Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of Recognition Strategies for Printed/Handwritten Composite Documents

Full-page segmentation and recognition of real-world documents is a challenging task, involving the segmentation of the images (graphics, text) and the subsequent recognition of the detected text-zones. Often those documents present zones with both write-types: printed and handwritten, which so far have been dealt with by classifying the zones according to the write-type and then using type-specific models for recognition. Here we present two recognition systems using state-of-the-art recurrent neural networks, that can recognize the text in zones with both write-types, without the need of explicit type identification, just the segmentation in lines is needed. In one of the systems, there is no distinction on the type at the network's output (one output label per character) while in the other there is one output label for each character and write-type. Experiments have been done on real-world documents from the Maurdor competition. These two systems perform at a similar level than systems using specific networks per type on the constrained task where there is only one write-type per zone. They perform better when both handwritten and printed text are present in the text zone. The results open the perspective to treat OCR and handwritten text recognition with a single optical model.
Examining the Roles of Sex, Methamphetamine, and Degree of Training in Habit Formation in Rats

Addiction is characterized by a progressive loss of executive control over drugseeking and consumption, and may be associated with a behavioral shift from instrumental goal-directed actions to stimulus-response habits. Sex differences in drug addiction have been linked to changing hormone levels across the estrous cycle, and females exhibit a particular vulnerability to psychostimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines. Psychostimulants and estrogen both influence dopaminergic activity in the dorsal striatum, a region of the brain in which dopamine activity is thought to mediate the shift from action to habit. In the present set of experiments, we examined the roles of sex, amphetamine, and degree of training on habit formation in rats. To test habit formation in each experiment, animals were trained on a variable interval (VI) schedule of reinforcement to nose-poke for sucrose pellet reinforcers, then the sucrose was devalued in half of the animals by pairing its presentation with injections of lithium chloride (LiCl) to induce nausea. Animals for whom the sucrose was paired with LiCl acquired a conditioned taste aversion for the sucrose reinforcer. When tested in extinction, paired animals who remained goal-directed should inhibit their responding for the devalued sucrose, whereas animals in habit should be insensitive to the devaluation and respond at a similar rate as their non-devalued counterparts. Experiment 1 examined the role of sex in habit formation in which intact male and female rats received identical training, devaluation, and testing in two separate within-sex experiments. After 240 reinforcer exposures females exhibited habitual behavior whereas males remained goal-directed. In Experiment 2, female rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and half were given cyclic estrogen replacement. All animals received either pre-exposure to methamphetamine (METH) or vehicle. Following exposure to 120 reinforcers, a level of training that had previously been shown to be subthreshold to habit formation in males, all female groups demonstrated goal-directed responding at test, revealing a lack of effect of hormone replacement or drug pretreatment on habit formation in OVX females at this level of reinforcer exposure. Experiment 3 aimed to determine the degree of nose-poke training that would be subthreshold to habit formation in intact females, and two groups were given different amounts of training. Both groups exhibited habitual responding, indicating that habit threshold in females is lower than hypothesized. Overall, these experiments suggest that females shift into habitual behavior earlier in training than males, and further experiments need to be conducted to determine how factors such as hormone milieu and psychostimulant exposure influence this progression.
Predicting Context-dependent Cross-modal Associations with Dimension-specific Polarity Attributions. Part 2: Red and Valence

Although context effects have repeatedly been demonstrated, it remains difficult to predict how context features influence the associative meaning of concepts. In a recent series of Experiments (see Part 1, Schietecat, Lakens, IJsselsteijn, & de Kort, 2018), we proposed and tested the dimension-specificity hypothesis for understanding and predicting context-dependent cross-modal associations between saturation, brightness, and aggression. In the current manuscript, Part 2, we aim to further test the dimension-specificity hypothesis by predicting the context-dependency of the meaning of the color red observed in the literature. The results of a series of five experiments revealed that the associations between red and valence could be predicted based on the activated dimensions of meaning (i.e., the evaluation or activity dimension) through the opposing concepts in the task. In the context of green, red was associated with negativity, whereas in context of blue, red was mostly associated with activity. Therefore, red was related to both aggression (a negative concept) and enthusiasm (a positive concept), depending on the context.
Avoiding collision with hidden nodes in IEEE 802.11 wireless networks

In wireless networks, collision is a major factor of performance degradation. In this letter, we propose a scheme for reducing collision in IEEE 802.11 networks. Each node can avoid collision by maintaining a disjoint set of time slots for transmission. Through simulation, we show that the proposed scheme is effective to reduce collision even in the presence of hidden nodes.
SLC25A23 augments mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, interacts with MCU, and induces oxidative stress–mediated cell death

