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Photovoltaic (PV) panels generate some of their energy as waste heat while converting solar radiation into electricity. This heat in photovoltaic panels adversely affects the output parameters of the panels. For this reason, there are many studies on cooling of PV panels in the literature. In this experimental study, waste heat was removed by placing DC fans with different numbers and different consumption power on 80 W monocrystalline panels. According to the results obtained from the experiments, while the net power of the reference panel was 62.42W, the net power of the E4 system (with 4 fans and the consumption power of the fans was 10W) was measured as 64.1W. The highest exergy efficiency and sustainability index values among all systems were also obtained from the E4 system.

The global struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for almost three years. Although national and local leaders have often called on the public to comply with preventive measures through health communication, large sections of society sometimes violated precautions and did not adequately follow these calls. We propose that social norms and leaders' identity entrepreneurship characteristics could be essential in effective health communication. In line with this notion, we investigated the effects of social norm types and leadership on complying with preventive measures, the intention to be vaccinated, and prosocial behavioral tendency through a high-powered experiment that focused on three factors: leadership quality (presence/lack of entrepreneurship), descriptive norm (supportive/obstructive), and injunctive norm (supportive/obstructive). Results showed that when support for injunctive and descriptive norms was present, people tended to more readily adhere to preventive measures, get vaccinated, and engage in prosocial behavior. There was also a significant effect of the interaction between descriptive and injunctive norms on compliance with preventive measures. The compliance level was highest when both norm types were supportive and lowest when both were obstructive. The effect decreased in the discrepant norms condition, where one type of norm was supportive and the other obstructive. There is also a significant interaction between leadership and the descriptive norm, indicating that a combination of an entrepreneur leader and a supportive descriptive norm increases compliance with the preventive measure. We discussed the role of leadership and social norms in effective health communication.

Teknolojideki gelişmeler göz önüne alındığında, yüksek verimli elektronik cihazlardan beklenen verimlilik ve güvenirliğe ulaşmak için iyi bir termal performansa sahip yeni yaklaşımlar ve soğutuculara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Bu çalışmada aynı hidrolik çapa, kanal uzunluğuna ve kesit geometrisine sahip alüminyum boru kullanılmıştır. Sistemin ısı transfer hızını arttırmak için; boru içerisinde su, %1 ve %2 derişimlerine sahip Al2O3/su nanoakışkanları, boru dış yüzeyinde ise 5mm kalınlığında RT25HC faz değiştiren maddesi (FDM) kullanılmıştır. Alüminyum boru içerisinden geçirilen akışkanlar dört farklı hız ve dört farklı Reynolds sayısında ANSYS 20.2 paket programı kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre her bir akışkan için kütlesel erime oranı ve Nusselt sayısı hesaplanmıştır. Çalışmada elde edilen sonuçlar incelendiğinde en iyi Nusselt ve sıvı oranına Reynolds 1500 ve %2 Al2O3/su’da ulaşılmıştır. Tüm soğutucu akışkanlar için akışkan hızının artmasıyla soğutucu akışkanların kütlesel erime oranının ve Nusselt sayısının arttığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Ten new carbohydrate-based aromatic polyurethanes have been synthesized using isomannide and/or a new 1,2,3-triazole isomannide derivative, IV, as the diol source in the polymerization reactions. As the isocyanate source, 1,4-phenylene diisocyanate or 2,4-toluene diisocyanate was used. To synthesize compound IV, isomannide was tosylated, the tosyl groups were substituted with azide, the triazole ring was formed by reaction with 2,4-pentane dione and finally carbonyl groups were converted into oximes. The synthesis of copolymers and terpolymers was performed using different proportions of diisocyanate and diol sources in DMF. The structural elucidation of the synthesized compounds and polymers was performed using spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, 1D- and 2D-NMR and HRMS. The thermal behaviour and molecular weight distribution of polymers were analyzed by thermal gravimetric analysis and gel permeation chromatography, respectively. The surface properties of the polymers were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. A comparative study on thermal behaviour of the synthesized polymers showed that polymers containing a higher amount of compound IV displayed better thermal stability. The average molecular weights of copolymers were observed to vary from 7,900 (PUR-3) to 21,000 (PUR-4) whereas for terpolymers, values of 19,000 (PUR-5), 5,100 (PUR-6), 22,000 (PUR-8) and 28,000 (PUR-9) were found. The diisocyanate source was found to have more effect on the surface properties of polymers than the diol source: when 2,4-toluene diisocyanate was used in polymer synthesis, the resultant polymers had a spongy morphology with cavities while a polymer matrix containing spheres and platelets was obtained when 1,4-toluene diisocyanate was used., Celal Bayar Universitesi [2016-060], The funding has been received from Celal Bayar Universitesi with Grant no. Research Projects Coordination Office Unit. Project Number: 2016-060.

The structure of moral judgment and its ontogenetic and phylogenetic origins have been empirically studied since the emergence of psychology as a science. Although an early influential perspective emerged with Piaget, the first systematic theory, which was the subject of a great deal of empirical research, was proposed by Kohlberg. Kohlberg’s theory is regarded as a rationalist theory because, although he thinks emotional processes are at least partly involved in making moral judgments, he claims that rational thinking processes are the main determinant because, as children age and mature cognitively, they mature morally as well. In addition to the cognitive underpinnings of moral development, recent studies have also focused on the biological origins of morality, and alternative theoretical approaches arguing that morality is innate have been proposed. The best known of these are the innate moral core theory and the two-stage theory. According to these theories, making moral judgments is ingrained in our genes due to their adaptive functions, and this genetic feature causes human infants to develop moral sensitivities. Not only can we observe these moral sensitivities in 6-month-old babies, but in comparative animal studies as well. Empirical evidence also suggests that the influence of socialization increases with age. However, when we consider the variety of current theoretical frameworks, the lack of an integrative perspective becomes apparent. More importantly, experimental studies with very small sample sizes pose a fundamental problem for the progress of the field. For example, key original studies with 10–15 subjects are sometimes attempted to be replicated with 20–30 subjects, and it seems very difficult to reach a final conclusion with such small samples. Therefore, future studies should attempt to replicate the key findings in this field with multi-lab organizations such as Many Babies. However, while doing this, it is essential to consider cross-cultural differences and to adapt the methodological paradigms used in the past with Western samples to non-Western cultures, and to document their validity before application.

