Interaction among the Criteria Affecting Main Battle Tank Selection: An Analysis with DEMATEL Method

Main battle tanks (MBTs) have always been in the heart of all military campaigns and have enabled armies to fight across the full spectrum of war. Countries need to consider the complex interactions between subsystems of MBTs in the decision phase of a design process or MBT acquisition. In order to define the interaction among the subsystems of ‘system of systems’, which is MBT system for this case, this study aims to determine the criteria and their sub criteria affecting MBT selection problem and to analyse the cause and effect relations among these criteria. The criteria and the complex interaction among them have been determined by consulting a group of experts. Because of multiple complex criteria interactions in MBT selection problem, decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method is used as a multiple criteria decision making method. DEMATEL method is applied on the main and the sub criteria separately to understand the cause and effect relations. The results show that Survivability main criterion has the strongest central role among the main criteria for MBT selection, while the followers are firepower, mobility and command and control (C2). It is also shown that, in terms of sub criteria for MBT selection, ballistic protection, a sub criterion of survivability main criterion, has the highest degree of influence over most of the other sub criteria. However, physical dimensions/silhouette, another sub criterion of survivability, is the most affected sub criteria. The top five sub criteria in terms of central role are determined as physical dimensions/silhouette, ballistic protection, power/weight ratio, ground pressure and suspension system

Protective effect of N-Acetylcysteine on testicular oxidative damage, spermatological parameters and DNA damage in glyphosate-based herbicide-exposed rats

The aim of this study was to examine the protective effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on testicular oxidative damage, spermatological parameters and DNA damage caused by Glyphosate (GLF) in rats. In total, twenty-eight Wistar male rats were evaluated by being separated into four groups in an equal way. Rats in group I, which represented the control group, were fed normal diet without GLF or NAC, group II received normal feed containing 160 mg/kg/daily NAC, group III received normal feed containing 375 mg/kg/daily GLF, and group IV received normal feed containing 160 mg/kg/daily NAC + 375 mg/kg/daily GLF. GLF administration decreased sperm motility, abnormal sperm rate, sperm plasma membrane integrity, glutathione level and superoxide dismutase in the rats’ testicular tissue. On the other hand, high malondialdehyde level and DNA damage were detected in the group administered with GLF. Besides, in histopathological terms, a decrease in sperm concentration and degeneration of sertoli cells were determined in the testicular tissue. NAC and NAC+GLF administration reversed lipid peroxidation and DNA damage induced by GLF, the activity of antioxidant enzymes and cell integrity in rats’ testis. The above-mentioned findings indicate that NAC reduces lipid peroxidation caused by GLF, improves the antioxidant defense mechanism and regenerates tissue damage in rats’ testis.Bu çalışmanın amacı, N-asetilsisteinin (NAC) sıçanlarda Glifosat (GLF) 'nin neden olduğu testiküler oksidatif hasar, spermatolojik parametreler ve DNA hasarı üzerindeki koruyucu etkisini incelemektir. Toplam yirmi sekiz Wistar erkek sıçan, eşit bir şekilde dört gruba ayrılarak değerlendirildi. Kontrol grubunu olan grup I'deki sıçanlar, GLF veya NAC olmaksızın normal diyetle beslendiler, grup II’deki hayvanlara 160 mg / kg / günlük NAC içeren normal rat diyeti uygulandı, grup III’deki hayvanlara 375 mg / kg / günlük GLF içeren normal rat diyeti verildi ve grup IV’deki hayvanlara 160 mg / kg / günlük NAC + 375 mg / kg / günlük GLF içeren normal rat diyeti uygulandı. GLF uygulaması sıçanların testis dokusunda spermatozoon motilitesini, anormal spermatozoon oranını, spermatozoon plazma membran bütünlüğünü, glutatyon ve süperoksit dismutaz düzeyini azaltmıştır. Diğer taraftan GLF uygulanan grupta yüksek malondialdehid düzeyi ve DNA hasarı saptandı. Ayrıca histopatolojik olarak testis dokusunda spermatozoon konsantrasyonunda azalma ve sertoli hücrelerin dejenerasyonu belirlendi. NAC ve NAC + GLF uygulaması, lipid peroksidasyonunu ve GLF tarafından indüklenen DNA hasarını, sıçanların testislerinde antioksidan enzimlerin aktivitesini ve hücre bütünlüğünü tersine çevirdi. Yukarıda belirtilen bulgular, NAC'nin GLF'nin neden olduğu lipit peroksidasyonunu azalttığını, antioksidan savunma mekanizmasını geliştirdiğini ve sıçanların testislerinde doku hasarını rejenere ettiğini göstermektedir

