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At least 973 records · Page 54

SU-F-19A-10: Recalculation and Reporting Clinical HDR 192-Ir Head and Neck Dose Distributions Using Model Based Dose Calculation

Purpose: To retrospectively re-calculate dose distributions for selected head and neck cancer patients, earlier treated with HDR 192Ir brachytherapy, using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and compare results to distributions from the planning system derived using TG43 formalism. To study differences between dose to medium (as obtained with the MC code) and dose to water in medium as obtained through (1) ratios of stopping powers and (2) ratios of mass energy absorption coefficients between water and medium. Methods: The MC code Algebra was used to calculate dose distributions according to earlier actual treatment plans using anonymized plan data and CT images in DICOM format. Ratios of stopping power and mass energy absorption coefficients for water with various media obtained from 192-Ir spectra were used in toggling between dose to water and dose to media. Results: Differences between initial planned TG43 dose distributions and the doses to media calculated by MC are insignificant in the target volume. Differences are moderate (within 4–5 % at distances of 3–4 cm) but increase with distance and are most notable in bone and at the patient surface. Differences between dose to water and dose to medium are within 1-2% when using mass energy absorption coefficients to toggle between the two quantities but increase to above 10% for bone using stopping power ratios. Conclusion: MC predicts target doses for head and neck cancer patients in close agreement with TG43. MC yields improved dose estimations outside the target where a larger fraction of dose is from scattered photons. It is important with awareness and a clear reporting of absorbed dose values in using model based algorithms. Differences in bone media can exceed 10% depending on how dose to water in medium is defined.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Backscatter dose effects for high atomic number materials being irradiated in the presence of a magnetic field: A Monte Carlo study for the MRI linac

Purpose: To quantify and explain the backscatter dose effects for clinically relevant high atomic number materials being irradiated in the presence of a 1.5 T transverse magnetic field. Methods: Interface effects were investigated using Monte Carlo simulation techniques. We used GPUMCD (v5.1) and GEANT4 (v10.1) for this purpose. GPUMCD is a commercial software written for the Elekta AB, MRI linac. Dose was scored using GPUMCD in cubic voxels of side 1 and 0.5 mm, in two different virtual phantoms of dimensions 20 × 20 × 20 cm and 5 × 5 × 13.3 cm, respectively. A photon beam was generated from a point 143.5 cm away from the isocenter with energy distribution sampled from a histogram representing the true Elekta, MRI linac photon spectrum. A slab of variable thickness and position containing either bone, aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, or one of the two different dental filling materials was inserted as an inhomogeneity in the 20 × 20 × 20 cm phantom. The 5 × 5 × 13.3 cm phantom was used as a clinical test case in order to explain the dose perturbation effects for a head and neck cancer patient. The back scatter dose factor (BSDF) was defined as the ratio of the doses at a given depth with and without the presence of the inhomogeneity. Backscattered electron fluence was calculated at the inhomogeneity interface using GEANT4. A 1.5 T magnetic field was applied perpendicular to the direction of the beam in both phantoms, identical to the geometry in the Elekta MRI linac. Results: With the application of a 1.5 T magnetic field, all the BSDF’s were reduced by 12%–47%, compared to the no magnetic field case. The corresponding backscattered electron fluence at the interface was also reduced by 45%–64%. The reduction in the BSDF at the interface, due to the application of the magnetic field, is manifested in a different manner for each material. In the case of bone, the dose drops at the interface contrary to the expected increase when no magnetic field is applied. In the case of aluminum, the dose at the interface is the same with and without the presence of the aluminum. For all of the other materials the dose increases at the interface. Conclusions: The reduction in dose at the interface, in the presence of the magnetic field, is directly related to the reduction in backscattered electron fluence. This reduction occurs due to two different reasons. First, the electron spectrum hitting the interface is changed when the magnetic field is turned on, which results in changes in the electron scattering probability. Second, some electrons that have curved trajectories due to the presence of the magnetic field are absorbed by the higher density side of the interface and no longer contribute to the backscattered electron fluence.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-G-BRB-17: Dosimetric Evaluation of the Respiratory Interplay Effect During VMAT Delivery Using IPAGAT Polymer Gel Dosimeter

