The effects of mineralogical and petrographical features of the Lake District rocks (Isparta, Turkey) on the quality of artificial marbles

Large quantities of marble blocks are produced from many new marble quarries which were opened around Isparta (Turkey) and its surrounding region. The opened quarries are also affected negatively by weathering as a result of karstification. Therefore, block efficiency of the quarries is low which results in a lot of waste materials that can be used in cultured marble production. The production of artificial marble from marble waste materials around Isparta is the main purpose of the study. The cultured marble is an attractive, healthy and homogenous building material. It has a wide application in the building construction sector. Artificial marble which is composed of mineral dusts and polyesters has high mechanical strength and they are durable to various chemical and high temperature environmental conditions. Based on physico- mechanical properties, cultured marbles are accepted by Turkish Standards (TS). The materials used for the production of qualified cultured marble are directly related to the hardness of the minerals used as filler in the polyester resin. Physico- mechanical properties of cultured marble depend on the physical properties of the filler minerals. The compressive strength of the cultured marble material is controlled by the physical properties of the filler minerals, therefore, the hardness of the cultured marble is determined by the hardness of the filler mineral. The following analyses were carried out: wet unit volume analysis, dry unit volume analysis, compressive strength of the materials, capillary water absorption analysis, analysis of ultrasound velocity (P- wave) and the marble wastes bulk chemical analyses were investigated and the results of the data were evaluated and discussed. In addition, natural and artificial marbles were compared with respect to physico- mechanical properties.Publisher's Versio

Investigation of the relationship between anxiety and heart rate variability in fibromyalgia: A new quantitative approach to evaluate anxiety level in fibromyalgia syndrome

Conclusion: Doctor-rated or self-rated anxiety tests should be supported with quantitative and more objective methods. Our results show that the HRV parameters will be able to support the anxiety tests in the clinical evaluation of fibromyalgia. In other words, HRV parameters can potentially be used as an auxiliary diagnostic method in conjunction with anxiety tests. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Determination of Fatigue Following Maximal Loaded Treadmill Exercise by Using Wavelet Packet Transform Analysis and MLPNN from MMG-EMG Data Combinations

The muscle fatigue can be expressed as decrease in maximal voluntary force generating capacity of the neuromuscular system as a result of peripheral changes at the level of the muscle, and also failure of the central nervous system to drive the motoneurons adequately. In this study, a muscle fatigue detection method based on frequency spectrum of electromyogram (EMG) and mechanomyogram (MMG) has been presented. The EMG and MMG data were obtained from 31 healthy, recreationally active men at the onset, and following exercise. All participants were performed a maximally exercise session in a motor-driven treadmill by using standard Bruce protocol which is the most widely used test to predict functional capacity. The method used in the present study consists of pre-processing, determination of the energy value based on wavelet packet transform, and classification phases. The results of the study demonstrated that changes in the MMG 176-234 Hz and EMG 254-313 Hz bands are critical to determine for muscle fatigue occurred following maximally exercise session. In conclusion, our study revealed that an algorithm with EMG and MMG combination based on frequency spectrum is more effective for the detection of muscle fatigue than EMG or MMG alone.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-015-0304-

Turkey's globally important biodiversity in crisis

WOS: 000298521500007Turkey (Turkiye) lies at the nexus of Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. Turkey's location, mountains, and its encirclement by three seas have resulted in high terrestrial, fresh water, and marine biodiversity. Most of Turkey's land area is covered by one of three biodiversity hotspots (Caucasus, Irano-Anatolian, and Mediterranean). Of over 9000 known native vascular plant species, one third are endemic. Turkey faces a significant challenge with regard to biodiversity and associated conservation challenges due to limited research and lack of translation into other languages of existing material. Addressing this gap is increasingly relevant as Turkey's biodiversity faces severe and growing threats, especially from government and business interests. Turkey ranks 140th out of 163 countries in biodiversity and habitat conservation. Millennia of human activities have dramatically changed the original land and sea ecosystems of Anatolia, one of the earliest loci of human civilization. Nevertheless, the greatest threats to biodiversity have occurred since 1950, particularly in the past decade. Although Turkey's total forest area increased by 5.9% since 1973, endemic-rich Mediterranean maquis, grasslands, coastal areas, wetlands, and rivers are disappearing, while overgrazing and rampant erosion degrade steppes and rangelands. The current "developmentalist obsession", particularly regarding water use, threatens to eliminate much of what remains, while forcing large-scale migration from rural areas to the cities. According to current plans, Turkey's rivers and streams will be dammed with almost 4000 dams, diversions, and hydroelectric power plants for power, irrigation, and drinking water by 2023. Unchecked urbanization, dam construction, draining of wetlands, poaching, and excessive irrigation are the most widespread threats to biodiversity. This paper aims to survey what is known about Turkey's biodiversity, to identify the areas where research is needed, and to identify and address the conservation challenges that Turkey faces today. Preserving Turkey's remaining biodiversity will necessitate immediate action, international attention, greater support for Turkey's developing conservation capacity, and the expansion of a nascent Turkish conservation ethic. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK); CSUCI; Born Free Foundation; Christensen Fund; Kafkas UniversityKafkas University; Turkey's Ministry of Environment and ForestryMinistry of Forestry & Water Affairs - Turkey; UNDP; Whitley Fund; NSFNational Science Foundation (NSF) [EF-0832858]We thank the Istanbul Technical University for hosting the December 2009 workshop that led to this paper. C.H.S. thanks The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for providing a travel grant. S.A. thanks CSUCI for support for his initial travel to Turkey. C.H.S. and S.A. thank the Born Free Foundation, the Christensen Fund, the Conservation Leadership Programme, Kafkas University, Turkey's Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the UNDP, and the Whitley Fund for their long-term support of their community-based conservation, ecological research, environmental education, and biodiversity monitoring efforts in Turkey. E.A. is supported through a NIMBioS postdoctoral fellowship, NSF Award #EF-0832858. We thank Emrah Coban for his assistance with obtaining the literature, Rachel Morrison, Elizabeth Platt and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments, and Stacey Anderson, Elif Batuman and Tanya Williams for their careful proofreading and wordsmithing. This paper is dedicated to the countless naturalists and conservationists who devoted their lives to study and conserve Turkey's biodiversity

