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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.

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At least 811 records · Page 45
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

ABSORPTION MEASURE DISTRIBUTION IN Mrk 509

In this paper we model the observed absorption measure distribution (AMD) in Mrk 509, which spans three orders of magnitude in ionization level with a single-zone absorber in pressure equilibrium. AMD is usually constructed from observations of narrow absorption lines in radio-quiet active galaxies with warm absorbers. We study the properties of the warm absorber in Mrk 509 using recently published broadband spectral energy distribution observed with different instruments. This spectrum is an input in radiative transfer computations with full photoionization treatment using the titan code. We show that the simplest way to fully reproduce the shape of AMD is to assume that the warm absorber is a single zone under constant total pressure. With this assumption, we found theoretical AMD that matches the observed AMD determined on the basis of the 600 ks reflection grating spectrometer XMM-Newton spectrum of Mrk 509. The softness of the source spectrum and the important role of the free–free emission breaks the usual degeneracy in the ionization state calculations, and the explicit dependence of the depths of AMD dips on density open a new path to the density diagnostic for the warm absorber. In Mrk 509, the implied density is of the order of 10{sup 8} cm{sup −3}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Parallel transport studies of high-Z impurities in the core of Alcator C-Mod plasmas

Measurements of poloidal variation, ñ{sub z}/ , in high-Z impurity density have been made using photodiode arrays sensitive to vacuum ultraviolet and soft x-ray emission in Alcator C-Mod plasmas. In/out asymmetries in the range of −0.2 <0.3 are observed for r/a<0.8, and accumulation on both the high-field side, n{sub z,cos}<0, and low-field side, n{sub z,cos}>0, of a flux surface is found to be well described by a combination of centrifugal, poloidal electric field, and ion-impurity friction effects. Up/down asymmetries, −0.05 <0.10, are observed over 0.5 0 corresponding to accumulation opposite the ion ∇B drift direction. Measurements of the up/down asymmetry of molybdenum are found to disagree with predictions from recent neoclassical theory in the trace limit, n{sub z}Z{sup 2}/n{sub i}≪1. Non-trace levels of impurities are expected to modify the main-ion poloidal flow and thus change friction-driven impurity density asymmetries and impurity poloidal rotation, v{sub θ,z}. Artificially modifying main-ion flow in parallel transport simulations is shown to impact both ñ{sub z}/ and v{sub θ,z}, but simultaneous agreement between measured and predicted up/down and in/out asymmetry as well as impurity poloidal rotation is not possible for these C-Mod data. This link between poloidal flow and poloidal impurity density variation outlines a more stringent test for parallel neoclassical transport theory than has previously been performed. Measurement and computational techniques specific to the study of poloidal impurity asymmetry physics are discussed as well.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Operator bases, S-matrices, and their partition functions

Relativistic quantum systems that admit scattering experiments are quantitatively described by effective field theories, where S-matrix kinematics and symmetry considerations are encoded in the operator spectrum of the EFT. Here in this paper we use the S-matrix to derive the structure of the EFT operator basis, providing complementary descriptions in (i) position space utilizing the conformal algebra and cohomology and (ii) momentum space via an algebraic formulation in terms of a ring of momenta with kinematics implemented as an ideal. These frameworks systematically handle redundancies associated with equations of motion (on-shell) and integration by parts (momentum conservation). We introduce a partition function, termed the Hilbert series, to enumerate the operator basis — correspondingly, the S-matrix — and derive a matrix integral expression to compute the Hilbert series. The expression is general, easily applied in any spacetime dimension, with arbitrary field content and (linearly realized) symmetries. In addition to counting, we discuss construction of the basis. Simple algorithms follow from the algebraic formulation in momentum space. We explicitly compute the basis for operators involving up to n = 5 scalar fields. This construction universally applies to fields with spin, since the operator basis for scalars encodes the momentum dependence of n-point amplitudes. We discuss in detail the operator basis for non-linearly realized symmetries. In the presence of massless particles, there is freedom to impose additional structure on the S- matrix in the form of soft limits. The most naÏve implementation for massless scalars leads to the operator basis for pions, which we confirm using the standard CCWZ formulation for non-linear realizations. Finally, although primarily discussed in the language of EFT, some of our results — conceptual and quantitative — may be of broader use in studying conformal field theories as well as the AdS/CFT correspondence.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