Purpose: To evaluate the dosimetric impact of the interplay effect between multileaf collimator (MLC) movement and tumor respiratory motion during delivery of volumetric modulate arc therapy (VMAT) by using customized polymer gel dosimeter. Methods: Polyacrylamide-based gel dosimeter contained magnesium chloride as a sensitizer (iPAGAT) was used in this study. An excellent gas barrier PAN (BAREX) techno bottle (φ8 cm, 650 mL) filled with iPAGAT was set to the QUASAR™ respiratory motion phantom, and was moved with motion amplitudes of 1 and 2 cm with a 4 second period during VMAT delivery by the Novalis Tx linear accelerator (Varian/BrainLAB). Two spherical tumors with a 2 cm diameter (GTV1 and GTV2) were defined, and ITV1 (GTV1+1 cm) and ITV2 (GTV2+2 cm) with expansion in the superior-inferior (S-I) direction were also defined with simulated respiratory motion. PTV margin was 2 mm around the ITV considering the setup uncertainty. Two single arc VMAT plans with 30 Gy at 3 Gy per fraction (GTV: D98>100%, PTV: D95=100%) were generated by the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system. Three-dimensional dose distribution in iPAGAT was read out by the Signa 1.5T MRI system (GE), and was evaluated by dose-volume histogram (DVH) using in-house developed software. Results: According to DVH analysis by iPAGAT, D98 of GTV1 and GTV2 were more than 100% of the prescribed dose. In contrast, D95 of PTV1 and PTV2 were about 85% and 65%, respectively. Furthermore, low-to-intermediate dose was widespread with motion amplitude of 2 cm. Conclusion: DVH analysis using iPAGAT polymer gel dosimeter was performed in this study. As a result, interplay effect was negligible, since dose coverage of GTV was sufficient during VMAT delivery with simulated respiratory motion. However, the dose reduction of PTV and the spread of low-to-intermediate dose compared to the planned dose require scrupulous attention for large tumor respiratory motion.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

rubblepy

This code can be used to generate a damage map based on the presence of rubble. Rubble is often detectable in images with submeter resolution, and can indicate damage to structures from high winds or earthquakes. The process_images.py script outputs a mask indicating the pixels in the original image where rubble was detected. The mask can be used in a geospatial software application like ArcMap to generate a damage map based on the rubble density. The rubble detection mask will contain some false positives which are usually more isolated than true rubble, so a density map will provide a more accurate indication of affected areas than the indivdidual rubble detections will.

Matzner, Shari↗

Multi-Energy Differential Evolution Reconstruction (MEnDER 1D) for Proton Deflectometry

This code is designed to reconstruct magnetic field deflections, and thus the path-integrated magnetic field, from sets of proton images at two distinct proton probe energies. A differential evolution (DE) algorithm is used to iteratively update a population of solution candidates of the magnetic deflections of the protons for reconstructing the input images, selecting improved candidates as they are discovered. This algorithm was written using MATLAB (R2019a) and makes use of the Image Processing and Parallel Processing Toolboxes.

Levesque, Joseph↗

FWP FEAA149: “Next Generation Environmental Barrier Coatings”

Environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) are required coatings for utilization of SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components in gas turbines, where the EBC represents the life-limiting factor for such components. EBC/CMC systems have shown success in aero-engine applications with increased turbine inlet temperatures and improved efficiencies, which are achieved through higher temperature stability, lower density, and decreased reliance on cooling air compared to traditional superalloys. While industrial gas turbines (IGTs) do not currently utilize SiC/SiC CMCs, the current shift towards low-carbon or carbon-free fuel sources for power generation could result in a need for EBC/CMC components with higher temperature capabilities. In this work, three tasks were outlined to improve understanding of EBC lifetimes to encourage use in IGTs with carbon-free fuel such as hydrogen: 1. Define the bond coating oxidation kinetics and EBC failure criteria, 2. Measure thermal expansion coefficients of each layered material, and 3. Perform advanced characterization and modeling to assess EBC lifetimes. Cyclic steam oxidation tests were conducted on various EBC/Si/SiC chemistries and EBC/SiC architectures to define substrate oxidation kinetics and EBC failure modes. An open-source code was developed to quantify the undulating thermally grown oxide thickness with thousands of measurements from specimen cross-section images. Bond coating oxidation kinetics were determined and used to develop a kinetic and thermodynamic model for predicting EBC lifetimes. High-temperature Raman spectroscopy was utilized for determining the SiO 2 thermally grown oxide phase transformation as the life-limiting feature for EBCs. Model efforts supported the claim that the SiO 2 phase transformation causes elevated stress during thermal cycling with associated cracking that decreases the adhesion strength of the EBC, eventually resulting in coating spallation. The finite element model subroutine will be made publicly available upon internal review. Further development of an EBC lifetime model for IGTs involves definition of a critical SiO 2 thickness for EBC spallation and must also consider both environmental (gas velocity, pressure, etc.) and specimen (EBC dopants, layer architectures, etc.) effects into predicted bond coating oxidation kinetics for long-lifetime components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Photoneutron Production Using an Electron Linear Accelerator for Applications in Neutron Imaging

