Equivalent Calibration Research Articles

Dose calibration uncertainty and plan-specific dose calibration for IMRT QA

Purpose: This study was to investigate IMRT QA dose calibration uncertainty that has not been realized before, and develop plan-specific calibration methods to reduce such uncertainty. Methods: IMRT plans were created on the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system. IMRT QA used a PTW Octavius phantom with an Octavius 2D array ionization chamber detector and was also tested for a solid water cube with a Farmer chamber. Dose calibration for a solid phantom was analyzed using the AAPM TG-51/TG-21 formulism. The reference fields used for IMRT dose calibration included squared fields and IMRT plan-specific fields that included geometric equivalent fields, and dose-equivalent fields defined by the 50% isodose distributions. Results: Thirteen IMRT QA cases including three VMAT cases were used for this study. For the single field calibration on the PTW Octavius device, the calibration factors varied with field size by up to 5.6%, and varied with gantry angle by up to 4.9%. Those variations changed IMRT QA passing rates by up to 16.2%. Using the plan-specific calibration, the Gamma passing rate was increased by up to 27.7%. The VMAT passing rates varied by up to 30%, and the equivalent field dose calibration gave the highest passing rate. For absolute point dose measurement using a Farmer chamber, calibration factors varied by up to 3.7% with different field sizes and different gantry angles. The dose equivalent field calibration achieved the best IMRT QA results. Conclusion: Different fields can have different dose calibration factors. Conventional dose calibration methods for IMRT QA using simple reference fields include significant uncertainty that would affect IMRT QA results. Dose calibration uncertainty is caused by the complex composition of phantom materials and complex design and characteristics of the detectors. The plan-specific dose calibration can reduce dose calibration uncertainty and improve IMRT QA accuracy.

Development of a Novel Hygiene Monitoring System Based on the Detection of Total Adenylate (ATP+ADP+AMP)

ATP is the universal energy molecule found in animals, plants, and microorganisms. ATP rapid hygiene monitoring tests have been employed in the food industry to ensure that adequate cleanliness is being maintained. However, because ATP is hydrolyzed to ADP and AMP by metabolic processes, by heat treatment, or under acidic or alkaline conditions, total adenylate (ATP+ADP+AMP [A3]) could be a more reliable sanitation indicator of food residues that may cause biofilm formation and allergen contamination. Therefore, a novel hygiene monitoring system to measure A3 was developed based on the luciferin-luciferase assay with the combination of two enzymes, pyruvate kinase and pyruvate phosphate dikinase, that can convert ADP into ATP and recycle AMP into ATP, respectively. The newly developed A3 assay system afforded stable bioluminescence signals and equivalent linear calibration curves between relative light units (RLU) and the amounts of ATP, ADP, and AMP, respectively. To verify the significance of the A3 method, the ratios of ATP, ADP, and AMP in various food samples were determined; large amounts of ADP and AMP were found in a variety of foods, such as meat, seafood, dairy, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and fermented foods. Sanitation monitoring of stainless steel exposed to raw meat was also examined, and the A3 method achieved a 200-RLU level, the typical benchmark value, after complete washing with detergent and rinsing. In contrast, a conventional ATP method showed less than 200 RLU after only a light cold and hot water rinse. In conclusion, the A3 assay appeared to be suitable for detection of adenylates from food residues that are not detected by the conventional ATP assay.

The measurement of liver fat from single-energy quantitative computed tomography scans.