Entrepreneurship Education and Perception Change: The Preliminary Outcomes of Compulsory Entrepreneurship Course Experience in Turkey

The importance of entrepreneurship is increasingly emphasized worldwide especially after the decline of centrally planned economic systems. The trends toward reducing the domination of governments in the economy put the entrepreneur, the sole actor who makes the markets work by starting and growing the businesses in any scale, in the center of the economy policies. In this context, the policies toward making entrepreneurship widespread and thereby achieve the aim of economic growth and wealth have been very common in both developed and developing countries for decades with a few exceptions worldwide. On the other hand, despite the increasing popularity of entrepreneur and entrepreneurship research, the number of entrepreneurs who undertake the risks of starting a business and grow it by innovation and thereby create new jobs is not that much in reality. It is not easy to motivate people to become entrepreneurs in the presence of different employment alternatives. So, the governments that chose free market economy system based upon entrepreneurship have been starting policies toward motivating individuals to choose entrepreneurship as a career alternative. Entrepreneurship education is one of the most common tools in this sense and has been used widely both in schools and out of school education. In this direction, programs supporting the entrepreneurs and people who have intentions to start their own businesses in Turkey is a government policy today. Aksaray University, a state university in Turkey, started a compulsory four hour Entrepreneurship course covering all undergraduate departments in Aksaray University. The senate of Aksaray University agreed on the compulsory entrepreneurship courses, which will be effective to all departments beginning from September 2012 -only selective for the departments which have curriculums determined centrally by the Ministry of Education or Higher Education Council of Turkey- and there is also an agreement between KOSGEB Republic of Turkey, Small and Medium Entreprises Development Organzation and Aksaray University to provide students a certificate which gives them the right to apply for certain financial incentives to start their own businesses. The aim of this research is to find out the perception change of students towards entrepreneur and entrepreneurship. A survey was conducted among 925 students who participated in these courses and who did not in Aksaray University and the results show that the compulsory courses have positive impacts on perceptions toward Entrepreneurship, along with the intention to start their own businesses. We hope that similar studies which will focus on the context of the course, the qualifications of the lecturers, the practices of students after graduation, their innovative behaviours in their business life will contribute to the Entrepreneurship Education fiel

Laparoscopically Treated Giant Gastric Bezoar Complicated with Large Ulcer in Young Patient

Gastric bezoars are rare but well known intraluminal formations in the gastrointestinal system. Reports for gastric bezoar treatment include dissolution, endoscopic retrieval and surgery (open and laparoscopic). We are presenting a case of 32 years old male patient presented with giant gastric bezoar complicated with large ulcer. The patient was operated laparoscopically with success. Laparoscopic surgery is safe alternative to open surgery for giant gastric bezoars treatment

Effects of different pulmonary surfactants in the prevention of postoperative intraabdominal adhesion formation

Background: After abdominal surgery, the formation of postoperative adhesion is a serious problem. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of 2 different pulmonary surfactants, poractant and beractant, on adhesion prevention in an experimental model. Materials and Methods: An experimental intraabdominal adhesion model was created in 18 adult female rats by cecal abrasion. The rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups. Group I received no further treatment, whereas groups II and III received intraperitoneal poractant and beractant, respectively, before closing the incision. On the 15th postoperative day, all rats underwent relaparotomy, intraabdominal adhesions were scored macroscopically according to Canbaz scoring system, and the cecum in each animal was evaluated microscopically. Results: The median adhesion scores of group II and III rats were significantly lower when compared with group I (P = .02). Group III had a lower median adhesion score than did group II, but this did not reach significance (P N .05). Conclusion: These observations suggest that intraperitoneal instillation of both pulmonary surfactants is associated with lower adhesion scores, higher adhesion-free cases, and improved histologic findings

Physiological, Biochemical, and Transcriptional Responses to Single and Combined Abiotic Stress in Stress-Tolerant and Stress-Sensitive Potato Genotypes