Photoneutron production is possible using an electron linear accelerator and a target capable of generating photonuclear reactions. A short pulse neutron source can be useful for neutron imaging dynamic experiments. This study is aimed at the feasibility of photoneutron production using a 20 MeV electron linear accelerator and tungsten and depleted uranium targets of various thicknesses. MCNP6 (Monte Carlo N-Particle) code will be used to develop a computational model to estimate total neutron yield, and this will be verified at the Idaho State University’s Accelerator Center. After verification of the neutron yield and energy spectra, an additional MCNP6 model will be developed to analyze the neutron imaging processes. This study will potentially prove it is possible to conduct multi-mode imaging experiments on the anticipated Scorpius electron linear accelerator at the Nevada National Security Sites.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Direct Modeling of Scintillator Thickness for Optimal Light Output and Spatial Resolution

It is common in x-ray radiography to use scintillators (e.g., BGO or LSO) to convert x-rays to visible light, which is then recorded by an imaging system. The response of the scintillator depends fundamentally on its thickness, with respect to both its visible light emittance and its spatial resolution. This is important for optimizing light output, signal to noise ratio, or optical response time. Given that it is often cost-prohibitive to procure a variety of scintillator samples and empirically test the performance, it is essential to be able to model and accurately simulate the performance of a scintillator with respect to thickness and other properties, and a direct way of doing this is using Monte Carlo-based radiation transport codes. Such simulations can be expensive in terms of computational time, and the codes are not easily obtained. In this work we first show such simulations, and demonstrate that there is a natural trade-off between light output of a scintillator and its spatial resolution. We then derive a first-principles model that accurately approximates the light output, using straightforward calculations that can be performed quickly with any basic computing software. We compare the results to those obtained from Monte Carlo simulations and show that our simplified model can be used to analyze the tradeoff between emittance and resolution nearly as well as using a full-scale radiation transport code.

Monte Carlo methods, X-ray imaging, scintillation ↗

A flare observed in coronal, transition region, and helium I 10830 Å emissions

On 2012 June 17, we observed the evolution of a C-class flare associated with the eruption of a filament near a large sunspot in the active region NOAA 11504. We obtained high spatial resolution filtergrams using the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory in broadband TiO at 706 nm (bandpass: 10 Å) and He I 10830 Å narrow band (bandpass: 0.5 Å, centered 0.25 Å to the blue). We analyze the spatio-temporal behavior of the He I 10830 Å data, which were obtained over a 90''×90'' field of view with a cadence of 10 s. We also analyze simultaneous data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly and Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment instruments on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft, and data from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager and GOES spacecrafts. Non-thermal effects are ignored in this analysis. Several quantitative aspects of the data, as well as models derived using the '0D' enthalpy-based thermal evolution of loops model code, indicate that the triplet states of the 10830 Å multiplet are populated by photoionization of chromospheric plasma followed by radiative recombination. Surprisingly, the He II 304 Å line is reasonably well matched by standard emission measure calculations, along with the C IV emission which dominates the Atmosphere Imaging Assembly 1600 Å channel during flares. This work lends support to some of our previous work combining X-ray, EUV, and UV data of flares to build models of energy transport from corona to chromosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

SU-F-J-209: Quantification of Image-Guidance Benefit in Image-Guided Radiotherapy of Cancers