Studies of soft tissue composition using computed tomography (CT) scans are often semi-quantitative and based on Hounsfield units (HU) measurements that have not been calibrated with a quantitative CT (QCT) phantom. We describe a study to establish the water (H2O) and dipotassium hydrogen phosphate (K2HPO4) basis set equivalent densities of fat and fat-free liver tissue. With this information liver fat can be accurately measured from any abdominal CT scan calibrated with a suitable phantom. Liver fat content was measured by comparing single-energy QCT (SEQCT) HU measurements of the liver with predicted HU values for fat and fat-free liver tissue calculated from their H2O and K2HPO4 equivalent densities and calibration data from a QCT phantom. The equivalent densities of fat were derived from a listing of its constituent fatty acids, and those of fat-free liver tissue from a dual-energy QCT (DEQCT) study performed in 14 healthy Chinese subjects. This information was used to calculate liver fat from abdominal SEQCT scans performed in a further 541 healthy Chinese subjects (mean age 62 years; range, 31-95 years) enrolled in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Study. The equivalent densities of fat were 941.75 mg/cm3 H2O and -43.72 mg/cm3 K2HPO4, and for fat-free liver tissue 1,040.13 mg/cm3 H2O and 21.34 mg/cm3 K2HPO4. Liver fat in the 14 subjects in the DEQCT study varied from 0-17.9% [median: 4.5%; interquartile range (IQR): 3.0-7.9%]. Liver fat in the 541 PURE study subjects varied from -0.3-29.9% (median: 4.9%; IQR: 3.4-6.9%). We have established H2O and K2HPO4 equivalent densities for fat and fat-free liver tissue that allow a measurement of liver fat to be obtained from any abdominal CT scan acquired with a QCT phantom. Although radiation dose considerations preclude the routine use of QCT to measure liver fat, the method described here facilitates its measurement in patients having CT scans performed for other purposes. Further studies comparing the results with magnetic resonance (MR) measurements of liver fat are required to validate the method as a useful clinical tool.

Comparing the Accuracy and Speed of Manual and Tracking Methods of Measuring Hearing Thresholds.

The reliability of hearing thresholds obtained using the standard clinical method (modified Hughson-Westlake) has been the focus of previous investigation given the potential for tester bias (). In recent years, more precise methods in laboratory studies have been used that control for sources of bias, often at the expense of longer test times. The aim of this pilot study was to compare test-retest variability and time requirement to obtain a full set of hearing thresholds (0.125 - 20 kHz) of the clinical modified Hughson-Westlake (manual) method with that of the automated, modified (single frequency) Békésy tracking method (). Hearing thresholds from 10 subjects (8 female) between 19 to 47 years old (mean = 28.3; SD = 9.4) were measured using two methods with identical test hardware and calibration. Thresholds were obtained using the modified Hughson-Westlake (manual) method and the Békésy method (tracking). Measurements using each method were repeated after one-week. Test-retest variability within each measurement method was computed across test sessions. Results from each test method as well as test time across methods were compared. Test-retest variability was comparable and statistically indistinguishable between the two test methods. Thresholds were approximately 5 dB lower when measured using the tracking method. This difference was not statistically significant. The manual method of measuring thresholds was faster by approximately 4 minutes. Both methods required less time (~ 2 mins) in the second session as compared to the first. Hearing thresholds obtained using the manual method can be just as reliable as those obtained using the tracking method over the large frequency range explored here (0.125 - 20 kHz). These results perhaps point to the importance of equivalent and valid calibration techniques that can overcome frequency dependent discrepancies, most prominent at higher frequencies, in the sound pressure delivered to the ear.

Electro-optical equivalent calibration technology for high-energy laser energy meters.

Electro-optical equivalent calibration with high calibration power and high equivalence is particularly well-suited to the calibration of high-energy laser energy meters. A large amount of energy is reserved during this process, however, which continues to radiate after power-off. This study measured the radiation efficiency of a halogen tungsten lamp during power-on and after power-off in order to calculate the total energy irradiated by a lamp until the high-energy laser energy meter reaches thermal equilibrium. A calibration system was designed based on the measurement results, and the calibration equivalence of the system was analyzed in detail. Results show that measurement precision is significantly affected by the absorption factor of the absorption chamber and by heat loss in the energy meter. Calibration precision is successfully improved by enhancing the equivalent power and reducing power-on time. The electro-optical equivalent calibration system, measurement uncertainty of which was evaluated as 2.4% (k = 2), was used to calibrate a graphite-cone-absorption-cavity absolute energy meter, yielding a calibration coefficient of 1.009 and measurement uncertainty of 3.5% (k = 2). A water-absorption-type high-energy laser energy meter with measurement uncertainty of 4.8% (k = 2) was considered the reference standard, and compared to the energy meter calibrated in this study, yielded a correction factor of 0.995 (standard deviation of 1.4%).

