Applying the international classification of functioning, disability, and health in children with low vision: Differences between raters

Background/aim: This study was conducted to analyze the agreement between International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) raters and to show its applicability in children with low vision. Materials and methods: Twenty children (mean age: 11.70 ± 1.92 years) were included. To evaluate the independency of the sample, the Northwick Park Activities Daily Living questionnaire was used. The Low Vision Quality of Life Scale was used to evaluate quality of life. An ICF core set was developed to be used in this study. The core set consisted of 13 items for body functions, 3 items for body structures, 36 items for activity and participation, and 12 items for environmental factors. Results: High agreement was found between two raters in terms of subparameters of the ICF core set for activity and participation (r = 0.880, P = 0.000). Conclusion: The findings indicate that the raters showed strong agreement in terms of the ICF core set used in this study. This shows that the core set can be used to evaluate activity and participation of children with low vision. © TÜBİTAK

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING COMPETITIVE POWER OF TURKEY’S RURAL TOURISTIC DESTINATIONS

Bu çalışma Türkiye’nin kırsal turizm açısından rekabet gücünün artırılmasına yönelik strateji belirleme ve uygulama geliştirebilmesine destek olmak amacını gütmektedir. Bu doğrultuda dünya genelindeki en iyi uygulamalar (best-practices) incelenerek turizm, pazarlama, rekabet ve tutundurma çalışmalarıgeniş çaplı olarak ilgili literatürdendestek alınarak değerlendirilmiştir. Aynı zamanda dünyadan önemli örnekler, Avrupa Birliği ülkelerine odaklanarakokuyuculara metin içerisinde sunulmuştur. Türkiye’de bu güne kadar gerçekleştirilen başarılı kırsal turizm uygulamalarına yer verilerek rekabetçi kırsal turizm ve tutundurma çabaları karşılaştırmalı olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Yapılan çalışmanın sonucunda ilgili kişi/ kurum ve devlet desteği ile yerel halka verilecek çevresel, agro-turizm, eko-turizm ve ilgili turizm alanlarındaki bilimsel bilgilendirme faaliyetlerinin arttırılması, devlet desteğinin sağlanması, öncelikli bölgelerin saptanması, turizm odaklı alternatif geçim faaliyetlerinin hayata geçirilmesi, sosyal olanaklar sunulması ile kırsal destinasyonların etkin kullanımının sağlanması, kırsal yerleşimlerinin konaklamaya açılması, çevre ve turizm alanında dernek, vakıf, federasyonların kurulması gibi öneriler dünyadaki ve Avrupa Birliği’ndeki uygulamalardan örnek alınarak sunulmuştur.Gelecek araştırmalar için temel oluşturacak bu çalışmanın kırsal turizmi rekabet açısından değerlendirme fırsatı tanıyacağı beklenmektedir.This study aims to facilitatean increase in competitivenessof Turkey in rural tourism by offering strategies and developing practices. Strategy setters and developers in this area as well as practitioners of rural tourism can benefit from the present study. To realize this goal global best practices in rural tourism, marketing, and promotional activities that led to increased competitiveness are analyzed utilizing relevant academic studies as well as real life examples. Specific applicationsworldwide and especially in Europe are provided within the text to offer a better insight to readers. In addition, successful applications in Turkey are also analyzed to offer comparative results on competitive rural tourism policies and best practices. As a result of the analysis several suggestions were made to increase the competitiveness in light of the best practices around the globe. First of all, educating the local communities that are associated with agro-tourism and ecotourism to increase awareness and knowledge by the support of individuals, organizations and government was proposed. In addition,identification of priority areas in rural tourism and providingsupport (financial and non-financial) by governmental institutions is offered as a basis to set a clear roadmap to increased competitiveness. In implementation stage, establishing tourism related alternative income generating activities,utilizing the accommodation potential of rural settlements,ensuring effective use of all amenities in rural destinations, and also establishing tourism associations, foundations/federations to supervise and lead the efforts in this context was proposed.This study not only presentsa base for the future researches but alsogive opportunity to assess the present state of rural tourism from rural competitiveness perspective

Electroanalytical Determination of Ziram by Differential Pulse Voltammetry with Reduced Graphene Oxide/Gold Nanoparticles Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

