Binarization of document images has great importance in several applications like historical document restoration, Optical Character Recognition (OCR). It is a challenging task due to small ...difference between foreground and background pixel intensities, intricate font patterns and noisy background. In this article a binarization algorithm is presented for document images which has performed significantly well on handwritten document images as well as machine printed document images. First, the RGB document images are converted to a prominent gray-scale image using statistical tools like mean, variance and standard deviation. Next, the gray-scale images are binarized using edge detection. Further the noises are removed using connected component features analysis. The proposed method is experimented on publicly available DIBCO 2016 and DIBCO 2017 datasets. The performance of the proposed algorithm is satisfactory in terms of F-Measure (
FM
), Pseudo-FMeasure (
F
p
s
),
PSNR
, Distance Reciprocal Distortion (
DRD
) and it also provides significant results on degraded document images.
Abstract
The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inequitable response to it has created a space for rethinking the knowledge translation that informs current health policy formulation and ...planning. Wide recognition of the failure of global health governance and national health systems has led to calls for reviving the Primary Health Care (PHC) agenda for post-COVID health systems development. Despite the joint international declaration on PHC made four decades ago, it has had limited application. This paper argues that the recent attempts to rethink PHC will prove inadequate without analysing and learning from the politics of knowledge (PoK) underlying global health policy and planning. Even with the growing relevance of the spirit of the Alma-Ata Declaration (1978) and its operationalisation as detailed in the report of conference proceedings, reassessment of reasons for its limited implementation continues to be located largely in the political economy of the medical establishment, the international economic order or in national governance flaws. Failure to address the dominant knowledge paradigm in the Alma Ata articulation of PHC has contributed to its limited application. This calls for expansion in the analysis from knowledge translation to generation and hierarchisation of knowledge. The paper discusses how the application of PoK as an analytical lens helps understand the power equations underlying the process of knowledge generation and its translation into policy and practice. Beneath the techno-centric and commodified health system is the dominant ‘knowledge’ system whose foundations and assumptions ought to be interrogated. By following a PoK approach, a reorientation of thinking about the relationship between various forms of knowledge and knowledge holders is anticipated. A new health service system design is outlined—translating the spirit of PHC of 1978 into a ‘PHC Version 2.0’—that addresses the PoK gap in operational terms, with an approach to guide all levels of healthcare. It suggests how the world can be empowered to respond better by engaging with diverse ontologies and epistemologies to conceptualise knowledge and frame policies. Further, in the contexts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, it can contribute to the development of self-reliance to democratise general health policy and planning in the post-pandemic period.
, a Gram-negative pathogen, has over 2500 serovars that infect a wide range of hosts. In humans,
causes typhoid or gastroenteritis and is a major public health concern. In this study, SseB (the tip ...protein of the
pathogenicity island 2 type III secretion system) was fused with the LTA1 subunit of labile-toxin from enterotoxigenic
to make the self-adjuvanting antigen L-SseB. Two unique nanoparticle formulations were developed to allow multimeric presentation of L-SseB. Mice were vaccinated with these formulations and protective efficacy determined
challenging the mice with
serovars. The polysaccharide (chitosan) formulation was found to elicit better protection when compared to the squalene nanoemulsion. When the polysaccharide formulation was used to vaccinate rabbits, protection from
challenge was elicited. In summary, L-SseB in a particulate polysaccharide formulation appears to be an attractive candidate vaccine capable of broad protection against
Hyperglycemia during pregnancy leads to adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Thus, strict monitoring of blood glucose levels is warranted. This study aims to determine the association of early to ...mid-pregnancy HbA1c levels with the development of pregnancy complications in women from three countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
We performed a secondary analysis of the AMANHI (Alliance for Maternal and Newborn Health Improvement) cohort, which enrolled 10,001 pregnant women between May 2014 and June 2018 across Sylhet-Bangladesh, Karachi-Pakistan, and Pemba Island-Tanzania. HbA1c assays were performed at enrollment (8 to < 20 gestational weeks), and epidemiological data were collected during 2-3 monthly household visits. The women were followed-up till the postpartum period to determine the pregnancy outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed the association between elevated HbA1c levels and adverse events while controlling for potential confounders.
