An approach based on tunicate swarm algorithm to solve partitional clustering problem

The tunicate swarm algorithm (TSA) is a newly proposed population-based swarm optimizer for solving global optimization problems. TSA uses best solution in the population in order improve the intensification and diversification of the tunicates. Thus, the possibility of finding a better position for search agents has increased. The aim of the clustering algorithms is to distributed the data instances into some groups according to similar and dissimilar features of instances. Therefore, with a proper clustering algorithm the dataset will be separated to some groups and it’s expected that the similarities of groups will be minimum. In this work, firstly, an approach based on TSA has proposed for solving partitional clustering problem. Then, the TSA is implemented on ten different clustering problems taken from UCI Machine Learning Repository, and the clustering performance of the TSA is compared with the performances of the three well known clustering algorithms such as fuzzy c-means, k-means and k-medoids. The experimental results and comparisons show that the TSA based approach is highly competitive and robust optimizer for solving the partitional clustering problems

Determination of the service quality among sport and fitness centers of the selected universities

     Purpose of this study was to determine the service quality among sport and fitness centers of universities. Participants of the study were constituted of 484 (194 female, and 290 male) persons who are students, academics and administrative staffs attending to sport and fitness centers of seven universities in Ankara. The mean age of the participants was 22.45 ± 5.14.      The SQAS-T (The Turkish Version of the Service Quality Assessment Scale) was used as instrument. In the statistical analysis, descriptive statistics was used to investigate distribution of mean of the participants’ difference scores (service quality satisfaction scores).      Results indicated that service quality among the sport and fitness centers of the universities did not fulfill their users’ expectations. However, according to mean of total difference scores it was seen this dissatisfaction level was not so huge

Analysis of Transforming Security Through the Water Resources and Affiliated Conflicts Between 2000 and 2019: Case of Iraq, Syria and Turkey

The aim of this study is to analyze the changing nature of water security and affiliated conflicts within the scope of security conceptualization at individual and state levels between the years 2000-2019. It was set out that water conflicts and water insecurity in Iraq, Syria and Turkey in the 20-year period after 2000 were caused by attacks to water resources and infrastructure at micro and mezzo levels, other than natural disasters such as climate change and reduced water resources. This research focuses on the water conflicts that have arisen in recent years, with some exceptions, not between states but by groups operating at regional levels. It has also been observed in recent years that terrorism-induced attacks have focused on waterways and threatens water security. The study focused on the conflicts occurring in Iraq, Syria and Turkey and the causes of these conflicts within the framework of comparative analysis method

The Views of Teachers about Home Education Services

The students who cannot get involved in mainstream and formal education and who are in need of special training because of several reasons can benefit from home education services, alternatively. Home education services are an inseparable and important part of education system. When the literature is examined, it is seen that there is so little research done on home education services. So, the purpose of this research is to determine both application-oriented and process-oriented views of teachers who participate in home education services. In accordance with this purpose, both application and process oriented views of the teachers who participate in home education services are determined by the open ended questions based on literature. The provided questions are applied on working group after put into final form thanks to the views of leading experts. In this research, which is a qualitative research type and descriptive case study, the working group includes three teachers who are defined by the homogeneous sampling of purposeful sampling methods and working in home education services in Agri province. Descriptive analysis has been used for analysing the data taken from the research.  Charts are used for the presentation of findings. According to the findings of the research; all of the teachers in working group believe that home education services are necessary and useful. It has been determined that the teachers in working group consult to home education services for different reasons, they have various problems in implementation of process and they have given  common answers for the part of the deficients of the process and suggestions for filling the deficiencies. It has been believed that this research will contribute to literature. Keywords: Home education services, the views of teachers, educatio

A Comparative Study on Neural Network Based Soccer Result Prediction

7th International Conference on Intelligent Systems Design and Applications, ISDA'07; Rio de Janeiro; Brazil; 22 October 2007 through 24 October 2007This study mainly remarks the efficiency of black-box modeling capacity of neural networks in the case of forecasting soccer match results, and opens up several debates on the nature of prediction and selection of input parameters. The selection of input parameters is a serious problem in soccer match prediction systems based on neural networks or statistical methods. Several input vector suggestions are implemented in literature which is mostly based on direct data from weekly charts. Here in this paper, two different input vector parameters have been tested via learning vector quantization networks in order to emphasize the importance of input parameter selection. The input vector parameters introduced in this study are plain and also meaningful when compared to other studies. The results of different approaches presented in this study are compared to each other, and also compared with the results of other neural network approaches and statistical methods in order to give an idea about the successful prediction performance. The paper is concluded with discussions about the nature of soccer match forecasting concept that may draw the interests of researchers willing to work in this area

DEVELOPMENT OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EMOTIONAL PERSPECTIVE TAKING TEST (EDAT): A VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDY

The objective of this research is to develop a test that directly measures children's emotional perspective taking skills in early childhood. Emotional perspective-taking is a social skill that involves accurately predicting the emotions of others by distinguishing them from one's own emotions. The goal of measuring children's emotional perspective-taking skills is to better understand the field of social-emotional development and thus contribute to early childhood education. The research group comprised 146 children aged 5-6 who were enrolled in kindergartens and primary schools in Elazığ city centre during the 2020-2021 academic year. Data on test development were collected through face-to-face clinical interviews with the children. Expert opinions were consulted during the research process to ensure the scope and validity of the test. Construct validity was assessed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), item-total correlation, and item analysis procedures. The Emotional Perspective Taking Test in Early Childhood (EDAT) was developed based on these procedures and consists of 13 items in two dimensions: 'Confused-Scared' and 'Happy-Sad', each with an accompanying picture. The research found that the Early Childhood Emotional Perspective Taking Test (EDAT) is a valid and reliable test for children aged 5-6 years.&nbsp

Relationship between discordance of lipid parameters and mortality after acute coronary syndrome

European Atherosclerosis So

An applıcatıon based on the tunıcate swarm algorıthm for predıctıon the energy demand of Turkey

Enerji talebinin tahmini, her ülke için oldukça önemli bir konudur. Çünkü bir ülkenin ekonomisi, enerji talebinden doğrudan etkilenmektedir. Bu nedenle, yapılan bu çalışmada, Türkiye’nin gelecekteki enerji talebini tahmin etmek için tulumlular sürü algoritması (TSA) tabanlı doğrusal bir yaklaşım önerilmektedir. Doğrusal modelin elde edilmesi aşamasında, bir ülkenin gayri safi yurtiçi hasıla, nüfus, ithalat ve ihracat verileri modelin giriş parametreleri olarak alınmıştır. Daha sonra bu parametrelerin optimum ağırlık katsayılarını bulmak amacıyla optimizasyon problemlerinin çözümü için önerilmiş olan popülasyon tabanlı TSA algoritması kullanılmıştır. Önerilen modelin eğitim ve test aşaması için Türkiye’nin 1979-2011 arasındaki yıllara ait olan veri seti kullanılmıştır. Doğrusal model oluşturulduktan sonra, Türkiye’nin 2012’den 2030’a kadar olacak şekilde yaklaşık olarak 20 yıllık bir süre için enerji talebi, üç farklı muhtemel senaryo için tahmin edilmiştir. Daha sonra ise önerilen model ile elde edilen deneysel sonuçlar, Türkiye’nin enerji talebini için literatürde önerilmiş olan diğer algoritmaların elde ettiği deneysel sonuçlar ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Deneysel sonuçlar ve karşılaştırmalar değerlendirildiğinde, bu çalışma kapsamında önerilmiş olan TSA tabanlı model, Türkiye’nin geleceğe dönük enerji talebini tahmin etmek için rekabetçi ve başarılı sonuçlar elde etmiştir

Laterality Does Not Affect the Depth Perception, but Interpupillary Distance

In this study, which investigates the relationship between the levels of stereopsis with eye and hand dominance or interpupillary distance, 120 healthy young volunteers were investigated. Eye dominance was determined by modified Miles technique following a complete eye examination. Handedness was assessed with the Edinburgh handedness inventory. Interpupillary distance was measured with millimetric ruler. Stereoacuity was measured in both contour (Titmus test) and random dot (TNO test) stereograms. The stereopsis scores were evaluated in terms of hand or eye dominance. The correlation between stereopsis score and interpupillary distance was assessed. Main outcome measures were stereopsis scores according to hand and eye dominance. As a result, right- and left-handed individuals showed no differences in terms of stereopsis. No differences were found in stereopsis scores between right- and left-eye dominant people. There was a correlation between interpupillary distance and the depth of stereopsis (r=-0.248,P<0.05). Contrary to the expectation, the left and right dominant individuals did not differ in levels of stereopsis. Interpupillary distance has a positive effect on stereopsis

Determination of Optimal Vehicle Selection of Logistics Companies with AHP-ARAS Hybrid Method

One of the serious problems in the logistics sector is the failure to make mistakes that cause economic consequences in the bulk purchases of trucks which are the important elements of road transport. Logistics Businesses can make in place and right decisions by using multi-criteria decision-making methods in the face of similar decision problems. In this study; Logistics, transportation, criteria for purchasing of vehicles and information about the decision analysis methods ARAS (Additive Ratio Assesment) and AHP (Analytic hierarchy Proses) were given. In particular, the applicability and results of the scientific methods are emphasized in the decision of procurement of bulk vehicles by logistics companies. The study's logistic decision problem was analyzed using ARAS and AHP methods together. It can be used in different decision problems of other logistics companies by making a partial change in the alternatives and criteria of the created solution model. The model for the study was applied to the decision problem of purchasing bulk vehicles in a Georgia-based logistics company. Managers of the business as decision makers have been accepted. Criteria and alternatives have been identified by the managers, independently of each other by scoring these elements. As a result of analysis of related decision problem by AHP-ARAS hybrid method; A1 (Volvo) has become the preferred brand for bulk vehicle purchasing by the company in the first place. In addition, the analysis results are shared with the business