A Study of the TPS Based Beam-Matching Concept for Medical Linear Accelerators at a Tertiary Hospital

The flexibility in radiotherapy can be improved if patients can be moved between any one of the department’s medical linear accelerators (LINACs) without the need to change anything in the patient’s treatment plan. For this to be possible, the dosimetric characteristics of the various accelerators must be the same, or nearly the same. The purpose of this work is to describe further and compare measurements and parameters after the initial vendor-recommended beam matching of the five LINACs. Deviations related to dose calculations and to beam matched accelerators may compromise treatment accuracy. The safest and most practical way to ensure that all accelerators are within clinical acceptable accuracy is to include TPS calculations in the LINACs matching evaluation. Treatment planning system (TPS) was used to create three photons plans with different field sizes 3 × 3 cm, 10 × 10 cm and 25 × 25 cm at a depth of 4.5 cm in Perspex. Calculated TPS plans were sent to Mosaiq to be delivered by five LINACs. TPS plans were compared with five LINACs measurements data using Gamma analyses of 2% and 2 mm. The results suggest that for four out of the five LINACs, there was generally good agreement, less than a 2% deviation between the planned dose distribution and the measured dose distribution. However, one specific LINAC named “Asterix” exhibited a deviation of 2.121% from the planned dose. The results show that all of the LINACs’ performance were within the acceptable deviation and delivering radiation dose consistently and accurately.

A Novel Quantization and Model Compression Approach for Hardware Accelerators in Edge Computing

Massive computational complexity and memory requirement of artificial intelligence models impede their deploy-ability on edge computing devices of the Internet of Things(IoT).While Power-of-Two(PoT)quantization is pro-posed to improve the efficiency for edge inference of Deep Neural Networks(DNNs),existing PoT schemes require a huge amount of bit-wise manipulation and have large memory overhead,and their efficiency is bounded by the bottleneck of computation latency and memory footprint.To tackle this challenge,we present an efficient inference approach on the basis of PoT quantization and model compression.An integer-only scalar PoT quantization(IOS-PoT)is designed jointly with a distribution loss regularizer,wherein the regularizer minimizes quantization errors and training disturbances.Additionally,two-stage model compression is developed to effectively reduce memory requirement,and alleviate bandwidth usage in communications of networked heterogenous learning systems.The product look-up table(P-LUT)inference scheme is leveraged to replace bit-shifting with only indexing and addition operations for achieving low-latency computation and implementing efficient edge accelerators.Finally,comprehensive experiments on Residual Networks(ResNets)and efficient architectures with Canadian Institute for Advanced Research(CIFAR),ImageNet,and Real-world Affective Faces Database(RAF-DB)datasets,indicate that our approach achieves 2×∼10×improvement in the reduction of both weight size and computation cost in comparison to state-of-the-art methods.A P-LUT accelerator prototype is implemented on the Xilinx KV260 Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA)platform for accelerating convolution operations,with performance results showing that P-LUT reduces memory footprint by 1.45×,achieves more than 3×power efficiency and 2×resource efficiency,compared to the conventional bit-shifting scheme.

FPGA Accelerators for Computing Interatomic Potential-Based Molecular Dynamics Simulation for Gold Nanoparticles:Exploring Different Communication Protocols

Molecular Dynamics(MD)simulation for computing Interatomic Potential(IAP)is a very important High-Performance Computing(HPC)application.MD simulation on particles of experimental relevance takes huge computation time,despite using an expensive high-end server.Heterogeneous computing,a combination of the Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA)and a computer,is proposed as a solution to compute MD simulation efficiently.In such heterogeneous computation,communication between FPGA and Computer is necessary.One such MD simulation,explained in the paper,is the(Artificial Neural Network)ANN-based IAP computation of gold(Au_(147)&Au_(309))nanoparticles.MD simulation calculates the forces between atoms and the total energy of the chemical system.This work proposes the novel design and implementation of an ANN IAP-based MD simulation for Au_(147)&Au_(309) using communication protocols,such as Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter(UART)and Ethernet,for communication between the FPGA and the host computer.To improve the latency of MD simulation through heterogeneous computing,Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter(UART)and Ethernet communication protocols were explored to conduct MD simulation of 50,000 cycles.In this study,computation times of 17.54 and 18.70 h were achieved with UART and Ethernet,respectively,compared to the conventional server time of 29 h for Au_(147) nanoparticles.The results pave the way for the development of a Lab-on-a-chip application.

