Modeling Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Concentration Using Different Neural Network Techniques

The concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) is important for the healthy functioning of aquatic ecosystems, and a significant indicator of the state of aquatic ecosystems. DO is a parameter frequently used to evaluate the water quality on different reservoirs and watersheds.In this study, two different ANN models, that is, the multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis neural network (RBNN), were developed to estimate DO concentration by using various combinations of daily input variables, pH, discharge (Q), temperature (T), and electrical conductivity (EC) measured by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The data of Fountain Creek Stream - Gauging Station (USGS Station No: 07106000) which cover 18 years daily data between 1994-2011 were used. The ANN results were compared with those of the multiple linear regression (MLR). Comparison of the results indicated that the MLP and RBNN performed better than the MLR model. The RBNN model with three inputs which are pH, Q,and T was found to be the best model in estimation of DO concentration according to the root mean square error, mean absolute error and determination coefficient (R2) criteria

Modelling COD concentration by using three different ANFIS techniques

Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have been successfully performed in many different water resources applications such as rainfall-runoff, precipitation, evaporation, discharge (Q), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), sediment concentration and lake levels by many researchers over the last three decades. In this study, three different adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) techniques, ANFIS with fuzzy clustering (ANFIS-FCM), ANFIS with grid partition (ANFIS-GP) and ANFIS with subtractive clustering (ANFIS-SC), were developed to estimate COD concentration by using various combinations of daily input important variables water suspended solids (SS), discharge (Q), temperature (T) and pH. Root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and determination coefficient (R2) statistics were used for the comparison criteria. Training, testing and validation phase’s results of the optimal ANFIS models were also graphically compared each other. Comparison of the results indicated that the ANFIS-SC(1,0.3,1) model whose input is water SS was found to be slightly better than the other models in estimation of COD according to the comparison criteria in testing phase. In the validation phase, however, ANFISFCM( 1,3,gauss,1) model performed slightly better than ANFIS-GP(3,trimf,constant,1) and ANFIS-SC(1,0.3,1) models. It can be said that three different ANFIS techniques provide similar accuracy in estimating COD

THE CAUSALITY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FDI AND R&D IN EUROPEAN UNION

Technological development and R&D activities are accepted as one of the factors of basic production in endogenous growth theories. There has been an increasing interest towards R&D on the level of both firm and country. Moreover countries regard FDI as an important element which increase R&D activities. Although there are numerous studies which investigate relationship of both FDI and R&D on macroeconomic variables such as economic growth, employment and export; the number of studies which investigate the relationship between FDI and R&D is quite few. The aim of this study is to analyze relationships between FDI and R&D in the example of EU15 and EU27. For this aim, 1996–2009 period data of mentioned countries were considered and dynamic panel causality testing was done. According to the findings obtained from empirical test made in the study, there is one-way causality relationship among EU15 and EU 27 countries from FDI towards R&D. This finding points out to the existence of complementary relationship between FDI’s and R&D for EU

