Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kamu Harcamaları – Dış Ticaret Açığı İlişkisi: Birbirlerini Aynı Yönde mi Etkiler? Türkiye Örneği

Ozet Bu calismanin amaci Turkiye ekonomisinde 1987 ve 2014 yillari arasinda farkli sok tiplerinde ve farkli zaman boyutlarinda ticaret aciklari ile kamu harcamalari degiskenleri arasindaki nedensellik iliskisinin belirlenmesidir. Boylelikle Turkiye ekonomisinde ikiz aciklar hipotezinin gecerliligini test ederken kamu harcamalarinin dis ticaret aciklarini aciklamada daha etkili olup olmadigini test etmis olacagiz. Bunu yapmak icin ise Hatemi-J ve Roca (2014) tarafindan gelistirilen asimetrik nedensellik testi ile Breitung ve Candelon (2006) tarafindan gelistirilen frekans alani nedensellik testi kullanilmaktadir. Testlerden elde edilen sonuclar degiskenler arasinda cift yonlu nedenselligin oldugunu gostermektedir. Kamu harcamalarindan dis ticarete dogru nedensellik uzun donemde ortaya cikmakta iken ters nedensellik daha kisa zaman periyodunda yasanmaktadir. Asimetrik nedensellik analizi sonuclari, diger nedensellik analizlerinden farkli olarak kamu harcamalarindaki artisin dis ticaret acigini dusurecegini gostermektedir. Bu sonuc ikiz aciklar hipotezi yerine ikiz uzaksama hipotezinin Turkiye ekonomisi icin gecerli olabilecegini gostermektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Asimetrik nedensellik, kamu harcamalari, dis ticaret acigi, ikiz acik hipotezi. Abstract The purpose of this study is to determine the causality between trade deficits and government expenditures for the Turkish economy in different time horizons and in the case of different shock types between year 1987 and 2014. By doing so we aim to understand whether twin deficit hypothesis is valid in the Turkish economy or government expenditures have more ability to see the movements of trade deficit. To do this, we employ asymmetric causality test developed by Hatemi-J and Roca (2014), frequency domain causality test developed by Breitung and Candelon (2006) and rolling windows causality test developed by Balcilar et al.(2010) methods. Results obtained from all tests imply that there is a bi-directional causality between variables. The causation linkage from government expenditures to trade deficit occurs in long run while reverse causation linkage occurs in the shorter time period. Different from other causality analyses, asymmetric causality analysis results indicate that an increase in government expenditures reduces trade deficit contrarily to existing literature. This means twin divergence hypothesis might be valid in the Turkish economy instead of twin deficit hypothesis.
Biofilm Roughness Determines Cryptosporidium parvum Retention in Environmental Biofilms

ABSTRACT The genus Cryptosporidium is a group of waterborne protozoan parasites that have been implicated in significant outbreaks of gastrointestinal infections throughout the world. Biofilms trap these pathogens and can contaminate water supplies through subsequent release. Biofilm microbial assemblages were collected seasonally from three streams in eastern Pennsylvania and used to grow biofilms in laboratory microcosms. Daily oocyst counts in the influx and efflux flow allowed the calculation of daily oocyst retention in the biofilm. Following the removal of oocysts from the influx water, oocyst attachment to the biofilm declined to an equilibrium state within 5 days that was sustained for at least 25 days. Varying the oocyst loading rate for the system showed that biofilm retention could be saturated, suggesting that discrete binding sites determined the maximum number of oocysts retained. Oocyst retention varied seasonally but was consistent across all three sites; however, seasonal oocyst retention was not consistent across years at the same site. No correlation between oocyst attachment and any measured water quality parameter was found. However, oocyst retention was strongly correlated with biofilm surface roughness and roughness varied among seasons and across years. We hypothesize that biofilm roughness and oocyst retention are dependent on environmentally driven changes in the biofilm community rather than directly on water quality conditions. It is important to understand oocyst transport dynamics to reduce risks of human infection. Better understanding of factors controlling biofilm retention of oocysts should improve our understanding of oocyst transport at different scales.
Linguistic Organization and Cognitive Implications of Rem and Nrem Sleep-Related Reports

Verbal reports related to REM and NREM sleep were subjected to syntactic (taking Chomskian standard theory as model) and pragmatic analysis (pause distribution within and between kernel sentences). Both in REM and NREM-verbal reports descriptions of the mental experience during sleep were syntactically correct and indicated little difficulty in lexical choice and little emotion. Even though the strategy appears to be the same (sequential) in both cases, the retrieval of content appears to be more difficult after NREM than after REM sleep. Perhaps different degrees of content consolidation in memory occur during the two types of sleep.
The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2 (NEMESIS-2): design and methods.

