LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Sampling of the anterior apical region results in increased cancer detection and upgrading in transrectal repeat saturation biopsy of the prostate.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether biopsy cores taken via a transrectal approach from the anterior apical region of the prostate in a repeat-biopsy population can result in an increased overall cancer detection rate and in more accurate assessment of the Gleason score.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
The study was a prospective, randomised (end-fire vs side-fire ultrasound probe) evaluation of 288 men by repeat transrectal saturation biopsy with 28 cores taken from the transition zone, base, mid-lobar, anterior and the anterior apical region located ventro-laterally to the urethra of the peripheral zone.


RESULTS
The overall prostate cancer detection rate was 44.4%. Improvement of the overall detection rate by 7.8% could be achieved with additional biopsies of the anterior apical region. Two tumours featuring a Gleason score 7 could only be detected in the anterior apical region. In three cases (2.34%) Gleason score upgrading was achieved by separate analysis of each positive core of the anterior apical region. A five-fold higher cancer detection rate in the anterior apical region compared with the transition zone could be shown.


CONCLUSION
Sampling of the anterior apical region results in higher overall cancer detection rate in repeat transrectal saturation biopsies of the prostate. Specimens from this region can detect clinically significant cancer, improve accuracy of the Gleason Scoring and therefore may alter therapy.
Does China have an impact on foreign direct investment to Latin America

We analyze empirically whether the emergence of China as a large recipient of FDI has affected the amount of FDI received by Latin American countries. For the longest time span possible given data availability (from 1984 to 2001), we do not find a substitution from Latin American inward FDI to China, when other relevant factors are taken into account. However, concentrating on the last few years (from 1995 to 2001), when FDI boomed worldwide and negotiations for China’s WTO membership accelerated, the “Chinese” effect becomes highly significant. Assessing the impact country by country, China’s inward FDI appears to have hampered that of Mexico and Colombia.
A path analysis of the effects of the doctor-patient encounter and expectancy in an open-label randomized trial of spinal manipulation for the care of low back pain

BACKGROUND
The doctor-patient encounter (DPE) and associated patient expectations are potential confounders in open-label randomized trials of treatment efficacy. It is therefore important to evaluate the effects of the DPE on study outcomes.


METHODS
Four hundred participants with chronic low back pain (LBP) were randomized to four dose groups: 0, 6, 12, or 18 sessions of spinal manipulation from a chiropractor. Participants were treated three times per week for six weeks. They received light massage control at visits when manipulation was not scheduled. Treating chiropractors were instructed to have equal enthusiasm for both interventions. A path analysis was conducted to determine the effects of dose, patient expectations of treatment success, and DPE on LBP intensity (100-point scale) at the end of care (6 weeks) and primary endpoint (12 weeks). Direct, indirect, and total standardized effects (βtotal) were computed. Expectations and DPE were evaluated on Likert scales. The DPE was assessed as patient-rated perception of chiropractor enthusiasm, confidence, comfort with care, and time spent.


RESULTS
The DPE was successfully balanced across groups, as were baseline expectations. The principal finding was that the magnitude of the effects of DPE on LBP at 6 and 12 weeks (|β|total = 0.22 and 0.15, p < .05) were comparable to the effects of dose of manipulation at those times (|β|total = 0.11 and 0.12, p < .05). In addition, baseline expectations had no notable effect on follow-up LBP. Subsequent expectations were affected by LBP, DPE, and dose (p < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
The DPE can have a relatively important effect on outcomes in open-label randomized trials of treatment efficacy. Therefore, attempts should be made to balance the DPE across treatment groups and report degree of success in study publications. We balanced the DPE across groups with minimal training of treatment providers.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00376350.
Use of CDMA Acoustic Telemetry to Document 3-D Positions of Fish: Relevance to the Design and Monitoring of Aquatic Protected Areas

