Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Normal Distribution”

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 1,225 records · Page 68
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

The NuSTAR extragalactic survey: First direct measurements of the ≳10 keV X-ray luminosity function for active galactic nuclei at z > 0.1

We present the first direct measurements of the rest-frame 10–40 keV X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) based on a sample of 94 sources at 0.1 < z < 3, selected at 8–24 keV energies from sources in the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) extragalactic survey program. Our results are consistent with the strong evolution of the AGN population seen in prior, lower-energy studies of the XLF. However, different models of the intrinsic distribution of absorption, which are used to correct for selection biases, give significantly different predictions for the total number of sources in our sample, leading to small, systematic differences in our binned estimates of the XLF. Adopting a model with a lower intrinsic fraction of Compton-thick sources and a larger population of sources with column densities N{sub H}∼10{sup 23−24} cm{sup −2} or a model with stronger Compton reflection component (with a relative normalization of R ∼ 2 at all luminosities) can bring extrapolations of the XLF from 2–10 keV into agreement with our NuSTAR sample. Ultimately, X-ray spectral analysis of the NuSTAR sources is required to break this degeneracy between the distribution of absorbing column densities and the strength of the Compton reflection component and thus refine our measurements of the XLF. Furthermore, the models that successfully describe the high-redshift population seen by NuSTAR tend to over-predict previous, high-energy measurements of the local XLF, indicating that there is evolution of the AGN population that is not fully captured by the current models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Analyzing source apportioned methane in northern California during Discover-AQ-CA using airborne measurements and model simulations

This study analyzes source apportioned methane (CH 4 ) emissions and atmospheric mixing ratios in northern California during the Discover-AQ-CA field campaign using airborne measurement data and model simulations. Source apportioned CH 4 emissions from the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) version 4.2 were applied in the 3-D chemical transport model GEOS-Chem and analyzed using airborne measurements taken as part of the Alpha Jet Atmospheric eXperiment over the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA) and northern San Joaquin Valley (SJV). During the time period of the Discover-AQ-CA field campaign EDGAR inventory CH 4 emissions were ~5.30 Gg day –1 (Gg = 1.0 × 10 9 g) (equating to ~1.90 × 10 3 Gg yr –1 ) for all of California. According to EDGAR, the SFBA and northern SJV region contributes ~30% of total CH 4 emissions from California. Source apportionment analysis during this study shows that CH 4 mixing ratios over this area of northern California are largely influenced by global emissions from wetlands and local/global emissions from gas and oil production and distribution, waste treatment processes, and livestock management. Model simulations, using EDGAR emissions, suggest that the model under-estimates CH 4 mixing ratios in northern California (average normalized mean bias (NMB) = –5.2% and linear regression slope = 0.20). The largest negative biases in the model were calculated on days when large amounts of CH 4 were measured over local emission sources and atmospheric CH 4 mixing ratios reached values >2.5 parts per million. Sensitivity emission studies conducted during this research suggest that local emissions of CH 4 from livestock management processes are likely the primary source of the negative model bias. These results indicate that a variety, and larger quantity, of measurement data needs to be obtained and additional research is necessary to better quantify source apportioned CH 4 emissions in California.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Corin is highly expressed in atherosclerosis models

Highlights: • Tested the efficacy of different commercial corin antibodies. • Corin was basally expressed in aorta and induced in atherosclerotic mouse model. • Corin was expressed in vascular endothelial cells and induced by ox-LDL stimulation. • Demonstrated corin involvement in atherosclerosis. Corin is a serine protease mainly expressed in the heart, where it regulates blood pressure and cardiac function through activating pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (pro-ANP) to ANP. Its expression has also been detected in non-cardiac tissues. However, there is no report so far about the distribution and function of corin in aorta and in related diseases such as atherosclerosis. This study was the first to explore corin expression in aorta both under normal conditions and in atherosclerosis models. In vivo, we found corin had a basal level of expression in aortas, mainly in intimal endothelial cells and was significantly elevated in mouse atherosclerosis model. Moreover, we observed pro-ANP, the specific substrate of corin, was also expressed in mice aortas and increased in mouse atherosclerosis model. In vitro, we further demonstrated corin expression in cultured vascular endothelial cells and its induced expression after ox-LDL stimulation. Our results suggested that corin may play important roles in aorta physiology and in the pathophysiological process of atherosclerosis in an autocrine manner and has potential clinical value for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Deformation behavior of CP-titanium under strain path changes: Experiment and crystal plasticity modeling

