DETERMINING THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AND BIPOLAR AFFECTIVE DISORDER

Background: In Schizophrenia (SCZ) and Bipolar Affective Disorder (BAD) patients using the Framingham Heart Risk Scoring (FHRS), we aimed to investigate the possible cardiac arrhythmia risk by calculating electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters (QT, QTc, Tpe, and TPE/QTc ratios), which are ventricular repolarization markers. Subjects and methods: A total of 140 BAD and 253 SCZ patients were included in the study. Age, blood test results (fasting blood glucose, LDL-HDL-TC levels, hemogram values), blood pressure and heart rate, smoking status, antihypertensive drug use, and FHRS were calculated from the patient files, and sociodemographic information was recorded. In addition, ECG calculations were performed, and QT, QTc, TPe, TPe/QTc ratios and heart rate were measured. Results: When we evaluated the cardiac risk indexes of SCZ and BAD patients, we detected that FHRS was higher in smokers, female patients, and those with other medical diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM) (p<0.05). In addition, we found that QTc rates, markers of ventricular repolarization, were associated with FHRS, the number of antipsychotics used, patient age, disease duration, and the number of hospitalizations. TPe and QT rates were found to increase in parallel with FHRS. In addition, a positive correlation was found between QTc rates in females, patients with DM, and those using additional medical drugs. (p<0.05) Conclusions: In BAD and SCZ patients, diabetes diagnosis, other medical drug use, a high Framingham heart score, the number of antipsychotics, the disease duration, the patient’s age, and an increased number of hospitalizations may increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmia. Therefore, possible cardiac risk should be considered in patients with chronic drug use, such as BAD and SCZ. Regulating the treatment and follow-up of this group of patients against possible cardiac risks will reduce cardiac mortality and morbidity

A short history of the microsurgery training and research laboratory at Gulhane Military Medical Academy

Microsurgical techniques have played a crucial role in the development of neurosurgery and microsurgical education has an involuting role to gain surgical competence in neurosurgery. Microsurgery laboratory at Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GMMA) was established in 1985 by Prof. Erdener Timurkaynak within the Research-Development Building. From the beginning, education of the surgeons in microsurgery has been regarded as the essential function of this center, but many experimental and anatomical researches have also taken place in this laboratory. Over the past twenty-five years, 288 courses had been held in the microsurgical laboratory and more than 1000 surgeons from different fields and specialties were trained. Many of them conducted hundreds of research projects and published scientific papers during this period. This laboratory enters in the 21st century as a dynamic research and education center committed to the continuing delivery of education, as well as ongoing research of microsurgery for the coming 100 years

Optimizing Three-Tank Liquid Level Control: Insights from Prairie Dog Optimization

The management of chemical process liquid levels poses a significant challenge in industrial process control, affecting the efficiency and stability of various sectors such as food processing, nuclear power generation, and pharmaceutical industries. While Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control is a widely-used technique for maintaining liquid levels in tanks, its efficacy in optimizing complex and nonlinear systems has limitations. To overcome this, researchers are exploring the potential of metaheuristic algorithms, which offer robust optimization capabilities. This study introduces a novel approach to liquid level control using the Prairie Dog Optimization (PDO) algorithm, a metaheuristic algorithm inspired by prairie dog behavior. The primary objective is to design and implement a PID-controlled three-tank liquid level system that leverages PDO to regulate liquid levels effectively, ensuring enhanced stability and performance. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated using the ZLG criterion, a time domain metric-based objective function that quantifies the system's efficiency in maintaining desired liquid levels. Several analysis techniques are employed to understand the behavior of the system. Convergence curve analysis assesses the PDO-controlled system's convergence characteristics, providing insights into its efficiency and stability. Statistical analysis determines the algorithm's reliability and robustness across multiple runs. Stability analysis from both time and frequency response perspectives further validates the system's performance. A comprehensive comparison study with state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms, including AOA-HHO, CMA-ES, PSO, and ALC-PSODE, is conducted to benchmark the performance of PDO. The results highlight PDO's superior convergence, stability, and optimization capabilities, establishing its efficacy in real-world industrial applications. The research findings underscore the potential of PDO in PID control applications for three-tank liquid level systems. By outperforming benchmark algorithms, PDO demonstrates its value in industrial control scenarios, contributing to the advancement of metaheuristic-based control techniques and process optimization. This study opens avenues for engineers and practitioners to harness advanced control solutions, thereby enhancing industrial processes and automation

Developing the Attitude Scale for Islamic Law Lesson

This study was conducted for the purpose of developing an attitude scale in order to be able to measure the attitudes of students towards Islamic Law Lesson in a valid and reliable way. The sampling of the study consisted of 198 students who studied at 4th Grade at Cumhuriyet University, Faculty of Theology, and who answered the measurement scale. In order to determine the structural validity of the scale, the Explanatory Factor Analysis was made on the data obtained from the student group who were included in the sampling of the study. The Cronbach Alpha, which is one of the internal consistency reliability coefficients, was used for the purpose of determining the reliability of the scale. The scale consisted of one single dimension and 18 items. The Cronbach Alpha Internal Consistency Coefficient related with the reliability of the data was determined as 0,930. These values were considered as the proof showing that the scale may make valid and reliable measurements on the learning attitudes of students. Keywords: Islamic Law, Attitude Scale, Scale development