Knowledge of animal spatial ecology is essential for the design and siting of proposed aquatic protected areas (APAs), as well as the assessment and monitoring of existing ones. Acoustic telemetry is one of the primary tools for the assessment of animal movements in aquatic systems through either manual tracking or the establishment of fixed receiving stations. Recent technological developments in code division multiple access (CDMA) acoustic telemetry now enable the simultaneous real-time monitoring of numerous individual fish at fine time scales providing APA researchers with a robust new tool. Fish can be positioned in three-dimensions with sub-meter accuracy in both deep and shallow waters. Here, we describe a whole-lake environmental observatory that includes a 13-hydrophone acoustic telemetry array that has been used to monitor the position of 22 tagged fish at 15 sec intervals. Although we use a freshwater fish and environment as a case study, this telemetry system is equally useful for marine environments including under-ice. We evaluate the applicability of CDMA MAP technology to address pressing questions in applied APA research. The CDMA MAP system provides the flexibility to collect information at multiple spatialtemporal scales, responding to the varied levels of detail and precision required for different applications in APA research. When combined with the suite of other telemetry and monitoring approaches available, CDMA MAP technology will enable researchers to document the spatial ecology essential for improving APA science. Furthermore, because numerous animals from different trophic levels can be tracked in real time, CDMA MAP technology will also aid in our understanding of complex community-level dynamics consistent with the shift towards ecosystem-based APA management. E Roly Tinline Warner Lake Ecological Observatory Consortium, Queen’s University Biology Station, Department of Biology, Queen’s University Geographic Information Systems Laboratory, Department of Geography, Queen’s University David P. Philipp Warner Lake Ecological Observatory Consortium, Queen’s University Biology Station, Department of Biology, Queen’s University Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Illinois, and Center for Aquatic Ecology and Conservation, Illinois Natural History Survey I N T R O D U C T I O N fforts to conserve and restore both marine and freshwater environments are increasingly focusing on the use of aquatic protected areas (APAs) (Murray et al., 1999; Houde and Roberts, 2004). These protected areas are intended to achieve a diverse array of objectives such as protection of critical habitat, reduction of fishing effort and harvest (i.e., exploitation), and provision of spawning and recruitment refugia (Polunin, 2002; Shipley, 2004). Despite some disparate results, a growing accumulation of research supports the notion that aquatic protected areas are effective strategies for managing and conserving both freshwater (Saunders et al., 2002; Crivelli, 2002) and marine (Mosquera et
Assessment of the relationship between the maxillary molars and adjacent structures using cone beam computed tomography

PURPOSE
This study investigated the relationship between the roots of the maxillary molars and the maxillary sinus using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), and measured the distances between the roots of the maxillary molars and the sinus floor as well as the thickness of the bone between the root and the alveolar cortical plate.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study sample consisted of 83 patients with normally erupted bilateral maxillary first and second molars. A total of 332 maxillary molars were examined using CBCT images. The vertical relationship of each root with the maxillary sinus was classified into four types on CBCT cross-sectional images. The distance between the sinus floor and root and the bone thickness between the root and alveolar cortical plate were measured.


RESULTS
In the buccal roots of the maxillary molars, a root protruding into the sinus occurred most frequently. A root projecting laterally along the sinus cavity was most common in the palatal roots of the maxillary first molars. The mesiobuccal roots of the maxillary second molar were closest to the sinus. The mesiobuccal roots of the first molars were closest to the cortical plate.


CONCLUSION
The relationship between the roots of the maxillary molars and the sinus differed between the buccal and palatal roots. A root protruding into the sinus occurred more frequent in the buccal roots of the maxillary molars. The mesiobuccal root of the maxillary second molar was closest to the maxillary sinus floor and farthest from the alveolar cortical plate.
Coping and Psychological Distress in Mothers of Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

The purpose of this study was to describe coping in mothers of adolescents with type 1 diabetes and to examine the association among mothers’ diabetes-related stress and coping strategies and maternal psychological distress (e.g., symptoms of anxiety and depression), adolescent adjustment (e.g., symptoms of depression, quality of life), diabetes-related family conflict, and glycemic control. One hundred and eighteen mother-adolescent dyads completed measures of diabetes-related stress, coping, symptoms of anxiety and depression, quality of life, and family conflict. Data on glycemic control were collected from adolescents’ medical charts. Single/divorced mothers and mothers of color were significantly more likely to use disengagement coping strategies (e.g., avoidance) than White and married/partnered mothers. Mothers’ use of primary control coping (e.g., problem solving) and secondary control coping (e.g., acceptance) strategies was related to fewer symptoms of anxiety (r = − .51, −.39) and depression (r = − .32, −.37) and less family conflict (r = − .22, −.30, all p < .05). Mothers’ use of disengagement coping strategies was related to greater symptoms of anxiety (r = .30) and depression (r = .27, both p < .01). Further, secondary control coping was found to mediate the relationship between diabetes-related stress and maternal symptoms of anxiety and depression. Maternal coping was not significantly associated with adolescent outcomes. The ways in which mothers of adolescents with type 1 diabetes cope with diabetes-related stress are associated with psychological distress and family conflict. By identifying and improving mothers’ coping through screening and targeted interventions, we may have the potential to improve both maternal and adolescent outcomes.
Hybrid DWT-DCT algorithm for image and video compression applications

