A Novel Approach in Analyzing Traffic Flow by Extreme Learning Machine Method

The objective of this study is to detect abnormal behaviours of moving objects captured in highway traffic flow footages, classify them by using artificial learning methods, and lastly to predict the future thereof (regression). To this end, the system being the object of the design and application consists of three stages. In the first stage, to detect the moving object in the video, background/foreground segmentation method of Mixture of Gaussian (MOG), and to track the moving object, Kalman Filter-Hungarian algorithm method have been used. In the second stage, by using the coordinates of the object, such details as location, distance in terms of time, and speed of the object are obtained, and by using total pixel count data relating to the shape of the object are obtained. The software based on the specifically elaborated algorithm compares these data with the data in the table of rules set down for the road under surveillance, and generates an attribute table comprising anomalies of the objects in the video. In the last stage, however, the data included in the attribute table have been classified and predictions by the artificial learning method, Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) made

Effect of Neuroplasticity-based BrainFit® Mind Exercises on Attention Skills of Primary School Students

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of BrainFit® mind exercises based on neuroplasticity on the affective characteristics of primary school students, such as impulsivity, auditory - visual attention periods and focussing skills. Quasi-experimental design was used in the study. In practice, BrainFit® mind exercises were performed for a period of four months to 32 students, as an experimental group, selected from various elementary schools in İzmir. For the control group of 28 students, no exercise program was applied. It has been deemed appropriate for elementary school students who have gained literacy skills and who are studying at the 3rd and 4th grade levels, who have developed characteristics such as perception, memory, reasoning and reasoning, to participate in the study. “IVA + PLUS (Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test) (CPT)” was applied to both groups before and after the implementation. At the end of the research, it is found that, the experimental group’s impulse and hyperactivity controls, the auditory and visual attention levels and speeds increased significantly. Keywords: neuroplasticity, mental development, attention skill

An unsupervised learning algorithm: application to the discrimination of seismic events and quarry blasts in the vicinity of Istanbul

The results of the application of an unsupervised learning (neural network) approach comprising a Self Organizing Map (SOM), to distinguish micro-earthquakes from quarry blasts in the vicinity of Istanbul, Turkey, are presented and discussed. The SOM is constructed as a neural classifier and complementary reliability estimator to distinguish seismic events, and was employed for varying map sizes. Input parameters consisting of frequency and time domain data (complexity, spectral ratio, S/P wave amplitude peak ratio and origin time of events) extracted from the vertical components of digital seismograms were estimated as discriminants for 179 (1.8 < <i>M</i><sub>d</sub> < 3.0) local events. The results show that complexity and amplitude peak ratio parameters of the observed velocity seismogram may suffice for a reliable discrimination, while origin time and spectral ratio were found to be fuzzy and misleading classifiers for this problem. The SOM discussed here achieved a discrimination reliability that could be employed routinely in observatory practice; however, about 6% of all events were classified as ambiguous cases. This approach was developed independently for this particular classification, but it could be applied to different earthquake regions

Effects of obesity on elective spinal surgery

Background: Obesity (Body Mass Index > 30 kg/m2) is currently a public health problem with increasing incidence. Obesity increases the challenges and complications of surgery in all surgical branches. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the intraoperative and perioperative complications of obesity encountered in spinal surgery.Materials and Methods: All patients undergoing elective spinal surgery in one orthopedic surgery practice between 2017 and 2018 were included in this study. Patient demographics, body mass index (BMI), preoperative hemoglobin and hematocrit values, volume of blood transfused, incision lengths, number of surgical levels, operational time, and amount of bleeding were retrospectively identified. Patients were divided into two groups according to BMI levels (Group A, 30 kg/m2), and statistical analyses were performed using the Student’s t and Mann-Whitney U tests.Results: Seventy-seven patients with a mean age of 57.8 years (range, 19–72) were included in this study. Their mean BMI was 29.3 kg/m2 (19.9–39 kg/m2). The mean BMI of Group A was 25.7 kg/m2 and that of Group B was 34.6 kg/m2. The amount of bleeding, number of surgical levels, and skin-incision length were statistically significantly different between the two groups. The mean values of all of these parameters were higher in Group B.Conclusion: Although numerous factors play roles in operational success, we believe that identifying obesity in a patient is important for pre- and postoperative surgical preparation by the operation team

Sıçanlarda altlık değişim sıklığının lipid peroksidasyon, antioksidan durum ve histopatolojik değişiklikler üzerine etkileri