Structure and material study of dielectric laser accelerators based on the inverse Cherenkov effect

Dielectric laser accelerators(DLAs)are considered promising candidates for on-chip particle accelerators that can achieve high acceleration gradients.This study explores various combinations of dielectric materials and accelerated structures based on the inverse Cherenkov effect.The designs utilize conventional processing methods and laser parameters currently in use.We optimize the structural model to enhance the gradient of acceleration and the electron energy gain.To achieve higher acceleration gradients and energy gains,the selection of materials and structures should be based on the initial electron energy.Furthermore,we observed that the variation of the acceleration gradient of the material is different at different initial electron energies.These findings suggest that on-chip accelerators are feasible with the help of these structures and materials.

The acceleration of a high-charge electron bunch to 10 GeV in a 10-cm nanoparticle-assisted wakefield accelerator

An intense laser pulse focused onto a plasma can excite nonlinear plasma waves.Under appropriate conditions,electrons from the background plasma are trapped in the plasma wave and accelerated to ultra-relativistic velocities.This scheme is called a laser wakefield accelerator.In this work,we present results from a laser wakefield acceleration experiment using a petawatt-class laser to excite the wakefields as well as nanoparticles to assist the injection of electrons into the accelerating phase of the wakefields.We find that a 10-cm-long,nanoparticle-assisted laser wakefield accelerator can generate 340 pC,10±1.86 GeV electron bunches with a 3.4 GeV rms convolved energy spread and a 0.9 mrad rms divergence.It can also produce bunches with lower energies in the 4–6 GeV range.

Exhaustive review of acceleration strategies for Monte Carlo simulations in photon transit

Monte Carlo simulation techniques have become the quintessence and a pivotal nexus of inquiry in the realm of simulating photon movement within biological fabrics.Through the stochastic sampling of tissue archetypes delineated by explicit optical characteristics,Monte Carlo simulations possess the theoretical capacity to render unparalleled accuracy in the depiction of exceedingly intricate phenomena.Nonetheless,the quintessential challenge associated with Monte Carlo simulation methodologies resides in their extended computational duration,which significantly impedes the refinement of their precision.Consequently,this discourse is specifically dedicated to exploring innovations in strategies and technologies aimed at expediting Monte Carlo simulations.It delves into the foundational concepts of various acceleration tactics,evaluates these strategies concerning their speed,accuracy,and practicality,and amalgamates a comprehensive overview and critique of acceleration methodologies for Monte Carlo simulations.Ultimately,the discourse envisages prospective trajectories for the employment of Monte Carlo techniques within the domain of tissue optics.

Stepped-up development of accelerator mass spectrometry method for the detection of ^(60)Fe with the HI-13 tandem accelerator

The Moon provides a unique environment for investigating nearby astrophysical events such as supernovae.Lunar samples retain valuable information from these events,via detectable long-lived“fingerprint”radionuclides such as^(60)Fe.In this work,we stepped up the development of an accelerator mass spectrometry(AMS)method for detecting^(60)Fe using the HI-13tandem accelerator at the China Institute of Atomic Energy(CIAE).Since interferences could not be sufficiently removed solely with the existing magnetic systems of the tandem accelerator and the following Q3D magnetic spectrograph,a Wien filter with a maximum voltage of±60 kV and a maximum magnetic field of 0.3 T was installed after the accelerator magnetic systems to lower the detection background for the low abundance nuclide^(60)Fe.A 1μm thick Si_(3)N_(4) foil was installed in front of the Q3D as an energy degrader.For particle detection,a multi-anode gas ionization chamber was mounted at the center of the focal plane of the spectrograph.Finally,an^(60)Fe sample with an abundance of 1.125×10^(-10)was used to test the new AMS system.These results indicate that^(60)Fe can be clearly distinguished from the isobar^(60)Ni.The sensitivity was assessed to be better than 4.3×10^(-14)based on blank sample measurements lasting 5.8 h,and the sensitivity could,in principle,be expected to be approximately 2.5×10^(-15)when the data were accumulated for 100 h,which is feasible for future lunar sample measurements because the main contaminants were sufficiently separated.

