Acoustic charge transport technology investigation for advanced development transponder

Acoustic charge transport (ACT) technology has provided a basis for a new family of analog signal processors, including a programmable transversal filter (PTF). Through monolithic integration of ACT delay lines with GaAs metal semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) digital memory and controllers, these devices significantly extend the performance of PTF's. This article introduces the basic operation of these devices and summarizes their present and future specifications. The production and testing of these devices indicate that this new technology is a promising one for future space applications

Metalloendoprotease inhibitors that block fusion also prevent biochemical differentiation in L6 myoblasts.

The effect of metalloendoprotease inhibitors on the biochemical differentiation of the rat skeletal muscle line, L6, was investigated. Confluent unfused L6 cells exposed briefly to 1,10-phenanthroline, a chelator of divalent metal cations, or continuously to dipeptide amide metalloendoprotease substrates that are blocked at the NH2-terminals, N-carbobenzyloxyserylleucyl amide and N-carbobenzyloxyglycylleucyl amide, did not fuse or express creatine kinase, myosin heavy chain, or alpha-actin. These effects were reversible and dose-dependent. Exposure to N-carbobenzyloxylglycylglycyl amide, which is not a metalloendoprotease inhibitor, had no effect. As the differentiation in a culture progressed, 1,10-phenanthroline became less effective in blocking the accumulation of creatine kinase and myosin heavy chain. Exposure of partially fused cultures to N-carbobenzyloxyserylleucyl amide prevented any further accumulation of muscle-specific proteins. In confluent cultures where cell division was blocked before the onset of differentiation, N-carbobenzyloxyserylleucyl amide still prevented fusion and the induction of creatine kinase. This indicates that these inhibitors do not act by interfering with the cell cycle. Experiments that measured DNA synthesis rates, plating efficiencies, and the effects of sequential dipeptide and dimethyl sulfoxide treatments indicate that L6 myoblasts do not irreversibly withdraw from the cell cycle when exposed to N-carbobenzyloxyserylleucyl amide. These results are consistent with the role of a metalloendoprotease in initiating the terminal differentiation of cultured muscle cells

Natural interaction framework for pedestrian navigation systems on mobile devices

Mobile Augmented Reality applications base on navigation frameworks try to promote interaction beyond the desktop by employing wearable sensors, which collect user's position, orientation or diverse types of activities. Most navigation frameworks track location and heading of the user in the global coordinate frame using Global Positioning System (GPS) data. On the other hand, in the wearable computing area researchers studied angular data of human b o y segments in the local coordinate frame using inertial orientation trackers. We propose a combination of global and local coordinate frame approaches and provide a context-aware interaction framework for mobile devices by seamlessly changing Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for pedestrians wandering in urban environments. The system is designed and tested on a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) based handheld prototype mounted with a GPS receiver and inertial orientation tracker. It introduces a method to estimate orientation of a mobile user's hand. The recognition algorithm is based on state transitions triggered by time-line analysis of pitch angle and angular velocity of the orientation tracker. The prototype system can differentiate between three postures successfully. We associated each posture with different contexts which are of interest for pedestrian navigation systems: investigation, navigation and idle. Thus, we introduce the idea that once orientation trackers became part of mobile computers, they can be used to create natural interaction techniques with mobile computers. The prototype is tested successfully in two urban environments: Sabanci University campus area, . 9th International Istanbul Biennial venues in Beyoglu, Istanbul

Turkey's accession to the European Union: a two level game analogy

The legitimacy crisis that the European Union (EU) is in today has become apparent in the aftermath of the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty in mid 2005 by some member states. The longstanding lack of democratic accountability in the EU decision making mechanism is one of the major problems of the EU that has not yet been resolved. The current crisis and Turkey's accession bid, which has officially begun with 3 October decisions, are in a considerable level of interaction due to the fact that Turkey is one of the reference points of the EU publics and member state governments with respect to the legitimacy crisis of the Union. Turkey's membership to the EU will be subject to inter-state bargaining in the Intergovernmental Conferences during accession negotiations. The hesitation amongst government leaders regarding Turkey's prospective membership is evident and will shape EU decisions to a great extent in the forthcoming years. The European citizens' resistant attitudes matter very much in this sense, which seems to be very hard to be overcome

Struggle over Macedonia : Florina 1906, according to the records of Rumeli Inspectorship

Ankara : The Department of History, Bilkent Univ., 2003.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 2003.Includes bibliographical references.The Macedonian Question was one of the diplomatic problems that statesmen and the international public opinion were mostly concerned with at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. The expansionist and irredentist desires of the Balkan states Greece, Serbia, and especially Bulgaria lay at the core of the problem.These states encouraged, and even organised terrorist activities in Macedonia. The Great Powers-Austria-Hungary, Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Italy-, meanwhile, viewed the issue in terms of their own political and economic interests. These powers, while supporting this or that Balkan state in various ways and pressurising the Sublime Porte to conduct reforms so as to improve the lives of Christian communities in the European lands of the empire, also wanted the Ottoman Empire to preserve its territorial integrity. Under these circumstances, during the first decade of the twentieth century life in Macedonia was highlighted by anarchy, terror, insecurity and disorder. This thesis deals with certain aspects of the Macedonian Question. The activities of the influence agents of the states that considered Macedonia within their national boundaries and aspired to annex the land, and put forth claims accordingly, such as the bands of Macedo-Bulgarian organisations or the Greek bands, are studied. In addition, the Greek and Bulgarian activities in the kaza of Florina, which is in the vilayet of Manastır, in 1906 are examined in particular with reference to the documents of Rumeli Inspectorship; attempting to construct a micro-history of the region.Kayalar, AnılM.S

