Monte Carlo modelling for the in vivo lung monitoring of enriched uranium: Results of an international comparison

In order to assess the reliability of Monte Carlo (MC)-based numerical calibration of in vivo counting systems the EURADOS network supported a comparison of MC simulation of well-defined experiments. This action also provided training for the use of voxel phantoms. In vivo measurements of enriched uranium in a thoracic phantom have been carried out and the needed information to simulate these measurements was distributed to 17 participants. About half of the participants managed to simulate the measured counting efficiency without support from the organisers. Following additional support all participants managed to simulate the counting efficiencies within a typical agreement of ±5% with experiment.     

Benchmarking and validation of a Geant4–SHADOW Monte Carlo simulation for dose calculations in microbeam radiation therapy

Microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) is a synchrotron‐based radiotherapy modality that uses high‐intensity beams of spatially fractionated radiation to treat tumours. The rapid evolution of MRT towards clinical trials demands accurate treatment planning systems (TPS), as well as independent tools for the verification of TPS calculated dose distributions in order to ensure patient safety and treatment efficacy. Monte Carlo computer simulation represents the most accurate method of dose calculation in patient geometries and is best suited for the purpose of TPS verification. A Monte Carlo model of the ID17 biomedical beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility has been developed, including recent modifications, using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit interfaced with the SHADOW X‐ray optics and ray‐tracing libraries. The code was benchmarked by simulating dose profiles in water‐equivalent phantoms subject to irradiation by broad‐beam (without spatial fractionation) and microbeam (with spatial fractionation) fields, and comparing against those calculated with a previous model of the beamline developed using the PENELOPE code. Validation against additional experimental dose profiles in water‐equivalent phantoms subject to broad‐beam irradiation was also performed. Good agreement between codes was observed, with the exception of out‐of‐field doses and toward the field edge for larger field sizes. Microbeam results showed good agreement between both codes and experimental results within uncertainties. Results of the experimental validation showed agreement for different beamline configurations. The asymmetry in the out‐of‐field dose profiles due to polarization effects was also investigated, yielding important information for the treatment planning process in MRT. This work represents an important step in the development of a Monte Carlo‐based independent verification tool for treatment planning in MRT.     

描述离散系统动力学演变的Monte Carlo方法分析

通用动力学方程通过描述离散系统中颗粒尺度分布的演变过程来量化颗粒动力学演变过程,而Monte Carlo(MC)算法是求解通用动力学方程的重要方法.目前几种主流的MC算法为Liffman的直接模拟Monte Carlo算法(DSMC)、阶梯式常体积法、常数目法和多重Monte Carlo(MMC)算法.利用这些MC算法描述理想的纯凝并工况和纯破碎工况,发现:由于避免了多个动力学事件之间的解耦过程,基于事件驱动的MC算法比基于时间驱动的MC算法具有更高的计算精度和更低的计算代价;由于尽量减少对整体系统的扰动,阶梯式恢复模拟颗粒数目的MC算法比连续式恢复模拟颗粒数目的MC算法具有更高的精度;由于始终保持计算区域体积,多重Monte Carlo算法具有更友好的扩展性.     

Experimental measurement of radiation dose in a dedicated breast CT system

Radiation dose is an important performance indicator of a dedicated breast CT (DBCT). In this paper, the method of putting thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) into a breast shaped PMMA phantom to study the dose distribution in breasts was improved by using smaller TLDs and a new half-ellipsoid PMMA phantom. Then the weighted CT dose index (CTDI_w) was introduced to average glandular assessment in DBCT for the first time and two measurement modes were proposed for different sizes of breasts. The dose deviations caused by using cylindrical phantoms were simulated using the Monte Carlo method and a set of correction factors were calculated. The results of the confirmatory measurement with a cylindrical phantom (11 cm/8 cm) show that CTDI_w gives a relatively conservative overestimate of the average glandular dose comparing to the results of Monte Carlo simulation and TLDs measurement. But with better practicability and stability, the CTDI_w is suitable for dose evaluations in daily clinical practice. Both of the TLDs and CTDI_w measurements demonstrate that the radiation dose of our DBCT system is lower than conventional two-view mammography.     

