An Investigation of the Relationship Between Social Entrepreneurship Levels of Pre-Service Primary School Teachers and Their Social Values

This study seeks to investigate the relationship between social entrepreneurship levels of pre-service primary school teachers and their social values. The research was designed in descriptive survey model. The research was conducted with the participation of 488 pre-service primary school teachers. “Social Entrepreneurship Scale” developed by Konaklı and Göğüş (2013) and “Multi-dimensional Social Values Scale” developed by Bolat (2013) were used as the data collection tools. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and t-test while the unrelated samples were analyzed through one-way analysis of variance. Also, the relationship between the variables was analyzed by using regression analysis. The results of the analyses reveal that there is a statistically significant difference among the pre-service primary school teachers’ social entrepreneurship and social values scale scores in terms of the variables of gender and class. When the rest of the variables are considered, there is a statistically insignificant difference among the scores.  The relationship between social entrepreneurship levels of the participants and their social values scores is statistically significant. The social entrepreneurship score of an individual and their social values score are correlated. As the social entrepreneurship score increases, so does the score of social values. When one analyzes – by using regression coefficient – the level of impact social entrepreneurship creates on the variable of social values; in other words, how definable the social values become by means of social entrepreneurship, it can be observed that there is a medium-level variability, i.e., social entrepreneurship is a medium-level significant predictor of social values. Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship, Social Values, Primary School Teachers, Pre-Service Teacher

Forecasting The Exchange Rate Series With Ann: The Case Of Turkey

As it is possible to model both linear and nonlinear structures in time series by using Artificial Neural Network (ANN), it is suitable to apply this method to the chaotic series having nonlinear component. Therefore, in this study, we propose to employ ANN method for high volatility Turkish TL/US dollar exchange rate series and the results show that ANN method has the best forecasting accuracy with respect to time series models, such as seasonal ARIMA and ARCH models. The suggestions about the details of the usage of ANN method are also made for the exchange rate of Turkey.Activation function, ARIMA, ARCH, Artificial neural network, Chaotic series, Exchange rate, Forecasting, Time series

Association of heart rate recovery with microalbuminuria in non-obstructive coronary artery disease

Background: Non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is associated with significantly increased risk for myocardial infarction. Heart rate recovery (HRR), a measure of autonomic function, is a strong predictor of all-cause mortality. Microalbuminuria, a marker of early arterial disease, is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. We aimed to investigate HRR and determine its relationship with microalbuminuria in patients with non-obstructive CAD.Methods: We prospectively studied 565 patients who underwent elective coronary angiography. All participants underwent urinary analysis and then an exercise test. Microalbuminuria was defined as an urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) of 30 -299 mg/g. The HRR was abnormal if 12 beats/min, n = 439).Results: Patients with microalbuminuria had lower HRR and patients with lower HRR had higher UACR. While UACR was negatively correlated with HRR in patients with microalbuminuria (r = -0.424; P < 0.001) and in patients with lower HRR (r = -0.192; P = 0.042), there was no correlation of UACR with HRR in neither patients with normoalbuminuria nor patients with higher HRR, respectively. In the all study population, there was a significant inverse association between UACR and HRR (r = -0.445, P < 0.001), and UACR independently predicted the presence of lower HRR (P < 0.001).Conclusions: Our findings showed that there was a significant inverse association between UACR and HRR in patients especially with microalbuminuria, and that albuminuria might predict cardiac autonomic imbalance evaluated by HRR in patients with non-obstructive CAD

Viscosity of carbon nanotubes water based nanofluids: Influence of concentration and temperature

International audienceExperimental results on the steady-state viscosity of carbon nanotubes water-based nanofluids are presented considering the influence of particle volume fraction and temperature ranging from 0 to 40 C. The suspensions consist of multi-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed in de-ionized water and they are stabilized by a surfactant. The aspect ratio of nanotubes is close to 160 and the particle volume fraction varies between 0.0055% and 0.55%. It is shown that the nanofluids behave as shear-thinning materials for high particle content. For lower particle content, the nanofluids are quite Newtonian. It is also observed that the relative viscosity of nanofluids at high shear rate does not vary with temperature. Moreover, the evolution of relative viscosity at high shear rate is well predicted by the Maron-Pierce model considering the effect of nanoparticles agglomerates

