Benchmarking recognition results on camera captured word image data sets

We have benchmarked the maximum obtainable recognition accuracy on five publicly available standard word image data sets using semi-automated segmentation and a commercial OCR. These images have been cropped from camera captured scene images, born digital images (BDI) and street view images. Using the Matlab based tool developed by us, we have annotated at the pixel level more than 3600 word images from the five data sets. The word images binarized by the tool, as well as by our own midline analysis and propagation of segmentation (MAPS) algorithm are recognized using the trial version of Nuance Omnipage OCR and these two results are compared with the best reported in the literature. The benchmark word recognition rates obtained on ICDAR 2003, Sign evaluation, Street view, Born-digital and ICDAR 2011 data sets are 83.9%, 89.3%, 79.6%, 88.5% and 86.7%, respectively. The results obtained from MAPS binarized word images without the use of any lexicon are 64.5% and 71.7% for ICDAR 2003 and 2011 respectively, and these values are higher than the best reported values in the literature of 61.1% and 41.2%, respectively. MAPS results of 82.8% for BDI 2011 dataset matches the performance of the state of the art method based on power law transform.

Music and symbolic dynamics: the science behind an art

Music signals comprise of atomic notes drawn from a musical scale. The creation of musical sequences often involves splicing the notes in a constrained way resulting in aesthetically appealing patterns. We develop an approach for music signal representation based on symbolic dynamics by translating the lexicographic rules over a musical scale to constraints on a Markov chain. This source representation is useful for machine based music synthesis, in a way, similar to a musician producing original music. In order to mathematically quantify user listening experience, we study the correlation between the max-entropic rate of a musical scale and the subjective aesthetic component. We present our analysis with examples from the south Indian classical music system.

Automatic Tonic Identification in Indian Art Music: Approaches and Evaluation

The tonic is a fundamental concept in Indian art music. It is the base pitch, which an artist chooses in order to construct the melodies during a rg(a) rendition, and all accompanying instruments are tuned using the tonic pitch. Consequently, tonic identification is a fundamental task for most computational analyses of Indian art music, such as intonation analysis, melodic motif analysis and rg recognition. In this paper we review existing approaches for tonic identification in Indian art music and evaluate them on six diverse datasets for a thorough comparison and analysis. We study the performance of each method in different contexts such as the presence/absence of additional metadata, the quality of audio data, the duration of audio data, music tradition (Hindustani/Carnatic) and the gender of the singer (male/female). We show that the approaches that combine multi-pitch analysis with machine learning provide the best performance in most cases (90% identification accuracy on average), and are robust across the aforementioned contexts compared to the approaches based on expert knowledge. In addition, we also show that the performance of the latter can be improved when additional metadata is available to further constrain the problem. Finally, we present a detailed error analysis of each method, providing further insights into the advantages and limitations of the methods.

Progress in tuberculosis vaccine development and host-directed therapies-a state of the art review

Tuberculosis continues to kill 1.4 million people annually. During the past 5 years, an alarming increase in the number of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis has been noted, particularly in eastern Europe, Asia, and southern Africa. Treatment outcomes with available treatment regimens for drug-resistant tuberculosis are poor. Although substantial progress in drug development for tuberculosis has been made, scientific progress towards development of interventions for prevention and improvement of drug treatment outcomes have lagged behind. Innovative interventions are therefore needed to combat the growing pandemic of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. Novel adjunct treatments are needed to accomplish improved cure rates for multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. A novel, safe, widely applicable, and more effective vaccine against tuberculosis is also desperately sought to achieve disease control. The quest to develop a universally protective vaccine for tuberculosis continues. So far, research and development of tuberculosis vaccines has resulted in almost 20 candidates at different stages of the clinical trial pipeline. Host-directed therapies are now being developed to refocus the anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis-directed immune responses towards the host; a strategy that could be especially beneficial for patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis or extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. As we are running short of canonical tuberculosis drugs, more attention should be given to host-directed preventive and therapeutic intervention measures.

Na2.44Mn1.79(SO4)(3): a new member of the alluaudite family of insertion compounds for sodium ion batteries

Sodium-ion batteries have been extensively pursued as economic alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. Investigating the polyanion chemistry, alluaudite structured Na2Fe2II(SO4)(3) has been recently discovered as a 3.8 V positive electrode material (Barpanda et al., Nature Commun., 5: 4358, 2014). Registering the highest ever Fe-III/Fe-II redox potential (vs. Na/Na+) and formidable energy density, it has opened up a new polyanion family for sodium batteries. Exploring the alluaudite family, here we report isotypical Na2+2xMn2-xII(SO4)(3) (x = 0.22) as a novel high-voltage cathode material for the first time. Following low-temperature (ca. 350 degrees C) solid-state synthesis, the structure of this new alluaudite compound has been solved adopting a monoclinic framework (s.g. C2/c) showing antiferromagnetic ordering at 3.4 K. Synergising experimental and ab initio DFT investigation, Na2+2xMn2-xII(SO4)(3) has been found to be a potential high-voltage (ca. 4.4 V) cathode material for sodium batteries.

Length scales in glass-forming liquids and related systems: a review

The central problem in the study of glass-forming liquids and other glassy systems is the understanding of the complex structural relaxation and rapid growth of relaxation times seen on approaching the glass transition. A central conceptual question is whether one can identify one or more growing length scale(s) associated with this behavior. Given the diversity of molecular glass-formers and a vast body of experimental, computational and theoretical work addressing glassy behavior, a number of ideas and observations pertaining to growing length scales have been presented over the past few decades, but there is as yet no consensus view on this question. In this review, we will summarize the salient results and the state of our understanding of length scales associated with dynamical slow down. After a review of slow dynamics and the glass transition, pertinent theories of the glass transition will be summarized and a survey of ideas relating to length scales in glassy systems will be presented. A number of studies have focused on the emergence of preferred packing arrangements and discussed their role in glassy dynamics. More recently, a central object of attention has been the study of spatially correlated, heterogeneous dynamics and the associated length scale, studied in computer simulations and theoretical analysis such as inhomogeneous mode coupling theory. A number of static length scales have been proposed and studied recently, such as the mosaic length scale discussed in the random first-order transition theory and the related point-to-set correlation length. We will discuss these, elaborating on key results, along with a critical appraisal of the state of the art. Finally we will discuss length scales in driven soft matter, granular fluids and amorphous solids, and give a brief description of length scales in aging systems. Possible relations of these length scales with those in glass-forming liquids will be discussed.

Diagnóstico agronómico de maíz (Zea mays) bajo riego: Región II, 1988

El objetivo del presente documento, es de exponer la metodología y los resultados de un "DIAGNOSTICO AGRONOMICO" para el análisis y la compresión de los bajos rendimientos del "PLAN CONTINGENTE DE GRANOS BASICOS BAJO RIEGO". El estudio se realizó en la Región II comprendiendo los departametos de León y Chinandena, entre los meses de Febrero a Julio de 1988, período en el cual se realiza el cultivo de maíz de riego. Para la realización del estudio se tomaron datos de campo así como la realización de encuestas a los técnicos y madores de las Unidades de Producción (U.P.E.). Se analizó el Itinerario Técnico para observar las labores que realizan en el campo y en que momento se ejecutan dichas labores. Como resultado del estudio, se observó que los bajos rendimientos del maíz bajo riego se debe al inadecuado manejo del cultivo, ya que todas las Unidades de Producción poseen todos los recursos necesarios para poder producir. A esto le debemos agregar la falta de interés que tienen los técnicos para aumentar la producción. Por lo tanto estos dos factores en su conjunto hacen que el maíz de riego no sea rentable en nuestro país en estas condiciones.

Efecto de la fertilización fosfórica sobre el crecimiento y rendimiento de cuatro variedades de frijol común (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

El experimento fue conducido en la Estación Experimental ”La Compañía" Carazo, en época de postrera (Octubre-Diciembre ) de 1988, en suelos de bajo contenido de fósforo (1.5 ppm) y de textura franco limoso. Con el objetivo de determinar la respuesta a la aplicación creciente de fósforo, cuatro variedades de frijol común: Cua 88, Compañía 88, Nicaragua 88 y Revolución 79; fueron evaluadas bajo cuatro niveles de P en forma de P2O5; 0, 46, 92,138 kg/ha, utilizando triple superfosfato como fuente de fósforo. El diseño utilizado fue el de bloque completo al azar, con tres repeticiones. Los resultados indican que las variedades Cua 88, Compañía 88 y Nicaragua 88 son variedades eficientes sin respuesta a la aplicación de fósforo y Revolución 79 Ineficiente con respuesta. El rendimiento de las variedades eficientes sin respuesta es superior al de Revolución 79 que es un material que requiere de la fertilización fosfórica.

Efecto de espaciamiento entre surcos, densidad y control de malezas en el frijol común (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) var. Revolución 81 en el ciclo primera 1988

En el ciclo de primera (junio-septiembre), 1988, en -la Compañía, San Marcos, Carazo, Nicaragua, se realizó el presente ensayo con el objetivo de encontrar un eficiente manejo de malezas que permite un adecuado desarrollo del frijol (Phaseolus vulgaria, L.) sin afectar los componentes de su rendimiento. La siembra se realizó el 10 de junio, y se usó le variedad Revolución 81, tipo IIa. El efecto de las distincias entre surcos, densidades de siembra y controles de malezas sobre les variables (peso fresco frijol-maleza kg/ha a la floración y madures fisiológica y número de vainas por planta, granos por vaina, peso del grano kg/ha 14 por ciento de humedad a la cosecha). Siendo los factores en estudio (a) dos espaciamientos entre hilera (0.20 s y 0.40 re), (B) dos densidades (30 y 45 semillas por metro cuadrado) y (o) diferentes controles de malezas (1-manual, 2- "pre emergente" (pendimetalin), 3- "post -emergente" (bentazón), 4- pendimetalin y bentazón, 5- pendi retobo y bentazón más fluazifop-butil, y 6- todo el tiempo enmalezado). Los datos obtenidos de las variables fueron - sometidos al análisis de variada y comparación de promedios, usando la tabla de rangos múltiples de TUKEY, al 5 por ciento de significando. Se encontró que el rendimiento se vio favorecido con - espaciamientos entre surcos de 0.40 m, densidad de 45 semillas por metro cuadrado, y control químico con pendimetelin y la mezcla de bentasón y fluazifop-butil, superando al control manual.