LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
GPU accelerated registration of a statistical shape model of the lumbar spine to 3D ultrasound images

Motivation: Spinal needle injections are technically demanding procedures. The use of ultrasound image guidance without prior CT and MR imagery promises to improve the efficacy and safety of these procedures in an affordable manner. Methodology: We propose to create a statistical shape model of the lumbar spine and warp this atlas to patient-specific ultrasound images during the needle placement procedure. From CT image volumes of 35 patients, statistical shape model of the L3 vertebra is built, including mean shape and main modes of variation. This shape model is registered to the ultrasound data by simultaneously optimizing the parameters of the model and its relative pose. Ground-truth data was established by printing 3D anatomical models of 3 patients using a rapid prototyping. CT and ultrasound data of these models were registered using fiducial markers. Results: Pairwise registration of the statistical shape model and 3D ultrasound images led to a mean target registration error of 3.4 mm, while 81% of all cases yielded clinically acceptable accuracy below the 3.5 mm threshold.
A Study of Barriers to E-Commerce Adoption among SMEs in Malaysia *

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the barriers that SMEs are experiencing when confronted with the need to implement e-commerce to sustain their competitiveness. E-commerce is the medium that leads to economic growth of a country. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in contributing to the Gross Domestic Product and reducing the unemployment. However, there are some specific factors that inhibit the implementation of e-commerce among SMEs. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire approach was employed in this study and 160 questionnaires have been distributed but only 91usable questionnaires have been collected from SMEs. Literature found that main barriers to e-commerce adoption among SMEs are organizational barriers, financial barriers, technical barriers, legal and regulatory barriers, and behavioral barriers. Findings: Of this study showed that all these barriers carried an average influence on ecommerce adoption. The most important factor barriers of e-commerce adoption are legal and regulatory barriers followed by technical barriers, whereas lack of internet security is the highest barrier factor that inhibits the implementation of e-commerce in SMEs followed by the requirement to undertake additional training and skill development. Practical implications: This paper is useful for the management of SMEs in understanding and gaining insights into the real and potential barriers to e-commerce adoption. This can help the organization to design strategy in taking up barriers tactfully to its advantage.
Role of magnetic resonance imaging in entrapment and compressive neuropathy—what, where, and how to see the peripheral nerves on the musculoskeletal magnetic resonance image: part 1. Overview and lower extremity

The diagnosis of nerve entrapment and compressive neuropathy has been traditionally based on the clinical and electrodiagnostic examinations. As a result of improvements in the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging modality, it plays not only a fundamental role in the detection of space-occupying lesions but also a compensatory role in clinically and electrodiagnostically inconclusive cases. Although ultrasound has undergone further development in the past decades and shows high resolution capabilities, it has inherent limitations due to its operator dependency. We review the general concepts that should be known to evaluate the entrapment and compressive neuropathy in MR imaging. We also review the course of normal peripheral nerves, as well as various clinical demonstrations and pathological features of compressed and entrapped nerves in the lower extremities on MR imaging, according to the nerves involved. The common sites of nerve entrapment of the lower extremity are as follows: sciatic nerve around the piriformis muscle; tibial nerve at the popliteal fossa and tarsal tunnel, common peroneal nerve around the fibular neck, and digital nerve near the metatarsal head. Although MR imaging can depict the peripheral nerves in the extremities effectively, radiologists should be familiar with nerve pathways, common sites of nerve compression, and common space-occupying lesions resulting in nerve compression in MR imaging.
Colonialsim ' s Role in the Success of the Filipino Skin Whitening Industry

Abstract In the Philippines and other developing countries, the skin whitening industry is prolific and expanding among native populations. However, this desire for white skin has dire health repercussions, both physical and psychological. Many researchers in the field of Filipino-American psychology attribute this desire for whiter skin to the American colonial rule of the Philippines, which began in 1898 and lasted for nearly fifty years. Historians often characterize the American occupation as cruel and demeaning, leading to colonial mentality that has continued into the post-colonial era. As a result, in order to ameliorate this dilemma, one must explore how the internalized oppression and psychological state of the Filipino people caused by America’s previous colonial rule of the Philippines contributes to the success of the Filipino skin whitening industry. To research this question, historical journal articles that contextualize the American treatment of the Filipino people are utilized, in order to explore possible motives for occupying the Philippines. Articles in the field of Filipino-American psychology are also studied, thus exploring the psychological health of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in relation to colonial rule. Articles in the field of history and sociology show the relationship between colonialism and skin whitening, both in the Philippines and in other countries. To explore other possible contributing factors, in the field of psychology and sociology are utilized. The success of the Filipino Skin Whitening Industry is greatly attributed to the damaged psychological state of the native people brought on by American colonial rule. This can be attributed to the mistreatment of the native population, and the subsequent development of internalized oppression, colonial mentality, and an ingrained preference for white skin. However, contemporary factors may also contribute to the industry’s success, such as the phenomenon of “cosmopolitan whiteness,” and Filipino-Americans’ tendency to conform to popular culture. Although colonialism plays a significant role in the success of the skin whitening industry, it is possible that many other factors come into play. As a result, it is imperative to explore colonial mentality more thoroughly, as well as its mental health implications. In addition, it would be valuable to explore the ways in which internalized oppression can be combated, thus decreasing the need for the skin whitening industry.
The effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on psychopathology and behavior.

