Preliminary design study for a corkscrew gantry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koehler, A.M.

1987-01-01

For two years or more a group including the author has been working together to study some problems related to the design of a gentry system for flexible direction of a proton beam for clinical treatments. Some consideration was given to the classic gantry geometry. Attempting to reduce the radius of the gantry arm by reducing the drift space after the scattering foils led to an analysis of the significance of inverse square intensity effects. The conclusion reached is that a drift space of about 3 meters is required to preserve some skin sparing for larger targets. To circumvent this problem the scattering foils ere put somewhere inside or even before the gantry system, accepting the fact that magnet apertures would have to be increased. This gantry system has the interesting ability to produce oblong fields of excellent uniformity with reasonable efficiency, preferentially with the long axis of the field parallel to the axis of rotation. It was disappointing, however, to find that the overall size of the gantry with its counterweights remained very large. Another change in geometry was proposed therefore in order to reduce the space taken up by the gantry and its counterweight. The beam is bent 45 0 in the horizontal plane and then again by 45 0 so that it is pointing away from isocenter, but in the plan of rotation of the gantry. The beam is now bent in that plane of rotation until it is pointed at isocenter. This is accomplished by two bends of 135 0 each with a suitable drift space between them so that the beam is pointed vertically downward at isocenter. The three dimensional complexity of the beam trajectory led to the name Corkscrew Gantry

Computerized tomographic x-ray scanner system and gantry assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyd, D.P.; Lanzara, G.

1991-01-01

This patent describes a scanner assembly. It comprises: a support head, a C-shaped gantry, means for supporting the gantry in the support head for rotating movement, an x-ray source mounted on one side of the gantry for independent movement with respect to a detector array along the gantry, the x-ray source projecting x-rays across the gantry, and a detector array mounted on the other side of a gantry for independent movement with respect to the x-ray source along the gantry, the detector array serving to receive the projected x-rays

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

Science.gov (United States)

Rowshanfarzad, Pejman; Sabet, Mahsheed; O'Connor, Daryl J; McCowan, Peter M; McCurdy, Boyd M C; Greer, Peter B

2012-02-01

Electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) have been studied and used for pretreatment and in-vivo dosimetry applications for many years. The application of EPIDs for dosimetry in arc treatments requires accurate characterization of the mechanical sag of the EPID and gantry during rotation. Several studies have investigated the effects of gravity on the sag of these systems but each have limitations. In this study, an easy experiment setup and accurate algorithm have been introduced to characterize and correct for the effect of EPID and gantry sag during arc delivery. Three metallic ball bearings were used as markers in the beam: two of them fixed to the gantry head and the third positioned at the isocenter. EPID images were acquired during a 360° gantry rotation in cine imaging mode. The markers were tracked in EPID images and a robust in-house developed MATLAB code was used to analyse the images and find the EPID sag in three directions as well as the EPID + gantry sag by comparison to the reference gantry zero image. The algorithm results were then tested against independent methods. The method was applied to compare the effect in clockwise and counter clockwise gantry rotations and different source-to-detector distances (SDDs). The results were monitored for one linear accelerator over a course of 15 months and six other linear-accelerators from two treatment centers were also investigated using this method. The generalized shift patterns were derived from the data and used in an image registration algorithm to correct for the effect of the mechanical sag in the system. The Gamma evaluation (3%, 3 mm) technique was used to investigate the improvement in alignment of cine EPID images of a fixed field, by comparing both individual images and the sum of images in a series with the reference gantry zero image. The mechanical sag during gantry rotation was dependent on the gantry angle and was larger in the in-plane direction, although the patterns were not

Gantry for computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandt, R.T.; Hein, P.W.

1981-01-01

A novel design of gantry for use in computed tomography is described in detail. In the new gantry, curved tracks are mounted to the laterally spaced apart sides of the frame which rotates and carries the detector and X-ray source. This permits the frame to be tilted either side of vertical enabling angular slices of body layers to be viewed and allows simplification of the algorithm which the computer uses for image reconstruction. The tracks are supported on rollers which carry the substantial weight. Explicit engineering details are presented. (U.K.)

A comprehensive study of the mechanical performance of gantry, EPID and the MLC assembly in Elekta linacs during gantry rotation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rowshanfarzad, P; Lynggaard Riis, Hans; Zimmermann, S J

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: In radiotherapy treatments, it is crucial to monitor the performance of linear accelerator (linac) components, including gantry, collimation system and electronic portal imaging device (EPID) during arc deliveries. In this study, a simple EPID-based measurement method is suggested...... collimator leaf bank assemblies was around 1 mm. A meaningful correlation was found between the age of the linacs and their mechanical performance. Conclusions and Advances in knowledge: The method and software developed in this study provide a simple tool for effective investigation of the behaviour...

Rotational IMRT techniques compared to fixed gantry IMRT and Tomotherapy: multi-institutional planning study for head-and-neck cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiezorek, Tilo; Schubert, Kai; Wagner, Daniela; Wendt, Thomas G; Brachwitz, Tim; Georg, Dietmar; Blank, Eyck; Fotina, Irina; Habl, Gregor; Kretschmer, Matthias; Lutters, Gerd; Salz, Henning

2011-01-01

Recent developments enable to deliver rotational IMRT with standard C-arm gantry based linear accelerators. This upcoming treatment technique was benchmarked in a multi-center treatment planning study against static gantry IMRT and rotational IMRT based on a ring gantry for a complex parotid gland sparing head-and-neck technique. Treatment plans were created for 10 patients with head-and-neck tumours (oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx) using the following treatment planning systems (TPS) for rotational IMRT: Monaco (ELEKTA VMAT solution), Eclipse (Varian RapidArc solution) and HiArt for the helical tomotherapy (Tomotherapy). Planning of static gantry IMRT was performed with KonRad, Pinnacle and Panther DAO based on step&shoot IMRT delivery and Eclipse for sliding window IMRT. The prescribed doses for the high dose PTVs were 65.1Gy or 60.9Gy and for the low dose PTVs 55.8Gy or 52.5Gy dependend on resection status. Plan evaluation was based on target coverage, conformity and homogeneity, DVHs of OARs and the volume of normal tissue receiving more than 5Gy (V 5Gy ). Additionally, the cumulative monitor units (MUs) and treatment times of the different technologies were compared. All evaluation parameters were averaged over all 10 patients for each technique and planning modality. Depending on IMRT technique and TPS, the mean CI values of all patients ranged from 1.17 to 2.82; and mean HI values varied from 0.05 to 0.10. The mean values of the median doses of the spared parotid were 26.5Gy for RapidArc and 23Gy for VMAT, 14.1Gy for Tomo. For fixed gantry techniques 21Gy was achieved for step&shoot+KonRad, 17.0Gy for step&shoot+Panther DAO, 23.3Gy for step&shoot+Pinnacle and 18.6Gy for sliding window. V 5Gy values were lowest for the sliding window IMRT technique (3499 ccm) and largest for RapidArc (5480 ccm). The lowest mean MU value of 408 was achieved by Panther DAO, compared to 1140 for sliding window IMRT. All IMRT delivery technologies with their associated TPS

SU-E-T-160: Characterization and Monitoring of Linear Accelerator Gantry Radiation Isocenter Motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Letourneau, D; Amin, N; Wang, K; Norrlinger, B; Jaffray, D; McNiven, A

2015-01-01

Purpose: To characterize the motion of the radiation isocenter, over time, as a function of gantry rotation for multiple linear accelerators (linacs). Two semi-automated image-based quality control (QC) test workflows were designed to achieve this goal. Methods: The full QC-test workflow for motion characterization consisted of acquiring 16 megavoltage images at 8 gantry angles of a ball-bearing suspended off the end of the couch. Performance constancy was assessed using a shortened QC-test workflow which consisted of imaging a cube phantom placed on the couch (5 images at 4 gantry angles). Both workflows use an image processing algorithm to determine the field center and phantom position on each image and computed radiation isocenter motion as a function of gantry angle. Motion was characterized for 9 linacs of same model and performance monitored for 2 months on 3 linacs. Results: The maximum isocenter motion determined with the full-workflow for 9 linacs was within 0.38–0.79 mm. The shortened-workflow usually agreed within 0.1 mm with the full-workflow and the time required for these methods was about 4 and 15 min, respectively. For all linacs, the isocenter motion perpendicular to the gantry rotation plane followed a consistent pattern with maximum amplitude of 0.36–0.59 mm. In the gantry rotation plane, the variation among linacs was higher and the beam axis described a circle of up to 0.6 mm radius around the gantry axis of rotation (2 linacs). The radiation isocenter motion was stable as a function of time for the monitored linacs and was within ±0.1 mm of the average. Conclusion: Radiation isocenter motion parallel and perpendicular to the gantry rotation plane was characterized. In the gantry rotation plane, beam spot positioning adjustment might be used to reduce the observed radiation isocenter motion. A shortened-workflow was designed and enables performance monitoring over time

Rotational IMRT techniques compared to fixed gantry IMRT and Tomotherapy: multi-institutional planning study for head-and-neck cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lutters Gerd

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent developments enable to deliver rotational IMRT with standard C-arm gantry based linear accelerators. This upcoming treatment technique was benchmarked in a multi-center treatment planning study against static gantry IMRT and rotational IMRT based on a ring gantry for a complex parotid gland sparing head-and-neck technique. Methods Treatment plans were created for 10 patients with head-and-neck tumours (oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx using the following treatment planning systems (TPS for rotational IMRT: Monaco (ELEKTA VMAT solution, Eclipse (Varian RapidArc solution and HiArt for the helical tomotherapy (Tomotherapy. Planning of static gantry IMRT was performed with KonRad, Pinnacle and Panther DAO based on step&shoot IMRT delivery and Eclipse for sliding window IMRT. The prescribed doses for the high dose PTVs were 65.1Gy or 60.9Gy and for the low dose PTVs 55.8Gy or 52.5Gy dependend on resection status. Plan evaluation was based on target coverage, conformity and homogeneity, DVHs of OARs and the volume of normal tissue receiving more than 5Gy (V5Gy. Additionally, the cumulative monitor units (MUs and treatment times of the different technologies were compared. All evaluation parameters were averaged over all 10 patients for each technique and planning modality. Results Depending on IMRT technique and TPS, the mean CI values of all patients ranged from 1.17 to 2.82; and mean HI values varied from 0.05 to 0.10. The mean values of the median doses of the spared parotid were 26.5Gy for RapidArc and 23Gy for VMAT, 14.1Gy for Tomo. For fixed gantry techniques 21Gy was achieved for step&shoot+KonRad, 17.0Gy for step&shoot+Panther DAO, 23.3Gy for step&shoot+Pinnacle and 18.6Gy for sliding window. V5Gy values were lowest for the sliding window IMRT technique (3499 ccm and largest for RapidArc (5480 ccm. The lowest mean MU value of 408 was achieved by Panther DAO, compared to 1140 for sliding window IMRT. Conclusions All

'Riesenrad' ion gantry for hadrontherapy: Part III

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benedikt, M.; Bryant, P.; Holy, P.; Pullia, M.

1999-01-01

When using accelerator beams for cancer therapy, the three-dimensional freedom afforded by a gantry helps the treatment planner to spread out surface doses, avoid directions that intercept vital organs and irradiate a volume that is conformal with the tumour. The general preference is for an iso-centric gantry turning 360 deg. in the vertical plane around the patient bed with sufficient space to be able to orientate the patient through 360 deg. in the horizontal plane. For hadrontherapy, gantries are impressive structures of the order of 10 m in diameter and 100 ton in weight and to date only proton gantries have been demonstrated to operate satisfactorily. The increased magnetic rigidity of say carbon ions will make ion gantries more difficult and costly to build. For this reason, exo-centric gantries and, in particular the so-called 'Riesenrad' gantry with a single 90 deg. bending magnet, merit further attention. The power consumption is reduced and the heavy magnets with their counterbalance weight are reduced and are kept close to the axis. The treatment room, which is lighter, is positioned at a larger radius, but only the patient bed requires careful alignment. An optics module called a 'rotator' is needed to match an incoming dispersion vector to the gantry in order to have an achromatic beam at the patient. A practical design is described that assumes the beam is derived from a slow-extraction scheme in a synchrotron and that the beam sizes are controlled by modules in the transfer line. Magnetic scanning is integrated into the gantry optics for both transverse directions

`Riesenrad' ion gantry for hadrontherapy: Part III

Science.gov (United States)

Benedikt, M.; Bryant, P.; Holy, P.; Pullia, M.

1999-07-01

When using accelerator beams for cancer therapy, the three-dimensional freedom afforded by a gantry helps the treatment planner to spread out surface doses, avoid directions that intercept vital organs and irradiate a volume that is conformal with the tumour. The general preference is for an iso-centric gantry turning 360° in the vertical plane around the patient bed with sufficient space to be able to orientate the patient through 360° in the horizontal plane. For hadrontherapy, gantries are impressive structures of the order of 10 m in diameter and 100 ton in weight and to date only proton gantries have been demonstrated to operate satisfactorily. The increased magnetic rigidity of say carbon ions will make ion gantries more difficult and costly to build. For this reason, exo-centric gantries and, in particular the so-called `Riesenrad' gantry with a single 90° bending magnet, merit further attention. The power consumption is reduced and the heavy magnets with their counterbalance weight are reduced and are kept close to the axis. The treatment room, which is lighter, is positioned at a larger radius, but only the patient bed requires careful alignment. An optics module called a `rotator' is needed to match an incoming dispersion vector to the gantry in order to have an achromatic beam at the patient. A practical design is described that assumes the beam is derived from a slow-extraction scheme in a synchrotron and that the beam sizes are controlled by modules in the transfer line. Magnetic scanning is integrated into the gantry optics for both transverse directions.

Volumetric modulated arc therapy: IMRT in a single gantry arc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otto, Karl

2008-01-01

In this work a novel plan optimization platform is presented where treatment is delivered efficiently and accurately in a single dynamically modulated arc. Improvements in patient care achieved through image-guided positioning and plan adaptation have resulted in an increase in overall treatment times. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) has also increased treatment time by requiring a larger number of beam directions, increased monitor units (MU), and, in the case of tomotherapy, a slice-by-slice delivery. In order to maintain a similar level of patient throughput it will be necessary to increase the efficiency of treatment delivery. The solution proposed here is a novel aperture-based algorithm for treatment plan optimization where dose is delivered during a single gantry arc of up to 360 deg. The technique is similar to tomotherapy in that a full 360 deg. of beam directions are available for optimization but is fundamentally different in that the entire dose volume is delivered in a single source rotation. The new technique is referred to as volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf motion and number of MU per degree of gantry rotation is restricted during the optimization so that gantry rotation speed, leaf translation speed, and dose rate maxima do not excessively limit the delivery efficiency. During planning, investigators model continuous gantry motion by a coarse sampling of static gantry positions and fluence maps or MLC aperture shapes. The technique presented here is unique in that gantry and MLC position sampling is progressively increased throughout the optimization. Using the full gantry range will theoretically provide increased flexibility in generating highly conformal treatment plans. In practice, the additional flexibility is somewhat negated by the additional constraints placed on the amount of MLC leaf motion between gantry samples. A series of studies are performed that characterize the relationship

Design of a "Riesenrad" Ion Gantry for Hadrontherapy

CERN Document Server

Reimoser, S

2000-01-01

The benefit of hadrontherapy can be maximized by offering the possibility to deliver the particle beam from any direction in space towards the patient with the help of a medical gantry. For carbon ions, their increased (magnetic) beam rigidity yields considerable structural difficulties and has so far prevented a practical realization of an ion gantry. The concept of a 'Riesenrad' ion gantry promises to provide an effective and efficient solution. The basic idea is to deflect the ion beam with a single 90° dipole, which rotates around the incoming beam axis, and direct it towards the eccentrically positioned patient cabin. Inside the cabin similar conditions as exist in a classical isocentric treatment room prevail. The practical design of such a Riesenrad gantry, its structural principles and its function are presented. The underlying beam optics and its integration into the mechanical structure are explained. Aspects of safety, and flexibility are discussed.

Is medical linac suitable for high-precision stereotactic irradiation? Investigations in geometrical accuracies of gantry and couch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunieda, Etsuo; Kitamura, Masayuki; Kawaguchi, Osamu; Shigematsu, Naoyuki; Ando, Yutaka; Kubo, Atsushi; Ohira, Takayuki; Tonai, Takenori; Kawase, Takeshi.

1998-01-01

Linac-based radiosurgery has many advantages over the gamma knife, including low initial cost and no need of source replacement. On the other hand, most of the medical linacs currently in use were not originally designed to be applied for radiosurgery, and, therefore, careful quality assurance programs are required. In the gantry-head of a linac, a small CCD video camera is mounted in a position optically identical to that of the x-ray source. The video signal from the camera was digitalized to be evaluated for geometrical errors. A metal ball fixed to the stereotactic base frame via XYZ-sliding rods was used as a simulated target. Displacements of the target from the isocenter were measured during rotation of the gantry. Displacements in the gantry-rotation plane were satisfactorily small, while those perpendicular to it were maximal at gantry position angles of 0deg and 180deg. This error might be caused by gravitational vending of the heavy gantry head. Although other major errors of the linac were within one millimeter, the center of coach rotation around the isocenter did not coincide with the center of gantry rotation, probably owing to gravitational vending. Special care should be taken when very small collimators are employed. (author)

Use of an amorphous silicon EPID for measuring MLC calibration at varying gantry angle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clarke, M F; Budgell, G J

2008-01-01

Amorphous silicon electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) are used to perform routine quality control (QC) checks on the multileaf collimators (MLCs) at this centre. Presently, these checks are performed at gantry angle 0 0 and are considered to be valid for all other angles. Since therapeutic procedures regularly require the delivery of MLC-defined fields to the patient at a wide range of gantry angles, the accuracy of the QC checks at other gantry angles has been investigated. When the gantry is rotated to angles other than 0 0 it was found that the apparent pixel size measured using the EPID varies up to a maximum value of 0.0015 mm per pixel due to a sag in the EPID of up to 9.2 mm. A correction factor was determined using two independent methods at a range of gantry angles between 0 deg. and 360 deg. The EPID was used to measure field sizes (defined by both x-jaws and MLC) at a range of gantry angles and, after this correction had been applied, any residual gravitational sag was studied. It was found that, when fields are defined by the x-jaws and y-back-up jaws, no errors of greater than 0.5 mm were measured and that these errors were no worse when the MLC was used. It was therefore concluded that, provided the correction is applied, measurements of the field size are, in practical terms, unaffected by gantry angle. Experiments were also performed to study how the reproducibility of individual leaves is affected by gantry angle. Measurements of the relative position of each individual leaf (minor offsets) were performed at a range of gantry angles and repeated three times. The position reproducibility was defined by the RMS error in the position of each leaf and this was found to be 0.24 mm and 0.21 mm for the two leaf banks at a gantry angle of 0 0 . When measurements were performed at a range of gantry angles, these reproducibility values remained within 0.09 mm and 0.11 mm. It was therefore concluded that the calibration of the Elekta MLC is stable at

Development and engineering design of a novel exocentric carbon-ion gantry for cancer therapy (the 'Riesenrad' gantry)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimoser, S.A.

2000-10-01

The objective of the present thesis is to develop a novel gantry concept leading to a viable and efficient design for a carbon-ion gantry. Chapter 1 is meant to give some background information on radiation therapy and on the promises of ion treatment. Chapter 2 presents and summarizes existing gantry systems (in particular for protons) and briefly describes the experimental facilities for ion treatment in order to form an idea in what direction the design of an ion gantry might point. Chapter 3 is dedicated to the definition of the medical, beam-optical and mechanical constraints affecting the design of the ion gantry. The principal processes likely to take place inside the ion gantry are highlighted and the various technical systems and their interdependencies are investigated. As a result of these considerations it was decided to focus on the development of an exocentric gantry system for ion therapy, which was eventually named the 'Riesenrad' gantry. In contrast to conventional isocentric gantries, the main 90 o -bending magnet of the Riesenrad is placed on the axis of gantry rotation, hence minimizing the moment of inertia of the mobile structure and maximizing its rigidity. Several preliminary structural concepts for the Riesenrad gantry were generated, analyzed and compared in chapter 4. Finally, the variant featuring an independent telescopic cabin was chosen for further elaboration in a design phase (chapter 5). In the proposed variant, the bending magnet that sits on the axis and its counterweight (62 ton and 23 ton respectively) are supported by a central 'cage' of about 40 t. This gantry yields a higher efficiency in terms of structural weight to supported load compared to any other possible variant. A patient cabin is smoothly moved towards the desired treatment position by a system that is mechanically de-coupled from the central cage. Any desired position (that corresponds to a particular gantry angle) is achieved by vertical translation and

Gantry cranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luttekes, E.; Rijsenbrij, J.C.

2003-01-01

Portal crane (1) for loading and/or unloading a ship having a multiplicity of bays for containers (10) comprising a gantry (2) with travelling gear (5) for supporting the gantry on a quay (13), a boom supported by the gantry made up of a horizontal beam (6) and a jib (7) that during loading and/or

MO-FG-202-04: Gantry-Resolved Linac QA for VMAT: A Comprehensive and Efficient System Using An Electronic Portal Imaging Device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zwan, B J [Central Coast Cancer Centre, Gosford, NSW (Australia); University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW (Australia); Barnes, M; Greer, P B [University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW (Australia); Calvary Mater Hospital, Newcastle, NSW (Australia); Hindmarsh, J; Seymour, E [Central Coast Cancer Centre, Gosford, NSW (Australia); O’Connor, D J [University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW (Australia); Keall, P J [University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW (Australia)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To automate gantry-resolved linear accelerator (linac) quality assurance (QA) for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID). Methods: A QA system for VMAT was developed that uses an EPID, frame-grabber assembly and in-house developed image processing software. The system relies solely on the analysis of EPID image frames acquired without the presence of a phantom. Images were acquired at 8.41 frames per second using a frame grabber and ancillary acquisition computer. Each image frame was tagged with a gantry angle from the linac’s on-board gantry angle encoder. Arc-dynamic QA plans were designed to assess the performance of each individual linac component during VMAT. By analysing each image frame acquired during the QA deliveries the following eight machine performance characteristics were measured as a function of gantry angle: MLC positional accuracy, MLC speed constancy, MLC acceleration constancy, MLC-gantry synchronisation, beam profile constancy, dose rate constancy, gantry speed constancy, dose-gantry angle synchronisation and mechanical sag. All tests were performed on a Varian iX linear accelerator equipped with a 120 leaf Millennium MLC and an aS1000 EPID (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA, USA). Results: Machine performance parameters were measured as a function of gantry angle using EPID imaging and compared to machine log files and the treatment plan. Data acquisition is currently underway at 3 centres, incorporating 7 treatment units, at 2 weekly measurement intervals. Conclusion: The proposed system can be applied for streamlined linac QA and commissioning for VMAT. The set of test plans developed can be used to assess the performance of each individual components of the treatment machine during VMAT deliveries as a function of gantry angle. The methodology does not require the setup of any additional phantom or measurement equipment and the analysis is fully automated to allow for

MO-FG-202-04: Gantry-Resolved Linac QA for VMAT: A Comprehensive and Efficient System Using An Electronic Portal Imaging Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zwan, B J; Barnes, M; Greer, P B; Hindmarsh, J; Seymour, E; O’Connor, D J; Keall, P J

2016-01-01

Purpose: To automate gantry-resolved linear accelerator (linac) quality assurance (QA) for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID). Methods: A QA system for VMAT was developed that uses an EPID, frame-grabber assembly and in-house developed image processing software. The system relies solely on the analysis of EPID image frames acquired without the presence of a phantom. Images were acquired at 8.41 frames per second using a frame grabber and ancillary acquisition computer. Each image frame was tagged with a gantry angle from the linac’s on-board gantry angle encoder. Arc-dynamic QA plans were designed to assess the performance of each individual linac component during VMAT. By analysing each image frame acquired during the QA deliveries the following eight machine performance characteristics were measured as a function of gantry angle: MLC positional accuracy, MLC speed constancy, MLC acceleration constancy, MLC-gantry synchronisation, beam profile constancy, dose rate constancy, gantry speed constancy, dose-gantry angle synchronisation and mechanical sag. All tests were performed on a Varian iX linear accelerator equipped with a 120 leaf Millennium MLC and an aS1000 EPID (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA, USA). Results: Machine performance parameters were measured as a function of gantry angle using EPID imaging and compared to machine log files and the treatment plan. Data acquisition is currently underway at 3 centres, incorporating 7 treatment units, at 2 weekly measurement intervals. Conclusion: The proposed system can be applied for streamlined linac QA and commissioning for VMAT. The set of test plans developed can be used to assess the performance of each individual components of the treatment machine during VMAT deliveries as a function of gantry angle. The methodology does not require the setup of any additional phantom or measurement equipment and the analysis is fully automated to allow for

The PSI Gantry 2: a second generation proton scanning gantry.

Science.gov (United States)

Pedroni, Eros; Bearpark, Ralph; Böhringer, Terence; Coray, Adolf; Duppich, Jürgen; Forss, Sven; George, David; Grossmann, Martin; Goitein, Gudrun; Hilbes, Christian; Jermann, Martin; Lin, Shixiong; Lomax, Antony; Negrazus, Marco; Schippers, Marco; Kotle, Goran

2004-01-01

PSI is still the only location in which proton therapy is applied using a dynamic beam scanning technique on a very compact gantry. Recently, this system is also being used for the application of intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT). This novel technical development and the success of the proton therapy project altogether have led PSI in Year 2000 to further expand the activities in this field by launching the project PROSCAN. The first step is the installation of a dedicated commercial superconducting cyclotron of a novel type. The second step is the development of a new gantry, Gantry 2. For Gantry 2 we have chosen an iso-centric compact gantry layout. The diameter of the gantry is limited to 7.5 m, less than in other gantry systems (approximately 10-12 m). The space in the treatment room is comfortably large, and the access on a fixed floor is possible any time around the patient table. Through the availability of a faster scanning system, it will be possible to treat the target volume repeatedly in the same session. For this purpose, the dynamic control of the beam intensity at the ion source and the dynamic variation of the beam energy will be used directly for the shaping of the dose.

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hancock, S [Southeast Missouri Hospital, Cape Girardeau, MO (United States); Clements, C [Radiological Imaging Technology, Colorado Springs, CO (United States); Hyer, D; Nixon, E [University Of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (United States); Martin, E; Wang, B [University of Louisville, Louisville, KY (United States); Jani, S [Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, CA (United States); Gossman, M [Tri-State Regional Cancer Center, Ashland, KY (United States)

2016-06-15

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

Wireless Synchronization of a Multi-Pinhole Small Animal SPECT Collimation Device With a Clinical Scanner

Science.gov (United States)

DiFilippo, Frank P.; Patel, Sagar

2009-06-01

A multi-pinhole collimation device for small animal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) uses the gamma camera detectors of a standard clinical SPECT scanner. The collimator and animal bed move independently of the detectors, and therefore their motions must be synchronized. One approach is manual triggering of the SPECT acquisition simultaneously with a programmed motion sequence for the device. However, some data blurring and loss of image quality result, and true electronic synchronization is preferred. An off-the-shelf digital gyroscope with integrated Bluetooth interface provides a wireless solution to device synchronization. The sensor attaches to the SPECT gantry and reports its rotational speed to a notebook computer controlling the device. Software processes the rotation data in real-time, averaging the signal and issuing triggers while compensating for baseline drift. Motion commands are sent to the collimation device with minimal delay, within approximately 0.5 second of the start of SPECT gantry rotation. Test scans of a point source demonstrate an increase in true counts and a reduction in background counts compared to manual synchronization. The wireless rotation sensor provides robust synchronization of the collimation device with the clinical SPECT scanner and enhances image quality.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, B; Wong, R; Geng, H; Lam, W; Cheung, K; Yu, S

2016-01-01

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, B; Wong, R; Geng, H; Lam, W; Cheung, K; Yu, S [Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, Hong Kong, N/A, Hong Kong (China)

2016-06-15

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

A feasibility study of Dynamic Phantom scanner for quality assurance of photon beam profiles at various gantry angles.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yunkai; Hsi, Wen C; Chu, James C H; Bernard, Damian B; Abrams, Ross A

2005-01-01

) were observed. Additional profiles with the gantry at 90 degrees and 270 degrees were performed for both MLC- and jaw-shaped photon beams and electron beams to evaluate the effect of gantry rotation. General good agreement is seen (less than 1 % variation) at all field sizes for collimator-shaped 6 MV and 18 MV photon beams. Similar variations observed for MLC-shaped photon beams indicate that the uncertainty in MLC position is similar to that for the collimator jaws. We conclude that the Dynamic Phantom scanner is a useful device for the routine quality assurance on beam profiles of photon beams and for constancy check on electron beams at various gantry angles. Caution should be taken when using this device to acquire basic electron dosimetry data.

SU-E-T-64: CG-Based Radiation Therapy Simulator with Physical Modeling for Avoidance of Collisions Between Gantry and Couch Or Patient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamanouchi, M; Arimura, H; Yuda, I

2014-01-01

Purpose: It is time-consuming and might cause re-planning to check couch-gantry and patient-gantry collisions on a radiotherapy machine when using couch rotations for non-coplanar beam angles. The aim of this study was to develop a computer-graphics (CG)-based radiation therapy simulator with physical modeling for avoidance of collisions between gantry and couch or patient on a radiotherapy machine. Methods: The radiation therapy simulator was three-dimensionally constructed including a radiotherapy machine (Clinac iX, Varian Medical Systems), couch, and radiation treatment room according to their designs by using a physical-modeling-based computer graphics software (Blender, free and open-source). Each patient was modeled by applying a surface rendering technique to their planning computed tomography (CT) images acquired from 16-slice CT scanner (BrightSpeed, GE Healthcare). Immobilization devices for patients were scanned by the CT equipment, and were rendered as the patient planning CT images. The errors in the collision angle of the gantry with the couch or patient between gold standards and the estimated values were obtained by fixing the gantry angle for the evaluation of the proposed simulator. Results: The average error of estimated collision angles to the couch head side was -8.5% for gantry angles of 60 to 135 degree, and -5.5% for gantry angles of 225 to 300 degree. Moreover, the average error of estimated collision angles to the couch foot side was -1.1% for gantry angles of 60 to 135 degree, and 1.4% for gantry angles of 225 to 300 degree. Conclusion: The CG-based radiation therapy simulator could make it possible to estimate the collision angle between gantry and couch or patient on the radiotherapy machine without verifying the collision angles in the radiation treatment room

An EPID-based method for comprehensive verification of gantry, EPID and the MLC carriage positional accuracy in Varian linacs during arc treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowshanfarzad, Pejman; McGarry, Conor K; Barnes, Michael P; Sabet, Mahsheed; Ebert, Martin A

2014-01-01

In modern radiotherapy, it is crucial to monitor the performance of all linac components including gantry, collimation system and electronic portal imaging device (EPID) during arc deliveries. In this study, a simple EPID-based measurement method has been introduced in conjunction with an algorithm to investigate the stability of these systems during arc treatments with the aim of ensuring the accuracy of linac mechanical performance. The Varian EPID sag, gantry sag, changes in source-to-detector distance (SDD), EPID and collimator skewness, EPID tilt, and the sag in MLC carriages as a result of linac rotation were separately investigated by acquisition of EPID images of a simple phantom comprised of 5 ball-bearings during arc delivery. A fast and robust software package was developed for automated analysis of image data. Twelve Varian linacs of different models were investigated. The average EPID sag was within 1 mm for all tested linacs. All machines showed less than 1 mm gantry sag. Changes in SDD values were within 1.7 mm except for three linacs of one centre which were within 9 mm. Values of EPID skewness and tilt were negligible in all tested linacs. The maximum sag in MLC leaf bank assemblies was around 1 mm. The EPID sag showed a considerable improvement in TrueBeam linacs. The methodology and software developed in this study provide a simple tool for effective investigation of the behaviour of linac components with gantry rotation. It is reproducible and accurate and can be easily performed as a routine test in clinics

An ion-optical design study of a carbon-ion rotating gantry with a superconducting final bending magnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bokor, J.; Pavlovič, M.

2016-01-01

Ion-optical designs of an isocentric ion gantry with a compact curved superconducting final bending magnet are presented. The gantry is designed for transporting carbon-therapy beams with nominal kinetic energy of 400 MeV/u, which corresponds to the penetration range of C"6"+ beam in water of about 28 cm. In contrast to other existing designs, we present a “hybrid” beam transport system containing a single superconducting element – the last bending magnet. All other elements are based on conventional warm technology. Ion-optical properties of such a hybrid system are investigated in case of transporting non-symmetric (i.e. different emittance patterns in the horizontal and vertical plane) beams. Different conditions for transporting the non-symmetric beams are analyzed aiming at finding the optimal, i.e. the most compact, gantry version. The final gantry layout is presented including a 2D parallel scanning. The ion-optical and scanning properties of the final gantry design are described, discussed and illustrated by computer simulations performed by WinAGILE.

A feasibility study of the Dynamic Phantom scanner for quality assurance of beam profiles at various gantry angles

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yunkai; Hsi, Wen C.; Chu, James C.H.; Bernard, Damian B.; Abrams, Ross A.

2005-01-01

) were observed. Additional profiles with the gantry at 90° and 270° were performed for both MLC‐ and jaw‐shaped photon beams and electron beams to evaluate the effect of gantry rotation. General good agreement is seen (less than 1 % variation) at all field sizes for collimator‐shaped 6 MV and 18 MV photon beams. Similar variations observed for MLC‐shaped photon beams indicate that the uncertainty in MLC position is similar to that for the collimator jaws. We conclude that the Dynamic Phantom scanner is a useful device for the routine quality assurance on beam profiles of photon beams and for constancy check on electron beams at various gantry angles. Caution should be taken when using this device to acquire basic electron dosimetry data. PACS number: 87.53.‐j PMID:15940212

Beam-transport study of an isocentric rotating ion gantry with minimum number of quadrupoles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlovic, Marius; Griesmayer, Erich; Seemann, Rolf

2005-01-01

A beam-transport study of an isocentric gantry for ion therapy is presented. The gantry is designed with the number of quadrupoles down to the theoretical minimum, which is the feature published for the first time in this paper. This feature has been achieved without compromising the ion-optical functions of the beam-transport system that is capable of handling non-symmetric beams (beams with different emittances in vertical and horizontal plane), pencil-beam scanning, double-achromatic optics and beam-size control. Ion-optical properties of the beam-transport system are described, discussed and illustrated by computer simulations performed by the TRANSPORT-code

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, S; Lu, H; Flanz, J; Depauw, N; Adams, J; Gorissen, BL; Wang, Y; Daartz, J; Bortfeld, T

2015-01-01

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, S; Lu, H; Flanz, J; Depauw, N; Adams, J; Gorissen, BL; Wang, Y; Daartz, J; Bortfeld, T [Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States)

2015-06-15

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

The effect of restraints type on the generated stresses in gantry crane beam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sowa Leszek

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper includes an analysis of the mechanical phenomena in the gantry crane beam, because the cranes are currently one of the most common devices for the transporting loads. Designing modern mechanical structures is a complex task that requires the use of appropriate tools. Such a modern tool is the numerical simulation, which uses different numerical methods. One of the best known methods is the finite element method, also used here. Simulations are limited to analysis of the strength of the gantry crane beam that was the loaded of the force load movement along its length. The numerical analysis was made to the gantry crane beam which cross-section was an I-beam and ends were fixed in different ways. As the result of numerical calculations, the stresses and displacements of the structure of gantry were obtained. The influence of the restraints type and changing the loading force position on generate the Huber-Misses stress in the gantry crane beam was estimated. The aim was to ensure that the maximum equivalent stress generated in the gantry crane beam was less than the strength of material, because then the construction is safe.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Ning; Ghebremedhin, Abiel; Patyal, Baldev

2015-01-01

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

Motion planning for gantry mounted manipulators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Anders Lau; Petersen, Henrik Gordon

2007-01-01

We present a roadmap based planner for finding robot motions for gantry mounted manipulators for a line welding application at Odense Steel Shipyard (OSS). The robot motions are planned subject to constraints on when the gantry may be moved. We show that random sampling of gantry configurations...

"Riesenrad" Ion Gantry for Hadron Therapy, 3

CERN Document Server

Benedikt, Michael; Holy, P; Pullia, M

1999-01-01

When using accelerator beams for cancer therapy, the three-dimensional freedom afforded by a gantry helps the treatment planner to spread out surface doses, avoid directions that intercept vital organs and irradiate a volume that is conformal with the tumour. The general preference is for an iso-centric gantry turning 360° in the vertical plane around the patient bed with sufficient space to be able to orientate the patient through 360° in the horizontal plane. For hadrontherapy, gantries are impressive structures of the order of 10 m in diameter and 100 tons in weight and to date only proton gantries have been demonstrated to operate satisfactorily. The increased magnetic rigidity of say carbon ions will make ion gantries more difficult and costly to build. For this reason, exo-centric gantries and, in particular the so-called 'Riesenrad' gantry with a single 90° bending magnet, merit further attention. The power consumption is reduced and the heavy magnets with their counterbalance weight are reduced and...

Impact of gantry rotation time on plan quality and dosimetric verification. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) vs. intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasler, Marlies; Wirtz, Holger; Lutterbach, Johannes [Gemeinschaftspraxis fuer Strahlentherapie Singen-Friedrichshafen, Singen (Germany)

2011-12-15

To compare plan quality criteria and dosimetric accuracy of step-and-shoot intensity-modulated radiotherapy (ss-IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy (VMAT) using two different gantry rotation times. This retrospective planning study based on 20 patients was comprised of 10 prostate cancer (PC) and 10 head and neck (HN) cancer cases. Each plan contained two target volumes: a primary planning target volume (PTV) and a boost volume. For each patient, one ss-IMRT plan and two VMAT plans at 90 s (VMAT90) and 120 s (VMAT120) per arc were generated with the Pinnacle {sup copyright} planning system. Two arcs were provided for the PTV plans and a single arc for boost volumes. Dosimetric verification of the plans was performed using a 2D ionization chamber array placed in a full scatter phantom. VMAT reduced delivery time and monitor units for both treatment sites compared to IMRT. VMAT120 vs. VMAT90 increased delivery time and monitor units in PC plans without improving plan quality. For HN cases, VMAT120 provided comparable organs at risk sparing and better target coverage and conformity than VMAT90. In the VMAT plan verification, an average of 97.1% of the detector points passed the 3 mm, 3% {gamma} criterion, while in IMRT verification it was 98.8%. VMAT90, VMAT120, and IMRT achieved comparable treatment plans. Slower gantry movement in VMAT120 plans only improves dosimetric quality for highly complex targets.

Impact of gantry rotation time on plan quality and dosimetric verification. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) vs. intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasler, Marlies; Wirtz, Holger; Lutterbach, Johannes

2011-01-01

To compare plan quality criteria and dosimetric accuracy of step-and-shoot intensity-modulated radiotherapy (ss-IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy (VMAT) using two different gantry rotation times. This retrospective planning study based on 20 patients was comprised of 10 prostate cancer (PC) and 10 head and neck (HN) cancer cases. Each plan contained two target volumes: a primary planning target volume (PTV) and a boost volume. For each patient, one ss-IMRT plan and two VMAT plans at 90 s (VMAT90) and 120 s (VMAT120) per arc were generated with the Pinnacle copyright planning system. Two arcs were provided for the PTV plans and a single arc for boost volumes. Dosimetric verification of the plans was performed using a 2D ionization chamber array placed in a full scatter phantom. VMAT reduced delivery time and monitor units for both treatment sites compared to IMRT. VMAT120 vs. VMAT90 increased delivery time and monitor units in PC plans without improving plan quality. For HN cases, VMAT120 provided comparable organs at risk sparing and better target coverage and conformity than VMAT90. In the VMAT plan verification, an average of 97.1% of the detector points passed the 3 mm, 3% γ criterion, while in IMRT verification it was 98.8%. VMAT90, VMAT120, and IMRT achieved comparable treatment plans. Slower gantry movement in VMAT120 plans only improves dosimetric quality for highly complex targets.

"Riesenrad" Ion Gantry for Hadron Therapy, 3

OpenAIRE

Benedikt, Michael; Bryant, P J; Holy, P; Pullia, M

1999-01-01

When using accelerator beams for cancer therapy, the three-dimensional freedom afforded by a gantry helps the treatment planner to spread out surface doses, avoid directions that intercept vital organs and irradiate a volume that is conformal with the tumour. The general preference is for an iso-centric gantry turning 360° in the vertical plane around the patient bed with sufficient space to be able to orientate the patient through 360° in the horizontal plane. For hadrontherapy, gantries are...

Roll and pitch set-up errors during volumetric modulated arc delivery: can adapting gantry and collimator angles compensate?

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmans-Holtzer, Nienke A; Hoffmans, Daan; Dahele, Max; Slotman, Ben J; Verbakel, Wilko F A R

2015-03-01

The purpose of this work was to investigate whether adapting gantry and collimator angles can compensate for roll and pitch setup errors during volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) delivery. Previously delivered clinical plans for locally advanced head-and-neck (H&N) cancer (n = 5), localized prostate cancer (n = 2), and whole brain with simultaneous integrated boost to 5 metastases (WB + 5M, n = 1) were used for this study. Known rigid rotations were introduced in the planning CT scans. To compensate for these, in-house software was used to adapt gantry and collimator angles in the plan. Doses to planning target volumes (PTV) and critical organs at risk (OAR) were calculated with and without compensation and compared with the original clinical plan. Measurements in the sagittal plane in a polystyrene phantom using radiochromic film were compared by gamma (γ) evaluation for 2 H&N cancer patients. For H&N plans, the introduction of 2°-roll and 3°-pitch rotations reduced mean PTV coverage from 98.7 to 96.3%. This improved to 98.1% with gantry and collimator compensation. For prostate plans respective figures were 98.4, 97.5, and 98.4%. For WB + 5M, compensation worked less well, especially for smaller volumes and volumes farther from the isocenter. Mean comparative γ evaluation (3%, 1 mm) between original and pitched plans resulted in 86% γ plan restored the mean comparison to 96% γ < 1. Preliminary data suggest that adapting gantry and collimator angles is a promising way to correct roll and pitch set-up errors of < 3° during VMAT for H&N and prostate cancer.

Carbon/proton therapy: A novel gantry design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Trbojevic

2007-05-01

Full Text Available A major expense and design challenge in carbon/proton cancer therapy machines are the isocentric gantries. The transport elements of the carbon/proton gantry are presently made of standard conducting dipoles. Because of their large weight, of the order of ∼100   tons, the total weight of the gantry with support structure is ∼600   tons. The novel gantry design that is described here is made of fixed field superconducting magnets, thus dramatically reducing magnet size and weight compared to conventional magnets. In addition, the magnetic field is constant throughout the whole energy region required for tumor treatment. Particles make very small orbit offsets, passing through the beam line. The beam line is built of combined-function dipoles such as a nonscaling fixed field alternating gradient (NS-FFAG structure. The very large momentum acceptance NS-FFAG comes from very strong focusing and very small dispersion. The NS-FFAG small magnets almost completely filled the beam line. They first make a quarter (or close to a quarter of an arc bending upward and an additional half of a circle beam line finishing so that the beam is pointed towards the patient. At the end of the gantry, additional magnets with a fast response are required to allow radial scanning and to provide the required position and spot size. The fixed field combined-function magnets for the carbon gantry could be made of superconducting magnets by using low temperature superconducting cable or by using high temperature superconductors.

Oscillation measuring device for body of rotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komita, Hideo.

1994-01-01

The present invention concerns an internal pump of a BWR type reactor and provides a device for detecting oscillations of a rotational shaft. Namely, recesses are formed along an identical circumference on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating portion each at a predetermined distance. The recesses rotate along with the rotation. An eddy current type displacement gage measures the distance to the outer circumferential surface of the rotating portion. The recesses are detected by the displacement gage as pulse signals. When the rotating portion oscillates, it is detected by the displacement gage as waveform signals. Accordingly, the output signals of the eddy current type displacement gage are formed by pulse signals superposed on the waveform signals. A rising detection circuit detects the rising position of the pulse signals as the components of the number of rotation of the rotating portion, and fall detection circuit detects the falling position. A comparator circuit is disposed in parallel with both of rising/falling detection circuits. A predetermined threshold value is set in the comparator circuit to output a signal when the inputted signal exceeds the value. (I.S.)

Preliminary Test on Hydraulic Rotation Device for Neutron Transmutation Doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Ki-Jung; Kang, Han-Ok; Kim, Seong Hoon; Park, Cheol

2014-01-01

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is developing a new Research Reactor (KJRR) which will be located at KIJANG in the south-eastern province of Korea. The KJRR will be mainly utilized for isotope production, NTD production, and the related research activities. During the NTD process, the irradiation rig containing the silicon ingot rotates at the constant speed to ensure precisely defined homogeneity of the irradiation. A new NTD Hydraulic Rotation Device (NTDHRD) is being developed to rotate the irradiation rigs at the required speed. In this study, the preliminary test and the analysis for the rotation characteristic of the NTDHRD, which is developed through the conceptual design, are described. A new NTD hydraulic rotation device is being developed for the purpose of application to the KIJANG research reactor (KJRR). The preliminary test and analysis for the rotation characteristic of the NTDHRD, which is developed through the conceptual design, are conducted in experimental apparatus. The film thickness by the thrust bearing is measured and the minimum required mass flow rate for stable rotation is determined

A novel gantry for proton therapy at the Paul Scherrer Institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedroni, E.; Boehringer, T.; Coray, A.; Goitein, G.; Grossmann, M.; Lomax, A.; Lin, S.; Jermann, M.

2001-01-01

PSI has gained in the last few years the unique experience of using a proton therapy system based on a beam scanning delivery technique and on a compact gantry. This knowledge is now bringing forth new initiatives. We are continuously producing significant modifications and improvements to the present system, gantry 1. The major new step is however the decision of PSI to purchase a dedicated accelerator for the medical project. In the context of the expansion of the medical project of PSI (project PROSCAN) we have also started to plan the realisation of a second proton gantry, gantry 2. In this lecture we present the main ideas for the novel gantry, which will be based on one hand on the experience with the present technology, but on the other hand should be designed as a system more open to further developments and needs. The established and the future requirements for the beam delivery on the new gantry were routed into the specification list for the dedicated accelerator

Mechanical analysis and optimisation of large and highly-loaded bearing rollers For the "Riesenrad" Ion Gantry

CERN Document Server

Reimoser, S A

2000-01-01

A carbon ion gantry would allow the irradiation of cancer patients with carbon ions from any direction in space best suited for therapy. Till today, such a machine has not been built due to the expected size, mass and cost. A novel design, called "Riesenrad" ion gantry, promises to provide a competitive solution. The central part of the Riesenrad, which can rotate ± 90°, is supported (statically determinate) on pendular bearing units with two rollers each. High precision requirements for the structure rule out any plastic deformations in the area of contact. The present report describes the design of the highly-loaded rollers. In order to achieve a large contact area and a uniform distribution of contact stresses, a "barrel shape" for the rollers is proposed. An analysis using the finite element method (FEM) was performed to optimise the roller design, namely to establish the required crown roll (camber radius).

Evaluation of a dual-room sliding gantry CT concept for workflow optimisation in polytrauma and regular in- and outpatient management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frellesen, Claudia; Boettcher, Marie; Wichmann, Julian L.; Drieske, Martina; Kerl, J. Matthias; Lehnert, Thomas [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt (Germany); Nau, Christoph; Geiger, Emmanuel; Wutzler, Sebastian [Department of Trauma, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt (Germany); Ackermann, Hanns [Department of Biostatistics and Mathematical Modelling, Clinic of the Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt (Germany); Vogl, Thomas J. [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt (Germany); Bauer, Ralf W., E-mail: ralfwbauer@aol.com [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt (Germany)

2015-01-15

Highlights: • A sliding gantry trauma room CT solution facilitates significantly faster polytrauma management. • Faster and more efficient resumption of regularly scheduled patients due to a two room solution is supported. • Sliding gantry CT achieves the same patient throughput as two separate conventional CT devices. - Abstract: Objectives: To reveal the impact on workflow from introducing a dual-room sliding gantry CT to the trauma room for polytrauma and regularly scheduled in- outpatients with regard to efficiency and degree of capacity utilisation. Materials and methods: Time analysis was performed for 30 polytrauma patients each in 2 different trauma room settings, the new trauma room comprising a sliding gantry CT, the old one a stationary single-room CT. Complete trauma room and diagnostic workup times were manually measured and compared for both groups. In a third scenario, the number of CT scans performed with one single sliding gantry CT and the two-room concept was compared to the number of CT scans performed on two separate regular CT units in a 5 days clinical routine sample. Results: Patients demographics and type of CT examinations were comparable for all patient groups. The median time from patient arrival in the trauma room until beginning of CT scanning was 6 min shorter for the sliding gantry CT group (21 vs.15 min). Sliding gantry CT embedded in a two-room solution achieved 252 CT scans in 5 working days, compared to 250 CT scans on two separate regular CT units with the same man power. Conclusions: Sliding gantry CT in the trauma room allows for significant time saving in the diagnostic workup of polytrauma patients and faster resumption of the regular in- outpatient's CT schedule is possible. With the same man power, the dual-room solution is able to generate the same throughput as two separate CT units.

Evaluation of a dual-room sliding gantry CT concept for workflow optimisation in polytrauma and regular in- and outpatient management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frellesen, Claudia; Boettcher, Marie; Wichmann, Julian L.; Drieske, Martina; Kerl, J. Matthias; Lehnert, Thomas; Nau, Christoph; Geiger, Emmanuel; Wutzler, Sebastian; Ackermann, Hanns; Vogl, Thomas J.; Bauer, Ralf W.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A sliding gantry trauma room CT solution facilitates significantly faster polytrauma management. • Faster and more efficient resumption of regularly scheduled patients due to a two room solution is supported. • Sliding gantry CT achieves the same patient throughput as two separate conventional CT devices. - Abstract: Objectives: To reveal the impact on workflow from introducing a dual-room sliding gantry CT to the trauma room for polytrauma and regularly scheduled in- outpatients with regard to efficiency and degree of capacity utilisation. Materials and methods: Time analysis was performed for 30 polytrauma patients each in 2 different trauma room settings, the new trauma room comprising a sliding gantry CT, the old one a stationary single-room CT. Complete trauma room and diagnostic workup times were manually measured and compared for both groups. In a third scenario, the number of CT scans performed with one single sliding gantry CT and the two-room concept was compared to the number of CT scans performed on two separate regular CT units in a 5 days clinical routine sample. Results: Patients demographics and type of CT examinations were comparable for all patient groups. The median time from patient arrival in the trauma room until beginning of CT scanning was 6 min shorter for the sliding gantry CT group (21 vs.15 min). Sliding gantry CT embedded in a two-room solution achieved 252 CT scans in 5 working days, compared to 250 CT scans on two separate regular CT units with the same man power. Conclusions: Sliding gantry CT in the trauma room allows for significant time saving in the diagnostic workup of polytrauma patients and faster resumption of the regular in- outpatient's CT schedule is possible. With the same man power, the dual-room solution is able to generate the same throughput as two separate CT units

Design, fabrication and transportation of Si rotating device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, Nobuaki; Imaizumi, Tomomi; Takemoto, Noriyuki; Tanimoto, Masataka; Saito, Takashi; Hori, Naohiko; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Romanova, Nataliya; Gizatulin, Shamil; Martyushov, Alexandr; Nakipov, Darkhan; Chakrov, Petr; Tanaka, Futoshi; Nakajima, Takeshi

2012-06-01

Si semiconductor production by Neutron Transmutation Doping (NTD) method using the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) has been investigated in Neutron Irradiation and Testing Reactor Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) in order to expand industry use. As a part of investigations, irradiation test of silicon ingot for development of NTD-Si with high quality was planned using WWR-K in Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP), National Nuclear Center of Republic of Kazakhstan (NNC-RK) based on one of specific topics of cooperation (STC), Irradiation Technology for NTD-Si (STC No.II-4), on the implementing arrangement between NNC-RK and the JAEA for 'Nuclear Technology on Testing/Research Reactors' in cooperation in research and development in nuclear energy and technology. As for the irradiation test, Si rotating device was fabricated in JAEA, and the fabricated device was transported with irradiation specimens from JAEA to INP-NNC-RK. This report described the design, the fabrication, the performance test of the Si rotating device and transportation procedures. (author)

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yi, B; Xu, H; Mutaf, Y; Prado, K [Univ. of Maryland School Of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2015-06-15

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

VMATc: VMAT with constant gantry speed and dose rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Fei; Romeijn, H Edwin; Epelman, Marina A; Jiang, Steve B

2015-01-01

This article considers the treatment plan optimization problem for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) with constant gantry speed and dose rate (VMATc). In particular, we consider the simultaneous optimization of multi-leaf collimator leaf positions and a constant gantry speed and dose rate. We propose a heuristic framework for (approximately) solving this optimization problem that is based on hierarchical decomposition. Specifically, an iterative algorithm is used to heuristically optimize dose rate and gantry speed selection, where at every iteration a leaf position optimization subproblem is solved, also heuristically, to find a high-quality plan corresponding to a given dose rate and gantry speed. We apply our framework to clinical patient cases, and compare the resulting VMATc plans to idealized IMRT, as well as full VMAT plans. Our results suggest that VMATc is capable of producing treatment plans of comparable quality to VMAT, albeit at the expense of long computation time and generally higher total monitor units. (paper)

Moving gantry method for electron beam dose profile measurement at extended source-to-surface distances.

