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In this study, the mechanical and physical properties of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material produced through three-dimensional (3D) printing under different production parameters were investigated. For this purpose, the results obtained by applying heat treatment to the produced samples were examined. Comparisons based on mechanical properties were supported by 3D surface profiles and XRD analyses. According to the obtained results, low nozzle diameter and high printing temperature led to an increase of up to 8% in the elastic modulus and up to 33% in tensile strength of the samples. The heat treatment applied in the study increased tensile strength by up to 8% and elastic modulus by up to 9% in samples produced with a low-diameter nozzle. In conclusion, this study aims to provide a dataset for 3D PEEK designs, intending to enhance the performance of PEEK materials that can be used in medical and industrial applications.

In medical world, wound care and follow-up is one of the issues that are gaining importance to work on day by day. Accurate and early recognition of wounds can reduce treatment costs. In the field of computer vision, deep learning architectures have received great attention recently. The achievements of existing pre-trained architectures for describing (classifying) data belonging to many image sets in the real world are primarily addressed. However, to increase the success of these architectures in a certain area, some improvements and enhancements can be made on the architecture. In this paper, the classification of pressure and diabetic wound images was performed with high accuracy. The six different new AlexNet architecture variations (3Conv_Softmax, 3Conv_SVM, 4Conv_Softmax, 4Conv_SVM, 6Conv_Softmax, 6Conv_SVM) were created with a different number of implementations of Convolution, Pooling, and Rectified Linear Activation (ReLU) layers. Classification performances of the proposed models are investigated by using Softmax classifier and SVM classifier separately. A new original Wound Image Database are created for performance measures. According to the experimental results obtained for the Database, the model with 6 Convolution layers (6Conv_SVM) was the most successful method among the proposed methods with 98.85% accuracy, 98.86% sensitivity, and 99.42% specificity. The 6Conv_SVM model was also tested on diabetic and pressure wound images in the public medetec dataset, and 95.33% accuracy, 95.33% sensitivity, and 97.66% specificity values were obtained. The proposed method provides high performance compared to the pre-trained AlexNet architecture and other state-of-the-art models in the literature. The results showed that the proposed 6Conv_SVM architecture can be used by the relevant departments in the medical world with good performance in medical tasks such as examining and classifying wound images and following up the wound process.

Tularemia is a highly contagious zoonotic infection caused by Francisella tularensis. Bacterial culture, serology and molecular methods are used in the diagnosis of tularemia. Th e agent is a dangerous pathogen, and the importance of serological tests in diagnosis has increased because of the difficulty in culturing them. In this study, a practical, fast and reliable lateral fl ow-based immunochromatographic test was planned to detect F. tularensis specific antibodies in the field. Partially purified lipopolysaccharide antigen obtained from the live vaccine strain of F. tularensis was used as antigen. To determine the sensitivity of the test, 17 true positive tularemia serum samples with known Microagglutination test results, and to determine of specificity of the test, used 30 true negative serum samples. In this study also tested Brucella-positive patient sera of various titers from our laboratory"s serum bank to determine possible cross-reactivity with Brucella antibodies. Th e sensitivity and specificity of the Lateral Flow Test (LFT) rapid diagnostic kit were evaluated in comparison to the standard microagglutination test. Th e sensitivity and specificity of the newly developed Lateral Flow Test (LFT) were found at 100% and 93.5%, respectively. Th e tests revealed any possible cross-reaction with positive sera for brucellosis in lateral fl ow test for tularemia and showed 5% cross-reaction with this disease. Cross-reactions were observed at antibody titers of 1:20 and below. In conclusion, it was concluded that the newly developed lateral fl ow test is a fast, reliable, and practical alternative test for the serological diagnosis of tularemia and crossreaction in the serological tests conducted for brucellosis and tularemia should always be considered.

Bu çalışmanın amacı, 2015-2019 yıllarını kapsayan dönem için BİST Kimya, Petrol, Kauçuk ve Plastik ürünler sektörüne kayıtlı olan firmaların finansal performansı ile pay senedi getirileri arasındaki ilişkiyi analiz etmektir. Bu amaçla, çalışmanın ilk aşamasında Entropi yöntemi kullanılarak değerlendirme kriterlerine ilişkin ağırlık katsayıları, CoCoSo yönteminden faydalanılarak da firmaların söz konusu dönemler için finansal performansı ölçülmüştür. Sonrasında ise firmaların tespit edilen finansal performans sıralamaları ile yıllık pay senedi getiri sıralamaları arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olup olmadığı korelasyon analizi ile incelenmiştir. Entropi yönteminden elde edilen ağırlık katsayılarının CoCoSo yöntemine dahil edilmesi ile ulaşılan sonuçlara göre incelenen dönemler itibariyle finansal açıdan performansı en yüksek olan firmanın 2017 yılı hariç tüm dönemlerde POLTK kodlu firma olduğu buna karşın en başarısız firmanın ise yıllara göre değişkenlik gösterdiği belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca, korelasyon analizi sonucunda finansal performans sıralaması ile getiri sıralaması arasında 2018 yılı hariç tüm dönemlerde herhangi bir ilişkiye rastlanamamıştır. Bu sonuç, çalışma kapsamına alınan sektöre yatırım yapan tasarruf sahiplerinin, genel olarak yatırım kararı alma sürecinde firmaların geçmiş performanslarını dikkate almadıklarını ortaya koymaktadır.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effect of complications on survival after lung cancer surgery. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study of 802 patients who underwent surgical operations for lung cancer at two centers between January 2002 and December 2019. All patients were retrospectively evaluated according to age, gender, cancer stage, surgical technique, biochemical tests, pulmonary function tests, pulmonary risk index, length of the hospital stay, and the existing number of complications. Results: In total, 802 patients (%84 males, %16 females) with a mean age of 60 years (range 19-88 years) were included in the study. 5-year overall survival rate was 62.3%. 224 complications occurred in 180 patients (22.4%). The ten most common complications, respectively, were prolonged air leak (54), pneumonia (22), arrhythmia (19), respiratory failure (15), hemorrhage (17), atelectasis (10), pneumothorax-expansion defect (7), arrest (7) bronchopleural fistula (7), subileus-ileus (6). Cancer stage, the existing number of complications, advancing age, and tumor size are parameters that significantly affect survival. The occurs of one or more complications significantly adversely affects survival. Conclusion: Although the morbidity and mortality of lung cancer surgery have decreased in recent years, it is still high. Advanced stage lung cancer, advancing age, enlargement of tumor size and occurs of complications that negatively affect survival. Careful preoperative preparation may play a role in increasing long-term survival, as well as preventing complications, and decreasing early mortality.

