Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Holistic Technique for an Arabic OCR System

Analytical based approaches in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) systems can endure a significant amount of segmentation errors, especially when dealing with cursive languages such as the Arabic language with frequent overlapping between characters. Holistic based approaches that consider whole words as single units were introduced as an effective approach to avoid such segmentation errors. Still the main challenge for these approaches is their computation complexity, especially when dealing with large vocabulary applications. In this paper, we introduce a computationally efficient, holistic Arabic OCR system. A lexicon reduction approach based on clustering similar shaped words is used to reduce recognition time. Using global word level Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) based features in combination with local block based features, our proposed approach managed to generalize for new font sizes that were not included in the training data. Evaluation results for the approach using different test sets from modern and historical Arabic books are promising compared with state of art Arabic OCR systems.
Bicuspid Aortic Valve Stenosis and the Effect of Vitamin K2 on Calcification Using 18F-Sodium Fluoride Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance: The BASIK2 Rationale and Trial Design

BASIK2 is a prospective, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial investigating the effect of vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7;MK7) on imaging measurements of calcification in the bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS). BAV is associated with early development of CAVS. Pathophysiologic mechanisms are incompletely defined, and the only treatment available is valve replacement upon progression to severe symptomatic stenosis. Matrix Gla protein (MGP) inactivity is suggested to be involved in progression. Being a vitamin K dependent protein, supplementation with MK7 is a pharmacological option for activating MGP and intervening in the progression of CAVS. Forty-four subjects with BAV and mild–moderate CAVS will be included in the study, and baseline 18F-sodiumfluoride (18F-NaF) positron emission tomography (PET)/ magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) assessments will be performed. Thereafter, subjects will be randomized (1:1) to MK7 (360 mcg/day) or placebo. During an 18-month follow-up period, subjects will visit the hospital every 6 months, undergoing a second 18F-NaF PET/MR after 6 months and CT after 6 and 18 months. The primary endpoint is the change in PET/MR 18F-NaF uptake (6 months minus baseline) compared to this delta change in the placebo arm. The main secondary endpoints are changes in calcium score (CT), progression of the left ventricularremodeling response and CAVS severity (echocardiography). We will also examine the association between early calcification activity (PET) and later changes in calcium score (CT).
Hot Ductility of Low Carbon Nb-Microalloyed Weathering Steel

High temperature tensile tests of novel developed Nb-microalloyed weathering steels were carried out with a constant true strain rate of 0.001/s at 650°C-1300°C using Gleeble3500 thermo-mechanical simulator. The tensile strength (TS) and reduction in area (RA) were calculated afterwards to obtain hot ductility curve and hot strength curve of the steel. The hot ductility behaviors were studied in detail under optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transition electron microscope (TEM). The third brittle zone of the studied steels was between 650°C-800°C. SEM fractographs and microstructures of the tensile specimen showed that the occurrence of the third brittle zone was mainly related to the formation of pro-eutectoid ferrite film along the prior austenite grain boundaries, and secondly to the precipitation of second phases. Therefore, it was recommended that the straightening temperature of the studied steel after casting should be kept over 800°C to get crack free continuous casting (CC) slabs.
Genetically expanded cell‐free protein synthesis using endogenous pyrrolysyl orthogonal translation system

Cell‐free protein synthesis offers a facile and rapid method for synthesizing, monitoring, analyzing, and purifying proteins from a DNA template. At the same time, genetic code expansion methods are gaining attention due to their ability to site‐specifically incorporate unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into proteins via ribosomal translation. These systems are based on the exogenous addition of an orthogonal translation system (OTS), comprising an orthogonal tRNA, and orthogonal aminoacyl tRNA synthetase (aaRS), to the cell‐free reaction mixture. However, these components are unstable and their preparation is labor‐intensive, hence introducing a major challenge to the system. Here, we report on an approach that significantly reduces the complexity, effort and time needed to express UAA‐containing proteins while increasing stability and realizing maximal suppression efficiency. We demonstrate an endogenously introduced orthogonal pair that enables the use of the valuable yet insoluble pyrrolysyl‐tRNA synthetase in a cell‐free system, thereby expanding the genetic repertoire that can be utilized in vitro and enabling new possibilities for bioengineering. With the high stability and efficiency of our system, we offer an improved and accessible platform for UAA incorporation into proteins. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 1663–1672. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Image Ambiguity and Fluency

