Application of Alternative Maritime Power (AMP) Supply to Cruise Port

The International Maritime Organization, the European Union Council and the US government force ship owners to take necessary measures through international conventions and national legislation to minimize ship-based emissions which damage to the environment and has reached a serious level. Thus, ship operators began to turn towards alternative technologies and fuels that reduce emissions to ensure the maritime trade smoothly. On the other hand, some port operators has started to supply alternative maritime power (AMP) which is electricity from city grid line to the ships at the berth. It is a fact that AMP is one of the best emission reduction alternative technologies for ships during berthing period. This kind of ports providing AMP will be compulsory choice for many ship operators who still use fossil fuel-powered engines in their ships and cannot meet the emission limit requirements at ports, also these ports will contribute to the environmental protection. In this study, AMP application will be examined for the Ege Ports in Kuşadası. Purpose of the study is to calculate the amount of emissions and external costs and to compare with marine gas oil (MGO) when the AMP system is applied to a port. According to comparison of AMP technology with MGO (0.1%S); total air pollutant is reduced by 94% via decreasing SO2 23%, NOx 97%, PM 88%, CO 99%, VOC 64%. On the other hand, it is estimated that total released greenhouse gases are minimized by 41% via decreasing CO2 41%, N2O 85% and CH4 81%. Finally, total emission reduction was about 43%. The economic and environmental benefits to the port hinterland and its country has been estimated by finding external cost. Total externality cost of MGO for human health, ecosystem quality and climate change was found as about Euro 3 million while Euro 0,4 million occured from AMP

DETERMINATIONS OF REAL ESTATE TAX VALUES VIA GEOGRAPHİC INFORMATİON NETWORK ANALYSES TECHNIQUES

Gelişmiş ülkelerde emlak vergileri (EV) yerel yönetimler ve merkezi idareler için önemli bir kaynak teşkil etmektedir. Ancak ülkemizde yasal mevzuat, uygulayıcılar ve kurumlar arası koordinasyon eksikliği, vergiye esas taşınmazların belirlenememesi, takip edilememesi ve taşınmaz değer karşılıklarının doğru olarak tespit edilememesine neden olmaktadır. Bunların sonucunda, önemli oranda ekonomik kayıp ortaya çıkmaktadır. Günümüzde bilgi teknolojileri yardımıyla vergi mükellefleri ve ilgili kurumların emlak vergi değerlerine optimal bir şekilde erişimi sağlayacak ve vergi kayıpları minimum seviyeye indirecek sistemlerin kurulması mümkündür. Yapılan bu çalışmada, Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemleri teknikleri kullanılarak, yasal mevzuatta bölge, cadde veya sokak bazında belirlenen asgari emlak vergi değerlerinin taşınmazlara yansıtılması ve asgari beyan sisteminin kontrolü amacıyla bir model tasarlanarak örnek bir uygulama yapılmıştır. Bu amaçla yol ağı ile kadastral veriler ilişkilendirilerek vergiye esas taşınmazlar için bir veri tabanı (VT) tasarımı gerçekleştirilmiştir. Real estate tax is a very big resource for local authorities and central administrations in developed countries. On the other hand, because of lacking of legal legislation, applicators and communication between institutions, real estates having responsibility for tax and real estate values can not be determined. This lead to an important economical loss. Today, constitution of systems which allow taxpayers and related institutions to access real estate tax values optimally and minimize tax loss is possible via information technologies. In this study, minimum real estate values specified in district or street based were taken into consideration for tax. Then, a model was designed and a sample application was performed to control minimum declaration values. For this purpose, after linking road network and cadastral data, a database design was realized for real estates having responsibility for tax

Genetic Diversity and Pathogenicity of Rhizoctonia spp. Isolates Associated with Red Cabbage in Samsun (Turkey)

A total of 132 Rhizoctonia isolates were recovered from red cabbage plants with root rot and wirestem symptoms in the province of Samsun (Turkey) between 2018 and 2019. Based on the sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region located between the 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA genes and including nuclear staining, these 124 isolates were assigned to multinucleate Rhizoctonia solani, and eight were binucleate Rhizoctonia. The most prevalent anastomosis group (AG) was AG 4 (84%), which was subdivided into AG 4 HG-I (81%) and AG 4 HG-III (3%), followed by AG 5 (10%) and AG-A (6%), respectively. The unweighted pair group method phylogenetic tree resulting from the data of 68 isolates with the inter-PBS amplification DNA profiling method based on interspersed retrotransposon element sequences confirmed the differentiation of AGs with a higher resolution. In the greenhouse experiment with representative isolates (n = 24) from AGs on red cabbage (cv. Rondale), the disease severity index was between 3.33 and 4.0 for multinucleate AG isolates and ranged from 2.5 to 3.17 for AG-A isolates. In the pathogenicity assay of six red cabbage cultivars, one isolate for each AG was tested using a similar method, and all cultivars were susceptible to AG 4 HG-I and AG 4 HG-III isolates. Redriver and Remale were moderately susceptible, while Rescue, Travero, Integro, and Rondale were susceptible to the AG 5 isolate. The results indicate that the most prevalent and aggressive AGs of Rhizoctonia are devastating pathogens to red cabbage, which means that rotation with nonhost-crops for these AGs may be the most effective control strategy. This is the first comprehensive study of Rhizoctonia isolates in red cabbage using a molecular approach to assess genetic diversity using iPBS-amplified DNA profiling

