Pre-positioning of relief items under road/facility vulnerability with concurrent restoration and relief transportation

Planning for response to sudden-onset disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or floods needs to take into account the inherent uncertainties regarding the disaster and its impacts on the affected people as well as the logistics network. This article focuses on the design of a multi-echelon humanitarian response network, where the pre-disaster decisions of warehouse location and item pre-positioning are subject to uncertainties in relief item demand and vulnerability of roads and facilities following the disaster. Once the disaster strikes, relief transportation is accompanied by simultaneous repair of blocked roads, which delays the transportation process, but gradually increases the connectivity of the network at the same time. A two-stage stochastic program is formulated to model this system and a Sample Average Approximation (SAA) scheme is proposed for its heuristic solution. To enhance the efficiency of the SAA algorithm, we introduce a number of valid inequalities and bounds on the objective value. Computational experiments on a potential earthquake scenario in Istanbul, Turkey show that the SAA scheme is able to provide an accurate approximation of the objective function in reasonable time, and can help drive policy-based implications that may be applicable in preparation for similar potential disaster

Pre-positioning of relief items under road/facility vulnerability with concurrent restoration and relief transportation

Planning for response to sudden-onset disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or floods needs to take into account the inherent uncertainties regarding the disaster and its impacts on the affected people as well as the logistics network. This article focuses on the design of a multi-echelon humanitarian response network, where the pre-disaster decisions of warehouse location and item pre-positioning are subject to uncertainties in relief item demand and vulnerability of roads and facilities following the disaster. Once the disaster strikes, relief transportation is accompanied by simultaneous repair of blocked roads, which delays the transportation process, but gradually increases the connectivity of the network at the same time. A two-stage stochastic program is formulated to model this system and a Sample Average Approximation (SAA) scheme is proposed for its heuristic solution. To enhance the efficiency of the SAA algorithm, we introduce a number of valid inequalities and bounds on the objective value. Computational experiments on a potential earthquake scenario in Istanbul, Turkey show that the SAA scheme is able to provide an accurate approximation of the objective function in reasonable time, and can help drive policy-based implications that may be applicable in preparation for similar potential disasters

Autosomal recessive variants in TUBGCP2 alter the γ-tubulin ring complex leading to neurodevelopmental disease.

Microtubules help building the cytoskeleton of neurons and other cells. Several components of the gamma-tubulin (γ-tubulin) complex have been previously reported in human neurodevelopmental diseases. We describe two siblings from a consanguineous Turkish family with dysmorphic features, developmental delay, brain malformation, and epilepsy carrying a homozygous mutation (p.Glu311Lys) in TUBGCP2 encoding the γ-tubulin complex 2 (GCP2) protein. This variant is predicted to disrupt the electrostatic interaction of GCP2 with GCP3. In primary fibroblasts carrying the variant, we observed a faint delocalization of γ-tubulin during the cell cycle but normal GCP2 protein levels. Through mass spectrometry, we observed dysregulation of multiple proteins involved in the assembly and organization of the cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix, controlling cellular adhesion and of proteins crucial for neuronal homeostasis including axon guidance. In summary, our functional and proteomic studies link TUBGCP2 and the γ-tubulin complex to the development of the central nervous system in humans

Tekstil sektöründe Avrupa Birliği IPPC direktifi ile uyum çalışmaları: BAT uygulamaları

