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.
The aim of this work was to estimate the concentrations of natural and artificial nuclides in some fertilized and unfertilized plant samples. These samples were collected and prepared in a petri dish for the measurements using gamma spectroscopy. The average values of 238U, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs for the unfertilized plant samples were (11.964 ± 3.226, 8.273 ± 2.639, 402.436 ± 18.099, and 2.761 ± 1.613) respectively, and for the fertilized plant samples were (30.434 ± 5.282, 22.584 ± 4.620, 711.332 ± 25.806, and 6.986 ± 2.542) respectively. The average values of radiological hazard indices, Raeq, D, D for 137Cs, (AEDE)in, (AEDE)out, Iγ, Hin, and Hout for the unfertilized plant samples were (54.782 ± 7.216, 27.306, 0.469, 0.
... Show MoreIn a hybrid cooling solar thermal systems , a solar collector is used to convert solar energy into heat energy in order to super heat the refrigerant leaving the compressor, and this process helps in the transformation of refrigerant state from gaseous state to the liquid state in upper two-thirds of the condenser instead of the lower two-thirds such as in the traditional air-conditioning systems and this will reduce the energy needed to run the process of cooling .In this research two systems with a capacity of 2 tons each were used, a hybrid air-conditioning system with an evacuated tubes solar collector and a traditional air-conditioning system . The refrigerant of each type was R22.The comparison was in the amou
... Show MoreThis paper deals with studying the effect of hole inclination angle on computing slip velocity and consequently its effect on lifting capacity. The study concentrates on selected vertical wells in Rumaila field, Southern Iraq. Different methods were used to calculate lifting capacity. Lifting capacity is the most important factor for successful drilling and which reflex on preventing hole problems and reduces drilling costs. Many factors affect computing lifting capacity, so hence the effect of hole inclination angle on lifting capacity will be shown in this study. A statistical approach was used to study the lifting capacity values which deal with the effect of hole
... Show MoreThis paper presents a hybrid genetic algorithm (hGA) for optimizing the maximum likelihood function ln(L(phi(1),theta(1)))of the mixed model ARMA(1,1). The presented hybrid genetic algorithm (hGA) couples two processes: the canonical genetic algorithm (cGA) composed of three main steps: selection, local recombination and mutation, with the local search algorithm represent by steepest descent algorithm (sDA) which is defined by three basic parameters: frequency, probability, and number of local search iterations. The experimental design is based on simulating the cGA, hGA, and sDA algorithms with different values of model parameters, and sample size(n). The study contains comparison among these algorithms depending on MSE value. One can conc
... Show MoreObjective : Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disease deeply linked with the immune-inflammatory disorders whereas the term (multiple) mostly refers to the multi-focal zones of Inflammation caused by lymphocytes and macrophages infiltration besides oligodendrocytes death. Accordingly , the dysfunctional immune system able to damage myelin ( a pivotal component of the central nervous system ) which responsible for communication among neurons. The aim of the present study is to innovate a biochemical relationship between MS and thyroid hormones (THs) by highlighting immunological responses and also to examine the action of Interferon beta (IFNβ) drug on thyroid hormone (THs) and thyroid stimulation hormone (TSH). Materials and
... Show MoreTerrorism is a serious problem for many societies today. This research aims to identify the impact of terrorism and displacement crisis on human security, which was a shock to the Iraqi society in terms of its impact on the psychological, social and economic conditions of the individual, family, and society. The variety of methods of carrying out the terrorist operations that resulted from the phenomenon of human displacement witnessed by Iraq since the middle of 2014. This phenomenon has its demographic, political and social dimensions.
In order to achieve the goal of this study and the importance of the subject, the social survey method was used by selecting a sample of 200 IDPs in a compou
... Show MoreThe study was conducted at the fields of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Gardening, College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad " Abu Ghraib" during the growing seasons 2013-2014 to Evaluate the Vegetative growth , yield traits and genetic parameter of some tomato mutants. Results showed significantly increased of plant height in M6-2 mutant 245cm in Comparison with M6- 3 130 cm . M6-4 mutant significantly increasing of floral clusters 13 . Mutant M6-3 showed significantly increasing the average of, fruit weight 125.9g and plant yield 7.17 kg.plant-1 as comparison with M6-2 which showed decreasing of average of fruit weight and plant yield 79.40g and 4.38 kg.plant-1 respectively. Also results showed the highest Genetic variat
... Show MoreThe study was conducted at the fields of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Gardening,College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad during the growing seasons of 2013- 2014 .forPerformance of Evaluation Vegetative growth and yield traits and estimate some important geneticparameter on seven selected breed of tomato which (S1-S7 ) Pure line. the results found significantdifferences between breeds in all study trails except clusters flowering number .S1 significantly plantlength which reached 227.3 .Also S1,S2 and S4 were significantly increased the number fruit for plant,Fruit weight Increased in S3 ,S6 and plant yield. Increased in S1, S4 ,S5. Genetic variation valueswere low in Floral clusters , TSS and fruit firmest and medium i
... Show MorePrediction of penetration rate (ROP) is important process in optimization of drilling due to its crucial role in lowering drilling operation costs. This process has complex nature due to too many interrelated factors that affected the rate of penetration, which make difficult predicting process. This paper shows a new technique of rate of penetration prediction by using artificial neural network technique. A three layers model composed of two hidden layers and output layer has built by using drilling parameters data extracted from mud logging and wire line log for Alhalfaya oil field. These drilling parameters includes mechanical (WOB, RPM), hydraulic (HIS), and travel transit time (DT). Five data set represented five formations gathered
... Show MoreTwo novel demountable shear connectors for precast steel-concrete composite bridges are presented. The connectors use high-strength steel bolts, which are fastened to the steel beam with the aid of a special locking configuration that prevents slip of bolts within their holes. Moreover, the connectors promote accelerated construction and overcome typical construction tolerances issues of precast structures. Most importantly, the connectors allow bridge disassembly, and therefore, can address different bridge deterioration scenarios with minimum disturbance to traffic flow, i.e. (1) precast deck panels can be rapidly uplifted and replaced; (2) connectors can be rapidly removed and replaced; and (3) steel beams can be replaced, while precast
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