Recognizing Degraded Handwritten Characters

In this paper, Slavonic manuscripts from the 11th century written in Glagolitic script are investigated. State-of-the-art optical character recognition methods produce poor results for degraded handwritten document images. This is largely due to a lack of suitable results from basic pre-processing steps such as binarization and image segmentation. Therefore, a new, binarization-free approach will be presented that is independent of pre-processing deficiencies. It additionally incorporates local information in order to recognize also fragmented or faded characters. The proposed algorithm consists of two steps: character classification and character localization. Firstly scale invariant feature transform features are extracted and classified using support vector machines. On this basis interest points are clustered according to their spatial information. Then, characters are localized and eventually recognized by a weighted voting scheme of pre-classified local descriptors. Preliminary results show that the proposed system can handle highly degraded manuscript images with background noise, e.g. stains, tears, and faded characters

Long Term Trends in Resource Exergy Consumption and Useful Work Supplies in the UK, 1900-2000

Our aim is to explain historical economic growth in the UK economy by introducing an empirical measure for useful work derived from natural resource energy inputs into an augmented production function. To do this, we estimate the long-term (1900-2000) trends in resource exergy supply and conversion to useful work in the United Kingdom. The exergy resources considered included domestic consumption of coal, crude oil and petroleum products, natural gas, nuclear and renewable resources (including biomass). All flows of exergy were allocated to an end use such as providing heat, light, transport, human and animal work and electrical power. For each end-use we estimated a time dependent efficiency of conversion from exergy to useful work. The 3-factor production function (of capital, labour and useful work) is able to reproduce the historic trajectory of economic growth without recourse to any exogenous assumptions of technological progress or total factor productivity. The results indicate that useful work derived from natural resource exergy is an important factor of production.exergy, energy, efficiency, economic growth, United Kingdom

Der Glutamattransporter GLT-1 des zentralen Nervensystems. Zellbiologische und elektrophysiologische Untersuchungen zur Transportfunktion

Der Glutamattransporter GLT-1 ist ein Transmembranprotein, das im ZNS überwiegend in Astrozyten lokalisiert ist. Seine Funktion als hochaffiner, Na+-abhängiger Transporter besteht in der Entfernung des Neurotansmitters Glutamat aus dem synaptischen Spalt. Dies ermöglicht eine getreue Signalweiterleitung und die Vermeidung von exzitatorischer Schädigung. Von den Glutamattransportern GLT-1 und den fluoreszierenden GLT-1 wie auch GLAST-1 und EAAC1, die am N-Terminus mit dem fluoreszierenden Polypeptid EGFP fusioniert sind, sind Konstrukte für die heterologe Expression in Xenopus laevis Oozyten und HEK293 Zellen (human embryonic kidney) erstellt worden. Die Untersuchungen dieser Arbeit belegen, daß GLT-1 als auch das Fusionsprotein während des Zell-targeting korrekt prozessiert und funktionell in die Plasmamembran eingebaut werden. Deshalb wurden die Konstrukte zur Charakterisierung von GLT-1 in Neurotransmitter Aufnahmestudien in GLT-1 transfizierten Xenopus laevis Oozyten und HEK293 Zellen mit radioaktiv markiertem L-[14C]-Glutamat, als auch in elektrophysiologischen whole-cell voltage- und patch-clamp Experimenten angewandt. Die Ionenspezifität für Na+-Ionen, KM-Werte von Glutamat und Na+-Ionen, die Kinetik der Glutamataufnahme und verschiedene Inhibitoren des GLT-1 Transporters wurden ermittelt. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt zusätzlich den Einfluß von extrazellulären Ca2+-Ionen auf den Transport von Glutamat. Im Gegensatz zu Na+ wird Ca2+ nicht von GLT-1 transportiert, Ca2+-Ionen beeinflussen aber den Transport von L-Glutamat. Diese Beobachtungen erweitern unsere Kenntnisse über den Effekt von intrazellulärem Ca2+ hinaus auf die GluT Familie. Strukturanaloge Substrate des natürlichen Neurotransmitters Glutamat sind genauer klassifiziert worden. Zusätzlich zur endständigen geladenen Carboxylgruppe oder der SH-Gruppe in Liganden, konnte die essentielle Bedeutung der Aminogruppe in -Position � wie in L--Aminoadipat � für die Bindung des Liganden bewiesen werden. Ungeladene Aminosäuren oder -Aminosäuren, wie L--Aminoadipat, zeigen dagegen keinen Einfluß auf den Transport von L-Glutamat. Es wurde gezeigt, daß GLT-1, ähnlich wie GLAST-1, L-Aspartat transportieren kann

Alsophis rufiventris

Number of Pages: 4Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Mueller's Exchange-Correlation Energy in Density-Matrix-Functional Theory

The increasing interest in the Mueller density-matrix-functional theory has led us to a systematic mathematical investigation of its properties. This functional is similar to the Hartree-Fock functional, but with a modified exchange term in which the square of the density matrix \gamma(X, X') is replaced by the square of \gamma^{1/2}(X, X'). After an extensive introductory discussion of density-matrix-functional theory we show, among other things, that this functional is convex (unlike the HF functional) and that energy minimizing \gamma's have unique densities \rho(x), which is a physically desirable property often absent in HF theory. We show that minimizers exist if N \leq Z, and derive various properties of the minimal energy and the corresponding minimizers. We also give a precise statement about the equation for the orbitals of \gamma, which is more complex than for HF theory. We state some open mathematical questions about the theory together with conjectured solutions.Comment: Latex, 42 pages, 1 figure. Minor error in the proof of Prop. 2 correcte

Modulation of calcium and potassium currents by lamotrigine

Actions of the new antiepileptic drug lamotrigine (LTG) were characterized using extracellular and whole cell patch clamp recordings from rat CAI and CA3 pyramidal cells in vitro. The results suggest that LTG, beside its previously described effect on the fast sodium inward current, also modulates - presumably voltage-gated - calcium currents and the transient potassium outward current ID. These may be effective mechanisms to inhibit pathological excitation in epilepsy and may be of potential benefit in treating: underlying cellular disturbances in bipolar disorder

Development and Utilization of Digital Image Correlation Techniques for the Study of Structural Isomerism Effects on Strain Development in Epoxy Network Glasses

The specific aim of this dissertation is to present the findings regarding the effects of molecular structure on macroscopic mechanical performance and strain development in epoxy networks. Network molecular structure was altered through monomer isomerism and crosslink density/molecular weight between crosslinks. The use of structural isomerism provided a pathway for altering mechanical performance while maintaining identical chemical composition within the network. Isomerism was investigated primarily by the curing of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) using either the para- or meta-substituted derivatives of diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS). Additional insights into isomerism were gained through the investigation of networks composed of either para- or meta-triglycidyl aminophenol (TGAP) cured with 3,3’- or 4,4’-DDS. Crosslink density of the network was varied through two different methods: (a) increasing the equivalent weight of the linear DGEBA epoxy resin and (b) increasing the functionality of the epoxy resin through the use of TGAP. The effects of molecular structure on mechanical properties and strain development were monitored using a relatively new strain measurement technique known as digital image correlation (DIC). Strain measurement via DIC was particularly useful for the development of strain recovery procedures, which provided key insights to the deformation of epoxy network glasses of varying molecular structure by providing full field analysis of the epoxy specimens. Specific findings of this research revealed that network isomerism plays an important role in the deformation of epoxy network glasses. Networks containing meta-substituted monomers possessed higher modulus and yield stress values and lower yield strains. On the contrary, networks with para-substituted monomers displayed lower modulus and yield stress values, but increased ability to store energy through anelastic strain mechanisms, thereby delaying the onset of yielding. The increased energy storage of these networks was related to sub-Tg molecular motions and the ability for para-substituted phenyl rings to rotate along an axis of symmetry, thus creating more cooperative motion within the network. Insights into post-yield deformation of epoxy glasses were also gained where networks with meta-substitution were able to dissipate more stress post-yield through large segmental rearrangements

Assisted query formulation using normalised word vector and dynamic ontological filtering

Information seekers using the usual search techniques and engines are delighted by the sheer power of the technology at their command ? speed, quantity. Upon closer inspection of the results, and reflection upon the next stages of the information seeking knowledge work, users are typically overwhelmed, and frustrated. We propose a partial solution by focusing on the query formulation aspect of the information seeking problem. First we introduce our version of a semantic analysis algorithm, named Normalised Word Vector, and explain its application in assisted query formulation. Secondly we introduce our ideas of supporting query refinement via Dynamic Ontological Filtering