Rethinking social housing in terms of environmental sustainability: An empirical analysis

Environmental problems are being increasingly recognised as critical strategies for attaining sustainability in social housing, given the persistent demand for social housing in urban areas. However, to remain inexpensive, housing built for low-income groups requires greater environmental compromises. The main objective of this study is to examine social housing projects from an environmental sustainability standpoint and determine whether they have a low environmental impact. This study also aims to inform policymakers about the environmental sustainability of social housing projects and provide an opportunity to review housing policies in terms of environmental sustainability. Six social housing projects were selected under the same climatic conditions from Spain and Turkey, with distinct economic classifications and housing policies. The findings indicate that although social housing built in Spain has a smaller carbon footprint than Turkey throughout the manufacturing (A1–A3) and building (A4–A5) phases, social housing projects in both countries cannot be classified as low-impact housing projects

Quo Vadis the fumigants?

Fumigation is the most widely used procedure to control stored product pests to prevent economic and quality losses by providing various application methods and penetration capability into the treated commodity. However, most of the available fumigants have limitations in use due to various reasons. Methyl bromide (MB), according to Montreal Protocol, is scheduled to be phased out worldwide by 2015. Sulphuryl fluoride (SF) is known to have limited efficiency on egg stages of insects. Reportedly, it also contributes to the greenhouse effects, which may jeopardize its future use. Currently, phosphine (PH3) is the most widely used fumigant worldwide due to its low cost and ease of application, though resistance observed in major pest species threatens the continued use of PH3. Recent studies in beetles reveal that phosphine resistance is governed through two genes on separate autosomal chromosomes. Research on new fumigants continue to be restricted due to concerns over the adverse effects of fumigant residues in food and the environment that led regulatory agencies to take actions by imposing strict limitations on fumigant registration. On the other hand the phase out of MB and resistance to PH3 has stimulated significant interest on development of alternatives like modified atmospheres (MAs), thermal disinfestation and irradiation. In Turkey, MAs applications are preferred for the treatment of organic food products and are performed mostly in transportable PVC structures (Cocoons or Volcani Cubes). In museums high nitrogen or SF applications are the only procedures to eradicate structural pests. Under the given constraints of registration of new fumigants, it is anticipated that more attention will be devoted to develop novel alternative treatments that are economically feasible, sustainable, user friendly and environmentally benign. Keywords: Fumigants, Modified atmospheres, Insect resistance, Stored products pests, Fumigant alternative

Evaluation of Semicircular Canal Functions by the Video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) in Individuals with Motion Sickness

Background: In the occurrence of motion sickness, the functioning of the vestibular system in harmony has an important role. Aim/Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the vestibular system in individuals with motion disease with the Video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) device, which evaluates the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). Materials and Methods: Thirty individuals with motion sickness (21 females, 9 males) and 30 healthy individuals (11 females, 19 males) without any vestibular complaints were examined with the vHIT device. All participants were older than 18 years. Results: It was observed that VOR gain values of the individuals with motion disease were significantly lower than those of the healthy individuals. Asymmetry values of the individuals with motion disease in all semicircular canals were higher than those of the healthy individuals; however, this difference was statistically significant only in the anterior semicircular canal. Conclusion and Significance: The observation of low gain values in all semicircular canals in individuals with motion sickness suggested that individuals with motion sickness may experience dysfunction in the sensory organelles in the vestibular system. Studies with larger case series and audiological test batteries will help us better understand motion sickness. Keywords: Motion sickness; vestibular; vHIT DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/79-05 Publication date:August 31st 202

Privacy Preserving Secure Online Advertising

AbstractOnline advertisement has generated 48.09 billion dollars in 2013 (IAB, 2014) in US sponsoring most of the free services and content on the Internet today. However, problems stemming from the rivalry to get a share of this high revenue can disrupt the system jeopardizing online privacy and security. There have been a lot of malicious cases where fraudsters have deployed methods such as malware or phishing to get a share from the market thus compromising the security of end users and thus harming the end users. In addition to this, tracking methods deployed to increase the targeting accuracy of the advertisements reveals a lot of private information about the users without any permission from them. The rules around collection and usage of personal data is ambiguous and can be harmful in various ways such when it is shared with third parties. In response to these threats, end users have been inclining to use ad-avoidance tools which disable user tracking or block ad requests completely. This situation harms the Internet ecosystem which heavily relies on online advertising. To remedy this problem, Comodo is developing secure and privacy-friendly advertising solutions around its “trusted ads” concept using methods such as anonymous user tracking, safe ad content delivery and continuous ad inspection (malware/virus scanning). These methods guarantee secure advertisements delivery to end users, while preserving effectiveness of ad delivery. The beta versions of the products have been deployed and tested in real life for 6 months. Based on our observations, users are concerned about their privacy; but they also want customized content according to their needs and make money from ads as long as it is not harmful to them. Based on this data, we are willing to expand our system and make it one of the major ad-delivery networks

Different Effects of Myoinositol plus Folic Acid versus Combined Oral Treatment on Androgen Levels in PCOS Women

Recently, myoinositol (myo-ins) and folic acid combination has gained an important role for treating Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), in addition to combined oral contraceptives (COC). We aimed to examine myo-ins effects on anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels and compare them with those ones obtained administering COC. In this prospective study, 137 PCOS patients, diagnosed according to Rotterdam criteria and admitted to the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Outpatient Clinic at Dokuz Eylul University (Izmir, Turkey), were included. After randomization to COC (n=60) and myo-ins (n=77) arms, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, Modified Ferriman Gallwey scores were calculated. Biochemical and hormonal analysis were performed, and LH/FSH and Apo B/A1 ratios were calculated. Data analysis was carried out in demographically and clinically matched 106 patients (COC = 54; myo-ins = 52). After 3-month treatment, increase in HDL and decreases in LH and LH/FSH ratio were statistically more significant only in COC group when compared with baseline (in both cases p>0.05). In myo-ins group, fasting glucose, LDL, DHEAS, total cholesterol, and prolactin levels decreased significantly (for all p<0.05). Progesterone and AMH levels, ovarian volume, ovarian antral follicle, and total antral follicle counts lessened significantly in both groups (for all p<0.05). In PCOS treatment, MYO is observed more effective in reductions of total ovarian volume and AMH levels

Comparison of subscription access and open access obstetrics and gynecology journals in the SCImago database

Objectives:  The aim of this study is to compare the annual SJR and to evaluate the other parameters that show the scientific effect of journals in terms of open access (OA) or subscription access (SA) in the field of obstetrics and gynecology according to the SCImago database. Material and methods: This study was conducted between September-December 2019 at Near East University. The SCImago Journal &amp; Country Rank database was used to collect information about the journals. We evaluated and compared the changes in the one-year SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) and journal impact factor (JIF) of OA and SA journals. Results: Data from 183 scientific journals in the field of obstetrics and gynecology from the period between 1999 and 2018 were evaluated, where 140 of these journals were SA and 43 were OA. The average SJR of OA journals in 1999 was 0.17, while it was 0.38 for SA journals. In 2018, these values were 0.31 and 0.78 for OA and SA journals, respectively. In the comparison of JIF, the average of the OA journals in 1999 was 0.09, while it was 0.66 for SA journals. In 2018, these values were 0.80 and 1.93 for OA and SA journals, respectively. Conclusions: Access to information has become easier due to technological developments and this will continue to affect the access policies of journals. Despite the disadvantages of predator journals, the rise of OA journals in terms of number and quality is likely to continue