Flight Guardian: Autonomous Flight Safety Improvement by Monitoring Aircraft Cockpit Instruments

During in-flight emergencies, a pilot’s workload increases significantly and it is often during this period of increased stress that human errors occur that consequently diminish the flight safety. Research studies indicate that many plane crashes can be attributed to ineffective cockpit instrument monitoring by the pilot. This manuscript entails the development of Flight Guardian(FG) system being first of its kind that aims to provide efficient flight-deck awareness to improve flight safety while assisting the pilot in abnormal situations. The system is intended to be used in older aircrafts that cannot easily or cost effectively be modified with modern digital avionic systems. One of the important feature of FG system being not physically connected to the aircraft, avoids any impact on airworthiness or the need for re-certification. For the first time, a composite of techniques including video analysis, knowledge representation, and machine belief representations are combined to build a novel flight-deck warning system. The prototype system is tested in both; simulation based Lab and real flight environments under the guidance of expert pilots. The overall system performance is evaluated using statistical analysis of experimental results that proved the robustness of proposed methodology in terms of automated warning generation in hazardous situations

Serum IL-1β, IL-2, and IL-6 in Insulin-Dependent Diabetic Children

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a chronic disease characterized by T-cell-dependent autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing β cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans, resulting in an absolute lack of insulin. T cells are activated in response to islet-dominant autoantigens, the result being the development of IDDM. Insulin is one of the islet autoantigens responsible for the activation of T-lymphocyte functions, inflammatory cytokine production, and development of IDDM. The aim of this study was to investigate serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in children IDDM. The study population consisted of 27 children with IDDM and 25 healthy controls. Children with IDDM were divided into three subgroups: (1) previously diagnosed patients (long standing IDDM) (n : 15), (2) newly diagnosed patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (before treatment) (n : 12), and (3) newly diagnosed patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (after treatment for two weeks) (n : 12). In all stages of diabetes higher levels of IL-1β and TNF- α and lower levels of IL-2 and IL-6 were detected. Our data about elevated serum IL-1β, TNF- α and decreased IL-2, IL-6 levels in newly diagnosed IDDM patients in comparison with longer standing cases supports an activation of systemic inflammatory process during early phases of IDDM which may be indicative of an ongoing β-cell destruction. Persistence of significant difference between the cases with IDDM monitored for a long time and controls in terms of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α supports continuous activation during the late stages of diabetes

Do Third Molars Play a Role in Second Molars Undergoing Endodontic Treatment?

Background and aim: This study evaluated the rates of second molars undergoing endodontic treatment due to partially or fully erupted lower and upper third molars. Materials and Methods: Radiographic data from 579 patients were analyzed to calculate the rates of second molars undergoing endodontic treatment due to third molars and other reasons. Descriptive statistics were expressed as numbers and percentages for categorical variables. The chi-square test was used to determine the relationships between categorical variables. Results: The rate of second molars undergoing root canal treatment for reasons unrelated to third molars was statistically higher than that of second molars undergoing treatment because of third molars (p < 0.001). The rate of lower second molars with endodontic treatment was significantly higher than that of upper second molars (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between partially and fully erupted third molars causing root canal treatment of second molars (p = 0.344). Conclusion: Root canal treatment of second molars can be related to fully or partially erupted third molars. All preventive measures should be taken to avoid the need for root canal treatment

The Effect of Family Attitudes and Preparation of High School Entrance Exam on Habitual Physical Activity in Children

AbstractPhysical activity level (PAL) is an important factor to promote and maintain a healthy lifestyle along the whole life cycle. The children and adolescent period is the critical time to acquire positive lifestyle habits. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of both high school entrance exam (HSEE) and parental behaviors on habitual PAL of students during the preparation of this exam. Totally 319 Elementary School students (154 girls, 165 boys) between ages of 11-13 were selected randomly for this study. PAL of students were evaluated by using the Beacke Physical Activity Questionnaires. There were a no significant differences between attendance and non attendance to extra courses for HSEE in terms of word activity (WA), sport activity (SA), and leisure activity (LA) scores (p<.05) among the students. It was shown that regular physical activity attendance of mothers plaid a significant role in LA scores (p≤.03) among the students. However, WA, and SA scores of students were not affected from their mother's habitual activities (p<.05). On the other hand, there were significant differences in WA, and SA according to father's regular physical activity attendance (p≤.01).As a conclusion, parental habitual physical activity level played an important role in high score of student's LA. It is recommended to monitor and promote parental physical activity

Analyzing of iron-deficiency anemia in pregnancy using rule-based intelligent classification models

