Optimized Compressed Data Structures for Infinite-order Language Models

In recent years highly compact succinct text indexes developed in bioinformatics have spread to the domain of natural language processing, in particular n-gram indexing. One line of research has been to utilize compressed suffix trees as both the text index and the language model. Compressed suffix trees have several favourable properties for compressing n-gram strings and associated satellite data while allowing for both fast access and fast computation of the language model probabilities over the text. When it comes to count based n-gram language models and especially to low-order n-gram models, the Kneser-Ney language model has long been de facto industry standard. Shareghi et al. showed how to utilize a compressed suffix tree to build a highly compact index that is competitive with state-of-the-art language models in space. In addition, they showed how the index can work as a language model and allows computing modified Kneser-Ney probabilities straight from the data structure. This thesis analyzes and extends the works of Shareghi et al. in building a compressed suffix tree based modified Kneser-Ney language model. We explain their solution and present three attempts to improve the approach. Out of the three experiments, one performed far worse than the original approach, but two showed minor gains in time with no real loss in space

Pakolaiskriisin vaikutukset kuntien kokonaisturvallisuuteen Suomessa : Näkökulmana kokonaisturvallisuuden hallinta Oulussa, Kauhavalla ja Turussa

Vuoden 2015 pakolaiskriisi näyttäytyi poikkeuksellisena ajanjaksona Suomen maahanmuuttohistoriassa. Eniten Suomeen saapui pakolaisia vuonna 2016. Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena on tarkastella vuonna 2015 eskaloituneen Lähi-Idän ja Afrikan pakolaiskriisin ja siitä seuranneen valtavan turvapaikanhakijoiden määrän kasvun vaikutuksia suomalaisten kuntien kokonaisturvallisuuteen. Tutkielma pyrkii vastaamaan myös siihen, kuinka näitä vaikutuksia voidaan hallita ja mitkä tahot osallistuvat turvallisuuden hallintaan. Koska tämän tutkielman resurssien puitteissa ei ole mahdollista tutkia kaikkia Suomen kuntia, tutkimuskohteiksi valikoitui Oulu, Kauhhava sekä Turku. Kaikkiin näihin kaupunkeihin perustettiin vastaanottokeskuksia vuoden 2015 pakolaiskriisin puhjetessa. Tutkimus toteutettiin laadullisena tutkimuksena käyttäen puolistrukturoitua haastattelumenetelmää. Tämän tutkimuksen haastattelun kohteina ovat turvapaikanhakijoiden kanssa tekemisissä olleet viranomaiset, järjestötoimijat sekä kaupunkien projektityöntekijät, jotka eivät itse ole tutkimuksen kohteena vaan haastateltavilta on pyritty saamaan tietoja tutkittavasta ilmiöstä. Tutkimustulokset analysoitiin käyttäen sisällönanalyysiä. Tutkimustulosten perusteella voidaan hieman yllättäenkin todeta, että pakolaiskriisillä ei ole ollut juurikaan vaikutusta kuntien kokonaisturvallisuuteen. Pikemminkin kriisi on tiivistänyt sisäisen ja ulkoisen turvallisuuden viranomaisten yhteistyötä ja kehittänyt valmiutta toimia vastaavissa tilanteissa tulevaisuudessa. Jokaisessa kaupungissa ja kaupunkien vastaanottokeskuksissa on otettu käyttöön aiempaa parempia turvallisuussuunnitelmia, joissa erilaisiin häiriö- tai uhkatilanteisiin on varauduttu. Vaikutusta pakolaiskriisillä on ollut myös hetkittäin kuntalaisten turvallisuuden tunteeseen, jos häiriötilanteita on ilmennyt. Häiriötilanteista on myös usein uutisoitu turvapaikanhakiijoiden tekeminä. Tämän kaltainen uutisointi aiheuttaa hetkittäistä turvattomuuden tunnetta joidenkin kansalaisten keskuudessa. Häiriötilanteista on kuitenkin toivuttu melko nopeasti ja pelon tunteet ovat hälvenneet ajan myötä. Tutkimustulosten perusteella turvapaikanhakijoihin liittyviä häiriötilanteita ennaltaehkäistään parhaiten järjestämällä turvapaikanhakijoille mielekästä tekemistä. Tällaista tekemistä on esimerkiksi opiskelu ja työnteko. Myös valistustyöllä ja tiedottamisella ennaltaehkäistään parhaiten häiriötilanteiden syntymistä. Kaikista tärkeintä on kuitenkin kohdata turvapaikanhakijat ihmisinä, sillä juuri tavallisilla arjen kohtaamisilla on suurin vaikutus turvapaikanhakijoiden asenteeseen ja käytökseen suomalaisia ja suomalaista yhteiskuntaa kohtaan

