Discrepancy between pre & post treatment WBSs (Low dose & high dose, respectively) is reported. The aim of this study was determination the post-treatment WBS role in the diagnosis of lesions not identified by the pretreatment one. In this study 94 patients (pts) with DTC were evaluated. The results of pre & post treatment WBSs were compared. Overall, 25.6% of pts revealed more positive lisions in comparison with their pretreatment WBS. The increase in positive results in pts<35 yr was 36% and in pts>35yr was 25%. In males and females, the increased values were 33.3% & 23.58% respectively. In all types DTC post-treatment WBS revealed more involvement. In cases limited to thyroid, with capsular invasion and with lymph node involvement the increased values were: 20.5%, 28.5% & 35.7%, respectively. In cases with TSH<30m U/L, 53.8% & in cases with TSH>30 mU/L, 22.2% more positive lesions were observed. Pts with Htg<10 ng/ml & >10 ng/ml, post-treatment WBS revealed more lesions in 28% & 21.8%, respectively. Conclusion: Post-treatment WBS improves rate of detection of thyroid cancer lesions. In our study this was especially true in cases with TSH<30 mU/l & Pts younger than 35yr

Background: Treatment and outcome of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients who had negative 131I whole body scan (WBS) and high serum thyroglobulin (Tg) concentrations take much debate on clinical practice. The aim of our study was to evaluate clinical characteristics and preliminary result of patients with negative diagnostic 131I WBS and increased serum Tg concentrations (during thyroid hormone withdrawal).Materials and Methods: 140 DTC patients with negative diagnostic 131I WBS and Tg level>10 ng/ml were enrolled in the study.Results: The presence of 131I uptake in post-therapy WBS was seen in thyroid beds 46.2%, mediastinum 29.5%, lungs 19.2% and cervical lymph nodes 5.1%.There was no significant difference between the number of lesions detected in post-therapy 131I WBS and CT scan. However, cervical lymph nodes were detected more frequently in CT than that of the posttherapy WBS. On the contrary, post-therapy 131I WBS can detect more lesions in thyroid beds, lungs and mediastinum. After 12-month empirical 131I therapy, serum Tg levels were reduced significantly.71% of patients were complete or partial remission.Conclusion: Diagnostic multi-modalities should be used for detecting residual, recurrent and metastatic lesions in DTC patients with negative 131I WBS and elevated Tg. The empirical 131I therapy may be considered selected individuals of in these patients.

In small orchards, gardeners face several problems such as irregular tree planting, hard trafficability for tractors, economic problems for buying tractors, high drift in high height sprayers, low height of spraying, and difficulty of working with conventional sprayers. In this study, in order to solve some of these problems, a telescoping boom sprayer was designed and fabricated. The sprayer equipped with This Boom (TS) was evaluated in comparison with the conventional sprayers [Wheel Barrow (WBS), Electrostatic (ES), Side Pump (SPS) Sprayers] in terms of drift, spraying quality, solution consumption, fuel consumption, spray height, spraying time, and spray loss. Results showed that the spraying quality coefficient of ES was better than that of SPS; WBS and TS could not be evaluated because the surface of sensitive papers was wetted completely, but distribution of droplets on each card and between the cards was more uniform in TS.Due to differences in drift, WBS had the highest mean of droplet area and TS had the lowest. Also, WBS, TS, SPS, and ES had the maximum amount of solution consumption while ES, TS, and WBS had the minimum. SPS and ES did not spray at high height; however, TS and WBS could spray at high height. The maximum and minimum spraying times were recorded for WBS and SPS, respectively. Values of 9.93 and 2.80 mm2 were obtained for mean spray loss area of SPS and ES, respectively. Spray loss area of the TS and WBS was not calculated.

Objective(s): We investigated a frequency of lower extremity uptake on the radioactive iodine (RAI) whole body scan (WBS) after RAI treatment in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, in order to retrospectively examine whether or not the frequency was pathological.Methods: This retrospective study included 170 patients with thyroid cancer, undergoing RAI treatment. Overall, 99(58%) and 71(42%) patients received single and multiple RAI treatments, respectively. Post-therapeutic WBS was acquired after 3 days of RAI administration. For patients with multiple RAI treatments, the WBS of their last RAI treatment was evaluated. Lower extremity uptake on post-therapeutic WBS was classified into 3 categories: bilateral femoral uptake (type A), bilateral femoral and tibia uptake (type B), and uptake in bilateral upper and lower extremities (type C). Then, the patients with RAI uptake in the lower extremities on WBS were analyzed with clinical parameters.Results: Overall, 99 patients (58%) had the extremity uptake on their post therapeutic RAI WBS. As the results indicated, 42, 53, and 4 patients had type A, type B, and type C uptakes, respectively. Lower extremity uptake was significantly associated with younger age, not only in subjects with multiple RAI treatments but also in all the patients (P<0.05). Accumulation in patients with multiple RAI treatments was more frequent than patients with single RAI treatment (P<0.05). Lower extremity uptake was not associated with counts of the white blood cell count, hemoglobin level, platelet count, estimated glomerular filtration rate, effective half-time of RAI, serum TSH level, and anti-Tg concentration.Conclusion: About half of the patients had lower extremity uptake on the post therapeutic RAI WBS, especially younger patients and those with multiple courses of RAI treatment. Bilateral lower extremity’s RAI uptake on the post therapeutic WBS should be considered as physiological RAI distribution in bone marrow.

