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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI in Head-and-Neck Cancer: The Impact of Region of Interest Selection on the Intra- and Interpatient Variability of Pharmacokinetic Parameters

Purpose: Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI-extracted parameters measure tumor microvascular physiology and are usually calculated from an intratumor region of interest (ROI). Optimal ROI delineation is not established. The valid clinical use of DCE-MRI requires that the variation for any given parameter measured within a tumor be less than that observed between tumors in different patients. This work evaluates the impact of tumor ROI selection on the assessment of intra- and interpatient variability. Method and Materials: Head and neck cancer patients received initial targeted therapy (TT) treatment with erlotinib and/or bevacizumab, followed by radiotherapy and concurrent cisplatin with synchronous TT. DCE-MRI data from Baseline and the end of the TT regimen (Lead-In) were analyzed to generate the vascular transfer function (K{sup trans}), the extracellular volume fraction (v{sub e}), and the initial area under the concentration time curve (iAUC{sub 1min}). Four ROI sampling strategies were used: whole tumor or lymph node (Whole), the slice containing the most enhancing voxels (SliceMax), three slices centered in SliceMax (Partial), and the 5% most enhancing contiguous voxels within SliceMax (95Max). The average coefficient of variation (aCV) was calculated to establish intrapatient variability among ROI sets and interpatient variability for each ROI type. The average ratio between each intrapatient CV and the interpatient CV was calculated (aRCV). Results: Baseline primary/nodes aRCVs for different ROIs not including 95Max were, for all three MR parameters, in the range of 0.14-0.24, with Lead-In values between 0.09 and 0.2, meaning a low intrapatient vs. interpatient variation. For 95Max, intrapatient CVs approximated interpatient CVs, meaning similar data dispersion and higher aRCVs (0.6-1.27 for baseline) and 0.54-0.95 for Lead-In. Conclusion: Distinction between different patient's primary tumors and/or nodes cannot be made using 95Max ROIs. The other three strategies are viable and equivalent for using DCE-MRI to measure head and neck cancer physiology.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Megavoltage Computed Tomography Image Guidance With Helical Tomotherapy in Patients With Vertebral Tumors: Analysis of Factors Influencing Interobserver Variability

Purpose: To evaluate megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT)-based image guidance with helical tomotherapy in patients with vertebral tumors by analyzing factors influencing interobserver variability, considered as quality criterion of image guidance. Methods and Materials: Five radiation oncologists retrospectively registered 103 MVCTs in 10 patients to planning kilovoltage CTs by rigid transformations in 4 df. Interobserver variabilities were quantified using the standard deviations (SDs) of the distributions of the correction vector components about the observers' fraction mean. To assess intraobserver variabilities, registrations were repeated after {>=}4 weeks. Residual deviations after setup correction due to uncorrectable rotational errors and elastic deformations were determined at 3 craniocaudal target positions. To differentiate observer-related variations in minimizing these residual deviations across the 3-dimensional MVCT from image resolution effects, 2-dimensional registrations were performed in 30 single transverse and sagittal MVCT slices. Axial and longitudinal MVCT image resolutions were quantified. For comparison, image resolution of kilovoltage cone-beam CTs (CBCTs) and interobserver variability in registrations of 43 CBCTs were determined. Results: Axial MVCT image resolution is 3.9 lp/cm. Longitudinal MVCT resolution amounts to 6.3 mm, assessed as full-width at half-maximum of thin objects in MVCTs with finest pitch. Longitudinal CBCT resolution is better (full-width at half-maximum, 2.5 mm for CBCTs with 1-mm slices). In MVCT registrations, interobserver variability in the craniocaudal direction (SD 1.23 mm) is significantly larger than in the lateral and ventrodorsal directions (SD 0.84 and 0.91 mm, respectively) and significantly larger compared with CBCT alignments (SD 1.04 mm). Intraobserver variabilities are significantly smaller than corresponding interobserver variabilities (variance ratio [VR] 1.8-3.1). Compared with 3-dimensional registrations, 2-dimensional registrations have significantly smaller interobserver variability in the lateral and ventrodorsal directions (VR 3.8 and 2.8, respectively) but not in the craniocaudal direction (VR 0.75). Conclusion: Tomotherapy image guidance precision is affected by image resolution and residual deviations after setup correction. Eliminating the effect of residual deviations yields small interobserver variabilities with submillimeter precision in the axial plane. In contrast, interobserver variability in the craniocaudal direction is dominated by the poorer longitudinal MVCT image resolution. Residual deviations after image guidance exist and need to be considered when dose gradients ultimately achievable with image guided radiation therapy techniques are analyzed.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Assessment of Uncertainties in Treatment Planning for Scanned Ion Beam Therapy of Moving Tumors