Ambiguity is often associated with negative affective responses, and enjoying ambiguity seems restricted to only a few situations, such as experiencing art. Nevertheless, theories of judgment formation, especially the “processing fluency account”, suggest that easy-to-process (non-ambiguous) stimuli are processed faster and are therefore preferred to (ambiguous) stimuli, which are hard to process. In a series of six experiments, we investigated these contrasting approaches by manipulating fluency (presentation duration: 10ms, 50ms, 100ms, 500ms, 1000ms) and testing effects of ambiguity (ambiguous versus non-ambiguous pictures of paintings) on classification performance (Part A; speed and accuracy) and aesthetic appreciation (Part B; liking and interest). As indicated by signal detection analyses, classification accuracy increased with presentation duration (Exp. 1a), but we found no effects of ambiguity on classification speed (Exp. 1b). Fifty percent of the participants were able to successfully classify ambiguous content at a presentation duration of 100 ms, and at 500ms even 75% performed above chance level. Ambiguous artworks were found more interesting (in conditions 50ms to 1000ms) and were preferred over non-ambiguous stimuli at 500ms and 1000ms (Exp. 2a - 2c, 3). Importantly, ambiguous images were nonetheless rated significantly harder to process as non-ambiguous images. These results suggest that ambiguity is an essential ingredient in art appreciation even though or maybe because it is harder to process.
Nanotechnology for Photovoltaic Energy: Challenges and Potentials

Solar radiation is plentiful and a clean source of power. However, despite the first practical use of silicon based solar cell more than 50 years ago, it has not been exploited to its full potential due to the high cost of electrical conversion on a per Watt basis. Many new kinds of photovoltaic cells such as multi-junction solar cells dye –sensitized solar cells and organic solar cell incorporating element of nanotechnology have been proposed to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost. Nanotechnology, in the form of quantum dots, nanorods, nanotubes, and grapheme, has been shown to enhance absorption of sunlight, makes low cost flexible solar panels and increases the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. The chapter reviews the state of current photovoltaic cells and challenges it presents. It also discusses the use of nanotechnology in the application of photovoltaic cells and future research directions to improve the efficiency of solar cells and reduce the cost.
Developing mobile computing applications with LIME

Mobile computing defines a very dynamic and challenging scenario for which software engineering practices are still largely in their initial developments. LIME is a middleware designed to enable the rapid development of dependable applications in the mobile environment. The model underlying LIME allows for the coordination of physical and logical mobile units by exploiting a reactive, transiently shared tuple space whose contents changes according to connectivity. We report on initial experiences in developing applications for physical mobility using LIME.
Eavesdropping mitigation for wireless communications over single-input-single-output channels

In this study, the authors investigate eavesdropping mitigation for wireless communications with physical-layer security techniques. They consider a multicasting scenario with one transmitter, multiple trusted receivers and multiple eavesdroppers, each equipped with one antenna. Aiming at protecting trusted communications from data interception, they develop two novel waveform designs for eavesdropping reduction under two scenarios: (i) when the eavesdroppers’ channel state information (CSI) is known, they design the waveform and transmit energy which can minimise the maximal signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratios (SINRs) at the eavesdroppers while achieving guaranteed SINRs at the trusted receivers and (ii) when the eavesdroppers’ CSIs are not available, they adopt ‘artificial noise’ (AN) strategy aiming at generating as much disturbance to eavesdroppers as possible. A novel waveform and transmit power design is proposed which can maximise the AN's energy with assured quality-of-service at trusted receivers. Extensive simulation studies illustrate the efficiency of the proposed designs for eavesdropping mitigation in wireless communications.
Determinants of Hair Manganese, Lead, Cadmium and Arsenic Levels in Environmentally Exposed Children

Biomarkers of environmental metal exposure in children are important for elucidating exposure and health risk. While exposure biomarkers for As, Cd, and Pb are relatively well defined, there are not yet well-validated biomarkers of Mn exposure. Here, we measured hair Mn, Pb, Cd, and As levels in children from the Mid-Ohio Valley to determine within and between-subject predictors of hair metal levels. Occipital scalp hair was collected in 2009–2010 from 222 children aged 6–12 years (169 female, 53 male) participating in a study of chemical exposure and neurodevelopment in an industrial region of the Mid-Ohio Valley. Hair samples from females were divided into three two centimeter segments, while males provided a single segment. Hair was cleaned and processed in a trace metal clean laboratory, and analyzed for As, Cd, Mn, and Pb by magnetic sector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Hair Mn and Pb levels were comparable (median 0.11 and 0.15 µg/g, respectively) and were ~10-fold higher than hair Cd and As levels (0.007 and 0.018 µg/g, respectively). Hair metal levels were higher in males compared to females, and varied by ~100–1000-fold between all subjects, and substantially less (<40–70%) between segments within female subjects. Hair Mn, Pb, and Cd, but not As levels systematically increased by ~40–70% from the proximal to distal hair segments of females. There was a significant effect of season of hair sample collection on hair Mn, Pb, and Cd, but not As levels. Finally, hair metal levels reported here are ~2 to >10-fold lower than levels reported in other studies in children, most likely because of more rigorous hair cleaning methodology used in the present study, leading to lower levels of unresolved exogenous metal contamination of hair.
Meta‐analysis of the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and cancer outcomes

