BACKGROUND: Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is a marker of atherosclerosis and a predictor of subsequent vascular disease. To date, there has been little research into the automatic detection and quantification of AAC. METHODS: In this study, lateral dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans are used to detect AAC; this is possible because of the anatomical position of the abdominal aorta anterior to the lumbar spine. The deformable shape modelling techniques active shape (ASM) and active appearance (AAM) models are used to model the calcified aorta and four vertebrae of the lumbar spine L1-L4. RESULTS: ASM and AAM were trained and tested on 14 DXA images. The shape of both calcified aorta and four lumbar vertebrae were extracted automatically from the DXA scans using combined shape and appearance models. CONCLUSION: ASM and AAM were implemented successfully. The calcified aorta obtained from the DXA scans was segmented using this modelling technique. The next step is to develop a new automated method to quantify the calcification within the aorta. arabic 13 English 89
Karima Elmasri(6-2015)

There are three main aims that make this study particularly important and interesting to radiometric studies. Firstly, it will provides information on the concentration composition of natural and the associated man-made radioactivity of imported dental porcelain materials to be used by most dental laboratories in Great Jamahiriya. Since these materials do not pass radiation inspection tests before their entry or use and there is a large variety of supply source of these dental materials to be used for all dental works on Libyan patients, anomalies can be identified easily. Secondly, the analysis of selective elemental abundance (U, Th, and K ) and dose rate calculations may be used to calculate effective dose rates to dental laboratory technicians and also to the patient who will be using these specific materials. This research project will provide the first results of such measurements and the corresponding average annual effective dose rates equivalent to the patients using these materials and also to the dental technician and doctors work in the various dental laboratories that make use of these materials in their daily work. A total number of 30 dental powder samples were collected from a number of dental laboratories around Tripoli area will be analyzed. In this research project, the results from this preliminary survey regarding Th, U and K elemental concentrations in a wide variety of dental materials by means of high-resolution X-ray spectrometry will be presented. Further results from these investigations concerning activity concentrations and the associated dose rates, effective dose and the committed dose due to the use of these materials are going to be calculated and compared with other published data elsewhereandrecommendationoftheirusewillbederivedaccordingly. arabic 10 English 74
Karima Mohamed Ali Elmasri, Nouri A. Droughi(9-2010)

Abstract: Modern PET/CT clinics consist of a scanner room housing PET/CT unit and a control area, two or more waiting rooms where patients rest prior to scanning, and a hot lab where doses are prepared. The 511 keV photons from the PET positron emitting isotopes are the source term for the waiting rooms and the hot lab, while both the 511 keV photons and the polyenergtic spectrum of x-rays from the CT unit must be considered in the scanning roomThis study is intended to estimate dose distribution resulting from using a FDG procedure (555 MBq). The dose distribution is evaluated in injection room, waiting room, and scanning room using two methods. The first method is the analytical method whids is based on AAPM report № 108, while in the second method the dose distribution was simulated using the Monte Carlo code EGSXYZnrc .In the Monte Carlo method some parameters such as the optimal number of histories and the cut off energy of the electron are found to have a significant effect on the results. These parameters are tested and those values with less statistical error are adapted for the calculations.A good agreement between the two methods has been achieved. The dose distribution in the uptake room , waitting room and the scanning room appears to be below the annually dose limit and does not exceed 1% at the adjacent areas.
مريومة البهلول القرقني (2009)