Blockchain-based Immutable Evidence and Decentralized Loss Adjustment for Autonomous Vehicle Accidents in Insurance

In case of an accident between two autonomous vehicles equipped with emerging technologies, how do we apportion liability among the various players? A special liability regime has not even yet been established for damages that may arise due to the accidents of autonomous vehicles. Would the immutable, time-stamped sensor records of vehicles on distributed ledger help define the intertwined relations of liability subjects right through the accident? What if the synthetic media created through deepfake gets involved in the insurance claims? While integrating AI-powered anomaly or deepfake detection into automated insurance claims processing helps to prevent insurance fraud, it is only a matter of time before deepfake becomes nearly undetectable even to elaborate forensic tools. This paper proposes a blockchain-based insurtech decentralized application to check the authenticity and provenance of the accident footage and also to decentralize the loss-adjusting process through a hybrid of decentralized and centralized databases using smart contracts.Comment: IEEE Global Emerging Technology Blockchain Forum 202

The prevalence of Giardia intestinalis and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar in Van Regional Training and Research Hospital: A four-year monitoring

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to determinethe frequency rates of Giardia and E.histolytica/E.dispar and their distribution by years as well as agegroups and gender distribution during a four-year period.Materials and methods: A total of 9911 stool samplessent to our laboratory between January 2008 and December2011 were tested for parasites. Native-Lugol and formolethyl acetate sedimentation methods were utilized formicroscopic identification of Entamoeba sp. and Giardiatrophozoites and cysts in fresh stool samples. Additionally,trichrome staining was performed in stool sampleswhere the distinctive diagnosis could not be confirmed.Results: From a total of 9911 stool samples analyzedduring the study, 4.7% were positive for Giardia and 6.2%were positive for Entemoeba histolytica/ Entemoeba dispar.Of Giardia-positive patients 57% were male and 43%female. Similarly, 56% of Entemoeba histolytica/ Entemoebadispar positive patients were male and 44% werefemale. Both parasites’ higher frequency rates seen inmale groups were found statistically significant (p<0.01).Conclusion: It is seen that intestinal protozoon infectionsare still present as an important public health problemin our region. In order to prevent this problem, personalhygiene and sanitation rules education for community aswell as infrastructure improvements are necessary.Key words: Giardia, Entemoeba histolytica/ Entemoeba dispar, prevalenc

Determination of some soil characteristics of roadside landslides region: a case study of Lapseki-Sevketiye (Çanakkale)

Heyelanlar önemli çevre sorunları ortaya çıkarmaktadırlar. Karayolu kenarındaki heyelanlar doğal bir olay olup dik eğim, yağış ve toprak özelliklerinin etkisiyle oluşurlar. Heyelanların neden olduğu çevre sorunlarından birisi de verimli üst toprağın kaybını takiben alanın verimliliğinin azalarak arazi bozulmasının görülebilmesidir. Bu araştırma Çanakkale-Bursa karayolu kenarındaki bir heyelanın (Şevketiye) içinden ve buğday tarlasından alınan toprakların (0-10 cm derinlik) bazı özelliklerini (pH, elektriksel iletkenlik, kireç, organik madde, toplam azot (N), alınabilir fosfor (P), alınabilir potasyum (K), tekstür, agregat stabilitesi, likit limit, plastik limit, plastiklik indeksi ve kil aktivitesi) karşılaştırmak için yapılmıştır. Toprak özelliklerinin karşılaştırılmasında t testi kullanılmıştır. Heyelanın içinden alınanlara göre buğday tarlasından alınan toprak örneklerinde elektriksel iletkenlik (EC), organik madde, alınabilir potasyum (K), kil, silt ve plastiklik indeksi yüksek; pH ve ince kum miktarları ise daha düşük saptanmıştır. Kireç, toplam azot (N), alınabilir fosfor (P), kaba kum, likit limit, plastik limit ve kil aktivitesi bakımından istatistik olarak önemli farklılıklar saptanmamıştır. Toprak özelliklerini iyileştirmek için heyelandan etkilenen alanlara hayvan gübresi, hasat artıkları veya kompost uygulanmalıdır.Landslides bring about serious environmental problems. Roadside landslides are a common natural phenomenon. They are often triggered by a combination of steep relief, rainfall and soil properties. The loss of upper fertile soil layer is among the most significant environmental problems induced by landslides. Such losses lead to land degradation. This study was conducted to compare some characteristics (pH, electrical conductivity, lime, organic matter, total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), available potassium (K), texture, aggregate stability, liquid limit, plastic limit, plasticity index, and clay activity) of the soils (0-10 cm depth) taken from inside and wheat field of a landslide occurred at the side of Çanakkale-Bursa highway (around Sevketiye section). In comparison of soil properties the paired t test was used. While wheat field samples had higher electrical conductivity, organic matter, available potassium (K), clay, silt, and plasticity index, but lower pH and fine sand contents than the inside samples. Statistically significant differences were not observed in terms of lime, total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), available potassium (K), coarse sand, liquid limit, plastic limit, plasticity index and clay activity. Farmyard manure, harvest residues or compost can be applied to improve soil characteristics in landslide-influenced areas

