The ability of the electronic portal imaging device (EPID) to acquire a large two-dimensional array of digitized x-ray data in real time is extremely attractive for dosimetric measurements. To evaluate the potential use of an EPID for portal dose measurement in Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre, some dosimetric characteristics of the Varian's PortalVisionTM aS500 were investigated. PortalVisionTM incorporates an amorphous silicon detector (aSi). Some potential applications of EPID in linac QA were also explored. The EPID's performance for linearity with MU and dose rate was verified and it was found to be proportional over the entire measured range. Short term repeatability was found to be excellent. An investigation of calibration method to improve dosimetric accuracy demonstrated two methods of avoiding detector saturation. Firstly, acquiring flood field with the use of additional buildup and secondly, increasing the source to detector distance for calibration. A study of EPIDs behaviour under conditions of varying dose rate which commonly arise in EDW treatment techniques was carried out. The EPID exhibited a field size dependence in addition to a 8% discrepancy on the `hot edge' of EDW profiles. Further investigation into the field size dependence and the discrepancy at hot edge is required. EPIDs ability to acquire asymmetric field profile was also investigated. The profiles acquired using EPID deviated in shape and magnitude by upto 16% from the ion chamber profiles. Some potential applications of EPID to perform QA of linac beam properties, its ability to perform optical and mechanical linac QA have been explored. The EPID's capability to give constant output, flatness, symmetry, wedge angle and wedge factors with high level of accuracy and reproducibility was demonstrated. EPID was also found to be objective, efficient and feasible for performing optical linac QA. The use of EPID for linac QA could be simplified by improving the available software analysis tools thus making it more efficient.

The ability of the electronic portal imaging device (EPID) to acquire a large two-dimensional array of digitized x-ray data in real time is extremely attractive for dosimetric measurements. To evaluate the potential use of an EPID for portal dose measurement in Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre, some dosimetric characteristics of the Varian's PortalVisionTM aS500 were investigated. PortalVisionTM incorporates an amorphous silicon detector (aSi). Some potential applications of EPID in linac QA were also explored. The EPID's performance for linearity with MU and dose rate was verified and it was found to be proportional over the entire measured range. Short term repeatability was found to be excellent. An investigation of calibration method to improve dosimetric accuracy demonstrated two methods of avoiding detector saturation. Firstly, acquiring flood field with the use of additional buildup and secondly, increasing the source to detector distance for calibration. A study of EPIDs behaviour under conditions of varying dose rate which commonly arise in EDW treatment techniques was carried out. The EPID exhibited a field size dependence in addition to a 8% discrepancy on the `hot edge' of EDW profiles. Further investigation into the field size dependence and the discrepancy at hot edge is required. EPIDs ability to acquire asymmetric field profile was also investigated. The profiles acquired using EPID deviated in shape and magnitude by upto 16% from the ion chamber profiles. Some potential applications of EPID to perform QA of linac beam properties, its ability to perform optical and mechanical linac QA have been explored. The EPID's capability to give constant output, flatness, symmetry, wedge angle and wedge factors with high level of accuracy and reproducibility was demonstrated. EPID was also found to be objective, efficient and feasible for performing optical linac QA. The use of EPID for linac QA could be simplified by improving the available software analysis tools thus making it more efficient.

The complexity of radiation therapy delivery has increased over the years due to advancements in computing and technical innovation. A system of dose delivery verification has the potential to catch treatment errors and therefore improve patient safety. The goal of this thesis was to create a portal image-based in vivo dose reconstruction model for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) deliveries, specifically for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). This model-based approach should be robust and feasible within a clinical setting. VMAT involves the modulation of dose rate, gantry speed, and aperture shaping while the treatment gantry (i.e., x-ray beam) rotates about the patient. In this work, portal images were acquired using an amorphous silicon electronic portal imaging device (a-Si EPID). A geometrical characterization of the linear accelerator (linac) during VMAT delivery was performed. An angle adjustment method was determined which improves each EPID’s angular accuracy to within ±1° of the true physical angle. SBRT delivers large doses over fewer fractions than conventional radiotherapy, therefore, any error during an SBRT delivery will have a greater impact on the patient. In this work, a robust, model-based SBRT-VMAT dose reconstruction verification system using EPID images was developed. The model was determined to be clinically feasible. The accuracy of a 3D in vivo dose reconstruction, using all the EPID images acquired during treatment, is sensitive to the chosen frame averaging per EPID image: the greater the frame averaging, the larger the reconstruction error. Optimization of the EPID frame averaging number as a function of average linac gantry speed and dose per fraction were determined. The EPID-based in vivo dose reconstruction model for SBRT-VMAT developed here was determined to be robust, accurate, and clinically feasible as long as adjustments were made in order to correct for EPID image geometrical errors and frame-averaging errors. / May 2016

