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.
Massive multiple-input multiple-output (massive-MIMO) is considered as the key technology to meet the huge demands of data rates in the future wireless communications networks. However, for massive-MIMO systems to realize their maximum potential gain, sufficiently accurate downlink (DL) channel state information (CSI) with low overhead to meet the short coherence time (CT) is required. Therefore, this article aims to overcome the technical challenge of DL CSI estimation in a frequency-division-duplex (FDD) massive-MIMO with short CT considering five different physical correlation models. To this end, the statistical structure of the massive-MIMO channel, which is captured by the physical correlation is exploited to find sufficiently
... Show MoreThe aim of this paper is to present the first record of ctenophore species Pleurobrachia pileus (O. F. Müller, 1776) in the coral reef as was recently found in Iraqi marine waters. The specimens were collected from two sites, the first was in Khor Abdullah during May 2015, and the second site was located in the pelagic water of the coral reef area, near the Al-Basrah deep sea crude oil marine loading terminal. Three samples were collected at this site during May 2015, February and March 2018 which showed that P. pileus were present at a densities of 3.0, 2.2 and 0.55 ind./ m3 respectively. The species can affect on the abundance of other zooplankton community through predation.
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In this paper, the continuous classical boundary optimal control problem (CCBOCP) for triple linear partial differential equations of parabolic type (TLPDEPAR) with initial and boundary conditions (ICs & BCs) is studied. The Galerkin method (GM) is used to prove the existence and uniqueness theorem of the state vector solution (SVS) for given continuous classical boundary control vector (CCBCV). The proof of the existence theorem of a continuous classical boundary optimal control vector (CCBOCV) associated with the TLPDEPAR is proved. The derivation of the Fréchet derivative (FrD) for the cost function (CoF) is obtained. At the end, the theorem of the necessary conditions for optimality (NCsThOP) of this problem is stated and prov
... Show MoreObjective: To determine the effectiveness of the Nursing Management Education Program upon the Nurse
Managers' Knowledge about planning in Nursing Management at Baghdad City Hospitals.
Methodology: A Quasi-experimental study in which a purposive "non-probability" sample of (50) Nurse
Managers was selected from Baghdad City Hospitals. These Managers were divided into two equal groups of
(25) Nurse Managers for each (study and control ones). A questionnaire was developed as a tool for data
collection. A pilot study was carried out to test the reliability of the questionnaire for the period from April 2nd to
June 20th 2007. The pre-post test approach was applied to the study and control groups as mean for the quasiexperime
Abstract
In this study, the effect of carboxylic methyl cellulose (CMC), and sodium dodcyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) as an aqueous solution on the drag reduction was investigated. Different concentrations of (CMC) and (SDBS) such as (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, and 500 ppm) were used to analyze the aqueous solution properties, including surface tension, conductivity, and shear viscosity. The optimum four concentrations (i.e., 50, 100, 200, and 300 ppm) of fluid properties were utilized to find their effect on the drag reduction. Two different PVC pipe diameters (i.e., 1" and 3/4") were used in this work. The results showed that blending CMC with SDBS gives
... Show MoreThe present study is to investigate the possibility of using wastes in the form of scrap iron (ZVI) and/ or aluminum ZVAI for the detention and immobilization of the chromium ions in simulated wastewater. Different batch equilibrium parameters such as contact time (0-250) min, sorbent dose (2-8 g ZVI/100 mL and 0.2-1 g ZVAI/100 mL), initial pH (3-6), initial pollutant concentration of 50 mg/L, and speed of agitation (0-250) rpm were investigated. Maximum contaminant removal efficiency corresponding to (96 %) at 250 min contact time, 1g ZVAI/ 6g ZVI sorbent mass ratio, pH 5.5, pollutant concentration of 50 mg/L initially, and 250 rpm agitation speed were obtained.
The best isotherm model for the batch single Cr(III) uptake by ZVI
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Natural convection in an annular space provided with metal foam fins attached to the inner cylinder is studied numerically. The metal foam fins made of copper were inserted in different axial sections with three fins in each section. The temperature of the inner cylinder is kept constant while the annular outer surface is adiabatic. The thickness effect of the inner pipe wall was considered. Naiver Stokes equation with Boussinesq approximation is used for the fluid regime while Brinkman-Forchheimer Darcy model is used for metal foam. In addition, the local thermal non-equilibrium condition in the energy equation of the porous media is presumed. The effect of Rayleigh numb |
Students' passive listening to their teacher's reading is one of main
reasons behindtheir weakness in the reading skill which in its turn may
hinderachieving the in desired objectives.
When exploiting critical thinking, which will lead to deeper
understanding of the intellectual content, in learning and accurate and
correct students' outcomes.
Active listening allows paying attention to the speaker, asking him,
arguing with him, judging what he says, and making decision on what
he says. For this reason, the researcher felt the need for preforming a
study to identify the effect of critical listening on developing students'
critical thinking at reading in the Kurdish language department.
The researcher has
The reason for my choice of the topic (what Imam Al-Tirmidhi mentioned in his book Al-Sunan regarding the provisions of sales) is that he mentioned many topics that affect people's lives, which are represented by commercial transactions and the exchange of benefits between them, so it became clear to them what is forbidden and what is not, aiming not to fall into the prohibited, and to achieve their interests, and relieve them of embarrassment. What we will see in the research.
Objective(s): To assess mothers' practices toward children with steroid – sensitive Nephrotic Syndrome (SSNS) who
are visiting nephrology consultation units, and to find out the relationships between their practices and the
demographical data for mother and child.
Methodology: A descriptive study was carried out at nephrology consultation units of Baghdad pediatrics hospitals
(Child's Central Pediatric Teaching Hospital, Al-kadimiyia Teaching Hospital, and Welfare Teaching Hospital) started
from February 18th to the end of July 2009. A purposive sample of (80) mothers who company their children were
selected. The data were collected through a constructed questionnaire, with two parts; the first part is concerned with<