Proinflammatory dietary patterns have been associated with increased cancer risk and mortality. We present a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the current published literature on a dietary inflammatory index (DII) score and its association with cancer risk and mortality outcomes. Published articles from online databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Embase) examining the association between DII and any cancer risk, incidence, or mortality between 1980 and November 2016 were selected for review. Results of studies meeting inclusion criteria were summarized and meta‐analyzed using STATA to generate summary measures of association across studies. Sixty‐three published articles were identified from the search, and following title, abstract and full‐text review, twenty‐four studies met inclusion criteria. All articles calculated DII scores based on study‐specific food‐frequency questionnaires using methodology from the same article. Of the 24 included studies, 13 were case–control, 6 were prospective cohort, 1 was a retrospective cohort, 3 were RCTs, and 1 did not specify study design. The most common cancers examined were colorectal, breast, lung, and prostate. Individuals in the highest versus lowest DII categories had 25% increased risk of overall cancer incidence (RR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.16–1.35), 75% higher odds of cancer (OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.43–2.16) and 67% increased risk of cancer mortality (RR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.13–2.48). Upon stratification for cancer type, positive associations remained (RRbreast: RR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.03–1.22) (RRcolorectal: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.22–1.46) (RRlung: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.13–1.50). There were consistent and significant positive associations between higher DII and cancer incidence and mortality across cancer types, study populations, and study design.
Identification of an Enhancer That Increases miR-200b~200a~429 Gene Expression in Breast Cancer Cells

The miR-200b~200a~429 gene cluster is a key regulator of EMT and cancer metastasis, however the transcription-based mechanisms controlling its expression during this process are not well understood. We have analyzed the miR-200b~200a~429 locus for epigenetic modifications in breast epithelial and mesenchymal cell lines using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and DNA methylation analysis. We discovered a novel enhancer located approximately 5.1kb upstream of the miR-200b~200a~429 transcriptional start site. This region was associated with the active enhancer chromatin signature comprising H3K4me1, H3K27ac, RNA polymerase II and CpG dinucleotide hypomethylation. Luciferase reporter assays revealed the upstream enhancer stimulated the transcription of the miR-200b~200a~429 minimal promoter region approximately 27-fold in breast epithelial cells. Furthermore, we found that a region of the enhancer was transcribed, producing a short, GC-rich, mainly nuclear, non-polyadenylated RNA transcript designated miR-200b eRNA. Over-expression of miR-200b eRNA had little effect on miR-200b~200a~429 promoter activity and its production did not correlate with miR-200b~200a~429 gene expression. While additional investigations of miR-200b eRNA function will be necessary, it is possible that miR-200b eRNA may be involved in the regulation of miR-200b~200a~429 gene expression and silencing. Taken together, these findings reveal the presence of a novel enhancer, which contributes to miR-200b~200a~429 transcriptional regulation in epithelial cells.
The Associations Between Long Working Hours, Physical Inactivity, and Burnout

Objective: To examine the correlations between long working hours, physical activity, and burnout. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 1560 full-time employees, who underwent periodic health examinations in the year 2013. The subjects were divided into upper, middle, and lower tertiles according to the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) score. Results: The comparison of the high- and low-burnout groups revealed that long working hours were significantly correlated with burnout in a dose-dependent manner. Long working hours were more significantly associated with burnout among individuals younger than 50 years, females, and physically inactive employees. Conclusions: Long working hours are correlated with burnout when working over 40 hours per week and is even stronger when working over 60 hours per week. Limiting working hours to 40 weekly may be beneficial for the prevention of burnout. Physical activity helps reduce the risk of burnout.
Vaccine Criticism on the World Wide Web

Background The incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases is directly related to the number of unvaccinated children. Parents who refuse vaccination of their children frequently express concerns about vaccine safety. The Internet can influence perceptions about vaccines because it is the fastest growing source of consumer health information. However, few studies have analyzed vaccine criticism on the Web. Objective The purposes of this paper are to examine vaccine criticism on the Internet and to analyze the websites in order to identify common characteristics and ethical allegations. Methods A structured Web search was conducted for the terms “vaccine,” “vaccination,” “vaccinate,” and “anti-vaccination” using a metasearch program that incorporated 8 search engines. This yielded 1138 Web pages representing 750 sites. Two researchers reviewed the sites for inclusion/exclusion criteria, resulting in 78 vaccine-critical sites, which were then abstracted for design, content, and allegations. Results The most common characteristic of vaccine-critical websites was the inclusion of statements linking vaccinations with specific adverse reactions, especially idiopathic chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis, autism, and diabetes. Other common attributes (≥ 70% of websites) were links to other vaccine-critical websites; charges that vaccines contain contaminants, mercury, or “hot lots” that cause adverse events; claims that vaccines provide only temporary protection and that the diseases prevented are mild; appeals for responsible parenting through education and resisting the establishment; allegations of conspiracies and cover-ups to hide the truth about vaccine safety; and charges that civil liberties are violated through mandatory vaccination. Conclusions Vaccine-critical websites frequently make serious allegations. With the burgeoning of the Internet as a health information source, an undiscerning or incompletely educated public may accept these claims and refuse vaccination of their children. As this occurs, the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases can be expected to rise.
Spotted Hyena Optimizer for Solving Engineering Design Problems

