Triangle Research and Development Center

Optical tweezers can rapidly manipulate dielectric objects for applications ranging from microcentrifuges to controlling droplets and particles in a “lab-in-air” configuration. Here, we uniquely combine light propagation that is predominantly parallel to the particle’s orbital track—rather than primarily perpendicular as in conventional vortices—with operation in air. We measure a 7-micrometer sphere circulating at 20,400 rounds per minute [340 hertz (Hz)] along 120-micrometer circumference tracks, achieving accelerations up to 10 times that of gravity (98 square meters per second). Our trap’s optical orbital angular momentum of ℓ = 242ℏ per photon, combined with the gaseous environment, enables high circulation frequencies and underdamped operation at a high mechanical quality factor, Q. Together, our Q-f product of 5300 Hz facilitates low dissipation in combination with rapid particle manipulation. This advancement could substantially expand the impact of dynamic optical traps, particularly in fundamental measurements.

Abstract The capability to tailor mutual interactions between colloidal nanoparticles strongly depends on the length scales involved. While electrostatic and optomechanically driven interactions can cover nano and micron‐scale landscapes, controlling inter‐particle dynamics at larger distances remains challenging. Small physical and electromagnetic cross‐sections of nanoparticles make long‐range interactions, screened by a fluid environment, inefficient. To bypass the limitations, we demonstrated that forming micron‐scale bubbles around gilded vaterite particles enables mediating long‐range interactions via thermo‐optical forces. Femtosecond laser illumination is used to induce the encapsulation of light‐absorbing particles within long‐lasting micron‐scale bubbles. Distinct regimes of bubble growth are observed, facilitated by optical tweezers and fluid flow. In the femtosecond regime, long‐lasting bubbles, stable for minutes or longer, are generated and remain intact even after the laser is turned off. Conversely, in the continuous‐wave (CW) regime, the bubbles collapse immediately upon deactivation of the light source. Experiments show bubble‐induced laser collimation over millimeter‐scale distances owing to a negative lens action of the primary bubble. The refracted beams initiate the formation of secondary bubbles around nearby gilded vaterite particles. Consequently, the ability to control secondary bubble motion is demonstrated by pushing and pulling it with optical radiation pressure force and by thermocapillary (Marangoni) effect, respectively.

Approximately 70 million individuals globally utilize sign languages as a means of communication due to their hearing impairment. The study undertaken in sign languages is extensive and fruitful. However, there are over 300 sign languages worldwide, but most research focuses on a single language [1]. Creating AI models for sign language challenges sometimes requires large datasets, which can be difficult to produce. Various research has produced datasets for sign language using various methodologies; nevertheless, they often focus on specific sign languages. Developing hand skeleton templates for sign languages provides a more efficient method than creating numerous instances of distinct signs. By creating a basic framework or structure, it becomes much simpler to utilize generative models, like GANs[2], to generate a wide range of different versions of the framework. These generative models can effectively reproduce and adjust the fundamental structures into many sign language forms, capturing the diversity in hand shapes, orientations, and movements necessary for precise sign representation. The main objective of our research is to develop a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN) model that can generate hand images based on hand skeletons; this approach not only improves the capacity to generate sign language data on a larger scale, but also guarantees uniformity across different versions of signs. This makes it easier to create sign language recognition systems that are more reliable and flexible. To train this model, we devised a web scraping technique that produced a significant collection of hand photos taken from TED lecture recordings, together with their corresponding skeletons. Our created cGAN-based model allows researchers to generate artificial hand images by employing target skeleton inputs. This enables the creation of extensive datasets for sign language. Our contribution is expected to streamline the exploration of additional sign languages that encounter challenges in collecting datasets.

Background:Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is becoming increasingly prevalent and is considered to be a major public health threat worldwide. Behavioral and sociodemographic factors associated with T2DM vary within different societies.Objective:The aim of this study is to determine the various behavioral and sociodemographic factors associated with T2DM in the Arab society in Israel.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from 1,894 residents over the age of 21 belonging to the Arab population in Israel. The data collected from the subjects were subjected to statistical analyses using the SPSS program.Findings:Of the total sample population, 13.7% were found to be affected with T2DM. The prevalence of T2DM increased sharply in the successive age groups of both men and women. The prevalence of T2DM was found to increase progressively particularly in women with an increase in BMI (~20%, 37% and 44% respectively), while, in men it increased sharply (from 25% to ~50%) until a BMI of 29.9; it then decreased drastically (to ~24%) for a BMI of ≥30. About 85% of the men affected with T2DM were physically inactive, while 97% of the affected women were physically inactive. Almost half of the participants with diabetes have a family history of the disease in both genders. In the multivariate analysis, it was found that age, obesity, physical inactivity and family history of the disease were the significant factors associated with the prevalence of diabetes.Conclusions:It could be concluded that age, obesity, family history and physical inactivity were the significant factors associated with the prevalence of T2DM within the Arab society in Israel.

