Monitoring the dynamic behaviors of the Bosporus Bridge by GPS during Eurasia Marathon

International audienceEngineering structures, like bridges, dams and towers are designed by considering temperature changes, earthquakes, wind, traffic and pedestrian loads. However, generally, it can not be estimated that these structures may be affected by special, complex and different loads. So it could not be known whether these loads are dangerous for the structure and what the response of the structures would be to these loads. Such a situation occurred on the Bosporus Bridge, which is one of the suspension bridges connecting the Asia and Europe continents, during the Eurasia Marathon on 2 October 2005, in which 75 000 pedestrians participated. Responses of the bridge to loads such as rhythmic running, pedestrian walking, vehicle passing during the marathon were observed by a real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS), with a 2.2-centimeter vertical accuracy. Observed responses were discussed in both time domain and frequency domain by using a time series analysis. High (0.1?1 Hz) and low frequencies (0.00036?0.01172 Hz) of observed bridge responses under 12 different loads which occur in different quantities, different types and different time intervals were calculated in the frequency domain. It was seen that the calculated high frequencies are similar, except for the frequencies of rhythmic running, which causes a continuously increasing vibration. Any negative response was not determined, because this rhythmic effect continued only for a short time. Also when the traffic load was effective, explicit changes in the bridge movements were determined. Finally, it was seen that bridge frequencies which were calculated from the observations and the finite element model were harmonious. But the 9th natural frequency value of the bridge under all loads, except rhythmic running could not be determined with observations

Stem Cell-Based Neuroprotective and Neurorestorative Strategies

Stem cells, a special subset of cells derived from embryo or adult tissues, are known to present the characteristics of self-renewal, multiple lineages of differentiation, high plastic capability, and long-term maintenance. Recent reports have further suggested that neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from the adult hippocampal and subventricular regions possess the utilizing potential to develop the transplantation strategies and to screen the candidate agents for neurogenesis, neuroprotection, and neuroplasticity in neurodegenerative diseases. In this article, we review the roles of NSCs and other stem cells in neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapies for neurological and psychiatric diseases. We show the evidences that NSCs play the key roles involved in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders, including depression, stroke and Parkinson’s disease. Moreover, the potential and possible utilities of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), reprogramming from adult fibroblasts with ectopic expression of four embryonic genes, are also reviewed and further discussed. An understanding of the biophysiology of stem cells could help us elucidate the pathogenicity and develop new treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. In contrast to cell transplantation therapies, the application of stem cells can further provide a platform for drug discovery and small molecular testing, including Chinese herbal medicines. In addition, the high-throughput stem cell-based systems can be used to elucidate the mechanisms of neuroprotective candidates in translation medical research for neurodegenerative diseases

AN ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN THE TURKISH DOMESTIC TOURISM MARKET

ABSTRACT: This paper is intended to provide an analysis of the consumer behaviour in the Turkish domestic tourism market: a market still in its “infancy ” in comparison with many other countries, but with substantial growth potential. Based on a number of research methods, which were triangulated, ranging from interviews both with consumers and key informants, focus group studies, to observations at travel agencies, together with an extensive literature search, the consumer decision-making process is investigated. As the research is mainly exploratory, the research methodology is inductive and it rests on qualitative techniques. Key words: Turkish domestic tourism market, tourist decision-making process, tourist motives. ÖZET: Bu makalede yeni geli mekle beraber büyük bir büyüme ve pazar potansiyeline sahip olan Türkiye’deki iç turizm pazarında tüketici davranı ı analiz edilmektedir. Bilgilerin toplanması ve analizinde, geni bir doküman ara tırmasına ilaveten, tüketiciler, seyahat acentası yöneticileri ve çalı anları ile mülakatlar, seyahat acentalarında üç gün süreli gözlemler ve tüketicilerle odak grubu çalı maları yapılarak kar ıla tırmalı bir de erlendirme özet olarak ortaya konulmaya çalı ılmı tır. Çalı manın temelde ke ifsel nitelikte olması sebebiyle endüktif bir ara tırma metodolojisi benimsenmi ve kalitatif teknikler uygulanmı tır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Türkiye iç turizm pazarı, turist karar alma süreci, turist güdülenmesi

An exponentially fitted method for solving Burgers' equation

In this paper, an exponentially fitted method is used to numerically solve the one-dimensional Burgers' equation. The performance of the method is tested on the model involving moderately large Reynolds numbers. The obtained numerical results show that the method is efficient, stable and reliable for solving Burgers' equation accurately even involving high Reynolds numbers for which the exact solution fails. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Numerical study of the asymptotics of the second Painlevé equation by a functional fitting method

The Painlevé equations arise as reductions of the soliton equations such as the Korteweg-de Vries equation, the nonlinear Schrödinger equation and so on. In this study, we are concerned with numerical approximation of the asymptotics of solutions of the second Painlevé equation on pole-free intervals along the real axis. Classical integrators such as high order Runge-Kutta schemes might be expensive to simulate oscillation, decay and blow-up behaviours depending on initial conditions. However, a lower order functional fitting method catches all kinds of solutions even for relatively large step sizes. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Using viewshed analysis with landscape metrics in seascape visibility assessment

Republic of Turkey Promotion Fund12th International Conference on the Mediterranean Coastal Environment, MEDCOAST 2015 --6 October 2015 through 10 October 2015 -- --This paper analyses the spatial distribution of seascape visibility in a coastal landscape, with the aid of a set of landscape metrics, the result of a methodological framework for the description, appraisal and assessment of the landscape composition type and optimum seascape visibility distribution. The case study of Erdemli (Mersin) which is a secondary housing based Mediterranean coastal touristic city of Turkey, the buildings are digitized and their heights are determined by field works. Viewshed analysis is computed with the help of remote sensing and GIS to calculate the seascape visibility of the coastal region. At the same time the six landscape configuration metrics of Percentage Land Cover, Edge Density, Contagion, Area Weighted Mean Patch Fractal Dimension, Standard Deviation of Euclidian Nearest Neighbour Distance and Euclidian Mean Nearest Neighbour Distance are calculated for building patches using 250×250 meter grid of region. Grid based interaction between metric and visibility values are examined to find out which metrics configuration generates optimum seascape visibility

European standardization and the European Commission - Living apart together?

This paper investigates the relationship between European Commission and European Standardisation based on the political vision of Groen van Prinsterer and Kuyper. It concludes that the current problems related to EU intervention in the private standardisation system can be tackled by respecting the sovereignty of both spheres

The spatiotemporal land use/cover change of Adana city

ISPRS Conference on Serving Society with Geoinformatics, ISPRS-SSG 2013 --11 November 2013 through 17 November 2013 -- --The major driving factors for land use planning are largely limited to socio-economic inputs that do not completely represent the spatio-temporal patterns and ecological inputs have often been neglected. Integration of remote sensing and GIS techniques enabled successful applications in characterizing the spatiotemporal trends of land use/land cover (LULC) change. This study demonstrated an approach that combines remote sensing, landscape metrics, and LULC change analysis as a promising tool for understanding spatiotemporal patterns of Adana city. Calculation of spatial metrics was based on a categorical, patch-based representation of the landscape. Landscape metrics are conceptual framework for sustainable landscape and ecological planning. LULC change analysis was performed by considering the metric calculation. Post-classification technique was used for the metric based change detection and two different remotely sensed data set recorded in 1967 (CORONA) and 2007 (ALOS AVNIR) were used for the analysis. Additionally, a LULC projection for the year 2023 was also generated and integrated to the change analysis. SLEUTH model was utilised as a urban growth model for the future developments of study area in the scope of Cellular Automata (CA). SLEUTH model contains the main elements that characterize the core characteristics of CA: it works in a grid space of homogeneous cells, with a neighburhood of eight cells, two cell states and five transition rules that act in sequential time steps. Most useful and relevant metrics for landscape including: percentage of landscape, patch density, edge density, largest patch index, Euclidian mean nearest neighbor distance, area weighted mean patch fractal dimension and contagion were calculated for the 1967, 2007 and 2023 LULC maps and temporal changes were determined for the study area. Most considerable change was observed on the agricultural areas. Urban sprawl is the major driving factor of the LULC change

The impact of compulsory health service on physicians and burnout in a province in eastern anatolia

PubMed ID: 24049008Objective: The Compulsory Health Service (CHS) for physicians has been in place since 2005. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the CHS on physicians and the factors associated with burnout. Method: The sample group consisted of all physicians working within the province of Mus in this cross-sectional, descriptive, epidemiological study. All participants were assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Beck Depression Inventory, the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) and the General Health Questiannaire-12, along with a detailed sociodemographic and professional data form. Results: A total of 139 physicians participated in this study, and 100 of them (71%) were fulfilling the CHS. Physicians who fulfilled the CHS were found to have lower levels of job satisfaction and professional quality of life. They also had higher levels of depression, general psychiatric symptoms, and psychological stress. The relationships between the level of burnout in physicians fulfilling the CHS and the scores from the scales used in the study were statistically significant except those between MBI-Personal Accomplishment, JSS, and ProQOL-Compassion Fatigue subscales. The extent of depressive symptoms and the daily number of patients were predictors of all three subscales of burnout. Job satisfaction was a predictor of both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, while life satisfaction was a predictor of emotional exhaustion, and gender was a predictor of personal accomplishment. Conclusion: The level of burnout among physicians who had fulfilled the CHS was high. The factors and predictors associated with burnout were discussed