Evaluation of accuracy, reliability, quality, and readability of online patient information materials on coccyx injury

MakaleWOS:000928222100009PubMed ID: 36701705The aim of this research is to evaluate the websites containing “coccydynia, coccyx trauma or fracture” in terms of readability, reliability, accuracy, and quality. Searches for “coccydynia, coccyx trauma, coccyx fracture” were carried out in the 3 most used search engines in the USA: Google, Yahoo, and Bing in February 2022. A total of 141 websites were rated by 2 different neurosurgeons for the “Global Quality Score” and “Alexa Popularity Rank.” 97.2% of the sites examined include the definition of the disease, 66% include the importance of the disease, 92.9% include the symptoms of the disease, 88.7% include the treatment of the disease, 78% include the signs of the disease, 77.3% include the mechanism of the disease It has been determined that the websites examined within the scope of the research have high global quality score (GQS) and APR and are enriched with images to a large extent. Abbreviations: APR = Alexa popularity rank, ARI = automated readability index, CLI = Coleman-Liau Index, FKGL = FleschKincaid Grade Level, FRES = Flesch reading ease, GQS = global quality score, Gunning FOG = Gunning Fog Index, LWF = Linsear Write Formula, SMOG = simple measure of gobbledygoo

Heat and fluid flow in microscale from micro and nano structured surfaces

The use of enhanced surfaces became one of the most popular studies in order to increase heat transfer performances of microsystems. There are various techniques/processes applied to surfaces to enhance excess heat removal from microsystems. In parallel to these research efforts, various micro and nano structured surfaces were evaluated in channel flow, jet impingement and pool boiling applications. In the first study, single micro pin-fins having the same chord thickness/diameter but different shapes are numerically modeled to assess their heat transfer and hydraulic performances for Reynolds number values changing between 20 and 140. The pin-fins are three dimensionally modeled based on a one-to-one scale and their heat transfer performances are evaluated using commercially available software COMSOL Multiphysics 3.5a. Navier-Stokes equations along with continuity and energy equations are solved under steady state conditions for weakly compressible and single-phase water flows. To increase the computational efficiency, half of the domain consisting of a micro pin-fin located inside a micro channel, is modeled using a symmetry plane. To validate the model, experimental data available in the literature are compared to simulation results obtained from the model of the same geometrical configuration as the experimental one. Accordingly, the numerical and experimental results show a good agreement. Furthermore, performance evaluation study is performed using 3D numerical models in the light of flow morphologies around micro pin-fins of various shapes. According to the results obtained from this study, the rectangular-shaped micro pin fin configuration has the highest Nusselt number and friction factor over the whole Reynolds number range. However, the cone-shaped micro pin-fin configuration has the best thermal performance index indicating that it could be more preferable to use micro pin fins of non conventional shapes in micro pin fin heat sinks. In the second study, the results of a series of heat transfer experiments conducted on a compact electronics cooling device based on single and two phase jet impingement technique are reported. Deionized and degassed water is propelled into four microchannels of inner diameter 500 μm, which are used as nozzles and located at a nozzle to surface distance of 1.5mm. The generated jet impingement is targeted through these channels towards the surface of two nanostructured plates with different surface morphologies placed inside a liquid pool filled with deionized-water. The size of these nanostructured plates is 35mm x 30mm and they are composed of copper nanorods grown on top of a silicon wafer substrate of thickness 350 μm coated with a 50 nm thick copper thin film layer (i.e. Cu-nanorod/Cu-film/Silicon-wafer). Nanorods were grown using the sputter glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique. First type of nanostructured plates incorporates 600 nm long vertically aligned copper nanorod arrays grown with nanorod diameters and spacing varying between 50-100 and 20-100 nm, respectively. The second type incorporates 600 nm long tilted copper nanorod arrays grown with diameter values varying between 50-100nm and spacing in the range of 20-50 nm. Heat removal characteristics induced through jet impingement are investigated using the nanostructured plates and compared to the results obtained from a plain surface plate of copper thin film coated on silicon wafer surface. Heat generated by small scale electronic devices is simulated using four cylindrical aluminum cartridge heaters of 6.25 mm diameter and 31.75 mm length placed inside an aluminum base. Surface temperatures are recorded by a data acquisition system with four thermocouples integrated on the surface at various prescribed locations. Constant heat flux provided by the heaters is delivered to the nanostructured plate placed on top of the base. Volumetric flow rate and heat flux values are varied between 107.5-181.5 ml/min and 1-40 W/cm2 , respectively, in order to characterize the potential enhancement in heat transfer by nanostructured surfaces thoroughly. A single phase average heat transfer enhancement of 22.4% and a two phase average heat transfer enhancement of 85.3% has been realized using the nanostructured plate with vertical nanorods compared to flat plate. This enhancement is attributed to the increased heat transfer surface area and the single crystal property of the vertical Cu nanorods. On the other hand, nanostructured plate with tilted nanorods has shown poorer heat transfer performance compared to both the nanostructured plate with vertical nanorods and plain surface plate in the experiments performed. The lower heat transfer rate of the tilted Cu nanorods is believed to be due to the decreased supply of liquid jets to the base of the plate caused by their tilted orientation and closely spaced dense array structure. This leads to formation of air gaps that ultimately become trapped among the tilted nanorods, which results in reduced heat transfer surface area and increased resistance to heat transfer. In addition, non-single crystal structure of the tilted nanorods and resulting enhanced surface oxidation could further decrease their heat transfer performance. In the third study, a nanostructure based compact pool boiler cooling system consisting of an aluminum base housing the heaters, a pool and four different plates to change the surface texture of the pool is designed. Effects of nanostructured plates of different surface morphologies on boiling heat transfer performance of the system are studied. Three nanostructured plates featuring Si nanowires of diameter 850 nm and of three different lengths, 900 nm, 1800 nm and 3200 nm respectively, which are etched through single crystal p-type silicon wafers using metal assisted chemical etching (MaCE), are utilized to enhance the pool boiling heat transfer. A plain surface Si plate is used as the control sample. Constant heat flux is provided to the liquid within the pool on the surface of the aluminum base through the plate by boiling heat transfer. Existence of wall superheat gave rise to forming of vapor bubbles near the boiling temperature of the fluid, namely DI-Water. Bubbles emerged from the nanostructured plate along with the phase change. Nucleate boiling on the surface of the plate, bubble formation and bubble motion inside the pool created an effective heat removal mechanism from the heated surface to the liquid pool. Along with the enhancement in both boiling and single-phase region heat transfer coefficients, this study proves the ability of nanostructured plates in improving the performance of the cooling system

