Search

Abstract Background Cognitive impairment is frequently observed in bipolar disorder (BD). Previous findings indicated that predominant polarity could have an effect on cognitive deficits. This study aimed to examine the association between predominant polarity and cognitive impairments in BD. Materials and methods Euthymic BD patients with manic (MPP, n = 31), depressive (DPP, n = 25), undetermined predominant polarity (UPP, n = 28), and healthy controls (HC, n = 27) participated in the study. A battery of neurocognitive and social cognitive tests was implemented. Neurocognitive domains were identified via principal component analysis. Results The MPP group performed worse in the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), and Hinting Test (HT) compared to the DPP group and reasoning/problem-solving skills compared to the UPP group. Both MPP and UPP groups showed impairments in processing speed compared to HC. Among patient groups, there was no significant difference in working memory, attention, processing speed, verbal, and visual domain scores. The MPP group had poorer scores compared to controls in most of the social cognitive and neurocognitive domains in the study, while the overall cognitive impairment in the DPP group was relatively milder. Conclusions Although our sample size was relatively small, the MPP group yielded more severe cognitive impairment in verbal fluency and social cognition tests compared to DPP. Patients with MPP are particularly vulnerable to cognitive impairment, making them a priority for cognitive enhancement interventions. Future studies should focus on the outcomes of cognitive and pharmacological interventions in these polarity subgroups.

Material suppliers typically recommend different additive amounts and applications for foundry practices. Therefore, even in the production of the same standard materials, different results may be obtained from various production processes on different foundry floors. In this study, the liquid metal prepared with the addition of different proportions of a FeSi-based inoculation, which is most commonly used in foundries in the production of a cast iron material with EN-GJL-250 lamellar graphite cast iron, was cast into sand molds prepared with a model designed to provide different solidification times. In this way, the optimization of the inoculation amounts on the casting structure for different solidification times was investigated. In addition, hardness values were determined depending on solidification time in varying amounts of inoculation additions. SolidCast casting simulation software was used to determine the casting model geometry and solidification time. In the scope of the study, sand casting, modeling, microstructure analysis, image analysis, microstructure analysis, and hardness tests techniques were used. When the results are examined, the required amount of inoculation for the optimal structure is optimized for the application procedure depending on the casting module and the solidification time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discovering the variation among genotypes is an important criterion for selecting the suitable cultivar for a certain environment. The study aimed to explore the genetic variation among 17 genotypes of barley based on grain yield and some related traits. Plants were grown under field grown conditions in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 growing seasons, and plant height (PH), spike per square meter (SSM), spike length (SL), spikelets per spike (NSS), seed per spike (SPS), biological yield (BY), grain yield (GY), and thousand grain weight (TGW) were measured. Results indicated that PH ranged (51.7 to 81.33 cm) and (58.20 to 79.90 cm), SSM (374 to 582) and (418 to 701), SL (7.10 to 9.63 cm) and (6.87 to 9.13 cm), NSS (9 to 15) and (8 to 17), SPS (21 to 49) and (21 to 51), BY (3466.7 to 5905.3 kg h-1) and (3731.7 to 6080 kg h-1), GY (1442 to 2192 kg h-1) and (811.8 to 1763.7 kg h-1), TGW (34 to 55.67 g) and (33.47 to 52.63 g) for the first and second year of experiment respectively. The advanced lines measurement values were higher in the second year of the experiment. It can be concluded that the advanced lines Anka-08 and Anka-11 are promising in most of the parameters. Some of the old and new cultivars still preserve their yield potential.

Abstract Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The development of rapid antigen tests has contributed to easing the burden on healthcare and lifting restrictions by detecting infected individuals to help prevent further transmission of the virus. We developed a state-of-art rapid antigen testing system, named DIAGNOVIR, based on immune-fluorescence analysis, which can process and give the results in a minute. In our study, we assessed the performance of the DIAGNOVIR and compared the results with those of the qRT-PCR test. Our results demonstrated that the sensitivity and specificity of the DIAGNOVIR were 94% and 99.2%, respectively, with a 100% sensitivity and 96.97% specificity, among asymptomatic patients. In addition, DIAGNOVIR can detect SARS‑CoV‑2 with 100% sensitivity up to 5 days after symptom onset. We observed that the DIAGNOVIR Rapid Antigen Test’s limit of detection (LoD) was not significantly affected by the SARS‑CoV‑2 variants including Wuhan, alpha (B1.1.7), beta (B.1.351), delta (B.1.617.2) and omicron (B.1.1.529) variants, and LoD was calculated as 8 × 102, 6.81 × 101.5, 3.2 × 101.5, 1 × 103, and 1 × 103.5 TCID50/mL, respectively. Our results indicated that DIAGNOVIR can detect all SARS-CoV-2 variants in just seconds with higher sensitivity and specificity lower testing costs and decreased turnover time.