TH-A-BRF-01: A Probabilistic Bayesian Approach to Derive Electron Density From MRI for Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning

Purpose: MRI significantly improves the accuracy and reliability of target delineation for patient simulation and treatment planning in radiation therapy, due to its superior soft tissue contrast as compared to CT. An MRI based simulation will reduce cost and simplify clinical workflow with zero ionizing radiation. However, MRI lacks the key electron density information. The purpose of this work is to develop a reliable method to derive electron density from MRI. Methods: We adopt a probabilistic Bayesian approach for electron density mapping based on T1-weighted head MRI. For each voxel, we compute conditional probability of electron densities given its: (1) T1 intensity and (2) geometry in a reference anatomy, obtained by deformable image registration between the MRI of test patient and atlas. Intensity and geometry information are combined into a unifying posterior probability density function whose mean gives the electron density. Mean absolute HU error between the estimated and true CT, as well as ROC's for bone detection (HU>200) were calculated for 8 patients. The performance was compared with a global intensity approach based on T1 and no density correction (set whole head to water). Results: The proposed technique significantly reduced the errors in electron density estimation, with a mean absolute HU error of 132, compared with 139 for deformable registration (p=10{sup −3}), 371 for the intensity approach (p=10{sup −5}) and 282 without density correction (p=2×10{sup −4}). For 90% sensitivity in bone detection, the proposed method had a specificity of 85% and that for deformable registration, intensity and without density correction are 80%, 24% and 10% respectively. Conclusion: The proposed unifying method provides accurate electron density estimation and bone detection from MRI of the head with highly heterogeneous regions. This paves the way for accurate dose calculation and generating reference images for patient setup in MRI-based treatment planning.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Leveraging Nitrogen Linkages in the Formation of a Porous Thorium–Organic Nanotube Suitable for Iodine Capture

We report the synthesis, characterization, and iodine capture application of a novel thorium–organic nanotube, TSN-626, [Th 6 O 4 (OH) 4 (C 6 H 4 NO 2 ) 7 (CHO 2 ) 5 (H 2 O) 3 ]·3H 2 O. The classification as a metal–organic nanotube (MONT) distinguishes it as a rare and reduced dimensionality subset of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs); the structure is additionally hallmarked by low node connectivity. TSN-626 is composed of hexameric thorium secondary building units and mixed O/N-donor isonicotinate ligands that demonstrate selective ditopicity, yielding both terminating and bridging moieties. Because hard Lewis acid tetravalent metals have a propensity to bind with electron donors of rival hardness (e.g., carboxylate groups), such Th–N coordination in a MOF is uncommon. However, the formation of key structural Th–N bonds in TSN-626 cap some of the square antiprismatic metal centers, a position usually occupied by terminal water ligands. TSN-626 was characterized by using complementary analytical and computational techniques: X-ray diffraction, vibrational spectroscopy, N 2 physisorption isotherms, and density functional theory. TSN-626 satisfies design aspects for the chemisorption of iodine. The synergy between accessibility through pores, vacancies at the metal–oxo nodes, and pendent N-donor sites allowed a saturated iodine loading of 955 mg g –1 by vapor methods. Furthermore, the crystallization of TSN-626 diversifies actinide–MOF linker selection to include soft electron donors, and these Th–N linkages can be leveraged for the investigation of metal-to-ligand bonding and unconventional topological expressions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Synthesis and Computational Analysis of Uranium(III)-Pnictogen Bonds

In this report, we describe the synthesis and characterization of two novel complexes that contain uranium(III)-pnictogen (P: 1-PMes 2 ; As: 1-AsMes 2 ) bonds to elucidate the degrees of covalency among these bonds. To our knowledge, this is the first reported uranium(III)-arsenic complex to be synthesized and characterized. Analysis of the phosphorus and arsenic bonds reveals a similar electronic environment, assessed by UV–vis NIR, that is comparable to other previously reported uranium(III) complexes. A computational analysis of these compounds and their congeners, N, Sb, and Bi, was performed to identify trends in the overall bonding character of the complexes. This analysis shows that bond covalency decreases as the pnictogen becomes heavier and that overall the interaction energy and its components decrease down the group. Here, this study provides an in-depth analysis and understanding of the nature of bonding between hard actinide and soft pnictogen centers.

