The Determination of Dominant Wind Speed to Increase Efficiency of Wind Energy in Manisa Province

Renewable energy resources is seen as an important source with an increasing interest all over the world in covering the energy requirement owing to the fact that the envoronmental problems increase every other day and the fossile energy sources gradually decrease. The wind energy comes on the top of these energy resources whose usage and technology develop most quickl among these renewable energy resources. In this study, it has been aimed to determine the most dominant direction of the wind to be able to benefit from the wind energy most effectively in Manisa. It is of vital importance to determine it in terms of locating the tribune in the right direction.In Manisa, the measurement of wind speed and direction for a year has been done and 8760 winds’ blowing direction and speed have been determined. These data has been typed in Excel computer program. Making use of this program, these 8760 winds have also been assessed according to how many different directions and for how long duration they have winded. It has also been evaluated that in which direction winds have overwhelmingly blown registering it in Excel medium and a rose wind has been provided indicating the dominant wind direction. As a result of the researches, the dominant wind direction has been found as North-Northeast and East-Southeast. In Manisa, it was arrived as consensus that when the system is being established it should be paid attention that the direction of the dominant winds should be in an open area to be able to utilise productively the Wind Tribunes

Effect of Anti-TNF-α on the Development of Offspring and Pregnancy Loss During Pregnancy in Rats

Background: Etanercept binds soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and is classified as pregnancy risk category B. Increase in TNF-α level causes preterm labour or miscarriage. Lipopolysaccharides trigger preterm birth and abortion via producing of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Cytokines are divided into two groups as pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory. TNF-α is a pro-inflammatory cytokine, whereas interleukin (IL)-10 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine. IL-10 predominant in normal pregnancy while TNF-α characterize in abortion and recurrent abortion. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of etanercept on the development of offspring and lipopolysaccharide-induced pregnancy loss.Materials, Methods & Results: Twenty-eight female and 7 male Wistar rats (5-6 months old) were used in this study. The rats were fed a standard pelleted diet and tap water ad libitum. After female rats were caged with males for 1 day, the presence of a vaginal plug was designated as day 0 of pregnancy. Twenty-eight pregnant Wistar rats were divided into 4 equal groups, as follows: control (0.3 mL of Normal Saline Solution intravenously on day 10 of pregnancy); etanercept (0.8 mg kg-1/day intraperitoneally on days 9 and 10 of pregnancy); lipopolysaccharide (160 µg kg-1 intravenously on day 10 of pregnancy); and etanercept + lipopolysaccharide. Blood samples were obtained from the tail vein on day 10 of pregnancy (3 h after lipopolysaccharide administration). All animals were followed during pregnancy. Pregnancy rates and offspring characteristics were determined. TNF-α and IL-10 levels were measured using an ELISA reader. Etanercept alone did not have any negative effects, and etanercept did not prevent (P < 0.05) lipopolysaccharide-induced pregnancy loss. Higher TNF-α and IL-10 levels were measured (P < 0.05) in the etanercept + lipopolysaccharide group compared to other groups.Discussion: It is well known that use of etanercept does not increase pregnacy loss. In this study, higher pregnancy rates were determined in the control and etanercept groups than the lipopolysaccharide and etanercept + lipopolysaccharide groups. The proportion of fetal deaths in lipopolysaccharide administered pregnant subjects was decreased by the use of anti-TNF-α agents. While the concentrations of TNF-α are low in the onset of pregnancy period, the concentrations of TNF-α increases a peak level during the onset of labour. Embryonic resorption is affected by Th1 cytokines (TNF-α and lL-2) and low-dose lipopolysaccharide without any affecting mother survival, and in the early pregnancy term, the implantation area of embryo is enormously sensitive to these molecules. In the current study, etanercept increased the concentration of TNF-α and the concentration of IL-10 when compared to the lipopolysaccharide group. IL-10 has a protective role, while TNF-α is an abortive factor during pregnancy. Thus, etanercept did not prevent pregnancy loss. This finding may have reflected an insufficient dose of etanercept. Adverse effects did not occur in the offspring of the etanercept or control groups, and there was no difference between the two groups statistically. Adverse pregnancy outcomes such as stillbirth, low birth weight, spontaneous abortion and herediter malformations are not associated with TNF-α inhibitors. In conclusion, etanercept does not pose a major teratogenic risk and has no preventive effects with respect to infection-dependent pregnancy loss

The effect of topical intranasal H89 and dimethylsulfoxide on AQP5 levels and histopathological findings in an experimental allergic rhinitis rat model

Aim: To investigate the protective effects of protein kinase A inhibitor H89 and its solvent, DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide), on the nasal mucosa of rats in an allergic rhinitis model. Method: In total, 32 adult male Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups, with eight rats in each group. Ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization was used to induce allergic rhinitis. DMSO, a solvent of H89, was administered through a topical intranasal spray to the sham group. No treatment was involved in the allergic rhinitis group. H89 was administered through a topical intranasal spray to the H89 group. After the experiment, rat nasal tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and AQP5 (Aquaporin 5) antibodies. Histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluations were performed under a light microscope. Results: Vascular congestion, eosinophil infiltration, cilia loss, goblet cell proliferation, and degeneration in the mucosal glands were statistically significantly lower in the H89 group compared to the allergic rhinitis group. There was no statistical difference in the increase of connective tissue, vascular proliferation, or inflammatory cell infiltration. We posit that the histological improvements in the H89 group are due to the DMSO distribution of AQP5 was statistically significantly reduced in the H89 group compared to the allergic rhinitis group. Conclusion: H89 reduces the level of AQP5 but does not lessen allergic manifestations in the mucosa. DMSO, which we used as a solvent, did not affect the AQP5 level but reduced nasal inflammation

Corporate Sector Financial Structure in Turkey : A Descriptive Analysis

This paper presents and discusses some stylised facts of the corporate sector financial structure in Turkey using the Company Sector Accounts compiled by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT). The findings of the paper suggest that non-financial firms in Turkey have been heavily exposed almost all of the basic balance sheet risks. The corporate sector appears to be excessively leveraged with relatively lower asset tangibility creating also a credit risk for the lenders. The firms rely heavily on foreign currency denominated and short-term debt instruments making them vulnerable to both exchange rate and interest rate shocks through currency and maturity mismatches. The corporate sector can be characterised as financially constrained as the deepening of the Turkish bank-based financial system is rather low and the bank credits to the private sector tend to be crowded out by the mode of domestic debt finance. The corporate sector vulnerabilities to maturity, interest rate and currency risks are found to be improving with the firm size. With the relatively stable macroeconomic environment and stricter prudential regulation on the financial system, the corporate sector balance sheet risks, albeit still are at high levels, tend to be improving after the financial crisis of 2001.Balance sheets, Capital structure, Corporate sector, Debt composition, Financial crowding-out, Liability dollarisation, Turkey