The psychiatric epidemiological population study NEMESIS-2 (Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2) replicates and expands the first Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS-1) conducted from 1996 to 1999. The main objectives of the new study are to provide up-to-date figures on the prevalence, incidence, course and consequences of mental disorders, and to study trends in mental disorders and service use, with the use of a new sample. New topics not included in NEMESIS-1 were added, e.g. impulse-control disorders, and genetic correlates of mental disorders through gathering DNA from saliva samples. This paper gives an overview of the design of NEMESIS-2, especially of its recently completed first wave. NEMESIS-2 is a prospective study among Dutch-speaking subjects aged 18–64 years from the general Dutch population. Its baseline wave included 6646 subjects. Three waves are planned with three year-intervals between the waves. A multistage, stratified random sampling procedure was applied. The baseline wave of NEMESIS-2 was performed between November 2007 and July 2009. Face-to-face interviews were administered with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) 3.0. The response rate was 65.1%, and 76.4% of the respondents donated saliva. The sample was reasonably nationally representative, but younger subjects were somewhat underrepresented. In conclusion, we were able to build a comprehensive dataset of good quality, permitting several topics to be studied in the future. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The use of gel dosimetry for verification of electron and photon treatment plans in carcinoma of the scalp

In recent years there has been a large amount of research into the potential use of radiation sensitive gels for three-dimensional verification of clinical radiotherapy doses. In this paper we report the use of a MAGIC gel dosimeter (Fong et al 2001 Phys. Med. Biol. 46 3105) for the verification of a specific patient's radiation therapy dose distribution. A 69-year-old male patient presented with a squamous cell carcinoma extending approximately 180° across the top of the scalp (anterior to posterior) and from just over midline to 90° left of the skull. The patient's treatment was commenced using two electron fields. For gel dosimetry, phantoms were produced in which the outer surface spatially corresponded to the outer contours of the patient's anatomy in the region of irradiation. The phantoms were treated with either electrons or intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with photons. The results identified a hot spot between the matched electron fields and confirmed the more homogeneous dose distribution produced by the IMRT planning system. The IMRT plan was then clinically implemented. The application of a clinical dose to a phantom shaped to a specific patient as well as the ability to select a slice at will during phantom imaging means that gel dosimetry can no longer be considered to simply have potential alone, but is now in fact a useful dosimetric tool.
Massive open online courses (MOOCS): systematic literature review in Malaysian higher education

This study provided a systematic and organized review of 32 studies regarding using of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in Ma-laysian higher education from 2012 to 2017. This paper conducted an analysis of studies dedicated of using (MOOCs) for learning on the basis of certain dimensions namely, journal, country, author, year of publication, research methods, type of respondents, the models, and the theories. The findings obtained revealed that the interest on the topic has shown an increasing trend over recent years that it has ultimately become a well-known topic for academic research in the future. Nevertheless, to boost and enhance the using (MOOCs) for learning, it is important that future studies apply considerable use of theoretical and methodological approaches like the qualitative methods to examine the factors it will encourage students to use (MOOCs).
The Empirical Merit of Structural Explanations of Commodity Price Volatility: Review and Perspectives

This paper presents both the history of and state‐of‐the‐art in empirical modeling approaches to the world commodity price volatility. The analysis builds on the storage model and key milestones in its development. Specifically, it is intended to offer a reader unfamiliar with the relevant literature an insight into the modeling issues at stake from both a historical and speculative viewpoint. The review considers primarily the empirical techniques designed to assess the merits of the storage theory; it does not address purely statistical approaches that do not rely on storage theory and that have been studied in depth in other streams of the commodity price literature. The paper concludes with some suggestions for future research to try to resolve some of the existing empirical flaws, and hopefully to increase the explanatory power of the storage model.
A decimal floating-point fused multiply-add unit with a novel decimal leading-zero anticipator

There is a significant demand for decimal arithmetic, especially in commercial and financial applications. Furthermore, specifications for decimal floating-point (DFP) formats and arithmetic operations have been added to the IEEE-754-2008 Standard. Hardware and software support for DFP arithmetic operations have been investigated, especially in the last decade. This paper presents a novel DFP fused multiply-add (DFP-FMA) unit and a new decimal leading-zero anticipator (LZA). The DFP-FMA design uses a previously published parallel fixed-point decimal multiplier for multiplication and a Kogge-Stone parallel prefix adder for decimal addition. The DFP-FMA unit is synthesized using LSI Logic's gflxp 65-nm CMOS standard cell library. Synthesis results show that a 1.07-ns cycle time is obtained when the unit is synthesized with five pipeline stages. Furthermore, a new decimal LZA presented in this paper predicts zero-digit positions exactly and reduces the latency of the DFP-FMA operation. The correctness of the new decimal LZA is fully tested.
Normative data for triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses of Chinese infants