In-situ crystal morphology identification using imaging analysis with application to the L-glutamic acid crystallization

A synthetic image analysis strategy is proposed for in-situ crystal size measurement and shape identification for monitoring crystallization processes, based on using a real-time imaging system. The proposed method consists of image processing, feature analysis, particle sieving, crystal size measurement, and crystal shape identification. Fundamental image features of crystals are selected for efficient classification. In particular, a novel shape feature, referred to as inner distance descriptor, is introduced to quantitatively describe different crystal shapes, which is relatively independent of the crystal size and its geometric direction in an image captured for analysis. Moreover, a pixel equivalent calibration method based on subpixel edge detection and circle fitting is proposed to measure crystal sizes from the captured images. In addition, a kernel function based method is given to deal with nonlinear correlations between multiple features of crystals, facilitating computation efficiency for real-time shape identification. Case study and experimental results from the cooling crystallization of l-glutamic acid demonstrate that the proposed image analysis method can be effectively used for in-situ crystal size measurement and shape identification with good accuracy.

Mechanical robustness of cryogenic temperature sensors packaged in a flat, hermetically-sealed package

Much of the work to develop internationally recognized temperature scales over the past 50 years was performed with thermometers whose sensing elements were constructed from platinum wire, rhodium-iron wire, or doped germanium elements. For high stability, the best results were obtained when the sensing element was strain-free mounted which reduced the effects of temperature-induced mechanical stress and deformation. Unfortunately, the devices were still highly susceptible to mechanical damage, and, barring a catastrophic mechanical shock, damage to the temperature sensors could go unnoticed as it could continue to operate with degraded accuracy. While not at the same level of stability as standards grade thermometers, many of the most commonly used cryogenic thermometers today are far more resistant to mechanical handling. This work examines the calibration offsets on three models of cryogenic temperature sensors resulting from mechanical shock and vibration. The models tested in this work were all obtained from Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc., and included Cemox™ resistance thermometer models CX-1050-SD and CX-1050-AA, and a diode temperature sensor model DT-670-SD. Mechanical treatments were performed via a simple drop test (heights 20 cm, 50 cm, 1 m, and 4 m), random vibration per MIL-STD-202, Method 214, Table 2, Condition H, and mechanical shock per MIL-STD-883, Method 2002, Condition B. Each sensor was calibrated pre- and post-mechanical treatment and the effect of the treatment on each test sensor was quantified in terms of the equivalent temperature calibration shift. This work details the calibration shift of each sensor type following each treatment type over the 1.4 K to 325 K temperature range. No effects from the testing were discemable for Cemox and diode sensors packaged in the -SD package, a flat, hermetically sealed package, while small calibration offsets of less than 0.15% of temperature at higher temperatures were observed for Cemox sensors packaged in the -AA package, a gold-plated copper can.

Accurate three-dimensional shape and deformation measurement at microscale using digital image correlation.

Based on stereomicroscope and three-dimensional (3D) digital image correlation (DIC) method, a non-contact measurement technique is presented to measure the 3D shape and deformation data on miniature specimens and the corresponding microscopic measurement system is developed. A pair of cameras is mounted on a binocular stereo light microscope to acquire pairing micrographs from two different optical paths of a specimen surface spraying with speckle pattern. Considering complex optical paths and high magnification, an accurate equivalent relative calibration method, combining a priori warping functions, is proposed to correct image distortions and optimize the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of stereomicroscope. Then, a fast one-dimensional synchronous stereo matching method, based on the DIC method and image rectification technique, is proposed to search for discontinuous corresponding points in the pairing micrographs. Finally, the 3D shape is reconstructed from the corresponding points, while the temporal micrographs acquired before and after deformation are employed to determine the full-field deformation. The effectiveness and accuracy of the presented microscale measurement technique are verified by a series of experiments.

Performance Assessment in Fingerprinting and Multi Component Quantitative NMR Analyses.

An interlaboratory comparison (ILC) was organized with the aim to set up quality control indicators suitable for multicomponent quantitative analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. A total of 36 NMR data sets (corresponding to 1260 NMR spectra) were produced by 30 participants using 34 NMR spectrometers. The calibration line method was chosen for the quantification of a five-component model mixture. Results show that quantitative NMR is a robust quantification tool and that 26 out of 36 data sets resulted in statistically equivalent calibration lines for all considered NMR signals. The performance of each laboratory was assessed by means of a new performance index (named Qp-score) which is related to the difference between the experimental and the consensus values of the slope of the calibration lines. Laboratories endowed with a Qp-score falling within the suitable acceptability range are qualified to produce NMR spectra that can be considered statistically equivalent in terms of relative intensities of the signals. In addition, the specific response of nuclei to the experimental excitation/relaxation conditions was addressed by means of the parameter named NR. NR is related to the difference between the theoretical and the consensus slopes of the calibration lines and is specific for each signal produced by a well-defined set of acquisition parameters.