Science.gov (United States)

Fekete, Gábor; Fodor, Emese; Pesznyák, Csilla

2015-03-08

A novel method has been put forward for very large electron beam profile measurement. With this method, absorbed dose profiles can be measured at any depth in a solid phantom for total skin electron therapy. Electron beam dose profiles were collected with two different methods. Profile measurements were performed at 0.2 and 1.2 cm depths with a parallel plate and a thimble chamber, respectively. 108cm × 108 cm and 45 cm × 45 cm projected size electron beams were scanned by vertically moving phantom and detector at 300 cm source-to-surface distance with 90° and 270° gantry angles. The profiles collected this way were used as reference. Afterwards, the phantom was fixed on the central axis and the gantry was rotated with certain angular steps. After applying correction for the different source-to-detector distances and incidence of angle, the profiles measured in the two different setups were compared. Correction formalism has been developed. The agreement between the cross profiles taken at the depth of maximum dose with the 'classical' scanning and with the new moving gantry method was better than 0.5 % in the measuring range from zero to 71.9 cm. Inverse square and attenuation corrections had to be applied. The profiles measured with the parallel plate chamber agree better than 1%, except for the penumbra region, where the maximum difference is 1.5%. With the moving gantry method, very large electron field profiles can be measured at any depth in a solid phantom with high accuracy and reproducibility and with much less time per step. No special instrumentation is needed. The method can be used for commissioning of very large electron beams for computer-assisted treatment planning, for designing beam modifiers to improve dose uniformity, and for verification of computed dose profiles.

New system for linear accelerator radiosurgery with a gantry-mounted video camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunieda, Etsuo; Kitamura, Masayuki; Kawaguchi, Osamu; Ohira, Takayuki; Ogawa, Kouichi; Ando, Yutaka; Nakamura, Kayoko; Kubo, Atsushi

1998-01-01

Purpose: We developed a positioning method that does not depend on the positioning mechanism originally annexed to the linac and investigated the positioning errors of the system. Methods and Materials: A small video camera was placed at a location optically identical to the linac x-ray source. A target pointer comprising a convex lens and bull's eye was attached to the arc of the Leksell stereotactic system so that the lens would form a virtual image of the bull's eye (virtual target) at the position of the center of the arc. The linac gantry and target pointer were placed at the side and top to adjust the arc center to the isocenter by referring the virtual target. Coincidence of the target and the isocenter could be confirmed in any combination of the couch and gantry rotation. In order to evaluate the accuracy of the positioning, a tungsten ball was attached to the stereotactic frame as a simulated target, which was repeatedly localized and repositioned to estimate the magnitude of the error. The center of the circular field defined by the collimator was marked on the film. Results: The differences between the marked centers of the circular field and the centers of the shadow of the simulated target were less than 0.3 mm

Novel AC Servo Rotating and Linear Composite Driving Device for Plastic Forming Equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Jin-Tao; Zhao, Sheng-Dun; Li, Yong-Yi; Zhu, Mu-Zhi

2017-07-01

The existing plastic forming equipment are mostly driven by traditional AC motors with long transmission chains, low efficiency, large size, low precision and poor dynamic response are the common disadvantages. In order to realize high performance forming processes, the driving device should be improved, especially for complicated processing motions. Based on electric servo direct drive technology, a novel AC servo rotating and linear composite driving device is proposed, which features implementing both spindle rotation and feed motion without transmission, so that compact structure and precise control can be achieved. Flux switching topology is employed in the rotating drive component for strong robustness, and fractional slot is employed in the linear direct drive component for large force capability. Then the mechanical structure for compositing rotation and linear motion is designed. A device prototype is manufactured, machining of each component and the whole assembly are presented respectively. Commercial servo amplifiers are utilized to construct the control system of the proposed device. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed composite driving device, experimental study on the dynamic test benches are conducted. The results indicate that the output torque can attain to 420 N·m and the dynamic tracking errors are less than about 0.3 rad in the rotating drive. the dynamic tracking errors are less than about 1.6 mm in the linear feed. The proposed research provides a method to construct high efficiency and accuracy direct driving device in plastic forming equipment.

The development of a mobile CT-scanner gantry for use in the operating room

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okudera, Hiroshi; Kobayashi, Shigeaki; Koike, Jouji; Harada, Takanobu; Kanemaru, Kei

1989-01-01

We report the development of a mobile CT-scanner gantry which uses a gantry platter. This system has been developed for use in the operating room. We designed a small lift to move the gantry unit of the scanner: the gantry carrier. The scanner gantry is fixed to the gantry carrier. A phantom test with a digitalized operating table worked well in the laboratory, and operating-room use showed that there was no deterioration in image quality. The mobile gantry system has been developed to increase the efficiency of the operating CT-scanner system. This system enables us to obtain CT images during surgery of immediately after surgery in the operating room, i.e., in cases that are not transferable to the radiological department. The operability is basically the same as that of a conventional mobile X-ray unit. Theoretically, this unit could be used with any CT scanner and in any operating room. (author)

A quality assurance device for the accuracy of the isocentres of teletherapy and simulation machines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arjomandy, Bijan; Altschuler, Martin D.

2000-01-01

A new quality assurance device has been designed to measure the location and wobble of the radiation isocentre of linacs and simulation machines as a function of gantry rotation. The radiation isocentre is the intersection in space of the central x-rays of a linac or simulation machine at different gantry angles. Six radio-opaque markers 1 mm in size are embedded in a radio-transparent calibration object (specifically, a hollowed cube) in such a way that the markers are non-coplanar and uniquely identifiable in radiographic projections. The projective radiographs are obtained on the films held by the film holder attached to the gantry during the QA procedure. The marker positions of the calibration object define a known 3D reference frame, and their image positions on each radiograph determine the projective (3D to 2D matrix) transformation for that radiograph. Once the transformation is found, a 3D ray from the radiation source to any radiograph pixel becomes known. The radiographic pixels are coordinated (positioned and scaled) with respect to the projected image of radio-opaque fiducial cross-hairs fixed to a block tray and thus to the gantry. We select the central ray to correspond to the radiographic pixel whose rays at different gantry angles intersect in the smallest spatial domain. That pixel is found by a spiral search in the radiograph outward from the image of the radio-opaque cross-hair intersection. The wobble of the isocentre is defined by the set of points (on the central rays) at closest approach to the isocentre. The device was tested and compared with commercially available QA devices. It is able to locate the isocentre to within 0.5 mm. The offset of this derived radiation isocentre from the intersection of the positioning lasers can be found. To do this, the calibration object is initially placed so that the laser intersection point falls on a seventh radio-opaque marker near the centre of the hollow cube calibration object. The seventh marker

Modular design of a scanning Gantry for animal SPECT, PET and CT applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brady, J.A.M.; Lerch, M.; Bourke, J.; Rozenfeld, A.B.; Meikle, S.R.

2005-01-01

Full text: Using the modular design methodology, we have developed a scanning gantry system; custom designed for multi-modality nuclear imaging techniques (NITs) and the CoALA SPECT project. This paper discusses the gantry's flexible modular design and how significant components and functionality have been reused in other medical physics related instrumentation developed at the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong. The gantry is designed to meet the exacting requirements of researchers in new radiotracer development who require accurate functional and anatomical information-the scanning gantry has a linear stepping accuracy of +/-12.5 microns and an angular accuracy of +/-0.03 degree. The scanning gantry is a precision instrument that is also affordable to research groups working in small laboratories or universities. Copyright (2005) Australian Institute of Physics

Optimizing 4D cone beam computed tomography acquisition by varying the gantry velocity and projection time interval

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O’Brien, Ricky T; Cooper, Benjamin J; Keall, Paul J

2013-01-01

Four dimensional cone beam computed tomography (4DCBCT) is an emerging clinical image guidance strategy for tumour sites affected by respiratory motion. In current generation 4DCBCT techniques, both the gantry rotation speed and imaging frequency are constant and independent of the patient’s breathing which can lead to projection clustering. We present a mixed integer quadratic programming (MIQP) model for respiratory motion guided-4DCBCT (RMG-4DCBCT) which regulates the gantry velocity and projection time interval, in response to the patient’s respiratory signal, so that a full set of evenly spaced projections can be taken in a number of phase, or displacement, bins during the respiratory cycle. In each respiratory bin, an image can be reconstructed from the projections to give a 4D view of the patient’s anatomy so that the motion of the lungs, and tumour, can be observed during the breathing cycle. A solution to the full MIQP model in a practical amount of time, 10 s, is not possible with the leading commercial MIQP solvers, so a heuristic method is presented. Using parameter settings typically used on current generation 4DCBCT systems (4 min image acquisition, 1200 projections, 10 respiratory bins) and a sinusoidal breathing trace with a 4 s period, we show that the root mean square (RMS) of the angular separation between projections with displacement binning is 2.7° using existing constant gantry speed systems and 0.6° using RMG-4DCBCT. For phase based binning the RMS is 2.7° using constant gantry speed systems and 2.5° using RMG-4DCBCT. The optimization algorithm presented is a critical step on the path to developing a system for RMG-4DCBCT. (paper)

Conceptual and ion-optical designs of an isocentric gantry for light-ion cancer therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vorobiev, L.G.; Weick, H.; Wollnik, H.

1998-02-01

Conceptual and ion-optical designs of an isocentric gantry are presented. The gantry is designed for light-ion therapy using a 6 Tm carbon beam. Its main characteristics are: 5 m overall radius, 1.4 m drift to the patient, 20x10 cm 2 treatment field, and two-direction active parallel scanning of a fine focused pencil beam. To achieve these features, the beam scanners are optimally positioned upstream the last 90 bending section consisting of two 45 sector magnets with 4 oblique field boundaries and different apertures. The gantry concept is a compromise between 'barrel' and 'conical' gantry shapes and is likely the most space-saving configuration of single-plane isocentric gantries. This new so-called 'short barrel' configuration features also small aperture quadruple lenses, low intermediate dispersion and a fully achromatic beam transport system. Its overall dimensions stay close to the size of the existing proton gantries. (orig.)

P-shaped Coiled Stator Ultrasound Motor for Rotating Intravascular Surgery Device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toshinobu ABE

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The primary focus of this paper is the development of an ultra-miniature ultrasound motor for use in the human blood vessel. Since the size of the drive source for rotating the atherectomy device and intravascular ultrasonography system are large currently in practical use, it is installed outside the body, and the rotational power for the atherectomy device and intravascular ultrasonography system are transmitted through the long tortuous blood vessel. Such systems suffer from the problem that the rotation becomes non-uniform, and the problem that the available time is limited. We have therefore developed a P-shaped coiled stator ultrasound motor as a miniature ultrasound motor for rotating the ultrasound sensor for use in blood vessels in order to solve these problems. In this paper, we describe measurement of the torque, revolution speed, output power, efficiency, and particle motion on acoustic waveguide of the P-shaped coiled stator ultrasound motor.

Vibration properties of a rotating piezoelectric energy harvesting device that experiences gyroscopic effects

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Haohui; Chai, Tan; Cooley, Christopher G.

2018-03-01

This study investigates the vibration of a rotating piezoelectric device that consists of a proof mass that is supported by elastic structures with piezoelectric layers. Vibration of the proof mass causes deformation in the piezoelectric structures and voltages to power the electrical loads. The coupled electromechanical equations of motion are derived using Newtonian mechanics and Kirchhoff's circuit laws. The free vibration behavior is investigated for devices with identical (tuned) and nonidentical (mistuned) piezoelectric support structures and electrical loads. These devices have complex-valued, speed-dependent eigenvalues and eigenvectors as a result of gyroscopic effects caused by their constant rotation. The characteristics of the complex-valued eigensolutions are related to physical behavior of the device's vibration. The free vibration behaviors differ significantly for tuned and mistuned devices. Due to gyroscopic effects, the proof mass in the tuned device vibrates in either forward or backward decaying circular orbits in single-mode free response. This is proven analytically for all tuned devices, regardless of the device's specific parameters or operating speed. For mistuned devices, the proof mass has decaying elliptical forward and backward orbits. The eigenvalues are shown to be sensitive to changes in the electrical load resistances. Closed-form solutions for the eigenvalues are derived for open and close circuits. At high rotation speeds these devices experience critical speeds and instability.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-11-01

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

Mechanical characterization of the Varian Exact-arm and R-arm support systems for eight aS500 electronic portal imaging devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grattan, Mark W. D.; McGarry, Conor K.

2010-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the positioning accuracy at different gantry angles of two electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) support arm systems by using EPID difference images as a measure for displacement. This work presents a comparison of the mechanical performance of eight Varian aS500 (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) EPIDs, mounted using either the Varian Exact-arm or R-arm. Methods: The mechanical performance of the two arm systems was compared by investigating the variation in sensitivity with gantry angle, both before and after the EPID position was adjusted after gantry rotation. Positional errors were investigated by subtracting images from a reference image taken at gantry 0 deg., and the amplitude of the peaks and troughs at the field edges for longitudinal (radial) and lateral (transverse) profiles across the resulting image was related to the distance of displacement. Calibration curves based on a pixel-by-pixel shift were generated for each EPID and the Varian hand pendant accuracy was compared to the calibration data. Results: The response of the EPIDs was found to change with gantry rotation, with the largest difference at 180 deg. The Exact-arm was found to correct well for any displacement, while the R-arm tended to overcorrect following repositioning using the hand pendant. The calibration curves were consistent within each set of matched linacs, and the hand pendant accuracy was similar for both arm systems, although generally in different directions. With respect to gantry rotation effects, the mechanical performance of the Exact-arm systems was found to be much better than that of the R-arm systems. At gantry positions 90 deg., 270 deg., and 180 deg. the average misalignment in the longitudinal direction was +4.2±0.2, +1.8±1.6, and +7.4±0.5 mm for the R-arms, and +2.9±0.2, +2.1±0.8, and +4.9±0.7 mm for the Exact-arms. In the lateral direction the average positional errors were +2.1±0.4, -4.7±0.4, and -2.5�

Universal crystal cooling device for precession cameras, rotation cameras and diffractometers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajdu, J.; McLaughlin, P.J.; Helliwell, J.R.; Sheldon, J.; Thompson, A.W.

1985-01-01

A versatile crystal cooling device is described for macromolecular crystallographic applications in the 290 to 80 K temperature range. It utilizes a fluctuation-free cold-nitrogen-gas supply, an insulated Mylar crystal cooling chamber and a universal ball joint, which connects the cooling chamber to the goniometer head and the crystal. The ball joint is a novel feature over all previous designs. As a result, the device can be used on various rotation cameras, precession cameras and diffractometers. The lubrication of the interconnecting parts with graphite allows the cooling chamber to remain stationary while the crystal and goniometer rotate. The construction allows for 360 0 rotation of the crystal around the goniometer axis and permits any settings on the arcs and slides of the goniometer head (even if working at 80 K). There are no blind regions associated with the frame holding the chamber. Alternatively, the interconnecting ball joint can be tightened and fixed. This results in a set up similar to the construction described by Bartunik and Schubert where the cooling chamber rotates with the crystal. The flexibility of the systems allows for the use of the device on most cameras or diffractometers. THis device has been installed at the protein crystallographic stations of the Synchrotron Radiation Source at Daresbury Laboratory and in the Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Oxford. Several data sets have been collected with processing statistics typical of data collected without a cooling chamber. Tests using the full white beam of the synchrotron also look promising. (orig./BHO)

{100} or 45.degree.-rotated {100}, semiconductor-based, large-area, flexible, electronic devices

Science.gov (United States)

Goyal, Amit [Knoxville, TN

2012-05-15

Novel articles and methods to fabricate the same resulting in flexible, {100} or 45.degree.-rotated {100} oriented, semiconductor-based, electronic devices are disclosed. Potential applications of resulting articles are in areas of photovoltaic devices, flat-panel displays, thermophotovoltaic devices, ferroelectric devices, light emitting diode devices, computer hard disc drive devices, magnetoresistance based devices, photoluminescence based devices, non-volatile memory devices, dielectric devices, thermoelectric devices and quantum dot laser devices.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-09-01

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

Evaluation of computed tomography coronary angiography in patients with a high heart rate using 16-slice spiral computed tomography with 0.37-s gantry rotation time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Shi-Zheng; Hu, Xiu-Hua; Zhang, Qiao-Wei; Huang, Wen-Xin

2005-01-01

The aim of our study is to evaluate computed tomography (CT) coronary angiography in patients with a high heart rate using 16-slice spiral CT with 0.37-s gantry rotation time. We compare the image quality of patients whose heart rates were over 70 beats per minute (bpm) with that of patients whose heart rates were 70 bpm or less. Sixty patients with various heart rates underwent retrospectively ECG-gated multislice spiral CT (MSCT) coronary angiography. Two experienced observers who were blind to the heart rates of the patients evaluated all the MSCT coronary angiographic images and calculated the assessable segments. A total of 620 out of 891 (69.6%) segments were satisfactorily visualized. On average, 10.3 coronary artery segments per patient could be evaluated. In 36 patients whose heart rates were below 70 bpm [mean 62.2 bpm±5.32 (standard deviation, SD)], the number of assessable segments was 10.72±2.02 (SD). In the other 24 patients whose heart rates were above 70 bpm [mean 78.6 bpm±8.24 (SD)], the corresponding number was 9.75±1.74 (SD). No statistically significant difference was found in these two subgroups' t test, P>0.05. The new generation of 16-slice spiral CT with 0.37-s rotation time can satisfactorily evaluate the coronary arteries of patients with high heart rates (above 70 bpm, up to 102 bpm). (orig.)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-07-07

parameters, deliverable via the presented gantry and ELPIS dose delivery system. The conventional PT gantries are huge and require large space for the gantry to rotate the beam around the patient, which could be reduced up to 4 times with the presented pulse powered gantry system. The further developments in the next generation petawatt laser systems and laser-targets are crucial to reach higher proton energies. However, if proton energies required for therapy applications are reached it could be possible in future to reduce the footprint of the PT facilities, without compromising on clinical standards.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-07-01

parameters, deliverable via the presented gantry and ELPIS dose delivery system. The conventional PT gantries are huge and require large space for the gantry to rotate the beam around the patient, which could be reduced up to 4 times with the presented pulse powered gantry system. The further developments in the next generation petawatt laser systems and laser-targets are crucial to reach higher proton energies. However, if proton energies required for therapy applications are reached it could be possible in future to reduce the footprint of the PT facilities, without compromising on clinical standards.

Optimization of multi-slice helical respiration-correlated CT: the effects of table speed and rotation time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wink, Nicole M; McNitt-Gray, Michael F; Solberg, Timothy D

2005-01-01

While respiration-correlated CT is gaining acceptance in clinical radiotherapy, the effect of scanning parameters on the image quality has yet to be addressed. The intent of this study was to characterize the effects of gantry rotation and table speed on various image quality characteristics in multi-slice, helical, retrospectively-gated CT images. Images of stationary and moving phantoms were obtained in helical mode on a 20-slice CT scanner. Motion was generated by a computer-controlled platform capable of moving simultaneously in two dimensions. Motion was monitored using a pressure gauge inserted inside an adjustable belt. Selected scans were retrospectively gated into ten phases based on the monitored motion. Gantry rotation speeds of 0.5 s and 1.0 s were evaluated with pitches ranging from 0.1 to 0.45. Several parameters, including calculated object volumes, trajectory (movement from peak to trough), deformation (actual volume divided by volume created with the maximum diameter of contoured object) and z-axis resolution, were used to characterize image quality. These studies indicate that for objects in the peak phase of a movement pattern that simulates breathing, retrospectively gated scans using fast gantry rotation speeds produce volume, trajectory, deformation and z-axis resolution results comparable with those of a stationary object

Markerless PET motion correction: tracking in narrow gantries through optical fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Rasmus Ramsbøl; Olesen, Oline Vinter; Benjaminsen, Claus

2015-01-01

be accurate while only adding minimal complexity to the workflow. We present: Tracoline 2.0, a surface scanner prototype, which allows for markerless tracking in the clinic. The system uses structured light through optical fibre bundles, which easily fit in narrow gantries. The optical fibres also makes...... the system compatible with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging since all the electronics are moved away from the scanner. We demonstrate the system in a positron emission tomography (PET) study using the Siemens high resolution research tomography (HRRT). With two Ge/Ga-68 line sources fitted in a mannequin head...... for rotations up to ±25º. Based on the tracking results the PET frames were also successfully corrected for motion by aligning 10 s frames without motion for the stepwise experiment and aligning 1 s frames for the experiment with continuous motion. We have demonstrated and evaluated a system for markerless...

Gantry Crane Scheduling with Interference Constraints in Railway Container Terminals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Guo

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Railway container terminals, where gantry cranes are responsible for loading and unloading containers between freight trains and yards, are important hubs of hinterland logistics transportation. Terminal managers confront the challenge in improving the efficiency of their service. As the most expensive equipment in a terminal, the operational performance of gantry cranes is a crucial factor. In this paper, the gantry crane scheduling problem of railway container terminals is investigated. A mixed integer programming model which considers the effect of dwelling position dependent processing times is formulated. In addition, the safety distances, the travel times and the non-crossing requirement of cranes are incorporated in the mathematical model. A novel discrete artificial bee colony algorithm is presented to solve the intractable scheduling problem. Computational experiments are conducted to evaluate the proposed algorithm on some randomly constructed instances based on typical terminal operational data. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can obtain near optimal solutions for the investigated problem in a reasonable computational time.

SU-F-T-207: Does the Greater Flexibility of Pencil Beam Scanning Reduce the Need for a Proton Gantry?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, S; Depauw, N; Flanz, J; Adams, J; Gorissen, BL; Shih, H; Bortfeld, T; Lu, H [Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Department of Radiation Oncology, Boston, MA (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Gantry-less proton treatment facility could lower the capital cost of proton therapy. This study investigates the dosimetric feasibility of using only coplanar pencil beam scanning (PBS) beams for those patients who had beam angles that would not have been deliverable without the gantry. Those coplanar beams are implemented on gantry-less horizontal beam-line with patients in sitting or standing positions. Methods: We have selected ten patients (seven head-and-neck, one thoracic, one abdominal and one pelvic case) with clinically delivered double scattering (DS) or PBS treatment plans with beam angles that were challenging to achieve without a gantry. After removing these beams angles, PBS plans were optimized for gantry-less intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) or single field optimization (SFO) with multi-criteria optimization (MCO). For head-and-neck patients who were treated by DS, we generated PBS plans with non-coplanar beams for comparison. Dose-volume-histograms (DVHs), target homogeneity index (HI), mean dose, D-2 and D-98 were reported. Robustness analysis was performed with ±2.5 mm setup errors and ±3.5% range uncertainties for three head-and-neck patients. Results: PBS-gantry-less plans provided more homogenous target coverage and significant improvements on organs-at-risk (OARs) sparing, compared to passive scattering treatments with a gantry. The PBS gantry-less treatments reduced the HI for target coverage by 1.3% to 47.2%, except for a suprasellar patient and a liver patient. The PBS-gantry-less plans reduced the D-mean of OARs by 3.6% to 67.4%. The PBS-gantry plans had similar target coverage and only marginal improvements on OAR sparing as compared to the PBS-gantry-less plans. These two PBS plans also had similar robustness relative to range uncertainties and setup errors. Conclusion: The gantry-less plans have with less mean dose to OARs and more homogeneous target coverage. Although the PBS-gantry plans have slightly improved

VMAT optimization with dynamic collimator rotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Qihui; O'Connor, Daniel; Ruan, Dan; Yu, Victoria; Nguyen, Dan; Sheng, Ke

2018-04-16

Although collimator rotation is an optimization variable that can be exploited for dosimetric advantages, existing Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) optimization uses a fixed collimator angle in each arc and only rotates the collimator between arcs. In this study, we develop a novel integrated optimization method for VMAT, accounting for dynamic collimator angles during the arc motion. Direct Aperture Optimization (DAO) for Dynamic Collimator in VMAT (DC-VMAT) was achieved by adding to the existing dose fidelity objective an anisotropic total variation term for regulating the fluence smoothness, a binary variable for forming simple apertures, and a group sparsity term for controlling collimator rotation. The optimal collimator angle for each beam angle was selected using the Dijkstra's algorithm, where the node costs depend on the estimated fluence map at the current iteration and the edge costs account for the mechanical constraints of multi-leaf collimator (MLC). An alternating optimization strategy was implemented to solve the DAO and collimator angle selection (CAS). Feasibility of DC-VMAT using one full-arc with dynamic collimator rotation was tested on a phantom with two small spherical targets, a brain, a lung and a prostate cancer patient. The plan was compared against a static collimator VMAT (SC-VMAT) plan using three full arcs with 60 degrees of collimator angle separation in patient studies. With the same target coverage, DC-VMAT achieved 20.3% reduction of R50 in the phantom study, and reduced the average max and mean OAR dose by 4.49% and 2.53% of the prescription dose in patient studies, as compared with SC-VMAT. The collimator rotation co-ordinated with the gantry rotation in DC-VMAT plans for deliverability. There were 13 beam angles in the single-arc DC-VMAT plan in patient studies that requires slower gantry rotation to accommodate multiple collimator angles. The novel DC-VMAT approach utilizes the dynamic collimator rotation during arc

The Development and Clinical Use of a Beam ON-LINE PET System Mounted on a Rotating Gantry Port in Proton Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishio, Teiji; Miyatake, Aya; Ogino, Takashi; Nakagawa, Keiichi; Saijo, Nagahiro; Esumi, Hiroyasu

2010-01-01

Purpose: To verify the usefulness of our developed beam ON-LINE positron emission tomography (PET) system mounted on a rotating gantry port (BOLPs-RGp) for dose-volume delivery-guided proton therapy (DGPT). Methods and Materials: In the proton treatment room at our facility, a BOLPs-RGp was constructed so that a planar PET apparatus could be mounted with its field of view covering the iso-center of the beam irradiation system. Activity measurements were performed in 48 patients with tumors of the head and neck, liver, lungs, prostate, and brain. The position and intensity of the activity were measured using the BOLPs-RGp during the 200 s immediately after the proton irradiation. Results: The daily measured activity images acquired by the BOLPs-RGp showed the proton irradiation volume in each patient. Changes in the proton-irradiated volume were indicated by differences between a reference activity image (taken at the first treatment) and the daily activity-images. In the case of head-and-neck treatment, the activity distribution changed in the areas where partial tumor reduction was observed. In the case of liver treatment, it was observed that the washout effect in necrotic tumor cells was slower than in non-necrotic tumor cells. Conclusions: The BOLPs-RGp was developed for the DGPT. The accuracy of proton treatment was evaluated by measuring changes of daily measured activity. Information about the positron-emitting nuclei generated during proton irradiation can be used as a basis for ensuring the high accuracy of irradiation in proton treatment.

Particle Trajectories in Rotating Wall Cell Culture Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandran N.; Downey, J. P.

1999-01-01

Cell cultures are extremely important to the medical community since such cultures provide an opportunity to perform research on human tissue without the concerns inherent in experiments on individual humans. Development of cells in cultures has been found to be greatly influenced by the conditions of the culture. Much work has focused on the effect of the motions of cells in the culture relative to the solution. Recently rotating wall vessels have been used with success in achieving improved cellular cultures. Speculation and limited research have focused on the low shear environment and the ability of rotating vessels to keep cells suspended in solution rather than floating or sedimenting as the primary reasons for the improved cellular cultures using these devices. It is widely believed that the cultures obtained using a rotating wall vessel simulates to some degree the effect of microgravity on cultures. It has also been speculated that the microgravity environment may provide the ideal acceleration environment for culturing of cellular tissues due to the nearly negligible levels of sedimentation and shear possible. This work predicts particle trajectories of cells in rotating wall vessels of cylindrical and annular design consistent with the estimated properties of typical cellular cultures. Estimates of the shear encountered by cells in solution and the interactions with walls are studied. Comparisons of potential experiments in ground and microgravity environments are performed.

Can Rotational Atherectomy Cause Thermal Tissue Damage? A Study of the Potential Heating and Thermal Tissue Effects of a Rotational Atherectomy Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gehani, Abdurrazzak A.; Rees, Michael R.

1998-01-01

Purpose: Thermal tissue damage (TTD) is customarily associated with some lasers. The thermal potential of rotational atherectomy (RA) devices is unknown. We investigated the temperature profile and potential TTD as well as the value of fluid flushing of an RA device. Methods: We used a high-resolution infrared imaging system that can detect changes as small as 0.1 deg. C to measure the temperature changes at the tip of a fast RA device with and without fluid flushing. To assess TTD, segments of porcine aorta were subjected to the rotating tip under controlled conditions, stained by a special histochemical stain (picrisirius red) and examined under normal and polarized light microscopy. Results: There was significant heating of the rotating cam. The mean 'peak' temperature rise was 52.8 ± 16.9 deg. C. This was related to rotational speed; thus the 'peak' temperature rise was 88.3 ± 12.6 deg. C at 80,000 rpm and 17.3 ± 3.8 deg. C at 20,000 rpm (p < 0.001, t-test). Fluid flushing at 18 ml/min reduced, but did not abolish, heating of the device (11.8 ± 2.9 deg. C). A crater was observed in all segments exposed to the rotating tip. The following features were most notable: (i) A zone of 'thermal' tissue damage extended radially from the crater reaching adventitia in some sections, especially at high speeds. This zone showed markedly reduced or absent birefringence. (ii) Fluid flushing of the catheter reduced the above changes but increased the incidence and extent of dissections in the media, especially when combined with high atherectomy speeds. (iii) These changes were observed in five of six specimens exposed to RA without flushing, but in only one of six with flushing (p < 0.05). (iv) None of the above changes was seen in control segments. Conclusion: RA is capable of generating significant heat and potential TTD. Fluid flushing reduced heating and TTD. These findings warrant further studies in vivo, and may influence the design of atherectomy devices

Quality assurance procedure for assessing mechanical accuracy of a radiation field center in stereotactic radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tatsumi, Daisaku; Ienaga, Akinori; Nakada, Ryosei; Yomoda, Akane; Inoue, Makoto; Ichida, Takao; Hosono, Masako

2012-01-01

Stereotactic radiotherapy requires a quality assurance (QA) program that ensures the mechanical accuracy of a radiation field center. We have proposed a QA method for achieving the above requirement by conducting the Winston Lutz test using an electronic portal image device (EPID). An action limit was defined as three times the standard deviation. Then, the action limits for mean deviations of the radiation field center during collimator rotation, gantry rotation, and couch rotation in clockwise and counterclockwise resulted in 0.11 mm, 0.52 mm, 0.37 mm, and 0.41 mm respectively. Two years after the QA program was launched, the mean deviation of the radiation field center during gantry rotation exceeded the above action limit. Consequently, a mechanical adjustment for the gantry was performed, thereby restoring the accuracy of the radiation field center. A field center shift of 0.5 mm was also observed after a micro multi-leaf collimator was unmounted. (author)

Beam-optics study of the gantry beam delivery system for light-ion cancer therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlovic, M.

1995-12-01

Ion optics considerations on the granty-like beam delivery system for light-ion cancer therapy are presented. A low-angle active beam scanning in two directions is included in the preliminary gantry design. The optical properties of several gantry modifications are discussed. (orig.)

An Approximate Cone Beam Reconstruction Algorithm for Gantry-Tilted CT Using Tangential Filtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Yan

2006-01-01

Full Text Available FDK algorithm is a well-known 3D (three-dimensional approximate algorithm for CT (computed tomography image reconstruction and is also known to suffer from considerable artifacts when the scanning cone angle is large. Recently, it has been improved by performing the ramp filtering along the tangential direction of the X-ray source helix for dealing with the large cone angle problem. In this paper, we present an FDK-type approximate reconstruction algorithm for gantry-tilted CT imaging. The proposed method improves the image reconstruction by filtering the projection data along a proper direction which is determined by CT parameters and gantry-tilted angle. As a result, the proposed algorithm for gantry-tilted CT reconstruction can provide more scanning flexibilities in clinical CT scanning and is efficient in computation. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated with turbell clock phantom and thorax phantom and compared with FDK algorithm and a popular 2D (two-dimensional approximate algorithm. The results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve better image quality for gantry-tilted CT image reconstruction.

X-band Linac for a 6 MeV dual-head radiation therapy gantry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Seung Hyun; Shin, Seung-Wook; Lee, Jongchul; Kim, Hui-Su [WCU Department of Energy Science, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Byeong-No; Lee, Byung-Chul [Radiation Instrumentation Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 56212 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Hyung-dal; Song, Ki-back [Radiation Technology eXcellence (RTX), Daejeon 305-500 (Korea, Republic of); Song, Ho-seung; Mun, Sangchul; Ha, Donghyup [School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Chai, Jong-Seo, E-mail: jschai@skku.edu [School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-04-21

We developed a design for a 6 MeV X-band linear accelerator for radiation therapy in a dual-head gantry layout. The dual-head gantry has two linacs that can be operated independently. Each X-band linac accelerates electron bunches using high-power RF and generates X-rays for radiation therapy. It requires a versatile RF system and pulse sequence to accomplish various radiation therapy procedures. The RF system consists of 9.3 GHz, 2 MW X-band magnetron and associated RF transmission components. A test linac was assembled and operated to characterize its RF performance without beam. This paper presents these results along with a description of the gantry linacs and their operational requirements.

A planning and delivery study of a rotational IMRT technique with burst delivery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kainz, Kristofer; Chen, Guang-Pei; Chang, Yu-Wen; Prah, Douglas; Sharon Qi, X.; Shukla, Himanshu P.; Stahl, Johannes; Allen Li, X.

2011-01-01

Purpose: A novel rotational IMRT (rIMRT) technique using burst delivery (continuous gantry rotation with beam off during MLC repositioning) is investigated. The authors evaluate the plan quality and delivery efficiency and accuracy of this dynamic technique with a conventional flat 6 MV photon beam. Methods: Burst-delivery rIMRT was implemented in a planning system and delivered with a 160-MLC linac. Ten rIMRT plans were generated for five anonymized patient cases encompassing head and neck, brain, prostate, and prone breast. All plans were analyzed retrospectively and not used for treatment. Among the varied plan parameters were the number of optimization points, number of arcs, gantry speed, and gantry angle range (alpha) over which the beam is turned on at each optimization point. Combined rotational/step-and-shoot rIMRT plans were also created by superimposing multiple-segment static fields at several optimization points. The rIMRT trial plans were compared with each other and with plans generated using helical tomotherapy and VMAT. Burst-mode rotational IMRT plans were delivered and verified using a diode array, ionization chambers, thermoluminescent dosimeters, and film. Results: Burst-mode rIMRT can achieve plan quality comparable to helical tomotherapy, while the former may lead to slightly better OAR sparing for certain cases and the latter generally achieves slightly lower hot spots. Few instances were found in which increasing the number of optimization points above 36, or superimposing step-and-shoot IMRT segments, led to statistically significant improvements in OAR sparing. Using an additional rIMRT partial arc yielded substantial OAR dose improvements for the brain case. Measured doses from the rIMRT plan delivery were within 4% of the plan calculation in low dose gradient regions. Delivery time range was 228-375 s for single-arc rIMRT 200-cGy prescription with a 300 MU/min dose rate, comparable to tomotherapy and VMAT. Conclusions: Rotational IMRT

Control Strategy for Automatic Gantry Crane Systems: A Practical and Intelligent Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wahyudi

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The use of gantry crane systems for transporting payload is very common in building constructions. However, moving the payload using the crane is not an easy task especially when strict specifications on the swing angle and on the transfer time need to be satisfied. Various attempts in controlling gantry cranes system based on open- loop and closed-loop control systems were proposed. However, most of the proposed controllers were designed based on the model and parameter of the crane system. In general, modeling and parameter identifications are troublesome and time consuming task. To overcome this problem, in this paper, a practical and intelligent control method for automatic gantry crane is introduced and evaluated experimentally. The results show that the proposed method is not only effective for controlling the crane but also robust to parameter variation.

Control Strategy for Automatic Gantry Crane Systems: A Practical and Intelligent Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wahyudi

2008-11-01

Full Text Available The use of gantry crane systems for transporting payload is very common in building constructions. However, moving the payload using the crane is not an easy task especially when strict specifications on the swing angle and on the transfer time need to be satisfied. Various attempts in controlling gantry cranes system based on open- loop and closed-loop control systems were proposed. However, most of the proposed controllers were designed based on the model and parameter of the crane system. In general, modeling and parameter identifications are troublesome and time consuming task. To overcome this problem, in this paper, a practical and intelligent control method for automatic gantry crane is introduced and evaluated experimentally. The results show that the proposed method is not only effective for controlling the crane but also robust to parameter variation.

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

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-14

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weishi Wan

2015-10-01

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

Fuzzy Controllers for a Gantry Crane System with Experimental Verifications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naif B. Almutairi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The control problem of gantry cranes has attracted the attention of many researchers because of the various applications of these cranes in the industry. In this paper we propose two fuzzy controllers to control the position of the cart of a gantry crane while suppressing the swing angle of the payload. Firstly, we propose a dual PD fuzzy controller where the parameters of each PD controller change as the cart moves toward its desired position, while maintaining a small swing angle of the payload. This controller uses two fuzzy subsystems. Then, we propose a fuzzy controller which is based on heuristics. The rules of this controller are obtained taking into account the knowledge of an experienced crane operator. This controller is unique in that it uses only one fuzzy system to achieve the control objective. The validity of the designed controllers is tested through extensive MATLAB simulations as well as experimental results on a laboratory gantry crane apparatus. The simulation results as well as the experimental results indicate that the proposed fuzzy controllers work well. Moreover, the simulation and the experimental results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed control schemes against output disturbances as well as against uncertainty in some of the parameters of the crane.

Vibrot, a simple device for the conversion of vibration into rotation mediated by friction: preliminary evaluation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ernesto Altshuler

Full Text Available While "vibrational noise" induced by rotating components of machinery is a common problem constantly faced by engineers, the controlled conversion of translational into rotational motion or vice-versa is a desirable goal in many scenarios ranging from internal combustion engines to ultrasonic motors. In this work, we describe the underlying physics after isolating a single degree of freedom, focusing on devices that convert a vibration along the vertical axis into a rotation around this axis. A typical Vibrot (as we label these devices consists of a rigid body with three or more cantilevered elastic legs attached to its bottom at an angle. We show that these legs are capable of transforming vibration into rotation by a "ratchet effect", which is caused by the anisotropic stick-slip-flight motion of the leg tips against the ground. Drawing an analogy with the Froude number used to classify the locomotion dynamics of legged animals, we discuss the walking regime of these robots. We are able to control the rotation frequency of the Vibrot by manipulating the shaking amplitude, frequency or waveform. Furthermore, we have been able to excite Vibrots with acoustic waves, which allows speculating about the possibility of reducing the size of the devices so they can perform tasks into the human body, excited by ultrasound waves from the outside.

The effect of mandibular position and gantry angle on the evaluation of implant site with implant CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sul Mi; An, Chang Hyeon; Heo, Min Suk; Lee, Sam Sun; Choi, Soon Chul; Park, Tae Won; Choi, Hang Moon

2002-01-01

The altered gantry angle during scanning for some multiplanar reconstruction CT program (CT/MPR) may cause distortion of the image. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether there is a image distortion in a reformatted image when the gantry and the object are equally inclined using ToothPix and DentaScan program.A resin block model with four cylindrical holes and a human dry mandible were used. Two MPR software packages, ToothPix and DentaScan program, were used for reformatted panoramic images. The block and the gantry were equally inclined at 0 degree, 15 degrees, and 30 degrees. With ToothPix program, a resin block model with empty holes and a dry mandible showed inclined images in the reformatted panoramic image. Increasing the gantry angle, the depth and inclination of the holes were increased in the reformatted central panoramic images. However, a resin block model with gutta percha in its holes and a dry mandible with a wire in its mandibular canal didn't show image distortion. With DentaScan program, image distortion was not seen in any situation. ToothPix program may distort the reformatted image when the gantry angle is not at zero degrees. However, with DentaScan program, the patient may be positioned comfortably and the gantry can be adjusted to the patient positioning.

An improved method to accurately calibrate the gantry angle indicators of the radiotherapy linear accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang Liyun; Ho, S.-Y.; Du, Y.-C.; Lin, C.-M.; Chen Tainsong

2007-01-01

The calibration of the gantry angle indicator is an important and basic quality assurance (QA) item for the radiotherapy linear accelerator. In this study, we propose a new and practical method, which uses only the digital level, V-film, and general solid phantoms. By taking the star shot only, we can accurately calculate the true gantry angle according to the geometry of the film setup. The results on our machine showed that the gantry angle was shifted by -0.11 deg. compared with the digital indicator, and the standard deviation was within 0.05 deg. This method can also be used for the simulator. In conclusion, this proposed method could be adopted as an annual QA item for mechanical QA of the accelerator

Real-Time Dispatching of Rubber Tired Gantry Cranes in Container Terminals

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

McNary, Bradley S

2008-01-01

... significant growth in container traffic. Efficiently managing of rubber tired gantry cranes and planning container placement within the terminal are two ways to increase the overall efficiency of a terminal...

128-slice CT angiography of the aorta without ECG-gating: efficacy of faster gantry rotation time and iterative reconstruction in terms of image quality and radiation dose

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Russo, Vincenzo; Garattoni, Monica; Buia, Francesco; Attina, Domenico; Lovato, Luigi; Zompatori, Maurizio [University Hospital ' ' S.Orsola' ' , Cardio-Thoracic-Vascular Department, Cardio-Thoracic Radiology Unit, Bologna (Italy)

2016-02-15

To evaluate image quality and radiation dose of non ECG-gated 128-slice CT angiography of the aorta (CTAA) with fast gantry rotation time and iterative reconstruction. Four hundred and eighty patients underwent non ECG-gated CTAA. Qualitative and quantitative image quality assessments were performed. Radiation dose was assessed and compared with the dose of patients who underwent ECG-gated CTAA (n = 126) and the dose of previous CTAA performed with another CT (n = 339). Image quality (aortic root-ascending portion) was average-to-excellent in more than 94 % of cases, without any non-diagnostic scan. For proximal coronaries, image quality was average-to-excellent in more than 50 %, with only 21.5 % of non-diagnostic cases. Quantitative analysis results were also good. Mean radiation dose for thoracic CTAA was 5.6 mSv versus 20.6 mSv of ECG-gated protocol and 20.6 mSv of 16-slice CTAA scans, with an average dose reduction of 72.8 % (p < 0.001). Mean radiation dose for thoracic-abdominal CTAA was 9.7 mSv, versus 20.9 mSv of 16-slice CTAA scans, with an average dose reduction of 53.6 % (p < 0.001). Non ECG-gated 128-slice CTAA is feasible and able to provide high quality visualization of the entire aorta without significant motion artefacts, together with a considerable dose and contrast media volume reduction. (orig.)

128-slice CT angiography of the aorta without ECG-gating: efficacy of faster gantry rotation time and iterative reconstruction in terms of image quality and radiation dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russo, Vincenzo; Garattoni, Monica; Buia, Francesco; Attina, Domenico; Lovato, Luigi; Zompatori, Maurizio

2016-01-01

To evaluate image quality and radiation dose of non ECG-gated 128-slice CT angiography of the aorta (CTAA) with fast gantry rotation time and iterative reconstruction. Four hundred and eighty patients underwent non ECG-gated CTAA. Qualitative and quantitative image quality assessments were performed. Radiation dose was assessed and compared with the dose of patients who underwent ECG-gated CTAA (n = 126) and the dose of previous CTAA performed with another CT (n = 339). Image quality (aortic root-ascending portion) was average-to-excellent in more than 94 % of cases, without any non-diagnostic scan. For proximal coronaries, image quality was average-to-excellent in more than 50 %, with only 21.5 % of non-diagnostic cases. Quantitative analysis results were also good. Mean radiation dose for thoracic CTAA was 5.6 mSv versus 20.6 mSv of ECG-gated protocol and 20.6 mSv of 16-slice CTAA scans, with an average dose reduction of 72.8 % (p < 0.001). Mean radiation dose for thoracic-abdominal CTAA was 9.7 mSv, versus 20.9 mSv of 16-slice CTAA scans, with an average dose reduction of 53.6 % (p < 0.001). Non ECG-gated 128-slice CTAA is feasible and able to provide high quality visualization of the entire aorta without significant motion artefacts, together with a considerable dose and contrast media volume reduction. (orig.)

Influence of gantry angle in helical computed tomography. Usefullness of 1-dimension sharpness filter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawano, Hirofumi; Suzuki, Toru; Matsuura, Shigeru; Kai, Tsuyoshi; Shimizu, Toshiyuki [Hyuga Hospital of Saiseikai Foundation, Kadogawa, Miyazaki (Japan)

2001-05-01

When we let gantry tilt and do scan in helical CT, vertical sharpness deteriorates. We were able to revise it with 1-dimensional sharpness filter which the square sum of difference of MTF was compared, and was designed this time. And the unsharpness was in proportion to sin of gantry angle. As a result, we led several sets of frequency emphasis degree. There is a model to built 1-dimension sharpness filter in a scan plan. It is useful for clinical diagnoses. (author)

Influence of gantry angle in helical computed tomography. Usefullness of 1-dimension sharpness filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawano, Hirofumi; Suzuki, Toru; Matsuura, Shigeru; Kai, Tsuyoshi; Shimizu, Toshiyuki

2001-01-01

When we let gantry tilt and do scan in helical CT, vertical sharpness deteriorates. We were able to revise it with 1-dimensional sharpness filter which the square sum of difference of MTF was compared, and was designed this time. And the unsharpness was in proportion to sin of gantry angle. As a result, we led several sets of frequency emphasis degree. There is a model to built 1-dimension sharpness filter in a scan plan. It is useful for clinical diagnoses. (author)

Development of signal acquisition device of rotating coil measurement system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Jianxin; Li Li; Kang Wen; Deng Chengdong; Yin Baogui; Fu Shinian

2013-01-01

A new rotating coil magnetic measurement system using the technical solution of the combination of a dynamic signal acquisition card and software with specific functions was developed. The acquisition device of the system successfully implemented the function of the PDI-5025 integrator. The sampling rate, the range, the accuracy and the flexibility of the system were improved. The development program of signal acquisition equipment, the realization of the acquisition function and the reliability and stability of the system were introduced. (authors)

Examination into the maximum rotational frequency for an in-plane switched active waveplate device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davidson, A J; Elston, S J; Raynes, E P

2005-01-01

An examination of an active waveplate device using a one-dimensional model, giving numerical and analytical results, is presented. The model calculates the director and twist configuration by minimizing the free energy of the system with simple homeotropic boundary conditions. The effect of varying the in-plane electric field in both magnitude and direction is examined, and it is shown that the twist through the cell is constant in time as the field is rotated. As the electric field is rotated, the director field lags behind by an angle which increases as the frequency of the electric field rotation increases. When this angle reaches approximately π/4 the director field no longer follows the electric field in a uniform way. Using mathematical analysis it is shown that the conditions on which the director profile will fail to follow the rotating electric field depend on the frequency of electric field rotation, the magnitude of the electric field, the dielectric anisotropy and the viscosity of the liquid crystal

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2014-12-01

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

Monte Carlo investigation of collapsed versus rotated IMRT plan verification.

Science.gov (United States)

Conneely, Elaine; Alexander, Andrew; Ruo, Russell; Chung, Eunah; Seuntjens, Jan; Foley, Mark J

2014-05-08

IMRT QA requires, among other tests, a time-consuming process of measuring the absorbed dose, at least to a point, in a high-dose, low-dose-gradient region. Some clinics use a technique of measuring this dose with all beams delivered at a single gantry angle (collapsed delivery), as opposed to the beams delivered at the planned gantry angle (rotated delivery). We examined, established, and optimized Monte Carlo simulations of the dosimetry for IMRT verification of treatment plans for these two different delivery modes (collapsed versus rotated). The results of the simulations were compared to the treatment planning system dose calculations for the two delivery modes, as well as to measurements taken. This was done in order to investigate the validity of the use of a collapsed delivery technique for IMRT QA. The BEAMnrc, DOSXYZnrc, and egs_chamber codes were utilized for the Monte Carlo simulations along with the MMCTP system. A number of different plan complexity metrics were also used in the analysis of the dose distributions in a bid to qualify why verification in a collapsed delivery may or may not be optimal for IMRT QA. Following the Alfonso et al. formalism, the kfclin,frefQclin,Q correction factor was calculated to correct the deviation of small fields from the reference conditions used for beam calibration. We report on the results obtained for a cohort of 20 patients. The plan complexity was investigated for each plan using the complexity metrics of homogeneity index, conformity index, modulation complexity score, and the fraction of beams from a particular plan that intersect the chamber when performing the QA. Rotated QA gives more consistent results than the collapsed QA technique. The kfclin,frefQclin,Qfactor deviates less from 1 for rotated QA than for collapsed QA. If the homogeneity index is less than 0.05 then the kfclin,frefQclin,Q factor does not deviate from unity by more than 1%. A value this low for the homogeneity index can only be obtained

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

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-28

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

1998-01-01

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

Effectiveness of MRI in rotator cuff injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohazama, Yuka

1992-01-01

To investigate the potential role of MR imaging in rotator cuf disorders, normal volunteers and patients with suspected rotator cuff injury were evaluated with a low field permanent magnet unit which had a wide gantry. MR findings of the patients were also compared with arthrography, subcromial bursography and operative findings. To establish optimal imaging technique and normal MR anatomy, 100 normal volunteers were examined. On proton density images, signal intensity of the rotator cuff tendon was low and homogenous, and that of rotator cuff muscles was intermediate. On T2 weighted images, signal intensity of muscles and tendon was decreased and that of joint effusion became brighter. In 38 patients with suspected rotator cuff injury, the signal intensity of the rotator cuff was increased to various degrees. In 21 of them, surgical correction was performed and 17 patients were followed with conservative treatment. MR imaging showed abnormalities in all 38 patients. Arthrography and bursography showed abnormalities in 28 out of 38 patients and 3 of 13 patients respectively. In 21 patients who underwent surgery, tear of the rotator cuff was confirmed, and discrepancies in MR and operative findings existed in 8 patients. In 2 patients, no tear was found in the other examinations, and it was suspected to be horizontal tear or degeneration in the substance of the muscle. MR imaging contributes to diagnosis and treatment planning in patients with suspected rotator cuff injury. (author)

Force Outputs during Squats Performed Using a Rotational Inertia Device under Stable versus Unstable Conditions with Different Loads.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jairo Vázquez-Guerrero

Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to compare the force outputs achieved during a squat exercise using a rotational inertia device in stable versus unstable conditions with different loads and in concentric and eccentric phases. Thirteen male athletes (mean ± SD: age 23.7 ± 3.0 years, height 1.80 ± 0.08 m, body mass 77.4 ± 7.9 kg were assessed while squatting, performing one set of three repetitions with four different loads under stable and unstable conditions at maximum concentric effort. Overall, there were no significant differences between the stable and unstable conditions at each of the loads for any of the dependent variables. Mean force showed significant differences between some of the loads in stable and unstable conditions (P < 0.010 and peak force output differed between all loads for each condition (P < 0.045. Mean force outputs were greater in the concentric than in the eccentric phase under both conditions and with all loads (P < 0.001. There were no significant differences in peak force between concentric and eccentric phases at any load in either stable or unstable conditions. In conclusion, squatting with a rotational inertia device allowed the generation of similar force outputs under stable and unstable conditions at each of the four loads. The study also provides empirical evidence of the different force outputs achieved by adjusting load conditions on the rotational inertia device when performing squats, especially in the case of peak force. Concentric force outputs were significantly higher than eccentric outputs, except for peak force under both conditions. These findings support the use of the rotational inertia device to train the squatting exercise under unstable conditions for strength and conditioning trainers. The device could also be included in injury prevention programs for muscle lesions and ankle and knee joint injuries.

