Preparation of poly(glycerol sebacate) fibers for tissue engineering applications

Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) was discovered in the previous decade and is a promising bioelastomer with tuneable mechanical, biodegradable and biocompatible properties. Despite of these superiorities, PGS possesses solubility and processability disadvantages. To overcome these drawbacks of PGS, blends could be formed with a polymer which is soluble in a common solvent with PGS prepolymer, having a melting temperature above the crosslinking temperature and which can be removed from the structure after crosslinking. In this study, PGS fibers were fabricated for the first time using pressurized gyration as scaffolds. Fibers were obtained through blending the synthesized PGS prepolymer with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to overcome solubility/melting drawbacks of crosslinked PGS polymer. Obtained fiber diameters have a narrow size distribution which did not change after thermal crosslinking. After the washing procedure, ∼25% decrease in the average fiber diameter was observed due to the PVA removal. Resulting PGS fibers were characterized in terms of chemical structure, morphology, and cell viability. Fibroblast cell adhesion and spreading on three-dimensional fiber networks were determined by microscopy. PGS fibers supported cell adhesion and proliferation. After 7 days of cell-PGS fiber interactions, cell proliferation and spreading increased without any toxicity

Two-element antenna-active phase shifter packaging at 77 GHz

This work presents a low cost and wire-bonded active phase shifter chip to RF circuitry on PCB board packaging for implementing a two-element phased array antenna at 77 GHz. The 1.5 mm and times; 1.1 mm chip is embedded in RO3003 PCB board and its GSG ports are wire-bonded to CPW lines that are expanded to feed the patch antenna on the PCB board. A low loss CPW to microstrip line transition is designed to exploit and transmit the signal from the GSG pads on the chip to the microstrip line on the PCB. The beam of the two-element array can be steered between and plusmn;20 and deg; by controlling the DC bias voltage of the active phase shifter chip

Robust Rolling Horizon Optimisation Model for Offshore Wind Farm Installation Logistics

Our approach can be considered as both proactive and reactive, since uncertainty is considered both in creating the initial schedule and the schedule can be updated in real-time

Ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal and foods plants in Derecik (Hakkari-Turkey)

This study was carried out to record the medicinal plants and plants used as food by the people living in and around Derecik district (Hakkari) between 2014-2017. One-on-one interviews were conducted with people living in the region and those who had knowledge about about their use were asked to answer a survey. Demographic characteristics of the participants, local names of plants, parts used and usage patterns were recorded. The local names of some plants differ in different parts of Anatolia due to differences in language and dialect. As a result of the study; 55 plant taxa belonging to 27 families with medical use and 59 plant taxa belonging to 24 families with food use were determined. Plant use is very common in the regional culture. These plants can be used fresh, dried or can be stored in the refrigerator and be used through the year

Ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal and foods plants in Derecik (Hakkari-Turkey)

416-425This study was carried out to record the medicinal plants and plants used as food by the people living in and around Derecik district (Hakkari) between 2014-2017. One-on-one interviews were conducted with people living in the region and those who had knowledge about their use were asked to answer a survey. Demographic characteristics of the participants, local names of plants, parts used and usage patterns were recorded. The local names of some plants differ in different parts of Anatolia due to differences in language and dialect. As a result of the study; 55 plant taxa belonging to 27 families with medical use and 59 plant taxa belonging to 24 families with food use were determined. Plant use is very common in the regional culture. These plants can be used fresh, dried or can be stored in the refrigerator and be used throughout the year

2-Chloro-7,8,9,10-tetra­hydro­cyclo­hepta­[b]indol-6(5H)-one

In the title mol­ecule, C13H12ClNO, the dihedral angle between the benzene and pyrrole rings is 1.38 (9)°. The cyclo­heptene ring adopts a distorted twist chair and sofa conformation. Inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds form an R 2 2(10) loop in the crystal packing. Further, weak C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π (involving the benzene ring) inter­actions are found in the crystal structure

