Objectives: Recently, there have been important advances in the clinical application of targeted hybrid near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent-radioactive tracers. ICG-99mTc-nanocolloid, for example, is already being used by some centres for sentinel lymph node biopsy in head and neck cancer. The radioactive component allows imaging at depths which would not be possible with NIR alone and, once exposed, the NIR fluorescence reporter can be imaged at very high resolution. Gamma detection is currently carried out with a separate hand-held gamma camera or with a non-imaging probe. Visualisation of NIR fluorescence during surgery requires a dedicated NIR camera, several of which are available commercially. We describe a novel hand-held hybrid NIR-gamma small field of view camera, capable of displaying co-aligned images from both modalities, which can be fused into one image or viewed separately. This study is a preliminary investigation of the performance of the fluorescence component of this camera, including phantom studies and first images from a preclinical pilot study. Methods: The hybrid camera consists of a 1500 µm thick thallium doped caesium iodide columnar (CsI:Tl) scintillator coupled to an electron multiplying charged coupled device (EMCCD). A 1.0mm diameter tungsten pinhole collimator gives a 40mm x 40mm nominal field of view for an 8mm x 8mm CCD detection area. A fluorescence camera was aligned to provide the same field of view as the gamma camera with an LED ring as the excitation source. The performance of the fluorescence imaging was quantified in this study for the fluorophores ICG and IRDye800CW (CW800) using a range of bespoke phantom experiments. In vivo images were also obtained from a preclinical study of a targeted hybrid tracer (cRGD-CW800-TCO + TCO-DOTA-111In) in mice with HT29 colorectal cancer xenografts. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The portable hybrid camera prototype has been shown to successfully image dual NIR-gamma tracers using both in vitro and in vivo experimental models. With further development, this camera could be used intraoperatively, offering the benefits of gamma imaging at depth in tissues and high resolution surface NIR fluorescence imaging in a single imaging system.
In this work, functionally graded materials were synthesized by centrifugal technique at different
volume fractions 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2% Vf with a rotation speed of 1200 rpm and a constant rotation time, T
= 6 min . The mechanical properties were characterized to study the graded and non-graded nanocomposites
and the pure epoxy material. The mechanical tests showed that graded and non-graded added alumina
(Al2O3) nanoparticles enhanced the effect more than pure epoxy. The maximum difference in impact strength
occurred at (FGM), which was loaded from the rich side of the nano-alumina where the maximum value was
at 1% Vf by 133.33% of the sample epoxy side. The flexural strength and Young modulus of the fu
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Lead-acid batteries have been used increasingly in recent years in solar power systems, especially in homes and small businesses, due to their cheapness and advanced development in manufacturing them. However, these batteries have low voltages and low capacities, to increase voltage and capacities, they need to be connected in series and parallel. Whether they are connected in series or parallel, their voltages and capacities must be equal otherwise the quality of service will be degraded. The fact that these different voltages are inherent in their manufacturing, but these unbalanced voltages can be controlled. Using a switched capacitor is a method that was used in many methods for balancing voltages, but their respons
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This study is an approach to assign the land area of Kirkuk city [ a city located in the northern of Iraq, 236 kilometers north of Baghdad and 83 kilometers south of Erbil [ Climatic atlas of Iraq, 1941-1970 ] into different multi zones by using Satellite image and Arc Map10.3, zones of different traffic noise pollutions. Land zonings process like what achieved in this paper will help and of it’s of a high interest point for the future of Kirkuk city especially urban
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s The study aims to identify the fairness in the distribution of municipal services between municipal districts and areas, from point of view of municipal chamber staff and from the point of view of the citizen. It also aims to identify factors affecting the fairness of the distribution of municipal services. Municipal services were being studied : hygiene and waste, water supply, sewer, creating gardens, and street paving .Factors which examined its impact on municipal services are: resources available to municipal chamber, the managerial process at municipal chamber, and factors in the external environment surrounding municipal chamber.The results of the study showed that level of the e
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Bacteriocin is an important antimicrobial peptide that can be used in industrial and medical fields due to its characteristics of antibacterial, food preservation and anticancer activities. Fifty isolates of Bacillus sp were collected from different soil samples which were already recognized via morphological and biochemical identification process. The isolates were screened for bacteriocin production effective against Staphylococcus spp in order to select the highest producing isolate. The isolate NK16 showed the maximum bacteriocin production (80 AU/ml) which was further characterized as Bacillus subtilis NK 16 through using API identification system (API 20E and API 50CHB). Then, next step was to detect the optimal conditions for maximum
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This research aims at identifying the communicative habits and content reflections on the communication process, especially the young audience which is one of the main group for whom the announcements are made. Because young people face life with passion and aspiration making them respond to each effect used by the media in the design of the advertising using all the effective techniques, attractive methods for young children like depending on drama, technical tricks, music and logos easily to be remembered and responded to the desires of the young in their entertainment. This research also aims at identifying the impact of the internet as a channel of commercial advertising on the purchasing behavior of young people at the universities
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Information pollution is regarded as a big problem facing journalists working in the editing section, whereby journalistic materials face such pollution through their way across the editing pyramid. This research is an attempt to define the concept of journalistic information pollution, and what are the causes and sources of this pollution. The research applied the descriptive research method to achieve its objectives. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The findings indicate that journalists are aware of the existence of information pollution in journalism, and this pollution has its causes and resources.
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Objective: To measure the serum levels of Fetuin-A, ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), and ferritin in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19in Baghdad, Iraq. Moreover, to determine these biomarkers' cut-off valuesthat differentiate between severely ill patients and control subjects. Methods: This case-control study was done from 15 September to the end of December 2021 and involved a review of the files and collectionof blood samples from patients (n=45, group1) hospitalized in COVID-19 treatment centersbecause of severe symptoms compared tohealthy subjects as controls (n=44, group2). Results: Fetuin-A serum levels were not statistically different between patients and controls. In contrast, IMA and ferritin levels were significan
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This study aim to identify the concept of web based information systems since its one of the important topics that is usually omitted by our organizations, in addition to, designing a web based information system in order to manage the customers data of Al- Rasheed bank, as a unified information system that is specialized to the banking deals of the customers with the bank, and providing a suggested model to apply the virtual private network as a tool that is to protect the transmitted data through the web based information system.
This study is considered important because it deals with one of the vital topics nowadays, namely: how to make it possible to use a distributed informat
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