Improved Full-Newton-Step Infeasible Interior-Point Method for Linear Complementarity Problems

In this thesis, we present an improved version of Infeasible Interior-Point Method (IIPM) for monotone Linear Complementarity Problem (LCP). One of the most important advantages of this version in compare to old version is that it only requires feasibility steps. In the earlier version, each iteration consisted of one feasibility step and some centering steps (at most three in practice). The improved version guarantees that after one feasibility step, the new iterated point is feasible and close enough to central path. Thus, the centering steps are eliminated. This improvement is based on the Lemma(Roos, 2015). Thanks to this lemma, proximity of the new point after the feasibility step is guaranteed with a more strict upper bound. Another advantage of this method is that it uses full-Newton steps, which means that no calculation of the step size is required at each iteration and that the cost is decreased. The implementation and numerical results demonstrate the reliability of the method

Screening and evaluation of antioxidant activities of selected naphthalene compounds

The antioxidant activities of twelve naphthalene compounds containing (E)-1-((3-iodophenylimino)methyl) naphthalen-2-ol (NAPH1), (E)-1-((3-bromophenylimino) methyl) naphthalen-2-ol (NAPH2), E)-1-((4-bromo-2-(trifluoromethoxy) phenylimino) methyl) naphthalen-2-ol, (E)-1-((4-bromo-2-(trifluoromethoxy) phenylimino) methyl)naphthalen-2-ol (NAPH3), (E)-1-((2-methoxy-5-(trifluoromethyl) phenylimino) methyl) naphthalen-2-ol (NAPH4), (E)-1-((naphthalen-2-ylimino) methyl) naphthalen-2-ol (NAPH5), (E)-1-((2-bromo-3-methylphenylimino) methyl) naphthalen-2-ol (NAPH6), (E)-N-((2-ethoxynaphthalen-1-yl)methylene)-3-methylaniline (NAPH7), (E)-4-ethoxy-N-((2-ethoxynaphthalen-1-yl) methylene) aniline (NAPH8), (E)-N-((2-ethoxynaphthalen-1-yl) methylene) naphthalen-1-amine (NAPH9), (E)-1-(2,5-difluorophenyl)-N-((2-ethoxynaphthalen-1-yl) methylene) methanamine (NAPH10), (E)-N-((2-ethoxynaphthalen-1-yl) methylene)-4-fluoroaniline (NAPH11), (E)-N-((2-ethoxynaphthalen-1-yl)methylene)-2-ethylaniline (NAPH12) were investigated in vitro by antioxidant activity (phosphomolybdenum assay), reducing power, H2O2 scavenging activity, metal chelating effects and lipid peroxidation. Scavenging activities of the naphthalen compounds were tested against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals. Most of them are potent antioxidant, radical superoxide anion scavengers and in vitro inhibition of lipid peroxidation. The compounds; NAPH5, NAPH10 and NAPH12 were found to exhibit promising antioxidant profiles at 10 and 50 mM concentrations. Among these, NAPH5 at higher concentration was the most active compound in inhibiting lipid peroxidation as shown in the homogenates of kidney, heart and spleen. The presented results validate that NAPH5, NAPH10 and NAPH12 can be possessed as a source of antioxidant potential and a rich source of synthetic antioxidant for medicinal or foods

An Edge-Swap Heuristic for Finding Dense Spanning Trees

Finding spanning trees under various restrictions has been an interesting question to researchers. A dense tree, from a graph theoretical point of view, has small total distances between vertices and large number of substructures. In this note, the density of a spanning tree is conveniently measured by the weight of a tree (defined as the sum of products of adjacent vertex degrees). By utilizing established conditions and relations between trees with the minimum total distance or maximum number of sub-trees, an edge-swap heuristic for generating dense spanning trees is presented. Computational results are presented for randomly generated graphs and specific examples from applications

Prospective Preschool Teachers’ Academic Achievements Depending on Their Goal Orientations, Critical Thinking Dispositions and Self-Regulation Skills

The aim of this study is to explain and predict prospective preschool teachers’ academic achievements depending on goal orientations they adopt, their critical thinking dispositions and self-regulation skills. Research sample constitutes of 265 prospective preschool teachers attending the Faculty of Educational Sciences in Cukurova University. Research data were collected with the 2x2Achievement Goal Orientations Scale, Self-Regulation Questionnaire and Critical Thinking Disposition Scale. Demographical information about prospective teachers’ gender, age, grade level and academic grade point averages were obtained with the personal information form. For the analysis of research data, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and discriminant analysis were used. In this study; it was concluded that prospective teachers with high level of learning approach orientation, critical thinking disposition and self-regulation skills had higher levels of academic achievement. However, it was determined that distinguishing variables among prospective preschool teachers with low, medium and high level of academic achievement included learning approach, performance approach goal orientation and critical thinking disposition and self-regulation skills. Correct classification percentage of distinguishing variables according to prospective preschool teachers’ levels of academic achievement was determined as 48.8%. Considering the fact that prospective teachers’ achievement-goal orientations, critical thinking dispositions and self-regulation skills may increase their academic achievement and shape their future teaching performances, it is suggested to implement programs that will contribute to the development of such skills and orientations among prospective preschool teachers

