A comparision of the United Nations and the European Union as agents of norm diffusion: Darfur crisis in Sudan and freedom of expression in Turkey

International organizations contribute to the diffusion of international norms. Although the impact of domestic conductivity on norm compliance is evident, the level of enforcement mechanism of these organizations does matter as well. Human rights norms as the most influential idea of the recent decades gained prominence in foreign policies of the states as well as in international law with the creation of international organizations. The United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) are today the most influential players in human rights promotion. Nevertheless, their impacts on the delinquent states differ significantly. From a rationalist perspective, this thesis will argue that despite the fact that the UN has been the legal guardian of human rights norms, the EU is a better promoter largely due to its political conditionalities on the future member states and it is more successful at sustaining domestic change regarding human rights due to the attractiveness of its reward: full membership. This thesis, therefore, focuses on the role of these organizations in promoting human rights and facilitating norm diffusion specifically by looking at the UN's role in Sudan regarding Darfur crisis, and the EU's impact on Turkey regarding freedom of expression

Synthesis of mesoporous MCM-41 materials with low power microwave heating

Crystalline, high surface area, hexagonal mesoporous MCM-41 having uniform pore sizes and good thermal stability was successfully synthesized at 90-120oC in 30 minutes using low power microwave irradiation. This appears to be the first comprehensive and quantitative investigation of the comparatively rapid synthesis of mesoporous MCM-41 using low power microwave heating of 80W (90oC) and 120W (120oC). The influence of reaction temperature and the duration of heating were carefully investigated and the calcined MCM-41 materials were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, nitrogen adsorption, TGA and FTIR. The mesoporous MCM-41 product synthesized in 30 minutes at 120W and calcined at 550oC had a very high surface area of 1438 m2/g and was highly ordered, contained uniform pores with diameters in the range of 3.5-4.5 nm. The wall thickness of the materials highly depended on the power of the microwave energy used during the synthesis. Synthesis of the mesoporous MCM-41 products at 120oC resulted with a structure having thinner walls. The mesoporous MCM-41 materials synthesized in the present work had good thermal stability

Physicochemical transformation of ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles in sea water and its impact on bacterial toxicity

Background: The enormous properties of metal oxide nanoparticles make it possible to use these nanoparticles in a wide range of products. As their usage and application continue to expand, environmental health concerns have been raised. In order to understand the behavior and effect of metal oxide nanoparticles in the environment, comprehensive and comparable physicochemical and toxicological data on the environmental matrix are required. However, the behavior and effect of nanoparticles in the real environmental matrix, e.g. sea water, are still unknown. Methods: In this study, the effects of zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles on the bacteria (gram positive-Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus/gram-negative Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) in sea water were investigated. Furthermore, to better understand the behavior of the toxicity, surface chemistry, sedimentation, dissolution, particle size, and zeta potential of the nanoparticles dispersed in the sea water matrices were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible (UV-VIS) spectrophotometry, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (GFAAS), and dynamic light scattering (DLS), respectively. Results: The environmental matrix had a significant influence on physicochemical behavior of the tested nanoparticles. Besides, the inhibition of tested bacteria was observed against ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles in the presence of sea water, while there was no inhibition in the controlled condition. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that surface chemistry with exposure to the sea water can have a significant role on the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles and their toxicity. Keywords: Nanoparticle toxicity, Titanium dioxide, Zinc oxide, Sea water, Physicochemical properties, Matrix effec

EMG PSD Measures in Orthodontic Appliances

.The human body consists of different systems which include the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the musculoskeletal system, etc. Each system performs some kind of vital task and carries on many physiological processes. For example, the primary functions of the musculoskeletal system can be summarized as generating forces, producing motion, moving substance within the body, providing stabilization, and generating heat. Physiological processes are multifaceted fact and most of them manifest themselves as signals that reflect their nature and activities. These types of signals may be hormonal, physical or electrical. The general name of the electrical signals taken from the related organ or physiologic process with invasive or non-invasive methods is called Biomedical Signals. This signal is normally a function of time and is definable in terms of its amplitude, frequency and phase (Rangayyan, 2002). The electromyography (EMG) signal is a biomedical signal that detects the electrical potential generated by muscle cells when these cells contract, and also when the cells are at rest. Three types of muscle tissue can be identified. One of them is the skeletal muscle, and the others are the smooth muscle and the cardiac muscle. The EMG is applied to the study of skeletal muscle (Reaz et al., 2006). Skeletal muscles are comprised by nearly parallel cells and the muscle fibers which constitute the contractile structural units. Muscle fibers are activated by the central nervous system through electrical signals transmitted by motoneurons. A single motoneuron together with the muscle fibers that it contacts is called a motor unit which is the smallest functional subdivision of the neuromuscular system (Moritani, et al. 2004) The central nervous system controls the activation of motor units to optimize the interaction between our body and the surrounding environment. When the motor units are activated by the central nervous system, they produce an action potential trains of the active motor units add together to generate the interference EMG signal. Surface and needle electrodes have been used to detect EMG of muscles. Surface electrodes have been widely used to investigate neuromuscular functions because of their several advantages, for example, it is noninvasive, easy to adhere to the skin and to detect the total activities of the muscle and it was called Surface EMG (SEMG). Bu the real advantage of this technique is that it is more beneficial in studies, in which simultaneous movement of many muscles is examined in vast muscle groups. On the other hand, surface electrodes have disadvantages as well. Due to the broad area for receiving signals on respective muscl

Do enamel microabrasion and casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate affect shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets bonded to a demineralized enamel surface?