Absorbed photon dose measurement and calculation for some patient organs examined by computed tomography

Patient doses from computed tomography (CT) examinations are usually expressed in terms of dose index, organ doses, and effective dose. The CT dose index (CTDI) can be measured free-in-air or in a CT dosimetry phantom. Organ doses can be measured directly in anthropomorphic Rando phantoms using thermoluminescent detectors. Organ doses can also be calculated by the Monte Carlo method utilizing measured CTDI values. In this work, organ doses were assessed for three main CT examinations: head, chest, and abdomen, using the different mentioned methods. Results of directly measured doses were compared with calculated doses for different organs in the study, and also compared with published international studies.     

Using the Monte Carlo method for assessing the tissue and organ doses of patients in dental radiography

This work is dedicated to modeling dental radiographic examinations to assess the absorbed doses of patients and effective doses. For simulating X-ray spectra, the TASMIP empirical model is used. Doses are assessed on the basis of the Monte Carlo method by using MCNP code for voxel phantoms of ICRP. The results of the assessment of doses to individual organs and effective doses for different types of dental examinations and features of X-ray tube are presented.     

Benchmark measurements and simulations of dose perturbations due to metallic spheres in proton beams

Monte Carlo simulations are increasingly used for dose calculations in proton therapy due to its inherent accuracy. However, dosimetric deviations have been found using Monte Carlo code when high density materials are present in the proton beamline. The purpose of this work was to quantify the magnitude of dose perturbation caused by metal objects. We did this by comparing measurements and Monte Carlo predictions of dose perturbations caused by the presence of small metal spheres in several clinical proton therapy beams as functions of proton beam range and drift space. Monte Carlo codes MCNPX, GEANT4 and Fast Dose Calculator (FDC) were used. Generally good agreement was found between measurements and Monte Carlo predictions, with the average difference within 5% and maximum difference within 17%. The modification of multiple Coulomb scattering model in MCNPX code yielded improvement in accuracy and provided the best overall agreement with measurements. Our results confirmed that Monte Carlo codes are well suited for predicting multiple Coulomb scattering in proton therapy beams when short drift spaces are involved.     

Accuracy and convergence with coupled finite-volume Monte Carlo codes for time-dependent plasma edge simulations

With state-of-the-art plasma edge codes, which consist of coupled finite-volume (FV) Monte Carlo (MC) codes, it is challenging to obtain accurate results for time-dependent simulations in a feasible computational time. For steady-state simulations, it has been recently demonstrated that the speed and accuracy can be drastically improved by choosing more suitable numerical parameters and including post-processing averaging. This article extends the methodology for accuracy assessment to time-dependent simulations. For a simplified one-dimensional (1D) plasma edge model, we compare the numerical accuracy of solutions obtained with an implicit approach, where the code system is fully solved in each time step, to those with a mixed implicit/explicit approach, where only the FV code is converged in each time step. We demonstrate the importance of choosing the numerical parameters adequately in both approaches.     

Voxel classification methodology for rapid Monte Carlo simulation of light propagation in complex media

Monte Carlo (MC) method is a statistical method for simulating photon propagation in media in the optical molecular imaging field.However,obtaining an accurate result using the method is quite time-consuming,especially because the boundary of the media is complex.A voxel classification method is proposed to reduce the computation cost.All the voxels generated by dividing the media are classified into three types (outside,boundary,and inside) according to the position of the voxel.The classified information is used to determine the relative position of the photon and the intersection between photon path and media boundary in the MC method.The influencing factors and effectiveness of the proposed method are analyzed and validated by simulation experiments.     

