Augmenting the GTAP Database with Data on Inter-Regional Transactions

This paper reports the results of an exercise to augment the GTAP database with information from the income and current transfers components of the current account of the balance of payments. The exercise demonstrates that the process of augmenting the GTAP database is relatively straightforward. A simple simulation exercise using the augmented and non-augmented versions of the database demonstrates that the results from a trade liberalisation scenario are sufficiently large to provide a justification for the augmentation of the GTAP database over and above the case that could be argued based on national accounting conventions

Entropy-based fault detection approach for motor vibration signals under accelerated aging process

The purpose of this study is to analyze motor vibration signals due to the bearing fault, which is artificially generated by aging process. Vibration signal data recorded by the experimental setup has been conditioned by a high-pass filter (Butterworth type) to reach the regarding frequency components of the bearing failure. Spectral analysis has been applied to realize the degradation on the bearing and the power spectral density figures revealed that the magnitudes of frequency components between 1.5-4 kHz bandwidth increased after every aging cycle. Vibration signals were investigated statistically by examining four main statistical parameters: mean value, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis. Evaluation of these parameters indicated that significant variance occurred on standard deviation. At this point Shannon entropy became an approach to analyze the variance on the standard deviation. The probability of the aging cycles has been defined as a function of standard deviation values for each aging cycle. Entropy definition, which is a function of probability, determines the uncertainty level on the data and it has been examined to identify the effect of the aging progress on the bearing by examining the transferred entropy amount between aging cycles

Allocation in Practice

How do we allocate scarcere sources? How do we fairly allocate costs? These are two pressing challenges facing society today. I discuss two recent projects at NICTA concerning resource and cost allocation. In the first, we have been working with FoodBank Local, a social startup working in collaboration with food bank charities around the world to optimise the logistics of collecting and distributing donated food. Before we can distribute this food, we must decide how to allocate it to different charities and food kitchens. This gives rise to a fair division problem with several new dimensions, rarely considered in the literature. In the second, we have been looking at cost allocation within the distribution network of a large multinational company. This also has several new dimensions rarely considered in the literature.Comment: To appear in Proc. of 37th edition of the German Conference on Artificial Intelligence (KI 2014), Springer LNC

Automated Analysis of Large-Scale NMR Data Generates Metabolomic Signatures and Links Them to Candidate Metabolites.

Identification of metabolites in large-scale <sup>1</sup> H NMR data from human biofluids remains challenging due to the complexity of the spectra and their sensitivity to pH and ionic concentrations. In this work, we tested the capacity of three analysis tools to extract metabolite signatures from 968 NMR profiles of human urine samples. Specifically, we studied sets of covarying features derived from principal component analysis (PCA), the iterative signature algorithm (ISA), and averaged correlation profiles (ACP), a new method we devised inspired by the STOCSY approach. We used our previously developed metabomatching method to match the sets generated by these algorithms to NMR spectra of individual metabolites available in public databases. On the basis of the number and quality of the matches, we concluded that ISA and ACP can robustly identify ten and nine metabolites, respectively, half of which were shared, while PCA did not produce any signatures with robust matches

Assessment of the left atrial volume index and plasma NT-proANP level in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVES: Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction is associated with ventricular dysfunction due to ischemia-induced progressive myocardial damage. The decrease in ventricular compliance causes left atrial dilatation and stretching of the atrial myocardium, which are the main stimuli for the secretion of atrial natriuretic peptide. The aim of this study was to evaluate left atrial dimensions and atrial natriuretic peptide levels in patients early after their first acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction and assess the probable interaction between coronary lesions and these measurements. METHODS: A total of 110 patients with acute myocardial infarction and 50 controls were studied. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide was measured at admission. Left ventricular function, diameter, and volume index were evaluated using transthoracic echocardiography. Gensini and vessel scores of the patients who underwent coronary angiography were calculated. RESULTS: Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide in the patients with myocardial infarction was increased compared with that in controls (3.90±3.75 vs. 1.35±0.72 nmol/L,

PHOTOGRAMMETRIC WIREFRAME AND DENSE POINT CLOUD 3D MODELLING OF HISTORICAL STRUCTURES: THE STUDY OF SULTAN SELIM MOSQUE AND YUSUF AGA LIBRARY IN KONYA, TURKEY

