Colour Text Segmentation in Web Images Based on Human Perception

There is a significant need to extract and analyse the text in images on Web documents, for effective indexing, semantic analysis and even presentation by non-visual means (e.g., audio). This paper argues that the challenging segmentation stage for such images benefits from a human perspective of colour perception in preference to RGB colour space analysis. The proposed approach enables the segmentation of text in complex situations such as in the presence of varying colour and texture (characters and background). More precisely, characters are segmented as distinct regions with separate chromaticity and/or lightness by performing a layer decomposition of the image. The method described here is a result of the authors’ systematic approach to approximate the human colour perception characteristics for the identification of character regions. In this instance, the image is decomposed by performing histogram analysis of Hue and Lightness in the HLS colour space and merging using information on human discrimination of wavelength and luminance

Inherently fluorescent polyaniline nanoparticles in a dynamic landscape

In this paper we report for the first time on the emissive behavior of two polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticle systems produced via oxidative chemical polymerization in the presence of either poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) or chitosan as polymeric stabilizers in water. The emission from PANI nanoparticles is irreversibly quenched by an increase of pH of the suspending medium from acid to neutral (chitosan–PANI) or alkaline (PVA–PANI). Conversely, PANI nanorods synthesized in the same conditions of the above, but in presence of poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone), is not emissive at any pH. The role of the polymeric surfactant as a soft template is key in controlling the morphology and the properties of the obtained PANI dispersions. FTIR, UV–Vis absorption and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra studies suggest that the emissive properties are related to the establishment of strong, non-covalent interactions between nanoscalar PANI particles and the polymeric surfactant at the pH of synthesis. Morphology examination of the three systems, by both dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), reveal that photoluminescence is associated to the presence of a genuinely 3D nanoscalar morphology, together with an ordered disposition of PANI chains into aligned crystal planes. Concomitant to the irreversible quenching of the emission signal with increasing pH, there is an evolution of the morphology leading to particle coalescence, coarsening and ultimately phase-separation, with consequent modification of PANI–polymeric surfactant interactions, PANI chains supra-molecular organization and optical properties of the PANI nanoparticles dispersion

affron®, a standardised extract from saffron (Crocus sativus L.) for the treatment of youth anxiety and depressive symptoms: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Background: Saffron has antidepressant and anxiolytic effects in adults with mild-to-moderate depression. However, this is the first study examining its mood-related effects in teenagers. Methods: In this 8-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, youth aged 12–16 years, with mild-to-moderate anxiety or depressive symptoms were given tablets containing placebo or a saffron extract (affron®, 14 mg b.i.d). The youth and parent versions of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) were used as outcome measures. Results: 80 participants were enrolled and 68 completed the study. Based on youth self-reports, affron®was associated with greater improvements in overall internalising symptoms (p = 0.049), separation anxiety (p = 0.003), social phobia (p = 0.023), and depression (p = 0.016). Total internalising scores decreased by an average of 33% compared to 17% in the placebo group (p = 0.029). However, parental reports of improvements were inconsistent as mean improvements in RCADS scores were greater in the saffron group (40% vs 26%) (p = 0.026), although no other significant differences were identified. affron®was well-tolerated and there was a trend of reduced headaches in participants on the active treatment. Limitations: The use of a self-report instrument, limited study duration, single treatment dose, and non-clinical sample used in this study limit the generalisability of study findings. Conclusion: The administration of a standardised saffron extract (affron®) for 8 weeks improved anxiety and depressive symptoms in youth with mild-to-moderate symptoms, at least from the perspective of the adolescent. However, these beneficial effects were inconsistently corroborated by parents.This study was funded by Pharmactive Biotech Products SL. Pharmactive Biotech Products was not involved in the design of the research, analysis of data, or in the writing of the report. The authors gratefully acknowledge Pharmactive Biotech Products SL Company for funding the project and supplying affron® and LIPA Pharmaceuticals for the preparation of the tablet

Floral biology, pollination vectors and breeding system of Zieria granulata (Rutaceae), an endangered shrub endemic to eastern Australia

Context: Understanding the factors that influence viable-seed production is crucial in the conservation of threatened plant species, yet these factors are often poorly understood. Aims: We investigated the reproductive biology of Zieria granulata C.Moore ex Benth., an endangered Australian endemic with a limited distribution, with the intent of improving conservation and restoration outcomes. Methods: Components of floral biology, including floral ontogeny and nectar production, were quantified to determine the pollination syndrome and the likely breeding system. Flower-visitor surveys (using both digital video recordings and human observations), a manipulative wind-pollination experiment and hand-pollination experiments were conducted to investigate pollination vectors and confirm the breeding system. Key results: Z. granulata flowers were small, white, protandrous and produced highly ornamented pollen grains and small quantities of nectar; these characteristics suggest that the species fits the general entomophily syndrome. All floral visitors were arthropod species and of the 72 visitors observed, predominantly from the Dipteran and Hymenopteran families, 18 could be regarded as potential pollinators. Failure of simulated wind gusts (40 km h-1) to transport pollen ≥5 cm indicated that anemophily is unlikely for this species. Autonomous and manipulative selfing did not result in viable seed set, indicating that this is an obligate outcrossing species. However, fruit and viable-seed production was highly variable within and among some other treatments. Pre-dispersal seed predation was recorded at all study sites. Conclusions: Pre-dispersal seed predation was recorded at all study sites and is a likely factor inhibiting viable-seed production. Implications: This knowledge will be used to improve seed yield for collections used for ex situ conservation and restoration programs for the endangered Z. granulata

Data Centric Domain Adaptation for Historical Text with OCR Errors

We propose new methods for in-domain and cross-domain Named Entity Recognition (NER) on historical data for Dutch and French. For the cross-domain case, we address domain shift by integrating unsupervised in-domain data via contextualized string embeddings; and OCR errors by injecting synthetic OCR errors into the source domain and address data centric domain adaptation. We propose a general approach to imitate OCR errors in arbitrary input data. Our cross-domain as well as our in-domain results outperform several strong baselines and establish state-of-the-art results. We publish preprocessed versions of the French and Dutch Europeana NER corpora