BACKGROUND
This study examined prevalence of psychiatric disorders and behavioral problems in children with and without prenatal alcohol exposure (AE) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).


METHODS
Primary caregivers of 344 children (8 to 16 years, M = 12.28) completed the Computerized Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV (C-DISC-4.0) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Subjects comprised 4 groups: AE with ADHD (AE+, n = 85) and without ADHD (AE-, n = 52), and nonexposed with ADHD (ADHD, n = 74) and without ADHD (CON, n = 133). The frequency of specific psychiatric disorders, number of psychiatric disorders (comorbidity), and CBCL behavioral scores were examined using chi-square and analysis of covariance techniques.


RESULTS
Clinical groups had greater frequency of all psychiatric disorders, except for anxiety, where the AE- and CON groups did not differ. There was a combined effect of AE and ADHD on conduct disorder. For comorbidity, children with ADHD had increased psychiatric disorders regardless of AE, which did not have an independent effect on comorbidity. For CBCL scores, there were significant main effects of AE and ADHD on all scores and significant AE × ADHD interactions for Withdrawn/Depressed, Somatic Complaints, Attention, and all Summary scores. There was a combined effect of AE and ADHD on Externalizing, Total Problems, and Attention Problems.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings indicate that ADHD diagnosis elevates children's risk of psychiatric diagnoses, regardless of AE, but suggest an exacerbated relation between AE and ADHD on conduct disorder and externalizing behavioral problems in children. Findings affirm a poorer behavioral prognosis for alcohol-exposed children with ADHD and suggest that more than 1 neurobehavioral profile may exist for individuals with AE.
Hypergraph Cuts & Unsupervised Representation for Image Segmentation

This paper presents a novel approach to image segmentation b ased on hypergraph cut techniques. Natural images contain more components: Edge, homogeneous region, noise. So, to facilitate the natural image analysis, we introduce an Imag e Neighborhood Hypergraph representation (INH). This representation extracts all features and t heir consistencies in the image data and its mode of use is close to the perceptual grouping. Then, we f ormulate an image segmentation problem as a hypergraph partitioning problem and we use the r ec nt k-way hypergraph techniques to find the partitions of the image into regions of coherent br ightness/color. Experimental results of image segmentation on a wide range of images from Berkeley Database show that the proposed method provides a significant performance improvement comp ared with the stat-of-the-art graph partitioning strategy based on Normalized Cut (Ncut) crite ria.
A hillslope-scale experiment to measure lateral saturated hydraulic conductivity: A HILLSLOPE-SCALE EXPERIMENT FOR LATERAL K s

[1] One of the most challenging parameters in hillslopeand watershed-scale, distributed, hydrologic models is the lateral saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). In this paper, we present a methodology to determine the hillslope-scale lateral Ks above a moderately deep sloping restrictive layer in an 18 35 m hillslope plot using perched water level measurements and drain tile outflow data. The hillslope-scale lateral Ks was compared to small-scale Ks measured with small soil cores and the Guelph permeameter. Our results show that small-scale Ks measurements underestimate the actual hillslope-scale Ks. The hillslope-scale Ks measurements were 13.7, 4.1, and 3.2 larger than small soil core measurements in the A, B, and E horizons, respectively. We argue that the gap between small-scale and hillslope-scale Ks within the same porous medium is foremost a measurement problem. Data analysis provided the Ks distribution with depth, showing a sharp decrease in Ks within the first 0.1 m of the soil and an exponential decline in Ks below 0.1 m. The distribution of Ks with depth was best described by a double-exponential relationship. Overall, results indicate the importance of macroporosity, perhaps of biological origin, in determining Ks at a hillslope scale.
Randomised clinical trial: herbal extract HMPL-004 in active ulcerative colitis - a double-blind comparison with sustained release mesalazine.

BACKGROUND
Andrographis paniculata is an herbal mixture used to treat inflammatory diseases. An extract of the herb, HMPL-004, inhibits TNF-α and IL-1β, and prevents colitis in animal models.


