Comparison of Randomized Solutions for Constrained Vehicle Routing Problem

In this short paper, we study the capacity-constrained vehicle routing problem (CVRP) and its solution by randomized Monte Carlo methods. For solving CVRP we use some pseudorandom number generators commonly used in practice. We use linear, multiple-recursive, inversive, and explicit inversive congruential generators and obtain random numbers from each to provide a route for CVRP. Then we compare the performance of pseudorandom number generators with respect to the total time the random route takes. We also constructed an open-source library github.com/iedmrc/binary-cws-mcs on solving CVRP by Monte-Carlo based heuristic methods.Comment: 6 pages, 2nd International Conference on Electrical, Communication and Computer Engineering (ICECCE), 12-13 June 2020, Istanbul, Turke

Investigation of the Effects of Length to Depth Ratio on Open Supersonic Cavities Using CFD and Proper Orthogonal Decomposition

Simulations of supersonic turbulent flow over an open rectangular cavity are performed to observe the effects of length to depth ratio (L/D) of the cavity on the flow structure. Two-dimensional compressible time-dependent Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with k-ω turbulence model are solved. A reduced order modeling approach, Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) method, is used to further analyze the flow. Results are obtained for cavities with several L/D ratios at a Mach number of 1.5. Mostly, sound pressure levels (SPL) are used for comparison. After a reduced order modeling approach, the number of modes necessary to represent the systems is observed for each case. The necessary minimum number of modes to define the system increases as the flow becomes more complex with the increase in the L/D ratio. This study provides a basis for the control of flow over supersonic open cavities by providing a reduced order model for flow control, and it also gives an insight to cavity flow physics by comparing several simulation results with different length to depth ratios

Effectiveness of Functional Electrical Stimulation - Cycling Treatment in Children with Cerebral Palsy

AimThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of functional electrical stimulation (FES) bicycle therapy system on motor function, gait pattern, spasticity, daily living activities, and aerobic capacity in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to compare the results with sham stimulation and standard treatment.MethodsPatients with cerebral palsy who received botulinum toxin type-A injections to lower extremities and those with Gross Motor Function Measure Classification System (GMFCS) levels I – III, were included in the study. Twenty-five patients were randomly assigned into three treatment groups for 4-weeks: Group 1, FES-cycling and standard treatment; Group 2, Sham stimulus FES-cycling and standard treatment; Group 3, Standard treatment. Clinical assessment tools included the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS), Pediatric Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM), GMFCS, Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (GMFM-88), selective motor control tests, 6-minute walk test, and Visual Gait Analysis (VGA).ResultsIn all groups, there were significant improvements in MAS, MTS, WeeFIM, GMFM-88, 6-minute walk test, and VGA scores. No changes in GMFCS levels were observed in any group. At the end of the study, there was no significant difference among the groups in terms of any clinical assessment parameter.ConclusionsAll groups showed statistically significant improvements in motor function, walking pattern, spasticity, daily living activities, and aerobic capacity in patients with CP following the rehabilitation period. Although FES-cycling demonstrated no superiority over the other approaches and provided no additional benefit to the results, FES appears to be safe and well-tolerated in children with CP, at least as much as standard exercise treatment

Experimental and theoretical studies on tautomeric structures of a newly synthesized 2,2'(hydrazine-1,2-diylidenebis(propan-1-yl-1-ylidene)) diphenol

WOS: 000424631900022In the present study, a single crystal of a Schiff base, 2,2'(hydrazine-1,2-diylidenebis(propan-1-yl-1-ylidene)) diphenol, was synthesized. The structure of the synthesized crystal was confirmed by H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction analysis techniques. Experimental and theoretical studies were carried out on two tautomeric structures. It has been observed that the title compound studied can be in two different tautomeric forms, phenol-imine and keto-amine. Theoretical calculations have been performed to support experimental results. Accordingly, the geometric parameters of the compound were optimized by the density functional theory (DFT) method using the Gaussian 09 and Quantum Espresso (QE) packet program was used for periodic boundary conditions (PBC) studies. Furthermore, the compound was also tested for in vitro antifungal activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Alternaria solani, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and Monilinia fructigena plant pathogens. Promising inhibition profiles were observed especially towards A. solani. Finally, molecular docking studies and post-docking procedure based on Molecular Mechanics-Generalized Born Surface Area (MM-GBSA) were also carried out to get insight into the compound's binding interactions with the potential. Although theoretical calculations showed that the phenol-imine form was more stable, keto-amine form was predicted to have better binding affinity which was concluded to result from loss of rotational entropy in phenol-imine upon binding. The results obtained here from both experimental and computational methods might serve as a potential lead in the development of novel anti-fungal agents. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Research Centre of Ahi Evran University [PYO-MUH.4001.15.004]This study was supported financially by the Research Centre of Ahi Evran University (PYO-MUH.4001.15.004). In addition, the numerical calculations reported in this paper were partially performed at TUBITAK ULAKBIM, High Performance and Grid Computing Center (TRUBA resources)

Incidence and Prognosis of COVID-19 in Patients with Psoriasis: A Multicenter Prospective Study from the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey

COVID-19 infection can have a poor prognosis, especial- ly in patients with chronic diseases and those receiving immunosup- pressive or immunomodulating therapies. This study aimed to investigate the severity of COVID-19 infection in patients with psoriasis and compare the infection severity for sys- temic treatments and comorbidities. We conducted a study in the dermatology clinics of five different centers in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Four hundred and eighty-eight patients were included, and 22.5% were confirmed as having COVID-19 infection. In our study, the frequency of hospitalization rates due to COVID-19 infection were similar (15.4%, 25.9% respectively) in patients receiv- ing biological treatment and receiving non-biological systemic treat- ment (P=0.344). Hospitalization rates were higher in patients with hypertension, androgenetic alopecia, and acitretin use (P=0.043, P=0.028, P=0.040). In conclusion, current biologic treatments and non-biologic system- ic treatments in patients with psoriasis did not appear to increase the risk of the severe form of COVID-19, except for acitretin

Incidence and Prognosis of COVID-19 in Patients with Psoriasis: A Multicenter Prospective Study from the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey

COVID-19 infection can have a poor prognosis, especial- ly in patients with chronic diseases and those receiving immunosup- pressive or immunomodulating therapies. This study aimed to investigate the severity of COVID-19 infection in patients with psoriasis and compare the infection severity for sys- temic treatments and comorbidities. We conducted a study in the dermatology clinics of five different centers in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Four hundred and eighty-eight patients were included, and 22.5% were confirmed as having COVID-19 infection. In our study, the frequency of hospitalization rates due to COVID-19 infection were similar (15.4%, 25.9% respectively) in patients receiv- ing biological treatment and receiving non-biological systemic treat- ment (P=0.344). Hospitalization rates were higher in patients with hypertension, androgenetic alopecia, and acitretin use (P=0.043, P=0.028, P=0.040). In conclusion, current biologic treatments and non-biologic system- ic treatments in patients with psoriasis did not appear to increase the risk of the severe form of COVID-19, except for acitretin

Does Ozone Administration Have a Protective Effect Against Cisplatininduced Histological Changes in Rat Testis?

Objective:We investigated the protective and therapeutic effects of ozone therapy (OT) on cisplatin (CP)-induced testicular damage.Materials and Methods:Thirty healthy adult male Wistar rats were divided into five groups consisting of 6 animals each: 1) control, 2) CP, 3) OT, 4) OT + CP and 5) CP + OT groups. Histopathological findings, Johnsen scores, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and GSH peroxidase (GPx) levels were evaluated.Results:CP caused a significant decrease in testicular weight and Johnsen score compared to the control group. In addition, TBARS level was significantly higher, whereas GSH, SOD, catalase and GPx levels were significantly lower in the CP group when compared to the control group. Pre- and post-CP OT significantly increased GSH, SOD, catalase and GPx levels and decreased TBARS level. Also, testicular weight and Johnsen score were increased with OT.Conclusion:The present study showed that OT is protective against CP-induced testicular damage. OT may be beneficial to patients who underwent CP chemotherapy

Preliminary results of the Sofalaca-Şehitkamil Gaziantep (Mw:7.7) and Ekinözü Kahramanmaraş (Mw:7.6) earthquakes based on GNSS observations on February 6, 2023