Objective: Rituximab, which is widely used in the treatment of B-cell lymphoma, is a chimeric monoclonal antibody directed against the CD20 antigen. Rituximab has many side effects, mainly allergic and neurological. Rituximab may cause thrombocytopenia in the long term after administration. Rare cases with rituximab-induced acute thrombocytopenia have been reported in the literature. Case report: A 51-year-old female patient who newly diagnosed splenic marginal zone lymphoma recieved rituximab as first line therapy. Petechiae occurred in the lower extremities on the day following rituximab administration. The blood test showed a severe drop in the platelet count from 112,000/μL to 5,000/μL. Blood peripheral smear evaluation confirmed severe thrombocytopenia. Results: There was no change in hemoglobin or white blood cell levels. After the diagnosis of rituximab-induced acute thrombocytopenia, thrombocyte suspension was administered due to the risk of bleeding. Close clinical and laboratory observations were made. The platelet count began to rise gradually in the following period. Before the second week of rituximab administration, the platelet count was 122,000/μL. Conclusion: Rituximab has a widespread use, especially in malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Like many monoclonal antibodies, rituximab has several side effects. Thrombocytopenia is a long-term side effect associated with rituximab, and rituximab-induced severe acute thrombocytopenia has been rarely reported. Therefore, it should be kept in mind that severe acute thrombocytopenia may develop after rituximab administration.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has spread worldwide since December 2019, has infected and claimed the lives of millions of people. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between anxiety levels and nutritional habits of patients with COVID-19. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 1, 2021 and May 1, 2021. The study population included a total of 108 individuals with COVID-19 residing in Artvin, Turkey. This study used a self-administered online questionnaire, containing 40 questions from the State and Trait Anxiety Scale. Results: The state anxiety score was 37.26, and the trait anxiety score was 39.98. A strong, positive, and significant relationship was found between the state and trait anxiety levels of the participants (r = 0.588; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Many individuals who recovered from COVID-19 still suffer and struggle with the residual symptoms of COVID-19 for several months. Symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, pain, and malnutrition may occur even after recovery.

Cerh ve ta‘dîl ilmi Ma‘rife’de “Ma‘rifetü’l-cerh ve’t-ta‘dîl” adıyla müstakil hadis usulü ilk defa Hâkim tarafından konu edilmiştir. Bu başlık altında adâlet ve cerh ile ilgili bazı konuları kısmen de olsa özetlemeye çalışan Hâkim, burada daha çok râvi tabakalarından ve “esahhu’l-esânîd” konusundan bahsetmiştir. Adâletin beş, cerhin ise on çeşidi olduğunu zikrettikten sonra bunları el-Medhal ilâ Kitâbi’l-İklîl adlı eserine atıfta bulunarak anlattığını belirtmiştir. Ayrıca bu zikredilen eserinde kişileri farklı şekillerde cerh ve ta‘dîlde bulunmuştur. Hâkim, her ne kadar cerh ve ta‘dîl ile ilgili müstakil bir kitabı bulunmasa da bazı tenkid ve analizlerinden hareketle cerh ve ta‘dîl alanında birçok kişi hakkında tenkidde bulunmuştur. Hâkim, cerh ve ta‘dîl âlimleri tarafından ikinci tabakadan kabul edilmiştir. Cerh ve ta‘dîl alanında Hâkim’in sahip olduğu üstün konumu dolayısıyla ondan sonra gelen hadis araştırmacıları onun görüşlerine önem vermiş, cerh ve ta‘dîl konusundaki eserlerinde onun bu görüşlerini birer kaynak kabul edip ondan etkilenmişlerdir. Onun râviler hakkındaki hükümlerini İbn Hacer et-Tehzîb, el-Lisân, el-İsâbe ve Hedyu’s-Sârî adlı eserlerinde, Mizzî Tehzîb adlı eserinde, Zehebî Siyeru A‘lâmi’n-Nubelâ, et-Tezkiretü’l-Huffâz, el-Mugnî ve ed-Dîvân adlı eserlerinde Moğoltay ise İkmâl adlı eserinde aktarmışlardır. Özellikle kendi döneminde başta olmak üzere, neredeyse cerh ve ta‘dîl konusunda kitap yazan her müellif Hâkim’den nakilde bulunmuştur. Şurası kesindir ki hadisler üzerinde araştırma yapan ilim ehlinin Hâkim’in sözlerini bu kadar kaynak göstermeleri onun ne kadar değerli ve üstün bir konuma sahip olduğunu göstermiştir.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the corrective effect of Oxford phase 3 medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) on the lower extremity axis, tibiofemoral subluxation and lateral joint distance. Materials and Methods: The study included 105 knees that had undergone UKA. The Oxford Knee Score, EQ-5D-3LD and visual analog scale, and The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score were evaluated. Radiological evaluation was made of the lower extremity axis, tibiofemoral subluxation, and lateral knee joint distance. Results: The postoperative mean improvement in the mechanical axis was 1.4° and in the tibiofemoral subluxation distance, 1.59 mm compared to preoperative values. The difference between the preoperative and postoperative lateral joint distance values was on average 0.25 mm lateral inner joint distance, 0.08 mm in the lateral middle joint distance and 0.34 mm in the outer joint distance. There was no significant difference in clinical results between the groups. Conclusion: There were significant improvements in the postoperative period after cemented, cementless, and hybrid medial UKA in the measurements of lower extremity mechanical axis, tibiofemoral subluxation distance and lateral joint distances compared to the preoperative period.