Dear Editor, Williams-Beuren Syndrome (WBS) is a rare genetic disorder. The first cases of WBS were described by Williams et al. in 1961 and Beuren et al. in 1962 independently. Williams reported on a group of children with supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS), dysmorphic facies and mental retardation.

Introduction Mechanized harvesting of sugarcane by harvesters and the lack of proper management of harvesting, increase the cost of production and eventually become unprofitable. In the case of sugarcane harvester, because the systems are used to be repaired, increasing in system consumption will reduce machine reliability (Failure rate will increase). So, timely annual overhaul has effective role in enhancing the reliability of sugarcane harvesting machines. Because of time importance indicator for reducing timeliness cost and work breakdown, project scheduling techniques and work study especially network models are used. In this study, because of the ability of GERT networks capabilities in planning and scheduling, GERT networks were used and overhaul scheduling of sugarcane harvester in Amir Kabir Agro-Industry of Khuzestan province, Iran as a case study was analyzed. Materials and Methods The study was carried out in Khuzestan province of Iran in 2016. Data were collected from variety sources such as opinions and comments of experts and reports and statistics of Sugarcane Agro-Industry. All activity times are given in hour. At first, the project activities are determined and the work breakdown structure was drawn. Finally, GERT network was plotted and analyzed. GERT is a procedure, which combines the disciplines of the flow graph theory, Moment Generating Function (MGF) and Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) for analyzing stochastic networks having logical nodes and directed branches. Each branch has a probability that the activity associated with it will be performed. Therefore, GERT provides a visual picture of the system by means of the corresponding graph and makes it possible to analyze the given system in a less inductive manner. The following steps are employed, when applying GERT: 1. Convert a qualitative description of a system or problem to a model in a stochastic network form. 2. Collect the necessary data to describe the transmittances of the network. 3. Apply Mason’ s rule to determine the equivalent function or functions of the network. 4. Convert the equivalent function into the following two performance measures of the network: (a) The probability that a specific node is realized. (b) The moment generating function of the time associated with a node, if it is realized. 5. Make inferences concerning the system under study from the information obtained in the Step 4. Results and Discussion In this paper the GERT method has been presented for operations modeling in overhaul sugarcane harvester. Correct scheduling of the agricultural mechanization project (overhaul) is the required condition for the project success therefore the GERT network of overhaul sugarcane harvester was plotted. A network is a powerful tool for scheduling and simulating a project. The project network is defined as a set of activities performed according to the precedence constraint of the activities. The advantage of the GERT network in the present context is twofold. Firstly, this procedure gives the visual picture of the inspection system and secondly, it enables a thorough characterization of overhaul sugarcane harvester. In this project, after defining activities, we estimate for each activity as a time. Then we solved the network with the GERT method. According to the materials and methods, the probability and mean of the completion time of overhaul sugarcane harvester obtained. The worth of different parts of the network is calculated. For each node, to conclude about the probability and mean can use the above procedure and predict various events during operations. So with due attention to certain events that are occurring in the tracks of operation, good decisions can be adopted. Time completion of overhaul scheduling of the sugarcane harvester is equal to 1164. 64 man-hours. Results showed that the network model is increasingly powerful tool to help project manager who could able to make optimum decision. Conclusions Optimized overhaul planning is a fundamental activity in business profitability because it can increase the returns from an operation with low additional costs. In this paper, a specific scheduling model for an overhaul operations scheduling is developed along with an optimal solution GERT method. The purpose of this paper is studying the application of project scheduling in agriculture, for overhaul scheduling of sugarcane harvester using GERT method in Khuzestan province of Iran. Time completion of overhaul scheduling of sugarcane harvester is equal to 1164. 64 man-hours.