Actinides↗
DOE OSTI2012

A note on the consistency condition of primordial fluctuations

We show that the squeezed limit of (N+1)-point functions of primordial correlation functions in which one of the modes has a very small wavenumber can be inferred from the spatial variation of locally measured N-point function. We then show how in single clock inflation a long wavelength perturbation can be re-absorbed in the background cosmology and how in computing correlation functions the integrals of the interaction Hamiltonian are dominated by conformal times of order of the short wavelength modes, when the long mode is already outside of the horizon. This allows us to generalize the consistency condition for N-point functions to the case in which the short wavelength fluctuations are inside the horizon and derivatives acts on them. We further discuss the consistency condition in the soft internal squeezed limit in which in an (N+M)-point function with (N+M) short modes the sum of the first N modes is a very soft momentum. These results are very useful to study infrared effects in Inflation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Combined FEM/MoM/GTD Technique To Analyze Elliptically Polarized Cavity-Backed Antennas With Finite Ground Plane

Radiation pattern prediction analysis of elliptically polarized cavity-backed aperture antennas in a finite ground plane is performed using a combined Finite Element Method/Method of Moments/Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (FEM/MoM/GTD) technique. The magnetic current on the cavity-backed aperture in an infinite ground plane is calculated using the combined FEM/MoM analysis. GTD, including the slope diffraction contribution, is used to calculate the diffracted fields caused by both soft and hard polarizations at the edges of the finite ground plane. Explicit expressions for regular diffraction coefficients and slope diffraction coefficients are presented. The slope of the incident magnetic field at the diffraction points is derived and analytical expressions are presented. Numerical results for the radiation patterns of a cavity-backed circular spiral microstrip patch antenna excited by a coaxial probe in a finite rectangular ground plane are computed and compared with experimental results.

Reddy, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Scaling and Single Event Effects (SEE) Sensitivity

This paper begins by discussing the potential for scaling down transistors and other components to fit more of them on chips in order to increasing computer processing speed. It also addresses technical challenges to further scaling. Components have been scaled down enough to allow single particles to have an effect, known as a Single Event Effect (SEE). This paper explores the relationship between scaling and the following SEEs: Single Event Upsets (SEU) on DRAMs and SRAMs, Latch-up, Snap-back, Single Event Burnout (SEB), Single Event Gate Rupture (SEGR), and Ion-induced soft breakdown (SBD).

Oldham, Timothy R.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Influence of a Heterocyclic Nitrogen-Donor Group on the Coordination of Trivalent Actinides and Lanthanides by Aminopolycarboxylate Complexants