The study of moral judgements often centres on moral dilemmas in which options consistent with deontological perspectives (that is, emphasizing rules, individual rights and duties) are in conflict with options consistent with utilitarian judgements (that is, following the greater good based on consequences). Greene et al. (2009) showed that psychological and situational factors (for example, the intent of the agent or the presence of physical contact between the agent and the victim) can play an important role in moral dilemma judgements (for example, the trolley problem). Our knowledge is limited concerning both the universality of these effects outside the United States and the impact of culture on the situational and psychological factors affecting moral judgements. Thus, we empirically tested the universality of the effects of intent and personal force on moral dilemma judgements by replicating the experiments of Greene et al. in 45 countries from all inhabited continents. We found that personal force and its interaction with intention exert influence on moral judgements in the US and Western cultural clusters, replicating and expanding the original findings. Moreover, the personal force effect was present in all cultural clusters, suggesting it is culturally universal. The evidence for the cultural universality of the interaction effect was inconclusive in the Eastern and Southern cultural clusters (depending on exclusion criteria). We found no strong association between collectivism/individualism and moral dilemma judgements. Including participants from 45 countries, Bago et al. find that the situational factors that affect moral reasoning are shared across countries, with diminished observed cultural variation., Comunidad de Madrid [2016-T1/SOC-1395, 2020-5A/SOC-19723]; AEI [PSI2017-85159-P]; UE/FEDER; National Science Centre, Poland [2017/01/X/HS6/01332, 2015/19/D/HS6/00641, 2019/35/B/HS6/00528]; Aarhus University Research Foundation (AUFF) [AUFF-E-2019-9-4]; ANR [ANR-17-EURE-0010]; ANR Labex IAST; Australian Research Council [DP180102384]; CAPES [88887.364180/2019-00]; Carlsberg Foundation [CF16-0444]; Independent Research Fund Denmark [7024-00057B]; Germany's Excellence Strategy [EXC 2126/1-390838866]; FONDECYT, CONICYT [11190980]; German Research Foundation [FOR-2150, LA 3566/1-2]; JSPS [18K03010]; JSPS KAKENHI [16H03079, 17H00875, 18K12015, 20H04581, 17H06342, 20K03479, 20KK0054, 20J21976]; Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [31530032]; Key Technological Projects of Guangdong Province [2018B030335001]; National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship [DGE-1839285]; Polish National Science Center; DFG Beethoven [2016/23/G/HS6/01775]; Portuguese National Foundation for Science and Technology [SFRH/BD/126304/2016, UID/PSI/03125/2019]; PRIN 2017 (Italian Ministry of Education and Research) [20178293XT]; PSA 006 BRA 008 Data Collection in Support of PSADM 001 Measurement Invariance Project; Foundation for Polish Science (START); National Science Centre [2020/36/T/HS6/00256, 2019/33/N/HS6/00054]; Slovak Research and Development Agency [APVV-18-0140, APVV-17-0418, PRIMUS/20/HUM/009, APVV-17-0596]; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [950-224884]; Swedish Research Council [2016-06793]; Project of Philosophy and Social Science Research in Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province [2020SJA0017], M.A. Vadillo was supported by 2016-T1/SOC-1395 and 2020-5A/SOC-19723 from Comunidad de Madrid, PSI2017-85159-P from AEI and UE/FEDER. M.P.-C. was supported by 2017/01/X/HS6/01332 from the National Science Centre, Poland. P.M. was supported by Aarhus University Research Foundation (AUFF), starting grant: AUFF-E-2019-9-4. B. Bago was supported by ANR grant ANR-17-EURE-0010 (Investissements d'Avenir programme) and ANR Labex IAST. R.M.R. was supported by the Australian Research Council (DP180102384). N.B.D. was supported by CAPES grant no. 88887.364180/2019-00. C.S., K.A.. and I. Zettler were supported by the Carlsberg Foundation (CF16-0444) and the Independent Research Fund Denmark (7024-00057B). J.L. was supported by EXC 2126/1-390838866 under Germany's Excellence Strategy. K.B. was supported by the following grants from the National Science Centre, Poland: (1) while working on the data collection, no. 2015/19/D/HS6/00641, (2) while working on the final version of the paper, no. 2019/35/B/HS6/00528. A.W. was supported by FONDECYT 11190980, CONICYT. A. Fleischmann was supported by the German Research Foundation (research unit grant FOR-2150, LA 3566/1-2). H.Y. was supported by JSPS grant 18K03010. Y.Y. was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (16H03079, 17H00875, 18K12015 and 20H04581). K.Q. was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (17H06342, 20K03479 and 20KK0054). A. Ikeda was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (20J21976). K.M.K. was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) grant no. 31530032 and Key Technological Projects of Guangdong Province grant no. 2018B030335001. J.B.C. was supported by National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship grant no. DGE-1839285. M. Parzuchowski, K. Rybus and N.M.S. were supported by Polish National Science Center and DFG Beethoven grant 2016/23/G/HS6/01775. A.C.S. was supported by Portuguese National Foundation for Science and Technology grant no. SFRH/BD/126304/2016. L. Boncinelli was supported by PRIN 2017 grant no. 20178293XT (Italian Ministry of Education and Research). M.F.F.R. was supported by PSA 006 BRA 008 Data Collection in Support of PSADM 001 Measurement Invariance Project. M. Misiak was supported by a scholarship from the Foundation for Polish Science (START) and by a scholarship from the National Science Centre (2020/36/T/HS6/00256). P.B. was supported by Slovak Research and Development Agency project no. APVV-18-0140. M.A. was supported by Slovak Research and Development Agency project no. APVV-17-0418 and project PRIMUS/20/HUM/009. A. Findor and M.H. were supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under contract no. APVV-17-0596. T.G. was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (no. 950-224884). P.P. was supported by the Swedish Research Council (2016-06793). Y.L. was supported by The Project of Philosophy and Social Science Research in Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province (grant no. 2020SJA0017). M. Kowal was supported by a scholarship from the National Science Centre (2019/33/N/HS6/00054). P.A. was supported by UID/PSI/03125/2019 from the Portuguese National Foundation for Science and Technology. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.

