NURBS CURVE INTERPOLATOR WITH ADAPTIVE ACCELERATION-DECELERATION CONTROL

The feedrate profile of non-uniform rational B-spline （NURBS） interpolation due to the contour errors is analyzed. A NURBS curve interpolator with adaptive acceleration-deceleration control is presented. In interpo- lation preprocessing, the sensitive zones of feedrate variations are processed with acceleration-deceleration control. By using the proposed algorithm, the machining accuracy is guaranteed and the feedrate is adaptively adjusted to he smoothed. The mechanical shock imposed in the servo system is avoided by the first and the second time derivatives of feedrates. A simulation of NURBS interpolation is given to demonstrate the validity and the effectiveness of the algorithm. The proposed interpolator can also be applied to the trajectory planning of the other parametric curves.

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 Theoretical Analysis of the Acceleration and the Angular Momentum of the Universe

The loss of Baryonic Matter through Black Holes from our spatial 3-D Universe into its 4th dimension as Dark Matter, is used along with the Conservation of Angular Momentum Principle to prove theoretically the accelerated expansion of the 3-D Universe, as has already been confirmed experimentally being awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. Theoretical calculations can estimate further to indicate the true nature of the acceleration;that the outward acceleration is due to the rotation of the Universe caused by Dark Energy from the Void, that the acceleration is non-linear, initially increasing from zero for the short period of about a Million years at a constant rate, and then leveling off non-linearly over extended time before the outward acceleration begins to decrease in a non-linear fashion until it is matched by the gravitational attraction of the matter content of 4D Space and the virtual matter in 3-D Vacuum Space. m = m(4D) + m(Virtual). The rotation of our 3D Universe will become constant once all 3D matter has entered 4D space. As the 3-D Universe tries to expand further it will be pulled inward by its gravitational attraction and will then keep on oscillating about a final radius rf while it also keeps on oscillating at right angles to the radius rf around final angular velocity ωf, until it becomes part of the 4-D Universe. The constant value of the Angular Momentum of our Universe is L = .

A Generalized Acceleration and Deceleration Approach for Continuous Small Line Blocks with Look-ahead

Generally complex 3D contours are divided into a lot of continuous small line blocks by CAD/CAM software. When these small line blocks are used in conventional way,machine tool has to stop at the end of one move before continuing on to the next to meet accuracy requirement,which results in inefficiency.Look-ahead is an intelligent function that aims at adjusting the feed rate automatically to achieve maximum productivity while maintaining accuracy.By now most researchers just utilize the simplest linear acceleration(ACC)and deceleration(DEC)to deal with look-ahead intelligence.A generalized ACC/DEC ap- proach and corresponding optimal look-ahead algorithm based on dynamic back tracking along a doubly linked list are proposed.An improved rounding strategy for reducing interpolation errors is also presented.By using the proposed techniques,arbitrary velocity profiles that offer look-ahead feature and have the desired ACC/DEC characteristics for movement of a lot of continuous line blocks can be generated efficiently.Both simulations and experiments showed the productivity was dramatically increased without sacri- fice of accuracy.

Research on cubic polynomial acceleration and deceleration control model for high speed NC machining

To satisfy the need of high speed NC (numerical control) machining, an acceleration and deceleration (acc/dec) control model is proposed, and the speed curve is also constructed by the cubic polynomial. The proposed control model provides continuity of acceleration, which avoids the intense vibration in high speed NC machining. Based on the discrete characteristic of the data sampling interpolation, the acc/dec control discrete mathematical model is also set up and the discrete expression of the theoretical deceleration length is obtained furthermore. Aiming at the question of hardly predetermining the deceleration point in acc/dec control before interpolation, the adaptive acc/dec control algorithm is deduced from the expressions of the theoretical deceleration length. The experimental result proves that the acc/dec control model has the characteristic of easy implementation, stable movement and low impact. The model has been applied in multi-axes high speed micro fabrication machining successfully.