Here, the novel metal chelator – N -2-pyridylmethyl-diethylenetriamine- N,N',N'',N'' -tetraacetic acid, DTTA-PyM – was designed to replace a single O-donor acetate group of the well-known aminopolycarboxylate complexant diethylenetriamine- N,N,N',N'',N'' -pentaacetic acid (DTPA) with an N-donor 2-pyridylmethyl. Potentiometric, spectroscopic, computational, and radioisotope distribution methods show distinct differences for the 4f and 5f coordination environments and enhanced actinide binding due to the nitrogen bearing heterocyclic moiety. The Am 3+ , Cm 3+ , Ln 3+ complexation studies for DTTA-PyM reveal an enhanced preference, relative to DTPA, for trivalent actinide binding. Fluorescence studies indicate no changes to the octadentate coordination of trivalent curium, while evidence of heptadentate complexation of trivalent europium is found in mixtures containing EuHL (aq) complexes at the same aqueous acidity. The denticity change observed for Eu 3+ suggests that complex protonation occurs on the pyridyl nitrogen. Formation of the CmHL(aq) complex is likely due to the protonation of an available carboxylate group since the carbonyl oxygen can maintain octadentate coordination through a rotation. The observed suppressed protonation of the pyridyl nitrogen in the Cm complexes may be attributed to stronger trivalent actinide binding by DTTA-PyM. Density functional theory calculations indicate that added stabilization of the actinide complexes with DTTA-PyM may originate from p back-bonding interactions between singly occupied 5 f orbitals of Am 3+ and the pyridyl nitrogen. The differences between the stability of trivalent actinide chelates (Am 3+ , Cm 3+ ) and trivalent lanthanide chelates (La 3+ -Lu 3+ ) are observed in liquid-liquid extraction systems, yielding unprecedented 4 f /5 f differentiation when using DTTA-PyM as an aqueous holdback reagent. In addition, the enhanced N -donor softness of the new DTTA-PyM chelator was perturbed by adding a fluorine onto the pyridine group. The comparative characterization of N -(3-fluoro-2-pyridylmethyl)-diethylenetriamine- N,N',N'',N'' -tetraacetic acid, DTTA-3-F-PyM, showed subdued 4 f /5 f differentiation due to the presence of this electron-withdrawing group.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Micron-focused ion beamlets

A multiple beam electrode system (MBES) is used to provide focused ion beamlets of elements from a compact microwave plasma. In this study, a honeycomb patterned plasma electrode with micron size apertures for extracting ion beamlets is investigated. The performance of the MBES is evaluated with the help of two widely adopted and commercially available beam simulation tools, AXCEL-INP and SIMION, where the input parameters are obtained from our experiments. A simple theoretical model based upon electrostatic ray optics is employed to compare the results of the simulations. It is found that the results for the beam focal length agree reasonably well. Different geometries are used to optimize the beam spot size and a beam spot {approx}5-10 {mu}m is obtained. The multiple ion beamlets will be used to produce microfunctional surfaces on soft matter like polymers. Additionally, the experimental set-up and plans are presented in the light of above applications.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Quantitative comparison of noise texture across CT scanners from different manufacturers

Purpose: To quantitatively compare noise texture across computed tomography (CT) scanners from different manufacturers using the noise power spectrum (NPS). Methods: The American College of Radiology CT accreditation phantom (Gammex 464, Gammex, Inc., Middleton, WI) was imaged on two scanners: Discovery CT 750HD (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI), and SOMATOM Definition Flash (Siemens Healthcare, Germany), using a consistent acquisition protocol (120 kVp, 0.625/0.6 mm slice thickness, 250 mAs, and 22 cm field of view). Images were reconstructed using filtered backprojection and a wide selection of reconstruction kernels. For each image set, the 2D NPS were estimated from the uniform section of the phantom. The 2D spectra were normalized by their integral value, radially averaged, and filtered by the human visual response function. A systematic kernel-by-kernel comparison across manufacturers was performed by computing the root mean square difference (RMSD) and the peak frequency difference (PFD) between the NPS from different kernels. GE and Siemens kernels were compared and kernel pairs that minimized the RMSD and |PFD| were identified. Results: The RMSD (|PFD|) values between the NPS of GE and Siemens kernels varied from 0.01 mm{sup 2} (0.002 mm{sup -1}) to 0.29 mm{sup 2} (0.74 mm{sup -1}). The GE kernels 'Soft,''Standard,''Chest,' and 'Lung' closely matched the Siemens kernels 'B35f,''B43f,''B41f,' and 'B80f' (RMSD < 0.05 mm{sup 2}, |PFD| < 0.02 mm{sup -1}, respectively). The GE 'Bone,''Bone+,' and 'Edge' kernels all matched most closely with Siemens 'B75f' kernel but with sizeable RMSD and |PFD| values up to 0.18 mm{sup 2} and 0.41 mm{sup -1}, respectively. These sizeable RMSD and |PFD| values corresponded to visually perceivable differences in the noise texture of the images. Conclusions: It is possible to use the NPS to quantitatively compare noise texture across CT systems. The degree to which similar texture across scanners could be achieved varies and is limited by the kernels available on each scanner.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1974

Substorm injection boundaries

An improved magnetospheric electric field model is used to compute the initial locations of particles injected by several substorms. Trajectories are traced from the time of their encounter with the ATS-5 satellite backwards to the onset time given by ground-based magnetometers. A spiral shaped inner boundary of injection is found which is quite similar to that found by a statistical analysis. This injection boundary is shown to move in an energy dependent fashion which can explain the soft energy spectra observed at the inner edge of the electrons plasma sheet.