Azotun bazı kışlık sebzelerde bitki gelişimine ve nitrat birikimine etkisi

The effects of nitrogen (N) on growth and nitrate (NO3) accumulation of four different leafy vegetable species, chard (Beta vulgaris cv. Chard), garden rocket (Eruca sativa), lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) were studied. The experiment was carried out in high plastic tunnel using sand culture. The experimental treatments consisted of 3 levels of N (110, 175 and 240 mg l-1). Each treatment was in 4 replicates. The plants were irrigated with half concentrated Hoagland's solution containing appropriate amount of N for 45 days and then test plants were harvested and separated into roots and leaves. Total fresh weight (g), leaf number, leaf dry matter (%), plant height (cm) and root length (cm) of test plants were determined. Nitrate and total N analyses were performed in leaf samples. The obtained data were evaluated with the least significant difference (LSD0.05) between treatments, derived from analysis of variance. The treatments of N increased growth parameters of the plants. Nitrogen contents of the leaves increased significantly. However the treatments did not cause a regular increase in NO3- concentration of the leaves of the plants.Bu Çalışmada azot (N) uygulamasının dört farklı kışlık sebzede, pazı (Beta vulgaris cv. Chard), roka (Eruca sativa), marul (Lactuca sativa) ve ıspanak (Spinacia oleracea), bitki gelişimi ve nitrat (NO3) birikimine olan etkisi araştırılmıştır. Deneme yüksek plastik tünel iÇinde kum kültürü kullanılarak yürütülmüştür. Çalışmada 3 farklı N dozu (110, 175 ve 240 mg l-1) 4 tekrarlı olarak bitkilere uygulanmıştır. Bitkilere, uygun miktarlarda N iÇeren yarı yarıya seyreltilmiş Hoagland Çözeltileri 45 gün boyunca uygulanmış ve daha sonra hasat edilen bitkiler kök ve toprak üstü aksamlarına ayrılmıştır. Bitkilerin toplam yaş ağırlıkları (g), yaprak sayısı, yaprak kuru maddesi (%), bitki boyu (cm) ve kök uzunluğu (cm) belirlenmiştir. Yapraklarda nitrat (NO3-) ve toplam N analizleri yapılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuÇlara varyans analizi ve (LSD0.05) testi uygulanmıştır. Azot uygulaması bitki gelişimini arttırmıştır. Yaprakların N iÇeriği önemli düzeyde artmıştır. Bununla beraber uygulama tüm bitkilerde yaprakların NO3 iÇeriklerini düzenli bir şekilde arttırmamıştır

Splenectomy in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: Analysis of 109 cases

Objectives: Splenectomy is performed in order to provide the treatment in the patients with severe idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, refractory to medical treatment. In this study, we aimed to investigate the postoperatif and longterm outcomes in the patients who underwent splenectomy with the diagnosis of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.Materials and Methods: Between 2001-2010 at Dicle University Medical Faculty, General Surgery Department, a retrospective review of the 109 patients who had undergone splenectomy for ITP was reviewed. Age, gender, presence of accessory spleens and location, duration of the operation, number of preoperative platelet tranfusion, number of preoperative and postoperative blood transfusion, length of hospital stay, long-term outcomes, morbidity and mortality were recorded.Results: The mean age was 37.10 ± 16.62 (16-72), and there were 88 (80.7%) female and 21 (19.3%) male patients. The mean operation time was 44.87 ± 10:32 (30-120) minutes. The average postoperative blood and preoperative platelet transfusion were 1.63 ± 0.85 (0-3) and 2.01 ± 0.71 (1-3) units, respectively. The accessory spleens were encountered in 20 (18.3%) patients at the ultrasonographic examination. And also the accessory spleens were encountered in 23 (21.1%) patients during operation and confirmed with histopathologic examination. The most common localization of accessory spleens were splenic hilus. The postoperative complications were occurred in 16 patients (14.7%) and the most complication was atelectasia. The mean length of hospital stay was 4:56 ± 2:45 (2-12) days. Patients were followed for an average of 28 (9-48) months. At the follow-up period, 1 (0.9 %) patient had died.Conclusion: Splenectomy can be performed safely in the treatment of the patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura unresponsive to medical treatment. Long-term good results can be obtained with splenectomy in these patients. The accessory spleens should not be overlooked to prevent recurrences

Characteristics of 351 supernumerary molar teeth In Turkish population

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the demographic profile of supernumerary molar (SM) teeth in people in various regions of Turkey. Study Design: A retrospective analysis was carried out on an initial sample of 104,902 subjects drawn from the ortopantographics files from 10 clinics in 7 Turkish cities with documentation of demographic data, the presence of SM teeth, their location, eruption, morphology, and position within the arch. In one region associated patho­logies and treatments were also evaluated. Results: Three hundred fifty-one SMs were detected in 288 patients, constituting 0.33% of the study subjects, with a greater frequency in females (56.4%). SMs were found more frequently in the maxilla (87.7%) than in the mandible, and distomolars (62.9%) were more common than paramolars. The SMs encountered were mostly of conical shape (45.7%), impacted (81.1%), and in a vertical position (52.1). The 33% of SM teeth were related to impacted molar teeth. Conclusion: The most common complication involving these teeth was soft tissue irritation. Demographic data from such specific extensive studies are crucial for improved diagnosis of SM teeth. Early detection allows for measures against complications and more successful therapy