On-chip ultrafast stackable dielectric laser positron accelerator

We present a first on-chip positron accelerator based on dielectric laser acceleration.This innovative approach significantly reduces the physical dimensions of the positron acceleration apparatus,enhancing its feasibility for diverse applications.By utilizing a stacked acceleration structure and far-infrared laser technology,we are able to achieve a seven-stage acceleration structure that surpasses the distance and energy gain of using the previous dielectric laser acceleration methods.Additionally,we are able to compress the positron beam to an ultrafast sub-femtosecond scale during the acceleration process,compared with the traditional methods,the positron beam is compressed to a greater extent.We also demonstrate the robustness of the stacked acceleration structure through the successful acceleration of the positron beam.

Characterization of bright betatron radiation generated by direct laser acceleration of electrons in plasma of near critical density

Directed x-rays produced in the interaction of sub-picosecond laser pulses of moderate relativistic intensity with plasma of near-critical density are investigated. Synchrotron-like (betatron) radiation occurs in the process of direct laser acceleration (DLA) of electrons in a relativisticlaser channel when the electrons undergo transverse betatron oscillations in self-generated quasi-static electric and magnetic fields. In anexperiment at the PHELIX laser system, high-current directed beams of DLA electrons with a mean energy ten times higher than the ponderomotive potential and maximum energy up to 100 MeV were measured at 10^(19) W/cm^(2)laser intensity. The spectrum of directed x-raysin the range of 5–60 keV was evaluated using two sets of Ross filters placed at 0°and 10°to the laser pulse propagation axis. The differential x-ray absorption method allowed for absolute measurements of the angular-dependent photon fluence. We report 10^(13) photons/sr withenergies >5 keV measured at 0°to the laser axis and a brilliance of 10^(21) photons s^(−1) mm^(−2) mrad−2(0.1%BW)−1. The angular distributionof the emission has an FWHM of 14°–16°. Thanks to the ultra-high photon fluence, point-like radiation source, and ultra-short emissiontime, DLA-based keV backlighters are promising for various applications in high-energy-density research with kilojoule petawatt-class laserfacilities.

Collisionless shock acceleration of protons in a plasma slab produced in a gas jet by the collision of two laser-driven hydrodynamic shockwaves

We have recently proposed a new technique of plasma tailoring by laser-driven hydrodynamic shockwaves generated on both sides of a gas jet[Marquès et al.,Phys.Plasmas 28,023103(2021)].In a continuation of this numerical work,we study experimentally the influence of the tailoring on proton acceleration driven by a high-intensity picosecond laser in three cases:without tailoring,by tailoring only the entrance side of the picosecond laser,and by tailoring both sides of the gas jet.Without tailoring,the acceleration is transverse to the laser axis,with a low-energy exponential spectrum,produced by Coulomb explosion.When the front side of the gas jet is tailored,a forward acceleration appears,which is significantly enhanced when both the front and back sides of the plasma are tailored.This forward acceleration produces higher-energy protons,with a peaked spectrum,and is in good agreement with the mechanism of collisionless shock acceleration(CSA).The spatiotemporal evolution of the plasma profile is characterized by optical shadowgraphy of a probe beam.The refraction and absorption of this beam are simulated by post-processing 3D hydrodynamic simulations of the plasma tailoring.Comparison with the experimental results allows estimation of the thickness and near-critical density of the plasma slab produced by tailoring both sides of the gas jet.These parameters are in good agreement with those required for CSA.