Impedimetric detection of alcohol vapours using nanostructured zinc ferrite

A comparative study on the sensing characteristics of nanostructured zinc ferrite to three primary alcohols viz. methanol, ethanol and propanol has been carried out. The zinc ferrite has been prepared by a combustion method and characterized by XRD, FTIR, AFM and SEM. Impedance studies in the alcohol concentration range varying from 100 to 1000ppm show definite variations in response to both the nature of the alcohol and its concentration. The nanostructured zinc ferrite shows the highest sensor response to methanol and least to propanol. Equivalent circuit modelling and calibration have been made for all the three alcohol sensors. The material shows a better selectivity to the alcohols compared to formaldehyde, ammonia and acetone vapours.

Performance of Dental Students Versus Prosthodontics Residents on a 3D Immersive Haptic Simulator

This study evaluated the performance of dental students versus prosthodontics residents on a simulated caries removal exercise using a newly designed, 3D immersive haptic simulator. The intent of this study was to provide an initial assessment of the simulator's construct validity, which in the context of this experiment was defined as its ability to detect a statistically significant performance difference between novice dental students (n=12) and experienced prosthodontics residents (n=14). Both groups received equivalent calibration training on the simulator and repeated the same caries removal exercise three times. Novice and experienced subjects' average performance differed significantly on the caries removal exercise with respect to the percentage of carious lesion removed and volume of surrounding sound tooth structure removed (p<0.05). Experienced subjects removed a greater portion of the carious lesion, but also a greater volume of the surrounding tooth structure. Efficiency, defined as percentage of carious lesion removed over drilling time, improved significantly over the course of the experiment for both novice and experienced subjects (p<0.001). Within the limitations of this study, experienced subjects removed a greater portion of carious lesion on a 3D immersive haptic simulator. These results are a first step in establishing the validity of this device.

SU-C-116-07: Breast Density Quantification Using Liquid Phantoms with Dual-Energy Mammography

Purpose: Breast density has shown to be an important indicator for breast cancer risk. A computational calibration study using breast-equivalent liquid phantoms in dual-energy mammography is investigated to determine its feasibility and improvement in accuracy for breast density quantification. Methods: A computational model simulates a dual energy mammography system which is equipped with a tungsten anode x-ray tube and acquires dual energy images at 28 kVp with a 50 μm rhodium filter and 49 kVp with a 300 μm copper filter. Liquid phantoms, consisting of mixtures of water (H2O), glycerol (C3H6O3) and isopropyl alcohol (C3H6O) were used to simulate the X-ray attenuation properties of breast tissues. Calibration was accomplished with the simulated dual energy signals from the liquid phantoms using a rational polynomial function. The accuracy of liquid phantom calibration was tested with different phantom configurations of various thicknesses (2–8 cm) and densities (0%–100%), along with simulated glandular and adipose tissues. The performance of the liquid phantom calibration was compared to standard CIRS plastic phantom calibration by evaluating the errors in breast density quantification in simulated breast tissues. Results: Simulation results indicate that a mixture of liquid materials based on hydrogen, carbon and oxygen can be used to create glandular and adipose equivalent phantoms. For glandular and adipose tissues H2O, C3H6O3 and C3H6O percentages were estimated to be 42.68%, 22.62%, 34.69% and 0.11%, 16.37%, 83.51%, respectively. RMS errors for thicknesses were smaller (0.063 mm for glandular and 0.072 mm for adipose) using liquid phantoms than the results reported with CIRS phantoms. RMS errors for variable glandular densities were 1.93%. Conclusion: The results of this work indicate that a proper selection of liquid mixtures can be used as breast equivalent calibration phantoms in dual-energy mammography, which may potentially improve the accuracy in dual energy breast density quantification.

Species history and divergence times of viviparous and oviparous Chinese toad-headed sand lizards (Phrynocephalus) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is an important biogeographical area and has recently become a focus for biodiversity studies. Phyrnocephalus lizards form a widespread Eurasian group with oviparous and viviparous reproductive modes, but two previous mtDNA studies of species from around the QTP have provided different phylogenetic hypotheses. We analysed three loci (mtDNA, RAG-1, AME) from all recognised Chinese Phrynocephalus species to reconstruct the speciation history of the group and to estimate species divergence times. The effects of mtDNA partitioning strategy on phylogenetic inference were examined. Bayes factor comparisons of marginal likelihoods (mLs) estimated using stepping-stone sampling revealed that partitioning strategy had a major impact on mL. Nevertheless, it had a negligible effect on the inferred tree topology. The impact of hard-bound uniform or equivalent soft-bound gamma speciation time calibration priors as well as the use of a fixed topology (as opposed to integration over all possible species histories) on divergence time estimation were also assessed, and found to have little impact on posterior estimates. All three gene trees and the species tree supported the hypothesis that the Chinese species form oviparous and viviparous sister clades. This was in agreement with an early mtDNA study but differed from a subsequent reanalysis of the mtDNA data. Inclusion of mtDNA from more widely distributed Phrynocephalus (from previous studies) indicates that the oviparous P. interscapularis from Central Asia lies outside the clade of Chinese viviparous and oviparous species, but that other Asian oviparous species lie within the Chinese oviparous clade. The median of the posterior on the divergence time of Chinese oviparous and viviparous species was 9.7Ma ago (95% interval: 7.2–13.0Ma ago), which coincides with major uplifting of the QTP and indicates that viviparity evolved when this clade became restricted to regions of high elevation. We also found that cladogenesis within the viviparous clade began around 5Ma ago whereas those in the oviparous clade began around 8.6Ma ago. We establish more robust estimates of divergence times and relationships within this important group and so provide improved insights into the origins of Phrynocephalus diversity across the QTP.

Single Particle Soot Photometer intercomparison at the AIDA chamber

Abstract. Soot particles, consisting of black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), inorganic salts, and trace elements, are emitted into the atmosphere during incomplete combustion. Accurate measurements of atmospheric BC are important as BC particles cause adverse health effects and impact the climate. Unfortunately, the accurate measurement of the properties and mass concentrations of BC particles remains difficult. The Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) can contribute to improving this situation by measuring the mass of refractory BC in individual particles as well as its mixing state. Here, the results of the first detailed SP2 intercomparison, involving 6 SP2s from 6 different research groups, are presented, including the most evolved data products that can presently be calculated from SP2 measurements. It was shown that a detection efficiency of almost 100% down to 1 fg BC per particle can readily be achieved, and that this limit can be pushed down to ∼0.2 fg BC with optimal SP2 setup. Number and mass size distributions of BC cores agreed within ±5% and ±10%, respectively, in between the SP2s, with larger deviations in the range below 1 fg BC. The accuracy of the SP2's mass concentration measurement depends on the calibration material chosen. The SP2 has previously been shown to be equally sensitive to fullerene soot and ambient BC from sources where fossil fuel was dominant and less sensitive to fullerene soot than to Aquadag. Fullerene soot was therefore chosen as the standard calibration material by the SP2 user community; however, many data sets rely solely on Aquadag calibration measurements. The difference in SP2 sensitivity was found to be almost equal (fullerene soot to Aquadag response ratio of ∼0.75 at 8.9 fg BC) for all SP2s. This allows the calculation of a fullerene soot equivalent calibration curve from a measured Aquadag calibration, when no fullerene soot calibration is available. It could be shown that this approach works well for all SP2s over the mass range of 1–10 fg. This range is suitable for typical BC mass size distributions in the ambient air far from sources. The number size distribution of purely scattering particles optically measured by the 6 SP2s also agreed within 15%. Measurements of the thickness of non-refractory coatings (i.e. product from α-pinene ozonolysis) on the BC particles, relying on BC mass optical size and on an additional particle position measurement, also compared well (within ±17%). The estimated coating thickness values were consistent with thermo-optical analysis of OC and elemental carbon (EC) content, though absolutely accurate values cannot be expected given all the assumptions that have to be made regarding refractive index, particle morphology, etc. This study showed that the SP2 provides accurate and reproducible data, but also that high data quality is only achieved if the SP2 is carefully tuned and calibrated. It has to be noted that the agreement observed here does not account for additional variability in output data that could result from the differences in the potentially subjective assumptions made by different SP2 users in the data processing.