The deformation behavior of commercially pure rolled titanium subjected to strain path changes is studied using experiments and a crystal plasticity model. Four different loading combinations are performed at room temperature to study the activation of slip, twinning, de-twinning and double-twinning in hexagonal closed packed titanium. The strain paths considered are: rolling direction compression (RDC) followed by normal direction compression (NDC), RDC followed by transverse direction compression (TDC), NDC followed by RDC, and NDC followed by TDC. An EBSD-based analysis of the distribution of boundary misorientation angles before and after reload was developed to analyze the evolution of {$10\bar{1}2$} tensile and {$11\bar{2}2$} compression twins. This analysis supports the model results concerning the treatment of twin reorientation. A de-twinning and double-twinning model accounting for back stress effects, an important feature of strain path changes, is implemented within the framework of the visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) model along with a dislocation density (DD) based hardening scheme. In the model, plasticity is accommodated by prismatic $\langle$a$\rangle$, basal $\langle$a$\rangle$ and pyramidal $\langle$c+a$\rangle$ slip modes, and {$10\bar{1}2$} tensile and {$11\bar{2}2$} compression twinning modes. The VPSC model predicts the evolution of twinning, de-twinning and double-twinning processes for both tensile and compression twinning modes under strain path change. The model predicts macroscopic stress-strain response, texture evolution, and twin volume fraction that are in agreement with experimental observations. The evolution of texture is investigated in detail by separately analyzing the twinned domains, rather than the evolution of the global texture.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Large Uptake of Atmospheric OCS Observed at a Moist Old Growth Forest: Controls and Implications for Carbon Cycle Applications

Diurnal and vertical patterns of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) and CO 2 mixing ratios above and within a 60–m–tall old–growth temperate forest are presented. Canopy air from four different heights was sampled in situ using a continuous integrated cavity output spectroscopy analyzer during August–September 2014. Measurements revealed large vertical gradients in OCS, from which we inferred ecosystem fluxes. The diurnal cycle of OCS mixing ratios at all heights exhibited a typical pattern characterized by nighttime drawdown, an early morning minimum, and a maximum of OCS around midday. Daytime increase in the upper canopy is attributed to entrainment of planetary boundary layer air into the canopy. The ecosystem was found to be a large daytime sink of OCS (mean maximum daytime flux ~ –75 pmol · m –2 · s –1 ). Mean leaf relative uptake (concentration normalized uptake of OCS flux to CO2 uptake) was found to be 6.9. We discuss this high leaf relative uptake in the context of the presence and distribution of epiphytes at the site. While epiphytic uptake of OCS has been studied before, we show for the first time that this may contribute significantly to ecosystem fluxes under humid or moist conditions. We test this theory using a chamber experiment measuring epiphytic fluxes for two species of lichen and one moss species (in situ and in a laboratory). Lastly, we suggest that the role of epiphytes should be explicitly considered when using OCS as a tracer of ecosystem–scale photosynthesis in forest ecosystems with abundant epiphytic cover and biomass.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Photon induced tunneling of electron through a graphene electrostatic barrier

