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Around 50% of sawn wood remains as a by-product during the processing into timber. A large part of these by-products consists of sawdust, which still contains a lot of intact fibers and would have great potential to be used for biocomposite materials. This study investigates the influence of different pretreatments on spruce sawdust in a two-step process, where chemical pretreatments like liquid hot water (LHW), organosolv (OS), and alkali (NaOH) are coupled with a mechanical pretreatment (refining). The idea is to customize a suitable fibrous material for creating a biocomposite with a natural binder as lignin instead of synthetic binders. The first part of the study focused on comparing the different chemical pretreatments and the influence of the refining time. Each chemical pretreatment resulted in a different partially solubilized lignocellulosic matrix profile, making the matrix’s fibers less or more accessible. In the second step, the material was treated in a refiner to fibrillate the embedded fibers, enhancing the flexibility and bonding properties. Paper sheets were produced to evaluate the mechanical properties of the obtained fibrous materials. Based on the results, the most promising material was selected for further investigation. The second part of the study focused on the initial testing of the produced fibrous materials as composites. First, the fibers produced in the first part were impregnated with lignin, forming composite bars through hot-compression molding. Finally, the tensile strength of the composites was determined. Especially with higher pretreatment temperatures and longer refining times, several promising combinations could be found for the two-step process.

Graphical Abstract:

Graphical Abstract:

ABSTRACTThe Awassi sheep, a breed with a distinctive fat tail, is bred specifically in the south-eastern region in Turkey. It has proven its adaptability to the hot environment of this region, especially in the provinces of Şanlıurfa, Hatay and Gaziantep, which are close to the Syrian border. The aim of this study was to investigate the SNP polymorphisms in the GDF9 gene/exon2 using DNA sequencing. In addition, the study investigated the relationships between SNP genotypes and growth traits, in particular birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW) and weight at the end of the grazing season (GSW), in Awassi sheep. Four different flocks with a total of 131 Awassi lambs were used. PCR was used to amplify exon2 of the GDF9 gene region, which has a length of 815 base pairs (bp), from the genomic DNA of the Awassi sheep. Thus, four new single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified. The results showed that although the effects of SNP2 and SNP4 on body weight (BW) were statistically significant, only SNP4 had a significant effect on weaning weight (WW) (P < 0.05). In addition, SNP1 and SNP3 were found to have no significant effect on any developmental trait in the dataset.

AbstractObjective:The diagnosis of hypertension in adolescents aged ≥13 and <16 years is based on the percentile according to age, gender, and height in the European Society of Hypertension guidelines guideline; whereas, the American Academy of Pediatrics guideline uses blood pressure above 130/80 mmHg as a single criterion. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the compatibility of these two guidelines in adolescents aged ≥13 and <16 years.Methods:This study was designed by retrospectively screening the records of 395 adolescents with both office and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements. Each blood pressure measurement was classified according to both the ESGH2016 and AAP2017 guidelines. Patients were divided into three subgroups according to body mass index. Cohen’s kappa analysis was used to evaluate the agreement between the two guidelines.Results:The majority of adolescents were normotensive according to both guidelines, 55.9% by ESHG2016 and 43.1% by AAP2017. For the whole group, the frequency of hypertension was 32.4% with ESHG2016 and 34.4% with AAP2017; while, in obese patients, hypertension frequencies were 38.8% and 43.3%, respectively. The diagnosis of hypertension was demonstrated with the two guidelines, and there was significant agreement at a substantial level, both for the obese subgroup and the whole study group (kappa value = 0.738 and 0.785, respectively). The frequency of white-coat hypertension was higher with the AAP2017 guideline (28.1% versus 16.2%, p < 0.001).Conclusion:With our experience in this single-centre study, it seems that both the AAP2017 and the ESHG2016 guidelines can be used in the diagnosis of hypertension in adolescents.