Field calibration of PADC track etch detectors for local neutron dosimetry in man using different radiation qualities

In order to quantify the dose from neutrons to a patient for contemporary radiation treatment techniques, measurements inside phantoms, representing the patient, are necessary. Published reports on neutron dose measurements cover measurements performed free in air or on the surface of phantoms and the doses are expressed in terms of personal dose equivalent or ambient dose equivalent. This study focuses on measurements of local neutron doses inside a radiotherapy phantom and presents a field calibration procedure for PADC track etch detectors. An initial absolute calibration factor in terms of Hp(10) for personal dosimetry is converted into neutron dose equivalent and additional calibration factors are derived to account for the spectral changes in the neutron fluence for different radiation therapy beam qualities and depths in the phantom. The neutron spectra used for the calculation of the calibration factors are determined in different depths by Monte Carlo simulations for the investigated radiation qualities. These spectra are used together with the energy dependent response function of the PADC detectors to account for the spectral changes in the neutron fluence. The resulting total calibration factors are 0.76 for a photon beam (in- and out-of-field), 1.00 (in-field) and 0.84 (out-of-field) for an active proton beam and 1.05 (in-field) and 0.91 (out-of-field) for a passive proton beam, respectively. The uncertainty for neutron dose measurements using this field calibration method is less than 40%.The extended calibration procedure presented in this work showed that it is possible to use PADC track etch detectors for measurements of local neutron dose equivalent inside anthropomorphic phantoms by accounting for spectral changes in the neutron fluence.

First experimental-based characterization of oxygen ion beam depth dose distributions at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center

Over the last decades, the application of proton and heavy-ion beams to external beam radiotherapy has rapidly increased. Due to the favourable lateral and depth dose profile, the superposition of narrow ion pencil beams may enable a highly conformal dose delivery to the tumour, with better sparing of the surrounding healthy tissue in comparison to conventional radiation therapy with photons. To fully exploit the promised clinical advantages of ion beams, an accurate planning of the patient treatments is required. The clinical treatment planning system (TPS) at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (HIT) is based on a fast performing analytical algorithm for dose calculation, relying, among others, on laterally integrated depth dose distributions (DDDs) simulated with the FLUKA Monte Carlo (MC) code. Important input parameters of these simulations need to be derived from a comparison of the simulated DDDs with measurements. In this work, the first measurements of 16O ion DDDs at HIT are presented with a focus on the determined Bragg peak positions and the understanding of factors influencing the shape of the distributions. The measurements are compared to different simulation approaches aiming to reproduce the acquired data at best. A simplified geometrical model is first used to optimize important input parameters, not known a priori, in the simulations. This method is then compared to a more realistic, but also more time-consuming simulation approach better accounting for the experimental set-up and the measuring process. The results of this work contributed to a pre-clinical oxygen ion beam database, which is currently used by a research TPS for corresponding radio-biological cell experiments. A future extension to a clinical database used by the clinical TPS at HIT is foreseen. As a side effect, the performed investigations showed that the typical water equivalent calibration approach of experimental data acquired with water column systems leads to slight deviations between the experimentally determined and the real Bragg peak positions. For improved accuracy, the energy dependence of the stopping power, and herewith the water equivalent thickness, of the material downstream of the water tank should be considered in the analysis of measured data.

An equivalent neutral wind observation operator for variational assimilation of scatterometer ocean surface wind data

