In this paper, we focus on the binarization methods as a core step in most image processing
algorithms especially localization of the characters in scene images. We have developed in this
paper our previous scheme which based on shape properties and geometric features to define text
region and adopt our binarization scheme which based on Naïve Bayes classifier to convert
grayscale image to binary image. Then we compare this binarization scheme with four famous
different methods and explore their effects on detection characters in scene images. We found
that our method outperforms the other four prior methods in detection characters with respect to
Recall metric and the Otsu method follow our methods.

Abstract: Here, we report the structural, optical, magnetic, and dielectric properties of La0.67Sr0.33Mn1-x-y ZnxCoyO3 manganite with various x and y values (0.025 < x + y < 0.20). The pure and co-doped samples are called S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5, with (x + y) = 0.00, 0.025, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.20, respectively. The XRD confirmed a monoclinic structure for all the samples, such that the unit cell volume and the size of the crystallite and grain were generally decreased by increasing the co-doping content (x + y). The opposite was true for the behaviors of the porosity, the Debye temperature, and the elastic modulus. The energy gap Eg was 3.85 eV for S1, but it decreased to 3.82, 3.75, and 3.65 eV for S2, S5, and S3. Meanwhile, it increased and went to its maximum value of 3.95 eV for S4. The values of the single and dispersion energies (Eo, Ed) were 9.55 and 41.88 eV for S1, but they were decreased by co-doping. The samples exhibited paramagnetic behaviors at 300 K, but they showed ferromagnetic behaviors at 10 K. For both temperatures, the saturated magnetizations (Ms) were increased by increasing the co-doping content and they reached their maximum values of 1.27 and 15.08 (emu/g) for S4. At 300 K, the co-doping changed the magnetic material from hard to soft, but it changed from soft to hard at 10 K. In field cooling (FC), the samples showed diamagnetic regime behavior (M < 0) below 80 K, but this behavior was completely absent for zero field cooling (ZFC). In parallel, co-doping of up to 0.10 (S4) decreased the dielectric constant, AC conductivity, and effective capacitance, whereas the electric modulus, impedance, and bulk resistance were increased. The analysis of the electric modulus showed the presence of relaxation peaks for all the samples. These outcomes show a good correlation between the different properties and indicate that co-doping of up to 0.10 of Zn and Co in place of Mn in La:113 compounds is beneficial for elastic deformation, optoelectronics, Li-batteries, and spintronic devices.

Treating dye-containing wastewater poses numerous challenges due to its high chemical complexity and its persistent nature. Thus, the present study aims to synthesize biochar derived from banana peel (BC) and its nanocomposites with copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO_x/BC_1-x) for the purpose of adsorptive removing Congo red (CR) dye from water. Several analytical methods were utilized to describe the physicochemical features of the CuO_x/BC_1-x nanocomposites. It was found that the crystallinity of the nanocomposites gradually improved, while the specific surface area and the surface electronegativity were reduced with increasing x value. The effects of x values (0–0.5), interaction time (10–120 min), adsorbent dose (0.01–0.05 g), initial CR concentration (20–200 mg/L), and the solution temperature (20–60 °C) were evaluated on CR removal. The obtained results revealed that the CuO_0.5/BC_0.5 nanocomposite showed the highest adsorption efficiency with a maximum adsorption capacity of 233.6 mgg⁻¹. Analysis of the equilibrium experimental data revealed that the Langmuir and the pseudo-2nd-order models were the most proper to describe the current adsorption process. Moreover, the thermodynamics studies demonstrated that the adsorption process was spontaneous, endothermic, and random.

ZnTiO₃ nanoparticles (NPS), synthesized using a sol-gel process from zinc acetate dihydrate and titanium tetrabutanolate, were incorporated into aluminum borosilicate glasses to enhance their effectiveness in water purification. Integrating ZnTiO₃-NPS at the expense of SiO₂ causes significant alterations by converting [BO₃] to [BO₄], modifying the Si-O bonds with other metal oxides, and creating a denser structure with more bridging oxygens. The structural improvement is indicated by higher ultrasonic velocities and elastic moduli, demonstrating a stronger and more unified glass framework. The study investigates how different concentrations of ZnTiO₃-NPS affect the glasses' structure and mechanical and optical properties, specifically observing changes in light transmission, such as a blueshift in the absorption edge towards longer wavelengths. This blueshift due to ZnTiO₃-NPS was assured by the observed decrease in the optical band gap (E_g) values and the increase in the mean oscillator position (λ_o) values. Furthermore, the real () and imaginary () parts of the optical conductivity, nonlinear optical parameters viz. first (χ⁽¹⁾) and third (χ⁽³⁾) orders subsatellites, and nonlinear index of refraction (n₂) have been estimated based on the values of the linear index of refraction (n) and the extinction coefficient (k). The optical modifications impact the refractive index, suggesting various potential technological applications based on the ZnTiO₃ levels.

The present study investigates the dose-dependent damage caused by 4-nonylphenol exposure in juvenile of Clarias gariepinus using some biomarkers and the effect of recovery time. Healthy juvenile C. gariepinus of both sexes were classified into four groups (7fish/ group; two replicates). The first one was a control group, and the other three groups were exposed for 15 days to 4-nonylphenol concentrations as 0.1 mg/L, 0.2 mg/L, and 0.3 mg/L respectively, then 15 days as a recovery period after exposure time. The parameters exhibiting significance either increased with the increase of the 4-NP doses from 0.0 in the control to 0.3 mg/L (AST, ALT, TP, Glu, Cr, and UA) or decreased with such increased doses (Alb, and Glo). In conclusion, the liver and kidney functions parameters were indicated the hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity of 4-NP and their alterations have decreased to a great extent after a recovery period of 15-days in a reverse order.