This paper presents a recently developed metaheuristic optimization algorithm named as Spotted Hyena Optimizer (SHO) which is inspired by the social behaviors of spotted hyenas. The three basic steps of SHO are searching for prey, encircling, and attacking prey which are mathematically modeled and discussed. The main concept of this work is to applied the SHO algorithm on two very challenging real-life constrained engineering design problems (i.e., 25-bar truss design and multiple disk clutch brake design) and compared it with other various metaheuristic algorithms. The experimental results of engineering design problems reveal that SHO algorithm performs better than the other competitor metaheuristic algorithms.
Performance Analysis and Optimization of DCT-Based Multicarrier System on Frequency-Selective Fading Channels

Regarded as one of the most promising transmission techniques for future wireless communications, the discrete cosine transform (DCT)-based multicarrier modulation (MCM) system employs cosine basis as orthogonal functions for real-modulated symbols multiplexing, by which the minimum orthogonal frequency spacing can be reduced by half compared with discrete Fourier transform-based one. With a time-reversed pre-filter employed at the front of the receiver, interference-free one-tap equalization is achievable for the DCT-based systems. However, due to the correlated pre-filtering operation in time domain, the signal-to-noise ratio is enhanced as a result at the output. This leads to reformulated detection criterion to compensate for such a filtering effect, rendering minimum-mean-square-error, and maximum likelihood detections applicable to the DCT-based multicarrier system. In this paper, following on the pre-filtering-based DCT-MCM model that builds in the literature work, we extend the overall system by considering both transceiver perfections and imperfections, where frequency offset, time offset, and insufficient guard sequence are included. In the presence of those imperfection errors, the DCT-MCM systems are analyzed in terms of desired signal power, inter-carrier interference, and inter-symbol interference. Thereafter, new detection algorithms based on zero forcing iterative results are proposed to mitigate the imperfection effect. Numerical results show that the theoretical analysis matches the simulation results, and the proposed iterative detection algorithms are able to improve the overall system performance significantly.
Development of a Rat Computational Phantom Using Boundary Representation Method for Monte Carlo Simulation in Radiological Imaging

Computational models for small experimental animals are important in medical imaging and radiation dosimetry researches. The boundary representation method by use of nonuniform rational B-splines (NURBS) is adopted in this paper to develop a rat computational phantom based on the previously obtained segmentation data for cryosectional color photographic images of an adult male Sprague-Dawley rat. Continuous two-dimensional contours for a total of 14 major structures were outlined from the downscaled anatomical atlas, corresponding to a voxel size of 0.2 times 0.2 times 0.2 mm3 and stacked to reconstruct the three-dimensional (3-D) shapes. The NURBS model was then appropriately fitted through the surface of each organ. Monte Carlo simulation of cone beam X-ray computed tomography was performed focusing on the thorax region to demonstrate the usefulness of the computational phantom in radiological imaging. The integrated whole-body geometry is presented with smooth internal and exterior boundaries. Organ centroid coordinates and volume information are tabulated for future comparison purposes. The rat phantom can be used in 3-D dose calculation and other computational applications as well.
Acid–base physiology, neurobiology and behaviour in relation to CO2-induced ocean acidification

ABSTRACT Experimental exposure to ocean and freshwater acidification affects the behaviour of multiple aquatic organisms in laboratory tests. One proposed cause involves an imbalance in plasma chloride and bicarbonate ion concentrations as a result of acid–base regulation, causing the reversal of ionic fluxes through GABAA receptors, which leads to altered neuronal function. This model is exclusively based on differential effects of the GABAA receptor antagonist gabazine on control animals and those exposed to elevated CO2. However, direct measurements of actual chloride and bicarbonate concentrations in neurons and their extracellular fluids and of GABAA receptor properties in aquatic organisms are largely lacking. Similarly, very little is known about potential compensatory mechanisms, and about alternative mechanisms that might lead to ocean acidification-induced behavioural changes. This article reviews the current knowledge on acid–base physiology, neurobiology, pharmacology and behaviour in relation to marine CO2-induced acidification, and identifies important topics for future research that will help us to understand the potential effects of predicted levels of aquatic acidification on organisms. Summary: This article reviews basic acid–base regulatory and neurobiology mechanisms relevant for behavioural alteration in fish exposed to CO2-induced seawater acidification, and identifies areas for future research.