Mcilwain, C. E.↗
DOE OSTI2011

Validation for 2D/3D registration II: The comparison of intensity- and gradient-based merit functions using a new gold standard data set

Purpose: A new gold standard data set for validation of 2D/3D registration based on a porcine cadaver head with attached fiducial markers was presented in the first part of this article. The advantage of this new phantom is the large amount of soft tissue, which simulates realistic conditions for registration. This article tests the performance of intensity- and gradient-based algorithms for 2D/3D registration using the new phantom data set. Methods: Intensity-based methods with four merit functions, namely, cross correlation, rank correlation, correlation ratio, and mutual information (MI), and two gradient-based algorithms, the backprojection gradient-based (BGB) registration method and the reconstruction gradient-based (RGB) registration method, were compared. Four volumes consisting of CBCT with two fields of view, 64 slice multidetector CT, and magnetic resonance-T1 weighted images were registered to a pair of kV x-ray images and a pair of MV images. A standardized evaluation methodology was employed. Targets were evenly spread over the volumes and 250 starting positions of the 3D volumes with initial displacements of up to 25 mm from the gold standard position were calculated. After the registration, the displacement from the gold standard was retrieved and the root mean square (RMS), mean, and standard deviation mean target registration errors (mTREs) over 250 registrations were derived. Additionally, the following merit properties were computed: Accuracy, capture range, number of minima, risk of nonconvergence, and distinctiveness of optimum for better comparison of the robustness of each merit. Results: Among the merit functions used for the intensity-based method, MI reached the best accuracy with an RMS mTRE down to 1.30 mm. Furthermore, it was the only merit function that could accurately register the CT to the kV x rays with the presence of tissue deformation. As for the gradient-based methods, BGB and RGB methods achieved subvoxel accuracy (RMS mTRE down to 0.56 and 0.70 mm, respectively). Overall, gradient-based similarity measures were found to be substantially more accurate than intensity-based methods and could cope with soft tissue deformation and enabled also accurate registrations of the MR-T1 volume to the kV x-ray image. Conclusions: In this article, the authors demonstrate the usefulness of a new phantom image data set for the evaluation of 2D/3D registration methods, which featured soft tissue deformation. The author's evaluation shows that gradient-based methods are more accurate than intensity-based methods, especially when soft tissue deformation is present. However, the current nonoptimized implementations make them prohibitively slow for practical applications. On the other hand, the speed of the intensity-based method renders these more suitable for clinical use, while the accuracy is still competitive.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Helicity methods for high multiplicity subleading soft and collinear limits

The factorization of multi-leg gauge theory amplitudes in the soft and collinear limits provides strong constraints on the structure of amplitudes, and enables efficient calculations of multi-jet observables at the LHC. There is significant interest in extending this understanding to include subleading powers in the soft and collinear limits. While this has been achieved for low point amplitudes, for higher point functions there is a proliferation of variables and more complicated phase space, making the analysis more challenging. By combining the subleading power expansion of spinor-helicity variables in collinear limits with consistency relations derived from the soft collinear effective theory, we show how to efficiently extract the subleading power leading logarithms of N-jet event shape observables directly from known spinor-helicity amplitudes. At subleading power, we observe the presence of power law singularities arising solely from the expansion of the amplitudes, which for hadron collider event shapes lead to the presence of derivatives of parton distributions. The techniques introduced here can be used to efficiently compute the power corrections for N-jettiness subtractions for processes involving jets at the LHC.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Response and representation of ductile damage under varying shock loading conditions in tantalum