基于TPS和蒙特卡罗计算的12C肿瘤放射治疗In-beam PET剂量监测研究

In-beam PET成像是碳离子放射治疗剂量监测的有效手段,可以对碳离子放疗过程的物理剂量分布和生物剂量分布进行实时监测。结合放射治疗计划系统(TPS)和蒙特卡罗(MC)模拟分别对静态均匀水模体和腹部肿瘤CT图像进行治疗计划设计、MC计算和PET成像,比较TPS肿瘤靶区剂量分布、MC模拟剂量分布和PET成像三者之间的一致性。TPS和MC模拟中相对生物学效应(RBE)的计算均采用线性二次模型(LQ)。研究结果显示,TPS和MC计算的静态均匀水模体、单野治疗腹部肿瘤的物理剂量、RBE加权剂量在SOBP区域的平均误差均在0.5%和2%以内。碳离子束流能量为120~400 MeV/u时,束流方向剂量深度分布与PET成像在SOBP区域的位置差异均在8 mm以内。In-beam PET可作为碳离子放射治疗中位置验证和剂量验证的有效手段。     

Skeletal contribution in lung measurements for the in vivo assessment of 241Am

Physical phantoms used for the calibration of in vivo measurement equipments represent an approximate geometry of the body and usually contain a uniform distribution of radionuclides in the organ of interest. Numerical voxel phantoms allow an improvement of the calibration method by means of a more realistic definition of the phantom and the source. The distribution of the activity in the tissues evolves with time and it can be estimated by solving the specific biokinetic model of the radionuclide. Those results of predicted activity retained in the compartments of the model can be translated into the organs of a voxel phantom to be used as the source of radiation for a Monte Carlo radiation transport code. In this way, different patterns of contamination, according to different times after the intake, can be modelled and appropriate detection efficiencies can be obtained. In particular, it is studied the influence of the skeletal contribution in lung measurements in the in vivo assessment of ²⁴¹Am.     

Overview of Monte Carlo radiation transport codes

The Radiation Safety Information Computational Center (RSICC) is the designated central repository of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) for nuclear software in radiation transport, safety, and shielding. Since the center was established in the early 60’s, there have been several Monte Carlo (MC) particle transport computer codes contributed by scientists from various countries. An overview of the neutron transport computer codes in the RSICC collection is presented.     

Applicability of particle and heavy ion transport code PHITS to the shielding design of spacecrafts

Development of HZE particle transport codes is severely required for the shielding design of spacecrafts. One-dimensional deterministic codes are generally adopted in the shielding calculation because of their reasonable computational time, but three-dimensional Monte Carlo codes are also to be employed especially in the final step of the design with fully optimized geometries. We are therefore developing a general-purpose Monte Carlo code PHITS, which can deal with the transports of all kinds of hadrons and heavy ions with energies up to . For the purpose of examining the applicability of PHITS to the shielding design, neutron and charged particle spectra inside the Space Shuttle were calculated for an imaginary vessel whose shielding distribution is fitted to that of the real shuttle. Absorbed doses and dose equivalents were estimated from the spectra by applying fluence to dose conversion coefficients. The agreements between the calculated spectra or doses and the corresponding experimental data were generally satisfactory, especially for the neutron spectra, which have been barely reproduced by other studies. We therefore concluded that PHITS has a great possibility of playing an important role in the design study of spacecrafts.     

BNCT优化网格设计及相关算法研究

用MCNP蒙特卡罗程序模拟了硼中子俘获治疗(BNCT)3种国际基准网格模型, 并与 修正的Snyder椭球模型进行了比较. 在此基础上, 给出了一种保质量守恒、内存量少、易于产生输入文件的4种基本材料成分的BNCT网格模型. 计算结果表明, 在4mm网格下, 新模型可以达到基准模型的精度; 根据解析模型剂量随深度的变化规律, 研究构造了多网格组合模型, 在重要区域计算精度不损失的条件下, 计算时间大大缩短. 最后研究给出了一个既保证精度、又在可接受的时间内完成剂量计算的模型、样本数和相应的算法, 它基本上满足临床BNCT的要求.     