EFFECTS OF SPORTS TRAINING ON SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC SKILLS IN AUTISTIC INDIVIDUALS

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an important public health problem. It refers to a developmental disability and can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. According to the previous studies there is no precisely treatment for individuals with ASD. However, they can be improved and can be taught important skills such as expressing their feelings, overcoming their fears, developing their physical abilities and working and bonding with their peers by especially sport education. Sport education or training was implemented with 10 participants with ASD aged 5,5–29 years. One parent from each family who accompanied ten individuals with ASD during sporting events participated in this study. A standardized open-ended interview method was applied to the parents. Social Skill Interview Questions and Academic Skill Interview Questions were applied to the interviewees. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. The purpose of the current study was to explore the effect of sports training on social and academic skills in individuals with ASD. Sport helped individual with ASD make progress in social skills such as communication, participation in the game, social relations, behavioral problems and waiting in line, body awareness and balance control, interests, following rules and instructions. On the other hand, it did not yield to the ability to transition from activity to activity and it did not contribute to a few individuals with ASD, while it contributed positively to many individuals with ASD, although some had rather slow success. In the academic skills of sports, perception studies supported skills such as preparation for first literacy, sound words and sentences, listening, relations between objects, and rhythmic counting. While it was recognized that sports contributed considerable improvement to some of the individuals in skills such as writing their own names, grammar, natural numbers, operations, and measures, unfortunately it did not help some of them in progress. It was observed that the majority of those who did not progress were younger. Sport training or education did not support to the ability to perform operations using division and calculator. Evidence suggests that sport education has ultimately a positive effect on the social and academic skills of individuals with ASD.   Article visualizations

Van depreminin su-kaynaklı bazı bulaşıcı hastalıklar üzerine etkisi

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to compare the isolation frequency of some water-borne disease causing microorganisms in pediatric patients before and after Van earthquake in order to determine the potential impact of earthquake on those selected infectious diseases. Methods: The laboratory test results of Adenovirus, Rotavirus, Hepatitis A virus (HAV), Giardia intestinalis and E.histolytica/dispar which were requested from 0-14 years old children, during six months before and six months after Van earthquake which took place on 23 October 2011, were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Adenovirus, Rotavirus, Anti HAV IgM and E.histolytica/dispar showed reduction in the isolation frequency rate during the six months period after the earthquake compared with the same period of previous year. The reduction rates in the isolation frequencies of Rotavirus and E.histolytica/dispar were found to be statistically significant (p<0.001). In contrast, Giardia intestinalis isolation frequency was significantly higher in the six months period after the earthquake (<0.001). Conclusion: Disaster management programme which was conducted after Van earthquake have been shown to be effective in preventing water-borne infectious diseases. Taking special precautions against Giardia spp. after earthquakes should be kept in mind

Distribution of anti-HAV IgM positivity according to age and months of a year in Van region,Turkey

Objectives: In this study we investigated the anti-HAVIgM positivity rates and their distribution according to ageand season of a year in Van region of Turkey.Materials and methods: During five-year period between2006-2010, the presence of anti-HAV IgM weredetermined in the serum samples sent to our laboratorythat have prediagnosis of hepatitis A by ELISA test, usingAxSYM (Abbott Diagnostics, Germany) and i2000SR Architect(Abbott Diagnostics, Germany) analyzers. For statisticalanalyze of Anti-HAV IgM positivity rates, patients’age and gender and time of year when specimen wasobtain were compared.Results: The presence of anti-HAV IgM was investigatedin a total of 8851 patients, including 5303 (60%) childrenand 3548 (40%) adults. Anti-HAV IgM in children and adultpatients were determined as 9.8% and 2.6%, respectively,and this difference was found statistically significant (p<0.01). Anti-HAV IgM positivity rate began to rise in August,reached the highest level in November-Decemberand decreased to the initial level in January. The highestfrequency detected during the November-December periodwas statistically significantly higher than rates foundduring other months.Conclusions: The prevalence of Hepatitis A was found tobe similar with previous studies performed in our country.The prevalence of disease was significantly increased especiallybetween November and December.Key words: Anti-HAV IgM, seasonal distribution, seroprevalence,ag