Experimental investigations of the viscosity of nanofluids at low temperatures

Special Issue on Energy Solutions for a Sustainable World - Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Applied Energy, May 16-18, 2011 - Perugia, Italy Guest Editors: Umberto Desideri, Jinyue YanInternational audienceThe effects due to temperature and shearing time on viscosity for Al2O3/water and CNT/water based nanofluids at low concentration and low temperatures are experimentally investigated. The viscosity data were collected using a stress-controlled rheometer equipped with parallel plate geometry under up and down shear stress ramp. CNT and Al2O3 water based nanofluids exhibited hysteresis behaviour when the stress is gradually loaded and unloaded, depending also on shearing time. Experiments also showed that the nanofluid suspensions indicated either Newtonian or non-Newtonian behaviour, depending on shear rate. CNT water based nanofluid behaves as Newtonian fluid at high shear rate whereas Al2O3 water based nanofluid is non-Newtonian within the range of low temperatures investigated

Rupture of Stochastically Occurring Vesicle Clusters Limits Bilayer Formation on Alkane-PEG-Type Supports:Uncoupling Clustering from Surface Coverage

Polymer-supported bilayers (PSBs) are a recognized tool for drug discovery through function-interaction analysis of membrane proteins. While silica-supported bilayers (SSBs) spontaneously form from surface-adsorbed vesicles, successful PSB formation via a similar method has thus far been limited by an insufficient understanding of the underlying vesicle-remodelling processes. Here, we generated a polymer support through the incubation of poly-l-lysine conjugated to alkyl-chain-terminated poly­(ethylene)­glycol on silica. This polymer-coated silica substrate yielded efficient vesicle adsorption and spontaneous bilayer formation, thereby providing a rare opportunity to address the mechanism of PSB formation and compare it to that of SSB. The combined use of super-resolution imaging, kinetics, and simulations indicates that the rupture of stochastically formed vesicle clusters is the rate-limiting step, which is an order of magnitude higher for silica than for polymer-coated silica. This was confirmed by directly demonstrating increased rupture rates for surface adsorbed multivesicle assemblies formed by vesicle cross-linking in solution. On the basis of this key insight we surmised that a low propensity of cluster rupture can be compensated for by an increase in the number density of clusters: the deposition of a mixture of oppositely charged vesicles resulted in bilayer formation on another alkane–PEG type of interface, which despite efficient vesicle adsorption otherwise fails to support spontaneous bilayer formation. This potentially provides a universal strategy for promoting bilayer formation on resistant surfaces without resorting to modifying the surface itself. Therefore, multivesicle assemblies with tailored geometries not only could facilitate bilayer formation on polymers with interesting functional properties but also could instigate the exploration of vesicle architecture for other processes involving vesicle remodelling such as drug delivery

The non-structural protein 5A (NS5A) of hepatitis c virus interacts with the SH3 domain of human Bin1 using non-canonical binding sites

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major human pathogen that causes severe diseases such as chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and finally hepatocellular carcinoma. Although no enzymatic activity could be attributed yet to the HCV non-structural protein 5A (NS5A), it is indispensable for viral replication and particle assembly. Furthermore, it is associated with a variety of cellular pathways, although their relevance for viral pathogenesis still has to be elucidated. To fulfil its function NS5A interacts with a large number of different proteins including both viral and human ones. NS5A is organized into three domains, which are connected via two low complexity sequences (LCS). The first domain is highly conserved among different HCV genotypes and forms a well-defined globular structure [1]. The domains 2 (D2) and 3 (D3) are less conserved and intrinsically disordered. Nonetheless, three segments in LCS-I and D2 show significant propensities to adopt a-helical structures as could be shown by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shift and 15 N relaxation data [2]. The LCS-II connecting D2 and D3 contains two directly neighbored class II PxxP-motifs, which are important for interactions with Src homology 3 (SH3) domains. SH3 domains mediate protein-protein interactions, often via binding to polyproline II helices. Recent studies also revealed alternative binding mechanisms, mainly involving helical motifs and positively charged amino acid residues. The SH3 domain of the bridging integrator 1 (Bin1) is known to interact with NS5A not only via its PxxP-motifs, but also via two non-canonical binding sites, which will be further described here [3]

Panel 10. Paper 10.1: From Understanding to Action for Conservation and Sustainability of a Rural Heritage Place: Kemer, Turkey

