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 objective of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare providers (HCPs) at personal and professional levels.
This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. It was conducted using an electronic format survey through Qualtrics Survey Software in English. The target participants were HCPs working in any healthcare setting across Iraq. The survey was distributed via two professional Facebook groups between 7 April and 7 May 2020. The survey items were adopted with modifications from three previous studies of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Avia
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The problem of the research is that some companies lack the mechanisms and policies that to enhance the loyalty of these valuable resources, which led to difficulties in generating knowledge, producing, storing, investing and investing information to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. In addition, companies are still working with the traditional wage system (monthly salaries), which makes people not think about adding value to work. The research aims to determine the level of variables for researchers to clarify the impact of the organizational innovation climate on sustainable competitive advantage. The Qualitative approach is used based on research. The research was applied
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Water provision is sensitive to climate change, and agricultural production and food supply are sensitive to water availability. Water scarcity affects food security and agricultural economic development through changes in agricultural production and changes in the composition of produced goods. Recent droughts also led to a decrease in the volume of water allocated to agriculture, which led to a decrease in total agricultural production and exports, and this has subsequent impacts on food security and economic development. The research aimed to measure the impact of water scarcity on agricultural economic development for the period 1990-2022. The research included three behavioral equations with three endogenous variables: the cult
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This research aims to identify the productive relationship nature among the elements used in the agricultural companies by estimating the translog cost function. It also aims to recognize the possibility of substituting these elements with each other, to identify the nature of revenues, and economies scale through elasticity of other cost. This research goes further to define the typical use of resources, identify the performance of the companies and their contribution in controlling their cost, and estimating elasticity of substitution (Allen-Uzawa), (Morishima). The translog cost function was estimated so as the total cost of the agricultural companies is a function of the prices of production and production quantity output el
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Background: Tooth eruption is a more general process, however, which includes certain posteruptive tooth movements. There are two fundamental requirements for both tooth eruption to occur: (1) Require soft tissue, intervening between tooth structure and alveolar bone, which plays an important role in regulating the remodeling of adjacent tissues. (2) Require bone turnover that is temporally and spatially regulated to facilitate specific translocations of teeth through alveolar bone These amniotic stem cells are multipotent and able to differentiate into various tissues, which may be useful for human application and recently it used in many medical branches. CD34 is an endothelial marker that is extensively used in immunohistochemistry a
... Show MoreThe predator Melanthrips pallidior Priesner regarded as a new record in Baghdad. The specimens were collected from alfalfa field during April 2010 to April 2011 in Abu-Gharib. Morphological characters of different body parts were studied and compared with other specimens by using taxonomic keys.
This study introduced the effect of using magnetic abrasive finishing method (MAF) for finishing flat surfaces. The results of experiment allow considering the MAF method as a perspective for finishing flat surfaces, forming optimum physical mechanical properties of surfaces layer, removing the defective layers and decreasing the height of micro irregularities. Study the characteristics which permit judgment parameters of surface quality after MAF method then comparative with grinding
Tensile strength is a critical property of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) pavements and is closely related to distresses such as fatigue cracking. This study aims to evaluate methods for assessing fatigue cracking in Asphalt Concrete (AC) mixes. In order to achieve optimum density at different binder contents, the mixes were compressed using a gyratory compactor. Tensile strength was assessed using the Indirect Tensile (IDT) and Semi-Circular Bend (SCB) tests. The results showed that the tensile strength measured by the SCB test was consistently higher than that measured by the IDT test at 25 °C. In addition, the SCB test showed a stronger correlation between increasing binder content and tensile strength. For binder contents ranging from 4
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The study aimed to determine the effect of the flipped learning model in improving the acquisition of the overhand serve skill in volleyball among second-year students at the College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Baghdad, for the academic year 2024/2025. The study used an experimental design with a control group and pre-post testing, on a purposive sample consisting of 12 students. The model relied on watching short videos before class via the SGS application, and practical application in class at a rate of three sessions per week. The results showed a significant improvement in performance, as the calculated value (t = 5.356) exceeded the tabulated value (2.042) at a significance level of 0.05. The percentage of s
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