Steered sequential projections for the inconsistent convex feasibility problem

We study a steered sequential gradient algorithm which minimizes the sum of convex functions by proceeding cyclically in the directions of the negative gradients of the functions and using steered step-sizes. This algorithm is applied to the convex feasibility problem by minimizing a proximity function which measures the sum of the Bregman distances to the … Read more

Inherent smoothness of intensity patterns for intensity modulated radiation therapy generated by simultaneous projection algorithms

The efficient delivery of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) depends on finding optimized beam intensity patterns that produce dose distributions, which meet given constraints for the tumor as well as any critical organs to be spared. Many optimization algorithms that are used for beamlet-based inverse planning are susceptible to large variations of neighboring intensities. Accurately … Read more

The dose-volume constraint satisfaction problem for inverse treatment planning with field segments

The prescribed goals of radiation treatment planning are often expressed in terms of dose-volume constraints. We present a novel formulation of a dose-volume constraint satisfaction search for the discretized radiation therapy model. This approach does not rely on any explicit cost function. The inverse treatment planning uses the aperture based approach with predefined, according to … Read more

Transfer function restoration in 3D electron microscopy via iterative data refinement

Three-dimensional electron microscopy (3D-EM) is a powerful tool for visualizing complex biological systems. As any other imaging device, the electron microscope introduces a transfer function (called in this field the Contrast Transfer Function, CTF) into the image acquisition process that modulates the various frequencies of the signal. Thus, 3D reconstructions performed with these CTF-affected projections … Read more

Convergence of string-averaging projection schemes for inconsistent convex feasibility problems

We study iterative projection algorithms for the convex feasibility problem of finding a point in the intersection of finitely many nonempty, closed and convex subsets in the Euclidean space. We propose (without proof) an algorithmic scheme which generalizes both the string-averaging algorithm and the block-iterative projections (BIP) method with fixed blocks and prove convergence of … Read more

Mathematical optimization for the inverse problem of intensity modulated radiation therapy

In this tutorial we discuss modeling issues in intensity modulated radiation therapy, contrasting the continuous model with the fully-discretized one and considering feasibility formulations versus optimization setups. We review briefly some mathematical optimization techniques for IMRT. These include global optimization, multi-objective optimization, linear and mixed integer programming and projection methods. Citation in: J.R. Palta and … Read more

Finding the projection of a point onto the intersection of convex sets via projections onto halfspaces

We present a modification of Dykstra’s algorithm which allows us to avoid projections onto general convex sets. Instead, we calculate projections onto either a halfspace or onto the intersection of two halfspaces. Convergence of the algorithm is established and special choices of the halfspaces are proposed. The option to project onto halfspaces instead of general … Read more

Iterative algorithms with seminorm-induced oblique projections

A definition of oblique projections onto closed convex sets that use seminorms induced by diagonal matrices which may have zeros on the diagonal is introduced. Existence and uniqueness of such projections are secured via directional affinity of the sets with respect to the diagonal matrices involved. A block-iterative algorithmic scheme for solving the convex feasibility … Read more

The least-intensity feasible solution for aperture-based inverse planning in radiation therapy.

Aperture-based inverse planning (ABIP) for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning starts with external radiation fields (beams) that fully conform to the target(s) and then superimposes sub-fields called segments to achieve complex shaping of 3D dose distributions. The segments’ intensities are determined by solving a feasibility problem. The least-intensity feasible (LIF) solution, proposed and … Read more

Reduntant axioms in the definitionof Bregman functions

The definition of a Bregman function, given by Censor and Lent in 1981 on the basis of Bregman’s seminal 1967 paper, was subsequently used in a plethora of research works as a tool for building sequential and inherently parallel feasibility and optimization algorithms. Solodov and Svaiter have recently shown that it is not Citation Journal … Read more