Expression of the ???6 integrin promotes migration and invasion in squamous carcinoma cells

The integrin αvβ6 is a fibronectin receptor whose expression is not detectable on normal oral epithelium but is increased significantly in healing and in oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma, suggesting it may promote changes associated with tumor development. To study whether αvβ6 may drive invasive behavior we have used transfection and retroviral infection to create a panel of epithelial cell lines expressing various levels of αvβ6. We report that increased expression of αvβ6 in malignant keratinocytes promotes invasion and leads to an increased capacity for migration towards fibronectin. αvβ6 expression may have a significant role in contributing to the malignant behavior of epithelial cells

End-of-life Decision-making Differs Between a Cancer and a Dementia Patient : Influences of the Physician's Background Factors

BACKGROUND/AIM: Appropriate decision-making is essential for end-of-life (EOL) care without futile therapies. However, these decisions might vary in cases of cancer and other advanced diseases according to physicians' experience, education, and values. This study aimed to compare the decisions in EOL care of advanced cancer and dementia and the factors that influence them in medical students, general practitioners (GPs), and physicians with special competence in palliative medicine (cPM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A questionnaire presenting patient scenarios concerning different decisions and ethical aspects of EOL care with additional questions on attitudes and background factors was delivered to 500 Finnish GPs, all Finnish physicians with cPM (n=82), and all graduating medical students (n=639) in 2015-2016. Altogether 601 responses were obtained (53%). RESULTS: Palliative care was chosen more often for a patient with advanced prostate cancer (83%) than for a patient with advanced dementia (41%) (both patients males, same age). A suspicion of iatrogenic bleeding in the prostate cancer patient decreased the willingness to choose palliative care, especially among the students. Patient benefit was regarded as an important background factor in decision making by all respondent groups, but physicians' legal protection was not considered as important among the physicians with cPM as it was among the other respondent groups. CONCLUSION: Finnish doctors and students were more likely to choose palliative care options for an advanced prostate cancer patient than for an advanced dementia patient. Decision-making was influenced by respondents' background factors and attitudes. Education on EOL care for different types of advanced and incurable diseases is highly needed.Peer reviewe

Expression of αvβ6integrin in oral leukoplakia

The distribution of αvβ6integrin was examined in oral leukoplakia, lichen planus and squamous cell carcinomas using immunohistochemistry. Controls included oral mucosal wounds, chronically inflamed and normal oral mucosa. Integrins β1, β3, β4, β5, fibronectin and tenascin were also studied. The integrin αvβ6was highly expressed throughout the whole lesion of 90% of the squamous cell carcinomas but was not present in any of the normal specimens. αvβ6integrin was also expressed in 41% of the leukoplakia specimens, and 85% of the lichen planus samples, but in none of the tissues with inflammatory hyperplasia or chronic inflammation. The expression of β1 integrins was localized in the basal layer, and that of the β4at the cell surface facing the basement membrane of all specimens. The integrins β3and β5were absent from all normal and leukoplakia specimens. Fibronectin and tenascin were present in the connective tissue underneath the epithelium of all the sections, and their expression was similar in both αvβ6-positive and αvβ6-negative tissues. A group of 28 leukoplakia patients were followed 1–4 years after first diagnosis. In this group, initially αvβ6integrin-positive leukoplakia specimens had high tendency for disease progression while αvβ6-negative specimens did not progress. These results suggest that the expression of αvβ6integrin could be associated in the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakias. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

The ITGB6 gene: its role in experimental and clinical biology.

