Vehicle license plate recognition system is an important research topic of the applications of intelligent transportation by using computer vision, image processing and pattern recognition technology. In this paper, a set of robust features are calculated from license plate characters based on angle, transit and Kirsch edge detector, and then classified using fusion of SVMs. The proposed recogn...

BACKGROUND Despite the heavy burden and impact of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in reproduction and public health, estimates regarding its prevalence at community levels are limited. We aimed to ascertain prevalence of PCOS in a community based sample using the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Rotterdam consensus (Rott.) and the Androgen Excess Society (AES) criteria. METHODS Us...

BACKGROUND Breast cancer-preventive behaviors are critical for community and women's health. Although many studies have addressed women's knowledge and attitudes toward breast cancer, little information is available about their experiences of breast cancer preventive behaviors. This study aimed to explore the experiences of Iranian women regarding preventive behaviors. METHODS This was a qual...

The present study investigated the relationship between Iranian EFL learners' beliefs about language learning and language learning strategy use. A sample of 104 B.A and M.A Iranian EFL learners majoring in English participated in this study. Three instruments, the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (MTELP), Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI), and the Strategy Inventor...

STUDY QUESTION Do differences in heritable genetic factors explain some of the difference in age at natural menopause (ANM) among populations? SUMMARY ANSWER One single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-ANM association (rs16991615) detected in European women was replicated in Iranian women. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Genetics plays an important role in ANM, and well-powered genome-wide association s...

OBJECTIVE Febrile seizures (FSs) are the most common neurological disorder observed in the pediatric age group. The present study provides information about epidemiological and clinical characteristics as well as risk factors associated with FS among Iranian children. MATERIALS & METHODS On the computerized literature valid databases, the FS prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were calcul...

BACKGROUND The Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education published a 'Patient's Bill of Rights' in 2001. AIM To gain insight into the perception and practice of patients' rights in Iran. This paper reports on Iranian nurses' and physicians' perceptions and lived experiences of respecting patients' rights. METHODS A purposeful sample of eight nurses and five physicians working in a ce...

BACKGROUND Endometriosis Health Profile (EHP-5) is a valid instrument to measure health-related quality of life in endometriosis. This study was conducted to culturally adapt and validate the EHP-5 in Iran. METHODS Using a standard "forward-backward' translation procedure, the English language version of the questionnaire was translated into Persian (Iranian language). Then a sample of 199 wo...

which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objective: High prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) infection in the northeastern of Iran has been proven. However, there is no overall estimation of the infection in the country. This systematic review was conducted to make an accurate estimation...

Mitochondrial DNA from 14 archaeological samples at the Ural State University in Yekaterinburg, Russia, was extracted to test the feasibility of ancient DNA work on their collection. These samples come from a number of sites that fall into two groupings. Seven samples are from three sites, dating to the 8th-12th century AD, that belong to a northern group of what are thought to be Ugrians, who ...