Diss., Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule ETH Zürich, Nr. 17740, 2008.

Background: Prostate cancer remains the second most common cause of cancer-related death in men in the United States (Siegel et al. 2017). Observational studies of patients with prostate cancer have found associations between diet and prostate cancer severity, but the evidence is inconsistent or inconclusive. The purpose of this thesis is to implement a validated international healthy diet score and evaluate whether or not it is associated with prostate cancer severity. Objective: The objectives of this thesis were: Chapter 1: examine whether an association exists between diet quality, using the validated Healthy Diet Score, and the severity of prostate cancer, and Chapter 2: examine the agreement between two methods of dietary data collection (an abridged FFQ and a longer previously validated FFQ) with respect to macronutrients and main food groups. Methods: We used observational data from the Randomized Intervention for Cardiovascular and Lifestyle Risk Factors in Prostate Cancer Patients (RADICAL PC), a multi-centre Canadian prospective cohort study into which men with a new diagnosis of prostate cancer or who were being treated with androgen deprivation therapy were enrolled. To complete objective 1 (Chapter 1) of this dissertation, a cross-sectional analysis was completed using baseline data collected in the RADICAL PC study. In order to evaluate the association of diet with prostate cancer severity, the relationship between the Healthy Diet Score and prostate cancer severity (stage and grade) was assessed. The second objective (Chapter 2) is a comparability sub-study comparing an abridged FFQ with a long, validated FFQ in a subgroup of participant (N=130) enrolled in the RADICAL PC study. Results: Chapter 1: In the cross-sectional analysis of baseline data collected in RADICAL PC, a higher diet score was not significantly associated with prostate cancer severity. An association between age and the high-risk prostate cancer category was found to be statistically significant (OR: 1.04, 95%CI 1.02-1.05, p<0.00). Chapter 2: There was good agreement between the abridged FFQ and long FFQ for carbohydrates, proteins, whole wheat, refined grains, fish, dairy, potatoes, fruits, nuts, and soft drinks (Spearman rank correlation >0.5). Food groups including fried foods, processed meats, vegetables and total fats (nutrients) were found to have moderate correlation (Spearman rank correlation between 0.3-0.5). There was low correlation for legumes, sugars and oils. Bland-Altman plots showed good absolute agreements between the two methods, and reliability test using Spearman’s correlation showed moderate to good correlation (0.45 to 0.75 among most food groups. Conclusion: There was no clear association between a healthier diet and prostate cancer severity in men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer. There was adequate agreement between the abridged SFFQ and the long FFQ of the expected food groups, and thus the SFFQ can be considered an appropriate tool to use for measuring diet among prostate cancer patients for some food groups and nutrients. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc)

Search engines play a very important role in daily life. As multimedia product becomes more and more popular, people have developed search engines for images and videos. In the first part of this thesis, I propose a prototype of a book image search engine. I discuss tag representation for the book images, as well as the way to apply the probabilistic model to generate image tags. Then I propose the random walk refinement method using tag similarity graph. The image search system is built on the Galago search engine developed in UMASS CIIR lab. Consider the large amount of data the search engines need to process, I bring in cloud environment for the large-scale distributed computing in the second part of this thesis. I discuss two models, one is the MapReduce model, which is currently one of the most popular technologies in the IT industry, and the other one is the Maiter model. The asynchronous accumulative update mechanism of Maiter model is a great fit for the random walk refinement process, which takes up 84% of the entire run time, and it accelerates the refinement process by 46 times.

Zugl.: Mannheim, Univ., Diss., 2008.

Berlin, Phil. Diss. v. 17. Febr. 1937.

Zugl.: Mannheim, Univ., Diss., 2008

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität zu Köln, 1986. / Bibliography: p. 239-258.

Thesis (doctoral)--Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin, 1902. / Published in full in Palaestra ; 37. Vita.

Dans ce travail, nous nous sommes intéressés à l'étude asymptotique d'objets combinatoires aléatoires. Deux thèmes ont particulièrement retenu notre attention : les cartes planaires aléatoires et les modèles combinatoires liés à la théorie des fragmentations. La théorie mathématique des cartes planaires aléatoires est née à l'aube de notre millénaire avec les travaux pionniers de Benjamini & Schramm, Angel & Schramm et Chassaing & Schaeffer. Elle a ensuite beaucoup progressé, mais à l'heure où ces lignes sont écrites, de nombreux problèmes fondamentaux restent ouverts. Résumons en quelques mots clés nos principales contributions dans le domaine : l'introduction et l'étude du cactus brownien (avec J.F. Le Gall et G. Miermont), l'étude de la quadrangulation infinie uniforme vue de l'infini (avec L. Ménard et G. Miermont), ainsi que des travaux plus théoriques sur les graphes aléatoires stationnaires d'une part et les graphes empilables dans $\R^d$ d'autre part (avec I. Benjamini). La théorie des fragmentations est beaucoup plus ancienne et remonte à des travaux de Kolmogorov (1941) et de Filippov (1961). Elle est maintenant bien développée (voir par exemple l'excellent livre de J. Bertoin), et nous ne nous sommes pas focalisés sur cette théorie mais plutôt sur ses applications à des modèles combinatoires. Elle s'avère en effet très utile pour étudier différents modèles de triangulations récursives du disque (travail effectué avec J.F. Le Gall) et les recherches partielles dans les quadtrees (travail effectué avec A. Joseph). / The subject of this thesis is the asymptotic study of large random combinatorial objects. This is obviously very broad, and we focused particularly on two themes: random planar maps and their limits, and combinatorial models that are in a way linked to fragmentation theory. The mathematical theory of random planar maps is quite young and was triggered by works of Benjamini & Schramm, Angel & Schramm and Chassaing & Schaeffer. This fascinating field is still growing and fundamental problems remain unsolved. We present some new results in both the scaling limit and local limit theories by introducing and studying the Brownian Cactus (with J.F. Le Gall and G. Miermont), giving a new view point, a view from infinity, at the Uniform Infinite Planar Quadrangulation (UIPQ) and bringing more theoretical contributions on stationary random graphs and sphere packable graphs (with I. Benjamini). Fragmentation theory is much older and can be tracked back to Kolmogorov and Filippov. Our goal was not to give a new abstract contribution to this well-developed theory (see the beautiful book of J. Bertoin) but rather to apply it to random combinatorial objects. Indeed, fragmentation theory turned out to be useful in the study of the so-called random recursive triangulations of the disk (joint work with J.F. Le Gall) and partial match queries in random quadtrees (joint work with A. Joseph).

