Parallel Implementation of Systolic Array Design for Developing Medical Image Rotation

Many image-processing algorithms are particularly suited to parallel computing, as they process images that are difficult and time consuming to analyse. In particular, medical images of tissues tend to be very complex with great irregularity and variability in shapes. Furthermore, existing algorithms contain explicit parallelism, which can be efficiently exploited by processing arrays. A good example of an image processing operation is the geometric rotation of a rectangular bitmap. This paper presents a set of systolic array designs for implementing the geometric rotation algorithms of images on VLSI processing arrays. The examined algorithm performs a trigonometric transformation on each pixel in an image.  The design is implemented as a distributed computing system of networked computers using Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) model. Each node (computer) in the network takes part in the task in hand – such as image processing – using message passing. Comments and conclusions about the implementation of the design as a distributed computing system are discussed. Keywords: parallel computing, distributed computing. PVM, image rotation, systolic array

Hypoxic-Ischemig Encephalopathy in Term Neonates: Early Biochemical Indicators

Abstract: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) after perinatal asphyxia is a condition in which serum concentrations of brain-specific biochemical markers may be elevated. Neuro-protective interventions in asphyxiated newborns require early indicators of brain damage to initiate therapy. Our aim is to investigate serum concentration of brain-specific biochemical markers, as early biochemical indicators of neonatal asphyxia. The study was carried out at the Neurology, Pediatric and Clinical Pathology Department, Zagazig and Al-Azhar Universities Hospitals. It was conducted on 30 infants with perinatal asphyxia. We examined brain-specific creatinekinase (CK-BB), protein S-100 and neurospecific enolase (NSE) in cord blood and at 2,6,12 and 24 h afterbirth. At 2 h afterbirth, median (quartiles) serum CK-BB concentration was 16.0 U/L in infants with mild HIE and 36 U/L in infants with moderate HIE and 46.5 U/L in infants with "severe HIE. Serum protein S-100 2 h afterbirth was 2.9 ug/L in asphyxiated infants with mild HIE, 3.9 ug/L in infants with moderate HIE and 17.9 ug/L in infants with severe HIE while no significant difference was detectable in serum neuro-specific enolase between infants with mild, moderate and severe HIE 2 h and 6 h afterbirth. A combination of serum protein S-100 (cutoff value, 8.5 ug/L) and CK-BB (cutoff value, 18.8 U/L) 2 hr after birth had the highest predictive value (83%) and specificity (95%) of predicting moderate and severe HIE. Cord blood pH (cutoff value, < 6.9) and cord blood base deficit (cutoff value, > 17mM/L) increase the predictive values of protein S-100 and CK-BB. We conclude that elevated serum concentrations of CK-BB and protein S-100 reliably indicate moderate and severe HIE as early as 2 h afterbirth

Effect of dietary inclusion of raw and fermented hornwort, Ceratophyllum demersum, on growth performance and digestibility of young grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella Val.

A 12-week feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth performance, feed efficiency, digestibility and carcass composition of young grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella (Val, 1844) (4.03±0.16 g) fed on a control diet and two experimental diets (38.5% crude protein). The experiment aimed to assess the utilization of raw hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum (HR) and fermented (HF) by adding 20% of each of the alternative ingredients separately to the control diet (C) to completely compensate barley, a portion of wheat bran and 20% of fish meal. Results indicated that all growth and feed efficiency parameters among groups were no significantly different (P>0.05) in specific growth rate (SGR), food conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), and protein productive value (PPV) of fish fed HR and HF with the control diet. There was no effect (P>0.05) in stimulating digestibility (ADCtotal) when HR and HF were added to the diet. Both HR and HF produced significantly (P0.05) by the inclusion of raw or fermented hornwort. Whereas, the moisture, protein and lipid levels in carcass were similar (P>0.05) in all groups, except for the control diet (C), which recorded the highest ash level (P<0.05). In conclusion, the incorporation of raw or fermented hornwort up to 20% level was found to be not suitable, and there were adverse effects on the growth and feed efficiency of experimental fish

