Innovative Techniques for Digitizing and Restoring Deteriorated Historical Documents

Recent large-scale document digitization initiatives have created new modes of access to modern library collections with the development of new hardware and software technologies. Most commonly, these digitization projects focus on accurately scanning bound texts, some reaching an efficiency of more than one million volumes per year. While vast digital collections are changing the way users access texts, current scanning paradigms can not handle many non-standard materials. Documentation forms such as manuscripts, scrolls, codices, deteriorated film, epigraphy, and rock art all hold a wealth of human knowledge in physical forms not accessible by standard book scanning technologies. This great omission motivates the development of new technology, presented by this thesis, that is not-only effective with deteriorated bound works, damaged manuscripts, and disintegrating photonegatives but also easily utilized by non-technical staff. First, a novel point light source calibration technique is presented that can be performed by library staff. Then, a photometric correction technique which uses known illumination and surface properties to remove shading distortions in deteriorated document images can be automatically applied. To complete the restoration process, a geometric correction is applied. Also unique to this work is the development of an image-based uncalibrated document scanner that utilizes the transmissivity of document substrates. This scanner extracts intrinsic document color information from one or both sides of a document. Simultaneously, the document shape is estimated to obtain distortion information. Lastly, this thesis provides a restoration framework for damaged photographic negatives that corrects photometric and geometric distortions. Current restoration techniques for the discussed form of negatives require physical manipulation to the photograph. The novel acquisition and restoration system presented here provides the first known solution to digitize and restore deteriorated photographic negatives without damaging the original negative in any way. This thesis work develops new methods of document scanning and restoration suitable for wide-scale deployment. By creating easy to access technologies, library staff can implement their own scanning initiatives and large-scale scanning projects can expand their current document-sets

Rotational Relaxation in Polar Gases

Physic

Greece Takes Its Bailout, but Doubts for the Region Persist

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/business/global/03drachma.htm

A Relation-Centric Query Engine for the Foundational Model of Anatomy

The Foundational Model of Anatomy (FMA), a detailed representation of the structural organization of the human body, was constructed to support the development of software applications requiring knowledge of anatomy. The FMA's focus on the structural relationships between anatomical entities distinguishes it from other current anatomical knowledge sources. We developed Emily, a query engine for the FMA, to enable users to explore the richness and depth of these relationships. Preliminary analysis suggests that Emily is capable of correctly processing real world anatomical queries provided they have been translated into a constrained form suitable for processing by the query engine

Country differences in the diagnosis and management of coronary heart disease : a comparison between the US, the UK and Germany

Background The way patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) are treated is partly determined by non-medical factors. There is a solid body of evidence that patient and physician characteristics influence doctors' management decisions. Relatively little is known about the role of structural issues in the decision making process. This study focuses on the question whether doctors' diagnostic and therapeutic decisions are influenced by the health care system in which they take place. This non-medical determinant of medical decision-making was investigated in an international research project in the US, the UK and Germany. Methods Videotaped patients within an experimental study design were used. Experienced actors played the role of patients with symptoms of CHD. Several alternative versions were taped featuring the same script with patients of different sex, age and social status. The videotapes were shown to 384 randomly selected primary care physicians in the three countries under study. The sample was stratified on gender and duration of professional experience. Physicians were asked how they would diagnose and manage the patient after watching the video vignette using a questionnaire with standardised and open-ended questions. Results Results show only small differences in decision making between British and American physicians in essential aspects of care. About 90% of the UK and US doctors identified CHD as one of the possible diagnoses. Further similarities were found in test ordering and lifestyle advice. Some differences between the US and UK were found in the certainty of the diagnoses, prescribed medications and referral behaviour. There are numerous significant differences between Germany and the other two countries. German physicians would ask fewer questions, they would order fewer tests, prescribe fewer medications and give less lifestyle advice. Conclusion Although all physicians in the three countries under study were presented exactly the same patient, some disparities in the diagnostic and patient management decisions were evident. Since other possible influences on doctors treatment decisions are controlled within the experimental design, characteristics of the health care system seem to be a crucial factor within the decision making process

1972: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text

THE CHURCH AND THE FUTURE Being the Abilene Christian College Annual Bible Lectures 1972 Published by ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE BOOK STORE ACC Station Abilene, Texas 7960