This research was carried out to investigate the adaptability abilities of some barley varieties in Van ecological conditions in the winter growing season of 2020-2021. Sixteen genotypes were grown according to randomized block design with three replications. The quantity of supplemental irrigation was equivalent to a total precipitation of 114 mm. According to the results obtained, the number of days to spike was 167.67-175.66 days, plant height 63.37-91.85 cm, number of spikes per square meter 403.67-619.67, lodging 0-10%, chlorophyll ​​​​45.34- 53.09 SPAD units, maturity period 36.0-36.7 days, canopy temperature 30.0-30.4 oC, spike length 7.30-9.96 cm, number of spikelets per spike 33.8-21.7, number of fertile spikelets 7.13-15.73, thousand grain weight 36.67-45.83 g, hectolitre weight 62.30 – 66.10 kg/hl, biological yield ​​20.36-20.45 t/ha, and grain yield 3.08–6.98 t/ha. The highest grain yield was obtained from two row barley varieties; Calabey, Akar, Tosunpasa and Asil. The highest biological yield was measured in Anka-11 and Aydanhanim cultivars.

BackgroundLiterature reviews (LRs) identify, evaluate, and synthesize relevant papers to a particular research question to advance understanding and support decision-making. However, LRs, especially traditional systematic reviews, are slow, resource-intensive, and become outdated quickly. ObjectiveLiteRev is an advanced and enhanced version of an existing automation tool designed to assist researchers in conducting LRs through the implementation of cutting-edge technologies such as natural language processing and machine learning techniques. In this paper, we present a comprehensive explanation of LiteRev’s capabilities, its methodology, and an evaluation of its accuracy and efficiency to a manual LR, highlighting the benefits of using LiteRev. MethodsBased on the user’s query, LiteRev performs an automated search on a wide range of open-access databases and retrieves relevant metadata on the resulting papers, including abstracts or full texts when available. These abstracts (or full texts) are text processed and represented as a term frequency-inverse document frequency matrix. Using dimensionality reduction (pairwise controlled manifold approximation) and clustering (hierarchical density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise) techniques, the corpus is divided into different topics described by a list of the most important keywords. The user can then select one or several topics of interest, enter additional keywords to refine its search, or provide key papers to the research question. Based on these inputs, LiteRev performs a k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) search and suggests a list of potentially interesting papers. By tagging the relevant ones, the user triggers new k-NN searches until no additional paper is suggested for screening. To assess the performance of LiteRev, we ran it in parallel to a manual LR on the burden and care for acute and early HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa. We assessed the performance of LiteRev using true and false predictive values, recall, and work saved over sampling. ResultsLiteRev extracted, processed, and transformed text into a term frequency-inverse document frequency matrix of 631 unique papers from PubMed. The topic modeling module identified 16 topics and highlighted 2 topics of interest to the research question. Based on 18 key papers, the k-NNs module suggested 193 papers for screening out of 613 papers in total (31.5% of the whole corpus) and correctly identified 64 relevant papers out of the 87 papers found by the manual abstract screening (recall rate of 73.6%). Compared to the manual full text screening, LiteRev identified 42 relevant papers out of the 48 papers found manually (recall rate of 87.5%). This represents a total work saved over sampling of 56%. ConclusionsWe presented the features and functionalities of LiteRev, an automation tool that uses natural language processing and machine learning methods to streamline and accelerate LRs and support researchers in getting quick and in-depth overviews on any topic of interest.