Cloning and expression of the rabbit prostaglandin EP2 receptor

BACKGROUND: Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) has multiple physiologic roles mediated by G protein coupled receptors designated E-prostanoid, or "EP" receptors. Evidence supports an important role for the EP(2) receptor in regulating fertility, vascular tone and renal function. RESULTS: The full-length rabbit EP(2) receptor cDNA was cloned. The encoded polypeptide contains 361 amino acid residues with seven hydrophobic domains. COS-1 cells expressing the cloned rabbit EP(2) exhibited specific [(3)H]PGE(2) binding with a K(d) of 19.1± 1.7 nM. [(3)H]PGE(2) was displaced by unlabeled ligands in the following order: PGE(2)>>PGD(2)=PGF(2α)=iloprost. Binding of [(3)H]PGE(2) was also displaced by EP receptor subtype selective agonists with a rank order of affinity consistent with the EP2 receptor (butaprost>AH13205>misoprostol>sulprostone). Butaprost free acid produced a concentration-dependent increase in cAMP accumulation in rabbit EP(2) transfected COS-1 cells with a half-maximal effective concentration of 480 nM. RNase protection assay revealed high expression in the ileum, spleen, and liver with lower expression in the kidney, lung, heart, uterus, adrenal gland and skeletal muscle. In situ hybridization localized EP(2) mRNA to the uterine endometrium, but showed no distinct localization in the kidney. EP2 mRNA expression along the nephron was determined by RT-PCR and its expression was present in glomeruli, MCD, tDL and CCD. In cultured cells EP2 receptor was not detected in collecting ducts but was detected in renal interstitial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. EP2 mRNA was also detected in arteries, veins, and preglomerular vessels of the kidney. CONCLUSION: EP2 expression pattern is consistent with the known functional roles for cAMP coupled PGE(2) effects in reproductive and vascular tissues and renal interstitial cells. It remains uncertain whether it is also expressed in renal tubules

Investigating the Fundamental Conditions for Quantitative Growth to Obtain High-Quality WS₂ Using a Process of Physical Vapor Deposition

Two-dimensional layered transition-metal dichalcogenides (2D-TMDs) have garnered significant attention due to their layer number-dependent electronic properties, making them promising candidates for atomically thin electronics and optoelectronics. However, current research has primarily focused on exfoliated TMD materials, which have limitations in size, layer number control, and yield. Therefore, a crucial challenge remains in producing large single TMD crystals with precise control over the layer number. A comprehensive understanding and precise control of the growth conditions are imperative to address this challenge. This study systematically investigated key growth conditions, including temperature, precursor flow, growth duration, material quantity, gas flow, and slide position. By optimizing these parameters, we successfully synthesized TMD materials with an impressive size of 850 µm. Notably, we achieved the preparation of monolayer WS2 single crystals on a large scale within a remarkably short duration of 10 min, exhibiting a lateral growth rate of up to 1.4 μm/s, which is comparable to the best-exfoliated monolayers. The findings from our study provide a robust pathway for the rapid growth of high-quality TMD single crystals, facilitating further advancements in this field

The Saudi Novel Corpus: Design and Compilation

Arabic has recently received significant attention from corpus compilers. This situation has led to the creation of many Arabic corpora that cover various genres, most notably the newswire genre. Yet, Arabic novels, and specifically those authored by Saudi writers, lack the sufficient digital datasets that would enhance corpus linguistic and stylistic studies of these works. Thus, Arabic lags behind English and other European languages in this context. In this paper, we present the Saudi Novels Corpus, built to be a valuable resource for linguistic and stylistic research communities. We specifically present the procedures we followed and the decisions we made in creating the corpus. We describe and clarify the design criteria, data collection methods, process of annotation, and encoding. In addition, we present preliminary results that emerged from the analysis of the corpus content. We consider the work described in this paper as initial steps to bridge the existing gap between corpus linguistics and Arabic literary texts. Further work is planned to improve the quality of the corpus by adding advanced features

The Saudi Novel Corpus: Design and Compilation

Arabic has recently received significant attention from corpus compilers. This situation has led to the creation of many Arabic corpora that cover various genres, most notably the newswire genre. Yet, Arabic novels, and specifically those authored by Saudi writers, lack the sufficient digital datasets that would enhance corpus linguistic and stylistic studies of these works. Thus, Arabic lags behind English and other European languages in this context. In this paper, we present the Saudi Novels Corpus, built to be a valuable resource for linguistic and stylistic research communities. We specifically present the procedures we followed and the decisions we made in creating the corpus. We describe and clarify the design criteria, data collection methods, process of annotation, and encoding. In addition, we present preliminary results that emerged from the analysis of the corpus content. We consider the work described in this paper as initial steps to bridge the existing gap between corpus linguistics and Arabic literary texts. Further work is planned to improve the quality of the corpus by adding advanced features

Investigating Drug Interactions And Antibacterial Activity Of Vitamin C On Pathogenic Factors Of Escherichia Coli Clinical Isolates

