Objectives: Small field of view gamma detection and imaging technologies for monitoring in vivo tracer uptake are rapidly expanding and being introduced for bed-side imaging and image guided surgical procedures. The Hybrid Gamma Camera (HGC) has been developed to enhance the localization of targeted radiopharmaceuticals during surgical procedures; for example in sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsies and for bed-side imaging in procedures such as lacrimal drainage imaging and thyroid scanning. In this study, a prototype anthropomorphic head and neck phantom has been designed, constructed, and evaluated using representative modelled medical scenarios to study the capability of the HGC to detect SLNs and image small organs. Methods: An anthropomorphic head and neck phantom has been designed to mimic the adult head and neck including some internal organs and tissues of interest, such as the thyroid gland and sentinel lymph nodes. The design of the head and neck phantom included an adjustable inner jig holding the simulated SLNs and thyroid gland. The simulated thyroid gland was designed and 3D printed taking into consideration the size and the shape of a healthy adult thyroid gland. The inner sealed space of the thyroid was filled with 15MBq of 99mTc through two upper filling valves. Sealed micro-tubes (0.2ml) have been employed to simulate SLNs containing various 99mTc activity concentrations ranging between 0.1MBq and 1MBq, and can be positioned at any desired place in the head and neck region. An active background was simulated through mixing 10MBq of 99mTc solution with the water used to fill the outer shell of the head and neck phantom. Results: The head and neck phantom was employed to simulate a situation where there are four SLNs distributed at two different vertical levels and at two depths within the neck. Contrast to noise ratio (CNR) calculations were performed for the detected SLNs at an 80mm distance between both pinhole collimators (i.e. 0.5mm and 1.0mm diameters) and the surface of the head and neck phantom with a 100s acquisition time. The recorded CNR values for the simulated SLNs are higher when the HGC was fitted with the 1.0mm diameter pinhole collimator. For instance, the recorded CNR values for the superficially simulated SLN containing 0.1MBq of 99mTc using 0.5mm and 1.0mm diameter pinhole collimators are 6.48 and 16.42, respectively (~87% difference). The anatomical context provided by the hybrid imaging aided the localization process of radioactivity accumulation in simulated SLNs. Gamma and hybrid optical images were acquired using the HGC with both available pinhole collimators for the simulated thyroid gland. The thyroid images produced varied in terms of spatial resolution and detectability. The count profiles through the middle of the simulated thyroid gland images provided by both pinhole collimators were obtained. The HGC could clearly differentiate the individual peaks of both thyroid lobes in the gamma image produced by the 0.5mm pinhole collimator. In contrast, the recorded count profile for the acquired image using the 1.0mm diameter pinhole collimator showed broader peaks for both lobes, reflecting the degradation of the spatial resolution with increasing the diameter of the pinhole collimator. Conclusion: The capability of the HGC has been evaluated utilizing a prototype anthropomorphic head and neck phantom, and the gamma and hybrid images obtained demonstrate that it is ideally suited for intraoperative SLNs detection and small organ imaging. The standardization of test phantoms and protocols for SFOV portable gamma systems will provide an opportunity to collect data across various medical centers and research groups. Moreover, it will provide a technical baseline for researchers and clinical practitioners to consider when assessing their SFOV gamma imaging systems. The anthropomorphic head and neck phantom described is cost effective, reproducible, flexible and anatomically representative.