Initial maternal meiotic I error leading to the formation of a maternal i(2q) and a paternal i(2p) in a healthy male

We report on the investigation of the parental origin and mode of formation of the two isochromosomes, i(2p) and i(2q), detected in a healthy adult male. Conventional cytogenetic analysis revealed the proband’s lack of structurally normal chromosomes 2, these being replaced by an i(2p) and an i(2q). Investigation of the parental origin of the isochromosomes revealed a paternal origin of the i(2p) chromosome and a maternal origin of the i(2q) chromosome. Thus, the formation of both isochromosomes, or at least of the paternal i(2p), appears to have occurred postzygotically. Interestingly, whilst a paternal isodisomy was observed for the entire 2p, maternal heterodisomy was detected for two segments of 2q, separated by a segment showing isodisomy. The results are indicative of an initial error (non-disjunction or i(2q) formation) concerning the maternal chromosomes 2 during meiosis I, which likely favored the subsequent mitotic recombination event resulting in the presence of two isochromosomes. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case of an initial meiotic error, followed by postzygotic trisomy rescue through the formation of isochromosomes, resulting in a normal phenotype. A prenatal detection, by cytogenetic and molecular analysis, of such chromosome abnormality would have led to the incorrect conclusion of a most likely poor prognosis for the fetus

PTPN22 gene polymorphism in Takayasu's arteritis

Objective. Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a chronic, rare granulomatous panarteritis of unknown aetiology involving mainly the aorta and its major branches. In this study, genetic susceptibility to TA has been investigated by screening the functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of PTPN22 gene encoding the lymphoid-specific protein tyrosine phosphatase. Methods. Totally, 181 patients with TA and 177 healthy controls are genotyped by PCR-RFLP method for the SNP rs2476601 (A/G) of PTPN22 gene. Polymorphic region was amplified by PCR and digested with Xcm I enzyme. Results. Detected frequencies of heterozygous genotype (AG) were 5.1% (9/177) in control group and 3.8% (7/181) in TA group (P = 0.61, odds ratio: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.3, 2.0). No association with angiographic type, vascular involvement or prognosis of TA was observed either. Conclusion. The distribution of PTPN22 polymorphism did not reveal any association with TA in Turkey. © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved

CASP8 (Caspase 8, Apoptosis-Related Cysteine Peptidase)

Review on CASP8, with data on DNA/RNA, on the protein encoded and where the gene is implicated

Morphometric analysis of the lumbar vertebrae in the Turkish population using three-dimensional computed tomography: correlation with sex, age, and height

Background: Morphometric measurements of lumbar vertebrae are different in European and Asian populations. Transpedicular screws are candidates for the ideal method to treat instability of lumbar vertebrae and provide very strong stabilisation. Our study reflects the variation of morphometric measurements of lumbar vertebrae in the Turkish population according to sex, age, and height. The aim of our study was to measure the transverse pedicle diameter (TPD), vertical pedicle diameter (VPD), pedicle axis length (PAL), and transverse pedicle angle (TPA) of the lumbar vertebrae, using three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT), and assess variations according to sex, age, and height. Materials and methods: Prospective cohort, Therapeutic Level III, Urban Level III Trauma Centre. The study design adopted a morphometric analysis using 3D-CT of the lumbar vertebrae in the Turkish population, with variation in terms of sex, age, and height and comparison with previous studies. In 240 cases, measurements of TPC, VPD, PAL, and TPA with 3D-CT were performed on a total of 1200 lumbar vertebrae. The values at each lumbar level were compared in groups based on sex, age, and height. Results: The results of our study determined the normal values of TPD, VPD, PAL, and TPA of lumbar vertebrae in the Turkish population using 3D-CT. Additionally there were variations in TPD, VPD, and PAL according to sex, age, and height. TPA varied according to age, while no difference was found in terms of sex or height. Conclusions: The morphometric measurements of lumbar vertebrae in the Turkish population are similar to western populations. Sex, age, and height are factors affecting reliable screw choice