Earth rotation deceleration/acceleration due to semidiurnal oceanic/atmospheric tides:Revisited with new calculation

The global oceanic/atmospheric tides exert decelerating/accelerating secular torques on the Earth rotation. We developed new formulations to accurately calculate amounts of two kinds of secular tidal torques. After Melchior, we found that an additional factor 1+k-l = 1.216, which has been formerly neglected, must be multiplied unto the tidal torque integral. By using our refined formulations and the recent oceanic/atmospheric global tide models, we found that:(i) semidiurnal oceanic lunar/solar tides exert decelerating torques of about-4.462 × 10^(16)/-0.676 × 10^(16) Nm respectively and(ii) atmospheric S_2 tide exerts accelerating torque of 1.55 × 10^(15) Nm. Former estimates of the atmospheric S_2 tidal torque were twice as large as our estimate due to improper consideration of loading effect. We took the load Love number for atmospheric loading effect from Guo et al.(2004). For atmospheric loading of spherical harmonic degree two, the value of k′=-0.6031 is different from that for ocean loading as k′ =-0.3052,while the latter is currently used for both cases-ocean/atmospheric loading-without distinction. We discuss(i) the amount of solid Earth tidal dissipation(which has been left most uncertain) and(ii) secular changes of the dynamical state of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. Our estimate of the solid Earth tidal torque is-4.94×10^(15) Nm.

Measurement of Angular and Linear Accelerations Using Linear Accelerometers

In order to solve the problem, which may be encountered by those former schemes, such as six accelerometer, nine accelerometer configuration, under specific conditions, a ten accelerometer configuration was presented to compute the rotational and translational accelerations of a rigid body, based on well known kinematics principles. The theoretical analysis shows that the configuration can meet the requirement. The simulation results of this scheme show promise for measuring a rigid body's rotational and translational accelerations.

TLD calibration and absorbed dose measurement in a radiation-induced liver injury model under a linear accelerator

The application of a thermoluminescent detector(TLD) for dose detection at the liver irradiation site in mice under linear accelerator precision radiotherapy and the use of a single high dose to irradiate the mouse liver to construct a biological model of a radiation-induced liver injury(RILD) in mice were to determine the feasibility of constructing a precision radiotherapy model in small animals under a linear accelerator. A 360° arc volumetric rotational intensity-modulated radiotherapy(VMAT) plan with a prescribed dose of 2 Gy was developed for the planned target volume(PTV) at the location of the TLD within solid water to compare the difference between the measured dose of TLD and the assessed parameters in the TPS system. The TLD was implanted in the livers of mice, and VMAT was planned based on TLD to compare the measured and prescribed doses. C57BL/6 J mice were randomly divided into control and 25-Gy radiation groups and were examined daily for changes in body weight. They were euthanized at 3 and 10 weeks after radiation, and the levels of liver serum enzymes such as alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), and alkaline phosphatase(ALP) were measured to observe any pathological histological changes in the irradiated areas of the mouse liver. The measured values of solid underwater TLD were within ± 3% of the Dmean value of the evaluation parameter in the TPS system. The mice in the 25-Gy radiation group demonstrated pathological signs of radiation-induced liver injury at the site of liver irradiation. The deviation in the measured and prescribed doses of TLD in the mouse liver ranged from-1.5 to 6%;construction of an accurate model of RILD using the VMAT technique under a linear accelerator is feasible.

Estimation of peak relative velocity and peak absolute acceleration of linear SDOF systems

We have found some mistakes in the article by Jianwei Song et al. （2007）. The revisions are given below：

Simultaneous acceleration of two kinds of ion beams in the RISP

The Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP) is a research complex consisting of a heavy-ion accelerator, which contains a front-end system, a super-conducting linear accelerator, an isotope separator online (ISOL) system, and an in-flight system. The original purpose of the post-linear-accelerator (post-linac) section was to accelerate either a stable driver beam derived from an electron cyclotron resonance ion source, or an unstable rare-isotope beam from an ISOL system. The post-linac lattice has now been redesigned using a novel and improved acceleration concept that allows the simultaneous acceleration of both a stable driver beam and a radioisotope beam. To achieve this, the post-linac lattice is set for a mass-to-charge ratio (A/q) that is the average of the two beams. The performance of this simultaneous two-beam acceleration is here assessed using two ion beams: 58Ni^8+ and 132Sn^20+. A beam dynamics simulation was performed using the TRACK and TraceWin codes. The resultant beam dynamics for the new RISP post-linac lattice design are examined. We also estimate the effects of machine errors and their correction on the post-linac lattice.

