Word Searching in Scene Image and Video Frame in Multi-Script Scenario using Dynamic Shape Coding

Retrieval of text information from natural scene images and video frames is a challenging task due to its inherent problems like complex character shapes, low resolution, background noise, etc. Available OCR systems often fail to retrieve such information in scene/video frames. Keyword spotting, an alternative way to retrieve information, performs efficient text searching in such scenarios. However, current word spotting techniques in scene/video images are script-specific and they are mainly developed for Latin script. This paper presents a novel word spotting framework using dynamic shape coding for text retrieval in natural scene image and video frames. The framework is designed to search query keyword from multiple scripts with the help of on-the-fly script-wise keyword generation for the corresponding script. We have used a two-stage word spotting approach using Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to detect the translated keyword in a given text line by identifying the script of the line. A novel unsupervised dynamic shape coding based scheme has been used to group similar shape characters to avoid confusion and to improve text alignment. Next, the hypotheses locations are verified to improve retrieval performance. To evaluate the proposed system for searching keyword from natural scene image and video frames, we have considered two popular Indic scripts such as Bangla (Bengali) and Devanagari along with English. Inspired by the zone-wise recognition approach in Indic scripts[1], zone-wise text information has been used to improve the traditional word spotting performance in Indic scripts. For our experiment, a dataset consisting of images of different scenes and video frames of English, Bangla and Devanagari scripts were considered. The results obtained showed the effectiveness of our proposed word spotting approach.Comment: Multimedia Tools and Applications, Springe

Room-Temperature Solution Synthesis of Mesoporous Silicon for Lithium Ion Battery Anodes

As an important optoelectronic and energy-storage material, porous silicon (PSi) has attracted great interest in various fields. The preparation of PSi, however, usually suffers from low yields and/or complicated syntheses. Herein, we report a facile solution method to prepare PSi with controllable high specific surface area. Commercial Zintl compound Mg₂Si readily reacts with HSiCl₃ in the presence of amines at room temperature to produce amorphous PSi in high yields, where in situ formed salt byproducts serve as templates to generate uniform mesopores of ca. 3.8 nm in diameter. After crystallization treatment at 700 °C in flow Ar gas for 40 min, the obtained crystalline PSi coated with carbon layers shows excellent electrochemical performance when served as lithium ion battery anodes. The reversible specific capacity is about 2250 mA h g^–1 at 0.1 A g^–1 and the capacity retention is maintained at 90% after cycling at high current density of 2 A g^–1 for 320 times. This simple, facile preparation method is very promising and paves the way for massive production of porous Si as high-performance anodes in Li-ion battery industry or for other applications, such as drug delivery systems and catalysis

Long-Term Imaging of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> Using Nanoparticle-Mediated Immobilization

<div><p>One advantage of the nematode <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a model organism is its suitability for <i>in vivo</i> optical microscopy. Imaging <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> often requires animals to be immobilized to avoid movement-related artifacts. Immobilization has been performed by application of anesthetics or by introducing physical constraints using glue or specialized microfluidic devices. Here we present a method for immobilizing <i>C. elegans</i> using polystyrene nanoparticles and agarose pads. Our technique is technically simple, does not expose the worm to toxic substances, and allows recovery of animals. We evaluate the method and show that the polystyrene beads increase friction between the worm and agarose pad. We use our method to quantify calcium transients and long-term regrowth in single neurons following axotomy by a femtosecond laser.</p></div

Quantifying movement during immobilization.

<p>(a) Fluorescence of AFD soma in a nanoparticle-immobilized <i>Pgcy-8</i>::YC3.60 worm. Centroid of cell body indicated by crosshairs. Scale bar: 20 µm. (b) NP: Mean absolute displacement of AFD neuron cell body during 10 s intervals in animals immobilized with 0.1 µm diameter nanoparticles, as a function of agarose concentration in pad. NGM: no beads. (c) Mean absolute displacement of buccal cavity during 10 s intervals for adult worms on 10% agarose pads and varied bead diameters; L1, L3, and adult (Ad) worms immobilized with 0.1 µm beads on 10% agarose pads.</p

Cohort study quality rating (determined using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale).

<p><b>Assessment strategies</b>: selection (max. 4 stars), comparability (max. 2 stars), and outcome (max. 3 stars).</p><p>Cohort study quality rating (determined using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale).</p

<i>In vivo</i> laser axotomy and time-lapse imaging.

<p>a) Images from a continuously immobilized <i>C. elegans</i>, showing an ALM neuron severed 20 µm from the cell soma (top panel) immediately following laser axotomy and (bottom panel) after 10 hr. Arrow indicates lesion point. b) Average regenerative outgrowth of ALM neurons severed at the indicated distances. Outgrowth was measured from images taken at 10 hr post surgery and categorized as initiating from the lesion point or from the cell soma (* indicates p<0.05 by Student’s t-test). c) Average FRET signals measuring cellular calcium response to laser axotomy. At each time point, two channel fluorescent FRET images of the target neuron where averaged across the cell soma and along the axon within 5 µm of the lesion point to measure intracellular calcium levels in those regions. Arrows indicate time of laser damage (t = 0 s). Shaded regions indicate standard error on the mean at each time point. n indicates number of worms assayed.</p

Subgroup analysis in Popeye sign according to the type of tenodesis and the status of rotator cuff.

<p><b>Abbreviations</b>: RRE, risk ratio effect; N/A, not applicable.</p><p>Subgroup analysis in Popeye sign according to the type of tenodesis and the status of rotator cuff.</p

Nanoparticles reduce locomotory rate in a surface-dependent manner.

<p>Locomotory frequency of freely swimming worms and worms in contact with 0.5% agarose pads, in the presence (NP) and absence (NGM) of nanoparticles. n = 30 for each group. **p<0.001.</p

RCTs quality ratings (determined using the PEDro critical appraisal score).

<p>RCTs quality ratings (determined using the PEDro critical appraisal score).</p

Flow diagram of study selection.

<p>Flow diagram of study selection.</p