Skinfold thickness is a validated parameter of subcutaneous fat accumulation. Data on triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses were collected from 10 043 (5318 males, 4725 females) singletons at 12 hospitals with gestation 31–42 wk. The LMS method using maximum penalized likelihood was used to perform model fitting of the anthropometric centiles for these parameters. Both triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses were greater in girls than in boys. Racial differences were found when comparing with other populations. The triceps subscapular skinfold thicknesses of Chinese infants were significantly lower than those of US white infants but larger than those of African‐American infants, Israeli infants, Spanish infants and Indian infants.
Repetition priming effects dissociate between miniature eye movements and induced gamma‐band responses in the human electroencephalogram

The role of induced gamma‐band responses (iGBRs) in the human electroencephalogram (EEG) is a controversial topic. On the one hand, iGBRs have been associated with neuronal activity reflecting the (re‐)activation of cortical object representations. On the other hand, it was shown that miniature saccades (MSs) lead to high‐frequency artifacts in the EEG that can mimic cortical iGBRs. We recorded EEG and eye movements simultaneously while participants were engaged in a combined repetition priming and object recognition experiment. MS rates were mainly modulated by object familiarity in a time window from 100 to 300 ms after stimulus onset. In contrast, artifact‐corrected iGBRs were sensitive to object repetition and object familiarity in a prolonged time window. EEG source analyses revealed that stimulus repetitions modulated iGBRs in temporal and occipital cortex regions while familiarity was associated with activity in parieto‐occipital regions. These results are in line with neuroimaging studies employing functional magnetic resonance imaging or magnetoencephalography. We conclude that MSs reflect early mechanisms of visual perception while iGBRs mirror the activation of cortical networks representing a perceived object.
Electromagnetic wave scattering from statistically distributed system of reflectors over smooth sea surface

In this work we study effect of smooth sea surface on forming of RCS of a field scattered from a complex shape body modelled as a statistically distributed system of point identical reflectors (see, for example [1]). This model allows easily to evaluate various probabilistic characteristics of scattered fields such as probability distributions of field amplitudes, phases and different spectra. This is due to the fact that theoretically we study a probability distribution of the amplitude and phase of the sum of a large number of random two-dimensional vectors assuming that both the amplitudes and the phases of the component vector are random and their distributions may be uniform. In the current model we study probability distributions of monostatic RCS of a statistically distributed system of point reflectors located near to smooth sea surface. In this work we consider a special case of grazing incidence of a plane electromagnetic wave. Thus, it leads to a possibility to substitute smooth sea surface by ideally flat perfectly conducting reflecting plane what is well-known in the naval radar theory (see [2]). The statistically distributed system of identical point reflectors is located inside a finite constant volume. The scattered field of this system has a very complicated structure of multi-lobe diagram. In this work we obtain a very important for marine radars an estimate for reinforced backscattering from sea targets (propagation factor, see [3]). We also specify vital for naval radars changes in statistics and spectral characteristics of the fields scattered from the complex bodies that take place due to a presence of the sea surface.
Income inequality and mortality in metropolitan areas of the United States.

OBJECTIVES This study examined associations between income inequality and mortality in 282 US metropolitan areas. METHODS Income inequality measures were calculated from the 1990 US Census. Mortality was calculated from National Center for Health Statistics data and modeled with weighted linear regressions of the log age-adjusted rate. RESULTS Excess mortality between metropolitan areas with high and low income inequality ranged from 64.7 to 95.8 deaths per 100,000 depending on the inequality measure. In age-specific analyses, income inequality was most evident for infant mortality and for mortality between ages 15 and 64. CONCLUSIONS Higher income inequality is associated with increased mortality at all per capita income levels. Areas with high income inequality and low average income had excess mortality of 139.8 deaths per 100,000 compared with areas with low inequality and high income. The magnitude of this mortality difference is comparable to the combined loss of life from lung cancer, diabetes, motor vehicle crashes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, suicide, and homicide in 1995. Given the mortality burden associated with income inequality, public and private sector initiatives to reduce economic inequalities should be a high priority.
Magnetic cell sorting and flow cytometry sorting methods for the isolation and function analysis of mouse CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells

ObjectiveIn this paper we compared the two methods of cell sorting (magnetic cell sorting and flow cytometry sorting) for the isolation and function analysis of mouse CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells, in order to inform further studies in Treg cell function.MethodsWe separately used magnetic cell sorting and flow cytometry sorting to identify CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells. After magnetic cell separation, we further used flow cytometry to analyze the purity of CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells, trypan blue staining to detect cell viability, and propidium iodide (PI) staining to assess the cell viability. We detected the immune inhibition of CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells in the in vitro proliferation experiments.ResultsThe results showed that compared to flow cytometry sorting, magnetic cell sorting took more time and effort, but fewer live cells were obtained than with flow cytometry sorting. The CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells, however, obtained with both methods have similar immunosuppressive capacities.ConclusionThe result suggests that both methods can be used in isolating CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells, and one can select the best method according to specific needs and availability of the methodologies.
Characterization of Two Putative Cytochrome c Peroxidases of Campylobacter jejuni Involved in Promoting Commensal Colonization of Poultry