Hard-grade asphalt binders like AC20-30 typically exhibit excessive stiffness, reduced penetration, and compromised workability, necessitating modification before use in paving applications. This study evaluates the efficacy of regular polyalphaolefin (PAO), a synthetic olefin-based lubricant, as a performance-enhancing modifying agent for such binders. AC20-30 was blended with PAO at dosages ranging from 2 wt.% to 10 wt.%, and the modified binders were characterized via penetration, ductility, softening point, and rotational viscosity measurements, alongside advanced rheological and chemical-morphological analyses. Incorporating PAO in AC20-30 asphalt progressively reduced the binder stiffness and enhanced its flexibility, with all modifie
... Show MoreThe relationship between government revenues and the fiscal balance represents a central pillar in the analysis of fiscal sustainability. However, its modeling faces a fundamental challenge in the form of structural uncertainty, which is not captured by point estimates in traditional models such as ARDL, as these models assume structural stability that is inconsistent with the nature of rentier economies. The current study aims to develop a fuzzy framework by constructing a Fuzzy Autoregressive Distributed Lag (FARDL) model. This is achieved through integrating the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach with fuzzy logic theory, thereby enabling the incorporation of uncertainty into the inherent structure of the economic rela
... Show MoreThe planning for the formation of administrative policies and guidance through leadership are important things for managing administrative processes and sporting activities. As both contribute in the stability of the administrative conditions, and their development in the sport federations, whether they both were attentive about team and individual Olympic Games. The two researchers observe that, there is a variation in the correct way of application. Particularly in the formulation of administrative policies and leadership describing it as, modern management standards for both team and individual Olympic Games in the Iraqi National Olympic Committee. That led to cause a misconception and lack of clarity for some administrators of those uni
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That Iraq's dependence on the revenues of the oil product in financing its development programs and growth rates , Making the economy affected by external forces represented by fluctuations in crude oil prices in the global market, Which is directly reflected on the performance and efficiency of the Iraqi economy.
The study adopted its objectives to analyze the time series for the period (1988 - 2015) through the use of standard and statistical methods, Four standard models were estimated to reach those targets, Where the results of the stability test showed instability of most variables at their original level, But to achieve stability when taking the first differences, While the result
... Show MoreThe reserve estimation process is continuous during the life of the field due to risk and inaccuracy that are considered an endemic problem thereby must be studied. Furthermore, the truth and properly defined hydrocarbon content can be identified just only at the field depletion. As a result, reserve estimation challenge is a function of time and available data. Reserve estimation can be divided into five types: analogy, volumetric, decline curve analysis, material balance and reservoir simulation, each of them differs from another to the kind of data required. The choice of the suitable and appropriate method relies on reservoir maturity, heterogeneity in the reservoir and data acquisition required. In this research, three types of rese
... Show MoreThis present paper aim at knowing the process of evaluating the training program that could be applied in Maysan Health office for it significance and importance in field of management and vocational staff preparations of high scientific experience in different fields of Health. The society of research includes staffs working in Maysan Health Office , of specialists , dentists, pharmacists, laboratories, nursing and administrators. Their number is 100 employees, the researcher has designed questionnaire by depending on "Kirkpatrick" for assessing the training . The researcher has used thorough survey and has entailed 90 questionnaire,
... Show MoreA field study was conducted in Al-Khalis district, Diyala Governorate in 2019 to test the sensitivity of three varieties of pepper to the population density of the whitefly B. tabaci, Anaheim pepper, Aleppo and local variety, and the results showed that the Anaheim variety was the most infested with the whitefly density 4.08 whitefly/ leaf and then the local variety 2.7 whitefly/ leaf. The lowest population density was 1.25 whitefly/ leaf of Aleppo variety. Variety Aleppo also recorded the lowest percentage of whitefly infection B. tabaci of 39.22%, but not have significant differences in the percentage of whitefly infestation, as it reached 53.64% and 54.85% for the Anaheim and local varieties, respectively. The resistance of variety Alepp
... Show MoreThe increasing Global Competitive and the continuous improvement in information technology has led the way to the development of the modern systems and using modern techniques. One of these techniques is benchmarking style and Total Quality Management all of them are used to improve the production process and target rid from the losts on the other side.
The Benchmarking style has become a very important for all the industrial systems and the serving systems as well. And an instrument to improve their performance specially those which are suffering from the highness of the costs or waste in time on the other side.
This study aims to depend on virtual Benchmarking style in the eval
... Show MoreKnowledge represents the foundation stone for the work of all organizations, are working who leads the thinking of individuals is the ability that leads to behavior based on rationality, it is the work that creates value to the organization and thus gain access to performance winning where that knowledge is a new type of capital based on the thought and experience and is the so-called intellectual capital, which is renewable and is constantly evolving. The study sought to explain the role of the climax knowledge in achieving the highest levels of performance Organizational and then access to the performance winning in educational organizations the study sample, was found to be a co
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