The response of polycrystalline metals, which possess adequate mechanisms for plastic deformation under extreme loading conditions, is often accompanied by the formation of pores within the structure of the material. This large deformation process is broadly identified as progressive with nucleation, growth, coalescence, and failure the physical path taken over very short periods of time. These are well known to be complex processes strongly influenced by microstructure, loading path, and the loading profile, which remains a significant challenge to represent and predict numerically. In the current study, the influence of loading path on the damage evolution in high-purity tantalum is presented. Tantalum samples were shock loaded to three different peak shock stresses using both symmetric impact, and two different composite flyer plate configurations such that upon unloading the three samples displayed nearly identical “pull-back” signals as measured via rear-surface velocimetry. While the “pull-back” signals observed were found to be similar in magnitude, the sample loaded to the highest peak stress nucleated a connected field of ductile fracture which resulted in complete separation, while the two lower peak stresses resulted in incipient damage. The damage evolution in the “soft” recovered tantalum samples was quantified using optical metallography, electron-back-scatter diffraction, and tomography. These experiments are examined numerically through the use of a model for shock-induced porosity evolution during damage. The model is shown to describe the response of the tantalum reasonably well under strongly loaded conditions but less well in the nucleation dominated regime. As a result, numerical results are also presented as a function of computational mesh density and discussed in the context of improved representation of the influence of material structure upon macro-scale models of ductile damage.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Automatic tracking of arbitrarily shaped implanted markers in kilovoltage projection images: A feasibility study

Purpose: Certain types of commonly used fiducial markers take on irregular shapes upon implantation in soft tissue. This poses a challenge for methods that assume a predefined shape of markers when automatically tracking such markers in kilovoltage (kV) radiographs. The authors have developed a method of automatically tracking regularly and irregularly shaped markers using kV projection images and assessed its potential for detecting intrafractional target motion during rotational treatment. Methods: Template-based matching used a normalized cross-correlation with simplex minimization. Templates were created from computed tomography (CT) images for phantom studies and from end-expiration breath-hold planning CT for patient studies. The kV images were processed using a Sobel filter to enhance marker visibility. To correct for changes in intermarker relative positions between simulation and treatment that can introduce errors in automatic matching, marker offsets in three dimensions were manually determined from an approximately orthogonal pair of kV images. Two studies in anthropomorphic phantom were carried out, one using a gold cylindrical marker representing regular shape, another using a Visicoil marker representing irregular shape. Automatic matching of templates to cone beam CT (CBCT) projection images was performed to known marker positions in phantom. In patient data, automatic matching was compared to manual matching as an approximate ground truth. Positional discrepancy between automatic and manual matching of less than 2 mm was assumed as the criterion for successful tracking. Tracking success rates were examined in kV projection images from 22 CBCT scans of four pancreas, six gastroesophageal junction, and one lung cancer patients. Each patient had at least one irregularly shaped radiopaque marker implanted in or near the tumor. In addition, automatic tracking was tested in intrafraction kV images of three lung cancer patients with irregularly shaped markers during 11 volumetric modulated arc treatments. Purpose-built software developed at our institution was used to create marker templates and track the markers embedded in kV images. Results: Phantom studies showed mean ± standard deviation measurement uncertainty of automatic registration to be 0.14 ± 0.07 mm and 0.17 ± 0.08 mm for Visicoil and gold cylindrical markers, respectively. The mean success rate of automatic tracking with CBCT projections (11 frames per second, fps) of pancreas, gastroesophageal junction, and lung cancer patients was 100%, 99.1% (range 98%–100%), and 100%, respectively. With intrafraction images (approx. 0.2 fps) of lung cancer patients, the success rate was 98.2% (range 97%–100%), and 94.3% (range 93%–97%) using templates from 1.25 mm and 2.5 mm slice spacing CT scans, respectively. Correction of intermarker relative position was found to improve the success rate in two out of eight patients analyzed. Conclusions: The proposed method can track arbitrary marker shapes in kV images using templates generated from a breath-hold CT acquired at simulation. The studies indicate its feasibility for tracking tumor motion during rotational treatment. Investigation of the causes of misregistration suggests that its rate of incidence can be reduced with higher frequency of image acquisition, templates made from smaller CT slice spacing, and correction of changes in intermarker relative positions when they occur.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