Optimizing laser coupling,matter heating,and particle acceleration from solids using multiplexed ultraintense lasers

Realizing the full potential of ultrahigh-intensity lasers for particle and radiation generation will require multi-beam arrangements due to technology limitations.Here,we investigate how to optimize their coupling with solid targets.Experimentally,we show that overlapping two intense lasers in a mirror-like configuration onto a solid with a large preplasma can greatly improve the generation of hot electrons at the target front and ion acceleration at the target backside.The underlying mechanisms are analyzed through multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations,revealing that the self-induced magnetic fields driven by the two laser beams at the target front are susceptible to reconnection,which is one possible mechanism to boost electron energization.In addition,the resistive magnetic field generated during the transport of the hot electrons in the target bulk tends to improve their collimation.Our simulations also indicate that such effects can be further enhanced by overlapping more than two laser beams.

Compact ultrafast neutron sources via bulk acceleration of deuteron ions in an optical trap

A scheme for a quasi-monoenergetic high-flux neutron source with femtosecond duration and highly anisotropic angular distribution is proposed.This scheme is based on bulk acceleration of deuteron ions in an optical trap or density grating formed by two counter-propagating laser pulses at an intensity of-10^(16)W~cm^(2)in a near-critical-density plasma.The deuterons are first pre-accelerated to an energy of tens of keV in the ambipolar fields formed in the optical trap.Their energy is boosted to the MeV level by another one or two laser pulses at an intensity of-10^(20)W~cm^(2),enabling fusion reactions to be triggered with high efficiency.In contrast to previously proposed pitcher–catcher configurations,our scheme can provide spatially periodic acceleration structures and effective collisions between deuterons inside the whole target volume.Subsequently,neutrons are generated directly inside the optical trap.Our simulations show that neutron pulses with energy 2–8 MeV,yield 10^(18)–10^(19)n/s,and total number 106–107 in a duration-400 fs can be obtained with a 25μm target.Moreover,the neutron pulses exhibit unique angularly dependent energy spectra and flux distributions,predominantly along the axis of the energy-boosting lasers.Such microsize femtosecond neutron pulses may find many applications,such as high-resolution fast neutron imaging and nuclear physics research.

Human radiological safety assessment for petawatt laser-driven ion acceleration experiments in CLAPA-T

The newly built Compact Laser Plasma Accelerator-Therapy facility at Peking University will deliver 60 J/1 Hz laser pulses with 30 fs duration.Driven by this petawatt laser facility,proton beams with energy up to 200 MeV are expected to be generated for tumor therapy.During high-repetition operation,both prompt radiation and residual radiation may cause safety problems.Therefore,human radiological safety assessment before commissioning is essential.In this paper,we simulate both prompt and residual radiation using the Geant4 and FLUKA Monte Carlo codes with reasonable proton and as-produced electron beam parameters.We find that the prompt radiation can be shielded well by the concrete wall of the experimental hall,but the risk from residual radiation is nonnegligible and necessitates adequate radiation cooling.On the basis of the simulation results,we discuss the constraints imposed by radiation safety considerations on the annual working time,and we propose radiation cooling strategies for different shooting modes.

Ultrahigh-brightness 50 MeV electron beam generation from laser wakefield acceleration in a weakly nonlinear regime

We propose an efficient scheme to produce ultrahigh-brightness tens of MeV electron beams by designing a density-tailored plasma to induce a wakefield in the weakly nonlinear regime with a moderate laser energy of 120 mJ.In this scheme,the second bucket of the wakefield can have a much lower phase velocity at the steep plasma density down-ramp than the first bucket and can be exploited to implement longitudinal electron injection at a lower laser intensity,leading to the generation of bright electron beams with ultralow emittance together with low energy spread.Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are carried out and demonstrate that high-quality electron beams with a peak energy of 50 MeV,ultralow emittance of28 nm rad,energy spread of 1%,charge of 4.4 pC,and short duration less than 5 fs can be obtained within a 1-mm-long tailored plasma density,resulting in an ultrahigh six-dimensional brightness B6D,n of2×1017 A/m2/0.1%.By changing the density parameters,tunable bright electron beams with peak energies ranging from 5 to 70 MeV,a small emittance of B0.1 mm mrad,and a low energy spread at a few-percent level can be obtained.These bright MeV-class electron beams have a variety of potential applications,for example,as ultrafast electron probes for diffraction and imaging,in laboratory astrophysics,in coherent radiation source generation,and as injectors for GeV particle accelerators.

