Optimum Image Filters for Various Types of Noise

In this paper, the quality performance of several filters in restoration of images corrupted with various types of noise has been examined extensively. In particular, Wiener filter, Gaussian filter, median filter and averaging (mean) filter have been used to reduce Gaussian noise, speckle noise, salt and pepper noise and Poisson noise. Many images have been tested, two of which are shown in this paper. Several percentages of noise corrupting the images have been examined in the simulations. The size of the sliding window is the same in the four filters used, namely 5x5 for all the indicated noise percentages. For image quality measurement, two performance measuring indices are used: peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM). The simulation results show that the performance of some specific filters in reducing some types of noise are much better than others. It has been illustrated that median filter is more appropriate for eliminating salt and pepper noise. Averaging filter still works well for such type of noise, but of less performance quality than the median filter. Gaussian and Wiener filters outperform other filters in restoring mages corrupted with Poisson and speckle noise

Restoration of Blurred and Noisy Images Using Inverse Filtering and Adaptive Threshold Method

A restoration scheme for images that are corrupted with both blur and impulsive noise is proposed in this paper to reconstruct an image with minimum degradation. The restoration scheme consists of two stages in sequence where the first stage is applied to the blurred image and the second stage is applied to de-blurred image that has been subject to noise through electronic transmission. The first stage uses frequency domain filtering while the second utilizes spatial filtering to reduce the indicated blur and noise, respectively. In particular, truncated inverse filtering is used for reducing the blur and an adaptive algorithm with an estimated threshold is used for minimizing the noise. Simulation of the introduced method uses several performance measuring indices such as mean absolute error (MAE) and peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). Results of these simulations show great performance of the proposed method in terms of reducing the blur and noise significantly while keeping details and sharpness of the image edges

Effect of kernel size on Wiener and Gaussian image filtering

In this paper, the effect of the kernel size of Wiener and Gaussian filters on their image restoration qualities has been studied and analyzed. Four sizes of such kernels, namely 3x3, 5x5, 7x7 and 9x9 were simulated. Two different types of noise with zero mean and several variances have been used: Gaussian noise and speckle noise. Several image quality measuring indices have been applied in the computer simulations. In particular, mean absolute error (MAE), mean square error (MSE) and structural similarity (SSIM) index were used. Many images were tested in the simulations; however the results of three of them are shown in this paper. The results show that the Gaussian filter has a superior performance over the Wiener filter for all values of Gaussian and speckle noise variances mainly as it uses the smallest kernel size. To obtain a similar performance in Wiener filtering, a larger kernel size is required which produces much more blur in the output mage. The Wiener filter shows poor performance using the smallest kernel size (3x3) while the Gaussian filter shows the best results in such case. With the Gaussian filter being used, similar results of those obtained with low noise could be obtained in the case of high noise variance but with a higher kernel size

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

AbstractOptimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was &lt;1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.</jats:p

Apricot and pumpkin oils reduce plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations in rats fed a high-fat diet

Non-conventional oilseeds are being taken into greater consideration because their constituents have unique chemical properties and may increase the supply of edible oils. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of apricot kernel oil (AO) and pumpkin kernel oil (PO) on the lipid profiles and liver functions of rats fed high fat diets. The high fat diet resulted in great alterations in plasma lipid profiles and liver functions. Twenty-four male albino rats were used over a 28 day period. The animals were divided into 4 groups, where group 1 represents the negative control which were a fed basal diet, while group 2 received a high fat diet to serve as the hypercholesterolemic group (positive control). The other two groups were given a high fat diet supplemented with AO and PO. Group 3 was treated daily with AO (1g/Kg body weight), while group 4 was treated with PO (1g/Kg body weight). The plasma lipid profile and liver functions in the different groups were determined after 14 and 28 days. The rats in the treated groups (AO and PO) showed significantly lower levels of total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), alanine-aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartateaminotransferase (AST) activities as well as high levels of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and total protein in comparison with the hypercholesterolemic group. It could be concluded that AO and PO under study are useful for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Las semillas oleaginosas no convencionales están siendo consideradas debido a que sus componentes tienen propiedades químicas únicas y pueden aumentar la oferta de los aceites comestibles. El propósito del presente estudio fue investigar el efecto de los aceites de semilla de albaricoque (AO) y de calabaza (PO) sobre los perfiles de lípidos y las funciones del hígado de ratas alimentadas con una dieta rica en grasas. Las dietas ricas en grasas dan lugar a grandes alteraciones en el perfil de lípidos del plasma y en las funciones del hígado. Veinticuatro ratas albinas machos, se utilizaron durante un periodo superior a 28 días. Los animales fueron divididos en 4 grupos, en donde el primer grupo representa el control negativo, alimentados con dieta basal, mientras que el grupo 2 recibió una dieta rica en grasas para servir como grupo con hipercolesterolemia (control positivo). Otros dos grupos se alimentaron con una dieta rica en grasas suplementada con AO y PO. El grupo 3 se trató diariamente con AO (1 g / kg peso corporal), mientras que el grupo 4 fué tratado con PO (1 g / kg peso corporal). El perfil de lípidos del plasma y las funciones del hígado en los diferentes grupos fue determinado después de 14 y 28 días. Las ratas de los grupos tratados (AO y PO) mostraron niveles significativamente menores de colesterol total (CT), triglicéridos totales (TG), colesterol de lipoproteínas de baja densidad (LDLC), y actividades alanina-aminotransferasa (ALT) y aspartato aminotransferasa (AST), así como altos niveles de lipoproteína de alta densidad-colesterol (HDL-C) y proteína total en comparación con el grupo con hipercolesterolemia. Se puede concluir que los OA y de PO en estudio son útiles para el tratamiento de la hipercolesterolemia

