Modelling of WEEE recycling operation planning under uncertainty

Recycling is very important especially for hazardous materials considering their negative impacts on the environment. Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is generally classified under hazardous waste. Determination of process methods and quantities of WEEE to be processed is significantly important since it enables the efficient operation and management of recycling systems. The presence of uncertainty in these systems requires to develop appropriate decision-making tools to deal with uncertain parameters in recycling-operation planning problems. In this study, we propose a linear programming (LP) model for multi-period operation planning for recycling of WEEE considering fuzzy parameters: demand, quantity of WEEE to be processed, operational capacity of resources, amount of output obtained from WEEE and processing times. The model aims to maximize the total profit by determining the best recycling strategies and types, quantity and stocks of WEEE to be recycled during the planning term. The solution method is based on ranking methods of fuzzy numbers through the comparison of their expected intervals. The proposed LP model is illustrated using a case study with experimental analysis. The findings indicated that the nature of fuzzy parameters have critical effect on the total cost and the total revenue at different levels. The results also show that the uncertainty in recycling of WEEE is a crucial factor in developing consistent plans to achieve the economic sustainability of recycling facilities. © 2018 Elsevier Lt

Intracranial Saccular Aneurysm in a Child With Only Persistent Headache

WOS: 000354546700013PubMed ID: 25156664Headache is one of the common symptoms of intracranial aneursym. A 5-year-old child lately presented to our pediatric emergency department with persistent headache. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 7x8 mm rounded lesion with slowly heterogeneous low signal in T2 sequence consistent with a partial occluded aneurysm, in the right medial frontal lobe that close to anterior cerebral artery. Intracranial aneurysms are rare in children and they are noncommon without complications as our case

Optimization of Biopolymer Based Transdermal Films of Metoclopramide as an Alternative Delivery Approach

The objectives of this study were to develop and to characterize sodium alginate based matrix-type transdermal films of metoclopramide hydrochloride (MTC) in order to improve patient compliance to treatment. The suitability of sodium alginate was shown to be a natural film former in terms of the physicochemical, mechanical, and bioadhesive features of the MTC loaded transdermal films. Terpinolene provided the highest drug release among the different terpenes (nerolidol, eucalyptol, dl-limonene, or terpinolene) assessed as enhancer. Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy analysis performed to evaluate the effect of the transdermal films on skin barrier confirmed enhancer induced lipid bilayer disruption in stratum corneum, indicating its permeation enhancement effect

Serebral kalsifikasyon tanısı alan hastalar çölyak hastalığı açısındanaraştırılmalı mı?

Amaç: Bu çalışmada Çölyak hastalığı ve serebral kalsifikasyon arasındaki ilişki ve prevalansı saptamayı amaçladık.Gereç ve Yöntemler: Serebral kalsifikasyonu olan çocuklar çölyak hastalığı yönünden anti-doku transglutaminaz IgA kullanılarak tarandı.Bulgular: Toplamda 129 serebral kalsifikasyonu olan hasta (6 ay-16 yaş arası 75 erkek ve 54 kız) tetkik edildi. Kontrol grubu 223 sağlıklı çocuktan oluşmaktaydı. Çölyak hastalığı olan hastalarda serebral kalsifikasyon anlamlı olarak yüksek bulundu (p0.01). Üç hastanın duodenal biyopsisinde total villus atrofisi saptandı. Bu hastalarda demir eksikliği anemisi ve boy kısalığı mevcuttu. Bu hastalarda oksipital lobda kalsifikasyon saptanmadı. Koroid pleksus ve pineal glandda nonspesifik kalsifikasyonlar saptandı.Sonuç: Çalışmamızın sonuçlarına göre, intrakranial kalsifikasyonun çölyak hastalarında az miktarda olması intrakranial kalsifikasyon ve çölyak hastalığı arasında güçlü bir birliktelik olmadığını gösterdi. Pineal gland ve koroid pleksusta kalsifikasyonun olması Çölyak hastalığı ile ilişkili olabilir.Objective: In this study, we aimed to examine the prevalence and relationship of celiac disease (CD) in children with cerebral calcifications (CC). Material and Methods: Children with cerebral calcifications were screened for celiac disease using the anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA antibody. Results: A total of 129 children with CC (75 boys, 54 girls; age: 6 months to 16 years) were evaluated. Control group consisted of 223 healthy children. The prevalence of CD was significantly higher in patients with CC than control subjects (p0.01). In three patients pathological examination of duodenal biopsy resulted as total villous atrophy. All three patients had both iron deficiency anemia and short stature problem. Although, no calcification in occipital lobe was detected in computed tomography of these three patients, there were nonspecific calcifications in choroid plexus and pineal gland localizations. Conclusion: According to results from our study, prevalence of celiac disease being low in patients with intracerebral calcifications suggested that there is not a strong correlation between development of calcification and celiac disease. It suggested that occurrence of calcification in choroid plexus and/or pineal gland might be related to celiac disease

Planning of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling facilities: MILP modelling and case study investigation

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) consist of many different substances some of which contain hazardous components and valuable materials. The recovery of WEEE plays a key role on environmental sustainability because it minimizes the negative effects of hazardous materials and helps the efficient use of world's limited resources. Recovery strategies enable companies to collect reusable components and to recycle the material content of WEEE by using operations like sorting, disassembly and bulk recycling. Usually companies associated with municipals collect WEEE from end-users and/or collection points. Then they sell these items to WEEE recycling facilities through bidding. For recycling facilities, it is important to generate the best operational level decisions to receive and handle WEEE. This study contributes to the fulfillment of this need by presenting a mixed integer linear programming model to determine the maximum bid price offer while determining the best operation planning strategies. In order to demonstrate the potential of the proposed model, a real life case study along with several scenarios is studied. The findings of the case study indicate that the model has the potential to enable the decision maker to come with stronger decisions related to both bidding process and operational strategies of the facility.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [111M428]The authors are indebted to the anonymous referees and the Editor for several suggestions, which substantially improved the paper. This research is partially funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under the Grant Number 111M428. The authors wish to acknowledge this valuable support

Clinical and molecular evaluation of MEFV gene variants in the Turkish population: a study by the National Genetics Consortium

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a monogenic autoinflammatory disorder with recurrent fever, abdominal pain, serositis, articular manifestations, erysipelas-like erythema, and renal complications as its main features. Caused by the mutations in the MEditerranean FeVer (MEFV) gene, it mainly affects people of Mediterranean descent with a higher incidence in the Turkish, Jewish, Arabic, and Armenian populations. As our understanding of FMF improves, it becomes clearer that we are facing with a more complex picture of FMF with respect to its pathogenesis, penetrance, variant type (gain-of-function vs. loss-of-function), and inheritance. In this study, MEFV gene analysis results and clinical findings of 27,504 patients from 35 universities and institutions in Turkey and Northern Cyprus are combined in an effort to provide a better insight into the genotype-phenotype correlation and how a specific variant contributes to certain clinical findings in FMF patients. Our results may help better understand this complex disease and how the genotype may sometimes contribute to phenotype. Unlike many studies in the literature, our study investigated a broader symptomatic spectrum and the relationship between the genotype and phenotype data. In this sense, we aimed to guide all clinicians and academicians who work in this field to better establish a comprehensive data set for the patients. One of the biggest messages of our study is that lack of uniformity in some clinical and demographic data of participants may become an obstacle in approaching FMF patients and understanding this complex disease