The thesis spans two volumes ... Volume two is an artist's book and although it is part of the project I have set myself, it is not being submitted with the theoretical component of the MA dissertation, but as part of the practical component.' -- Abstract. / Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The thesis investigates the contemporary practice of book art, examining in particular the manner in which it fits both into the tradition of the book and the tradition of art making. The thesis spans two volumes. Volume One discusses the phenomenon of the artist's book from three vantage points: the attempts to define it, the attempts to catalogue it and the attempts to interpret it. Volume Two is an artist's book and although it is part of the project I have set myself, it is not being submitted with the theoretical component of the MA dissertation, but as part of the practical component. (Briefly, one of the tasks it embarks upon is an examination of the phenomenon of thesis writing, as understood and endeavoured by myself in the production of the first volume - in this sense it is self-reflective. Another is an examination of some aspects of my attempts to make examples of artist's books, which includes an investigation of some of the recurrent themes and preoccupations of my work) Volume One is set out in three chapters. The first chapter pursues a definition of book art and the artist's book in order to draw some perimeters around the subject, and to build a picture of its nature. In the course of doing this, the ideas of some book artists and book art commentators are considered in an attempt to create a richer tapestry of understanding. In the next chapter some of the ways in which book art has been categorised are discussed. This is in order to more finely delineate the nature and scope of book art. It is also to bring some clarity to bear upon the different components and manifestations of a vast and sometimes confusing oeuvre. I then suggest a system of classification of my own which offers an adjacent model for investigating artists' books and the endeavour of book art. With the above model in place, I undertake a foray into the arena of interpretation. Here I suggest the suitability of adopting certain methodologies of interpretation that come from the field of contemporary literary studies in general, and the interpretation of poetry in particular. I draw comparisons between the book artist and the poet, and suggest that they occupy a similar territory of meaning making. In the course of laying out my arguments in the three chapters, I refer extensively to examples of artists' books in order to make particular points. Where I consider it apt, I draw upon my book art as a source of example. In this way, I am able to weave into the text some information and reflection about my own practice and concerns as a book artist. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar word in die tesis ondersoek ingestel na die hedendaagse praktyk van die boekkuns en in die besonder die wyse waarop dit aansluit by die tradisie van die boek en die tradisie van die kuns. Die tesis beslaan twee volumes. Volume Een bespreek die fenomeen van die kunstenaarsboek vanuit drie invalshoeke: pogings om dit te definieer, pogings om dit te katalogisieer en pogings om dit te interpreteer. Volume Twee is 'n kunstenaarsboek en, hoewel dit deel uitmaak van die projek wat ek ondemeem het, word dit nie voorgele saam met die teoretiese komponent van die MA- dissertasie nie maar as deel van die praktiese komponent. (Een van die take wat dit ondemeem is, kortliks, 'n ondersoek van die fenomeen tesis-skryf soos ek dit met die produksie van die eerste volume self verstaan en benader het - in die sin is dit selfreflektief. 'n Ander taak is 'n ondersoek van sekere aspekte van my pogings om kunstenaarsboeke te maak, insluitende 'n ondersoek na van die deurlopende temas en preokupasies van my werk.) Volume Een bestaan uit drie hoofstukke. Die eerste hoofstuk streef na 'n definisie van die boekkuns en die kunstenaarsboek met die doel om die onderwerp nader te ornlyn en 'n beeld daarvan op te bou. In die proses word die idees van 'n aantal boekkunstenaars en boekkuns-kommentatore oorweeg in die poging om n ryker begripstapisserie te weef. In die daaropvolgende hoofstuk word van die wyses waarop die boekkuns gekategoriseer is, bespreek, om die aard en rykwydte van die boekkuns nog nader te omlyn. Dit work ook gedoen om lig te werp op die verskillende onderdele en manifestasies van 'n omvangryke en soms verwarrende oeuvre. Ek stel vervolgens my eie klassifiseringsisteem voor, wat 'n verdere model hied vir die ondersoek van kunstenaarsboeke en die boekkunsbedryf. Aan die hand van hierdie model betree ek dan die arena van interpretasie. Ek stel voor dat sekere interpretasiemetodes ontleen aan die tydgenootlike literatuurwetenskap, en spesifiek die interpreteer van poesie, oorweeg word. Ek vergelyk die boekkunstenaar met die digter en stel voor dat hulle op soortgelyke wyses met die skep van betekenis omgaan. In die loop van die uiteensetting van my argument in drie hoofstukke, verwys ek ekstensief na voorbeelde van kunstenaarsboeke om spesifieke punte te maak. Waar ek dit as gepas beskou, verwys ek, by wyse van illustrasie, na my eie boekkuns. Op hierdie manier is dit vir my moontlik om inligting en besinning oor my eie praktyk en pre-okkupasies as boekkunstenaar met die teks te verweef.