A few studies assessed how natural products can protect fish from the neurotoxic effects of Microplastics (MPs). Therefore, the goal of this study was to look into the neurotoxicity of PE-MPs on the brain tissue of African catfish (C. gariepinus), and whether dietary feeding on Chlorella, citric acid, and lycopene could help alleviate their toxicity. Five groups of fish were used: The first group received a standard diet (control). The second group was fed 500 mg/kg PE-MP. The third group was fed PE-MP + lycopene (500 mg/kg diet). The fourth group was fed PE-MP + citric acid (30 g/kg diet). And the fifth group was fed PE-MP + Chlorella (50 g/kg diet) for 15 days. The activities of Acetylcholinesterase (Ach), Monoamine Oxidase (MAO), Aldehyde Oxidase (AO), and Nitric Oxide (NO), and the histological effect on brain tissues were then assessed. The activity of the four neurological biomarker enzymes investigated was altered significantly in fish subjected to PE-MP alone compared with the control group. For fish exposed to PE-MP with lycopene, citric acid, or Chlorella, the activities of these neurological enzymes significantly improved particularly with Chlorella compared with fish fed PE-MP individually. Histological investigations illustrated that being subjected to PE-MPs effected cellular alterations in the telencephalon, including diffuse distorted and degraded neurons, encephalomalacia, aggregated neuroglial cells (gliosis), as well as deformed and necrotic neurons, neuropil vacuolation (spongiosis), aggregated neuroglial cells (gliosis), pyknotic neurons, and shrunken Purkinje cells which were found in the cerebellum. Most histological alterations …

Although few studies have been done to evaluate the neurotoxic effect of 4-nonylphenol on the aquatic fauna, there is a shortage in knowledge about the effect of the dose-dependent damage of 4-NP in juvenile of C. gariepinus. So, the present study aims to investigate the neurotoxic effects of 4-NP in juvenile of Clarias garepinus through evaluation of oxidative stress indices, neurotoxic biomarkers, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, and histopathological alterations.

Methods

To carry out this work, healthy juvenile fish were categorized into four groups (seven fish/group; three replicates). One as control and the other three groups were exposed for 15 days to 4-nonylphenol concentrations as 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mg/L, respectively, then 15 days as recovery period.

Results

The neurotoxiclogical biomarkers …

Despite numerous studies on microplastics, the biological impacts of polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs) and its toxicity on freshwater fish have yet to be fully revealed. The purpose of this research was to look at the potentially harmful effects of PP-MPs in freshwater African catfish Clarias gariepinus and bioremediation using Spirulina. After acclimatization to laboratory conditions, 108 fish (125 ± 3 gm and 27 ± 2 cm) were assigned into triplicate six experimental groups (12 fish/group), a control group, Spirulina group (SP), PP-MP-treated groups (0.14 and 0.28 mg/l PP-MPs), and PP-MP + Spirulina-treated groups (0.14 mg/l PP-MPs + 200 mg/L SP and 0.28 mg/l PP-MPs +200 mg/L SP) for 15-day exposure and 45-day recovery after that. The hematological parameters exhibiting significance (RBCs, Hct, Hb, and MCV) or non-significance (MCH and MCHC) either decreased with the increase in PP-MP doses from 0.0 in the control to 0.28 mg/L red blood cells (RBCs), hematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), hemoglobin (Hb) and platelets or increased with such an increase in doses (mean corpuscular volume (MCV)). The liver enzyme activity, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) exhibited non-significant (p ≥ 0.05) or significant (p < 0.05) increases in (0.14 and 0.28 mg/L) PP-MP-exposed groups, respectively, except ALP. Furthermore, there was a significant (p < 0.05) or non-significant (p ≥ 0.05) increase in 0.14 and 0.28 mg/l PP-MP +200 mg/L-exposure groups, respectively, compared to the control group and …

In this work, biochar (BC) was synthesized from the thermal decomposition of banana peels and modified by different percentages of ZnO NPs using the wet impregnation method. The ZnO_x/BC_1-x nanocomposites’ (x = 0.00, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.50, 1.00 as a weight) physical and chemical properties were estimated utilizing X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), N₂ sorption, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and zeta potential. The synthesized nanocomposites were utilized as adsorbents for eliminating methylene blue toxic dye from water. Through the adsorption batches, several parameters have been tested, such as the impact of x value, duration time, adsorbent dose, initial pH, dye concentration, and medium temperature. Compared to the tested nanocomposites, the ZnO_0.10/BC_0.90 nanocomposite revealed the best adsorption efficiency (96.5 %) with a high adsorption capacity reaching 118.8 mg/g. To ensure accurate identification of adsorption process behavior, the adsorption isotherms, kinetic models, and thermodynamic studies were investigated. Langmuir and pseudo-2^nd order were discovered to be the most appropriate models that ascribe the adsorption behavior. Furthermore, the thermodynamic study reveals that the MB uptake on the nanocomposites is both spontaneous and exothermic.