Physiological parameters as a tool in the diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome in females: A preliminary study

Significance: Changes in hormonal factors, peripheral blood circulation, autonomous systemactivity disorders, inflammatory incidents, etc., may explain the increased TEMP in the FM patients. The high PLT level may signify a thromboproliferation or a possible compensation caused by a PLT functional disorder. ST depression in FM patients may interrelate with coronary pathology. Elucidating the pathophysiology underlying the increases in TEMP and PLT and the decreases in ST height may help to explain the etiology of FM. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Electrical, optical and theoretical characterization of doped and undoped calamitic liquid crystal: (s)-5-octyloxy-2-[[[4-(2-methyl butoxy) phenyl] imino] methyl] phenol

The electrical conductivities of undoped and doped calamitic liquid crystalline compound, (S)-5-octyloxy-2-[[[4-(2-methylbutoxy) phenyl] imino] methyl] phenol (OMPIMP) with tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate as dopant were determined as a function of temperature. Optical studies of undoped and doped OMPIMP thin films were also carried out using spectrophotometer. Optical band gaps of doped and undoped OMPIMP thin films were determined through absorption spectra using Tauc plot. The frontier orbital energies; E-HOMO, E-LUMO and the band gap energies were calculated from the DFT calculations which were carried out by the hybrid B3LYP functional

A nationwide study of social-emotional problems in young children in Turkey

We aimed to assess the prevalence of social-emotional problems of Turkish children in early childhood and to understand their association with various bio-psycho-social risk factors, in order to establish guidelines in planning training programs for parents and professionals. Data from a representative sample of 1507 boys (54.3%) and 1268 girls (45.7%) aged 10-48 months were collected. The primary caregivers (mothers = 91.4%) completed the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and a form designed to gather information about various bio-psycho-social risk factors. Based on the caregiver terms, a total of 1626 children (60.1%) were reported to experience social-emotional problems. However, based on the BITSEA-problem clinical (1.5 SD) cut-off scores, 9.3% (9.1% of boys; 9.5% of girls) of all children were found to experience social-emotional problems. The variables, that showed a significant association with BITSEA-problem scores in pairwise comparisons, were entered in logistic regression analysis to determine the variables that predict the group with scores of above clinical cut-point. Higher total score of BSI of the primary caregiver, being separated from the mother for more than a month, and lower income of the family were found to be significant predictors of social-emotional problems. Caregiver reports highlight that maternal variables of mothers' psychological well-being, education and access to sources of support are closely related to the social-emotional wellbeing of their off-spring. The findings obtained from this study may be used for detection of prioritized domains in terms of management of preventive mental health services. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

A nationwide study of social–emotional problems in young children in Turkey

We aimed to assess the prevalence of social-emotional problems of Turkish children in early childhood and to understand their association with various bio-psycho-social risk factors, in order to establish guidelines in planning training programs for parents and professionals. Data from a representative sample of 1507 boys (54.3%) and 1268 girls (45.7%) aged 10-48 months were collected. The primary caregivers (mothers = 91.4%) completed the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and a form designed to gather information about various bio-psycho-social risk factors. Based on the caregiver terms, a total of 1626 children (60.1%) were reported to experience social-emotional problems. However, based on the BITSEA-problem clinical (1.5 SD) cut-off scores, 9.3% (9.1% of boys; 9.5% of girls) of all children were found to experience social-emotional problems. The variables, that showed a significant association with BITSEA-problem scores in pairwise comparisons, were entered in logistic regression analysis to determine the variables that predict the group with scores of above clinical cut-point. Higher total score of BSI of the primary caregiver, being separated from the mother for more than a month, and lower income of the family were found to be significant predictors of social-emotional problems. Caregiver reports highlight that maternal variables of mothers' psychological well-being, education and access to sources of support are closely related to the social-emotional wellbeing of their off-spring. The findings obtained from this study may be used for detection of prioritized domains in terms of management of preventive mental health services. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved