Verification of Authenticity of Stamps in Documents

Klasická inkoustová razítka, která se používají k autorizaci dokumentů, se dnes díky rozšíření moderních technologií dají relativně snadno padělat metodou oskenování a vytištění. V rámci diplomové práce je vyvíjen automatický nástroj pro ověření pravosti razítek, který najde využití zejména v prostředích, kde je nutné zpracovávat velké množství dokumentů. Procesu ověření pravosti razítka musí přirozeně předcházet jeho detekce v dokumentu - úloha zpracování obrazu, která zatím nemá přesvědčivé řešení. V této diplomové práci je navržena zcela nová metoda detekce a ověření pravosti razítka v barevných obrazech dokumentů. Tato metoda zahrnuje plnou segmentaci stránky za účelem určení kandidátních řešení, dále extrakci příznaků a následnou klasifikaci kandidátů za pomoci algoritmu podpůrných vektorů (SVM). Evaluace ukázala, že algoritmus umožňuje rozlišovat razítka od jiných barevných objektů v dokumentu jako jsou například loga a barevné nápisy. Kromě toho algoritmus dokáže rozlišit pravá razítka od kopií.Classical ink stamps and seals used for authentication of a document content have become relatively easy to forge by the scan & print technique since the technology is available to general public. For environments where a huge volume of documents is processed, an automatic system for verification of authenticity of stamps is being developed in the scope of this master's thesis. The process of stamp authenticity verification naturally must be preceded by the phase of stamp detection and segmentation - a difficult task of Document Image Analysis (DIA). In this master's thesis, a novel method for detection and verification of stamps in color document images is proposed. It involves a full segmentation of the page to identify candidate solutions, extraction of features, and further classification of the candidates by means of support vector machines. The evaluation has shown that the algorithm is capable of differentiating stamps from other color objects in the document such as logos or text and also genuine stamps from copied ones.

Knowledge Expansion of a Statistical Machine Translation System using Morphological Resources

Translation capability of a Phrase-Based Statistical Machine Translation (PBSMT) system mostly depends on parallel data and phrases that are not present in the training data are not correctly translated. This paper describes a method that efficiently expands the existing knowledge of a PBSMT system without adding more parallel data but using external morphological resources. A set of new phrase associations is added to translation and reordering models; each of them corresponds to a morphological variation of the source/target/both phrases of an existing association. New associations are generated using a string similarity score based on morphosyntactic information. We tested our approach on En-Fr and Fr-En translations and results showed improvements of the performance in terms of automatic scores (BLEU and Meteor) and reduction of out-of-vocabulary (OOV) words. We believe that our knowledge expansion framework is generic and could be used to add different types of information to the model.JRC.G.2-Global security and crisis managemen

Script Effects as the Hidden Drive of the Mind, Cognition, and Culture

This open access volume reveals the hidden power of the script we read in and how it shapes and drives our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures. Expanding on the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis (i.e., the idea that language affects the way we think), this volume proposes the “Script Relativity Hypothesis” (i.e., the idea that the script in which we read affects the way we think) by offering a unique perspective on the effect of script (alphabets, morphosyllabaries, or multi-scripts) on our attention, perception, and problem-solving. Once we become literate, fundamental changes occur in our brain circuitry to accommodate the new demand for resources. The powerful effects of literacy have been demonstrated by research on literate versus illiterate individuals, as well as cross-scriptal transfer, indicating that literate brain networks function differently, depending on the script being read. This book identifies the locus of differences between the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, and between the East and the West, as the neural underpinnings of literacy. To support the “Script Relativity Hypothesis”, it reviews a vast corpus of empirical studies, including anthropological accounts of human civilization, social psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, applied linguistics, second language studies, and cross-cultural communication. It also discusses the impact of reading from screens in the digital age, as well as the impact of bi-script or multi-script use, which is a growing trend around the globe. As a result, our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures are now growing closer together, not farther apart. ; Examines the origin, emergence, and co-evolution of written language, the human mind, and culture within the purview of script effects Investigates how the scripts we read over time shape our cognition, mind, and thought patterns Provides a new outlook on the four representative writing systems of the world Discusses the consequences of literacy for the functioning of the min

L’effet de la langue seconde sur le traitement des mots composés chinois chez les locuteurs bilingues chinois-français et chinois-anglais