Reviewing Trade Openness, Domestic Investment, and Economic Growth Nexus: Contemporary Policy Implications for the MENA region

This study investigates the impact of trade openness on the economic performances of selected Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries while incorporating elements of domestic investment into the empirical analysis in the wake of dynamic sentiments for trade liberalization among nations in recent times. The study covers an empirical analysis of a panel of observations from the selected countries within the framework of the Fully Modified Least Square (FMOLS), and the Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (DOLS) regression techniques. The empirical results affirm the existence of a long-run relationship among the variables. However, while domestic investment and the size of the labor force significantly impact economic growth in the positive direction among these countries, trade openness was found to be negatively impacting on growth for the period of the study. It is therefore recommended that cogent effort should be directed towards investments that are crucial for the improvement of labor productivity and production value chains in the domestic economy to dissuade or minimize the rate of export of raw primary commodities. Also, adequate steps should be taken to improve the overall business environment, remove trade impediments, and strengthen institutions among the countries in the region to harness the benefits of trade in our increasingly globalized world

Quality of record linkage in a highly automated cancer registry that relies on encrypted identity data

Objectives: In the absence of unique ID numbers, cancer and other registries in Germany and elsewhere rely on identity data to link records pertaining to the same patient. These data are often encrypted to ensure privacy. Some record linkage errors unavoidably occur. These errors were quantified for the cancer registry of North Rhine Westphalia which uses encrypted identity data. Methods: A sample of records was drawn from the registry, record linkage information was included. In parallel, plain text data for these records were retrieved to generate a gold standard. Record linkage error frequencies in the cancer registry were determined by comparison of the results of the routine linkage with the gold standard. Error rates were projected to larger registries. Results: In the sample studied, the homonym error rate was 0.015%; the synonym error rate was 0.2%. The F-measure was 0.9921. Projection to larger databases indicated that for a realistic development the homonym error rate will be around 1%, the synonym error rate around 2%. Conclusion: Observed error rates are low. This shows that effective methods to standardize and improve the quality of the input data have been implemented. This is crucial to keep error rates low when the registry’s database grows. The planned inclusion of unique health insurance numbers is likely to further improve record linkage quality. Cancer registration entirely based on electronic notification of records can process large amounts of data with high quality of record linkage

Analysis of Six Orthodontic Journals in Science Citation Index and Science Citation Index Expanded: A Bibliometric Analysis

Objective:To analyze the article type, origin, main affiliation, number of publications, authors, and affiliations of six orthodontic journals during two intervals of 5 years each (2006-2010 and 2011-2015).Methods:In total, 4879 articles examined in this study were screened online at the individual journal’s website. The types of articles and their authorship characteristics in the six orthodontic journals [three journals indexed by Science Citation Index (SCI) and the others indexed by Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE)] were recorded. Parameters were tested using the Pearson chi-square for independence at a 0.05 level of significance.Results:Among all the article types, research articles were the most published in the orthodontic journals indexed by SCI and SCIE in the first (2006-2010; 88.1% and 77.6%, respectively) and second periods (2011-2015; 84.4% and 74.6%, respectively). In the first and second intervals, the European Union was the most common origin among articles accepted by the journals listed in SCI (30.1% and 29.2% respectively), whereas Asia/Oceania was the common origin among articles accepted by the journals listed in SCIE (44.1% and 43.4%, respectively).Conclusion:The articles published in the orthodontics journals listed under SCI and SCIE for 2006-2010 and 2011-2015 were significantly different in terms of numbers and characteristics