The BEAMnrc and DOSXYZnrc codes from EGSnrc Monte Carlo (MC) system are considered to be the gold standards for simulating radiotherapy linear accelerators and resulting dose depositions (Rogers, Faddegon et al. 1995). The aim of this project was to setup the EGSnrc system for the simulation of the linear accelerator (linac) head and a Scanning Liquid Ionisation Chamber (SLIC) Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID) for calculations of transmitted dose in the EPID. The project was divided into two parts. The head of a 6 MV Varian 600C/D photon linac was first simulated by BEAMnrc. The modelling parameters such as the electron beam energy and the Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of the electron spatial distribution were adjusted until the absorbed dose profiles and the Percentage Depth Dose (PDD) curves, in general agreed better than the measured profiles and PDDs by 2%. The X-ray beam obtained from the modelled linac head was used for the simulation of the transmitted dose in the EPID in the second part of the project. The EPID was simulated by DOSXYZnrc based on the information obtained from Spezi and Lewis 2002 (Spezi and Lewis 2002), who also modelled the Varian SLIC EPID (MK2 Portal Vision system, Varian Inc., Palo Alto, CA, USA). The comparisons between the measured and the simulated transmitted doses were carried out for three different phantom setups consisting of an open field, homogeneous water equivalent phantom and a humanoid phantom (RANDO). These phantom setups were designed so that the accuracy of the MC method for simulating absorbed dose in air, homogeneous and inhomogeneous phantoms could be assessed. In addition, the simulated transmitted dose in an EPID was also compared with values obtained from the Pinnacle treatment planning system (v6.2b, Phillips Medical Systems). In the process of selecting the electron beam energy and FWHM, it was confirmed (Sheikh-Bagheri and Rogers 2002; Keall, Siebers et al. 2003) that the variation of the electron beam FWHM and energy influenced the beam profiles strongly. The PDD was influenced by the electron beam energy less strongly. The increase in the energy led to the increase in the depth of maximum dose. However, the effect could not be observed until the energy change of 0.2 MeV was made. Based on the analysis of the results, it was found that the combination of FWHM and energy of 1.3 mm and 5.7 MeV provided the best match between the measured and MC simulated beam profiles and PDDs. It can be concluded that an accuracy of 1.5% can be achieved in the simulation of the linac head using Monte Carlo method. In the comparison between the Monte Carlo and the measured transmitted dose maps, agreements of 2% were found for both the open field and homogeneous water equivalent phantom setups. The same agreements were also found for the comparison between Monte Carlo and Pinnacle transmitted dose maps for these setups. In the setup where the humanoid phantom RANDO was introduced in between the radiation field and the EPID, a general agreement of about 5% found for the comparison between Monte Carlo and measured transmitted dose maps. Pinnacle and measured transmitted dose map was also compared for this setup and the same agreement was found. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1352973 / Thesis (M.Sc.) - University of Adelaide, School of Chemistry and Physics, 2009

The objective of this dissertation was to (1) determine which grow-out and processing sampling points best predicts and causes Campylobacter later in production (2) identify risk factors within the hatchery that influenced Campylobacter prevalence later in production (3) identify biosecurity risk factors that were associated with Campylobacter presence during production and processing (4) identify farm and production characteristics that were associated with Campylobacter presence later in production, and (5) to estimate the proportion of variance and the intraclass correlation coefficients within the hierarchical levels (complex, farm, bird) of the data. The best predictors of post-chill Campylobacter carcass status were the exterior whole carcass sample in the grow-out environment and the crop upon arrival at the processing plant. The best post-chill causal model contained the grow-out whole carcass. Variables associated with the increased odds of a Campylobacter positive sample included controlling the humidity in the hatchery chick room, 2-4 people handling the chicks at the hatchery, washing the setter twice yearly, 2 or more breeder farms providing eggs for the sampled flock, using low water pressure when washing the hatch trays, having more walk-in doors on the boiler house, the farmer removing the litter from the farm, concrete at most used door of the broiler house, the number of workers that work with the birds during grow-out, having more houses on the farm, standing water on the farm day 1, wood interior walls, a vegetation surface next the house footing, and 6 or less flocks on the litter. Protective factors included the use of footbaths and dedicated shoes, greater frequency of entering the house during brooding, disinfectant added to the drinker lines, having concrete outside the most used door, the cleanliness of the workroom, and harvesting birds at 56-63 days of age. The highest percent of variance occurred at the farm level meaning intervention efforts should focus on factors at the broiler farm level i.e. factors that are different among farms within a broiler complex.

No description available.

The EPID (electronic portal imaging device) was designed for in vivo imaging of patients during radiotherapy treatment. The ability of EPIDs to promptly acquire two dimensional data, lends them to be considered for use in quality assurance of the linac. This thesis set out to investigate the possibility of using a radionuclide, technetium 99 m (Tc99m), to produce a flood field for the calibration of an EPID, because using a beam calibrated EPID to measure the beam is self-referential. The difference in relative response between the energy spectrum of a 6MV beam and the Tc99m was investigated using EGSNRC DoseXYZ Monte Carlo Modelling. The relative output ratio was calculated to be less than 1.6%. The dose response of the EPID with respect to dose rate was checked using different activities of Tc99m and found to be linear. The flatness from a phantom was calculated, with a model in MATLAB, for a range of heights, overlaps, thickness, and deformations, to find the optimum balances between signal strength and flatness. This model was checked for accuracy using diagnostic radiographic film. The culmination of the energy response, linearity and the calculated flatness is a flood field taken with a flood phantom on the EPID with low signal strength. To get a signal to noise ratio of 3% the mean of over 2000 flood field images were used. This accuracy was not adequate for clinical use but the averaging of pixels it is accurate enough for QA.