Polyurethanes (PUs) are synthesized by the reaction of diisocyanates and diols and are widely used in furniture foams, thermal insulation, coatings, and adhesives. In this work, a 1,2,3-triazole-bridged dioxime (compound 6 ) as a diol source was synthesized from isomannide via tosylation, azidation, and cyclization-addition and used in the syntheses of new PUs. A new carbohydrate-based linear P-1 was synthesized by the reaction of 6 and 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (1,6-HMDI). Besides, three new linear PUs ( P-2 , P-3, and P-4 ) were synthesized by the reaction of 6 , isomannide compound (used in different molar ratios), and 1,6-HMDI. The thermal properties of the new PUs were determined by thermogravimetry (TG), their molecular structures were characterized by FTIR, 1 H- and 13 C-NMR, and the molecular weights of some polymers were determined by GPC/SEC. Additionally, the surface characteristics of the synthesized PUs were examined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Brugada syndrome was first described in 1992 as right precordial ST-segment elevation in patients with structurally normal hearts and sudden cardiac death. Brugada Syndrome is one of the most common reasons for sudden cardiac death (4-12%) and is a hereditary disease with an autosomal dominant pattern of transmission with nearly 300 pathogenic variants in 19 responsible genes published. The present review focuses on the diagnosis, genetics, risk stratification, and management of patients with Brugada Syndrome.

Pathogenic missense variants in PRKAG2, the gene for the gamma 2 regulatory subunit of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), cause severe progressive cardiac disease and sudden cardiac death, named PRKAG2 cardiomyopathy. In our previous study, we reported a E506K variant in the PRKAG2 gene that was associated with this disease. This study aimed to functionally characterize the three missense variants (E506K, E506Q, and R531G) of PRKAG2 and determine the possible effects on AMPK activity.The proband was clinically monitored for eight years. To investigate the functional effects of three missense variants of PRKAG2, in vitro mutagenesis experiments using HEK293 cells with wild and mutant transcripts and proteins were comparatively analyzed using quantitative RT-PCR, immunofluorescence staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.In the long-term follow-up, the proband was deceased due to progressive heart failure. In the in vitro experimental studies, PRKAG2 was overexpressed after 48 h of transfection in three mutated cells, after which the expression levels of PRKAG2 were regressed to the level of wild-type cells in 3-weeks stably transformed cells, except for the cells with E506K variant. E506K, E506Q, and R531G variants had caused a reduction in the AMPK activity and resulted in the formation of cytoplasmic glycogen deposits.Three missense variants that alter AMPK activity affect a residue in the CBS4 domain associated with ATP/AMP-binding. Detailed information on the influence of PRKAG2 pathogenic variants on AMPK activity would be helpful to improve the treatment and management of patients with metabolic cardiomyopathy.

Betonarme yapı sistemlerinde dolgu duvarlar yaygın bir şekilde kullanılmaktadır. Dolgu duvarların yapıya sadece olumlu etkisinin olacağı ve bu etkiyi rezerv tutma düşüncesiyle, genellikle konvansiyonel analiz programlarında dolgu duvarlar salt düşey yük olarak çerçeveye etki ettirilmektedir. Oysaki yaşanan depremler sonrası yapılan araştırmalar, dolgu duvarların betonarme çerçeveye olumlu/olumsuz etkilerinin olduğunu göstermektedir. Dolgu duvar etkisinin modele yansıtılmaması, tasarımcıların yaptığı analizlerde çeşitli yapısal düzensizlikleri de görememesine neden olabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada, mevcut bir yapı seçilmiş ve öncelikle dolgu duvarlar salt düşey yük (DY) olarak ideCAD yapı analiz programında modellenmiş daha sonra dolgu duvarlar DY ve hem düşey yük hem de eşdeğer basınç çubuğu (DY+EBÇ) olarak Sap2000 yapı analiz programında oluşturulmuştur. Sap2000’deki DY+EBÇ modeli DY modeli ile mukayese edildiğinde; yapı performansının arttığı, burulma ve yumuşak kat gibi düzensizlik değerlerinin değiştiği görülmüştür., Infill walls are widely used in reinforced concrete building systems. With the idea that the infill walls will have only positive effect on the structure and reserve this effect, the infill walls are generally affected in the frame as a vertical load in conventional analysis programs. However, after the earthquakes researches show that the infill walls have positive / negative effects on the reinforced concrete frame. Failure to reflect the infill wall effect on the model may cause the designers not to see various structural irregularities in their analysis. In this study, an existing structure was chosen and firstly infill walls were modeled in ideCAD structure analysis program as vertical load (DY) and then infill walls were formed as DY and vertical load and equivalent compression strut (DY + ETC) as Sap2000 structure analysis program. DY + EBÇ model in Sap2000 compared to DY model; It was observed that the structure performance increased and torsional and soft floor values changed.

Wittgenstein 20. yüzyılın ilk yarısında Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus adlı yapıtında felsefenin öldüğünü ve felsefede bugüne kadar sorulmuş tüm soruların çözümünü bulduğunu iddia etmiştir. Daha sonraları dünyayı dolaşmış ve özellikle zamanını Kierkegaard ve Nietzsche okuyarak geçirdikten sonra erken dönemlerinde savunduğu düşüncelerini değiştirmiş ve hem dil felsefesinde hem de bilim felsefesinde paradigmatik bir değişikliğin ilk zeminini ortaya koymuştur. Sosyal bilimlerin genelinde olduğu gibi psikoloji de bu değişimlerden ve Wittgenstein’ın felsefesinden paradigmatik düzeyde etkilenmiştir. Bu yazıda genel olarak Wittgenstein’ın felsefesinin psikolojiyle ve bugünün sosyal psikolojisiyle olan ilişkisi eleştirel olarak incelenmiştir. Özel olarak ise, Wittgenstein’ın felsefesinin, eleştirel psikoloji akımının ortaya çıkmasına ve ana akım psikolojideki bağlamdan kopuk, birey odaklı yaklaşımların irdelenmesine katkı sunduğunu savunuyoruz. Bu argümanı savunmak için ilk olarak psikolojinin ve özel olarak sosyal psikolojinin kısa bir tarihi verilecektir. Daha sonrasında erken dönem ve geç dönem olarak ayırdığımız iki farklı Wittgenstein portresi anlatılacak ve son olarak Wittgenstein’ın çalışmalarının psikolojik çalışmalara olan etkisi tartışılacaktır.

Correction to: Nature Human Behaviour https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01319-5, published online 14 April 2022.

Some premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) originate from the coronary venous system. The great cardiac vein and the anterior cardiac vein are the most frequent localizations. The middle cardiac vein is an unusual anatomy for a point of origin for PVC. We present here a case of frequent PVCs with characteristic electrocardiographic features, which we successfully ablated inside the middle cardiac vein.

