Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A NOVEL ERROR DETECTION TECHNIQUE FOR AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED DIGITAL ELEVATION MODELS

The generation of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) is one photogrammetric process that has been successfully automated. However, a common criticism surrounding DEM generation software currently available commercially, is the lack of quality assessment procedures. This paper describes a new system called the Failure Warning Model (FWM), which automatically detects low accuracy areas and presents the information in a graphical format that is easy to assimilate. The technique makes use of the strategy parameters embedded within many current digital photogrammetric systems. Typically, these are a set of user definable parameters that control the search, acceptance and quality control procedures used to derive final point elevations in the DEM. Detailed tests revealed that accurate points are insensitive to changes to the strategy parameters and so the system identifies points that are sensitive to parameter change, which may therefore be considered unreliable. As a further refinement, the algorithm considers the impact of local slope angles and the internal classification of the height estimate. The Failure Warning Model was developed within the ERDAS Imagine environment for the ERDAS OrthoMAX DEM generation software. It was tested on a wide variety of imagery (scale: 1:70 to 1:45,000) representing a variety of landcover types and show that the approach is successful. More significantly, the method proved successful using other digital photogrammetric systems, indicating the generality of the approach. The Failure Warning Model is described in this paper and combined with results from extensive tests using both the OrthoMAX and Phodis TS software from Zeiss.
FURTHER LABORATORY STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF EXOGENOUS OESTROGENIC CHEMICALS ON EXPOSURE MARKERS AND BREEDING SUCCESS IN SAND GOBY ( Pomatoschistus minutus Pallas )

The effects of oestrogenic exposure upon exposure indicators and reproductive success in a marine fish were investigated using a series of short and long-term exposures of the sand goby (Pomatoschistus minutus) to oestrogenic materials. A 140 bp cDNA probe for sand goby vitellogenin (VTG) was used to measure hepatic VTG mRNA expression. Effects on other novel and “classical” biomarkers of oestrogenic exposure were also investigated. Sand goby were exposed to 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) or 17β-oestradiol (E2) in continuous flow-through. Following six months exposure to E2, breeding trials were conducted to investigate effects upon individual and population reproductive output. In a 28-day doseranging exposure, OP induced hepatic VTG mRNA expression and VTG protein production at concentrations greater than 30 μg l. Prolonged exposure to OP (0–119 μg l) resulted in effects being seen that were responsive to both exposure concentration and duration. In the E2 exposure (0–530 ng l), the effects were responsive to exposure concentration, but not duration. With increasing exposure concentration, VTG mRNA expression increased, and indicators of male maturation (gonad size, sperm-duct gland size, nuptial colouration) either decreased or showed inhibited development. Population reproductive output was significantly reduced following exposure to 70 or 530 ng l E2, with no fertile eggs produced at the higher concentration. These concentrations also significantly elevated male VTG mRNA expression. This work suggests that wild goby populations exhibiting biomarkers of oestrogenic exposure are likely to have reduced reproductive success.
Increased mean platelet volume in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Amac: Diyabetik hastalarda vaskuler komplikasyonlarin gelisiminde trombositler onemli rol oynamaktadir. Buyuk trombositler kucuklere oranla daha aktif olup, ortalama trombosit hacmi (MPV) trombosit aktivitesini gostermede kullanilan bir belirtecdir. Biz bu calismamizda MPV\'nin tip 2 diyabetes mellituslu hastalarda ve diyabetin mikrovaskuler ve makrovaskuler komplikasyonlardaki iliskisi arastirmayi amacladik. Yontemler: Calismaya Diskapi Egitim ve Arastirma Hastanesi Dahiliye polikliniginde takipli olan 48 tip 2 diyabetli ve 30 saglikli hasta dahil edilmistir. Tum hastalarda tam kan sayimi, aclik kan sekeri ve lipid parametreleri calisildi. Diyabetik hastalarda diyabet suresi, HbA1c duzeyi, mikrovaskuler ve makrovaskuler komplikasyon varligi arastirildi. Ortalama trombosit hacmi diyabetik ve saglikli kontrol grubu arasinda ve diyabetik kolda komplikasyon olan olmayan grup arasinda karsilastirildi. Bulgular: Diyabetik hastalarda MPV, non-diyabetik sagliklilarla karsilastirildiginda anlamli yuksek saptandi. En az bir mikrovaskuler komplikasyonu olan hastalarda olmayanlara gore MPV belirgin yuksek saptandi. Makrovaskuler komplikasyonu olan hastalarda MPV olmayan hastalara gore yuksek bulundu. Sonuc: Hem diyabetiklerde hem de mikro-makrovaskuler komplikasyonlari olan diyabetik hastalarda MPV yuksek bulunmustur.
ISOMAP-Based Spatiotemporal Modeling for Lithium-Ion Battery Thermal Process