Knockdown of SLC25A23 decreases mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, and SLC25A23 interacts with MCU and MICU1, components of mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter. Expression of SLC25A23 EF-hand-domain mutants has a dominant-negative phenotype of reduced mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake. It also attenuates basal ROS and oxidant-induced ATP decline and cell death.
Dynamically scaling computer networks

New network components joining running highspeed local area networks (LANs) or system area networks (SANs) can require communication path reconfigurations. Currently implemented network reconfiguration protocols stop the user traffic to prevent deadlocks. NetRec was proposed in [1] as a dynamic reconfiguration algorithm to increase the network availability in the presence of multiple faults. In this article, we extend NetRec to dynamically reconfigure the network for the case of newly joining nodes. We provide examples of NetRec operation and obtain an upper bound in terms of the number of messages generated during the reconfiguration.
Staining Protocol CK 18 : Investigation of Sensitivity and Specificity of an Immunogold / Alkaline Phosphatase Double Immunocytochemical Phenotyping of Disseminated Tumor Cells in Bone Marrow by uPA Receptor and

http://jhc.sagepub. com/content/45/2/203 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/002215549704500206 1997 45: 203 J Histochem Cytochem Schildberg Heike Allgayer, Markus Maria Heiss, Rainer Riesenberg, Rudolf Babic, Karl Walter Jauch and Friedrich Wilhelm Staining Protocol CK18: Investigation of Sensitivity and Specificity of an Immunogold/Alkaline Phosphatase Double Immunocytochemical Phenotyping of Disseminated Tumor Cells in Bone Marrow by uPA Receptor and
Research of  Customer Satisfaction Optimal Model Based on Business CRM

Customer relationship management (CRM) is the core of commercial enterprise management services, it reflects the strength and effectiveness of commercial enterprises. A customer satisfaction analysis and evaluation system was proposed in this paper. First of all, it described customer satisfaction, then it analyzed the constituent elements of quality cost and presented a customer satisfaction optimal model based on business CRM. Finally, it analyzed the customer satisfaction optimization model with the data acquired from retail and commercial enterprises.
Serotonin Receptors in Hippocampus

Serotonin is an ancient molecular signal and a recognized neurotransmitter brainwide distributed with particular presence in hippocampus. Almost all serotonin receptor subtypes are expressed in hippocampus, which implicates an intricate modulating system, considering that they can be localized as autosynaptic, presynaptic, and postsynaptic receptors, even colocalized within the same cell and being target of homo- and heterodimerization. Neurons and glia, including immune cells, integrate a functional network that uses several serotonin receptors to regulate their roles in this particular part of the limbic system.
Impact of Journals and Academic Reputations of Authors: A Structured Bibliometric Survey of the IEEE Publication Galaxy

Research problem: This study explores the use of bibliometric indicators to objectively evaluate IEEE scientific journals from two different perspectives: (1) journal impact and diffusion and (2) the academic reputation of journal authors. Research questions: (1) Which journals are better at selecting articles with high scientific impact (measured by average citations per article), and publishing authors with strong reputations (measured by h-indices)? (2) Does the impact of journal articles correlate positively with the reputations of their authors? and (3) Can bibliometric indicators provide a simple way for journal editors to monitor journal performance in a manner complementary to traditional ISI impact factor (IF)? Literature review: This paper reviews literature on citation analysis, a bibliometric method of measuring impact based on the number of times a work is cited, and explains such bibliometric indicators as CPP, Hirsch index, and IF which measure the impact of a journal, and introduces a new indicator called h-spectrum to objectively measure the reputation of a journal's author group. Methodology: This quantitative study performed citation analysis on 250,000 authors in 110 IEEE journals using citation statistics from the Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus databases to construct the h-spectrum indicator. The authors used automated filtering techniques to exclude questionable author data. Results and conclusions: The first phase of analysis indicated significant differences among IEEE publications in journal impact, and found that the h-index and CPP were suitable for evaluating journals except in their most recent five years where annual rankings are proposed instead. The second phase of analysis found that h-spectra distributions of author reputation differ among journals in a single year, and are generally stable for a single journal over five years. Maps were constructed to locate journals graphically based on the complementary indicators of impact and reputation, and to show changes in impact and reputation over time. The maps indicated that journals with high impact tend to have authors with high reputations but the opposite is not necessarily true. Suggestions were made to explain different combinations of high and low impact and reputation for journals. The use of maps complements IF and provides a simple tool to monitor journal reputation at the time of most recent publication. The study is limited by assumptions about the value of citations, the reliability of search engine statistics, and the homogeneity of IEEE journal citation practices, as well as the failure to account for coauthors, article age, and authors who publish multiple times per year in the same journal. Future research could examine non-IEEE journals and normalize subfields within IEEE journals to avoid favoring fields that use more citations.
Proceedings of Olkc 2007 – " Learning Fusion " the Art of Conversation: How Authentic Leaders Influence Organizational Learning