轴对称钝体后湍流扩散燃烧的PDF模拟

在无结构网格中，对轴对称钝体驻定的湍流扩散火焰进行数值模拟．采用有限容积(FV)／Monte Carlo(MC)混合算法求解湍流燃烧问题的混合算法．Monte Carlo法求解脉动速度一标量．频率的联合概率密度函数方程，有限容积法求解平均质量、动量和能量方程．求解的两组方程是相容的，合理的耦合方式可以减少统计偏差，计算精度和效率显著优于单独的颗粒方法．文中对化学反应采用层流火焰面模型，并将数值计算结果与实验结果作了比较和分析．     

Validation of Monte Carlo simulation of 6 MV photon beam produced by Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator using BEAMnrc code and DOSXYZnrc code

The Monte Carlo model for the photon-beam output from the Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator was validated to compare the calculated to measured PDD and beam dose profiles The Monte Carlo calculation method is considered to be the most accurate method for dose calculation in radiotherapy. The objective of this study is to build a Monte Carlo geometry of Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator as realistically as possible. The Monte Carlo codes used in this work were the BEAMnrc code to simulate the photons beam and the DOSXYZnrc code to examinate the absorbed dose in the water phantom. We have calculated percentage depth dose (PDD) and beam profiles of the 6 MV photon beam for the 6 × 6 cm², 10 × 10 cm² and 15 × 15 cm² field sizes. We have used the gamma index technique for the quantitative evaluation to compare the measured and calculated distributions. Good agreement was found between calculated PDD and beam profile compared to measured data. The comparison was evaluated using the gamma index method and the criterions were 3% for dose difference and 3 mm for distance to agreement. The gamma index acceptance rate was more than 97% of both distribution comparisons PDDs and dose profiles and our results were more developed and accurate. The Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator was accurately modeled using Monte Carlo codes: BEAMnrc and DOSXYZnrc codes package.     

Monte Carlo simulation of glandular dose in a dedicated breast CT system

A dedicated breast CT system (DBCT) is a new method for breast cancer detection proposed in recent years. In this paper, the glandular dose in the DBCT is simulated using the Monte Carlo method. The phantom shape is half ellipsoid, and a series of phantoms with different sizes, shapes and compositions were constructed. In order to optimize the spectra, monoenergy X-ray beams of 5-80 keV were used in simulation. The dose distribution of a breast phantom was studied: a higher energy beam generated more uniform distribution, and the outer parts got more dose than the inner parts. For polyenergtic spectra, four spectra of Al filters with different thicknesses were simulated, and the polyenergtic glandular dose was calculated as a spectral weighted combination of the monoenergetic dose.     

X射线在介质中的剂量分布计算

研究了放射治疗中X射线在介质中的输运过程, 编程实现了基于蒙特卡罗方法的剂量计算. 并在便于图形处理的软件Matlab中对光子输运结果进行了可视化处理. 对X射线在均匀介质和非均匀介质中的蒙特卡罗模拟结果与实测结果、其他蒙特卡罗软件模拟结果进行了比较, 结果符合较好. 实验结果表明该方法既可以获得很快的仿真速度, 又能得到精确直观的剂量计算结果, 为提高放射治疗水平具有重要的指导意义和应用价值.     

MLIMCL：基于机器学习的隐式溶剂蒙特卡罗方法

对于分子结构的优化和预测,蒙特卡罗(MC)是很重要的计算工具. 当溶剂效应被显式的考虑时,由于水分子和电离子的自由度很大,蒙特卡罗方法变得非常昂贵. 相对而言,基于隐式溶剂的蒙特卡罗方法可以通过对溶剂效应平均场的近似来大大降低计算成本,同时还能保持目标分子在原子水平上的细节. 目前两种最流行的隐式溶剂模型是泊松-波兹曼模型和通用化波恩模型. 通用化波恩模型是泊松-波兹曼模型的近似,但在模拟计算时间上要快得多. 本文通过结合两种隐式溶剂模型在准确性和效率方面的优势,开发了一种基于机器学习的隐式溶剂蒙特卡罗方法. 具体而言,蒙特卡罗方法通过机器学习既保留了泊松-波兹曼模型的精度,又达到了通用化波恩模型的速度,从而能快速准确地获取模拟计算中每一步的静电溶解自由能. 本文采用苯-水系统和蛋白质-水系统来验证我们的蒙特卡罗方法. 实验证明蒙特卡罗方法在分子结构优化和预测的速度和准确性方面具有很大优势.