LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
A comparative performance study of several global thresholding techniques for segmentation

A comparative performance study of five global thresholding algorithms for image segmentation was investigated. An image database with a wide variety of histogram distributions was constructed. The histogram distribution was changed by varying the object size and the mean difference between object and background. The performance of five algorithms was evaluated using the criterion functions such as the probability of error, shape, and uniformity measures. Attempts also have been made to evaluate the performance of each algorithm on the noisy image. Computer simulation results reveal that most algorithms perform consistently well on images with a bimodal histogram. However, all algorithms break down for a certain ratio of population of object and background pixels in an image, which in practice may arise quite frequently. Also, our experiments show that the performances of the thresholding algorithms discussed in this paper are data-dependent. Some analysis is presented for each of the five algorithms based on the performance measures.
Preparing nurse leaders for 2020.

AIM
This article highlights eight leadership competencies likely to be an essential part of the nurse leader's repertoire in 2020.


BACKGROUND
Planning for the future is difficult, even when environments are relatively static. When environments are dynamic, the challenges multiply exponentially. Unfortunately, few environments have been more unpredictable in the 21st century than health care. The healthcare system is in chaos, as is much of the business world. It is critical then that contemporary nursing and healthcare leaders identify skill sets that will be needed by nurse leaders in 2020 and begin now to create the educational models and management development programs necessary to assure these skills are present.


RESULTS
Essential nurse leader competencies for 2020 include: (i) A global perspective or mindset regarding healthcare and professional nursing issues. (ii) Technology skills which facilitate mobility and portability of relationships, interactions, and operational processes. (iii) Expert decision-making skills rooted in empirical science. (iv) The ability to create organization cultures that permeate quality healthcare and patient/worker safety. (v) Understanding and appropriately intervening in political processes. (vi) Highly developed collaborative and team building skills. (vii) The ability to balance authenticity and performance expectations. (viii) Being able to envision and proactively adapt to a healthcare system characterized by rapid change and chaos.


CONCLUSIONS
Nursing education programmes and healthcare organizations must be begin now to prepare nurses to be effective leaders in 2020. This will require the formal education and training that are a part of most management development programmes as well as a development of appropriate attitudes through social learning. Proactive succession planning will also be key to having nurse leaders who can respond effectively to the new challenges and opportunities that will be presented to them in 2020.
Shill Bidding In Multi-Round Online Auctions

The online implementation of traditional business mechanisms raises many new issues not considered in classical economic models. This partially explains why online auctions have become the most successful but also the most controversial Internet businesses in the recent years. One emerging issue is that the lack of authentication over the Internet has encouraged shill bidding, the deliberate placing of bids on the seller’s behalf to artificially drive up the price of the seller’s auctioned item. Private-value English auctions with shill bidding can result in a higher expected seller profit than other auction formats [1], violating the classical revenue equivalence theory. This paper analyzes shill bidding in multi-round online English auctions and proves that there is no equilibrium without shill bidding. Taking into account the seller’s shills and relistings, bidders with valuations even higher than the reserve will either wait for the next round or shield their bids in the current round. Hence, it is inevitable to redesign online auctions to deal with the “shiller’s curse.”
Geometric Entropy of Self-Gravitating Systems

We shall review different approaches to the entropy of self-gravitating systems inGeneral Relativity. Then we shall discuss in detail the macroscopic approach based on a la `Clausius point of view. Recent developments will be reviewed discussing the aims as well asthe assumptions which the framework is based on.
Trajectory Planning for a Four-Wheel-Steering Vehicle

