Counting hyperelliptic curves that admit a Koblitz model

Let k be a finite field of odd characteristic. We find a closed formula for the number of k-isomorphism classes of pointed, and non-pointed, hyperelliptic curves of genus g over k, admitting a Koblitz model. These numbers are expressed as a polynomial in the cardinality q of k, with integer coefficients (for pointed curves) and rational coefficients (for non-pointed curves). The coefficients depend on g and the set of divisors of q-1 and q+1. These formulas show that the number of hyperelliptic curves of genus g suitable (in principle) of cryptographic applications is asymptotically (1-e^{-1})2q^{2g-1}, and not 2q^{2g-1} as it was believed. The curves of genus g=2 and g=3 are more resistant to the attacks to the DLP; for these values of g the number of curves is respectively (91/72)q^3+O(q^2) and (3641/2880)q^5+O(q^4)

Effects of different organic materials and chemical fertilizers on nutrition of pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) in organic arboriculture

This study was conducted under greenhouse conditions to investigate the effects of applied nutrients such as six organic materials (gyttja, alsil, humic acid, sea moss, straw and peat) and two chemical fertilizers (15-15-15, and 20-20-0) with different dosages on nutrient uptaking ability of one-year old and 7 cm long pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) trees by analyzing nutrient (mineral) contents of pistachio (P. vera L.) leaves. The experiment was designed as randomized block design with four replicates. Even though organic and inorganic materials had different effects on element contents of pistachio (P. vera L.) leaves, overall, these materials had statistically significant effects on P, Mg, Na, Mn, and Cu contents of pistachio leaves. The effect of organic and inorganic materials on K, Ca, Zn, and Fe contents of pistachio (P. vera L.) leaves was statistically not significant. Besides, inorganic fertilizers increased P content of pistachio (P. vera L.) leaves, but this increase caused the decrease of Cu content. High level of P content may be the reason of low uptake of some micro elements such as Cu. Although application of organic and inorganic materials generally increase P uptake, organic materials especially peat, gyttja and sea moss increased nutrient contents of pistachio (P. vera L.) leaves. This result is a significant knowledge in pistachio areas because they have low nutrients in there .Key words: Organic material, chemical fertilizer, Pistacia vera L., soil conditioner, arboriculture

Environmental determinants of life expectancy at birth in Turkey

Background: Information on determinants of life expectancy has gained great importance due to the fact that life expectancy has been considered as the major health system outcome. Although social, economic and health-related factors of longevity have been investigated by some researchers, studies were undertaken on environmental determinants of lifespan are still inadequate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental determinants of life expectancy at birth in Turkey.  Methods: The research population constitutes 81 provinces in Turkey. Data were gathered from the Turkey statistical institute for the year of 2015. Air pollution, forest area, safe water and noise pollution were indicators of environmental health. OLS regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between dependent and independent variables by using Eviews 9 program.Results: At the end of analyses, it was found out that, the life expectancy at birth was affected by forest area per km2. Also, the results indicated that air pollution, access to safe water and noise pollution were not associated with life expectancy at birth.Conclusions: Forest area is one of the main issues for the healthy life of the country. These results are expected to provide evidence-based information to health policymakers to understand the environmental determinants of life expectancy at birth in Turkey

Are Wireless Sensors Feasible for Aircraft?

Wireless communications is a preferred way of data transmission in many aerospace applications. Replacing some aircraft sensor wiring with wireless communications is a highly desirable but challenging transformation. The related sensors are referred to as aerospace wireless sensors (AWSs). This replacement can lower the weight of aircraft wiring, improve the overall safety of aircraft, simplify the design of aircraft structures, and lower the sensor installation and maintenance cost. The major concern for using AWSs is the potential negative effects on overall reliability and safety of aircraft. In this paper, the feasibility of using AWSs is discussed. In particular, the appropriate wireless communication schemes are studied in terms of immunity to jamming signals, interference to other on-board wireless systems, simultaneous data transmission from multiple AWSs, and low detectability to unintended parties. We conclude that the code-division multiple-access (CDMA) is a suitable scheme for this application

The effect of process parameters on microstructure and corrosion behavior of AISI 4140 steel modified by pulse plasma treatment

The pulse plasma system is a surface modification method applied to steel samples. In the present study, the effect of the nozzle distance and pulse number parameters were investigated on the modification process. AISI 4140 steel was preferred as the substrate for modification. In this system, the battery capacity and voltage were constant, and, were selected as 800 mF and 3000 V, respectively. The AISI 4140 steel samples were modified by applying 5, 10, and 15 pulses with 40, 50 and 60 mm nozzle distance. The molybdenum consumable electrode was used during the process. The modified surfaces were examined by optical and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Vickers microhardness on the cross-section surface of the samples was measured under a load of 50 g for 15 s. Finally, the specimens were exposed to corrosion in 0.5 M NaCl solution. Corrosion tests were realized using the potentiodynamic polarization method. A modified layer on the steel was determined to consist of two layers, the compound layer and the diffusion layer. It was observed that the structure and thickness of the modified layer affect by pulse number and nozzle distance. New phases such as Fe2N, FeN, MoN, and γ-Fe in the modified layer have occurred. The hardness value of the treated sample has risen about 4-5 times than the untreated, depending on applied process parameters. In general, the pulse plasma treatment has improved the corrosion resistance of treated samples. It was observed that while intergranular corrosion has formed on the unmodified surface, pitting corrosion has appeared on the unmodified surfaces