Abstract Emerging infectious diseases are a growing threat in sub-Saharan African countries, but the human and technical capacity to quickly respond to outbreaks remains limited. Here, we describe the experience and lessons learned from a joint project with the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) to support the sub-Saharan African COVID-19 response. In June 2020, WHO AFRO contracted a number of consultants to reinforce the COVID-19 response in member states by providing actionable epidemiological analysis. Given the urgency of the situation and the magnitude of work required, we recruited a worldwide network of field experts, academics and students in the areas of public health, data science and social science to support the effort. Most analyses were performed on a merged line list of COVID-19 cases using a reverse engineering model (line listing built using data extracted from national situation reports shared by countries with the Regional Office for Africa as per the IHR (2005) obligations). The data analysis platform The Renku Project ( https://renkulab.io ) provided secure data storage and permitted collaborative coding. Over a period of 6 months, 63 contributors from 32 nations (including 17 African countries) participated in the project. A total of 45 in-depth country-specific epidemiological reports and data quality reports were prepared for 28 countries. Spatial transmission and mortality risk indices were developed for 23 countries. Text and video-based training modules were developed to integrate and mentor new members. The team also began to develop EpiGraph Hub, a web application that automates the generation of reports similar to those we created, and includes more advanced data analyses features (e.g. mathematical models, geospatial analyses) to deliver real-time, actionable results to decision-makers. Within a short period, we implemented a global collaborative approach to health data management and analyses to advance national responses to health emergencies and outbreaks. The interdisciplinary team, the hands-on training and mentoring, and the participation of local researchers were key to the success of this initiative.

Recently, balanced Boolean functions with an even number n of variables achieving very good autocorrelation properties have been obtained for 12≤n≤26. These functions attain the maximum absolute value in the autocorrelation spectra (without considering the zero point) less than 2n2 and are found by using a heuristic search algorithm that is based on the design method of an infinite class of such functions for a higher number of variables. Here, we consider balanced Boolean functions that are closest to the bent functions in terms of the Hamming distance and perform a genetic algorithm efficiently aiming to optimize their cryptographic properties, which provides better absolute indicator values for all of those values of n for the first time. We also observe that among our results, the functions for 16≤n≤26 have nonlinearity greater than 2n−1−2n2. In the process, our search strategy produces balanced Boolean functions with the best-known nonlinearity for 8≤n≤16.

Many African countries have reported relatively low numbers of COVID-19 cases but the true scale of the epidemic is unclear. Here, the authors conduct a population-based survey in a province of Cameroon and estimate 29% seroprevlance, >300 fold higher than the nationwide attack rate implied by case counts.

IntroductionHigh yield HIV testing strategies are critical to reach epidemic control in high prevalence and low-resource settings such as East and Southern Africa. In this study, we aimed to predict the HIV status of individuals living in Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe with the highest precision and sensitivity for different policy targets and constraints based on a minimal set of socio-behavioural characteristics.MethodsWe analysed the most recent Demographic and Health Survey from these 10 countries to predict individual's HIV status using four different algorithms (a penalized logistic regression, a generalized additive model, a support vector machine, and a gradient boosting trees). The algorithms were trained and validated on 80% of the data, and tested on the remaining 20%. We compared the predictions based on the F1 score, the harmonic mean of sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV), and we assessed the generalization of our models by testing them against an independent left-out country. The best performing algorithm was trained on a minimal subset of variables which were identified as the most predictive, and used to 1) identify 95% of people living with HIV (PLHIV) while maximising precision and 2) identify groups of individuals by adjusting the probability threshold of being HIV positive (90% in our scenario) for achieving specific testing strategies.ResultsOverall 55,151 males and 69,626 females were included in the analysis. The gradient boosting trees algorithm performed best in predicting HIV status with a mean F1 score of 76.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 76.0%-77.6%] for males (vs [CI 67.8%-70.6%] for SVM) and 78.8% [CI 78.2%-79.4%] for females (vs [CI 73.4%-75.8%] for SVM). Among the ten most predictive variables for each sex, nine were identical: longitude, latitude and, altitude of place of residence, current age, age of most recent partner, total lifetime number of sexual partners, years lived in current place of residence, condom use during last intercourse and, wealth index. Only age at first sex for male (ranked 10th) and Rohrer's index for female (ranked 6th) were not similar for both sexes. Our large-scale scenario, which consisted in identifying 95% of all PLHIV, would have required testing 49.4% of males and 48.1% of females while achieving a precision of 15.4% for males and 22.7% for females. For the second scenario, only 4.6% of males and 6.0% of females would have had to be tested to find 55.7% of all males and 50.5% of all females living with HIV.ConclusionsWe trained a gradient boosting trees algorithm to find 95% of PLHIV with a precision twice higher than with general population testing by using only a limited number of socio-behavioural characteristics. We also successfully identified people at high risk of infection who may be offered pre-exposure prophylaxis or voluntary medical male circumcision. These findings can inform the implementation of new high-yield HIV tests and help develop very precise strategies based on low-resource settings constraints.