WE-E-18A-11: Fluoro-Tomographic Images From Projections of On-Board Imager (OBI) While Gantry Is Moving

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yi, B; Hu, E; Yu, C; Lasio, G [Univ. of Maryland School Of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2014-06-15

Purpose: A method to generate a series of fluoro-tomographic images (FTI) of the slice of interest (SOI) from the projection images of the On-board imager (OBI) while gantry is moving is developed and tested. Methods: Tomographic image via background subtraction, TIBS has been published by our group. TIBS uses a priori anatomical information from a previous CT scan to isolate a SOI from a planar kV image by factoring out the attenuations by tissues outside the SOI (background). We extended the idea to 4D TIBS, which enables to generate from the projection of different gantry angles. A set of background images for different angles are prepared. A background image at a given gantry angle is subtracted from the projection image at the same angle to generate a TIBS image. Then the TIBS image is converted to a reference angle. The 4D TIBS is the set of TIBS that originated from gantry angles other than the reference angle. Projection images of lung patients for CBCT acquisition are used to test the 4D TIBS. Results: Fluoroscopic images of a coronal plane of lung patients are acquired from the CBCT projections at different gantry angles and times. Change of morphology of hilar vessels due to breathing and heart beating are visible in the coronal plane, which are generated from the set of the projection images at gantry angles other than antero-posterior. Breathing surrogate or sorting process is not needed. Unlike tomosynthesis, FTI from 4D TIBS maintains the independence of each of the projections thereby reveals temporal variations within the SOI. Conclusion: FTI, fluoroscopic imaging of a SOI with x-ray projections, directly generated from the x-ray projection images at different gantry angles is tested with a lung case and proven feasible. This technique can be used for on-line imaging of moving targets. NIH Grant R01CA133539.

Rotation gate for a three-level superconducting quantum interference device qubit with resonant interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, C.-P.; Han Siyuan

2006-01-01

We show a way to realize an arbitrary rotation gate in a three-level superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) qubit using resonant interaction. In this approach, the two logical states of the qubit are represented by the two lowest levels of the SQUID and a higher-energy intermediate level is utilized for the gate manipulation. By considering spontaneous decay from the intermediate level during the gate operation, we present a formula for calculating average fidelity over all possible initial states. Finally, based on realistic system parameters, we show that an arbitrary rotation gate can be achieved with a high fidelity in a SQUID

Force Outputs during Squats Performed Using a Rotational Inertia Device under Stable versus Unstable Conditions with Different Loads.

Science.gov (United States)

Vázquez-Guerrero, Jairo; Moras, Gerard; Baeza, Jennifer; Rodríguez-Jiménez, Sergio

2016-01-01

The purpose of the study was to compare the force outputs achieved during a squat exercise using a rotational inertia device in stable versus unstable conditions with different loads and in concentric and eccentric phases. Thirteen male athletes (mean ± SD: age 23.7 ± 3.0 years, height 1.80 ± 0.08 m, body mass 77.4 ± 7.9 kg) were assessed while squatting, performing one set of three repetitions with four different loads under stable and unstable conditions at maximum concentric effort. Overall, there were no significant differences between the stable and unstable conditions at each of the loads for any of the dependent variables. Mean force showed significant differences between some of the loads in stable and unstable conditions (P inertia device allowed the generation of similar force outputs under stable and unstable conditions at each of the four loads. The study also provides empirical evidence of the different force outputs achieved by adjusting load conditions on the rotational inertia device when performing squats, especially in the case of peak force. Concentric force outputs were significantly higher than eccentric outputs, except for peak force under both conditions. These findings support the use of the rotational inertia device to train the squatting exercise under unstable conditions for strength and conditioning trainers. The device could also be included in injury prevention programs for muscle lesions and ankle and knee joint injuries.

Motion control of a gantry crane with a container

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-05-01

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

Preliminary results for positron emission mammography: real-time functional breast imaging in a conventional mammography gantry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weinberg, I.; Majewski, S.; Weisenberger, A.; Markowitz, A.; Aloj, L.; Majewski, L,; Danforth, D.; Mulshine, J.; Cowan, K.; Zujewski, J.; Chow, C.; Jones, E.; Chang, V.; Berg, W.; Frank, J.

1996-01-01

In order to optimally integrate radiotracer breast imaging within the breast clinic, anatomy and pathology should be easily correlated with functional nuclear medicine breast images. As a first step in the development of a hybrid functional/anatomic breast imaging platform with biopsy capability, a conventional X-ray mammography gantry was modified to image the compressed brest with positron emitters. Phantom studies with the positron emission mammography (PEM) device showed that a 1-cc hot spot could be detected within 5 min. A preliminary clinical trial demonstrated in vivo visualization of primary breast cancer within 4 min. For sites where positron-emitting radionuclides are available, PEM promises to achieve low-cost directed functional examination of breast abnormalities, with potential for achieving X-ray correlation and image-guided biopsy. (orig.)

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

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yangming; Yan, Peng; Zhang, Zhen

2016-05-01

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

Emplacement Gantry Gap Analysis Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thornley, R.

2005-01-01

To date, the project has established important to safety (ITS) performance requirements for structures, systems, and components (SSCs) based on the identification and categorization of event sequences that may result in a radiological release. These performance requirements are defined within the ''Nuclear Safety Design Bases for License Application'' (NSDB) (BSC 2005 [DIRS 171512], Table A-11). Further, SSCs credited with performing safety functions are classified as ITS. In turn, assurance that these SSCs will perform as required is sought through the use of consensus codes and standards. This gap analysis is based on the design completed for license application only. Accordingly, identification of ITS SSCs beyond those defined within the NSDB are based on designs that may be subject to further development during detail design. Furthermore, several design alternatives may still be under consideration to satisfy certain safety functions, and final selection will not be determined until further design development has occurred. Therefore, for completeness, alternative designs currently under consideration will be discussed throughout this study. This gap analysis will evaluate each code and standard identified within the ''Emplacement Gantry ITS Standards Identification Study'' (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173586]) to ensure each ITS performance requirement is fully satisfied. When a performance requirement is not fully satisfied, a gap is highlighted. This study will identify requirements to supplement or augment the code or standard to meet performance requirements. Further, this gap analysis will identify nonstandard areas of the design that will be subject to a design development plan. Nonstandard components and nonstandard design configurations are defined as areas of the design that do not follow standard industry practices or codes and standards. Whereby, assurance that an SSC will perform as required may not be readily sought though the use of consensus standards. This

Design of a rotational three-dimensional nonimaging device by a compensated two-dimensional design process.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yi; Qian, Ke-Yuan; Luo, Yi

2006-07-20

A compensation process has been developed to design rotational three-dimensional (3D) nonimaging devices. By compensating the desired light distribution during a two-dimensional (2D) design process for an extended Lambertian source using a compensation coefficient, the meridian plane of a 3D device with good performance can be obtained. This method is suitable in many cases with fast calculation speed. Solutions to two kinds of optical design problems have been proposed, and the limitation of this compensated 2D design method is discussed.

Design and Experimental Characterization of a Vibration Energy Harvesting Device for Rotational Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lutao Yan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new vibration based electromagnetic power generator to transfer energy from stationary to rotating equipment, which can be a new attempt to substitute slip ring in rotational systems. The natural frequencies and modes are simulated in order to have a maximum and steady power output from the device. Parameters such as piezoelectric disk location and relative motion direction of the magnet are theoretically and experimentally analyzed. The results show that the position that is close to the fixed end of the cantilever and the relative motion along the long side gives higher power output. Moreover, the capability of the energy harvester to extract power from lower energy environment is experimentally validated. The voltage and power output are measured at different excitation frequencies.

21 CFR 890.5180 - Manual patient rotation bed.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

...) MEDICAL DEVICES PHYSICAL MEDICINE DEVICES Physical Medicine Therapeutic Devices § 890.5180 Manual patient rotation bed. (a) Identification. A manual patient rotation bed is a device that turns a patient who is... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Manual patient rotation bed. 890.5180 Section 890...

21 CFR 890.5225 - Powered patient rotation bed.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

...) MEDICAL DEVICES PHYSICAL MEDICINE DEVICES Physical Medicine Therapeutic Devices § 890.5225 Powered patient rotation bed. (a) Identification. A powered patient rotation bed is a device that turns a patient who is... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Powered patient rotation bed. 890.5225 Section 890...

Conditions for reliable time-resolved dosimetry of electronic portal imaging devices for fixed-gantry IMRT and VMAT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeo, Inhwan Jason; Patyal, Baldev; Mandapaka, Anant; Jung, Jae Won; Yi, Byong Yong; Kim, Jong Oh

2013-01-01

Purpose: The continuous scanning mode of electronic portal imaging devices (EPID) that offers time-resolved information has been newly explored for verifying dynamic radiation deliveries. This study seeks to determine operating conditions (dose rate stability and time resolution) under which that mode can be used accurately for the time-resolved dosimetry of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) beams.Methods: The authors have designed the following test beams with variable beam holdoffs and dose rate regulations: a 10 × 10 cm open beam to serve as a reference beam; a sliding window (SW) beam utilizing the motion of a pair of multileaf collimator (MLC) leaves outside the 10 × 10 cm jaw; a step and shoot (SS) beam to move the pair in step; a volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) beam. The beams were designed in such a way that they all produce the same open beam output of 10 × 10 cm. Time-resolved ion chamber measurements at isocenter and time-resolved and integrating EPID measurements were performed for all beams. The time-resolved EPID measurements were evaluated through comparison with the ion chamber and integrating EPID measurements, as the latter are accepted procedures. For two-dimensional, time-resolved evaluation, a VMAT beam with an infield MLC travel was designed. Time-resolved EPID measurements and Monte Carlo calculations of such EPID dose images for this beam were performed and intercompared.Results: For IMRT beams (SW and SS), the authors found disagreement greater than 2%, caused by frame missing of the time-resolved mode. However, frame missing disappeared, yielding agreement better than 2%, when the dose rate of irradiation (and thus the frame acquisition rates) reached a stable and planned rate as the dose of irradiation was raised past certain thresholds (a minimum 12 s of irradiation per shoot used for SS IMRT). For VMAT, the authors found that dose rate does not affect the frame acquisition rate, thereby causing no frame missing

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-06-07

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

Design of a non-linear power take-off simulator for model testing of rotating wave energy devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopes, M.F.P.; Henriques, J.C.C.; Lopes, Miguel C.; Gato, L.M.C. [IDMEC - Instituto de Engenharia Mecanica, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, Lisboa (Portugal); Dente Antonio [CIE3 - Center for Innovation in Electrical and Energy Engineering, Lisboa (Portugal)

2009-07-01

Eddy current brakes provide a versatile way of simulating the power take-off system (PTO) in the model testing of wave energy converters at small scale. These are based on the principle that a conductive material moving perpendicularly to a magnetic field generates a braking force proportional to its velocity. This was applied in the design of the PTO simulator of a bottom-hinged flap wave energy converter model, at 1/16 scale. The efforts put into the accurate dynamic simulation of the device led to the development of a controllable PTO simulator, which can be applied to other small scale rotating wave energy device models. A special power source was built to provide the required controllable current intensity to feed the magnetic field generating coils. Different non-linear damping PTO characteristic curves can be simulated by basing the current control on real-time velocity measurement. The calibration of the system was done by connecting the device to a constant rotating speed motor and measuring the resistent torque produced by the PTO with a torquemeter for different values of current intensity through the coils.

SU-E-T-521: Feasibility Study of a Rotational Step-And-Shoot IMRT Treatment Planning Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, X; Chang, S; Cullip, T; Yuan, L; Zhang, X; Lian, J; Tang, X; Tracton, G; Dooley, J

2014-01-01

Purpose: Rotational step-and-shot IMRT (r-IMRT) could improve delivery efficiency with good dose conformity, especially if it can leverage the burst mode of the accelerator where radiation is turned on/off momentarily while the gantry rotates continuously. The challenge for the r-IMRT planning is to minimize the number of beams to achieve a fast and smooth rotational delivery. Methods: Treatment plans for r-IMRT were created using an in-house treatment planning system. To generate the plan using a very few beams, gantry angle was optimized by weighting the beam monitoring unit (MU), and beam shape optimization was a combination of column search with k-means clustering. A prostate case and a head and neck case were planned using r-IMRT. The dosimetry is compared to s-IMRT planned with Varian Eclipse treatment planning system. Results: With the same PTV dose coverage D95=100%, the r-IMRT plans shows comparable sparing as the s-IMRT plans in the prostate for the rectum D10cc and the bladder Dmean, and in the head and neck for the spinal cord Dmax, the brain stem Dmax, the left/right parotid Dmean, the larynx Dmean, and the mandible Dmean. Both plans meet the established institutional clinical dosimetric criteria. The r-IMRT plan uses 19 beam/405 MU for the prostate, and 68 beam/880 MU for the head and neck, while the s-IMRT uses 7 beam/724 MU and 9 beam/1812 MU, respectively. Compared to the corresponding s-IMRT, r-IMRT has a reduction of MUs of 44% for the prostate case and 41% for the head and neck case. Conclusions: We have demonstrated the feasibility of a rotational step and shoot IMRT treatment planning approach that significantly shortens the conventional IMRT treatment beam-on time without degrading the dose comformity

SU-E-T-521: Feasibility Study of a Rotational Step-And-Shoot IMRT Treatment Planning Approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, X [Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Chang, S [UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Cullip, T [UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Yuan, L; Zhang, X [Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Lian, J; Tang, X [UniversityNorth Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Tracton, G; Dooley, J [University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: Rotational step-and-shot IMRT (r-IMRT) could improve delivery efficiency with good dose conformity, especially if it can leverage the burst mode of the accelerator where radiation is turned on/off momentarily while the gantry rotates continuously. The challenge for the r-IMRT planning is to minimize the number of beams to achieve a fast and smooth rotational delivery. Methods: Treatment plans for r-IMRT were created using an in-house treatment planning system. To generate the plan using a very few beams, gantry angle was optimized by weighting the beam monitoring unit (MU), and beam shape optimization was a combination of column search with k-means clustering. A prostate case and a head and neck case were planned using r-IMRT. The dosimetry is compared to s-IMRT planned with Varian Eclipse treatment planning system. Results: With the same PTV dose coverage D95=100%, the r-IMRT plans shows comparable sparing as the s-IMRT plans in the prostate for the rectum D10cc and the bladder Dmean, and in the head and neck for the spinal cord Dmax, the brain stem Dmax, the left/right parotid Dmean, the larynx Dmean, and the mandible Dmean. Both plans meet the established institutional clinical dosimetric criteria. The r-IMRT plan uses 19 beam/405 MU for the prostate, and 68 beam/880 MU for the head and neck, while the s-IMRT uses 7 beam/724 MU and 9 beam/1812 MU, respectively. Compared to the corresponding s-IMRT, r-IMRT has a reduction of MUs of 44% for the prostate case and 41% for the head and neck case. Conclusions: We have demonstrated the feasibility of a rotational step and shoot IMRT treatment planning approach that significantly shortens the conventional IMRT treatment beam-on time without degrading the dose comformity.

A study on repainting strategies for treating moderately moving targets with proton pencil beam scanning at the new Gantry 2 at PSI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zenklusen, S M; Pedroni, E; Meer, D

2010-01-01

Treating moving targets using a scanning gantry for proton therapy is a promising but very challenging, not yet clinically demonstrated treatment modality. The interference of organ motion with the sequence of the beam delivery produces uncontrolled dose inhomogeneities within the target. One promising approach to overcome this difficulty is to increase the speed of scanning in order to apply the dose repeatedly (so-called repainting). To obtain sufficiently high scanning speeds a new, technologically improved gantry-Gantry 2-has been designed and is currently under construction at PSI. As there are many possible repainting strategies, the way repainting will be implemented on Gantry 2 will depend on the result of a careful analysis of the various treatment delivery strategies available. To achieve this aim, and prior to the start of experimental work with Gantry 2, simulations of dose distribution errors due to organ motion under various beam delivery strategies were investigated. The effects of motion on the dose distribution were studied for moderate motion amplitudes (5 mm) for spherical target volumes in a homogeneous medium and with homogeneous dose. In total over 200 000 dose distributions have been simulated and analyzed and selected results are discussed. From the obtained results we are confident to be able to treat moderately moving targets on Gantry 2 using repainted pencil-beam spot scanning. Continuous line scanning seems to be the most elegant solution; it provides higher repainting rates and produces superior results but is probably more difficult to realize. For larger motion amplitudes, continuous line scanning still shows good results, but we plan anyways to use a gating system for these cases, not only to reduce the inhomogeneity within the target volume but also to reduce safety margins.

Modelling and Metaheuristic for Gantry Crane Scheduling and Storage Space Allocation Problem in Railway Container Terminals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Zeng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The gantry crane scheduling and storage space allocation problem in the main containers yard of railway container terminal is studied. A mixed integer programming model which comprehensively considers the handling procedures, noncrossing constraints, the safety margin and traveling time of gantry cranes, and the storage modes in the main area is formulated. A metaheuristic named backtracking search algorithm (BSA is then improved to solve this intractable problem. A series of computational experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm under some randomly generated cases based on the practical operation conditions. The results show that the proposed algorithm can gain the near-optimal solutions within a reasonable computation time.

A comparison of robotic arm versus gantry linear accelerator stereotactic body radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Avkshtol, Vladimir; Dong, Yanqun; Hayes, Shelly B; Hallman, Mark A; Price, Robert A; Sobczak, Mark L; Horwitz, Eric M; Zaorsky, Nicholas G

2016-01-01

Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer diagnosed in men in the United States besides skin cancer. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT; 6-15 Gy per fraction, up to 45 minutes per fraction, delivered in five fractions or less, over the course of approximately 2 weeks) is emerging as a popular treatment option for prostate cancer. The American Society for Radiation Oncology now recognizes SBRT for select low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients. SBRT grew from the notion that high doses of radiation typical of brachytherapy could be delivered noninvasively using modern external-beam radiation therapy planning and delivery methods. SBRT is most commonly delivered using either a traditional gantry-mounted linear accelerator or a robotic arm-mounted linear accelerator. In this systematic review article, we compare and contrast the current clinical evidence supporting a gantry vs robotic arm SBRT for prostate cancer. The data for SBRT show encouraging and comparable results in terms of freedom from biochemical failure (>90% for low and intermediate risk at 5-7 years) and acute and late toxicity (6 MV). Finally, SBRT (particularly on a gantry) may also be more cost-effective than conventionally fractionated external-beam radiation therapy. Randomized controlled trials of SBRT using both technologies are underway.

Quality assurance of a helical tomotherapy machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fenwick, J D; Tome, W A; Jaradat, H A; Hui, S K; James, J A; Balog, J P; DeSouza, C N; Lucas, D B; Olivera, G H; Mackie, T R; Paliwal, B R

2004-01-01

Helical tomotherapy has been developed at the University of Wisconsin, and 'Hi-Art II' clinical machines are now commercially manufactured. At the core of each machine lies a ring-gantry-mounted short linear accelerator which generates x-rays that are collimated into a fan beam of intensity-modulated radiation by a binary multileaf, the modulation being variable with gantry angle. Patients are treated lying on a couch which is translated continuously through the bore of the machine as the gantry rotates. Highly conformal dose-distributions can be delivered using this technique, which is the therapy equivalent of spiral computed tomography. The approach requires synchrony of gantry rotation, couch translation, accelerator pulsing and the opening and closing of the leaves of the binary multileaf collimator used to modulate the radiation beam. In the course of clinically implementing helical tomotherapy, we have developed a quality assurance (QA) system for our machine. The system is analogous to that recommended for conventional clinical linear accelerator QA by AAPM Task Group 40 but contains some novel components, reflecting differences between the Hi-Art devices and conventional clinical accelerators. Here the design and dosimetric characteristics of Hi-Art machines are summarized and the QA system is set out along with experimental details of its implementation. Connections between this machine-based QA work, pre-treatment patient-specific delivery QA and fraction-by-fraction dose verification are discussed

Long-term successful arthroscopic repair of large and massive rotator cuff tears with a functional and degradable reinforcement device.

Science.gov (United States)

Proctor, Christopher S

2014-10-01

Rotator cuff repair is a procedure with varying outcomes, and there has been subsequent interest in devices that reinforce the repair and enhance structural and functional outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine these outcomes for arthroscopic repair of large and massive rotator cuff tears augmented with a synthetic absorbable mesh designed specifically for reinforcement of tendon repair by imaging and clinical assessments. Consecutive arthroscopic repairs were performed on 18 patients with large to massive rotator cuff tears by use of a poly-l-lactic acid synthetic patch as a reinforcement device and fixation with 4 sutures. Patients were assessed preoperatively and at 6 months, 12 months, and a mean of 42 months after surgery by the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) shoulder score to evaluate clinical performance and at 12 months by ultrasound to assess structural repair. Ultrasound showed that 15 of 18 patients had intact rotator cuff repair at 12 months; at 42 months, an additional patient had a failed repair. Patients showed improvement in the ASES shoulder score from 25 preoperatively to 71 at 12 months and 70 at 42 months after surgery. Patients with intact rotator cuff (n = 14) at 42 months had an ASES shoulder score of 82. The poly-l-lactic acid bioabsorbable patch designed specifically to reinforce the surgical repair of tendons supported successful repair of large to massive rotator cuff tears in 83% of patients at 12 months after surgery and 78% of patients at 42 months after surgery, with substantial functional improvement. Copyright © 2014 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rotational population patterns and searches for the nuclear SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canto, L.F.; Donangelo, R.J.; Farhan, A.R.; Guidry, M.W.; Rasmussen, J.O.; Ring, P.; Stoyer, M.A.

1989-11-01

This paper presents new theoretical results for rotational population patterns in the nuclear SQUID effect. (The term nuclear SQUID is in analogy to the solid-state Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices.) The SQUID effect is an interesting new twist to an old quest to understand Coriolis anti-pairing (CAP) effects in nuclear rotational bands. Two-neutron transfer reaction cross sections among high-spin states have long been touted as more specific CAP probes than other nuclear properties. Heavy projectiles like Sn or Pb generally are recommended to pump the deformed nucleus to as high spin as possible for transfer. The interference and sign reversal of 2n transfer amplitudes at high spin, as predicted in the early SQUID work imposes the difficult requirement of Coulomb pumping to near back-bending spins at closest approach. For Pb on rare earths we find a dramatic departure from sudden-approximation, so that the population depression occurs as low as final spin 10h. 14 refs., 8 figs

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Susu, E-mail: syan5@mgh.harvard.edu; Lu, Hsiao-Ming; Flanz, Jay; Adams, Judith; Trofimov, Alexei; Bortfeld, Thomas

2016-05-01

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

Stabilizing model predictive control of a gantry crane based on flexible set-membership constraints

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Iles, Sandor; Lazar, M.; Kolonic, Fetah; Jadranko, Matusko

2015-01-01

This paper presents a stabilizing distributed model predictive control of a gantry crane taking into account the variation of cable length. The proposed algorithm is based on the off-line computation of a sequence of 1-step controllable sets and a condition that enables flexible convergence towards

A new device of CT-targeted percutaneous punctures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozdoba, C.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on a device for CT-targeted percutaneous punctures. After extensive phantom studies, punctures of vertebral disk space (diskography/nucleotomy) and orbit retrobulbar anesthesia/biopsy were performed in 15 patients. The new device is easy to mount on the CT scanner and does not require additional devices affixed to the patient. Its design and construction permit exact calculation of needle angle and depth, even when the gantry is tilted. Percutaneous biopsies can be performed in approximately 40 minutes. The device is accurate within ±0.5 mm, thereby allowing puncture of even small lesions deep in the orbital cone. Retrobulbar anesthesia can be performed safely in patients with a long myopic bulbus; in nucleotomy, instant control of the instrument's position within the disk space is possible

NASA safety standard for lifting devices and equipment

Science.gov (United States)

1990-09-01

NASA's minimum safety requirements are established for the design, testing, inspection, maintenance, certification, and use of overhead and gantry cranes (including top running monorail, underhung, and jib cranes), mobile cranes, derrick hoists, and special hoist supported personnel lifting devices (these do not include elevators, ground supported personnel lifts, or powered platforms). Minimum requirements are also addressed for the testing, inspection, and use of Hydra-sets, hooks, and slings. Safety standards are thoroughly detailed.

Continuous Arc Rotation of the Couch Therapy for the Delivery of Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation: A Treatment Planning Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaitelman, Simona F.; Kim, Leonard H.; Yan Di; Martinez, Alvaro A.; Vicini, Frank A.; Grills, Inga S.

2011-01-01

Purpose: We present a novel form of arc therapy: continuous arc rotation of the couch (C-ARC) and compare its dosimetry with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). C-ARC, like VMAT, uses a modulated beam aperture and dose rate, but with the couch, not the gantry, rotating. Methods and Materials: Twelve patients previously treated with APBI using 3D-CRT were replanned with (1) C-ARC, (2) IMRT, and (3) VMAT. C-ARC plans were designed with one medial and one lateral arc through which the couch rotated while the gantry was held stationary at a tangent angle. Target dose coverage was normalized to the 3D-CRT plan. Comparative endpoints were dose to normal breast tissue, lungs, and heart and monitor units prescribed. Results: Compared with 3D-CRT, C-ARC, IMRT, and VMAT all significantly reduced the ipsilateral breast V50% by the same amount (mean, 7.8%). Only C-ARC and IMRT plans significantly reduced the contralateral breast maximum dose, the ipsilateral lung V5Gy, and the heart V5%. C-ARC used on average 40%, 30%, and 10% fewer monitor units compared with 3D-CRT, IMRT, and VMAT, respectively. Conclusions: C-ARC provides improved dosimetry and treatment efficiency, which should reduce the risks of toxicity and secondary malignancy. Its tangent geometry avoids irradiation of critical structures that is unavoidable using the en face geometry of VMAT.

A quality assurance program of simulators in radiotherapy. Pt. 2. Extent and results of long-term quality assurance tests on a therapy simulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller-Sievers, K.; Kober, B.

1997-01-01

Background: Since 1990 we follow a quality assurance program with periodical tests of functional performance values of a 16-year-old simulator. Material and Method: For this purpose we adopted and modified German standards for quality assurance on linear accelerators and international standards elaborated for simulators (International Electrotechnical Commission). The tests are subdivided into daily visual checks (light field indication, optical distance indicator, isocentre-indicating devices, indication of gantry and collimator angles) and monthly and annually tests of relevant simulator parameters. Some important examples demonstrate the small variation of parameters over 6 years: Position of the light field centre when rotating the collimator, diameter of the isocentre circle when rotating the gantry, accuracy of the isocentre indication device, and coincidence of light field and simulated radiation field. Results: As an important result we can state, that by these rigid periodic tests it was possible to detect and compensate deteriorations of simulators quality rapidly. Conclusions: Technical improvements and specific calling-in of maintenance personnel whenever felt appropriate provided performance characteristics of our old simulator which are required by international recommendations as a basis for modern radiotherapy. (orig.) [de

Quality assurance system to correct for errors arising from couch rotation in linac-based stereotactic radiosurgery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brezovich, Ivan A.; Pareek, Prem N.; Plott, W. Eugene; Jennelle, Richard L. S.

1997-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this project was the development of a quality assurance (QA) system that would provide geographically accurate targeting for linac-based stereotactic radiosurgery (LBSR). Methods and Materials: The key component of our QA system is a novel device (Alignment Tool) for expedient measurement of gantry and treatment table excursions (wobble) during rotation. The Alignment Tool replaces the familiar pencil-shaped pointers with a ball pointer that is used with the field light of the accelerator to indicate alignment of beam and target. Wobble is measured prior to each patient treatment and analyzed together with the BRW coordinates of the target by a spreadsheet. The corrections required to compensate for any imprecision are identified, and a printout generated indicating the floor stand coordinates for each couch angle used to place the target at isocenter. Results: The Alignment Tool has an inherent accuracy of measurement better than 0.1 mm. The overall targeting error of our QA method, found by evaluating 177 target simulator films of 55 foci in 40 randomly selected patients, was 0.47 ± 0.23 mm. The Alignment Tool was also valuable during installation of the floor stand and a supplemental collimator for the accelerator. Conclusions: The QA procedure described allows accurate targeting in LBSR, even when couch rotation is imprecise. The Alignment Tool can facilitate the installation of any stereotactic irradiation system, and can be useful for annual QA checks as well as in the installation and commissioning of new accelerators

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-12-01

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

Shroud brushing device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamaki, Kazuo; Takabayashi, Jun-ichi.

1996-01-01

A roller screw is assembled at an axial center of the inside of a device main body. A nut is assembled to the axial center of the roller screw secured so as not to be rotated, and a base is integrally connected to the nut. An air cylinder is pivoted to the base by a pin, and an arm is disposed to a piston rod of the air cylinder. The top end of the arm is secured to a motor case, and a brush is rotated by an electric motor in the motor case. The device main body is suspended into the reactor pressure vessel of a BWR type reactor, and seated on the upper surface of a fuel support metal fitting. The roller screw is rotated to move vertically the arm by way of the nut and the base. The device main body is rotated to rotate the arm. The arm is extended and then the electric motor is driven to rotate the brush thereby polishing the inner surface of the shroud. (I.N.)

Shroud brushing device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakamaki, Kazuo; Takabayashi, Jun-ichi

1996-07-12

A roller screw is assembled at an axial center of the inside of a device main body. A nut is assembled to the axial center of the roller screw secured so as not to be rotated, and a base is integrally connected to the nut. An air cylinder is pivoted to the base by a pin, and an arm is disposed to a piston rod of the air cylinder. The top end of the arm is secured to a motor case, and a brush is rotated by an electric motor in the motor case. The device main body is suspended into the reactor pressure vessel of a BWR type reactor, and seated on the upper surface of a fuel support metal fitting. The roller screw is rotated to move vertically the arm by way of the nut and the base. The device main body is rotated to rotate the arm. The arm is extended and then the electric motor is driven to rotate the brush thereby polishing the inner surface of the shroud. (I.N.)

Nuclear fuel powder transfer device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komono, Akira

1998-01-01

A pair of parallel rails are laid between a receiving portion to a molding portion of a nuclear fuel powder transfer device. The rails are disposed to the upper portion of a plurality of parallel support columns at the same height. A powder container is disposed while being tilted in the inside of the vessel main body of a transfer device, and rotational shafts equipped with wheels are secured to right and left external walls. A nuclear powder to be mixed, together with additives, is supplied to the powder container of the transfer device. The transfer device engaged with the rails on the receiving side is transferred toward the molding portion. The wheels are rotated along the rails, and the rotational shafts, the vessel main body and the powder container are rotated. The nuclear powder in the tilted powder container disposed is rotated right and left and up and down by the rotation, and the powder is mixed satisfactory when it reaches the molding portion. (I.N.)

Dynamic analysis of the gantry crane used for transporting BOP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanisław WOJCIECH

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In the paper the dynamic analysis of a gantry crane used for transporting of BOP (BlowOut Preventer is presented. The crane is placed on a drilling platform. Sea waves cause motion of the platform and the load. Description of such systems can be used in the design process of control systems which allows us to compensate waving. Homogenous transformations and joint coordinates are used to describe behavior of the system. Equations of motion are derived using the Lagrange equations of the second order. In the paper the results of numerical calculations are presented as well.

Craniospinal treatment with IMRT multi-isocentric and image-guided linear accelerator based on Gantry; Tratamiento craneoespinal multi-isocentrico con IMRT y guiado por imagen en acelerador lineal basado en Gantry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanz Beltran, M.; Caballero Perea, B.; Rodriguez Rodriguez, C.; Arminio Diaz, E.; Lopez Fernandez, A.; Gomez Fervienza, J. R.; Crespo Diez, P.; Cantarero Valenzuela, N.; Alvarez Sanchez, M.; Martin Martin, G.; Gomez Fervienza, J. r.; Crespo Diez, P.; Cantarero Valenzuela, N.; Alvarez Sanchez, M.; Martin Martin, G.

2011-07-01

The objective is the realization of craniospinal treatment with a linear accelerator equipped with gantry based on MLC, carbon fiber table and Image Guided capability. The great length of treatment (patient l, 80m in height) was a great difficulty for want of full length of the longitudinal movement of the table to adequately cover the PTV, plus free metallic screws fastening the head of the table extender preventing further incidents.

Optimal Performance of a Nonlinear Gantry Crane System via Priority-based Fitness Scheme in Binary PSO Algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaafar, Hazriq Izzuan; Ali, Nursabillilah Mohd; Selamat, Nur Asmiza; Kassim, Anuar Mohamed; Mohamed, Z; Abidin, Amar Faiz Zainal; Jamian, J J

2013-01-01

This paper presents development of an optimal PID and PD controllers for controlling the nonlinear gantry crane system. The proposed Binary Particle Swarm Optimization (BPSO) algorithm that uses Priority-based Fitness Scheme is adopted in obtaining five optimal controller gains. The optimal gains are tested on a control structure that combines PID and PD controllers to examine system responses including trolley displacement and payload oscillation. The dynamic model of gantry crane system is derived using Lagrange equation. Simulation is conducted within Matlab environment to verify the performance of system in terms of settling time (Ts), steady state error (SSE) and overshoot (OS). This proposed technique demonstrates that implementation of Priority-based Fitness Scheme in BPSO is effective and able to move the trolley as fast as possible to the various desired position

Flexural pivot device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flaherty, Robert.

1986-01-01

A flexural pivot device or rotational actuator comprises first and sceond tubular members connected by flexural members of shape-memory-alloy. These are curved in the austenitic phase at a first temperature and after cooling to the martensitic phase are flattened. On heating one of the flexural members, it bends causing relative rotation of the tubular members. Heating of another member can produce opposite rotation. Heating is electrical or by hot gas. The device may be used in a nuclear reactor. (author)

A variable torque motor compatible with magnetic resonance imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Roeck, W W; Ha, S-H; Farmaka, S; Nalcioglu, O

2009-04-01

High magnetic fields used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) do not allow the employment of conventional motors due to various incompatibility issues. This paper reports on a new motor that can operate in or near high field magnets used for MRI. The motor was designed to be operational with the MRI equipment and could be used in a rotating imaging gantry inside the magnet designed for dual modality imaging. Furthermore, it could also be used for image guided robotic interventional procedures inside a MRI system if so desired. The prototype motor was developed using magnetic resonance (MR) compatible materials, and its functionality with MR imaging was evaluated experimentally by measuring the performance of the motor and its effect on the MR image quality. Since in our application, namely, single photon emission tomography, the motor has to perform precise stepping of the gantry in small angular steps the most important parameter is the start-up torque. The experimental results showed that the motor has a start-up torque up to 1.37 Nm and rotates at 196 rpm when a constant voltage difference of 12 V is applied at a magnetic field strength of 1 T. The MR image quality was quantified by measuring the signal-to-noise of images acquired under different conditions. The results presented here indicate that the motor is MR compatible and could be used for rotating an imaging gantry or a surgical device inside the magnet.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-09-01

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

Rotation sensor switch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sevec, J.B.

1978-01-01

A protective device to provide a warning if a piece of rotating machinery slows or stops is comprised of a pair of hinged weights disposed to rotate on a rotating shaft of the equipment. When the equipment is rotating, the weights remain in a plane essentially perpendicular to the shaft and constitute part of an electrical circuit that is open. When the shaft slows or stops, the weights are attracted to a pair of concentric electrically conducting disks disposed in a plane perpendicular to the shaft and parallel to the plane of the weights when rotating. A disk magnet attracts the weights to the electrically conducting plates and maintains the electrical contact at the plates to complete an electrical circuit that can then provide an alarm signal

SU-F-T-640: Feasibility of Using a Commercially Available Surface Guided Radiotherapy System with An Open-Face SRS Immobilization System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chinsky, B; Patel, R; Roeske, J; Surucu, M [Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To evaluate the inherent accuracy of using a surface guided radiotherapy system (SGRT) in the setup and monitoring of patients receiving stereotactic radiosurgery with an open-face SRS immobilization system. Methods: An anthropomorphic head phantom was set up using the Qfix Encompass SRS Immobilization System on a Varian Edge with OSMS and Varian TrueBeam with AlignRT. The phantom was positioned at 0° gantry and couch. A reference image was acquired using the SGRT system and an ROI was created over the mask opening. The couch and gantry were rotated to different combinations focusing on clinically used SRS gantry/couch combinations and those blocking the SGRT cameras. Perceived surface deviation by the SGRT system from the reference image was recorded. A Winston-Lutz test was performed on couch angles tested and used to exclude couch walkout. The deviation magnitude was calculated using translational values and rotational raw values were recorded. Results: The maximum couch walkouts were: 0.4mm (Edge) and 0.5mm (TB). Solely rotating the gantry resulted in a median couch deviation of 0.2mm and range of 0.1–0.3mm for both linacs. Only rotating the couch (0° gantry) resulted in median deviations of 0.6mm and 0.5mm with ranges of 0.3–1.0mm and 0.3–0.7mm for the Edge and TB, respectively. Combining gantry and couch rotations, the median deviations were 0.7mm and 0.9mm with ranges of 0.3–1.1mm and 0.2–1.9mm for the Edge and TB, respectively. Including all combinations, rotation, roll, and pitch median deviations ranged from 0.1–0.3° with pitch demonstrating consistently higher values and a maximum deviation of 1.0° (both linacs). Conclusion: SGRT is a reliable monitoring tool, though taking into account system fluctuations, 1mm is too restrictive a site tolerance to use with the Qfix Encompass mask. Gantry rotation has little effect on system fluctuation even with camera blockage, whereas couch rotation has a larger effect.

SU-F-T-640: Feasibility of Using a Commercially Available Surface Guided Radiotherapy System with An Open-Face SRS Immobilization System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chinsky, B; Patel, R; Roeske, J; Surucu, M

2016-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the inherent accuracy of using a surface guided radiotherapy system (SGRT) in the setup and monitoring of patients receiving stereotactic radiosurgery with an open-face SRS immobilization system. Methods: An anthropomorphic head phantom was set up using the Qfix Encompass SRS Immobilization System on a Varian Edge with OSMS and Varian TrueBeam with AlignRT. The phantom was positioned at 0° gantry and couch. A reference image was acquired using the SGRT system and an ROI was created over the mask opening. The couch and gantry were rotated to different combinations focusing on clinically used SRS gantry/couch combinations and those blocking the SGRT cameras. Perceived surface deviation by the SGRT system from the reference image was recorded. A Winston-Lutz test was performed on couch angles tested and used to exclude couch walkout. The deviation magnitude was calculated using translational values and rotational raw values were recorded. Results: The maximum couch walkouts were: 0.4mm (Edge) and 0.5mm (TB). Solely rotating the gantry resulted in a median couch deviation of 0.2mm and range of 0.1–0.3mm for both linacs. Only rotating the couch (0° gantry) resulted in median deviations of 0.6mm and 0.5mm with ranges of 0.3–1.0mm and 0.3–0.7mm for the Edge and TB, respectively. Combining gantry and couch rotations, the median deviations were 0.7mm and 0.9mm with ranges of 0.3–1.1mm and 0.2–1.9mm for the Edge and TB, respectively. Including all combinations, rotation, roll, and pitch median deviations ranged from 0.1–0.3° with pitch demonstrating consistently higher values and a maximum deviation of 1.0° (both linacs). Conclusion: SGRT is a reliable monitoring tool, though taking into account system fluctuations, 1mm is too restrictive a site tolerance to use with the Qfix Encompass mask. Gantry rotation has little effect on system fluctuation even with camera blockage, whereas couch rotation has a larger effect.

Anti-Swing Control of Gantry and Tower Cranes Using Fuzzy and Time-Delayed Feedback with Friction Compensation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H.M. Omar

2005-01-01

Full Text Available We designed a feedback controller to automate crane operations by controlling the load position and its swing. First, a PD tracking controller is designed to follow a prescribed trajectory. Then, another controller is added to the control loop to damp the load swing. The anti-swing controller is designed based on two techniques: a time-delayed feedback of the load swing angle and an anti-swing fuzzy logic controller (FLC. The rules of the FLC are generated by mapping the performance of the time-delayed feedback controller. The same mapping method used for generating the rules can be applied to mimic the performance of an expert operator. The control algorithms were designed for gantry cranes and then extended to tower cranes by considering the coupling between the translational and rotational motions. Experimental results show that the controller is effective in reducing load oscillations and transferring the load in a reasonable time. To experimentally validate the theory, we had to compensate for friction. To this end, we estimated the friction and then applied a control action to cancel it. The friction force was estimated by assuming a mathematical model and then estimating the model coefficients using an off-line identification technique, the method of least squares (LS.

Emissive computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franke, R.; Schoeppy, H.; Gambini, M.R.; Martone, R.J.; Kearns, D.S.; Enos, G.W.

1987-01-01

A medical diagnostic mechanism is described comprising: (a) an elongated structure defining a gantry travel path; (b) a gantry mounted on the structure for movement along the path of travel; (c) drive means connected to the gantry for driving the gantry along its path of travel; (d) a nuclear camera detector orbitally mounted on the gantry and positionable spaced from the gantry and proximate a patient for conducting nuclear medical diagnostic studies, and (e) means for facilitating rotation of at least a portion of the gantry and of the detector about an axis transverse to the travel path

Surface dimpling on rotating work piece using rotation cutting tool

Science.gov (United States)

Bhapkar, Rohit Arun; Larsen, Eric Richard

2015-03-31

A combined method of machining and applying a surface texture to a work piece and a tool assembly that is capable of machining and applying a surface texture to a work piece are disclosed. The disclosed method includes machining portions of an outer or inner surface of a work piece. The method also includes rotating the work piece in front of a rotating cutting tool and engaging the outer surface of the work piece with the rotating cutting tool to cut dimples in the outer surface of the work piece. The disclosed tool assembly includes a rotating cutting tool coupled to an end of a rotational machining device, such as a lathe. The same tool assembly can be used to both machine the work piece and apply a surface texture to the work piece without unloading the work piece from the tool assembly.

Toroidal rotation studies in KSTAR

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, S. G.; Lee, H. H.; Yoo, J. W.; Kim, Y. S.; Ko, W. H.; Terzolo, L.; Bitter, M.; Hill, K.; KSTAR Team

2014-10-01

Investigation of the toroidal rotation is one of the most important topics for the magnetically confined fusion plasma researches since it is essential for the stabilization of resistive wall modes and its shear plays an important role to improve plasma confinement by suppressing turbulent transport. The most advantage of KSTAR tokamak for toroidal rotation studies is that it equips two main diagnostics including the high-resolution X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer (XICS) and charge exchange spectroscopy (CES). Simultaneous core toroidal rotation and ion temperature measurements of different impurity species from the XICS and CES have shown in reasonable agreement with various plasma discharges in KSTAR. It has been observed that the toroidal rotation in KSTAR is faster than that of other tokamak devices with similar machine size and momentum input. This may due to an intrinsically low toroidal field ripple and error field of the KSTAR device. A strong braking of the toroidal rotation by the n = 1 non-resonant magnetic perturbations (NRMPs) also indicates these low toroidal field ripple and error field. Recently, it has been found that n = 2 NRMPs can also damp the toroidal rotation in KSTAR. The detail toroidal rotation studies will be presented. Work supported by the Korea Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning under the KSTAR project.

Influence of increment of gantry angle and number of arcs on esophageal volumetric modulated arc therapy planning in Monaco planning system: A planning study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L Nithya

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of the increment of gantry angle and the number of arcs on esophageal volumetric modulated arc therapy plan. All plans were done in Monaco planning system for Elekta Synergy linear accelerator with 80 multileaf collimator (MLC. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT plans were done with different increment of gantry angle like 15 o , 20 o , 30 o and 40 o . The remaining parameters were similar for all the plans. The results were compared. To compare the plan quality with number of arcs, VMAT plans were done with single and dual arc with increment of gantry angle of 20 o . The dose to gross tumor volume (GTV for 60 Gy and planning target volume (PTV for 48 Gy was compared. The dosimetric parameters D 98% , D 95% , D 50% and D max of GTV were analyzed. The homogeneity index (HI and conformity index (CI of GTV were studied and the dose to 98% and 95% of PTV was analyzed. Maximum dose to spinal cord and planning risk volume of cord (PRV cord was compared. The Volume of lung receiving 10 Gy, 20 Gy and mean dose was analyzed. The volume of heart receiving 30 Gy and 45 Gy was compared. The volume of normal tissue receiving greater than 2 Gy and 5 Gy was compared. The number of monitor units (MU required to deliver the plans were compared. The plan with larger increment of gantry angle proved to be superior to smaller increment of gantry angle plans in terms of dose coverage, HI, CI and normal tissue sparing. The number of arcs did not make any difference in the quality of the plan.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-01-01

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

Optimal starting gantry angles using equiangular-spaced beams with intensity modulated radiation therapy for prostate cancer on RTOG 0126: A clinical study of 5 and 7 fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potrebko, Peter S.; McCurdy, Boyd M.C.; Butler, James B.; El-Gubtan, Adel S.; Nugent, Zoann

2007-01-01

Background and Purpose: To investigate the effects of starting gantry angle and number of equiangular-spaced beams for prostate cancer radiotherapy on the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0126 protocol using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Materials and methods: Ten localized prostate cancer patients were prescribed to 79.2 Gy in 44 fractions. Static IMRT plans using five and seven equiangular-spaced beams were generated. The starting gantry angles were incremented by 5 o resulting in 15 (5 beams) and 11 (7 beams) plans per patient. Constant target coverage was ensured for all plans in order to isolate the variation in the rectal and bladder metrics as a function of starting gantry angle. Results: The variation with starting gantry angle in rectal metrics using 5 beams was statistically significant (p o and 50 o . Statistically insignificant differences were observed for the bladder metrics using 5 beams. There was little dosimetric variation in the rectal and bladder metrics with 7 beams. Nearly equivalent rectal V 75 Gy was achieved between 5 optimal equiangular-spaced beams starting at 20 o (class solution) and 7 equiangular-spaced beams starting at 0 o for most patients. Conclusions: The use of an optimal starting gantry angle for 5 equiangular-spaced beams, as indicated by a class solution in this study, will facilitate rectal sparing and can produce plans that are equivalent to those employing 7 equiangular-spaced beams

Guide device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brammer, C.M. Jr.

1977-01-01

Disclosed is a fuel handling guide tube centering device for use in nuclear reactors during fuel assembly handling operations. The device comprises an outer ring secured to the flange of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel, a rotatable table rotatably coupled to the outer ring, and a plurality of openings through the table. Truncated locating cones are positioned in each of the openings in the table, and the locating cones center the guide tube during fuel handling operations. The openings in the table are located such that each fuel assembly in the nuclear core may be aligned with one of the openings by a suitable rotation of the table. The locating cones thereby provide alignment between the fuel handling mechanism located in the guide tube and the individual fuel assemblies of the cone. The need for a device to provide alignment is especially critical for floating nuclear power plants, where wave motion may exist during fuel handling operations. 5 claims, 4 figures

More than 10 years experience of beam monitoring with the Gantry 1 spot scanning proton therapy facility at PSI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Shixiong; Boehringer, Terence; Coray, Adolf; Grossmann, Martin; Pedroni, Eros

2009-01-01

Purpose: The beam monitoring equipments developed for the first PSI spot scanning proton therapy facility, Gantry 1, have been successfully used for more than 10 years. The purpose of this article is to summarize the author's experience in the beam monitoring technique for dynamic proton scanning. Methods: The spot dose delivery and verification use two independent beam monitoring and computer systems. In this article, the detector construction, electronic system, dosimetry, and quality assurance results are described in detail. The beam flux monitor is calibrated with a Faraday cup. The beam position monitoring is realized by measuring the magnetic fields of deflection magnets with Hall probes before applying the spot and by checking the beam position and width with an ionization strip chamber after the spot delivery. Results: The results of thimble ionization chamber dosimetry measurements are reproducible (with a mean deviation of less than 1% and a standard deviation of 1%). The resolution in the beam position measurement is of the order of a tenth of a millimeter. The tolerance of the beam position delivery and monitoring during scanning is less than 1.5 mm. Conclusions: The experiences gained with the successful operation of Gantry 1 represent a unique and solid background for the development of a new system, Gantry 2, in order to perform new advanced scanning techniques.

More than 10 years experience of beam monitoring with the Gantry 1 spot scanning proton therapy facility at PSI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin Shixiong; Boehringer, Terence; Coray, Adolf; Grossmann, Martin; Pedroni, Eros [Center for Proton Therapy, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland)

2009-11-15

Purpose: The beam monitoring equipments developed for the first PSI spot scanning proton therapy facility, Gantry 1, have been successfully used for more than 10 years. The purpose of this article is to summarize the author's experience in the beam monitoring technique for dynamic proton scanning. Methods: The spot dose delivery and verification use two independent beam monitoring and computer systems. In this article, the detector construction, electronic system, dosimetry, and quality assurance results are described in detail. The beam flux monitor is calibrated with a Faraday cup. The beam position monitoring is realized by measuring the magnetic fields of deflection magnets with Hall probes before applying the spot and by checking the beam position and width with an ionization strip chamber after the spot delivery. Results: The results of thimble ionization chamber dosimetry measurements are reproducible (with a mean deviation of less than 1% and a standard deviation of 1%). The resolution in the beam position measurement is of the order of a tenth of a millimeter. The tolerance of the beam position delivery and monitoring during scanning is less than 1.5 mm. Conclusions: The experiences gained with the successful operation of Gantry 1 represent a unique and solid background for the development of a new system, Gantry 2, in order to perform new advanced scanning techniques.

Craniospinal treatment with IMRT multi-isocentric and image-guided linear accelerator based on Gantry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanz Beltran, M.; Caballero Perea, B.; Rodriguez Rodriguez, C.; Arminio Diaz, E.; Lopez Fernandez, A.; Gomez Fervienza, J. R.; Crespo Diez, P.; Cantarero Valenzuela, N.; Alvarez Sanchez, M.; Martin Martin, G.; Gomez Fervienza, J. r.; Crespo Diez, P.; Cantarero Valenzuela, N.; Alvarez Sanchez, M.; Martin Martin, G.

2011-01-01

The objective is the realization of craniospinal treatment with a linear accelerator equipped with gantry based on MLC, carbon fiber table and Image Guided capability. The great length of treatment (patient l,80m in height) was a great difficulty for want of full length of the longitudinal movement of the table to adequately cover the PTV, plus free metallic screws fastening the head of the table extender preventing further incidents.

The Axial Curve Rotator.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Walter M.

This document contains detailed directions for constructing a device that mechanically produces the three-dimensional shape resulting from the rotation of any algebraic line or curve around either axis on the coordinate plant. The device was developed in response to student difficulty in visualizing, and thus grasping the mathematical principles…

Inducer Hydrodynamic Load Measurement Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Skelley, Stephen E.; Zoladz, Thomas F.