Commissioning of TrueBeamTM Medical Linear Accelerator: Quantitative and Qualitative Dosimetric Analysis and Comparison of Flattening Filter (FF) and Flattening Filter Free (FFF) Beam

Motive of the study is to present quantitative and qualitative analysis and comparison of beam data measurement with FF (flattening filter) and FFF (flattening filter free) beam in a Varian TrueBeamTM Medical Linear Accelerator. Critique of beam characterization and evolution of dosimetric properties for 6 MV, 10 MV, 15 MV FF beam and 6 MVFFF, 10 MVFFF FFF beam has been carried out. We performed the comparison of photon beam data for two standard FF photon energy 6 MV, 10 MV verses 6 MVFFF, and 10 MVFFF FFF beam. Determination and comparison of parameter involved PDD (Percentage depth dose), Depth dose profile, Symmetry, Flatness, Quality index, Relative output factor, Penumbra, Transmission factor, DLG (Dosimetric leaf gap), in addition to degree of Un-flatness and off-axis ratio of FFF beam. Outcomes of presenting study had shown that change of various parameters such as Percentage depth dose curves, Shape of the depth dose profile, Transmission, Value of quality index and significant rise in surface dose for FFF in comparison with FF beam. Differences in the output factor at lower and higher field sizes for FFF beam compared to that of FF beam were found. The maximum output factor deviation between 6 MV and 6 MVFFF was found to be 4.55%, whereas in 10 MV and 10 MVFFF was 5.71%. Beam quality TPR20/10 for FFF beam was found to be lesser in magnitude, 5.42% for 6 MVFFF whereas 4.50% for 10 MVFFF compared to 6 MV and 10 MV FF beam respectively. Jaw transmission and interleaf leakage for FFF beam were found to be lesser than FF beam. Also DLG for FFF beam was found to be lesser in magnitude comparable to that of flattened beam. This study is mainly inclined towards evaluation and comparison of the FF and FFF beam. It has been observed that, the outcome of a commissioning beam data generation fully complies with vendor specification and published literature.

Measurement of the Energy Spectrum of a 6 MV Linear Accelerator Using Compton Scattering Spectroscopy and Monte Carlo-Generated Corrections

Purpose: The energy spectrum of a linear accelerator used for dose calculations is determined during beam commissioning by iteratively adjusting the spectrum and comparing calculated and measured percent depth-dose curves. Direct measurement of the energy spectrum using pulse mode detectors is particularly challenging because of the high-energy, high fluence nature of these beams and limitations of the detector systems. This work implements a Compton scattering (CS) spectroscopy setup and presents detector corrections and spectral unfolding techniques to measure the spectrum of a 6 MV linear accelerator using a pulse mode detector. Methods: Spectral measurements were performed using a Varian Clinac 21EX linear accelerator and a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. To reduce fluence to the detector, a custom-built lead shield and a CS spectrometry setup were used. The detector was placed at CS angles of 46°, 89°, and 125°. At each of these locations, a detector response function was generated to account for photon interactions within the experimental geometry. Gold’s deconvolution algorithm was used to unfold the energy spectrum. The measured spectra were compared to simulated spectra, which were obtained using an experimentally benchmarked model of the Clinac 21EX in MCNP6. Results: Measurements were acquired and detector response corrections were calculated for all three CS angles. A comparison of spectra for all CS angles showed good agreement with one another. The spectra for all three angles were averaged and showed good agreement with the MCNP6 simulated spectrum, with all points above 400 keV falling within 4%, which was within the uncertainty of the measurement and statistical uncertainty. Conclusions: The measurement of the energy spectrum of a 6 MV linear accelerator using a pulse-mode detector is presented in this work. For accurate spectrum determination, great care must be taken to optimize the detector setup, determine proper corrections, and to unfold the spectrum.

Acceleration-Dependent Analysis of Vertical Ball Screw Feed System without Counterweight

The distinguishing feature of a vertical ball screw feed system without counterweight is that the spindle system weight directly acts on the kinematic joints.Research into the dynamic characteristics under acceleration and deceleration is an important step in improving the structural performance of vertical milling machines.The magnitude and direction of the inertial force change significantly when the spindle system accelerates and decelerates.Therefore,the kinematic joint contact stiffness changes under the action of the inertial force and the spindle system weight.Thus,the system transmission stiffness also varies and affects the dynamics.In this study,a variable-coefficient lumped parameter dynamic model that considers the changes in the spindle system weight and the magnitude and direction of the inertial force is established for a ball screw feed system without counterweight.In addition,a calculation method for the system stiffness is provided.Experiments on a vertical ball screw feed system under acceleration and deceleration with different accelerations are also performed to verify the proposed dynamic model.Finally,the influence of the spindle system position,the rated dynamic load of the screw-nut joint,and the screw tension force on the natural frequency of the vertical ball screw feed system under acceleration and deceleration are studied.The results show that the vertical ball screw feed system has obviously different variable dynamics under acceleration and deceleration.The influence of the rated dynamic load and the spindle system position on the natural frequency under acceleration and deceleration is much greater than that of the screw tension force.

