Preparation and characterization of flexible polyvinylchloride-copper composite films

Flexible PVC films are statically charged due to their low electrical conductivity. This creates fire threat during its handling. Conductive materials are added to films to prevent this. In the present study it was aimed to prepare PVC- copper composite films by sol gel technique and characterize the prepared films. It was aimed to increase the electrical conductivity of the films by adding copper powder. However, the copper particles settled down to bottom instead of forming a conductive network that covers the whole cross section. Thus at the film crosssection a plastic upper phase and a copper rich lower phase were present. The film did not conduct electricity due to this uneven distribution. The minimum volumetric and surface resistivities of the films were at the order of 109 ohm-cm and 1010 ohm square respectively

Evaluation of basin and land characteristics using geographic ınformation systems (GIS): The case of Pazar Hemşin Creek

Doğal kaynaklar sürekli etkileşim halinde olan ekosistemlerdir. Bu ekosistemlerin planlanması bütünleşik havza planlanma ilkelerine göre yapılmalıdır. Ancak Rize il ölçeğindeki doğal kaynak planlama ve altyapı çalışmalarında bu hususun layıkıyla dikkate alındığı pek söylenemez. Bu çalışmanın amacı Pazar Hemşin havzası bazı havza karakteristikleri ile arazilerin yükselti kademeleri, eğim, bakı ve jeolojik yapıya göre dağılımlarının Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemi yardımıyla ortaya konulmasıdır. Araştırma sonucuna göre araştırma alanı 21216 hektar ve ortalama eğimi % 30,97’dir. Yükselti kademelerine göre en geniş arazi varlığı 4153,35 hektar (%19,58) ile 901-1200 m yükseltiler arasında ve en az arazi varlığı 633,26 hektar (% 2,98) ile 2100- 2400 m yükseltileri arasında olduğu belirlenmiştir. Eğim ve bakı faktörlerine göre arazilerin % 63,14’ü gölgeli bakılar üzerinde ve % 36,86’sı güneşli bakılar üzerindedir. Eğime göre en geniş ziraat alanı % 38,35 ile % 11-20 eğim gurubunda yer almaktadır. Orman arazilerinin % 30,44’ü asidik kayaçlar, % 69,43’ü nötr kayaçlar ve % 0,13 ile alüvyon alanlar üzerindedir. Kayaç türlerine göre en geniş orman varlığı % 30,33 ile granit kayaçlar üzerindedir. Yerleşim yerlerinin % 44,55’i asidik kayaçlar, % 54,37’si nötr kayaçlar ve % 1,08’i ile alüviyon alanlar üzerindedir. Mevcut yerleşim yerlerinin % 63,99’u gölgeli bakılar üzerinde, % 36,01’i güneşli bakılar üzerindedir. Havza genelinde yerleşim yeri kullanımlarında gölgeli bakılar baskın durumdadır. Yerleşim yerlerinin seçimi, yol ve alt yapı çalışmaları ile tarım arazilerinin kullanılmasında yukarıda ortaya konulan havza özelliklerinin dikkate alınması hem sorunların çözümlenmesi hem de sürdürülebilir havza yönetimi için faydalı olabilirNatural resources are ecosystems in constant interaction. Planning of these ecosystems should be done according to integrated watershed management principles. However, it cannot be said that this issue is taken into account in natural resource planning and infrastructure works in Rize. The aim of this study is to determine some basin characteristics of Pazar Hemsin basin and the distribution of lands according to elevation, slope, aspect and geological structure using of Geographical Information System. As a result of the study, the drainage area of the study area is 21216 hectares and its average slope is 30.97%. According to the elevation steps, it was determined that the largest land was 4153.35 hectares (19.58%) in 901-1200 m elevation steps, while the least amount of land was 633.26 hectares (2.98%) in 2100-2400 m elevation steps. According to the slope and aspect factors, 63.14% of the lands are on shady views and 36.86% are on sunny views. According to the slope, the largest agricultural area (38.35%) is in the slope group of 11-20 %. 30.44% of forest lands are on acidic rocks, while 69.43% on neutral rocks and 0.13% on alluvium areas. According to the rock types, the largest forest area is on granite rocks with 30.33%. 44.55% of the settlements are on acidic rocks, while 54.37% on neutral rocks and 1.08 % on alluvium areas. 63.99% of the settlements are on shady views, while 36.01% are on sunny views. Shaded views are dominant in the choice of settlement. Take into basin characteristics in the selection of settlements, road and infrastructure works and the use of agricultural lands may be beneficial for both solving problems and sustainable basin management in Pazar Hemşin River Basi

ATXN2 and its neighbouring gene SH2B3 are associated with increased ALS risk in the Turkish population

Expansions of the polyglutamine (polyQ) domain (≥34) in Ataxin-2 (ATXN2) are the primary cause of spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2). Recent studies reported that intermediate-length (27–33) expansions increase the risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 1–4% of cases in diverse populations. This study investigates the Turkish population with respect to ALS risk, genotyping 158 sporadic, 78 familial patients and 420 neurologically healthy controls. We re-assessed the effect of ATXN2 expansions and extended the analysis for the first time to cover the ATXN2 locus with 18 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and their haplotypes. In accordance with other studies, our results confirmed that 31–32 polyQ repeats in the ATXN2 gene are associated with risk of developing ALS in 1.7% of the Turkish ALS cohort (p = 0.0172). Additionally, a significant association of a 136 kb haplotype block across the ATXN2 and SH2B3 genes was found in 19.4% of a subset of our ALS cohort and in 10.1% of the controls (p = 0.0057, OR: 2.23). ATXN2 and SH2B3 encode proteins that both interact with growth receptor tyrosine kinases. Our novel observations suggest that genotyping of SNPs at this locus may be useful for the study of ALS risk in a high percentage of individuals and that ATXN2 and SH2B3 variants may interact in modulating the disease pathway