Cadmium is a widely distributed heavy metal in agricultural soils that affects plant growth and productivity. In this context, the current study investigated the effects of different cadmium (Cd) doses (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg L−1 of CdSO4) on the growth and physiological attributes of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) including plant height (cm), root length (cm), fresh weight (g) of root, stem, and leaves, leaf number, macro and micro-nutrients, Se, and heavy metal (Cd, Cr, and Pb) content. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with four replicates. The results showed that Cd stress significantly negatively affected all growth indices, macro- and micro-nutrients, and heavy metal content. In addition, it increased the MDA and APX activities. The highest amounts of Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, K, Na, Cd, Cr, and Cu were determined in plant roots, while the highest values of Ca and Mg were detected in plant stem tissues. High Cd doses decreased the content of Ca, K, Mg, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn in safflower plant tissues by 45.47%, 39.33%, 79.28%, 68.21%, 37.06%, 66.67%, 45.62%, 50.38%, 54.37%, 33.33% and 65.87%, respectively, as compared to the control treatments.

We presented five cases who were sent referred to our department for a judicial report. We discussed the effect of post-traumatic psychiatric diseases on the results of the report and we aimed to emphasize the importance of psychiatric examination in the forensic-medical evaluation. Traumatic lesions resolved basic medical intervations such as ecchymosis and laceration had been described in the medical documents of the three assault injury cases and two traffic accident cases. All cases referred to our department for preparation of a judicial report. The results of the psychiatric consultation, four cases diagnosed with 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder' and one case diagnosed with 'Acute Stress Disorder'. We think that along with the evaluation of physical findings of cases, to have a psychical evaluation and if necessary to take the opinions from psychiatry clinics are important for a complete exhibition of posttraumatic pathologies of the individual.

Amaç: Akut alevlenme nedeniyle yatırılan kronik obstrüktif akciğer hastalığı (KOAH) olan hastalarda hasta-hekim iletişiminin incelenmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır.Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışma İzmir’de bir eğitim ve araştırma hastanesinin göğüs hastalıkları kliniklerinde Temmuz-Aralık 2015 tarihlerinde, akut alevlenme nedeniyle yatırılan KOAH tanılı hastalarla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Örneklemi 18-65 yaş grubunda, iletişim kurulabilen, okuryazar olan ve basit rastgele örneklemle seçilen, araştırmaya katılmaya gönüllü 400 hasta alınmıştır. Araştırma verilerinin toplanmasında “Hasta Tanıtım Formu” ve “Hekimlerin İletişim Biçiminden Memnuniyet Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır.Bulgular: Hekimlerin İletişim Biçiminden Memnuniyet Ölçeğinin toplam puan ortalaması 100.10±17.79 bulunmuştur. Alt boyutların Beden Dili, Konuşma-Dinleme, İlgilenme ve Bilgi Verme alt boyutları puan ortalamaları 11.03±2.83, 39.03±7.20, 42.06±9.40 ve 7.98±3.05’dir. Hastaların, servisteki hekiminin adını bilme, hekimiyle günlük görüşme süresi, hastalığı ve tedavisiyle ilgili sorularını hekime sorma ve yanıtlarını alma gibi iletişim özellikleriyle, ölçek puanları arasında anlamlı ilişki saptanmıştır.Sonuç: Hastalar genel olarak hekimlerin iletişim biçiminden memnuniyet ölçeği toplam puan ortalamasına göre memnuniyet bildirmişlerdir.

Background: We aimed to estimate the disease burden of Tuberculosis (TB) and return on investment of TB care in selected high-burden countries of the Western Pacific Region (WPR) until 2030. Methods: We projected the TB epidemic in Viet Nam and Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) 2020–2030 using a mathematical model under various scenarios: counterfactual (no TB care); baseline (TB care continues at current levels); and 12 different diagnosis and treatment interventions. We retrieved previous modeling results for China and the Philippines. We pooled the new and existing information on incidence and deaths in the four countries, covering >80% of the TB burden in WPR. We estimated the return on investment of TB care and interventions in Viet Nam and Lao PDR using a Solow model. Findings: In the baseline scenario, TB incidence in the four countries decreased from 97•0/100,000/year (2019) to 90•1/100,000/year (2030), and TB deaths from 83,300/year (2019) to 71,100/year (2030). Active case finding (ACF) strategies (screening people not seeking care for respiratory symptoms) were the most effective single interventions. Return on investment (2020–2030) for TB care in Viet Nam and Lao PDR ranged US$4-US$49/dollar spent; additional interventions brought up to US$2•7/dollar spent. Interpretation: In the modeled countries, TB incidence will only modestly decrease without additional interventions. Interventions that include ACF can reduce TB burden but achieving the End TB incidence and mortality targets will be difficult without new transformational tools (e.g. vaccine, new diagnostic tools, shorter treatment). However, TB care, even at its current level, can bring a multiple-fold return on investment. Funding: World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office; Swiss National Science Foundation Grant 163878.