Electromagnetic Oscillations in a Spherical Conducting Cavity with Dielectric Layers. Application to Linear Accelerators

We present an analysis of electromagnetic oscillations in a spherical conducting cavity filled concentrically with either dielectric or vacuum layers. The fields are given analytically, and the resonant frequency is determined numerically. An important special case of a spherical conducting cavity with a smaller dielectric sphere at its center is treated in more detail. By numerically integrating the equations of motion we demonstrate that the transverse electric oscillations in such cavity can be used to accelerate strongly relativistic electrons. The electron’s trajectory is assumed to be nearly tangential to the dielectric sphere. We demonstrate that the interaction of such electrons with the oscillating magnetic field deflects their trajectory from a straight line only slightly. The Q factor of such a resonator only depends on losses in the dielectric. For existing ultra low loss dielectrics, Q can be three orders of magnitude better than obtained in existing cylindrical cavities.

Comparison of two methods for assessing leakage radiation dose around the head of the medical linear accelerators

Objective:The aim of this study was to measure the leakage by two methods with ion chamber and ready packs film,and to investigate the feasibility and the advantages of using two dosimetry methods for assessing leakage radiation around the head of the linear accelerators.Methods:Measurements were performed using a 30 cm3ion chamber;the gantry at 0°,the X-ray head at 0°,the field size at between the central axis and a plane surface at a FSD of 100 as a reference,a series of concentric circles having radii of 50,75,and 100 cm with their common centre at the reference point.The absorbed dose was measured at the reference point,and this would be used as the reference dose.With the diaphragm closed,the measurements were taken along the circumference of the three circles and at 45°intervals.Results:Leakage radiations while the treatment head was in the vertical position varied between 0.016%–0.04%.With the head lying horizontally,leakage radiation was the same order magnitude and varied between 0.02%–0.07%.In the second method,the verification was accomplished by closing the collimator jaws and covering the head of the treatment unit with the ready pack films.The films were marked to permit the determination of their positions on the machine after exposed and processed.With the diaphragm closed,and the ready packs films around the linear accelerator the beam turned on for 2500 cGy(2500 MU).The optical density of these films was measured and compared with this of the reference dose.Leakage radiation varied according to the film positions and the magnitude of leakage was between 0.005%–0.075%.Conclusion:The differences between the values of the leakage radiation levels observed at different measurement points do not only reflect differences in the effective shielding thickness of the head wall,but are also related to differences in the distances between the target and the measurement points.The experimental errors involved in dosimetric measurement also contribute to such differences.

Establishment and validation of a method for cell irradiation in 96-well and 6-well plates using a linear accelerator

To establish and validate a method for cell irradiation in 96-well and 6-well plates using a linear accelerator, three irradiation methods(G0 B0 F40,G0 B1.5 F40, and G180 B1.5 F40) were designed to irradiate cell culture plasticware simulated with RW3 slab phantom and polystyrene. The difference between the actual physical measured dose and the preset dose was compared among the three methods under the preparatory conditions of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 Gy. MDA-MB-231 cells were analyzed by using a cell proliferation assay and a clonogenic assay to verify the difference between the three cell irradiation methods on cell radiosensitivity. For each preset dose, the difference between the actual measured dose and the preset dose was the lowest for Method G0 B1.5 F40, the second lowest for Method G180 B1.5 F40, and the maximum for Method GOB0 F40. The ranges of the differences were-0.28 to 0.02%,-2.17 to-1.80%, and-4.92 to-4.55%, and 0.31 to-0.12%,-3.42 to-2.86%, and-7.31 to-6.92%,respectively, for 96-well and 6-well plates. The cell culture experiments proved that Method G0 B1.5 F40 was an accurate, effective, simple, and practical irradiation method. The most accurate and effective cell irradiation method should always be used, as it will reduce dose differences and instability factors and provide improved accuracy and comparability for laboratories researching cellular radiosensitivity.

Performance of an electron linear accelerator for the first photoneutron source in China

A compact 15.0-MeV, 1.5-kW electron linear accelerator(LINAC) was successfully constructed to provide an electron beam for the first photoneutron source at the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Shanghai,China. This LINAC consists of five main parts: a thermal cathode grid-controlled electron gun, a pre-buncher, a variable-phase-velocity buncher, a light-speed accelerating structure, and a high-power transportation beamline. A digital feedforward radio frequency compensator is adopted to reduce the energy spread caused by the transient beam loading effect. Furthermore, a real-time electron gun emission feedback algorithm is used to keep the beam stable. After months of efforts, all the beam parameters successfully met the requirements of the facility. In this paper, the beam commissioning process and performance of the LINAC are presented.