The preparation of gold nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide-based sensor materials for the determination of zinc(II)dimethyldithiocarbamate (ziram) is described in this paper. The graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized using a modified Hummer's method. A composite sensor consisting of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was electrochemically fabricated on a glassy carbon electrode. The nanocomposite was evaluated utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cyclic voltammetry was used to illuminate the modified sensor's electrochemical properties at each stage of the modification. The suggested sensor was demonstrated good analytical performance to determine ziram pesticide in water and peach juice, including a very low detection limit, a large linear range, and a low RSD

Clinical and demographic characteristics of 165 patients with lichen planus

Objective: Lichen planus (LP), is a papulosquamous inflammatory disease, which involves the skin, mucous membranes, nails and scalp. The incidence varies according to geographical regions. In this study, it was aimed to detect the clinical and demographic characteristics of the patients with LP who have been under follow-up at our clinic. Methods: One hundred sixty five patients, who were diagnosed as LP in our clinic between 2010 and 2013, were enrolled to the study. The age, gender, disease duration, time of onset of disease, characteristics of involvement, associated systemic diseases, laboratory findings and treatment were recorded retrospectively. Results: In our study, 0.6% of all patients admitted to our clinic were diagnosed as LP. A total of 165 patients included in the study, 92 women (56%) and 73 men (44%), respectively. Patients’ ages ranged 8-78 (mean 44.7±16.7). Disease duration ranged from 1 month to 20 years (mean 15.6±29.7). One hundred thirty four patients (81.2%) had skin involvement, 51 (31%) had oral mucosal involvement, and 15 (9%) had genital involvement. Five (4.5%) of 111 patients with viral hepatitis tests were positive for hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis B virus positivity was seen in 4 (4%) patients. Conclusion: There is a need for further studies with more patients to better understand the epidemiological, clinical and pathological characteristics of LP. We believe that our study will contribute to the determination of our country’s data

Analysis, Representation and Mapping of Neural Networks onto Parallel Hardware

Neural networks provide solutions to a class of pattern recognition and optimisation problems that are hard to solve with conventional techniques. Currently, most neural network applications are computationally intensive simulations on conventional sequential computers. As a solution general-purpose parallel architectures are increasingly used to speed up simulations. Hence, there is a growing need for generic strategies for simulating neural networks on parallel computers. This thesis investigates generic representation and mapping strategies for neural networks on general-purpose parallel architectures. The research comprises three main parts; an analysis of neural network models, an analysis of neural network representations, and by utilising these analyses, the representation and mapping of neural networks on parallel hardware. To understand the computational and structural properties of neural network models, and to establish a generic representation, an in-depth analysis is carried out in the form of three case studies. The Hopfield, the Self-Organising Map and the Backpropagation models are used respectively in three appropriate real-world applications; pattern recognition, data clustering and financial forecasting. Neural network representations determine parallel mapping options and the subsequent efficiency of mappings. Function-oriented, object-oriented and matrix-based representations are examined with examples, stressing their advantages and disadvantages. A matrix-based C library MATLIB and a neural network library NETLIB are put forward as generic, modular and flexible means to represent neural networks and exploit parallel, general-purpose execution environments. The mapping of neural networks onto parallel hardware is a computational optimisation problem with two main constraints: processing costs and communications costs. The Mapper's task is to optimise for a fast and efficient execution, by partitioning and distributing neural network representations across a number of parallel processors, and scheduling the parallel execution. A Computational Analysis Tool (CAT) is developed to calculate processing and communications costs, and to detect parallelism in a given MATLIB definition. An Automatic Parallel Mapper (APM), using this analysis, can partition the representation and generate parallel or pipelined code with appropriate data exchange instructions between the parallel processing modules. The Esprit II Galatea General Purpose Neural Computer (GPNC) is used as a test and implementation domain for this research work. The GPNC is a multi-processor architecture consisting of a host and a number of parallel Virtual Machines (VM), each containing a local CPU and a co-processor board, communicating and interpreting a matrix-based intermediate- level language called VML. The Galatea Mapper is designed and developed for semi-automatic mapping of VML rules to a number of parallel VMs. To assess the performance of the mapping strategies, MATLIB definitions of the three neural network models are partitioned and simulated in parallel on a network of SUN workstations. CAT projections are used to authorise data or task parallel mappings automatically. Multiple neural network applications are also simulated with two or more neural networks cooperating or competing in the solution of a problem. This thesis shows that the matrix-based abstraction captures neural network properties, and the computational cost analysis based mapping strategy is generic, flexible and can be automated. In addition, the simulation results show that: (i) the three neural network models studied in this thesis are tightly coupled algorithms, and are not suitable for pipeline or task parallelism, (ii) data parallelism for these models can increase performance only if fast communications interfaces are provided, and (iii) current distributed computer networks can be used for multiple neural network simulations, producing clear gains in performance

On the design product of university students determination of aesthetic approaches: a pre-test study in the case of coffee.

TEZ11448Tez (Yüksek Lisans) -- Çukurova Üniversitesi, Adana, 2019.Kaynakça (s. 61-63) var.xii, 66 s. : res. (bzs. rnk.), tablo ; 29 cm.Günlük yaşantımızın neredeyse tamamında kullandığımız, hayatımızı kolaylaştıran her türlü ürün, hayatımıza yenilik ve kolaylık sağlayan, estetik duyularımıza seslenen objeler, kullanımımıza sunulan eşyalar endüstriyel tasarım ürünleridir. Su içtiğimiz bardak, yemek yediğimiz tabak okuduğumuz gazete, her tür medya, giysilerimizin modelleri, desenleri, telefonumuz, sandalyemiz, arabamız, trafik levhaları, ürün logoları, oyuncaklar… Farkında olmasak da, fonksiyonellik, kullanım kolaylığı, ergonomi gibi özellikler taşıyan eşyalarımız sadece yaşamımızı kolaylaştırmazlar, görünümleriyle de estetik yaşantıyı deneyimlememize katkı sunarlar. Estetik özlemler insan psikolojisinin ayrılmaz parçalarıdır. Kişinin pratik işlev ile yetinmeyip, nesnenin biçimsel niteliklerini güzellik kavramlarıyla uyuşturmaya yönelmesi bu özlemler sonucudur. Bu bağlamda düşünüldüğünde estetik olabilme niteliği, teknoloji ve sanat arasında önemli bir ayrıcalığı da ortaya koymaktadır. Ürün tasarımının ürün tercihleri üzerinde yaratacağı etki farkındalığının artmasına rağmen, insanların tasarıma nasıl tepki verdiklerini veya estetik yanıtların nasıl oluştuğunu anlamamıza yardımcı olan tasarım veya estetik kuramın şaşırtıcı derecede az olduğu söylenebilir. Bu sorunun nedenlerinden birisi tüketici davranışlarını ve taleplerini araştırmanın daha çok pazarlama bilgi alanın konusu olduğu varsayımıdır. İkinci neden ürün estetiğinin, ürün tasarımında çok önemli olmasına rağmen, felsefe, sanat eleştirisi, sanat tarihi, psikoloji, antropoloji, deneysel estetik gibi disiplinlerdeki ürün estetiği çalışmalarının tasarım estetiğine saygı duymakla birlikte, uzun yıllar boyunca tutarlı bir teori oluşturmamasıdır. Bir başka neden tasarım ve estetik ilişkisindeki ilkelerin belirsizliğiyle ilişkilidir. Öncelikle, ""iyi"" tasarımın oldukça keyfi bir mesele olduğu izlenimini veren söylem tasarımcılar tarafından da kabul edilmektedir. Ayrıca tasarlayan-tüketici-ürün ilişkisi karmaşık bir ilişkidir. Bu karmaşa, günlük olarak etkileşime girdiğimiz ürünler daha karmaşık hale geldiğinden, gittikçe de artmaktadır. Bu araştırma üstesinden gelinmesi gereken bir takım engeller olmasına rağmen, tüketicinin estetik deneyimlerinin belirlenmesine yönelik araştırmaların ürün tasarımı çalışması yapan disiplinlerin katkısı olmadan eksik kalacağı ya da çok disiplinli yapılmasının daha verimli sonuçlar doğuracağı görüşünü benimsemektedir. Pazarlama bilgi alanının araştırma deneyimlerinden de yararlanan bu araştırmada tüketici- ürün bağlamı üniversite öğrencileri ve kahve bardağıdır. Farklı estetik yaklaşımlarla tasarlanan bardaklar öğrencilerin yoğun olarak bulunduğu kafelerde kullanıma sunulmuş ve onların tercihlerinin hangi biçimsel/estetik özelliklere yönelik olduğu ve bu yönelimi sağlayan koşulların belirlenip belirlenemeyeceği incelenmiştir.The tools and appliances that we use daily, that make our lives easier, that touch our sense of esthetics are results of industrial design. The glass that we use to drink water, the newspaper that we read, the plate which we eat out of, all sorts of media, designs of our clothing, product logos, toys… even though we may not be fully aware, products that are ergonomically designed, and that have properties such as functionality not only make our lives easier but also contribute to our lives with their esthetics. Longing for esthetics is a part of human psychology, and as such is the reason why humans chose products that are not only functional but also esthetically pleasing. In this regard, having an aptitude to be esthetic, creates this dichotomy difference Even though there exits an awareness that design of products has an effect on product selection by customers, there is little scientific knowledge concerning how humans react to design and how their understanding of and reaction to esthetics come about. One reason for this lack know knowledge is that, generally it is assumed that consumer behavior and consumer demands fall in the realm of marketing research. Second reason for this lack of scientific knowledge is, though product esthetic is an indispensable part of product design, fields such as philosophy, art critique, art history, psychology, anthropology, and experimental esthetics have failed to produce viable theories concerning product esthetics. Another reason is concerned with the uncertainty in regards to the principals governing the relationship between design and esthetics. Primarily, subjectivity of the answers to the question, what is a ‘good’ design?” remains to be accepted among designers. Moreover, it is evident that the relationship between the designer, the product, and the consumer is a complex one, and is becoming more complicated as the end products themselves become more complex. This paper adopts the view that research concerning consumer experiences with product designs should be multidisciplinary and should involve disciplines that are involved in product design. However, this paper also uses information provided by marketing research. For the purposes of this paper, coffee cup has been chosen as the product and the consumers are the university students. Different cups designed according to different esthetic approaches have been used in different cafeterias, in order to figure out which esthetic properties have been decisive in students’ choosing of the cups and what conditions pushed these students to make the choices that they made

