Landslide susceptibility mapping of Cekmece area (Istanbul, Turkey) by conditional probability

International audienceAs a result of industrialization, throughout the world, the cities have been growing rapidly for the last century. One typical example of these growing cities is Istanbul. Today, the population of Istanbul is over 10 millions. Depending on this rapid urbanization, new suitable areas for settlements and engineering structures are necessary. For this reason, the Cekmece area, west of the Istanbul metropolitan area, is selected as the study area, because the landslides are frequent in this area. The purpose of the present study is to produce landslide susceptibility map of the selected area by conditional probability approach. For this purpose, a landslide database was constructed by both air ? photography and field studies. 19.2% of the selected study area is covered by landslides. Mainly, the landslides described in the area are generally located in the lithologies including the permeable sandstone layers and impermeable layers such as claystone, siltstone and mudstone layers. When considering this finding, it is possible to say that one of the main conditioning factors of the landslides in the study area is lithology. In addition to lithology, many landslide conditioning factors are considered during the landslide susceptibility analyses. As a result of the analyses, the class of 5?10° of slope, the class of 180?225 of aspect, the class of 25?50 of altitude, Danisment formation of the lithological units, the slope units of geomorphology, the class of 800?1000 m of distance from faults (DFF), the class of 75?100 m of distance from drainage (DFD) pattern, the class of 0?10m of distance from roads (DFR) and the class of low or impermeable unit of relative permeability map have the higher probability values than the other classes. When compared with the produced landslide susceptibility map, most of the landslides identified in the study area are found to be located in the most (54%) and moderate (40%) susceptible zones. This assessment is also supported by the performance analysis applied at end of the study. As a consequence, the landslide susceptibility map produced herein has a valuable tool for the planning purposes

Association of endothelial nitric oxide synthase promoter region (T-786C) gene polymorphism with acute coronary syndrome and coronary heart disease

İstanbul Bilim Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi.Background Nitric oxide (NO) is an endothelium derived relaxing factor (EDRF) which has an important role for regulating the heart-vessel physiology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the eNOS T-786C polymorphism on lipid parameters and the development of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and coronary heart disease (CHD) for the first time in a Turkish study group. We have analyzed the genotype frequencies of the T-786C polymorphism of the eNOS gene in 10 ACS patients (5 men, 5 women), 20 CHD patients (14 men, 6 women), and 31 controls (10 men, 21 women), who were angiographically proven to have normal coronaries. Results The demographic, biochemical and left ventricule systolic dysfunction data of the ACS, CHD patients and controls were analyzed as a function of eNOS T-786C genotypes. The eNOS gene T-786C polymorphism frequencies for T/T, C/T and C/C genotypes were respectively 10%, 40%, 50% in subjects with ACS; 75%, 20%, 5% in subjects with CHD and 67.7%, 25.8%, 6.5% in the control group. Significant difference was observed in genotype frequencies between the study groups for T-786C polymorphism (p = 0.001). The CC genotype frequency was found to be the most prevalent in ACS group in comparison to CHD and control groups (p = 0.001). TT was the most frequently observed genotype in both CHD patients and controls (p = 0.001). Left ventricule systolic dysfunction frequency was found to be highest in C/T genotype carriers (66.7%) in patients (ACS+CHD). None of the patients with LVSD were carrying the normal genotype (T/T). The eNOS T-786C polymorphism was not found to be effective over any analyzed lipid variable in patients (ACS+CHD). The HDL-cholesterol levels were found to be lower in CHD group were compared to controls (p < 0.01), whereas glucose and leucocyte levels of the ACS and CHD groups were both higher than controls (p < 0.001). Conclusion The significantly high frequency of eNOS -786C/C genotype in ACS patients than in those of controls, indicate the genotype association with ACS. The finding of significantly high frequency of T/T genotype in the CHD group, may support the relationship of CC genotype with ACS without CHD. The high frequency of the mutant (C/C) and heterozygous (C/T) genotypes found may be linked to left ventricule remodeling after MI

Designing Excited States: Theory-Guided Access to Efficient Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Action

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The in silico design of tetraradical S 1 states was validated experimentally through synthesis, followed by characterization including phosphorescence measurements, use of trap molecules, and cell culture studies, leading to a series of orthogonal dimers of Bodipy chromophores with remarkable singlet oxygen efficiencies (see picture). A new path for the rational development of efficient photosensitizers is thus revealed. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Cone beam computed tomography evaluation of ponticulus posticus in patients with cleft lip and palate: a retrospective radio-anatomic study

Background: Ponticulus posticus (PP) is an abnormal bony bridge on the atlas. It plays a significant role in patients undergoing C1 lateral mass screw procedure. Patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) have higher risk than patients in general population for the appearance of cervical vertebral anomalies. The purpose of the this study was twofold: to determine the prevalence and characteristics of PP in patients with CLP, and to compare the findings with patients in general population using cone beam computed tomography. Materials and methods: Cone beam computed tomography images from 54 individuals who had undergone surgical repair of cleft lip and/or palate were analysed as the study group. For comparison purposes a control group was randomly selected from 108 patients and matched with the CLP subjects. Results: Although 12 of the 54 (22.3%) patients with surgically repaired cleft lip and/or palate in the study group were identified to have PP, only 10 of the 108 (9.2%) patients in the control group had PP. The distribution of the presence of PP between the groups was statistically significant. Conclusions: Ponticulus posticus is an important anomaly and the presence of PP is important for patients. PP can have clinical significance in cervical spine surgery as this study has indicated that the likelihood of encountering PP is higher in patients with CLP. We suggest that PP should be taken into account prior to cervical vertebral surgery in patients with CLP. (Folia Morphol 2018; 77, 1: 72–78)