This paper develops a trajectory planning algorithm for a four-wheel-steering (4WS) vehicle based on vehicle kinematics. The flexibility offered by the steering is utilized fully in the trajectory planning. A two-part trajectory planning algorithm consists of the steering planning and velocity planning. The limits of vehicle mechanism and drive torque are taken into account. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the application of the proposed algorithm. Introduction Research works on Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGV) have been extensively carried out in the last four decades, and still in the process of rapid development at present. One application of AGV has been explored in harbor automation operation. Figure 1 shows an AGV for transporting cargo containers in harbor area. In order to move in cluster space within the harbor with flexibility, the vehicle structure is designed so that all the four wheels can be driven and steered individually. This kind of vehicle is referred to as a Four-Wheel-Steering (4WS) vehicle. Figure 1 A 4WS vehicle for cargo transport The problem of trajectory planning and generation is to design the configuration of the vehicle motion as a function of time, as well as generate corresponding reference inputs to the trajectory tracking system so that the vehicle will move along a specified path. The vehicle trajectory planning is not as well researched as that of vehicle path planning, and to our knowledge, only several works [2] [4][12] addressed this problem. This paper develops a methodology that consists of so-called rotation planning and translation planning for the trajectory planning for 4WS vehicles. The methodology utilizes the flexibility of the 4WS vehicle to plan the vehicle orientation. Vehicle Kinematic Analysis Under the basic assumptions of planar motion, rigid body and non-slippage of tire, the large size vehicle with four steering wheels as shown in Figure 1 can be approximated using a bicycle model. To describe the vehicle motion, a global coordinate X-Y is fixed on the horizontal plane on which the vehicle moves. The motion status of the vehicle at an arbitrary moment can be described using the Bicycle Model as illustrated in Figure 2.
Inuit vulnerability and adaptive capacity to climate change in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada

Climate change is already being experienced in the Arctic with implications for ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. This paper argues that an assessment of community vulnerability to climate change requires knowledge of past experience with climate conditions, responses to climatic variations, future climate change projections, and non-climate factors that influence people’s susceptibility and adaptive capacity. The paper documents and describes exposure sensitivities to climate change experienced in the community of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories and the adaptive strategies employed. It is based on collaborative research involving semistructured interviews, secondary sources of information, and participant observations. In the context of subsistence hunting, changes in temperature, seasonal patterns (for example timing and nature of the spring melt), sea ice and wind dynamics, and weather variability have affected the health and availability of some species of wildlife important for subsistence and have exacerbated risks associated with hunting and travel. Inuit in Ulukhaktok are coping with these changes by taking extra precautions when travelling, shifting modes of transportation, travel routes and hunting areas to deal with changing trail conditions, switching species harvested, and supplementing their diet with store bought foods. Limited access to capital resources, changing levels of traditional knowledge and land skills, and substance abuse were identified as key constraints to adaptation. The research demonstrates the need to consider the perspectives and experiences of local people for climate change research to have practical relevance to Arctic communities such as for the development and promotion of adaptive strategies.
Non-thrombotic Abnormalities on Lower Extremity Venous Duplex Ultrasound Examinations

INTRODUCTION
Emergency physician-performed compression ultrasonography focuses primarily on the evaluation of the proximal veins of the lower extremity in patients with suspected deep venous thrombosis (DVT). A detailed sonographic evaluation of lower extremity is not performed. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of non-thrombotic findings on comprehensive lower extremity venous duplex ultrasound (US) examinations performed on emergency department (ED) patients.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective six-year review of an academic ED's records of adult patients who underwent a comprehensive lower extremity duplex venous US examination for the evaluation of DVT. The entire US report was thoroughly reviewed for non-thrombotic findings.


RESULTS
We detected non-thrombotic findings in 263 (11%, 95% CI [9.5-11.9%]) patients. Among the non-thrombotic findings, venous valvular incompetence (81, 30%) was the most frequent, followed by cyst/mass (41, 15%), lymphadenopathy (33, 12%), phlebitis (12, 4.5%), hematoma (8, 3%), cellulitis (1, 0.3%) and other (6, 2.2%).


CONCLUSION
In our study, we detected a variety of non-thrombotic abnormalities on comprehensive lower extremity venous duplex US examinations performed on ED patients. Some of these abnormalities could be clinically significant and potentially be detected with point-of-care lower extremity US examinations if the symptomatic region is evaluated. In addition to assessment of the proximal veins for DVT, we recommend sonographic evaluation of the symptomatic area in the lower extremity when performing point-of-care ultrasound examinations to identify non-thrombotic abnormalities that may require immediate intervention or close follow up.
Programmers are people, too

I would like to start out this article with an odd, yet surprisingly uncontroversial assertion, which is this: programmers are human. 
 I wish to use this as a premise to explore how to improve the programmer’s lot. So, please, no matter your opinion on the subject, grant me this assumption for the sake of argument.
IT Governance Mechanisms in Public Sector Organisations: An Australian Context