Three versus five intravitreal aflibercept injections as the initial loading phase in the treatment of diabetic macular edema: one-year results

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of three initial monthly intravitreal aflibercept injections followed by pro re nata (3+PRN) dosing versus five initial monthly intravitreal aflibercept injections followed by pro re nata (5+ PRN) dosing in patients with diabetic macular edema. Methods: A total of 60 treatment-naive patients with macular edema who underwent intravitreal aflibercept injections (2 mg/0.05 mL) with at least one year of follow-up were analyzed in this retrospective and comparative study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the number of intravitreal aflibercept injections administered in the loading phase. The 3+PRN group comprised 27 patients, whereas the 5+PRN group comprised 33 patients. The visual and anatomical outcomes were compared between the two groups at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Results: Both 3+ PRN and 5+ PRN, showed statistically significant improvements in the best-corrected visual acuity and central macular thicknesse throughout the study period (p<0.001 and, p < 0.001, respectively). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of changes in the best-corrected visual acuity and central macular thickness (p=0.453 and, p=0.784, respectively). The mean number of intravitreal aflibercept injections was significantly greater in the 5+PRN group (6.1 +/- 0.8) than in the 3+PRN group (3.9 +/- 0.8) (p<0.001). Conclusion: The 3+PRN and 5+PRN regimens showed similar 12-month visual and anatomical outcomes following treatment with intravitreal aflibercept injections in patients with macular edema

Analyses of the mechanical, electrical and electromagnetic shielding properties of thermoplastic composites doped with conductive nanofillers

The purpose of this study is to observe effect of incorporating vapor-grown carbon nanofibers with various amounts in polyvinylidene fluoride matrix in terms of mechanical strength and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness. Thermoplastic conductive nanocomposites were prepared by heat-pressed compression molding. Vapor-grown carbon nanofibers were utilized at various weight ratios (1 wt.%, 3 wt.%, 5 wt.%, and 8 wt.%) as conductive and reinforcing materials. Polyvinylidene fluoride was used as a thermoplastic polymer matrix. Scanning electron microscopic analysis was conducted in order to characterize the morphology and structural properties of the nanocomposites and results revealed well dispersion of carbon nanofibers within the matrix for all concentrations. Mechanical characteristics were investigated according to standards. Findings proved that overall increments of 16%, 37.5%, and 56% were achieved in terms of tensile strength, elasticity modulus, and impact energy, respectively, where a total reduction of 44.8% was observed in terms of elongation for 8 wt.% vapor-grown nanofiber matrix compared to that of 0 wt.%. Electromagnetic shielding effectiveness's of the nanocomposites were determined by standard protocol using coaxial transmission line measurement technique in the frequency range of 15–3000 MHz. It was observed that resistance, sheet resistance, and resistivity of nanocomposites depicted substantial reduction with the increment in nanofiber content. Nevertheless, it was observed that nanofiber content, dispersion, and network formation within the composites were highly influent on the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness performance of the structures

Monocyte-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio is associated with Ascending Aorta Dilatation in Patients with Bicuspid Aortic Valve

Background: The importance of monocyte count-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio (MHR) in cardio- vascular diseases has been shown in various studies. Ascending aortic dilatation (AAD) is a common complication in the patients with bicuspid aortic valve. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between MHR and the presence of aortic dilatation in the patients with bicuspid aortic valve. Methods: The study population included totally 347 patients with bicuspid aortic valve.169 patients with aortic dilatation (ascending aorta diameter 65 4.0 cm) and 178 patients with no aortic dilatation. Echocardiographic and laboratory measurement was done and compared between groups. Results: The mean age of the participants was 44.7 \ub1 15.4 years and average ascending aorta diameter was 3.2 \ub1 0.3 cm in dilatation negative group and 4.4 \ub1 0.4 cm in positive group. MHR was significantly increased in in patients with aortic dilatation. MHR and uric acid level was independently associated with the presence of aortic dilatation in the patients with bicuspid aortic valve. Conclusion: We found a significant relationship between MHR and aortic dilatation in the patients with bicuspid aortic valve