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of bedding change frequency on oxidative stress parameters of rats. In the experiment; animals were randomly and equally divided into 4 groups, each group consisted of 6 male rats. Group 1; bedding change every day, Group 2; bedding change once in 2 days, Group 3; bedding change once in 4 days, and Group 4; bedding change once in a week. Dust-free wood shavings were used as bedding material and the study lasted for 2 months. At the end of experimental period, MDA levels were found to be increased in blood, liver, kidney, heart, brain, and lung of groups with longer intervals of bedding change whereas GSH levels of these tissues were decreased. It was also found that SOD and CAT activities were higher in erythrocyte and lung tissues in Group 1 than the other groups. Moreover, notable histopathological alterations were observed in the tissues of longer intervals of bedding change (especially, group 3 and 4). As a result, it has been determined that long periods of bedding change in animals causes oxidative stress, tissues damages, and these alterations adversely affect the life quality of laboratory animals.Bu araştırmanın amacı sıçanlarda altlık değişim sıklığının oksidatif stres parametreleri üzerine etkisi değerlendirmektir. Çalışmada hayvanlar her grupta 6 erkek sıçan olacak şekilde rastgele ve eşit olarak 4 gruba ayrıldı. Gruplar: Grup 1; her gün altlığı değişen, Grup 2; 2 günde bir altlığı değişen, Grup 3; 4 günde bir altlığı değişen ve Grup 4; haftada bir altlığı değişen şeklinde oluşturuldu. Çalışma 2 ay olacak şekilde planlandı ve altlık malzemesi olarak tozsuz ağaç talaşı kullanıldı. Çalışmanın sonunda, daha uzun aralıklarla altlık değişimi olan gruplarda kan, karaciğer, böbrek, kalp, beyin ve akciğer dokularında MDA düzeylerinin arttığı, bu dokulardaki GSH düzeylerinin ise azaldığı görülmüştür. Ayrıca, eritrosit ve akciğer dokularında SOD ve CAT aktivitelerinin Grup 1'de, diğer gruplardan daha yüksek olduğu belirlendi. Ayrıca, daha uzun aralıklarla altlıkları değişen grupların (özellikle grup 3 ve 4) beyin, akciğer, kalp, karaciğer ve böbrek dokularında histopatolojik değişiklikler gözlendi. Sonuç olarak, hayvanlarda uzun aralıklarla altlık değişiminin oksidatif strese, doku hasarlarına yol açarak laboratuvar hayvanlarının yaşam kalitesini olumsuz etkilediği belirlenmiştir

Multimodal person recognition for human-vehicle interaction

Next-generation vehicles will undoubtedly feature biometric person recognition as part of an effort to improve the driving experience. Today's technology prevents such systems from operating satisfactorily under adverse conditions. A proposed framework for achieving person recognition successfully combines different biometric modalities, borne out in two case studies

Forward tunneling current in Pt/p-InGaN and Pt/n-InGaN Schottky barriers in a wide temperature range

a b s t r a c t The current-transport mechanisms of the Pt contacts on p-InGaN and n-InGaN were investigated in a wide temperature range (80-360 K) and in the forward bias regime. It was found that the ideality factor (n) values and Schottky barrier heights (SBHs), as determined by thermionic emission (TE), were a strong function of temperature and U b0 show the unusual behavior of increasing linearly with an increase in temperature from 80 to 360 K for both Schottky contacts. The tunneling saturation (J TU ð0Þ) and tunneling parameters (E 0 ) were calculated for both Schottky contacts. We observed a weak temperature dependence of the saturation current and a fairly small dependence on the temperature of the tunneling parameters in this temperature range. The results indicate that the dominant mechanism of the charge transport across the Pt/p-InGaN and Pt/n-InGaN Schottky contacts are electron tunneling to deep levels in the vicinity of mixed/screw dislocations in the temperature range of 80-360 K

Effect of Gender on Coagulation Functions: A Study in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients Treated with Bevacizumab, Irinotecan, 5-Fluorouracil, and Leucovorin

Introduction. We designed this study to evaluate how coagulation parameters are changed in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients treated with bevacizumab, irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFIRI). Methods. A total of 48 mCRC patients who initially received bevacizumab with FOLFIRI were eligible for this study. Thirty-four patients were analyzed at baseline and on the 4th, 8th, and 12th cycles of chemotherapy. Results. There were 19 male and 15 female patients. Baseline characteristics of the groups were similar, but women had better overall survival than men (14 months versus 12 months, P=0.044). D-dimer levels decreased significantly after the 12th cycle compared with baseline in men but not in women. Men and women had increased levels of serum fibrinogen at the early cycles, but these increased fibrinogen levels continued after the 4th cycle of chemotherapy only in women. In addition, serum fibrinogen levels did not significantly change, but aPTT levels decreased in men. Discussion. The major finding of this study is that bevacizumab-FOLFIRI chemotherapy does not promote changes in the coagulation system. If chemotherapy treatment and the possible side effects of FOLFIRI-bevacizumab treatment are well managed, then alterations of the coagulation cascade will not have an impact on overall survival and mortality

Determination of Serum Adenosine Deaminase and Xanthine Oxidase Levels in Patients with Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

OBJECTIVE: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate. Despite increasing knowledge about hemorrhagic fever viruses, little is known about the pathogenesis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. In this study, we measured serum adenosine deaminase and xanthine oxidase levels in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever patients. METHODS: Serum adenosine deaminase levels were measured with a sensitive colorimetric method described by Giusti and xanthine oxidase levels by the method of Worthington in 30 consecutive hospitalized patients (mean age 42.6 ± 21.0). Laboratory tests confirmed their diagnoses of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Thirty-five subjects (mean age 42.9 ± 19.1) served as the control group. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in adenosine deaminase and xanthine oxidase levels between cases and controls (p<0.05). However, neither adenosine deaminase nor xanthine oxidase levels varied with the severity of disease in the cases assessed (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Adenosine deaminase and xanthine oxidase levels were increased in patients with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Elevated serum xanthine oxidase activity in patients with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever may be associated with reactive oxygen species generated by the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system during inflammatory responses. In addition, elevated lipid peroxidation may contribute to cell damage and hemorrhage. The association of cell damage and hemorrhage with xanthine oxidase activity should be further investigated in large-scale studies