I agree that the Library, University of Saskatchewan, may make this thesis freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted to the professors who supervised the thesis work recorded herein or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering or the Dean of the College of Engineering. It is understood that due recognition will be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any use of the material in this thesis. Copying or publication or any other use of this thesis for financial gain without approval by the University of Saskatchewan and my written permission is prohibited. ABSTRACT Digital image and video in their raw form require an enormous amount of storage capacity. Considering the important role played by digital imaging and video, it is necessary to develop a system that produces high degree of compression while preserving critical image/video information. There are various transformation techniques used for data compression. Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) are the most commonly used transformation. DCT has high energy compaction property and requires less computational resources. On the other hand, DWT is multiresolution transformation. In this work, we propose a hybrid DWT-DCT algorithm for image compression and reconstruction taking benefit from the advantages of both algorithms. The algorithm performs the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) on the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) coefficients. Simulations have been conducted on several natural, benchmark, medical and endoscopic images. Several QCIF, high definition, and endoscopic videos have also been used to demonstrate the advantage of the proposed scheme. The simulation results show that the proposed hybrid DWT-DCT algorithm performs much better than the standalone JPEG-based DCT, DWT, and WHT algorithms in terms of peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), as well as visual perception at higher compression ratio. The new scheme reduces " false contouring " and " blocking artifacts " significantly. The rate distortion analysis shows that for a fixed level of distortion, the number of bits required to transmit the hybrid coefficients would be less than those required for other schemes Furthermore, the proposed algorithm is also compared with the some existing hybrid algorithms. The comparison results show that, the proposed hybrid algorithm has better performance and reconstruction quality. The proposed scheme is intended to be used as the image/video compressor engine in imaging …
The Energy Management and Optimized Operation of Electric Vehicles Based on Microgrid

The regional energy management and optimized operating strategies of electric vehicles (EVs) and battery swapping station (BSS) are proposed in this paper based on smart microgrid according to the effects of the utility grid caused by uncoordinated charging of EVs and BSS. A price-incentive model is utilized to generate the management strategy to coordinate the charging of EVs and BSS to minimize the total cost of EVs and maximize the profit of BSS in grid-connected mode. In islanded mode, based on the power balance between renewable electric sources and loads, the fuzzy control method is applied to produce the service price of EV according to its state of charge. Combined with the interruptible-load scheduling, the energy management and dispatch of EVs and BSS are optimized to minimize the operational cost and maximize the benefit of islanded microgrid. The main optimization problems are formulated as a cost minimizing problem and a profit maximizing one, which are implemented in A Modeling Language for Mathematical Programming. The effectiveness of the proposed strategies for the optimized operation of EVs and BSS is validated by case studies. The approach given in this paper also provides ideas about the optimal operation of a future smart grid with the booming of EVs.
Risk-Sensitive Optimal Control for Markov Decision Processes with Monotone Cost

The existence of an optimal feedback law is established for the risk sensitive optimal control problem with denumerable state space. The main assumptions imposed are irreducibility, and a near monotonicity condition on the one-step cost function. It is found that a solution can be found constructively using either value iteration or policy iteration under suitable conditions on initial feedback law.
Instability of the emission current of a cathode based on carbon fibers

Abstract Carbon materials used as field electron cathodes refer to nanostructured materials. Field emission of such materials occurs with micro-protrusions having characteristic sizes from 0.1 to 100 nm. Field emission cathodes made of carbon materials are currently used in various fields of vacuum electronics. Carbon can be in various forms: for example, graphite, amorphous carbon, fullerenes, nanotubes. One of the many types of carbon materials are polyacrylonitrile carbon fibers (PAN). Such types of carbon materials are widely used for manufacturing cathodes with field emission for general purposed lamps [1]. This paper will discuss the method of plasma-chemical treatment with a corresponding apparatus and instability of field emission current from the cathode based on carbon fiber (PAN). After etching process of the cathode, a cathode with modulator using a carbon-fiber field emitter has been constructed and produced field emission current. We have performed some test of the field emission fluctuations from a carbon-fiber field emitter and examined the instability of the current at a system pressure of 10 -6 torr.
Hepatoprotective and inhibition of oxidative stress in liver of Prostechea michuacana.

