Detecting Erase Strokes from Online Handwritten Notes using Support Vector Classification

We have implemented a student note-sharing system, AirTransNote, that facilitates collaborative and interactive learning in conven- tional classrooms. With the AirTransNote system, a teacher can immediately share student notes with the class using a projection screen to enhance group learning. However, students tend to hesitate to share their notes, particularly when the notes contain embarrassing mistakes. Nevertheless, teachers want to focus on real mistakes students make while learning. We introduce an erase stroke detecting method for the student note-sharing system to reduce students’ discomfort regarding sharing mistakes, as well as to assist the teacher in finding mistakes. We collected and manually labeled free-style handwritten student notes. Based on the labeled notes, we extracted features for the erase symbols and deleted strokes. We have tested support vector machine techniques for classifying erase symbols and deleted strokes from typical handwritten notes.Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information & Engineering Systems 19th Annual Conference, KES-2015, Singapore, September 2015 Proceeding

A Text Selection Technique using Word Snapping

Conventional copy-and-paste technique for touch screen devices utilizes region handles to specify text snippet. The region handles appear so as to select the initially tapped word, and the user controls the region handles. Most of the text-selection task is performed at the boundary of words, however, the minimum movement unit of the region handle is still a character. We propose a context- sensitive text-selection method for the tablet OSs. For the initial consideration, we investigated a word-snapping method that meant a word as a minimum movement unit. From our experiment, we confirmed that the word-snapping method can significantly reduce the text-selection time if the target text consists of one or two words, and no line breaks exist.KES-2014 18th International Conference on Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information & Engineering Systems, September 15-17, 2014, Gdynia, Polan

A Simple Sheet Bending Recognition for Augmenting a Two-dimensional Marker-based Response Analyzer

2015 International Conference on Informatics, Electronics and Vision (ICIEV), Fukuoka, Japan, June 15, 2015 to June 18, 2015Conventional response analyzers use various student devices such as clickers and mobile devices, which require the additional burdens of charging and managing. Fiducial marker-based response analyzers have been proposed to relieve these burdens. The IDs and rotations of the fiducial markers are used to identify students and their respective answers. The marker-based approach is straightforward, but transferrable data are limited to the ID and the rotations. To enhance the transferrable data, we introduce a method of extracting curves of the marker sheet. Since a paper sheet is flexible, students can control the shape of the sheet intuitively. We have implemented our method by modifying a conventional fiducial marker recognizer and confirmed its effectiveness

Estimating Writing Neatness from Online Handwritten Data

Handwriting is the most fundamental expressive activity in learning. To utilize the intuitiveness and the nature of handwriting, digital pen technology has emerged to capture and transfer notes. We developed AirTransNote, a student note-sharing system that facilitates collaborative and interactive learning in conventional classrooms. A teacher can use the AirTransNote system to share student notes with the class on a projected screen immediately to enhance the group learning experience. However, to improve the effectiveness of sharing notes, the teacher must be able to select an effective note for sharing. This can be difficult and time consuming during a lecture. Moreover, students should be encouraged to improve the presentation of their handwritten notes. Well-written notes are more accessible for other students and reduce irrelevant and careless mistakes. To facilitate learning improvements based on note sharing, we require a method to estimate the neatness of a note automatically. If a method is established, the teacher can easily select effective notes. Furthermore, this method can help provide feedback to the student to improve their writing. We examined 14 basic features from handwritten notes by considering correlation coefficients and found that the variance of pen speed, angular point average, and pen speed average were the significant features for evaluating the neatness of handwritten notes

A Web-based Application for Writing Novels

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a method for assisting amateur writers in novel writing. Amateur writers can publish their work intensively through web infrastructures. This situation is beneficial, because it encourages amateur writers to enhance their skills by sharing their work. However, writing a good novel is difficult for a novice, because the novel-writing task requires the management of many character settings and maintenance of consistency throughout the novel. The length of a novel increases the difficulty of the task and decreases motivation owing to cumbersome management tasks. To reduce the burden, we introduce automatic keyword suggestion and highlighting techniques. Automatic keyword suggestion finds names of characters from the draft text and proposes their addition to the character list. The character names in the list are automatically linked to the corresponding words in the draft text. Using such functions, amateur writers can easily check the consistency of their novels while writing, similar to the use of an integrated development environment for software development. We have implemented a web application that provides the functions, and we consider the effectiveness of the proposed method here

Left ventricular deformation and torsion assessed by speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with mutated transthyretin-associated cardiac amyloidosis and the effect of diflunisal on myocardial function

AbstractBackgroundMutated transthyretin-associated (ATTRm) amyloidosis with heart failure is associated with decreased longitudinal left ventricular (LV) myocardial contraction, as measured by strain Doppler echocardiography. We sought to clarify whether speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) would provide useful information in patients with ATTRm cardiac amyloidosis.MethodsOne hundred twenty-three consecutive patients with ATTRm amyloidosis were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 had no evidence of cardiac involvement (n=47), group 2 had heart involvement but no congestive heart failure (CHF) and/or serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels <100pg/mL (n=35), and group 3 had heart involvement and CHF and/or serum BNP levels ≥100pg/mL (n=41). All patients underwent standard 2-dimensional (2D), Doppler echo, and STE.ResultsBy standard 2D and Doppler echo, differences in parameters were only apparent between group 3 and groups 1 and 2. Global circumferential strains by STE at each LV level and LV torsion were different between group 1 and groups 2 and 3, but not between group 2 and group 3. In contrast, global longitudinal LV strain showed significant intergroup differences (−17.3±2.3%, −13.3±2.3%, −9.9±3.3% for groups 1 to 3, respectively, P<0.0001). Radial strain also showed significant intergroup differences for each basal LV segment. Among 41 patients who could have been followed up after 1year, 34 patients with diflunisal treatment had shown improvement in apical rotation and torsion without deterioration in multidirectional strains.ConclusionATTRm cardiac amyloidosis is characterized by progressive impairment in longitudinal and basal LV radial function when global circumferential shortening and torsion remain unchanged

Plasma tea catechins and risk of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged Japanese subjects: The JPHC study

Background and Aims: Although a potential benefit of drinking green tea has been suggested to reduce the development of cardiovascular disease, no study has investigated the relationship between plasma tea catechin and risk of cardiovascular disease.Methods: A prospective, nested case-control study was conducted to examine the association between plasma tea catechin and risk of stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) in a cohort of 29,876 men and women aged 40–69 years without history of heart disease, stroke or cancer. Participants completed a survey and donated blood samples between 1990 and 1994, and followed-up through 2008. A total of 1,132 stroke cases and 209 CHD cases, matched 1:1 to controls (n=1,132) for stroke and 1:2 to controls (n=418) for CHD, were included in the analysis.Results: We found no significant association between plasma tea catechin and the incidence of stroke or CHD in either men or women. However, we found that high plasma levels of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) were associated with reduced risk of stroke in non-smoking men; the adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) for the highest vs. non-detectable levels was 0.53 (0.29–0.98). The respective OR in male smokers was 1.23 (0.75–2.16). A significant interaction by smoking status was found for the highest vs. non-detected plasma EGCG in relation to stroke (p-for-interaction: p=0.09). Conclusions: Plasma tea catechin was not associated with reduced risks of either stroke or CHD, while a protective effect of certain tea catechin on stroke risk is suggested for male non-smokers.

Distillation of Liquid Xenon to Remove Krypton

A high performance distillation system to remove krypton from xenon was constructed, and a purity level of Kr/Xe = $\sim 3 \times 10^{-12}$ was achieved. This development is crucial in facilitating high sensitivity low background experiments such as the search for dark matter in the universe.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figure