Two-dimensional transmission dosimetry in radiotherapy has been discussed in the literature for some time as being a potential method for in vivo dosimetry. However, it still remains to become a wide spread practice in radiotherapy clinics. This is most likely due to the variety in radiotherapy treatment sites and the challenges they would present in terms of detection and interpretation at the transmitted dose level. Thus, the full potential and limitations of applying transmission dosimetry in the presence of dosimetry errors still need to be demonstrated. This thesis is a theoretical evaluation of transmission dosimetry using the Pinnacle3 treatment planning system. The accuracy of predicting reliable and accurate absolute transmitted dose maps using the planning system dose algorithm for comparison with measured transmitted dose maps was initially investigated. The resolution in the dose calculations at the transmitted level was then evaluated for rectilinear and curved homogeneous phantoms and rectilinear inhomogeneous phantoms, followed by studies combining both surface curvature and heterogeneities using anthropomorphic phantoms. In order to perform transmitted dose calculations at clinically relevant beam focus-to-transmitted dose plane distances using clinical patient CT data it was first necessary to extend the CT volume. Finally, the thesis explored the efficacy of applying transmission dosimetry in the clinic by simulating realistic dosimetry errors in the planning system using patient treatment plans for a prostate, head and neck, and breast CRT (Conformal Radiotherapy) treatment. Any differences at the transmitted dose level were interpreted and quantified using the gamma formalism. To determine whether the transmitted dose alone was a sufficient indicator of the dosimetry errors, the magnitude in transmission dose differences were compared with those predicted at the midplane of the patient. Dose-Volume Histograms (DVHs) were also used to evaluate the clinical significance of the dose delivery errors on the target volume and surrounding healthy tissue structures. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1339807 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Chemistry and Physics, 2008

The EPID (electronic portal imaging device) was designed for in vivo imaging of patients during radiotherapy treatment. The ability of EPIDs to promptly acquire two dimensional data, lends them to be considered for use in quality assurance of the linac. This thesis set out to investigate the possibility of using a radionuclide, technetium 99 m (Tc99m), to produce a flood field for the calibration of an EPID, because using a beam calibrated EPID to measure the beam is self-referential. The difference in relative response between the energy spectrum of a 6MV beam and the Tc99m was investigated using EGSNRC DoseXYZ Monte Carlo Modelling. The relative output ratio was calculated to be less than 1.6%. The dose response of the EPID with respect to dose rate was checked using different activities of Tc99m and found to be linear. The flatness from a phantom was calculated, with a model in MATLAB, for a range of heights, overlaps, thickness, and deformations, to find the optimum balances between signal strength and flatness. This model was checked for accuracy using diagnostic radiographic film. The culmination of the energy response, linearity and the calculated flatness is a flood field taken with a flood phantom on the EPID with low signal strength. To get a signal to noise ratio of 3% the mean of over 2000 flood field images were used. This accuracy was not adequate for clinical use but the averaging of pixels it is accurate enough for QA.

La radiothérapie moderne combine les techniques complexes et les traitements personnalisés, avec le risque que certaines évolutions et erreurs ayant lieu au cours de traitement passent inaperçues. Ces aléas peuvent entraîner des conséquences graves pour la santé du patient. Dans cette perspective, nous avons étudié le potentiel d'un système de dosimétrie in vivo de transit pour le suivi continu du patient et, par conséquent, la radiothérapie adaptative. L'expérience clinique et des tests de faisabilité ont permis de définir les axes de travail principaux: l'automatisation et la simplification du procédé d'analyse des contrôles. Les développements incluent la création d'une bibliothèque de données standard et une série d'analyses de causes racines, permettant ainsi de renforcer la précision du système, d'améliorer l'automatisation de sa mise en place et d'identifier des pistes pour une analyse efficace des résultats et pour la création d'outils supplémentaires facilitant le suivi et l'adaptation du traitement en routine clinique. / Modern radiation therapy combines complex techniques and personalized treatments, with the risk that certain evolutions and errors occurring during the course of the treatment might go unnoticed. These fluctuations may cause great damage to the health of the patient. In this perspective, we worked on the potential of a transit in vivo dosimetry system for continuous monitoring of the patient and, hereafter, adaptive radiotherapy. Our clinical experience and feasibility testing determined the main lines of work : automatization and simplification of the results analysis method. The developments included the creation of a golden data library and a series of root cause analyzes, allowing us to strengthen the accuracy of the system, to enhance the automatization of the setup and to identify tracks for an efficient analysis of the results and for the creation of additional analytical tools to facilitate the monitoring and adaptation of the treatments in clinical routine.