The photogrammetry enables to getting high accuracy measurement with low-cost and easy application in documentation of historical structures. The object details are signified with lines in cultural heritage documentation by photogrammetry. The combination of all the lines create 3D wireframe model of the measurement object. In addition, patch surfaces of the wireframe are mapped with the texture from the images for more realistic visualization. On the other hand, the progress on computer vision and image processing techniques is allowing automatically perform the photogrammetric process. A large number of points that are called dense point cloud can be measured from coverage area of multi view images. The dense point cloud represents the object shape with small space measured points while the wireframe photogrammetry is representing the object with lines. In this study these two photogrammetric methods were evaluated with respect to visualization, cost, labour and measurement time through 3D modelling of historical structures of Sultan Selim Mosque and Yusuf Aga Library

Betatrophin levels are related to the early histological findings in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Betatrophin, a liver hormone, regulates glucose and lipid metabolism. We investigated the betatrophin levels in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and searched for any relationship with histological severity and metabolic parameters. Fifty males with NAFLD [Nonalcoholic Steatohepati-tis (NASH) (n = 32); non-NASH (n = 18)] and 30 healthy controls were included. Plasma betatrophin was measured by ELISA method. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by HOMA-IR index. Histological features were scored by the semi quantitative classification and combined as the NAFLD activity score (NAS). Betatrophin levels in the non-NASH group were significantly higher than the controls. Betatrophin was positively correlated to the age, waist circumference, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR index and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase levels, and negatively correlated to the steatosis and NAS. In the stepwise linear regression analysis, the triglyceride (β = 0.457, p < 0.001), glucose (β = 0.281, p = 0.02) and NAS (β = −0.260, p = 0.03) were the independent determinants of betatrophin. Betatrophin levels are higher in the early stages of NAFLD and tend to decrease when the disease progresses. This could be an important preliminary mechanistic finding to explain the increased frequency of glucose intolerance during the course of NAFLD

A Performance Analysis on Pressure Loss and Airflow Diffusion in a Chamber with Perforated V-Profile Diffuser Designed for Air Handling Units (AHUs)

Outlet cross-sectional area of fans used in air handling units is smaller than cross-sectional area of chambers which are located next to the fan. In order to ensure efficiently operating of the air handling units, it is required that the air flows through a perforated diffuser to create a uniform air diffusion from fan outlet to following chamber with a minimum pressure loss and uniform velocity distribution. In this concept, numerical simulations and experiments were performed for the chamber with perforated V-profile diffuser, which is often used in air handling units because of its simple geometry and easy manufacturing. Pressure losses were firstly obtained experimentally for different air velocities in the chamber. Then a performance analysis on the air flow diffusion and pressure losses inside chamber with perforated V-profile diffuser for different geometric parameters such as entry length, apex angle, geometry and pattern of hole, plate thickness, porosity and surface roughness has been carried out numerically. It is seen that the experimental results validated with the numerical turbulence model results

Temporary labour migration to United Arab Emirates: a complex story

In this study, we take a point of departure in two recently available large quantitative sources of data from the United Arab Emirates(UAE) in order to analyse social and economic aspects of temporary labour migration to the country. We attempt to present a nuanced and broad-scale description of social and economic situation of labour immigrants in the UAE. The results paint a rather complex picture. On one hand, immigrant workers are often low-paid and harshly treated, on the other there are opportunities for economic advancement for many of them. We conclude that, although far from being a neo-liberal utopia, the UAE does provide better opportunities for millions of immigrants. Life in the country is harsh for many of immigrants but it is less harsh than the alternatives they have in home countries. Regarding the UAE citizens, they surely are or will be facing economic challenges due to massive immigration, but the country has experienced the levels of economic development that would be unimaginable without a large-scale immigration. Thus, the immigration experience of the UAE has so far largely been a win-win situation, for both natives and immigrants

The Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Oxidative Stress during Pneumoperitoneum

. Purpose. This study was intended to investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on oxidative stress response in pneumoperitoneum established in rats. Methods. Animals were randomized into three groups, group S: with no pneumoperitoneum, group P: with pneumoperitoneum established, and group D: given 100 mcg intraperitoneal dexmedetomidine 30 min before establishment of pneumoperitoneum. Plasma total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) activity were measured 30 min after conclusion of pneumoperitoneum. Results. The mean TOS level was significantly higher in group P than in the other two groups, and the TOS level was significantly higher in group D than in group S ( < 0.05). Plasma TAS level was found to be lower in group P than in the other two groups, and the TAS level was lower in group D than in group S ( < 0.05). Consequently, the OSI was significantly higher in group P than in groups D and S ( < 0.05). Conclusions. Ischemiareperfusion phenomenon that occurs during pneumoperitoneum causes oxidative stress and consumption of plasma antioxidants. Dexmedetomidine decreases oxidative stress caused by pneumoperitoneum and strengthens the antioxidant defense system