A total of 9,510 pregnant women were included in the analysis. The mean HbA1c level at enrollment was found to be the highest in Bangladesh (5.31 ± 0.37), followed by Tanzania (5.22 ± 0.49) and then Pakistan (5.07 ± 0.58). We report 339 stillbirths and 9,039 live births. Among the live births were 892 preterm births, 892 deliveries via cesarean section, and 532 LGA babies. In the multivariate pooled analysis, maternal HbA1c levels of ≥ 6.5 were associated with increased risks of stillbirths (aRR = 6.3, 95% CI = 3.4,11.6); preterm births (aRR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.8-6.7); and Large for Gestational Age (aRR = 5.5, 95% CI = 2.9-10.6).
Maternal HbA1c level is an independent risk factor for predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes such as stillbirth, preterm birth, and LGA among women in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. These groups may benefit from early interventional strategies.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Shigellosis is endemic to low- and middle-income regions of the world where children are especially vulnerable. In many cases, there are pre-existing antibodies in the local population and the effect ...of prior exposure should be considered in the development and testing of vaccines against
infection. Our study shows that L-DBF-induced immune responses are not adversely affected by prior exposure to this pathogen. Moreover, somewhat different cytokine profiles were observed in the lungs of vaccinated mice not having been exposed to
, suggesting that the immune responses elicited by
infection and L-DBF vaccination follow different pathways.
India has a large population and its fossil fuel-based power is about 70%. Most of the Indian power is supplied by large power plants through the national grid. It is currently facing the formidable ...challenge to meet the mission: ‘clean electricity for all’. Distributed power supply using local renewable resources, maybe a better shift from existing practice, specifically for new areas of electrification. This study explores the feasibility of distributed generation with available local renewable resources for a remote village on the Himalayan Mountains of a northeast state of India. Currently, electricity in this village through the national grid is unavailable. Villagers are forced to use diesel generator (DG) sets. This study explores the feasibility of using local renewable options to meet the local load demand with a minimum cost of electricity (COE). HOMER simulation and MCDM approach is used for an optimized decentralized hybrid renewable energy solution (wind-hydro-battery) with minimum DG support. A minimum COE ($0.63/kWh) and CO2 emissions (481 kg/year) are estimated for optimum uninterrupted power supply.
•Distributed generation using local renewable resources is studied.•Integrated hybrid renewable energy system with storage is studied.•HOMER simulation and MCDM approach is done to find the optimum energy system.•Optimization is done both for economy and GHG emission.•Methodology for energy solution for remote Indian villages discussed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Diamond-like nanocomposite (DLN) has become a promising thin film for many fields of applications due to its unique and tunable properties. However, low optical bandgap and thermal stability limits ...its application in many fields particularly as antireflection coating on solar cell. In the present study, the DLN thin film has been deposited using a mixed liquid precursor by rf-PECVD process. Surprisingly the presence of nc-C60 in FCC structure in DLN matrix has been observed. The degree of crystallinity and diameter of C60 have been increased significantly after annealed at 850 °C. The film has been annealed at 850 °C to primarily investigate its feasibility as antireflection coating (ARC) in compatible with industrial solar cell fabrication process. The refractive index and optical bandgap of the film were around 1.80 and 4.10 eV, respectively. Moreover, the optical bandgap has decreased to some extent to 3.92 eV even after annealing at such high temperature. The high SiOx at% and embedded nc-C60 enhanced the optical transparency and thermal stability of the DLN film. The solar-weighted average reflection of DLN-coated textured silicon was reduced significantly to 1.91%. The C60 embedded DLN film has a great potential to apply in different optoelectronic devices especially in solar cell as ARC.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
We consider discrete β-ensembles as introduced by Borodin, Gorin and Guionnet (2017) 9. Under general assumptions, we establish a large deviation principle for their rightmost particle. We apply our ...general results to two classes of measures that are related to Jack symmetric functions.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