The influence of an external intense laser field on the tunneling transport (ballistic) of the Dirac fermions through a monolayer graphene electrostatic barrier is studied in the framework of the Floquet approach for a continuous wave, linearly polarized, monochromatic laser. The Klein tunneling is shown to be suppressed by the irradiation of a strong laser field, arising due to breaking of chiral symmetry. The symmetric nature of the field free angular transmission spectrum around the normal to the well-barrier interface is destroyed due to the additional coupling between the pseudo-spin and the time dependent vector potential. The energy distribution of the tunneling spectrum displays Fano resonance which is absent for a laser assisted conventional electrostatic barrier but similar to the case of quantum well structures, providing an optical tool to identify field free quasi bound states inside the graphene nanostructures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

A gedankenexperiment for anomalous diffusion in a charge-fluctuating dusty plasma

Brownian motion with Gaussian-distributed step-sizes is the prototype of diffusive processes with the typical scaling of the mean-square displacement linear with time. There are, however, processes scaling slower or faster in time due to differently (e.g., power-law) distributed step-sizes, commonly referred to as sub- and superdiffusion, respectively. We address the question whether there is actually a physical reason for a discrimination between normal and anomalous diffusion or whether such processes can be regarded as a special case of normal diffusion with a complicated space- and time-dependent diffusion coefficient. In order to get to the bottom of this question, we construct a numerical gedankenexperiment, which is designed to be as simple as possible and consists of dust particles embedded as test particles into a homogeneous magnetic field that randomly changes their charge. The only parameter governing the system is the ratio of the time-scales for gyration and for recharging. By performing full-orbit simulations of such particles, we are for the first time able to (i) describe a system exhibiting sub-, normal, or superdiffusion as an asymptotic behavior, i.e., not merely as an intermediate state during the evolution of the system. We (ii) observe superdiffusion for low values of the controlling parameter, normal diffusion over a wide plateau of intermediate values, and subdiffusion for high values, i.e., we found (iii) a simple system with one single and illustrative parameter controlling whether the system exhibits super-, normal, or subdiffusion. The crucial point is (iv) a competition between ballistic (particles uncharged, extreme superdiffusion) and confined (charged, extreme subdiffusion) motions. Our system is homogeneous in space and time, so that its (v) behavior cannot be described by normal diffusion with a special diffusion coefficient, and the competition is (vi) fundamentally different from a Gaussian random walk and may be regarded as one possible prototype of anomalous diffusion. We discuss briefly possible implications to space and astrophysical dusty plasma. In particular, we show that in a plasma with polydisperse dust particles, a superposition of the three regimes of the anomalous diffusion can simultaneously come into play.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

How electronic dynamics with Pauli exclusion produces Fermi-Dirac statistics

It is important that any dynamics method approaches the correct population distribution at long times. In this paper, we derive a one-body reduced density matrix dynamics for electrons in energetic contact with a bath. We obtain a remarkable equation of motion which shows that in order to reach equilibrium properly, rates of electron transitions depend on the density matrix. Even though the bath drives the electrons towards a Boltzmann distribution, hole blocking factors in our equation of motion cause the electronic populations to relax to a Fermi-Dirac distribution. These factors are an old concept, but we show how they can be derived with a combination of time-dependent perturbation theory and the extended normal ordering of Mukherjee and Kutzelnigg for a general electronic state. The resulting non-equilibrium kinetic equations generalize the usual Redfield theory to many-electron systems, while ensuring that the orbital occupations remain between zero and one. In numerical applications of our equations, we show that relaxation rates of molecules are not constant because of the blocking effect. Other applications to model atomic chains are also presented which highlight the importance of treating both dephasing and relaxation. Finally, we show how the bath localizes the electron density matrix.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Non-destructive depth-resolved characterization of residual strain fields in high electron mobility transistors using differential aperture x-ray microscopy