The notion of teaching experts’ habits of mind (e.g., computational thinking and scientific thinking) to novices seems to have inspired many educators and researchers worldwide. In particular, a great deal of efforts has been invested in computational thinking (CT) and its manifestations in different fields. However, there remain some troubling spots in CT education as far as how to teach it at different levels of education. The same argument applies to teaching scientific thinking (ST) skills. A remedy has been suggested to narrow CT and ST skillsets down to core cognitive competencies so they can be introduced in early and middle grades and continue to be nurtured during secondary and post-secondary years. Neuroscientists suggest that the act of (computational) thinking is strongly linked to the acts of information storage/retrieval by our brain. Plus, years of research have shown that retrieval practices promote not only knowledge retention but also inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning. Not surprisingly, these reasoning skills are core elements of both CT and ST skillsets. This article will mesh the findings of a teacher professional development with the existing literature to lay a claim that retrieval practices enhance CT and ST skills. The study offered training to secondary school teachers (n = 275) who conducted classroom action research to measure the impact of retrieval practices on teaching and learning of STEM and CT concepts. We used a quasi-experimental research design with purposeful sampling and a sequential mixed-methods approach focusing on the impact of professional development on teacher outcomes and, in turn, on student outcomes. A survey of teacher participants showed that the majority (96%) of survey respondents (n = 232) reported a good understanding of retrieval strategies, and how relevant ideas can be implemented and tested in the classroom. A large number of action research (target-control) studies by teachers (n = 122) showed that students who learned STEM and CS concepts through retrieval practices consistently scored 5–30% higher than those using the usual blocked practice. In most cases, the difference was statistically significant (p

Aim: Recently, computed thorax tomography (Thorax CT) has replaced chest radiography as a routine imaging method in patients presenting to the emergency department after thoracic trauma. It has been shown that unnecessary use of thorax CT increases exposure to high-dose radiation, increases hospital costs, and prolongs the length of stay in the wards. Our study investigated the clinical necessity of thorax CT scans for patients who applied to our emergency department with thoracic trauma. Methods: The data of 515 patients diagnosed with thoracic trauma in the emergency department between January 2017 and January 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. According to thorax CT findings, sternum fracture, diffuse parenchymal contusion, scapula fracture, presence of hemothorax, penetrating chest trauma, 3 or more costal fractures, vertebral fracture, diaphragm rupture, and mediastinal organ injury were evaluated as criteria showing that thorax CT was performed with a correct indication. Results: When we look at the thorax CT requirement criteria that we have determined, we saw that 391 (75.9%) patients had thorax CT performed with the correct indication, and 124 (24.1%) patients did not give us any additional pathological findings. Conclusion: As a result, we think that a good physical examination, evaluation of clinical findings, and performing thorax CT according to chest radiography findings will reduce unnecessary radiation exposure and hospital expenditure costs.

Switchgrass earned its place globally as a significant energy crop by possessing essential properties such as being able to control erosion, low cost of production, biomass richness, and appeal for biofuel production. In this study, the impact of a Ca(OH)2-assisted thermal pretreatment process on the switchgrass variety Shawnee for methane fuel production was investigated. The Ca(OH)2-assisted thermal pretreatment process was optimized to enhance the methane production potential of switchgrass. Solid loading (3–7%), Ca(OH)2 concentration (0–2%), reaction temperature (50–100 °C), and reaction time (6–16 h) were selected as independent variables for the optimization. Methane production was obtained as 248.7 mL CH4 gVS−1 under the optimized pretreatment conditions. Specifically, a reaction temperature of 100 °C, a reaction time of 6 h, 0% Ca(OH)2, and 3% solid loading. Compared to raw switchgrass, methane production was enhanced by 14.5%. Additionally, the changes in surface properties and bond structure, along with the kinetic parameters from first order, cone, reaction curve, and modified Gompertz modeling revealed the importance of optimization.