Enerji depolamalı fotovoltaik termal kollektörlerde (PV/T) güneş enerjisinin verimini incelemek için deneysel bir çalışma yapılmıştır. Hem elektrik enerjisi hem de sıcak su üretmek için bir fotovoltaik termal kollektör imal edilmiştir. PV/T kollektörlerinin eğim açısının; güç, sıcaklık, enerji ve ekserji değerlerine etkileri ile hücresel gölgelendirmenin etkileri araştırılmıştır. PV/T kollektörlerden birinin içine faz değişim malzemesi (PCM) eklenerek PV/T kollektörüyle karşılaştırılarak farklı gölgeleme koşullarının (küçük, orta ve büyük daire) PV/T kollektörünün optimum eğim açısındaki gücü ve sıcak su çıkışı üzerindeki etkisi araştırılmıştır. PV/T kollektörü ile PV/T-PCM kollektörü arasındaki sıcak su çıkışında 7 ºC sıcaklık farkı oluştuğu bulunmuştur. PV/T-PCM kollektörünün en yüksek enerji verimleri sırasıyla 25º, 30º ve 35º eğim açısı için %73,26, %84,70 ve %68,96 olarak elde edilmiştir. Gölgeli kollektörlerin en yüksek ekserji verimleri ise PV/T kollektör için % 11,92 ve PV/T-PCM kollektörü için ise %23,38 olarak bulunmuştur., An experimental study was carried out to examine the efficiency of solar energy in photovoltaic thermal collectors (PV/T) with energy storage. A photovoltaic thermal collector was used to generate both electrical energy and hot water. The effects of inclination angle of PV/T collectors on power, temperature, energy and exergy values were investigated. Also, effects of cellular shading are tested and discussed. PV/T was compared with the conventional PV/T collector by adding phase change material (PCM) for one of the collectors. In addition, the effect of different shading conditions (small, medium and large circle) on the power and hot water output of the PV/T collector at optimum slope angle were investigated. It is found that 7 ºC temperature differences are occurred in the hot water outlet between the PV/T collector and the PV/T-PCM collector. The highest energy efficiencies of PV/T-PCM collectors are obtained as 73.26%, 84.70% and 68.96% for slope angle 25º, 30º and 35º, respectively. The highest exergy efficiencies of shaded collectors are obtained as 11.92% for PV/T and 23.38% for PV/T-PCM.

Infill walls, which are generally assumed as dead loads in building design, affect the lateral resistance, stiffness, and energy consumption of the frames. Investigations conducted after earthquakes show that the infill walls, whose effects are neglected in the design, can change the earthquake behavior of the structure and cause unforeseen damages in the buildings and even collapses in some cases. In order to match the behavior of designed and built frames, the technique of isolating the infill wall from the RC frame with non-interacting infill was adopted. In this study, in-plane behavior of bare, traditionally infilled frames and a frame with non-interacting infill wall were investigated experimentally under reversed cycling loads, then their numerical models were calibrated. As a result, in contrast to the traditionally infilled frame, it has been seen that the frame with non-interacting infill behaves close to the bare frame in the initial drifts and maintains its lateral resistance without a damage until further drifts. Therefore, it has been found that constructing the infill wall with non-interacting joint improves the in-plane behavior.

On January 24, 2020, a severe earthquake of magnitude Mw 6.8 hit the Sivrice district of Elazig province at 20:55 (17:55 GMT) local time. This earthquake caused significant damages, partial or total collapses in many buildings with 41 fatalities. A few days after the earthquake, our reconnaissance team visited city centers, districts and villages in the region and, then, carried out an investigation and assessments. The results and suggestions obtained after the earthquakes are very important in designing earthquake-resistant structures and reducing the casualties. This study aims to identify deficiencies and reveal the causes of damages by examining the failure mechanisms of structures. Firstly, the effect of the destructive seismic event is discussed and the historical earthquakes in the region are summarized. Then, strong ground motion data and the structural damages observed from different building types are evaluated. The damage patterns and failure mechanisms are analyzed and interpreted based on the Turkish Earthquake Codes.

Some of the recent studies suggested that people can make accurate inferences about the level of the Big Five and the Dark Triad personality traits in strangers by only looking at their faces. However, later findings provided only partial support and the evidence is mixed regarding which traits can be accurately inferred from faces. In the current research, to provide further evidence on whether the Big Five and the Dark Triad traits are visible in the face, we report three studies, two of which were preregistered, conducted on both WEIRD (the US American) and non-WEIRD (Turkish) samples (N = 880). The participants in both the US American and Turkish samples were successful in predicting all Dark Triad personality traits by looking at a stranger's face. However, there were mixed results regarding the Big Five traits. An aggregate analysis of the combined dataset demonstrated that extraversion (only female), agreeableness, and conscientiousness were accurately inferred by the participants in addition to the Dark Triad traits. Overall, the results suggest that inferring personality from faces without any concrete source of information might be an evolutionarily adaptive trait.

Since the digitally-mediated large-scale protests took place all over the world, the role of social identities in collective actions has become the center of academic attention. Some scholars have claimed that interpersonal or individual reasons have become more important than collective identifications in participating digitally-mediated collective actions. To answer the question that whether social identification has lost its centrality in collective actions in the Internet age, we conducted a meta-analysis of 46 studies (N = 18,242) which examined digitally-mediated collective actions across the world reported between January 2011 and January 2020. We focused on the relationship between social identification and collective action, and the possible moderator effects of group type to be identified (emergent vs. pre-existing group), participation type (actual behavior vs. intention), and WEIRDness of the sample. The analyses showed a moderate to strong relationship between social identification and participation in digitally-mediated collective actions, while group type was the only significant moderator. Accordingly, the relationship between identification with emergent groups and collective action participation was much stronger compared to the relationship between identification with pre-existing groups and collective action participation. We discussed the theoretical implications of the results emphasized the basic dynamics of collective actions.