2002-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has demonstrated two measurement devices for sensing and resolving the hydrodynamic loads on fluid machinery. The first - a derivative of the six component wind tunnel balance - senses the forces and moments on the rotating device through a weakened shaft section instrumented with a series of strain gauges. This "rotating balance" was designed to directly measure the steady and unsteady hydrodynamic loads on an inducer, thereby defining both the amplitude and frequency content associated with operating in various cavitation modes. The second device - a high frequency response pressure transducer surface mounted on a rotating component - was merely an extension of existing technology for application in water. MSFC has recently completed experimental evaluations of both the rotating balance and surface-mount transducers in a water test loop. The measurement bandwidth of the rotating balance was severely limited by the relative flexibility of the device itself, resulting in an unexpectedly low structural bending mode and invalidating the higher frequency response data. Despite these limitations, measurements confirmed that the integrated loads on the four-bladed inducer respond to both cavitation intensity and cavitation phenomena. Likewise, the surface-mount pressure transducers were subjected to a range of temperatures and flow conditions in a non-rotating environment to record bias shifts and transfer functions between the transducers and a reference device. The pressure transducer static performance was within manufacturer's specifications and dynamic response accurately followed that of the reference.

Technical Note: Output and energy fluctuations of the tomotherapy Hi-Art helical tomotherapy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahan, Stephen L.; Chase, Daniel J.; Ramsey, Chester R.

2004-01-01

The output and energy calibrations for the first clinical Hi-Art 2.0 helical tomotherapy system have been reviewed. Fixed-gantry/fixed-couch and rotational-gantry/fixed-couch measurements were made on a daily basis over a period of 20 weeks to investigate system stability. Static gantry measurements were taken at 10 cm depth in a rectangular stack of Virtual Water at an SSD distance of 90 cm and a field size of 5x40 cm. Rotational gantry measurements were taken in a cylindrical phantom Virtual Water phantom for a field size of 5x40 cm. The Hi-Art 2.0 system has maintained its calibration to within ±2% and energy to within ±1.5% over the initial 20 week period

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-01-01

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

Hadron cancer therapy complex using nonscaling fixed field alternating gradient accelerator and gantry design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Keil

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Nonscaling fixed field alternating gradient (FFAG rings for cancer hadron therapy offer reduced physical aperture and large dynamic aperture as compared to scaling FFAGs. The variation of tune with energy implies the crossing of resonances during acceleration. Our design avoids intrinsic resonances, although imperfection resonances must be crossed. We consider a system of three nonscaling FFAG rings for cancer therapy with 250 MeV protons and 400   MeV/u carbon ions. Hadrons are accelerated in a common radio frequency quadrupole and linear accelerator, and injected into the FFAG rings at v/c=0.1294. H^{+}/C^{6+} ions are accelerated in the two smaller/larger rings to 31 and 250  MeV/68.8 and 400   MeV/u kinetic energy, respectively. The lattices consist of doublet cells with a straight section for rf cavities. The gantry with triplet cells accepts the whole required momentum range at fixed field. This unique design uses either high-temperature superconductors or superconducting magnets reducing gantry magnet size and weight. Elements with a variable field at the beginning and at the end set the extracted beam at the correct position for a range of energies.

Dosimetry with the scanned proton beam on the PSI gantry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coray, A.; Pedroni, E.; Boehringer, T.; Lin, S.; Lomax, T.; Goitein, G.

2002-01-01

the precision and reproducibility of the dose application, independent of the gantry angle and the beam energy, will be presented. Before the first delivery of a new field to the patient, the dose distribution is checked by using a water phantom with an array of ionization chambers. A qualitative 3d check is done in addition through irradiation of a stack of films. The routine dosimetry with ionization chambers agree well with the expected dose from the therapy plan. The overall dose error for one year is ±0.03 Gy (S.D.). Some systematic effects, due to reactions in the range-shifter plates, have been found for small fields. Data to illustrate the dose verification will be shown. For our quality control and for the further refinement of the application technique we use a CCD dosimetry system. A scintillating screen is viewed by a CCD camera and a mirror. This 2d dosimetry device has an excellent position resolution and shows a very good reproducibility of the beam delivery. Further developments with the aim of realizing a 3D dosimetry system for the measurement of intensity modulated fields, which have a high spatial resolution, are under way. (author)

Optical illusions induced by rotating medium

Science.gov (United States)

Zang, XiaoFei; Huang, PengCheng; Zhu, YiMing

2018-03-01

Different from the traditional single-function electromagnetic wave rotators (rotate the electromagnetic wavefronts), we propose that rotating medium can be extended to optical illusions such as breaking the diffraction limit and overlapping illusion. Furthermore, the homogeneous but anisotropic rotating medium is simplified by homogeneous and isotropic positive-index materials according to the effective medium theory, which is helpful for future device fabrication. Finite element simulations for the two-dimensional case are performed to demonstrate these properties.

Handling device for nuclear fuel assemblies and assembly appropriate for such a device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cransac, J.P.; Jaquelin, R.; Renaux, C.

1985-01-01

The handling device comprises a guide tube of which axis is vertical, in which a grab moves, hanging from a chain, under the action of a back-geared motor. The grab being stopped in its rotation in the guide tube, an assembly can be gripped with a bayonet system while controlling the rotation of the grab - guide tube system a back-geared motor. The device can be hanged from the small or large rotating plug of a fast neutron reactor. It can be used in a handling flask [fr

SU-F-T-232: Monthly Quality Assurance in External Beam Radiation Therapy Using a Single System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, K [Department of Radiation Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (United States); Ji, T [Department of Radiation Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning (China); Iordachita, I [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (United States); Velarde, E; Hyatt, J; Wong, J

2016-06-15

Purpose: Monthly quality assurance (QA) is time consuming for external beam radiation therapy, taking as long as 6–8 hours for each machine. It is due to the use and setup of multiple devices for different QA procedures. We have developed a single system with rotational capability for the measurement of both optical light and radiation which significantly reduces the time spent on Monthly QA. Methods: A single system using mirrors, a phosphor screen and a CCD camera is housed on a cylindrical motor so that it can rotate 360 degrees. For monthly QA, the system is placed on the patient couch of the medical accelerator with the plane of the phosphor screen at isocenter for all measurements. For optical QA such as optical distance indicator, room laser and light field, the optical image is collected directly with the camera. For radiation QA such as beam profile, MLC speed, picket-fence test, collimator rotation, table rotation and gantry rotation, a brass build-up plate is attached to the top of the phosphor screen. Two brass plates with islands of different thickness were designed for photon energy and electron energy constancy checks. Flex map, distortion map and uniformity map were developed to calibrate the motor bearing, camera/lens distortion, and the phosphor screen’s measured response across the field. Results: Following the TG142 guidelines for monthly QA with our system, the overall run time is reduced from 6–8 hours to 1.5 hours. Our system’s rotating design allows for quick testing of the gantry radiation isocenter test that is also independent of the sag of the gantry and the EPID. Conclusion: Our system significantly shortens the time needed for monthly QA by unifying the tests with a single system. Future work will be focused on extending the technology to Brachytherapy, IMRT and proton therapy QAs. This work is funded in part by a sponsor research grant from JPLC who owns the Raven technology. John Wong is a co-founder of JPLC.

SU-F-T-232: Monthly Quality Assurance in External Beam Radiation Therapy Using a Single System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, K; Ji, T; Iordachita, I; Velarde, E; Hyatt, J; Wong, J

2016-01-01

Purpose: Monthly quality assurance (QA) is time consuming for external beam radiation therapy, taking as long as 6–8 hours for each machine. It is due to the use and setup of multiple devices for different QA procedures. We have developed a single system with rotational capability for the measurement of both optical light and radiation which significantly reduces the time spent on Monthly QA. Methods: A single system using mirrors, a phosphor screen and a CCD camera is housed on a cylindrical motor so that it can rotate 360 degrees. For monthly QA, the system is placed on the patient couch of the medical accelerator with the plane of the phosphor screen at isocenter for all measurements. For optical QA such as optical distance indicator, room laser and light field, the optical image is collected directly with the camera. For radiation QA such as beam profile, MLC speed, picket-fence test, collimator rotation, table rotation and gantry rotation, a brass build-up plate is attached to the top of the phosphor screen. Two brass plates with islands of different thickness were designed for photon energy and electron energy constancy checks. Flex map, distortion map and uniformity map were developed to calibrate the motor bearing, camera/lens distortion, and the phosphor screen’s measured response across the field. Results: Following the TG142 guidelines for monthly QA with our system, the overall run time is reduced from 6–8 hours to 1.5 hours. Our system’s rotating design allows for quick testing of the gantry radiation isocenter test that is also independent of the sag of the gantry and the EPID. Conclusion: Our system significantly shortens the time needed for monthly QA by unifying the tests with a single system. Future work will be focused on extending the technology to Brachytherapy, IMRT and proton therapy QAs. This work is funded in part by a sponsor research grant from JPLC who owns the Raven technology. John Wong is a co-founder of JPLC.

Magnetic field devices for neutron spin transport and manipulation in precise neutron spin rotation measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maldonado-Velázquez, M. [Posgrado en Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 (Mexico); Barrón-Palos, L., E-mail: libertad@fisica.unam.mx [Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 20-364, 01000 (Mexico); Crawford, C. [University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506 (United States); Snow, W.M. [Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405 (United States)

2017-05-11

The neutron spin is a critical degree of freedom for many precision measurements using low-energy neutrons. Fundamental symmetries and interactions can be studied using polarized neutrons. Parity-violation (PV) in the hadronic weak interaction and the search for exotic forces that depend on the relative spin and velocity, are two questions of fundamental physics that can be studied via the neutron spin rotations that arise from the interaction of polarized cold neutrons and unpolarized matter. The Neutron Spin Rotation (NSR) collaboration developed a neutron polarimeter, capable of determining neutron spin rotations of the order of 10{sup −7} rad per meter of traversed material. This paper describes two key components of the NSR apparatus, responsible for the transport and manipulation of the spin of the neutrons before and after the target region, which is surrounded by magnetic shielding and where residual magnetic fields need to be below 100 μG. These magnetic field devices, called input and output coils, provide the magnetic field for adiabatic transport of the neutron spin in the regions outside the magnetic shielding while producing a sharp nonadiabatic transition of the neutron spin when entering/exiting the low-magnetic-field region. In addition, the coils are self contained, forcing the return magnetic flux into a compact region of space to minimize fringe fields outside. The design of the input and output coils is based on the magnetic scalar potential method.

Stud manipulating device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunyan, T.W.

1980-01-01

A device for inserting and removing studs from bores in a workpiece, for example a nuclear reactor vessel, comprises manipulating devices for operating on individual studs, each capable of tensioning a stud slackening a working nut on the stud, and subsequently removing the stud from the bore. A ring has dogs which can engage working nut recesses to interlock with the nut against relative rotation. Motors coupled to the ring rotate the working nut. A top nut is coupled to the motors to rotate the nut and screw it onto the stud. The top nut with other device parts can be raised and lowered on a tube by a hydraulic actuator. A hydraulic load cell between the top nut and a stool on the workpiece is pressurised to tension the stud by means of the top nut and thus facilitate rotation of the working nut when tightening or slackening. A dog clutch mechanism engages a stud end fitting against relative axial and rotational movement. The mechanism is raised and lowered on a guide member by an actuator. The mechanism has a tubular member and the drive coupling for the motors to the top nut includes a tubular member. Tubular members carry teeth which are engaged when the top nut is raised and the clutch mechanism is lowered, to provide a coupling between the motors and the mechanism for rotating the stud. (U.K.)

Rotating preventers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tangedahl, M.J.; Stone, C.R.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that recent changes in the oil and gas industry and ongoing developments in horizontal and underbalanced drilling necessitated development of a better rotating head. A new device called the rotating blowout preventer (RBOP) was developed by Seal-Tech. It is designed to replace the conventional rotating control head on top of BOP stacks and allows drilling operations to continue even on live (underbalanced) wells. Its low wear characteristics and high working pressure (1,500 psi) allow drilling rig crews to drill safely in slightly underbalanced conditions or handle severe well control problems during the time required to actuate other BOPs in the stack. Drilling with a RBOP allows wellbores to be completely closed in tat the drill floor rather than open as with conventional BOPs

Wave-Driven Rotation In Centrifugal Mirrors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fetterman, Abraham J.; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2011-01-01

Centrifugal mirrors use supersonic rotation to provide axial confinement and enhanced stability. Usually the rotation is produced using electrodes, but these electrodes have limited the rotation to the Alfven critical ionization velocity, which is too slow to be useful for fusion. Instead, the rotation could be produced using radio frequency waves. A fixed azimuthal ripple is a simple and efficient wave that could produce rotation by harnessing alpha particle energy. This is an extension of the alpha channeling effect. The alpha particle power and efficiency in a simulated devices is sufficient to produce rotation without external energy input. By eliminating the need for electrodes, this opens new opportunities for centrifugal traps.

A rotating arc plasma invertor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reusch, M.F.; Jayaram, K.

1987-02-01

A device is described for the inversion of direct current to alternating current. The main feature is the use of a rotating plasma arc in crossed electric and magnetic fields as a switch. This device may provide an economic alternative to other inversion methods in some circumstances

Detection device for inside of space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojima, Kosuke.

1996-01-01

A securing plate is disposed to a support column which can be inserted to a space, and a rotational member on which equipments for detection are loaded is disposed rotatably in the longitudinal direction of the support column at a predetermined distance from the securing plate. Shape memory alloy wires that shrink when current is supplied are stretched circumferentially each at a predetermined distance obliquely relative to the support column between the rotational member and the securing plate. In addition, there are disposed a sensor for detecting the rotational angle of the rotational member, a calculator for determining the deviation of the angle of the rotation based on the difference of the detected rotational angle and a predetermined rotational angle as a reference, a deviation counter for obtaining deviation count signals based on the deviation of the rotational angle, a D-A convertor for converting the deviation count signals to analog signals, a pulse width modulation device for duty ratio control based on the analog signals and output pulse signals, and a power amplifier for amplifying the pulse signals and applying them to the shape memory wires. Since the device is reduced in the size and weight, handling is facilitated, and the rotational angle can be controlled accurately. The device can be used for detection of an end plate in a pressure vessel. (N.H.)

Rotatable seal assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garibaldi, J.L.; Logan, C.M.

1982-01-01

An assembly is provided for rotatably supporting a rotor on a stator so that vacuum chambers in the rotor and stator remain in communication while the chambers are sealed from ambient air, which enables the use of a ball bearing or the like to support most of the weight of the rotor. The apparatus includes a seal device mounted on the rotor to rotate therewith, but shiftable in position on the rotor while being sealed to the rotor as by an oring. The seal device has a flat face that is biased towards a flat face on the stator, and pressurized air is pumped between the faces to prevent contact between them while spacing them a small distance apart to avoid the inflow of large amounts of air between the faces and into the vacuum chambers

Rotating Reverse-Osmosis for Water Purification

Science.gov (United States)

Lueptow, RIchard M.

2004-01-01

A new design for a water-filtering device combines rotating filtration with reverse osmosis to create a rotating reverse- osmosis system. Rotating filtration has been used for separating plasma from whole blood, while reverse osmosis has been used in purification of water and in some chemical processes. Reverse- osmosis membranes are vulnerable to concentration polarization a type of fouling in which the chemicals meant not to pass through the reverse-osmosis membranes accumulate very near the surfaces of the membranes. The combination of rotating filtration and reverse osmosis is intended to prevent concentration polarization and thereby increase the desired flux of filtered water while decreasing the likelihood of passage of undesired chemical species through the filter. Devices based on this concept could be useful in a variety of commercial applications, including purification and desalination of drinking water, purification of pharmaceutical process water, treatment of household and industrial wastewater, and treatment of industrial process water. A rotating filter consists of a cylindrical porous microfilter rotating within a stationary concentric cylindrical outer shell (see figure). The aqueous suspension enters one end of the annulus between the inner and outer cylinders. Filtrate passes through the rotating cylindrical microfilter and is removed via a hollow shaft. The concentrated suspension is removed at the end of the annulus opposite the end where the suspension entered.

New methods for optical distance indicator and gantry angle quality control tests in medical linear accelerators: image processing by using a 3D phantom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shandiz, Mahdi Heravian; Khalilzadeh, Mohammadmahdi; Anvari, Kazem [Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Layen, Ghorban Safaeian [Mashhad University of Medical Science, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-03-15

In order to keep the acceptable level of the radiation oncology linear accelerators, it is necessary to apply a reliable quality assurance (QA) program. The QA protocols, published by authoritative organizations, such as the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), determine the quality control (QC) tests which should be performed on the medical linear accelerators and the threshold levels for each test. The purpose of this study is to increase the accuracy and precision of the selected QC tests in order to increase the quality of treatment and also increase the speed of the tests to convince the crowded centers to start a reliable QA program. A new method has been developed for two of the QC tests; optical distance indicator (ODI) QC test as a daily test and gantry angle QC test as a monthly test. This method uses an image processing approach utilizing the snapshots taken by the CCD camera to measure the source to surface distance (SSD) and gantry angle. The new method of ODI QC test has an accuracy of 99.95% with a standard deviation of 0.061 cm and the new method for gantry angle QC has a precision of 0.43 degrees. The automated proposed method which is used for both ODI and gantry angle QC tests, contains highly accurate and precise results which are objective and the human-caused errors have no effect on the results. The results show that they are in the acceptable range for both of the QC tests, according to AAPM task group 142.

New methods for optical distance indicator and gantry angle quality control tests in medical linear accelerators: image processing by using a 3D phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shandiz, Mahdi Heravian; Khalilzadeh, Mohammadmahdi; Anvari, Kazem; Layen, Ghorban Safaeian

2015-01-01

In order to keep the acceptable level of the radiation oncology linear accelerators, it is necessary to apply a reliable quality assurance (QA) program. The QA protocols, published by authoritative organizations, such as the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), determine the quality control (QC) tests which should be performed on the medical linear accelerators and the threshold levels for each test. The purpose of this study is to increase the accuracy and precision of the selected QC tests in order to increase the quality of treatment and also increase the speed of the tests to convince the crowded centers to start a reliable QA program. A new method has been developed for two of the QC tests; optical distance indicator (ODI) QC test as a daily test and gantry angle QC test as a monthly test. This method uses an image processing approach utilizing the snapshots taken by the CCD camera to measure the source to surface distance (SSD) and gantry angle. The new method of ODI QC test has an accuracy of 99.95% with a standard deviation of 0.061 cm and the new method for gantry angle QC has a precision of 0.43 degrees. The automated proposed method which is used for both ODI and gantry angle QC tests, contains highly accurate and precise results which are objective and the human-caused errors have no effect on the results. The results show that they are in the acceptable range for both of the QC tests, according to AAPM task group 142.

Optimization of a retrospective technique for respiratory-gated high speed micro-CT of free-breathing rodents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, Nancy L; Wheatley, Andrew R; Holdsworth, David W; Drangova, Maria

2007-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop a technique for dynamic respiratory imaging using retrospectively gated high-speed micro-CT imaging of free-breathing mice. Free-breathing C57Bl6 mice were scanned using a dynamic micro-CT scanner, comprising a flat-panel detector mounted on a slip-ring gantry. Projection images were acquired over ten complete gantry rotations in 50 s, while monitoring the respiratory motion in synchrony with projection-image acquisition. Projection images belonging to a selected respiratory phase were retrospectively identified and used for 3D reconstruction. The effect of using fewer gantry rotations-which influences both image quality and the ability to quantify respiratory function-was evaluated. Images reconstructed using unique projections from six or more gantry rotations produced acceptable images for quantitative analysis of lung volume, CT density, functional residual capacity and tidal volume. The functional residual capacity (0.15 ± 0.03 mL) and tidal volumes (0.08 ± 0.03 mL) measured in this study agree with previously reported measurements made using prospectively gated micro-CT and at higher resolution (150 μm versus 90 μm voxel spacing). Retrospectively gated micro-CT imaging of free-breathing mice enables quantitative dynamic measurement of morphological and functional parameters in the mouse models of respiratory disease, with scan times as short as 30 s, based on the acquisition of projection images over six gantry rotations

Optimization of a retrospective technique for respiratory-gated high speed micro-CT of free-breathing rodents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ford, Nancy L [Department of Physics, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3 (Canada); Wheatley, Andrew R [Imaging Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, 100 Perth Drive, PO Box 5015, London, Ontario N6A 5K8 (Canada); Holdsworth, David W [Imaging Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, 100 Perth Drive, PO Box 5015, London, Ontario N6A 5K8 (Canada); Drangova, Maria [Imaging Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, 100 Perth Drive, PO Box 5015, London, Ontario N6A 5K8 (Canada)

2007-09-21

The objective of this study was to develop a technique for dynamic respiratory imaging using retrospectively gated high-speed micro-CT imaging of free-breathing mice. Free-breathing C57Bl6 mice were scanned using a dynamic micro-CT scanner, comprising a flat-panel detector mounted on a slip-ring gantry. Projection images were acquired over ten complete gantry rotations in 50 s, while monitoring the respiratory motion in synchrony with projection-image acquisition. Projection images belonging to a selected respiratory phase were retrospectively identified and used for 3D reconstruction. The effect of using fewer gantry rotations-which influences both image quality and the ability to quantify respiratory function-was evaluated. Images reconstructed using unique projections from six or more gantry rotations produced acceptable images for quantitative analysis of lung volume, CT density, functional residual capacity and tidal volume. The functional residual capacity (0.15 {+-} 0.03 mL) and tidal volumes (0.08 {+-} 0.03 mL) measured in this study agree with previously reported measurements made using prospectively gated micro-CT and at higher resolution (150 {mu}m versus 90 {mu}m voxel spacing). Retrospectively gated micro-CT imaging of free-breathing mice enables quantitative dynamic measurement of morphological and functional parameters in the mouse models of respiratory disease, with scan times as short as 30 s, based on the acquisition of projection images over six gantry rotations.

Development of a permanently controllable rotating biopsy device. Pt. I. Theoretical considerations and in-vitro results for five different prototypes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, Philipp Jost; Jahnke, T.; Andres, H.; Heller, M.; Schaefer, F.K.; Hedderich, J.

2009-01-01

Purpose: to develop different prototypes of permanently controllable rotating biopsy devices with determination of the most efficient prototype in biopsies in bovine myocardium. Materials and Methods: Five different prototypes of 18-gauge rotating biopsy devices were designed and constructed, four (1-4) with various drill-like cutting edges and one (5) cannula type with a lancet-like helically bent cutting edge. Using bovine myocardium as the biopsy tissue, n = 100 specimens per prototype were obtained, and a quantitative analysis including tissue fragmentation, length in mm and weight in mg was carried out. For statistical analysis, the chi-square test for tissue fragmentation and Kruskal-Wallis test for the parameters length and weight were calculated. Results: prototype 5 showed the highest rate of extraction of one-fragment specimens in n=66 cases and the lowest rate of failure to obtain tissue in n=11 cases. The mean length/weight were 4.15 mm/3.91 mg for prototype 1, 1.80 mm/1.66 mg for prototype 2, 4.61 mm/3.28 mg for prototype 3, 5.20 mm/3.74 mg for prototype 4, and 9.57 mm/6.97 mg for prototype 5. In all three categories, prototype 5 was significantly superior to the prototypes 1-4 with p < 0.001. Conclusion: the cannula type with a lancet-like helically bent cutting edge proved to be the most efficient prototype and may now be tested competitively against established automated biopsy devices in vitro. (orig.)

SU-G-TeP4-03: A Multileaf Collimator Calibration and Quality Assurance Technique Using An Electronic Portal Imaging Device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lebron, S; Yan, G; Li, J; Lu, B; Liu, C [University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To develop an accurate and quick multileaf collimator (MLC) calibration and quality assurance technique using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) Methods: The MLC models used include the MLCi and Agility (Elekta Ltd). This technique consists of two 22(L)x10(W) cm{sup 2} fields with 0{sup 0} and 180{sup 0} collimator angles centered to an offset EPID. The MLC opening is estimated by calculating the profile at the image’s center in the image’s horizontal direction. Scans in the image’s vertical direction were calculated every 20 pixels in the inner 70% of estimated MLC opening. The profiles’ edges were fitted with linear equations to determine the image’s rotation angle. Then, crossline profiles were scanned at the center of each leaf taking into account the leaf’s width at isocenter and the rotation angle. The profiles’ edges determine the location of the leaves’ edges and these were subtracted from the reference leaf’s position in order to determine the relative leaf offsets. The edge location of all profiles was determined by using the parameterized gradient of the penumbra region. The technique was tested against an established diode array-based method, and for different MLC systems, patterns, gantry angles, days, energies, beam modalities and MLC openings. Results: The differences between the proposed and established methods were 0.26±0.19mm. The leaf offsets’ deviation was <0.3mm (5 months period). For pattern fields, the differences between predetermined and calculated offsets were 0.18±0.18mm. The leaf offset deviation of measurements with different energies and MLC openings were <0.1mm and <0.3mm, respectively. The differences between offsets of FF and FFF beams were 0.01±0.02mm (<0.07mm). The differences between the offsets at different gantry angles were 0.08±0.15mm. Conclusion: The proposed method proved to be accurate and efficient in calculating the relative leaf offsets. Parameterized field edge is essential to

Radiation area monitor device and method

Science.gov (United States)

Vencelj, Matjaz; Stowe, Ashley C.; Petrovic, Toni; Morrell, Jonathan S.; Kosicek, Andrej

2018-01-30

A radiation area monitor device/method, utilizing: a radiation sensor; a rotating radiation shield disposed about the radiation sensor, wherein the rotating radiation shield defines one or more ports that are transparent to radiation; and a processor operable for analyzing and storing a radiation fingerprint acquired by the radiation sensor as the rotating radiation shield is rotated about the radiation sensor. Optionally, the radiation sensor includes a gamma and/or neutron radiation sensor. The device/method selectively operates in: a first supervised mode during which a baseline radiation fingerprint is acquired by the radiation sensor as the rotating radiation shield is rotated about the radiation sensor; and a second unsupervised mode during which a subsequent radiation fingerprint is acquired by the radiation sensor as the rotating radiation shield is rotated about the radiation sensor, wherein the subsequent radiation fingerprint is compared to the baseline radiation fingerprint and, if a predetermined difference threshold is exceeded, an alert is issued.

Frequency Shift of a Rotating Mass-Imbalance Immersed in an Acoustic Fluid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stephen R. Novascone; David M. Weinberg; Michael J. Anderson

2005-01-01

In this paper, we describe a physical mechanism that relates a measurable behavior of a vibrating device to the physical properties of a surrounding acoustic medium. The vibrating device under consideration is a rotating imbalance immersed in an unbounded acoustic fluid. It is assumed that the rotating imbalance is driven by an electromagnetic motor excited by a given DC voltage. If nonlinearities are ignored, the steady state operational frequency of such a device is determined by a balance between the applied electromagnetic and opposing frictional torque on the rotating imbalance. If nonlinearities are retained, it is shown that under certain circumstances, the surrounding acoustic medium exerts an additional time-averaged opposing torque on the rotating imbalance that reduces the operational frequency of the device. Consequently, the operational frequency of the device becomes linked to the physical properties of the surrounding medium. Analytical calculations showed that the radiative resistance of an acoustic fluid caused the opposing torque. The shift in frequency is proportional to the radiative resistance and the square of the rotating eccentricity, but inversely proportional the total transducer mass and the damping effect of the DC motor

An electronic pan/tilt/magnify and rotate camera system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmermann, S.; Martin, H.L.

1992-01-01

A new camera system has been developed for omnidirectional image-viewing applications that provides pan, tilt, magnify, and rotational orientation within a hemispherical field of view (FOV) without any moving parts. The imaging device is based on the fact that the image from a fish-eye lens, which produces a circular image of an entire hemispherical FOV, can be mathematically corrected using high-speed electronic circuitry. More specifically, an incoming fish-eye image from any image acquisition source is captured in the memory of the device, a transformation is performed for the viewing region of interest and viewing direction, and a corrected image is output as a video image signal for viewing, recording, or analysis. The image transformation device can provide corrected images at frame rates compatible with RS-170 standard video equipment. As a result, this device can accomplish the functions of pan, tilt, rotation, and magnification throughout a hemispherical FOV without the need for any mechanical devices. Multiple images, each with different image magnifications and pan-tilt-rotate parameters, can be obtained from a single camera

Performance specifications for proton medical facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, W.T.; Staples, J.W.; Ludewigt, B.A.; Renner, T.R.; Singh, R.P.; Nyman, M.A.; Collier, J.M.; Daftari, I.K.; Petti, P.L.; Alonso, J.R. [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States); Kubo, H.; Verhey, L.J. [University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA (United States). Cancer Center]|[California Univ., San Francisco, CA (United States). School of Medicine; Castro, J.R. [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)]|[University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA (United States). Cancer Center]|[California Univ., San Francisco, CA (United States). School of Medicine

1993-03-01

Performance specifications of technical components of a modern proton radiotherapy facility are presented. The technical items specified include: the accelerator; the beam transport system including rotating gantry; the treatment beamline systems including beam scattering, beam scanning, and dosimetric instrumentation; and an integrated treatment and accelerator control system. Also included are treatment ancillary facilities such as diagnostic tools, patient positioning and alignment devices, and treatment planning systems. The facility specified will accommodate beam scanning enabling the three-dimensional conformal therapy deliver .

Dosimetric Comparison of Manual and Beam Angle Optimization of Gantry Angles in IMRT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, Shiv P.; Das, Indra J.; Kumar, Arvind; Johnstone, Peter A.S.

2011-01-01

Dosimetric comparison of manual beam angle selection (MBS) and beam angle optimization (BAO) for IMRT plans is investigated retrospectively for 15 head and neck and prostate patients. The head and neck and prostate had planning target volumes (PTVs) ranging between 96.0 and 319.9 cm 3 and 153.6 and 321.3 cm 3 , whereas OAR ranged between 8.3 and 47.8 cm 3 and 68.3 and 469.2 cm 3 , respectively. In MBS, a standard coplanar 7-9 fields equally spaced gantry angles were used. In BAO, the selection of gantry angle was optimized by the algorithm for the same number of beams. The optimization and dose-volume constraints were kept the same for both techniques. Treatment planning was performed on the Eclipse treatment planning system. Our results showed that the dose-volume histogram for PTV are nearly identical in both techniques but BAO provided superior sparing of the organs at risk compared with the MBS. Also, MBS produced statistically significant higher monitor units (MU) and segments than the BAO; 13.1 ± 6.6% (p = 0.012) and 10.4 ± 13.6% (p = 0.140), and 14.6 ± 5.6% (p = 1.003E-5) and 12.6 ± 7.4% (p = 0.76E-3) for head and neck and prostate cases, respectively. The reduction in MU translates into the reduction in total body and integral dose. It is concluded that BAO provides advantage over MBS for most intenisty-modulated radiation therapy cases.

Rotating structures in low temperature magnetized plasmas - Insight from particle simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean-Pierre eBoeuf

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The EXB configuration of various low temperature plasma devices is often responsible for the formation of rotating structures and instabilities leading to anomalous electron transport across the magnetic field. In these devices, electrons are strongly magnetized while ions are weakly or not magnetized and this leads to specific physical phenomena that are not present in fusion plasmas where both electrons and ions are strongly magnetized. In this paper we describe basic phenomena involving rotating plasma structures in simple configurations of low temperature EXB plasma devices on the basis of PIC-MCC (Particle-In-Cell Monte Carlo Collisions simulations. We focus on three examples: rotating electron vortices and rotating spokes in cylindrical magnetrons, and azimuthal electron-cyclotron drift instability in Hall thrusters. The simulations are not intended to give definite answers to the many physics issues related to low temperature EXB plasma devices but are used to illustrate and discuss some of the basic questions that need further studies.

Overview of CMS robotic silicon module assembly hardware based on Aerotech Gantry Positioning system.

CERN Multimedia

Honma, Alan

1999-01-01

The goal of the robotic silicon module assembly pilot project is to fully automate the gluing and pick and placement of silicon sensors and front-end hybrid onto a carbon-fibre frame. The basis for thesystem is the Aerotech Gantry Positioning System (AGS10000) machineshown in the centre of the picture. To the left is the PC which contains the controller card and runs the user interface. To the rightis the rack of associated electronics which interfaces with the CERNbuilt tooling and vacuum chuck system.

Nuclear fuel pellet charging device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komuro, Kojiro.

1990-01-01

The present invention concerns a nuclear fuel pellet loading device, in which nuclear fuel pellets are successively charged from an open end of a fuel can while rotating the can. That is, a fuel can sealed at one end with an end plug and opened at the other end is rotated around its pipe axis as the center on a rotationally diriving table. During rotation of the fuel can, nuclear fuel pellets are successively charged by means of a feed rod of a feeding device to the inside of the fuel can. The fuel can is rotated while being supported horizontally and the fuel pellets are charged from the open end thereof. Alternatively, the fuel can is rotated while being supported obliquely and the fuel pellets are charged gravitationally into the fuel can. In this way, the damages to the barrier of the fuel can can be reduce. Further, since the fuel pellets can be charged gravitationally by rotating the fuel can while being supported obliquely, the damages to the barrier can be reduced remarkably. (I.S.)

Metasurface for multi-channel terahertz beam splitters and polarization rotators

Science.gov (United States)

Zang, XiaoFei; Gong, HanHong; Li, Zhen; Xie, JingYa; Cheng, QingQing; Chen, Lin; Shkurinov, Alexander P.; Zhu, YiMing; Zhuang, SongLin

2018-04-01

Terahertz beam splitters and polarization rotators are two typical devices with wide applications ranging from terahertz communication to system integration. However, they are faced with severe challenges in manipulating THz waves in multiple channels, which is desirable for system integration and device miniaturization. Here, we propose a method to design ultra-thin multi-channel THz beam splitters and polarization rotators simultaneously. The reflected beams are divided into four beams with nearly the same density under illumination of linear-polarized THz waves, while the polarization of reflected beams in each channel is modulated with a rotation angle or invariable with respect to the incident THz waves, leading to the multi-channel polarization rotator (multiple polarization rotation in the reflective channels) and beam splitter, respectively. Reflective metasurfaces, created by patterning metal-rods with different orientations on a polyimide film, were fabricated and measured to demonstrate these characteristics. The proposed approach provides an efficient way of controlling polarization of THz waves in various channels, which significantly simplifies THz functional devices and the experimental system.

Investigation of the mechanical performance of Siemens linacs components during arc

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rowshanfarzad, Pejman; Häring, Peter; Lynggaard Riis, Hans

2015-01-01

to linac rotation were separately investigated by acquisition of 37 EPID images of a simple phantom with five ball bearings at various gantry angles. A fast and robust software package was developed for automated analysis of image data. Three Siemens linacs were investigated. RESULTS: The average EPID sag...... for effective investigation of the behavior of Siemens linac components with gantry rotation. Such a comprehensive study has been performed for the first time on Siemens machines....

Development of NTD Hydraulic Rotation System for Kijang Research Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Hanok; Park, Kijung; Park, Yongsoo; Kim, Seong Hoon; Park, Cheol [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

The KJRR will be mainly utilized for isotope production, NTD (Neutron Transmutation Doping) production, and related research activities. During irradiation for the NTD process, the irradiation rigs containing the silicon ingot rotate at a constant speed to ensure precisely defined homogeneity of the irradiation. The NTDHRS requires only hydraulic piping conveniently routed to the rotating devices inside the reactor pool. The resulting layout leaves the pool area clear of obstructions which might obscure vision and hinder target handling for operators. Pump banks and control valves are located remotely in a dedicated plant room allowing easy access and online maintenance. The necessities and major characteristic of NTD hydraulic rotation system are described in this study. A new NTD hydraulic rotation system are being developed to rotate the irradiation rigs at a constant speed and supply cooling flow for the irradiation rigs and reflector assembly. The configuration of the NTD hydraulic rotation device is discussed and practical methods to improve the rotational performance are suggested.

Development of NTD Hydraulic Rotation System for Kijang Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Hanok; Park, Kijung; Park, Yongsoo; Kim, Seong Hoon; Park, Cheol

2014-01-01

The KJRR will be mainly utilized for isotope production, NTD (Neutron Transmutation Doping) production, and related research activities. During irradiation for the NTD process, the irradiation rigs containing the silicon ingot rotate at a constant speed to ensure precisely defined homogeneity of the irradiation. The NTDHRS requires only hydraulic piping conveniently routed to the rotating devices inside the reactor pool. The resulting layout leaves the pool area clear of obstructions which might obscure vision and hinder target handling for operators. Pump banks and control valves are located remotely in a dedicated plant room allowing easy access and online maintenance. The necessities and major characteristic of NTD hydraulic rotation system are described in this study. A new NTD hydraulic rotation system are being developed to rotate the irradiation rigs at a constant speed and supply cooling flow for the irradiation rigs and reflector assembly. The configuration of the NTD hydraulic rotation device is discussed and practical methods to improve the rotational performance are suggested

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2016-01-01

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

Polarization splitter and polarization rotator designs based on transformation optics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Do-Hoon; Werner, Douglas H

2008-11-10

The transformation optics technique is employed in this paper to design two optical devices - a two-dimensional polarization splitter and a three-dimensional polarization rotator for propagating beams. The polarization splitter translates the TM- and the TE-polarized components of an incident beam in opposite directions (i.e., shifted up or shifted down). The polarization rotator rotates the polarization state of an incoming beam by an arbitrary angle. Both optical devices are reflectionless at the entry and exit interfaces. Design details and full-wave simulation results are provided.

Precedent Research on Compact Laser-plasma based Gantry for Cancer Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hee, Park Seong; Jeong, Young Uk; Lee, Ki Tae; Kim, Kyung Nam; Cha, Young Ho

2012-03-01

This is the precedent R and D to develop the technology of next generation compact particle cancer treatment system based on laser-plasma interaction and to deduce a big project. The subject of this project are the survey of application technology of laser-plasma based particle beam and the design of compact laser-plasma based gantry. The survey of characteristic of particle beam for cancer therapy and present status can be adapted to develop new system. The comparison between particle beams from the existing system and new one based on laser-plasma acceleration will be important to new design and design optimization. The project includes design of multi-dimensional laser transfer beamline, minimization of laser-plasma acceleration chamber, design of effective energy separation/selection system, and radiation safety and local shielding

Assessment of hybrid rotation-translation scan schemes for in vivo animal SPECT imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Yan; Liu Yaqiang; Wang Shi; Ma Tianyu; Yao Rutao; Deng Xiao

2013-01-01

To perform in vivo animal single photon emission computed tomography imaging on a stationary detector gantry, we introduced a hybrid rotation-translation (HRT) tomographic scan, a combination of translational and limited angle rotational movements of the image object, to minimize gravity-induced animal motion. To quantitatively assess the performance of ten HRT scan schemes and the conventional rotation-only scan scheme, two simulated phantoms were first scanned with each scheme to derive the corresponding image resolution (IR) in the image field of view. The IR results of all the scan schemes were visually assessed and compared with corresponding outputs of four scan scheme evaluation indices, i.e. sampling completeness (SC), sensitivity (S), conventional system resolution (SR), and a newly devised directional spatial resolution (DR) that measures the resolution in any specified orientation. A representative HRT scheme was tested with an experimental phantom study. Eight of the ten HRT scan schemes evaluated achieved a superior performance compared to two other HRT schemes and the rotation-only scheme in terms of phantom image resolution. The same eight HRT scan schemes also achieved equivalent or better performance in terms of the four quantitative indices than the conventional rotation-only scheme. As compared to the conventional index SR, the new index DR appears to be a more relevant indicator of system resolution performance. The experimental phantom image obtained from the selected HRT scheme was satisfactory. We conclude that it is feasible to perform in vivo animal imaging with a HRT scan scheme and SC and DR are useful predictors for quantitatively assessing the performance of a scan scheme. (paper)

Flywheels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bender, Donald Arthur [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-05-01

In use since ancient times, the flywheel has smoothed the flow of energy in rotating machinery from small, hand held devices to the largest engines. Today, standalone flywheel systems are being developed to store electrical energy. These systems are deployed in applications as diverse as uninterruptible power supplies, gantry cranes, and large research facilities. This chapter presents the technical foundation of flywheel design, a comparison with other energy storage technologies, and a survey of applications where flywheel energy storage systems are currently in service.

SU-E-T-512: Evaluation of Treatment Planning Dose Calculation Accuracy at the Interface of Prosthetic Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Paulu, D; Alaei, P

2012-06-01

To evaluate the ability of treatment planning algorithm to accurately predict dose delivered at the interface of high density implanted devices. A high density (7.6 g/cc) Cobalt-Chromium-Molybdenum hip prosthesis was molded into an epoxy-based cylindrical leg phantom. The phantom was designed to be separated in half to access the prosthesis and to place the TLDs. Using MVCT to image the apparatus, a simple treatment plan was developed using the Philips Pinnacle treatment planning system. Wires were placed in the molded epoxy to allow for accurate definition of measurement sites (TLD positions) along the surface of the prosthesis. Micro-cube TLDs (1 mm 3 ) were placed at six measurement locations for which the dose had been calculated by the treatment planning system. An Elekta Synergy linear accelerator was used to deliver a 400 cGy plan to the phantom with 6 MV photons in a single fraction. A total of four 10 cm × 21 cm fields were used at 0, 90, 180, and 270 degree gantry rotations. Initial results indicate that the measured dose is 7-17% lower than the dose calculated by the treatment planning system. Further study using high energy beams are also in progress. Initial results indicate that the treatment planning system does predict the dose near a high density prosthetic device within 10-15% but underestimates the dose. The results of this study could help in designing treatment plans which would reduce the uncertainty of the dose delivered in the vicinity of prosthetic hip implants and similar devices. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

The global percutaneous shuttling technique tip for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bryan G. Vopat

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Most arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs utilize suture passing devices placed through arthro- scopic cannulas. These devices are limited by the size of the passing device where the suture is passed through the tendon. An alternative technique has been used in the senior author’s practice for the past ten years, where sutures are placed through the rotator cuff tendon using percutaneous passing devices. This technique, dubbed the global percutaneous shuttling technique of rotator cuff repair, affords the placement of sutures from nearly any angle and location in the shoulder, and has the potential advantage of larger suture bites through the tendon edge. These advantages may increase the area of tendon available to compress to the rotator cuff footprint and improve tendon healing and outcomes. The aim of this study is to describe the global percutaneous shuttling (GPS technique and report our results using this method. The GPS technique can be used for any full thickness rotator cuff tear and is particularly useful for massive cuff tears with poor tissue quality. We recently followed up 22 patients with an average follow up of 32 months to validate its usefulness. American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores improved significantly from 37 preoperatively to 90 postoperatively (P<0.0001. This data supports the use of the GPS technique for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Further biomechanical studies are currently being performed to assess the improvements in tendon footprint area with this technique.

Dynamic Models of Instruments Using Rotating Unbalanced Masses

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, John Y.; Gallaspy, Jason M.; Bishop, Carlee A.

1998-01-01

The motion of telescopes, satellites, and other flight bodies have been controlled by various means in the past. For example, gimbal mounted devices can use electric motors to produce pointing and scanning motions. Reaction wheels, control moment gyros, and propellant-charged reaction jets are other technologies that have also been used. Each of these methods has its advantages, but all actuator systems used in a flight environment face the challenges of minimizing weight, reducing energy consumption, and maximizing reliability. Recently, Polites invented and patented the Rotating Unbalanced Mass (RUM) device as a means for generation scanning motion on flight experiments. RUM devices together with traditional servomechanisms have been successfully used to generate various scanning motions: linear, raster, and circular. The basic principle can be described: A RUM rotating at constant angular velocity exerts a cyclic centrifugal force on the instrument or main body, thus producing a periodic scanning motion. A system of RUM devices exerts no reaction forces on the main body, requires very little energy to rotate the RUMS, and is simple to construct. These are significant advantages over electric motors, reaction wheels, and control moment gyroscopes. Although the RUM device very easily produces scanning motion, an auxiliary control system has been required to maintain the proper orientation, or pointing of the main body. It has been suggested that RUM devices can be used to control pointing dynamics, as well as generate the desired periodic scanning motion. The idea is that the RUM velocity will not be kept constant, but will vary over the period of one RUM rotation. The thought is that the changing angular velocity produces a centrifugal force having time-varying magnitude and direction. The scope of this ongoing research project is to study the pointing control concept, and recommend a direction of study for advanced pointing control using only RUM devices. This

Freely tunable broadband polarization rotator for terahertz waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Ren-Hao; Zhou, Yu; Ren, Xiao-Ping; Peng, Ru-Wen; Jiang, Shang-Chi; Xu, Di-Hu; Xiong, Xiang; Huang, Xian-Rong; Wang, Mu

2015-02-18

A freely tunable polarization rotator for broadband terahertz waves is demonstrated using a three-rotating-layer metallic grating structure, which can conveniently rotate the polarization of a linearly polarized terahertz wave to any desired direction with nearly perfect conversion efficiency. This low-cost, high-efficiency, and freely tunable device has potential applications as material analysis, wireless communication, and THz imaging. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Highest performance in 3D metal cutting at smallest footprint: benchmark of a robot based system vs. parameters of gantry systems

Science.gov (United States)

Scheller, Torsten; Bastick, André; Michel-Triller, Robert; Manzella, Christon

2014-02-01

In the automotive industry as well as in other industries ecological aspects regarding energy savings are driving new technologies and materials, e.g. lightweight materials as aluminium or press hardened steels. Processing such parts especially complex 3D shaped parts laser manufacturing has become the key process offering highest efficiency. The most established systems for 3D cutting applications are based on gantry systems. The disadvantage of those systems is their huge footprint to realize the required stability and work envelope. Alternatively a robot based system might be of advantage if accuracy, speed and overall performance would be capable processing automotive parts. With the BIM "beam in motion" system, JENOPTIK Automatisierungstechnik GmbH has developed a modular robot based laser processing machine, which meets all OEM specs processing press hardened steel parts. A benchmark of the BIM versus a gantry system was done regarding all required parameters to fulfil OEM specifications for press hardened steel parts. As a result a highly productive, accurate and efficient system can be described based on one or multiple robot modules working simultaneously together. The paper presents the improvements on the robot machine concept BIM addressed in 2012 [1] leading to an industrial proven system approach for the automotive industry. It further compares the performance and the parameters for 3D cutting applications of the BIM system versus a gantry system by samples of applied parts. Finally an overview of suitable applications for processing complex 3D parts with high productivity at small footprint is given.

Variable speed control in wells turbine-based oscillating water column devices: optimum rotational speed

Science.gov (United States)

Lekube, J.; Garrido, A. J.; Garrido, I.

2018-03-01

The effects of climate change and global warming reveal the need to find alternative sources of clean energy. In this sense, wave energy power plants, and in particular Oscillating Water Column (OWC) devices, offer a huge potential of energy harnessing. Nevertheless, the conversion systems have not reached a commercially mature stage yet so as to compete with conventional power plants. At this point, the use of new control methods over the existing technology arises as a doable way to improve the efficiency of the system. Due to the non-uniform response that the turbine shows to the rotational speed variation, the speed control of the turbo-generator may offer a feasible solution for efficiency improvement during the energy conversion. In this context, a novel speed control approach for OWC systems is presented in this paper, demonstrating its goodness and affording promising results when particularized to the Mutriku’s wave power plant.

A two-in-one Faraday rotator mirror exempt of active optical alignment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Qiong; Wan, Zhujun; Liu, Hai; Liu, Deming

2014-02-10

A two-in-one Faraday rotator mirror was presented, which functions as two independent Faraday rotation mirrors with a single device. With the introduction of a reflection lens as substitution of the mirror in traditional structure, this device is characterized by exemption of active optical alignment for the designers and manufacturers of Faraday rotator mirrors. A sample was fabricated by passive mechanical assembly. The insertion loss was measured as 0.46 dB/0.50 dB for the two independent ports, respectively.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-01-01

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

Controllable Micro-Particle Rotation and Transportation Using Sound Field Synthesis Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuang Deng

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Rotation and transportation of micro-particles using ultrasonically-driven devices shows promising applications in the fields of biological engineering, composite material manufacture, and micro-assembly. Current interest in mechanical effects of ultrasonic waves has been stimulated by the achievements in manipulations with phased array. Here, we propose a field synthesizing method using the fewest transducers to control the orientation of a single non-spherical micro-particle as well as its spatial location. A localized acoustic force potential well is established and rotated by using sound field synthesis technique. The resultant acoustic radiation torque on the trapped target determines its equilibrium angular position. A prototype device consisting of nine transducers with 2 MHz center frequency is designed and fabricated. Controllable rotation of a silica rod with 90 μm length and 15 μm diameter is then successfully achieved. There is a good agreement between the measured particle orientation and the theoretical prediction. Within the same device, spatial translation of the silica rod can also be realized conveniently. When compared with the existing acoustic rotation methods, the employed transducers of our method are strongly decreased, meanwhile, device functionality is improved.

An active magnetic regenerator device

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2015-01-01

A rotating active magnetic regenerator (AMR) device comprising two or more regenerator beds, a magnet arrangement and a valve arrangement. The valve arrangement comprises a plurality of valve elements arranged substantially immovably with respect to the regenerator beds along a rotational direction...

Device for removing fur

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanawa, Minoru; Nakagawa, Takao; Sakuma, Toyoo; Yonemura, Eizo.

1976-01-01

Purpose: To effectively remove fur adhered to fuel rods and to increase working efficiency without use of a lengthy hose. Constitution: In the fur removing device of the present invention, brushes rotated by gears are provided within a casing so that fur adhered to the fuel rods are removed by the brushes and water is rotatably moved by blades housed therein to outwardly blow fur floating in water by means of a centrifugal force. Then, the fur is filtered by a filter outwardly provided. In this way, the fur may be collected within the device to avoid contamination to others. (Kamimura, M.)

Radioactive source manipulator and stowage device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burton, C.

1980-01-01

A description is given of a radioactive source manipulator and stowage device comprising: a cylindrical body; a transversely disposed socket formed near one end of said cylindrical body for receiving a radioactive source; a cylindrical sleeve rotatably mounted on said cylindrical body; and an aperture formed in the wall of said sleeve whereby rotation of said sleeve to axially align said aperture with said socket will permit a radioactive source to be inserted into and removed from said socket and rotation of said sleeve to move said aperture out of alignment with said socket when the socket contains a radioactive source readies the device for manipulation and stowage

Effects of Interfaces on Dynamics in Micro-Fluidic Devices: Slip-Boundaries’ Impact on Rotation Characteristics of Polar Liquid Film Motors

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Su-Rong; Liu, Zhong-Qiang; Amos Yinnon, Tamar; Kong, Xiang-Mu

2017-05-01

A new approach for exploring effects of interfaces on polar liquids is presented. Their impact on the polar liquid film motor (PLFM) - a novel micro-fluidic device - is studied. We account for the interface’s impact by modeling slip boundary effects on the PLFM’s electro-hydro-dynamical rotations. Our analytical results show as k={l}s/R increases (with {l}s denoting the slip length resulting from the interface’s impact on the film’s properties, k > -1 and R denoting the film’s radius): (a) PLFMs subsequently exhibit rotation characteristics under “negative-”, “no-”, “partial-” and “perfect-” slip boundary conditions; (b) The maximum value of the linear velocity of the steady rotating film increases linearly and its location approaches the film’s border; (c) The decay of the angular velocities’ dependency on the distance from the center of the film slows down, resulting in a macroscopic flow near the boundary. With our calculated rotation speed distributions consistent with the existing experimental ones, research aiming at fitting computed to measured distributions promises identifying the factors affecting {l}s, e.g., solid-fluid potential interactions and surface roughness. The consistency also is advantageous for optimizing PLFM’s applications as micro-washers, centrifuges, mixers in the lab-on-a-chip. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 11302118, 11275112, and Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province under Grant No. ZR2013AQ015

Shaf rotation speed measurement device, its checking and variations checking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gadrault, Robert.

1976-01-01

Appliance for measuring the rotational speed of a shaft and monitoring of this speed and its changes. The uses to be made specifically concern the nuclear field and in this field the drive shafts of water coolant feed pumps. Detecting te rotation of the shaft concerned may be resolved with electronic sensors or proximity detectors which, because they are not in mechanical connexion with the shaft the speed of which they are to help detect, do not bring any lack of precision. The accuracy of the determination them depends only on the downstream processing of the data supplied by the sensor [fr

System and Method for Obtaining Simultaneous Levitation and Rotation of a Ferromagnetic Object

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, Subrata; Sarkar, Mrinal Kanti; Ghosh, Arnab

2017-02-01

In this work a practical demonstration for simultaneous levitation and rotation for a ferromagnetic cylindrical object is presented. A hollow steel cylinder has been arranged to remain suspended stably under I-core electromagnet utilizing dc attraction type levitation principle and then arranged to rotate the levitated object around 1000 rpm speed based on eddy current based energy meter principle. Since the object is to be rotating during levitated condition the device will be frictionless, energy-efficient and robust. This technology may be applied to frictionless energy meter, wind turbine, machine tool applications, precision instruments and many other devices where easy energy-efficient stable rotation will be required. The cascade lead compensation control scheme has been applied for stabilization of unstable levitation system. The proposed device is successfully tested in the laboratory and experimental results have been produced.

High-efficiency free-form condenser overcoming rotational symmetry limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

Miñano, Juan C; Benítez, Pablo; Blen, José; Santamaría, Asunción

2008-12-08

Conventional condensers using rotational symmetric devices perform far from their theoretical limits when transferring optical power from sources such as arc lamps or halogen bulbs to the rectangular entrance of homogenizing prisms (target). We present a free-form condenser design (calculated with the SMS method) that overcomes the limitations inherent to rotational devices and can send to the target 1.8 times the power sent by an equivalent elliptical condenser for a 4:1 target aspect ratio and 1.5 times for 16:9 target and for practical values of target etendue.

A device for transferring, in particular, small particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1974-01-01

The invention relates to a transfer device, in particular for transferring small particles, comprising a helical channel made in the tube inner surface, a device for causing the tube to rotate about its longitudinal axis, a rotating joint adapted to close one of the tube extremities, a device for inserting a substance in the form of granules or of fluid particles into said tube through said joint, and a device for collecting and discharging said substance at the tube opposite end. This can applied to the transfer of small spherical particles e.g. of fuel [fr

[Design of SCM inoculation device].

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Mingli; Xie, Haiyuan

2014-01-01

The first step of bacilli culture is inoculation bacteria on culture medium. Designing a device to increase efficiency of inoculation is significative. The new device is controlled by SCM. The stepper motor can drive the culture medium rotating, accelerating, decelerating, overturn and suspending. The device is high practicability and efficient, let inoculation easy for operator.

Sweeping-window arc therapy: an implementation of rotational IMRT with automatic beam-weight calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cameron, C

2005-01-01

Sweeping-window arc therapy (SWAT) is a variation of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with direct aperture optimization (DAO) that is initialized with a leaf sequence of sweeping windows that move back and forth periodically across the target as the gantry rotates. This initial sequence induces modulation in the dose and is assumed to be near enough to a minimum to allow successful optimization, done with simulated annealing, without requiring excessive leaf speeds. Optimal beam weights are calculated analytically, with easy extension to allow for variable beam weights. In this paper SWAT is tested on a phantom model and clinical prostate case. For the phantom, constant and variable beam weights are used. Although further work (in particular, improving the dose model) is required, the results show SWAT to be a feasible approach to generating deliverable dynamic arc treatments that are optimized

Sweeping-window arc therapy: an implementation of rotational IMRT with automatic beam-weight calculation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cameron, C [Division of Radiation Physics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford Cancer Center, 875 Blake Wilbur Drive, Rm G-233, Stanford, CA 94305-5847 (United States)

2005-09-21

Sweeping-window arc therapy (SWAT) is a variation of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with direct aperture optimization (DAO) that is initialized with a leaf sequence of sweeping windows that move back and forth periodically across the target as the gantry rotates. This initial sequence induces modulation in the dose and is assumed to be near enough to a minimum to allow successful optimization, done with simulated annealing, without requiring excessive leaf speeds. Optimal beam weights are calculated analytically, with easy extension to allow for variable beam weights. In this paper SWAT is tested on a phantom model and clinical prostate case. For the phantom, constant and variable beam weights are used. Although further work (in particular, improving the dose model) is required, the results show SWAT to be a feasible approach to generating deliverable dynamic arc treatments that are optimized.

Electromagnetic brake/clutch device

Science.gov (United States)

Vranish, John M. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

An electromagnetic brake/clutch device includes a drive shaft supported by at least one bearing for transmitting torque, a housing, affixed to prevent its rotation, surrounding the drive shaft, and an electromagnetically activated device within the housing to selectively prevent and allow rotation of the drive shaft. The electromagnetically activated device includes a plurality of cammed rollers to prevent counter-clockwise rotation of the drive shaft. The drive shaft includes a circumferential disk and the housing includes a reaction ring for engagement with the plurality of cammed rollers. The plurality of cammed rollers are released from engagement with the circumferential disk and the reaction ring by a plurality of tripping mechanisms within the housing. The tripping action uses the locking force to act as a release force merely by changing the boundary conditions of the roller interface angles. The tripping mechanisms include trippers for disengaging the plurality of cammed rollers and an anvil shaped portion for providing lateral movement of the trippers. The plurality of cammed rollers is preloaded to engagement with the circumferential disk and reaction ring by a spring, and is located with respect to an adjacent tripping mechanism with another spring.

Device for contamination monitoring against radiation contamination of people

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rische, U.W.; Gerlach, R.

1986-01-01

The monitor has detector devices at an angle to each other made as a rigid component which can be rotated around a vertical axis in the angle between the joined detector devices. A reset drive which can be tensioned is provided at the axis of rotation. If it is in its rest position, a platform is situated as floor plate with a foot detector between the vertical detector devices. (orig./HP) [de

A new concept for the control of a slow-extracted beam in a line with rotational optics, 2

CERN Document Server

Benedikt, Michael; Pullia, M

1999-01-01

For pt.I see ibid., vol.430, p.512-22, 1999. The current trend in hadron therapy is towards high-precision, conformal scanning of tumours with a `pencil' beam of light ions or protons, delivered by a synchrotron using slow extraction. The particular shape of the slow- extracted beam segment in phase space and the need to vary the beam size in a lattice with rotating optical elements create a special problem for the design of the extraction transfer line and gantry. The design concept presented in this report is based on telescope modules with integer- pi phase advances in both transverse planes. The beam size in the plane of the extraction is controlled by altering the phase advance and hence the rotation of the extracted beam segment in phase space. The vertical beam size is controlled by stepping the vertical betatron amplitude function over a range of values and passing the changed beam size from `hand-to-hand' through the telescope modules to the various treatment rooms. In the example given, a combined p...

A New Concept for the Control of a Slow-Extracted Beam in a Line with Rotational Optics, 2

CERN Document Server

Benedikt, Michael; Pullia, M

1999-01-01

The current trend in hadrontherapy is towards high-precision, conformal scanning of tumours with a 'pencil' beam of light ions, or protons, delivered by a synchrotron using slow-extraction. The particular shape of the slow-extracted beam segment in phase space and the need to vary the beam size in a lattice with rotating optical elements create a special problem for the design of the extraction transfer line and gantry. The design concept presented in this report is based on telescope modules with integer-p phase advances in both transverse planes. The beam size in the plane of the extraction is controlled by altering the phase advance and hence the rotation of the extracted beam segment in phase space. The vertical beam size is controlled by stepping the vertical betatron amplitude function over a range of values and passing the changed beam size from 'hand-to-hand' through the telescope modules to the various treatment rooms. In the example given, a combined phase-shifter and 'stepper', at a point close to ...

Development of Rotational Accelerometers Final Report CRADA No. TSB-2008-99

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunter, S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Crosson, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-10-16

One of the difficulties in fabricating an inexpensive angular rate or rotation sensor is producing a device that is insensitive to acceleration, including the constant acceleration of gravity. The majority of rate sensors are either tuning fork type devices sensing a relatively weak force (i.e., Coriolis effect) and thus not very sensitive, or gyroscopes (either rotating or fiber optic based) that are large, consume lots of power and are expensive. This project was a collaborative effort between LLNL and The Fredericks Company to develop a rotational sensor as a standardized, commercial product. The Fredericks Company possessed expertise and capabilities in the technical aspects of manufacturing this type of sensor, and they were interested in collaborating with LLNL to manufacture the rotational rate sensors as a commercial product.

Gating-by-rotation: a solution to the problem of intratreatment motion in helical tomotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapatoes, J.M.; Olivera, G.H.; Schloesser, E.A.; Pearson, D.W.; Balog, J.P.; Ruchala, K.J.; Schmidt, R.; Reckwerdt, P.J.; Mehta, M.P.; Mackie, T.R.

2001-01-01

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of addressing intratreatment motion issues in helical tomotherapy by gating the treatments by rotation. Intratreatment motion is a problem common to all IMRT techniques. Traditional methods of gating in conformal radiotherapy and some forms of IMRT are not applicable to helical tomotherapy due to the continuous rotation of the gantry. An alternative method is presented. Materials and Methods: Rotation-gating in helical tomotherapy is the process in which one rotation of treatment is immediately followed by a rotation of non-treatment. This on-off strategy is repeated for the full treatment volume. During the treatment rotations, the patient is required to hold their breath while the intensity-modulated fan beam deposits dose. For the non-treatment rotations, the patient is allowed to breathe freely as all leaves of the MLC will be closed, the accelerator disabled, or both. The couch indexes normally for treatment rotations and holds the patient stationary during non-treatment rotations. An investigation was conducted to assess the feasibility of rotation-gating. Film was placed between two hemispheres of a water phantom and a continuous helical delivery was carried out with all leaves opened. The film was replaced and another treatment was performed employing rotation-gating. The two films were compared to assess the process. The films were irradiated to dose levels within the linear region of the film response curve (maximum film dose ∼35 cGy). Films were also acquired with all leaves closed to quantify leakage dose through the collimation systems. Results: Central profiles for the inferior-superior direction (parallel to the direction of translation) for both films are displayed in Figure 1. The profiles agree very well, illustrating that a rotation-gated treatment closely mimics a continuous helical delivery. The only significant discrepancy lay in the tails of the profiles: a higher film dose is seen for the rotation

Device for selectively securing an object to a shaft

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calizano, F.; Chauvel, M.

1984-01-01

A magnetic tape reel is secured to a reel drive motor shaft by a device including a hub secured to the shaft, a plurality of shoes, and actuating means for thrusting the shoes against the reel and for releasing them from contact with the reel. The securing device includes a cam mounted on the shaft in combination with a locking device including the cam periphery. The locking device thrusts the shoes against the object and is operated by rotation of the motor. The cam is immobilized in rotation while the shoes are locked

A fluid Foucault pendulum: the impossibility of achieving solid-body rotation on Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Blum, Robert; Zimmerman, Daniel; Triana, Santiago; Lathrop, Daniel

2012-11-01

Rotating fluid dynamics is key to our understanding of the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and core, along with a plethora of astrophysical objects. Laboratory study of these natural systems often involves spinning experimental devices, which are assumed to tend to rigid rotation when unstirred. We present results showing that even at the tabletop scale, there is a measurable oscillatory flow driven by the precession of the experiment's axis as the earth rotates. We measure this flow in a rotating cylinder with an adjustable aspect ratio. The horizontal flow in the rotating frame is measured using particle tracking. The steady state is well-described by an inertial mode whose amplitude is maximum when the height to diameter ratio is 0.995, which matches theoretical predictions. We also quantify the resonant amplitude of the inertial mode in the cylinder and estimate the amplitude in other devices. We compare our results to similar studies done in spherical devices. [Triana et al., JGR, 117 (2012), B04103][Boisson et al., EPL, 98 (2012), 59002].

PLASMA DEVICE

Science.gov (United States)

Gow, J.D.; Wilcox, J.M.

1961-12-26

A device is designed for producing and confining highenergy plasma from which neutrons are generated in copious quantities. A rotating sheath of electrons is established in a radial electric field and axial magnetic field produced within the device. The electron sheath serves as a strong ionizing medium to gas introdueed thereto and also functions as an extremely effective heating mechanism to the resulting plasma. In addition, improved confinement of the plasma is obtained by ring magnetic mirror fields produced at the ends of the device. Such ring mirror fields are defined by the magnetic field lines at the ends of the device diverging radially outward from the axis of the device and thereafter converging at spatial annular surfaces disposed concentrically thereabout. (AFC)

A study on mechanical errors in Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Yi Seong; Yoo, Eun Jeong; Choi, Kyoung Sik [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Anyang SAM Hospital, Anyang (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jong Woo [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Konkuk University Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Suh, Tae Suk [Dept. of Biomedical Engineering and Research Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jeong Koo [Dept. of Radiological Science, Hanseo University, Seosan (Korea, Republic of)

2013-06-15

This study investigated the rate of setup variance by the rotating unbalance of gantry in image-guided radiation therapy. The equipments used linear accelerator(Elekta Synergy ™, UK) and a three-dimensional volume imaging mode(3D Volume View) in cone beam computed tomography(CBCT) system. 2D images obtained by rotating 360°and 180° were reconstructed to 3D image. Catpan503 phantom and homogeneous phantom were used to measure the setup errors. Ball-bearing phantom was used to check the rotation axis of the CBCT. The volume image from CBCT using Catphan503 phantom and homogeneous phantom were analyzed and compared to images from conventional CT in the six dimensional view(X, Y, Z, Roll, Pitch, and Yaw). The variance ratio of setup error were difference in X 0.6 mm, Y 0.5 mm, Z 0.5 mm when the gantry rotated 360° in orthogonal coordinate. whereas rotated 180°, the error measured 0.9 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm in X, Y, Z respectively. In the rotating coordinates, the more increased the rotating unbalance, the more raised average ratio of setup errors. The resolution of CBCT images showed 2 level of difference in the table recommended. CBCT had a good agreement compared to each recommended values which is the mechanical safety, geometry accuracy and image quality. The rotating unbalance of gentry vary hardly in orthogonal coordinate. However, in rotating coordinate of gantry exceeded the ±1° of recommended value. Therefore, when we do sophisticated radiation therapy six dimensional correction is needed.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2014-01-01

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hsi, Wen C., E-mail: Wen.Hsi@Mclaren.org, E-mail: Wenchien.hsi@sphic.org.cn; Zeidan, Omar A., E-mail: omar.zeidan@orlandohealth.com [ProCure Proton Therapy Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73142 (United States); Law, Aaron; Schreuder, Andreas N., E-mail: niek.schreuder@provisionhp.com [ProCure Training and Development Center, Bloomington, Indiana 47404 (United States)

2014-08-15

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2014-08-01

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

Technical guides/ methodological guide in case of tripping of a radioactivity detection gantry; Guides techniques / guide methodologique en cas de declenchement d'un portique de detection de radioactivite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

The most of operators of reprocessing plants or waste disposal plants have equipment to detect radiation as gantry. To answer to a clarification need procedures can be followed during the tripping of a gantry. Procedures have been made by cards, they follow the regulation in force in the area of radiation protection and environment protection. With these cards there are an annexe giving the terms noticed in the cards, a glossary on radioactivity as well a list of organisms approved by the government to proceed to control for the workers protection against the hazards of ionizing radiations. (N.C.)

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mhatre, V; Patwe, P; Dandekar, P [Sir HN RF Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra (India)

2016-06-15

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mhatre, V; Patwe, P; Dandekar, P

2016-01-01

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

Rotation of hard particles in a soft matrix

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Weizhu; Liu, Qingchang; Yue, Zhufeng; Li, Xiaodong; Xu, Baoxing

Soft-hard materials integration is ubiquitous in biological materials and structures in nature and has also attracted growing attention in the bio-inspired design of advanced functional materials, structures and devices. Due to the distinct difference in their mechanical properties, the rotation of hard phases in soft matrixes upon deformation has been acknowledged, yet is lack of theory in mechanics. In this work, we propose a theoretical mechanics framework that can describe the rotation of hard particles in a soft matrix. The rotation of multiple arbitrarily shaped, located and oriented particles with perfectly bonded interfaces in an elastic soft matrix subjected to a far-field tensile loading is established and analytical solutions are derived by using complex potentials and conformal mapping methods. Strong couplings and competitions of the rotation of hard particles among each other are discussed by investigating numbers, relative locations and orientations of particles in the matrix at different loading directions. Extensive finite element analyses are performed to validate theoretical solutions and good agreement of both rotation and stress field between them are achieved. Possible extensions of the present theory to non-rigid particles, viscoelastic matrix and imperfect bonding are also discussed. Finally, by taking advantage of the rotation of hard particles, we exemplify an application in a conceptual design of soft-hard material integrated phononic crystal and demonstrate that phononic band gaps can be successfully tuned with a high accuracy through the mechanical tension-induced rotation of hard particles. The present theory established herein is expected to be of immediate interests to the design of soft-hard materials integration based functional materials, structures and devices with tunable performance via mechanical rotation of hard phases.

Quality assurance of MLC leaf position accuracy and relative dose effect at the MLC abutment region using an electronic portal imaging device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sumida, Iori; Yamaguchi, Hajime; Kizaki, Hisao; Koizumi, Masahiko; Ogata, Toshiyuki; Takahashi, Yutaka; Yoshioka, Yasuo

2012-01-01

We investigated an electronic portal image device (EPID)-based method to see whether it provides effective and accurate relative dose measurement at abutment leaves in terms of positional errors of the multi-leaf collimator (MLC) leaf position. A Siemens ONCOR machine was used. For the garden fence test, a rectangular field (0.2x20 cm) was sequentially irradiated 11 times at 2-cm intervals. Deviations from planned leaf positions were calculated. For the nongap test, relative doses at the MLC abutment region were evaluated by sequential irradiation of a rectangular field (2x20 cm) 10 times with a MLC separation of 2 cm without a leaf gap. The integral signal in a region of interest was set to position A (between leaves) and B (neighbor of A). A pixel value at position B was used as background and the pixel ratio (A/Bx100) was calculated. Both tests were performed at four gantry angles (0, 90, 180 and 270deg) four times over 1 month. For the nongap test the difference in pixel ratio between the first and last period was calculated. Regarding results, average deviations from planned positions with the garden fence test were within 0.5 mm at all gantry angles, and at gantry angles of 90 and 270deg tended to decrease gradually over the month. For the nongap test, pixel ratio tended to increase gradually in all leaves, leading to a decrease in relative doses at abutment regions. This phenomenon was affected by both gravity arising from the gantry angle, and the hardware-associated contraction of field size with this type of machine. (author)

Ultra-thin, single-layer polarization rotator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. V. Son

2016-08-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate light polarization control over a broad spectral range by a uniform layer of vanadium dioxide as it undergoes a phase transition from insulator to metal. Changes in refractive indices create unequal phase shifts on s- and p-polarization components of incident light, and rotation of linear polarization shows intensity modulation by a factor of 103 when transmitted through polarizers. This makes possible polarization rotation devices as thin as 50 nm that would be activated thermally, optically or electrically.

The GLAaS algorithm for portal dosimetry and quality assurance of RapidArc, an intensity modulated rotational therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicolini, Giorgia; Vanetti, Eugenio; Clivio, Alessandro; Fogliata, Antonella; Korreman, Stine; Bocanek, Jiri; Cozzi, Luca

2008-01-01

To expand and test the dosimetric procedure, known as GLAaS, for amorphous silicon detectors to the RapidArc intensity modulated arc delivery with Varian infrastructures and to test the RapidArc dosimetric reliability between calculation and delivery. The GLAaS algorithm was applied and tested on a set of RapidArc fields at both low (6 MV) and high (18 MV) beam energies with a PV-aS1000 detector. Pilot tests for short arcs were performed on a 6 MV beam associated to a PV-aS500. RapidArc is a novel planning and delivery method in the category of intensity modulated arc therapies aiming to deliver highly modulated plans with variable MLC shapes, dose rate and gantry speed during rotation. Tests were repeated for entire (360 degrees) gantry rotations on composite dose plans and for short partial arcs (of ~6 or 12 degrees) to assess GLAaS and RapidArc mutual relationships on global and fine delivery scales. The gamma index concept of Low and the Modulation Index concept of Webb were applied to compare quantitatively TPS dose matrices and dose converted PV images. The Gamma Agreement Index computed for a Distance to Agreement of 3 mm and a Dose Difference (ΔD) of 3% was, as mean ± 1 SD, 96.7 ± 1.2% at 6 MV and 94.9 ± 1.3% at 18 MV, over the field area. These findings deteriorated slightly is ΔD was reduced to 2% (93.4 ± 3.2% and 90.1 ± 3.1%, respectively) and improved with ΔD = 4% (98.3 ± 0.8% and 97.3 ± 0.9%, respectively). For all tests a grid of 1 mm and the AAA photon dose calculation algorithm were applied. The spatial resolution of the PV-aS1000 is 0.392 mm/pxl. The Modulation Index for calculations resulted 17.0 ± 3.2 at 6 MV and 15.3 ± 2.7 at 18 MV while the corresponding data for measurements were: 18.5 ± 3.7 and 17.5 ± 3.7. Partial arcs findings were (for ΔD = 3%): GAI = 96.7 ± 0.9% for 6° rotations and 98.0 ± 1.1% for 12° rotations. The GLAaS method can be considered as a valid Quality Assurance tool for the verification of RapidArc fields

A new concept for the control of a slow-extracted beam in a line with rotational optics: Part II

CERN Document Server

Benedikt, Michael; Pullia, M

1999-01-01

The current trend in hadrontherapy is towards high-precision, conformal scanning of tumours with a 'pencil' beam of light ions or protons, delivered by a synchrotron using slow extraction. The particular shape of the slow-extracted beam segment in phase space and the need to vary the beam size in a lattice with rotating optical elements create a special problem for the design of the extraction transfer line and gantry. The design concept presented in this report is based on telescope modules with integer-pi phase advances in both transverse planes. The beam size in the plane of the extraction is controlled by altering the phase advance and hence the rotation of the extracted beam segment in phase space. The vertical beam size is controlled by stepping the vertical betatron amplitude function over a range of values and passing the changed beam size from 'hand-to-hand' through the telescope modules to the various treatment rooms. In the example given, a combined phase shifter and 'stepper', at a point close to ...

Wiggler as spin rotators for RHIC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luccio, A.; Conte, M.

1993-01-01

The spin of a polarized particle in a circular accelerator can be rotated with an arrangement of dipoles with field mutually perpendicular and perpendicular to the orbit. To achieve spin rotation, a given field integral value is required. The device must be designed in a way that the particle orbit is distorted as little as possible. It is shown that wigglers with many periods are suitable to achieve spin rotation with minimum orbit distortions. Wigglers are also more compact than more established structures and will use less electric power. Additional advantages include their use for non distructive beam diagnostics. Results are given for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) in the polarized proton mode

Three-dimensional rotational plasma flows near solid surfaces in an axial magnetic field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gorshunov, N. M., E-mail: gorshunov-nm@nrcki.ru; Potanin, E. P., E-mail: potanin45@yandex.ru [National Research Center Kurchatov Institute (Russian Federation)

2016-11-15

A rotational flow of a conducting viscous medium near an extended dielectric disk in a uniform axial magnetic field is analyzed in the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approach. An analytical solution to the system of nonlinear differential MHD equations of motion in the boundary layer for the general case of different rotation velocities of the disk and medium is obtained using a modified Slezkin–Targ method. A particular case of a medium rotating near a stationary disk imitating the end surface of a laboratory device is considered. The characteristics of a hydrodynamic flow near the disk surface are calculated within the model of a finite-thickness boundary layer. The influence of the magnetic field on the intensity of the secondary flow is studied. Calculations are performed for a weakly ionized dense plasma flow without allowance for the Hall effect and plasma compressibility. An MHD flow in a rotating cylinder bounded from above by a retarding cap is considered. The results obtained can be used to estimate the influence of the end surfaces on the main azimuthal flow, as well as the intensities of circulating flows in various devices with rotating plasmas, in particular, in plasma centrifuges and laboratory devices designed to study instabilities of rotating plasmas.

The Nano-X Linear Accelerator: A Compact and Economical Cancer Radiotherapy System Incorporating Patient Rotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Eslick, Enid M; Keall, Paul J

2015-10-01

Rapid technological improvements in radiotherapy delivery results in improved outcomes to patients, yet current commercial systems with these technologies on board are costly. The aim of this study was to develop a state-of-the-art cancer radiotherapy system that is economical and space efficient fitting with current world demands. The Nano-X system is a compact design that is light weight combining a patient rotation system with a vertical 6 MV fixed beam. In this paper, we present the Nano-X system design configuration, an estimate of the system dimensions and its potential impact on shielding cost reductions. We provide an assessment of implementing such a radiotherapy system clinically, its advantages and disadvantages compared to a compact conventional gantry rotating linac. The Nano-X system has several differentiating features from current radiotherapy systems, it is [1] compact and therefore can fit into small vaults, [2] light weight, and [3] engineering efficient, i.e., it rotates a relatively light component and the main treatment delivery components are not under rotation (e.g., DMLCs). All these features can have an impact on reducing the costs of the system. In terms of shielding requirements, leakage radiation was found to be the dominant contributor to the Nano-X vault and as such no primary shielding was necessary. For a low leakage design, the Nano-X vault footprint and concrete volume required is 17 m2 and 35 m3 respectively, compared to 54 m2 and 102 m3 for a conventional compact linac vault, resulting in decreased costs in shielding. Key issues to be investigated in future work are the possible patient comfort concerns associated with the patient rotation system, as well as the magnitude of deformation and subsequent adaptation requirements. © The Author(s) 2014.

Abutment region dosimetry for serial tomotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Low, Daniel A.; Mutic, Sasa; Dempsey, James F.; Markman, Jerry; Goddu, S. Murty; Purdy, James A.

1999-01-01

Purpose: A commercial intensity modulated radiation therapy system (Corvus, NOMOS Corp.) is presently used in our clinic to generate optimized dose distributions delivered using a proprietary dynamic multileaf collimator (DMLC) (MIMiC) composed of 20 opposed leaf pairs. On our accelerator (Clinac 600C/D, Varian Associates, Inc.) each MIMiC leaf projects to either 1.00 x 0.84 or 1.00 x 1.70 cm 2 (depending on the treatment plan and termed 1 cm or 2 cm mode, respectively). The MIMiC is used to deliver serial (axial) tomotherapy treatment plans, in which the beam is delivered to a nearly cylindrical volume as the DMLC is rotated about the patient. For longer targets, the patient is moved (indexed) between treatments a distance corresponding to the projected leaf width. The treatment relies on precise indexing and a method was developed to measure the precision of indexing devices. A treatment planning study of the dosimetric effects of incorrect patient indexing and concluded that a dose heterogeneity of 10% mm -1 resulted. Because the results may be sensitive to the dose model accuracy, we conducted a measurement-based investigation of the consequences of incorrect indexing using our accelerator. Although the indexing provides an accurate field abutment along the isocenter, due to beam divergence, hot and cold spots will be produced below and above isocenter, respectively, when less than 300 deg. arcs were used. A preliminary study recently determined that for a 290 deg. rotation in 1 cm mode, 15% cold and 7% hot spots were delivered to 7 cm above and below isocenter, respectively. This study completes the earlier work by investigating the dose heterogeneity as a function of position relative to the axis of rotation, arc length, and leaf width. The influence of random daily patient positioning errors is also investigated. Methods and Materials: Treatment plans were generated using 8.0 cm diameter cylindrical target volumes within a homogeneous rectilinear film

SU-F-T-649: Dosimetric Evaluation of Non-Coplanar Arc Therapy Using a Novel Rotating Gamma Ray System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eldib, A; Chibani, O; Jin, L; Fan, J; Veltchev, I; Ma, C [Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Mora, G [Universidade de Lisboa, Codex, Lisboa (Portugal); Li, J [Cyber Medical Inc, Xian, Shaanxi (China)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Stereotactic intra and extra-cranial body radiation therapy has evolved with advances in treatment accuracy, effective radiation dose, and parameters necessary to maximize machine capabilities. Novel gamma systems with a ring type gantry were developed having the ability to perform oblique arcs. The aim of this study is to explore the dosimetric advantages of this new system. Methods: The rotating Gamma system is named CybeRay (Cyber Medical Corp., Xian, China). It has a treatment head of 16 cobalt-60 sources focused to the isocenter, which can rotate 360° on the ring gantry and swing 35° in the superior direction. Treatment plans were generated utilizing our in-house Monte Carlo treatment planning system. A cylindrical phantom was modeled with 2mm voxel size. Dose inside the cylindrical phantom was calculated for coplanar and non-coplanar arcs. Dosimetric differences between CybeRay cobalt beams and CyberKnife 6MV beams were compared in a lung phantom and for previously treated SBRT patients. Results: The full width at half maxima of cross profiles in the S-I direction for the coplanar setup matched the cone sizes, while for the non-coplanar setup, FWHM was larger by 2mm for a 10mm cone and about 5mm for larger cones. In the coronal and sagittal view, coplanar beams showed elliptical shaped isodose lines, while non-coplanar beams showed circular isodose lines. Thus proper selection of the oblique angle and cone size can aid optimal dose matching to the target volume. Comparing a single 5mm cone from CybeRay to that from CyberKnife showed similar penumbra in a lung phantom but CybeRay had significant lower doses beyond lung tissues. Comparable treatment plans were obtained with CybeRay as that from CyberKnife.ConclusionThe noncoplanar multiple source arrangement of CybeRay will be of great clinical benefits for stereotactic intra and extra-cranial radiation therapy.

Bio-inspired optical rotation sensor

Science.gov (United States)

O'Carroll, David C.; Shoemaker, Patrick A.; Brinkworth, Russell S. A.

2007-01-01

Traditional approaches to calculating self-motion from visual information in artificial devices have generally relied on object identification and/or correlation of image sections between successive frames. Such calculations are computationally expensive and real-time digital implementation requires powerful processors. In contrast flies arrive at essentially the same outcome, the estimation of self-motion, in a much smaller package using vastly less power. Despite the potential advantages and a few notable successes, few neuromorphic analog VLSI devices based on biological vision have been employed in practical applications to date. This paper describes a hardware implementation in aVLSI of our recently developed adaptive model for motion detection. The chip integrates motion over a linear array of local motion processors to give a single voltage output. Although the device lacks on-chip photodetectors, it includes bias circuits to use currents from external photodiodes, and we have integrated it with a ring-array of 40 photodiodes to form a visual rotation sensor. The ring configuration reduces pattern noise and combined with the pixel-wise adaptive characteristic of the underlying circuitry, permits a robust output that is proportional to image rotational velocity over a large range of speeds, and is largely independent of either mean luminance or the spatial structure of the image viewed. In principle, such devices could be used as an element of a velocity-based servo to replace or augment inertial guidance systems in applications such as mUAVs.

An out-of-plane rotational energy harvesting system for low frequency environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Febbo, M.; Machado, S.P.; Gatti, C.D.; Ramirez, J.M.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • An alternative to cantilever beam-type systems for energy harvesting is proposed. • The device generates energy in a low frequency rotational environment. • It comprises two beams, a spring and two heavy masses joined by the spring. • By varying the flexibility of one beam, the device increments output DC power. • The generated DC power suffices to feed low power wireless transmitters. - Abstract: We present a novel design of a rotational power scavenging system as an alternative to cantilever beams attached to a hub. The device is meant to provide energy to wireless autonomous monitoring systems in low frequency environments such as wind turbines of 30 kW with rotational speeds of between 50 and 150 rpm. These characteristics define the bandwidth of the rotational energy harvesting system (REH) and its physical dimensions. A versatile geometric configuration with two elastic beams and two heavy masses joined by a spring is proposed. A piezoelectric sheet is mounted on the primary beam while the REH is placed on a rotating hub with the gravitational force acting as a periodic source. This kind of double-beam system offers the possibility to modify the vibration characteristics of the harvester for achieving high power density. An analytical framework using the Lagrangian formulation is derived to describe the motion of the system and the voltage output as a function of rotation speed. Several sets of experiments were performed to characterize the system and to validate the assumed hypothesis. In the experimental setup, a wireless data acquisition system based on Arduino technology was implemented to avoid slip-ring mechanisms. The results show very good agreement between the theoretical and experimental tests. Moreover, the output power of a simple harvesting circuit, which serves as an energy storage device, yields values ranging 26–105 μW over the whole frequency range. This allows us to use the proposed device for the designed purpose

Rotation, Stability and Transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Connor, J. W.

2007-07-01

scales. Some current theoretical challenges, such as reconciling sheared plasma rotation and ballooning mode theory, will be mentioned. Predicted effects on plasma stability, both for macroscopic MHD modes and for drift waves, as well as for transport will be discussed. The theoretical modelling of rotation and its effects will be linked to experimental observations on various magnetic confinement devices. (Author)

A treatment planning comparison between a novel rotating gamma system and robotic linear accelerator based intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Fareed, Muhammad M.; Eldib, Ahmed; Weiss, Stephanie E.; Hayes, Shelly B.; Li, Jinsheng; C-M Ma, Charlie

2018-02-01

To compare the dosimetric parameters of a novel rotating gamma ray system (RGS) with well-established CyberKnife system (CK) for treating malignant brain lesions. RGS has a treatment head of 16 cobalt-60 sources focused to the isocenter, which can rotate 360° on the ring gantry and swing 35° in the superior direction. We compared several dosimetric parameters in 10 patients undergoing brain stereotactic radiosurgery including plan normalization, number of beams and nodes for CK and shots for RGS, collimators used, estimated treatment time, D 2 cm and conformity index (CI) among two modalities. The median plan normalization for RGS was 56.7% versus 68.5% (p  =  0.002) for CK plans. The median number of shots from RGS was 7.5 whereas the median number of beams and nodes for CK was 79.5 and 46. The median collimator’s diameter used was 3.5 mm for RGS as compared to 5 mm for CK (p  =  0.26). Mean D 2 cm was 5.57 Gy for CyberKnife whereas it was 3.11 Gy for RGS (p  =  0.99). For RGS plans, the median CI was 1.4 compared to 1.3 for the CK treatment plans (p  =  0.98). The average minimum and maximum doses to optic chiasm were 21 and 93 cGy for RGS as compared to 32 and 209 cGy for CK whereas these were 0.5 and 364 cGy by RGS and 18 and 399 cGy by CK to brainstem. The mean V12 Gy for brain predicting for radionecrosis with RGS was 3.75 cm3 as compared to 4.09 cm3 with the CK (p  =  0.41). The dosimetric parameters of a novel RGS with a ring type gantry are comparable with CyberKnife, allowing its use for intracranial lesions and is worth exploring in a clinical setting.

SU-E-T-442: Sensitivity of Quality Assurance Tools to Delivery Errors On a Magnetic Resonance-Imaging Guided Radiation Therapy (MR-IGRT) System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez, V; Li, H; Yang, D; Kashani, R; Wooten, H; Mutic, S; Green, O; Dempsey, J

2014-01-01

Purpose: To test the sensitivity of the quality assurance (QA) tools actively used on a clinical MR-IGRT system for potential delivery errors. Methods: Patient-specific QA procedures have been implemented for a commercially available Cobalt-60 MR-IGRT system. The QA tools utilized were a MR-compatible cylindrical diode-array detector (ArcCHECK) with a custom insert which positions an ionization chamber (Exradin A18) in the middle of the device, as well as an in-house treatment delivery verification program. These tools were tested to investigate their sensitivity to delivery errors. For the ArcCHECK and ion chamber, a baseline was established with a static field irradiation to a known dose. Variations of the baseline were investigated which included rotated gantry, altered field size, directional shifts, and different delivery time. In addition, similar variations were tested with the automated delivery verification program that compared the treatment parameters in the machine delivery logs to the ones in the plan. To test the software, a 3-field conformal plan was generated as the baseline. Results: ArcCHECK noted at least a 13% decrease in passing rate from baseline in the following scenarios: gantry rotation of 1 degree from plan, 5mm change in field size, 2mm lateral shift, and delivery time decrease. Ion chamber measurements remained consistent for these variations except for the 5 second decrease in delivery time scenario which resulted in an 8% difference from baseline. The delivery verification software was able to detect and report the simulated errors such as when the gantry was rotated by 0.6 degrees, the beam weighting was changed by a percent, a single multileaf collimator was moved by 1cm, and the dose was changed from 2 to 1.8Gy. Conclusion: The results show that the current tools used for patient specific QA are capable of detecting small errors in RT delivery with presence of magnetic field

Reversible Polarization Rotation in Epitaxial Ferroelectric Bilayers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Guangqing; Zhang, Qi; Huang, Hsin-Hui

2016-01-01

Polarization rotation engineering is a promising path to giant dielectric and electromechanical responses in ferroelectric materials and devices. This work demonstrates robust and reversible in- to out-of-plane polarization rotation in ultrathin (nanoscale) epitaxial (001) tetragonal PbZr0.3Ti0.7O3...... large-scale polarization rotation switching (≈60 μC cm−2) and an effective d 33 response 500% (≈250 pm V−1) larger than the PZT-R layer alone. Furthermore, this enhancement is stable for more than 107 electrical switching cycles. These bilayers present a simple and highly controllable means to design...... and optimize rotational polar systems as an alternate to traditional composition-based approaches. The precise control of the subtle interface-driven interactions between the lattice and the external factors that control polarization opens a new door to enhanced—or completely new—functional properties....

Surface micromachined counter-meshing gears discrimination device

Science.gov (United States)

Polosky, Marc A.; Garcia, Ernest J.; Allen, James J.

2000-12-12

A surface micromachined Counter-Meshing Gears (CMG) discrimination device which functions as a mechanically coded lock. Each of two CMG has a first portion of its perimeter devoted to continuous driving teeth that mesh with respective pinion gears. Each EMG also has a second portion of its perimeter devoted to regularly spaced discrimination gear teeth that extend outwardly on at least one of three levels of the CMG. The discrimination gear teeth are designed so as to pass each other without interference only if the correct sequence of partial rotations of the CMG occurs in response to a coded series of rotations from the pinion gears. A 24 bit code is normally input to unlock the device. Once unlocked, the device provides a path for an energy or information signal to pass through the device. The device is designed to immediately lock up if any portion of the 24 bit code is incorrect.

Open source laboratory sample rotator mixer and shaker

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karankumar C. Dhankani

2017-04-01

Full Text Available An open-source 3-D printable laboratory sample rotator mixer is developed here in two variants that allow users to opt for the level of functionality, cost saving and associated complexity needed in their laboratories. First, a laboratory sample rotator is designed and demonstrated that can be used for tumbling as well as gentle mixing of samples in a variety of tube sizes by mixing them horizontally, vertically, or any position in between. Changing the mixing angle is fast and convenient and requires no tools. This device is battery powered and can be easily transported to operate in various locations in a lab including desktops, benches, clean hoods, chemical hoods, cold rooms, glove boxes, incubators or biological hoods. Second, an on-board Arduino-based microcontroller is incorporated that adds the functionality of a laboratory sample shaker. These devices can be customized both mechanically and functionally as the user can simply select the operation mode on the switch or alter the code to perform custom experiments. The open source laboratory sample rotator mixer can be built by non-specialists for under US$30 and adding shaking functionality can be done for under $20 more. Thus, these open source devices are technically superior to the proprietary commercial equipment available on the market while saving over 90% of the costs.

A clinically feasible method for the detection of potential collision in proton therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zou Wei; Lin Haibo; Plastaras, John P.; Wang Huanshu; Bui, Viet; Vapiwala, Neha; McDonough, James; Tochner, Zelig; Both, Stefan [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 (United States) and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 (United States)

2012-11-15

Purpose: Potential collision between the patient/couch and the gantry could delay the start of the treatment and reduce clinical efficiency. The ability to accurately detect possible collisions during the treatment planning phase is desired. Such collision detection should account for the specific proton gantry design, the treatment beam configuration, couch orientation, and the patient specific geometry. In this paper the authors developed an approach to detect possible patient-machine collisions using patient treatment plan data. Methods: The geometry of the machine and the patient was reconstructed relative to the isocenter of the proton treatment room. The surface contour of the gantry was first captured from the proton computer aided design and reconstructed to account for specific gantry rotation, snout position, collimator rotation, and range compensator dimensions based on the patient treatment plan data. The patient body and couch contours were captured from the patient's CT DICOM structure file. They were reconstructed relative to the isocenter taking into account treatment couch rotation. For potential collision that occurs at body portions where no CT images exist, scout images are used to construct the body contour. A software program was developed using a ray casting algorithm that was applied to detect collisions by determining if any of the patient and couch contour points fall into the spatial polygons formed by the proton gantry surfaces. Results: Twenty-four patient plans with or without potential collisions were retrospectively identified and analyzed using the collision detection software. In addition, five collision cases were artificially generated using an anthropomorphic phantom. The program successfully detected the collisions in all cases. The calculation time for each case was within 20 s. The software program was implemented in the authors' clinic to detect patient-gantry or gantry-couch collisions in the treatment planning

Localized environment characterization device

KAUST Repository

Alzain, Hashim

2016-07-21

Various apparatuses and methods are provided for measuring the likely environmental impact of a particular geographic location on power generation properties of potential solar installations at the particular location. In an example embodiment of one such apparatus, a measurement device is provided. The measurement device includes a base portion comprising a base frame element disposed on a plurality of supporting legs, and a top panel comprising a series of connected members and one or more measurement modules whose planar dimensions are defined by the series of connected members. The top panel is connected to the base portion by a joint such that the top panel can rotate about the joint, and a panel support element is configured to fasten the top panel immovably at a desired degree of rotation in relation to the base portion.

A low-temperature sample orienting device for single crystal spectroscopy at the SNS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sherline, T E; Solomon, L; Roberts, C K II; Bruce, D; Gaulin, B; Granroth, G E, E-mail: sherlinete@ornl.gov

2010-11-01

A low temperature sample orientation device providing three axes of rotation has been successfully built and is in testing for use on several spectrometers at the spallation neutron source (SNS). Sample rotation about the vertical ({omega}) axis of nearly 360 deg. and out of plane tilts ({phi} and v) of from -3.4 deg. to 4.4 deg. and from -2.8 deg. to 3.5 deg., respectively, are possible. An off-the-shelf closed cycle refrigerator (CCR) is mounted on a room temperature sealed rotary flange providing {omega} rotations of the sample. Out-of-plane tilts are made possible by piezoelectric actuated angular positioning devices mounted on the low temperature head of the CCR. Novel encoding devices based on magnetoresistive sensors have been developed to measure the tilt stage angles. This combination facilitates single crystal investigations from room temperature to 3.1 K. Commissioning experiments of the rotating CCR for both powder and single crystal samples have been performed on the ARCS spectrometer at the SNS. For the powder sample this device was used to continuously rotate the sample and thus average out any partial orientation of the powder. The powder rings observed in S(Q) are presented. For the single crystal sample, the rotation was used to probe different regions of momentum transfer (Q-space). Laue patterns obtained from a single crystal sample at two rotation angles are presented.

Novel configuration for an enhanced and compact all-fiber Faraday rotator with matched birefringence.

Science.gov (United States)

Asraf, Sagie; Sintov, Yoav; Zalevsky, Zeev

2017-08-07

We propose a novel configuration for an improved and compact all fiber Faraday rotator based on phase matching between the Faraday rotation and bend-induced birefringence. The device utilizes a coiled fiber within two electro-magnetic toroids, such that the fiber length required for getting the beat length is quite long and several rounds of fiber are needed. Analysis of the capabilities of the proposed device and its sensitivity to different parameters is presented. Faraday rotation of 13° was experimentally measured in six meters of single mode silica fiber, with a magnetic field of about 0.06T at a wavelength of 1064nm. We show that phase matching between the two phenomena significantly improves the polarization rotation by a factor of 4-10. In addition, we demonstrate the ability to achieve higher rotation by using Fabry Perot resonator in low terbium doped glass.

Force production during squats performed with a rotational resistance device under stable versus unstable conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Moras, Gerard; Vázquez-Guerrero, Jairo

2015-11-01

[Purpose] Force production during a squat action on a rotational resistance device (RRD) under stable and unstable conditions. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-one healthy males were asked to perform six sets of six repetitions of squats on an RRD on either stable or unstable surfaces. The stable and unstable sets were performed on different days. Muscular outputs were obtained from a linear encoder and a strain gauge fixed to a vest. [Results] Overall, the results showed no significant differences for any of the dependent variables across exercise modes. Forcemean outputs were higher in the concentric phase than in the eccentric phase for each condition, but there were no differences in velocity, time or displacement. The forcepeak was similar in the eccentric and concentric phases of movement under both stable and unstable conditions. There were no significant differences in forcemean between sets per condition or between conditions. [Conclusion] These results suggest that performing squats with a RRD achieves similar forcemean and forcepeak under stable and unstable conditions. The forcepeak produced is also similar in concentric and eccentric phases.

Data on rotating plasma operation in Tornado traps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehnert, B.

1976-01-01

Rotating plasma operation in spiral coil 'Tornado' traps provides a unique combination of confinement and heating properties. Such a system consists of a closed and compact magnetic bottle to which the crossed-field technique can be applied, in absence of end insulators and their critical velocity limitation effect. This should make possible the generation and heating of fully ionized plasmas by simple means, within a large range of ion densities, temperatures, and rotational velocities. Provided that stable operation becomes possible at high temperatures, it is likely that Tornado traps can be used as strong neutron sources of moderately large dimensions and technically realizable parameter values. Some detailed data and operation ranges are given for the 'Tornado 650' device in Leningrad, and for a somewhat larger device to be operated as neutron source. (Auth.)

Vibration Control of Novel Passive Multi-joints Rotational Friction Dampers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mualla, Imad H.; Koss, Holger

2017-01-01

that the damper performance is: - Independent of forcing frequency within applicable range - Linearly dependent on displacement amplitudes - Linearly dependent on normal forces - Very stable over many cycles Furthermore, a numerical model of the 4-joint damper has been developed based on an analytical derivation...... that are supplied by Damptech A/S have been installed in many projects in Japan, among them Japan tallest building and in other countries around the world. The paper provides a number of show cases demonstrating versatile application of rotational friction dampers (RFD)....... or strong winds. The damper is based on a rotational friction concept that was developed by Mualla, I.H. The devices have a stable energy dissipating behavior. They are flexible in the application, since they only need limited space. The devices can be installed easily. The damping capacity of the devices...

Power calculation of grading device in desintegrator

Science.gov (United States)

Bogdanov, V. S.; Semikopenko, I. A.; Vavilov, D. V.

2018-03-01

This article describes the analytical method of measuring the secondary power consumption, necessitated by the installation of a grading device in the peripheral part of the grinding chamber in the desintegrator. There is a calculation model for defining the power input of the disintegrator increased by the extra power demand, required to rotate the grading device and to grind the material in the area between the external row of hammers and the grading device. The work has determined the inertia moments of a cylindrical section of the grading device with armour plates. The processing capacity of the grading device is adjusted to the conveying capacity of the auger feeder. The grading device enables one to increase the concentration of particles in the peripheral part of the grinding chamber and the amount of interaction between particles and armour plates as well as the number of colliding particles. The perforated sections provide the output of the ground material with the proper size granules, which together with the effects of armour plates, improves the efficiency of grinding. The power demand to rotate the grading device does not exceed the admissible value.

Fundamentals of semiconductor devices

CERN Document Server

Lindmayer, Joseph

1965-01-01

Semiconductor properties ; semiconductor junctions or diodes ; transistor fundamentals ; inhomogeneous impurity distributions, drift or graded-base transistors ; high-frequency properties of transistors ; band structure of semiconductors ; high current densities and mechanisms of carrier transport ; transistor transient response and recombination processes ; surfaces, field-effect transistors, and composite junctions ; additional semiconductor characteristics ; additional semiconductor devices and microcircuits ; more metal, insulator, and semiconductor combinations for devices ; four-pole parameters and configuration rotation ; four-poles of combined networks and devices ; equivalent circuits ; the error function and its properties ; Fermi-Dirac statistics ; useful physical constants.

The rotate-plus-shift C-arm trajectory. Part I. Complete data with less than 180° rotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritschl, Ludwig; Fleischmann, Christof; Kuntz, Jan; Kachelrieß, Marc

2016-01-01

Purpose: In the last decade, C-arm-based cone-beam CT became a widely used modality for intraoperative imaging. Typically a C-arm CT scan is performed using a circular or elliptical trajectory around a region of interest. Therefore, an angular range of at least 180° plus fan angle must be covered to ensure a completely sampled data set. However, mobile C-arms designed with a focus on classical 2D applications like fluoroscopy may be limited to a mechanical rotation range of less than 180° to improve handling and usability. The method proposed in this paper allows for the acquisition of a fully sampled data set with a system limited to a mechanical rotation range of at least 180° minus fan angle using a new trajectory design. This enables CT like 3D imaging with a wide range of C-arm devices which are mainly designed for 2D imaging. Methods: The proposed trajectory extends the mechanical rotation range of the C-arm system with two additional linear shifts. Due to the divergent character of the fan-beam geometry, these two shifts lead to an additional angular range of half of the fan angle. Combining one shift at the beginning of the scan followed by a rotation and a second shift, the resulting rotate-plus-shift trajectory enables the acquisition of a completely sampled data set using only 180° minus fan angle of rotation. The shifts can be performed using, e.g., the two orthogonal positioning axes of a fully motorized C-arm system. The trajectory was evaluated in phantom and cadaver examinations using two prototype C-arm systems. Results: The proposed trajectory leads to reconstructions without limited angle artifacts. Compared to the limited angle reconstructions of 180° minus fan angle, image quality increased dramatically. Details in the rotate-plus-shift reconstructions were clearly depicted, whereas they are dominated by artifacts in the limited angle scan. Conclusions: The method proposed here employs 3D imaging using C-arms with less than 180° rotation

The rotate-plus-shift C-arm trajectory. Part I. Complete data with less than 180° rotation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ritschl, Ludwig; Fleischmann, Christof [Ziehm Imaging GmbH, Donaustraße 31, Nürnberg 90451 (Germany); Kuntz, Jan, E-mail: j.kuntz@dkfz.de; Kachelrieß, Marc [Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, Heidelberg 69120 (Germany)

2016-05-15

Purpose: In the last decade, C-arm-based cone-beam CT became a widely used modality for intraoperative imaging. Typically a C-arm CT scan is performed using a circular or elliptical trajectory around a region of interest. Therefore, an angular range of at least 180° plus fan angle must be covered to ensure a completely sampled data set. However, mobile C-arms designed with a focus on classical 2D applications like fluoroscopy may be limited to a mechanical rotation range of less than 180° to improve handling and usability. The method proposed in this paper allows for the acquisition of a fully sampled data set with a system limited to a mechanical rotation range of at least 180° minus fan angle using a new trajectory design. This enables CT like 3D imaging with a wide range of C-arm devices which are mainly designed for 2D imaging. Methods: The proposed trajectory extends the mechanical rotation range of the C-arm system with two additional linear shifts. Due to the divergent character of the fan-beam geometry, these two shifts lead to an additional angular range of half of the fan angle. Combining one shift at the beginning of the scan followed by a rotation and a second shift, the resulting rotate-plus-shift trajectory enables the acquisition of a completely sampled data set using only 180° minus fan angle of rotation. The shifts can be performed using, e.g., the two orthogonal positioning axes of a fully motorized C-arm system. The trajectory was evaluated in phantom and cadaver examinations using two prototype C-arm systems. Results: The proposed trajectory leads to reconstructions without limited angle artifacts. Compared to the limited angle reconstructions of 180° minus fan angle, image quality increased dramatically. Details in the rotate-plus-shift reconstructions were clearly depicted, whereas they are dominated by artifacts in the limited angle scan. Conclusions: The method proposed here employs 3D imaging using C-arms with less than 180° rotation

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)

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)

Rotational Acceleration during Head Impact Resulting from Different Judo Throwing Techniques

OpenAIRE

MURAYAMA, Haruo; HITOSUGI, Masahito; MOTOZAWA, Yasuki; OGINO, Masahiro; KOYAMA, Katsuhiro

2014-01-01

Most severe head injuries in judo are reported as acute subdural hematoma. It is thus necessary to examine the rotational acceleration of the head to clarify the mechanism of head injuries. We determined the rotational acceleration of the head when the subject is thrown by judo techniques. One Japanese male judo expert threw an anthropomorphic test device using two throwing techniques, Osoto-gari and Ouchigari. Rotational and translational head accelerations were measured with and without an ...