Purpose: To provide methods for quantification of uncertainties in 4-dimensional (4D) treatment during treatment planning. Methods and Materials: Uncertainty information was generated by multiple 4D treatment simulations with varying parameters. Sampled data were analyzed using uncertainty visualization methods that have been added to common treatment plan evaluation methods (eg, dose-volume histogram and dose distribution analysis). To illustrate the potential of the introduced methods, uncertainty analysis was completed for a single lung cancer case using 3 motion mitigation techniques: gating, slice-by-slice rescanning, and breath-controlled rescanning. Results: By repeating 4D dose calculations with varying parameters, we were able to show local uncertainties in dose distributions and to evaluate the stability of treatment setups. The new methods were found suitable for uncertainty evaluation in 4D treatment planning of moving tumors. Calculation time of the uncertainty base data was time consuming but contrivable overnight. Conclusions: Uncertainty analysis and visualization for 4D treatment planning provide an important tool in the decision process for an optimal treatment approach.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Accuracy in contouring of small and low contrast lesions: Comparison between diagnostic quality computed tomography scanner and computed tomography simulation scanner-A phantom study

To evaluate the accuracy in detection of small and low-contrast regions using a high-definition diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scanner compared with a radiotherapy CT simulation scanner. A custom-made phantom with cylindrical holes of diameters ranging from 2-9 mm was filled with 9 different concentrations of contrast solution. The phantom was scanned using a 16-slice multidetector CT simulation scanner (LightSpeed RT16, General Electric Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI) and a 64-slice high-definition diagnostic CT scanner (Discovery CT750 HD, General Electric Healthcare). The low-contrast regions of interest (ROIs) were delineated automatically upon their full width at half maximum of the CT number profile in Hounsfield units on a treatment planning workstation. Two conformal indexes, CI{sub in}, and CI{sub out}, were calculated to represent the percentage errors of underestimation and overestimation in the automated contours compared with their actual sizes. Summarizing the conformal indexes of different sizes and contrast concentration, the means of CI{sub in} and CI{sub out} for the CT simulation scanner were 33.7% and 60.9%, respectively, and 10.5% and 41.5% were found for the diagnostic CT scanner. The mean differences between the 2 scanners' CI{sub in} and CI{sub out} were shown to be significant with p < 0.001. A descending trend of the index values was observed as the ROI size increases for both scanners, which indicates an improved accuracy when the ROI size increases, whereas no observable trend was found in the contouring accuracy with respect to the contrast levels in this study. Images acquired by the diagnostic CT scanner allow higher accuracy on size estimation compared with the CT simulation scanner in this study. We recommend using a diagnostic CT scanner to scan patients with small lesions (<1 cm in diameter) for radiotherapy treatment planning, especially for those pending for stereotactic radiosurgery in which accurate delineation of small-sized, low-contrast regions is important for dose calculation.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2021

A GPU-based Approach for Path Planning Optimization via Travel Length Reduction

Typically, before constructing an object with an additive manufacturing system, the 3D object must be sent through a process called slicing. Slicing converts a 3D object commonly in the form of an STL file into a set of layers by horizontally intersecting a plane with the object at various heights. At each height, called a layer, multiple 2D polygons can be generated. Each polygon represents a boundary for solid geometry and is called an island. Each island is then comprised of multiple path types in an attempt to optimally fill the polygon. To move between each island and each islands’ paths, travels are inserted. Travels are simply motion by the system to move from one area of construction to another. Travels do not contribute to the construction of the object, and so, are considered wasted motion. In large-scale additive manufacturing, objects can be quite large and the distance between islands can be large as well. As a result, these travels can waste a significant amount of time. Ideally, travels would be as short as possible, however, computing global minimal travel paths is computationally expensive. To combat this problem, researchers at Oak Ridge National Lab developed a GPU-based approach to travel insertion based on a unique factoradic representation. This representation was then utilized by the GPU to solve the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). This algorithm was able to compute global minimal travel paths quickly resulting in faster object construction. A general investigation was also carried out to determine when a GPU vs CPU implementation would be beneficial.