Purpose: Image-guidance has been widely used in radiation oncology for accurate radiotherapy. The goal of this study is to quantify the benefit of image-guidance in image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) of cancers. Methods: In this study, a new index termed image-guidance benefit (IGB), was proposed to quantify the benefit of image-guidance in cancer radiotherapy. It is calculated as a ratio of the square sum of dose differences between planning dose matrix and actual delivery dose matrix post image-guidance to the square sum of dose summation between the two matrixes, summing over all dose scoring voxels. Ranging from 0 to 1, larger IGB values indicate larger benefit out of image-guidance. With IRB approval, the DICOM RT files and 3D couch shifts applied during IGRT of 2219 patients were collected, based on which patient-specific IGB values were calculated with an in-house MATLAB code. Results: In this study, the mean IGB value was found to be 0.0398 (0.000583–0.999) with a positive correlation between IGB value and 3D couch shift vector at 0.0435 per cm (P<0.0001). With 2 mm shift as a threshold above which an image-guidance is deemed clinically necessary, the corresponding mean IGB value was 0.00457, much less than 0.0398 (P<0.001). However, the IGB values of 56 cases based on couch shifts were less than those based on 2 mm shift. Conclusion: The IGB values were patient-specific and site-dependent. Using 2 mm shifts as criterion for applying image-guidance, the applied image-guidance procedures were found clinically necessary and highly beneficial in 97.5% of cancer patients. However, image-guidance procedures were found over-used in about 2.5% of cancer patients in our current practices of IGRT, which should be avoided as they added no benefit in improving delivery accuracy while increasing cancer risk.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Neutron Imaging at LANSCE—From Cold to Ultrafast

In recent years, neutron radiography and tomography have been applied at different beam lines at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), covering a very wide neutron energy range. The field of energy-resolved neutron imaging with epi-thermal neutrons, utilizing neutron absorption resonances for contrast as well as quantitative density measurements, was pioneered at the Target 1 (Lujan center), Flight Path 5 beam line and continues to be refined. Applications include: imaging of metallic and ceramic nuclear fuels, fission gas measurements, tomography of fossils and studies of dopants in scintillators. The technique provides the ability to characterize materials opaque to thermal neutrons and to utilize neutron resonance analysis codes to quantify isotopes to within 0.1 atom %. The latter also allows measuring fuel enrichment levels or the pressure of fission gas remotely. More recently, the cold neutron spectrum at the ASTERIX beam line, also located at Target 1, was used to demonstrate phase contrast imaging with pulsed neutrons. This extends the capabilities for imaging of thin and transparent materials at LANSCE. In contrast, high-energy neutron imaging at LANSCE, using unmoderated fast spallation neutrons from Target 4 [Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) facility] has been developed for applications in imaging of dense, thick objects. Using fast (ns), time-of-flight imaging, enables testing and developing imaging at specific, selected MeV neutron energies. The 4FP-60R beam line has been reconfigured with increased shielding and new, larger collimation dedicated to fast neutron imaging. The exploration of ways in which pulsed neutron beams and the time-of-flight method can provide additional benefits is continuing. We will describe the facilities and instruments, present application examples and recent results of all these efforts at LANSCE.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Radiation-Absorbed Dose Estimation of {sup 166}Ho Microspheres in Liver Radioembolization

Purpose: To investigate the potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for accurate assessment of the three-dimensional {sup 166}Ho activity distribution to estimate radiation-absorbed dose distributions in {sup 166}Ho-loaded poly (L-lactic acid) microsphere ({sup 166}Ho-PLLA-MS) liver radioembolization. Methods and Materials: MRI, computed tomography (CT), and single photon emission CT (SPECT) experiments were conducted on an anthropomorphic gel phantom with tumor-simulating gel samples and on an excised human tumor-bearing liver, both containing known amounts of {sup 166}Ho-PLLA-MS. Three-dimensional radiation-absorbed dose distributions were estimated at the voxel level by convolving the {sup 166}Ho activity distribution, derived from quantitative MRI data, with a {sup 166}Ho dose point-kernel generated by MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code) and from Medical Internal Radiation Dose Pamphlet 17. MRI-based radiation-absorbed dose distributions were qualitatively compared with CT and autoradiography images and quantitatively compared with SPECT-based dose distributions. Both MRI- and SPECT-based activity estimations were validated against dose calibrator measurements. Results: Evaluation on an anthropomorphic phantom showed that MRI enables accurate assessment of local {sup 166}Ho-PLLA-MS mass and activity distributions, as supported by a regression coefficient of 1.05 and a correlation coefficient of 0.99, relating local MRI-based mass and activity calculations to reference values obtained with a dose calibrator. Estimated MRI-based radiation-absorbed dose distributions of {sup 166}Ho-PLLA-MS in an ex vivo human liver visually showed high correspondence to SPECT-based radiation-absorbed dose distributions. Quantitative analysis revealed that the differences in local and total amounts of {sup 166}Ho-PLLA-MS estimated by MRI, SPECT, and the dose calibrator were within 10%. Excellent agreement was observed between MRI- and SPECT-based dose-volume histograms. Conclusions: Quantitative MRI was demonstrated to provide accurate three-dimensional {sup 166}Ho-PLLA-MS activity distributions, enabling localized intrahepatic radiation-absorbed dose estimation by convolution with a {sup 166}Ho dose point-kernel for liver radioembolization treatment optimization and evaluation.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

