The planet of birds, and time as an entity = Kuşlar gezegeni, ve bir varlık olarak zaman

This supplementary text investigates the exhibition, ["The Planet od Birds, and times as an entity"] at Fass Art Gallery, Sabancı University between 2-15 June 2005 and the Works within as the process of this exhibition. The text is considired as a part of this exhibition. The first part introduces the process of the transition from the works with moving images to the painted objects. Later, the text investigates the transitory phases of time which play the order among the painted objects, so as to focus on the connections of the diverse mediums, offered by these phases. The exhibition concentrates on the concept time as observed within the text as the crucial element which resolves the representation of diversity, problematic as an aesthetical statemen

Ranking Archived Documents for Structured Queries on Semantic Layers

Archived collections of documents (like newspaper and web archives) serve as important information sources in a variety of disciplines, including Digital Humanities, Historical Science, and Journalism. However, the absence of efficient and meaningful exploration methods still remains a major hurdle in the way of turning them into usable sources of information. A semantic layer is an RDF graph that describes metadata and semantic information about a collection of archived documents, which in turn can be queried through a semantic query language (SPARQL). This allows running advanced queries by combining metadata of the documents (like publication date) and content-based semantic information (like entities mentioned in the documents). However, the results returned by such structured queries can be numerous and moreover they all equally match the query. In this paper, we deal with this problem and formalize the task of "ranking archived documents for structured queries on semantic layers". Then, we propose two ranking models for the problem at hand which jointly consider: i) the relativeness of documents to entities, ii) the timeliness of documents, and iii) the temporal relations among the entities. The experimental results on a new evaluation dataset show the effectiveness of the proposed models and allow us to understand their limitation

Time will tell: Leveraging temporal expressions in ir. WSDM

Temporal expressions, such as between 1992 and 2000, are frequent across many kinds of documents. Text retrieval, though, treats them as common terms, thus ignoring their inherent semantics. For queries with a strong temporal component, such as U.S. president 1997, this leads to a decrease in retrieval effectiveness, since relevant documents (e.g., a biography of Bill Clinton containing the aforementioned temporal expression) can not be reliably matched to the query. We propose a novel approach, based on language models, to make temporal expressions first-class citizens of the retrieval model. In addition, we present experiments that show actual improvements in retrieval effectiveness

Application of an Integrated risk management system (IRMS) to an international construction project

Integrated Risk Management System (IRMS) is a decision support tool designed to support users at all phases of risk management and to assist cost estimation in the bid preparation stage, especially in international construction projects. IRMS process model consists of four integrated phases such as risk identification, risk rating and response development, risk analysis, and finally, risk revising and monitoring. A hierarchical risk breakdown structure is provided in the system which facilitates systematic risk identification process. Risk coding option embedded in the system creates a common language between the project participants. IRMS carries out an iterative risk rating and response generation process as an input for Monte Carlo Simulation. Moreover, IRMS is designed to store and retrieve risk information from a corporate memory that helps learning from projects. IRMS also allows multi-user risk rating. It increases the awareness of project participants on the magnitude of risks and helps visualization of risk scenarios by its effective reporting options. It can be used throughout the project life cycle and risk scenarios can be revised as the project proceeds. In this paper, application of IRMS prototype is illustrated by a real case study. The example project is a hydro electric power plant project (HEPP) which has been carried out by an international consortium in Turkey. Performance, shortcomings and benefits of IRMS are discussed by referring to experiences gained as a result of this application

Real time noise-cancellation using ICA, PSO and PE [BBA, PSO ve SPÖ kullanilarak gerçek zamanli gürültügi̇deri̇mi̇]

In order to provide noiseless transmission of speech in wireless communication systems a real-time implementable noise cancellation algorithm is developed. Speech and noise sources are not known but only their mixtures are observed. That system is modeled with instantaneous mixture model. Combination of independent component analysis (ICA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms is used to separate speech and noise. However, ICA has an ambiguity such that it is not possible to know which one of the separated signals is speech or noise. As a result, the transmitted signal can be noise, instead of speech. To overcome this ambiguity problem, a pitch extraction (PE) algorithm is developed and combined with ICA-PSO. ICAPSO-PE algorithm is implemented in MATLAB. Contributions of this work are modifying objective functions of ICA algorithm to make them more robust, combining ICA with PSO to make it work fast and robust, and overcoming the ambiguity problem using PE algorithm. © 2012 IEEE

Lessons Learned so Far from the Pandemic: A Review on Pregnants and Neonates with COVID-19

