Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Data fitting”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 757 records · Page 42

WE-F-304-01: Overview of the Working Group On Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (WGSBRT)

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) was introduced clinically more than twenty years ago, and many subsequent publications have reported safety and efficacy data. The AAPM Working Group on Biological Effects of Hypofractionated Radiotherapy/SBRT (WGSBRT) extracted published treatment outcomes data from extensive literature searches to summarize and construct tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models for six anatomical regions: Cranial, Head and Neck, Thoracic, Abdominal, Pelvic, and Spinal. In this session, we present the WGSBRT’s work for cranial sites, and recurrent head and neck cancer. From literature-based data and associated models, guidelines to aid with safe and effective hypofractionated radiotherapy treatment are being determined. Further, the ability of existing and proposed radiobiological models to fit these data is considered as to the ability to distinguish between the linear-quadratic and alternative radiobiological models such as secondary cell death from vascular damage, immunogenic, or bystander effects. Where appropriate, specific model parameters are estimated. As described in “The lessons of QUANTEC,” (1), lack of adequate reporting standards continues to limit the amount of useful quantitative information that can be extracted from peer-reviewed publications. Recommendations regarding reporting standards are considered, to enable such reviews to achieve more complete characterization of clinical outcomes. 1 Jackson A, Marks LB, Bentzen SM, Eisbruch A, Yorke ED, Ten Haken RK, Constine LS, Deasy JO. The lessons of QUANTEC: recommendations for reporting and gathering data on dose-volume dependencies of treatment outcome. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2010 Mar 1;76(3 Suppl):S155–60. Learning Objectives: Describe the techniques, types of cancer and dose schedules used in treating recurrent H&N cancers with SBRT List the radiobiological models that compete with the linear-quadratic model in explaining the results of hypofractionated RT Describe the dose/volume metrics that are considered safe in SBRT treatment of tumors near the optic structures. Discuss the efficacy of hypofractionation and dosing schedules used in treating vestibular schwannomas Identify some difficulties in modeling TCP and NTCP for cranial tumors treated with hypofractionation. One moderator, Dr. Grimm, designed and holds intellectual property rights to the DVH Evaluator software tool which is an FDA-cleared product in commercial use, and can analyze some of this data. No others have relevant conflicts of interest.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

WE-F-304-02: Recurrent HNC Treated with SBRT: TCP-Based Outcome Estimates

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) was introduced clinically more than twenty years ago, and many subsequent publications have reported safety and efficacy data. The AAPM Working Group on Biological Effects of Hypofractionated Radiotherapy/SBRT (WGSBRT) extracted published treatment outcomes data from extensive literature searches to summarize and construct tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models for six anatomical regions: Cranial, Head and Neck, Thoracic, Abdominal, Pelvic, and Spinal. In this session, we present the WGSBRT’s work for cranial sites, and recurrent head and neck cancer. From literature-based data and associated models, guidelines to aid with safe and effective hypofractionated radiotherapy treatment are being determined. Further, the ability of existing and proposed radiobiological models to fit these data is considered as to the ability to distinguish between the linear-quadratic and alternative radiobiological models such as secondary cell death from vascular damage, immunogenic, or bystander effects. Where appropriate, specific model parameters are estimated. As described in “The lessons of QUANTEC,” (1), lack of adequate reporting standards continues to limit the amount of useful quantitative information that can be extracted from peer-reviewed publications. Recommendations regarding reporting standards are considered, to enable such reviews to achieve more complete characterization of clinical outcomes. 1 Jackson A, Marks LB, Bentzen SM, Eisbruch A, Yorke ED, Ten Haken RK, Constine LS, Deasy JO. The lessons of QUANTEC: recommendations for reporting and gathering data on dose-volume dependencies of treatment outcome. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2010 Mar 1;76(3 Suppl):S155–60. Learning Objectives: Describe the techniques, types of cancer and dose schedules used in treating recurrent H&N cancers with SBRT List the radiobiological models that compete with the linear-quadratic model in explaining the results of hypofractionated RT Describe the dose/volume metrics that are considered safe in SBRT treatment of tumors near the optic structures. Discuss the efficacy of hypofractionation and dosing schedules used in treating vestibular schwannomas Identify some difficulties in modeling TCP and NTCP for cranial tumors treated with hypofractionation. One moderator, Dr. Grimm, designed and holds intellectual property rights to the DVH Evaluator software tool which is an FDA-cleared product in commercial use, and can analyze some of this data. No others have relevant conflicts of interest.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