Asphalt binder ageing leads to significant changes in mechanical and physicochemical properties and often to premature cracking in asphalt pavements. A polymer-modified asphalt binder is repeatedly aged through laboratory techniques, i.e. rolling thin film oven test and pressure ageing vessel. The resulting properties of the aged binder are analysed using dynamic shear rheometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and cryo-environmental scanning electron microscopy. Rheological, spectroscopic and macroscopic properties change progressively with the level of laboratory ageing. Surprisingly, this change shows approximately a linear trend. The first ageing step has the highest impact on the property change, whereas all the following ageing steps result in similar but reduced impact. Moreover, there is a strong interdependency between different mechanical and physicochemical properties. Hence, novel insights into the mechanics of asphalt binder ageing and into the search for ageing laws for asphalt binders.

To obtain simultaneous 24-hour contact lens voltage and systemic arterial blood pressure values with the Sensimed Triggerfish system and Holter monitoring device.

The most important determinant of long-term graft survival in renal transplantation is adequate immunosuppression. Inadequate immunosuppression may lead to graft loss due to the presence of anti-HLA antibody. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of variability in tacrolimus blood concentration on anti-HLA antibody development in pediatric recipients of living-donor renal transplants. Pediatric recipients of living-donor renal transplants were retrospectively evaluated. Patients with a minimum of two years of follow-up who were administered tacrolimus were included in the study. Patients who had pretransplant anti-HLA antibody were excluded. Variability in tacrolimus blood concentration was assessed using the coefficient of variation (“tacrolimus CV”) method. Tacrolimus CV was calculated separately for the first 6 months post-transplant, between 6 and 12 months post-transplant, and from the end of the first year post-transplant to the last follow-up. We constructed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the tacrolimus CV for each group to find the best cutoff value. A total of 67 patients (including 48 males; 72%) with a mean age of 15.16 ± 4.43 years were included in the study. Anti-HLA antibody positivity was detected in 12 patients (18%). More than three HLA mismatches and the presence of acute cellular rejection correlated with the development of anti-HLA antibody (p= 0.056, 0.009). Tacrolimus CVs for the three periods were 0.37 ± 0.11, 0.31 ± 0.18, and 0.35 ± 0.12, respectively. The cutoff value of tacrolimus CV for anti-HLA antibody development was calculated as 0.32 with a sensitivity of 90.91% and specificity of 50.94% [AUC (area under the curve) 0.713, p= 0.023]. During the second 6-month period and after a  year post-transplant, the percentage of patients with tacrolimus CV > 0.32 was significantly higher in the anti-HLA antibody positive group than in the antibody negative group (67% vs 31%, p= 0.027; 83% vs 47%, p= 0.033). The eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) was similar for the anti-HLA antibody negative and positive groups (78.72 ± 2.86 vs 77.45 ± 8.08, p> 0.05). High tacrolimus concentration variability appears to be associated with anti-HLA antibody formation in pediatric recipients of living-donor renal transplants.

Background:

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation for Relapsed and/or Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Multicenter Real World Experience

This study, which is based on the Stages of Change Model, aimed to develop a Web-based smoking cessation program and to evaluate its effectiveness. An interventional study with 1 group was conducted with college students from Afyon Kocatepe University. First, the Web-Based Smoking Cessation Program was set up (www.sbp.aku.edu.tr). The sample in this study was composed of the 433 students who were site members. The appropriate stages of the program were then sent to members' e-mail addresses at monthly intervals over a period of 6 months. Second, the effectiveness of the program was evaluated at the baseline, the third, and the sixth months of the study. The study was completed with 314 students. The data were evaluated using descriptive statistics, 1-way analysis of variance, and analysis of variance for repeated measures. There were significant developments in the self-efficacy, cognitive, and behavioral processes of students in the third and sixth months of the study. Students (2.5%) had quit smoking by the third month and 4.5% by the sixth month. These results reveal that the program was able to help students quit smoking, increase their self-efficacy, and develop the process of change regarding smoking cessation.