Heavy metal pollution in soils adjacent to the Kızıltepe - Viranşehir road

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Mardin İline bağlı Viranşehir-Kızıltepe karayolu güzergâhındaki topraklarda trafik kaynaklı ağır metal kirliliğinin boyutlarını belirlemek, topraktaki ağır metal miktarının kara yolundan olan mesafe ile değişimini ortaya koyabilmektir. Bu amaçla karayolunun sağ ve sol tarafından 2’ şer km’ lik 6 farklı noktadan 0, 15, 30 ve 60 m uzaklıklarla 0-15 cm derinlikten dört tekrarlamalı olarak toplam 96 toprak örneği alınmıştır. Sonuç olarak, toprakların ortalama ağır metal içerikleri, kurşun (Pb) 0.64-2.24, kadmiyum (Cd) 0.26-0.40, nikel (Ni) 27-42, krom (Cr) 17-28 ve bakır (Cu) 9.9-14.2 mg kg-1 arasında belirlenmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlar değerlendirildiğinde Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr ve Cu için tüm ağır metallerin konsantrasyonları topraklarda izin verilebilir sınır değerlerine yaklaşamamalarına rağmen, mesafeye bağlı olarak karayolundan uzaklaştıkça ağır metal konsantrasyonlarının azaldığı görülmüştür. Bu durum çalışma alanındaki topraklarda gözlenen ağır metal birikiminin trafik kökenli olduğunu düşündürmektedir. Ayrıca, miktar bakımından topraklarda ağır metaller şu sırayı; Ni>Cr>Cu>Pb>Cd izlemişlerdir.The aim of this study is to determine the extent of heavy metal pollution in the soils adjacent to the Viranşehir (Şanlıurfa) – Kızıltepe (Mardin) highway, and determine the dependence of heavy metal pollution on the distance from the highway. Total of ninety-six surface soil samples (0-15 cm) were collected from the left and right-hand sides of the highway at six different points which were 0, 15, 30 and 60 m apart from the highway in four replicates. The maximum and minimum concentrations of heavy metals in soils were as follows: Pb 0.64-2.24, Cd 0.26-0.40, Ni 27-42, Cr 17-28 and Cu 9.9-14.2 mg kg-1. Results showed that Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr and Cu contents were higher near the highway. It is therefore concluded that the main source of heavy metal pollution in these soils might be due to traffic. Also, the amount of heavy metals in soils were in the following order: Ni> Cr> Cu> Pb> Cd