The recent lifting of COVID-19 related restrictions in Switzerland causes uncertainty about the future of the epidemic. We developed a compartmental model for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Switzerland and projected the course of the epidemic until the end of year 2020 under various scenarios. The model was age-structured with three categories: children (0-17), adults (18-64) and seniors (65- years). Lifting all restrictions according to the plans disclosed by the Swiss federal authorities by mid-May resulted in a rapid rebound in the epidemic, with the peak expected in July. Measures equivalent to at least 76% reduction in all contacts were able to eradicate the epidemic; a 54% reduction in contacts could keep the intensive care unit occupancy under the critical level and delay the next wave until October. In scenarios where strong contact reductions were only applied in selected age groups, the epidemic could not be suppressed, resulting in an increased risk of a rebound in July, and another stronger wave in September. Future interventions need to cover all age groups to keep the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic under control.

BACKGROUND: Studies on the role of microRNAs (miRNA) in anxiety disorders are limited. We aimed to determine the availability of miRNAs as biomarkers in serum and to demonstrate the changes of miRNAs expression in patients with panic disorder (PD). METHODS: Thirty-five patients with PD and 35 healthy controls (HC) were evaluated with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders-I (SCID-I) and Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS). In each group miRNA expression analysis was performed in venous blood by the Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT–PCR) method for genetic evaluation. RESULTS: Compared with the HC group, eight miRNA expression levels were found different in the PD group. Five of them were upregulated and three of them were downregulated. There was no correlation between the levels of miRNA expression with PDSS total score and PDSS sub-items. However, miR-1297 and miR-4465 expression levels were significantly different between the two groups. LIMITATIONS: There are some limitations in this research. Firstly the number of samples is small. Another limitation of our study is that the presence of medical illness and continuous drug use were not excluded when PD and HC groups were selected. CONCLUSIONS: Our research is the first miRNA expression study in patients with PD which excluded psychotropic use and additional psychiatric disorders. In the PD group, miR-1297 and miR-4465 expression was upregulated than compared to the HC group. miR-1297 and miR-4465 regulate the GABAA gene regions that affect GABAA receptor subtypes that thought to play a role in the aetiology of PD.

Physicians encounter many patients in their daily practice often described as difficult patient. However, there is no specific consensus on the classification of these patients which physicians describe as difficult patient. However, it seems possible to describe patients as 'insistent', 'demanding' or 'persistent' when they force the physicians or have the physicians force other medical staff to conduct some operations and investigations. Such patients decribed in this paper are listed under the heading of ‘demanding patient'. In demanding behavior, the patient's insistence, distrustful approach, and repeated requests continues despite the physician's explanation. Demanding behavior can occur for a variety of reasons. The most significant factors in the occurrence of demanding behavior are the patient's personality traits and ability to cope with stress. However, the physician's appearance and behavior may also increase the patients' demanding behavior. Another dimension of the issue is the coping ability of the physician when faced demanding patient. Physicians who try to cope with demanding patients should approach their patients by taking into account their own personality traits and the patient's biopsychosocial characteristics.