Objective: To evaluate and compare the effects of enamel microabrasion, casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP), and their combination on the shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets bonded to demineralized enamel surface. Materials and Methods: One hundred human first premolar teeth were randomly allocated to one of five groups. Group I was considered as the control of other groups. For the remaining groups, demineralization was performed via solutions. In group II, brackets were directly bonded to the demineralized enamel surface. CPP-ACP was applied in group III, microabrasion was performed in group IV, and both microabrasion and CPP-ACP application were performed in group V. The specimens were tested for SBS. Bond failures were scored according to the Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI). Analysis of variance and Tukey tests were used to compare the SBS of the groups. ARI scores of the groups were evaluated with a G-test. The statistical significance was set at P <. 05 level. Results: Statistically significant difference was found among the five investigated groups (F  =  111.870; P < .001). The SBS of groups II and IV were significantly lower than the other groups. No statistically significant difference was found among groups I (control; mean 24.1 ± 4.1 MPa), III (mean 22.0 ± 3.6 MPa), and V (mean 24.3 ± 1.9 MPa). Microabrasion and combination with CPP-ACP showed higher SBS compared to the control group. The differences between ARI scores of the groups were statistically significant (P < .001). Conclusion: CPP-ACP pretreatment, microabrasion of the enamel, and the combination of these two methods improve the bonding to demineralized enamel

Dentoskeletal effects of Twin Block and Herbst appliances in patients with Class II division 1 mandibular retrognathy

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate dentoskeletal effects of Herbst and Twin Block (TB) appliance therapies in Skeletal Class II malocclusion. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Herbst group consisted of 11 girls and 9 boys (mean age = 12.74±1.43 years), TB group comprised of 10 girls and 10 boys (mean age = 13.0±1.32 years), and control group included 9 girls and 11 boys (mean age = 12.17±1.47 years). Mean treatment/observation times were 15.81±5.96 months for Herbst, 16.20±7.54 months for TB, and 15.58±3.13 months for control group. Pre-treatment (T0) and post-treatment (T1) lateral cephalograms were traced using a modified Pancherz’s cephalometric analysis. Inter-group differences were evaluated with one-way analysis of variance, and intra-group differences were assessed with paired samples t-test at the P < 0.05 level. RESULTS: In control group, all sagittal and vertical skeletal measurements increased as a result of continuing growth. However, skeletal discrepancy and overjet remained unchanged. After functional appliance therapy, greater increases were recorded in TB group for all mandibular skeletal measurements compared with those in control group. Upper dental arch distalization and lower incisor protrusion were significant in Herbst group, compared with control. All face height measurements increased after functional appliance therapy. IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: In TB group, the treatment effects were mainly due to mandibular skeletal changes. Both skeletal and dental changes contribute to Class II correction with Herbst appliance therapy. Herbst appliance may be especially useful in Skeletal Class II patients with maxillary dentoalveolar protrusion and mandibular dentoalveolar retrusion, whereas TB appliance may be preferred for skeletal mandibular retrognathy patients

Comparison of three different orthodontic wires for bonded lingual retainer fabrication

Objective We evaluated the detachment force, amount of deformation, fracture mode, and pull-out force of 3 different wires used for bonded lingual retainer fabrication. Methods We tested 0.0215-inch five-stranded wire (PentaOne, Masel; group I), 0.016 × 0.022-inch dead-soft eight-braided wire (Bond-A-Braid, Reliance; group II), and 0.0195-inch dead-soft coaxial wire (Respond, Ormco; group III). To test detachment force, deformation, and fracture mode, we embedded 94 lower incisor teeth in acrylic blocks in pairs. Retainer wires were bonded to the teeth and vertically directed force was applied to the wire. To test pull-out force, wires were embedded in composite that was placed in a hole at the center of an acrylic block. Tensile force was applied along the long axis of the wire. Results Detachment force and mode of fracture were not different between groups. Deformation was significantly higher in groups II and III than in group I (p < 0.001). Mean pull-out force was significantly higher for group I compared to groups II and III (p < 0.001). Conclusions Detachment force and fracture mode were similar for all wires, but greater deformations were seen in dead-soft wires. Wire pull-out force was significantly higher for five-stranded coaxial wire than for the other wires tested. Five-stranded coaxial wires are suggested for use in bonded lingual retainers

Soft tissue effects of Twin Block and Herbst appliances in patients with Class II division 1 mandibular retrognathy

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Measurements from conventional, digital and CT-derived cephalograms: a comparative study

Objective: The purpose of this retrospective radiographic study was to determine the reliability and reproducibility of skeletal and dental measurements of lateral cephalograms created from a computerised tomography (CT) scan compared with conventional and digital lateral cephalograms. Methods: CT and conventional lateral cephalograms of the same patients were obtained from university archives. The lateral cephalometric radiographs of 30 patients were manually traced. The radiographs were subsequently scanned and traced using Dolphin Imaging software version 11 (Dolphin Imaging, Chatsworth, CA, USA). The CT-created lateral cephalograms were also traced using the same software. Sixteen (10 angular and 6 linear) measurements were performed. Cephalometric measurements obtained from conventional, digital and CT-created cephalograms were statistically compared using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Statistical significance was set at the p < 0.05 level of confidence. Results: The intra-rater reliability test for each method showed high values (r > 0.90) except for mandibular length which had a correlation of 0.82 for the CT-created cephalogram. Five measurements (N-A-Pog, N-S, ANS-PNS, Co-ANS and Co-Gn) were found to be significantly different between the CT-created and conventional cephalograms and three measurements (SNB, ANB, and /1-MP) were found to be significantly different between the CT-created and digital cephalograms. Conclusions: There are statistically-significant differences in measurements produced using a traditional manual analysis, a direct digital analysis or a 3D CT-derived cephalometric analysis of orthodontic patients. These differences are, on average, small but because of individual variation, may be of considerable clinical significance in some patients