Digitisation Processing and Recognition of Old Greek Manuscipts (the D-SCRIBE Project)

After many years of scholar study, manuscript collections continue to be an important source of novel information for scholars, concerning both the history of earlier times as well as the development of cultural documentation over the centuries. D-SCRIBE project aims to support and facilitate current and future efforts in manuscript digitization and processing. It strives toward the creation of a comprehensive software product, which can assist the content holders in turning an archive of manuscripts into a digital collection using automated methods. In this paper, we focus on the problem of recognizing early Christian Greek manuscripts. We propose a novel digital image binarization scheme for low quality historical documents allowing further content exploitation in an efficient way. Based on the existence of closed cavity regions in the majority of characters and character ligatures in these scripts, we propose a novel, segmentation-free, fast and efficient technique that assists the recognition procedure by tracing and recognizing the most frequently appearing characters or character ligatures

Network analysis of the editorial boards of finance journals of the ABS list

Στην παρούσα διπλωματική, αναλύονται ορισμένα χαρακτηρίστηκα από τα 105 επιστημονικά περιοδικά της λίστας ABS journal Rank, στο πεδίο των χρηματοοικονομικών, για το έτος 2015. Αρχικά, παρουσιάζουμε την λίστα ABS, καθώς και τις ιδιαιτερότητες η όποια έχει, ως προς την αξιολόγηση των περιοδικών. Στην συνέχεια, συγκρίνουμε την λίστα μας όχι μόνο με την προηγούμενη έκδοση αυτής, άλλα και με άλλες 3 διαφορετικές λίστες, όπως η SCImago, η French Centre National de la Recherché Scientifique (CNRS) και η Verband der Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft (VHB), οι οποίες αφορούν το πεδίο των χρηματοοικονομικών για την περίοδο 2015. Τέλος, παραθέτουμε κάποια συμπεράσματα, με την χρήση περιγραφικής στατιστικής. Στο επόμενο κεφάλαιο, αναλύεται ενδελεχώς ο πιο κρίσιμος και σημαντικός παράγοντας κάθε επιστημονικού περιοδικού, η συγγραφική επιτροπή του. Αρχικά, έγινε μια εκτενής ανάλυση με την χρήση περιγραφικής στατιστικής σε όλα τα ονόματα, τις χώρες, τα πανεπιστήμια και τα tiers της λίστας ABS.Επιπροσθέτως, κάναμε μια ξεχωριστή ανάλυση, πάλι με την χρήση περιγραφικής στατιστικής ξεχωριστά για τν Ευρώπη και ολοκληρώσαμε την ανάλυση μας με ορισμένα συμπεράσματα και με μια ειδική αναφορά για την κατάσταση στη χώρα μας. Τέλος, από τα κοινά μελή των επίτροπων, σχεδιαστήκαν και αναλύθηκαν ενδελεχώς τα δίκτυα και τα χαρακτηριστικά αυτών (centrality measures, density, degree). Μετά το πέρας της ανάλυσης αυτής, ανακαλύψαμε ποια είναι τα πιο σημαντικά περιοδικά, όχι μόνο του δικτύου της ABS, άλλα και της κάθε βαθμολογικής κλίμακας, αυτής. (AJG).In this thesis, certain characteristics of the 105 journals listed in the Finance field of the ABS Journal Rank list, are analyzed for 2015. Initially, we present the ABS journal list 2015, with all of its singularities in journal evaluation. Next, we compare the ABS list 2015, not only with the lady version 2010, but also with other three finance journal lists, like SCImago, the French Centre National de la Recherché Scientifique (CNRS) and Verband der Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft (VHB). Finally, we present some findings from descriptive statistics. In the next chapter, we thoroughly elaborate the most crucial and significant factor of every scientific journal, its editorial board. Initially, we made an extensive research with a descriptive statistic in all names, tiers, countries and affiliations from ABS journal list. Moreover, we made a separate descriptive statistical research for the Europe and we concluded this chapter with some findings and with special mention for Greek affiliations. Finally, using the common members of their editorial boards, we constructed and elaborated thoroughly several networks of the journals and analyzed the characteristics of those networks (connectivity, degrees, and centrality measures). To conclude this chapter, we made some finding about the relationship between AJG and centrality measures and we presented, not only which journals had had a central position in the ABS network, but also for each AJG

Preparation of Benzothiazolyl-Decorated Nanoliposomes

Amyloid β (Aβ) species are considered as potential targets for the development of diagnostics/therapeutics towards Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Nanoliposomes which are decorated with molecules having high affinity for Aβ species may be considered as potential carriers for AD theragnostics. Herein, benzothiazolyl (BTH) decorated nanoliposomes were prepared for the first time, after synthesis of a lipidic BTH derivative (lipid-BTH). The synthetic pathway included acylation of bis(2-aminophenyl) disulfide with palmitic acid or palmitoyl chloride and subsequent reduction of the oxidized dithiol derivative. The liberated thiols were able to cyclize to the corresponding benzothiazolyl derivatives only after acidification of the reaction mixture. Each step of the procedure was monitored by HPLC analysis in order to identify all the important parameters for the formation of the BTH-group. Finally, the optimal methodology was identified, and was applied for the synthesis of the lipid-BTH derivative. BTH-decorated nanoliposomes were then prepared and characterized for physicochemical properties (size distribution, surface charge, physical stability, and membrane integrity during incubation in presence of buffer and plasma proteins). Pegylated BTH-nanoliposomes were demonstrated to have high integrity in the presence of proteins (in comparison to non-peglated ones) justifying their further exploitation as potential theragnostic systems for AD

Rational Design and Synthesis of Altered Peptide Ligands based on Human Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein 35–55 Epitope: Inhibition of Chronic Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and is an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Although the etiology of MS remains unclear, there is evidence T-cell recognition of immunodominant epitopes of myelin proteins, such as the 35–55 epitope of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), plays a pathogenic role in the induction of chronic EAE. Cyclization of peptides is of great interest since the limited stability of linear peptides restricts their potential use as therapeutic agents. Herein, we have designed and synthesized a number of linear and cyclic peptides by mutating crucial T cell receptor (TCR) contact residues of the human MOG35–55 epitope. In particular, we have designed and synthesized cyclic altered peptide ligands (APLs) by mutating Arg41 with Ala or Arg41 and Arg46 with Ala. The peptides were synthesized in solid phase on 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin (CLTR-Cl) using the Fmoc/t-Bu methodology. The purity of final products was verified by RP-HPLC and their identification was achieved by ESI-MS. It was found that the substitutions of Arg at positions 41 and 46 with Ala results in peptide analogues that reduce the severity of MOG-induced EAE clinical symptoms in C57BL/6 mice when co-administered with mouse MOG35–55 peptide at the time of immunization

DIGITISATION PROCESSING AND RECOGNITION OF OLD GREEK MANUSCIPTS (THE D-SCRIBE PROJECT)

Abstract: After many years of scholar study, manuscript collections continue to be an important source of novel information for scholars, concerning both the history of earlier times as well as the development of cultural documentation over the centuries. D-SCRIBE project aims to support and facilitate current and future efforts in manuscript digitization and processing. It strives toward the creation of a comprehensive software product, which can assist the content holders in turning an archive of manuscripts into a digital collection using automated methods. In this paper, we focus on the problem of recognizing early Christian Greek manuscripts. We propose a novel digital image binarization scheme for low quality historical documents allowing further content exploitation in an efficient way. Based on the existence of closed cavity regions in the majority of characters and character ligatures in these scripts, we propose a novel, segmentation-free, fast and efficient technique that assists the recognition procedure by tracing and recognizing the most frequently appearing characters or character ligatures