Hb D-Los Angeles (also known as D-Punjab, D-North Carolina, D-Portugal, D-Chicago and Oak Ridge) is an abnormal hemoglobin (Hb) with an amino acid substitution of glutamine for glutamic acid at codon 121 of the β-globin gene. The origin and spread of Hb D-Los Angeles is not known. This is due to lack of information and remains to be elucidated. According to published reports, the Hb D-Los Angeles mutation is mostly linked with Mediterranean haplotype I [+ - - - - + +]. Besides the Mediterranean haplotype, a novel haplotype was also reported from Thailand [- - + + - - + + +]. Here we report a new haplotype from Turkey [- + -- + + +] that has not been described before. These results suggest that the Hb D-Los Angeles mutation has at least three different genetic origins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) approach, being a relatively novel biophysical method, is used to detect many different targets by biomolecular interaction. The SPR system uses optical and evanescent wave phenomenon. This approach does not need any labels, such as enzymes or isotopes, and the monitored interactions are in real time. In DNA-DNA interaction, the SPR approach is Tm-independent. Here we report our preliminary results for the molecular detection of the Hb S (G A G →G T G) mutation at codon 6 of the human β-globin gene. Our preliminary results show that the SPR approach could be applied as an inexpensive and fast routine test system for the molecular diagnosis of abnormal hemoglobins (Hbs), especially in premarital screening programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Denizli Province is located in the inner part of the Aegean region of Turkey and is one of the target areas for premarital screening. Here we report the abnormal hemoglobins (Hbs) observed during a premarital screening program in our region. According to our results, Hb D-Los Angeles [β121(GH4)Glu→Gln ( GAA → C AA] (also known as D-Punjab, D-North Carolina, D-Portugal, Oak Ridge and D-Chicago), is the most frequent abnormal Hb in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bu çalışma, Trakya Bölgesinde iyi tarım uygulaması yapan ve yapmayan armut üreten tarım işletmelerini kapsamaktadır. Çalışmanın temel amacı, iyi tarım uygulaması yapan ve yapmayan işletmelerin girdi kullanım miktarlarının ve enerji kullanım etkinliğinin belirlenmesi ve ekonomik olarak karşılaştırılmasıdır. Kırklareli, Edirne ve Tekirdağ illerinde iyi tarım uygulaması yapan 16 armut üreticisinin tamamıyla, aynı sayıda iyi tarım uygulaması yapmayan armut üreticisi ile anket çalışması yapılmıştır. Değerlendirme sonuçlarına göre iyi tarım uygulayan işletmelerde toplam enerji girdisi 30.046,64 MJ, enerji çıktısı 36.000 MJ, enerji çıktı/girdi oranı 1,20, enerji verimliliği 0,50 kg/MJ, spesifik enerji 2,00 MJ/kg, enerji yoğunluğu 1,80 MJ/TL ve net enerji 5.953,36 MJ olarak hesaplanmıştır. İyi tarım uygulamayan işletmelerde toplam enerji girdisi 32.111,92 MJ, enerji çıktısı 33.600 MJ, enerji çıktı/girdi oranı 1,05, enerji verimliliği 0,44 kg/MJ, spesifik enerji 2,29 MJ/kg, enerji yoğunluğu 2,05 MJ/TL ve net enerji 1.488,08 MJ olarak hesaplanmıştır. Trakya Bölgesinde iyi tarım uygulaması yapan işletmelerde bir kg armut yetiştirmenin maliyeti 1,11 TL, iyi tarım uygulaması yapmayan işletmelerde 1,12 TL olarak belirlenmiştir. İyi tarım uygulaması yapan işletmelerde toplam masraflar 16.682,80 TL, gayri safi üretim değeri 24.250 TL, brüt kâr 14.938,10 TL, mutlak kâr 7.567,20 TL, nispi kâr 1,45 olarak hesaplanmıştır. İyi tarım uygulaması yapmayan işletmelerde toplam masraflar 15.652 TL, gayri safi üretim değeri 21.000 TL, brüt kâr 11.511,80 TL, mutlak kâr 5.348 TL, nispi kâr ise 1,34 olarak belirlenmiştir. Enerji kullanım etkinliği ve ekonomik analiz sonuçlarına göre iyi tarım uygulaması yapan işletmelerde armut yetiştiriciliğinin daha avantajlı olduğu belirlenmiştir.

This study was carried out in the enterprises that apply and do not apply agricultural insurance in Kırklareli and Edirne provinces. It was aimed to obtain descriptive information and to determine the tendency to agricultural insurance. Besides, the problems encountered during the insurance policy implementations and the expectations of the farmers were determined. The research was carried through with the participation of a total of 317 farmers, 80 of whom hold and 92 of whom do not hold insurance policies in Edirne and 68 of whom hold and 77 of whom do not hold insurance policies in Kırklareli. Means, percentages and cross-tables were used for data analysis. Logit regression analysis was used in order to determine the effective factors on agricultural insurance. In the research area, it was determined that education levels, experience in farming, annual total income, annual total agricultural income, total land size, membership to farmers' associations had an effect on agricultural insurance positively and nonagricultural activity had an effect on agricultural insurance negatively.