Rotational microfluidic motor for on-chip microcentrifugation

Science.gov (United States)

Shilton, Richie J.; Glass, Nick R.; Chan, Peggy; Yeo, Leslie Y.; Friend, James R.

2011-06-01

We report on the design of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) driven fluid-coupled micromotor which runs at high rotational velocities. A pair of opposing SAWs generated on a lithium niobate substrate are each obliquely passed into either side of a fluid drop to drive rotation of the fluid, and the thin circular disk set on the drop. Using water for the drop, a 5 mm diameter disk was driven with rotation speeds and start-up torques up to 2250 rpm and 60 nN m, respectively. Most importantly for lab-on-a-chip applications, radial accelerations of 172 m/s2 was obtained, presenting possibilities for microcentrifugation, flow sequencing, assays, and cell culturing in truly microscale lab-on-a-chip devices.

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

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.

Exponential increase in the on-off ratio of conductance in organic memory devices by controlling the surface morphology of the devices

Science.gov (United States)

Vyas, Giriraj; Dagar, Parveen; Sahu, Satyajit

2018-05-01

We have shown an exponential increase in the ratio of conductance in the on and off states of switching devices by controlling the surface morphology of the thin films for the device by depositing at different rotational speeds. The pinholes which are preferred topography on the surface at higher rotational speed give rise to higher on-off ratio of current from the devices fabricated at the speed. The lower rotational speed contributes to higher thickness of the film and hence no switching. For thicker films, the domain is formed due to phase segregation between the two components in the film, which also indicates that the film is far from thermal equilibrium. At higher speed, there is very little scope of segregation when the film is drying up. Hence, there are only few pinholes on the surface of the film which are shallow. So, the filamentary mechanism of switching in memory devices can be firmly established by varying the speed of thin film deposition which leads to phase segregation of the materials. Thus, the formation of filament can be regulated by controlling the thickness and the surface morphology.

EMPLACEMENT GANTRY ITS STANDARDS IDENTIFICATION STUDY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voegele, M.

2005-01-01

To date, the project has established ITS performance requirements for SSCs based on identification and categorization of event sequences that may result in a radiological release. These performance requirements are defined within the NSDB. Further, SSCs credited with performing safe functions are classified as ITS. In turn, perform confirmation for these SSCs is sought through the use of consensus code and standards. The purpose of this study is to identify applicable codes and standards for the WP Emplacement Gantry ITS SSCs. Further, this study will form the basis for selection and the extent of applicability of each code and standard. This study is based on the design development completed for LA only. Accordingly, identification of ITS SSCs beyond those defined within the NSDB are based on designs that may be subject to further development during detail design. Furthermore, several design alternatives may still be under consideration to satisfy certain safety functions, and that final selection will not be determined until further design development has occurred. Therefore, for completeness, throughout this study alternative designs currently under considered will be discussed. Further, the results of this study will be subject to evaluation as part of a follow-on GAP analysis study. Based on the results of this study the GAP analysis will evaluate each code and standard to ensure each ITS performance requirement is fully satisfied. When a performance requirement is not fully satisfied a ''gap'' is highlighted. Thereafter, the study will identify supplemental requirements to augment the code or standard to meet performance requirements. Further, the GAP analysis will identify non-standard areas of the design that will be subject to a Development Plan. Non-standard components and non-standard design configurations are defined as areas of the design that do not follow standard industry practices or codes and standards. Whereby, performance confirmation cannot be

A device for measuring electron beam characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Andreev

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a device intended for diagnostics of electron beams and the results obtained with this device. The device comprises a rotating double probe operating in conjunction with an automated probe signal collection and processing system. This provides for measuring and estimating the electron beam characteristics such as radius, current density, power density, convergence angle, and brightness.

Tube coupling device

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, William N. (Inventor); Hein, Leopold A. (Inventor)

1987-01-01

A first annular ring of a tube coupling device has a keyed opening sized to fit around the nut region of a male coupling, and a second annular ring has a keyed opening sized to fit around the nut of a female coupling. Each ring has mating ratchet teeth and these rings are biased together, thereby engaging these teeth and preventing rotation of these rings. This in turn prevents the rotation of the male nut region with respect to the female nut. For tube-to-bulkhead locking, one facet of one ring is notched, and a pin is pressed into an opening in the bulkhead. This pin is sized to fit within one of the notches in the ring, thereby preventing rotation of this ring with respect to the bulkhead.

Status of proton treatment facility at National Cancer Center, Kashiwa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tachikawa, T.; Kohmura, I.; Kataoka, S.; Nonaka, H.; Kimura, T.; Sato, T.; Nishio, T.; Shimbo, M.; Ogino, T.; Ikeda, H.

2001-01-01

Proton treatment facility at National Cancer Center Hospital East (Kashiwa) has two rotating gantry ports and one horizontal fixed port. In order to provide the same dose distribution at different gantry angles, the beam optics from the accelerator (235 MeV cyclotron) to the entrance of nozzle is specially tuned. Recently developed automatic tuning method of beam alignment can realize a sequential treatment at three irradiation ports. (author)

Faraday rotation measurement method and apparatus

Science.gov (United States)

Brockman, M. H. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

A method and device for measuring Faraday rotation of a received RF signal is described. A simultaneous orthogonal polarization receiver compensates for a 3 db loss due to splitting of a received signal into left circular and right circular polarization channels. The compensation is achieved by RF and modulation arraying utilizing a specific receiver array which also detects and measures Faraday rotation in the presence or absence of spin stabilization effects on a linear polarization vector. Either up-link or down-link measurement of Faraday rotation is possible. Specifically, the Faraday measurement apparatus utilized in conjunction with the specific receiver array provides a means for comparing the phase of a reference signal in the receiver array to the phase of a tracking loop signal related to the incoming signal, and comparing the phase of the reference signal to the phase of the tracking signal shifted in phase by 90 degrees. The averaged and unaveraged signals, are compared, the phase changes between the two signals being related to Faraday rotation.

Wave-particle interactions in rotating mirrorsa)

Science.gov (United States)

Fetterman, Abraham J.; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2011-05-01

Wave-particle interactions in E ×B rotating plasmas feature an unusual effect: particles are diffused by waves in both potential energy and kinetic energy. This wave-particle interaction generalizes the alpha channeling effect, in which radio frequency waves are used to remove alpha particles collisionlessly at low energy. In rotating plasmas, the alpha particles may be removed at low energy through the loss cone, and the energy lost may be transferred to the radial electric field. This eliminates the need for electrodes in the mirror throat, which have presented serious technical issues in past rotating plasma devices. A particularly simple way to achieve this effect is to use a high azimuthal mode number perturbation on the magnetic field. Rotation can also be sustained by waves in plasmas without a kinetic energy source. This type of wave has been considered for plasma centrifuges used for isotope separation. Energy may also be transferred from the electric field to particles or waves, which may be useful for ion heating and energy generation.

Wave-particle Interactions In Rotating Mirrors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abraham J. Fetterman and Nathaniel J. Fisch

2011-01-11

Wave-particle interactions in E×B rotating plasmas feature an unusual effect: particles are diffused by waves in both potential energy and kinetic energy. This wave-particle interaction generalizes the alpha channeling effect, in which radio frequency waves are used to remove alpha particles collisionlessly at low energy. In rotating plasmas, the alpha particles may be removed at low energy through the loss cone, and the energy lost may be transferred to the radial electric field. This eliminates the need for electrodes in the mirror throat, which have presented serious technical issues in past rotating plasma devices. A particularly simple way to achieve this effect is to use a high azimuthal mode number perturbation on the magnetic field. Rotation can also be sustained by waves in plasmas without a kinetic energy source. This type of wave has been considered for plasma centrifuges used for isotope separation. Energy may also be transferred from the electric field to particles or waves, which may be useful for ion heating and energy generation.

Wave-particle interactions in rotating mirrors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fetterman, Abraham J.; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2011-01-01

Wave-particle interactions in ExB rotating plasmas feature an unusual effect: particles are diffused by waves in both potential energy and kinetic energy. This wave-particle interaction generalizes the alpha channeling effect, in which radio frequency waves are used to remove alpha particles collisionlessly at low energy. In rotating plasmas, the alpha particles may be removed at low energy through the loss cone, and the energy lost may be transferred to the radial electric field. This eliminates the need for electrodes in the mirror throat, which have presented serious technical issues in past rotating plasma devices. A particularly simple way to achieve this effect is to use a high azimuthal mode number perturbation on the magnetic field. Rotation can also be sustained by waves in plasmas without a kinetic energy source. This type of wave has been considered for plasma centrifuges used for isotope separation. Energy may also be transferred from the electric field to particles or waves, which may be useful for ion heating and energy generation.

Wave-particle Interactions In Rotating Mirrors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fetterman, Abraham J.; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2011-01-01

Wave-particle interactions in E-B rotating plasmas feature an unusual effect: particles are diffused by waves in both potential energy and kinetic energy. This wave-particle interaction generalizes the alpha channeling effect, in which radio frequency waves are used to remove alpha particles collisionlessly at low energy. In rotating plasmas, the alpha particles may be removed at low energy through the loss cone, and the energy lost may be transferred to the radial electric field. This eliminates the need for electrodes in the mirror throat, which have presented serious technical issues in past rotating plasma devices. A particularly simple way to achieve this effect is to use a high azimuthal mode number perturbation on the magnetic field. Rotation can also be sustained by waves in plasmas without a kinetic energy source. This type of wave has been considered for plasma centrifuges used for isotope separation. Energy may also be transferred from the electric field to particles or waves, which may be useful for ion heating and energy generation.

Spent fuel container alignment device and method

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Stewart D.; Chapek, George V.

1996-01-01

An alignment device is used with a spent fuel shipping container including a plurality of fuel pockets for spent fuel arranged in an annular array and having a rotatable cover including an access opening therein. The alignment device includes a lightweight plate which is installed over the access opening of the cover. A laser device is mounted on the plate so as to emit a laser beam through a laser admittance window in the cover into the container in the direction of a pre-established target associated with a particular fuel pocket. An indexing arrangement on the container provides an indication of the angular position of the rotatable cover when the laser beam produced by the laser is brought into alignment with the target of the associated fuel pocket.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2004-01-21

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

SU-F-T-496: An Investigation of Two Novel Devices for Testing Linac Clearance During CT Simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrow, A; Massingill, B

2016-01-01

Purpose: This work’s objective is to determine the efficacy of two newly patented devices termed the Mor-O rings, Mark1 and Mark2, developed to predict collisions between the patient and a linac at the time of CT simulation. Methods: Mark1: A ring with an inner radius equal to the distance between the isocenter and the nearest portion of a linac head(diso) was made. This is mounted to a stand that allows vertical repositioning. The ring is placed around the patient on the CT table and aligned with isocenter. The patient is moved through the ring. If the ring touches the patient, a collision is predicted. To test this device, predicted collisions were marked on a phantom. The phantom was then repositioned on the linac table where the collisions were verified. Mark2: An arc with the radius diso was created with a re-locatable half-linac head wire-frame. The Mark2 is positioned in the same way as the Mark1 but can additionally mimic couch and gantry angulations. The Mark2 was tested with a volunteer using multiple couch, gantry and isocenter positions. The volunteer was then repositioned on the linac table to verify the angles of collisions. Results: Mark1: One isocenter out of ten showed negative clearance (0.9mm) on the linac table. All other collisions were predicted with 1 to 36mm of additional clearance. Mark2: All collisions were prevented with an additional 1.3 to 14.8 degrees of clearance. Conclusion: The Mark1 prototype is able to predict all collisions when no couch angulation is used. This device takes less than a minute to setup and is simple to use. The Mark2, when testing beam geometries used for noncoplanar SBRT, was able to prevent all collisions with 1.3 to 14.8 degrees additional clearance. Improvements in construction for both devices could increase accuracy and usability. Andrew Morrow owns Morrow Physics, LLC and Brian Massingill owns Spur Physics, LLC. We are both listed on the patent for the devices investigated in this work (patent 9220922

Nerve–muscle activation by rotating permanent magnet configurations

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholson, Graham M.

2016-01-01

Key points The standard method of magnetic nerve activation using pulses of high current in coils has drawbacks of high cost, high electrical power (of order 1 kW), and limited repetition rate without liquid cooling.Here we report a new technique for nerve activation using high speed rotation of permanent magnet configurations, generating a sustained sinusoidal electric field using very low power (of order 10 W).A high ratio of the electric field gradient divided by frequency is shown to be the key indicator for nerve activation at high frequencies.Activation of the cane toad sciatic nerve and attached gastrocnemius muscle was observed at frequencies as low as 180 Hz for activation of the muscle directly and 230 Hz for curved nerves, but probably not in straight sections of nerve.These results, employing the first prototype device, suggest the opportunity for a new class of small low‐cost magnetic nerve and/or muscle stimulators. Abstract Conventional pulsed current systems for magnetic neurostimulation are large and expensive and have limited repetition rate because of overheating. Here we report a new technique for nerve activation, namely high‐speed rotation of a configuration of permanent magnets. Analytical solutions of the cable equation are derived for the oscillating electric field generated, which has amplitude proportional to the rotation speed. The prototype device built comprised a configuration of two cylindrical magnets with antiparallel magnetisations, made to rotate by interaction between the magnets’ own magnetic field and three‐phase currents in coils mounted on one side of the device. The electric field in a rectangular bath placed on top of the device was both numerically evaluated and measured. The ratio of the electric field gradient on frequency was approximately 1 V m−2 Hz−1 near the device. An exploratory series of physiological tests was conducted on the sciatic nerve and attached gastrocnemius muscle of the cane toad

Nerve-muscle activation by rotating permanent magnet configurations.

Science.gov (United States)

Watterson, Peter A; Nicholson, Graham M

2016-04-01

The standard method of magnetic nerve activation using pulses of high current in coils has drawbacks of high cost, high electrical power (of order 1 kW), and limited repetition rate without liquid cooling. Here we report a new technique for nerve activation using high speed rotation of permanent magnet configurations, generating a sustained sinusoidal electric field using very low power (of order 10 W). A high ratio of the electric field gradient divided by frequency is shown to be the key indicator for nerve activation at high frequencies. Activation of the cane toad sciatic nerve and attached gastrocnemius muscle was observed at frequencies as low as 180 Hz for activation of the muscle directly and 230 Hz for curved nerves, but probably not in straight sections of nerve. These results, employing the first prototype device, suggest the opportunity for a new class of small low-cost magnetic nerve and/or muscle stimulators. Conventional pulsed current systems for magnetic neurostimulation are large and expensive and have limited repetition rate because of overheating. Here we report a new technique for nerve activation, namely high-speed rotation of a configuration of permanent magnets. Analytical solutions of the cable equation are derived for the oscillating electric field generated, which has amplitude proportional to the rotation speed. The prototype device built comprised a configuration of two cylindrical magnets with antiparallel magnetisations, made to rotate by interaction between the magnets' own magnetic field and three-phase currents in coils mounted on one side of the device. The electric field in a rectangular bath placed on top of the device was both numerically evaluated and measured. The ratio of the electric field gradient on frequency was approximately 1 V m(-2) Hz(-1) near the device. An exploratory series of physiological tests was conducted on the sciatic nerve and attached gastrocnemius muscle of the cane toad (Bufo marinus). Activation was

New irradiation devices at the FRN reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stark, W.

1980-01-01

In order to fulfill the experimental demands three additional devices were constructed and installed. The first is a vertical irradiation tube in air surrounded by a lead cylinder (in the irradiation position). The second device is a rabbit system ending within the graphite moderator of the thermal column. The third device is so called rotating disk assembly, built to replace the rotary specimen rack

Rotary combustion device

NARCIS (Netherlands)

2008-01-01

Rotary combustion device (1) with rotary combustion chamber (4). Specific measures are taken to provide ignition of a combustible mixture. It is proposed that a hollow tube be provided coaxially with the axis of rotation (6), so that a small part of the mixture is guided into the combustion chamber.

Current Biomechanical Concepts for Rotator Cuff Repair

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

For the past few decades, the repair of rotator cuff tears has evolved significantly with advances in arthroscopy techniques, suture anchors and instrumentation. From the biomechanical perspective, the focus in arthroscopic repair has been on increasing fixation strength and restoration of the footprint contact characteristics to provide early rehabilitation and improve healing. To accomplish these objectives, various repair strategies and construct configurations have been developed for rotator cuff repair with the understanding that many factors contribute to the structural integrity of the repaired construct. These include repaired rotator cuff tendon-footprint motion, increased tendon-footprint contact area and pressure, and tissue quality of tendon and bone. In addition, the healing response may be compromised by intrinsic factors such as decreased vascularity, hypoxia, and fibrocartilaginous changes or aforementioned extrinsic compression factors. Furthermore, it is well documented that torn rotator cuff muscles have a tendency to atrophy and become subject to fatty infiltration which may affect the longevity of the repair. Despite all the aforementioned factors, initial fixation strength is an essential consideration in optimizing rotator cuff repair. Therefore, numerous biomechanical studies have focused on elucidating the strongest devices, knots, and repair configurations to improve contact characteristics for rotator cuff repair. In this review, the biomechanical concepts behind current rotator cuff repair techniques will be reviewed and discussed. PMID:23730471

Development of a tapping device: a new needle insertion method for prostate brachytherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lagerburg, V; Moerland, M A; Konings, M K; Vosse, R E van de; Lagendijk, J J W; Battermann, J J

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop and test a tapping device for needle insertion for prostate brachytherapy. This device will tap the needle into the prostate with a certain, well-defined, amount of momentum, instead of the currently used method of pushing the needle. Because of the high needle insertion velocity, we expect prostate motion and deformation to be less compared to current methods. We measured the momentum that is applied when manually tapping the needle into the prostate and found a mean momentum of 0.50 ± 0.07 N s. The tapping device is pneumatically driven and we found that the delivered momentum increased linearly with the applied air pressure. The efficacy of the tapping device was tested on a piece of beef, placed on a freely moving and rotating platform. A significant correlation was found between the applied pressure and the rotation and displacement of the beef. Displacements and rotations were minimal for the highest pressure (4 bar) and amounted to only 2 mm and 6 deg., respectively. Higher air pressures will further reduce displacements and rotations

The use of rotating electric arc for spherical particle production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bica, I.

2000-01-01

This work presents and experimental device designed to obtain spherical particles by mans of a rotating electric arc. A rotation frequency of the electric arc of 750 s''-1, a voltage of 50 V(dc) and a current of 100 A was used. The mass flow rate was 3 g.min''-1. Under these conditions particles of 15 to 20 μm in diameter were obtained. (Author) 8 refs

Axial flow heat exchanger devices and methods for heat transfer using axial flow devices

Science.gov (United States)

Koplow, Jeffrey P.

2016-02-16

Systems and methods described herein are directed to rotary heat exchangers configured to transfer heat to a heat transfer medium flowing in substantially axial direction within the heat exchangers. Exemplary heat exchangers include a heat conducting structure which is configured to be in thermal contact with a thermal load or a thermal sink, and a heat transfer structure rotatably coupled to the heat conducting structure to form a gap region between the heat conducting structure and the heat transfer structure, the heat transfer structure being configured to rotate during operation of the device. In example devices heat may be transferred across the gap region from a heated axial flow of the heat transfer medium to a cool stationary heat conducting structure, or from a heated stationary conducting structure to a cool axial flow of the heat transfer medium.

Numerical studies of Siberian snakes and spin rotators for RHIC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luccio, A.

1995-01-01

For the program of polarized protons in RHIC, two Siberian snakes and four spin rotators per ring will be used. The Snakes will produce a complete spin flip. Spin Rotators, in pairs, will rotate the spin from the vertical direction to the horizontal plane at a given insertion, and back to the vertical after the insertion. Snakes, 180 degrees apart and with their axis of spin precession at 90 degrees to each other, are an effective means to avoid depolarization of the proton beam in traversing resonances. Classical snakes and rotators are made with magnetic solenoids or with a sequence of magnetic dipoles with fields alternately directed in the radial and vertical direction. Another possibility is to use helical magnets, essentially twisted dipoles, in which the field, transverse the axis of the magnet, continuously rotates as the particles proceed along it. After some comparative studies, the authors decided to adopt for RHIC an elegant solution with four helical magnets both for the snakes and the rotators proposed by Shatunov and Ptitsin. In order to simplify the construction of the magnets and to minimize cost, four identical super conducting helical modules will be used for each device. Snakes will be built with four right-handed helices. Spin rotators with two right-handed and two left-handed helices. The maximum field will be limited to 4 Tesla. While small bore helical undulators have been built for free electron lasers, large super conducting helical magnets have not been built yet. In spite of this difficulty, this choice is dictated by some distinctive advantages of helical over more conventional transverse snakes/rotators: (i) the devices are modular, they can be built with arrangements of identical modules, (ii) the maximum orbit excursion in the magnet is smaller, (iii) orbit excursion is independent from the separation between adjacent magnets, (iv) they allow an easier control of the spin rotation and the orientation of the spin precession axis

Dosimetric Changes Resulting From Patient Rotational Setup Errors in Proton Therapy Prostate Plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sejpal, Samir V.; Amos, Richard A.; Bluett, Jaques B.; Levy, Lawrence B.; Kudchadker, Rajat J.; Johnson, Jennifer; Choi, Seungtaek; Lee, Andrew K.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the dose changes to the target and critical structures from rotational setup errors in prostate cancer patients treated with proton therapy. Methods and Materials: A total of 70 plans were analyzed for 10 patients treated with parallel-opposed proton beams to a dose of 7,600 60 Co-cGy-equivalent (CcGE) in 200 CcGE fractions to the clinical target volume (i.e., prostate and proximal seminal vesicles). Rotational setup errors of +3 o , -3 deg., +5 deg., and -5 deg. (to simulate pelvic tilt) were generated by adjusting the gantry. Horizontal couch shifts of +3 deg. and -3 deg. (to simulate longitudinal setup variability) were also generated. Verification plans were recomputed, keeping the same treatment parameters as the control. Results: All changes shown are for 38 fractions. The mean clinical target volume dose was 7,780 CcGE. The mean change in the clinical target volume dose in the worse case scenario for all shifts was 2 CcGE (absolute range in worst case scenario, 7,729-7,848 CcGE). The mean changes in the critical organ dose in the worst case scenario was 6 CcGE (bladder), 18 CcGE (rectum), 36 CcGE (anterior rectal wall), and 141 CcGE (femoral heads) for all plans. In general, the percentage of change in the worse case scenario for all shifts to the critical structures was <5%. Deviations in the absolute percentage of volume of organ receiving 45 and 70 Gy for the bladder and rectum were <2% for all plans. Conclusion: Patient rotational movements of 3 deg. and 5 deg. and horizontal couch shifts of 3 deg. in prostate proton planning did not confer clinically significant dose changes to the target volumes or critical structures.

Data on rotating plasma operation in Tornado traps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehnert, B.

1977-01-01

Rotating plasma operation in spiral coil 'Tornado' traps provides a unique combination of confinement and heating properties. Such a system consists of a closed and compact magnetic bottle to which the crossed-field technique can be applied, in absence of end insulators and their critical velocity limitation effect. This is expected to lead to the generation and heating of fully ionized plasmas within a large range of ion densities, temperatures, and rotational velocities. Provided that stable operation becomes possible at high temperatures and the effects due to the asymmetries of the spiral coil structure can be neglected, it is likely that Tornado traps can be used as strong neutron sources of moderately large dimensions and technically realizable parameter values. Some detailed data and operation ranges are outlined for the 'Tornado 650' device in Leningrad, and for a somewhat larger device which may be operated as a neutron source. (Auth.)

Spectroscopy of Molecules in Extreme Rotational States Using AN Optical Centrifuge

Science.gov (United States)

Mullin, Amy S.; Toro, Carlos; Echibiri, Geraldine; Liu, Qingnan

2012-06-01

Our lab has developed a high-power optical centrifuge that is capable of trapping and spinning large number densities of molecules into extreme rotational states. By coupling this device with high resolution transient IR absorption spectroscopy, we measure the time-resolved behavior and energy profiles of individual ro-vibrational states of molecules in very high rotational states. Recent results will be discussed on the spectroscopy of new rotational states, collisional dynamics in the optical centrifuge, spatially-dependent energy profiles and possibilities for new chemistry induced by centrifugal forces.

Spectroscopic studies of a high Mach-number rotating plasma flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, Akira; Ashino, Masashi; Sagi, Yukiko; Inutake, Masaaki; Hattori, Kunihiko; Yoshinuma, Mikirou; Imasaki, Atsushi; Tobari, Hiroyuki; Yagai, Tsuyoshi

2001-01-01

Characteristics of an axially-magnetized rotating plasma are investigated by spectroscopy in the HITOP device of Tohoku University. A He plasma flows our axially and rotates azimuthally near the muzzle region of the MPD arcjet. Flow and rotational velocities and temperature of He ions and atoms are measured by Doppler shift and broadening of the HeII (γ=468.58 nm) and HeI (γ=587.56 nm) lines. Rotational velocity increases with the increase of axially-applied magnetic field strength and discharge current. As discharge current increases and mass flow rate decreases, the plasma flow velocity increases and T i increases. Ion acoustic Mach number of the plasma flow also increases, but tends to saturate at near 1. Radial profile of space potential is calculated from the obtained rotational velocity. The potential profile in the core region is parabolic corresponding to the observed rigid-body rotation of the core plasma. (author)

Spectroscopic studies of a high Mach-number rotating plasma flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ando, Akira; Ashino, Masashi; Sagi, Yukiko; Inutake, Masaaki; Hattori, Kunihiko; Yoshinuma, Mikirou; Imasaki, Atsushi; Tobari, Hiroyuki; Yagai, Tsuyoshi [Tohoku Univ., Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Sendai, Miyagi (Japan)

2001-07-01

Characteristics of an axially-magnetized rotating plasma are investigated by spectroscopy in the HITOP device of Tohoku University. A He plasma flows our axially and rotates azimuthally near the muzzle region of the MPD arcjet. Flow and rotational velocities and temperature of He ions and atoms are measured by Doppler shift and broadening of the HeII ({gamma}=468.58 nm) and HeI ({gamma}=587.56 nm) lines. Rotational velocity increases with the increase of axially-applied magnetic field strength and discharge current. As discharge current increases and mass flow rate decreases, the plasma flow velocity increases and T{sub i} increases. Ion acoustic Mach number of the plasma flow also increases, but tends to saturate at near 1. Radial profile of space potential is calculated from the obtained rotational velocity. The potential profile in the core region is parabolic corresponding to the observed rigid-body rotation of the core plasma. (author)

Using Mobile Devices in Nursing Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Day-Black, Crystal; Merrill, Earlene B

2015-01-01

The use of mobile device technology in nursing education is growing. These devices are becoming more important in the health care environment with an advantage of providing a compendium of drug, nursing procedures and treatments, and disease information to nursing students. Senior baccalaureate nursing students traditionally are prohibited from medication administration during psychiatric-mental health clinical rotations, but they are required to participate in simulated medication discussions and administration experiences. The incorporation of this mobile device technology to augment clinical learning experiences has advantages including potential reduction of medication errors, and improved patient safety during students' clinical rotation. The purpose of this project is to explain how the mobile device (iPod Touch, 4th generation wireless media player) may be used to enhance and augment comprehensive nursing care in a psychiatric-mental health clinical setting. Thirty-four (34) baccalaureate senior nursing students enrolled in a clinical psychiatric-mental nursing course at a mid-Atlantic public university school of nursing were used. Each student was provided a loaner mobile device with appropriate software and the necessary training. Data were collected on the student's ability to simulate medication administration to a psychiatric-mental health client. Surveys were administered before distribution, at mid-point and at the end of two (2) seven week semesters.

Numerical simulation of the temperature effects on the performance of rotational supercavitating evaporator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Z Y; Cheng, J P; Li, F C; Zhang, M; Li, Q; Kulagin, V A

2015-01-01

With the application of supercavitation effect, a novel device named Rotational Supercavitating Evaporator (RSCE) has been designed for desalination. In order to study the effect of temperature on the performance of RSCE and then direct the experimental study on RSCE for the next step, numerical simulations are conducted on the supercavitating flows in RSCE under different temperatures and rotational speeds. The results show that the rotational speed, resistance moment and mechanical energy consumed by the rotational cavitator under the critical state with the largest supercavity, decrease with the increase of temperature. And the area and volume of the supercavity increase exponentially with the increase of temperature under the same rotational speed

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yip, Stephen S. F., E-mail: syip@lroc.harvard.edu; Rottmann, Joerg; Berbeco, Ross I. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States)

2015-12-15

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

Rotating carbon nanotube membrane filter for water desalination

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Qingsong; Yang, Qiang; Wang, Hualin; Li, Shaofan

2016-01-01

We have designed a porous nanofluidic desalination device, a rotating carbon nanotube membrane filter (RCNT-MF), for the reverse osmosis desalination that can turn salt water into fresh water. The concept as well as design strategy of RCNT-MF is modeled, and demonstrated by using molecular dynamics simulation. It has been shown that the RCNT-MF device may significantly improve desalination efficiency by combining the centrifugal force propelled reverse osmosis process and the porous CNT-based fine scale selective separation technology. PMID:27188982

Performance test of wet type decontamination device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, E. P.; Kim, E. G.; Min, D. K.; Jun, Y. B.; Lee, H. K.; Seu, H. S.; Kwon, H. M.; Hong, K.P.

2003-01-01

The intervention area located at rear hot cell can be contaminated by hot cell maintenance work. For effective decontamination of the intervention floor a wet type decontamination device was developed. The device was assembled with a brush rotating part, a washing liquid supplying part, an intake part for recovering contaminated liquid and a device moving cart part. The device was made of stainless steel for easy decontamination and corrosion resistance. The function test carried out at intervention area of the PIE facility showed good performance

Advanced Small Animal Conformal Radiation Therapy Device.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Sunil; Narayanasamy, Ganesh; Przybyla, Beata; Webber, Jessica; Boerma, Marjan; Clarkson, Richard; Moros, Eduardo G; Corry, Peter M; Griffin, Robert J

2017-02-01

We have developed a small animal conformal radiation therapy device that provides a degree of geometrical/anatomical targeting comparable to what is achievable in a commercial animal irradiator. small animal conformal radiation therapy device is capable of producing precise and accurate conformal delivery of radiation to target as well as for imaging small animals. The small animal conformal radiation therapy device uses an X-ray tube, a robotic animal position system, and a digital imager. The system is in a steel enclosure with adequate lead shielding following National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements 49 guidelines and verified with Geiger-Mueller survey meter. The X-ray source is calibrated following AAPM TG-61 specifications and mounted at 101.6 cm from the floor, which is a primary barrier. The X-ray tube is mounted on a custom-made "gantry" and has a special collimating assembly system that allows field size between 0.5 mm and 20 cm at isocenter. Three-dimensional imaging can be performed to aid target localization using the same X-ray source at custom settings and an in-house reconstruction software. The small animal conformal radiation therapy device thus provides an excellent integrated system to promote translational research in radiation oncology in an academic laboratory. The purpose of this article is to review shielding and dosimetric measurement and highlight a few successful studies that have been performed to date with our system. In addition, an example of new data from an in vivo rat model of breast cancer is presented in which spatially fractionated radiation alone and in combination with thermal ablation was applied and the therapeutic benefit examined.

Rotational manipulation of single cells and organisms using acoustic waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Daniel; Ozcelik, Adem; Bojanala, Nagagireesh; Nama, Nitesh; Upadhyay, Awani; Chen, Yuchao; Hanna-Rose, Wendy; Huang, Tony Jun

2016-03-23

The precise rotational manipulation of single cells or organisms is invaluable to many applications in biology, chemistry, physics and medicine. In this article, we describe an acoustic-based, on-chip manipulation method that can rotate single microparticles, cells and organisms. To achieve this, we trapped microbubbles within predefined sidewall microcavities inside a microchannel. In an acoustic field, trapped microbubbles were driven into oscillatory motion generating steady microvortices which were utilized to precisely rotate colloids, cells and entire organisms (that is, C. elegans). We have tested the capabilities of our method by analysing reproductive system pathologies and nervous system morphology in C. elegans. Using our device, we revealed the underlying abnormal cell fusion causing defective vulval morphology in mutant worms. Our acoustofluidic rotational manipulation (ARM) technique is an easy-to-use, compact, and biocompatible method, permitting rotation regardless of optical, magnetic or electrical properties of the sample under investigation.

Improved scintimammography using a high-resolution camera mounted on an upright mammography gantry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itti, Emmanuel; Patt, Bradley E.; Diggles, Linda E.; MacDonald, Lawrence; Iwanczyk, Jan S.; Mishkin, Fred S.; Khalkhali, Iraj

2003-01-01

99m Tc-sestamibi scintimammography (SMM) is a useful adjunct to conventional X-ray mammography (XMM) for the assessment of breast cancer. An increasing number of studies has emphasized fair sensitivity values for the detection of tumors >1 cm, compared to XMM, particularly in situations where high glandular breast densities make mammographic interpretation difficult. In addition, SMM has demonstrated high specificity for cancer, compared to various functional and anatomic imaging modalities. However, large field-of-view (FOV) gamma cameras are difficult to position close to the breasts, which decreases spatial resolution and subsequently, the sensitivity of detection for tumors 2 FOV and an array of 2x2x6 mm 3 discrete crystals coupled to a photon-sensitive photomultiplier tube readout. This camera is mounted on a mammography gantry allowing upright imaging, medial positioning and use of breast compression. Preliminary data indicates significant enhancement of spatial resolution by comparison with standard imaging in the first 10 patients. Larger series will be needed to conclude on sensitivity/specificity issues

Device for relocating fuel elements and control rods in a core reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffmeister, B.; Schwarz, W.

1976-01-01

A device is described for changing the location of fuel elements and control rods in a core reactor with a guiding mast which is mounted on a movable working platform for rotation about a vertical axis and which is provided with a gripping body for grasping the fuel elements and control rods, said gripping body being suspended on a lifting mechanism and being displaceable in vertical direction within the guiding mast while being prevented from rotating relative to the guiding mast. The device furthermore comprises winding means for storing supply lines which are introduced at the top into the guiding mast and the gripper body. The device also includes power operated means for actuating the lifting mechanism. The winding means and lifting mechanism rotate with the mast and are so arranged in the mast that any water dripping therefrom runs down the inside of the mast. Supply conduits leading to the mast are connected thereby by slack loops which permit 360 0 of rotation of the mast. 11 claims, 6 drawing figures

Quality control methods for linear accelerator radiation and mechanical axes alignment.

Science.gov (United States)

Létourneau, Daniel; Keller, Harald; Becker, Nathan; Amin, Md Nurul; Norrlinger, Bernhard; Jaffray, David A

2018-06-01

The delivery accuracy of highly conformal dose distributions generated using intensity modulation and collimator, gantry, and couch degrees of freedom is directly affected by the quality of the alignment between the radiation beam and the mechanical axes of a linear accelerator. For this purpose, quality control (QC) guidelines recommend a tolerance of ±1 mm for the coincidence of the radiation and mechanical isocenters. Traditional QC methods for assessment of radiation and mechanical axes alignment (based on pointer alignment) are time consuming and complex tasks that provide limited accuracy. In this work, an automated test suite based on an analytical model of the linear accelerator motions was developed to streamline the QC of radiation and mechanical axes alignment. The proposed method used the automated analysis of megavoltage images of two simple task-specific phantoms acquired at different linear accelerator settings to determine the coincidence of the radiation and mechanical isocenters. The sensitivity and accuracy of the test suite were validated by introducing actual misalignments on a linear accelerator between the radiation axis and the mechanical axes using both beam steering and mechanical adjustments of the gantry and couch. The validation demonstrated that the new QC method can detect sub-millimeter misalignment between the radiation axis and the three mechanical axes of rotation. A displacement of the radiation source of 0.2 mm using beam steering parameters was easily detectable with the proposed collimator rotation axis test. Mechanical misalignments of the gantry and couch rotation axes of the same magnitude (0.2 mm) were also detectable using the new gantry and couch rotation axis tests. For the couch rotation axis, the phantom and test design allow detection of both translational and tilt misalignments with the radiation beam axis. For the collimator rotation axis, the test can isolate the misalignment between the beam radiation axis

View of the moving head of the gantry machine and the working area containingthe supply and assembly platforms (trays in green).

CERN Multimedia

Alan Honma

1999-01-01

The robotic assembly machine consists of the gantry positioning systemoutfitted with pickup tooling heads and camera+microscope for accurateposition measurements. The procedure is to place the components onthe working platforms and the machine applies glue, picks and placesthe silicon sensors and front-end hybrids onto the frames. The components are held in place by vacuum to prevent movement untilthe glue has cured. Up to four modules can be assembled at one time.The platforms are removable allowing assembly to continue on a newset of modules.

Controllable rotational inversion in nanostructures with dual chirality.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Lu; Zhu, Ka-Di; Shen, Wenzhong; Huang, Xiaojiang; Zhang, Li; Goriely, Alain

2018-04-05

Chiral structures play an important role in natural sciences due to their great variety and potential applications. A perversion connecting two helices with opposite chirality creates a dual-chirality helical structure. In this paper, we develop a novel model to explore quantitatively the mechanical behavior of normal, binormal and transversely isotropic helical structures with dual chirality and apply these ideas to known nanostructures. It is found that both direction and amplitude of rotation can be finely controlled by designing the cross-sectional shape. A peculiar rotational inversion of overwinding followed by unwinding, observed in some gourd and cucumber tendril perversions, not only exists in transversely isotropic dual-chirality helical nanobelts, but also in the binormal/normal ones when the cross-sectional aspect ratio is close to 1. Beyond this rotational inversion region, the binormal and normal dual-chirality helical nanobelts exhibit a fixed directional rotation of unwinding and overwinding, respectively. Moreover, in the binormal case, the rotation of these helical nanobelts is nearly linear, which is promising as a possible design for linear-to-rotary motion converters. The present work suggests new designs for nanoscale devices.

General-purpose radiological examination device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Slaby, J

1978-03-15

Equipment is described suitable for all radiological examinations using x-ray and neuroradiological diagnostic machines. The equipment consists of a gimbal suspension supporting a base plate and an imaging system, a gantry on which a neurological seat is pivoted capable of isocentrically positioning the patient's head.

Magnetic field transfer device and method

Science.gov (United States)

Wipf, S.L.

1990-02-13

A magnetic field transfer device includes a pair of oppositely wound inner coils which each include at least one winding around an inner coil axis, and an outer coil which includes at least one winding around an outer coil axis. The windings may be formed of superconductors. The axes of the two inner coils are parallel and laterally spaced from each other so that the inner coils are positioned in side-by-side relation. The outer coil is outwardly positioned from the inner coils and rotatable relative to the inner coils about a rotational axis substantially perpendicular to the inner coil axes to generate a hypothetical surface which substantially encloses the inner coils. The outer coil rotates relative to the inner coils between a first position in which the outer coil axis is substantially parallel to the inner coil axes and the outer coil augments the magnetic field formed in one of the inner coils, and a second position 180[degree] from the first position, in which the augmented magnetic field is transferred into the other inner coil and reoriented 180[degree] from the original magnetic field. The magnetic field transfer device allows a magnetic field to be transferred between volumes with negligible work being required to rotate the outer coil with respect to the inner coils. 16 figs.

The complex challenge of repairing the gantry steelwork on the first generation magnox storage pond at Sellafield: Legacy Waste Storage, First Generation Magnox Storage Pond - 59133

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richardson, Ian E.

2012-01-01

This paper puts into context the challenges that were faced when repairing the Gantry Steelwork of the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP). The First Generation Magnox Fuel Storage Pond (FGMSP) provided fuel storage and de-canning capability from the early 1960's until 1986. A significant programme of work has been underway since the completion of operational activities to support the programmes strategic intent of retrieving and storing all legacy wastes, and remediating the structure of the plant to support decommissioning activities. A key enabler to the retrievals programme is the Pond Skip Handler Machine (SHM), removed from service in 2002 following the discovery of significant signs of corrosion and distress, an inevitable consequence of being located in a coastal, salt laden environment. The SHM provides sole capability to access and retrieve the inventory of over 1000 fuel skips. It is also fundamental to future operations and the deployment of de-sludging equipment to recover significant bulk sludge's from the pond floor. Failure of the SHM steelwork gantry at worst case could potentially result in the Skip Handler Machine being derailed. This has some potential to damage to the pond structure and at worst case may result in local radiological and environmental consequences. This paper will examine the challenges faced by the team as they successfully defined, planned and executed remedial work to a specific aspect of the civil structure, the SHM gantry rail system, using a purpose built refurbishment platform; the Gantry Refurbishment System. The paper will examine how an 'innovative' approach was adopted to resolve the related issues of: - Refurbishing an aged structure to meet extended future operational demands. - The application of pragmatic engineering solutions against current codes and standards including seismic performance; - Provision of safe access for the workforce to undertake the refurbishment work against significant radiological

MO-FG-CAMPUS-TeP1-03: Pre-Treatment Surface Imaging Based Collision Detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiant, D; Maurer, J; Liu, H; Hayes, T; Shang, Q; Sintay, B [Cone Health Cancer Center, Greensboro, NC (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Modern radiotherapy increasingly employs large immobilization devices, gantry attachments, and couch rotations for treatments. All of which raise the risk of collisions between the patient and the gantry / couch. Collision detection is often achieved by manually checking each couch position in the treatment room and sometimes results in extraneous imaging if collisions are detected after image based setup has begun. In the interest of improving efficiency and avoiding extra imaging, we explore the use of a surface imaging based collision detection model. Methods: Surfaces acquired from AlignRT (VisionRT, London, UK) were transferred in wavefront format to a custom Matlab (Mathworks, Natick, MA) software package (CCHECK). Computed tomography (CT) scans acquired at the same time were sent to CCHECK in DICOM format. In CCHECK, binary maps of the surfaces were created and overlaid on the CT images based on the fixed relationship of the AlignRT and CT coordinate systems. Isocenters were added through a graphical user interface (GUI). CCHECK then compares the inputted surfaces to a model of the linear accelerator (linac) to check for collisions at defined gantry and couch positions. Note, CCHECK may be used with or without a CT. Results: The nominal surface image field of view is 650 mm × 900 mm, with variance based on patient position and size. The accuracy of collision detections is primarily based on the linac model and the surface mapping process. The current linac model and mapping process yield detection accuracies on the order of 5 mm, assuming no change in patient posture between surface acquisition and treatment. Conclusions: CCHECK provides a non-ionizing method to check for collisions without the patient in the treatment room. Collision detection accuracy may be improved with more robust linac modeling. Additional gantry attachments (e.g. conical collimators) can be easily added to the model.

SU-E-J-138: An IGRT QA Device for Measuring with Tenths-Millimeter Accuracy KV and MV Isocenter Congruence, Couch Travel and Laser Alignment of Accelerators Used for SRS and SBRT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brezovich, I; Popple, R; Duan, J; Huang, M; Benhabib, S; Shen, S; Cardan, R; Wu, X [University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: To develop a practical device having sufficient accuracy for daily QA tests of accelerators used for SRS and SBRT. Methods: The UAB (Universal Alignment Ball) consists of a 6.35 mm (1/4 inch) diameter tungsten sphere located concentrically within a 25.4 mm (1 inch) diameter acrylic plastic (PMMA) sphere. The spheres are embedded in polystyrene foam, which, in turn, is surrounded by a cylindrical PMMA shell. The UAB is placed on the couch and aligned with wall lasers according to marks that have known positions in relation to the center of the spheres. Using planar and cone beam images the couch is shifted till the surface of the PMMA sphere matches Eclipse-generated circular contours. Anterior and lateral MV images taken with small MLC openings allow measurement of distance between kV and MV isocenter, laser and MLC alignment. Measurements were taken over a one-month period. Results: Artifacts from the tungsten sphere were confined within the PMMA sphere and did not affect cone beam localization of the sphere boundary, allowing 0.1 mm precise alignment with a computer-generated circle centered at kV isocenter. In tests extending over a one-month period, the distance between kV and MV isocenters along the vertical, longitudinal and lateral directions was 0.125 +/−0.06, 0.19 +/−0.08, and 0.02 +/−0.08 mm, respectively. Laser misalignment along these directions was 0.34 +/- 0.15, 0.74 +/−0.29, and 0.49 +/−0.22 mm. Automated couch shifts moved the spheres to within 0.1 mm of the selected position. The center of a 1cmx1cm MLC-defined field remained within +/−0.2 mm of the tungsten sphere center as the gantry was rotated. Conclusion: The UAB is practical for daily end-to-end QA tests of accelerator alignment. It provides tenths-mm accuracy for measuring agreement of kV and MV isocenters, couch motions, gantry flex and laser alignment.

Polarization digital holographic microscopy using low-cost liquid crystal polarization rotators

Science.gov (United States)

Dovhaliuk, Rostyslav Yu

2018-02-01

Polarization imaging methods are actively used to study anisotropic objects. A number of methods and systems, such as imaging polarimeters, were proposed to measure the state of polarization of light that passed through the object. Digital holographic and interferometric approaches can be used to quantitatively measure both amplitude and phase of a wavefront. Using polarization modulation optics, the measurement capabilities of such interference-based systems can be extended to measure polarization-dependent parameters, such as phase retardation. Different kinds of polarization rotators can be used to alternate the polarization of a reference beam. Liquid crystals are used in a rapidly increasing number of different optoelectronic devices. Twisted nematic liquid crystals are widely used as amplitude modulators in electronic displays and light valves or shutter glass. Such devices are of particular interest for polarization imaging, as they can be used as polarization rotators, and due to large-scale manufacturing have relatively low cost. A simple Mach-Zehnder polarized holographic setup that uses modified shutter glass as a polarization rotator is demonstrated. The suggested approach is experimentally validated by measuring retardation of quarter-wave film.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2014-09-01

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

Advanced single-slice rebinning for tilted spiral cone-beam CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachelriess, Marc; Fuchs, Theo; Schaller, Stefan; Kalender, Willi A.

2001-01-01

Future medical CT scanners and today's micro CT scanners demand cone-beam reconstruction algorithms that are capable of reconstructing data acquired from a tilted spiral trajectory where the vector of rotation is not necessarily parallel to the vector of table increment. For the medical CT scanner this case of nonparallel object motion is met for nonzero gantry tilt: the table moves into a direction that is not perpendicular to the plane of rotation. Since this is not a special application of medical CT but rather a daily routine in head exams, there is a strong need for corresponding reconstruction algorithms. In contrast to medical CT, where the special case of nonperpendicular motion is used on purpose, micro CT scanners cannot avoid aberrations of the rotational axis and the table increment vector due to alignment problems. Especially for those micro CT scanners that have the lifting stage mounted on the rotation table (in contrast to setups where the lifting stage holds the rotation table), this kind of misalignment is equivalent to a gantry tilt. We therefore generalize the advanced single-slice rebinning algorithm (ASSR), which is considered a very promising approach for medical cone-beam reconstruction due to its high image quality and its high reconstruction speed [Med. Phys. 27, 754-772 (2000)], to the case of tilted gantries. We evaluate this extended ASSR approach (which we will denote as ASSR + , for convenience) in comparison to the original ASSR algorithm using simulated phantom data for reconstruction. For the case of nonparallel object motion ASSR + shows significant improvements over ASSR, however, its computational complexity is slightly increased due to the broken symmetry of the spiral trajectory

Determination of the attenuation due to the treatment table according to the angle of gantry for system treatments verification Delta4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linares Doblado, R.; Mateo Rodriguez, B.; Perucha Ortega, M.

2013-01-01

The optimal solution to the problem of absorption into the table would be to incorporate it into the system of planning as one structure more, but not all planners incorporate this functionality. As an alternative solution, approximate, this paper evaluates through measures in the system mentioned effect, with the aim of obtaining a table of absorption vs. angle of gantry, for different field sizes that will be used to correct the dose values recorded by the QA system. Research on the effect of the corrections in the histograms of dose and gamma. (Author)

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Partain, L; Kwon, J; Boyd, D; Rottmann, J; Berbeco, R; Zentai, G

2015-01-01

Purpose We have designed a novel TumoTrak™ x-ray system that delivers 19 distinct kV views with the linac gantry stationary. It images MV treatment beam above and below the patient with a kV tomosysthesis slice image from the therapy beam’s-eye-view. Results will be high quality images without MLC shadowing for notable improvements relative to conventional fluoroscopic MV imaging and fluoroscopic kV imaging. Methods A complete design has a kV electron beam multisource X-ray tube that fits around the MV treatment beam path, with little interference with normal radiotherapy and unblocked by the multi-leaf-collimator. To simulate digital tomosynthesis, we used cone-beam CT projection data from a lung SBRT patient. These data were acquired at 125 kVp and 11 fps (0.4 mAs per projection). We chose 19 projections evenly spaced over 27° around one of the treatment angles (240°). Digital tomosynthesis reconstruction of a slice through the tumor was performed using iterative reconstruction. The visibility of the lesion was assessed for the reconstructed digital tomosynthesis (DTS), using fluoroscopy MV images acquired during radiation therapy, and a kV single projection image acquired at the same angle as the treatment field (240°). Results The fluoroscopic DTS images provide the best tumor contrast, surpassing the conventional radiographic and the in-treatment MV portal images. The electron beam multisource X-ray tube design has been completed and the tube is being fabricated. The estimated time to cycle through all 19 projections is 700 ms, enabling high frame-rate imaging. While the initial proposed use case is for image guided and gated treatment delivery, the enhanced imaging will also deliver superior radiographic images for patient setup. Conclusion The proposed device will deliver high quality planar images from the beam’s-eye-view without MLC obstruction. The prototype has been designed and is being assembled with first imaging scheduled for May 2015. L

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Partain, L; Kwon, J; Boyd, D [TeleSecurity Sciences, Las Vegas, NV (United States); Rottmann, J; Berbeco, R [Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Zentai, G [Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose We have designed a novel TumoTrak™ x-ray system that delivers 19 distinct kV views with the linac gantry stationary. It images MV treatment beam above and below the patient with a kV tomosysthesis slice image from the therapy beam’s-eye-view. Results will be high quality images without MLC shadowing for notable improvements relative to conventional fluoroscopic MV imaging and fluoroscopic kV imaging. Methods A complete design has a kV electron beam multisource X-ray tube that fits around the MV treatment beam path, with little interference with normal radiotherapy and unblocked by the multi-leaf-collimator. To simulate digital tomosynthesis, we used cone-beam CT projection data from a lung SBRT patient. These data were acquired at 125 kVp and 11 fps (0.4 mAs per projection). We chose 19 projections evenly spaced over 27° around one of the treatment angles (240°). Digital tomosynthesis reconstruction of a slice through the tumor was performed using iterative reconstruction. The visibility of the lesion was assessed for the reconstructed digital tomosynthesis (DTS), using fluoroscopy MV images acquired during radiation therapy, and a kV single projection image acquired at the same angle as the treatment field (240°). Results The fluoroscopic DTS images provide the best tumor contrast, surpassing the conventional radiographic and the in-treatment MV portal images. The electron beam multisource X-ray tube design has been completed and the tube is being fabricated. The estimated time to cycle through all 19 projections is 700 ms, enabling high frame-rate imaging. While the initial proposed use case is for image guided and gated treatment delivery, the enhanced imaging will also deliver superior radiographic images for patient setup. Conclusion The proposed device will deliver high quality planar images from the beam’s-eye-view without MLC obstruction. The prototype has been designed and is being assembled with first imaging scheduled for May 2015. L

A small animal image guided irradiation system study using 3D dosimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian, Xin; Wuu, Cheng-Shie; Admovics, John

2015-01-01

In a high resolution image-guided small animal irradiation platform, a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is integrated with an irradiation unit for precise targeting. Precise quality assurance is essential for both imaging and irradiation components. The conventional commissioning techniques with films face major challenges due to alignment uncertainty and labour intensive film preparation and scanning. In addition, due to the novel design of this platform the mouse stage rotation for CBCT imaging is perpendicular to the gantry rotation for irradiation. Because these two rotations are associated with different mechanical systems, discrepancy between rotation isocenters exists. In order to deliver x-ray precisely, it is essential to verify coincidence of the imaging and the irradiation isocenters. A 3D PRESAGE dosimeter can provide an excellent tool for checking dosimetry and verifying coincidence of irradiation and imaging coordinates in one system. Dosimetric measurements were performed to obtain beam profiles and percent depth dose (PDD). Isocentricity and coincidence of the mouse stage and gantry rotations were evaluated with starshots acquired using PRESAGE dosimeters. A single PRESAGE dosimeter can provide 3 -D information in both geometric and dosimetric uncertainty, which is crucial for translational studies

Global low-frequency modes in weakly ionized magnetized plasmas: effects of equilibrium plasma rotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sosenko, P.; Pierre, Th.; Zagorodny, A.

