Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “algorithms”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

WIDE-FIELD WIDE-BAND INTERFEROMETRIC IMAGING: THE WB A-PROJECTION AND HYBRID ALGORITHMS

Variations of the antenna primary beam (PB) pattern as a function of time, frequency, and polarization form one of the dominant direction-dependent effects at most radio frequency bands. These gains may also vary from antenna to antenna. The A-Projection algorithm, published earlier, accounts for the effects of the narrow-band antenna PB in full polarization. In this paper, we present the wide-band A-Projection algorithm (WB A-Projection) to include the effects of wide bandwidth in the A-term itself and show that the resulting algorithm simultaneously corrects for the time, frequency, and polarization dependence of the PB. We discuss the combination of the WB A-Projection and the multi-term multi-frequency synthesis (MT-MFS) algorithm for simultaneous mapping of the sky brightness distribution and the spectral index distribution across a wide field of view. We also discuss the use of the narrow-band A-Projection algorithm in hybrid imaging schemes that account for the frequency dependence of the PB in the image domain.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

PHURBAS: AN ADAPTIVE, LAGRANGIAN, MESHLESS, MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS CODE. I. ALGORITHM

We present an algorithm for simulating the equations of ideal magnetohydrodynamics and other systems of differential equations on an unstructured set of points represented by sample particles. Local, third-order, least-squares, polynomial interpolations (Moving Least Squares interpolations) are calculated from the field values of neighboring particles to obtain field values and spatial derivatives at the particle position. Field values and particle positions are advanced in time with a second-order predictor-corrector scheme. The particles move with the fluid, so the time step is not limited by the Eulerian Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy condition. Full spatial adaptivity is implemented to ensure the particles fill the computational volume, which gives the algorithm substantial flexibility and power. A target resolution is specified for each point in space, with particles being added and deleted as needed to meet this target. Particle addition and deletion is based on a local void and clump detection algorithm. Dynamic artificial viscosity fields provide stability to the integration. The resulting algorithm provides a robust solution for modeling flows that require Lagrangian or adaptive discretizations to resolve. This paper derives and documents the Phurbas algorithm as implemented in Phurbas version 1.1. A following paper presents the implementation and test problem results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMS FOR STRONG GRAVITATIONAL LENSING IN KERR SPACE-TIME INCLUDING POLARIZATION

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasars are important astrophysical objects to understand. Recently, microlensing observations have constrained the size of the quasar X-ray emission region to be of the order of 10 gravitational radii of the central supermassive black hole. For distances within a few gravitational radii, light paths are strongly bent by the strong gravity field of the central black hole. If the central black hole has nonzero angular momentum (spin), then a photon’s polarization plane will be rotated by the gravitational Faraday effect. The observed X-ray flux and polarization will then be influenced significantly by the strong gravity field near the source. Consequently, linear gravitational lensing theory is inadequate for such extreme circumstances. We present simple algorithms computing the strong lensing effects of Kerr black holes, including the effects on polarization. Our algorithms are realized in a program “KERTAP” in two versions: MATLAB and Python. The key ingredients of KERTAP are a graphic user interface, a backward ray-tracing algorithm, a polarization propagator dealing with gravitational Faraday rotation, and algorithms computing observables such as flux magnification and polarization angles. Our algorithms can be easily realized in other programming languages such as FORTRAN, C, and C++. The MATLAB version of KERTAP is parallelized using the MATLAB Parallel Computing Toolbox and the Distributed Computing Server. The Python code was sped up using Cython and supports full implementation of MPI using the “mpi4py” package. As an example, we investigate the inclination angle dependence of the observed polarization and the strong lensing magnification of AGN X-ray emission. We conclude that it is possible to perform complex numerical-relativity related computations using interpreted languages such as MATLAB and Python.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Static actuator-sharing algorithm for concurrent control of multiple plasma properties