WE-F-304-03: Optic Nerve/Chiasm Hypofractionated SRS/SRT Dose Tolerance

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) was introduced clinically more than twenty years ago, and many subsequent publications have reported safety and efficacy data. The AAPM Working Group on Biological Effects of Hypofractionated Radiotherapy/SBRT (WGSBRT) extracted published treatment outcomes data from extensive literature searches to summarize and construct tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models for six anatomical regions: Cranial, Head and Neck, Thoracic, Abdominal, Pelvic, and Spinal. In this session, we present the WGSBRT’s work for cranial sites, and recurrent head and neck cancer. From literature-based data and associated models, guidelines to aid with safe and effective hypofractionated radiotherapy treatment are being determined. Further, the ability of existing and proposed radiobiological models to fit these data is considered as to the ability to distinguish between the linear-quadratic and alternative radiobiological models such as secondary cell death from vascular damage, immunogenic, or bystander effects. Where appropriate, specific model parameters are estimated. As described in “The lessons of QUANTEC,” (1), lack of adequate reporting standards continues to limit the amount of useful quantitative information that can be extracted from peer-reviewed publications. Recommendations regarding reporting standards are considered, to enable such reviews to achieve more complete characterization of clinical outcomes. 1 Jackson A, Marks LB, Bentzen SM, Eisbruch A, Yorke ED, Ten Haken RK, Constine LS, Deasy JO. The lessons of QUANTEC: recommendations for reporting and gathering data on dose-volume dependencies of treatment outcome. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2010 Mar 1;76(3 Suppl):S155–60. Learning Objectives: Describe the techniques, types of cancer and dose schedules used in treating recurrent H&N cancers with SBRT List the radiobiological models that compete with the linear-quadratic model in explaining the results of hypofractionated RT Describe the dose/volume metrics that are considered safe in SBRT treatment of tumors near the optic structures. Discuss the efficacy of hypofractionation and dosing schedules used in treating vestibular schwannomas Identify some difficulties in modeling TCP and NTCP for cranial tumors treated with hypofractionation. One moderator, Dr. Grimm, designed and holds intellectual property rights to the DVH Evaluator software tool which is an FDA-cleared product in commercial use, and can analyze some of this data. No others have relevant conflicts of interest.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

WE-F-304-04: Radiosurgery for Vestibular Schwannomas: Tumor Control Probability Analyses and Recommended Reporting Standards

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) was introduced clinically more than twenty years ago, and many subsequent publications have reported safety and efficacy data. The AAPM Working Group on Biological Effects of Hypofractionated Radiotherapy/SBRT (WGSBRT) extracted published treatment outcomes data from extensive literature searches to summarize and construct tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models for six anatomical regions: Cranial, Head and Neck, Thoracic, Abdominal, Pelvic, and Spinal. In this session, we present the WGSBRT’s work for cranial sites, and recurrent head and neck cancer. From literature-based data and associated models, guidelines to aid with safe and effective hypofractionated radiotherapy treatment are being determined. Further, the ability of existing and proposed radiobiological models to fit these data is considered as to the ability to distinguish between the linear-quadratic and alternative radiobiological models such as secondary cell death from vascular damage, immunogenic, or bystander effects. Where appropriate, specific model parameters are estimated. As described in “The lessons of QUANTEC,” (1), lack of adequate reporting standards continues to limit the amount of useful quantitative information that can be extracted from peer-reviewed publications. Recommendations regarding reporting standards are considered, to enable such reviews to achieve more complete characterization of clinical outcomes. 1 Jackson A, Marks LB, Bentzen SM, Eisbruch A, Yorke ED, Ten Haken RK, Constine LS, Deasy JO. The lessons of QUANTEC: recommendations for reporting and gathering data on dose-volume dependencies of treatment outcome. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2010 Mar 1;76(3 Suppl):S155–60. Learning Objectives: Describe the techniques, types of cancer and dose schedules used in treating recurrent H&N cancers with SBRT List the radiobiological models that compete with the linear-quadratic model in explaining the results of hypofractionated RT Describe the dose/volume metrics that are considered safe in SBRT treatment of tumors near the optic structures. Discuss the efficacy of hypofractionation and dosing schedules used in treating vestibular schwannomas Identify some difficulties in modeling TCP and NTCP for cranial tumors treated with hypofractionation. One moderator, Dr. Grimm, designed and holds intellectual property rights to the DVH Evaluator software tool which is an FDA-cleared product in commercial use, and can analyze some of this data. No others have relevant conflicts of interest.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