Information technology plays a significant role enabling organisations to achieve their objectives. Accordingly, the governance mechanisms over the organisation’s IT resources must be in place and operating effectively if the organization is to achieve its objectives. The concern with IT governance is not only evident in the private sector but also in the public sector. This study attempts to examine empirically the individual IT governance mechanisms that influence the overall effectiveness of IT governance in Australian public sector organisations. Using sample data from auditors who currently work in Australian public sector organisations, this study examined the influence of four proposed individual IT governance mechanisms on the overall effectiveness of IT governance. This study found significant positive relationships between the existence of an IT strategy committee and corporate (organisational) communication systems, and the overall level of effective IT governance within Australian public sector organisations.
New Zealand Rural General Practitioners 1999 Survey--Part 3: rural general practitioners speak out.

AIMS
To describe themes about rural general practice from the written responses in the 'New Zealand Rural GPs 1999 Survey'.


METHODS
A postal questionnaire surveyed all rural general practitioners (GPs) in New Zealand (NZ), who were asked for comments or suggestions about rural general practice. These responses were explored for themes about rural practice.


RESULTS
Of 338 completed questionnaires (response rate--75%), 138 contained written responses. The positive themes of rural general practice included: forming strong relationships with patients and the community, and practising the full spectrum of general practice, including emergency medicine. The negative themes included: heavy workloads, frequent on-call, inability to get time off, and feeling undervalued and underpaid by funders. Retention solutions included: better pay to adequately reflect the skills and workload, more salaried positions with guaranteed working conditions, and better rural continuing education. Recruitment solutions included: reducing barriers for foreign doctors to enter NZ, establishing a rural GP career pathway, and increasing the number of rural registrars.


CONCLUSIONS
This study highlights both the positive and negative features of NZ rural general practice, and makes it clear that further concerted and sustained action is required to improve retention and recruitment. The GPs' written comments provide detail on the challenges facing rural general practice, as well as informed comment about potential solutions.
BIGSdb: Scalable analysis of bacterial genome variation at the population level

The opportunities for bacterial population genomics that are being realised by the application of parallel nucleotide sequencing require novel bioinformatics platforms. These must be capable of the storage, retrieval, and analysis of linked phenotypic and genotypic information in an accessible, scalable and computationally efficient manner. The Bacterial Isolate Genome Sequence Database (BIGSDB) is a scalable, open source, web-accessible database system that meets these needs, enabling phenotype and sequence data, which can range from a single sequence read to whole genome data, to be efficiently linked for a limitless number of bacterial specimens. The system builds on the widely used mlstdbNet software, developed for the storage and distribution of multilocus sequence typing (MLST) data, and incorporates the capacity to define and identify any number of loci and genetic variants at those loci within the stored nucleotide sequences. These loci can be further organised into 'schemes' for isolate characterisation or for evolutionary or functional analyses. Isolates and loci can be indexed by multiple names and any number of alternative schemes can be accommodated, enabling cross-referencing of different studies and approaches. LIMS functionality of the software enables linkage to and organisation of laboratory samples. The data are easily linked to external databases and fine-grained authentication of access permits multiple users to participate in community annotation by setting up or contributing to different schemes within the database. Some of the applications of BIGSDB are illustrated with the genera Neisseria and Streptococcus. The BIGSDB source code and documentation are available at http://pubmlst.org/software/database/bigsdb/ . Genomic data can be used to characterise bacterial isolates in many different ways but it can also be efficiently exploited for evolutionary or functional studies. BIGSDB represents a freely available resource that will assist the broader community in the elucidation of the structure and function of bacteria by means of a population genomics approach.
Research Guides: Electrical & Computer Engineering: General Searching

This guide identifies resources for Electrical & Computer Engineering found in Pius XII Memorial Library and on the Web.
Rotational atherectomy of undilatable coronary stents: stentablation, a clinical perspective and recommendation.

AIMS
Our aim was to examine procedural viability and midterm outcomes following the use of rotational atherectomy (RA) on malapposed, crippled, otherwise non-salvageable metallic stents (i.e., stentablation [SA]), and convey important procedural pointers for practitioners encountering such situations.