TÜBİTAK ÇAYDAG15.01.2008Bu çalışma, Türkiye'de bir tekstil işletmesi için IPPC (Entegre Kirlilik Önleme ve Kontrolü) Direktifi kapsamında "Mevcut En İyi Teknikler"in ilk uygulaması ve değerlendirmesidir. IPPC Direktifi'nin hayata geçirilmesinde rehber olacak bir "en iyi uygulama örneği" tekstil sektörü için geliştirilmiş ve bu kapsamda işletme için "Mevcut En İyi Teknik" ihtiyaçları belirlenmiştir. Sürdürülebilir hammadde ve atık yönetimi için, ilk olarak, üretim süreçlerinin BREF ("Mevcut En İyi Teknikler" Referans) Dokümanı ile detaylı karşılaştırılması yapılmıştır. Su yoğun bir sektör olması sebebiyle, proseslerde geri kullanımı mümkün olabilecek atıksular belirlenip atıksu karakterizasyon çalışmaları yürütülmüştür. Proses atıksularında ve tesisten çıkan toplam atıksuda geri kazanım olanaklarının araştırılması için atıksu yönetim stratejisi oluşturulmuştur. Bu stratejiyle uyumlu olarak, üretim süreçlerinin BREF Tekstil Dokümanı ile detaylı karşılaştırılması yapılmış, gerek atıksuların geri kullanım amaçlı arıtılabilirliği gerekse su kullanımının ve atıksu üretiminin azaltımı üzerine çalışılmıştır. Uygulanabilir BAT önerileri fabrika yetkilileri ile birlikte çalışarak belirlenmiştir. Atıksu yönetimi çalışmalarının yanı sıra, enerji tüketiminin azaltılması, kimyasal değişikliği ve çevresel risk analizi çalışmaları da yürütülmüştür.This study was undertaken as the first application and evaluation of Best Available Techniques (BAT) within the context of the IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) Directive to a textile mill in Turkey. A “best practice example”, which will form a guideline for the implementation of the IPPC Directive, is to be developed for the textile sector; and within this context BAT requirements for the mill were determined. In order to achieve a sustainable resource and waste management; firstly, a detailed screening of the production processes with respect to BREF (BAT Reference) Textile Document was made. Being a water intensive sector, wastewater characterization study was conducted to identify the possible candidate wastewaters to be reused. A wastewater management strategy was adopted to investigate the possible reuse opportunities in the process wastewaters along with the composite mill effluent. In line with this strategy, production processes were analyzed in depth in accordance with the BREF Document not only to treat the generated wastewaters for their possible reuse but also to reduce the amount of water consumption and wastewater generation. Applicable BAT options were determined in cooperation with the mill staff. Besides studies related to wastewater management, minimization of energy consumption, chemical substitution and environmental risk analysis studies were also conducted

Surfactant replacement and open lung concept – Comparison of two treatment strategies in an experimental model of neonatal ARDS

Background: Several concepts of treatment in neonatal ARDS have been proposed in the last years. The present study compared the effects of open lung concept positive pressure ventilation (PPVOLC) with a conventional ventilation strategy combined with administration of two different surfactant preparations on lung function and surfactant homoeostasis. Methods: After repeated whole-lung saline lavage, 16 newborn piglets were assigned to either PPVOLC(n = 5) or surfactant treatment under conventional PPV using a natural bovine (n = 5) or a monomeric protein B based surfactant (n = 6). Results: Comprehensive monitoring showed each treatment strategy to improve gas exchange and lung function, although the effect on PaO2and pulmonary compliance declined over the study period in the surfactant groups. The overall improvement of the ventilation efficiency index (VEI) was significantly greater in the PPVOLCgroup. Phospholipid and protein analyses of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed significant alterations to surfactant homoeostasis in the PPVOLCgroup, whereas IL-10 and SP-C mRNA expression was tendentially increased in the surfactant groups. Conclusion: The different treatment strategies applied could be shown to improve gas exchange and lung function in neonatal ARDS. To which extent differences in maintenance of lung function and surfactant homeostasis may lead to long-term consequences needs to be studied further

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Belirsiz talep ve yol-tesis kırılganlığı altında insani yardım sistemleri için tesis yeri ve malzeme konumlandırma planlaması.

Disasters may have devastating effect on human life as well as economy, and Turkey is a disaster prone country, especially to earthquakes. This study aims to propose a multi-echelon humanitarian logistics network design by incorporation of demand uncertainty and road-facility vulnerabilities with an application to a possible earthquake scenario in Istanbul region of Turkey. In frame of the study, a two stage stochastic programming model is formulated. In the first stage, warehouse and distribution center locations as well as inventory pre-positioning decisions are made, whereas in the second stage, relief distribution decisions are made. The stochastic model considers different demand scenarios and also road and facility vulnerabilities are incorporated as discrete binary scenario sets into the baseline model. The model is executed under efficiency and equity based objective functions, to analyze the effect of different objective measures to model key performance measures. Sample average approximation heuristic method is utilized for the solution of the proposed mathematical model. A sensitivity analysis is conducted on the baseline model to see the effect of vulnerability as well as other parameters such as budget and facility capabilities on the results and model key performance measures.M.S. - Master of Scienc

Lack of concerted action in The European Union's foreign policy: a comparative analysis of The European Union's presence in the Libyan and Syrian crises

