Moderating Effect of C0VID-19 pandemic on the Relationship between Tourists’ Happiness and Intention to Revisit and Overall Image

Abstract This study aims to develop a cross-cultural universal framework, examining two different aspects of tourists’ experience. This paper set out the elements of hedonia (positive emotions) and eudaimonia (meaning and engagement) as tourists’ experience measurable states of tourist happiness. A proposed conceptual model considers tourists’ happiness as an antecedent of tourist behavioural intentions and overall image, moderated by situational animosity (refers to the COVID-19 pandemic in this study) across different countries (USA and China). The integrative model was tested using data generated from a convenient sample of 460 tourists from USA and 440 tourists from China visited to London. Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), a powerful multivariate statistical analysis technique, the results statistically confirm that tourists’ happiness influences tourist intention to revisit. Further, the findings substantiate that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively influences the relationship between tourist happiness and revisit intention. Finally, several invariance analyses were performed to examine whether the proposed model can be generalized across different samples (China and USA) and the results support factor structure equivalence (configural invariance), partial loadings equivalence (partial metric invariance) and measurement (scalar) equivalence). Based on these results, discussions and implications for destination marketers, limitations, and suggestions for future research are also provided

The impact of interest rate corridor on monetary policy efficiency: VEC Granger causality evidence from the central bank of the Republic of Turkey

This paper aimed to analyze the impacts of interest rate corridor policy on monetary efficiency in Turkey, applying the Error Correction Model and VEC Granger causality. The data set consisted of 108 observations for each time series from May 2010 to December 2019. The Granger causality test results indicated a significant impact of the borrowing rate on the inflation rate. Response function revealed that a change in the borrowing interest rate affected the opposite way in the inflation rate with a 3-month lag. An increase in the lending rate caused an increase in the BIST 100 index value. It is concluded that the interest rate corridor implementation successfully increased the flexibility and effectiveness of the monetary policy in Turkey. © 2021 The Authors

Self-Congruence and Tourist Happiness: The Mediating Role of Positive Emotions and Meaning

Although a considerable number of earlier studies have empirically investigated the effects of self-congruity on various constructs such as motivation, revisit intention, word-of-mouth, and evaluation of a destination (e.g. Usakli and Baloglu, 2011; Tassiello and Tillotson, 2020; Šegota, Chen and Golja, 2021), the direct and indirect relationship between self-congruity and tourist happiness remain under-investigated in tourism and hospitality settings (Sirgy, 2019). Therefore, to fill this gap in the literature, drawing on marketing, psychology, and tourism literature, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between self-congruity and tourist happiness via the influence of positive emotions (hedonia) and meaning (eudaimonia). The integrative model was tested using data generated from a convenient sample of 460 tourists from USA. Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), a powerful multivariate statistical analysis technique, the results statistically confirm that actual and ideal self-congruity influence tourist happiness and the conditions necessary for mediation are supported

Sodium channel Nav1.7 immunoreactivity in painful human dental pulp and burning mouth syndrome

Background Voltage gated sodium channels Nav1.7 are involved in nociceptor nerve action potentials and are known to affect pain sensitivity in clinical genetic disorders. Aims and Objectives To study Nav1.7 levels in dental pulpitis pain, an inflammatory condition, and burning mouth syndrome (BMS), considered a neuropathic orofacial pain disorder. Methods Two groups of patients were recruited for this study. One group consisted of patients with dental pulpitis pain (n = 5) and controls (n = 12), and the other patients with BMS (n = 7) and controls (n = 10). BMS patients were diagnosed according to the International Association for the Study of Pain criteria; a pain history was collected, including the visual analogue scale (VAS). Immunohistochemistry with visual intensity and computer image analysis were used to evaluate levels of Nav1.7 in dental pulp tissue samples from the dental pulpitis group, and tongue biopsies from the BMS group. Results There was a significantly increased visual intensity score for Nav1.7 in nerve fibres in the painful dental pulp specimens, compared to controls. Image analysis showed a trend for an increase of the Nav1.7 immunoreactive % area in the painful pulp group, but this was not statistically significant. When expressed as a ratio of the neurofilament % area, there was a strong trend for an increase of Nav1.7 in the painful pulp group. Nav1.7 immunoreactive fibres were seen in abundance in the sub-mucosal layer of tongue biopsies, with no significant difference between BMS and controls. Conclusion Nav1.7 sodium channel may play a significant role in inflammatory dental pain. Clinical trials with selective Nav1.7 channel blockers should prioritise dental pulp pain rather than BMS

S.Ü. KAMPÜS ATIKSULARININ KARAKTERİZAYSONU VE SU MERCİMEĞİ (LEMNA MINOR L.) İLE ARITILABİLİRLİĞİ

Characterization of domestic wastewater from Selcuk University Campus and the effectiveness of duckweed (Lemna minor L.) in wastewater treatment was searched in lab scale system. In wastewater characterization, grab and composite samples were taken from the S.Ü. Campus during one year and parameter analyses were performed. Wastewater treatment was applied on composite samples in batch and continuous operation in tanks with dimensions of 50*50*20 cm, placed in a climate room where temperature, lightening and humidity were under control. pH, turbidity, suspended solids (SS), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate-N, ammonia-N, total P and heavy metal variations in the influent and effluent were analysed. Control tanks were also processed in parallel with the experimental tanks. The results indicate that, despite the fluctuating quality, duckweed is effective in treatment of Campus wastewater, which is a medium strength domestic wastewater. Aquatic plant is able to reach its ultimate removal efficiency in 7 days with growth rate of 4.5 g/d. Considering all parameters, it can be stated that in batch system, 65 – 90%, in continuous system 72 – 95% removal efficiencies were achieved. Therefore, utilization of Lemna minor L. can be suggested for small-scale treatment facilities with fluctuating quality influent.Yüzen su bitkilerinden su mercimeğinin (Lemna minor L.), karakterizasyonu yapılan S.Ü. Kampüs atıksularının arıtılmasındaki etkinliği laboratuvar ölçeğinde araştırılmıştır. Karakterizasyon çalışmaları kapsamında S.Ü. Kampüs atıksuyundan 1 yıl süreyle anlık ve kompozit numuneler alınarak parametre ölçümleri yapılmıştır. Atıksu arıtımı 50x50x20 cm boyutlarındaki tanklarda, ışık, sıcaklık ve nemin kontrol altında tutulduğu iklim odasında kompozit atıksu numunesi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Kesikli ve sürekli sistemle arıtımda tankların giriş-çıkış sularında pH, askıda katı madde (AKM), bulanıklık, çözünmüş oksijen (ÇO), kimyasal oksijen ihtiyacı (KOI), nitrat-N, amonyak-N, toplam P ve suda bulunan ağır metallerin analizleri yapılmıştır. Bitki bulunmayan kontrol tankları da diğerlerine paralel olarak çalıştırılmıştır. Çalışmanın sonuçları, orta derecede kirli bir evsel atıksu niteliğindeki Kampüs atıksuyunun, mevsimsel ve günlük kalite salınımlarına rağmen, su mercimeğiyle oluşturulan sistemle başarılı bir şekilde arıtılabileceğini göstermektedir. Bitkiler nihai arıtım verimine yaklaşık yedi günlük bekleme süresinde ulaşabilmektedir. Buna göre yapılan sürekli arıtım denemelerinde su mercimeğinin büyüme hızı, 4.5 g/gün olarak belirlenmiştir. Bütün parametrelerin verimleri birlikte değerlendirildiğinde kesikli sistemde %65 – 90, sürekli sistemde ise %72 – 95 oranında arıtım performansı sağlandığı söylenebilmektedir. Buna göre, su mercimeği ile atıksu arıtımının küçük ölçekli ve salınımlı atıksu karakteristiği olan sistemlerde başarı ile uygulanabileceği önerilmektedir