METHODS AND RESULTS
Data on twelve SA subjects were analysed. The primary endpoint was procedural success: effective ablation of the malapposed stent and successful implantation of a new device. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and all-cause death at six months following the index procedure were examined as a secondary endpoint. All twelve patients underwent successful SA and novel stent implantation, with sufficient salvage of coronary anatomy (residual stenosis <30%). At six-month follow-up, however, MACE amounted to 50% and all-cause mortality to 25% in the inspected subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that, although feasible as an acute salvage option, SA distinctively increases post-procedural midterm MACE and mortality rates. This places emphasis on the importance of avoiding eventual SA situations, underlining the importance of ample lesion preparation prior to stent implantation.
School and District Culture as Reflected in Student Voices and Student Achievement

The research looked at the relation between positive and negative student attitudes about schools, district culture, and student achievement. In this study, perceptions of students as expressed in more than 2,000 essays written about their schools are explored to see if they represent the norms, assumptions and beliefs of the larger school district. The study identified seven categories of culture in student essays. Differences across grade levels and across districts in the frequency of these categories were determined. Statistical differences were found for three categories according to whether the district culture was rated as positive or negative, and whether students revealed a positive or negative view of their schools. Statistically significant predictors for writing achievement were found for three of the culture categories. This study confirms Kanter’s notion that a Culture of Pride fosters a Climate of Success. Further, it suggests that district culture has a noticeable effect on school culture and is felt in the lives of students.
The poverty impacts of climate change: a review of the evidence

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. Climate change is believed to represent a serious challenge to poverty reduction efforts around the globe. This paper conducts an up-to-date review of three main strands of the literature analyzing the poverty impacts of climate change : (i) economy-wide growth models incorporating climate change impacts to work out consistent scenarios for how climate change might affect the path of poverty over the next decades; (ii) studies focusing on the poverty impacts of climate change in the agricultural sector; and (iii) studies exploring how past climate variability impacts poverty. The analysis finds that the majority of the estimates of the poverty impacts tend to ignore the effect of aggregate economic growth on poverty and household welfare. The empirical This paper is a product of the Poverty Reduction and Equity Unit, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network. It is part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around the world. Policy Research Working Papers are also posted on the Web at evidence available to date suggests that climate change will slow the pace of global poverty reduction, but the expected poverty impact will be relatively modest and far from reversing the major decline in poverty that is expected to occur over the next 40 years as a result of continued economic growth. The studies focusing on the sector-specific channels of impacts of climate change suggest that the estimated impacts of climate change on agricultural yields are generally a poor predictor of the poverty impacts of climate change at the national level due to heterogeneity in the ability of households to adapt. It also appears that the impacts of climate change are generally regressive, that is, they fall more heavily on …
Injuries among skiers and snowboarders in Quebec.

BACKGROUND
Snow sports such as skiing and snowboarding are recognized as hazardous, but population-based injury rates or specific risk factors have been difficult to estimate as a result of a lack of complete data for both numerator and denominator.


METHODS
We used data from 3 surveys to estimate the number of participants and annual number of outings in Quebec by age, sex, activity, and calendar year. Injuries reported by ski patrollers were used to estimate injury rates among skiers and snowboarders for the head and neck, trunk, upper extremity, and lower extremity.


RESULTS
Head-neck and trunk injury rates increased over time from 1995-1996 to 1999-2000. There was a steady increase in the rate of injury with younger age for all body regions. The rate of head-neck injury was 50% higher in snowboarders than in skiers (adjusted rate ratio [ARR] = 1.5; 95% confidence interval = 1.3-1.8). Women and girls had a lower rate of head-neck injury (0.73; 0.62-0.87). Snowboarders were twice as likely as skiers to have injuries of the trunk (2.1; 1.7-2.6), and more than 3 times as likely to have injuries of the upper extremities (3.4; 2.9-4.1). Snowboarders had a lower rate of injury only of the lower extremities (0.79; 0.66-0.95). Snowboarder collision-related injury rates increased substantially over time.


CONCLUSIONS
Except for lower extremity injuries, snowboarders have a higher rate of injuries than skiers. Furthermore, collision-related injury rates have increased over time for snowboarders. Targeted injury prevention strategies in this group seem justified.