Background: Role of 131I Whole body scan in thyroid cancer management is well documented. The limitation and false positive detection in this modality can be overcome with the advanced technogy of SPECT/CT. The objective was to evaluate the role of 131I Single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT /CT) in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients and to evaluate the additional contribution of SPECT/CT in patient management.Materials and methods: 625 consecutive DTC patients referred for 131I therapy were studied.131 I WBS was performed approximately 24 hours after 1.5‐2 mCi 131I administration in all patients.131I SPECT/CT was performed In 218 (80 males, 138 females) of DTC (185 papillary and 33 follicular) with median age 37 years (11‐72).Results: Planar 131 I WBS showed 245 lesions of abnormal increased radioiodine uptake in those 218 patients who underwent SPECT/CT. SPECT/CT revealed 320 lesions, (out of total 352 lesions from all modalities). All lesions seen on planar imaging are also noted on SPECT/CT along with 85 (24.1%) additional occult lesions in 72 (33%) patients.SPECT/CT over the planar WBS could restage in 36 (16.5%) patients, determined for higher dose administration in 69 (31.6%), prevented from higher dose administration in 105 (48.2%) and same treatment in 44 (20.2%) patients.Conclusion: 131I SPECT/CT was found to be superior in detecting occult lesions and preventing needless 131I therapy thus suggesting it to be the the most appropriate imaging modality in management of DTC.

Objective: Resistance of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) to high dose I-131 therapy is associated with high morbidity in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. We evaluated the role of F-18 FDG PET/CT in the prediction of resistance to high dose I-131 therapy in patients with papillary thyroid cancer.Methods: The subjects were 307 patients who underwent total or near total thyroidectomy followed by high dose (5.55-6.66 GBq) I-131 therapy. We divided the patients into three subgroups by visual assessment of regional LNs: FDG-avid LNs with a malignant shape on CT (PET/CT-positive group), FDG-avid LNs with a benign shape on CT (PET/CT-intermediate group) and no FDG-avid lesion (PET/CT-negative group). We measured the maximum SUV (SUVmax) of FDG-avid LNs in each patient. The presence or absence of focal increased uptake of I-131 was evaluated by whole body scan (WBS), and was denoted as WBS-positive group or WBS-negative group, respectively. Resistance to therapy was defined as presence of thyroglobulin (Tg) in serum (Tg ³1.0 ng/ml) 3-6 months after I-131 therapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the relationship between resistance to I-131 therapy and various clinico-pathologic variables.Results: PET/CT-positive, intermediate, and negative groups included 20 (6.5%), 44 (14.3%) and 243 (79.2%) patients, respectively. The mean SUVmax was significantly higher in the PET/CT-positive group than that of the PET/CT-intermediate group (4.6 vs.2.7, P<0.001). Univariate analysis revealed that the PET/CT-positive group (P<0.001), T2-4 stage (P<0.001), N1b stage (P=0.001), lower dose (5.55 GBq) of I-131 (P<0.001), and the WBS-positive group (P=0.029) were associated with resistance to therapy. In multivariate analysis, the PET/ CT-positive group, lower dose of I-131, N1b stage, and T2-4 stage remained significant with odds ratios of 10.07 (P<0.001), 3.82 (P<0.001), 3.58 (P=0.001), and 2.53 (P=0.009), respectively.Conclusion: FDG-avidity and malignant shape of cervical LNs on pre-therapy FDG PET/CT were a strong risk factors predicting resistance to high dose I-131 therapy. A lower dose of administered I-131 (5.55 GBq) and more extensive tumors (T2-4 and N1b) were also associated with resistance to high dose I-131 therapy.

The passage of time always makes us aware of the issues around us. Time projects also reveal the hidden issues of the project. So the logical step is to include transparent points in the project. Stopping or slowing down the project process is necessary to apply these to the project, which will delay the projects. So project managers need to tightly control project risk with reasonable costs. Existence of delays is always an inseparable part of projects and subject of fundamental disagreements among their stakeholders in all countries. As delay in projects is equal to increased costs, thus, by having delay and spending too much cost out of the pre-planned cash ow, a project can even reach a point that it will get out of pro t. In the present study the researchers believes that, risk of delays should be managed, minimized, shared, transferred or accepted, but it cannot be ignored. Therefore, it must be predicted, covered, managed and optimized. Now, the fact that any delay and prolongation of project time results in signi cant qualitative and quantitative costs more than the initial estimates shows importance and necessity of research in this area. By providing an innovative method with the help of the Work breakdown Structure, Baseline, Hierarchical Technique and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), the researchers will control the risk of projects and even prevent them from occurring.