Objective: Transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis is an autosomal dominant inherited disease with variable penetration. Cardiac deposition of misfolded TTR protein due to missense pathogenic variants causes heart failure. Our aim was to determine the effect of the TTR gene His90Asn (H90N) variant on the pathogenesis of disease in a patient with biventricular concentric hypertrophy, and the clinical significance of variants defined as non-amyloidogenic with bioinformatic analysis. Materials and Methods: The index case was followed cardiologically for 18 years and pathogenic variants were investigated in the exonic regions of 46 genes using the Illumina TruSight Cardiomyopathy panel. Rectal biopsy specimen was taken from a case where the H90N variant was detected in the TTR gene, with clinical suspicion of amyloidosis. This variant was confirmed by the Sanger sequencing method. Results: Heterozygote H90N variant was determined in exon3 of the TTR gene in index case of a 32-year-old man with severe heart failure who was diagnosed 11 years ago and implanted with an ICD. He had progressive systolic dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction, 60% in 2013, 35% in 2016, and 20% in 2017). GLS score and strain rate were reduced in the epicardial and endocardial layers compatible with amyloidosis in the patient. In congo red staining of rectal biopsy, amyloid deposition was not observed. This variant was detected also in the patient’s father, who did not have clinical symptoms. For the first time in this study, all variants that cause non-amyloidogenic amino acid subtitutions in the TTR gene were compared with bioinformatics analyzes. Conclusion: In this study, although the pathogenic effect of the H90N variant in infiltrative myocardial disease was not proven, it was revealed that non-amyloidogenic variants such as the H90N variant in the TTR gene should be considered in clinical evaluation.

Aims Mahaim-type accessory pathways (MAPs) are generally right-sided due to the embryological differentiation, but left-sided localization is also possible. This study aims to compare the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of right- and left-sided MAPs. Methods Of 251 patients diagnosed with AP by electrophysiological study between November 2015 and February 2020, 12 patients with MAP were included (right sided n = 8, left sided n = 4). MAP was diagnosed if; (1) no retrograde conduction; (2) anterograde decremental conduction; (3) adenosine sensitivity; and (4) Mahaim potential at successful ablation site were present. Results Ten of twelve MAPs were clustered on the lateral walls of the mitral (n = 3, 75%) and tricuspid annuli (n = 7, 87.5%). Right-sided MAPs were mostly long pathways extending toward the conduction system whereas left-sided MAPs were short extending toward the neighboring myocardium. For right- and left-sided APs, the median QRS times were 129 and 156 ms (p = .042), the median VAbl -RVApex intervals were -12 and 64 ms (p = .007), the median QRS-V(His) intervals were 16 and 86 ms (p = .120), and the median VAbl -QRS interval was -8 and 12 ms (p = .017), respectively. Coexistence of dual atrioventricular node physiology was observed only in right-sided APs (n = 3, 37.5%). Conclusion MAPs are more typically located on the right but may rarely be seen on the left. Catheter ablation was associated with high success without complications.

Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, flipped öğrenme uygulamasının öğretmen adaylarının problem çözme becerilerine etkisini belirlemektir. Araştırmada baskın-az baskın karma desen kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu, 2019-2020 eğitim-öğretim yılında Siirt Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesinde öğrenim gören 105 öğretmen adayı oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak, araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu ve problem çözme becerisi testi kullanılmıştır. Ayrıca araştırmada veriler doküman incelemesi yoluyla yapılan alıntılarla desteklenmiştir. Araştırmada verilerin analizinde problem çözme becerisi testi için ilk olarak normallik testi yapılmıştır. Normallik testi sonucunda bağımlı ve bağımsız t-testi kullanılmıştır. Nitel verilerin analizinde betimsel ve içerik analiz yöntemlerine başvurulmuştur. Araştırma sonucunda, öğretmen adaylarının flipped öğrenme uygulamalarıyla problem çözme becerilerinin arttığı görülmüştür. Öğretmen adayları bu uygulamaları esnek bir öğrenme ortamı olarak tanımlamışlardır. Esnek öğrenme ortamında bir problemi tanımlamayı, problem hakkında bilgi toplamayı ve uygun çözümler üretmeyi öğrendiklerini belirtmişlerdir. Bunun yanı sıra flipped öğrenme uygulamalarında teknolojik araçları kullanma konusunda problem yaşadıklarını vurgulamışlardır. Araştırmada bu sonuçlardan hareketle bir takım öneriler sunulmuştur.

Amaç: Hipertrofik kardiyomiyopati (HKM), ani kardiyak ölümün (AKÖ) nedenlerinden biridir. Bu çalışmada, HKM’de en sık mutasyon bulunan üç sarkomerik gende, AKÖ için yüksek riskli patojenik varyantların belirlenmesi amaçlandı. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya, AKÖ ve/veya HKM için aile öyküsü olan 12 yetişkin HKM’li indeks vaka ve 31 aile üyesi dahil edildi. Tüm katılımcılar, kardiyolojik olarak değerlendirildi. MYH7, MYBPC3 ve TNNT2 genlerinin ekzonik bölgeleri, CorTAG HCM1 dizileme sistemi kullanılarak analiz edildi. Bulgular: HKM’li indeks vakaların 8’inde, amino asit değişimine neden olan 6 farklı patojenik varyant bulundu. Bunlardan beşinin, MYH7 genindeki Val698Ala, Arg719Trp, Met822Leu ve Arg- 663Cys (üç vakada) ve TNNT2 genindeki Arg102Trp değişimlerinin daha önce tanımlanmış yanlış anlamlı patojenik varyantlar olduğu belirlendi. İleri yaşta AKÖ öyküsü olan bir HKM ailesinde, MYBPC3 geninde Tyr525Asn ve c.*27-21G>A varyantlar bileşik heterozigot olarak ilk defa tanımlandı. Bu varyantlar, Türk popülasyonu kontrol örneklerinde (n=777) saptanmadı. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada, AKÖ öyküsü olan bir HKM ailesinde yeni varyantlar tanımlandı. Ancak, HKM ailelerinde saptanan patojenik varyantlar ile AKÖ riski arasında net bir ilişki bulunamadı., Objective: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is one of sudden cardiac death (SCD) causes. This study aimed to identify high-risk pathogenic variants for SCD in the three sarcomeric genes with the most frequent mutations in HCM. Material and Method: The study included 12 adult HCM index cases with a family history of SCD and/or HCM, and 31 of their family members. All the participants were evaluated with detailed cardiac examinations. The exonic regions of the MYH7, MYBPC3 and TNNT2 genes were analysed using CorTAG HCM1 resequencing arrays. Results: Six pathogenic variants causing amino acid substitutions were found in 8 of the index cases with HCM. Five of them were identified as previously defined missense variants of Val698Ala, Arg719Trp, Met822Leu and Arg663Cys (in three cases) in the MYH7 gene, and Arg102Trp in the TNNT2 gene. For the first time in an HCM family with a history of late-onset SCD, Tyr525Asn and c.*27-21G> A variants in the MYBPC3 gene were identified as compound heterozygous. These variants were not present in control subjects (n=777) from the Turkish population. Conclusion: In this study, novel variants in the MYBPC3 gene were identified in an HCM family with SCD history. However, there was no clear association between pathogenic variants and the risk of SCD.

An experimental examination has been performed on the performance assessment of different shading shapes on photovoltaic panels by using energy-exergy analysis methods in this study. The problem is important due to decreasing of performance of PV panel with shading effect. A non-transparent material and powder were used for static shading while the time-varying shading effect of a chimney for dynamic shading was applied on to the system. Novelty of the work is to use diagonal shading on energy and exergy efficiency. Moreover, thermal camera technique was used to observe the effects of temperature distribution as a novel technique for PV panels. The photovoltaic panel was kept outside for one month in terms of dusty shading. For other static shading, artificial shadows of three different triangular shapes (40 * 40 cm for Case I, 36 * 60 cm for Case II and 60 * 36 cm for Case III) were created. The energy and exergy efficiencies of all systems under the same solar radiation were compared. The Case I-III under the same solar radiation was imaged by using a thermal camera and the effect of shading on photovoltaic panels and hot spot formation were examined. The results showed that the highest energy efficiency value was found to be 10.54% for the reference panel, 9.70% for the dusty panel, 4.16% for Case I, 4.27% for Case II and approximately zero for Case III. In the panel of dynamic shading, the lowest and the highest efficiency values were found as 0.86% and 10.27%, respectively.

We analyzed the content of "Friday Khutbas" delivered in Turkish mosques between January 2001 and December 2018 to test the prediction of moral foundations theory (MFT) literature that threat salience would lead to an increased endorsement of binding moral foundations. As societal-level indicators of threat, we examined (a) historical data on the proportion of terrorism-related news published in a Turkish newspaper, (b) the geopolitical risk score of Turkey as measured by Geopolitical Risk Index, and (c) Google Trends data on the search frequency of words "terror", "terrorism", or "terrorist". To measure the endorsement of moral foundations, we built a Turkish Moral Foundations Dictionary and counted the relative frequency of morality-related words in the khutbas delivered in Istanbul, Turkey. Time series analyses showed that risk salience in a certain month was positively related to endorsement of the loyalty/betrayal foundation in that month's Friday Khutbas. There were mixed results for the other moral foundations.

COVID-19 pandemic has led to popular conspiracy theories regarding its origins and widespread concern over the level of compliance with preventive measures. In the current preregistered research, we recruited 1088 Turkish participants and investigated (a) individual differences associated with COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs; (2) whether such conspiracy beliefs are related to the level of preventive measures; and (3) other individual differences that might be related to the preventive measures. Higher faith in intuition, uncertainty avoidance, impulsivity, generic conspiracy beliefs, religiosity, and right-wing ideology, and a lower level of cognitive reflection were associated with a higher level of belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. There was no association between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and preventive measures while perceived risk was positively and impulsivity negatively correlated with preventive measures. We discuss the implications and directions for future research. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s12144-020-00903-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

We used composite face images perceived to have different levels of Dark Triad personality traits (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) and asked participants to predict these target individuals' religious and political identities. In Study 1 (N = 550), Turkish participants rated faces with higher levels of perceived Dark Triad traits as less likely to be religious, to believe in God, and more likely to be left-winger, and to vote for a left-leaning party in all categories except for male narcissism. In a pre-registered follow-up study (N = 1001), we recruited a nationally representative US sample and replicated the same results with minor differences regarding male and female narcissism, and voting preferences. Participants' own political and ideological identities and their stereotypical evaluation of the target groups were mostly ineffective in explaining their predictions. The results suggest that people can perceive faces with higher levels of Dark Triad traits as less religious and less conservative.

The increasing installed area of solar technologies around the world gives us an idea about the unlimited potential available in solar energy. Solar light and thermal energy can provide sufficient electricity needed in daily life. In additionally, photovoltaics, photovoltaic/thermal, concentration photovoltaic, concentration solar power and solar thermoelectric have been developing for energy conversion. The main aim of the present study is to make comprehensively review on exergy analysis and performance assessment of a wide range of solar electricity production. Exergy can be used to assess and improve energy systems, and can help better understand the benefits of utilizing green energy by providing more useful and meaningful information than energy provides. After that the studied systems are exergetically analyzed and evaluated solar electricity includes photovoltaics (PVs) and hybrid (PV/Twater or PV/Tair) solar collectors. The advantages and disadvantages of these systems will be presented on exergy concept. The CSP systems, the systems with nanofluid and PCM were exhibited.

In the present work, entropy generation due to natural convection in nanofluid (water-Al2O3) filled a square cavity with thick bottom wall is studied numerically. The thick bottom wall of the cavity is heated via non-isothermal heater, which has sinusoidal function, and top wall is cooled isothermally. The vertical walls are kept adiabatic. The finite volume method is used to solve the governing equations of flow and heat transfer. Results are presented in terms of streamlines, isotherms, local and average Nusselt numbers for Rayleigh number Ra (104–106), solid volume fraction of nanoparticles ϕ (0–0.1), and thickness of the bottom wall h*(0.05–0.15). The obtained results show that the average Nusselt number decreases with increasing of the bottom wall's thickness.

Objective The frequency, significance and prognostic value of left ventricle obstruction (LVO) induced with provocation (latent LVO) is controversial for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) patients. This study was designed to assess the value of latent LVO in predicting the clinical course in 101 patients with HC. Methods and results Patients were followed for a mean of 82 ± 48 months (range 2 to 148 months) for clinical end points defined as a composite of cardiovascular death resuscitated cardiac arrest, appropriate defibrillator shock or hospitalization due to worsening of heart failure symptoms. Presence of LVO (hazard ratio 3.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.85 to 7.12; P = 0.0001) and log NT-proBNP levels (hazard ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.14 to 1.72; P = 0.001) were the independent variables associated with an increased risk of experiencing clinical end points. HC patients with latent LVO have a trend toward decreased survival when compared with HC patients without LVO (log rank P = 0.027), but better survival than patients with resting LVO (log rank P = 0.007). HC patients with NT-proBNP levels

We analyzed the content of “Friday Khutbas” delivered in Turkish mosques between January 2001 and December 2018 to test the prediction of moral foundations theory (MFT) literature that threat salience would lead to an increased endorsement of binding moral foundations. As societal-level indicators of threat, we examined (1) historical data on the number of terrorism-related news published in a Turkish newspaper, (2) geopolitical risk score of Turkey as measured by Geopolitical Risk Index, and (3) Google Trends data on the search frequency of words “terror”, “terrorism”, or “terrorist”. To measure the endorsement of moral foundations, we built a Turkish Moral Foundations Dictionary and counted the relative frequency of morality-related words in the khutbas delivered in Istanbul, Turkey. Time series analyses showed that risk salience in a certain month was positively related to endorsement of the loyalty/betrayal foundation in that month’s Friday Khutbas. There were mixed results for the other moral foundations.