ABSTRACT Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in humans throughout the world, but infection of animals, especially poultry, results in a commensal colonization of the intestines. We previously found that a mutant lacking docA, which encodes a putative cytochrome c peroxidase (CCP), demonstrates up to a 105-fold reduction in colonization of the chick cecum compared to wild-type C. jejuni strain 81-176. Predictions from genomic sequences identified CJJ0382 as a second locus in C. jejuni encoding a CCP, making the bacterium unusual in having two putative CCPs. To understand what advantages are imparted by having two putative CCPs, we compared the colonization requirements of C. jejuni mutants lacking DocA or Cjj0382. Unlike the ΔdocA mutant, a ΔCJJ0382 mutant demonstrates a maximal 50-fold colonization defect that is dependent on the inoculum dose. The colonization differences of mutants lacking DocA or Cjj0382 suggest that the two predicted CCPs are unlikely to perform redundant functions during in vivo growth. In the characterizations of DocA and Cjj0382, we found that they are stable periplasmic proteins with an apparent heme-dependent peroxidase activity, which are characteristics of bacterial CCPs. However, the peroxidase activities of the proteins do not appear to contribute to resistance to hydrogen peroxide. Instead, we found that resistance to hydrogen peroxide in C. jejuni is mostly attributed to the cytoplasmic catalase KatA. Our data suggest that DocA and Cjj0382 have characteristics of CCPs but likely perform different physiological functions for the bacterium in colonization that are not related to resisting oxidative stress.
Early Diagnosis of Lymphedema in Postsurgery Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract: Lymphedema is an accumulation of lymph fluid in the limb resulting from an insufficiency of the lymphatic system. It is commonly associated with surgical or radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer. As with many progressively debilitating disorders, the effectiveness of treatment is significantly improved by earlier intervention. Multiple frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MFBIA) previously was shown to provide accurate relative measures of lymphedema in the upper limb in patients after treatment for breast cancer. This presentation reports progress to date on a three‐year prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of MFBIA to predict the early onset of lymphedema in breast cancer patients following treatment. Bioelectrical impedance measurements of each upper limb were recorded in a group of healthy control subjects (n= 50) to determine the ratio of extracellular limb‐fluid volumes. From this population, the expected normal range of asymmetry (99.7% confidence) between the limbs was determined. Patients undergoing surgery to treat breast cancer were recruited into the study, and MFBIA measurements were recorded presurgery, at one month and three months after surgery, and then at two‐month intervals for up to 24 months postsurgery. When patients had an MFBIA measure outside the 99.7% range of the control group, they were referred to their physician for clinical assessment. Results to date: Over 100 patients were recruited into the study over the past two years; at present, 19 have developed lymphedema and, of these, 12 are receiving treatment. In each of these 19 cases, MFBIA predicted the onset of the condition up to four months before it could be clinically diagnosed. The false‐negative rate currently is zero. The study will continue to monitor patients over the remaining year to accurately ascertain estimates of specificity and sensitivity of the procedure.
Influence of border traps on the determination of the minimum temperature coefficient current in high sensitivity MOS radiation dosimeters

In this paper we examine the influence of the temperature on the instability of the response of thick oxide MOS radiation dosimeters due to border traps which is particularly important at high dose and we re-examine the validity of the method used to determine the MTC current value of irradiated dosimeters and the conclusion given previously.
The Effects of Zoning Regulations along Fault Zone Areas on Land Development and Property Values after the 921 Chi-Chi Earthquake in Taiwan

Earthquakes are widely recognized as unpredictable and infrequent disasters that result in serious impacts on human settlements. Land use planning is one non-structural measure used to eliminate disaster risk by steering future development away from the existing built environment and enforcing particular structural engineering measures according to the disaster risk. However, arguments have arisen about applying land use planning to earthquake risk areas, as this serves as a type of disaster risk information disclosure that might impact the willingness to develop land or property value. Therefore, this study uses the spatial autocorrelation coefficient to examine the impact of land use planning on both land use and property transactions in the Chelungpu fault zone area (15 m from each side of the fault line) in Taiwan. The overall impacts with and without zoning regulation in the fault zone area are explored. The results demonstrate that parcels that changed to building use in the earlier time period (1995–2008) are located distant from those maintaining the same building use, whereas, later, building use (2008–2014) is located on or nearby the fault zone area. In addition, the most recently constructed buildings are located in or close to the fault zone area and have a relatively higher property price. The legal zoning regulation along the fault zone for building use requires lower height and less intensive building, which might help mitigate the potential impact of future earthquakes.