Simultaneous regulation of multiple properties in next-generation tokamaks like ITER and fusion pilot plant may require the integration of different plasma control algorithms. Such integration requires the conversion of individual controller commands into physical actuator requests while accounting for the coupling between different plasma properties. This work proposes a tokamak and scenario-agnostic actuator-sharing algorithm (ASA) to perform the above-mentioned command-request conversion and, hence, integrate multiple plasma controllers. The proposed algorithm implicitly solves a quadratic programming (QP) problem formulated to account for the saturation limits and the relation between the controller commands and physical actuator requests. Since the constraints arising in the QP program are linear, the proposed ASA is highly computationally efficient and can be implemented in the tokamak plasma control system in real time. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm is designed to handle real-time changes in the control objectives and actuators’ availability. Nonlinear simulations carried out using the Control Oriented Transport SIMulator illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in achieving multiple control objectives simultaneously.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantum Davidson algorithm for excited states

Abstract Excited state properties play a pivotal role in various chemical and physical phenomena, such as charge separation and light emission. However, the primary focus of most existing quantum algorithms has been the ground state, as seen in quantum phase estimation and the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE). Although VQE-type methods have been extended to explore excited states, these methods grapple with optimization challenges. In contrast, the quantum Krylov subspace (QKS) method has been introduced to address both ground and excited states, positioning itself as a cost-effective alternative to quantum phase estimation. However, conventional QKS methodologies depend on a pre-generated subspace through real or imaginary-time evolutions. This subspace is inherently expansive and can be plagued with issues like slow convergence or numerical instabilities, often leading to relatively deep circuits. Our research presents an economic QKS algorithm, which we term the quantum Davidson (QDavidson) algorithm. This innovation hinges on the iterative expansion of the Krylov subspace and the incorporation of a pre-conditioner within the Davidson framework. By using the residues of eigenstates to expand the Krylov subspace, we manage to formulate a compact subspace that aligns closely with the exact solutions. This iterative subspace expansion paves the way for a more rapid convergence in comparison to other QKS techniques, such as the quantum Lanczos. Using quantum simulators, we employ the novel QDavidson algorithm to delve into the excited state properties of various systems, spanning from the Heisenberg spin model to real molecules. Compared to the existing QKS methods, the QDavidson algorithm not only converges swiftly but also demands a significantly shallower circuit. This efficiency establishes the QDavidson method as a pragmatic tool for elucidating both ground and excited state properties on quantum computing platforms.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Convex Decreasing Algorithms: Distributed Synthesis and Finite-Time Termination in Higher Dimension

Here we establish finite time termination algorithms for consensus algorithms based on geometric properties that yield finite-time guarantees, suited for use in high dimension and in the absence of a central authority. These pursuits motivate a new peer to peer convex hull algorithm which is utilized for one stopping algorithm. Further an alternative lightweight norm based stopping criteria is also developed. The practical utility of the algorithm is illustrated through MATLAB simulations.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Data association algorithm for large-scale multi-object tracking with complex interactions

We present an online multi-object tracking algorithm to track multiple objects across a large number of image frames. Our work is motivated by the need to study evolution of nanoscale objects by transmission electron microscopy. The proposed approach is based on the existing multi-way data association tracking algorithm that is capable of tracking interacting objects with complex behaviors (i.e., merge, split, overlap, and appearance or disappearance). The multi-way data association is an offline algorithm to associate objects across all image frames at one step with a global optimization, which does not scale very well for large number of image frames. The proposed online tracking algorithm processes image frames as they arrive by detecting all objects in the newly arrived image frame and making the associations of the objects to those detected from the previous frame by the multi-way data association. This frameby-frame association scheme can cause fragmented traces of the objects that are occasionally misdetected for some image frames. We overcome this issue by allowing previously unassociated objects to be associated when the objects reappear within a fixed number of future image frames, namely the frame-delayed association. We combine the multi-way data association with the frame-delayed association to be able to track interacting objects with accurate handling of object disappearance events. The proposed method is validated through applications to simulated multi-object tracking problem and a real multi-object tracking problem. Here, the outcome of the proposed method is compared with four state-of-the-art algorithms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