Bu çalışmada 6 Şubat 2023 tarihinde sırasıyla yerel saat ile 04:17 ve 13:24’te artarda meydana gelen Sofalaca-Şehitkamil Gaziantep (Mw:7.7) ve Ekinözü Kahramanmaraş (Mw:7.6) depremlerinin öncül jeodezik sonuçları verilmiştir. Öncül jeodezik sonuçları elde etmek için deprem odak merkezleri etrafındaki ve etkili olduğu alandaki TUSAGA-Aktif istasyonlarına ait GNSS alıcılarından 30 sn (0,033 Hz) ve 1 sn’lik (1 Hz) GNSS gözlemleri kullanılmıştır. Deprem kaynaklı kosismik yer değiştirmeleri belirlemek için bağıl statik çözümler GAMIT/GLOBK yazılım takımında 30 sn’lik RINEX verileri kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Statik çözümlerde değerlendirmeye alınan istasyonlarda Sofalaca-Şehitkamil Gaziantep depreminde doğu bileşende atımın 1.1-23.4 cm, kuzey bileşende 1.1-30.9 cm aralığında değiştiği görülmüştür. Ekinözü Kahramanmaraş depreminde ise atım miktarı doğu bileşende 1.2-440.4 cm, kuzey bileşende 1.4-69.6 cm aralığında değişmiştir. Kinematik çözümler ise PPP yöntemiyle CSRS-PPP ve PRIDE PPP-AR yazılımları ile 1 sn’lik RINEX verileri kullanılarak elde edilmiştir. Her iki yazılımda seçilen istasyonlardaki deprem anı yer değiştirmeler (deplasman) ve ardışık epok farkları (hız) hesaplanmıştır. Seçilen tüm istasyonlarda hızlar Sofalaca-Şehitkamil Gaziantep depreminde doğu bileşen için 3-12.5 cm/sn, kuzey bileşen için 3.8 - 37.7 cm/sn aralığında; Ekinözü Kahramanmaraş depreminde ise doğu bileşende 3.7-20.5 cm/sn, kuzey bileşende 4.1-20.1 cm/sn tespit edilmiştir. Öncül sonuçların elde edilmesinden sonra bölgenin daha yakından takibi ve yeni noktalarda atımların tespiti için yeni bir GNSS ağı kurulmuştur. Kurulan yeni ağda TÜBİTAK 1002-C Doğal Afetler Odaklı Saha Çalışması Acil Destek Programı çağrısı kapsamında arazi çalışmalarına başlanmıştır.In this study, the earthquakes which took place on 6 February 2023, respectively at local time 04:17 and 13:24 preliminary geodetic results are given that occurred of Sofalaca-Şehitkamil (Gaziantep) (Mw:7.7) and of Ekinözü (Kahramanmaraş) (Mw: 7.6). In order to obtain preliminary geodetic results the GNSS observations were used at 30 s (0.033 Hz) and 1 s (1 Hz) intervals from the GNSS receivers in the network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations, Turkey (CORS-TR). Relative static solutions to determine earthquake-induced coseismic displacements were performed using 30-second RINEX data in the GAMIT/GLOBK software. In the GNSS stations evaluated in the static solutions, it was observed that the coseismic displacement in the Sofalaca-Şehitkamil Gaziantep earthquake varied between 1.1 - 23.4 cm in the eastern component and 1.1 - 30.9 cm and northern component. In the Ekinözü Kahramanmaraş earthquake, the amount of coseismic displacement varied between 1.2 - 440.4 cm in the eastern component and 1.4-69.6 cm in the northern component. Kinematic solutions were obtained by PPP method using CSRS-PPP and PRIDE PPP-AR software and 1 second RINEX data. In both software, earthquake displacements and consecutive epoch differences (velocity) at selected stations were calculated.During the Sofalaca Şehitkamil-Gaziantep earthquake velocities for all selected stations were detected approximately between 3.0-12.5 cm/s for the eastern component and 3.8 - 37.7 cm/sn for the northern component; during the Ekinözü Kahramanmaraş earthquake were detected approximately between 3.7-20.5 cm/sn for the eastern component and 4.1-20.1 cm/sn for the northern component. After the preliminary results were obtained, a new GNSS network was established to observation the region more closely and to detect displacement at new GNSS points. In study area has started new GNSS observations within the scope of TÜBİTAK 1002-C Natural Disasters Focused Field Study Emergency Support Program call in the new network established

Epidemiology of pemphigus in Turkey: One-year prospective study of 220 cases

Pemphigus is a group of rare and life-threatening autoimmune blistering diseases of the skin and mucous membranes. Although they occur worldwide, their incidence shows wide geographical variation, and prospective data on the epidemiology of pemphigus are very limited. Objective of this work is to evaluate the incidence and epidemiological and clinical features of patients with pemphigus in Turkey. All patients newly diagnosed with pemphigus between June 2013 and June 2014 were prospectively enrolled in 33 dermatology departments in 20 different provinces from all seven regions of Turkey. Disease parameters including demography and clinical findings were recorded. A total of 220 patients were diagnosed with pemphigus during the 1-year period, with an annual incidence of 4.7 per million people in Turkey. Patients were predominantly women, with a male to female ratio of 1:1.41. The mean age at onset was 48.9 years. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) was the commonest clinical subtype (n=192; 87.3%), followed by pemphigus foliaceus (n=21; 9.6%). The most common clinical subtype of PV was the mucocutaneous type (n=83; 43.2%). The mean Pemphigus Disease Area Index was 28.14±22.21 (mean ± Standard Deviation).  The incidence rate of pemphigus in Turkey is similar to the countries of South-East Europe, higher than those reported for the Central and Northern European countries and lower than the countries around the Mediterranean Sea and Iran. Pemphigus is more frequent in middle-aged people and is more common in women. The most frequent subtype was PV, with a 9-fold higher incidence than pemphigus foliaceus.   </p

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely