README.md

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title: README
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# AI & Computer Vision Research Hub 
**Led by Dr. Silvia Cascianelli**

Welcome to our AI & Computer Vision research hub. We focus on exploring cutting-edge techniques in **image generation**, **handwriting imitation**, and **document understanding**, while fostering an environment that emphasizes mentorship and collaboration. Below, you’ll find highlights of our recent projects and the brilliant minds collaborating on them.

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## Table of Contents
1. [Introduction](#introduction)  
2. [Recent Projects](#recent-projects)  
   - [Image Generation](#image-generation)  
   - [Handwriting Imitation](#handwriting-imitation)  
   - [Document Understanding](#document-understanding)  
3. [Our Team](#our-team--mentorees)

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## Introduction
We are a group of researchers delving into challenges at the forefront of AI. We tackle complex tasks in AI-driven content creation, strive to replicate distinctive handwriting styles, and unlock insights from historical and modern documents. 

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## Recent Projects

### Image Generation
We have developed efficient and lightweight methods to generate images with desired characteristics. Our work particularly explores how **Diffusion Models** can be adapted at inference time to produce semantically coherent or uniquely formatted images.

- **Merging and Splitting Diffusion Paths for Semantically Coherent Panoramas**  
  [Fabio Quattrini, Vittorio Pippi, Silvia Cascianelli, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2408.15660](https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.15660)

- **Alfie: Democratising RGBA Image Generation With No $$$**  
  [Fabio Quattrini, Vittorio Pippi, Silvia Cascianelli, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2408.14826](https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.14826)

### Handwriting Imitation
Our research explores algorithms to generate images of text in various handwriting styles, how to evaluate the generated results, and how these findings can be applied in real-world contexts (e.g., personalized text rendering).

- **VATr++: Choose Your Words Wisely for Handwritten Text Generation**  
  [Bram Vanherle, Vittorio Pippi, Silvia Cascianelli, Nick Michiels, Frank Von Reeth, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2402.10798](https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.10798)

- **Handwritten Text Generation from Visual Archetypes**  
  [Vittorio Pippi, Silvia Cascianelli, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2303.15269](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15269)

- **HWD: A Novel Evaluation Score for Styled Handwritten Text Generation**  
  [Vittorio Pippi, Fabio Quattrini, Silvia Cascianelli, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2310.20316](https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.20316)

- **How to Choose Pretrained HTR Models for Single Writer Fine-Tuning**  
  [Vittorio Pippi, Silvia Cascianelli, Christopher Kermorvant, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2305.02593](https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.02593)

### Document Understanding
From analyzing complex 2D/3D scans of historical papyri to modern ESG reports, our team builds systems to detect ink traces, parse text, interpret layout, and uncover valuable writer-centric details.

- **μgat: Improving Single-Page Document Parsing by Providing Multi-Page Context**  
  [Carmine Zaccagnino, Fabio Quattrini, Silvia Cascianelli, Laura Righi, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2408.15646](https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.15646)

- **Volumetric FFC for Detecting Ink on the Carbonized Herculaneum Papyri**  
  [Fabio Quattrini, Vittorio Pippi, Silvia Cascianelli, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2308.05070](https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.05070)

- **Evaluating Synthetic Pre-Training for Handwriting Processing Tasks**  
  [Vittorio Pippi, Silvia Cascianelli, Lorenzo Baraldi, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2304.01842](https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01842)

- **The LAM Dataset: A Novel Benchmark for Line-Level Handwritten Text Recognition**  
  [Silvia Cascianelli, Vittorio Pippi, Martin Maarand, Marcella Cornia, Lorenzo Baraldi, Christopher Kermorvant, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2208.08109](https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.08109)

- **Boosting Modern and Historical HTR with Deformable Convolutions**  
  [Silvia Cascianelli, Marcella Cornia, Lorenzo Baraldi, Rita Cucchiara]  
  [arXiv:2305.02593](https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.02593)

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## Our Team
A significant part of our success comes from a dedicated group of researchers, interns, and students:

- **Silvia Cascianelli**: Assistant Professor.  
  *Lorem, ipsum, and dolor.*
  **[Homepage](https:www.silviacascianelli.com)**  

  
- **Vittorio Pippi**: PhD student (National PhD in AI); recently interned at Amazon Research Berlin.  
  *Grounded, generous, and sharp.*
  **[Homepage](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vittorio-pippi/)**  

- **Fabio Quattrini**: PhD student at UniMoRe; also interning at Amazon Research Berlin.  
  *Creative, kind, and direct.*
  **[Homepage](https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabio-quattrini-8b0a18244/)** 

- **Carmine Zaccagnino**: Recent MSc graduate and current research intern at UniMoRe.  
  *Hardworking, proactive, and passionate.*
  **[Homepage](https://github.com/carzacc)** 

- **Pau Torras Coloma**: PhD student at CVC-UAB; spent 1.5 months at UniMoRe as a visiting intern.  
  *Committed, curious, and adaptable.*
  **[Homepage](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pau-torras-coloma-69918a1b0/?originalSubdomain=es)** 

- **Bram Vanherle**: CV Engineer at Colruyt Group Smart Innovation; spent 5 months of internship at UniMoRe.  
  *Concrete, easygoing, and consistently solid.*
  **[Homepage](https://bvanherle.github.io/)** 

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## Contact
Thank you for your interest! If you find our work compelling or would like to discuss potential collaborations, please reach out:

- **Email**: scascianelli\[at\]unimore\[dot\]it  
- **LinkedIn**: [linkedin.com/in/silvia-cascianelli-330760104](https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvia-cascianelli-330760104/)  

We look forward to hearing from you!