The European Union has come a long way since the Maastricht Treaty, which adopted the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Throughout the years, having a coherent foreign and security policy has always been a challenge that the Union faces, which first became evident in the Union’s presence during the stabilization of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Lisbon Treaty has been adopted to address to the problems with regards to the weakness in the Union’s ability to speak with one voice in foreign and security related issues. However, the intergovernmental nature of the CFSP has often trumped the efforts to have a coherent foreign policy making by reducing the Union’s chance of formulating a common strategy in related fields, which is mostly linked to diverging interests among the member states of the Union. The more preferences of the member states differ, the less likely the Union presents itself as a strong and active security actor at the international level. The arc of instability that erupted in Libya and Syria in 2011 has been a litmus test for the Union to reveal its capabilities as a security actor following the Lisbon Treaty. The thesis will examine how the diverging member state preferences play a huge role in shaping the EU’s response to these crises and in evaluating the Union’s weight as a strong international security acto

Çam iğneli hafif kerpiçin fiziksel ve ısıl özellikleri.

Lightweight loam (LWL) is an ancient earth-based insulation material. Different types of LWL have been developed according to the usage and the availability of materials. However, the most used is straw and LWL is better known as straw-clay or slip-straw. In Turkey, straw is a valuable material used as an animal fodder. On the other hand, pine-needles are available in large quantities in Turkey. Production of mud-bricks and traditional mud roof insulation with pine-needles has proven its compatibility with earth construction. Therefore, using pine-needles as filler in an earth-based insulation material is proposed. Two types of pine-needles and two types of soil have been used to determine the suitability of the material. Relations between soil type and viscosity of the loam, type and amount of pine-needles have been investigated for the determination of physical properties of the material. Vapor resistivity and hygro-thermal properties of 4 different pine-needle LWL and straw LWL samples have been monitored during long periods under different weather conditions. The results of the tests have been compared to establish the efficiency of the material as a humidity regulating insulation material. Pine-needle LWL shows an appropriate performance compared to other materials. Shrinkage, density and water absorption can be controlled by modifying the type of pine-needle and soil together with their proportions. More importantly, vapor and heat resistivity of pine-needle LWL compare well with straw LWL which benefits are already recognized in several countries. This research makes clear that the material could be employed for the construction of energy efficient and nature friendly buildings and help to develop an alternative to petroleum based insulation materials. However, since this thesis is only an exploratory work on some parameters of pine-needles LWL, more work is needed on its general behavior and production method.M.S. - Master of Scienc

Yürekli (Balıkesir) volkanitinin petrografisi ve petrolojisi: Biga Yarımadasında (KB Türkiye) çarpışma sonrası felsik volkanizmaya bir örnek

Bu çalışmada Yürekli volkanitinin (Biga Yarımadası, KB Türkiye) petrografisi, jeokimyası ve kökeninin ortaya konulması amaçlanmıştır. Tersiyer volkanizmasının yaygın olduğu Batı Anadolu (KB Türkiye), tektonik ve magmatik olayların berbaber gözlendiği önemli bir kuşaktır. Yürekli volkaniti dasitik lav ve piroklastitlerinden oluşmaktadır. Dasitik lavlar, porfirik ve hyaloporfirik dokuda olup, ana mineral olarak plajiyoklas, kuvars, amfibol, biyotit, sanidin ve Fe-Ti oksit, tali mineral olarak da apatit ve zirkon içermektedir. Petrolojik açıdan, yüksek potasyumlu ve kalk-alkali karakterlidir. N-MORB’a göre normalize iz element diyagramında büyük iyon yarıçaplı litofil element (BİYE) içerikleri yönünde zenginleşme, yüksek çekim alanlı element (YÇAE) içerikleri bakımından ise fakirleşme göstermektedir. Kondrite göre normalize edilmiş nadir toprak element (NTE) diyagramında; hafif nadir toprak elementler zenginleşmiş, ağır nadir toprak elementler ise daha az zenginleşmiştir. Ayrıca nadir toprak element dağılım şekli konkav (ortalam LaN/LuN=16–25) olup, zayıf negatif Eu anomalisi (0.66–0.81) gösterir. İncelenen volkanitlerin gelişiminde plajiyoklas, amfibol ve biyotit fraksiyonel kristallenmesi ve kabuk asimilasyonu rol oynamıştır. Elde edilen tüm verilere göre, Yürekli volkanitinin çarpışma sonrası ortamda oluştuğu ve ana magma kaynağının zenginleşmiş litosferik manto ile ilişkili olduğu söylenebilir