Abstract Better understanding of the competitive interaction at the early development stages of the stand is crucial to help schedule silvicultural treatments for young stands and for the better management of the future stands. We used scale‐dependent analysis to improve our understanding of sapling dynamics in the pure Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) stands in Southern Turkey. Using data from nine plots established at the western Taurus Mountains, diameter, height, and crown radii of saplings were compared, and spatial point pattern analyses were performed. We found significant differences for the mean diameter and height, and crown radii of saplings among the plots. Univariate pair correlation function showed that sapling pattern was regular only at small scales (r

Bir ekonomide bankaların sergilediği performans ekonominin gelişmesi açısından son derece büyük önem taşımaktadır. Çok Kriterli Karar Verme (ÇKKV) teknikleri son zamanlarda banka performans değerlendirmesinde sıklıkla kullanılan yöntemler arasındadır. Bu çalışmada, Türk bankacılık sisteminde faaliyette bulunan İş Bankası’nın 2009-2018 yıllarına ait finansal performansının CRITIC (Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation) ve EDAS (Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution) yöntemleri çerçevesinde değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada İş Bankası’nın finansal performansını ölçmek amacıyla sermaye yeterlilik oranı, mevduat düzeyi, alınan krediler, mevduatın krediye dönüşüm oranı, takibe düşen krediler, likidite düzeyi, ortalama aktif karlılığı, ortalama özkaynak karlılığı, gelir çeşitlendirme ve faaliyet giderleri gibi seçilmiş 10 adet finansal değerlendirme kriteri kullanılmıştır. CRITIC objektif ağırlıklandırma yaklaşımından elde edilen bulgular göstermektedir ki İş Bankası için en önemli performans kriteri mevduatın krediye dönüşüm oranı kriteridir. Ayrıca, EDAS performans sıralaması ile ulaşılan bulgulara göre araştırma döneminde İş Bankası’nın finansal performansının en yüksek olduğu yıl 2009 iken finansal performansın en düşük olduğu yıl 2018’dir.

Fruit and vegetable dehydration has been extensively studied for the improvement of food preservation. Effects of drying temperature on the drying kinetics of thyme were investigated and a suitable drying model was obtained to describe the drying process. Drying behaviour of thyme leaves at temperatures of 50, 60, 70 and 80°C was determined by using a conventional drying oven, and moisture ratio and drying rates were calculated. Four different thin layer drying models, namely Lewis, Henderson and Pabis, Page, and logarithmic models, were used to fit the experimental moisture ratio data. Three statistical parameters: coefficient of determination (R2), chi-square (χ2) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to compare the goodness of fit of the drying models. Logarithmic model and Page model give the best description of the drying process kinetics of thyme leaves by comparing the experimental values and predicted values.

Study DesignRetrospective clinical cohort study.Purpose To investigate whether the combined use of dynamic pedicle screws and polyaxial pedicle screws was effective on adjacent segment pathology (ASP).Overview of LiteratureVarious screw and rod models have been recently developed for preventing adjacent segment disease, and hybrid systems have been described along with posterior instrumentation in the fusion segment. In the literature, although the success of dynamic systems has been demonstrated in non-fusion posterior instrumentation, it remains unclear whether the addition of a screw-based dynamic system to a fusion segment would successfully prevent ASP in the long term.MethodsThe study included 101 patients who underwent surgery for degenerative spine diseases between 2007 and 2014 with lumbar stabilization that used either polyaxial pedicle screws alone or polyaxial pedicle screws plus dynamic stabilization screws (with hinged screw heads). These two patient groups were compared using retrospectively obtained postoperative new clinical findings, Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores, visual analog scale (VAS) scores, and radiological data.ResultsThe proportion of patients with ASP who were radiologically assessed was low (p 0.05).ConclusionsAlthough the combined use of dynamic screws and the static system was radiologically found to be effective for preventing ASP in patients who underwent lumbar fusion with posterior instrumentation, it did not completely eliminate ASP or result in a significant improvement in clinical ASP.

Aim. In this study, we aimed to retrospectively investigate whether pectus excavatum (PE) is a risk factor for the development of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) and to determine its role in the etiology of the disease. Materials and Methods. Chest-computed tomography (CT) of the patients who were treated for spontaneous pneumothorax between January 2015 and December 2017 in our clinic was examined, and their Haller indices were measured (group I). The patients in the control group who underwent chest CT for other reasons during the same period and were in the same age with the group I were also included in the study (group II) Results. In group I, for patients with PE, the mean Haller index was 2.41, while it was 2.09 in the control group (group II). There was a significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions. PE deformities in the chest wall may predispose to the development of spontaneous pneumothorax, and PE may be among the etiologic factors of spontaneous pneumothorax. Therefore, there is a need for studies involving larger patient groups.

Introduction : The Nuss procedure is suitable for prepubertal and early pubertal patients but can also be used in adult patients. Aim : To determine whether the minimally invasive technique (MIRPE) can also be performed successfully in adults. Material and methods : Between July 2006 and January 2016, 836 patients (744 male, 92 female) underwent correction of pectus excavatum with the MIRPE technique at our institution. The mean age was 16.8 years (2–45 years). There were 236 adult patients (28.2%) (> 18 years) – 20 female, 216 male. The mean age among the adult patients was 23.2 years (18–45 years). The recorded data included length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, number of bars used, duration of the surgical procedure and signs of pneumothorax on the postoperative chest X-ray. Results: MIRPE was performed in 236 adult patients. The average operative time was 44.4 min (25–90 min). The median postoperative stay was 4.92 ±2.81 days (3–21 days) in adults and 4.64 ±1.58 (2–13) in younger patients. The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.637). Two or more bars were used in 36 (15.8%) adult patients and in 44 (7.5%) younger patients. The difference was not statistically significant either (p = 0.068). Regarding the overall complications, complication rates among the adult patients and younger patients were 26.2% and 11.8% respectively. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.007). Conclusions : MIRPE is a feasible procedure that produces good long-term results in the treatment of pectus excavatum in adults.

Although it started fast in the West Front in Europe, WWI stuck at some time. The idea of cutting the burden on Germans in the West Front and directing some of the power they fight against towards the East Front also had an effect on triggering Ottoman Fronts to activate. First touch in Gallipoli Battle occurred in November 3, 1914 in Seddülbahir and Kumkale when the Allies bombarded the bastions. The Turkish Army lost 81 martyrs 5 of whom were officers. Gallipoli Battle is the first battle when land force, navy, and air force fought jointly in Turkish history. It is also the first time when Turkish air force took responsibility in a joint operation with other allies. Therefore, this battle was unique in that there were many things happenning first time in history. The battle is still under scrutiny in terms of military, political, ecomonics, strategical, futurist, and demographic issues, etc. In this study, the battle was analyzed through SWOT and PEST which are actually rare in the methodology of history. In the analyses, strengths and weaknesses of the issue has been handled. Moreover, comparison of political, economical, social, and technological aspect of the issue have been analyzed as well. Innovation and demographic aspects could have been also included in the study but these two sub-headings are the topics of another study. Gallipoli Battle is important in terms of both Turkish and world history. With the visits to the battle area, patriotic feelings and unity in Turkey is promoted while the peaceful atmosphere of peace is portrayed to those who participated in the battle some 100 years ago.

[Cukurova Med J 2016; 41(2.000): 408-410]

[Cukurova Med J 2016; 41(2.000): 414-416]

Agricultural wastes have increased with the intensive production in recent years. These wastes that affect the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils should be composted and added to soil. In this study, composts were consisted of different agricultural wastes such as greenhouse wastes-GPW, used cocopeat wastes-UCW, spent mushroom composts-SMC and at different ratios. Used cocopeat wastes were especially chosen in this experiment because it was not preferred in compost mixtures up to the present. Five different compost mixtures were added to the soil and their effects on growth and nutrient contents of lettuce plants were determined. The experiment was carried out during two successive seasons (autumn and spring). The results showed that plant growth and yield were found higher in the compost applications than in control. Generally the highest values were obtained from M1 application (80% GPW + 10% UCW + 10% SMC) for many parameters.

Lichens have important ecological functions in black pine forests, such as nitrogen fixation and nutrient cycling. Understanding lichen diversity could provide a better understanding of black pine ecosystems. The aim of this study was to identify the factors affecting the composition of lichen communities and their specific diversity in Mediterranean black pine forests. Research was conducted in 48 sampling plots. For the analysis, presence–absence and frequency data of lichen species were used. For stand level analysis, four community composition tables were created. We used bioclimate, topography, stand, and parent rock as variables. A total of 33 epiphytic lichen species were identified in the black pine forests from 282 sampled trees. Indicator lichen species were determined according to geographic region and stand age classes. Hypocenomyce scalaris was found to be an indicator species for old forests. Frequency data were more useful for revealing lichen species composition than presence–absence data. Of the topographic variables, elevation was the most prominent and had the highest explanation ratio for the composition of lichen species with a coefficient of correlation (R2) value of 0.49. Significantly positive (p < 0.001) relationships were found between epiphytic lichen richness and tree crown height, tree height, and bark pH. Our results revealed that to retain the trees in the stands rich in lichen species diversity is recommended in the managed forests.

Catchments hydrological conditions and responses are anticipated to be affected by the changes in weather patterns, increasing in climate variability and extreme rainfall. Thus, engineers have no choice but to consider climate change in their practices in order to adapt and serve the public interests. This paper is an exploration of the impacts of climate change on the hydrology that underlies the hydraulic design of urban drainage system. Future rainfall has been downscaled from the Global Climate Model (GCM) employing a hybrid Generalised Linear Model (GLM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) downscaling techniques under different greenhouse emission scenarios. The output from this model is applied to a combined sewer system of an urban drainage catchment in the Northwest of England during the 21st Century to monitor its future behaviour in winter and summer seasons. Potential future changes in rainfall intensity are expected to alter the level of service of the system, causing more challenges in terms of surface flooding and increase in surcharge level in sewers. The results obtained demonstrate that there is a real chance for these effects to take place and therefore would require more attention from designers and catchment managers.

Background: The starry puffer fish (Arothron stellatus, Anonymous, 1798) is a poisonous tetradontidae fish inhabiting the Red sea. The skin constitutes an important defense against any external effects. The study aims to characterize the dorso-ventral skin of the juvenile and the adult starry puffer fish using light and scanning electron microscopies. Twenty specimens of juvenile and adult fresh fishes were used., Results: The scanning electron microarchitecture of the skin of the juvenile and adult fish showed delicate irregular-shaped protrusions, and well-defined bricks-like elevations on the dorsal side and interrupted folds as well as irregular-shaped protrusions on the ventral side. In adult fish, the patterned microridges of the superficial and deep epithelial cells (keratinocytes) were larger and well-defined in the dorsal skin than in the ventral side, the contrary was seen in the juvenile fish. The microridges were arranged in a fingerprint or honeycomb patterns. The openings of the mucous cells were more numerous in the dorsal skin in both age stages but more noticeable in adult. Furthermore, the sensory cells were more dominant in the juveniles than the adults. The odontic spines were only seen in adult. Histologically, few taste buds were observed in the epidermis of the dorsal skin surface of the adult fish. Both mucous and club cells were embedded in the epidermis of the juvenile and adult fish with different shapes and sizes. Melanophores were observed at the dorsal skin of both juvenile and adult fishes while fewer numbers were noticed at the ventral surfaces. Several dermal bony plates with different shapes and sizes were demonstrated in the skin of both adult and juvenile fishes., Conclusion: The structural variations of skin of the juvenile and adult fishes may reflect the various environmental difficulties that they confront., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

In small-scale fisheries (SSFs), where the sampling of many small boats and landing sites sometimes is not practical, fish market surveys represent an alternative way to obtain key fisheries data. This study analyses the diversity and characteristics of commercial Red Sea fish species landed in the Egyptian coast, including family, species-specific abundance, biomass, size and price by surveying the largest local fish market on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, over the course of a year (July 2021-June 2022) to also reflect any seasonality of these variables. Based on 53 survey visits, a total of 131,795 fish individuals, belonging to 111 species, and 22 families, were identified, recorded and measured. The analysis focused on the 60 most abundant species (104,420 individuals, 15 families). The surveys revealed that the most abundant families were Serranidae, Lethrinidae and Scaridae. Carangidae also was one of the most important families in terms of biomass. The most abundant species were Lethrinus mahsena, Sargocentron spiniferum and Lethrinus nebulosus. About 60% of revenue comes from the four families Serranidae, Lethrinidae, Scaridae and Lutjanidae. In terms of prices, the most expensive categories were species belonging to Serranidae, Lethrinidae and Lutjanidae families, such as Plectropomus pessuliferus marisrubri, Argyrops spinifer, L. nebulosus and Variola louti. The overall mean prices were higher in spring and summer months likely due to tourism flows. The mean size of many species, including the most valuable and abundant ones, is below the length of maturity. These results provide important benchmarks for monitoring future changes and shed important insights for fisheries management. Co-organised Dutch auctions would provide reliable data when combined with a strict monitoring effort to avoid any sale of the catch outside these official auctions. Other monitoring tools and methods are also recommended in the discussion., (© 2023 Fisheries Society of the British Isles.)

Fish infected with intestinal helminths or pathogenic bacteria can pose a serious risk of foodborne disease, threatening human and animal health, and require high attention. The current study investigates the diversity and composition of the microbiota in the midgut of rabbit fish Siganus rivulatus naturally infected with helminths. Six species of helminth parasites, including the digeneans Hexangium sigani and Gyliauchen volubilis, the acanthocephalans Sclerocollum rubrimaris and Neorhadinorhynchus macrospinosus, and the nematodes Procammalanus elatensis, and Ascaridoid larvae were recorded in the fish intestine. P. elatensis had the highest prevalence, occurring in 65% of infected fish; 72.2% of infected fish had concurrent infection with two or more helminth species. The total count of aerobic bacteria ranged from 1 to 305 colony-forming units (CFU)/g midgut contents. Four hydrolytic bacteria were recovered from the infected samples: Escherichia coli (ASU 31), Bacillus cereus (ASU 36) MN955553, Bacillus thuringiensis (ASU 34) MN955550, and Novosphingobium aromaticivorans (ASU 35) MN955552, which were identified using 16S rRNA genes. Bacterial richness was significantly correlated with concurrent parasitic infection and high content of extracellular hydrolytic amylases, proteases, cellulases, and lipases. The present results showed that the composition of the microbiota was affected by natural helminth infections in Siganus rivulatus, and the significant interaction between parasitic load and intestinal pathogenic bacteria, which may be primary in fish diseases etiology., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Abamectin (ABA) constitutes a big commodity for pharmaceutical companies because it generates about one billion dollar annual sale. Avermectins (AVMs) and their naturally occurring analogues, milbemycins (MILs), meilingmycins (MEIs), ivermectin (IVE), abamectin (ABA), and nemadectin (NEM), represent one of the most developed antiparasitic agents. Abamectin is a mixture of avermectin B1a and avermectin B1b. The production of abamectin by Streptomyces avermitilis is a complicated process and separation of two fractions is quite difficult; commercial product contains more than 80% of Bla and less than 20% of B1b components. The main goal of the study was the identification and optimization of fermentation conditions to raise the production of abamectin from Egyptian S. avermitilis. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of avermectins was carried out by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and 6538 Q-TOF with Agilent 1290 UHPLC. The process of identification was carried out by using production medium containing 30 g/L corn starch, and 0.725 g/L CaCO 3 , pH 7, 8% inoculum size and incubated at 32.5 °C. The enhancement of the production of abamectin is a big challenge with commercial and industrial importance, as its output is insufficient for human consumption.

Background: Human pegivirus (HPgV) is structurally similar to hepatitis C virus (HCV) and was discovered 20 years ago. Its distribution, natural history and exact rule of this viral group in human hosts remain unclear. Our aim was to determine, by deep next-generation sequencing (NGS), the entire genome sequence of HPgV that was discovered in an Egyptian patient while analyzing HCV sequence from the same patient. We also inspected whether the co-infection of HCV and HPgV will affect the patient response to HCV viral treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report for a newly isolated HPgV in an Egyptian patient who is co-infected with HCV., Case Presentation: The deep Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technique was used to detect HCV sequence in hepatitis C patient's plasma. The results revealed the presence of HPgV with HCV. This co-infection was confirmed using conventional PCR of the HPgV 5' untranslated region. The patient was then subjected to direct-acting-antiviral treatment (DAA). At the end of the treatment, the patient showed a good response to the HCV treatment (i.e., no HCV-RNA was detected in the plasma), while the HPgV-RNA was still detected. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the detected HPgV was a novel isolate and was not previously published., Conclusion: We report a new variant of HPgV in a patient suffering from hepatitis C viral infection.

Black cutworm (BCW) is an economically important lepidopteran insect. The control of this insect by a Bt toxin and the understanding of the interaction between the Bt toxin and its receptor molecule were the objectives of this research work. A gene coding for a Vip3A receptor molecule was identified, characterized, and cloned, from the brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) of the BCW. The nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned putative Vip3A-receptor gene revealed that the gene was 1.3-kb long and exhibited no homology with any gene in the gene bank. We succeeded in identifying and characterizing most of the Vip3A-receptor gene sequence; and the nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned putative Vip3A-receptor gene (accession no. KX858809) revealed about 92% of the expected sequence was recovered, which exhibited no homology with any gene in the GenBank.

Black cutworm (BCW) Agrotis ipsilon , an economically important lepidopteran insect, has attracted a great attention. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is spore forming soil bacteria and is an excellent environment-friendly approach for the control of phytophagous and disease-transmitting insects. In fact, bio-pesticide formulations and insect resistant transgenic plants based on the bacterium Bt delta-endotoxin have attracted worldwide attention as a safer alternative to harmful chemical pesticides. The major objective of the current study was to understand the mechanism of interaction of Bt toxin with its receptor molecule(s). The investigation involved the isolation, identification, and characterization of a putative receptor - vip3Aa. In addition, the kinetics of vip toxin binding to its receptor molecule was also studied. The present data suggest that Vip3Aa toxin bound specifically with high affinity to a 48-kDa protein present at the brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) prepared from the midgut epithelial cells of BCW larvae.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of zinc nanofertilizer strategy on sweet basil yield, through alone application or combined with pre-sowing laser irradiation. Furthermore, evaluate the growth of plant and the level of active essential oil constituents. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized, and transmission electron microscope revealed particle size of approximately 10.5-15.5 nm. ZnO NPs were applied to sweet basil plants by foliar spray at varying concentrations (10, 20 and 30 mg/L); He Ne laser of power 3mW was used for red light irradiation of sweet basil seeds for 2 min. exposure time. Total chlorophyll, total carbohydrate, essential oil levels, zinc content, plant height, branches/plant and fresh weight were measured. In general, the combined foliar spray application of ZnO nanofertilizer with pre-sowing He Ne laser irradiation showed more effectiveness than ZnO nanofertilizer alone and 20mg/L concentration gave the highest results of all measured traits. Statistical analysis (t-test) showed significant differences among the effects of the various concentrations of zinc oxide NPs on these attributes. The results showed an inverse relationship between the total carbohydrate content and the percentage of essential oil in the leaves. Together these findings support the usefulness and effectiveness of zinc oxide nanofertilizer and laser irradiation treatment to enhance the growth and yield of sweet basil plants. The article presents some promising patents on ZnO nanofertilizer and He Ne laser irradiation.

Biopesticides based on the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis have attracted wide attention as safe alternatives to chemical insecticides. In this paper, we report, for the first time, the identification of a single binding protein from a coleopteran insect, Tenebrio molitor, that is specific for the cryIII toxin of B. thuringiensis. The protein appeared as a single band of 144 kDa on radioligand and immunoblots of total proteins extracted from brush border membrane vesicles of the midgut of T. molitor. Radiolabelled cryIIIA toxin bound to the protein with a Kd value of 17.5 nM and could be specifically blocked by unlabelled toxin but not by toxins from other subspecies of B. thuringiensis. This study lays the groundwork to clone the cryIIIA toxin binding protein and to determine the molecular mechanism(s) of toxin action.

DNA sequence analysis showed that pyruvate decarboxylase (one of the most abundant proteins in Zymomonas mobilis) contains 559 amino acids. The promoter for the gene encoding pyruvate decarboxylase was not recognized by Escherichia coli, although the cloned gene was expressed at relatively high levels under the control of alternative promoters. The promoter region did not contain sequences which could be identified as being homologous to the generalized promoter structure for E. coli. Hydropathy plots for the amino acid sequence indicated that pyruvate decarboxylase contains a large number of hydrophobic domains which may contribute to the thermal stability of this enzyme.