Combined mixed approach algorithm for in-line phase-contrast x-ray imaging

Purpose: In the past decade, phase-contrast imaging (PCI) has been applied to study different kinds of tissues and human body parts, with an increased improvement of the image quality with respect to simple absorption radiography. A technique closely related to PCI is phase-retrieval imaging (PRI). Indeed, PCI is an imaging modality thought to enhance the total contrast of the images through the phase shift introduced by the object (human body part); PRI is a mathematical technique to extract the quantitative phase-shift map from PCI. A new phase-retrieval algorithm for the in-line phase-contrast x-ray imaging is here proposed. Methods: The proposed algorithm is based on a mixed transfer-function and transport-of-intensity approach (MA) and it requires, at most, an initial approximate estimate of the average phase shift introduced by the object as prior knowledge. The accuracy in the initial estimate determines the convergence speed of the algorithm. The proposed algorithm retrieves both the object phase and its complex conjugate in a combined MA (CMA). Results: Although slightly less computationally effective with respect to other mixed-approach algorithms, as two phases have to be retrieved, the results obtained by the CMA on simulated data have shown that the obtained reconstructed phase maps are characterized by particularly low normalized mean square errors. The authors have also tested the CMA on noisy experimental phase-contrast data obtained by a suitable weakly absorbing sample consisting of a grid of submillimetric nylon fibers as well as on a strongly absorbing object made of a 0.03 mm thick lead x-ray resolution star pattern. The CMA has shown a good efficiency in recovering phase information, also in presence of noisy data, characterized by peak-to-peak signal-to-noise ratios down to a few dBs, showing the possibility to enhance with phase radiography the signal-to-noise ratio for features in the submillimetric scale with respect to the attenuation-based imaging. Conclusions: It has been shown that phase-retrieved radiographies can be used both to have quantitative phase information about soft tissues, complementary to the attenuation information, and to enhance the visibility of details inside soft tissues, with higher efficiency with respect to phase radiography.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

A novel lateral disequilibrium inclusive (LDI) pencil-beam based dose calculation algorithm: Evaluation in inhomogeneous phantoms and comparison with Monte Carlo calculations

Purpose: Pencil-beam (PB) based dose calculation for treatment planning is limited by inaccuracies in regions of tissue inhomogeneities, particularly in situations with lateral electron disequilibrium as is present at tissue/lung interfaces. To overcome these limitations, a new ''lateral disequilibrium inclusive'' (LDI) PB based calculation algorithm was introduced. In this study, the authors evaluated the accuracy of the new model by film and ionization chamber measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. Methods: To validate the performance of the new LDI algorithm implemented in Corvus 09, eight test plans were generated on inhomogeneous thorax and pelvis phantoms. In addition, three plans were calculated with a simple effective path length (EPL) algorithm on the inhomogeneous thorax phantom. To simulate homogeneous tissues, four test plans were evaluated in homogeneous phantoms (homogeneous dose calculation). Results: The mean pixel pass rates and standard deviations of the gamma 4%/4 mm test for the film measurements were (96{+-}3)% for the plans calculated with LDI, (70{+-}5)% for the plans calculated with EPL, and (99{+-}1)% for the homogeneous plans. Ionization chamber measurements and Monte Carlo simulations confirmed the high accuracy of the new algorithm (dose deviations {<=}4%; gamma 3%/3 mm {>=}96%)Conclusions: LDI represents an accurate and fast dose calculation algorithm for treatment planning.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

A constrained, total-variation minimization algorithm for low-intensity x-ray CT

Purpose: The authors developed an iterative image-reconstruction algorithm for application to low-intensity computed tomography projection data, which is based on constrained, total-variation (TV) minimization. The algorithm design focuses on recovering structure on length scales comparable to a detector bin width. Methods: Recovering the resolution on the scale of a detector bin requires that pixel size be much smaller than the bin width. The resulting image array contains many more pixels than data, and this undersampling is overcome with a combination of Fourier upsampling of each projection and the use of constrained, TV minimization, as suggested by compressive sensing. The presented pseudocode for solving constrained, TV minimization is designed to yield an accurate solution to this optimization problem within 100 iterations. Results: The proposed image-reconstruction algorithm is applied to a low-intensity scan of a rabbit with a thin wire to test the resolution. The proposed algorithm is compared to filtered backprojection (FBP). Conclusions: The algorithm may have some advantage over FBP in that the resulting noise level is lowered at equivalent contrast levels of the wire.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Experimental investigation of a moving averaging algorithm for motion perpendicular to the leaf travel direction in dynamic MLC target tracking

