collected from South and South-eastern regions of Turkey

A total of 45 lizards (Acanthodactylus harranensis [n = 15], Acanthodacthylus schreiberi [n = 9] and Mesalina brevirostris [n = 21]) were collected from South and Southeastern Regions of Turkey and examined for helminth fauna. Acanthodactylus harranensis harbored 1 species of Nematoda (Skrjabinodon sp.), 1 species of Cestoda (Oochoristica tuberculata) and 1 species of Acanthocephala (Centrorhynchus sp. [cystacanth]). Acanthodactylus schreiberi harbored unidentified cysticercoids. Mesalina brevirostris harbored 1 species of Nematoda (Spauligodon saxicolae). All lizards represents new host records for the helminths reported in this study

PCA and K-Means decipher genome

In this paper, we aim to give a tutorial for undergraduate students studying statistical methods and/or bioinformatics. The students will learn how data visualization can help in genomic sequence analysis. Students start with a fragment of genetic text of a bacterial genome and analyze its structure. By means of principal component analysis they ``discover'' that the information in the genome is encoded by non-overlapping triplets. Next, they learn how to find gene positions. This exercise on PCA and K-Means clustering enables active study of the basic bioinformatics notions. Appendix 1 contains program listings that go along with this exercise. Appendix 2 includes 2D PCA plots of triplet usage in moving frame for a series of bacterial genomes from GC-poor to GC-rich ones. Animated 3D PCA plots are attached as separate gif files. Topology (cluster structure) and geometry (mutual positions of clusters) of these plots depends clearly on GC-content.Comment: 18 pages, with program listings for MatLab, PCA analysis of genomes and additional animated 3D PCA plot

Neurodegeneration: From cellular concepts to clinical applications

Developing therapies for neurodegenerative diseases will require new scientific approaches that take into account the detrimental effects of altered protein and RNA homeostasis on brain cells, the vulnerabilities of various organelles in certain diseases and aging neurons, and the complex multicellular interactions of the nervous system

Stable and broad bandwidth multiwavelength fiber ring laser incorporating a highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber

Author name used in this publication: M. S. DemokanAuthor name used in this publication: H. Y. Tam2005-2006 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Width and wavelength-tunable optical pulse train generation based on four-wave mixing in highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber

Author name used in this publication: M. S. DemokanAuthor name used in this publication: H. Y. Tam2005-2006 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Dynamin Is Functionally Coupled to Insulin Granule Exocytosis

The insulin granule integral membrane protein marker phogrin-green fluorescent protein was co-localized with insulin in Min6B1 beta-cell secretory granules but did not undergo plasma membrane translocation following glucose stimulation. Surprisingly, although expression of a dominant-interfering dynamin mutant (Dyn/K44A) inhibited transferrin receptor endocytosis, it had no effect on phogringreen fluorescent protein localization in the basal or secretagogue-stimulated state. By contrast, co-expression of Dyn/K44A with human growth hormone as an insulin secretory marker resulted in a marked inhibition of human growth hormone release by glucose, KCl, and a combination of multiple secretagogues. Moreover, serial pulse depolarization stimulated an increase in cell surface capacitance that was also blocked in cells expressing Dyn/K44A. Similarly, small interference RNA-mediated knockdown of dynamin resulted in marked inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Together, these data suggest the presence of a selective kiss and run mechanism of insulin release. Moreover, these data indicate a coupling between endocytosis and exocytosis in the regulation of beta-cell insulin secretion

The effect of spin orbit interaction for superconductivity in the noncentrosymmetric superconductor CaIrSi3

