Examining and comparing the image quality of degenerative cervical spine diseases through the application of three MRI sequences; the Two-Dimension T2 Weighed Turbo Spin Echo (2D T2W TSE), the Three-Dimension T2 Weighted Turbo Spin Echo (3D T2W TSE), and the T2 Turbo Field Echo (T2_TFE). Thirty-three patients who were diagnosed as having degenerative cervical spine diseases were involved in this study. Their age range was 40-60 years old. The images were produced via a 1.5 Tesla MRI device using (2D T2W TSE, 3D T2W TSE, and T2_TFE) sequences in the sagittal plane. The image quality was examined by objective and subjective assessments. The MRI image characteristics of the cervical spines (C4-C5, C5-C6, C6-C7) showed significant differences among the three sequences used P˂0.05 with the exception of the contrast P˃ 0.05. For the cervical spines (C4-C5), the minimum CNR was noticed with the T2_TFE sequence. For the cervical spines (C5-C6), the CNR and SNR were higher when they were assessed by the 2D T2W TSE sequence as compared to the other sequences. The same findings were observed with the cervical spines (C6-C7). The subjective assessment of the degenerative cervical spine diseases showed that the T2_TFE sequence is excellent in terms of viewing the central stenosis and foraminal stenosis. The best MRI diagnostic imaging can be obtained using the Turbo Field Echo (T2_TFE) and the Three-Dimension T2 Weighted Turbo Spin Echo (3D T2W TSE) sequences to gain detailed diagnostic information regarding the central stenosis and foraminal stenosis of the cervical spines (C4-C5, C5-C6, C6-C7)
Construction contractors usually undertake multiple construction projects simultaneously. Such a situation involves sharing different types of resources, including monetary, equipment, and manpower, which may become a major challenge in many cases. In this study, the financial aspects of working on multiple projects at a time are addressed and investigated. The study considers dealing with financial shortages by proposing a multi-project scheduling optimization model for profit maximization, while minimizing the total project duration. Optimization genetic algorithm and finance-based scheduling are used to produce feasible schedules that balance the finance of activities at any time w
All-optical canonical logic units at 40 Gb/s using bidirectional four-wave mixing (FWM) in highly nonlinear fiber are proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Clear temporal waveforms and correct pattern streams are successfully observed in the experiment. This scheme can reduce the amount of nonlinear devices and enlarge the computing capacity compared with general ones. The numerical simulations are made to analyze the relationship between the FWM efficiency and the position of two interactional signals. © 2015 Chinese Laser Press
Effective decision-making process is the basis for successfully solving any engineering problem. Many decisions taken in the construction projects differ in their nature due to the complex nature of the construction projects. One of the most crucial decisions that might result in numerous issues over the course of a construction project is the selection of the contractor. This study aims to use the ordinal priority approach (OPA) for the contractor selection process in the construction industry. The proposed model involves two computer programs; the first of these will be used to evaluate the decision-makers/experts in the construction projects, while the second will be used to formul
In this research, several estimators concerning the estimation are introduced. These estimators are closely related to the hazard function by using one of the nonparametric methods namely the kernel function for censored data type with varying bandwidth and kernel boundary. Two types of bandwidth are used: local bandwidth and global bandwidth. Moreover, four types of boundary kernel are used namely: Rectangle, Epanechnikov, Biquadratic and Triquadratic and the proposed function was employed with all kernel functions. Two different simulation techniques are also used for two experiments to compare these estimators. In most of the cases, the results have proved that the local bandwidth is the best for all the
... Show MoreThe railways network is one of the huge infrastructure projects. Therefore, dealing with these projects such as analyzing and developing should be done using appropriate tools, i.e. GIS tools. Because, traditional methods will consume resources, time, money and the results maybe not accurate. In this research, the train stations in all of Iraq’s provinces were studied and analyzed using network analysis, which is one of the most powerful techniques within GIS. A free trial copy of ArcGIS®10.2 software was used in this research in order to achieve the aim of this study. The analysis of current train stations has been done depending on the road network, because people used roads to reach those train stations. The data layers for this st
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