Background:There are limited data on infants with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). The aim of this study was to determine the clinical and laboratory features, and to evaluate treatment modalities and outcomes in infants with aHUS. Materials and Methods:Relevant data on patients with onset of aHUS at age <2 years were obtained from the Turkish Pediatric aHUS Registry. Results:Among the 146 patients included in the Registry, 53 (36%) (23 male and 30 female) were enrolled for the study. Age at disease onset was ≤1 year in 29 of the patients. In all, 21 (40%) of the patients developed neurological symptoms. Disease-causing mutations were noted in 14 (36%) of the 39 patients in which genetic analysis was performed. Plasma therapy was performed in 42 (79%) patients; eculizumab therapy was administered to treat the first episode of aHUS in 33 (62%) patients and in 5 patients as the first- line therapy. In total, 38 (72%) patients received renal replacement therapy (RRT), 3 (6%) died due to acute illness, and 4 (8%) were discharged from hospital with RRT. Follow-up visit data were available for 46 patients and the median duration was 23 months (range 3–129 months). End-stage renal disease developed only in 1 patient. Proteinuria and hypertension persisted in 17 (37%) and 20 patients (44%) respectively. Eculizumab treatment was continued in 25 of the 39 patients during the follow-up period. Conclusion:One-thirdof the aHUS patients had disease onset during infancy. The prognosis of this life-threatening disease seems to get better with improved treatment modalities.

Fuel pipes popularly used in automotive industry applications carry fuel from the fuel tank to the engine and work under variable vibrations having different magnitude and frequency parameters due to the engine’s rotation frequency and road profile’s spontaneous change. Considering that the transfer of the fuel to the engine in the desired way has a crucial importance on the driving performance, any problem that may exist because of the vibrations cannot be acceptable in the pipe assembly. Because of this reason, all manufactured fuel pipes have to be well tested in terms of some industrial standards. The fluid excitement test is a very useful and commonly accepted method in the industry. However, this method produces enormous amount of noise that does not allow to obtain healthy pressure values from the sensors. In this study, Kalman filtering method has been used to interpret the data that have been obtained from the sensors. The usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed Kalman filtering method have been shown and discussed based on the test results.

Bitumen is a widely used material, but its aging behavior is only understood at a macroscopic level as hardening and embrittlement over time. To assess bitumen aging behavior in the long run, the pressure aging vessel (PAV) testing procedure was developed. However, this procedure including high-pressure and high-temperature oxidation of the bitumen has not yet been understood on a molecular level. Here, a bitumen sample and its SARA fractions, i.e., saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes, were investigated in comparison with their aged samples to study changes of their chemical compositions. Negative electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry [ESI(−)] FT-ICR-MS was used to analyze samples. The effect of aging was characterized using the aromaticity equivalent (Xc), double bond equivalent (DBE), and van Krevelen plots. It was found that aging induces reduction of condensed aromatic compounds to alicyclic and open chain aliphatic compounds, while small aromatic compounds have been found to be relatively stable (or altered only slightly). Abundant alterations were detected in unaged bitumen. These changes can be assigned to resins and asphaltenes as compared to saturates and aromatics. Overall, alterations of highly condensed compounds were found to be related to aging. Furthermore, molecular series of CHO, CHNO, and CHOS fragments were more susceptible to oxygenation in bitumen, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes as compared to saturates. In addition, molecular changes in asphaltenes showed a significant difference from classical assessment with high content of condensed aromatic compounds. Rather, the most abundant compounds in asphaltenes appear to be more saturated and apolar.

This study presents data on the food composition of the Near Eastern Fire Salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata,from Bingöl, eastern Turkey. A total of 139 prey items was determined in the food content of 28 individuals (14 juveniles, 7 males, and 7 females). Insecta (N%= 37.4), Gastropoda (27.3%), and Isopoda (25.9%) constitute together 91% of the food items. The most frequent prey groups in the diet are Coleoptera (F%=50.0%), Isopoda (57.1%), and Gastropoda (46.4%). Coleoptera (V%= 34.6%), Gastropoda (28.0%), and Isopoda (23.5%) had the highest prey volumes. No significant difference was found between the sexes in food composition. The species generally feeds upon poorly flying or slow-moving invertebrates, but is opportunistic in taking up more mobile prey species as well. Diptera, Odonata and Hemiptera were found in small numbers only.

AbstractObjective:To investigate the associations of G14713A and T29107A polymorphic variants of Caveolin-1 with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Materials and methods:This study was performed on 86 severe OSA patients and 86 controls. Genotyping was performed to investigate the association of G14713A and T29107A polymorphisms of Caveolin-1 with severe OSA.Results:The distribution of genotypes of T29107A was significantly different between controls and OSA patients with a higher proportion of TT carriers in the OSA group.Conclusion:T29107A-specific genotype of Caveolin-1 may be linked with severe OSA pathogenesis.

The leakage problem, which occurs due to the high hydrostatic pressure values of the fluid inside the pipes, is a serious issue in most of the pipeline systems. Therefore, the leak tightness test is required in different standards for verification of almost every kind of pipes used in both academic researches and industrial applications. The behavior of the hydrostatic pressure parameter in the test pipe has to be as smooth as possible during the leak tightness test. The conventional control loops of the servo mechanisms used for pumping the test fluid into the test pipe are weak to provide the minimum overshoot, the rise time and the steady-state error. In this situation, hydrostatic pressure tests are not capable of giving meaningful results. In this study, a leak tightness test machine working with a servo control loop to provide the optimum hydrostatic pressure pattern is designed. The efficacy of the designed leak tightness test machine and proposed optimized servo control loop have been shown with both simulation and experimental results.

This study presents data on age, growth and longevity of a population of Neurergus strauchiiin Eastern Anatolia (Bingöl, Turkey) based on skeletochronological data. The phalangeal diaphyseal cross-sections of 54 individuals studied (12♂, 42♀) showed that females are on average older than males: the ages ranged from 6 to 14 years, with an average age of 8.8 years in males and 10.9 years in females. Sexual maturity is reached at an age of 4-5 years in both sexes. The slow growth and the longevity make the species vulnerable.

Blended Learning is a learning model that is enriched with traditional learning method and online education materials. Integrating online and face-to-face learning with blending learning can optimize seat time and improve learning experience. In this paper, we present the teaching of Algorithm and Programming course in Computer Engineering Education via blended learning approach. Since 2011, Computer Engineering education in Süleyman Demirel University Computer Engineering Department is taught with blended learning method. Blended learning is achieved through Learning Management System (LMS) of university by using distance education technology. LMS comprises of course materials supported with flash animations, student records, user roles, evaluation system such as surveys and quizzes that meet SCORM standards. In this paper, performance evaluation of students in traditional and blended education for Computer Engineering is provided. Applied blended learning model is presented and evaluation of students who are taking programming courses is done. Therefore, it is aimed that adaptation period of students in blended education is shortened. Our results show that algorithmic thinking abilities of students who enrolled in the Algorithm and Programming course in blended and traditional education are close.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is the main inorganic component in the human hard tissues, such as bones and teeth. The use of HA in load-bearing orthopedic applications has been extensively studied to achieve a biocompatible coating layer on implant metals. Commercial pure titanium (cp-Ti) is the most commonly used metallic material in the manufacture of orthopedic implants. Uncoated metal surfaces generally show numerous toxic effects to the surrounding tissues. However, coating of the metallic surfaces before implantation may prevent the interference of implant surfaces in biological media and also could accelerate the new bone formation. The present study focused on the coating of HA on cp-Ti implants, using novel biomimetic sol-gel method. The surfaces of cp-titanium substrates were coated with novel biomimetic sol gel (BSG) method under biological conditions (37°C and pH= 7.4). A bone-like apatite with a nanosized and pure HA structure was formed on the substrates under atmospheric pressure. The pre-coating results indicate that the novel biomimetic sol gel method is definitely a promising coating route in case that optimum coating parameters are established in detail.