Purpose: In dynamic multileaf collimator (MLC) motion tracking with complex intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) fields, target motion perpendicular to the MLC leaf travel direction can cause beam holds, which increase beam delivery time by up to a factor of 4. As a means to balance delivery efficiency and accuracy, a moving average algorithm was incorporated into a dynamic MLC motion tracking system (i.e., moving average tracking) to account for target motion perpendicular to the MLC leaf travel direction. The experimental investigation of the moving average algorithm compared with real-time tracking and no compensation beam delivery is described. Methods: The properties of the moving average algorithm were measured and compared with those of real-time tracking (dynamic MLC motion tracking accounting for both target motion parallel and perpendicular to the leaf travel direction) and no compensation beam delivery. The algorithm was investigated using a synthetic motion trace with a baseline drift and four patient-measured 3D tumor motion traces representing regular and irregular motions with varying baseline drifts. Each motion trace was reproduced by a moving platform. The delivery efficiency, geometric accuracy, and dosimetric accuracy were evaluated for conformal, step-and-shoot IMRT, and dynamic sliding window IMRT treatment plans using the synthetic and patient motion traces. The dosimetric accuracy was quantified via a {gamma}-test with a 3%/3 mm criterion. Results: The delivery efficiency ranged from 89 to 100% for moving average tracking, 26%-100% for real-time tracking, and 100% (by definition) for no compensation. The root-mean-square geometric error ranged from 3.2 to 4.0 mm for moving average tracking, 0.7-1.1 mm for real-time tracking, and 3.7-7.2 mm for no compensation. The percentage of dosimetric points failing the {gamma}-test ranged from 4 to 30% for moving average tracking, 0%-23% for real-time tracking, and 10%-47% for no compensation. Conclusions: The delivery efficiency of moving average tracking was up to four times higher than that of real-time tracking and approached the efficiency of no compensation for all cases. The geometric accuracy and dosimetric accuracy of the moving average algorithm was between real-time tracking and no compensation, approximately half the percentage of dosimetric points failing the {gamma}-test compared with no compensation.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2012

A nonlinear lag correction algorithm for a-Si flat-panel x-ray detectors

Purpose: Detector lag, or residual signal, in a-Si flat-panel (FP) detectors can cause significant shading artifacts in cone-beam computed tomography reconstructions. To date, most correction models have assumed a linear, time-invariant (LTI) model and correct lag by deconvolution with an impulse response function (IRF). However, the lag correction is sensitive to both the exposure intensity and the technique used for determining the IRF. Even when the LTI correction that produces the minimum error is found, residual artifact remains. A new non-LTI method was developed to take into account the IRF measurement technique and exposure dependencies. Methods: First, a multiexponential (N = 4) LTI model was implemented for lag correction. Next, a non-LTI lag correction, known as the nonlinear consistent stored charge (NLCSC) method, was developed based on the LTI multiexponential method. It differs from other nonlinear lag correction algorithms in that it maintains a consistent estimate of the amount of charge stored in the FP and it does not require intimate knowledge of the semiconductor parameters specific to the FP. For the NLCSC method, all coefficients of the IRF are functions of exposure intensity. Another nonlinear lag correction method that only used an intensity weighting of the IRF was also compared. The correction algorithms were applied to step-response projection data and CT acquisitions of a large pelvic phantom and an acrylic head phantom. The authors collected rising and falling edge step-response data on a Varian 4030CB a-Si FP detector operating in dynamic gain mode at 15 fps at nine incident exposures (2.0%-92% of the detector saturation exposure). For projection data, 1st and 50th frame lag were measured before and after correction. For the CT reconstructions, five pairs of ROIs were defined and the maximum and mean signal differences within a pair were calculated for the different exposures and step-response edge techniques. Results: The LTI corrections left residual 1st and 50th frame lag up to 1.4% and 0.48%, while the NLCSC lag correction reduced 1st and 50th frame residual lags to less than 0.29% and 0.0052%. For CT reconstructions, the NLCSC lag correction gave an average error of 11 HU for the pelvic phantom and 3 HU for the head phantom, compared to 14-19 HU and 2-11 HU for the LTI corrections and 15 HU and 9 HU for the intensity weighted non-LTI algorithm. The maximum ROI error was always smallest for the NLCSC correction. The NLCSC correction was also superior to the intensity weighting algorithm. Conclusions: The NLCSC lag algorithm corrected for the exposure dependence of lag, provided superior image improvement for the pelvic phantom reconstruction, and gave similar results to the best case LTI results for the head phantom. The blurred ring artifact that is left over in the LTI corrections was better removed by the NLCSC correction in all cases.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