AIM
To determine the efficacy and safety of HMPL-004 in patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis.


METHODS
A randomised, double-blind, multicentre, 8-week parallel group study was conducted using HMPL-004 1200 mg/day compared with 4500 mg/day of slow release mesalazine (mesalamine) granules in patients with mild-to-moderately active ulcerative colitis. Disease activity was assessed at baseline and every 2 weeks for clinical response, and at baseline and 8 weeks by colonoscopy.


RESULTS
One hundred and twenty patients at five centres in China were randomised and dosed. Clinical remission and response were seen in 21% and 76% of HMPL-004-treated patients, and 16% and 82% of mesalazine-treated patients. By colonoscopy, remission and response were seen in 28% and 74% of HMPL-004-treated patients and 24% and 71% of mesalazine-treated patients, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two treatment groups.


CONCLUSION
HMPL-004 may be an efficacious alternative to mesalazine in ulcerative colitis.
Meteor Universal: Language Specific Translation Evaluation for Any Target Language

Parameter set learned using all WMT12 data (Callison-Burch et al., 2012): • 100,000 binary rankings covering 8 language directions. •Restrict scoring for all languages to exact and paraphrase matching. Parameters encode human preferences that generalize across languages: •Prefer recall over precision. •Prefer word choice over word order. •Prefer correct translations of content words over function words. •Prefer exact matches over paraphrase matches, while still giving significant credit to paraphrases. Visualization
Microemboli-monitoring during the acute phase of ischemic stroke: Is it worth the time?

BACKGROUND
The prevalence of microembolic signals (MES) during the acute phase of ischemic stroke and its influence on outcome is not well studied. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of MES, the different factors that are associated with the presence of MES and the association between MES and outcomes in stroke patients investigated within 6 hours after the onset of ischemic stroke.


METHODS
We included unselected ischemic stroke patients who underwent microemboli-monitoring within six hours after stroke onset. Microemboli-monitoring of both middle cerebral arteries (MCA) was done for a period of 1 hour using 2-MHz probes applied over the trans-temporal window. Prevalence of MES, predictors for the presence of MES and the association between MES and various outcome factors were analyzed.


RESULTS
Forty patients were included. The mean age of the patients was 70 years. The prevalence of either ipsilateral or contralateral MES were 25% (n = 10). The predictors for the presence of MES were older age (OR 9; p = 0.03), higher NIHSS (OR 28; p = 0.02), intracranial stenosis (OR 10; p = 0.04) and embolic stroke (large-artery atherosclerosis and cardioembolism on TOAST classification) (OR 7; p = 0.06). MES were not independently associated with short-term functional outcome, long-term mortality or future vascular events.


CONCLUSIONS
MES are moderately frequent following acute ischemic stroke. Microemboli-monitoring helps to better classify the stroke etiology. However, the presence MES did not have any prognostic significance in this study.
Determinants of medication underuse and medication overuse in patients with chronic non-malignant pain: a multicenter study.

BACKGROUND
In chronic non-malignant pain, medication is often used as an important cornerstone of the treatment. Medication non-adherence is a frequent problem in chronic conditions. In patients with chronic non-malignant pain, medication non-adherence ranges between 8% and 53%. Two types of non-adherence can be identified: underuse and overuse of pain medication.


OBJECTIVE
To examine determinants of both medication underuse and overuse non-adherence in patients with chronic non-malignant pain, with a focus on factors related to all five categories of determinants of medication non-adherence simultaneously, as proposed by the WHO.


DESIGN
A multicenter cross-sectional study.


SETTINGS
Three multidisciplinary outpatient pain centers in Flanders, Belgium.


PARTICIPANTS
A total of 265 patients with chronic non-malignant pain participated in the study.


METHODS
Medication non-adherence was assessed by a self-report interview. Associations of socio-economic, treatment related, condition related, patient related and health care system related factors with medication underuse or overuse were determined by building two separate multivariable binary logistic regression models.


RESULTS
Thirty eight percent of the patients were fully adherent. Based on multivariable analyses, underuse was significantly associated with more prescribed analgesics (OR=2.303), self-medication (OR=4.679), lower pain intensity (OR=0.821), active coping strategies (OR=1.132) and lack of information (OR=0.268). Overuse of medication was associated with more prescribed analgesics (OR=1.645) and current smoking (OR=2.744).