Localized residual stress and elastic strain concentrations in microelectronic devices often affect the electronic performance, resistance to thermomechanical damage, and, likely, radiation tolerance. A primary challenge for the characterization of these concentrations is that they exist over sub-μm length-scales, precluding their characterization by more traditional residual stress measurement techniques. Here, in this study, we demonstrate the use of synchrotron x-ray-based differential aperture x-ray microscopy (DAXM) as a viable, non-destructive means to characterize these stress and strain concentrations in a depth-resolved manner. DAXM is used to map two-dimensional strain fields between the source and the drain in a gallium nitride (GaN) layer within high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) with sub-μm spatial resolution. Strain fields at various positions in both pristine and irradiated HEMT specimens are presented in addition to a preliminary stress analysis to estimate the distribution of various stress components within the GaN layer. γ-irradiation is found to significantly reduce the lattice plane spacing in the GaN along the sample normal direction, which is attributed to radiation damage in transistor components bonded to the GaN during irradiation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

A peculiar multiwavelength flare in the blazar 3C 454.3

The blazar 3C 454.3 exhibited a strong flare seen in γ-rays, X-rays and optical/near-infrared bands during 2009 December 3–12. Emission in the V and J bands rose more gradually than did the γ-rays and soft X-rays, though all peaked at nearly the same time. Optical polarization measurements showed dramatic changes during the flare, with a strong anticorrelation between optical flux and degree of polarization (which rose from ~3 to ~20 percent) during the declining phase of the flare. The flare was accompanied by large rapid swings in polarization angle of ~170°. This combination of behaviours appears to be unique. We have cm-band radio data during the same period but they show no correlation with variations at higher frequencies. Such peculiar behaviour may be explained using jet models incorporating fully relativistic effects with a dominant source region moving along a helical path or by a shock-in-jet model incorporating three-dimensional radiation transfer if there is a dominant helical magnetic field. We find that spectral energy distributions at different times during the flare can be fit using modified one-zone models where only the magnetic field strength and particle break frequencies and normalizations need change. An optical spectrum taken at nearly the same time provides an estimate for the central black hole mass of ~2.3 × 10 9 M ⊙ . Furthermore, we also consider two weaker flares seen during the ~200 d span over which multiband data are available. In one of them, the V and J bands appear to lead the γ-ray and X-ray bands by a few days; in the other, all variations are simultaneous.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Neural simulation-based inference approach for characterizing the Galactic Center γ-ray excess

The nature of the Fermi γ-ray Galactic Center Excess (GCE) has remained a persistent mystery for over a decade. Although the excess is broadly compatible with emission expected due to dark matter annihilation, an explanation in terms of a population of unresolved astrophysical point sources e.g., millisecond pulsars, remains viable. The effort to uncover the origin of the GCE is hampered in particular by an incomplete understanding of diffuse emission of Galactic origin. This can lead to spurious features that make it difficult to robustly differentiate smooth emission, as expected for a dark matter origin, from more “clumpy” emission expected from a population of relatively bright, unresolved point sources. Here, we use recent advancements in the field of simulation-based inference, in particular density estimation techniques using normalizing flows, in order to characterize the contribution of modeled components, including unresolved point source populations, to the GCE. Compared to traditional techniques based on the statistical distribution of photon counts, our machine learning-based method is able to utilize more of the information contained in a given model of the Galactic Center emission, and in particular can perform posterior parameter estimation while accounting for pixel-to-pixel spatial correlations in the γ-ray map. This makes the method demonstrably more resilient to certain forms of model misspecification. On application to Fermi data, the method generically attributes a smaller fraction of the GCE flux to unresolved point sources when compared to traditional approaches. We nevertheless infer such a contribution to make up a non-negligible fraction of the GCE across all analysis variations considered, with at least $38^{+9}_{-19}$% of the excess attributed to unresolved point sources in our baseline analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Seismic Moment Tensor Screening on the Hypersphere