The X-ray spectra of the Vela and Puppis supernova remnants and the shock-wave model of supernova remnants

The structure and spectrum of the Vela and Puppis supernova remnants (SNRs) were observed in soft (0.1 to 1.5 keV) X rays from a rocket. The spectral data of both objects below 1.5 keV are consistent with thermal radiation from a hot plasma and are not consistent with a simple power-law function. Fitting the data to a Tucker-Koren model results in values of T = (4.3 plus or minus 0.3) x 1,000,000 K for Vela and T = (7 plus or minus 1) x 1,000,000 K for Puppis. The present data, earlier data from the Cygnus Loop, and results on Cas A and Tycho reported by others are considered within the context of a simple model in which X rays are thermally produced as a result of a shock wave expanding into the interstellar medium. X-ray data on the temperature, intrinsic diameter, and intrinsic luminosity of the five SNRs are used to compute the age, energy release, and initial interstellar density for each one. From measurements of X-ray absorption along the line of sight, and also from shock-wave model interpretations of temperature-diameter-luminosity relations, it is concluded that the average density of interstellar material is about 0.1 per cu cm between the sun and the nearest X-ray emitting SNR, Vela.

Gorenstein, P.↗

A continued program of planetary study at the University of Texas McDonald Observatory

The beginning of eclipses of the Pluto-Charon system was detected. The onset of coma formation of P/Halley at 5.4 au was detected and evidence of sublimation at 4.8 au when CN emission was detected. Extensive spatial maps of the gas in the comae of comets Halley and Giacobini-Zinner were obtained in fall 1985. Halley was time variable, and Giacobini-Zinner was depleted in C2 and C3 relative to CN. Comet Kopff was shown to have a pre-perihelion brightness maximum of its gas, consistent with mantle development if the comet is a high obliquity object. New Haser model scale lengths for CN, C3, and C2 were determined using results from the Faint Comet Survey. Spectra of 12 asteroids in unusual orbits showed no evidence of any comet-like emission features. In particular, 3200 Phaethon (1983 TB) has no gas or dust coma, in spite of the similarity of its orbit with the Geminid meteor stream. Data were analyzed on Saturn's H2 and CH4 bands for the recent southern summer using a Tomasko-Doose type of haze distribution. This haze model fits the data moderately well, giving a CH4 mixing ratio of (4.2 + or 0.4)x003. Simple functions were found to approximate the collision-induced rotation-translation thermal opacity of H2.

Smith, H. J.↗

Quantitative determination of stratospheric aerosol characteristics

The author has identified the following significant results. The multiplicative scale factor needed to calibrate the recorded intensity is obtained by fitting the measured curve against a brightness model. The model was converted to the multispectral band scanner signal. Inversion of this measured signature is shown as the profile of attenuation coefficients versus altitude. Because of Gaussian noise, data were not measured directly. Data were fit with two exponential curves, one covering the lower altitude and the other covering the higher altitude. A twenty point curve was derived by selecting a data point and plotting its value from each of twenty adjacent scans. Noise from the lower altitudes was found to be erratic.

Tingey, D. L.↗

Kinetics of the reaction HO2 + NO2 + M yields HO2NO2 + M

The flash photolysis/ultraviolet absorption technique was used to measure the rate constants for the reaction HO2 + NO2 + M yields HO2NO2 + M over the pressure range 50-700 torr and temperature range 229-362 K using He, O2, and N2 as diluent gases. The data were fit to the expression derived by Troe (1979) and co-workers for describing the pressure and temperature dependence of reactions in the falloff region. By combining these data with recent measurements of the rate constant for HO2NO2 thermal decomposition values of 73.8 + or - 2 eu for the standard entropy and -12.6 + or - kcal/mol for the standard enthalpy of formation of HO2NO2 were obtained. A significant enhancement in the rate constant was observed when water vapor was added to the system.