AbstractThis article describes a new observation operator developed for improved variational data assimilation of scatterometer ocean wind vectors. The forward operator is designed explicitly to take into account the equivalent neutral calibration of scatterometer wind retrievals. The corresponding tangent linear and adjoint (TL/AD) operators are developed for the calculation of near‐surface increments based explicitly on parametrizations of surface‐layer turbulent momentum transfer. Tangent linear and adjoint operators are formulated using the Jacobian of the forward operator estimated using the perturbation method. Various TL/AD configurations are investigated in more detail to assess the impact of sensitivities affecting the vertical gradient of surface‐layer temperature during assimilation of ocean surface wind data. It is argued that these sensitivities should be neglected in the context of a stand‐alone atmospheric prediction system. The complete form of the operator has, however, the potential to be a key component of a coupled atmosphere–ocean data assimilation system. Two data assimilation experiments were performed using distinct scatterometer observation operators, i.e. new equivalent neutral versus the simpler operational configuration using stability‐dependent (real) background winds. Associated medium‐range forecasts were run for a complete impact assessment. The impact of the new operator is tracked through the entire data assimilation and forecast process by comparing analyses and forecasts from both experiments. A significant sensitivity of the data assimilation system to the configuration of the observation operator has been found. Modest but beneficial impacts are obtained with the equivalent neutral wind observation operator with respect to short‐range forecasts of ocean surface winds and medium‐range forecasts of extratropical geopotential heights. © 2012 Crown in the right of Canada. Published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd.

3D Particle image velocimetry test of inner flow in a double blade pump impeller

The double blade pump is widely used in sewage treatment industry, however, the research on the internal flow characteristics of the double blade pump with particle image velocimetry (PIV) technology is very little at present. To reveal inner flow characteristics in double blade pump impeller under off-design and design conditions, inner flows in a double blade pump impeller, whose specific speed is 111, are measured under the five off-design conditions and design condition by using 3D PIV test technology. In order to ensure the accuracy of the 3D PIV test, the external trigger synchronization system which makes use of fiber optic and equivalent calibration method are applied. The 3D PIV relative velocity synthesis procedure is compiled by using Visual C++ 2005. Then absolute velocity distribution and relative velocity distribution in the double blade pump impeller are obtained. Test results show that vortex exists in each condition, but the location, size and velocity of vortex core are different. Average absolute velocity value of impeller outlet increases at first, then decreases, and then increases again with increase of flow rate. Again average relative velocity values under 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 design condition are higher than that under 1.0 design condition, while under 0.6 and 1.4 design condition it is lower. Under low flow rate conditions, radial vectors of absolute velocities at impeller outlet and blade inlet near the pump shaft decrease with increase of flow rate, while that of relative velocities at the suction side near the pump shaft decreases. Radial vectors of absolute velocities and relative velocities change slightly under the two large flow rate conditions. The research results can be applied to instruct the hydraulic optimization design of double blade pumps.

A comparison of in-air and in-water calibration of a dosimetry system used for radiation dose assessment in cancer therapy

An accurate calibration of the therapy level radiation dosimetry system has a pivotal role in the accuracy of dose delivery to cancer patients. The two methods used for obtaining a tissue equivalent calibration of the system: air kerma calibration and its conversion to a tissue equivalent value (absorbed dose to water) and direct calibration of the system in a water phantom, have been compared for identical irradiation geometry. It was found that the deviation between the two methods remained within a range of 0% to ?1.7% for the PTW UNIDOS dosimetry system. This means that although the recommended method is in-water calibration, under exceptional circumstances, in-air calibration may be used as well.

Effective radiation attenuation calibration for breast density: compression thickness influences and correction

BackgroundCalibrating mammograms to produce a standardized breast density measurement for breast cancer risk analysis requires an accurate spatial measure of the compressed breast thickness. Thickness inaccuracies due to the nominal system readout value and compression paddle orientation induce unacceptable errors in the calibration.MethodA thickness correction was developed and evaluated using a fully specified two-component surrogate breast model. A previously developed calibration approach based on effective radiation attenuation coefficient measurements was used in the analysis. Water and oil were used to construct phantoms to replicate the deformable properties of the breast. Phantoms consisting of measured proportions of water and oil were used to estimate calibration errors without correction, evaluate the thickness correction, and investigate the reproducibility of the various calibration representations under compression thickness variations.ResultsThe average thickness uncertainty due to compression paddle warp was characterized to within 0.5 mm. The relative calibration error was reduced to 7% from 48-68% with the correction. The normalized effective radiation attenuation coefficient (planar) representation was reproducible under intra-sample compression thickness variations compared with calibrated volume measures.ConclusionIncorporating this thickness correction into the rigid breast tissue equivalent calibration method should improve the calibration accuracy of mammograms for risk assessments using the reproducible planar calibration measure.