The photovoltaic panels are one of the most efficient energy systems that generate electricity by absorbing the solar radiation. Nevertheless, when the sun's rays are converted to electricity, a high amount of waste heat is generated. Therefore, the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) panels needs to be studied to minimize the amount of waste heat. There is a non-linear relationship between the temperature, the current and the voltage values produced by the PV panels. In the present study, the performance of 75 W PV panels with polycrystalline cell structure under Elazig, Turkey climatic conditions were experimentally investigated. The system performances such as temperature, power and efficiencies were analyzed by applying different fin parameters (length, sequences) to PV panels. The aluminum fins were applied with 10 different configurations as given by A1-A10. The cell temperatures, output powers, power loss ratios and energy-exergy efficiencies were calculated based on measurements of the experimental study. It was observed that the temperature did not distributed homogeneously on the PV panel. In terms of the efficiency, the fins are designed as staggered array and the 7 cm × 20 cm dimensions showed the best results. The highest energy and exergy efficiencies values of the finned panels (A5) were calculated as 11.55%, and 10.91%, respectively.

This article contains the experimental investigations of different cooling methods used for photovoltaic (PV) panels. Phase change material (PCM), thermoelectric (TE) and aluminum fins were chosen as the cooling methods. The CaCl2·6H2O is chosen as one of the PCM which is widely used in the cooling of PVs and the other is the PCM with melting temperature above the surface temperature of the PV panel. By using TE material in different numbers (6, 8 and 12) and aluminum fins in different layouts, surface temperatures and output powers of PV panels were compared. It is observed that the PCM which is not chosen appropriately has insulation feature in the PV panel and enhances the temperature of the panel and decreases the output power. When the most successful cooling methods were tested under the same environmental conditions, PV with fin system produced the highest power generation of 47.88 W while PV with PCM and TEM produced the lowest power generation of 44.26 W. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Primary tricuspid valve regurgitation may be encountered in daily practice as a result of multiple etiologies. Described herein are the cases of 2 patients with severe primary tricuspid regurgitation. The underlying mechanism was posterior leaflet prolapse due to spontaneous chordae rupture in 1 case, and iatrogenic posterior leaflet tissue loss during removal of a permanent pacemaker in the other. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, which permit assessment of the tricuspid valve with multilevel imaging, are the techniques of choice for accurate detection and understanding of the etiology, the severity of valve regurgitation, and the determination of treatment options, in addition to providing assistance with timing and guidance during intervention. Three-dimensional echocardiography offers the ability to visualize the entire tricuspid valve and to identify which leaflets are affected by the pathology.

Coronary artery disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm may frequently be together, particularly in elderly patients. Treatment strategies should be tailored according to the needs and specific properties of each patient. Hybrid synchronous procedures may be a choice of therapy in these patients, as well as staged procedures. Herein, we present the first hybrid synchronous case of Turkey to treat two separate cardiovascular pathologies.

Primary tricuspid valve regurgitation may be encountered in daily practice as a result of multiple etiologies. Described herein are the cases of 2 patients with severe primary tricuspid regurgitation. The underlying mechanism was posterior leaflet prolapse due to spontaneous chordae rupture in 1 case, and iatrogenic posterior leaflet tissue loss during removal of a permanent pacemaker in the other. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, which permit assessment of the tricuspid valve with multilevel imaging, are the techniques of choice for accurate detection and understanding of the etiology, the severity of valve regurgitation, and the determination of treatment options, in addition to providing assistance with timing and guidance during intervention. Three-dimensional echocardiography offers the ability to visualize the entire tricuspid valve and to identify which leaflets are affected by the pathology.

Solar air heating (solar collector) is a renewable heating technology and provides heat using solar energy. With fuel costs and other factors, solar air heaters (SAHs) are getting more attention. The energetic and exergetic performance of SAHs is influenced by a number of factors. The present study reviews the previously conducted studies and applications in terms of design, performance assessment, heat transfer enhancement techniques, experimental and numerical works, thermal heat storage, effectiveness compassion and recent advances. It may be concluded that energy analysis method has been used in a number of studies while exergy analysis method has been applied to the relatively low numbers of systems. Energy efficiencies of solar air collectors reviewed varied from 47% and 89%. It is expected that this comprehensive study will be very beneficial to everyone involved or interested in the energetic and exergetic design, simulation, analysis, test and performance assessment of SAHs.

Objective: Bioactive roles of adipokines in coronary atherosclerosis and acute coronary syndromes have been demonstrated previously. Ho-wever, there is a lack of data regarding the relationship between serum adipokines and periprocedural myocardial injury (PMI) following elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between serum adipokines and PMI related to elective PCI. Methods: In total, 153 consecutive patients (aged 60.6 +/- 8.2 years, 98 men) with stable angina pectoris undergoing elective PCI were enrolled in this observational cross-sectional study. Serum resistin, leptin, adiponectin, and high-sensitive Troponin T (hscTnT) levels were measured immediately before PCI and after 12-h PCI. The no-injury, PMI, and type 4a myocardial infarction (type 4a MI) groups were defined as groups consisting patients with post-procedural hscTnT concentrations < 14 ng/L, between 14-70 ng/L, and > 70 ng/L, respectively. Results: Serum hscTnT, resistin, and leptin concentrations significantly (p

Objective: The observation that Bop null allele mice show underdeveloped right ventricle and excessive development of left ventricle, suggests the possible relationship between human BOP gene and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCMP). In our study, we investigated this possible relationship between BOP gene variations and QT dispersion, a noninvasive arrhythmic risk marker for HCMP. Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of 50 patients clinically diagnosed with HCMP and 60 healthy subjects. Exonic regions of BOP gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and amplified exonic regions were analyzed by Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphisms (SSCP). The samples with different migration patterns were sequenced through an automated sequencing system. Continuous variables were compared by unpaired t-test for independent samples or Mann-Whitney U test. Genotype-disease relationship was tested by Chi-square test. Results: The nucleotide substitutions G275>A and C965>A in exon 2 and 7 were determined only in HCMP group. The G707>C, C710>T, T761>C, T1217>C SNPs in exon 6 and 9 are also found in the control group. Significant differences were found between two groups (p=0.002 and p

Objective: Cigarette smoking is one of the major risk factors for coronary artery disease. However, chronic smoking has additional cardiac adverse effects independent of coronary atherosclerosis. We assessed the possible effects of chronic smoking on left and right ventricular (LV, RV) long-axis function using Doppler myocardial imaging (DMI). Methods: Forty otherwise healthy smokers (mean age = 26 ± 3 years) and 40 age-matched nonsmoking controls enrolled. Standard echocardiography protocol was followed by DMI. Peak systolic (V S), early (VE) and late diastolic (VA) velocities, peak systolic strain (S), and strain rate (SR) were measured from septal, lateral, and RV free walls. Results: The baseline characteristics of two groups were similar. There were significant differences regarding Doppler myocardial velocity, S, and SR indices. Septal VE (P < 0.04), S (P < 0.0001) and SR (P < 0.02) were significantly reduced in smokers. For both lateral and RV free wall, VS (P < 0.003, P < 0.002, respectively), VE (P < 0.0001, P < 0.002, respectively), S (P < 0.0001 for both), and SR (P < 0.0001, P < 0.002, respectively) were significantly reduced in smokers. There were significant correlations between the amount of smoking and septal, lateral, and RV free wall S and SR. Conclusions: Chronic cigarette smoking causes alterations in long-axis systolic and diastolic functions of right and left ventricles in healthy young subjects. These changes can be accurately detected with Doppler myocardial velocity and SR imaging. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, October 2009).

We have evaluated the prevalence of left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) among patients referred to multislice computed tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography examinations. The study Group comprised of 1,000 consecutive patients (750 male and 250 female; mean age 53±12 years) who underwent successful 64-slice MSCT examinations. Left main coronary artery (LMCA) was classified into three Groups: normal LMCA; nonsignificant LMCAD with coronary plaques resulting in obstructions ≤50%; and significant LMCAD corresponding to obstructions >50%. We have found that 24 patients (2.4%) had significant LMCAD. Additional 200 patients (20%) had nonsignificant LMCAD. Univariate analysis revealed that LMCAD was associated with age, male gender, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, typical symptoms, history of previous myocardial infarction and previous percutaneous coronary intervention. Only age and male gender were found as independent predictors for LMCAD in multivariate analysis (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively,). Angiographic follow-up was avaliable for the 24 patients with significant LMCAD, and conventional coronary angiography confirmed the presence of significant LMCAD in all of these patients. Significant LMCAD was found in 2.4% of the 1,000 patients referred to 64-slice MSCT examinations. Age and male gender were the independent predictors for LMCAD.

Decreased serum levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol have been shown to be of prognostic significance in patients with severe infectious diseases. Serum HDL cholesterol levels were therefore investigated as a possible parameter for the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis (IE). Fifty-four patients with IE with available admission serum HDL cholesterol levels were included in the study. A clinical outcome was defined as a complicated course during hospitalization. Forty-two patients had complicated courses during their in-hospital stays. The median serum HDL cholesterol level was significantly lower in patients with IE (n = 54) than healthy controls (n = 26) (26 vs 47 mg/dl, p

Objective - We aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) to detect significant coronary artery stenosis with comparison to conventional coronary angiography (CCA). Methods - In 100 patients (70 men, average age 58 ± 10 years and age range 31-75 years) scheduled to have conventional coronary angiography, MSCT was performed before catheterization (within 2 months). All patients were in sinus rhythm, able to hold breath for 15 seconds, and had serum creatinine levels < 1.5 mg/dl. MSCT scans were analysed by a radiologist and a cardiologist. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for the detection of significant stenoses by MSCT in comparison with CCA were calculated on patient, vessel, and segmental bases. Results - 64-slice computed tomography is able to detect significant coronary artery stenosis on a segmental basis with a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 99% when compared with CCA. All patients with significantly stenotic coronary artery disease are correctly diagnosed. The presence of significant stenosis was correctly diagnosed by MSCT in 126 of 144 segments. Twelve non-significant lesions on CCA were overestimated by MSCT. On vessel-based analysis, the sensitivity and specificity of MSCT for detecting significant stenosis were 91% and 97%, respectively. Conclusion - Our results indicate that 64-slice computed coronary angiography is a reliable diagnostic modality for the detection of significant coronary artery stenosis in patients with sinus rhythm and scheduled to have CCA, but still has limitations of diagnostic performance on a per-segment and per-vessel basis.

To assess the value of plasma NT proBNP levels for predicting adverse outcomes in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).Seventy-eight patients with DCM (EF40%) with sinus rhythm were enrolled. All patients had undergone echocardiographic examination, coronary angiography, and cardiac catheterisation. Blood samples for plasma NT proBNP levels were taken at rest following echocardiographic examination. Patients were followed up for 660+/-270 days for clinical endpoints defined as; death from worsening heart failure, sudden cardiac death and heart transplantation (Tx).Clinical end points were observed in 19 patients (5 Tx, 4 sudden cardiac death, 10 death from worsening heart failure). Variables associated with an increased hazard of clinical endpoints in univariate analysis were log NT proBNP, age, NYHA functional class, left ventricle ejection fraction, mitral valve effective regurgitation orifice area, and E wave deceleration time. The plasma level of NT proBNP (Hazard ratio=2.5 [95% CI: 1.3-4.7], p=0.0024) and age (hazard ratio=0.94 [95% CI: 0.90-0.98], p=0.0005) were the independent variables associated with an increased risk of clinical endpoints. NT proBNP plasma level4500 pg/ml detected patients with clinical endpoints with a sensitivity, and specificity of 72%, 80%, respectively. The event free survival was found to be significantly lower in patients with NT proBNP levels4500 pg/ml.NT proBNP seems to be a strong predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with DCM with sinus rhythm and may be used as a reliable biological marker in risk stratification.