There are concerns regarding the risk and the course of COVID-19 in pregnancy and in the neonates. In this review, we aimed to present the current understanding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during pregnancy and neonatal periods considering diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention. Few studies on pregnant women with COVID-19 have been conducted between December 2019 and April 2020. The majority of patients applied in the third trimester and presented with fever and cough. Ground-glass opacities and consolidation on computed tomography were reported to be common. COVID-19 was proposed to have a milder course than SARS and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in pregnant women. Hydroxychloroquine and antiproteases (lopinavir/ritonavir) were reported to be safe; however, therapeutic efficacy and safety of remdesivir still lack evidence. As ribavirin and favipiravir have teratogenic effects, there are some debates on the use of ribavirin in severe cases. There is still no clear evidence of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during delivery. Occupational safety issues of pregnant healthcare workers on the frontline should be considered as their risk to develop severe pneumonia is higher because of altered maternal immune response. Knowledge about neonatal outcomes of COVID-19 was based on studies of the last trimester of pregnancy. There is much to be learnt about COVID-19 in pregnant women and in the neonates, especially concerning prognosis- and treatment-related issues

Real Life Multicenter Comparison of 24-Month Outcomes of Anti-VEGF Therapy in Diabetic Macular Edema in Turkey: Ranibizumab vs. Aflibercept vs. Ranibizumab-Aflibercept Switch

The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of diabetic macular edema (DME) treated with aflibercept (AFB) or ranibizumab (RNB) only, and after switching from RNB to AFB. This was a retrospective, real-world, multicenter (7 cities) 24 month study. Overall, 212 eyes in the AFB group, 461 in the RNB group, and 141 in the RNB to AFB group were included. The primary endpoints were differences in visual acuity (VA) and central macular thickness (CMT) from baseline to the final visit. The secondary outcomes were the percentage of eyes that achieved ≥10 letters gain and ≥10 letters loss in vision at month 12 and 24, and the percentage of eyes that achieved a thinning of ≥20% in CMT at month 3 and month 6. The results showed that VA did not significantly differ at baseline (AFB: 0.62 ± 0.38, RNB: 0.61 ± 0.36, RNB to AFB: 0.61 ± 0.38), at checkpoints, or at the final visit (AFB: 0.46 ± 0.38, RNB: 0.5 ± 0.37, RNB to AFB: 0.53 ± 0.36) (p > 0.05). Though the mean CMT at baseline was significantly thicker in the RNB to AFB group (479 ± 129.6 μm) when compared to the AFB (450.5 ± 122.6 μm) and RNB (442 ± 116 μm) groups (p < 0.01), similar measurements were obtained after 12 months. The percentages of eyes that gained or lost ≥10 letters in the AFB, RNB, and RNB to AFB groups at year 1 and 2 were similar, as was the percentages of eyes that demonstrated ≥20% CMT thinning at month 3 and 6. Our study showed similar visual improvements in non-switchers (AFB and RNB groups) and switchers (RNB to AFB group) through 2 years follow-up, however, AFB patients required fewer injections, visits, or need for additional treatments

Real Life Multicenter Comparison of 24-Month Outcomes of Anti-VEGF Therapy in Diabetic Macular Edema in Turkey: Ranibizumab vs. Aflibercept vs. Ranibizumab-Aflibercept Switch

The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of diabetic macular edema (DME) treated with aflibercept (AFB) or ranibizumab (RNB) only, and after switching from RNB to AFB. This was a retrospective, real-world, multicenter (7 cities) 24 month study. Overall, 212 eyes in the AFB group, 461 in the RNB group, and 141 in the RNB to AFB group were included. The primary endpoints were differences in visual acuity (VA) and central macular thickness (CMT) from baseline to the final visit. The secondary outcomes were the percentage of eyes that achieved &ge;10 letters gain and &ge;10 letters loss in vision at month 12 and 24, and the percentage of eyes that achieved a thinning of &ge;20% in CMT at month 3 and month 6. The results showed that VA did not significantly differ at baseline (AFB: 0.62 &plusmn; 0.38, RNB: 0.61 &plusmn; 0.36, RNB to AFB: 0.61 &plusmn; 0.38), at checkpoints, or at the final visit (AFB: 0.46 &plusmn; 0.38, RNB: 0.5 &plusmn; 0.37, RNB to AFB: 0.53 &plusmn; 0.36) (p &gt; 0.05). Though the mean CMT at baseline was significantly thicker in the RNB to AFB group (479 &plusmn; 129.6 &mu;m) when compared to the AFB (450.5 &plusmn; 122.6 &mu;m) and RNB (442 &plusmn; 116 &mu;m) groups (p &lt; 0.01), similar measurements were obtained after 12 months. The percentages of eyes that gained or lost &ge;10 letters in the AFB, RNB, and RNB to AFB groups at year 1 and 2 were similar, as was the percentages of eyes that demonstrated &ge;20% CMT thinning at month 3 and 6. Our study showed similar visual improvements in non-switchers (AFB and RNB groups) and switchers (RNB to AFB group) through 2 years follow-up, however, AFB patients required fewer injections, visits, or need for additional treatments