Patch Burning: Implications on Water Erosion and Soil Properties

Patch burning can be a potential management tool to create grassland heterogeneity and enhance forage productivity and plant biodiversity, but its impacts on soil and environment have not been widely documented. In summer 2013, we studied the effect of time after patch burning (4 mo after burning [recently burned patches], 16 mo after burning [older burned patches], and unburned patches [control]) on vegetative cover, water erosion, and soil properties on a patch-burn experiment established in 2011 on a Yutan silty clay loam near Mead, NE. The recently burned patches had 29 ± 8.0% (mean ± SD) more bare ground, 21 ± 1.4% less canopy cover, and 40 ± 11% less litter cover than older burned and unburned patches. Bare ground and canopy cover did not differ between the older burned and unburned patches, indicating that vegetation recovered. Runoff depth from the older burned and recently burned patches was 2.8 times (19.6 ± 4.1 vs. 7.1 ± 3.0 mm [mean ± SD]) greater than the unburned patches. The recently burned patches had 4.5 times greater sediment loss (293 ± 89 vs. 65 ± 56 g m-2) and 3.8 times greater sediment-associated organic C loss (9.2 ± 2.0 vs. 2.4 ± 1.9 g m-2) than the older burned and unburned patches. The recently burned patches had increased daytime soil temperature but no differences in soil compaction and structural properties, dissolved nutrients, soil C, and total N concentration relative to older burned and unburned patches. Overall, recently burned patches can have reduced canopy and litter cover and increased water erosion, but soil properties may not differ from older burn or unburned patches under the conditions of this study

Antibiotics resistance of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains isolated from various clinical specimens

Background: A limited number of antibiotics are recommended for the therapy of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections due to therapy difficulties caused by its numerous mechanisms of resistance.Objectives: In this study conducted over a period of approximately 5 years we aimed to determine resistance rates of S. maltophilia based on drug classification recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute.Methods: A total of 118 S. maltophilia strains isolated from various clinical specimens between January 2006 and June 2012 were included in the study. BD Phoenixautomated microbiology system (Becton Dickinson, USA) was utilized for species level identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing.Results: Sixty seven of S. maltophilia strains were isolated from tracheal aspirate isolates, 17 from blood, 10 from sputum, 10 from wound and 14 from other clinical specimens. Levofloxacin was found to be the most effective antibiotic against S. maltophilia strains with resistance rate of 7.6%. The resistance rates to other antibiotics were as follows: chloramphenicol 18.2%, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 20.3% and ceftazidime 72%.Conclusion: The study revealed that S. maltophilia is resistant to many antibiotics. The treatment of infections caused by S. maltophilia should be preferred primarily as levofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and TMP-SXT, respectively.Keywords: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, antibiotic, resistanc

Experiences of the Mothers to Cope with the Problem Behaviors of the Children with Special Needs during Coronavirus (COVID-19) Process

Babies are born into different families, cultures, environments; their first interaction environment is the family. This study investigates the opinions of the mothers who have children with special needs based on the experiences to cope with the children's problem behaviors in the Coronavirus pandemic process. This study was designed in the qualitative research method. Eleven mothers whose children continue to special education rehabilitation centers in a provincial center in the Southeastern Anatolia Region constitute the participant group of the study.The data obtained using the semi-structured interviews were analyzed with the content analysis method; the findings were described under eight main themes. While observing that the mothers were responsible for in-house communication during the staying home process, their feelings were loneliness, not usually receiving support from partners and relatives. Mothers stated that their children showed self-harm, aggressiveness, and nonrestraint; suggested that the special education institutions' managers and teachers' professional competiencies should be strengthened regarding distance education process; family-based effective intervention programs should be developed

Evaluation of Vocal Communication in a Robot Collective

In this research, we attempt to design a model in which multiple robots communicate with an artificial proto-language whose symbols are vocally encoded letters of the Morse alphabet. We have shown that, as the robots have limited sensing and acting abilities, the communicated symbols of the proto-language differentiates from their original versions due to copying errors. We check the effects of two distinct environmental factors, namely the positional distance between the robots and the amount of noise in the environment. It is shown that both of these factors affect, in different ways, how accurately the presented proto-language can be accurately transmitted by the robots