Heavy atom free singlet oxygen generation: Doubly substituted configurations dominate S 1 states of bis-BODIPYs

S 0, S 1, and T 1 states of various orthogonal 8,8′ and 8,2′-bis-boradiaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) dyes, recently (Angew. Chem., Int. Ed.2011, 50, 11937) proposed as heavy atom free photosensitizers for O 2( 1Δ g) generation, were studied by multireference quantum chemical approaches. S 0→S 1 excitation characteristics of certain bis-BODIPYs are shown to be drastically different than the parent BODIPY chromophore. Whereas a simple HOMO→LUMO-type single substitution perfectly accounts for the BODIPY core, S 1 states of certain orthogonal bis-BODIPYs are described as linear combinations of doubly substituted (DS) configurations which overall yield four electrons in four singly occupied orbitals. Computed DS character of S 1, strongly correlated with facile 1O 2 production, was presumed to occur via S 1→T 1 intersystem crossing (ISC) of the sensitizer. Further confirmation of this relation was provided by newly synthesized BODIPY derivatives and comparison of spectroscopic properties of their dimers and monomers. Near-IR absorption, desired for potential photodynamic therapy applications, was not pursuable for bis-chromophores by the standard strategy of π-extension, as DS singlet states are destabilized. Decreased exchange coupling in π-extended cases appears to be responsible for this destabilization. Comparisons with iodine incorporated bis-BODIPYs suggest that the dynamics of 1O 2 generation via DS S 1 states are qualitatively different from that via ISC originating from heavy atom spin-orbit coupling. Although red-shifting the absorption wavelength to enter the therapeutic window does not seem attainable for orthogonal bis-BODIPYs with DS S 1 states, modifications in the chromophore cores are shown to be promising in fine-tuning the excitation characteristics. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Determination of periodic deformation from InSAR results using the FFT time series analysis method in Gediz Graben

Permanent Scatterers (PS) point velocities obtained by the interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) method are generally determined using the linear regression model, which ignores periodic and seasonal effects. In this study, software was developed that can detect periodic effects by applying fast Fourier transformation (FFT) time series analysis to InSAR results. Using the FFT time series analysis, the periodic components of the surface movements at the PS points were determined, and then the annual velocity values free from periodic effects were obtained. The study area was chosen as the Gediz Graben, a tectonically active region where aseismic surface deformations have been observed in recent years. As a result, using the developed method, seasonal effects were successfully determined with the InSAR method at the PS points in the study area with a period of 384 days and an average amplitude of 19 mm. In addition, groundwater level changes of a water well in the region were modeled, and 0.93 correlation coefficient values were calculated between seasonal InSAR displacement values and water level changes. Thus, using the developed methodology, the relationship between the tectonic movement in the Gediz Graben in Turkey and the seasonal movements and the change in the groundwater level was determined

Synthesis of conductive carbon aerogels decorated with β-tricalcium phosphate nanocrystallites

There has been substantial interest in research aimed at conductive carbon-based supports since the discovery that the electrical stimulus can have dramatic effect on cell behavior. Among these carbon-aerogels decorated with biocompatible polymers were suggested as future materials for tissue engineering. However, high reaction temperatures required for the synthesis of the aerogels tend to impair the stability of the polymeric networks. Herein, we report a synthetic route towards carbon-aerogel scaffolds decorated with biocompatible ceramic nanoparticles of tricalcium phosphate. The composites can be prepared at temperature as high as 1100 °C without significant effect on the morphology of the composite which is comparable with the original aerogel framework. Although the conductivity of the composites tends to decrease with the increasing ceramic content the measured conductivity values are similar to those previously reported on polymer-functionalized carbon-aerogels. The cell culture study revealed that the developed constructs support cell proliferation and provide good cell attachment suggesting them as potentially good candidates for tissue-engineering applications

Neurochemical metabolites in prefrontal cortex in patients with mild/moderate levels in first-episode depression

Background: Previous studies have determined the neurochemical metabolite abnormalities in major depressive disorder (MDD). The results of studies are inconsistent. Severity of depression may relate to neurochemical metabolic changes. The aim of this study is to investigate neurochemical metabolite levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of patients with mild/moderate MDD. Methods: Twenty-one patients with mild MDD, 18 patients with moderate MDD, and 16 matched control subjects participated in the study. Patients had had their first episode. They had not taken treatment. The severity of depression was assessed by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Levels of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline-containing compounds (Cho), and creatine-containing compounds (Cr) were measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) at 1.5 T, with an 8-cm3 single voxel placed in the right PFC. Results: The moderate MDD patients had lower NAA/Cr levels than the control group. No differences were found in neurochemical metabolite levels between the mild MDD and control groups. No correlation was found between the patients' neurochemical metabolite levels and HAM-D scores. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that NAA/Cr levels are low in moderate-level MDD in the PFC. Neurochemical metabolite levels did not change in mild depressive disorder. Our results suggest that the severity of depression may affect neuronal function and viability. Studies are needed to confirm this finding, including studies on severely depressive patients. © 2013 Sözeri-Varma et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd