelerator based-boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)-clinical QA and QC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Minoru; Tanaka, Hiroki; Sakurai, Yoshinori; Yong, Liu; Kashino, Genro; Kinashi, Yuko; Masunaga, Shinichiro; Ono, Koji; Maruhashi, Akira

    2009-01-01

    Alpha-particle and recoil Li atom yielded by the reaction ( 10 B, n), due to their high LET properties, efficiently and specifically kill the cancer cell that has incorporated the boron. Efficacy of this boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has been demonstrated mainly in the treatment of recurrent head/neck and malignant brain cancers in Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KUR). As the clinical trial of BNCT is to start from 2009 based on an accelerator (not on the Reactor), this paper describes the tentative outline of the standard operation procedure of BNCT for its quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) along the flow of its clinical practice. Personnel concerned in the practice involve the attending physician, multiple physicians in charge of BNCT, medical physicists, nurses and reactor stuff. The flow order of the actual BNCT is as follows: Pre-therapeutic evaluation mainly including informed consent and confirmation of the prescription; Therapeutic planning including setting of therapy volume, and of irradiation axes followed by meeting for stuffs' agreement, decision of irradiating field in the irradiation room leading to final decision of the axis, CT for the planning, decision of the final therapeutic plan according to Japan Atomic Energy Agency-Computational Dosimetry System (JCDS) and meeting of all related personnel for the final confirmation of therapeutic plan; and BNCT including the transport of patient to KUR, dripping of boronophenylalanine, setting up of the patient on the machine, blood sampling for pharmacokinetics, boron level measurement for decision of irradiating time, switch on/off of the accelerator, confirmation of patient's movement in the irradiated field after the neutron irradiation, blood sampling for confirmation of the boron level, and patient's leave from the room. The QA/QC check is principally to be conducted with the two-person rule. The purpose of the clinical trial is to establish the usefulness of BNCT

  14. Electron beam ion sources for use in second generation synchrotrons for medical particle therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zschornack, G.; Ritter, E.; Schmidt, M.; Schwan, A.

    2014-02-01

    Cyclotrons and first generation synchrotrons are the commonly applied accelerators in medical particle therapy nowadays. Next generation accelerators such as Rapid Cycling Medical Synchrotrons (RCMS), direct drive accelerators, or dielectric wall accelerators have the potential to improve the existing accelerator techniques in this field. Innovative accelerator concepts for medical particle therapy can benefit from ion sources which meet their special requirements. In the present paper we report on measurements with a superconducting Electron Beam Ion Source, the Dresden EBIS-SC, under the aspect of application in combination with RCMS as a well proven technology. The measurements indicate that this ion source can offer significant advantages for medical particle therapy. We show that a superconducting EBIS can deliver ion pulses of medically relevant ions such as protons, C4 + and C6 + ions with intensities and frequencies required for RCMS [S. Peggs and T. Satogata, "A survey of Hadron therapy accelerator technology," in Proceedings of PAC07, BNL-79826- 2008-CP, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, 2007; A. Garonna, U. Amaldi et al., "Cyclinac medical accelerators using pulsed C6 +/H+_2 ion sources," in Proceedings of EBIST 2010, Stockholm, Sweden, July 2010]. Ion extraction spectra as well as individual ion pulses have been measured. For example, we report on the generation of proton pulses with up to 3 × 109 protons per pulse and with frequencies of up to 1000 Hz at electron beam currents of 600 mA.

  15. Electron accelerators: History, applications, and perspectives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martins, M.N.; Silva, T.F.

    2014-01-01

    This paper will present an outlook on sources of radiation, focusing on electron accelerators. We will review advances that were important for the development of particle accelerators, concentrating on those that led to modern electron accelerators. Electron accelerators are multipurpose machines that deliver beams with energies spanning five orders of magnitude, and are used in applications that range from fundamental studies of particle interactions to cross-linking polymer chains in industrial plants. Each accelerator type presents specific characteristics that make it more suitable for certain applications. Our work will focus on radiation sources for medical applications, dominated by electron linacs (linear accelerators), and those used for research, field where electron rings dominate. We will outline the main technological advances that occurred in the past decades, which made possible the construction of machines fit for clinical environments. Their compactness, efficiency and reliability have been key to their acceptance in clinical applications. This outline will include advances that allowed for the construction of brighter synchrotron light sources, where the relevant beam characteristics are good optical quality and high beam current. The development of insertion devices will also be discussed, as well the development of Free Electron Lasers (FEL). We conclude the review with an outline of the new developments of electron accelerators and the expectations for Energy Recovery Linacs. - Highlights: ► We present an outlook on sources of radiation, focusing on electron accelerators. ► We review important advances for the development of modern electron accelerators. ► We outline advances that allowed for brighter synchrotron light sources. ► We describe the history of the development of electron accelerators in Brazil

  16. Introducing Gross Pathology to Undergraduate Medical Students in the Dissecting Room

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Andrew; Struthers, Kate; Whiten, Susan; Jackson, David; Herrington, C. Simon

    2010-01-01

    Pathology and anatomy are both sciences that contribute to the foundations of a successful medical career. In the past decade, medical education has undergone profound changes with the development of a core curriculum combined with student selected components. There has been a shift from discipline-based teaching towards problem-based learning.…

  17. Neutron measurements at BRIT/BARC medical cyclotron facility of RMC, Parel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sathian, Deepa; Sathian, V.; Phandnis, U.V.; Soni, P.S.; Mohite, D.Y.

    2005-01-01

    Neutron leakage and its long distance propagation in the atmosphere from the intense neutron facilities such as high energy accelerators like Cyclotron are very important for the shielding design of the facilities and resulting dose reduction to nearby population, because of strong penetrability of high energy neutrons. The neutron interaction cross sections are highly energy dependent, so different methods are adopted for measuring different energy neutrons. The method also depends on the amount of neutron fluence rate expected at the location. When the fluence rate is very high, the foil activation is the best method for the measurement of neutron fluence rate. In foil activation technique an inactive material is activated by neutrons and the activity is measured and correlated to the neutron fluence rate. In this paper, neutron fluence rate measurement using different activation foils at medical cyclotron room of Radiation Medicine Centre (RMC) is discussed. (author)

  18. Physician communication in the operating room: expanding application of face-negotiation theory to the health communication context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirschbaum, Kristin

    2012-01-01

    Communication variables that are associated with face-negotiation theory were examined in a sample of operating-room physicians. A survey was administered to anesthesiologists and surgeons at a teaching hospital in the southwestern United States to measure three variables commonly associated with face-negotiation theory: conflict-management style, face concern, and self-construal. The survey instrument that was administered to physicians includes items that measured these three variables in previous face-negotiation research with slight modification of item wording for relevance in the medical setting. The physician data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson's correlations, and t-tests. Results of this initial investigation showed that variables associated with face-negotiation theory were evident in the sample physician population. In addition, the correlations were similar among variables in the medical sample as those found in previous face-negotiation research. Finally, t-tests suggest variance between anesthesiologists and surgeons on specific communication variables. These findings suggest three implications that warrant further investigation with expanded sample size: (1) An intercultural communication theory and instrument can be utilized for health communication research; (2) as applied in a medical context, face-negotiation theory can be expanded beyond traditional intercultural communication boundaries; and (3) theoretically based communication structures applied in a medical context could help explain physician miscommunication in the operating room to assist future design of communication training programs for operating-room physicians.

  19. [Management for the operating room].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tschudi, O; Schüpfer, G

    2015-03-01

    Business companies, which in the current times also includes hospitals, must create customer benefits and as a prerequisite for this must sustainably generate profits. Management in the world of business means the formation and directing of a company or parts of a company on a permanent basis, whereby management in this context is not exercising power but function. This concept of management is exemplary developed in this article for the important services sector of the operating room (OR) and individual functions, such as resource control, capacity planning and materials administration are presented in detail. Some OR-specific management challenges are worked out. From this it becomes clear that the economic logic of the most efficient implementation possible is not a contradiction of medical ethics, enabling the most effective treatment possible for patients while safeguarding the highest possible levels of safety and quality. The article aims to build a bridge for medical specialists to the language and world of commerce, emphasizing the profession-based competence and hopefully to arouse interest to go into more detail.

  20. Comparative study originated photoneutrons different energy linear accelerators, manufacturer and model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Exposito, M. R.; Terron, J. A.; Domingo, C.; Amgarou, K.; Garcia-Fuente, M. J.; Gonzalez-Soto, J.; Legares, J. I.; Gomez, F.; Sanchez-Doblado, F.

    2011-01-01

    Pollution neutron radiotherapy with photon beams of energy greater than 10 MV represents a major inconvenience for patients in treatment, given the increased likelihood of developing a second radiation-induced cancer. Most of these neutrons are generated in the accelerator head as a result of the interaction of photons with heavy metals. As a result, knowledge of the effect on patients in the fields of neutrons from the accelerator should lead to improvements in design and selection of components from manufacturers. For this purpose, we have performed comparative measurements of the neutron fields present in both the patient (represented by an anthropomorphic phantom) and in the treatment room, considering almost all types of machines currently operating in the world.

  1. Improving operating room safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Garrett Jill

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Despite the introduction of the Universal Protocol, patient safety in surgery remains a daily challenge in the operating room. This present study describes one community health system's efforts to improve operating room safety through human factors training and ultimately the development of a surgical checklist. Using a combination of formal training, local studies documenting operating room safety issues and peer to peer mentoring we were able to substantially change the culture of our operating room. Our efforts have prepared us for successfully implementing a standardized checklist to improve operating room safety throughout our entire system. Based on these findings we recommend a multimodal approach to improving operating room safety.

  2. Medical Isotope Production With The Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buckner, M.; Cappiello, M.; Pitcher, E.; O'Brien, H.

    1998-01-01

    In order to meet US tritium needs to maintain the nuclear weapons deterrent, the Department of Energy (DOE) is pursuing a dual track program to provide a new tritium source. A record of decision is planned for late in 1998 to select either the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) or the Commercial Light Water Reactor (CLWR) as the technology for new tritium production in the next century. To support this decision, an APT Project was undertaken to develop an accelerator design capable of producing 3 kg of tritium per year by 2007 (START I requirements). The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was selected to lead this effort with Burns and Roe Enterprises, Inc. (BREI) / General Atomics (GA) as the prime contractor for design, construction, and commissioning of the facility. If chosen in the downselect, the facility will be built at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and operated by the SRS Maintenance and Operations (M ampersand O) contractor, the Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC), with long-term technology support from LANL. These three organizations (LANL, BREI/GA, and WSRC) are working together under the direction of the APT National Project Office which reports directly to the DOE Office of Accelerator Production which has program authority and responsibility for the APT Project

  3. A label-free colorimetric sensor for Pb2+ detection based on the acceleration of gold leaching by graphene oxide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Xinhao; Gu, Wei; Zhang, Cuiling; Zhao, Longyun; Peng, Weidong; Xian, Yuezhong

    2015-03-14

    In this work, we developed a novel, label-free, colorimetric sensor for Pb(2+) detection based on the acceleration of gold leaching by graphene oxide (GO) at room temperature. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be dissolved in a thiosulfate (S2O3(2-)) aqueous environment in the presence of oxygen; however, the leaching rate is very slow due to the high activation energy (27.99 kJ mol(-1)). In order to enhance the reaction rate, some accelerators should be added. In comparison with the traditional accelerators (metal ions or middle ligands), we found that GO could efficiently accelerate the gold leaching reaction. Kinetic data demonstrate that the dissolution rate of gold in the Pb(2+)-S2O3(2-)-GO system is 5 times faster than that without GO at room temperature. In addition, the effects of surface modification and the nanoparticle size on the etching of AuNPs were investigated. Based on the GO-accelerated concentration-dependent colour changes of AuNPs, a colorimetric sensor for Pb(2+) detection was developed with a linear range from 0.1 to 20 μM and the limit of detection (LOD) was evaluated to be 0.05 μM. This colorimetric assay is simple, low-cost, label-free, and has numerous potential applications in the field of environmental chemistry.

  4. Control room philosophy: Principles of control room design and control room work; Kontrollrumsfilosofi: Principer foer kontrollrumsutformning och kontrollrumsarbete

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Skriver, Jan; Ramberg, Jasmine; Allwin, Pernilla [Scandpower Risk Management AB, Uppsala (Sweden)

    2006-01-15

    In order to provide insights for improvement of work in control rooms several factors have to be considered. Knowledge of principles including control room philosophies will guide the recommended improvements. In addition to knowledge about specific principles an advantage for an organization can be an understanding of similarities and policies used in other high risk industry. The report has been developed on the basis of a document analysis of international standards and other guiding documents. (NUREG 0711, ISO 11064, ISO 6385, IEC 60964). In addition to the document analysis which has strived to compare the documents to see similarities in important principals, experience from working with control room design, modifications and evaluations in other high risk industries has pervaded the report. Important principles have been identified which are recommended to be included in a control room philosophy. Many of these are similar to the principles identified in the international standards. An additional principal which is regarded as important is the utilization of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) which can be used as a measure to target preventative means. Further more it is critical that the control room philosophy is easy to access and comprehend for all users. One of the challenges that remain after having developed a control room philosophy is how to utilize it in the daily work situation. It is vital that the document remains as a living document, guiding the continual improvement of the control room in the various life cycle stages.

  5. Status report on electron cyclotron resonance ion sources at the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba

    CERN Document Server

    Kitagawa, A; Sekiguchi, M; Yamada, S; Jincho, K; Okada, T; Yamamoto, M; Hattori, T G; Biri, S; Baskaran, R; Sakata, T; Sawada, K; Uno, K

    2000-01-01

    The Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) is not only dedicated to cancer therapy, it is also utilized with various ion species for basic experiments of biomedical science, physics, chemistry, etc. Two electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources are installed for production of gaseous ions. One of them, the NIRS-ECR, is a 10 GHz ECR ion source, and is mainly operated to produce C/sup 4+/ ions for daily clinical treatment. This source realizes good reproducibility and reliability and it is easily operated. The other source, the NIRS-HEC, is an 18 GHz ECR ion source that is expected to produce heavier ion species. The output ion currents of the NIRS-ECR and the NIRS-HEC are 430e mu A for C/sup 4+/ and 1.1e mA for Ar/sup 8+/, respectively. (14 refs).

  6. Annual report of Tandem Accelerator Center, University of Tsukuba, for fiscal 1976

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-01-01

    A research center of the University of Tsukuba, Tandem Accelerator Center (TAC) has a 12 UD Pelletron tandem accelerator as its principal apparatus; of which acceptance test was finished in July 1976. Activities of the TAC for the period of April 1976 to March 1977 are reported: accelerator and beam transport system, general equipments, equipment development, nuclear physics, chemistry, and biological and medical Science. (Mori, K.)

  7. Waiting room crowding and agitation in a dedicated psychiatric emergency service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Mallakh, Rif S; Whiteley, Amanda; Wozniak, Tanya; Ashby, McCray; Brown, Shawn; Colbert-Trowel, Danya; Pennington, Tammy; Thompson, Michael; Tasnin, Rokeya; Terrell, Christina L

    2012-05-01

    Emergency department crowding is a growing problem that impacts patient care and safety. The effect of crowding has not been examined in emergency psychiatric services. The association between patient census and use of restraints, seclusion, and anti-agitation medications as needed was examined for 1 month. A total of 689 patients were seen in 31 days. The average hourly census was 6.8 ± 2.8 (range 0 to 18). There were 33 incidences of seclusion or restraint and an additional 15 instances of medications administered for agitation. The use of seclusion, restraint, or medication for agitation was significantly associated with census (r2 = 0.3, F = 5.47, P = .036). Crowding in emergency psychiatric waiting rooms may increase the need for seclusion, restraint, or medications for agitation.

  8. Reliability of estimating the room volume from a single room impulse response

    OpenAIRE

    Kuster, M.

    2008-01-01

    The methods investigated for the room volume estimation are based on geometrical acoustics, eigenmode, and diffuse field models and no data other than the room impulse response are available. The measurements include several receiver positions in a total of 12 rooms of vastly different sizes and acoustic characteristics. The limitations in identifying the pivotal specular reflections of the geometrical acoustics model in measured room impulse responses are examined both theoretically and expe...

  9. Effect of ventilation rate on air cleanliness and energy consumption in operation rooms at rest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Shih-Tseng; Liang, Ching-Chieh; Chien, Tsung-Yi; Wu, Feng-Jen; Fan, Kuang-Chung; Wan, Gwo-Hwa

    2018-02-27

    The interrelationships between ventilation rate, indoor air quality, and energy consumption in operation rooms at rest are yet to be understood. We investigate the effect of ventilation rate on indoor air quality indices and energy consumption in ORs at rest. The study investigates the air temperature, relative humidity, concentrations of carbon dioxide, particulate matter (PM), and airborne bacteria at different ventilation rates in operation rooms at rest of a medical center. The energy consumption and cost analysis of the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in the operation rooms at rest were also evaluated for all ventilation rates. No air-conditioned operation rooms had very highest PM and airborne bacterial concentrations in the operation areas. The bacterial concentration in the operation areas with 6-30 air changes per hour (ACH) was below the suggested level set by the United Kingdom (UK) for an empty operation room. A 70% of reduction in annual energy cost by reducing the ventilation rate from 30 to 6 ACH was found in the operation rooms at rest. Maintenance of operation rooms at ventilation rate of 6 ACH could save considerable amounts of energy and achieve the goal of air cleanliness.

  10. Department of Accelerator Physics and Technology: Overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pachan, M.

    2000-01-01

    Full text: The principal Department's duties in 1999 have not changed and were consequently directed on development in the area of electron and ion accelerators and their applications in science, medicine and technology. Two important events dominated the current and future orientation of R and D activity. The first was finalizing of long time efforts for preparing of the ordered research project granted by the State Committee of Scientific Research and devoted to elaboration and design of a new electron accelerator for radiotherapy, with two energies of X-ray photon beams. This project was formally approved in March 1999 and due to organisatory procedures set in operation after few months. In the second half of 1999, an important progress was done in advancing the project. The second mentioned event is foundation by the government of a Multiyear Research Programme - called ''Isotopes and Accelerators''. This programme formulates a broad spectrum of important tasks oriented on application of isotopes and accelerator techniques in many branches of science and national economy. The expected participation of the Department in this programme comprises following subjects: medical interoperative accelerator, high power electron accelerator for radiation technology, and upgrading of cyclotron for isotopes production. In course of 1999, preparatory studies in these subjects were carried out. Some of the results were presented on conferences and seminars. An interesting experience was the expertise done on technical status of Eindhoven isochronous cyclotron and its possible transfer to Swierk as a professional tool for isotopes production. In the group of medical applications, three subjects were continued during 1999 and brought important results: - completion of microwave measurements of high gradient acceleration structure for low energy accelerators; such structure will be very useful solution for Co-Line and interoperative accelerator; - evaluation of design data and

  11. Nitrous oxide levels in operating and recovery rooms of Iranian hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maroufi, Sh Sadigh; Gharavi, Mj; Behnam, M; Samadikuchaksaraei, A

    2011-01-01

    Nitrous oxide (N(2)O) is the oldest anesthetic in routine clinical use and its occupational exposure is under regulation by many countries. As studies are lacking to demonstrate the status of nitrous oxide levels in operating and recovery rooms of Iranian hospitals, we aimed to study its level in teaching hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. During a 6-month period, we have measured the shift-long time weighted average concentration of N(2)O in 43 operating and 12 recovery rooms of teaching hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The results show that the level of nitrous oxide in all hospitals is higher than the limits set by different countries and anesthetists are at higher risk of exposure. In addition, it was shown that installation of air ventilation could reduce not only the overall exposure level, but also the level of exposure of anesthetists in comparison with other personnel. The high nitrous oxide level in Iranian hospitals necessitates improvement of waste gas evacuation systems and regular monitoring to bring the concentration of this gas into the safe level.

  12. Efficiency of hydrogen peroxide in improving disinfection of ICU rooms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blazejewski, Caroline; Wallet, Frédéric; Rouzé, Anahita; Le Guern, Rémi; Ponthieux, Sylvie; Salleron, Julia; Nseir, Saad

    2015-02-02

    The primary objective of this study was to determine the efficiency of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) techniques in disinfection of ICU rooms contaminated with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) after patient discharge. Secondary objectives included comparison of the efficiency of a vaporizator (HPV, Bioquell) and an aerosolizer using H₂O₂, and peracetic acid (aHPP, Anios) in MDRO environmental disinfection, and assessment of toxicity of these techniques. This prospective cross-over study was conducted in five medical and surgical ICUs located in one University hospital, during a 12-week period. Routine terminal cleaning was followed by H₂O₂ disinfection. A total of 24 environmental bacteriological samplings were collected per room, from eight frequently touched surfaces, at three time-points: after patient discharge (T0), after terminal cleaning (T1) and after H₂O₂ disinfection (T2). In total 182 rooms were studied, including 89 (49%) disinfected with aHPP and 93 (51%) with HPV. At T0, 15/182 (8%) rooms were contaminated with at least 1 MDRO (extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Gram-negative bacilli 50%, imipenem resistant Acinetobacter baumannii 29%, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 17%, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to ceftazidime or imipenem 4%). Routine terminal cleaning reduced environmental bacterial load (P disinfection efficiency.

  13. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited applications of accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ormrod, J.H.; Ungrin, J.

    1988-01-01

    Accelerators have been tools in the physicist's arsenal since the early 1930's, and the requirements of the research laboratory have spawned most of the significant advances in the technology. The characteristics needed in medical and industrial applications frequently differ from those needed by researchers. The authors review a variety of applications in medical therapy; medical isotope production; sterilization of medical supplies, food and water; the production of synthetic materials; industrial radiography; borehole logging; gemstone colour changes; the production of micropore filters; material modifications; long-wavelength radiation generation; sewage treatment; stack gas cleaning; electronuclear breeding; laser weaponry; and rock spalling and tunneling

  14. Shielding evaluation of a medical linear accelerator vault in preparation for installing a high-dose rate 252Cf remote after-loader

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melhus, C. S.; Rivard, M. J.; KurKomelis, J.; Liddle, C. B.; Masse, F. X.

    2005-01-01

    In support of the effort to begin high-dose rate 252 Cf brachytherapy treatments at Tufts-New England Medical Center, the shielding capabilities of a clinical accelerator vault against the neutron and photon emissions from a 1.124 mg 252 Cf source were examined. Outside the clinical accelerator vault, the fast neutron dose equivalent rate was below the lower limit of detection of a CR-39 etched track detector and below 0.14 ± 0.02 μSv h -1 with a proportional counter, which is consistent, within the uncertainties, with natural background. The photon dose equivalent rate was also measured to be below background levels (0.1 μSv h -1 ) using an ionisation chamber and an optically stimulated luminescence dosemeter. A Monte Carlo simulation of neutron transport through the accelerator vault was performed to validate measured values and determine the thermal-energy to low-energy neutron component. Monte Carlo results showed that the dose equivalent rate from fast neutrons was reduced by a factor of 100,000 after attenuation through the vault wall, and the thermal-energy neutron dose equivalent rate would be an additional factor of 1000 below that of the fast neutrons. Based on these findings, the shielding installed in this facility is sufficient for the use of at least 5.0 mg of 252 Cf. (authors)

  15. A new pulsed neutron source at Pohang accelerator laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, G.N.; Choi, J.Y.; Cho, M.H.; Ko, I.S.; Namkung, W.; Chang, J.H.

    1997-01-01

    The main efforts in the field of promoting the nuclear data activities to support the national nuclear development program being realized in the Republic of Korea are discussed. Within this program frameworks the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) will play a central role and the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL) will construct a pulsed neutron source facility. The 100 MeV electron linac based on the existing equipment including Toshiba E3712 klystron, 200 MW modulator and constant gradient accelerating sections is designed in PAL. The schematic diagram and the main parameters of the linac consisting of a triode type electron gun (EIMAC Y824), an S-band prebuncher and buncher, two accelerating sections and various other components are considered. The construction of the linac already started in early 1997 is planned to be completed in 1998. The target room, TOF beam lines and detector stations will be constructed by the end of 1999. The first experiments with the intense pulsed neutrons produced at the facility considered are expected by 2000

  16. Design studies of heavy ion linear accelerators constructed of independently phased spiral resonators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stokes, R.H.; Armstrong, D.D.

    1975-01-01

    Preliminary design studies are reported for two linear accelerators for heavy ions. One accelerator is a high-intensity machine which would operate with 100 percent duty factor and would produce tin ions with 6.1 MeV/A. Alternatively, it could be operated under pulsed conditions with 25 percent duty factor and would then accelerate uranium ions to 8.1 MeV/A, tin ions to 10.5 MeV/A, and all lighter ions to higher velocities. It would be injected with a positive multicharge ion source and a 4-MV single-ended dc generator. Also, design studies are reported for small postaccelerator injected by a model FN tandem. Both accelerators use three-drift-tube spiral resonators operating at room temperature. Magnetic quadrupole singlets are placed between all resonators to provide radial focussing. Each resonator is independently phased according to the velocity of the ion to be accelerated. The ability to adjust the phase of each resonator permits variations in final energy and other beam properties with great flexibility. (U.S.)

  17. Beam stability of cyclotron accelerator for therapy at National Cancer Center Hospital East

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishio, T.; Ogino, T.; Shinbo, M.; Ikeda, H.; Tachikawa, T.; Kumata, Y.

    2000-01-01

    In 1997, the proton-treatment facility that has the therapeutic AVF cyclotron accelerator (C235), is constructed at National Cancer Center Hospital East. The facility has 3-irradiation ports (rooms) that are 2-rotationg gantry ports and 1-horizontal fixed port. The C235 can accelerate proton to 235 MeV with the beam intensity of 300 nA. The external diameter is a very compact with about 4 m. The radio frequency is 106 MHz, the accelerating voltage is about 60 kV, and the harmonic number is 4. A beam stability of the C235 has an important relation with the uniformity of an irradiation field and is a very difficulty. The measured result indicated that the incident beam position must be into the 0.5-mmφ circle. (author)

  18. The Impact of Patient-to-Patient Interaction in Health Facility Waiting Rooms on Their Perception of Health Professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willis, William Kent; Ozturk, Ahmet Ozzie; Chandra, Ashish

    2015-01-01

    Patients have to wait in waiting rooms prior to seeing the physician. But there are few studies that demonstrate what they are actually doing in the waiting room. This exploratory study was designed to investigate the types of discussions that patients in the waiting room typically engage in with other patients and how the conversations affected their opinion on general reputation of the clinic, injections/blocks as treatment procedures, waiting time, time spent with the caregiver, overall patient satisfaction, and the pain medication usage policy. The study demonstrates that patient interaction in the waiting room has a positive effect on patient opinion of the pain clinic and the caregivers.

  19. Induction Accelerator Technology Choices for the Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leitner, M.A.; Celata, C.M.; Lee, E.P.; Logan, B.G.; Sabbi, G.; Waldron, W.L.; Barnard, J.J.

    2003-01-01

    Over the next three years the research program of the Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory (HIF-VNL), a collaboration among LBNL, LLNL, and PPPL, is focused on separate scientific experiments in the injection, transport and focusing of intense heavy ion beams at currents from 100 mA to 1 A. As a next major step in the HIF-VNL program, we aim for a complete 'source-to-target' experiment, the Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX). By combining the experience gained in the current separate beam experiments IBX would allow the integrated scientific study of the evolution of a single heavy ion beam at high current (∼1 A) through all sections of a possible heavy ion fusion accelerator: the injection, acceleration, compression, and beam focusing.This paper describes the main parameters and technology choices of the planned IBX experiment. IBX will accelerate singly charged potassium or argon ion beams up to 10 MeV final energy and a longitudinal beam compression ratio of 10, resulting in a beam current at target of more than 10 Amperes. Different accelerator cell design options are described in detail: Induction cores incorporating either room temperature pulsed focusing-magnets or superconducting magnets

  20. Safety in design and operation of low energy particle accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Badawy, I.

    1991-01-01

    This paper studies the safety in design and operation of low energy accelerators which produce beams of accelerated charged particles and radiations. As radiation sources, the accelerators are widely used in scientific research, industry, food and medical applications. The risks to human and environment are considered. The safety in accelerators is discussed-particularly-the shielding against ionizing radiations, overexposure to RF radiation fire hazards and power failures. Also the paper studies the emergency response at incidents. Emergency procedures are recommended for each type of emergency. Reporting to the competent Authority is also recommended to be prepared for each incident. The basic principles of regulatory control, licensing and inspections for accelerator facilities are discussed. The relation with the competent authority is pointed out. 4 fig

  1. Radiation shielding and dose rate distribution for the building of the high dose rate accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuda, Koji; Takagaki, Torao; Nakase, Yoshiaki; Nakai, Yohta.

    1984-03-01

    A high dose rate electron accelerator was established at Osaka Laboratory for Radiation Chemistry, Takasaki Establishment, JAERI in the fiscal year of 1975. This report shows the fundamental concept for the radiation shielding of the accelerator building and the results of their calculations which were evaluated through the model experiments. After the construction of the building, the leak radiation was measured in order to evaluate the calculating method of radiation shielding. Dose rate distribution of X-rays was also measured in the whole area of the irradiation room as a data base. (author)

  2. Development of a Magnetron Resonance Frequency Auto Tuning System for Medical Xband [9300 MHz] RF Linear Accelerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cha, Sung Su; Lee, Byung Cheol [University of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yujong; Park, Hyung Dal; Lee, Byeong-No; Joo, Youngwoo; Cha, Hyungki; Lee, Soo Min; Song, Ki Baek [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Seung Hyun [Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-05-15

    The total components of the accelerator are the magnetron, electron gun, accelerating structure, a set of solenoid magnets, four sets of steering coils, a modulator, and a circulator. One of the accelerator components of the accelerating structure is made of oxygen-free high-conductivity copper (OFHC), and its volume is changed according to the ambient temperature. As the volume changes, the resonant frequency of the accelerating structure is changed. Accordingly, the resonance frequency is mismatched between the source of the magnetron and the accelerating structure. An automatic frequency tuning system is automatically matched with the resonant frequency of the magnetron and accelerating structure, which allows a high output power and reliable accelerator operation. An automatic frequency tuning system is composed of a step motor control part for correcting the frequency of the source and power measuring parts, i.e., the forward and reflected power between the magnetron and accelerating structure. In this paper, the design, fabrication, and RF power test of the automatic frequency tuning system for the X-band linac are presented. A frequency tuning system was developed to overcome an unstable accelerator operation owing to the frequency mismatch between the magnetron and accelerating structure. The frequency measurement accuracy is 100 kHz and 0.72 degree per pulse.

  3. Centrifuge Study of Pilot Tolerance to Acceleration and the Effects of Acceleration on Pilot Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Creer, Brent Y.; Smedal, Harald A.; Wingrove, Rodney C.

    1960-01-01

    A research program the general objective of which was to measure the effects of various sustained accelerations on the control performance of pilots, was carried out on the Aviation Medical Acceleration Laboratory centrifuge, U.S. Naval Air Development Center, Johnsville, PA. The experimental setup consisted of a flight simulator with the centrifuge in the control loop. The pilot performed his control tasks while being subjected to acceleration fields such as might be encountered by a forward-facing pilot flying an atmosphere entry vehicle. The study was divided into three phases. In one phase of the program, the pilots were subjected to a variety of sustained linear acceleration forces while controlling vehicles with several different sets of longitudinal dynamics. Here, a randomly moving target was displayed to the pilot on a cathode-ray tube. For each combination of acceleration field and vehicle dynamics, pilot tracking accuracy was measured and pilot opinion of the stability and control characteristics was recorded. Thus, information was obtained on the combined effects of complexity of control task and magnitude and direction of acceleration forces on pilot performance. These tests showed that the pilot's tracking performance deteriorated markedly at accelerations greater than about 4g when controlling a lightly damped vehicle. The tentative conclusion was also reached that regardless of the airframe dynamics involved, the pilot feels that in order to have the same level of control over the vehicle, an increase in the vehicle dynamic stability was required with increases in the magnitudes of the acceleration impressed upon the pilot. In another phase, boundaries of human tolerance of acceleration were established for acceleration fields such as might be encountered by a pilot flying an orbital vehicle. A special pilot restraint system was developed to increase human tolerance to longitudinal decelerations. The results of the tests showed that human tolerance

  4. Incident report and estimates of personnel exposure for a staff present in maze corridor of linac room while radiation beam on

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ravichandran, R.; Davis, C.A.; Ghamrawy, Kamal El; Arunkumar, L.S.

    2007-01-01

    The radiation safety features of high energy linear accelerator installations include primary and secondary barriers made of concrete (radiation bunkers), provision of maze wall for eliminating first scatter reaching the entrance door, locating room entrance perpendicular to maze corridor to reduce neutron dose. In addition, special motorized doors with lead lining and paraffin blocks, electrically interlocked to beam on-off system is provided for radiation safety. A radiation incident took place involving presence of a staff inside the Clinac 2300 CD room in September 2006 has been described

  5. High intensity accelerator for a wide range of applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Conard, E.M.

    1994-01-01

    When looking at commercial applications of accelerators from a market point of view, it appears that a common accelerator design could meet different users' needs. This would benefit both the manufacturer and the user by multiplying the number of machines sold, thus lowering their cost and improving their quality. These applications include: radioisotope production for medical imaging (positron emission tomography), industrial imaging and non-destructive testing (e.g. neutron radiography, explosive and drug detection in luggage or freight). This paper investigates the needs of the various applications and defines their common denominator to establish suitable specifications (type of particles, energy, intensity). Different accelerator types (cyclotrons, linear accelerators and electrostatic machines) are reviewed and compared on performance and estimated costs. A high intensity tandem accelerator design is studied in more detail as it seems the most appropriate candidate. ((orig.))

  6. Discovery machines accelerators for science, technology, health and innovation

    CERN Document Server

    Australian Academy of Sciences

    2016-01-01

    Discovery machines: Accelerators for science, technology, health and innovation explores the science of particle accelerators, the machines that supercharge our ability to discover the secrets of nature and have opened up new tools in medicine, energy, manufacturing, and the environment as well as in pure research. Particle accelerators are now an essential ingredient in discovery science because they offer new ways to analyse the world, such as by probing objects with high energy x-rays or colliding them beams of electrons. They also have a huge—but often unnoticed—impact on all our lives; medical imaging, cancer treatment, new materials and even the chips that power our phones and computers have all been transformed by accelerators of various types. Research accelerators also provide fundamental infrastructure that encourages better collaboration between international and domestic scientists, organisations and governments.

  7. The use of high-density concretes in radiotherapy treatment room design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Facure, A.; Silva, A.X.

    2007-01-01

    With the modernization of radiotherapic centers, medical linear accelerators are largely replacing 60 Co teletherapy units. In many cases, the same vault housing the 60 Co teletherapy unit is reused for the linear accelerator and, when space is at a premium, high-density concrete (3.0-5.0 g/cm 3 ) is employed to provide shielding against the primary, scatter and leakage radiation. This work presents a study based on Monte Carlo simulations of transmission of some clinical photon spectra (of 4-10 MV accelerators) through some types of high-density concretes, normally used in the construction of radiotherapy bunkers. From the simulations, the initial and subsequent tenth-value layers (TVL) for these materials, taking into account realistic clinical photon spectra, are presented, for primary radiation

  8. A Comparison of In-Room Computerized Tomography Options for Detection of Fiducial Markers in Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Owen, Rebecca; Foroudi, Farshad; Kron, Tomas; Milner, Alvin; Cox, Jennifer; Cramb, Jim; Zhu Li; Duchesne, Gillian

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To compare volumetric in-room computed tomography (CT) and kilovoltage (kV) cone-beam CT (CBCT) to planar imaging with respect to their ability to localize fiducial markers (FMs) for radiotherapy of prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: Image guidance options from two linear accelerators were compared in terms of identifying the center of gravity (COG) of FMs from the isocenter: a Siemens Primatom, where the couch is rotated 180 degrees from the treatment isocenter to the in-room CT vs. electronic portal imaging (EPI); and a Varian OBI system, where kV CBCT, EPI, and planar kV radiographs were compared. In all, 387 image pairs (CBCT = 133; CT = 254) from 18 patients were analyzed. A clinical tolerance of 3 mm was predefined as the acceptable threshold for agreement. Results: COG location on in-room CT and EPI was in agreement 96.9%, 85.8%, and 89.0% of the time in the left-right (LR), superior-inferior (SI), and anterior-posterior (AP) directions, respectively, vs. 99.2%, 91.7%, and 93.2% for the CBCT and EPI analysis. The CBCT vs. kV radiographs were in agreement 100% (LR), 85.4% (SI), and 88.5% (AP), and EPI vs. kV radiographs were in agreement 100% (LR), 94.6% (SI), and 91.5% (AP) of the time. Conclusion: Identification of FMs on volumetric or planar images was found to be not equivalent (±3 mm) using either linear accelerator. Intrafraction prostate motion, interpretation of FM location, and spatial properties of images are contributing factors. Although in-room CT has superior image quality, the process of realigning the treatment couch to acquire a CT introduces an error, highlighting the benefits of a single isocentric system.

  9. Discussion of superconducting and room-temperature high-intensity ion linacs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jameson, R.A.

    1996-01-01

    The point of view taken in this discussion is that the basic technology base exists in all essential respects for both superconducting or room-temperature rf linac accelerators and associated power and control systems, and thus a project can make a choice between these technologies on overall system considerations. These include performance, cost, availability, flexibility, and upgradability. Large high-intensity neutron source proposals involving light-ion rf linacs in three categories are reviewed in this context. The categories arc cw linacs to high (∼1 GeV) and low (∼40 MeV) output energy, and pulsed linacs to energy ∼1 GeV

  10. [Tissue repositories for research at Sheba Medical Center(SMC].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Yehudit; Barshack, Iris; Onn, Amir

    2013-06-01

    Cancer is the number one cause of death in both genders. Breakthroughs in the understanding of cancer biology, the identification of prognostic factors, and the development of new treatments are increasingly dependent on access to human cancer tissues with linked clinicopathological data. Access to human tumor samples and a large investment in translational research are needed to advance this research. The SMC tissue repositories provide researchers with biological materials, which are essential tools for cancer research. SMC tissue repositories for research aim to collect, document and preserve human biospecimens from patients with cancerous diseases. This is in order to provide the highest quality and well annotated biological biospecimens, used as essential tools to achieve the growing demands of scientific research needs. Such repositories are partners in acceLerating biomedical research and medical product development through clinical resources, in order to apply best options to the patients. Following Institutional Review Board approval and signing an Informed Consent Form, the tumor and tumor-free specimens are coLLected by a designated pathologist at the operating room only when there is a sufficient amount of the tumor, in excess of the routine needs. Blood samples are collected prior to the procedure. Other types of specimens collected include ascites fluid, pleural effusion, tissues for Optimal Cutting Temperature [OCT] and primary culture etc. Demographic, clinical, pathologicaL, and follow-up data are collected in a designated database. SMC has already established several organ or disease-specific tissue repositories within different departments. The foundation of tissue repositories requires the concentrated effort of a multidisciplinary team composed of paramedical, medical and scientific professionals. Research projects using these specimens facilitate the development of 'targeted therapy', accelerate basic research aimed at clarifying molecular

  11. Menopause accelerates biological aging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levine, Morgan E.; Lu, Ake T.; Chen, Brian H.; Hernandez, Dena G.; Singleton, Andrew B.; Ferrucci, Luigi; Bandinelli, Stefania; Salfati, Elias; Manson, JoAnn E.; Quach, Austin; Kusters, Cynthia D. J.; Kuh, Diana; Wong, Andrew; Teschendorff, Andrew E.; Widschwendter, Martin; Ritz, Beate R.; Absher, Devin; Assimes, Themistocles L.; Horvath, Steve

    2016-01-01

    Although epigenetic processes have been linked to aging and disease in other systems, it is not yet known whether they relate to reproductive aging. Recently, we developed a highly accurate epigenetic biomarker of age (known as the “epigenetic clock”), which is based on DNA methylation levels. Here we carry out an epigenetic clock analysis of blood, saliva, and buccal epithelium using data from four large studies: the Women's Health Initiative (n = 1,864); Invecchiare nel Chianti (n = 200); Parkinson's disease, Environment, and Genes (n = 256); and the United Kingdom Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (n = 790). We find that increased epigenetic age acceleration in blood is significantly associated with earlier menopause (P = 0.00091), bilateral oophorectomy (P = 0.0018), and a longer time since menopause (P = 0.017). Conversely, epigenetic age acceleration in buccal epithelium and saliva do not relate to age at menopause; however, a higher epigenetic age in saliva is exhibited in women who undergo bilateral oophorectomy (P = 0.0079), while a lower epigenetic age in buccal epithelium was found for women who underwent menopausal hormone therapy (P = 0.00078). Using genetic data, we find evidence of coheritability between age at menopause and epigenetic age acceleration in blood. Using Mendelian randomization analysis, we find that two SNPs that are highly associated with age at menopause exhibit a significant association with epigenetic age acceleration. Overall, our Mendelian randomization approach and other lines of evidence suggest that menopause accelerates epigenetic aging of blood, but mechanistic studies will be needed to dissect cause-and-effect relationships further. PMID:27457926

  12. Management of activated parts generated during the dismantling of linear accelerators for medical uses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ortiz, Teresa; Correa, Cristina

    2008-01-01

    During years 2006-2008 have been carried out to the dismantling of several linear accelerators of medical use in Spain. The two first were in the Hospital of 'La Princesa' in Madrid and in the Hospital 'Santa Creu y Sant Pau' in Barcelona. The disassembling of such was made by technicians of the providing company and of the own hospital, with the advising of experts of the Radiological Protection and Radiophysics Service of such. Technicians of the Radiological Protection Technical Unit (RPU) of ENRESA collaborated in these dismantlings with the objective to determine that pieces could be evacuated conventionally as metallic scraps and which had to be managed as radioactive waste. In the following dismantling the classification of the pieces were carried out by the technicians of the providing company. After that the technicians of the RPU of ENRESA verified this classification and characterized, in detail, the pieces classified as radioactive wasted before their removal. In this paper the activities carried out to classify the pieces and the legal bases in which it leans on, as well as the measures made for the characterization of the materials considered as radioactive waste are described. (author)

  13. [Projects to accelerate the practical use of innovative medical devices to collaborate with TWIns, Center for Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Waseda University and School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niimi, Shingo; Umezu, Mitsuo; Iseki, Hiroshi; Harada, Hiroshi Kasanuki Noboru; Mitsuishi, Mamoru; Kitamori, Takehiko; Tei, Yuichi; Nakaoka, Ryusuke; Haishima, Yuji

    2014-01-01

    Division of Medical Devices has been conducting the projects to accelerate the practical use of innovative medical devices to collaborate with TWIns, Center for Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Waseda University and School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. The TWIns has been studying to aim at establishment of preclinical evaluation methods by "Engineering Based Medicine", and established Regulatory Science Institute for Medical Devices. School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo has been studying to aim at establishment of assessment methodology for innovative minimally invasive therapeutic devices, materials, and nanobio diagnostic devices. This report reviews the exchanges of personnel, the implement systems and the research progress of these projects.

  14. Do radio frequencies of medical instruments common in the operating room interfere with near-infrared spectroscopy signals?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shadgan, Babak; Molavi, Behnam; Reid, W. D.; Dumont, Guy; Macnab, Andrew J.

    2010-02-01

    Background: Medical and diagnostic applications of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are increasing, especially in operating rooms (OR). Since NIRS is an optical technique, radio frequency (RF) interference from other instruments is unlikely to affect the raw optical data, however, NIRS data processing and signal output could be affected. Methods: We investigated the potential for three common OR instruments: an electrical cautery, an orthopaedic drill and an imaging system, to generate electromagnetic interference (EMI) that could potentially influence NIRS signals. The time of onset and duration of every operation of each device was recorded during surgery. To remove the effects of slow changing physiological variables, we first used a lowpass filter and then selected 2 windows with variable lengths around the moment of device onset. For each instant, variances (energy) and means of the signals in the 2 windows were compared. Results: Twenty patients were studied during ankle surgery. Analysis shows no statistically significant difference in the means and variance of the NIRS signals (p < 0.01) during operation of any of the three devices for all surgeries. Conclusion: This method confirms the instruments evaluated caused no significant interference. NIRS can potentially be used without EMI in clinical environments such as the OR.

  15. Evaluation of CdZnTe as neutron detector around medical accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin-Martin, A.; Iniguez, M. P.; Luke, P. N.; Barquero, R.; Lorente, A.; Morchon, J.; Gallego, E.; Quincoces, G.; Marti-Climent, J. M.

    2009-01-01

    The operation of electron linear accelerators (LINACs) and cyclotrons can produce a mixed gamma-neutron field composed of energetic neutrons coming directly from the source and scattered lower energy neutrons. The thermal neutron detection properties of a non-moderated coplanar-grid CdZnTe (CZT) gamma-ray detector close to an 18 MV electron LINAC and an 18 MeV proton cyclotron producing the radioisotope 18 F for positron emission tomography are investigated. The two accelerators are operated at conditions producing similar thermal neutron fluence rates of the order of 104 cm -2 s -1 at the measurement locations. The counting efficiency of the CZT detector using the prompt 558 keV photopeak following 113 Cd thermal neutron capture is evaluated and a good neutron detection performance is found at the two installations. (authors)

  16. The psychoactive effects of psychiatric medication: the elephant in the room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moncrieff, Joanna; Cohen, David; Porter, Sally

    2013-01-01

    The psychoactive effects of psychiatric medications have been obscured by the presumption that these medications have disease-specific actions. Exploiting the parallels with the psychoactive effects and uses of recreational substances helps to highlight the psychoactive properties of psychiatric medications and their impact on people with psychiatric problems. We discuss how psychoactive effects produced by different drugs prescribed in psychiatric practice might modify various disturbing and distressing symptoms, and we also consider the costs of these psychoactive effects on the mental well-being of the user. We examine the issue of dependence, and the need for support for people wishing to withdraw from psychiatric medication. We consider how the reality of psychoactive effects undermines the idea that psychiatric drugs work by targeting underlying disease processes, since psychoactive effects can themselves directly modify mental and behavioral symptoms and thus affect the results of placebo-controlled trials. These effects and their impact also raise questions about the validity and importance of modern diagnosis systems. Extensive research is needed to clarify the range of acute and longer-term mental, behavioral, and physical effects induced by psychiatric drugs, both during and after consumption and withdrawal, to enable users and prescribers to exploit their psychoactive effects judiciously in a safe and more informed manner.

  17. Small-scale laser based electron accelerators for biology and medicine: a comparative study of the biological effectiveness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Labate, Luca; Andreassi, Maria Grazia; Baffigi, Federica; Basta, Giuseppina; Bizzarri, Ranieri; Borghini, Andrea; Candiano, Giuliana C.; Casarino, Carlo; Cresci, Monica; Di Martino, Fabio; Fulgentini, Lorenzo; Ghetti, Francesco; Gilardi, Maria Carla; Giulietti, Antonio; Köster, Petra; Lenci, Francesco; Levato, Tadzio; Oishi, Yuji; Russo, Giorgio; Sgarbossa, Antonella; Traino, Claudio; Gizzi, Leonida A.

    2013-05-01

    Laser-driven electron accelerators based on the Laser Wakefield Acceleration process has entered a mature phase to be considered as alternative devices to conventional radiofrequency linear accelerators used in medical applications. Before entering the medical practice, however, deep studies of the radiobiological effects of such short bunches as the ones produced by laser-driven accelerators have to be performed. Here we report on the setup, characterization and first test of a small-scale laser accelerator for radiobiology experiments. A brief description of the experimental setup will be given at first, followed by an overview of the electron bunch characterization, in particular in terms of dose delivered to the samples. Finally, the first results from the irradiation of biological samples will be briefly discussed.

  18. Radiation protection for particle accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verdu, G.; Rodenas, J.; Campayo, J.M.

    1992-01-01

    It a a great number of medical installations in spain using particle accelerators for radiotherapy. It is obvious the importance of an accurate estimation of the doses produced in these installations that may be received by health workers, patients or public. The lower values of dose limits established in the new ICRP recommendations imply a recalculation of items concerning such installations. In our country, specific guidelines for radiation protection in particle accelerators facilities have not been yet developed, however two possible guides can be used, NCRP report number 51 and DIN Standard 6847. Both have been analyzed comparatively in the paper, and major remarks have been summarized. Interest has been focused on thickness estimation of shielding barriers in order to verify whether must be modified to comply with the new dose limits. Primary and secondary barriers for a Mevatron used in a Medical Center, have been calculated and the results have been compared with actual data obtained from the installation, to test the adequacy of shielding barriers and radioprotection policies. The results obtained are presented and analyzed in order to state the implications of the new ICRP recommendations. (author)

  19. Accelerating medical education: a survey of deans and program directors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joan Cangiarella

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: A handful of medical schools in the U.S. are awarding medical degrees after three years. While the number of three-year pathway programs is slowly increasing there is little data on the opinions of medical education leaders on the need for shortening training. Purpose: To survey deans and program directors (PDs to understand the current status of 3-year medical degree programs and to elicit perceptions of the need for shortening medical school and the benefits and liabilities of 3-year pathway programs (3YPP. Methods: Online surveys were emailed to the academic deans of all U.S. medical schools and to a convenience sample of residency and fellowship PDs. Frequency distributions are reported for key survey items and content analysis was used to describe open-ended responses. Results: Of the respondents, 7% have a 3YPP, 4% were developing one, and 35% were considering development. In 2014, 47% of educational deans and 32% of PDs agreed that there may be a need to shorten medical school. From a list of benefits, both deans and PDs agreed that the greatest benefit to a 3YPP was debt reduction (68%. PDs and deans felt reduced readiness for independence, reduced exposure to complementary curricula regarding safety and quality improvement, premature commitment to a specialty, and burnout were all potential liabilities. From a list of concerns, PDs were concerned about depth of clinical exposure, direct patient care experience, ability to assume increased responsibility, level of maturity, and certainty regarding career choice. Conclusions: Over one-third of medical schools are considering the development of a 3YPP. While there may be benefits for a select group of students, concerns regarding maturity, depth of clinical exposure, and competency must be addressed for these programs to be well received.

  20. Effect of environmental change in radiography room and psychological impact on young patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Seon Chil; Seok, Eun Jo

    2007-01-01

    The attempt to enhance the environment of hospitals has increased recently to minimize young patients' anxiety about tests and inspections. This gives more satisfaction with the medical service to kids and young patients. The department of radiology endeavors to improve the conditions of existing radiography rooms to help young patients psychologically feel relaxed. This facilitates the process of inspections. This paper examines the relationship between the environment of radiography rooms and its effect on young patients' state of mind. 94 patients at the age of five were observed before and after the improvement of environment of the hospital. Positive results about the psychological state of the young patients were shown after the change of the environment. The result of this paper gives an idea that the modification of hospital environment has a critical importance to the young patients' psychological state. By this conclusion it may help to improve the quality of the medical service

  1. Effect of environmental change in radiography room and psychological impact on young patients

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Seon Chil; Seok, Eun Jo [Daegu Health College, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-03-15

    The attempt to enhance the environment of hospitals has increased recently to minimize young patients' anxiety about tests and inspections. This gives more satisfaction with the medical service to kids and young patients. The department of radiology endeavors to improve the conditions of existing radiography rooms to help young patients psychologically feel relaxed. This facilitates the process of inspections. This paper examines the relationship between the environment of radiography rooms and its effect on young patients' state of mind. 94 patients at the age of five were observed before and after the improvement of environment of the hospital. Positive results about the psychological state of the young patients were shown after the change of the environment. The result of this paper gives an idea that the modification of hospital environment has a critical importance to the young patients' psychological state. By this conclusion it may help to improve the quality of the medical service.

  2. Post-acceleration of laser driven protons with a compact high field linac

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinigardi, Stefano; Londrillo, Pasquale; Rossi, Francesco; Turchetti, Giorgio; Bolton, Paul R.

    2013-05-01

    We present a start-to-end 3D numerical simulation of a hybrid scheme for the acceleration of protons. The scheme is based on a first stage laser acceleration, followed by a transport line with a solenoid or a multiplet of quadrupoles, and then a post-acceleration section in a compact linac. Our simulations show that from a laser accelerated proton bunch with energy selection at ~ 30MeV, it is possible to obtain a high quality monochromatic beam of 60MeV with intensity at the threshold of interest for medical use. In the present day experiments using solid targets, the TNSA mechanism describes accelerated bunches with an exponential energy spectrum up to a cut-off value typically below ~ 60MeV and wide angular distribution. At the cut-off energy, the number of protons to be collimated and post-accelerated in a hybrid scheme are still too low. We investigate laser-plasma acceleration to improve the quality and number of the injected protons at ~ 30MeV in order to assure efficient post-acceleration in the hybrid scheme. The results are obtained with 3D PIC simulations using a code where optical acceleration with over-dense targets, transport and post-acceleration in a linac can all be investigated in an integrated framework. The high intensity experiments at Nara are taken as a reference benchmarks for our virtual laboratory. If experimentally confirmed, a hybrid scheme could be the core of a medium sized infrastructure for medical research, capable of producing protons for therapy and x-rays for diagnosis, which complements the development of all optical systems.

  3. Development of wide area environment accelerator operation and diagnostics method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uchiyama, Akito; Furukawa, Kazuro

    2015-08-01

    Remote operation and diagnostic systems for particle accelerators have been developed for beam operation and maintenance in various situations. Even though fully remote experiments are not necessary, the remote diagnosis and maintenance of the accelerator is required. Considering remote-operation operator interfaces (OPIs), the use of standard protocols such as the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) is advantageous, because system-dependent protocols are unnecessary between the remote client and the on-site server. Here, we have developed a client system based on WebSocket, which is a new protocol provided by the Internet Engineering Task Force for Web-based systems, as a next-generation Web-based OPI using the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System Channel Access protocol. As a result of this implementation, WebSocket-based client systems have become available for remote operation. Also, as regards practical application, the remote operation of an accelerator via a wide area network (WAN) faces a number of challenges, e.g., the accelerator has both experimental device and radiation generator characteristics. Any error in remote control system operation could result in an immediate breakdown. Therefore, we propose the implementation of an operator intervention system for remote accelerator diagnostics and support that can obviate any differences between the local control room and remote locations. Here, remote-operation Web-based OPIs, which resolve security issues, are developed.

  4. Development of wide area environment accelerator operation and diagnostics method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akito Uchiyama

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Remote operation and diagnostic systems for particle accelerators have been developed for beam operation and maintenance in various situations. Even though fully remote experiments are not necessary, the remote diagnosis and maintenance of the accelerator is required. Considering remote-operation operator interfaces (OPIs, the use of standard protocols such as the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP is advantageous, because system-dependent protocols are unnecessary between the remote client and the on-site server. Here, we have developed a client system based on WebSocket, which is a new protocol provided by the Internet Engineering Task Force for Web-based systems, as a next-generation Web-based OPI using the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System Channel Access protocol. As a result of this implementation, WebSocket-based client systems have become available for remote operation. Also, as regards practical application, the remote operation of an accelerator via a wide area network (WAN faces a number of challenges, e.g., the accelerator has both experimental device and radiation generator characteristics. Any error in remote control system operation could result in an immediate breakdown. Therefore, we propose the implementation of an operator intervention system for remote accelerator diagnostics and support that can obviate any differences between the local control room and remote locations. Here, remote-operation Web-based OPIs, which resolve security issues, are developed.

  5. Future control room design (modernization of control room systems)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reischl, Ludwig; Freitag, Timo; Dergel, Rene

    2009-01-01

    In the frame of lifetime extension for nuclear power plants the modernization of the complete safety and operational control technology will be digitalized. It is also recommended to modernize the operator facilities, monitoring systems in the control room, the back-up shut-down center and the local control stations. The authors summarize the reasons for the modernization recommendations and discuss possible solutions for display-oriented control rooms. A concept for control room backfitting includes generic requirements, requirements of the local authorities, ergonomic principles information content and information density, and the design process. The backfitting strategy should include a cooperation with the operational personnel, The quality assurance and training via simulator needs sufficient timing during the implementation of the backfitting.

  6. Simulated versus realistic intra operative radiation therapy (I.O.R.T.) treatment in operating room: from knowledge of stray radiation to action

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andreoli, S.; Moretti, R.; Catalano, M.; Locatelli, F.

    2006-01-01

    Intra-Operative Radiation Therapy (I.O.R.T.) is carried out with electron beams produced by a Linac (Linear Accelerator) generally used for conventional radiotherapy with external beam, or by dedicated accelerators that can be employed directly into an operating room. I.O.R.T. refers to the application of radiation during a surgical intervention, after the removal of a neoplastic mass. I.O.R.T. uses on the tumour area a direct irradiation, for the possible localisation of sub-clinic illness or macroscopic residue in the case of non-radical resection. Intra-Operative Radiotherapy foresees a single session only, generally preceded or followed by radiotherapy with external beam. It allows the achievement of a selective radiation boost on the tumour volume. In some cases, it can also be used as a one-time/stand alone treatment in initial cancer of small volume, or in unresectable malignancies for palliative purpose. The technical advantages of I.O.R.T. consist in the direct visual control of the target volume, and in the possibility to protect the healthy tissues by moving them away from the path of the radiation beam. The use of electron beams allows the administration of a homogeneous dose to a selected layer of tissues surrounding the tumour. The following professional staff forms the Operative Group: radiation oncologist, surgeon, anaesthetist, medical physicist, radiation technologist, nurse.The choice of a simulation geometry very similar to the clinical situation allows to evaluate radioprotection data very close to the real situation. For a fixed layout, an anthropomorphic phantom was positioned on the operating bed and a breast I.O.R.T. treatment was simulated positioning all the accessories of the operating room in their typical positions. A detailed dose mapping was performed with a Victoreen 450P ionisation chamber and with environment film-dosimeter on the walls of the operating room during the simulation of the clinical treatment. The simulation appears

  7. Linear accelerator radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia: case report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yun, Hyong Geun [Dongguk University International Hospital, Goyang (Korea, Republic of)

    2006-06-15

    Trigeminal neuralgia is defined as an episodic electrical shock-like sensation in a dermatomal distribution of the trigeminal nerve. When medications fail to control pain, various procedures are used to attempt to control refractory pain. Of available procedures, stereotactic radiosurgery is the least invasive procedure and has been demonstrated to produce significant pain relief with minimal side effects. Recently, linear accelerators were introduced as a tool for radiosurgery of trigeminal neuralgia beneath the already accepted gamma unit. Author have experienced one case with trigeminal neuralgia treated with linear accelerator. The patient was treated with 85 Gy by means of 5 mm collimator directed to trigeminal nerve root entry zone. The patient obtained pain free without medication at 20 days after the procedure and remain pain free at 6 months after the procedure. He didn't experience facial numbness or other side effects.

  8. Assess of the Status of the Karaj Operating Rooms in Comparison with International Standards in 2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.H. Naseri

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Because of making money, the operating room (OR is known as the beating heart of any clinical & health center. The effective and regular activity of the operating room guarantees a sustainable income for the hospital. So, in order to provide high quality treatment and care services, and to save the health and safety of OR staff, exploiting standard equipments and spaces as well as employing professional and skilled personnel is necessary. This study was aimed to assess the status of the Karaj operating rooms from physical, safety, sterilization, staffing and equipment aspects in comparison to the International Standards. Methods: This sectional descriptive study was conducted in Alborz University of Medical Sciences in 2011. Samples were 10 operating room wards from 10 surgical hospitals. Data were collected by a 70 items check-list at 5 fields of physical, safety, sterilization, staffing and equipment conditions and then compared to the international standards. The data were recorded in SPSS software and analyzed by statistical methods. Results: The results showed that compared to the international standards, the physical aspect was 60.5%, safety aspect 66%, sterilization aspect 68%, staffing aspect 63%, and equipment aspect was 80% close to the standard criteria. On the whole, in 10 assessed hospitals, equipment aspect with 80% had the best and the physical aspect with 60.5% had the worst conditions respectively. Conclusion: Due to admission in different medical and paramedical programs in Alborz University of Medical Sciences, renovation of the ORs is essential for training skilled students. Considering the results of this study could help the University authorities to improve the current condition.

  9. Controlling the clean room atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meeks, R.F.

    1979-01-01

    Several types of clean rooms are commonly in use. They include the conventional clean room, the horizontal laminar flow clean room, the vertical laminar flow clean room and a fourth type that incorporates ideas from the previous types and is known as a clean air bench or hood. These clean rooms are briefly described. The origin of contamination and methods for controlling the contamination are discussed

  10. Development of electron linear accelerators in SAMEER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krishnan, R.

    2015-01-01

    LINear Accelerator (LINAC) based Radiotherapy machine is a key tool for Cancer Treatment. The number of such linac machines available is far less than the actual requirement projected, to suffice the needs of the vast number of Cancer Patients in the country. Development of indigenous state-of-art cancer therapy machine was therefore a crucial achievement under the Jai Vigyan Project of Govt. of India. With the support of Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Govt of India, SAMEER has successfully developed 6 MV Radiation Oncology machine at par international standards and is being used to treat cancer patients in the country. SAMEER is also currently developing the dual photon energy and multiple electron energy medical linac machine for radiotherapy and also critical accessories to make a complete oncology system required for advanced state of art treatment. In this paper the work in SAMEER on electron linear accelerators for the medical applications and the related technology and facilities available will be presented. (author)

  11. History of medical radionuclide production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ice, R D

    1995-11-01

    Radionuclide production for medical use originally was incidental to isotope discoveries by physicists and chemists. Once the available radionuclides were identified they were evaluated for potential medical use. Hevesy first used 32P in 1935 to study phosphorous metabolism in rats. Since that time, the development of cyclotrons, linear accelerators, and nuclear reactors have produced hundreds of radionuclides for potential medical use. The history of medical radionuclide production represents an evolutionary, interdisciplinary development of applied nuclear technology. Today the technology is represented by a mature industry and provides medical benefits to millions of patients annually.

  12. 14 MV pelletron accelerator and superconducting ECR ion source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, A.K.

    2015-01-01

    The BARC-TIFR 14UD Pelletron Accelerator at Mumbai has completed more than two and a half decade of successful operation. The accelerator is primarily used for basic research in the fields of nuclear, atomic and molecular, condensed matter physics and material science. The application areas include accelerator mass spectrometry, production of track-etch membranes, radioisotopes production, radiation damage studies and secondary neutron production for cross section measurement etc. Over the years, numerous developmental activities have been carried out in-house that have resulted in improving the overall performance and uptime of the accelerator and has also made possible to initiate variety of application oriented programmes. Since the SF 6 pressure vessels have been in operation for about 29 years, a comprehensive refurbishment and retrofitting work is carried out to comply with the safety recommendations. Recently, the beam trials were conducted with 18 GHz superconducting ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) Ion Source system at Van-de-Graaff as per BARC Safety Council permission. Various ion beams with different charge states were extracted and mass analyzed and the beam quality was measured by recording their transverse emittance in situ. Experimental measurements pertaining to projectile X-rays Spectroscopy were carried out using variety of ion beams at variable energies. The superconducting Linac booster provides additional acceleration to the ions from Pelletron injector up to A ∼60 region with E∼5 MeV/A. In order to cover the entire mass range of the elements across the periodic table, an ECR based heavy ion accelerator was initiated under plan project. This heavy ion accelerator essentially comprises of a superconducting ECR ion source, room temperature RFQ (Radio Frequency Quadrupole) followed by superconducting Niobium resonators as accelerating elements. This talk will provide an overview of the developmental activities and the safety features

  13. Evaluation of time-accelerated irradiation method of elastomer by modulus-ultimate elongation profile

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Masayuki; Oka, Toshitaka; Hama, Yosimasa

    2009-01-01

    'Generalized modulus-ultimate elongation profile' was induced from the relationship between the modulus and the ultimate elongation of an elastomer that was quantitatively added crosslinking and scission. This profile can be used to evaluate the time-accelerated irradiation methods of ethylene-propylene-diene elastomer. The irradiation under low dose rate (0.33 kGy/h) at room temperature was the reference condition. The short-time irradiation condition was 4.2 kGy/h in 0.5 MPa oxygen at room temperature and 5.0 kGy/h in air at 70 o C. The former tended to bring about the higher ratio of scission than the reference condition; the latter tended to bring about the higher ratio of crosslinking.