To stack or not to stack: Spectral energy distribution properties of Lyα-emitting galaxies at z = 2.1

We use the Cosmic Assembly Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) GOODS-S multi-wavelength catalog to identify counterparts for 20 Lyα emitting (LAE) galaxies at z = 2.1. We build several types of stacked spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these objects. We combine photometry to form average and median flux-stacked SEDs, and postage-stamp images to form average and median image-stacked SEDs. We also introduce scaled flux stacks that eliminate the influence of variation in overall brightness. We use the SED fitting code SpeedyMC to constrain the physical properties of individual objects and stacks. Our LAEs at z = 2.1 have stellar masses ranging from 2 × 10{sup 7} M {sub ☉} to 8 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉} (median = 3 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉}), ages ranging from 4 Myr to 500 Myr (median = 100 Myr), and E(B – V) between 0.02 and 0.24 (median = 0.12). Although still low, this represents significantly more dust reddening than has been reported for LAEs at higher redshifts. We do not observe strong correlations between Lyα equivalent width (EW) and age or E(B – V). The Lyα radiative transfer (q) factors of our sample are predominantly close to one and do not correlate strongly with EW or E(B – V). The absence of strong correlations with EW or q implies that Lyα radiative transfer is highly anisotropic and/or prevents Lyα photons from scattering in dusty regions. The SED parameters of the flux stacks match the average and median values of the individual objects, with the flux-scaled median SED performing best with uncertainties reduced by a factor of two. Median image-stacked SEDs provide a poor representation of the median individual object, and none of the stacking methods capture the large dispersion of LAE properties.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

2D imaging of helium ion velocity in the DIII-D divertor

Two-dimensional imaging of parallel ion velocities are compared to fluid modeling simulations to understand the role of ions in determining divertor conditions and benchmark the UEDGE fluid modeling code. Pure helium discharges are used so that spectroscopic He+measurements represent the main-ion population at small electron temperatures. Electron temperatures and densities in the divertor match simulated values to within about 20-30% establishing the experiment/model match as being at least as good as those normally obtained in the more regularly simulated deuterium plasmas. He + brightness (HeII) comparison indicates that the degree of detachment is captured well by UEDGE, principally due to the inclusion of E x B drifts. Tomographically inverted Coherence Imaging Spectroscopy (CIS) measurements are used to determine the He + parallel velocities which display excellent agreement between model and experiment near the divertor target where He + is predicted to be the main-ion species and where electron-dominated physics dictates the parallel momentum balance. Upstream near the X-point where He + is a minority species and ion-dominated physics plays a more important role, there is an underestimation of the flow velocity magnitude by a factor of 2-3. These results indicate that more effort is required to be able to correctly predict ion momentum in these challenging regimes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Applying compressive sensing to TEM video: A substantial frame rate increase on any camera

One of the main limitations of imaging at high spatial and temporal resolution during in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments is the frame rate of the camera being used to image the dynamic process. While the recent development of direct detectors has provided the hardware to achieve frame rates approaching 0.1 ms, the cameras are expensive and must replace existing detectors. In this paper, we examine the use of coded aperture compressive sensing (CS) methods to increase the frame rate of any camera with simple, low-cost hardware modifications. The coded aperture approach allows multiple sub-frames to be coded and integrated into a single camera frame during the acquisition process, and then extracted upon readout using statistical CS inversion. Here we describe the background of CS and statistical methods in depth and simulate the frame rates and efficiencies for in-situ TEM experiments. Depending on the resolution and signal/noise of the image, it should be possible to increase the speed of any camera by more than an order of magnitude using this approach.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Test of 3D CT reconstructions by EM + TV algorithm from undersampled data

Computerized tomography (CT) plays an important role in medical imaging for diagnosis and therapy. However, CT imaging is connected with ionization radiation exposure of patients. Therefore, the dose reduction is an essential issue in CT. In 2011, the Expectation Maximization and Total Variation Based Model for CT Reconstruction (EM+TV) was proposed. This method can reconstruct a better image using less CT projections in comparison with the usual filtered back projection (FBP) technique. Thus, it could significantly reduce the overall dose of radiation in CT. This work reports the results of an independent numerical simulation for cone beam CT geometry with alternative virtual phantoms. As in the original report, the 3D CT images of 128 Multiplication-Sign 128 Multiplication-Sign 128 virtual phantoms were reconstructed. It was not possible to implement phantoms with lager dimensions because of the slowness of code execution even by the CORE i7 CPU.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

4D-CT scans reveal reduced magnitude of respiratory liver motion achieved by different abdominal compression plate positions in patients with intrahepatic tumors undergoing helical tomotherapy

Purpose: While abdominal compression (AC) can be used to reduce respiratory liver motion in patients receiving helical tomotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma, the nature and extent of this effect is not well described. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in magnitude of three-dimensional liver motion with abdominal compression using four-dimensional (4D) computed tomography (CT) images of several plate positions. Methods: From January 2012 to October 2015, 72 patients with intrahepatic carcinoma and divided into four groups underwent 4D-CT scans to assess respiratory liver motion. Of the 72 patients, 19 underwent abdominal compression of the cephalic area between the subxiphoid and umbilicus (group A), 16 underwent abdominal compression of the caudal region between the subxiphoid area and the umbilicus (group B), 11 patients underwent abdominal compression of the caudal umbilicus (group C), and 26 patients remained free breathing (group D). 4D-CT images were sorted into ten-image series, according to the respiratory phase from the end inspiration to the end expiration, and then transferred to treatment planning software. All liver contours were drawn by a single physician and confirmed by a second physician. Liver relative coordinates were automatically generated to calculate the liver respiratory motion in different axial directions to compile the 10 ten contours into a single composite image. Differences in respiratory liver motion were assessed with a one-way analysis of variance test of significance. Results: The average respiratory liver motion in the Y axial direction was 4.53 ± 1.16, 7.56 ± 1.30, 9.95 ± 2.32, and 9.53 ± 2.62 mm in groups A, B, C, and D, respectively, with a significant change among the four groups (p < 0.001). Abdominal compression was most effective in group A (compression plate on the subxiphoid area), with liver displacement being 2.53 ± 0.93, 4.53 ± 1.16, and 2.14 ± 0.92 mm on the X-, Y-, and Z-axes, respectively. There was no significant difference in respiratory liver motion between group C (displacement: 3.23 ± 1.47, 9.95 ± 2.32, and 2.92 ± 1.10 mm on the X-, Y-, and Z-axes, respectively) and group D (displacement: 3.35 ± 1.55, 9.53 ± 2.62, and 3.35 ± 1.73 mm on the X-, Y-, and Z-axes, respectively). Abdominal compression was least effective in group C (compression on caudal umbilicus), with liver motion in this group similar to that of free-breathing patients (group D). Conclusions: 4D-CT scans revealed significant liver motion control via abdominal compression of the subxiphoid area; however, this control of liver motion was not observed with compression of the caudal umbilicus. The authors, therefore, recommend compression of the subxiphoid area in patients undergoing external radiotherapy for intrahepatic carcinoma.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Flash Kα radiography of laser-driven solid sphere compression for fast ignition

Time-resolved compression of a laser-driven solid deuterated plastic sphere with a cone was measured with flash Kα x-ray radiography. A spherically converging shockwave launched by nanosecond GEKKO XII beams was used for compression while a flash of 4.51 keV Ti Kα x-ray backlighter was produced by a high-intensity, picosecond laser LFEX (Laser for Fast ignition EXperiment) near peak compression for radiography. Areal densities of the compressed core were inferred from two-dimensional backlit x-ray images recorded with a narrow-band spherical crystal imager. The maximum areal density in the experiment was estimated to be 87 ± 26 mg/cm{sup 2}. The temporal evolution of the experimental and simulated areal densities with a 2-D radiation-hydrodynamics code is in good agreement.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