Application of activity pencil beam algorithm using measured distribution data of positron emitter nuclei for therapeutic SOBP proton beam

Purpose: Recently, much research on imaging the clinical proton-irradiated volume using positron emitter nuclei based on target nuclear fragment reaction has been carried out. The purpose of this study is to develop an activity pencil beam (APB) algorithm for a simulation system for proton-activated positron-emitting imaging in clinical proton therapy using spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) beams.Methods: The target nuclei of activity distribution calculations are {sup 12}C nuclei, {sup 16}O nuclei, and {sup 40}Ca nuclei, which are the main elements in a human body. Depth activity distributions with SOBP beam irradiations were obtained from the material information of ridge filter (RF) and depth activity distributions of compounds of the three target nuclei measured by BOLPs-RGp (beam ON-LINE PET system mounted on a rotating gantry port) with mono-energetic Bragg peak (MONO) beam irradiations. The calculated data of depth activity distributions with SOBP beam irradiations were sorted in terms of kind of nucleus, energy of proton beam, SOBP width, and thickness of fine degrader (FD), which were verified. The calculated depth activity distributions with SOBP beam irradiations were compared with the measured ones. APB kernels were made from the calculated depth activity distributions with SOBP beam irradiations to construct a simulation system using the APB algorithm for SOBP beams.Results: The depth activity distributions were prepared using the material information of RF and the measured depth activity distributions with MONO beam irradiations for clinical therapy using SOBP beams. With the SOBP width widening, the distal fall-offs of depth activity distributions and the difference from the depth dose distributions were large. The shapes of the calculated depth activity distributions nearly agreed with those of the measured ones upon comparison between the two. The APB kernels of SOBP beams were prepared by making use of the data on depth activity distributions with SOBP beam irradiations that were made from the depth activity distributions with MONO beam irradiations and sorted in terms of energy, SOBP width, and thickness of FD. The data on APB kernels of SOBP beams were determined as installment data for the simulation system using the APB algorithm for SOBP beam irradiations.Conclusions: A method of obtaining the depth activity distributions and the APB algorithm for clinical use of SOBP beams have been developed. It is suggested that the simulation system for imaging the clinical irradiated volume with the APB algorithm can be used in clinical proton therapy using SOBP beams by preparing and investigating the data on APB kernels of SOBP beams.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Image quality in thoracic 4D cone-beam CT: A sensitivity analysis of respiratory signal, binning method, reconstruction algorithm, and projection angular spacing

Purpose: Respiratory signal, binning method, and reconstruction algorithm are three major controllable factors affecting image quality in thoracic 4D cone-beam CT (4D-CBCT), which is widely used in image guided radiotherapy (IGRT). Previous studies have investigated each of these factors individually, but no integrated sensitivity analysis has been performed. In addition, projection angular spacing is also a key factor in reconstruction, but how it affects image quality is not obvious. An investigation of the impacts of these four factors on image quality can help determine the most effective strategy in improving 4D-CBCT for IGRT. Methods: Fourteen 4D-CBCT patient projection datasets with various respiratory motion features were reconstructed with the following controllable factors: (i) respiratory signal (real-time position management, projection image intensity analysis, or fiducial marker tracking), (ii) binning method (phase, displacement, or equal-projection-density displacement binning), and (iii) reconstruction algorithm [Feldkamp–Davis–Kress (FDK), McKinnon–Bates (MKB), or adaptive-steepest-descent projection-onto-convex-sets (ASD-POCS)]. The image quality was quantified using signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio, and edge-response width in order to assess noise/streaking and blur. The SNR values were also analyzed with respect to the maximum, mean, and root-mean-squared-error (RMSE) projection angular spacing to investigate how projection angular spacing affects image quality. Results: The choice of respiratory signals was found to have no significant impact on image quality. Displacement-based binning was found to be less prone to motion artifacts compared to phase binning in more than half of the cases, but was shown to suffer from large interbin image quality variation and large projection angular gaps. Both MKB and ASD-POCS resulted in noticeably improved image quality almost 100% of the time relative to FDK. In addition, SNR values were found to increase with decreasing RMSE values of projection angular gaps with strong correlations (r ≈ −0.7) regardless of the reconstruction algorithm used. Conclusions: Based on the authors’ results, displacement-based binning methods, better reconstruction algorithms, and the acquisition of even projection angular views are the most important factors to consider for improving thoracic 4D-CBCT image quality. In view of the practical issues with displacement-based binning and the fact that projection angular spacing is not currently directly controllable, development of better reconstruction algorithms represents the most effective strategy for improving image quality in thoracic 4D-CBCT for IGRT applications at the current stage.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Assessing image quality and dose reduction of a new x-ray computed tomography iterative reconstruction algorithm using model observers

