SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF POLLUTANT GASES IN WESTERN BLACK SEA OF TURKIYE

Environmental pollution, particularly air pollution, is one of the foremost problems we face today. Air pollution has become a global issue that affects not only regional areas but also the entire planet. The increase in the amount and concentration of pollutants or harmful substances in the atmosphere, such as various gases, particulate matter, and water vapor, causes air pollution. The rise in these substances can be due to human activities or natural environmental factors. It is crucial to examine air quality to reduce the harm inflicted on living and non-living entities. In this study, the spatial and temporal analysis of air pollutants (CO, NO2, UV_AER) in the Western Black Sea region was conducted using the Sentinel-5 TROPOMI satellite sent to monitor climate change and air quality. The Google Earth Engine platform was used to obtain the data. Monthly pollution maps were created for the year 2022, and the primary sources of pollutants were analysed. As a result, it was observed that pollutants changed on a monthly and seasonal basis, and areas with high pollutant concentrations in the region were identified. Mining, industrial activities, transportation networks, and domestic activities were determined to be the primary sources of air pollution in the study area

The Diffusion of Humans and Cultures in the Course of the Spread of Farming

The most profound change in the relationship between humans and their environment was the introduction of agriculture and pastoralism. [....] For an understanding of the expansion process, it appears appropriate to apply a diffusive model. Broadly, these numerical modeling approaches can be catego- rized in correlative, continuous and discrete. Common to all approaches is the comparison to collections of radiocarbon data that show the apparent wave of advance of the transition to farming. However, these data sets differ in entry density and data quality. Often they disregard local and regional specifics and research gaps, or dating uncertainties. Thus, most of these data bases may only be used on a very general, broad scale. One of the pitfalls of using irregularly spaced or irregularly documented radiocarbon data becomes evident from the map generated by Fort (this volume, Chapter 16): while the general east-west and south-north trends become evident, some areas appear as having undergone anomalously early transitions to farming. This may be due to faulty entries into the data base or regional problems with radiocarbon dating, if not unnoticed or undocumented laboratory mistakes.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Diffusive Spreading in Nature, Technology and Society, edited by Armin Bunde, J\"urgen Caro, J\"org K\"arger, Gero Vogl, Chapter 1

Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire on Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

OBJECTIVES: Inadequate adaptation to long-term treatment of chronic illnesses is the most common reason for the inability to obtain the benefits medications can provide. Treatment compliance is influenced by several factors. Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) developed by Horne et al. in 1999 to evaluate the cognitive representation of medicines have many validation studies, which resulted in good psychometric properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the BMQ Turkish translation in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty asthma and 50 COPD patients participated in this methodological study. The scale was adapted to Turkish through translation, comparison with other language versions, back translation, and a pre-test. The structural validity was assessed using factor analysis. RESULTS: Similar to the original scale, factor analysis confirmed that BMQ had a four-factor structure that accounts for 58.23% of the total variance. The BMQ showed an acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient: specific-necessity, 0.832: specific-concerns, 0.722; general-harm, 0.792; and general-overuse, 0.682). The factor analysis revealed the same patterns for all questions between the Turkish and original scales. CONCLUSION: The psychometric properties of the BMQ were consistent with those reported in the original study. We found that the Turkish translation of BMQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing medicine-related beliefs in patients with asthma and COPD

C-telopeptide pyridinoline crosslinks of type i collagen, soluble RANKL, and osteoprotegerin levels in crevicular fluid of dental implants with peri-implantitis: A case-control study

PubMed ID: 21483881Purpose: To evaluate levels of C-telopeptide pyridinoline crosslinks of type I collagen (ICTP), soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (sRANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in the crevicular fluid of endosseous dental implants with the clinical diagnosis of peri-implantitis and to compare these with the crevicular fluid of clinically healthy implants. Methods: Peri-implant crevicular fluid samples were obtained from 18 root-type implants with peri-implantitis in 12 patients and 21 clinically healthy implants in 16 other patients. Modified Plaque Index, probing depths, Gingival Index, and bleeding on probing were recorded at the crevicular fluid sampling sites. ICTP, sRANKL, OPG, and albumin levels in the peri-implant crevicular fluid samples were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The clinical and biochemical data were evaluated statistically using Mann-Whitney U test. Spearman correlations were used to determine relationships between the biochemical data and the clinical parameters. Results: Duration of implant loading, peri-implant crevicular fluid volume, and all clinical periodontal measurements were significantly greater in the peri-implantitis group than in the clinically healthy group. Total amounts of ICTP were significantly higher in the peri-implantitis group than in the healthy group. sRANKL concentrations, OPG total amounts, and OPG concentrations were significantly higher in the healthy group. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that local levels of ICTP and OPG reflect an increased risk of alveolar bone loss around dental implants, and their local levels may help to distinguish diseased and healthy sites. © 2011 by Quintessence Publishing Co Inc

Testing of Flapping Wing Four Bar Mechanism

The purpose of this paper is to do preliminary work to design and test a flapping wing four-bar mechanism. A four-bar linkage system kinematic analysis is introduced forequation of motion of flapping wing. A validation case is selected upon the works of Konkuk University [4]. The type of mechanism is double rocker and the motion has a single-degree of freedom Four-bar mechanism is activated by a servo motor (ART-TECH AS-100) which is driven by Arduino Uno. Two different deflections (10° and 20°) for input angle θ1is analyzed and instantaneous aerodynamic forces are obtained in hover mode. From the design of four bar mechanism input angle of 10° result a flapping angle (φ) of 41.5° at 11.2 Hz flapping frequency. The maximum flapping deflection of the current mechanism is found to be 85.9° with 20° input angle and the flapping frequency attained with the servo motor is 5.85Hz. This paper provides a detailed description of the design and manufacture of the mechanism and experimental setup. A CFD analysis is also performed for 10° deflection angle of the flapping wing mechanism designed and tested