Sander, S. P.↗

Progressive Aerodynamic Model Identification From Dynamic Water Tunnel Test of the F-16XL Aircraft

Development of a general aerodynamic model that is adequate for predicting the forces and moments in the nonlinear and unsteady portions of the flight envelope has not been accomplished to a satisfactory degree. Predicting aerodynamic response during arbitrary motion of an aircraft over the complete flight envelope requires further development of the mathematical model and the associated methods for ground-based testing in order to allow identification of the model. In this study, a general nonlinear unsteady aerodynamic model is presented, followed by a summary of a linear modeling methodology that includes test and identification methods, and then a progressive series of steps suggesting a roadmap to develop a general nonlinear methodology that defines modeling, testing, and identification methods. Initial steps of the general methodology were applied to static and oscillatory test data to identify rolling-moment coefficient. Static measurements uncovered complicated dependencies of the aerodynamic coefficient on angle of attack and sideslip in the stall region making it difficult to find a simple analytical expression for the measurement data. In order to assess the effect of sideslip on the damping and unsteady terms, oscillatory tests in roll were conducted at different values of an initial offset in sideslip. Candidate runs for analyses were selected where higher order harmonics were required for the model and where in-phase and out-of-phase components varied with frequency. From these results it was found that only data in the angle-of-attack range of 35 degrees to 37.5 degrees met these requirements. From the limited results it was observed that the identified models fit the data well and both the damping-in-roll and the unsteady term gain are decreasing with increasing sideslip and motion amplitude. Limited similarity between parameter values in the nonlinear model and the linear model suggest that identifiability of parameters in both terms may be a problem. However, the proposed methodology can still be used with careful experiment design and carefully selected values of angle of attack, sideslip, amplitude, and frequency of the oscillatory data.

Murphy, Patrick C.↗

Validation of the Pulmonary Function System for Use on the International Space Station

Aerobic deconditioning occurs during long duration space flight despite the use of exercise countermeasures (Convertino, 1996). As a part of International Space Station (ISS) medical operations, periodic tests designed to estimate aerobic capacity are performed to track changes in aerobic fitness and to determine the effectiveness of exercise countermeasures. These tests are performed prior to, during, and after missions of greater than 30 days in duration. Crewmembers selected for missions aboard the ISS perform a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer approximately 270 days prior to their scheduled launch date in order to measure peak oxygen consumption (VO2PK) and peak heart rate (HRpk). Approximately 30 to 45 days prior to launch, crewmembers perform a submaximal cycle ergometer test at work rates set to elicit 25, 50 and 75% of their pre-flight VO2PK. This test, known as the Periodic Fitness Evaluation (PFE), serves as a baseline measure to which subsequent in-and post-flight exercise tests are compared. While onboard the ISS, crewmembers are normally scheduled to perform the PFE beginning with flight day (FD) 14 and every 30 days thereafter. The PFE is also conducted 5 and 30 days following flight. Using PFE data, aerobic fitness is estimated by quantifying the VO2 vs. HR relationship using linear regression and calculating the VO2 that would occur at the crewmember s previously measured HRpk. Currently, for data collected during flight, this technique assumes that the pre- vs. in-flight oxygen consumption per given cycle workload is similar. However, the validity of this assumption is based upon a sparse amount of data collected during the Skylab era (Michel, et al. 1977). The method of using heart rate and cycle ergometer work rates has been used to estimate aerobic fitness in normal gravity (Astrand and Ryhming, 1954; Lee, 1993). Due to spaceflight induced physiological alterations, such as shifts in extracellular fluid (e.g. plasma) volume, this method may not be valid during space flight. In addition, the ergometer onboard ISS is vibration-isolated and moves with the astronaut s application of force into the pedals. The effect of this movement on the VO2 of cycle exercise on ISS has not been quantified.