Text Localization and extraction is an important issue in modern applications of computer vision. Applications such as reading and translating texts in the wild or from videos are among the many applications that can benefit results of this field. In this work, we adopt the well-known Viola-Jones algorithm to enable text extraction and localization from images in the wild. The Viola-Jones is an efficient, and a fast image-processing algorithm originally used for face detection. Based on some resemblance between text and face detection tasks in the wild, we have modified the viola-jones to detect regions of interest where text may be localized. In the proposed approach, some modification to the HAAR like features and a semi-automatic process of data set generating and manipulation were presented to train the algorithm. A process of sliding windows with different sizes have been used to scan the image for individual letters and letter clusters existence. A post processing step is used in order to combine the detected letters into words and to remove false positives. The novelty of the presented approach is using the strengths of a modified Viola-Jones algorithm to identify many different objects representing different letters and clusters of similar letters and later combine them into words of varying lengths. Impressive results were obtained on the ICDAR contest data sets.

Experiments on bargaining games have repeatedly shown that subjects fail to use backward induction, and that they only rarely make demands in accordance with the subgame perfect equilibrium. In a recent paper, we proposed an alternative model, termed ‘economic harmony’ in which we modified the individual's utility by defining it as a function of the ratio between the actual and aspired pay-offs. We also abandoned the notion of equilibrium, in favour of a new notion of ‘harmony’, defined as the intersection of strategies, at which all players are equally satisfied. We showed that the proposed model yields excellent predictions of offers in the ultimatum game, and requests in the sequential common pool resource dilemma game. Strikingly, the predicted demand in the ultimatum game is equal to the famous Golden Ratio (approx. 0.62 of the entire pie). The same prediction was recently derived independently by Schuster (Schuster 2017. Sci. Rep. 7, 5642). In this paper, we extend the solution to bargaining games with alternating offers. We show that the derived solution predicts the opening demands reported in several experiments, on games with equal and unequal discount factors and game horizons. Our solution also predicts several unexplained findings, including the puzzling ‘disadvantageous counter-offers’, and the insensitivity of opening demands to variations in the players' discount factors, and game horizon. Strikingly, we find that the predicted opening demand in the alternating offers game is also equal to the Golden Ratio.

Despite the increased global prevalence and recognition of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), it is still scarcely reported in the Arab world. Though Israel has a higher prevalence of ASD, a previous national survey of patients diagnosed between 1972 and 2004, demonstrated that 98% of them were of Jewish ancestry. The disproportional low number of Arab children with ASD in Israel is unclear but may reflect lower awareness and cultural bias. In the present study we collected clinical and demographic characteristics of 200 children with ASD from Arab and Jewish sectors in Israel that were evaluated in two child development centers. We compared the incidence and the medical comorbidity of autism between these two ethnics groups. The medical and psychiatric comorbidity profile in these children was similar to the worldwide published studies. In the present study the prevalence of autism in the Arab sector in Israel was similar to that of the Jewish sector. The Arab patients presented with more severe autistic manifestations and higher incidence of mental retardation, familial members with autism, and consanguinity (P < 0.05), while in the Jewish sector milder forms (such as Asperger syndrome and PDD-NOS) were more frequent. This discrepancy might be explained by both genetic and cultural factors.

IntroductionSanfilippo syndrome type A (mucopolysaccharidosis IIIA - MPS IIIA) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency in sulfamidase.Case presentationTwo daughters (13 and 11 years old) of a consanguineous Palestinian family from the Israeli Arab community were investigated clinically and genetically for the presence of progressive neurodegenerative disease, psychomotor retardation and behavioral abnormalities. Development was normal up to one year of age. Thereafter, progressive motor and speech delay started. Metabolic screening including glycosaminoglycans, karyotype testing and magnetic resonance imaging were normal. Later in the disease, they developed severe spasticity and intellectual disability with autistic features and incontinence. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed diffuse hypomyelination with thinning of the corpus callosum. Genetic examination through whole exome sequencing revealed a homozygous mutation c.416C >T (p.T139M) in the N-sulfoglucosamine sulfohydrolase (SGSH) gene. Repeated biochemical testing at age 11 and 13 revealed increased levels of glycosaminoglycans confirming the diagnosis of Sanfilippo syndrome type A.ConclusionThese cases were considered to be the first report of Sanfilippo syndrome in Israel. We recommend that if similar clinical features are present during childhood, it is preferred to go directly and primarily for a genetic diagnosis of Sanfilippo syndrome, then secondarily for other lysosomal storage disorders that may also be involved.