The real-time monitoring of temperature distribution in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is crucial for their safety and optimal operation in electrical vehicles. An accurate and effective thermal model is needed for online temperature monitoring since limited sensors are available in vehicle application. In this paper, a data-based spatiotemporal modeling method is researched for online estimation of temperature distribution of LIBs. First, Isometric Mapping (ISOMAP) method is used for time/space separation and model reduction. Then, the low-dimensional representation can be obtained in terms of ISOMAP based mapping functions. The unknown temporal dynamics in the low-dimensional space can be approximated using neural network model with parameters trained using extreme learning machine (ELM) algorithm. Finally, the spatiotemporal model of the thermal process can be reconstructed by integrating the neural network model and the mapping functions. The generalization bound of the proposed spatiotemporal model can be analyzed using Rademacher complexity. Simulation results showed that the proposed modeling method can model the LIB thermal process very well.
Productive Government Expenditure in Monetary Business Cycle Models

This paper assesses the transmission of fiscal policy shocks in a New Keynesian framework where government expenditures contribute to aggregate production. It is shown that even if the impact of government expenditures on production is small, this assumption helps to reconcile the models' predictions about fiscal policy effects with recent empirical evidence. In particular, it is shown that government expenditures can lead to a rise in private consumption, real wages, and employment if the government share is not too large and public finance does not solely rely on distortionary taxation. When government expenditures are partially financed by public debt, unit labor costs fall in response to a fiscal expansion, such that inflation tends to decline. Households are willing to raise consumption if monetary policy is active, i.e. ensures that the real interest rate rises with inflation. Otherwise, private consumption can also be crowded out, as in the conventional case where government expenditures are not productive.
A Study of Insomnia among Psychiatric Out-Patients in Lagos Nigeria

Insomnia is closely related to psychiatric disorders, occurring as an accompanying symptom or as an aetiological factor. It is also a common side-effect of some of the drugs used in treating psychiatric disorders. Several studies have been carried out in different populations however there is the need for more studies aimed at taking a closer look at this relationship in the Nigerian population. The objective of this work is to study the relationship between insomnia and patient characteristics such as sleeping conditions and psychiatric diagnoses. The study was carried out at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The methodology involved administering a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Sleep-50 questionnaire to consenting subjects whose psychiatric diagnoses were ascertained using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. An analysis of the one hundred and eighty four subjects studied showed that schizophrenia was the commonest psychiatric diagnosis (35.9%). The prevalence of insomnia in this population was found to be 20.1% and it was significantly most prevalent among those with major depression. The noise experienced at night, the subject’s subjective estimation of hours asleep, being elderly and being unemployed were significantly related to the presence of insomnia. In conclusion the study supports the importance of enquiring about insomnia among psychiatric out-patients and highlights the usefulness of sleep questionnaires in obtaining information in sleep disorder research.
Jensen's Inequality, Parameter Uncertainty, and Multi-Period Investment

Classical approaches to estimation and decisions requiring estimation often are at odds. When values critical to the decision are convex or concave functions of unknown parameters, the statistician’s estimation error adjustments are the opposite of what is appropriate for the decision. We illustrate the conflict by studying multi-period investment problems. The proper application of Jensen’s inequality to the decision turns finance intuition on its head: Multi-period investments with negative risk premia can be profitable, risk-averse investors can have infinite demand for risky securities, settings exist in which risk-averse investors should not diversify, and demand for mutual funds with negative alphas may be rational. (JEL C11, G11)
Corporate Cash Flow and Stock Price Exposures to Foreign Exchange Rate Risk

This paper estimates the foreign exchange rate exposure of 6,917 U.S. nonfinancial firms on the basis of stock prices and corporate cash flows. The results show that several firms are significantly exposed to at least one of the foreign exchange rates Canadian Dollar, Japanese Yen and Euro, and significant exposures are more frequent at longer horizons. The percentage of firms for which stock price and earnings exposures are significantly different is relatively low, though it increases with time horizon. Overall, the impact of exchange rate risk on stock prices and cash flows is similar and determined by a related set of economic factors.
Status of serum electrolytes in preeclamptic pregnant women of Riyadh,Saudi Arabia.

Preeclampsia is characterized by new-onset hypertension, proteinuria and is responsible for substantial maternal and fetal morbidity. The electrolytes like sodium, potassium and chloride contribute significantly in the functioning of the vascular smooth muscles and may play an important role in the aetiopathogenesis of hypertension. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the role of serum ionized sodium, potassium and chloride levels as a predisposing factor in the genesis of preeclampsia and to find out the association of these elements with blood pressure in preeclamptic pregnant women living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. One hundred and twenty subjects were enrolled in this case-controlled study and divided into three groups; control, highrisk of preeclampsia (HR) and preeclampsia (PET) of 40 each. Blood samples were obtained from all the patients and the serum levels of sodium, potassium and chloride were determined. Statistical analysis was performed by one way ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. In preeclamptic group, the mean values of Na+, K+ and Cl- were 138.27±2.99, 3.56 ± 0.38 and 104.2 ± 3.86 mEq/L respectively in comparison to control (135.44 ± 2.24, 4.11 ± 0.42 and 100.4± 2.43 mEq/L respectively). Raised levels of Na+ and Cl- in preeclamptic patients was significant at p<0.001 level of significance. There was significant positive correlation between raised sodium levels and systolic blood pressure (P<0.05), while K+ showed a significant negative association with increased diastolic blood pressure. On the other hand, chloride exhibited insignificant correlation with blood pressure. In conclusion, our study suggests that hypernatremia and hypokalemia observed in preeclamptic patients bring about altered homeostatis of these elements in serum and therefore may act as predisposing factors in pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
Heat shock protein based SNP marker for terminal heat stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

High temperatures during grain filling period of wheat adversely affect the plant growth, yield and grain quality in many regions of world. Tolerance to heat stress is complex phenomenon and controlled by multiple genes imparting a number of physiological and biochemical changes. Attempts were made to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and to differentiate the heat tolerant and heat susceptible genotypes of wheat using heat shock protein (HSP16.9) as the target gene. DNA fragment covering a partial sequence of Triticum aestivum L. HSP16.9, were amplified from heat tolerant genotype (K7903) and heat susceptible genotype (RAJ4014), and subsequently analyzed for the presence of SNP. One SNP was found between these genotypes and the analysis of amino acid sequence showed that the base transition (A/G) positioned at 31 amino acid resulted in missense mutation from aspartic acid to aspargine residue. Allele specific primers based on SNP were designed to screen the other heat tolerant and susceptible genotypes. Single-marker analysis explained 29.89% and 24.14% phenotypic variation for grain weight per spike and thousand grain weight respectively. This is the first report of HSP derived SNP marker associated with terminal heat stress in wheat which can be used by the breeders for improving tolerance to high temperatures in wheat breeding programmes.
GTP-binding protein βγ subunits mediate presynaptic calcium current inhibition by GABAB receptor