2004-01-01

The linear and non-linear properties of global low-frequency oscillations in cylindrical weakly ionized magnetized plasmas are investigated analytically for the conditions of equilibrium plasma rotation. The theoretical results are compared with the experimental observations of rotating plasmas in laboratory devices, such as Mistral and Mirabelle in France, and KIWI in Germany. (authors)

Controllable nanoscale rotating actuator system based on carbon nanotube and graphene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Jianzhang; Han, Qiang

2016-01-01

A controllable nanoscale rotating actuator system consisting of a double carbon nanotube and graphene driven by a temperature gradient is proposed, and its rotating dynamics performance and driving mechanism are investigated through molecular dynamics simulations. The outer tube exhibits stable pure rotation with certain orientation under temperature gradient and the steady rotational speed rises as the temperature gradient increases. It reveals that the driving torque is caused by the difference of atomic van der Waals potentials due to the temperature gradient and geometrical features of carbon nanotube. A theoretical model for driving torque is established based on lattice dynamics theory and its predicted results agree well with molecular dynamics simulations. Further discussion is taken according to the theoretical model. The work in this study would be a guide for design and application of controllable nanoscale rotating devices based on carbon nanotubes and graphene. (paper)

Device for verification of seals by optical fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuilly, M.; Guitaud, M.H.; Dufour, J.L.

1993-01-01

The seal is built around an optical fiber with a verification device. This device is made of a lighting source and photographic means supported by a rotating assembly which allow to take an image of each optical fiber end. These images are compared with reference images taken just after the sealing. (A.B.). 5 refs., 6 figs

Study on the Contra-Rotating Propeller system design and full-scale performance prediction method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keh-Sik Min

2009-09-01

Full Text Available A ship's screw-propeller produces thrust by rotation and, at the same time, generates rotational flow behind the propeller. This rotational flow has no contribution to the generation of thrust, but instead produces energy loss. By recovering part of the lost energy in the rotational flow, therefore, it is possible to improve the propulsion efficiency. The contra-rotating propeller (CRP system is the representing example of such devices. Unfortunately, however, neither a design method nor a full-scale performance prediction procedure for the CRP system has been well established yet. The authors have long performed studies on the CRP system, and some of the results from the authors’ studies shall be presented and discussed.

Performance enhancement of a rotational energy harvester utilizing wind-induced vibration of an inclined stay cable

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, In-Ho; Jung, Hyung-Jo; Jang, Seon-Jun

2013-01-01

In this paper, an innovative strategy for improving the performance of a recently developed rotational energy harvester is proposed. Its performance can be considerably enhanced by replacing the electromagnetic induction part, consisting of moving permanent magnets and a fixed solenoid coil, with a moving mass and a rotational generator (i.e., an electric motor). The proposed system is easily tuned to the natural frequency of a target structure using the position change of a proof mass. Owing to the high efficiency of the rotational generator, the device can more effectively harness electrical energy from the wind-induced vibration of a stay cable. Also, this new configuration makes the device more compact and geometrically tunable. In order to validate the effectiveness of the new configuration, a series of laboratory and field tests are carried out with the prototype of the proposed device, which is designed and fabricated based on the dynamic characteristics of the vibration of a stay cable installed in an in-service cable-stayed bridge. From the field test, it is observed that the normalized output power of the proposed system is 35.67 mW (m s −2 ) −2 , while that of the original device is just 5.47 mW (m s −2 ) −2 . These results show that the proposed device generates much more electrical energy than the original device. Moreover, it is verified that the proposed device can generate sufficient electricity to power a wireless sensor node placed on a cable under gentle–moderate wind conditions. (paper)

Power magnetic devices a multi-objective design approach

CERN Document Server

Sudhoff, Scott D

2014-01-01

Presents a multi-objective design approach to the many power magnetic devices in use today Power Magnetic Devices: A Multi-Objective Design Approach addresses the design of power magnetic devices-including inductors, transformers, electromagnets, and rotating electric machinery-using a structured design approach based on formal single- and multi-objective optimization. The book opens with a discussion of evolutionary-computing-based optimization. Magnetic analysis techniques useful to the design of all the devices considered in the book are then set forth. This material is then used for ind

300 nm bandwidth adiabatic SOI polarization splitter-rotators exploiting continuous symmetry breaking.

Science.gov (United States)

Socci, Luciano; Sorianello, Vito; Romagnoli, Marco

2015-07-27

Adiabatic polarization splitter-rotators are investigated exploiting continuous symmetry breaking thereby achieving significant device size and losses reduction in a single mask fabrication process for both SOI channel and ridge waveguides. A crosstalk lower than -25 dB is expected over 300nm bandwidth, making the device suitable for full grid CWDM and diplexer/triplexer FTTH applications at 1310, 1490 and 1550nm.

Light-pulse atom interferometric device

Science.gov (United States)

Biedermann, Grant; McGuinness, Hayden James Evans; Rakholia, Akash; Jau, Yuan-Yu; Schwindt, Peter; Wheeler, David R.

2016-03-22

An atomic interferometric device useful, e.g., for measuring acceleration or rotation is provided. The device comprises at least one vapor cell containing a Raman-active chemical species, an optical system, and at least one detector. The optical system is conformed to implement a Raman pulse interferometer in which Raman transitions are stimulated in a warm vapor of the Raman-active chemical species. The detector is conformed to detect changes in the populations of different internal states of atoms that have been irradiated by the optical system.

Regenerative-filter-incinerator device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosebrock, T.L.

1977-10-18

A regenerative-filter-incinerator device, for use in the exhaust system of a diesel engine, includes a drum-like regenerative-heat exchanger-filter assembly rotatably mounted within a housing that is adapted to be installed directly in the exhaust gas stream discharged from a diesel engine as close to the engine as possible. The regenerative-heat exchanger-filter assembly provides an inner chamber which serves as a reaction chamber for the secondary combustion of exhaust gases including particulates discharged from the engine. The regenerative-heat exchanger-filter assembly includes separately rotatable heat exchange-filter elements pervious to radial flow of fluid therethrough and adapted to filter out particulates from the exhaust gases and to carry them into the reaction chamber. During engine operation, the reaction chamber is provided with a quantity of heat, as necessary, to effect secondary combustion of the exhaust gases and particulates by means of an auxiliary heat source and the heat generated within the reaction chamber is stored in the individual heat exchange-filter elements during the discharge of exhaust gases therethrough from the reaction chamber and this heat is then transferred to the inflowing volume of the exhaust gases so that, in effect, exhaust gas is discharged from the device at substantially the same temperature as it was during its inlet into the device from the engine.

Perspective gyrotron with mode converter for co- and counter-rotation operating modes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chirkov, A. V.; Kuftin, A. N. [Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 46 Ul' yanov Street, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation); Denisov, G. G. [Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 46 Ul' yanov Street, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation); University of Nizhny Novgorod, 23 Prospekt Gagarina, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation)

2015-06-29

A gyrotron oscillator operating efficiently at modes of both rotations was developed and tested. The gyrotron operation can be switched between two modes: co- and counter rotating ones with respect to electron rotation in a resonance magnetic field. A synthesized mode converter provides output of both waves in the form of two different paraxial wave beams corresponding to direction of the mode rotation. Measured gyrotron power (up to 2 MW), interaction efficiency (34%), and diffraction losses in the mode converter (≈2%) agree well with the design values. The proposed gyrotron scheme alloys principal enhancement in the device parameters—possibility of electronic switching of output wave beam direction and possibility to arrange an effective scheme to provide frequency/phase locking of a gyrotron-oscillator.

Perspective gyrotron with mode converter for co- and counter-rotation operating modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chirkov, A. V.; Kuftin, A. N.; Denisov, G. G.

2015-01-01

A gyrotron oscillator operating efficiently at modes of both rotations was developed and tested. The gyrotron operation can be switched between two modes: co- and counter rotating ones with respect to electron rotation in a resonance magnetic field. A synthesized mode converter provides output of both waves in the form of two different paraxial wave beams corresponding to direction of the mode rotation. Measured gyrotron power (up to 2 MW), interaction efficiency (34%), and diffraction losses in the mode converter (≈2%) agree well with the design values. The proposed gyrotron scheme alloys principal enhancement in the device parameters—possibility of electronic switching of output wave beam direction and possibility to arrange an effective scheme to provide frequency/phase locking of a gyrotron-oscillator

Neutron irradiation therapy machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

Conventional neutron irradiation therapy machines, based on the use of cyclotrons for producing neutron beams, use a superconducting magnet for the cyclotron's magnetic field. This necessitates complex liquid He equipment and presents problems in general hospital use. If conventional magnets are used, the weight of the magnet poles considerably complicates the design of the rotating gantry. Such a therapy machine, gantry and target facilities are described in detail. The use of protons and deuterons to produce the neutron beams is compared and contrasted. (U.K.)

Faraday rotation due to excitation of magnetoplasmons in graphene microribbons.

Science.gov (United States)

Tymchenko, Mykhailo; Nikitin, Alexey Yu; Martín-Moreno, Luis

2013-11-26

A single graphene sheet, when subjected to a perpendicular static magnetic field, provides a Faraday rotation that, per atomic layer, greatly surpasses that of any other known material. In continuous graphene, Faraday rotation originates from the cyclotron resonance of massless carriers, which allows dynamical tuning through either external electrostatic or magneto-static setting. Furthermore, the rotation direction can be controlled by changing the sign of the carriers in graphene, which can be done by means of an external electric field. However, despite these tuning possibilities, the requirement of large magnetic fields hinders the application of the Faraday effect in real devices, especially for frequencies higher than a few terahertz. In this work we demonstrate that large Faraday rotation can be achieved in arrays of graphene microribbons, through the excitation of the magnetoplasmons of individual ribbons, at larger frequencies than those dictated by the cyclotron resonance. In this way, for a given magnetic field and chemical potential, structuring graphene periodically can produce large Faraday rotation at larger frequencies than what would occur in a continuous graphene sheet. Alternatively, at a given frequency, graphene ribbons produce large Faraday rotation at much smaller magnetic fields than in continuous graphene.

A novel implantable electromechanical ventricular assist device - First acute animal testing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaufmann, R; Rakhorst, G; Mihaylov, D; Elstrodt, J; Nix, C; Reul, H; Rau, G

1997-01-01

A novel ventricular assist device (HIA-EMLVAD-AT1, Helmholtz Institute Aachen-electromechanical Left Ventricular Assist Device-Animal Test Version 1), driven by a uniformly and unidirectionally rotating actuator and a patented hypocycloidic pusherplate displacement gear unit, was developed and

Device for measuring atmospheric radon activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deml, F.; Jansky, Z.; Smejkal, Z.

1989-01-01

The device consists of a lightproof case pivoted on a stand. Minimally two chambers are provided in the case for holding glass scintillation chambers, each with an opening in its bottom. The centers of the openings lie on a common circle with its center in the center of rotation of the case. An opening for the passage of light is provided in the stand. The opening also is on the common circle of the centres of the openings. A photomultiplier is placed below the opening. Measurement always proceeds with one scintillation chamber only. Thus, replacement of scintillation chambers can take place simultaneously with measurement and rapid and continuous measurement can be secured. Case rotation can be controlled automatically. The device can be used not only in monitoring air pollution but also in monitoring solid materials, aquifers, mine corridors, natural materials, etc. (J.B.). 1 fig

Guidewire-Controlled Advancement of the Amplatz Thrombectomy Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller-Huelsbeck, Stefan; Schwarzenberg, Helmut; Heller, Martin

1998-01-01

The Amplatz Thrombectomy Device (ATD) is a percutaneous rotational catheter proven to homogenize thrombus. The catheter design allows neither application over a coaxial running guidewire nor the use of the device as a monorail system. We report a technical modification that provides guided advancement of the catheter over a wire in order to prevent failure of application and to facilitate the interventional procedure

A DNA-based nanomechanical device with three robust states.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Banani; Sha, Ruojie; Seeman, Nadrian C

2008-11-11

DNA has been used to build a variety of devices, ranging from those that are controlled by DNA structural transitions to those that are controlled by the addition of specific DNA strands. These sequence-dependent devices fulfill the promise of DNA in nanotechnology because a variety of devices in the same physical environment can be controlled individually. Many such devices have been reported, but most of them contain one or two structurally robust end states, in addition to a floppy intermediate or even a floppy end state. We describe a system in which three different structurally robust end states can be obtained, all resulting from the addition of different set strands to a single floppy intermediate. This system is an extension of the PX-JX(2) DNA device. The three states are related to each other by three different motions, a twofold rotation, a translation of approximately 2.1-2.5 nm, and a twofold screw rotation, which combines these two motions. We demonstrate the transitions by gel electrophoresis, by fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and by atomic force microscopy. The control of this system by DNA strands opens the door to trinary logic and to systems containing N devices that are able to attain 3(N) structural states.

Axis vibration detection device for reactor recycling pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ide, Katsuki.

1995-01-01

The present invention provides a device for detecting, in a contactless manner, vibrations of a recycling pump shaft disposed in a reactor pressure vessel of a BWR type reactor. Namely, the vibration detector comprises an eddy current type displacement gauge having a sensing portion at one end of a linear tube type metal holder. It also comprises a rotational member made of an electroconductive material rotating integrally with a rotational pump shaft. The vibration detector is inserted into an attaching hole passing through a pump casing at a position where the sensing portion faces the outer circumference of the rotational member. The attaching hole is closed by a holder of the oscillation detector and a metal cap integrated to one end of the holder. A high pressure hermetic seal connector is disposed at a position outer side of the attaching hole of the vibration detector for electrically connecting the inside and the outside thereof. The device of the present invention can directly detect the vibration of the pump shaft. As a result, an abnormality, if should occur, in the recycling pump can be found in an early stage. Since the vibration detector is covered with a metal and shielded by the high pressure hermetic seal connector, it can sufficiently ensure pressure resistance. (I.S.)

Methods of stabilizing a permanent maglev rotator in heart pumps and other rotary machines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

kun-xi qian

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Permanent maglev rotator in a rotary machine could be stabilized according to the author’s experiences, by use of a non-PM (permanent magnetic force acting together with the PM force, and a non-PM bearing functioning together with the PM bearing, or a so-called gyro-effect which can stabilize all rotators including permanent maglev rotator. This paper presents both axially and radially driven permanent maglev centrifugal heart pumps, as well as a permanent maglev turbine machine and an industrially used permanent maglev centrifugal pump. In all this devices permanent maglev rotators achieve stable equilibrium by different approaches described in detail. Finally, the principle exhibition of gyro-effect and the route chart to stabilization of permanent maglev rotator are presented.

Measurements of plasma rotation in an axially magnetized MPD arc-jet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tobari, Hiroyuki; Ashino, Masashi; Yoshino, Kyohei; Sagi, Yukiko; Yoshinuma, Mikirou; Hattori, Kunihiko; Ando, Akira; Inutake, Masaaki [Department of Electrical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi (Japan)

2001-01-24

Characteristics of an axially magnetized MPD (magneto-plasma-dynamic) arcjet plasma are investigated by spectroscopy on the HITOP (High density of Tohoku Plasma) device in Tohoku University. Plasma flow and rotational velocity and temperature of He ion and atom near the muzzle region of MPD arcjet are measured by Doppler shift and broadening of the HeI ({lambda}=578.56 nm) and HeII ({lambda}=468.58 nm) lines. From the measured radial profile of rotational velocity and temperature of He ion, the radial profiles of electrical field and space potential are calculated and it has been found that the potential profile in the core region is parabolic, which shows the plasma rotates as a rigid body. (author)

Cooling device of superconducting coils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duthil, R.; Lottin, J.C.

1985-01-01

This device is rotating around an horizontal axis. The superconducting coils are contained in a cryogenic enclosure feeded in liquid helium forced circulation. They are related to an electric generator by electric mains each of them comprising a gas exchanger, and an exchanger-evaporator set between the cryogenic device and those exchangers. The exchanger-evaporator is aimed at dissipating the heat arriving by conductors connected to the superconducting coils. According to the invention, the invention includes an annular canalization with horizontal axis in which the connection conductors bathe in liquid helium [fr

Wave induced supersonic rotation in mirrors

Science.gov (United States)

Fetterman, Abraham

2010-11-01

Wave-particle interactions in ExB supersonically rotating plasmas feature an unusual effect: particles are diffused by waves in both potential energy and kinetic energy [1]. This wave-particle interaction generalizes the alpha channeling effect, in which radio frequency waves are used to remove alpha particles collisionlessly at low energy. In rotating plasmas, the alpha particles may be removed at low energy through the loss cone, and the energy lost may be transferred to the radial electric field. This eliminates the need for electrodes in the mirror throat, which have presented serious technical issues in past rotating plasma devices. A particularly simple way to achieve this effect is to use a high azimuthal mode number perturbation on the magnetic field [2]. In the rotating frame, this perturbation is seen as a wave near the alpha particle cyclotron harmonic, and can break the azimuthal symmetry and magnetic moment conservation without changing the particle's total energy. The particle may exit if it reduces its kinetic energy and becomes more trapped if it gains kinetic energy, leading to a steady state current that maintains the field. Simulations of single particles in rotating mirrors show that a stationary wave can extract enough energy from alpha particles for a reactor to be self-sustaining. Rotation can also be sustained by waves in plasmas without a kinetic energy source. This type of wave has been considered for plasma centrifuges used for isotope separation [3]. [4pt] [1] A. J. Fetterman and N. J. Fisch, Phys Rev Lett 101, 205003 (2008). [0pt] [2] A. J. Fetterman and N. J. Fisch, Phys. Plasmas 17, 042112 (2010). [0pt] [3] A. J. Fetterman and N. J. Fisch, Plasma Sources Sci. Tech. 18, 045003 (2009).

Fuel exchange device for FBR type reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onuki, Koji.

1993-01-01

The device of the present invention can provide fresh fuels with a rotational angle aligned with the direction in the reactor core, so that the fresh fuels can be inserted being aligned with apertures of the reactor core even if a self orientation mechanism should fail to operate. That is, a rotational angle detection means (1) detects the rotational angle of fresh fuels before insertion to the reactor core. A fuel rotational angle control means (2) controls the rotational angle of the fresh fuels by comparing the detection result of the means (1) and the data for the insertion position of the reactor core. A fuel rotation means (3) compensates the rotational angel of the fresh fuels based on the control signal from the means (2). In this way, when the fresh fuels are inserted to the reactor core, the fresh fuels set at the same angle as that for the aperture of the reactor core. Accordingly, even if the self orientation mechanism should not operate, the fresh fuels can be inserted smoothly. As a result, it is possible to save loss time upon fuel exchange and mitigate operator's burden during operation. (I.S.)

Numerical analysis on the action of centrifuge force in magnetic fluid rotating shaft seals

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Jibin; Li, Xuehui; Lu, Yongping; Hu, Jianhui

2002-11-01

The magnetic fluid seal is suitable for high-speed rotating shaft seal applications. Centrifuge force will have evident influence on magnetic fluid rotating shaft seals. The seal capacity of the rotating shaft seal can be improved or increased by some measures. Through hydrodynamic analysis the moving status of the magnetic fluid is worked out. By numerical method, the magnetic field and the isobars in the magnetic fluid of a seal device are computed. Then the influence of the centrifuge force on the magnetic fluid seal is calculated quantitatively.

Numerical analysis on the action of centrifuge force in magnetic fluid rotating shaft seals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou Jibin; Li Xuehui; Lu Yongping; Hu Jianhui

2002-01-01

The magnetic fluid seal is suitable for high-speed rotating shaft seal applications. Centrifuge force will have evident influence on magnetic fluid rotating shaft seals. The seal capacity of the rotating shaft seal can be improved or increased by some measures. Through hydrodynamic analysis the moving status of the magnetic fluid is worked out. By numerical method, the magnetic field and the isobars in the magnetic fluid of a seal device are computed. Then the influence of the centrifuge force on the magnetic fluid seal is calculated quantitatively

Underwater running device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kogure, Sumio; Matsuo, Takashiro; Yoshida, Yoji

1996-01-01

An underwater running device for an underwater inspection device for detecting inner surfaces of a reactor or a water vessel has an outer frame and an inner frame, and both of them are connected slidably by an air cylinder and connected rotatably by a shaft. The outer frame has four outer frame legs, and each of the outer frame legs is equipped with a sucker at the top end. The inner frame has four inner frame legs each equipped with a sucker at the top end. The outer frame legs and the inner frame legs are each connected with the outer frame and the inner frame by the air cylinder. The outer and the inner frame legs can be elevated or lowered (or extended or contracted) by the air cylinder. The sucker is connected with a jet pump-type negative pressure generator. The device can run and move by repeating attraction and releasing of the outer frame legs and the inner frame legs alternately while maintaining the posture of the inspection device stably. (I.N.)

Rotator cuff tendon connections with the rotator cable.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahu, Madis; Kolts, Ivo; Põldoja, Elle; Kask, Kristo

2017-07-01

The literature currently contains no descriptions of the rotator cuff tendons, which also describes in relation to the presence and characteristics of the rotator cable (anatomically known as the ligamentum semicirculare humeri). The aim of the current study was to elucidate the detailed anatomy of the rotator cuff tendons in association with the rotator cable. Anatomic dissection was performed on 21 fresh-frozen shoulder specimens with an average age of 68 years. The rotator cuff tendons were dissected from each other and from the glenohumeral joint capsule, and the superior glenohumeral, coracohumeral, coracoglenoidal and semicircular (rotator cable) ligaments were dissected. Dissection was performed layer by layer and from the bursal side to the joint. All ligaments and tendons were dissected in fine detail. The rotator cable was found in all specimens. It was tightly connected to the supraspinatus (SSP) tendon, which was partly covered by the infraspinatus (ISP) tendon. The posterior insertion area of the rotator cable was located in the region between the middle and inferior facets of the greater tubercle of the humerus insertion areas for the teres minor (TM), and ISP tendons were also present and fibres from the SSP extended through the rotator cable to those areas. The connection between the rotator cable and rotator cuff tendons is tight and confirms the suspension bridge theory for rotator cuff tears in most areas between the SSP tendons and rotator cable. In its posterior insertion area, the rotator cable is a connecting structure between the TM, ISP and SSP tendons. These findings might explain why some patients with relatively large rotator cuff tears can maintain seamless shoulder function.

Non-contact translation-rotation sensor using combined effects of magnetostriction and piezoelectricity.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Bintang; Liu, Qingwei; Zhang, Ting; Cao, Yudong; Feng, Zhiqiang; Meng, Guang

2012-10-15

Precise displacement sensors are an important topic in precision engineering. At present, this type of sensors typically have a single feature of either translation or rotation measurement. They are also inconvenient to integrate with the host devices. In this report we propose a new kind of sensor that enables both translation and rotation measurement by using the combined effect of magnetostriction and piezoelectricity. As a proof of concept, we experimentally realized a prototype of non-contact translation-rotation precise sensor. In the current research stage, through both theoretical and experimental study, the non-contact displacement sensor is shown to be feasible for measuring both translation and rotation either in coarse or fine measurement. Moreover, owing to its compact, rigid structure and fewer components, it can be easily embedded in host equipment.

Non-Contact Translation-Rotation Sensor Using Combined Effects of Magnetostriction and Piezoelectricity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guang Meng

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Precise displacement sensors are an important topic in precision engineering. At present, this type of sensors typically have a single feature of either translation or rotation measurement. They are also inconvenient to integrate with the host devices. In this report we propose a new kind of sensor that enables both translation and rotation measurement by using the combined effect of magnetostriction and piezoelectricity. As a proof of concept, we experimentally realized a prototype of non-contact translation-rotation precise sensor. In the current research stage, through both theoretical and experimental study, the non-contact displacement sensor is shown to be feasible for measuring both translation and rotation either in coarse or fine measurement. Moreover, owing to its compact, rigid structure and fewer components, it can be easily embedded in host equipment.

Broadband Rotational Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Pate, Brooks

2014-06-01

The past decade has seen several major technology advances in electronics operating at microwave frequencies making it possible to develop a new generation of spectrometers for molecular rotational spectroscopy. High-speed digital electronics, both arbitrary waveform generators and digitizers, continue on a Moore's Law-like development cycle that started around 1993 with device bandwidth doubling about every 36 months. These enabling technologies were the key to designing chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometers which offer significant sensitivity enhancements for broadband spectrum acquisition in molecular rotational spectroscopy. A special feature of the chirped-pulse spectrometer design is that it is easily implemented at low frequency (below 8 GHz) where Balle-Flygare type spectrometers with Fabry-Perot cavity designs become technologically challenging due to the mirror size requirements. The capabilities of CP-FTMW spectrometers for studies of molecular structure will be illustrated by the collaborative research effort we have been a part of to determine the structures of water clusters - a project which has identified clusters up to the pentadecamer. A second technology trend that impacts molecular rotational spectroscopy is the development of high power, solid state sources in the mm-wave/THz regions. Results from the field of mm-wave chirped-pulse Fourier transform spectroscopy will be described with an emphasis on new problems in chemical dynamics and analytical chemistry that these methods can tackle. The third (and potentially most important) technological trend is the reduction of microwave components to chip level using monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC) - a technology driven by an enormous mass market in communications. Some recent advances in rotational spectrometer designs that incorporate low-cost components will be highlighted. The challenge to the high-resolution spectroscopy community - as posed by Frank De

Rotated infrared antenna transmitarray for the manipulation of circularly polarized wavefronts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

He Yuchu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available An IR optical transmitarray is presented based on Antenna Array Sheet (AAS for the manipulation of circularly polarized light. The unit cell of the transmitarray comprises three layers of metallic elliptical patches. Complete phase control is achieved through the local rotation of each unit cell. Thin refraction and focusing transmitarrays of this sort are demonstrated at infrared frequencies. Moreover, a new concept for realizing a polarization-discriminating device is introduced based on a flat refracting lens. These devices are compatible with current fabrication technology and can become crucial for the integration with other IR and nano-photonic devices.

Rotation loss characteristics of superconducting magnetic bearings; Chodendo jikijikuju no kaiten sonshitsu tokusei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kameno, H.; Miyagawa, Y.; Takahata, R.; Ueyama, H. [Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd., Osaka (Japan)

1999-11-25

In order to clarify the rotation loss and levitation force reduction characteristics of two kinds of radial and axial-type superconducting magnetic bearings (SMB) consisting of a ring-shaped YBCO and a permanent magnet composite, we measured rotation losses and levitation forces of each SMB with a new rotation-loss measuring device using active magnetic bearings. The rotation loss of the SMB increased with increased initial load of the SMB. The levitation force of the SMB decreased remarkably just after activating the initial load to the SMB and during acceleration of the rotor suspended by the SMB. The reduction in levitation force was improved by means of applying a pre-load, that means a temporary load, before the initial load against the SMB. But the rotation loss of the SMB was increased as pre-load was increased. When the YBCO was cooled down from 77 to 66 K, the rotation loss of the SMB decreased as the temperature of the SC decreased. (author)

Children's (Pediatric) CT (Computed Tomography)

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... images. These images can be viewed on a computer monitor, printed on film or transferred to a ... a gantry, which rotates around the patient. The computer that processes the imaging information and monitor are ...

Radiobiological Impact of Planning Techniques for Prostate Cancer ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

of gantry rotation speed, dose rate, and multi leaf collimator ... Background: The radiobiological models describe the effects of the radiation treatment on cancer and healthy ... delivery time and decrement in the number of monitor units.[3-5].

Design Concepts for a Continuously Rotating Active Magnetic Regenerator

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bahl, Christian Robert Haffenden; Engelbrecht, Kurt; Bjørk, Rasmus

2010-01-01

Design considerations for a prototype magnetic refrigeration device with a continuously rotating AMR are presented. Building the AMR from stacks of elongated plates of the perovskite oxide material La0.67Ca0.33-xSrxMn1.05O3, gives both a low pressure drop and allows grading of the Curie temperatu...

Plasma rotation study in Tore Supra radio frequency heated plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chouli, Bilal

2014-01-01

Toroidal flows are found to improve the performance of the magnetic confinement devices with increase of the plasma stability and confinement. In ITER or future reactors, the torque from NBI should be less important than in present-day tokamaks. Consequently, it is of interest to study other intrinsic mechanisms that can give rise to plasma rotation in order to predict the rotation profile in experiments. Intriguing observations of plasmas rotation have been made in radio frequency (RF) heated plasmas with little or no external momentum injection. Toroidal rotation in both the direction of the plasma current (co-current) and in the opposite direction (counter-current) has been observed depending on the heating schemes and plasma performance. In Tore Supra, most observations in L-mode plasmas have been in the counter-current direction. However, in this thesis, we show that in lower hybrid current drive (LHCD), the core toroidal rotation increment is in co- or counter-current direction depending on the plasma current amplitude. At low plasma current the rotation change is in the co-current direction while at high plasma current, the change is in the counter-current direction. In both low and high plasma current cases, rotation increments are found to increase linearly with the injected LH power. Several mechanisms in competition which can induce co- or counter-current rotation in Tore Supra LHCD plasmas are investigated and typical order of magnitude are discussed in this thesis. (author) [fr

TH-EF-BRB-09: Total Body Irradiation with Uniform MU and Modulated Arc Segments, UMMS-TBI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yi, B; Chung, H; Mutaf, Y; Prado, K [University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To test a novel total body irradiation (TBI) system using conformal partial arc with patient lying on the stationary couch which is biologically equivalent to a moving couch TBI. This improves the scanning field TBI, which is previously presented. Methods: The Uniform MU Modulated arc Segments TBI or UMMS-TBI scans the treatment plane with a constant machine dose rate and a constant gantry rotation speed. A dynamic MLC pattern which moves while gantry rotates has been designed so that the treatment field moves same distance at the treatment plane per each gantry angle, while maintaining same treatment field size (34cm) at the plane. Dose across the plane varies due to the geometric differences including the distance from the source to a point of interest and the different attenuation from the slanted depth which changes the effective depth. Beam intensity is modulated to correct the dose variation across the plane by assigning the number of gantry angles inversely proportional to the uncorrected dose. Results: Measured dose and calculated dose matched within 1 % for central axis and 3% for off axis for various patient scenarios. Dose from different distance does not follow the inverse square relation as it is predicted from calculation. Dose uniformity better than 5% across 180 cm at 10cm depth is achieved by moving the gantry from −55 to +55 deg. Total treatment time for 2 Gy AP/PA fields is 40–50 minutes excluding patient set up time, at the machine dose rate of 200 MU/min. Conclusion: This novel technique, yet accurate but easy to implement enables TBI treatment in a small treatment room with less program development preparation than other techniques. The VMAT function of treatment delivery is not required to modulate beams. One delivery pattern can be used for different patients by changing the monitor units.

SU-E-T-54: A New Method for Optimizing Radiation Isocenter for Linac-Based SRS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hancock, S [Southeast Missouri Hospital, Cape Girardeau, MO (United States); Hyer, D; Nixon, E [University Of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To develop a new method to minimize deviation of linac x-ray beams from the centroid of the volumetric radiation isocenter for all combinations of gantry and table angle. Methods: A set of ball-bearing (Winston-Lutz) images was used to determine the gantry radiation isocenter as the midrange of deviation values. Deviations in the cross-plane direction were minimized by calibration of MLC leaf position offset, and by adjusting beam position steering for each energy. Special attention was also paid to matching the absolute position of isocenter across all energies by adjusting position steering in the gun-target axis. Displacement of table axis from the gantry isocenter, and recommended table axis adjustment for contemporary Elekta linacs, was also determined. Eight images were used to characterize the volumetric isocenter for the full range of gantry and table rotations available. Tabulation of deviation for each beam was used to test compliance with isocenter tolerance. Results: Four contemporary Elekta linacs were evaluated and the radius in the gun-target axis of the radiation isocenter was 0.5 to 0.7 mm. After beam steering adjustment, the radius in the cross-plane direction was typically 0.2 to 0.4 mm. Position matching between energies can be reduced to 0.28 mm. Maximum total deviation was 0.68 to 1.07 mm, depending primarily on the effect of systematic table axis wobble with rotation. Conclusion: This new method effectively facilitates minimization of deviation between beam center and target position. The test, which requires a few minutes to perform, can be easily incorporated into a routine machine QA program. A tighter radiation isocenter for contemporary Elekta linacs would require reducing the effect of gantry arm flex and/or table axis wobble that are the two main components of deviation from the designated isocenter point.

WE-EF-207-02: The Rotate-Plus-Shift C-Arm Trajectory: Theory and First Clinical Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritschl, L; Kachelriess, M; Kuntz, J

2015-01-01

Purpose: The proposed method enables the acquisition of a complete dataset for 3D reconstruction of C-Arm data using less than 180° rotation. Methods: Typically a C–arm cone–beam CT scan is performed using a circle–like trajectory around a region of interest. Therefore an angular range of at least 180° plus fan–angle must be covered to ensure a completely sampled data set. This fact defines some constraints on the geometry and technical specifications of a C–arm system, for example a larger C radius or a smaller C opening respectively. This is even more important for mobile C-arm devices which are typically used in surgical applications.To overcome these limitations we propose a new trajectory which requires only 180° minusfan–angle of rotation for a complete data set. The trajectory consists of three parts: A rotation of the C around a defined iso–center and two translational movements parallel to the detector plane at the begin and at the end of the rotation (rotate plus shift trajectory). This enables the acquisition of a completely sampled dataset using only 180° minus fan–angle of rotation. Results: For the evaluation of the method we show simulated and measured data. The results show, that the rotate plus shift scan yields equivalent image quality compared to the short scan which is assumed to be the gold standard for C-arm CT today. Compared to the pure rotational scan over only 165°, the rotate plus shift scan shows strong improvements in image quality. Conclusion: The proposed method makes 3D imaging using C–arms with less than 180° rotation range possible. This enables integrating full 3D functionality into a C- arm device without any loss of handling and usability for 2D imaging

The usefulness of the adaptive dose shield for the infant CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojima, Hideyuki; Tsujimura, Asuka; Yabe, Hitoshi

2011-01-01

The spiral scan with a wide detector row such as the 64-detector row computed tomography (CT) system may increase radiation exposure for infants because the irradiation range is wider than the planned range. The adaptive dose shield (ADS) prevents radiation exposure greater than the planned range. We examined the usefulness of the protection effect of the ADS for the infant inner ear CT. To confirm the protection effect of the ADS, we scanned X-ray films by using the 64-detector row CT system and measured the difference of the planned range and the irradiation range. The result of that is that when the planned range was small, the protection effect for the scan ending side was inferior to the scan starting side. And also, when the gantry rotation speed and pitch factor (PF) were high values, the protection effect was inferior to a low gantry rotation speed and low PF. There was a combination of gantry rotation speed and PF at which the protection effect decreases. Due to changes of the scanning direction and PF for the infant inner ear, the crystalline lens radiation exposure dose decreased from 11.89 mGy to 4.37 mGy. In conclusion, the ADS can reduce the radiation exposure dose of an adjacent organ. Therefore, it was thought that the ADS was a useful radiation exposure reduction function for infants in the 64-detector row CT system. (author)

Chaos in a new bistable rotating electromechanical system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsapla Fotsa, R.; Woafo, P.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A new electromechanical system with rotating arm and bistable potential energy is studied. • The bistability is generated by the interaction of three permanent magnets, one fixed at the end of the arm and two other fixed at equal distance relative to the central position of the arm. • It exhibits dissipative and Hamiltonian chaos. • Such a bistable electromechanical system can be used as the actuation part of chaotic sieves and mixers. - Abstract: A device consisting of an induction motor activating a rotating rigid arm is designed and comprises a bistable potential due to the presence of three permanent magnets. Its mathematical equations are established and the numerical results both in the absence and in the presence of magnets are compared. The generation of chaotic behavior is achieved using two different external excitations: sinewave and square wave. In the presence of magnets, the system presents periodic and dissipative chaotic dynamics. Approximating the global potential energy to a bistable quartic potential, the Melnikov method is used to derive the conditions for the appearance of Hamiltonian chaos. Such a device can be used for industrial and domestic applications for mixing and sieving activities.

Motion as perturbation. II. Development of the method for dosimetric analysis of motion effects with fixed-gantry IMRT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nelms, Benjamin E. [Canis Lupus LLC, Merrimac, Wisconsin 53561 (United States); Opp, Daniel; Zhang, Geoffrey; Moros, Eduardo; Feygelman, Vladimir, E-mail: vladimir.feygelman@moffitt.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida 33612 (United States)

2014-06-15

Purpose: In this work, the feasibility of implementing a motion-perturbation approach to accurately estimate volumetric dose in the presence of organ motion—previously demonstrated for VMAT-–is studied for static gantry IMRT. The method's accuracy is improved for the voxels that have very low planned dose but acquire appreciable dose due to motion. The study describes the modified algorithm and its experimental validation and provides an example of a clinical application. Methods: A contoured region-of-interest is propagated according to the predefined motion kernel throughout time-resolved 4D phantom dose grids. This timed series of 3D dose grids is produced by the measurement-guided dose reconstruction algorithm, based on an irradiation of a staticARCCHECK (AC) helical dosimeter array (Sun Nuclear Corp., Melbourne, FL). Each moving voxel collects dose over the dynamic simulation. The difference in dose-to-moving voxel vs dose-to-static voxel in-phantom forms the basis of a motion perturbation correction that is applied to the corresponding voxel in the patient dataset. A new method to synchronize the accelerator and dosimeter clocks, applicable to fixed-gantry IMRT, was developed. Refinements to the algorithm account for the excursion of low dose voxels into high dose regions, causing appreciable dose increase due to motion (LDVE correction). For experimental validation, four plans using TG-119 structure sets and objectives were produced using segmented IMRT direct machine parameters optimization in Pinnacle treatment planning system (v. 9.6, Philips Radiation Oncology Systems, Fitchburg, WI). All beams were delivered with the gantry angle of 0°. Each beam was delivered three times: (1) to the static AC centered on the room lasers; (2) to a static phantom containing a MAPCHECK2 (MC2) planar diode array dosimeter (Sun Nuclear); and (3) to the moving MC2 phantom. The motion trajectory was an ellipse in the IEC XY plane, with 3 and 1.5 cm axes. The period

APPLICATION OF IMAGE ANALYSIS METHODS FOR ISOCENTER QUALITY ASSURANCE IN RADIOTHERAPY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michał Niedźwiecki

2017-03-01

Full Text Available One of the major procedures for testing the geometrical accuracy of devices used in radiotherapy treatments is the test of the geometrical position of the radiation isocenter. The importance of the test reflects the fact that geometrical position of the radiation isocenter generally affects the tumor targeting. At present the geometric accuracy is assessed with the Winston-Lutz test which checks the position of an image of a ball marker with the respect to the center of the radiation field as projected on a detector plane. Obviously, determination of coordinates of a single marker is not sufficient to fully account for a complicated geometry of a therapeutic device. The purpose of the study was to design a new image analysis tool to better determine the isocenter. The proposed automated procedure for determining isocenter position uses projection data acquired for a special cube phantom. The projection images of a phantom are acquired for various angles of rotation of the gantry. A procedure is proposed to extract some geometric characteristics of a therapeutic device from the projection images.

Rotating flux compressor for energy conversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chowdhuri, P.; Linton, T.W.; Phillips, J.A.

1983-01-01

The rotating flux compressor (RFC) converts rotational kinetic energy into an electrical output pulse which would have higher energy than the electrical energy initially stored in the compressor. An RFC has been designed in which wedge-shaped rotor blades pass through the air gaps between successive turns of a solenoid, the stator. Magnetic flux is generated by pulsing the stator solenoids when the inductance is a maximum, i.e., when the flux fills the stator-solenoid volume. Connecting the solenoid across a load conserves the flux which is compressed within the small volume surrounding the stator periphery when the rotor blades cut into the free space between the stator plates, creating a minimum-inductance condition. The unique features of this design are: (1) no electrical connections (brushes) to the rotor; (2) no conventional windings; and (3) no maintenance. The device has been tested up to 5000 rpm of rotor speed

Wave-driven Rotation in Supersonically Rotating Mirrors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A. Fetterman and N.J. Fisch

2010-02-15

Supersonic rotation in mirrors may be produced by radio frequency waves. The waves produce coupled diffusion in ion kinetic and potential energy. A population inversion along the diffusion path then produces rotation. Waves may be designed to exploit a natural kinetic energy source or may provide the rotation energy on their own. Centrifugal traps for fusion and isotope separation may benefit from this wave-driven rotation.

Wave-driven Rotation in Supersonically Rotating Mirrors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fetterman, A.; Fisch, N.J.

2010-01-01

Supersonic rotation in mirrors may be produced by radio frequency waves. The waves produce coupled diffusion in ion kinetic and potential energy. A population inversion along the diffusion path then produces rotation. Waves may be designed to exploit a natural kinetic energy source or may provide the rotation energy on their own. Centrifugal traps for fusion and isotope separation may benefit from this wave-driven rotation.

Device for guiding various diameter size cable

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Litvinov, I.M.; Klauzer, L.P.; Yeganov, L.I.; Zaripov, A.M.

1982-01-30

A design is submitted for a device to guide cable of various diameters. This device consists of a profiled multiple-pass roller, and clamps for uniting cut cable. This design is simplified by allowing both the rollers and their supports to rotate on the roller axis thus facilitating interaction with the clamps. The working surface of the supports is evolute while the outside surfaces have screw-channels for transfering the cable from one roller pass to the other.

Experimental and numerical results of a high frequency rotating active magnetic refrigerator

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lozano, Jaime; Engelbrecht, Kurt; Bahl, Christian

2012-01-01

Experimental results for a recently developed prototype magnetic refrigeration device at The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) were obtained and compared with numerical simulation results. A continuously rotating active magnetic regenerator (AMR) using 2.8 kg packed sphere regenerators...

Experimental and numerical results of a high frequency rotating active magnetic refrigerator

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lozano, Jaime; Engelbrecht, Kurt; Bahl, Christian R.H.

2014-01-01

Experimental results for a recently developed prototype magnetic refrigeration device at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) were obtained and compared with numerical simulation results. A continuously rotating active magnetic regenerator (AMR) using 2.8 kg packed sphere regenerators...

Fuel assembly gripping device using self-locking mechanism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, G. M.; Choi, S.; Kim, K. S.; Kim, T. W.; Jeong, K. H.; Park, K. B.; Chang, M. H

1999-07-01

This report presents an actuating principles and structure for two kind of the fuel assembly gripping devices (Gripper-A, B) developed for SMART. The main components of these grippers are push bundle, rotation bundle, upper guide tube and chuck assembly. The rope attached to winch system on moving cask hangs gripper's push bundle. Due to a down-and-up operation of winch system, the push bundle pushes crown teeth shaped rotation bundle and then it is pushed down and rotated counter clockwise. The push-and-pull sequential operation of push bundle makes the rotation bundle is pushed, rotated and returned, moreover it makes the chuck assembly is expanded or shrunk. The expansion and shrinkage motion of chuck assembly makes the gripper latch and release the fuel assembly. Gripper-A suits for the handling of the fuel assembly with square shaped latching hole. Otherwise Gripper-B suits for a circular shaped latching hole. (author). 5 refs., 20 figs.

Fuel assembly gripping device using self-locking mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, G. M.; Choi, S.; Kim, K. S.; Kim, T. W.; Jeong, K. H.; Park, K. B.; Chang, M. H.

1999-07-01

This report presents an actuating principles and structure for two kind of the fuel assembly gripping devices (Gripper-A, B) developed for SMART. The main components of these grippers are push bundle, rotation bundle, upper guide tube and chuck assembly. The rope attached to winch system on moving cask hangs gripper's push bundle. Due to a down-and-up operation of winch system, the push bundle pushes crown teeth shaped rotation bundle and then it is pushed down and rotated counter clockwise. The push-and-pull sequential operation of push bundle makes the rotation bundle is pushed, rotated and returned, moreover it makes the chuck assembly is expanded or shrunk. The expansion and shrinkage motion of chuck assembly makes the gripper latch and release the fuel assembly. Gripper-A suits for the handling of the fuel assembly with square shaped latching hole. Otherwise Gripper-B suits for a circular shaped latching hole. (author). 5 refs., 20 figs

Determination of the optimal speed of rotational display through an 180 degree arc in rotatostereoradiography and MR angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ottomo, M.; Takekawa, S.D.; Sugawara, K.; Nakamura, T.; Fujimoto, M.; Nakanishi, T.

1990-01-01

Rotatostereoradiographic (RSRG) images are displayed in an oscillating, rotational manner. While reviewing these rotating images, the radiologist may become psychologically irritated by the rotation. A rapidly rotating display of linear subjects gives one three-dimensional depth information. This three-dimensional sense is lost if the rotation speed is too slow. The authors of this paper determined the slowest possible rotating display speed that allows perception of three-dimensional depth information minimizing psychological irritation. In the RSRG device (Shimadzu ROTATO-360), an x-ray tube coupled with an image intensifier rotates through a 180 degrees arc in 1.8 or 2.25 seconds. Both rotation times could be doubled. The images were displayed at four different speeds, covering the 180 degrees arc in 1.8, 2.25, 3.6, and 4.5 seconds

Surface-micromachined rotatable member having a low-contact-area hub

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, M. Steven; Sniegowski, Jeffry J.; Krygowski, Thomas W.

2003-11-18

A surface-micromachined rotatable member formed on a substrate and a method for manufacturing thereof are disclosed. The surface-micromachined rotatable member, which can be a gear or a rotary stage, has a central hub, and an annulus connected to the central hub by an overarching bridge. The hub includes a stationary axle support attached to the substrate and surrounding an axle. The axle is retained within the axle support with an air-gap spacing therebetween of generally 0.3 .mu.m or less. The rotatable member can be formed by alternately depositing and patterning layers of a semiconductor (e.g. polysilicon or a silicon-germanium alloy) and a sacrificial material and then removing the sacrificial material, at least in part. The present invention has applications for forming micromechanical or microelectromechanical devices requiring lower actuation forces, and providing improved reliability.

Surface--micromachined rotatable member having a low-contact-area hub

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, M. Steven; Sniegowski, Jeffry J.

2002-01-01

A surface-micromachined rotatable member formed on a substrate and a method for manufacturing thereof are disclosed. The surface-micromachined rotatable member, which can be a gear or a rotary stage, has a central hub, and an annulus connected to the central hub by an overarching bridge. The hub includes a stationary axle support attached to the substrate and surrounding an axle. The axle is retained within the axle support with an air-gap spacing therebetween of generally 0.3 .mu.m or less. The rotatable member can be formed by alternately depositing and patterning layers of a semiconductor (e.g. polysilicon or a silicon-germanium alloy) and a sacrificial material and then removing the sacrificial material, at least in part. The present invention has applications for forming micromechanical or microelectromechanical devices requiring lower actuation forces, and providing improved reliability.

Sensorless Estimation and Nonlinear Control of a Rotational Energy Harvester

Science.gov (United States)

Nunna, Kameswarie; Toh, Tzern T.; Mitcheson, Paul D.; Astolfi, Alessandro

2013-12-01

It is important to perform sensorless monitoring of parameters in energy harvesting devices in order to determine the operating states of the system. However, physical measurements of these parameters is often a challenging task due to the unavailability of access points. This paper presents, as an example application, the design of a nonlinear observer and a nonlinear feedback controller for a rotational energy harvester. A dynamic model of a rotational energy harvester with its power electronic interface is derived and validated. This model is then used to design a nonlinear observer and a nonlinear feedback controller which yield a sensorless closed-loop system. The observer estimates the mechancial quantities from the measured electrical quantities while the control law sustains power generation across a range of source rotation speeds. The proposed scheme is assessed through simulations and experiments.

Rotating flow

CERN Document Server

Childs, Peter R N

2010-01-01

Rotating flow is critically important across a wide range of scientific, engineering and product applications, providing design and modeling capability for diverse products such as jet engines, pumps and vacuum cleaners, as well as geophysical flows. Developed over the course of 20 years' research into rotating fluids and associated heat transfer at the University of Sussex Thermo-Fluid Mechanics Research Centre (TFMRC), Rotating Flow is an indispensable reference and resource for all those working within the gas turbine and rotating machinery industries. Traditional fluid and flow dynamics titles offer the essential background but generally include very sparse coverage of rotating flows-which is where this book comes in. Beginning with an accessible introduction to rotating flow, recognized expert Peter Childs takes you through fundamental equations, vorticity and vortices, rotating disc flow, flow around rotating cylinders and flow in rotating cavities, with an introduction to atmospheric and oceanic circul...

Rotational seismology

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, William H K.

2016-01-01

Rotational seismology is an emerging study of all aspects of rotational motions induced by earthquakes, explosions, and ambient vibrations. It is of interest to several disciplines, including seismology, earthquake engineering, geodesy, and earth-based detection of Einstein’s gravitation waves.Rotational effects of seismic waves, together with rotations caused by soil–structure interaction, have been observed for centuries (e.g., rotated chimneys, monuments, and tombstones). Figure 1a shows the rotated monument to George Inglis observed after the 1897 Great Shillong earthquake. This monument had the form of an obelisk rising over 19 metres high from a 4 metre base. During the earthquake, the top part broke off and the remnant of some 6 metres rotated about 15° relative to the base. The study of rotational seismology began only recently when sensitive rotational sensors became available due to advances in aeronautical and astronomical instrumentations.

Optimization of voltage output of energy harvesters with continuous mechanical rotation extracted from human motion (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Rashid, Evan; Hamidi, Armita; Tadesse, Yonas

2017-04-01

With increasing popularity of portable devices for outdoor activities, portable energy harvesting devices are coming into spot light. The next generation energy harvester which is called hybrid energy harvester can employ more than one mechanism in a single device to optimize portion of the energy that can be harvested from any source of waste energy namely motion, vibration, heat and etc. In spite of few recent attempts for creating hybrid portable devices, the level of output energy still needs to be improved with the intention of employing them in commercial electronic systems or further applications. Moreover, implementing a practical hybrid energy harvester in different application for further investigation is still challenging. This proposal is projected to incorporate a novel approach to maximize and optimize the voltage output of hybrid energy harvesters to achieve a greater conversion efficiency normalized by the total mass of the hybrid device than the simple arithmetic sum of the individual harvesting mechanisms. The energy harvester model previously proposed by Larkin and Tadesse [1] is used as a baseline and a continuous unidirectional rotation is incorporated to maximize and optimize the output. The device harvest mechanical energy from oscillatory motion and convert it to electrical energy through electromagnetic and piezoelectric systems. The new designed mechanism upgrades the device in a way that can harvest energy from both rotational and linear motions by using magnets. Likewise, the piezoelectric section optimized to harvest at least 10% more energy. To the end, the device scaled down for tested with different sources of vibrations in the immediate environment, including machinery operation, bicycle, door motion while opening and closing and finally, human motions. Comparing the results from literature proved that current device has capability to be employed in commercial small electronic devices for enhancement of battery usage or as a backup

Non-resonant energy harvester with elastic constraints for low rotating frequencies

Science.gov (United States)

Machado, Sebastián P.; Febbo, Mariano; Gatti, Claudio D.; Ramirez, José M.

2017-11-01

This paper presents a non-resonant piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) which is designed to capture energy from low frequency rotational vibration. The proposed device works out of the plane of rotation where the motion of a mass-spring system is transferred to a piezoelectric layer with the intention to generate energy to power wireless structural monitoring systems or sensors. The mechanical structure is formed by two beams with rigid and elastic boundary conditions at the clamped end. On the free boundaries, heavy masses connected by a spring are placed in order to increase voltage generation and diminish the natural frequency. A mathematical framework and the equations governing the energy-harvesting system are presented. Numerical simulations and experimental verifications are performed for different rotation speeds ranging from 0.7 to 2.5 Hz. An output power of 125 μW is obtained for maximum rotating frequency demonstrating that the proposed design can collect enough energy for the suggested application.