Integrin αvβ6 is a membrane-spanning heterodimeric glycoprotein involved in wound healing and the pathogenesis of diseases including fibrosis and cancer. Therefore, it is of great clinical interest for us to understand the molecular mechanisms of its biology. As the limiting binding partner in the heterodimer, the β6 subunit controls αvβ6 expression and availability. Here we describe our understanding of the ITGB6 gene encoding the β6 subunit, including its structure, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, the biological effects observed in ITGB6 deficient mice and clinical cases of ITGB6 mutations

Investigating in vitro and in vivo αvβ6 integrin receptor-targeting liposomal alendronate for combinatory γδ T cell immunotherapy

The αvβ6 integrin receptor has been shown to be overexpressed on many types of cancer cells, resulting in a more pro-invasive and aggressive phenotype, this makes it an attractive target for selective drug delivery. In tumours that over-express the αvβ6 receptor, cellular uptake of liposomes can be enhanced using ligand-targeted liposomes. It has previously been shown in both in vitro and in vivo studies that liposomal alendronate (L-ALD) can sensitise cancer cells to destruction by Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. It is hypothesised that by using the αvβ6-specific peptide A20FMDV2 as a targeting moiety for L-ALD, the therapeutic efficacy of this therapy can be increased in αvβ6 positive tumours. Targeted liposomes (t-L) were formulated and the targeting efficacy of targeted liposomes (t-L) was assessed by cell uptake and cytotoxicity studies in the αvβ6 positive cells line A375Pβ6. Bio-distribution of both L and t-L were carried out in αvβ6 positive (A375Pβ6 and PANC0403) and αvβ6 negative (A375Ppuro and PANC-1) subcutaneous tumour mouse models. Immuno-compromised mice bearing A375Pβ6 experimental metastatic lung tumours were treated with L-ALD or t-L-ALD as monotherapies or in combination with ex vivo-expanded Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. In vitro, αvβ6-dependant uptake of t-L was observed, with t-L-ALD being more effective than L-ALD at sensitising A375Pβ6 to γδ T cells. Interestingly, t-L-ALD led to slightly higher but not significant reduction in tumour growth compared to L-ALD, when used as monotherapy in vivo. Moreover, both L-ALD and t-L-ALD led to significant reductions in tumour growth when used in combination with γδ T cells in vivo but t-L-ALD offered no added advantage compared to L-ALD

Advertiser Perception of Influencer Marketing : How do advertisers see the now and the future of influencer marketing in Finland?

The thesis is built around a research study on the advertiser perception of influencer marketing in Finland today and in the future. The aim of the research was to discover brand marketers’ perception of the current and future state of influencer marketing as a marketing method and as an industry as a whole. Academic sources on marketing, consumers, marketing promotions, targeting and finally influencers and influencer marketing were used to collect information and to further deepen the researcher’s knowledge on the topic. The research was conducted using a quantitative survey research approach to the descriptive marketing research method. The researcher conducted a survey questionnaire that was sent out to numerous brand marketers operating in the Finnish market to collect a wide and general overview of the industry and the advertisers’ attitude towards influencer marketing. Based on the research results, influencer marketing seems to be perceived as an interesting and important tool for conveying a brand’s marketing message to their consumer-customers. Most marketers in Finland plan on working with influencers within the next three years. Whereas social media influencers were perceived to only consist of bloggers before, the future holds more doors open to other types of influencers as well. The main challenge advertisers currently face with influencer marketing is the difficulty of measuring its results in a quantitative matter and determining the true return on investment. Advertisers identify the potential that influencer marketing holds, but also would need more data to prove its efficiency to the organizations top-level management