Introduction: Iron deficiency anemia is the most common cause of anemia worldwide, and increased iron requirement during pregnancy increases the risk of anemia. Anemia in pregnancy is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight, preterm and intrauterine growth restriction. This study used a Rule-based Intelligent Classification Models to predict socio-demographic, nutritional, antenatal care and obstetric factors on iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy Methods: This retrospective study was a secondary analysis of a community-based cross-sectional study conducted between January and June 2019 in the province of Elazig in eastern Turkey. Data of 495 pregnant women were included in the study iron deficiency anemia was defined as hemoglobin   lt; 11 g/dl, and ferritin lt; 30 µg/L. Rule-based machine learning methods were used to predict factors associated with anemia during pregnancy. Results: The mean age of 495 pregnant women were 30.06 ± 5.15 years. The prevalence of anemia was 27.9% in study population. Maternal age, educational status, occupation, nutrition education status, nutritional property, gravida, and parity were significantly related to anemia. Jrip, OneR, and PART algorithms estimated factors associated with anemia with 96.36%, 85.45%, and 97.98% accuracy, respectively. Conclusion: Rule-based machine learning algorithm may offer a new approach to risk factors for iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy. With the use of this model, it is possible to predict the risk of anemia both before and during pregnancy and to take preventative measures

The Effects of Two Different Stretching Programs on Balance Control and Motor Neuron Excitability

We examined the effects of training (4d/wk for 6 wks) with static stretching (SS) or contract-relax proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) on static balance time and motor neuron excitability. Static balance time, Hmax/Mmax ratios and H-reflex recovery curves (HRRC) were measured in 28 healthy subjects (SS: n=10, PNF: n=9, control: n=9) before and after training. SS improved static balance time with a trend observed for PNF. Post training, during 150-200-250 msec interstimulus intervals, we observed a reduction in facilitation, but during 500-700-900 msec interstimulus interval; there was an increase in H2/H1 ratio in the PNF group only. Both stretching techniques improved static balance. The Ia afferent inhibitions during the acute exercises were not found after the SS and PNF training programmes. It was concluded that training with contract-relax proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation may cause some augmentation in supraspinal and postsynaptic inhibition on the motoneuron pool

Association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and nutritional status in geriatric patients

Background Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and presence of malnutrition have been found to be associated with mortality and morbidity in various clinical conditions. We investigated the association between NLR and nutritional status in geriatric patients. Methods This cross-sectional study included 95 geriatric (age >= 65 years) patients from general internal medicine outpatient clinic of a university hospital. Nutritional status of the patients was evaluated using Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index, albumin, total cholesterol, body mass index, mid-arm circumference, and calf circumference. NLR was calculated from the complete blood count results. Results A total of 59 patients were female, and the mean age was 73 +/- 9.8 years. According to the MNA, 51.6% of patients had a normal nutritional status, and 48.4% were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. The mean NLR of patients with malnourished or at risk of malnutrition was significantly higher than that of patients with normal nutritional status (P = 0.004). There was a negative correlation between NLRs and the MNA scores (r = -0.276, P = 0.007). Optimal NLR cutoff point for patients with malnourished or at risk of malnutrition was 1.81 with 71.7% sensitivity and 63.3% specificity [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.562-0.780, P = 0.004]. Logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated NLR was an independent factor in prediction of malnutrition or risk of malnutrition in geriatric patients. Conclusion These results demonstrated that NLR was associated with the nutritional status of geriatric patients. NLR may be a useful nutritional marker for evaluating the nutritional status of geriatric outpatients

Honey Plants of Düzce University Ornamental and Medicinal Plants Botanical Garden

In this study, melliferous plants that the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) can benefit from among the taxa planted in Düzce University Ornamental and Medicinal Plants Botanical Garden, are presented. Among the 451 taxa planted in the botanical garden, those with these characteristics were determined by reviewing studies on the subject. Of the 165 taxa (36.58%) included in the honey plant class; 119 contain both nectar and pollen, 25 contain pollen, 13 contain nectar, 4 contain both pollen and insect secretion (IS) or sweet sap (SS), 2 contain pollen, nectar and IS or SS, 1 contain both nectar and SS, 1 contain only IS. In order to prevent the decrease in pollinator and pollinator insects, whose numbers are decreasing due to global climate change, a "Bee and Insect Hotel" was placed in the botanical garden. For this reason, the majority of the plants selected for planting were chosen from taxa with honey plant properties. The main purpose here is both to pollinate the plants in the botanical garden and to show and explain the effects of insect species on pollination through nature education

The diagnostic and prognostic value of red cell distribution width in cardiovascular disease, current status and prospective

The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is an index of the heterogeneity of circulating red blood cell size, which along with other standard complete blood count (CBC) parameters are used to identify hematological system diseases. Besides hematological disorders, several clinical studies have shown that an increased in the RDW may be associated with other diseases including acute pancreatitis, chronic kidney disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, and of special interest in this review, cardiovascular disease (CVD). The diagnostic and prognostic value of RDW in different CVD (acute coronary syndrome, ischemic cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and acute ischemic stroke) has been reviewed in this article, to provide an understanding how its measurement may be applied to improve the management of these conditions.Keywords: RDW, Biomarker, Cardiovascular disease

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis