In this work we present a novel word lattice filtering algorithm which removes redundancy from lattices. We use the filtering algorithm to analyze lattices obtained from dynamic network and transducer-based LVCSR decoders from several sites regarding size, coverage, and redundancy. We show that our filtering algorithm reduces the size of lattices by 30 to 90% without degrading the oracle word e...

We attempt to recover a 2D chromaticity intrinsic variation of a single RGB image which is independent of lighting, without requiring any prior knowledge about the camera. The proposed algorithm aims to learn an invariant direction for projecting from 2D color space to the greyscale intrinsic image. We notice that along this direction, the entropy in the derived invariant image is minimized. Th...

An edge in a drawing of a graph is called even if it intersects every other edge of the graph an even number of times. Pach and Tóth proved that a graph can always be redrawn such that its even edges are not involved in any intersections. We give a new, and significantly simpler, proof of a slightly stronger statement. We show two applications of this strengthened result: an easy proof of a the...

Most dermatologists can perform cosmetic mole removals (this is not something to try at home with your trusty disposable razor). To take off an elevated mole, a dermatologist numbs the area with local anesthetic and then shaves off the raised section of the mole with a sterile scalpel. The healing process usually leaves a flat scar that's somewhat lighter than the rest of your skin. Sometimes t...

A five-year-old dog was referred with a five-month history of lethargy, decreased appetite, cough and intermittent forelimb lameness. Radiographs revealed an intra-thoracic lesion and a marked periosteal bone apposition of the second digit on the left forelimb. As it was palisading and circumferential, the latter appeared typical of hypertrophic osteopathy (HO). A grass awn in a sub-lobar ramif...

Platelet-activating factor – acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) – of boar seminal plasma is a heterogeneous protein consisting of four polypeptides with molecular weights of 43, 55, 65 and 100 kDa. In 2004 the authors of the current report demonstrated that the N-terminal amino acid sequence of 43 kDa polypeptide is homologous with the amino acid sequences of the IgG-binding proteins and zona pellucida-b...

A two-year-old female Lucerne Hound was presented with a one-week history of signs of progressive neck pain, inappetence, apathy, and an elevated rectal temperature. Findings of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were consistent with a foreign body abscess in the epidural space at the level of the first and second cervical vertebrae. A left-sided dorso-lateral atlantoaxial approach was performed,...

Ratcheting surfaces are a common motif in nature and appear in plant awns and grasses. They are known to proffer selective advantages for seed dispersion and burial. In two simple model experiments, we show that these anisotropically toothed surfaces naturally serve as motion rectifiers and generically move in a unidirectional manner, when subjected to temporally and spatially symmetric excitat...