CONCLUSION
Patients underusing or overusing their medication do have a different risk profile. The set of determinants of non-adherence, proposed by WHO, is suitable to study determinants of underuse, but the framework is less suitable to study determinants of medication overuse.
Word and Image: French Painting of the Ancien Régime

List of illustrations Preface Acknowledgements 1. Discourse, figure 2. The legible body: LeBrun 3. Watteau and reverie 4. Transformations in rococo space 5. Greuze and the pursuit of happiness 6. Diderot and the word 7. Diderot and the image 8. 1785 Conclusion: style or sign? Notes List of societies affiliated to CINOA Select bibliography Index.
Artificial Intelligence as a Positive and Negative Factor in Global Risk

By far the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it. Of course this problem is not limited to the field of AI. Jacques Monod wrote: "A curious aspect of the theory of evolution is that everybody thinks he understands it." (Monod 1974.) My father, a physicist, complained about people making up their own theories of physics; he wanted to know why people did not make up their own theories of chemistry. (Answer: They do.) Nonetheless the problem seems to be unusually acute in Artificial Intelligence. The field of AI has a reputation for making huge promises and then failing to deliver on them. Most observers conclude that AI is hard; as indeed it is. But the embarrassment does not stem from the difficulty. It is difficult to build a star from hydrogen, but the field of stellar astronomy does not have a terrible reputation for promising to build stars and then failing. The critical inference is not that AI is hard, but that, for some reason, it is very easy for people to think they know far more about Artificial Intelligence than they actually do.
Clinical and genetic heterogeneity of right bundle branch block and ST-segment elevation syndrome: A prospective evaluation of 52 families.

BACKGROUND
The ECG pattern of right bundle branch block and ST-segment elevation in leads V(1) to V(3) (Brugada syndrome) is associated with high risk of sudden death in patients with a normal heart. Current management and prognosis are based on a single study suggesting a high mortality risk within 3 years for symptomatic and asymptomatic patients alike. As a consequence, aggressive management (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) is recommended for both groups.


METHODS AND RESULTS
Sixty patients (45 males aged 40+/-15 years) with the typical ECG pattern were clinically evaluated. Events at follow-up were analyzed for patients with at least one episode of aborted sudden death or syncope of unknown origin before recognition of the syndrome (30 symptomatic patients) and for patients without previous history of events (30 asymptomatic patients). Prevalence of mutations of the cardiac sodium channel was 15%, demonstrating genetic heterogeneity. During a mean follow-up of 33+/-38 months, ventricular fibrillation occurred in 5 (16%) of 30 symptomatic patients and in none of the 30 asymptomatic patients. Programmed electrical stimulation was of limited value in identifying patients at risk (positive predictive value 50%, negative predictive value 46%). Pharmacological challenge with sodium channel blockers was unable to unmask most silent gene carriers (positive predictive value 35%).


CONCLUSIONS
At variance with current views, asymptomatic patients are at lower risk for sudden death. Programmed electrical stimulation identifies only a fraction of individuals at risk, and sodium channel blockade fails to unmask most silent gene carriers. This novel evidence mandates a reappraisal of therapeutic management.
Marine management--towards an integrated implementation of the European Marine Strategy Framework and the Water Framework Directives.

Through implementing environmental Directives, Europe has moved towards coordinated and integrated catchment-to-coast management, following the most novel legislation on ecosystem-based approaches worldwide. The novel joint synthesis of this direction reviewed here allows us to regard the Water Framework Directive (WFD) as a 'deconstructing structural approach' whereas the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is a 'holistic functional approach', i.e. the WFD has split the ecosystem into several biological quality elements, then it compares the structure of these (such as species complement) individually before combining them and attempting to determine the overall condition. In contrast the MSFD concentrates on the set of 11 descriptors which together summarize the way in which the whole system functions. We emphasize that both Directives are frameworks on which many other directives are linked but that they need to be fully and seamlessly integrated to give a land to open sea system of assessment and management. Hence, by taking account of the experience gained in the WFD implementation, together with that from regional sea conventions, such as OSPAR (North East Atlantic) or HELCOM (Baltic Sea), we propose in this contribution an integrative approach for the environmental status assessment, within the MSFD.
Introducing Ontological CP-Nets

Preference representation and reasoning is a key issue in many real-world scenarios. Currently, there are many approaches allowing preferences to be assessed in a qualitative or quantitative way. The most prominent qualitative approach for representing preferences are CP-nets. Their clear graphical structure unifies an easy representation of user desires with nice computational properties when computing the best outcome. Here, we introduce ontological CP-nets, which allow the representation of preferences using a CP-net over an ontological domain, i.e., variable values are logical formulas constrained relative to a background domain ontology.
Random Walks on Graphs : A Survey

Various aspects of the theory of random walks on graphs are surveyed. In particular, estimates on the important parameters of access time, commute time, cover time and mixing time are discussed. Connections with the eigenvalues of graphs and with electrical networks, and the use of these connections in the study of random walks is described. We also sketch recent algorithmic applications of random walks, in particular to the problem of sampling.