Synthesis, characterization and medical efficacy (hepatoprotective and antioxidative) of albendazole-based copper(II) complexes – an experimental and theoretical approach

<div><p>A series of albendazole-based copper(II) complexes with different counter anions, [Cu(Albz)(H₂O)₂](ClO₄)₂ (<b>1</b>), [Cu(Albz)₂(Cl)]Cl·2H₂O (<b>2</b>), [Cu(Albz<b>)</b>₂(NO₃)](NO₃) (<b>3</b>), and [Cu₂(Albz)₂(μ-SO₄)₂(H₂O)₂] (<b>4</b>) (Albz = albendazole), have been synthesized and characterized. Their structures and properties were characterized by elemental analysis, thermal analysis (TGA, DTG and DTA), IR, UV–vis and ESR spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, electrical molar conductivity, and magnetic moment measurements. A square-planar geometry is proposed for <b>1</b>, whereas the five-coordinate copper(II) complexes <b>2</b>, <b>3</b>, and <b>4</b> have a square pyramidal geometry. Theoretical calculations (DFT) using B3LYP/6–311 + G(d,p) level of theory corroborated the experimental results to investigate both the drug Albz and its copper(II) complex, <b>1</b>. The hepatoprotective and antioxidative efficacy of Albz and <b>1–4</b> were evaluated against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute hepatotoxicity in rats. Hepatotoxicity in experimental rats was evidenced by significant decrease in the antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, GSH-S-transfers, and GSH-Rd levels). The results have strong impact for designing anticancer drugs, combined with their potential cytotoxic and antioxidant activities, which can be targeted selectively against cancer cells and increase their therapeutic index and advantages over other anticancer drugs. The DNA cleavage studies of Albz and its copper(II) complexes using genomic DNA indicated that Albz has no role in cleavage of DNA, and only <b>1</b> played a marked role in the DNA cleavage without any external additives.</p></div

Mechanistic Wound Healing and Antioxidant Potential of <i>Moringa oleifera</i> Seeds Extract Supported by Metabolic Profiling, In Silico Network Design, Molecular Docking, and In Vivo Studies

Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae) is an adaptable plant with promising phytoconstituents, interesting medicinal uses, and nutritional importance. Chemical profiling of M. oleifera seeds assisted by LC-HRMS (HPLC system coupled to a high resolution mass detector) led to the dereplication of 19 metabolites. Additionally, the wound healing potential of M. oleifera seed extract was investigated in male New Zealand Dutch strain albino rabbits and supported by histopathological examinations. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms were investigated via different in vitro investigations and through analyzing the relative gene and protein expression patterns. When compared to the untreated and MEBO®-treated groups, topical administration of M. oleifera extract on excision wounds resulted in a substantial increase in wound healing rate (p TGF-β1, VEGF, Type I collagen relative expression, and reducing inflammatory markers such as IL-1β and TNF-α. In vitro antioxidant assays showed that the extract displayed strong scavenging effects to peroxides and superoxide free radicals. In silico studies using a molecular docking approach against TNF-α, TGFBR1, and IL-1β showed that some metabolites in M. oleifera seed extract can bind to the active sites of three wound-healing related proteins. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) and compound–protein interaction (CPI) networks were constructed as well. Quercetin, caffeic acid, and kaempferol showed the highest connectivity with the putative proteins. In silico drug likeness studies revealed that almost all compounds comply with both Lipinski’s and Veber’s rule. According to the previous findings, an in vitro study was carried out on the pure compounds, including quercetin, kaempferol, and caffeic acid (identified from M. oleifera) to validate the proposed approach and to verify their potential effectiveness. Their inhibitory potential was evaluated against the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and against the endopeptidase MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases) subtype I and II, with highest activity being observed for kaempferol. Hence, M. oleifera seeds could be a promising source of bioactive compounds with potential antioxidant and wound healing capabilities