Kevin G. Wika

Characteristics of an improved magnetic-implant guidance system

The previous companion paper (see ibid., vol. 42, no. 8, p.793, 1995) described the motivation, design, and early experiments of a Magnetic Stereotaxis System. The part of the system considered in these papers is a helmet with a roughly cubic array of six superconducting coils used to apply force on small permanent magnet pellets in brain and in brain phantom material. This apparatus will be used to deliver drugs and other therapies directly into deep brain tissues, under control of a computer and fluoroscopic imaging system. Here, the authors analyze the general stability problems of controlling the currents in the coils for impulsive stepwise motion of the pellet, subject to quench avoidance in the superconducting coils, and in the face of Earnshaws theorem governing stability in static magnetic fields. The authors also describe solutions that have been found to the primary difficulties limiting controlled pellet motion in the studies presented in the companion paper.<<ETX>>

Goniometric motion controller for the superconducting coil in a magnetic stereotaxis system

For the purpose of positioning the 80 kg, 2 T superconducting coil/cryostat used in the development version of a magnetic stereotaxis system, a four degree-of-freedom goniometer has been designed, built, and tested. Computer-controlled, stepping motor actuators enable movement of the coil via either joystick, keyboard, or translator-module keypad commands. An integral arrangement of counterweights and counterbalances minimizes the overall weight and size of the goniometer while maintaining static and dynamic stability during operation. As much of the structure as possible has been made of nonmagnetic materials (mostly aluminium) to minimize distortion of the superconducting coils field. The design principles for the goniometer, the essential features of its construction, and its performance characteristics and limitations are discussed, along with a strategy for performing precision magnetic stereotaxis procedures with an arrangement of static superconducting coils.<<ETX>>

On the enforcement of software safety policies

Software in safety-critical systems must meet specified safety requirements or safety policies. We are investigating a safety kernel architecture for enforcement of these safety policies. This concept is analogous to the security kernel architecture that has been used for enforcing information access policies. This paper presents the results of analysis performed to define the policy enforcement role of the safety kernel. In addition, requirements for dependable policy enforcement by the safety kernel are examined.

Testing a safety-critical application

The system operates by manipulating a small permanent magnet (known as a “seed”) within the brain using an externally applied magnetic field. By varying the magnitude and gradient of the external magnetic field, the seed can be moved along a non-linear path and positioned at a site requiring therapy, e.g., a tumor. The magnetic field required for movement through brain tissue is extremely high, and is generated by a set of six superconducting magnets located in a housing surrounding the patient’s head.

Low-dose magnetic-field-immune biplanar fluoroscopy for neurosurgery

The imaging chain of a bi-planar fluoroscopic system is described for a new neurosurgical technique: the Video Tumor Fighter (VTF). The VTF manipulates a small intracranially implanted magnet, called a thermoseed, by a large external magnetic field gradient. The thermoseed is heated by rf-induction to kill proximal tumor cells. For accurately guiding the seed through the brain, the x-ray tubes are alternately pulsed up to four times per second, each for as much as two hours. Radio-opaque reference markers, attached to the skull, enable the thermoseeds three dimensional position to be determined and then projected onto a displayed MRI brain scan. The imaging approach, similar to systems at the University of Arizona and the Mayo Clinic, includes a 20 cm diameter phosphor screen viewed by a proximity focused microchannel plate image intensifier coupled via fiberoptic taper to a solid state camera. The most important performance specifications are magnetic field immunity and, due to the procedure duration, low dosage per image. A preliminary arrangement designed in the laboratories yielded usable images at approximately 100 (mu) R exposure per frame. In this paper, the results of a series of studies of the effects of magnetic fields on microchannel plate image intensifiers used in the image detection chain are presented.

A distributed scheduling simulation

The paper presents a distributed scheduling simulator designed for the analysis of distributed scheduling algorithms. It presents the scheduler and shows its ability to test various scheduling policies. Although preliminary test results are shown, these results are used to show the effectiveness of the scheduler, not to compare scheduling policies. Using a simulation tool named SES Workbench as its base, the simulator has the flexibility to represent multiple types of network configurations. By supporting the ability to vary both the scheduling policy being used and the network configuration, the simulator is a valuable tool for testing the feasibility of a given scheduling policy on different types of distributed systems.<<ETX>>

Software safety in medical applications

The use of software in safety-critical medical applications permits sophisticated functionality that would otherwise not be achievable. However, it is very difficult to ensure that software in these systems is dependable. In particular all software development techniques have limitations, and none can provide any guarantee of overall software dependability. Given this shortcoming, the approach that we have taken is to develop techniques that emphasize the verification of properties that are important to overall software dependability. In this paper we describe two techniques that support the implementation and verification of dependable software for an experimental neurosurgical device and safety-critical applications in general. The first technique involves the assurance of critical safety properties by a relatively simple software component known as a safety kernel. Situated between the application software and the application devices, the safety kernel enforces rules that govern the safe operation of the devices. The simplicity of the safety kernel facilitates its implementation and verification. In most cases, it is not possible to rely on testing to provide the necessary verification of the software in a safety-critical application. However, testing can play an appropriate and vital role in the demonstration of safety properties. The second technique takes this approach, utilizing automated testing and selected test cases to demonstrate useful system properties.