La présente étude a examiné si les équivalents traductionnels en français ou en anglais des constituants des mots composés chinois peuvent influencer la reconnaissance des composés chinois et, si oui, s’ils affectent ce processus de la même manière. Nous avons mené une expérience d’amorçage par répétition du constituant, où les cibles étaient des mots composés chinois bimorphémiques, précédés d’un de leurs constituants ou d’un stimulus non relié. Des bilingues chinois-français et chinois-anglais ont été assignés à trois conditions d’amorçage, où les amorces étaient traduites dans leur L2 (français ou anglais) ou répétées en L1 (chinois, transcrit en pinyin). Les résultats des conditions d’amorçage en L2 révèlent que les participants reconnaissaient les mots composés chinois comme de vrais mots significativement plus rapidement lorsqu’ils étaient précédés d’un de leurs constituants, en français ou en anglais, que lorsqu’ils étaient précédés d’un stimulus non relié. Cet effet n’est pas limité à une L2 spécifique, puisque les effets d’amorçage des constituants provoqués par les amorces en français et en anglais ont partagé le même patron. Nous n’avons pas trouvé d’effet d’amorçage par répétition d’un constituant en chinois, ce qui pourrait être dû à la difficulté à traiter le pinyin. Nous proposons que l’effet d’amorçage par répétition du constituant en L2 sur le traitement des mots composés chinois appuie l’hypothèse d’un lexique mental bilingue intégré caractérisé par une connectivité au niveau non seulement lexicale, mais aussi infralexicale.The present study investigated whether the French or English translation equivalents of Chinese compound constituents affect Chinese compound recognition and, if so, whether they affect processing in a comparable manner. We conducted a constituent priming experiment, where targets were bimorphemic Chinese compounds, preceded by one of their constituents or an unrelated item. Chinese-French and Chinese-English bilinguals were assigned to three priming conditions, where primes were translated into their L2 French or L2 English or repeated in their L1 Chinese (transcribed as Pinyin syllables). Results from the L2 priming conditions indicated that participants recognized Chinese compounds as real words significantly faster when they were preceded by one of their constituents, in either French or English, than they were when preceded by an unrelated stimulus. This effect was not restricted to a particular L2, as constituent priming effects produced by French primes patterned with English primes. We failed to find a significant constituent priming effect in the L1 priming condition, possibly due to difficulty in processing Pinyin. We argue that the L2 constituent priming effects on Chinese compound processing provide evidence in favour of an integrated bilingual mental lexicon characterized by lexical as well as sublexical connectivity

Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by failure to acquire, retrieve, or use information competently. They are the most severe and chronic form of learning difficulty in children. They can be present at birth or acquired as a result of illness, exposure to toxins, poor nutrition, medical treatment, sociocultural deprivation, or injury. Learning problems typically consist in failure to acquire reading, writing, or math skills, which are traditionally considered core domains. This book explores the epidemiology, neurobiological bases, and diagnostic tools necessary for a comprehensive assessment of children with learning disabilities. It also presents examples of children with specific learning disabilities and explains possible intervention strategies

Exploring Written Artefacts

This collection, presented to Michael Friedrich in honour of his academic career at of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, traces key concepts that scholars associated with the Centre have developed and refined for the systematic study of manuscript cultures. At the same time, the contributions showcase the possibilities of expanding the traditional subject of ‘manuscripts’ to the larger perspective of ‘written artefacts’

Exploring Written Artefacts

This collection, presented to Michael Friedrich in honour of his academic career at of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, traces key concepts that scholars associated with the Centre have developed and refined for the systematic study of manuscript cultures. At the same time, the contributions showcase the possibilities of expanding the traditional subject of ‘manuscripts’ to the larger perspective of ‘written artefacts’

Artificial Intelligence Technology

This open access book aims to give our readers a basic outline of today’s research and technology developments on artificial intelligence (AI), help them to have a general understanding of this trend, and familiarize them with the current research hotspots, as well as part of the fundamental and common theories and methodologies that are widely accepted in AI research and application. This book is written in comprehensible and plain language, featuring clearly explained theories and concepts and extensive analysis and examples. Some of the traditional findings are skipped in narration on the premise of a relatively comprehensive introduction to the evolution of artificial intelligence technology. The book provides a detailed elaboration of the basic concepts of AI, machine learning, as well as other relevant topics, including deep learning, deep learning framework, Huawei MindSpore AI development framework, Huawei Atlas computing platform, Huawei AI open platform for smart terminals, and Huawei CLOUD Enterprise Intelligence application platform. As the world’s leading provider of ICT (information and communication technology) infrastructure and smart terminals, Huawei’s products range from digital data communication, cyber security, wireless technology, data storage, cloud computing, and smart computing to artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Technology

This open access book aims to give our readers a basic outline of today’s research and technology developments on artificial intelligence (AI), help them to have a general understanding of this trend, and familiarize them with the current research hotspots, as well as part of the fundamental and common theories and methodologies that are widely accepted in AI research and application. This book is written in comprehensible and plain language, featuring clearly explained theories and concepts and extensive analysis and examples. Some of the traditional findings are skipped in narration on the premise of a relatively comprehensive introduction to the evolution of artificial intelligence technology. The book provides a detailed elaboration of the basic concepts of AI, machine learning, as well as other relevant topics, including deep learning, deep learning framework, Huawei MindSpore AI development framework, Huawei Atlas computing platform, Huawei AI open platform for smart terminals, and Huawei CLOUD Enterprise Intelligence application platform. As the world’s leading provider of ICT (information and communication technology) infrastructure and smart terminals, Huawei’s products range from digital data communication, cyber security, wireless technology, data storage, cloud computing, and smart computing to artificial intelligence