Dose Validation of Physical Wedged Asymmetric Fields in Artiste Linear Accelerator

Aim: The purpose of this study was to make a comparison between measured and calculated physical wedge dose distributions using the superposition algorithm. Settings and Design: The accurate determination of absorbed dose is important radiotherapy because of the relatively steep sigmoidal dose response curves for both tumor control and normal-tissue damage. Materials and Methods: High-energy photons (6 and 10 MV) from Artiste Treatment System Linear Accelerator Machine, available at Alexandria Ayadi Al-Mostakbal Oncology Center, were used. Results and Discussion: The results showed that the difference between measured and calculated wedged isodose curves depends on field size, beam energy, and the angle of the used wedge. Conclusion: The results showed that the presence of a wedge alters the primary and scattered components generated by a linear accelerator and causes beam hardening in 6 and 10 MV. The beam hardening increased as the wedge angle increased.

A Quality Assurance Approach for Linear Accelerator Mechanical Isocenters with Portal Images

Purpose: With usually a millimeter-level PTV margin, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) pose a stringent requirement on the isocentricity of the Linac. This requirement is partly fulfilled by routine isocenter quality assurance (QA) test to verify the size and location of the isocenter. The current common QA methods such as spoke shot were developed before SBRT/SRS became popular and when IGRT was largely absent and hence have their limitations. In this work, we describe an isocenter QA approach based on portal imaging to provide the community with a superior alternative. Methods: The proposed approach utilizes a BrainLab ball bearing (BB) phantom in conjunction with an electronic portal imaging devices (EPID) imager. The BB phantom was first aligned with a calibrated room laser system. Portal images were then acquired using 6 MV beam with a 2 × 2 cm2 open field and a 15 mm cone on a Varian TrueBeam STx machine. The gantry, collimator, and table were rotated separately at selected angles to acquire a series of portal images in order to determine the isocenter of each rotating system. The location and diameter of these isocenters were determined by calculating the relative displacement of either BB or open field edge between the acquired EPID images. The demonstration of the reproducibility and robustness of this EPID-based approach was carried out by repeating measurements 10 times independently for each rotating system and simulating clinical scenarios of asymmetric jaws and misalignment of BB phantom, respectively. Results: For our TrueBeam STx machine, the isocenter diameter derived from open-field EPID images was roughly 0.15 mm, 0.18 mm, 0.49 mm for the collimator, table, and gantry, respectively. For the collimator and gantry, images taken with the cone gave considerably smaller isocenter diameter. Results remained almost unchanged despite the presence of simulated BB misalignment and asymmetric jaws error, and between independent measurements. Isocenter location and diameter derived from images obtained at a limited number of angles (≤11) were adequately accurate to represent those derived from images of densely sampled angles. Conclusions: An EPID-based isocenter QA approach is described and demonstrated to be accurate, robust, and reproducible. This approach provides a superior alternative to conventional isocenter QA methods with no additional cost. It can be implemented with convenience for any linear accelerator with an EPID imager.

Direct Measurement of Medical Linear Accelerator Electron Beam Width at Scattering Foil Position

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a method for the direct measurement of electron beam width and distribution at the scattering foil on the carrousel in a medical linear accelerator gantry head, which differs from an existing indirect method for measuring the focal spot size using a camera or metallic slit located outside the gantry head. Methods: The electron beam emitted by the linear accelerator was used to irradiate radiochromic film mounted on the scattering foil on the carrousel, which was not used for clinical treatment. The electron beam width at the scattering foil position was then evaluated using the full width at half maximum of the Gaussian distribution approximated from each one dimensional distribution of the irradiated radiochromic film. Results: The electron beam width at the scattering foil position was found to be 3.1 to 6.4 mm in the crossline direction and 2.8 to 5.5 mm in the inline direction with electron energy of 4 to 16 MeV. The two-dimensional distribution of the electron beam was therefore elliptical or distorted in shape, not circular. Conclusions: Direct measurement of the electron beam width at the scattering foil in the carrousel of a medical linear accelerator is possible, though the use of lower sensitivity film in addition to indirect methods is expected to bring about better results. However, as this method does not allow for direct measurement of the incident angle of the accelerated electron beam, further improvements and refinements are still needed.