McCleary, Frank A.↗

Planck intermediate results: XLVII. Planck constraints on reionization history

In this paper, we investigate constraints on cosmic reionization extracted from the Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. We combine the Planck CMB anisotropy data in temperature with the low-multipole polarization data to fit ΛCDM models with various parameterizations of the reionization history. We obtain a Thomson optical depth τ = 0.058 ± 0.012 for the commonly adopted instantaneous reionization model. This confirms, with data solely from CMB anisotropies, the low value suggested by combining Planck 2015 results with other data sets, and also reduces the uncertainties. We reconstruct the history of the ionization fraction using either a symmetric or an asymmetric model for the transition between the neutral and ionized phases. To determine better constraints on the duration of the reionization process, we also make use of measurements of the amplitude of the kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich (kSZ) effect using additional information from the high-resolution Atacama Cosmology Telescope and South Pole Telescope experiments. The average redshift at which reionization occurs is found to lie between z = 7.8 and 8.8, depending on the model of reionization adopted. Using kSZ constraints and a redshift-symmetric reionization model, we find an upper limit to the width of the reionization period of Δz < 2.8. In all cases, we find that the Universe is ionized at less than the 10% level at redshifts above z ≃ 10. This suggests that an early onset of reionization is strongly disfavoured by the Planck data. Finally, we show that this result also reduces the tension between CMB-based analyses and constraints from other astrophysical sources.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Linear growth of structure in massive bigravity

The ghost-free theory of massive gravity with two dynamical metrics has been shown to produce viable cosmological expansion, where the late-time acceleration of the Universe is due to the finite range of the gravitational interaction rather than a nonzero cosmological constant. Here the cosmological perturbations are studied in this theory. The full perturbation equations are presented in a general gauge and analyzed, focusing on subhorizon scales in the quasistatic limit during the matter-dominated era. An evolution equation for the matter inhomogeneities and the parameters quantifying the deviations from general relativistic structure formation are expressed in terms of five functions whose forms are determined directly by the coupling parameters in the theory. The evolution equation has a similar structure to Horndeski-type scalar-tensor theories, exhibiting a modified growth rate and scale-dependence at intermediate wavenumbers. Predictions of the theory are confronted with observational data on both background expansion and large-scale structure, although care must be taken to ensure a model is stable. It is found that while the stable models fit the data well, they feature deviations from the standard cosmology that could be detected or ruled out by near-future experiments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Precision Characterization of Gyrotron Window Materials

The response of dielectric material to electromagnetic waves in the millimeter wavelength range (30 to 300 GHz) has received relatively little study and the processes that give rise to absorption in this region are often poorly understood. Understanding the origin of absorption at these wavelengths has basic significance for solid state physics as well as importance for development of technology in this region of the RF spectrum. This project has provided high-quality data on the temperature dependence of the dielectric loss in high-purity, semi-insulating silicon carbide (HPSI SiC), a material that holds much promise for application, especially in devices that must operate in the high power and high frequency regime. Comparison of this experimental data with theoretical predictions for various loss processes provides convincing evidence that the loss in HPSI SiC arises almost entirely from intrinsic lattice loss (ILL) as described by Garin. Fitting the data to this model yields an accurate value for the Debye temperature that characterizes crystalline SiC. In addition, our results refute a previous study(2) which reported much higher loss, attributed to the presence of free charge. The quality of the data acquired in this project is clear evidence for the value of the experimental technique that was employed here. This technique combines the excitation of a high-quality open resonator by a phase-locked backward wave oscillator (BWO) with use of a spectrum analyzer to measure the change in the resonator response curve when the sample is inserted. This system has demonstrated consistent results for very challenging measurements and does not suffer from the artifacts that often arise when using other techniques that rely on thermal sources. The low absorption loss found in HPSI SiC, when combined with its other outstanding material properties, e.g. high thermal conductivity, high tensile strength, and high carrier mobility, should provide incentive for designers to utilize this material to solve the challenging problems that are encountered as devices are pushed to operate at higher frequencies and higher power levels. In particular, for the fusion energy program, it may provide an economical alternative to CVD diamond for certain gyrotron and beam line applications. In addition, the value obtained for the Debye temperature provides an important datum for modeling the crystalline structure of SiC. Clearly SiC is a unique material with few competitors and should see wider utilization.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Jovian H2 dayglow emission (1978-1989)