Source type screening based on the seismic moment tensor is investigated on the hypersphere, specifically the 5-sphere S 5 of 6-degree unit vectors representing the normalized symmetric moment tensor. The sample of moment tensors from an explosion dataset is unimodal in S 5 and can be parameterized by the von Mises - Fisher distribution. Screening is then framed using the confidence region of the explosion population mean unit vector. A conservative screen using the 99.9% confidence region is proposed such that an event with an angle on the hypersphere greater than 30.57° from the mean unit moment tensor is screened out. We apply the screen to the September 2017 DPRK explosion and subsequent collapse, and show that the collapse screens out.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Analysis of Approximations in Modeling of BWR Bundle Void Distributions

In boiling water reactors, complex heterogeneous bundle designs, control blades adjacent to the corner of bundles, and the presence of boiling can lead to complex internal void distributions. A few approximations exist to model these void distributions. They could be modeled using a 1D axial solver in which each axial node is assumed to be at an average void, or each pin cell could be modeled with its own void concentration. In the latter case, the void could be discretized in pin-centered or coolant-centered channels. The goal of this project was to quantify the effect of using the different approximations for modeling internal void distributions on neutronics calculations. Using 3D void distributions calculated with CTF, Monte Carlo Neutral Particle (MCNP) transport code models were created for GE-9 and GE-14 lattices. For each model, the internal void distribution from CTF at a given axial node was selected, and a lattice calculation was carried out with MCNP. Comparisons between models using a lattice-averaged void, or using a void distribution in coolant-centered channels, showed large differences in reactivity which in some cases were well above 1,000 pcm, and it also showed differences in normalized fission rates greater than 20%. It was also found that using a lattice average void can lead to a significant difference in the estimation of the worth of a control blade. The differences found when comparing results from models using pin-centered and coolant-centered channels were up to 200 pcm in reactivity and up to 1.4% in the normalized fission rates. In addition to these two sets of comparisons, MCNP models were set up so that each subchannel had a saturated liquid component around the fuel pins and a saturated vapor component in the center to approximate annular flow. In comparison to the models using coolant-centered subchannels, up to 1–3% differences in normalized fission rates could be found.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Kennicutt-Schmidt Relation Variety and Star-forming Cloud Fraction

The observationally derived Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relation slopes differ from study to study, ranging from sublinear to superlinear. We investigate the KS-relation variety (slope and normalization) as a function of integrated intensity ratio, R {sub 31} = CO( J = 3–2)/CO( J = 1–0) using spatially resolved CO( J = 1–0), CO( J = 3–2), H i, H α, and 24 μ m data of three nearby spiral galaxies (NGC 3627, NGC 5055, and M83). We find that (1) the slopes for each subsample with a fixed R {sub 31} are shallower, but the slope for all data sets combined becomes steeper, (2) normalizations for high R {sub 31} subsamples tend to be high, (3) R {sub 31} correlates with star formation efficiency, therefore the KS relation depends on the distribution in R {sub 31}–Σ{sub gas} space of the samples: no Σ{sub gas} dependence of R {sub 31} results in a linear slope of the KS relation, whereas a positive correlation between Σ{sub gas} and R {sub 31} results in a superlinear slope of the KS relation, and (4) R {sub 31}–Σ{sub gas} distributions are different from galaxy to galaxy and within a galaxy: galaxies with prominent galactic structure tend to have large R {sub 31} and Σ{sub gas}. Our results suggest that the formation efficiency of a star-forming cloud from molecular gas is different among galaxies as well as within a galaxy, and it is one of the key factors inducing the variety in galactic KS relation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Empirical Constraints on the Origin of Fast Radio Bursts: Volumetric Rates and Host Galaxy Demographics as a Test of Millisecond Magnetar Connection

