Offline handwritten signature is a type of behavioral biometric-based on an image. Its problem is the accuracy of the verification because once an individual signs, he/she seldom signs the same signature. This is referred to as intra-user variability. This research aims to improve the recognition accuracy of the offline signature. The proposed method is presented by using both signature length normalization and histogram orientation gradient (HOG) for the reason of accuracy improving. In terms of verification, a deep-learning technique using a convolution neural network (CNN) is exploited for building the reference model for a future prediction. Experiments are conducted by utilizing 4,000 genuine as well as 2,000 skilled forged signature samples collected from 200 individuals. This database is publicly distributed under the name of SIGMA for Malaysian individuals. The experimental results are reported as both error forms, namely False Accept Rate (FAR) and False Reject Rate (FRR), which achieved up to 4.15% and 1.65% respectively. The overall successful accuracy is up to 97.1%. A comparison is also made that the proposed methodology outperforms the state-of-the-art works that are using the same SIGMA database.
Medulloblastomas and ependymomas are the most common malignant brain tumors in children. However genetic abnormalities associated with their development and prognosis remain unclear. Recently two gene fusions, KIAA1549–BRAF and SRGAP3–RAF1 have been detected in a number of brain tumours. We report here our development and validation of RT-RQPCR assays to detect various isoforms of these two fusion genes in formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues of medulloblastoma and ependymoma. We examined these fusion genes in 44 paediatric brain tumours, 33 medulloblastomas and 11 ependymomas. We detected both fusion transcripts in 8/33, 5/33 SRGAP3 ex10/RAF1 ex10, and 3/33 KIAA1549 ex16/BRAF ex9, meduloblastomas but none in the 11 ep
... Show More5-Fluorouracil is one of the commonly used chemotherapy drugs in anticancer therapy; unfortunately treatment with 5-FU by solely has many drawbacks low lipophilicity, low permeability, low molecular weight, and its relatively poor plasma protein binding; also a brief half-life therefore frequent administration is required to maintain the optimal therapeutic plasma level which in addition to its poor selectivity, drug resistance and limited penetration to cancer cells; leads to increased incidence of side-effects to healthy cells/tissues and low response rates. In order to minimize these drawbacks; 5-FU was chemically conjugated with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) in a mutual prodrug moiety (S-(9H-purin-6-yl) 3-(
... Show MoreThis paper presents the effect of Cr doping on the optical and structural properties of TiO2 films synthesized by sol-gel and deposited by the dip- coating technique. The characteristics of pure and Cr-doped TiO2 were studied by absorption and X-ray diffraction measurement. The spectrum of UV absorption of TiO2 chromium concentrations indicates a red shift; therefore, the energy gap decreases with increased doping. The minimum value of energy gap (2.5 eV) is found at concentration of 4 %. XRD measurements show that the anatase phase is shown for all thin films. Surface morphology measurement by atomic force microscope (AFM) showed that the roughness of thin films decrease with doping and has a minimum value with 4 wt % doping ratio.
Systemic lupus Erythematosus is an autoimmune disease of unknown aetiology affecting multiple organ system. Reactive nitrogen and oxygen species are claimed to play a role in this disease. However, the potential of Nitrosative/Oxidative Stress to elicit an autoimmune, response remain till now largely unexplored in humans. This study was done to investigate the status and contribution of nitrosative/oxidative stress in Iraqi patients for systemic lupus erythematosus. Blood samples from 19 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 19 age-and sex- matched apparently healthy controls were evaluated for serum levels of nitrosative/oxidative stress markers including nitric oxide, peroxynitrite and malondialdehyde. Nitric oxide levels were
... Show MoreThe aim of this research is to prepare a set of complexes with the general formula [M(HMB)n] , where M=VO (II) , Cr(III) and Cu(II) while n=2,3,2 respectively resulting from the reaction of anew ligand [N'-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-4-methylbenzohydrazide] (HMB) derived from the reaction of the tow substances (4-methylbenzohydrazide and 2-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzaldehyde) with metal ions. The prepared compounds were identified by several spectroscopic methods such as Infrared, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Electronic Spectra. From the results of the measurements, it was suggested that the prepared complexes have different geometries such as square planar (Cu), square pyramidal (VO) and octahedral (Cr). DFT simulations backed up
... Show MoreTo create a highly efficient photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) system and maximise the energy and exergy efficiency, this study aims to propose an innovative configuration of a PV-T system comprising wavy tubes with twisted-tape inserts. Following the validation of a numerical model, a parametric study has been conducted to assess the geometrical effects of twisted tape and wavy tubes, as well as the coolant fluid type and velocity, on the overall performance of a PV-T system, located in Shiraz, Iran. It is found that employing twisted tape improves the energy and exergy efficiency by approx. 6.3%. The best configuration yields 12.4% and 16.8% increase in energy and exergy efficiency compared to conventional PV systems. This is achieved at 15% vo
... Show MoreThe current study aims to develop a teaching design in accordance with cluster thinking strategies and explore the effect of this teaching design on students’ achievement in science. To this end, the null hypothesis was adopted: there is no statistically significant difference at the level of (0, 05) between experimental group who adopted the teaching design in learning science and control group who follow the traditional method in learning the same subject. To test the null hypothesis, total of (74) students from Al-Alaama Hussain Mahfooth intermediate school were selected intentionally for the academic year 2016-2017. The sample divided into two equal groups when all the variables (age, prior achievement of science,
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