Kemer Village, a historic rural settlement situated in western Anatolia, is a very good representative of rural heritage places of this geography. Well-preserved buildings and settlement tissue of the village, provide invaluable information about spatial and architectural features, construction materials and techniques common to this geography. However, upper scale agricultural production and settlement policies, as well as changing ways of living in time, lead to depopulation, discard, alteration and even destruction of Kemer Village. Besides the physical aspects, its intangible aspects, like local living traditions, beliefs, rituals and indigenous knowledge, are also under the risk of disappearing. Although the population of the village decreased significantly in time, there are still inhabitants and local masons living in the village. Thus, it becomes possible to understand the factors, processes and dynamics of change in this rural settlement, so as to be able to define policies, strategies and actions for the conservation and sustainability. Although the common tendency to provide an economic development to prevent depopulation of the rural historic areas is to bring touristic activities, this decision disturbs the integrity of social and physical environment. In Kemer Village this tendency has not been initiated yet. Therefore, Kemer Village is on the border of being abandoned or being a touristic destination. This presentation explains the rural architectural and settlement features of the historical village of Kemer Village, together with indigenous knowledge on living and building traditions, resources and processes. It also discusses the factors, processes and dynamics affecting Kemer Village as an historic rural settlement, and consequently, proposes principles, policies, strategies and actions for the conservation and sustainability of rural heritage place by including all the decision makers, inhabitants and experts to the shared decision-making process

Korištenje modela GeoWEPP za određivanje produkcije nanosa i otjecanja u slivu rijeke Keklik u Kahramanmarasu u Turskoj

GeoWEPP is a geo-spatial interface of the WEPP (The Water Erosion Prediction Project) model that predicts sediment yield and runoff using digital georeferenced information integrated with GIS tools. Besides, the model has ability to determine where the sediment yield and runoff occurs and locates possible deposition places. In this study, GeoWEPP model was used to estimate sediment yield and runoff from Keklik watershed, which is located 12 km from Kahramanmaras in the eastern Mediterranean region. The digital maps of the input files required for GeoWEPP model were generated using GIS tools. The estimated average annual sediment discharge and delivery of watershed were 34533.5 tones and 44.2 tones/ha, respectively. This study indicated that GeoWEPP model can provide decision makers with quick estimation of sediment yield from large watersheds with high accuracy.GeoWEPP predstavlja geoprostorno sučelje modela iz Projekta predviđanja vodene erozije (eng. WEPP), kojim se predviđa produkcija nanosa i otjecanja pomoću digitalnih georeferentnih informacija integriranih s alatima GIS-a. Osim toga, modelom se može odrediti mjesto produkcije nanosa i otjecanja te moguća mjesta sakupljanja nanosa. U ovom je istraživanju model GeoWEPP korišten za procjenu produkcije nanosa i otjecanja u slivu rijeke Keklik, koja je smještena 12 km od Kahramanmarasa u istočnoj sredozemnoj regiji. Digitalne karte ulaznih datoteka koje su potrebne za model GeoWEPP generirane su pomoću alata GIS-a. Procijenjeni prosječni godišnji protok nanosa sliva iznosio je 34533,5 tona, dok je produkcija nanosa iznosila 44,2 tone/ha. Ovo je istraživanje pokazalo da model GeoWEPP može donositeljima odluka dati brzu i vrlo preciznu procjenu produkcije nanosa u velikim slivovima

The efficiency of US elastography in the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules

Aim: To evaluate the efficiency of ultrasound elastography (USE) in the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules. Methods: One hundred thyroid nodules in 100 patients (79 females, 21 males, age range 18-78; mean age = 45.6 years) were evaluated with real-time freehand USE, using Hitachi EUB 7500 equipment and elasticity scores were obtained. The elasticity was scored as follows: Score 1, elasticity in the entire nodule; Score 2, mainly elastic nodule with the presence of inelastic areas not constant during real time examination; Score 3, constant inelastic areas prevalently arranged at the periphery of the nodule; Score 4, constant inelastic areas prevalently arranged at the center of the nodule; Score 5, no elasticity in the nodule. Also mean strain ratio values were calculated for all nodules. Results: Eighty-four (86%) of cases were benign and sixteen (16%) were malignant. Elasticity score 3 and higher and strain ratio higher than 2.485 had statistically significant relation with malignancy (p < 0.05). Conclusions: USE including strain ratio calculations besides subjective evaluation of elasticity scores is an efficient imaging method which may contribute to the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules