THE ART OF TERRACOTTA FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY: TAVAS CASE (DENİZLİ / TURKEY)

The article presents the art of producing terracotta, part of an important cultural heritage in Medet, Tavas region, Denizli province (Turkey). The case study examined the works of Hasan Hüseyin Savçı's family, the only representative of the terracotta art in Denizli. The aim of the undertaken research is to describe, analyze and evaluate the importance of the handicraft for the preservation of the cultural heritage of the region. The research used document analysis, which is one of the qualitative research methods, and additionally a partially structured questionnaire as a data collection tool. The field research was conducted in the Medet District. The undertaken research and analysis of the collected material confirm the great importance of the works of successive generations of the Savçı family for the preservation of the cultural heritage of the region dating back to the early Bronze Age. The handicraft of Necip Savçı, reconstructions and reinterpretations of the works are characterized by exceptional artistry. Research on the local raw material, a structured interview allowed for the documentation of terracotta production techniques and the problems related to their sale. The results of the research emphasized the importance of cultural heritage, such as terracotta, for the preservation of local identity, and at the same time being an important tourist attraction

The Synthesis of Styrene-Oligoester Copolymer and Investigation of Their Physico-mechanical Properties

The copolymerization reaction of commercial propylene oxide with glycidylmethacrilate in the presence of BF3·O(C2H5)2 catalyst have been investigated. The composition and structure of copolymerization products and anchored functional groups have been determined using IR and gel chromatographic methods. The physico-mechanical properties and utility of polyfunctional unsaturated oligoester were investigated. The obtained thermoset product via the reaction of the oligoester with both styrene and oligostyrene obtained from the bottom of column as a waste material during the rectification operation of styrene in the presence of radicalic initiator has a good adhesion capability, hardness and high heat and water resistance. Thus the waste material was converted to the high valuable polymeric material

Phenylpropanoid Glycoside Analogues: Enzymatic Synthesis, Antioxidant Activity and Theoretical Study of Their Free Radical Scavenger Mechanism

Phenylpropanoid glycosides (PPGs) are natural compounds present in several medicinal plants that have high antioxidant power and diverse biological activities. Because of their low content in plants (less than 5% w/w), several chemical synthetic routes to produce PPGs have been developed, but their synthesis is a time consuming process and the achieved yields are often low. In this study, an alternative and efficient two-step biosynthetic route to obtain natural PPG analogues is reported for the first time. Two galactosides were initially synthesized from vanillyl alcohol and homovanillyl alcohol by a transgalactosylation reaction catalyzed by Kluyveromyces lactis β-galactosidase in saturated lactose solutions with a 30%–35% yield. To synthesize PPGs, the galactoconjugates were esterified with saturated and unsaturated hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives using Candida antarctica Lipase B (CaL-B) as a biocatalyst with 40%–60% yields. The scavenging ability of the phenolic raw materials, intermediates and PPGs was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) method. It was found that the biosynthesized PPGs had higher scavenging abilities when compared to ascorbic acid, the reference compound, while their antioxidant activities were found similar to that of natural PPGs. Moreover, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to determine that the PPGs antioxidant mechanism proceeds through a sequential proton loss single electron transfer (SPLET). The enzymatic process reported in this study is an efficient and versatile route to obtain PPGs from different phenylpropanoid acids, sugars and phenolic alcohols

An expert system approach for high school type selection

An expert system is a computer program that imitates the procedures by which experts solve problems. This paper describes an expert system application which provides advice to primary school students who are seeking assistance in determining high school type. The system gathers information about student grade point average (GPA), centralized exam score, personality type and socio-economic factors. It assesses student qualifications for seven different school types in Turkey. The expert system recommends a school type for the students and produces a short report explaining the reasons of recommendation. Student GPA and centralized exam score are considered as technical criteria. In addition, social and socio-economic factors such as personality type, parental involvement etc. affecting the decision process are also considered and included in the model

Outer nuclear layer thickness at the central fovea relation with symptom duration in central serous chorioretinopathy

PMID = 2991612