A variety of GTP-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptors are expressed at the nerve terminals of central synapses and play modulatory roles in transmitter release. At the calyx of Held, a rat auditory brainstem synapse, activation of presynaptic γ-aminobutyric acid type B receptors (GABAB receptors) or metabotropic glutamate receptors inhibits presynaptic P/Q-type Ca2+ channel currents via activation of G proteins, thereby attenuating transmitter release. To identify the heterotrimeric G protein subunits involved in this presynaptic inhibition, we loaded G protein βγ subunits (Gβγ) directly into the calyceal nerve terminal through whole-cell patch pipettes. Gβγ slowed the activation of presynaptic Ca2+ currents (IpCa) and attenuated its amplitude in a manner similar to the externally applied baclofen, a GABAB receptor agonist. The effects of both Gβγ and baclofen were relieved after strong depolarization of the nerve terminal. In addition, Gβγ partially occluded the inhibitory effect of baclofen on IpCa. In contrast, guanosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate)-bound Goα loaded into the calyx had no effect. Immunocytochemical examination revealed that the subtype of G proteins Go, but not the Gi, subtype, is expressed in the calyceal nerve terminal. These results suggest that presynaptic inhibition mediated by G protein-coupled receptors occurs primarily by means of the direct interaction of Go βγ subunits with presynaptic Ca2+ channels.
Outdoor Passive Millimeter-Wave Imaging: Phenomenology and Scene Simulation

A model for scene simulation is presented, which describes quantitatively the recognized phenomenology of passive millimeter-wave (PMW) imaging in land, sea, and air scenarios. The model describes objects in a scene as facets giving them electromagnetic properties from their electrical permittivities. This enables polarimetric effects in scenes to be reproduced. Illumination from the sky and ground is calculated using radiation transport, as are the emissive and absorbing effects of the atmosphere between the objects and the imager. The model includes the effects of image sampling, diffraction effects of finite imager aperture sizes, and system noise. Phenomena in experimentally acquired images in the 94 GHz atmospheric transmission window are quantified from three scenarios. These are a helicopter landing site as viewed by the pilot, a coastal region showing boats, land and buildings viewed from sea level, and an airfield viewed from directly above. These are compared quantitatively to the simulated scenes from these scenarios, finding agreement between the radiation temperatures to within a few degrees kelvin. These discrepancies are accounted for by the uncertainties in the permittivities of materials in the scene. This paper constitutes the partial validation of a scene simulation capability for PMMW imaging in outdoor scenarios.
Women Diagnosed with Endometriosis Possess High Body Mass Index Compared to Controls

Aim: To measure and compare the body mass index (BMI) inwomen diagnosed with endometriosis with healthy females. Design: Descriptive comparative study Patients: Fifty women, age 20-40 years, diagnosed with endometriosis were included. Methods: A total of 100 women were included in the study. The study population was divided into two groups endometriosis group (n=50) and control group (n=50). The women in endometriosis group were 20-40 years of age, recently diagnosed of endometriosis with history of infertility for more than one year. The control group (n=50) consists of same age group (20-40 years) and all women were screened negative of endometriosis and had history of proven fertility being mothered a child in previous two years. Females on any medication, co morbid conditions were excluded from the study. BMI was calculated by kg/m 2 . The results are expressed as means±SD (kg/m 2 ). Results: A significant increase in BMI (p=0.004*) was seen in cases (24.5±4.5) as compared to controls (22.8 ±3.02) kg/m 2 . When women were categorized into stage of endometriosis; the difference was non-significant. However, the inter stage comparison of BMI revealed non-significant increasing trend with advancement of the stage. Conclusion: High BMI in infertile endometriosis patients compared to controls substantiate the role of overweight in infertility. In such patients reduction in body weight is advisable to improve their fertility status.
Unraveling the molecular repertoire of tears as a source of biomarkers: Beyond ocular diseases