The influence of device position on the flow within the Penn State 12 cc pediatric ventricular assist device.

Science.gov (United States)

Schönberger, Markus; Deutsch, Steven; Manning, Keefe B

2012-01-01

Ventricular assist devices are a commonly used heart failure therapy for adult patients as bridge-to-transplant or bridge-to-recovery tools. The application of adult ventricular assist devices in pediatric patients has led to increased thrombotic events. Therefore, we have been developing a pediatric ventricular assist device (PVAD), the Penn State 12 cc PVAD. It is designed for patients with a body weight of 5-15 kg and has a stroke volume of 12 cc. Clot formation is the major concern. It is correlated to the coagulability of blood, the blood contacting materials and the fluid dynamics within the system. The intent is for the PVAD to be a long term therapy. Therefore, the system may be oriented in different positions according to the patient's behavior. This study evaluates for the first time the impact of position on the flow patterns within the Penn State 12 cc PVAD, which may help to improve the PVAD design concerning chamber and ports geometries. The fluid dynamics are visualized by particle image velocimetry. The evaluation is based on inlet jet behavior and calculated wall shear rates. Vertical and horizontal model orientations are compared, both with a beat rate of 75, outlet pressures of 90/60 mm Hg and a flow rate of 1.3 l/min. The results show a significant change of the inlet jet behavior and the development of a rotational flow pattern. Vertically, the inlet jet is strong along the wall. It initiates a rotational flow pattern with a wandering axis of rotation. In contrast, the horizontal model orientation results show a weaker inlet jet along the wall with a nearly constant center of rotation location, which can be correlated to a higher risk of thrombotic events. In addition, high speed videography illustrates differences in the diaphragm motion during diastole. Diaphragm opening trajectories measurements determine no significant impact of the density of the blood analog fluids. Hence, the results correlate to human blood.

Verification of Radiation Isocenter on Linac Beam 6 MV using Computed Radiography

Science.gov (United States)

Irsal, Muhammad; Hidayanto, Eko; Sutanto, Heri

2017-06-01

Radiation isocenter is more important part of quality assurance for the linear accelerator (Linac) due to radiation isocenter is a main location in irradiation radiotherapy, isocenter can shift when the gantry and collimator rotation. In general, the radiation isocenter verification using a special film. This research was conducted radiation isocenter verification using computed radiography with digital image processing techniques. Image acquisition was done using the modalities of Linac 6 MV with star shot method is star-shaped beam due to rotation of the collimator, gantry and couch. Then do the delineation on each beam to determine the centroid and beam diameter. By the results of verification of radiation isocenter performed on collimator and the couch, it shows that the size diameter for rotational collimator is 0.632 mm and 0.458 mm for the couch. Based on AAPM report 40 about the size of the Linac radiation isocenter diameter used in this study is still in good condition and worth to be operated because the value of the radiation isocenter diameter is below 2 mm.

Verification of Radiation Isocenter on Linac Beam 6 MV using Computed Radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irsal, Muhammad; Hidayanto, Eko; Sutanto, Heri

2017-01-01

Radiation isocenter is more important part of quality assurance for the linear accelerator (Linac) due to radiation isocenter is a main location in irradiation radiotherapy, isocenter can shift when the gantry and collimator rotation. In general, the radiation isocenter verification using a special film. This research was conducted radiation isocenter verification using computed radiography with digital image processing techniques. Image acquisition was done using the modalities of Linac 6 MV with star shot method is star-shaped beam due to rotation of the collimator, gantry and couch. Then do the delineation on each beam to determine the centroid and beam diameter. By the results of verification of radiation isocenter performed on collimator and the couch, it shows that the size diameter for rotational collimator is 0.632 mm and 0.458 mm for the couch. Based on AAPM report 40 about the size of the Linac radiation isocenter diameter used in this study is still in good condition and worth to be operated because the value of the radiation isocenter diameter is below 2 mm. (paper)

COMPARISON OF A HEAD MOUNTED IMPACT MEASUREMENT DEVICE TO THE HYBRID III ANTHROPOMORPHIC TESTING DEVICE IN A CONTROLLED LABORATORY SETTING.

Science.gov (United States)

Schussler, Eric; Stark, David; Bolte, John H; Kang, Yun Seok; Onate, James A

2017-08-01

Reports estimate that 1.6 to 3.8 million cases of concussion occur in sports and recreation each year in the United States. Despite continued efforts to reduce the occurrence of concussion, the rate of diagnosis continues to increase. The mechanisms of concussion are thought to involve linear and rotational head accelerations and velocities. One method of quantifying the kinematics experienced during sport participation is to place measurement devices into the athlete's helmet or directly on the athlete's head. The purpose of this research to determine the accuracy of a head mounted device for measuring the head accelerations experienced by the wearer. This will be accomplished by identifying the error in Peak Linear Acceleration (PLA), Peak Rotational Acceleration (PRA) and Peak Rotational Velocity (PRV) of the device. Laboratory study. A helmeted Hybrid III 50th percentile male headform was impacted via a pneumatic ram from the front, side, rear, front oblique and rear oblique at speeds from 1.5 to 5 m/s. The X2 Biosystems xPatch® (Seattle, WA) sensor was placed on the headform's right side at the approximate location of the mastoid process. Measures of PLA, PRA, PRV from the xPatch ® and Hybrid III were analyzed for Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Absolute and Relative Error (AE, RE). Seventy-six impacts were analyzed. All measures of correlation, fixed through the origin, were found to be strong: PLA R 2 =0.967 pstandard yet above the average error of testing devices in both PLA and PRA, but a low error in PRV. PLA measures from the xPatch® system demonstrated a high level of correlation with the PLA data from the Hybrid III mounted data collection system. 3.

Repository National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeda, Takamasa

2016-01-01

This paper introduces the facilities of National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS). It was established as an auxiliary organ of the Science and Technology Agency in 1957. In April 2016, it became a comprehensive radiology research and development department of the Quantum Science and Technology Research Organization, and has been performing 'research for medical use of radiation' and 'research for radiation safety and emergency radiation medical care' as the two pillars of research. The laboratory hospital is a sole monotechnic radiation hospital in Japan specializing in radiotherapy. Heavy particle accelerator for medical use has been constructed, and advancement of heavy particle therapy using rotating gantry is expected. At the clinical nuclear medicine department, research facilities involved in molecular imaging are cyclotron building, positron building, imaging diagnostic building, and exploratory research building, and they are equipped with are three large and small cyclotrons, clinical PET device, animal-specialized PET device, 7-tesla MRI. The nuclear medicine laboratory is equipped with four PET/CT devices, one PET device, and one gamma camera, and performing tumor examination and clinical research on psychiatric and neurological diseases. (A.O.)

Rotation of the Sacrum During Bellyboard Pelvic Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasabasic, Mladen; Faj, Dario; Ivkovic, Ana; Jurkovic, Slaven; Belaj, Nenad

2010-01-01

Patients with cervical, uterine, and rectal carcinomas are usually treated in the prone position using the bellyboard positioning device. Specific and uncomfortable prone position gives rise to uncertainties in the daily set-up of patients during the treatment. During investigation of translational movements, rotational movements of the pelvis are observed and investigated. The film portal imaging is used to discover patient positioning errors during treatment. We defined the rotational set-up errors by angle deviations of the sacrum. Thirty-six patients were included in the study; 15 patients were followed during the whole treatment and 21 during the first 5 consecutive treatment days. The image acquisitions were completed in 84%. Systematic and random positioning errors were analyzed in 725 images. Approximately half of the patients had adjusted to the bellyboard in the first few fractions, with sacrum angles remaining the same for the rest of the treatment. The other half had drifts of the sacrum angle during the whole treatment. The rotation of the sacrum during treatment ranged up to 14 deg., causing the usual set-up verification and correction procedure to result in errors up to 15 mm. Rotational movements of the patient pelvis during bellyboard pelvis radiotherapy can introduce considerable patient position error.

A swivelling transfer device for nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allain, Albert; Mulot, Pierre; Filloleau, Etienne

1974-01-01

The invention relates to a swivelling transfer device for fuel-assemblies. According to the invention, the device comprises, within a protective enclosure, a swivelling system comprising two sets of rails rotatable about an axis and so arranged that the lower and thereof penetrates into the extensions of the extremities of ramps dipped into the reactor and into a storage enclosure. This can apply to the transfer of nuclear reactor fuel assemblies, in particular for reactors of the molten sodium fast neutron type [fr

Design for coordinated measurements of Faraday rotation and line-of-sight electron density using heterodyne techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobson, A.R.

1977-07-01

This report proposes a device which can overcome certain of the compromises of conventional Faraday rotation methods and at the same time measure the optical phase as well as the polarization. This would be useful for unfolding the Faraday rotation signal using the line-of-sight density along exactly the same path. Preliminary design parameters using a CO 2 laser are presented

Device and method for redirecting electromagnetic signals

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Ernest J.

1999-01-01

A device fabricated to redirect electromagnetic signals, the device including a primary driver adapted to provide a predetermined force, a linkage system coupled to the primary driver, a pusher rod rotationally coupled to the linkage system, a flexible rod element attached to the pusher rod and adapted to buckle upon the application of the predetermined force, and a mirror structure attached to the flexible rod element at one end and to the substrate at another end. When the predetermined force buckles the flexible rod element, the mirror structure and the flexible rod element both move to thereby allow a remotely-located electromagnetic signal directed towards the device to be redirected.

Device of capturing for radioactive corrosion products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohara, Atsushi; Fukushima, Kimichika.

1984-01-01

Purpose: To increase the area of contact between the capturing materials for the radioactive corrosion products contained in the coolants and the coolants by producing stirred turbulent flows in the coolant flow channel of LMFBR type reactors. Constitution: Constituent materials for the nuclear fuel elements or the reactor core structures are activated under the neutron irradiation, corroded and transferred into the coolants. While capturing devices made of pure metal nickel are used for the elimination of the corrosion products, since the coolants form laminar flows due to the viscosity thereof near the surface of the capturing materials, the probability that the corrosion products in the coolants flowing through the middle portion of the channel contact the capturing materials is reduced. In this invention, rotating rolls and flow channels in which the balls are rotated are disposed at the upstream of the capturing device to forcively disturb the flow of the liquid sodium, whereby the radioactive corrosion products can effectively be captured. (Kamimura, M.)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-03-08

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

Unmixing demonstration with a twist: A photochromic Taylor-Couette device

Science.gov (United States)

Fonda, Enrico; Sreenivasan, Katepalli R.

2017-10-01

10.1119/1.4996901.1 This article describes an updated version of the famous Taylor-Couette flow reversibility demonstration. The viscous fluid confined between two concentric cylinders is forced to move by the rotating inner cylinder and visualized through the transparent outer cylinder. After a few rotations, a colored blob of fluid appears well mixed. Yet, after reversing the motion for the same number of turns, the blob reappears in the original location as if the fluid has just been unmixed. The use of household supplies makes the device inexpensive and easy to build without specific technical skills. The device can be used for demonstrations in fluid dynamics courses and outreach activities to discuss the concepts of viscosity, creeping flows, the absence of inertia, and time-reversibility.

Condition Monitoring and Fault Diagnosis for an Antifalling Safety Device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guangxiang Yang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available There is a constant need for the safe operation and reliability of antifalling safety device (AFSD of an elevator. This paper reports an experimental study on rotation speed and catching torque monitoring and fault diagnosis of an antifalling safety device in a construction elevator. Denoising the signal using wavelet transform is presented in this paper. Based on the denoising effects for several types of wavelets, the sym8 wavelet basis, which introduces the high order approximation and an adaptive threshold, is employed for denoising the signal. The experimental result shows a maximum data error reduction of 7.5% is obtained and SNRs (signal-to-noise ratio of rotation speed and catching torque are improved for 3.9% and 6.4%, respectively.

Absolute absorbed dose measurements with an array of ionization chambers as part of a routine procedure of quality control for the VMAT technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemente Gutierrez, F.; Cabello Murillo, E.; Ramirez Ros, J. C.; Casa de Julian, M. A. de la

2011-01-01

Arcotheraphy techniques volumetric modulated (VMAT) treatments involve continuous variation of the gantry rotation speed, positions of the sheets and dose rate. Since all treatments are administered by continuous arcs, these techniques require quality control procedures to ensure quick and easy constancy of the calibration factor (total absorbed dose) for any gantry angle. We report here a simple method of quality control for the measurement of the calibration factor using an array of ionization chambers. The measurements were performed on a unit of 6 MV Elekta Synergy with VMAT, belonging to the Radiation Oncology service of the Defense Central Hospital Gomez Ulla.

NMSBA - Twist Resist - Rotational Exercise Module

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walker, Aaron [Twist Resist, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Reece, Blake D. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Berger, Jason E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Guido, Steven Frank [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Linker, Taylor [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-08-01

This report contains a summary of the work completed to develop a modular, rotational exercise device. In the report are images, diagrams, and explanations of the efforts contributed to the project since its inception. The purpose of this document is to provide a walk-through of the progress on this project, from the initial design concepts to the final design and work done, so that the customer (Twist Resist), or individuals/firms who work on this project in the future will have a springboard of ideas/concepts to work from.

Device for sealing a rotating plug in a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandstetter, R.

1975-01-01

The invention relates to the sealing of a rotating plug in a nuclear reactor. The sealing arrangement comprises a friction track which is formed along the periphery of the top of a ring mounted on a stationary element. An annular base coaxial with the plug is secured in sealing-tight manner to the stationary bearing around the ring and the track by means of a seal which rests on the annular base and also on the friction track of the ring and which comprises at least one friction ring and a clamping spring ring. The seal is clamped against the friction track to retractable clamping means when the plug is stationary, the retractable clamping means being carried by a ring secured to the first-mentioned ring. (U.S.)

Rotating-Sleeve Triboelectric-Electromagnetic Hybrid Nanogenerator for High Efficiency of Harvesting Mechanical Energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Ran; Zhou, Tao; Wang, Bin; Yin, Yingying; Yuan, Zuqing; Li, Congju; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-08-22

Currently, a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and an electromagnetic generator (EMG) have been hybridized to effectively scavenge mechanical energy. However, one critical issue of the hybrid device is the limited output power due to the mismatched output impedance between the two generators. In this work, impedance matching between the TENG and EMG is achieved facilely through commercial transformers, and we put forward a highly integrated hybrid device. The rotating-sleeve triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid nanogenerator (RSHG) is designed by simulating the structure of a common EMG, which ensures a high efficiency in transferring ambient mechanical energy into electric power. The RSHG presents an excellent performance with a short-circuit current of 1 mA and open-circuit voltage of 48 V at a rotation speed of 250 rpm. Systematic measurements demonstrate that the hybrid nanogenerator can deliver the largest output power of 13 mW at a loading resistance of 8 kΩ. Moreover, it is demonstrated that a wind-driven RSHG can light dozens of light-emitting diodes and power an electric watch. The distinctive structure and high output performance promise the practical application of this rotating-sleeve structured hybrid nanogenerator for large-scale energy conversion.

Waste classifying and separation device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakiuchi, Hiroki.

1997-01-01

A flexible plastic bags containing solid wastes of indefinite shape is broken and the wastes are classified. The bag cutting-portion of the device has an ultrasonic-type or a heater-type cutting means, and the cutting means moves in parallel with the transferring direction of the plastic bags. A classification portion separates and discriminates the plastic bag from the contents and conducts classification while rotating a classification table. Accordingly, the plastic bag containing solids of indefinite shape can be broken and classification can be conducted efficiently and reliably. The device of the present invention has a simple structure which requires small installation space and enables easy maintenance. (T.M.)

Global rotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosquist, K.

1980-01-01

Global rotation in cosmological models is defined on an observational basis. A theorem is proved saying that, for rigid motion, the global rotation is equal to the ordinary local vorticity. The global rotation is calculated in the space-time homogeneous class III models, with Godel's model as a special case. It is shown that, with the exception of Godel's model, the rotation in these models becomes infinite for finite affine parameter values. In some directions the rotation changes sign and becomes infinite in a direction opposite to the local vorticity. The points of infinite rotation are identified as conjugate points along the null geodesics. The physical interpretation of the infinite rotation is discussed, and a comparison with the behaviour of the area distance at conjugate points is given. (author)

Device for inspecting the inside of a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurata, Masuo.

1985-01-01

Purpose: To apply illumination concentrically to a particular place and enable rapid and accurate inspection for the detailed portions by making such that the viewing direction of a television camera disposed in water and the direction of illumination of a submerged illumination tool can be varied optionally by remote control. Constitution: In the conventional inspection equipments for the inside of the reactor, a submerged illumination tool has merely been suspended by a cable and it has been difficult to effectively control the relative position with the television camera disposed in water. In this invention, the television camera disposed in water and a submerged illumination tool are rotatably disposed by way of a clamp to an inspection device main body. Then, the clamp can be rotated by the remote control and, further, the inspection device is suspended by way of a rope from a winding device disposed above the pressure vessel. In such a constitution, the submerged illumination tool can be adjusted to an optimal position to the television camera disposed in water. (Kamimura, M.)

The modification and the installation of WILLI detector as a rotatable device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brancus, I. M.; Vulpescu, B.; Badea, A. F.; Bozdog, H.; Duma, M.; Petcu, M.; Aiftimiei, C.; Mitrica, B.; Wentz, J.; Rebel, H.; Bercuci, A.; Mathes, H. J.

2001-01-01

The compact WILLI device, built in IFIN-HH Bucharest (44026'N latitude and 26004'E longitude) at a vertical cut-off rigidity of 5.6 GV, has been used for measurements of the charge ratio in the vertical atmospheric muon flux at momenta bellow 1GeV/c. In this low energy range the studies of muon charge ratio provide information useful for the discussion of the so-called atmospheric neutrino anomaly and for studies of atmospheric neutrino and antineutrino fluxes. The experimental method is based on the observation of the reduced effective lifetime of the negative muons, stopped in matter, as compared to the lifetime of positive muons. Avoiding the difficulties and the systematic errors of magnetic spectrometers, results are obtained with high accuracy, indicating a decrease of the muon charge ratio from 1.30 (at 0.87 GeV/c) to 1.15 (at 0.24 GeV/c). Super-Kamiokande and other experiments find that the ratio of muonic to electronic neutrinos is much smaller than the theoretical production, the effect depending on the incidence angle of the neutrinos. The interpretation of such so-called 'neutrino anomaly' in terms of neutrino oscillations is based on theoretical predictions of the fluxes of the neutrinos of different flavour, based on different hadronic interaction models. A possibility to verify such models is to compare the theoretical predictions for muon flux, which plays a key role in neutrino chain, with the experimental data. Thus, the ratio of the flux of positive to negative muons could provide a sensitive test for models regarding muon and neutrino production. The WILLI detector is a suitable instrument for further investigation of the modulation of muon charge ratio and the neutrino fluxes by the geomagnetic cut-off. The details about the geomagnetic influence have not been explored using the observation of muons with different angles of incidence in zenithal and azimuthal plane. The WILLI detector is now modified in a rotatable set-up, which will allow

Strainer device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mokuya, Kenji.

1975-01-01

Object: To provide a strainer device, which is adapted to facilitate flushing and is particularly suited for installation in the cooling system of a liquid metal cooled fast breeding reactor. Structure: A casing accommodating a strainer and a blind plate for the selection of a flow path is provided at a suitable portion of the duct line. The blind plate is adapted to be rotated by an opening and closing means consisting of a rod. bellows, shaft and so forth. At the time of flushing, the duct line is sealed by the blind plate. (Nakamura, S.)

Device for transferring fast nuclear reactor fuel assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plagnard, Andre.

1982-01-01

The description is given of a device for transferring fuel assemblies between a storage position near the reactor vessel and a position where the irradiated assemblies are evacuated and the provision of new assemblies for the reactor. This device can be dismantled and is movable as a whole for its successive use on several reactors and includes: - a platform mounted so as to rotate on a support made to rest on the structure of the reactor, the platform having at least one opening then being horizontal and mobile about a vertical axis to bring the opening successively in position with vertical wells giving access to the storage and evacuation positions of the assemblies provided in the reactor structure, - at least one hopper that can contain one assembly in a vertical position, located on the upper surface of the platform around the opening provided in it and fitted with a winch for the vertical moving of the assemblies inside the wells and the hopper, when these follow each other by rotation of the platform, - at least one connecting device carried on the platform for connecting the hopper and wells when these are in line [fr

Modeling and control of plasma rotation for NSTX using neoclassical toroidal viscosity and neutral beam injection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goumiri, I. R. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Mechanical and Aerospace Dept.; Rowley, C. W. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Mechanical and Aerospace Dept.; Sabbagh, S. A. [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States). Dept. of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics; Gates, D. A. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Gerhardt, S. P. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Boyer, M. D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Andre, R. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Kolemen, E. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Taira, K. [Florida State Univ, Dept Mech Engn, Tallahassee, FL USA.

2016-02-19

A model-based feedback system is presented to control plasma rotation in a magnetically confined toroidal fusion device, to maintain plasma stability for long-pulse operation. This research uses experimental measurements from the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) and is aimed at controlling plasma rotation using two different types of actuation: momentum from injected neutral beams and neoclassical toroidal viscosity generated by three-dimensional applied magnetic fields. Based on the data-driven model obtained, a feedback controller is designed, and predictive simulations using the TRANSP plasma transport code show that the controller is able to attain desired plasma rotation profiles given practical constraints on the actuators and the available measurements of rotation.

Quality assurance of geometric accuracy based on an electronic portal imaging device and log data analysis for Dynamic WaveArc irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirashima, Hideaki; Miyabe, Yuki; Nakamura, Mitsuhiro; Mukumoto, Nobutaka; Mizowaki, Takashi; Hiraoka, Masahiro

2018-04-06

The purpose of this study was to develop a simple verification method for the routine quality assurance (QA) of Dynamic WaveArc (DWA) irradiation using electronic portal imaging device (EPID) images and log data analysis. First, an automatic calibration method utilizing the outermost multileaf collimator (MLC) slits was developed to correct the misalignment between the center of the EPID and the beam axis. Moreover, to verify the detection accuracy of the MLC position according to the EPID images, various positions of the MLC with intentional errors in the range 0.1-1 mm were assessed. Second, to validate the geometric accuracy during DWA irradiation, tests were designed in consideration of three indices. Test 1 evaluated the accuracy of the MLC position. Test 2 assessed dose output consistency with variable dose rate (160-400 MU/min), gantry speed (2.2-6°/s), and ring speed (0.5-2.7°/s). Test 3 validated dose output consistency with variable values of the above parameters plus MLC speed (1.6-4.2 cm/s). All tests were delivered to the EPID and compared with those obtained using a stationary radiation beam with a 0° gantry angle. Irradiation log data were recorded simultaneously. The 0.1-mm intentional error on the MLC position could be detected by the EPID, which is smaller than the EPID pixel size. In Test 1, the MLC slit widths agreed within 0.20 mm of their exposed values. The averaged root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the dose outputs was less than 0.8% in Test 2 and Test 3. Using log data analysis in Test 3, the RMSE between the planned and recorded data was 0.1 mm, 0.12°, and 0.07° for the MLC position, gantry angle, and ring angle, respectively. The proposed method is useful for routine QA of the accuracy of DWA. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Temporal resolution measurement of 128-slice dual source and 320-row area detector computed tomography scanners in helical acquisition mode using the impulse method.

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Takanori; Urikura, Atsushi; Ichikawa, Katsuhiro; Hoshino, Takashi; Nishimaru, Eiji; Niwa, Shinji

2016-04-01

To analyse the temporal resolution (TR) of modern computed tomography (CT) scanners using the impulse method, and assess the actual maximum TR at respective helical acquisition modes. To assess the actual TR of helical acquisition modes of a 128-slice dual source CT (DSCT) scanner and a 320-row area detector CT (ADCT) scanner, we assessed the TRs of various acquisition combinations of a pitch factor (P) and gantry rotation time (R). The TR of the helical acquisition modes for the 128-slice DSCT scanner continuously improved with a shorter gantry rotation time and greater pitch factor. However, for the 320-row ADCT scanner, the TR with a pitch factor of pitch factor of >1.0, it was approximately one half of the gantry rotation time. The maximum TR values of single- and dual-source helical acquisition modes for the 128-slice DSCT scanner were 0.138 (R/P=0.285/1.5) and 0.074s (R/P=0.285/3.2), and the maximum TR values of the 64×0.5- and 160×0.5-mm detector configurations of the helical acquisition modes for the 320-row ADCT scanner were 0.120 (R/P=0.275/1.375) and 0.195s (R/P=0.3/0.6), respectively. Because the TR of a CT scanner is not accurately depicted in the specifications of the individual scanner, appropriate acquisition conditions should be determined based on the actual TR measurement. Copyright © 2016 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Apparatus and method for generating a magnetic field by rotation of a charge holding object

Science.gov (United States)

Gerald, II, Rex E.; Vukovic, Lela [Westchester, IL; Rathke, Jerome W [Homer Glenn, IL

2009-10-13

A device and a method for the production of a magnetic field using a Charge Holding Object that is mechanically rotated. In a preferred embodiment, a Charge Holding Object surrounding a sample rotates and subjects the sample to one or more magnetic fields. The one or more magnetic fields are used by NMR Electronics connected to an NMR Conductor positioned within the Charge Holding Object to perform NMR analysis of the sample.

Optical derotator alignment using image-processing algorithm for tracking laser vibrometer measurements of rotating objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalil, Hossam; Kim, Dongkyu; Jo, Youngjoon; Park, Kyihwan

2017-06-01

An optical component called a Dove prism is used to rotate the laser beam of a laser-scanning vibrometer (LSV). This is called a derotator and is used for measuring the vibration of rotating objects. The main advantage of a derotator is that it works independently from an LSV. However, this device requires very specific alignment, in which the axis of the Dove prism must coincide with the rotational axis of the object. If the derotator is misaligned with the rotating object, the results of the vibration measurement are imprecise, owing to the alteration of the laser beam on the surface of the rotating object. In this study, a method is proposed for aligning a derotator with a rotating object through an image-processing algorithm that obtains the trajectory of a landmark attached to the object. After the trajectory of the landmark is mathematically modeled, the amount of derotator misalignment with respect to the object is calculated. The accuracy of the proposed method for aligning the derotator with the rotating object is experimentally tested.

A NEW CLINICAL MUSCLE FUNCTION TEST FOR ASSESSMENT OF HIP EXTERNAL ROTATION STRENGTH: AUGUSTSSON STRENGTH TEST.

Science.gov (United States)

Augustsson, Jesper

2016-08-01

Dynamic clinical tests of hip strength applicable on patients, non-athletes and athletes alike, are lacking. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and evaluate the reliability of a dynamic muscle function test of hip external rotation strength, using a novel device. A second aim was to determine if gender differences exist in absolute and relative hip strength using the new test. Fifty-three healthy sport science students (34 women and 19 men) were tested for hip external rotation strength using a device that consisted of a strap connected in series with an elastic resistance band loop, and a measuring tape connected in parallel with the elastic resistance band. The test was carried out with the subject side lying, positioned in 45 ° of hip flexion and the knees flexed to 90 ° with the device firmly fastened proximally across the knees. The subject then exerted maximal concentric hip external rotation force against the device thereby extending the elastic resistance band. The displacement achieved by the subject was documented by the tape measure and the corresponding force production was calculated. Both right and left hip strength was measured. Fifteen of the subjects were tested on repeated occasions to evaluate test-retest reliability. No significant test-retest differences were observed. Intra-class correlation coefficients ranged 0.93-0.94 and coefficients of variation 2.76-4.60%. In absolute values, men were significantly stronger in hip external rotation than women (right side 13.2 vs 11.0 kg, p = 0.001, left side 13.2 vs 11.5 kg, p = 0.002). There were no significant differences in hip external rotation strength normalized for body weight (BW) between men and women (right side 0.17 kg/BW vs 0.17 kg/BW, p = 0.675, left side 0.17 kg/BW vs 0.18 kg/BW, p = 0.156). The new muscle function test showed high reliability and thus could be useful for measuring dynamic hip external rotation strength in patients, non-athletes and athletes

TH-EF-BRB-10: Dosimetric Validation of a Trajectory Based Cranial SRS Treatment Technique On a Varian TrueBeam Linac

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilson, B [University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Canada); Vancouver Cancer Centre, Vancouver, BC (Canada); Gete, E [Vancouver Cancer Centre, Vancouver, BC (Canada)

2016-06-15

Purpose: This work investigates the dosimetric accuracy of a trajectory based delivery technique in which an optimized radiation beam is delivered along a Couch-Gantry trajectory that is formed by simultaneous rotation of the linac gantry and the treatment couch. Methods: Nine trajectory based cranial SRS treatment plans were created using in-house optimization software. The plans were calculated for delivery on the TrueBeam STx linac with 6MV photon beam. Dose optimization was performed along a user-defined trajectory using MLC modulation, dose rate modulation and jaw tracking. The pre-defined trajectory chosen for this study is formed by a couch rotation through its full range of 180 degrees while the gantry makes four partial arc sweeps which are 170 degrees each. For final dose calculation, the trajectory based plans were exported to the Varian Eclipse Treatment Planning System. The plans were calculated on a homogeneous cube phantom measuring 18.2×18.2×18.2 cm3 with the analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA) using a 1mm3 calculation voxel. The plans were delivered on the TrueBeam linac via the developer’s mode. Point dose measurements were performed on 9 patients with the IBA CC01 mini-chamber with a sensitive volume of 0.01 cc. Gafchromic film measurements along the sagittal and coronal planes were performed on three of the 9 treatment plans. Point dose values were compared with ion chamber measurements. Gamma analysis comparing film measurement and AAA calculations was performed using FilmQA Pro. Results: The AAA calculations and measurements were in good agreement. The point dose difference between AAA and ion chamber measurements were within 2.2%. Gamma analysis test pass rates (2%, 2mm passing criteria) for the Gafchromic film measurements were >95%. Conclusion: We have successfully tested TrueBeam’s ability to deliver accurate trajectory based treatments involving simultaneous gantry and couch rotation with MLC and dose rate modulation along the

Rotational acceleration during head impact resulting from different judo throwing techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Murayama, Haruo; Hitosugi, Masahito; Motozawa, Yasuki; Ogino, Masahiro; Koyama, Katsuhiro

2014-01-01

Most severe head injuries in judo are reported as acute subdural hematoma. It is thus necessary to examine the rotational acceleration of the head to clarify the mechanism of head injuries. We determined the rotational acceleration of the head when the subject is thrown by judo techniques. One Japanese male judo expert threw an anthropomorphic test device using two throwing techniques, Osoto-gari and Ouchi-gari. Rotational and translational head accelerations were measured with and without an under-mat. For Osoto-gari, peak resultant rotational acceleration ranged from 4,284.2 rad/s(2) to 5,525.9 rad/s(2) and peak resultant translational acceleration ranged from 64.3 g to 87.2 g; for Ouchi-gari, the accelerations respectively ranged from 1,708.0 rad/s(2) to 2,104.1 rad/s(2) and from 120.2 g to 149.4 g. The resultant rotational acceleration did not decrease with installation of an under-mat for both Ouchi-gari and Osoto-gari. We found that head contact with the tatami could result in the peak values of translational and rotational accelerations, respectively. In general, because kinematics of the body strongly affects translational and rotational accelerations of the head, both accelerations should be measured to analyze the underlying mechanism of head injury. As a primary preventative measure, throwing techniques should be restricted to participants demonstrating ability in ukemi techniques to avoid head contact with the tatami.

Exploring phase space using smartphone acceleration and rotation sensors simultaneously

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monteiro, Martín; Cabeza, Cecilia; Martí, Arturo C

2014-01-01

A paradigmatic physical system as the physical pendulum is experimentally studied using the acceleration and rotation (gyroscope) sensors available on smartphones and other devices such as iPads and tablets. A smartphone is fixed to the outside of a bicycle wheel whose axis is kept horizontal and fixed. The compound system, wheel plus smartphone, defines a physical pendulum which can rotate, giving full turns in one direction, or oscillate about the equilibrium position (performing either small or large oscillations). Measurements of the radial and tangential acceleration and the angular velocity obtained with smartphone sensors allow a deep insight into the dynamics of the system to be gained. In addition, thanks to the simultaneous use of the acceleration and rotation sensors, trajectories in the phase space are directly obtained. The coherence of the measures obtained with the different sensors and by traditional methods is remarkable. Indeed, due to their low cost and increasing availability, smartphone sensors are valuable tools that can be used in most undergraduate laboratories. (paper)

Exploring phase space using smartphone acceleration and rotation sensors simultaneously

Science.gov (United States)

Monteiro, Martín; Cabeza, Cecilia; Martí, Arturo C.

2014-07-01

A paradigmatic physical system as the physical pendulum is experimentally studied using the acceleration and rotation (gyroscope) sensors available on smartphones and other devices such as iPads and tablets. A smartphone is fixed to the outside of a bicycle wheel whose axis is kept horizontal and fixed. The compound system, wheel plus smartphone, defines a physical pendulum which can rotate, giving full turns in one direction, or oscillate about the equilibrium position (performing either small or large oscillations). Measurements of the radial and tangential acceleration and the angular velocity obtained with smartphone sensors allow a deep insight into the dynamics of the system to be gained. In addition, thanks to the simultaneous use of the acceleration and rotation sensors, trajectories in the phase space are directly obtained. The coherence of the measures obtained with the different sensors and by traditional methods is remarkable. Indeed, due to their low cost and increasing availability, smartphone sensors are valuable tools that can be used in most undergraduate laboratories.

Faraday rotation influence factors in tellurite-based glass and fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Qiuling; Wang, Qingwei [Henan University of Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou, Henan (China); Wang, Hui; Chen, Qiuping [Politecnico di Torino, Department of Applied Science and Technology, Turin (Italy)

2015-09-15

The Faraday rotation influence factors in tellurite-based glass and fibers were studied by experiments and simulations. TeO{sub 2}-ZnO-Na{sub 2}O-BaO glass family was fabricated and characterized in terms of the thermal and magneto-optical properties. Two core-cladding pairs for two fibers were selected from fabricated glasses. The Verdet constants of the glasses and fibers were measured at different wavelengths using a homemade optical bench, and the Verdet constant of fiber was close to that of the bulk glass. The influence from external factors (wavelength, laser power and magnetic field) and internal factors (thermal expansion coefficient difference, refractive index and Verdet constant of core and cladding) on Faraday rotation in fibers was investigated and discussed, and the purpose of this study is to improve the Faraday rotation in tellurite fibers for MO device applications both from internal material property match and external parameter configuration in measurement. (orig.)

Faraday rotation influence factors in tellurite-based glass and fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Qiuling; Wang, Qingwei; Wang, Hui; Chen, Qiuping

2015-01-01

The Faraday rotation influence factors in tellurite-based glass and fibers were studied by experiments and simulations. TeO 2 -ZnO-Na 2 O-BaO glass family was fabricated and characterized in terms of the thermal and magneto-optical properties. Two core-cladding pairs for two fibers were selected from fabricated glasses. The Verdet constants of the glasses and fibers were measured at different wavelengths using a homemade optical bench, and the Verdet constant of fiber was close to that of the bulk glass. The influence from external factors (wavelength, laser power and magnetic field) and internal factors (thermal expansion coefficient difference, refractive index and Verdet constant of core and cladding) on Faraday rotation in fibers was investigated and discussed, and the purpose of this study is to improve the Faraday rotation in tellurite fibers for MO device applications both from internal material property match and external parameter configuration in measurement. (orig.)

METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF ROTATION CENTER IN VIBRATING OBJECT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. P. Kauryha

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Linear piezoelectric gauges, eddy current transducers and other control and measuring devices have been widely applied for vibration diagnostics of objects in industry. Methods based on such gauges and used for measuring angular and linear vibrations do not provide the possibility to assess a rotation center or point angle of an object. Parasitic oscillations may occur during rotor rotation and in some cases the oscillations are caused by dis-balance. The known methods for measuring angular and linear vibrations make it possible to detect the phenomenon and they do not provide information for balancing of the given object. For this very reason the paper describes a method for obtaining instantaneous rotation center in the vibrating object. It allows to improve informational content of the measurements owing to obtaining additional data on position of object rotation center. The obtained data can be used for balancing of a control object. Essence of the given method is shown by an example of piezoelectric gauges of linear vibrations. Two three-axial gauges are fixed to the investigated object. Then gauge output signals are recalculated in angular vibrations of the object (for this purpose it is necessary to know a distance between gauges. Further projection positions of the object rotation center are determined on three orthogonal planes. Instantaneous rotation center is calculated according to the position of one of the gauges. The proposed method permits to obtain data on linear and angular vibrations and rotation center position of the vibrating object using one system of linear gauge. Possibilities of object diagnostics are expanded due to increase in number of determined parameters pertaining to object moving. The method also makes it possible to reduce material and time expenses for measurement of an angular vibration component. 

A low frequency rotational energy harvesting system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Febbo, M; Machado, S P; Ramirez, J M; Gatti, C D

2016-01-01

This paper presents a rotary power scavenging unit comprised of two systems of flexible beams connected by two masses which are joined by means of a spring, considering a PZT (QP16N, Midé Corporation) piezoelectric sheet mounted on one of the beams. The energy harvesting (EH) system is mounted rigidly on a rotating hub. The gravitational force on the masses causes sustained oscillatory motion in the flexible beams as long as there is rotary motion. The intention is to use the EH system in the wireless autonomous monitoring of wind turbines under different wind conditions. Specifically, the development is oriented to monitor the dynamic state of the blades of a wind generator of 30 KW which rotates between 50 and 150 rpm. The paper shows a complete set of experimental results on three devices, modifying the amount of beams in the frame supporting the system. The results show an acceptable sustained voltage generation for the expected range, in the three proposed cases. Therefore, it is possible to use this system for generating energy in a low-frequency rotating environment. As an alternative, the system can be easily adapted to include an array of piezoelectric sheets to each of the beams, to provide more power generation. (paper)

A 3-DOF haptic master device for minimally invasive surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Phuong-Bac; Oh, Jong-Seok; Choi, Seung-Bok

2012-04-01

This paper introduces a novel 3-DOF haptic master device for minimally invasive surgery featuring magneto-rheological (MR) fluid. It consists of three rotational motions. These motions are constituted by two bi-directional MR (BMR) plus one conventional MR brakes. The BMR brake used in the system possesses a salient advantage that its range of braking torque varies from negative to positive values. Therefore, the device is expected to be able sense in a wide environment from very soft tissues to bones. In this paper, overall of the design of the device is presented from idea, modeling, optimal design, manufacturing to control of the device. Moreover, experimental investigation is undertaken to validate the effectiveness of the device.

Atomic-phase interference devices based on ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensates: Two-ring case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, B.P.; Dholakia, K.; Wright, E.M.

2003-01-01

We theoretically investigate the ground-state properties and quantum dynamics of a pair of adjacent ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensates that are coupled via tunneling. This device, which is the analog of a symmetric superconducting quantum interference device, is the simplest version of what we term an atomic-phase interference device (APHID). The two-ring APHID is shown to be sensitive to rotation

Design and testing of a MRF rotational damper for vehicle applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giorgetti, A; Baldanzini, N; Citti, P; Biasiotto, M

2010-01-01

Adaptive dampers are an interesting solution for conjugating the necessity of controllable devices and low power consumption. Magneto-rheological fluids (MRF) can be profitably employed in adaptive dampers because of the significant variation of fluid parameters with magnetic field properties. This paper focuses on the design process of an innovative rotational MR damper specifically created to be placed in the front-wheel suspension of a compact car. The advantages of the rotational damper and the definition of the optimal design are described. The proposed damper significantly reduces several key problems associated with MR devices: the quantity of fluid required, the sedimentation of ferromagnetic particles in the suspension and the abrasion of the seals. In fact, with this solution, low average working pressure, low flow velocity through valves, a wide range of variable damping characteristics, and high durability of the damper can be achieved. Thanks to this innovative component, different new architectures for adaptive suspension systems can be developed to have a planar distribution of the suspension components with a consequent space optimization and size reduction in the vertical direction

A Novel DOA Estimation Algorithm Using Array Rotation Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyu Lan

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The performance of traditional direction of arrival (DOA estimation algorithm based on uniform circular array (UCA is constrained by the array aperture. Furthermore, the array requires more antenna elements than targets, which will increase the size and weight of the device and cause higher energy loss. In order to solve these issues, a novel low energy algorithm utilizing array base-line rotation for multiple targets estimation is proposed. By rotating two elements and setting a fixed time delay, even the number of elements is selected to form a virtual UCA. Then, the received data of signals will be sampled at multiple positions, which improves the array elements utilization greatly. 2D-DOA estimation of the rotation array is accomplished via multiple signal classification (MUSIC algorithms. Finally, the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB is derived and simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm with high resolution and estimation accuracy performance. Besides, because of the significant reduction of array elements number, the array antennas system is much simpler and less complex than traditional array.

Effects of Rotational Motion in Robotic Needle Insertion

Science.gov (United States)

Ramezanpour, H.; Yousefi, H.; Rezaei, M.; Rostami, M.

2015-01-01

Background Robotic needle insertion in biological tissues has been known as one the most applicable procedures in sampling, robotic injection and different medical therapies and operations. Objective In this paper, we would like to investigate the effects of angular velocity in soft tissue insertion procedure by considering force-displacement diagram. Non-homogenous camel liver can be exploited as a tissue sample under standard compression test with Zwick/Roell device employing 1-D axial load-cell. Methods Effects of rotational motion were studied by running needle insertion experiments in 5, 50 and 200 mm/min in two types of with or without rotational velocity of 50, 150 and 300 rpm. On further steps with deeper penetrations, friction force of the insertion procedure in needle shaft was acquired by a definite thickness of the tissue. Results Designed mechanism of fixture for providing different frequencies of rotational motion is available in this work. Results for comparison of different force graphs were also provided. Conclusion Derived force-displacement graphs showed a significant difference between two procedures; however, tissue bleeding and disorganized micro-structure would be among unavoidable results. PMID:26688800

Computed tomography in endocrine orbitopathy: Effects of different gantry tilt and patient positioning on measurements of eye muscle thickness, and possibilities for correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markl, A.; Hilbertz, T.; Mayr, B.; Lissner, J.; Pickardt, C.R.

1986-01-01

Thickening of eye muscles in endocrine orbitopathy can be demonstrated particularly impressively in coronary computed tomograms. However, when measuring the height and width of rectus eye muscles manifesting pathologic changes, the measurement is increased by a deviation from the coronary section plane; this is due to different tilting of the gantry. This often leads to an incorrect stage classification and makes objective observation of the course (e.g., under therapy) impossible. By converting the measured values into the actual extent of the muscles by means of the cosine set, appreciable changes in the pattern and frequency of affection of the rectus eye muscles were found in 121 patients examined. (orig.) [de

Optimisation of multi-layer rotationally moulded foamed structures

Science.gov (United States)

Pritchard, A. J.; McCourt, M. P.; Kearns, M. P.; Martin, P. J.; Cunningham, E.

2018-05-01

Multi-layer skin-foam and skin-foam-skin sandwich constructions are of increasing interest in the rotational moulding process for two reasons. Firstly, multi-layer constructions can improve the thermal insulation properties of a part. Secondly, foamed polyethylene sandwiched between solid polyethylene skins can increase the mechanical properties of rotationally moulded structural components, in particular increasing flexural properties and impact strength (IS). The processing of multiple layers of polyethylene and polyethylene foam presents unique challenges such as the control of chemical blowing agent decomposition temperature, and the optimisation of cooling rates to prevent destruction of the foam core; therefore, precise temperature control is paramount to success. Long cooling cycle times are associated with the creation of multi-layer foam parts due to their insulative nature; consequently, often making the costs of production prohibitive. Devices such as Rotocooler®, a rapid internal mould water spray cooling system, have been shown to have the potential to significantly decrease cooling times in rotational moulding. It is essential to monitor and control such devices to minimise the warpage associated with the rapid cooling of a moulding from only one side. The work presented here demonstrates the use of threaded thermocouples to monitor the polymer melt in multi-layer sandwich constructions, in order to analyse the cooling cycle of multi-layer foamed structures. A series of polyethylene skin-foam test mouldings were produced, and the effect of cooling medium on foam characteristics, mechanical properties, and process cycle time were investigated. Cooling cycle time reductions of 45%, 26%, and 29% were found for increasing (1%, 2%, and 3%) chemical blowing agent (CBA) amount when using internal water cooling technology from ˜123°C compared with forced air cooling (FAC). Subsequently, a reduction of IS for the same skin-foam parts was found to be 1%, 4

A Study of Charge-Exchange Neutrals from a Rotating Plasma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, L. W.; Sillesen, Alfred Hegaard

1980-01-01

Measurements of charge-exchange neutrals leaving a rotating plasma (a puffatron device) are reported. Neutrals are observed only during the breakdown phase (2-3 mu s) indicating that the created plasma is fully ionized. Several energy spectra of the neutrals for different plasma parameters are ob....... Neutral particle measurements at different distances from the puffatron midplane show ionization velocities parallel with the magnetic field of about 2*104 ms-1 and plasma expansion velocities of about 5-6*104 ms-1 corresponding to an electron temperature of about 25 eV.......Measurements of charge-exchange neutrals leaving a rotating plasma (a puffatron device) are reported. Neutrals are observed only during the breakdown phase (2-3 mu s) indicating that the created plasma is fully ionized. Several energy spectra of the neutrals for different plasma parameters...... are obtained. These spectra are grossly explained using a single-particle orbit model of the plasma ions. Assuming a Maxwellian distribution for the spread in the ion Larmor energy for the central part of the measured energy spectra, it is possible to determine the ion energy during the breakdown phase...

A method, device and application for the dynamic balancing of a rotating component

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voinis, P.

1995-01-01

The dynamic balancing method is based on the detection of the vibrations generated by an unbalance; two satellites are then displaced in order to create a counter-unbalance and their position is measured. Their position is then adjusted so as the unbalance and counter-unbalance phases and intensities differences are inferior to predetermined reference values in order to balance dynamically the rotating component. Application to superpower turbogenerator shafting systems. 4 fig

Manual input device for controlling a robot arm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, P.J.; Siva, K.V.

1990-01-01

A six-axis input device, eg joystick, is supported by a mechanism which enables the joystick to be aligned with any desired orientation, eg parallel to the tool. The mechanism can then be locked to provide a rigid support of the joystick. The mechanism may include three pivotal joints whose axes are perpendicular, each incorporating a clutch. The clutches may be electromagnetic or mechanical and may be operable jointly or independently. The robot arm comprises a base rotatable about a vertical axis, an upper arm, a forearm and a tool or grip rotatable about three perpendicular axes relative to the forearm. (author)

Liquid wastes concentrating and solidifying device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamiyoshi, Hideki; Ninokata, Yoshihide.

1985-01-01

Purpose: To provide a device for concentrating to solidify radioactive liquid wastes at large solidifying speed and with high decontaminating coefficient, without requirement for automatic control. Constitution: An asphalt solidifying device is disposed below a centrifugal thin film drier, and powder resulted from the drier is directly solidified with asphalt by utilizing the rotation of the drier for the mixing operation in the asphalt vessel. If abnormality should occur in the operation of the drier, resulting liquid wastes can be received and solidified in the asphalt vessel. The liquid wastes are heated to dry in a vessel main body having the heating surface at the circumferential surface. The vessel main body provided with a nozzle for supplying liquid to be treated disposed slantwise at the upper portion of the heating face, scrapers which rotate and slidingly contact the heating face and nozzles which jet out chemicals to the heating face behind the scrapers. Below the vessel main body, are disposed a funnel-like hopper for receiving falling scales, rotary vanes, and the likes by which the scales are introduced into the asphalt solidifying vessel. (Moriyama, K.)

Experimental and numerical studies of rotating drum grate furnace

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Basista Grzegorz

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Waste material from the meat industry can be taken into account as a biofuel. Studies confirm, that calorific value is higher and ash content is lower comparing to some conventional fuels. EU directives regulate details of thermal disposal of the waste material from the meat industry - especially in range of the process temperature and time of the particle presence in area of the combustion zone. The paper describes design of the rotating drum grate stove, dedicated to thermal disposal of the meat wastes as well as solid biomass (pellet, small bricket, wood chips combustion. Device has been developed in frames of cooperation between AGH University of Science and Technology (Krakow, Poland and producer focused on technologies of energy utilization of biomass in distributed generation. Results of measurements of selected operational parameters performed during startup of the furnace have been presented and discussed. Furthermore, numerical model of the combustion process has been developed to complement experimental results in range of the temperature and oxygen distribution in the area of the combustion chamber. ANSYS CFX solver has been applied to perform simulations including rotational domain related with specifics of operation of the device. Results of numerical modelling and experimental studies have been summarized and compared.

Improved scintimammography using a high-resolution camera mounted on an upright mammography gantry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Itti, Emmanuel; Patt, Bradley E.; Diggles, Linda E.; MacDonald, Lawrence; Iwanczyk, Jan S.; Mishkin, Fred S.; Khalkhali, Iraj E-mail: nephrad@aol.com

2003-01-21

{sup 99m}Tc-sestamibi scintimammography (SMM) is a useful adjunct to conventional X-ray mammography (XMM) for the assessment of breast cancer. An increasing number of studies has emphasized fair sensitivity values for the detection of tumors >1 cm, compared to XMM, particularly in situations where high glandular breast densities make mammographic interpretation difficult. In addition, SMM has demonstrated high specificity for cancer, compared to various functional and anatomic imaging modalities. However, large field-of-view (FOV) gamma cameras are difficult to position close to the breasts, which decreases spatial resolution and subsequently, the sensitivity of detection for tumors <1 cm. New dedicated detectors featuring small FOV and increased spatial resolution have recently been developed. In this setting, improvement in tumor detection sensitivity, particularly with regard to small cancers is expected. At Division of Nuclear Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, we have performed over 2000 SMM within the last 9 years. We have recently used a dedicated breast camera (LumaGEM) featuring a 12.8x12.8 cm{sup 2} FOV and an array of 2x2x6 mm{sup 3} discrete crystals coupled to a photon-sensitive photomultiplier tube readout. This camera is mounted on a mammography gantry allowing upright imaging, medial positioning and use of breast compression. Preliminary data indicates significant enhancement of spatial resolution by comparison with standard imaging in the first 10 patients. Larger series will be needed to conclude on sensitivity/specificity issues.

Noncontacting device to indicate deflection of turbopump internal rotating parts

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, D. B.; Grieser, D. R.; Plummer, A. M.; Ensminger, D.; Saccacio, E. J.

1972-01-01

Phase 2 (development) which was concluded for the ultrasonic Doppler device and the light-pipe-reflectance device is reported. An ultrasonic Doppler breadboard system was assembled which accurately measured runout in the J-2 LOX pump impeller during operation. The transducer was mounted on the outside of the pump volute using a C-clamp. Vibration was measured by conducting the ultrasonic wave through the volute housing and through the fluid in the volute to the impeller surface. The impeller vibration was also measured accurately using the light-pipe probe mounted in an elastomeric-gland fitting in the pump case. A special epoxy resin developed for cryogenic applications was forced into the end of the fiber-optic probe to retain the fibers. Subsequently, the probe suffered no damage after simultaneous exposure to 2150 psi and 77 F. Preliminary flash X-radiographs were taken of the turbine wheel and the shaft-bearing-seal assembly, using a 2-megavolt X-ray unit. Reasonable resolution and contrast was obtained. A fast-neutron detector was fabricated and sensitivity was measured. The results demonstrated that the technique is feasible for integrated-time measurements requiring, perhaps, 240 revolutions to obtain sufficient exposure at 35,000 rpm. The experimental verification plans are included.

A paper-polymer centrifugal device for low-cost sample pre-concentration and colorimetric lateral flow assay enhancement

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wiederoder, MS

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This study describes a novel hybrid paper-polymer centrifugal microfluidic device for pre-concentration of E.coli and lateral flow immunoassay enhancement for water quality verification. The device balances rotational centrifugal force...

HINT computation of LHD equilibrium with zero rotational transform surface