Today, the phenomenon of multi-drug resistance has become a major cause of concern, and insufficient achievements have been made in the development of new antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections. Therefore, there is an unmet need for new auxiliary search. Vitamin C is one such promising supplement. The current study was conducted with the aim of explaining the antibacterial interaction effect of vitamin C in different concentrations (5-20 mg/ml) and drugs effective on Escherichia coli bacteria. In order to collect clinical samples during the months of September to November 2022, clinical samples were collected from 100 patients suspected of urinary tract infection who referred to medical centers. For identification, biochemical tests and gram staining and culture in IMViC and EMB environments were used to see metallic green polish. Then antimicrobial sensitivity test And the effect of antibiotic on biofilm formation, the effect of antibiotic and ascorbic acid on biofilm formation, biofilm inhibition rate was done for the single and combined effects of both antimicrobial substances. Finally, in order to investigate and identify the virulence gene of the isolated strains, DNA extraction was performed by PCR method. 45 samples of urinary infection culture were identified from the total of 100 samples collected, in 45 (45%) of them colonies with metallic polish were observed. 45% were men and 55% were women, and of these, a total of 45 positive E. coli cases were found in women and 17 positive cases were seen in men. Less than one year, teenagers, young and old were divided. 2 cases (2%) were in the age group of less than one year, 3 cases (3%) were teenagers, 63 cases (63%) were young and 32 cases (32%) were in the age group of middle-aged people. In a situation where the ability to form biofilm under vitamin C (ascorbic acid) treatment was not very effective and did not differ much from normal conditions, antibiotic treatment (under MBC gentamicin treatment) was somewhat successful in inhibiting biofilm formation, finally with the combination of antibiotic and Ascorbic acid was completely isolated in many resistant strains, the inability to form biofilm was evident, and this indicated the synergistic effects in the investigated composition. As the results showed, the ability to produce biofilm in the samples that had&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the target genes in this study was not much different from the other samples. Considering the increasing resistance to some antibiotics and wide changes in the effective spectrum of drugs and preventing the increase of drug-resistant cases, the necessity of conducting drug sensitivity tests seems very necessary. The high prevalence of E. coli antibiotic resistance and the high percentage of resistance genes in patients suffering from infections caused by this bacterium can indicate the excessive use of antibiotics. Finally, the prevalence of antibiotic resistance is a useful marker for investigating resistance genes and can be useful in ecological investigations. Also, with clear inhibitory effects, the selected antibiotic in this study along with ascorbic acid, this vitamin can be used as a supplement in some infections caused by E. coli bacteria

Investigating Drug Interactions And Antibacterial Activity Of Vitamin C On Pathogenic Factors Of Escherichia Coli Clinical Isolates

Today, the phenomenon of multi-drug resistance has become a major cause of concern, and insufficient achievements have been made in the development of new antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections. Therefore, there is an unmet need for new auxiliary search. Vitamin C is one such promising supplement. The current study was conducted with the aim of explaining the antibacterial interaction effect of vitamin C in different concentrations (5-20 mg/ml) and drugs effective on Escherichia coli bacteria. In order to collect clinical samples during the months of September to November 2022, clinical samples were collected from 100 patients suspected of urinary tract infection who referred to medical centers. For identification, biochemical tests and gram staining and culture in IMViC and EMB environments were used to see metallic green polish. Then antimicrobial sensitivity test And the effect of antibiotic on biofilm formation, the effect of antibiotic and ascorbic acid on biofilm formation, biofilm inhibition rate was done for the single and combined effects of both antimicrobial substances. Finally, in order to investigate and identify the virulence gene of the isolated strains, DNA extraction was performed by PCR method. 45 samples of urinary infection culture were identified from the total of 100 samples collected, in 45 (45%) of them colonies with metallic polish were observed. 45% were men and 55% were women, and of these, a total of 45 positive E. coli cases were found in women and 17 positive cases were seen in men. Less than one year, teenagers, young and old were divided. 2 cases (2%) were in the age group of less than one year, 3 cases (3%) were teenagers, 63 cases (63%) were young and 32 cases (32%) were in the age group of middle-aged people. In a situation where the ability to form biofilm under vitamin C (ascorbic acid) treatment was not very effective and did not differ much from normal conditions, antibiotic treatment (under MBC gentamicin treatment) was somewhat successful in inhibiting biofilm formation, finally with the combination of antibiotic and Ascorbic acid was completely isolated in many resistant strains, the inability to form biofilm was evident, and this indicated the synergistic effects in the investigated composition. As the results showed, the ability to produce biofilm in the samples that had&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the target genes in this study was not much different from the other samples. Considering the increasing resistance to some antibiotics and wide changes in the effective spectrum of drugs and preventing the increase of drug-resistant cases, the necessity of conducting drug sensitivity tests seems very necessary. The high prevalence of E. coli antibiotic resistance and the high percentage of resistance genes in patients suffering from infections caused by this bacterium can indicate the excessive use of antibiotics. Finally, the prevalence of antibiotic resistance is a useful marker for investigating resistance genes and can be useful in ecological investigations. Also, with clear inhibitory effects, the selected antibiotic in this study along with ascorbic acid, this vitamin can be used as a supplement in some infections caused by E. coli bacteria