Decrease of left ventricular ejection fraction in severe illness patients due to COVID-19 may improve as the disease resolves

Background/aim: Increase in publications supporting myocardial involvement in the COVID-19 disease has led to need to gain insight into the the global burden of heart failure after pandemic. We examined the course of myocardial systolic function in patients without elevated troponin levels. Materials and methods: We performed a prospective study. Patients with high troponin levels were excluded from the study in order to definitively exclude complications known to cause permanent left ventricular systolic dysfunction, such as acute coronary syndromes. Two echocardiographic examinations were performed. The first evaluation was performed within the days of hospitalization, if possible, on the day when dyspnea is severe. The second evaluation was performed during the outpatient clinic controls one month after the patient was recovered. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured using the biplane method of disks (modified Simpson’s rule). Results: In the first evaluation, LVEF was found to be significantly lower in the severe illness group than mild/moderate illness group (50 ± 6% and 59 ± 6%; p = 0.03). LVEF decrease (<50%) was found in fifteen patients (43 ± 4%) and detected as global hypokinesia but not segmental. All of these patients were in the severe illness group. In the second evaluation, LVEFs of the fifteen patients with decreased LVEF in the first evaluation were improved and detected in normal limits (first evaluation = 43 ± 4% and second evaluation = 55 ± 2%, p = 0.01). Conclusion: Considering patients without elevated troponin levels during COVID-19 infection, no permanent systolic dysfunction was detected after first month of recovery. We found that transient myocardial dysfunction may develop in the severe illness group with normal troponin levels, LVEF may decrease in the acute phase and improve with the recovery period. © TÜBİTAK.We appreciate Tekirda? Provincial Health Director Ali Cengiz Kalkan for providing support and thank Dr. Hasan De?irmenci and Dr. Ulugbin Hayri for their contribution in the examination of the patients.Funding This study was funded by Aykut Demirk?ran, Hasan De?irmenci, and Ulug Bey Hayri. The study protocol received institutional review board approval. All participants provided informed consent

A Blueprint for Precise and Fault-Tolerant Analog Neural Networks

Analog computing has reemerged as a promising avenue for accelerating deep neural networks (DNNs) due to its potential to overcome the energy efficiency and scalability challenges posed by traditional digital architectures. However, achieving high precision and DNN accuracy using such technologies is challenging, as high-precision data converters are costly and impractical. In this paper, we address this challenge by using the residue number system (RNS). RNS allows composing high-precision operations from multiple low-precision operations, thereby eliminating the information loss caused by the limited precision of the data converters. Our study demonstrates that analog accelerators utilizing the RNS-based approach can achieve ${\geq}99\%$ of FP32 accuracy for state-of-the-art DNN inference using data converters with only $6$-bit precision whereas a conventional analog core requires more than $8$-bit precision to achieve the same accuracy in the same DNNs. The reduced precision requirements imply that using RNS can reduce the energy consumption of analog accelerators by several orders of magnitude while maintaining the same throughput and precision. Our study extends this approach to DNN training, where we can efficiently train DNNs using $7$-bit integer arithmetic while achieving accuracy comparable to FP32 precision. Lastly, we present a fault-tolerant dataflow using redundant RNS error-correcting codes to protect the computation against noise and errors inherent within an analog accelerator

Speckle-tracking strain assessment of left ventricular dysfunction in synthetic cannabinoid and heroin users

Objective: There is growing evidence regarding the numerous adverse effects of synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs) on the cardiovascular system; however, no studies have shown the cardiovascular effects of opioids using strain echocardiography. This study examines the cardiac structure and function using echocardiographic strain imaging in heroin and synthetic cannabinoid users. Methods: This double-blind study included patients who were admitted or referred to a rehabilitation center for heroin (n=31) and synthetic cannabinoid users (n=30). Heroin users and synthetic cannabinoid users were compared with healthy volunteers (n=32) using two-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking (ST) echocardiography. Results: No differences were found in the baseline characteristics and 2D echocardiography values. The mean global longitudinal strain value was -20.5%+/- 2.4% for SCB users, -22.3%+/- 2.4% for opioid users, and -22.5%+/- 2.2% for healthy volunteers (p=0.024). The mean apical 2-chamber (AP2C) L-strain values were -20.1%+/- 3.1%, -22.4%+/- 3.0%, and -22.3%+/- 2.8% for SCB users, opioid users, and healthy volunteers, respectively (p=0.032). The mean apical 4-chamber (AP4C) L-strain values were -20.7%+/- 2.5% for SCB users, -23.2%+/- 3.2% for opioid users, and -23.8%+/- 3.1% for healthy volunteers (p<0.001). Conclusion: SCBs are potential causes of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction

Key Performance Measures and Digital-Era Technologies in Warehouses

The manuscript aims to benchmark warehousing industries in developing and developed countries in terms of performance measures from the perspective of industry professionals and the potential impact of digital-era technologies. Compared with the US-based Warehousing Education Research Council’s reports published in 2018 and 2019, this paper presents that “on-time shipments” is the most critical performance measure in Turkey in both 2018 and 2019 while “order picking accuracy” is in the US. This study also presented that mobile technologies are considered as the most influential digital-era technology in terms of supporting ongoing improvements in warehousing operations and providing a competitive advantage to the companies in both Turkey and the US. Moreover, some digital-era technologies such as driverless vehicles or drones, 3D printing and simulation are considered the least supportive or competitive technologies according to the professionals in Turkey