Ham ve asit aktif killer ile çinko-siyanür [Zn(CN)4]2- kompleksi adsorpsiyonu

Bu çalışma, çeşitli endüstriyel faaliyetlerden ve madencilik çalışmalarından açığa çıkan [Zn(CN)4]2- kompleksi içeren atıklardan, bu kompleksin giderilebilmesi için daha bol bulunabilen materyallerle ve kolay uygulanabilir bir yöntem arayışı çerçevesinde yapılmıştır. Çalışmada, Eskişehir-Sivrihisar yöresine ait sepiyolit minerali ile Manisa-Gördes yöresine ait zeolit minerali kullanılarak [Zn(CN)4]2- kompleksinin gideriminde en başarılı uygulamanın tesbitine çalışılmıştır. Ham mineralin yanısıra asit aktivasyonun kompleksin adsorpsiyonu üzerine etkileri araştırılmıştır. Konsantrasyon, tane boyutu ve bekleme süresi deneysel değişkenler olarak belirlenmiş ve bu faktörlerinin adsorpsiyon performansı üzerine etkileri incelenmiştir. Yürütülen deneysel çalışma sonucunda mineralin, kompleksi tek bir iyon halinde değil de bileşimini oluşturan Zn2+ ve CN- iyonları halinde ayrı ayrı adsorpladığı belirlenmiştir. Asit aktivasyon minerallerin fiziksel ve kimyasal yapısında değişime sebep olmakla birlikte bu değişimin komplekslerin gideriminde dikkate değer bir etkisi olmamıştır. Ham ve asit aktif zeolitte ulaşılan maksimum Zn2+ tutma kapasiteleri sırasıyla 4.6 mek/g ve 2.4 mek/g iken aynı koşullardaki sepiyolitte sırasıyla 1.4 mek/g ve 1.5 mek/g olarak bulunmuştur. Benzer şekilde, CN- tutma kapasiteleri ham ve asit aktif zeolitte sırasıyla 11.5 mek/g ve 1.1 mek/g ve aynı koşullardaki sepiyolitte sırasıyla 23.1 mek/g ve 15.4 mek/g olarak belirlenmiştir. Adsorpsiyonda etkin izoterm metal için Freundlich, CN- için ağırlıklı olarak Langmuir olarak belirlenmiştir. Tane boyutunun sistem performansı üzerine dikkate değer bir etkisi olmamakla birlikte +0.106-0.300 mm önerilen tane boyutudur. Anahtar Kelimeler: Zeolit, sepiyolit, çinko-siyanür [Zn(CN)4]2- kompleksi, adsorpsiyon.Metal-cyanide complexes are environmentally important anions including metal and cyanide ions together in their structure. Whether in their complex form or after their degradation into metal and cyanide in the structure, their removal is considerably important, especially considering high quantities of wastes of industries like mineral processing, electroplating etc. which include high quantities of various weak and strong metal-cyanide complexes. Studies on anion removal with sepiolite and zeolite are very limited in the literature, and none about adsorption of cyanide and its compounds onto these minerals. This study was conducted to propose a method for the removal of zinc-cyanide [Zn(CN)4]2- complex from aqueous solutions. The purpose was to remove the complex by using cheap, achievable minerals, sepiolite from Eskişehir-Sivrihisar (Turkey) region, and zeolite from Manisa-Gördes (Turkey) region. XRD patterns showed that, structure of zeolite was hyrated sodium, potasium, calcium alumina silicate and 85-98 % clinoptilolite; structure of sepiolite was magnesium silicate hydroxy hydrate. The main purpose was to determine the effectiveness of these minerals on [Zn(CN)4]2- adsorption. Mineral samples were crashed, grinded and sieved to different sizes, and three of these were used in the study: -0.106 mm, +0.106-0.300 mm and +0.300-0.600 mm. In batch systems, 0.05 g sepiolite or zeolite minerals were added into the synthetic  [Zn(CN)4]2-  solutions of different initial concentrations. Besides raw form, sepiolite and zeolite minerals were utilized also in acid-activated form. For activation, HNO3 of various normalities were applied in 70 0C, and so, several acid activated zeolite and sepiolite samples were obtained. Reactors of 100 ml liquid volume and 0.05 g mineral were operated in the shaker until equilibrium and change of concentration against time was followed. Preliminary trials indicated that 4 hours was sufficient to achieve equilibrium. Sepiolite and zeolite can adsorb [Zn(CN)4]2-  to varying extent. CN- can be adsorbed in higher performance (19 to 92 %) than Zn (18 to 38 %), which is the first indication of removal of the complex after separation into its ions. Acid activation causes certain structural changes onto mineral surface properties but these were not effective in improving the performance of the mineral for both sepiolite and zeolite. Raw minerals showed slightly better performances than acid activated minerals. Although surface area increases with decreasing particle size, particle size has no considerable effect on adsorption in the studied particle size range. Therefore, it was difficult to specify any mineral condition which best adsorbs [Zn(CN)4]2-. For isotherm and capacity calculations, one of the conditions which best characterized the achieved removal results was selected and further isotherm studies were performed in these conditions. The selected particle size for isotherm studies was +0.106-0.300 mm, which is the average of the studied range. The reason was simply economy of obtaining larger particle size than -0.106 mm. Adsorption of [Zn(CN)4]2- onto zeolite and sepiolite was modelled with single-layer-two parameter isotherm models Freundlich, Langmuir and Tempkin. Isotherm studies indicated that Zn2+ uptake can be interpreted by means of Freundlich equation while CN- removal data fits Langmuir isotherm better. Having different isotherms in two ions is the second indication of separate ions removal instead of the whole complex. anion. Zn2+ adsorption is characterised by Freundlich isotherm which represents physical adsorption whose energy changes logarithmically.  Maximum Zn2+ adsorption capacities were 4.6 meq/g for raw zeolite, 2.4 meq/g for acid-activated zeolite while they were 1.4 meq/g and 1.5 meq/g for raw and acid-activated sepiolite, respectively. Whereas CN- adsorption was interpreted by means of Langmuir isotherm, a two parameter adsorption which represents a single layer chemical bonding occurring on the mineral surface sites, with uniform energy. CN- removal capacities were higher for most minerals as compared to Zn2+ ion such that, they were 11.5 meq/g for raw zeolite, 1.1 meq/g for acid-activated zeolite, 23.1 meq/g for raw sepiolite and 15.4 meq/g for acid-activated sepiolite. Here the effect of acid-activation can be seen more clearly. It did not improve adsorption, instead, acid activation decreased adsorption performance since acid changes chemical adsorption sites. These calculated capacities were high enough as compared to known adsorbents. [Zn(CN)4]2-  is a weak acid dissociable complex and dissociates easily in aqueous systems. It was removed from the system after dissociation into its components with different adsorption performances of each. All studies were performed in approximately neutral pH (7-8) which makes this application more favorable in field applications. Keywords: Zeolite, Sepiolite, Zinc-cyanide complex [Zn(CN)4]2-, Adsorption