The IUE data set accumulated through 10 years of Jovian equatorial observations is used to measure the long-term temporal variation of the H2 dayglow emission. The model that best fits the data indicates a possible correlation between long-term solar activity and the Jovian H2 emission in the region 1500-1700 A between 1978 and 1989, which spans the decline in solar activity for solar cycle 21 and the rise in solar activity accompanying solar cycle 22. The magnitude of the observed variation is closer to that of the solar Ly-alpha flux than the 10.7 cm radio flux. Short-wavelength H2 band emission intensity is inconsistent with the amount of long-wavelength emission but may be reconciled if relatively low-energy excitation or fluorescence of solar radiation is invoked. No persistent longitudinal feature analogous to the H I Ly-alpha can be identified.

Mcgrath, M. A.↗

Oxalic Acid Adsorption on Rutile: Experiments and Surface Complexation Modeling to 150 °C

Here, we characterize oxalate adsorption by rutile in NaCl media (0.03 and 0.30 m) and between pH 3 and 10 over a wide temperature range which includes the near hydrothermal regime (10–150 °C). Oxalate adsorption increases with decreasing pH (as is typical for anion binding by metal oxides), but systematic trends with respect to ionic strength or temperature are absent. Surface complexation modeling (SCM) following the CD-MUSIC formalism, and as constrained by molecular modeling simulations and IR spectroscopic results from the literature, is used to interpret the adsorption data. The molecular modeling simulations, which include molecular dynamics simulations supported by free-energy and ab initio calculations, reveal that oxalate binding is outer-sphere, albeit via strong hydrogen bonds. Conversely, previous IR spectroscopic results conclude that various types of inner-sphere complexes often predominate. SCMs constrained by both the molecular modeling results and the IR spectroscopic data were developed, and both fit the adsorption data equally well. We conjecture that the discrepancy between the molecular simulation and IR spectroscopic results is due to the nature of the rutile surfaces investigated, that is, the perfect (110) crystal faces for the molecular simulations and various rutile powders for the IR spectroscopy studies. Although the (110) surface plane is most often dominant for rutile powders, a variety of steps, kinks, and other types of surface defects are also invariably present. Hence, we speculate that surface defect sites may be primarily responsible for inner-sphere oxalate adsorption, although further study is necessary to prove or disprove this hypothesis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Planck 2013 results. XI. All-sky model of thermal dust emission

This work introduces an all-sky model of dust emission from the Planck 353, 545, and 857 GHz, and IRAS 100 μm data. Using a modified blackbody fit to the data we present all-sky maps of the dust optical depth, temperature, and spectral index over the 353-3000 GHz range. This model is a good representation of the IRAS and Planck data at 5' between 353 and 3000 GHz (850 and 100 μm). It shows variations of the order of 30% compared with the widely-used model of Finkbeiner, Davis, and Schlegel. The Planck data allow us to estimate the dust temperature uniformly over the whole sky, down to an angular resolution of 5', providing an improved estimate of the dust optical depth compared to previous all-sky dust model, especially in high-contrast molecular regions where the dust temperature varies strongly at small scales in response to dust evolution, extinction, and/or local production of heating photons. An increase of the dust opacity at 353 GHz, τ 353 / N H , from the diffuse to the denser interstellar medium (ISM) is reported. It is associated with a decrease in the observed dust temperature, T obs , that could be due at least in part to the increased dust opacity. We also report an excess of dust emission at H I column densities lower than 10 20 cm -2 that could be the signature of dust in the warm ionized medium. In the diffuse ISM at high Galactic latitude, we report an anticorrelation between τ 353 / N H and T obs while the dust specific luminosity, i.e., the total dust emission integrated over frequency (the radiance) per hydrogen atom, stays about constant, confirming one of the Planck Early Results obtained on selected fields. This effect is compatible with the view that, in the diffuse ISM, T obs responds to spatial variations of the dust opacity, due to variations of dust properties, in addition to (small) variations of the radiation field strength. The indication is that in the diffuse high-latitude ISM τ 353 is not as reliable a tracer of dust column density as we conclude it is in molecular clouds where the correlation of τ 353 with dust extinction estimated using colour excess measurements on stars is strong. To estimate Galactic E(B-V) in extragalactic fields at high latitude we develop a new method based on the thermal dust radiance, instead of the dust optical depth, calibrated to E(B -V) using reddening measurements of quasars deduced from Sloan Digital Sky Survey data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Physics-Informed Neural Networks for Heat Transfer Problems