Wood chips and polymer composites are effectively used in the industrial products. It is important to establish a relationship between mechanical strength and processability in extruder of these composites. Especially, the most important factor is to determine the time-dependent strength. Although many short-term values were obtained via normal mechanical experiments, very little effort has been spent in order to estimate the long-term behavior of polymer. Composites were prepared with processed and unprocessed wood chips. Pretreatment of wood chips were carried out by using hydrochloric acid (HCl) and water. The products were prepared with different ratios of mixtures which contain wood chips and high density polyethylene (HDPE) grains. The long-term mechanical behavior and viscoelastic behavior of these composites were analyzed using Dynamic Mechanic Analyzer (DMA) test equipment. The effect of composite content and pretreatment method of wood chips on mechanical strength of wood plastic composites (WPCs) were determined. The relationship among the composite content, preparation method of wood chips, DMA and TG/DTA test results were tried to establish. FT-IR spectrums of the beginning materials and the composites are also examined in order to determine the chemical bonds of these materials.

The mechanical properties, among all the properties of plastic materials, are often the most important properties because virtually all service conditions and the majority of end-use applications involve some degree of mechanical loading [1]. In the present work three different commercial polyethylene materials are tensile tested at four or five different tensile rates and two or three temperatures. Tensile test results against tensile rate include stress at 0.5 % elongation, tensile strength, yield strength, modulus of elasticity, elongation at yield and % elongation are determined. It is concluded that the structure, chain lengths and branching rates of polymer matrix significantly effected tensile test curve characteristic.

This prospective study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of serum procalcitonin levels in children with acute pyelonephritis documented by 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy.

Introduction:A vast majority of multiple myeloma (MM) patients requires subsequent lines of therapy following relapses. The choice of regimen following relapse is influenced by response, tolerance to prior therapies, as well as by disease and patient features. Treatment options are limited for those who develop triple-class refractory disease. In this setting, the role of a salvage autologous stem cell transplantation (sAHCT) is controversial. This unmet need has driven the development of new therapies with novel mechanisms of action. Selinexor, an oral selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE) compound, was recently approved by the FDA and EMA for use in heavily pretreated relapse refractory (RRMM) patients, including triple-class refractory RRMM and FDA has also approved the agent in patients with first relapse. In the absence of head-to-head studies, comparison of treatment options among triple-class treated patients is based on real world experience. Here we performed a retrospective comparison between outcomes following sAHCT versus Selinexor combinations administered among RRMMs.

Kashyap: Karyopharm: Current Employment. Niblock: Karyopharm: Current Employment. Beksac: Amgen,Celgene,Janssen,Takeda,Oncopeptides,Sanofi: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau.Selinexor has not been approved for myeloma patients in Turkey. It could be used as a part of Karyopharm Expanded Access program (KEAP).

In most city water distribution systems, a considerable amount of water is lost because of leaks occurring in pipes. Moreover, an unobservable fluid leakage fault that may occur in a hazardous industrial system, such as nuclear power plant cooling process or chemical waste disposal, can cause both environmental and economical disasters. This situation generates crucial interest for industry and academia due to the financial cost related with public health risks, environmental responsibility, and energy efficiency. In this paper, to find a reliable and economic solution for this problem, adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) method which consists of backpropagation and least-squares learning algorithms is proposed for estimating leakage locations in a complex water distribution system. The hybrid algorithm is trained with acceleration, pressure, and flow rate data measured through the sensors located on some specific points of the complex water distribution system. The effectiveness of the proposed method is discussed comparing the results with the current methods popularly used in this area.

New metal-free and metallophthalocyanine compounds (Zn, Co, Ni, and Cu) were synthesized using 2-hydroxymethyl-1,4-benzodioxan and 4-nitrophthalonitrile compounds. All newly synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H-NMR, MALDI-TOF MS, and GC-MS techniques. The applications of synthesized compounds in Schottky barrier diodes were investigated. Ag/Pc/p–Si structures were fabricated and charge transport mechanism in these devices was investigated using dc technique. It was observed from the analysis of the experimental results that the charge transport can be described by Ohmic conduction at low values of the reverse bias. On the other hand, the voltage dependence of the measured current for high values of the applied reverse bias indicated that space charge limited conduction is the dominant mechanism responsible for dc conduction. From the observed voltage dependence of the current density under forward bias conditions, it has been concluded that the charge transport is dominated by Poole-Frenkel emission.