Predictive modelling of soils’ hydraulic conductivity using artificial neural network and multiple linear regression

As a result of heterogeneity nature of soils and variation in its hydraulic conductivity over several orders of magnitude for various soil types from fine-grained to coarse-grained soils, predictive methods to estimate hydraulic conductivity of soils from properties considered more easily obtainable have now been given an appropriate consideration. This study evaluates the performance of artificial neural network (ANN) being one of the popular computational intelligence techniques in predicting hydraulic conductivity of wide range of soil types and compared with the traditional multiple linear regression (MLR). ANN and MLR models were developed using six input variables. Results revealed that only three input variables were statistically significant in MLR model development. Performance evaluations of the developed models using determination coefficient and mean square error show that the prediction capability of ANN is far better than MLR. In addition, comparative study with available existing models shows that the developed ANN and MLR in this study performed relatively better

Subepidermal Calcified Nodule: Nódulo Subepidérmico Calcificado

Subepidermal calcified nodules are rarely seen and are classified under idiopathic subepidermal calcifications. They commonly affect children. It is most frequently encountered in the face, and it is less common in the extremities. Here, we present a case where the lesion was localized on the knees of a 23-year-old female patient. Los nódulos subepidérmicos calcificados son de rara aparición y se clasifican entre las calcificaciones subepidérmicas idiopáticas. Este tipo de nódulo afecta normalmente a los niños. La mayor parte de las veces se le encuentra en la cara, y es menos común en las extremidades. En este trabajo presentamos un caso en el que la lesión se hallaba localizada en las rodillas de una paciente de 23 años

Clinical guidelines for the recognition of melanoma of the foot and nail unit

Malignant melanoma is a life threatening skin tumour which may arise on the foot. The prognosis for the condition is good when lesions are diagnosed and treated early. However, lesions arising on the soles and within the nail unit can be difficult to recognise leading to delays in diagnosis. These guidelines have been drafted to alert health care practitioners to the early signs of the disease so an early diagnosis can be sought<br/

Chromitite deposits of Turkey in Tethyan ophiolites

Some parts of the Tethyan ophiolites of Alpine-Himalayan suture belt are located within Turkey. The Tethyan belt splits into two branches in Turkey. The northern branch follows the İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan Zone, while the southern branch extends along the Anatolide-Tauride and Bitlis-Zagros suture zone. The subsections of the latter reach Iran in the east and Oman ophiolites in the south east. These ophiolites are also the only environments in which chromitite deposits occur. Consequently, the ophiolites in Turkey are significantly rich in terms of Alpine type chromitite occurrences and they are the oldest metallic mine products. There has been chromitite ore production in Turkey since the nineteenth century. With their refractory quality, chromitite produced in Turkey has always had a good standing in the market. Chromitite, which was exported as lump ore until mid-twentieth century, started to be used in the domestic market as the country’s industry developed, but still, even today an important part of the production is exported. In addition, since the chromitite developments near to the surface are almost completely exhausted, the chromitite ore production in the country has evolved to concentrated ore obtained from low grade deposits, through beneficiation. Although there are many active beneficiation plants in various parts of the country, there is still a significant amount of concentrate ore production; especially in the deposits of Adana-Aladağ region. In this chapter, the mentioned chromitite occurrences are discussed in a specific order from west to east, taking into account the ophiolite sequences to which they belong. The North Anatolian Ophiolites are introduced in the first three sections whereas the other three sections present the chromitite deposits of the South Anatolian Ophiolites. Nevertheless, considering the historical records and future production potentials, Turkey’s most important chromitite production regions could be listed in order of priority as Guleman (Elazığ), Kopdağ region (Erzincan), Muğla-Fethiye region, Aladağ-Pınarbaşı (Adana-Kayseri), Orhaneli-Harmancık (Bursa)-Eskişehir region and Hatay. It is clear that these should all be taken into consideration for further prospecting targeting. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

Visualization, imaging and new preclinical diagnostics in radiation oncology

Innovative strategies in cancer radiotherapy are stimulated by the growing knowledge on cellular and molecular tumor biology, tumor pathophysiology, and tumor microenvironment. In terms of tumor diagnostics and therapy monitoring, the reliable delineation of tumor boundaries and the assessment of tumor heterogeneity are increasingly complemented by the non-invasive characterization of functional and molecular processes, moving preclinical and clinical imaging from solely assessing tumor morphology towards the visualization of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Functional and molecular imaging techniques allow for the non-invasive characterization of tissues in vivo, using different modalities, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, positron emission tomography (PET) and optical imaging (OI). With novel therapeutic concepts combining optimized radiotherapy with molecularly targeted agents focusing on tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and cell death, the non-invasive assessment of tumor microcirculation and tissue water diffusion, together with strategies for imaging the mechanisms of cellular injury and repair is of particular interest. Characterizing the tumor microenvironment prior to and in response to irradiation will help to optimize the outcome of radiotherapy. These novel concepts of personalized multi-modal cancer therapy require careful pre-treatment stratification as well as a timely and efficient therapy monitoring to maximize patient benefit on an individual basis. Functional and molecular imaging techniques are key in this regard to open novel opportunities for exploring and understanding the underlying mechanisms with the perspective to optimize therapeutic concepts and translate them into a personalized form of radiotherapy in the near future