Bibliometric analysis of amebiasis research

Aim: Amebiasis is a disease caused by protozoon Entamoeba histolytica, that results in amoebic dysentery. While intestinal parasites are the third leading cause of death, especially in developing countries, it has been of global concern. Bibliometric methods have been used in the parasitology discipline for more than 30 years, however there is not any bibliometric study on amebiasis in the literature. Our aim was to analyse the published literature on amebiasis by bibliometric methods. Material and methods: A systematic evaluation of the literature using the Scopus database was made from inception to 2021. The search terms ‘amebiasis’, ‘Entamoeba’, ‘Entamoeba histolytica’, and ‘amoebic dysentery’ were used. The authors, publication year, title, publishing country/journal/institution, title, keywords, and citation numbers were acquired for each article. Descriptive data analysis was conducted via Microsoft Excel 2010 and Scopus database’s graphics were used. Results: Among 7,140 articles, 18.9 % of them were published open access, and 72.75 % of them were in the English language. Most of the articles were from the area of medicine. The USA, Mexico, and India were the top leading countries. The number of publications did not fall below 50 per year since 1950. There was an increasing number of citations on amebiasis research recently. Conclusion: Amebiasis is a global concern as one of the leading infectious causes of mortality in developing countries. Bibliometric analysis has shown the growing attraction to the amebiasis research, so it will continue to be global public health issue. Key words: amebiasis, bibliometric analysis, Entamoeba histolytica, bibliometric

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Improved risk stratification of patients with atrial fibrillation: an integrated GARFIELD-AF tool for the prediction of mortality, stroke and bleed in patients with and without anticoagulation.

OBJECTIVES: To provide an accurate, web-based tool for stratifying patients with atrial fibrillation to facilitate decisions on the potential benefits/risks of anticoagulation, based on mortality, stroke and bleeding risks. DESIGN: The new tool was developed, using stepwise regression, for all and then applied to lower risk patients. C-statistics were compared with CHA2DS2-VASc using 30-fold cross-validation to control for overfitting. External validation was undertaken in an independent dataset, Outcome Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (ORBIT-AF). PARTICIPANTS: Data from 39 898 patients enrolled in the prospective GARFIELD-AF registry provided the basis for deriving and validating an integrated risk tool to predict stroke risk, mortality and bleeding risk. RESULTS: The discriminatory value of the GARFIELD-AF risk model was superior to CHA2DS2-VASc for patients with or without anticoagulation. C-statistics (95% CI) for all-cause mortality, ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism and haemorrhagic stroke/major bleeding (treated patients) were: 0.77 (0.76 to 0.78), 0.69 (0.67 to 0.71) and 0.66 (0.62 to 0.69), respectively, for the GARFIELD-AF risk models, and 0.66 (0.64-0.67), 0.64 (0.61-0.66) and 0.64 (0.61-0.68), respectively, for CHA2DS2-VASc (or HAS-BLED for bleeding). In very low to low risk patients (CHA2DS2-VASc 0 or 1 (men) and 1 or 2 (women)), the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED (for bleeding) scores offered weak discriminatory value for mortality, stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding. C-statistics for the GARFIELD-AF risk tool were 0.69 (0.64 to 0.75), 0.65 (0.56 to 0.73) and 0.60 (0.47 to 0.73) for each end point, respectively, versus 0.50 (0.45 to 0.55), 0.59 (0.50 to 0.67) and 0.55 (0.53 to 0.56) for CHA2DS2-VASc (or HAS-BLED for bleeding). Upon validation in the ORBIT-AF population, C-statistics showed that the GARFIELD-AF risk tool was effective for predicting 1-year all-cause mortality using the full and simplified model for all-cause mortality: C-statistics 0.75 (0.73 to 0.77) and 0.75 (0.73 to 0.77), respectively, and for predicting for any stroke or systemic embolism over 1 year, C-statistics 0.68 (0.62 to 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Performance of the GARFIELD-AF risk tool was superior to CHA2DS2-VASc in predicting stroke and mortality and superior to HAS-BLED for bleeding, overall and in lower risk patients. The GARFIELD-AF tool has the potential for incorporation in routine electronic systems, and for the first time, permits simultaneous evaluation of ischaemic stroke, mortality and bleeding risks. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362) and for ORBIT-AF (NCT01165710)

Two-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation: results from GARFIELD-AF.

AIMS: The relationship between outcomes and time after diagnosis for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is poorly defined, especially beyond the first year. METHODS AND RESULTS: GARFIELD-AF is an ongoing, global observational study of adults with newly diagnosed NVAF. Two-year outcomes of 17 162 patients prospectively enrolled in GARFIELD-AF were analysed in light of baseline characteristics, risk profiles for stroke/systemic embolism (SE), and antithrombotic therapy. The mean (standard deviation) age was 69.8 (11.4) years, 43.8% were women, and the mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 3.3 (1.6); 60.8% of patients were prescribed anticoagulant therapy with/without antiplatelet (AP) therapy, 27.4% AP monotherapy, and 11.8% no antithrombotic therapy. At 2-year follow-up, all-cause mortality, stroke/SE, and major bleeding had occurred at a rate (95% confidence interval) of 3.83 (3.62; 4.05), 1.25 (1.13; 1.38), and 0.70 (0.62; 0.81) per 100 person-years, respectively. Rates for all three major events were highest during the first 4 months. Congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndromes, sudden/unwitnessed death, malignancy, respiratory failure, and infection/sepsis accounted for 65% of all known causes of death and strokes for <10%. Anticoagulant treatment was associated with a 35% lower risk of death. CONCLUSION: The most frequent of the three major outcome measures was death, whose most common causes are not known to be significantly influenced by anticoagulation. This suggests that a more comprehensive approach to the management of NVAF may be needed to improve outcome. This could include, in addition to anticoagulation, interventions targeting modifiable, cause-specific risk factors for death. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362