Abstract Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) have gained popularity across different engineering fields due to their effectiveness in solving realistic problems with noisy data and often partially missing physics. In PINNs, automatic differentiation is leveraged to evaluate differential operators without discretization errors, and a multitask learning problem is defined in order to simultaneously fit observed data while respecting the underlying governing laws of physics. Here, we present applications of PINNs to various prototype heat transfer problems, targeting in particular realistic conditions not readily tackled with traditional computational methods. To this end, we first consider forced and mixed convection with unknown thermal boundary conditions on the heated surfaces and aim to obtain the temperature and velocity fields everywhere in the domain, including the boundaries, given some sparse temperature measurements. We also consider the prototype Stefan problem for two-phase flow, aiming to infer the moving interface, the velocity and temperature fields everywhere as well as the different conductivities of a solid and a liquid phase, given a few temperature measurements inside the domain. Finally, we present some realistic industrial applications related to power electronics to highlight the practicality of PINNs as well as the effective use of neural networks in solving general heat transfer problems of industrial complexity. Taken together, the results presented herein demonstrate that PINNs not only can solve ill-posed problems, which are beyond the reach of traditional computational methods, but they can also bridge the gap between computational and experimental heat transfer.

Engineering↗

Radiation dose assessment in a 320-detector-row CT scanner used in cardiac imaging

Purpose: In the present era of cone-beam CT scanners, the use of the standardized CTDI{sub 100} as a surrogate of the idealized CTDI is strongly discouraged and, consequently, so should be the use of the dose-length product (DLP) as an estimate of the total energy imparted to the patient. However, the DLP is still widely used as a reference quantity to normalize the effective dose for a given scan protocol mainly because the CTDI{sub 100} is an easy-to-measure quantity. The aim of this article is therefore to describe a method for radiation dose assessment in large cone-beam single axial scans, which leads to a straightforward estimation of the total energy imparted to the patient. The authors developed a method accessible to all medical physicists and easy to implement in clinical practice in an attempt to update the bridge between CT dosimetry and the estimation of the effective dose. Methods: The authors used commercially available material and a simple mathematical model. The method described herein is based on the dosimetry paradigm introduced by the AAPM Task Group 111. It consists of measuring the dose profiles at the center and the periphery of a long body phantom with a commercial solid-state detector. A weighted dose profile is then calculated from these measurements. To calculate the CT dosimetric quantities analytically, a Gaussian function was fitted to the dose profile data. Furthermore, the Gaussian model has the power to condense the z-axis information of the dose profile in two parameters: The single-scan central dose, f(0), and the width of the profile, {sigma}. To check the energy dependence of the solid-state detector, the authors compared the dose profiles to measurements made with a small volume ion chamber. To validate the overall method, the authors compared the CTDI{sub 100} calculated analytically to the measurement made with a 100 mm pencil ion chamber. Results: For the central and weighted dose profiles, the authors found a good agreement between the measured dose profile data and the fitted Gaussian functions. The solid-state detector had no energy dependence--within the energy range of interest--and the analytical model succeeded in reproducing the absolute dose values obtained with the pencil ion chamber. For the case of large cone-beam single axial scans, the quantity that better characterizes the total energy imparted to the patient is the weighted dose profile integral (DPI{sub w}). The DPI{sub w} can be easily determined from the two parameters that define the Gaussian functions: f(0) and {sigma}. The authors found that the DLP underestimated the total energy imparted to the patient by more than 20%. The authors also found that the calculated CT dosimetric quantities were higher than those displayed on the scanner console. Conclusions: The authors described and validated a method to assess radiation dose in large cone-beam single axial scans. This method offers a simple and more accurate estimation of the total energy imparted to the patient, thus offering the possibility to update the bridge between CT dosimetry and the estimation of the effective dose for cone-beam CT examinations in radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