Proteomics and metabolomics investigations of body fluids present several challenges for biomarker discovery of several diseases. The search for biomarkers is actually conducted in different body fluids, even if the ideal biomarker can be found in an easily accessible biological fluid, because, if validated, the biomarker could be sought in the healthy population. In this regard, tears could be considered an optimum material obtained by noninvasive procedures. In the past years, the scientific community has become more interested in the study of tears for the research of new biomarkers not only for ocular diseases. In this review, we provide a discussion on the current state of biomarkers research in tears and their relevance for clinical practice, and report the main results of clinical proteomics studies on systemic and eye diseases. We summarize the main methods for tear samples analyses and report recent advances in “omics” platforms for tears investigations. Moreover, we want to take stock of the emerging field of metabolomics and lipidomics as a new and integrated approach to study protein‐metabolites interplay for biomarkers research, where tears represent a still unexplored and attractive field.
The Effect of Iraqi Propolis Supplementation on Internal Organs and Some Physiological Traits in Broilers

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of Propolis on a total of 500 one day–old broiler Ross (308) on some physiological traits in broilers. This experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments (different levels of propolis including 0, 150, 300, 450 and 600 mg/kg diet). At the age of 21 days and at the end of the experiment (42 days of age ), blood samples were collected from 10 birds per group for hematological and biochemical study. Packed cell volume (PCV) , hemoglobin( Hb) , red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC) were measured . The serum was analyzed for total triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Total protein, calcium (CA) and carbohydrates (CHO). Results showed that PCV and Hb were significantly higher for birds fed 150 mg/kg and birds fed 300 mg/kg respectively. RBC and total protein at 42 days were decreased for the experimental treatments . while the levels of 450 and 600 mg/kg propolis didn’t affect TG or HDL. Some differences were noticed in Gizzard, Heart, Liver and spleen percentage weights.
Moving mesh cosmology: the hydrodynamics of galaxy formation

We present a detailed comparison between the well-known smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code gadget and the new moving-mesh code arepo on a number of hydrodynamical test problems. Through a variety of numerical experiments with increasing complexity we establish a clear link between simple test problems with known analytic solutions and systematic numerical effects seen in cosmological simulations of galaxy formation. Our tests demonstrate deficiencies of the SPH method in several sectors. These accuracy problems not only manifest themselves in idealized hydrodynamical tests, but also propagate to more realistic simulation set-ups of galaxy formation, ultimately affecting local and global gas properties in the full cosmological framework, as highlighted in companion papers by Vogelsberger et al. and Keres et al. We find that an inadequate treatment of fluid instabilities in gadget suppresses entropy generation by mixing, underestimates vorticity generation in curved shocks and prevents efficient gas stripping from infalling substructures. Moreover, in idealized tests of inside-out disc formation, the convergence rate of gas disc sizes is much slower in gadget due to spurious angular momentum transport. In simulations where we follow the interaction between a forming central disc and orbiting substructures in a massive halo, the final disc morphology is strikingly different in the two codes. In arepo, gas from infalling substructures is readily depleted and incorporated into the host halo atmosphere, facilitating the formation of an extended central disc. Conversely, gaseous sub-clumps are more coherent in gadget simulations, morphologically transforming the central disc as they impact it. The numerical artefacts of the SPH solver are particularly severe for poorly resolved flows, and thus inevitably affect cosmological simulations due to their inherently hierarchical nature. Taken together, our numerical experiments clearly demonstrate that arepo delivers a physically more reliable solution.
Litigation and Settlement: New Evidence from Labor Courts in Mexico

Using a newly assembled data set on procedures filed in Mexican labor tribunals, the authors of this paper study the determinants of final awards to workers. On average, workers recover less than 30 percent of their claim. The strongest result is that workers receive higher percentages of their claims in settlements than in trial judgments. It is also found that cases with multiple claimants against a single firm are less likely to be settled, which partially explains why workers involved in these procedures receive lower percentages of their claims. Finally, the authors find evidence that a worker who exaggerates his or her claim is less likely to settle.