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.
Innovative laboratory research and fluid breakthroughs have improved carbonate matrix stimulation technology in the recent decade. Since oil and gas wells are stimulated often to increase output and maximum recovery, this has resulted in matrix acidizing is a less costly alternative to hydraulic fracturing; therefore, it is widely employed because of its low cost and the fact that it may restore damaged wells to their previous productivity and give extra production capacity. Limestone acidizing in the Mishrif reservoir has never been investigated; hence research revealed fresh insights into this process. Many reports have stated that the Ahdeb oil field's Mishrif reservoir has been unable to be stimulated due to high inj
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Innovative laboratory research and fluid breakthroughs have improved carbonate matrix stimulation technology in the recent decade. Since oil and gas wells are stimulated often to increase output and maximum recovery, this has resulted in matrix acidizing is a less costly alternative to hydraulic fracturing; therefore, it is widely employed because of its low cost and the fact that it may restore damaged wells to their previous productivity and give extra production capacity. Limestone acidizing in the Mishrif reservoir has never been investigated; hence research revealed fresh insights into this process. Many reports have stated that the Ahdeb oil field's Mishrif reservoir has been unable to be stimulated due to high injection pressures, wh
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Abstract
The research has discussed the public relations as dependent variable of its branch dimensions( confidence , commitment, control and satisfaction ) and the governmental service quality as independent variable of its branch dimensions (response, dependency, emphasis, tangibility and sympathy), and the research problem has represented by weakness of service quality presented to the customers dealing with company, which is observed via field co-existence of the researcher, where he observe that the quality presented in the company services, are inappropriate with the customers expectations level, also there is weakness of attention and recognition by the
This research amid to measure the impact of organizational flexibility (structural flexibility, operational flexibility, and strategic flexibility) in achieving organizational prosperity and its dimensions (strategic agility, intellectual capital, innovation and sustainable competitive advantage) in a number of Iraqi cellular communications companies. The research adopted descriptive analytical approach. A sample of (85) persons from the research community was selected, which included (Department managers, Directors administrative units, Communication engineers), to answer the questionnaire prepared for this purpose. And to analyze data and derive results. Statist
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This research seeks to study the role of proactive leadership as an essential element that helps all federations that lead the wheel of sports, including the Iraqi Handball Federation, so that it builds a correct environment that helps manage the organizational errors that the Handball Federation may fall into, and this in turn helps in early detection of errors and obstacles that may occur. It is likely that the Federation will fall into the process of managing and organizing the Iraqi Handball League, in addition to increasing the clubs’ ability to assist the Iraqi Handball Federation by being proactive so as not to make mistakes. The research community included the administrative bodies of the clubs participating in the Iraqi E
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The research aims to measure the impact of envy on job stress because the topic of envy represents a negative emotion that exists at all organizational levels, which may cause stress in the work environment.
The Research problem is represented by the lack of perception of most of the faculty staff on the negative effects of envy on their well-being in the Technical College of Management - Baghdad, and what is the impact level of envy on their job stress.
To achieve this, the scale of envy was based on two dimensions (being envied, Envying others), While the job stress scale was based on seven dimensions (workload, conflict role, Family factors, work environment, work relationships
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Image compression is one of the data compression types applied to digital images in order to reduce their high cost for storage and/or transmission. Image compression algorithms may take the benefit of visual sensitivity and statistical properties of image data to deliver superior results in comparison with generic data compression schemes, which are used for other digital data. In the first approach, the input image is divided into blocks, each of which is 16 x 16, 32 x 32, or 64 x 64 pixels. The blocks are converted first into a string; then, encoded by using a lossless and dictionary-based algorithm known as arithmetic coding. The more occurrence of the pixels values is codded in few bits compare with pixel values of less occurre
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It is well known that petroleum refineries are considered the largest generator of oily sludge which may cause serious threats to the environment if disposed of without treatment. Throughout the present research, it can be said that a hybrid process including ultrasonic treatment coupled with froth floatation has been shown as a green efficient treatment of oily sludge waste from the bottom of crude oil tanks in Al-Daura refinery and able to get high yield of base oil recovery which is 65% at the optimum operating conditions (treatment time = 30 min, ultrasonic wave amplitude = 60 micron, and (solvent: oily sludge) ratio = 4). Experimental results showed that 83% of the solvent used was recovered meanwhile the main water
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