Salibandyseuran juniorijoukkueen sponsorihaku

Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli löytää salibandyseuran 02-ikäluokan joukkueelle sponsori keväästä 2012 kauden 2012 - 2013 loppuun asti. Sponsorihaku edellytti tutustumista aiheeseen ja sponsoroinnin tarkastelemista niin hakijan kuin sponsorin näkökulmasta. Työn teoriaosuus käsittelee juniorijoukkueen sponsorihaun kannalta oleellisimpia aiheita. Käsiteltäessä sponsorointia yleisellä tasolla, pohditaan sitä, mitä sponsorointi on ja miten sen uskotaan lähitulevaisuudessa muuttuvan. Aihetta on tarkasteltu yrityksen näkökulmasta pohtimalla sitä, kuinka sponsorointi kytkeytyy markkinointiin, mitkä ovat yritysten tavoitteet ja mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat sponsorointipäätöksiin. Hakijan näkökulmasta on tarkasteltu kahden erityyppisen sponsorihakumenetelmän suunnittelu- ja myyntivaiheita. Opinnäytetyön tuloksena juniorijoukkueelle suunniteltiin omanlainen sponsorihaun suunnittelu- ja myyntivaihe sekä rakennettiin ja hinnoiteltiin kolme sponsoripakettia. Suunnitteluvaihe käsittää sen työn, joka sponsorihaussa tapahtuu ennen yhteydenottoa potentiaalisiin sponsoreihin. Myyntivaihe sisältää ne tehtävät, jotka toteutetaan yhteydenotosta siihen asti, kunnes yritykseltä on saatu myöntävä tai kielteinen vastaus ja vastaukseen on reagoitu. Työn aikana otettiin yhteyttä seitsemääntoista yritykseen, joille ehdotettiin sponsorointiyhteistyötä. Tavoitetta ei saavutettu opinnäytetyön aikana, sillä sopimuksia ei ehditty solmimaan kenenkään kanssa. Kahden yrityksen kanssa on kuitenkin pyynnöstä sovittu, että niihin otetaan yhteyttä uudestaan kesän 2012 jälkeen. Opinnäytetyön aikana selvisi, että yritykset olisivat tarvinneet enemmän aikaa päätöksentekoon. Lisäksi vaikutti siltä, että sponsoripaketit, jotka hinnoiteltiin edellisen sponsorikauden sopimuksen perusteella, olivat liian kalliita. Jatkossa joukkueelle voisi olla kannattavampaa hakea useampaa sponsoria pienemmällä sopimussummalla. Joukkue voisi myös harkita liittävänsä sponsorin logon muilla tavoin peliasuun kuin painattamalla, kuten tekstiilitarroilla tai kuvansiirtopaperilla. Tekstiilitarrat voidaan irrottaa, joten näkyvyysaikaa voisi silloin myydä sponsorin toiveiden mukaan.Seeking sponsorship for a junior floorball team The purpose of this thesis was to find a sponsor for a junior floorball team from the spring 2012 until the end of season 2012 - 2013. Planning and implementing a sponsorship seeking plan required knowledge of sponsorship in general both from the sponsorship seeker’s point of view and from the companies’ point of view. The theoretical part covers the most important subjects that affected this work. It approaches sponsorship on a general level, i.e. what the term sponsorship means and how sponsoring will change in Finland in the near future. Sponsorship is also studied from the companies’ perspective by focusing on the companies’ expectations, sponsoring as a marketing communications tool and factors that affect sponsorship decision making. Furthermore, sponsorship is discussed from the seeker’s viewpoint through two different sponsorship seeking models. As a result of this thesis, a new sponsorship seeking model was built for the team. The model includes a planning section and a sales section. The planning section includes the phases that need to be carried out before contacting potential sponsors. The selling phase covers the tasks from contacting the potential sponsors until the responses have been received and replied to. During this thesis, seventeen potential sponsors were contacted. The goal was not met during this study because contracts were not signed. Two companies wanted to have more time over the summer in order to consider the contract, and it was decided that they will be contacted again at the end of the summer 2012. Some conclusions were drawn after the sponsorship seeking. One conclusion was that the companies would have needed more time to make a decision. Another conclusion was that the sponsorship packages, which were priced based on the contract with the previous sponsor, were too expensive. In the future, it might be more beneficial for the team to seek more sponsors with a smaller financial contribution. The team could also consider new ways to attach the logos. They could for example use a self-adhesive textile, which can be removed. This would provide them the opportunity to offer sponsorship for a shorter period of time according to the needs of the sponsor