Potato production is often constrained by abiotic stresses such as drought and high temperatures which are often present in combination. In the present work, we aimed to identify key mechanisms and processes underlying single and combined abiotic stress tolerance by comparative analysis of tolerant and susceptible cultivars. Physiological data indicated that the cultivars Desiree and Unica were stress tolerant while Agria and Russett Burbank were stress susceptible. Abiotic stress caused a greater reduction of photosynthetic carbon assimilation in the susceptible cultivars which was associated with a lower leaf transpiration rate. Oxidative stress, as estimated by the accumulation of malondialdehyde was not induced by stress treatments in any of the genotypes with the exception of drought stress in Russett Burbank. Stress treatment resulted in increases in ascorbate peroxidase activity in all cultivars except Agria which increased catalase activity in response to stress. Transcript profiling highlighted a decrease in the abundance of transcripts encoding proteins associated with PSII light harvesting complex in stress tolerant cultivars. Furthermore, stress tolerant cultivars accumulated fewer transcripts encoding a type-1 metacaspase implicated in programmed cell death. Stress tolerant cultivars exhibited stronger expression of genes associated with plant growth and development, hormone metabolism and primary and secondary metabolism than stress susceptible cultivars. Metabolite profiling revealed accumulation of proline in all genotypes following drought stress that was partially suppressed in combined heat and drought. On the contrary, the sugar alcohols inositol and mannitol were strongly accumulated under heat and combined heat and drought stress while galactinol was most strongly accumulated under drought. Combined heat and drought also resulted in the accumulation of Valine, isoleucine, and lysine in all genotypes. These data indicate that single and multiple abiotic stress tolerance in potato is associated with a maintenance of CO2 assimilation and protection of PSII by a reduction of light harvesting capacity. The data further suggests that stress tolerant cultivars suppress cell death and maintain growth and development via fine tuning of hormone signaling, and primary and secondary metabolism. This study highlights potential targets for the development of stress tolerant potato cultivars

Reconciling the stratigraphy and depositional history of the Lycian orogen-top basins, SW Anatolia

Terrestrial fossil records from the SW Anatolian basins are crucial both for regional correlations and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. By reassessing biostratigraphic constraints and incorporating new fossil data, we calibrated and reconstructed the late Neogene and Quaternary palaeoenvironments within a regional palaeogeographical framework. The culmination of the Taurides in SW Anatolia was followed by a regional crustal extension from the late Tortonian onwards that created a broad array of NE-trending orogen-top basins with synchronic associations of alluvial fan, fluvial and lacustrine deposits. The terrestrial basins are superimposed on the upper Burdigalian marine units with a c. 7 myr of hiatus that corresponds to a shift from regional shortening to extension. The initial infill of these basins is documented by a transition from marginal alluvial fans and axial fluvial systems into central shallow-perennial lakes coinciding with a climatic shift from warm/humid to arid conditions. The basal alluvial fan deposits abound in fossil macro-mammals of an early Turolian (MN11–12; late Tortonian) age. The Pliocene epoch in the region was punctuated by subhumid/humid conditions resulting in a rise of local base levels and expansion of lakes as evidenced by marsh-swamp deposits containing diverse fossil mammal assemblages indicating late Ruscinian (late MN15; late Zanclean) age. A second pulse of extension, accompanied by regional climatic changes, prompted subsequent deepening of the lakes as manifested by thick and laterally extensive carbonate successions. These lakes, which prevailed c. 1 myr, later shrank due to renewed progradation of alluvial fans and eventually filled up and dried out, reflected by marsh-swamp deposits at the top of a complete lacustrine succession that contains diverse micro-mammal assemblages indicating a latest Villanyian (MN17; Gelasian) age. A third pulse of tectonic reorganisation and associated extension dissected the basins into their present-day configuration from the early Pleistocene onwards under warm/humid climatic conditions. The new age data provide means to correlate deposits across various basins in the region that help to place the basin development into a regional tectonic framework, which can be attributed to the consequence of the well-articulated regional phenomena of slab-tear/detachment-induced uplift followed by crustal extension and basin formation (late Tortonian), the outward extension of the Aegean arc (early Pliocene) and eventually accompanied by westward extrusion of the Anatolian Plate (early Pleistocene)