Purpose: A number of different techniques have been developed to reduce radiation dose in x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging. In this paper, the authors will compare task-based measures of image quality of CT images reconstructed by two algorithms: conventional filtered back projection (FBP), and a new iterative reconstruction algorithm (IR). Methods: To assess image quality, the authors used the performance of a channelized Hotelling observer acting on reconstructed image slices. The selected channels are dense difference Gaussian channels (DDOG).A body phantom and a head phantom were imaged 50 times at different dose levels to obtain the data needed to assess image quality. The phantoms consisted of uniform backgrounds with low contrast signals embedded at various locations. The tasks the observer model performed included (1) detection of a signal of known location and shape, and (2) detection and localization of a signal of known shape. The employed DDOG channels are based on the response of the human visual system. Performance was assessed using the areas under ROC curves and areas under localization ROC curves. Results: For signal known exactly (SKE) and location unknown/signal shape known tasks with circular signals of different sizes and contrasts, the authors’ task-based measures showed that a FBP equivalent image quality can be achieved at lower dose levels using the IR algorithm. For the SKE case, the range of dose reduction is 50%–67% (head phantom) and 68%–82% (body phantom). For the study of location unknown/signal shape known, the dose reduction range can be reached at 67%–75% for head phantom and 67%–77% for body phantom case. These results suggest that the IR images at lower dose settings can reach the same image quality when compared to full dose conventional FBP images. Conclusions: The work presented provides an objective way to quantitatively assess the image quality of a newly introduced CT IR algorithm. The performance of the model observers using the IR images was always higher than that seen using the FBP images in the authors’ SKE and SKE location unknown detection tasks. To achieve a FBP-equivalent image quality in CT systems, the authors can lower the radiation dose by using this IR image reconstruction algorithm. Further studies are warranted using clinical data and human observer to validate these results for more complicated and realistic tasks.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

A hybrid reconstruction algorithm for fast and accurate 4D cone-beam CT imaging

Purpose: 4D cone beam CT (4D-CBCT) has been utilized in radiation therapy to provide 4D image guidance in lung and upper abdomen area. However, clinical application of 4D-CBCT is currently limited due to the long scan time and low image quality. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new 4D-CBCT reconstruction method that restores volumetric images based on the 1-min scan data acquired with a standard 3D-CBCT protocol. Methods: The model optimizes a deformation vector field that deforms a patient-specific planning CT (p-CT), so that the calculated 4D-CBCT projections match measurements. A forward-backward splitting (FBS) method is invented to solve the optimization problem. It splits the original problem into two well-studied subproblems, i.e., image reconstruction and deformable image registration. By iteratively solving the two subproblems, FBS gradually yields correct deformation information, while maintaining high image quality. The whole workflow is implemented on a graphic-processing-unit to improve efficiency. Comprehensive evaluations have been conducted on a moving phantom and three real patient cases regarding the accuracy and quality of the reconstructed images, as well as the algorithm robustness and efficiency. Results: The proposed algorithm reconstructs 4D-CBCT images from highly under-sampled projection data acquired with 1-min scans. Regarding the anatomical structure location accuracy, 0.204 mm average differences and 0.484 mm maximum difference are found for the phantom case, and the maximum differences of 0.3–0.5 mm for patients 1–3 are observed. As for the image quality, intensity errors below 5 and 20 HU compared to the planning CT are achieved for the phantom and the patient cases, respectively. Signal-noise-ratio values are improved by 12.74 and 5.12 times compared to results from FDK algorithm using the 1-min data and 4-min data, respectively. The computation time of the algorithm on a NVIDIA GTX590 card is 1–1.5 min per phase. Conclusions: High-quality 4D-CBCT imaging based on the clinically standard 1-min 3D CBCT scanning protocol is feasible via the proposed hybrid reconstruction algorithm.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

An algorithm to estimate the object support in truncated images

Purpose: Truncation artifacts in CT occur if the object to be imaged extends past the scanner field of view (SFOV). These artifacts impede diagnosis and could possibly introduce errors in dose plans for radiation therapy. Several approaches exist for correcting truncation artifacts, but existing correction algorithms do not accurately recover the skin line (or support) of the patient, which is important in some dose planning methods. The purpose of this paper was to develop an iterative algorithm that recovers the support of the object. Methods: The authors assume that the truncated portion of the image is made up of soft tissue of uniform CT number and attempt to find a shape consistent with the measured data. Each known measurement in the sinogram is interpreted as an estimate of missing mass along a line. An initial estimate of the object support is generated by thresholding a reconstruction made using a previous truncation artifact correction algorithm (e.g., water cylinder extrapolation). This object support is iteratively deformed to reduce the inconsistency with the measured data. The missing data are estimated using this object support to complete the dataset. The method was tested on simulated and experimentally truncated CT data. Results: The proposed algorithm produces a better defined skin line than water cylinder extrapolation. On the experimental data, the RMS error of the skin line is reduced by about 60%. For moderately truncated images, some soft tissue contrast is retained near the SFOV. As the extent of truncation increases, the soft tissue contrast outside the SFOV becomes unusable although the skin line remains clearly defined, and in reformatted images it varies smoothly from slice to slice as expected. Conclusions: The support recovery algorithm provides a more accurate estimate of the patient outline than thresholded, basic water cylinder extrapolation, and may be preferred in some radiation therapy applications.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-D-17A-02: Four-Dimensional CBCT Using Conventional CBCT Dataset and Iterative Subtraction Algorithm of a Lung Patient

Purpose: The Iterative Subtraction Algorithm (ISA) method generates retrospectively a pre-selected motion phase cone-beam CT image from the full motion cone-beam CT acquired at standard rotation speed. This work evaluates ISA method with real lung patient data. Methods: The goal of the ISA algorithm is to extract motion and no- motion components form the full reconstruction CBCT. The workflow consists of subtracting from the full CBCT all of the undesired motion phases and obtain a motion de-blurred single-phase CBCT image, followed by iteration of this subtraction process. ISA is realized as follows: 1) The projections are sorted to various phases, and from all phases, a full reconstruction is performed to generate an image CTM. 2) Generate forward projections of CTM at the desired phase projection angles, the subtraction of projection and the forward projection will reconstruct a CTSub1, which diminishes the desired phase component. 3) By adding back the CTSub1 to CTm, no motion CBCT, CTS1, can be computed. 4) CTS1 still contains residual motion component. 5) This residual motion component can be further reduced by iteration.The ISA 4DCBCT technique was implemented using Varian Trilogy accelerator OBI system. To evaluate the method, a lung patient CBCT dataset was used. The reconstruction algorithm is FDK. Results: The single phase CBCT reconstruction generated via ISA successfully isolates the desired motion phase from the full motion CBCT, effectively reducing motion blur. It also shows improved image quality, with reduced streak artifacts with respect to the reconstructions from unprocessed phase-sorted projections only. Conclusion: A CBCT motion de-blurring algorithm, ISA, has been developed and evaluated with lung patient data. The algorithm allows improved visualization of a single phase motion extracted from a standard CBCT dataset. This study has been supported by National Institute of Health through R01CA133539.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