Elevated red blood cell distribution width is associated with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Objectives: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is the most common pregnancy specific liver disease and related with adverse maternal and perinatal outcome. Red blood cell distribution width, an anisocytosis marker in a complete blood count, has been used as an inflammation marker in various diseases. However the association of red blood cell distribution width with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between red blood cell distribution width and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Material and methods: Ninety pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and ninety healthy pregnant women were included in the study. Their clinical and laboratory characteristics including red blood cell distribution width, liver function tests, fasting and postprandial bile acid concentrations were analyzed. Results: Serum red blood cell distribution width cell levels were significantly higher in pregnants with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy than healthy pregnants. We also demonstrated that red blood cell distribution Width levels were higher in severe disease than mild disease and was significantly correlated with fasting and postprandial bile acid concentration in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy group. Conclusions: Our study showed that red blood cell distribution width, an easy and inexpensive marker; were associated with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

A Serous Cystadenocarcinoma of the Pancreas Diagnosed With Lymph Node Metastasis

Serous cystic neoplasms of the pancreas account for 10% to 16% of all pancreatic cystic masses. Serous cystic neoplasms were evaluated as benign pancreatic masses. For all that, the first serous cystic neoplasm with malignancy criteria was described by George in 1989. Only 10 cases have been observed until today. A 53-year-old female patient presented with complaints of jaundice and abdominal pain. Her past medical history revealed pancreatic cysts during the examination for abdominal pain. Computed tomography revealed a cystic mass of approximately 8 cm in size with a solid component originating from the head of the pancreas and leading to obstruction in the bile duct. She underwent pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and was discharged on Day 12 due to the absence of any surgical abnormality during the postoperative follow-up. On examination of the surgical specimens, a multiloculated cystic tumor with a serous content was detected. Tumor metastasis which demonstrated a positive reaction with cytokeratin 7 and cytokeratin 19 in the celiac lymph node biopsies was detected. The tumor was found to have a histomorphologically benign appearance and was reported as a serous cystadenocarcinoma based on the desmoplastic stroma and lymph node metastasis. Cystic neoplasms of the pancreas can be followed conservatively. Malignant transformation in pancreatic serous cystadenocarcinoma should be kept in minds such as pancreatitis, bile duct obstruction, and new-onset or increased complaints during follow-up

Evaluation of e148q and concomitant aa amyloidosis in patients with familial mediterranean fever

The aim of the study was to compare the clinical phenotype of patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF)-related AA amyloidosis, according to the age of FMF diagnosis and E148Q genotype. Patients with biopsy-confirmed FMF-related AA amyloidosis were included in the study. Tel-Hashomer criteria were applied in the diagnosis of FMF. All patients had detailed baseline assessment of clinical features, renal functions, genetic testing, histopathological diagnosis of amyloidosis, and treatment received. Multiple comparisons were performed according to the age of diagnosis, disease phenotype, mutation, and mortality. Our study included 169 patients with a diagnosis of AA amyloidosis. There were 101 patients diagnosed with FMF \u3c 18 years of age and 68 patients diagnosed who were ≥18 years of age. The three most common clinical manifestations were fever (84.6%), abdominal pain (71.6%), and arthritis (66.9%). The most common allele among FMF patients was M694V (60.6%), followed by E148Q (21.4%), and M680I (10.3%). The most frequent genotypes were M694V/M694V (45.0%), M694V/E148Q (14.8%), and E148Q/E148Q (11.2%) among 169 patients in our cohort. During the follow-up period, 15 patients (10 male, 5 female) died, of whom 14 had M694V homozygous genotype and one was homozygous for E148Q. Clinicians should be aware of patients with homozygous E148Q genotype for close monitoring and further evaluation. The possible relationship between E148Q and AA amyloidosis needs to be confirmed in other ethnicities