Borish, Michael↗
DOE OSTI2012

In vivo treatment with diphenyl ditelluride induces neurodegeneration in striatum of young rats: Implications of MAPK and Akt pathways

In the present report 15 day-old Wistar rats were injected with 0.3 μmol of diphenyl ditelluride (PhTe){sub 2}/kg body weight and parameters of neurodegeneration were analyzed in slices from striatum 6 days afterwards. We found hyperphosphorylation of intermediate filament (IF) proteins from astrocyte (glial fibrillary acidic protein—GFAP and vimentin) and from neuron (low-, medium- and high molecular weight neurofilament subunits: NF-L, NF-M and NF-H, respectively) and increased MAPK (Erk, JNK and p38MAPK) as well as PKA activities. The treatment induced reactive astrogliosis in the striatum, evidenced by increased GFAP and vimentin immunocontent as well as their mRNA overexpression. Also, (PhTe){sub 2} significantly increased the propidium iodide (PI) positive cells in NeuN positive population without altering PI incorporation into GFAP positive cells, indicating that in vivo exposure to (PhTe){sub 2} provoked neuronal damage. Immunohistochemistry showed a dramatic increase of GFAP staining characteristic of reactive astrogliosis. Moreover, increased caspase 3 in (PhTe){sub 2} treated striatal slices suggested apoptotic cell death. (PhTe){sub 2} exposure decreased Akt immunoreactivity, however phospho-GSK-3-β (Ser9) was unaltered, suggesting that this kinase is not directly implicated in the neurotoxicity of this compound. Therefore, the present results shed light into the mechanisms of (PhTe){sub 2}-induced neurodegeneration in rat striatum, evidencing a critical role for the MAPK and Akt signaling pathways and disruption of cytoskeletal homeostasis, which could be related with apoptotic neuronal death and astrogliosis. -- Highlights: ► Diphenyl ditelluride causes apoptotic neuronal death in the striatum of young rats. ► Diphenyl ditelluride causes reactive astrogliosis in the striatum of rats. ► Diphenyl ditelluride disrupts the homeostasis of the cytoskeleton of the striatum. ► The actions of diphenyl ditelluride are mediated by MAPK and Akt signaling pathways.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Novel Method to Train Classification Models for Structure Detection in In Situ Spacecraft Data

We present a method for creating spacecraft-like data which can be used to train Machine Learning (ML) models to detect and classify structures in in situ spacecraft data. First, we use the Grad-Shafranov equation to numerically solve for several magnetohydrostatic equilibria which are variations on a known analytic equilibrium. These equilibria are then used as the initial conditions for Particle-In-Cell simulations in which the structures of interest are observed and labeled. We then take one-dimensional slices through the simulations to replicate what a spacecraft collecting data from the simulation would observe. This sliced data then can be used as training data for the initial training of ML models intended for use on spacecraft data. We demonstrate the method applied to the problem of detecting small-scale plasmoids in the magnetotail, which is important for understanding complex magnetotail reconnection dynamics. The simple 1D classifier we train is able to detect more than 70% of the plasmoid points in the data set but also produces a large number of false positives. Our further work on this example problem is detailed, and further potential uses of the method are discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Perovskite nickelates as bio-electronic interfaces

Functional interfaces between electronics and biological matter are essential to diverse fields including health sciences and bio-engineering. In this work, we report the discovery of spontaneous (no external energy input) hydrogen transfer from biological glucose reactions into SmNiO 3 , an archetypal perovskite quantum material. The enzymatic oxidation of glucose is monitored down to ~5 × 10 ⁻16 M concentration via hydrogen transfer to the nickelate lattice. The hydrogen atoms donate electrons to the Ni d orbital and induce electron localization through strong electron correlations. By enzyme specific modification, spontaneous transfer of hydrogen from the neurotransmitter dopamine can be monitored in physiological media. We then directly interface an acute mouse brain slice onto the nickelate devices and demonstrate measurement of neurotransmitter release upon electrical stimulation of the striatum region. These results open up avenues for use of emergent physics present in quantum materials in trace detection and conveyance of bio-matter, bio-chemical sciences, and brain-machine interfaces.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Initialized Earth system prediction from subseasonal to decadal timescales