Cilioretinal artery occlusion (CLRAO) is a rare event which has been reported in association with various systemic diseases. We report a case of idiopathic isolated CLRAO treated successfully with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy. A 26-year-old man presented with sudden, painless vision loss and an inferior hemivisual field defect in the left eye. Fundus fluorescein angiography revealed an occluded cilioretinal artery. After 2 weeks of HBO therapy, visual acuity improved from 20/200 to 20/20. The visual field defect improved.

Hb Beograd [β121(GH4)Glu→Val, GAA→GTA] is a rare variant first reported in Yugoslavia and then in Turkey, Australia and New Zealand. We report two further unrelated cases from Turkey. The importance of identifying Hb Beograd at the molecular level, especially in regions where Hb D-Los Angeles [β121(GH4)Glu→Gln, GAA→CAA] is prevalent, is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our aim was to identify the beta globin gene cluster haplotypes for the beta thalassemia mutations in Turkey on a regional level. Beta thalassemia mutations included in this study were IVS-I-110 (G>A), FSC 8/9 (+G), IVS-II-1 (G>A), IVS-I-5 (G>C), IVS-I-1 (G>A), IVS-I-6 (T>C), and FSC 8 (-AA). Methods: We studied 22 unrelated patients with β-thalassemia major and 72 unrelated healthy subjects from our Department’s DNA bank. Haplotype analysis was done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based restriction enzyme digestion for the beta globin gene cluster of the following polymorphic restriction sites: Hinc II 5’ to ε, Hind III 5’ to Gγ, Hind III in the IVS-II 5’ to Aγ, Hinc II in pseudo β, Hinc II 3’ to pseudo β, Ava II in β, and Hinf I 3’ to β. Associated haplotypes for the normal control samples (72 individuals, 144 chromosomes) were determined by Arlequin 3.1 software with unknown gametic phase.Results: According to the results obtained, the most frequent beta globin gene cluster haplotypes in the normal population were (+----++), (+----+-), (-+-++++), and (+-----+), with frequencies of 28.6%, 17.2%, 9.8%, and 8.3%, respectively. IVS-I-110 mutation was linked with the haplotypes (+----++) and (+-----+). Observed haplotypes were (+----++) for FSC 8/9 (+G), (-+-+++-) for IVS-II-1 (G>A), (-+-++-+ and -+-++++) for IVS-I-5 (G>C), (+----+- and +------) for IVS-I-1 (G>A), (-++---+) for IVS-I-6 (T>C), and (+-----+) for FSC 8 (-AA).Conclusion: Our region shows the Mediterranean character for the beta thalassemia mutations. According to the obtained results, IVS-I-110 (G>A) mutation linked with haplotype VII (+-----+), IVS-I-5 (G>C) mutation with haplotype IV (-+-++-+), and codon 8/9 (+G) with haplotype I (+----++) were shown for the first time in the Turkish population. The linkage of haplotype (+------) with the IVS-I-1 (G>A) mutation is reported for the first time in the published literature. In the Denizli province of Turkey, beta globin gene cluster haplotypes of the normal population are strongly associated with the haplotypes of I (+----++), V (+----+-) and IX (-+-++++), respectively.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation of suprapubic ultrasonography and transrectal ultrasonography in measurements of prostate dimension and volume.Materials and Methods: One hundred consecutive patients with lower urinary tract symptoms were examined by suprapubic and transrectal ultrasonography modalities in a same session. Measurements of the 3 dimensions of the prostate (anteroposterior, transverse, and craniocaudal) and its volume performed by suprapubic ultrasonography were compared with the corresponding measurements by transrectal ultrasonography in order to determine the correlation of the measurements. Prostate volumes were calculated using the ellipsoid formula. Data were further analyzed in subgroups according to prostate volumes smaller or larger than 50 mL, measured by suprapubic ultrasonography.Results: The mean prostate volume of the 100 patients, measured by suprapubic and transrectal ultrasonography were 65.9 ± 35.8 mL and 62.5 ± 32.0 mL, respectively (r = 0.94; P < .001). The craniocaudal diameters had the strongest correlation among dimension measurements (r = 0.89; P < .001). Suprapubic and transrectal ultrasonography measurements also showed significant correlations for both prostates smaller or larger than 50 mL. Eighty-five percent of the patients had both volume measurements under or above this limit.Conclusion: There was strong correlation between suprapubic and transrectal ultrasonography measurements of the prostate sizes, including both for volume or specific dimension measurements.