  14. [The development of organization of medical social care of adolescents].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chicherin, L P; Nagaev, R Ia

    2014-01-01

    The model of the subject of the Russian Federation is used to consider means of development of health protection and health promotion in adolescents including implementation of the National strategy of activities in interest of children for 2012-2017 approved by decree No761 of the President of Russia in June 1 2012. The analysis is carried out concerning organization of medical social care to this group of population in medical institutions and organizations of different type in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Nowadays, in 29 territories medical social departments and rooms, 5 specialized health centers for children, 6 clinics friendly to youth are organized. The analysis of manpower support demonstrates that in spite of increasing of number of rooms and departments of medical social care for children and adolescents decreasing of staff jobs both of medical personnel and psychologists and social workers occurs. The differences in priorities of functioning of departments and rooms of medical social care under children polyclinics, health centers for children and clinics friendly to youth are established. The questionnaire survey of pediatricians and adolescents concerning perspectives of development of adolescent service established significant need in development of specialized complex center. At the basis of such center problems of medical, pedagogical, social, psychological, legal profile related to specific characteristics of development and medical social needs of adolescents can be resolved. The article demonstrates organizational form of unification on the functional basis of the department of medical social care of children polyclinic and clinic friendly to youth. During three years, number of visits of adolescents to specialists of the center increases and this testifies awareness of adolescents and youth about activities of department of medical social care. The most percentage of visits of adolescents to specialists was made with prevention purpose. Among

  15. Caching and interpolated likelihoods: accelerating cosmological Monte Carlo Markov chains

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bouland, Adam; Easther, Richard; Rosenfeld, Katherine, E-mail: adam.bouland@aya.yale.edu, E-mail: richard.easther@yale.edu, E-mail: krosenfeld@cfa.harvard.edu [Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven CT 06520 (United States)

    2011-05-01

    We describe a novel approach to accelerating Monte Carlo Markov Chains. Our focus is cosmological parameter estimation, but the algorithm is applicable to any problem for which the likelihood surface is a smooth function of the free parameters and computationally expensive to evaluate. We generate a high-order interpolating polynomial for the log-likelihood using the first points gathered by the Markov chains as a training set. This polynomial then accurately computes the majority of the likelihoods needed in the latter parts of the chains. We implement a simple version of this algorithm as a patch (InterpMC) to CosmoMC and show that it accelerates parameter estimatation by a factor of between two and four for well-converged chains. The current code is primarily intended as a ''proof of concept'', and we argue that there is considerable room for further performance gains. Unlike other approaches to accelerating parameter fits, we make no use of precomputed training sets or special choices of variables, and InterpMC is almost entirely transparent to the user.

  16. Caching and interpolated likelihoods: accelerating cosmological Monte Carlo Markov chains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouland, Adam; Easther, Richard; Rosenfeld, Katherine

    2011-01-01

    We describe a novel approach to accelerating Monte Carlo Markov Chains. Our focus is cosmological parameter estimation, but the algorithm is applicable to any problem for which the likelihood surface is a smooth function of the free parameters and computationally expensive to evaluate. We generate a high-order interpolating polynomial for the log-likelihood using the first points gathered by the Markov chains as a training set. This polynomial then accurately computes the majority of the likelihoods needed in the latter parts of the chains. We implement a simple version of this algorithm as a patch (InterpMC) to CosmoMC and show that it accelerates parameter estimatation by a factor of between two and four for well-converged chains. The current code is primarily intended as a ''proof of concept'', and we argue that there is considerable room for further performance gains. Unlike other approaches to accelerating parameter fits, we make no use of precomputed training sets or special choices of variables, and InterpMC is almost entirely transparent to the user

  17. Radiological and economic impact of decommissioning charged particle accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sonck, M.; Buls, N.; Hermanne, A.; Eggermont, G.

    2000-01-01

    To evaluate the real radiological and economic consequences of future dismantling of particle accelerators, only insufficient information was available in literature or even at the individual accelerator facilities themselves. DGXI of the European Commission hence launched a project with focus on gathering quantitative and scientifically sound data on the number of accelerators in the EU, on the status of activation of the different facilities, on the awareness of the possible problems at dismantling and on cost evacuations for full scale decommissioning. The project was granted to the VUB with subcontracts to NIRAS/ONDRAF, MAN and CEA-Saclay. With the replies received to an extensive questionnaire, a database was set up with the necessary data for evaluating the decommissioning problems to be expected at the different facilities. From this database three accelerators were chosen as reference cases (VUB medium energy cyclotron, IRMM 200 MeV electron linear accelerator and the 6 GeV proton synchrotron Saturne in Saclay). Extensive sampling of their concrete shieldings (more than 200 drill cores) and metal parts of accelerator and infrastructure, followed by accurate γ-spectrometric analysis and custom designed 3D interpolation, yield data on the 3D distribution of the activity in the different rooms of the installations. In addition to the γ-spectrometric analysis, an analysis of the tritium content of the concrete was performed by measuring the water liberated from heating ground concrete samples. These specific activity distributions allow evaluation of both immediate and deferred decommissioning costs using different scenarios (different clearance levels, different waste management prices, different labor costs and different decommissioning techniques) based on real situations in France, Germany and Great Britain. Several important conclusions and recommendations with respect to decommissioning both existing and future accelerator facilities will be presented

  18. First-Case Operating Room Delays: Patterns Across Urban Hospitals of a Single Health Care System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Callie M. Cox Bauer

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Operating room delays decrease health care system efficiency and increase costs. To improve operating room efficiency in our system, we retrospectively investigated delay frequencies, causes and costs. Methods: We studied all first-of-the-day nonemergent surgical cases performed at three high-volume urban hospitals of a large health system from July 2012 to November 2013. Times for patient flow from arrival to procedure start and documented reasons for delay were obtained from electronic medical records. Delay was defined as patient placement in the operating room later than scheduled surgery time. Effects of patient characteristics, late patient arrival to the hospital, number of planned procedures, years of surgeon experience, service department and hospital facility on odds of delay were examined using logistic regression. Results: Of 5,598 cases examined, 88% were delayed. Patients arrived late to the hospital (surgery in 65% of first cases. Mean time from arrival to scheduled surgery and in-room placement was 104.6 and 127.4 minutes, respectively. Mean delay time was 28.2 minutes. Nearly 60% of delayed cases had no documented reason for delay. For cases with documentation, causes included the physician (52%, anesthesia (15%, patient (13%, staff (9%, other sources (6% and facility (5%. Regression analysis revealed age, late arrival, department and facility as significant predictors of delay. Estimated delay costs, based on published figures and representing lost revenue, were $519,388. Conclusions: To improve operating room efficiency, multidisciplinary strategies are needed for increasing patient adherence to recommended arrival times, documentation of delay by medical staff and consistency in workflow patterns among facilities and departments.

  19. Room for improvement: Palliating the ego in feedback-resistant medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perrella, Andrew

    2017-05-01

    Feedback in medical education provides the impetus for growth in a field pressured to demonstrate continuous progress. Unfortunately, as it always incorporates some level of judgment, certain students appear more resistant than receptive to receiving feedback. Coupled with the ubiquitous stressors of medicine-examinations, perpetual knowledge acquisition, competition for employment-there subtly emerges a learning environment in which the mindset of medical trainees morphs from collegiality to outperformance of one's peers. As the unconscious mind is ultimately focused on self-protection, the cognitive response of reflecting upon received feedback is overcome by an emotional response to safeguard one's self-image against criticism in a culture of comparison. Although self-confidence plays a critical role in mitigating burnout, the relationship between resiliency and ego-armoring is rarely discussed in the literature. Consequently, despite the best intentions of educators in fostering clinical maturity among their trainees, the fact remains that insecurity, inadequacy and invulnerability continue to drive feedback-resistance among medical students.

  20. Foundations for teaching surgeons to address the contributions of systems to operating room team conflict.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, David A; Lingard, Lorelei; Boehler, Margaret L; Espin, Sherry; Schindler, Nancy; Klingensmith, Mary; Mellinger, John D

    2013-09-01

    Prior research has shown that surgeons who effectively manage operating room conflict engage in a problem-solving stage devoted to modifying systems that contribute to team conflict. The purpose of this study was to clarify how systems contributed to operating room team conflict and clarify what surgeons do to modify them. Focus groups of circulating nurses and surgeons were conducted at 5 academic medical centers. Narratives describing the contributions of systems to operating room conflict and behaviors used by surgeons to address those systems were analyzed using the constant comparative approach associated with a constructivist grounded theory approach. Operating room team conflict was affected by 4 systems-related factors: team features, procedural-specific staff training, equipment management systems, and the administrative leadership itself. Effective systems problem solving included advocating for change based on patient safety concerns. The results of this study provide clarity about how systems contribute to operating room conflict and what surgeons can do to effectively modify these systems. This information is foundational material for a conflict management educational program for surgeons. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.