Methanol, hexane and chloroform extracts of Prostechea michuacana (EMM) were studied against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatic injury in albino rats. Pre-treatment with methanolic extract reduced biochemical markers of hepatic injury like serum Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels demonstrated dose dependant reduction in the in vivo peroxidation induced by CCl4. Likewise, pretreatment with extracts from EMM on paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity and the possible mechanism involved in this protection were also investigated in rats. The extracts of EMM at 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg were administered. The degree of protection was measured by using biochemical parameters such as serum transaminase (GOT and GPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) and bilirubin. The methanol extract of orchid produced significant hepatoprotective effect by decreasing the activity of serum enzymes, and bilirubin. These results suggest that EMM could protect from paracetamol-induced lipid peroxidation eliminating the deleterious effects of toxic metabolites from paracetamol. Hexane and chloroform extracts did not show any effect. This hepatoprotective activity was comparable with sylmarin. The results obtained in the present study indicate that the MEMC can be a potential source of natural hepatoprotective agent.
Multi-domain dialogue success classifiers for policy training

We propose a method for constructing dialogue success classifiers that are capable of making accurate predictions in domains unseen during training. Pooling and adaptation are also investigated for constructing multi-domain models when data is available in the new domain. This is achieved by reformulating the features input to the recurrent neural network models introduced in [1]. Importantly, on our task of main interest, this enables policy training in a new domain without the dialogue success classifier (which forms the reinforcement learning reward function) ever having seen data from that domain before. This occurs whilst incurring only a small reduction in performance relative to developing and using an in-domain dialogue success classifier. Finally, given the motivation with these dialogue success classifiers is to enable policy training with real users, we demonstrate that these initial policy training results obtained with a simulated user carry over to learning from paid human users.
A Relational View of Information Seeking and Learning in Social Networks

Research in organizational learning has demonstrated processes and occasionally performance implications of acquisition of declarative (know-what) and procedural (know-how) knowledge. However, considerably less attention has been paid to learned characteristics of relationships that affect the decision to seek information from other people. Based on a review of the social network, information processing, and organizational learning literatures, along with the results of a previous qualitative study, we propose a formal model of information seeking in which the probability of seeking information from another person is a function of (1) knowing what that person knows; (2) valuing what that person knows; (3) being able to gain timely access to that person’s thinking; and (4) perceiving that seeking information from that person would not be too costly. We also hypothesize that the knowing, access, and cost variables mediate the relationship between physical proximity and information seeking. The model is tested using two separate research sites to provide replication. The results indicate strong support for the model and the mediation hypothesis (with the exception of the cost variable). Implications are drawn for the study of both transactive memory and organizational learning, as well as for management practice. (Information; Social Networks; Organizational Learning; Transactive Knowledge)
Voice search in mobile applications and the use of linked open data

We describe our approach on voice seach in a mobile context by a TV guide search app that integrates linked open data to identify movies from a search query. A text parser to match keywords against vocabularies and numerical value descriptors is introduced.
Face recognition for web-scale datasets

With millions of users and billions of photos, web-scale face recognition is a challenging task that demands speed, accuracy, and scalability. Most current approaches do not address and do not scale well to Internet-sized scenarios such as tagging friends or finding celebrities. Focusing on web-scale face identification, we gather an 800,000 face dataset from the Facebook social network that models real-world situations where specific faces must be recognized and unknown identities rejected. We propose a novel Linearly Approximated Sparse Representation-based Classification (LASRC) algorithm that uses linear regression to perform sample selection for ‘-minimization, thus harnessing the speed of least-squares and the robustness of sparse solutions such as SRC. Our efficient LASRC algorithm achieves comparable performance to SRC with a 100–250 times speedup and exhibits similar recall to SVMs with much faster training. Extensive tests demonstrate our proposed approach is competitive on pair-matching verification tasks and outperforms current state-of-the-art algorithms on open-universe identification in uncontrolled, web-scale scenarios. 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The YouTube Social Network

Today, YouTube is the largest user-driven video content provider in the world; it has become a major platform for disseminating multimedia information. A major contribution to its success comes from the user-touser social experience that differentiates it from traditional content broadcasters. This work examines the social network aspect of YouTube by measuring the fullscale YouTube subscription graph, comment graph, and video content corpus. We find YouTube to deviate significantly from network characteristics that mark traditional online social networks, such as homophily, reciprocative linking, and assortativity. However, comparing to reported characteristics of another content-driven online social network, Twitter, YouTube is remarkably similar. Examining the social and content facets of user popularity, we find a stronger correlation between a user’s social popularity and his/her most popular content as opposed to typical content popularity. Finally, we demonstrate an application of our measurements for classifying YouTube Partners, who are selected users that share YouTube’s advertisement revenue. Results are motivating despite the highly imbalanced nature of the classification problem.
Multimodality and speech technology: verbal and non-verbal communication in talking agents

This paper presents methods for the acquisition and modelling of verbal and non-verbal communicative signals for the use in animated talking agents. This work diverges from the traditional focus on the acoustics of speech in speech technology and will be of importance for the realization of future multimodal interfaces, some experimental examples of which are presented at the end of the paper.