Initialized Earth system predictions are made by starting a numerical prediction model in a state as consistent as possible to observations, and running it forward in time for up to ten years. Skillful predictions at time slices from subseasonal to seasonal (S2S), seasonal to interannual (S2I) and seasonal to decadal (S2D) offer information useful for various stakeholders, from agriculture to water resource management, and human and infrastructure safety. In this Review, we examine the processes influencing predictability, and discuss estimates of skill across S2S, S2I and S2D timescales. There are encouraging signs that skillful predictions can be made: at S2S timescales, there has been some skill in predicting the Madden-Julian Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation; at S2I in predicting the El Niño-Southern Oscillation; and at S2D, in predicting variability in North Atlantic sea surface temperatures. However, challenges remain, and future work must prioritise reducing model error, more effectively communicating forecasts to users, and increasing process and mechanistic understanding that could increase predictive skill and, in turn, confidence. As numerical models progress towards Earth system models, initialized predictions are expanding to include prediction of sea-ice, air pollution, terrestrial and ocean biochemistry which can bring clear benefit to society and various stakeholders.

climate prediction↗
DOE OSTI2020

Universal crossed beam imaging studies of polyatomic reaction dynamics

The marriage between high level quantum calculations and experimental advances in laser technology, quantum state control, and detection techniques have opened the door to the study of molecular collision dynamics at a new level of detail. However, one current challenge lies in adapting these powerful strategies to address questions beyond the scope of the small ground state systems that have largely been the focus of reaction dynamics investigations to-date. For molecules with intermediate or large size (more than 6 atoms), lack of spectroscopic information and spectral congestion limit quantum state preparation, control and detection for experiment, and the large number of degrees of freedom of the system makes accurate quantum dynamics calculations prohibitively expensive. Nevertheless, studies of the chemical dynamics of such systems can reveal novel aspects of reactivity not anticipated based upon the behavior of smaller model systems. This Perspective will highlight applications of soft vacuum ultraviolet photoionization at 157 nm as a universal probe in combination with crossed beams and DC slice velocity map ion imaging to study bimolecular reaction dynamics of molecules of intermediate or large size, illuminated with support of high-level ab initio calculations. In this work, we report on the chemical dynamics of atomic oxygen or chlorine reactions with organic compounds: propanol isomers, alkylamines (N(CH 3 ) 3 and NH(CH 3 ) 2 ), and isobutene ((CH 3 ) 2 CCH 2 ) studied using this approach. The polyatomic radical products from the hydrogen abstraction process have been detected by 157 nm photoionization and their slice ion images embody translational energy and angular information that directly reflect the underlying collision dynamics. Various reaction mechanisms (such as direct abstraction and addition–elimination) along with the involvement of roaming dynamics and novel intersystem crossing pathways are presented. These demonstrate the power of this technique to reveal fundamentally new aspects of reaction dynamics that arise in larger reaction systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

A novel cosmic filament catalogue from SDSS data

Here, in this work, we present a new catalogue of cosmic filaments obtained from the latest Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) public data. In order to detect filaments, we implement a version of the Subspace-Constrained Mean-Shift algorithm that is boosted by machine learning techniques. This allows us to detect cosmic filaments as one-dimensional maxima in the galaxy density distribution. Our filament catalogue uses the cosmological sample of SDSS, including Data Release 16, and therefore inherits its sky footprint (aside from small border effects) and redshift coverage. In particular, this means that, taking advantage of the quasar sample, our filament reconstruction covers redshifts up to z = 2.2, making it one of the deepest filament reconstructions to our knowledge. We follow a tomographic approach and slice the galaxy data in 269 shells at different redshift. The reconstruction algorithm is applied to 2D spherical maps. The catalogue provides the position and uncertainty of each detection for each redshift slice. The quality of our detections, which we assess with several metrics, show improvement with respect to previous public catalogues obtained with similar methods. We also detect a highly significant correlation between our filament catalogue and galaxy cluster catalogues built from microwave observations of the Planck Satellite and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Ultra-broadband infrared pump-probe spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation and a tuneable pump

Synchrotron infrared sources have become popular mainly because of their excellent broadband brilliance, which enables spectroscopically resolved spatial-mapping of stationary objects at the diffraction limit. In this article we focus on an often-neglected further advantage of such sources - their unique time-structure - to bring such broadband spectroscopy to the time domain, for studying dynamic phenomenon down to the 100 ps limit. We describe the ultra-broadband (12.5 to 1.1 {mu}m) Fourier transform pump-probe setup, for condensed matter transmission- and reflection-spectroscopy, installed at the X01DC infrared beam-line of the Swiss Light Source (SLS). The optical pump consists of a widely tuneable 100 ps 1 kHz laser system, covering 94% of the 16 to 1.1 {mu}m range. A thorough description of the system is given, including (i) the vector-modulator providing purely electronic tuning of the pump-probe overlap up to 1 ms with sub-ps time resolution, (ii) the 500 MHz data acquisition system interfaced with the experimental physics and industrial control system (EPICS) based SLS control system for consecutive pulse sampling, and (iii) the step-scan time-slice Fourier transform scheme for simultaneous recording of the dual-channel pumped, un-pumped, and difference spectra. The typical signal/noise ratio of a single interferogram in a 100 ps time slice is 300 (measured during one single 140 s TopUp period). This signal/noise ratio is comparable to that of existing gated Globar pump-probe Fourier transform spectroscopy, but brings up to four orders of magnitude better time resolution. To showcase the utility of broadband pump-probe spectroscopy, we investigate a Ge-on-Si material system similar to that in which optically pumped direct-gap lasing was recently reported. We show that the mid-infrared reflection-spectra can be used to determine the optically injected carrier density, while the mid- and near-infrared transmission-spectra can be used to separate the strong pump-induced absorption and inversion processes present at the direct-gap energy.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2011

Communication: First observation of ground state I({sup 2}P{sub 3/2}) atoms from the CH{sub 3}I photodissociation in the B-band

The photodissociation of CH{sub 3}I in the second absorption band (the B-band) has been studied at the wavelength 199.11 nm, coincident with the 3{sub 0}{sup 1} {sup 3}R{sub 1}(E)(leftarrow)X(tilde sign)({sup 1}A{sub 1}) CH{sub 3}I vibronic transition, using a combination of slice imaging and resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization detection of the CH{sub 3} fragment. The kinetic energy and angular distributions of the recoiling CH{sub 3} fragment confirm a major predissociation dynamics channel as a result of the interaction between the bound {sup 3}R{sub 1} Rydberg state and the repulsive {sup 3}A{sub 1}(E) state - ascribed to the A-band - yielding CH{sub 3} fragments in correlation with spin-orbit excited I*({sup 2}P{sub 1/2}) atoms. In addition, first evidence of a non-negligible population of ground state I({sup 2}P{sub 3/2}) atoms in the CH{sub 3} fragment slice images, suggests a secondary predissociation mechanism via interaction between the {sup 3}R{sub 1} Rydberg state and the repulsive A-band {sup 1}Q{sub 1} state.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Effect of nonuniform radial density distribution on the space charge dominated beam bunching

Beam dynamics of a space charge dominated beam during the bunch compression is studied self consistently for the case of fixed shape non-uniform bell shape and hollow shape density distributions in the transverse direction. We have used thick slices at different parts of the beam to account for variation in the beam radius in the study of the transverse dynamics. The longitudinal dynamics has been studied using the disc model. The axial variation of the radius of the slices and emittance growth arising from the phase dependence of the transverse rf forces are also included in the simulation. We have modified the beam envelope equation to take into account the longitudinal space charge effect on the transverse motion which arises due to the finite bunch size. To demonstrate the application of the theoretical formulations developed, we have studied a sinusoidal beam bunching system and presented detailed numerical results.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Verification and validation of linear gyrokinetic simulation of Alfven eigenmodes in the DIII-D tokamak

A verification and validation study is carried out for a sequence of reversed shear Alfven instability time slices. The mode frequency increases in time as the minimum (q{sub min}) in the safety factor profile decreases. Profiles and equilibria are based upon reconstructions of DIII-D discharge (no. 142111) in which many such frequency up-sweeping modes were observed. Calculations of the frequency and mode structure evolution from two gyrokinetic codes, GTC and GYRO, and a gyro-Landau fluid code TAEFL are compared. The experimental mode structure of the instability was measured using time-resolved two-dimensional electron cyclotron emission imaging. The three models reproduce the frequency upsweep event within {+-}10% of each other, and the average of the code predictions is within {+-}8% of the measurements; growth rates are predicted that are consistent with the observed spectral line widths. The mode structures qualitatively agree with respect to radial location and width, dominant poloidal mode number, ballooning structure, and the up-down asymmetry, with some remaining differences in the details. Such similarities and differences between the predictions of the different models and the experimental results are a valuable part of the verification/validation process and help to guide future development of the modeling efforts.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Long-range persistence of femtosecond modulations on laser-plasma-accelerated electron beams

Laser plasma accelerators have produced femtosecond electron bunches with a relative energy spread ranging from 100% to a few percent. Simulations indicate that the measured energy spread can be dominated by a correlated spread, with the slice spread significantly lower. Measurements of coherent optical transition radiation are presented for broad-energy-spread beams with laser-induced density and momentum modulations. The long-range (meter-scale) observation of coherent optical transition radiation indicates that the slice energy spread is below the percent level to preserve the modulations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