The rate at which Z. mobilis (Entner-Doudoroff pathway) converts high concentrations of glucose (20%) into ethanol plus CO2 changes as ethanol accumulates in the surrounding broth. This decline in glycolytic activity (per milligram of cell protein) does not result from inhibitory effects of ethanol, which can be reversed immediately by ethanol removal. The peak of fermentative activity (58 mumol of CO2 evolved per mg of cell protein per h) occurred after the accumulation of 1.1% ethanol (18 h) and declined to one-half this rate after 30 h (6.2% accumulated ethanol), although the cell number continued to increase. These times corresponded to the end of exponential growth and to the onset of the stationary phase (on the basis of measurement of cell protein), respectively. An examination of many of the requirements for fermentation (nucleotides, magnesium, enzyme levels, intracellular pH, delta pH) revealed three possible reasons for this early decline in activity: decreased abundance of nucleotides, a decrease in internal pH from 6.3 to 5.3, and a decrease in the specific activities of two glycolytic enzymes (pyruvate kinase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase). 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of perchlorate extracts from cells fermenting in broth revealed very low levels of glycolytic intermediates (Entner-Doudoroff pathway) in cells examined at the peak of fermentative activity (18-h cells) in comparison with cells examined at a later stage (30-h cells), consistent with limitation of the fermentation rate by glycolytic enzymes near the end of the pathway. It is likely that cell death (loss of colony-forming ability) and the collapse of delta pH also contribute to the further decline in fermentative activity after 30 h.

Accumulation of alcohol during fermentation is accompanied by a progressive decrease in the rate of sugar conversion to ethanol. In this study, we provided evidence that inhibition of fermentation by ethanol can be attributed to an indirect effect of ethanol on the enzymes of glycolysis involving the plasma membrane. Ethanol decreased the effectiveness of the plasma membrane as a semipermeable barrier, allowing leakage of essential cofactors and coenzymes. This leakage of cofactors and coenzymes, coupled with possible additional leakage of intermediary metabolites en route to ethanol formation, is sufficient to explain the inhibitory effects of ethanol on fermentation in Zymomonas mobilis.

Two new derivatives of Zymomonas mobilis CP4 were isolated from enrichment cultures after 18 months of serial transfers. These new strains were selected for the ability to grow and produce ethanol rapidly on transfer into fresh broth containing ethanol and allyl alcohol. Ethanol production by these strains was examined in batch fermentations under three sets of conditions. Both new derivatives were found to be superior to the parent strain CP4 with respect to the speed and completeness of glucose conversion to ethanol. The best of these, strain YO2, produced 9.5% ethanol (by weight; 11.9% by volume) after 17.4 h compared with 31.8 h for the parent strain CP4. The addition of 1 mM magnesium sulfate improved ethanol production in all three strains. Two factors contributed to the decrease in fermentation time required by the mutants: more rapid growth with minimal lag on subculturing and the retention of higher rates of ethanol production as fermentation proceeded. Alcohol dehydrogenase isozymes were altered in both new strains and no longer catalyzed the oxidation of allyl alcohol into the toxic product acrolein. This loss of allyl alcohol-oxidizing capacity is proposed as a primary factor contributing to increased allyl alcohol resistance, although it is likely that other mutations affecting glycolysis also contribute to the improvement in ethanol production.

The gene which encodes alcohol dehydrogenase II (adhB) from Zymomonas mobilis was cloned in Escherichia coli as a 1.4-kilobase DNA fragment by using a novel indicator plate which directly detects the expression of this activity by recombinant colonies. The DNA sequence for this clone contained an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 383 amino acids, with a molecular weight of 40,141. Although this protein exhibited very little homology with other known alcohol dehydrogenases, the predicted amino acid composition was in excellent agreement with that reported for the purified alcohol dehydrogenase II protein from Z. mobilis. In Z. mobilis, the adhB gene was transcribed from tandem promoters which were separated by 100 base pairs and ended with a transcriptional terminator (13-base-pair palindrome). In Escherichia coli, only one of the Z. mobilis promoters was used, despite apparent similarity to the enteric consensus promoter. The adhB gene was transcribed at low levels in E. coli from the P2 promoter of Z. mobilis but was expressed well in E. coli under control of the lac promoter (approximately 0.25% of the total cell protein).

We have described a procedure for the isolation of lacZ' fusion genes which contain anchor sequences conferring membrane association. This method was used to isolate fragments of DNA from Zymomonas mobilis which contain promoter activity and amino-terminal sequences. The sequences and transcriptional initiation sites of three of these were compared. Both Escherichia coli and Z. mobilis recognized similar regions of DNA for transcriptional initiation. Five to eight consecutive hydrophobic amino acids in the amino terminus served to anchor these hybrid proteins to the membrane in both E. coli and Z. mobilis. General features observed in the Z. mobilis fragments included partial sequence homology with the -35 region sequence of E. coli, repetitive and palindromic A + T-rich regions preceding and adjoining the -10 region, a sequence resembling the consensus sequence of E. coli in the -10 region, and a potential ribosomal-binding site (AGGA) 8 to 12 bases upstream from an in-frame start codon. The level of expression of fusion proteins was generally higher in E. coli than in Z. mobilis. This higher level of expression in E. coli may result from multiple sites of transcriptional initiation and higher plasmid copy number.