Consistent relaxation matching for handwritten Chinese character recognition

Due to the complexity in structure and the various distortions (translation, rotation, shifting, and deformation) in different writing styles of Handwritten Chinese Characters(HCCs), it is more suitable to use a structural matching algorithm for computer recognition of HCC. Relaxation matching is a powerful technique which can tolerate considerable distortion. However, most relaxation techniques so far developed for Handwritten Chinese Character Recognition (HCCR) are based on a probabilistic relaxation scheme. In this paper, based on local constraint of relaxation labelling and optimization theory, we apply a new relaxation matching technique to handwritten character recognition. From the properties of the compatibility constraints, several rules are devised to guide the design of the compatibility function, which plays an important role in the relaxation process. By parallel use of local contextual information of geometric relaxationship among strokes of two characters, the ambiguity between them can be relaxed iteratively to achieve optimal consistent matching.published_or_final_versio

A deformable elastic matching model for handwritten Chinesecharacter recognition

Conference Theme: Intelligent Systems for the 21st CenturyThis paper describes a deformable elastic matching approach to handwritten Chinese character recognition (HCCR). Handwritten character is regarded as a kind of deformable object, with elastic property. For the same category of character, we assume that different handwriting variations share the same topological structure, but may differ in shape details. The variations between different handwriting characters are modelled by a set of stroke displacement vectors (SDV). According to the SDV derived, a model character is deformed gradually, in an effort to transform itself much closer to an input character. Experiments show that the proposed elastic matching model can efficiently deal with local shape changes and variations between characters.published_or_final_versio

Symmetry energy of dense matter in holographic QCD

We study the nuclear symmetry energy of dense matter using holographic QCD. To this end, we consider two flavor branes with equal quark masses in a D4/D6/D6 model. We find that at all densities the symmetry energy monotonically increases. At small densities, it exhibits a power law behavior with the density, $E_{\rm sym} \sim \rho^{1/2}$.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Molecular Valves for Controlling Gas Phase Transport Made from Discrete Angstrom-Sized Pores in Graphene

An ability to precisely regulate the quantity and location of molecular flux is of value in applications such as nanoscale 3D printing, catalysis, and sensor design. Barrier materials containing pores with molecular dimensions have previously been used to manipulate molecular compositions in the gas phase, but have so far been unable to offer controlled gas transport through individual pores. Here, we show that gas flux through discrete angstrom-sized pores in monolayer graphene can be detected and then controlled using nanometer-sized gold clusters, which are formed on the surface of the graphene and can migrate and partially block a pore. In samples without gold clusters, we observe stochastic switching of the magnitude of the gas permeance, which we attribute to molecular rearrangements of the pore. Our molecular valves could be used, for example, to develop unique approaches to molecular synthesis that are based on the controllable switching of a molecular gas flux, reminiscent of ion channels in biological cell membranes and solid state nanopores.Comment: to appear in Nature Nanotechnolog

Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction and Spiral Order in Spin-orbit Coupled Optical Lattices

We show that the recent experimental realization of spin-orbit coupling in ultracold atomic gases can be used to study different types of spin spiral order and resulting multiferroic effects. Spin-orbit coupling in optical lattices can give rise to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) spin interaction which is essential for spin spiral order. By taking into account spin-orbit coupling and an external Zeeman field, we derive an effective spin model in the Mott insulator regime at half filling and demonstrate that the DM interaction in optical lattices can be made extremely strong with realistic experimental parameters. The rich finite temperature phase diagrams of the effective spin models for fermions and bosons are obtained via classical Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Near-field examination of perovskite-based superlenses and superlens-enhanced probe-object coupling

A planar slab of negative index material works as a superlens with sub-diffraction-limited imaging resolution, since propagating waves are focused and, moreover, evanescent waves are reconstructed in the image plane. Here, we demonstrate a superlens for electric evanescent fields with low losses using perovskites in the mid-infrared regime. The combination of near-field microscopy with a tunable free-electron laser allows us to address precisely the polariton modes, which are critical for super-resolution imaging. We spectrally study the lateral and vertical distributions of evanescent waves around the image plane of such a lens, and achieve imaging resolution of wavelength/14 at the superlensing wavelength. Interestingly, at certain distances between the probe and sample surface, we observe a maximum of these evanescent fields. Comparisons with numerical simulations indicate that this maximum originates from an enhanced coupling between probe and object, which might be applicable for multifunctional circuits, infrared spectroscopy, and thermal sensors.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, published as open access article in Nature Communications (see http://www.nature.com/ncomms/

The Role of TLR4 in the Paclitaxel Effects on Neuronal Growth In Vitro

Paclitaxel (Pac) is an antitumor agent that is widely used for treatment of solid cancers. While being effective as a chemotherapeutic agent, Pac in high doses is neurotoxic, specifically targeting sensory innervations. In view of these toxic effects associated with conventional chemotherapy, decreasing the dose of Pac has been recently suggested as an alternative approach, which might limit neurotoxicity and immunosuppression. However, it remains unclear if low doses of Pac retain its neurotoxic properties or might exhibit unusual effects on neuronal cells. The goal of this study was to analyze the concentration-dependent effect of Pac on isolated and cultured DRG neuronal cells from wild-type and TLR4 knockout mice. Three different morphological parameters were analyzed: the number of neurons which developed neurites, the number of neurites per cell and the total length of neurites per cell. Our data demonstrate that low concentrations of Pac (0.1 nM and 0.5 nM) do not influence the neuronal growth in cultures in both wild type and TLR4 knockout mice. Higher concentrations of Pac (1-100 nM) had a significant effect on DRG neurons from wild type mice, affecting the number of neurons which developed neurites, number of neurites per cell, and the length of neurites. In DRG from TLR4 knockout mice high concentrations of Pac showed a similar effect on the number of neurons which developed neurites and the length of neurites. At the same time, the number of neurites per cell, indicating the process of growth cone initiation, was not affected by high concentrations of Pac. Thus, our data showed that Pac in high concentrations has a significant damaging effect on axonal growth and that this effect is partially mediated through TLR4 pathways. Low doses of Pac are devoid of neuronal toxicity and thus can be safely used in a chemomodulation mode. © 2013 Ustinova et al

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome associated with rib fractures: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a rare multiple gastrointestinal polyposis. Up till now, many complications of CCS have been reported in the literature, but rib fracture is not included.</p> <p>Case Presentation</p> <p>We report a case of a 58-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital with a 6-month history of frequent diarrhea, intermittent hematochezia and a weight loss of 13 kg. On admission, physical examination revealed alopecia of the scalp, hyperpigmentation of the hands and soles, and dystrophy of the fingernails. Laboratory data revealed hypocalcaemia and hypoproteinemia. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, video capsule endoscopy and colonoscopy revealed various sizes of generalized gastrointestinal polyps. Histological examination of the biopsy specimens obtained from the stomach and the colon showed adenomatous polyp and inflammatory polyp respectively. Thus, a diagnosis of CCS was made. After treatment with corticosteroids for 24 days and nutritional support for two months, his clinical condition improved. Two months later, he was admitted to our hospital for the second time with frequent diarrhea and weight loss. The chest radiography revealed fractures of the left sixth and seventh ribs. Examinations, including emission computed tomography, bone densitometry test, and other serum parameters, were performed, but could not identify the definite etiology of the rib fractures. One month later, the patient suffered from aggravating multiple rib fractures due to the ineffective treatment, persistent hypocalcaemia and malnutrition.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This is the first case of a CCS patient with multiple rib fractures. Although the association between CCS and multiple rib fractures in this case remains uncertain, we presume that persistent hypocalcaemia and malnutrition contribute to this situation, or at least aggravate this rare complication. Besides, since prolonged corticosteroid therapy will result in an increased risk of osteoporotic fracture, CCS patients who accept corticosteroid therapy could be potential victims of rib fracture.</p

Critical aspects of substrate nanopatterning for the ordered growth of GaN nanocolumns

Precise and reproducible surface nanopatterning is the key for a successful ordered growth of GaN nanocolumns. In this work, we point out the main technological issues related to the patterning process, mainly surface roughness and cleaning, and mask adhesion to the substrate. We found that each of these factors, process-related, has a dramatic impact on the subsequent selective growth of the columns inside the patterned holes. We compare the performance of e-beam lithography, colloidal lithography, and focused ion beam in the fabrication of hole-patterned masks for ordered columnar growth. These results are applicable to the ordered growth of nanocolumns of different materials