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.We have carried out an ab initio study of the electronic, vibrational and electron-phonon interaction properties of the body-centred tetragonal CaIrSi3 by employing the density functional theory, a linear-response formalism, and the plane-wave pseudopotential method. The electronic structure and phonon dispersion relations of this material have been analyzed with and without the inclusion of spin-orbit interaction (SOI). Our electron-phonon interaction results reveal that Si-related phonon modes are more involved in the process of scattering of electrons than the remaining phonon modes due to considerable existence of the Si 3p states near the Fermi level. By integrating the Eliashberg spectral function, the average electron-phonon coupling parameter is found to be 0.58 which compares very well with its experimental value of 0.56. Using the calculated value of λ, the superconducting critical temperature (Tc) for CaIrSi3 is found to be 3.20 K which is in good accordance with its experimental value of 3.55 K. Furthermore, we have shown that the effect of SOI on the values of λ and Tc is very small.This work was supported by the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) (Project Number MFAG-115F135)

Health literacy issues in the care of Chinese American immigrants with diabetes: a qualitative study

Objectives. To investigate why first-generation Chinese immigrants with diabetes have difficulty obtaining, processing and understanding diabetes related information despite the existence of translated materials and translators. Design This qualitative study employed purposive sampling. Six focus groups and two individual interviews were conducted. Each group discussion lasted approximately 90 min and was guided by semistructured and open-ended questions. Setting. Data were collected in two community health centres and one elderly retirement village in Los Angeles, California. Participants 29 Chinese immigrants aged ≥45 years and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for at least 1 year. Results. Eight key themes were found to potentially affect Chinese immigrants' capacity to obtain, communicate, process and understand diabetes related health information and consequently alter their decision making in self-care. Among the themes, three major categories emerged: cultural factors, structural barriers, and personal barriers. Conclusions. Findings highlight the importance of cultural sensitivity when working with first-generation Chinese immigrants with diabetes. Implications for health professionals, local community centres and other potential service providers are discussed.published_or_final_versio

Pengembangan Instrumen Asesmen Kinerja Praktikum Peserta Didik Pada Materi Kalor Reaksi

The research with main goal to develop the simple and easy to use of student\u27s assesment instrument on experiment of heat reaction and to describe teachers\u27and students\u27 responses about it has been done.this research used research and development method till the revision of trial test result step. Teachers gave respons to legibitily, construction, and usuable aspect with percentage were 90,63%, 93,75% and 83,33%, respectively. Based on it, the student\u27s performance assessment instrument has very high criteria. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembang­kan instrumen asesmen kinerja praktikum yang sederhana dan mudah digunakan, serta mendeskripsikan karakteristik dan tanggapan pendidik kimia. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian dan pengembangan sampai tahap hasil uji coba.. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan aspek keterbacaan dengan persentase 90,63 %, aspek konstruksi 93,75 % dan aspek keterpakaian produk 83,33% dengan masing-masing aspek tersebut memiliki kriteria yang sangat tinggi. Kesimpulan yang diperoleh pada penelitian ini yaitu instrument asesmen kinerja praktikum peserta didik pada materi kalor reaksi yang dikembangkan memiliki kriteria sangat baik

Clinical expression of plakophilin-2 mutations in familial arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

Background - Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited cardiac disorder characterized by loss of cardiomyocytes and their replacement by adipose and fibrous tissue. It is considered a disease of cell adhesion because mutations in desmosomal genes, desmoplakin and plakoglobin, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ARVC. In a recent report, mutations in plakophilin-2, a gene highly expressed in cardiac desmosomes, have been shown to cause ARVC.Methods and Results - We investigated 100 white patients with ARVC for mutations in plakophilin-2. Nine different mutations were identified by direct sequencing in 11 cases. Five of these mutations are novel (A733fsX740, L586fsX658, V570fsX576, R413X, and P533fsX561) and predicted to cause a premature truncation of the plakophilin-2 protein. Family studies showed incomplete disease expression in mutation carriers and identified a number of individuals who would be misdiagnosed with the existing International Task Force and modified diagnostic criteria for ARVC.Conclusions - In this study, we provide new evidence that mutations in the desmosomal plakophilin-2 gene can cause ARVC. A systematic clinical evaluation of mutation carriers within families demonstrated variable phenotypic expression, even among individuals with the same mutation, and highlighted the need for a more accurate set of diagnostic criteria for ARVC