The localization of the repeating fast radio burst (FRB) 121102 to a low-metallicity dwarf galaxy at z = 0.193, and its association with a luminous quiescent radio source, suggests the possibility that FRBs originate from magnetars, formed by the unusual supernovae that occur in such galaxies. We investigate this possibility via a comparison of magnetar birth rates, the FRB volumetric rate, and host galaxy demographics. We calculate average volumetric rates of possible millisecond magnetar production channels, such as superluminous supernovae (SLSNe), long and short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), and general magnetar production via core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). For each channel, we also explore the expected host galaxy demographics using their known properties. We determine for the first time the number density of FRB emitters (the product of their volumetric birth rate and lifetime), R{sub FRB}τ≈10{sup 4} Gpc{sup −3}, assuming that FRBs are predominantly emitted from repetitive sources similar to FRB 121102 and adopting a beaming factor of 0.1. By comparing rates, we find that production via rare channels (SLSNe, GRBs) implies a typical FRB lifetime of ∼30–300 years, in good agreement with other lines of argument. The total energy emitted over this time is consistent with the available energy stored in the magnetic field. On the other hand, any relation to magnetars produced via normal CCSNe leads to a very short lifetime of ∼0.5 years, in conflict with both theory and observation. We demonstrate that due to the diverse host galaxy distributions of the different progenitor channels, many possible sources of FRB birth can be ruled out with ≲10 host galaxy identifications. Conversely, targeted searches of galaxies that have previously hosted decades-old SLSNe and GRBs may be a fruitful strategy for discovering new FRBs and related quiescent radio sources, and determining the nature of their progenitors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Regulatory Perspective on Potential Fuel Reconfiguration and Its Implication to High Burnup Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation - 13042

The recent experiments conducted by Argonne National Laboratory on high burnup fuel cladding material property show that the ductile to brittle transition temperature of high burnup fuel cladding is dependent on: (1) cladding material, (2) irradiation conditions, and (3) drying-storage histories (stress at maximum temperature) [1]. The experiment results also show that the ductile to brittle temperature increases as the fuel burnup increases. These results indicate that the current knowledge in cladding material property is insufficient to determine the structural performance of the cladding of high burnup fuel after it has been stored in a dry cask storage system for some time. The uncertainties in material property and the elevated ductile to brittle transition temperature impose a challenge to the storage cask and transportation packaging designs because the cask designs may not be able to rely on the structural integrity of the fuel assembly for control of fissile material, radiation source, and decay heat source distributions. The fuel may reconfigure during further storage and/or the subsequent transportation conditions. In addition, the fraction of radioactive materials available for release from spent fuel under normal condition of storage and transport may also change. The spent fuel storage and/or transportation packaging vendors, spent fuel shippers, and the regulator may need to consider this possible fuel reconfiguration and its impact on the packages' ability to meet the safety requirements of Part 72 and Part 71 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is working with the scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to assess the impact of fuel reconfiguration on the safety of the dry storage systems and transportation packages. The NRC Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation has formed a task force to work on the safety and regulatory concerns in relevance to high burnup fuel storage and transportation. This paper discusses the staff's preliminary considerations on the safety implication of fuel reconfiguration with respect to nuclear safety (subcriticality control), radiation shielding, containment, the performance of the thermal functions of the packages, and the retrievability of the contents from regulatory perspective. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2014

Impact of dose size in single fraction spatially fractionated (grid) radiotherapy for melanoma

