Fast Optimization of Temperature Focusing in Hyperthermia Treatment of Sub-Superficial Tumors

Microwave hyperthermia aims at selectively heating cancer cells to a supra-physiological temperature. For non-superficial tumors, this can be achieved by means of an antenna array equipped with a proper cooling system (the water bolus) to avoid overheating of the skin. In patient-specific treatment planning, antenna feedings are optimized to maximize the specific absorption rate (SAR) inside the tumor, or to directly maximize the temperature there, involving a higher numerical cost. We present here a method to effect a low-complexity temperature-based planning. It arises from recognizing that SAR and temperature have shifted peaks due to thermal boundary conditions at the water bolus and for physiological effects like air flow in respiratory ducts. In our method, temperature focusing on the tumor is achieved via a SAR-based optimization of the antenna excitations, but optimizing its target to account for the cooling effects. The temperature optimization process is turned into finding a SAR peak position that maximizes the chosen temperature objective function. Application of this method to the 3D head and neck region provides a temperature coverage that is consistently better than that obtained with SAR-optimization alone, also considering uncertainties in thermal parameters. This improvement is obtained by solving the bioheat equation a reduced number of times, avoiding its inclusion in a global optimization process

Correction of moisture effects on near infrared calibration for the analysis of phenol content in eucalyptus wood extracts

Les méthodes basées sur la spectroscopie proche infrarouge pour estimer les propriétés du bois sont sensibles aux variations des paramètres physiques (température, granulométrie. . . ). Le bois étant un matériau hygroscopique sensible, l'influence de l'humidité sur l'absorbance et l'étalonnage proche infrarouge a été étudiée afin de mieux considérer les possibilités d'applications dans des conditions réelles.Un étalonnage de référence de la quantité de polyphénols présents dans les extraits a été établi à partir de spectres d'une collection de bois d'hybrides d'Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis à humidité constante fixée. D'autres spectres ont été obtenus sur des échantillons de même provenance mais à 8 teneurs en eau couvrant une large plage de variation. L'influence de l'humidité sur l'absorbance proche infrarouge puis sur l'estimation par le modèle de référence a été analysée. / Methods based on near infrared spectroscopy used to assess wood properties are susceptible to variations in physical parameters (temperature, grain size, etc). As wood is a hygroscopically sensitive material, we studied the effects of moisure on near infrared absorbance and calibration to accurately determine the application potential of this technique under routine. A collection of Eucalyptus urophylla x E. grandis hybrid wood pieces were analysed to obtain reference calibration of polyphenol contents in wood extracts via NIR spectra acquired under constant moisture conditions.Others specimens from the same source were assessed to obtain spectra for eight moisture contents spanning a broad variation range. The effects of moisture on absorption and on estimates based on a reference model were analysed. An increase in moisture content prompteda rise in near infrared absorption over the entire spectrum and the water O-H absorption bands. The polyphenol content estimates obtained by assessing specimens against the reference calibration at variable moisture contents revealed prediction bias. Five correction methods were then tested on enhance the robustness relative to moisture. In-depth calibration and external parameter orthogonalization were found to be the most efficient methods for offsetting this factor

Oakscan: procédé de mesure rapide et non destructif des polyphénols du bois de chêne de tonnellerie

Les polyphénols extractibles contenus dans le bois de chêne des barriques de tonnellerie sont des composés très importants car ils ont une influence sur la couleur et sur les propriétés organoleptiques des vins qu'ils enrichissent. Les analyses chimiques de laboratoire qui permettent de les mesurer sont réalisées sur des extractions, nécessitent un délai de réalisation très long et ne permettent d'analyser que des lots de matière par échantillonnage. Le procédé de mesure rapide et non destructif Oakscan® a été développé par la tonnellerie Radoux. Il se fonde sur la spectrométrie proche infrarouge et permet de mesurer la teneur en polyphénols en quelques secondes, directement sur le bois massif. Le contenu polyphénolique de chaque douelle est alors mesuré, permettant une meilleure maitrise de la matière première entrant dans la composition des fûts

Radiation and Scattering of EM Waves in Large Plasmas Around Objects in Hypersonic Flight

Hypersonic flight regime is conventionally defined for Mach> 5; in these conditions, the flying object becomes enveloped in a plasma. This plasma is densest in thin surface layers, but in typical situations of interest it impacts electromagnetic wave propagation in an electrically large volume. We address this problem with a hybrid approach. We employ Equivalence Theorem to separate the inhomogeneous plasma region from the surrounding free space via an equivalent (Huygens) surface, and the Eikonal approximation to Maxwell equations in the large inhomogeneous region for obtaining equivalent currents on the separating surface. Then, we obtain the scattered field via (exact) free space radiation of these surface equivalent currents. The method is extensively tested against reference results and then applied to a real-life re-entry vehicle with full 3D plasma computed via Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations. We address both scattering (RCS) from the entire vehicle and radiation from the on-board antennas. From our results, significant radio link path losses can be associated with plasma spatial variations (gradients) and collisional losses, to an extent that matches well the usually perceived blackout in crossing layers in cutoff. Furthermore, we find good agreement with existing literature concerning significant alterations of the radar response (RCS) due to the plasma envelope

Field and Temperature Shaping for Microwave Hyperthermia: Recent Treatment Planning Tools to Enhance SAR-Based Procedures

The aim of the article is to provide a summary of the work carried out in the framework of a research project funded by the Italian Ministry of Research. The main goal of the activity was to introduce multiple tools for reliable, affordable, and high-performance microwave hyperthermia for cancer therapy. The proposed methodologies and approaches target microwave diagnostics, accurate in vivo electromagnetic parameters estimation, and improvement in treatment planning using a single device. This article provides an overview of the proposed and tested techniques and shows their complementarity and interconnection. To highlight the approach, we also present a novel combination of specific absorption rate optimization via convex programming with a temperature-based refinement method implemented to mitigate the effect of thermal boundary conditions on the final temperature map. To this purpose, numerical tests were carried out for both simple and anatomically detailed 3D scenarios for the head and neck region. These preliminary results show the potential of the combined technique and improvements in the temperature coverage of the tumor target with respect to the case wherein no refinement is adopted