The profiles of unconjugated pteridines such as neopterin and biopterin and of tryptophan metabolism change in many pathologic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, malignancies and autoimmune diseases and are related to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, studies on potential effects of drugs are very limited. This study investigates whether meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, may cause any alteration of the pteridine pathway and tryptophan metabolism in 22 patients who admitted to the Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine outpatient clinic in the Hacettepe University Hospital and suffering from various musculoskeletal pain conditions without systemic inflammation. Urine concentrations of neopterin, biopterin and xanthopterin, and serum concentrations of neopterin, tryptophan, and kynurenine, and the activity of dihydropteridine reductase were measured at the beginning of the therapy and after a 15 days treatment with meloxicam. Average urine concentrations (± S.E.M.) of pterins before therapy (neopterin: 263 ± 15.6 μmol/mol creatinine, biopterin: 72.4 ± 13.4 μmol/mol creatinine, and xanthopterin: 675 ± 93.0 μmol/mol creatinine) were not changed during meloxicam therapy (neopterin: 230 ± 30.7 μmol/mol creatinine = 88% of baseline, biopterin 115 ± 26.5 μmol /mol creatinine = 159% of baseline, and xanthopterin 684 ± 88.0 μmol/mol creatinine = 101% of baseline; all differences not significant). The activity of dihydropteridine reductase was 6.02 ± 0.21 nmol/cytochrome C reduced/min/5 mm disc before and 6.28 ± 0.18 nmol/cytochrome C reduced/min/5 mm after treatment (= 104% of baseline; p = 0.088). Serum concentrations of neopterin 6.04 ± 0.33 nmol/L before treatment increased to 6.89 ± 0.48 nmol/L after treatment (= 114% of baseline; p

Summary: The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene is located on human chromosome 17 expressing three genotypes within the intron 16 of the related gene structure. These genotypes are classified as I and D alleles which are termed as insertion and deletion, respectively. This study was carried out to identify possible relationships between the insertion/ deletion (I/D) polymorphisms and athletic performance in Turkish athletes. To be able to determine these relationships, eighty healthy athletes and eighty healthy sedentary controls were genotyped for the ACE I/D polymorphism at gene level. According to the results obtained, we found significant difference on ACE I/D polymorphism in between athletes and healthy controls (x2 = 7.32, df = 2, P = 0.026). This result supports the association in ACE genotype in Turkish athletes, suggesting that this might be a genetic factor influencing the physical performance.

Hb Tunis [beta124(H2)Pro>Ser] was reported from Tunisia in 1988. This hemoglobin variant was detected by isoelectric focusing moving just ahead of Hb A. It cannot be identified by standard hemoglobin electrophoresis due to its similar mobility to Hb A. It has normal stability and oxygen affinity and does not produce any clinical symptoms. Here, we report a heterozygous Hb Tunis [beta124(H2)Pro>Ser] case discovered for the first time in Turkey in a premarital screening program. This hemoglobin variant can be identified with high performance liquid chromatography analysis confirmed with DNA sequencing. We emphasize in our study the importance of an interdisciplinary collaborative study at the provincial basis for the success of the hemoglobinopathy control program.

We consider the estimation of time-varying channels for Cooperative Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (CO-OFDM) systems. In the next generation mobile wireless communication systems, significant Doppler frequency shifts are expected the channel frequency response to vary in time. A time-invariant channel is assumed during the transmission of a symbol in the previous studies on CO-OFDM systems, which is not valid in high mobility cases. Estimation of channel parameters is required at the receiver to improve the performance of the system. We estimate the model parameters of the channel from a time-frequency representation of the received signal. We present two approaches for the CO-OFDM channel estimation problem where in the first approach, individual channels are estimated at the relay and destination whereas in the second one, the cascaded source-relay-destination channel is estimated at the destination. Simulation results show that the individual channel estimation approach has better performance in terms of MSE and BER; however it has higher computational cost compared to the cascaded approach.

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems hold the potential to drastically improve the spectral efficiency and link reliability in future wireless communications systems. A particularly promising candidate for next-generation fixed and mobile wireless systems is the combination of MIMO technology with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). OFDM has become the standard method because of its advantages over single carrier modulation schemes on multipath, frequency selective fading channels. Doppler frequency shifts are expected in fast-moving environments, causing the channel to vary in time, that degrades the performance of OFDM systems. In this paper, we present a time-varying channel modeling and estimation method based on the Discrete Evolutionary Transform to obtain a complete characterization of MIMO-OFDM channels. Performance of the proposed method is evaluated and compared on different levels of channel noise and Doppler frequency shifts.