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of dose size in single fraction, spatially fractionated (grid) radiotherapy for selectively killing infiltrated melanoma cancer cells of different tumor sizes, using different radiobiological models. Methods: A Monte Carlo technique was employed to calculate the 3D dose distribution of a commercially available megavoltage grid collimator in a 6 MV beam. The linear-quadratic (LQ) and modified linear quadratic (MLQ) models were used separately to evaluate the therapeutic outcome of a series of single fraction regimens that employed grid therapy to treat both acute and late responding melanomas of varying sizes. The dose prescription point was at the center of the tumor volume. Dose sizes ranging from 1 to 30 Gy at 100% dose line were modeled. Tumors were either touching the skin surface or having their centers at a depth of 3 cm. The equivalent uniform dose (EUD) to the melanoma cells and the therapeutic ratio (TR) were defined by comparing grid therapy with the traditional open debulking field. The clinical outcomes from recent reports were used to verify the authors’ model. Results: Dose profiles at different depths and 3D dose distributions in a series of 3D melanomas treated with grid therapy were obtained. The EUDs and TRs for all sizes of 3D tumors involved at different doses were derived through the LQ and MLQ models, and a practical equation was derived. The EUD was only one fifth of the prescribed dose. The TR was dependent on the prescribed dose and on the LQ parameters of both the interspersed cancer and normal tissue cells. The results from the LQ model were consistent with those of the MLQ model. At 20 Gy, the EUD and TR by the LQ model were 2.8% higher and 1% lower than by the MLQ, while at 10 Gy, the EUD and TR as defined by the LQ model were only 1.4% higher and 0.8% lower, respectively. The dose volume histograms of grid therapy for a 10 cm tumor showed different dosimetric characteristics from those of conventional radiotherapy. A significant portion of the tumor volume received a very large dose in grid therapy, which ensures significant tumor cell killing in these regions. Conversely, some areas received a relatively small dose, thereby sparing interspersed normal cells and increasing radiation tolerance. The radiobiology modeling results indicated that grid therapy could be useful for treating acutely responding melanomas infiltrating radiosensitive normal tissues. The theoretical model predictions were supported by the clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Grid therapy functions by selectively killing infiltrating tumor cells and concomitantly sparing interspersed normal cells. The TR depends on the radiosensitivity of the cell population, dose, tumor size, and location. Because the volumes of very high dose regions are small, the LQ model can be used safely to predict the clinical outcomes of grid therapy. When treating melanomas with a dose of 15 Gy or higher, single fraction grid therapy is clearly advantageous for sparing interspersed normal cells. The existence of a threshold fraction dose, which was found in the authors’ theoretical simulations, was confirmed by clinical observations.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Critical Combinations of Radiation Dose and Volume Predict Intelligence Quotient and Academic Achievement Scores After Craniospinal Irradiation in Children With Medulloblastoma

Purpose: To prospectively follow children treated with craniospinal irradiation to determine critical combinations of radiation dose and volume that would predict for cognitive effects. Methods and Materials: Between 1996 and 2003, 58 patients (median age 8.14 years, range 3.99-20.11 years) with medulloblastoma received risk-adapted craniospinal irradiation followed by dose-intense chemotherapy and were followed longitudinally with multiple cognitive evaluations (through 5 years after treatment) that included intelligence quotient (estimated intelligence quotient, full-scale, verbal, and performance) and academic achievement (math, reading, spelling) tests. Craniospinal irradiation consisted of 23.4 Gy for average-risk patients (nonmetastatic) and 36-39.6 Gy for high-risk patients (metastatic or residual disease >1.5 cm{sup 2}). The primary site was treated using conformal or intensity modulated radiation therapy using a 2-cm clinical target volume margin. The effect of clinical variables and radiation dose to different brain volumes were modeled to estimate cognitive scores after treatment. Results: A decline with time for all test scores was observed for the entire cohort. Sex, race, and cerebrospinal fluid shunt status had a significant impact on baseline scores. Age and mean radiation dose to specific brain volumes, including the temporal lobes and hippocampi, had a significant impact on longitudinal scores. Dichotomized dose distributions at 25 Gy, 35 Gy, 45 Gy, and 55 Gy were modeled to show the impact of the high-dose volume on longitudinal test scores. The 50% risk of a below-normal cognitive test score was calculated according to mean dose and dose intervals between 25 Gy and 55 Gy at 10-Gy increments according to brain volume and age. Conclusions: The ability to predict cognitive outcomes in children with medulloblastoma using dose-effects models for different brain subvolumes will improve treatment planning, guide intervention, and help estimate the value of newer methods of irradiation.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