This paper explores how authentic leaders may positively enhance learning in organizations through the mechanism of conversations. We fuse leadership theory originating out of positive organizational scholarship with research on organizational learning. Using Crossan, Lane and White's (1999) multi-level framework, we examine how top managers who exhibit authentic leadership capabilities such as relational transparency, self-awareness, self-regulation and balanced information processing may be able to encourage the use of conversations to enable learning at three levels: individual, group and organizational. We further argue that authentic leaders create an organizational culture in which authentic conversations are encouraged and become institutionalized. We then develop propositions that explore the link between authentic leadership, authentic conversations and organizational learning. This research raises interesting questions and directions for future research. 1 INTRODUCTION Organizational learning has been conceptualized as a multi-level dynamic process through which the thoughts and actions of individuals and groups change and become embedded in the organization over time (Crossan et al, 1999, Vera & Crossan, 2004). Dialogue lies at the core of organizational learning, for without conversations, individuals and groups cannot effectively exchange ideas, nor can they develop shared understandings. Organizational norms and routines that prevent open and honest exchanges of information continue to act as impediments to organizational learning, and specifically to the detection and correction of errors (Argyris, 2003). Although the concept of dialogue has been examined in the organizational learning literature, it has not been examined explicitly as a core mechanism which leaders can use to enable learning to occur in individuals, groups and organizations.
Resolving IP Alias Based on Cross Points

Router-level topology maps are very useful for topology study. It can be constructed on the base of data collected by active measurement. Problems occur during the construction process, one of which is the alias resolution problem, focusing on how to identify addresses belonging to the same router. Alias resolution deals with the very task. Researches show the importance of the accuracy, as it will affect the representatives of the constructed map, and further impact the results derived in the topology study. In this paper, we discuss the necessary condition whether an alias pair can be resolved from the probe traces. We formulate cross point based alias resolution problem as a graph theoretic problem, present an algorithm for alias resolution based on cross information of a set of traces and prove its correctness and completeness. The experimental result on the collected data shows improvements in accuracy and efficiency over the existing approaches.
Rock/water interaction in dielectric properties; experiments with hydrophobic sandstones

The dielectric constant of a partially saturated sandstone varies as a function of the level of water saturation. Experimental data indicate that rock/water interaction, at low saturations, has a large effect on the measured dielectric response. To theoretically predict the dielectric constant of the rock/water/air system, this rock/water interaction must be accounted for by including the effect of the water wetting the rock solid. Alternatively, if the rock/water interaction can be eliminated, a three-component (dry rock, water, and air) mixing law can be used to model the dielectric behavior. In this laboratory study, a chemical treatment is used to change four water-wet sandstones into hydrophobic sandstones. In three hydrophobic samples the rock/water interaction, seen in the data for the water-wet samples, is eliminated and the dielectric constant of the partially saturated sandstones can be simply modeled as a dry rock/water/air system. This experimental study illustrates the importance of the chemical state of the rock surfaces in determining the dielectric behavior of sandstones.
On some computer-aided proofs in analysis

We present a method that–given a data set, a finitely parametrized system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), and a search space of parameters–discards portions of the search space that are inconsistent with the model ODE and data. The method is completely rigorous as it is based on validated integration of the vector field. As a consequence, no consistent parameters can be lost during the pruning phase. For data sets with moderate levels of noise, this yields a good reconstruction of the underlying parameters. Several examples are included to illustrate the merits of the method.
An analysis into early customer experiences of self-service checkouts: Lessons for improved usability

