The purpose of this study is to report the dosimetric aspects of commissioning performed on an Elekta Versa HD linear accelerator (linac) with high-dose-rate flattening filter-free (FFF) photon modes and electron modes. Acceptance and commissioning was performed on the Elekta Versa HD linac with five photon energies (6 MV, 10 MV, 18 MV, 6 MV FFF, 10 MV FFF), four electron energies (6 MeV, 9MeV,...

BACKGROUND Local audits in England and Wales performed in 1994 showed that child health commissioning was not being given priority. We were concerned that child health commissioning was in addition not performed in a child-centred way, with the best interests of children to the fore. METHOD A survey of health authorities and boards was performed, to investigate child health commissioning in t...

This paper illustrates the need for validating the calculation of monitor units as part of the process of commissioning a photon beam model in a radiation treatment planning system. Examples are provided in which this validation identified subtle errors, either in the dose model or in the implementation of the dose algorithm. These errors would not have been detected if the commissioning proces...

Occupancy sensors have the potential to significantly reduce energy use by switching off electrical loads when a normally occupied area is vacated. While occupancy sensors can be used to control a variety of load types, their most popular use has been to control lighting in commercial buildings. Manufacturers claim savings of 15% to 85%, although there is little published research to support th...

We experimentally demonstrate an inter-satellite laser link acquisition scheme for GRACE Follow-On. In this strategy, dedicated acquisition sensors are not required-instead we use the photodetectors and signal processing hardware already required for science operation. To establish the laser link, a search over five degrees of freedom must be conducted (± 3 mrad in pitch/yaw for each laser beam...

This work is a report on the commissioning of low energy electron beams of a medical linear accelerator for Monte Carlo dose calculation using NXEGS software (NXEGS version 1.0.10.0, NX Medical Software, LLC). A unique feature of NXEGS is automated commissioning, a process whereby a combination of analytic and Monte Carlo methods generates beam models from dosimetric data collected in a water p...

driving the biggest shake-up in the NHS for a generation. The Act proposes a complete change in the NHS commissioning architecture, an increased emphasis on competition and choice, and a move of public health services to local authorities. From April 2013, primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities will be abolished with their commissioning functions taken over by clinical comm...

PURPOSE We investigated the effects of a visual picking system on ocular comfort, the ocular surface and tear function compared to those of a voice guided picking solution. DESIGN Prospective, observational, cohort study. METHOD SETTING Institutional. STUDY POPULATION A total of 25 young asymptomatic volunteers performed commissioning over 10 hours on two consecutive days. MAIN OUTCO...

BACKGROUND The ideal population size of healthcare commissioning organisations is not known. AIM To investigate whether there is a relationship between the size of commissioning organisations and how well they perform on a range of performance measures. DESIGN AND SETTING Cross-sectional, observational study of performance in all 152 primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. METHOD Compariso...