White wines from Narince grapes: impact of two different grape provenances on phenolic and volatile composition

Aim: In this study, aroma and phenolics of wines produced from Narince grapes harvested from two different localities (Emirseyit and Erbaa) of Tokat province (Turkey) were analyzed, and their effects on wine quality were assessed. Methods and results: Samples were subjected to physicochemical, total phenolics, individual phenolics and aroma compounds analyses. Gallic acid content of the Erbaa and Emirseyit wines at the end of fermentation was respectively 3.49 mg/L and 3.09 mg/L; (+)-catechin content 23.46 mg/L and 21.30 mg/L; and (-)-epicatechin content 9.46 mg/L and 8.74 mg/L. The differences in gallic acid and (-)-epicatechin contents of the wines produced from the grapes harvested from Erbaa and Emirseyit were found to be significant at the end of fermentation. A total of 31 aroma compounds were also analyzed in the wines. The aroma substances were the same in both wines (with the exception of E-3-hexanol found exclusively in Erbaa wines), but the levels were different: the wines produced from the grapes harvested from Erbaa (205605.32 μg/L) had higher total aroma compounds than the wines produced from the grapes harvested from Emirseyit (179547.85 μg/L). Conclusion: There were no distinctive differences in total phenolics of Narince wines produced from two different localities, but there were differences in individual phenolics and aroma compounds. Significance and impact of the study: The differences in some individual phenolics and aroma compounds of wines produced from grapes harvested from different localities are consistent with the concept of “terroir”

Ortodontik tedavi sonrası pekiştirme aşamasının hasta perspektifinden değerlendirilmesi

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı sabit ortodontik tedavi görmüş hastaların tedavi sonrası pekiştirme aşamasının hasta perspektifinden değerlendirilmesidir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu araştırma Google formlar programı kullanılarak 20 tane anket sorusunu doldurmayı kabul eden 8-18 ve >18 yaş arasındaki 100 hasta üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Hastaların verdikleri cevaplar doğrultusunda hastaların ortodontik tedavi sonrasında nüks hakkında bakış açıları değerlendirilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler cinsiyet, yaş, eğitim durumu, tedavi şekli gibi kriterlere göre SPSS 21 paket programı aracılığı ile analiz edilmiştir. Değişkenler arasındaki ilişkiye/bağımlılığa ki-kare analizi ile bakılmıştır. Bulgular: Ortodontik tedavi sonrası dişlerinde bozulma olmadığını düşünen bireylerin %96’sında lingual retansiyon apareyi yapılmıştır. Retansiyon apareyi kırılan hastaların %83.3’ü dişlerinde orta şiddette bozulma olduğunu bildirmiştir (p<0.001). Ortodontik tedavi sırasında braketi kırılan hastalar ile tedavi sonrasında orta şiddette bozulma olması arasında anlamlı bir bağlantı bulunmuştur (%70). Dişlerindeki bozulmayı düzeltmek için şeffaf plak tedavisini kadınlar (%85.7), erkeklere oranla daha fazla tercih ettiğini bildirmiştir (p<0.05). Sonuç: Ortodontik tedavi sonrası pekiştirme aşamasındaki başarı, hasta kooperasyonu ile bağlantılı olabilir. Çalışmamızda nüks olan hastaların ikinci ortodontik tedavilerde sabit tel tedavisi yerine şeffaf plak tedavilerini tercih ettiği görülmüştür

The Value of Calcaneal Bone Mass Measurement Using a Dual X-Ray Laser Calscan Device in Risk Screening for Osteoporosis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how bone mineral density in the calcaneus measured by a dual energy X-ray laser (DXL) correlates with bone mineral density in the spine and hip in Turkish women over 40 years of age and to determine whether calcaneal dual energy X-ray laser variables are associated with clinical risk factors to the same extent as axial bone mineral density measurements obtained using dual energy x-ray absorbtiometry (DXA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 2,884 Turkish women, aged 40-90 years, living in Ankara were randomly selected. Calcaneal bone mineral density was evaluated using a dual energy X-ray laser Calscan device. Subjects exhibiting a calcaneal dual energy X-ray laser T- score <-2.5 received a referral for DXA of the spine and hip. Besides dual energy X-ray laser measurements, all subjects were questioned about their medical history and the most relevant risk factors for osteoporosis. RESULTS: Using a T-score threshold of -2.5, which is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), dual energy X-ray laser calcaneal measurements showed that 13% of the subjects had osteoporosis, while another 56% had osteopenia. The mean calcaneal dual energy X-ray laser T-score of postmenopausal subjects who were smokers with a positive history of fracture, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), covered dressing style, lower educational level, no regular exercise habits, and low tea consumption was significantly lower than that obtained for the other group (p<0.05). A significant correlation was observed between the calcaneal dual energy X-ray laser T-score and age (r=-0.465, p=0.001), body mass index (BMI) (r=0.223, p=0.001), number of live births (r=-0.229, p=0.001), breast feeding time (r=-0.064, p=0.001), and age at menarche (r=-0.050, p=0.008). The correlations between calcaneal DXL and DXA T-scores (r=0.340, p=0.001) and calcaneal DXL and DXA Z-scores (r=0.360, p=0.001) at the spine, and calcaneal DXL and DXA T- scores (r=0.28, p=0.001) and calcaneal DXL and DXA Z-scores (r=0.33, p=0.001) at the femoral neck were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Bone mineral density measurements in the calcaneus using a dual energy X-ray laser are valuable for screening Turkish women over 40 years of age for the risk of osteoporosis