Abstract The research aims to examine the perceptions of relative novice users of self-service checkouts (SSCOs) and if these perceptions change before, during and following use. Employing a diary approach with 31 respondents relatively unfamiliar with SSCOs, the research will document their experiences with this technology across stationary, hardware and grocery stores in two Scottish cities (Glasgow and Dundee). Findings suggest that the majority of respondents were motivated to use the technology because of time saving and convenience. However, the actual experience of using SSCOs was not always considered quicker when compared to staffed checkouts because of technical issues, lack of staff assistance and the impersonal, sometimes stressful and controlled nature of the cramped SSCO environment. Following post-use reflections, the majority of respondents’ opinions did not change from their initial perceptions and indicated that they would prefer not to use the technology in the future. Based on the findings, this study makes some practical suggestions centring on the design and usability of SSCOs, which may go some way to reducing customer dissatisfaction and frustration with the technology, especially from the perspective of new users of the technology.
The Incidence of Male Non-Employment in Ireland*

This paper presents an analysis of male economic activity — employment, unemploy­ ment and non-participation using micro data from the 1993 Labour Force Survey. The main characteristics that contribute to bad labour market outcomes are residence in large cities or towns, the presence of many young children, living in Local Authority rented accommodation and the presence of other unemployed or inactive adults in the household. We also examine the inci­ dence of reported signing on to the Live Register among the unemployed and inactive. Finally, we explore the factors associated with whether a man who regarded his principal economic status as "unemployed" would meet the ILO criteria of unemployment — principally, active job search.
Constraining ecosystem carbon dynamics in a data-limited world: integrating ecological "common sense" in a model-data fusion framework

Abstract. Many of the key processes represented in global terrestrial carbon models remain largely unconstrained. For instance, plant allocation patterns and residence times of carbon pools are poorly known globally, except perhaps at a few intensively studied sites. As a consequence of data scarcity, carbon models tend to be underdetermined, and so can produce similar net fluxes with very different parameters and internal dynamics. To address these problems, we propose a series of ecological and dynamic constraints (EDCs) on model parameters and initial conditions, as a means to constrain ecosystem variable inter-dependencies in the absence of local data. The EDCs consist of a range of conditions on (a) carbon pool turnover and allocation ratios, (b) steady-state proximity, and (c) growth and decay of model carbon pools. We use a simple ecosystem carbon model in a model–data fusion framework to determine the added value of these constraints in a data-poor context. Based only on leaf area index (LAI) time series and soil carbon data, we estimate net ecosystem exchange (NEE) for (a) 40 synthetic experiments and (b) three AmeriFlux tower sites. For the synthetic experiments, we show that EDCs lead to an overall 34% relative error reduction in model parameters, and a 65% reduction in the 3 yr NEE 90% confidence range. In the application at AmeriFlux sites all NEE estimates were made independently of NEE measurements. Compared to these observations, EDCs resulted in a 69–93% reduction in 3 yr cumulative NEE median biases (–0.26 to +0.08 kg C m−2), in comparison to standard 3 yr median NEE biases (–1.17 to −0.84 kg C m−2). In light of these findings, we advocate the use of EDCs in future model–data fusion analyses of the terrestrial carbon cycle.
Impact of Cytoplasmic Calcium Buffering on the Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Intercellular Calcium Signals in Astrocytes

The impact of calcium buffering on the initiation and propagation of mechanically elicited intercellular Ca2+ waves was studied using astrocytes loaded with different exogenous, cell membrane-permeant Ca2+ chelators and a laser scanning confocal or video fluorescence microscope. Using an ELISA with a novel antibody to BAPTA, we showed that different cell-permeant chelators, when applied at the same concentrations, accumulate to the same degree inside the cells. Loading cultures with BAPTA, a high Ca2+ affinity chelator, almost completely blocked calcium wave occurrence. Chelators having lower Ca2+affinities had lesser affects, as shown in their attenuation of both the radius of spread and propagation velocity of the Ca2+ wave. The chelators blocked the process of wave propagation, not initiation, because large [Ca2+]i increases elicited in the mechanically stimulated cell were insufficient to trigger the wave in the presence of high Ca2+ affinity buffers. Wave attenuation was a function of cytoplasmic Ca2+buffering capacity; i.e., loading increasing concentrations of low Ca2+ affinity buffers mimicked the effects of lesser quantities of high-affinity chelators. In chelator-treated astrocytes, changes in calcium wave properties were independent of the Ca2+-binding rate constants of the chelators, of chelation of other ions such as Zn2+, and of effects on gap junction function. Slowing of the wave could be completely accounted for by the slowing of Ca2+ ion diffusion within the cytoplasm of individual astrocytes. The data obtained suggest that alterations in Ca2+ buffering may provide a potent mechanism by which the localized spread of astrocytic Ca2+ signals is controlled.