Production of Fish Chips from Sand Smelt (Atherina boyeri, RISSO 1810) and Determination of Some Quality Changes

In this study, changes in some quality parameters of fish chips produced from sand smelt (Atherina boyeri, RISSO 1810) during storage period (at -18 °C for 6 months) were determined. The difference between the amount of moisture, crude protein, crude fat and crude ash components of raw fish in fish chips was significant (P0.05). However, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N, mg/100g) value was changed significantly (P<0.05) between raw fish meat and pre-fried chips. The results of sensory analyses made by panelists were as follows; fish chips enjoyed it very much. The results of chemical, sensory and microbiological analyses of fish chips performed following frozen storage period at -18 °C for 6 months were within the acceptable limits

Production of fish finger from sand smelt (Atherina boyeri, RISSO 1810) and determination of quality changes

In this study, changes of chemical, microbiological load and sensory properties of fish fingers prepared from sand smelt (Atherina boyeri, RISSO 1810) were investigated during storage (for 6 months at -18°C). The fish finger nutritional composition changed with the fish finger process. The changes in moisture, crude protein, crude fat and crude ash components between fresh sand smelt and fish fingers were found to be significant at P &lt; 0.05. C18:1 w-9 and C18:2 w-6 increased with pre-frying process. The values of pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiboarbutiric acid (TBA) at the end of the storage were determined as 6.737 ± 0.012, 19.583 ± 0.087 mg/100 g and 0.293 ± 0.013 μgMDA/g, respectively. According to sensory analyses scores, the fish fingers were fondly prefered by panellists. According to the results of the chemical, sensory and microbiological quality in fish, fish fingers were found within the acceptable limits during frozen storage for 6 months.Key words: Sand smelt, Atherine boyeri, fish finger, chemical quality, sensory quality, fatty acids

Seeking high-quality digital content for children in Turkey

What kind of digital content is available for children in Turkey? How are Turkish parents deciding rules about screen time and tablet use? What do children use tablets for? Burcu Izci and colleagues compare young children’s tablet use in Turkey and the US, and also the extent to which parents limit children’s access to tablet devices. Burcu Izci and Yasin Yalcin are PhD candidates at Florida State University (USA); Tugba Bahcekapili is a PhD candidate at the Middle East Technical University (Turkey) and a research assistant at the Karadeniz Technical University (Turkey); and Dr Ithel Jones is a professor at Florida State University

Effects of pan frying with different oils on some of the chemical components, quality parameters and cholesterol levels of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The changes in chemical composition, cholesterol and fatty acids have been determined in raw and fried rainbow trout. Olive oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, margarine and butter were used in the frying process. Moisture content was decreased and protein, fat, ash and cholesterol contents were increased after frying. Differences in moisture, protein, fat, and ash content between the samples were significant (P &lt; 0.05). pH, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values were within the limiting depletability values. In the fish fried with sunflower oil and corn oil, an important amount of decrease (P &lt; 0.05) was determined for myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, linolenic, arashidic, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). However, an important amount of increase (P &lt; 0.05) was determined in heptadecanoic, oleic, and linoleic acid. DHA content was decreased in all oil groups. Cholesterol level was increased with the use of butter. The lowest level of cholesterol was observed in fish fried with margarine.Key words: Rainbow trout, frying, fatty acid, cholesterol