Proton acceleration in plasma turbulence driven by high-energy lepton jets

The interaction of high energy lepton jets composed of electrons and positrons with background electron–proton plasma is investigated numerically based upon particle-in-cell simulation,focusing on the acceleration processes of background protons due to the development of electromagnetic turbulence.Such interaction may be found in the universe when energetic lepton jets propagate in the interstellar media.When such a jet is injected into the background plasma,theWeibel instability is excited quickly,which leads to the development of plasma turbulence into the nonlinear stage.The turbulent electric and magnetic fields accelerate plasma particles via the Fermi II type acceleration,where the maximum energy of both electrons and protons can be accelerated to much higher than that of the incident jet particles.Because of background plasma acceleration,a collisionless electrostatic shock wave is formed,where some pre-accelerated protons are further accelerated when passing through the shock wave front.Dependence of proton acceleration on the beam-plasma density ratio and beam energy is investigated.For a given background plasma density,the maximum proton energy generally increases both with the density and kinetic energy of the injected jet.Moreover,for a homogeneous background plasma,the proton acceleration via both turbulent fields and collisionless shocks is found to be significant.In the case of an inhomogeneous plasma,the proton acceleration in the plasma turbulence is dominant.Our studies illustrate a scenario where protons from background plasma can be accelerated successively by the turbulent fields and collisionless shocks.

Uniformity Control of Scanned Beam in 300 MeV Proton and Heavy Ion Accelerator Complex at SESRI

In recent years,heavy ion accelerator technology has been rapidly developing worldwide and widely applied in the fields of space radiation simulation and particle therapy.Usually,a very high uniformity in the irradiation area is required for the extracted ion beams,which is crucial because it directly affects the experimental precision and therapeutic effect.Specifically,ultra-large-area and high-uniformity scanning are crucial requirements for spacecraft radiation effects assessment and serve as core specification for beamline terminal design.In the 300 MeV proton and heavy ion accelerator complex at the Space Environment Simulation and Research Infrastructure(SESRI),proton and heavy ion beams will be accelerated and ultimately delivered to three irradiation terminals.In order to achieve the required large irradiation area of 320 mm×320 mm,horizontal and vertical scanning magnets are used in the extraction beam line.However,considering the various requirements for beam species and energies,the tracking accuracy of power supplies(PSs),the eddy current effect of scanning magnets,and the fluctuation of ion bunch structure will reduce the irradiation uniformity.To mitigate these effects,a beam uniformity optimization method based on the measured beam distribution was proposed and applied in the accelerator complex at SESRI.In the experiment,the uniformity is successfully optimized from 75%to over 90%after five iterations of adjustment to the PS waveforms.In this paper,the method and experimental results were introduced.

Estimation of speed-related car body acceleration limits with quantile regression

Purpose–This study aimed to facilitate a rapid evaluation of track service status and vehicle ride comfort based on car body acceleration.Consequently,a low-cost,data-driven approach was proposed for analyzing speed-related acceleration limits in metro systems.Design/methodology/approach–A portable sensing terminal was developed to realize easy and efficient detection of car body acceleration.Further,field measurements were performed on a 51.95-km metro line.Data from 272 metro sections were tested as a case study,and a quantile regression method was proposed to fit the control limits of the car body acceleration at different speeds using the measured data.Findings–First,the frequency statistics of the measured data in the speed-acceleration dimension indicated that the car body acceleration was primarily concentrated within the constant speed stage,particularly at speeds of 15.4,18.3,and 20.9 m/s.Second,resampling was performed according to the probability density distribution of car body acceleration for different speed domains to achieve data balance.Finally,combined with the traditional linear relationship between speed and acceleration,the statistical relationships between the speed and car body acceleration under different quantiles were determined.We concluded the lateral/vertical quantiles of 0.8989/0.9895,0.9942/0.997,and 0.9998/0.993 as being excellent,good,and qualified control limits,respectively,for the lateral and vertical acceleration of the car body.In addition,regression lines for the speedrelated acceleration limits at other quantiles(0.5,0.75,2s,and 3s)were obtained.Originality/value–The proposed method is expected to serve as a reference for further studies on speedrelated acceleration limits in rail transit systems.

The Clinical Value of Accelerated Recovery Care in Pulmonary Rehabilitation of Perioperative Lung Cancer Patients

Aim: To study the clinical value of accelerated recovery care in pulmonary rehabilitation of perioperative lung cancer patients. Methods: 98 lung cancer patients undergoing surgery were admitted to our hospital from March 2020 to November 2021 and randomly divided into an observation group and an ACBT (Active Cycle of Breathing Technique) training group. Accelerated recovery care and routine care were respectively used in the perioperative period to compare the nursing effects of the two groups. Results: All perioperative indicators in the observation group were shorter than those in the ACBT training group. The pain scores at different time periods after surgery were lower in the observation group than in the ACBT training group (P 0.05). The improvement in the above indicators was higher in the observation group than in the ACBT training group after nursing care (P Conclusion: Accelerated recovery care during the perioperative period for lung cancer surgery patients showed significant effectiveness.

Detection accuracy of target accelerations based on vortex electromagnetic wave in keyhole space

The influence of the longitudinal acceleration and the angular acceleration of detecting target based on vortex electromagnetic waves in keyhole space are analyzed.The spectrum spreads of different orbital angular momentum(OAM)modes in different non-line-of-sight situations are simulated.The errors of target accelerations in detection are calculated and compared based on the OAM spectra spreading by using two combinations of composite OAM modes in the keyhole space.According to the research,the effects about spectrum spreads of higher OAM modes are more obvious.The error in detection is mainly affected by OAM spectrum spreading,which can be reduced by reasonably using different combinations of OAM modes in different practical situations.The above results provide a reference idea for investigating keyhole effect when vortex electromagnetic wave is used to detect accelerations.

GPU-accelerated OCT imaging: Real-time data processing and artifact suppression for enhanced monitoring of 3D bioprinted tissues and vascular-like networks

Optical coherence tomography(OCT)imaging technology has significant advantages in in situ and noninvasive monitoring of biological tissues.However,it still faces the following challenges:including data processing speed,image quality,and improvements in three-dimensional(3D)visualization effects.OCT technology,especially functional imaging techniques like optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA),requires a long acquisition time and a large data size.Despite the substantial increase in the acquisition speed of swept source optical coherence tomography(SS-OCT),it still poses significant challenges for data processing.Additionally,during in situ acquisition,image artifacts resulting from interface reflections or strong reflections from biological tissues and culturing containers present obstacles to data visualization and further analysis.Firstly,a customized frequency domainfilter with anti-banding suppression parameters was designed to suppress artifact noises.Then,this study proposed a graphics processing unit(GPU)-based real-time data processing pipeline for SS-OCT,achieving a measured line-process rate of 800 kHz for 3D fast and high-quality data visualization.Furthermore,a GPU-based realtime data processing for CC-OCTA was integrated to acquire dynamic information.Moreover,a vascular-like network chip was prepared using extrusion-based 3D printing and sacrificial materials,with sacrificial material being printed at the desired vascular network locations and then removed to form the vascular-like network.OCTA imaging technology was used to monitor the progression of sacrificial material removal and vascular-like network formation.Therefore,GPU-based OCT enables real-time processing and visualization with artifact suppression,making it particularly suitable for in situ noninvasive longitudinal monitoring of 3D bioprinting tissue and vascular-like networks in microfluidic chips.