The effects of qos level degradation cost on provider selection and task allocation model in telecommunication networks

Firms acquire network capacity from multiple suppliers which offer different Quality of Service (QoS) levels. After acquisition, day-to-day operations such as video conferencing, voice over IP and data applications are allocated between these acquired capacities by considering QoS requirement of each operation. In optimal allocation scheme, it is generally assumed each operation has to be placed into resource that provides equal or higher QoS Level. Conversely, in this study it is showed that former allocation strategy may lead to suboptimal solutions depending upon penalty cost policy to charge degradation in QoS requirements. We model a cost minimization problem which includes three cost components namely capacity acquisition, opportunity and penalty due to loss in QoS

A heuristic approach for provider selection and task allocation model in telecommunication networks under stochastic QOS guaranties

In this study, we model provider selection and task allocation problem as an expected cost minimization problem with stochastic chance constraints. Two important parameters of Quality of Service (QoS), delay and jitter are considered as random variables to capture stochastic nature of telecom network environment. As solution methodology, stochastic model is converted into its deterministic equivalent and then a novel heuristic algorithm is proposed to solve resulting nonlinear mixed integer programming model. Finally, performance of solution procedure is tested by several randomly generated scenarios

Mechanical properties of lightweight concrete made with cold bonded fly ash pellets

In this paper, compressive and splitting tensile strengths, modulus of elasticity and steel rebar-concrete bond strength of lightweight aggregate concretes (LWAC) produced at 0.40 w/c with sand and mixture of crushed stone and lightweight fly ash coarse aggregates are presented. Lightweight fly ash aggregates (LWA), plain (LC) and reinforced with 0.1% (L1P) and 0.5% (L5P) crumb rubber and0.1% (L1F) polypropylene fiber are utilized. Test results revealed that the compressive strength of all LWAC conformed to the limitation for structural use whereas a reduction in density up to 20% was achieved. Whereas the mechanical properties decreased with the use of lightweight aggregates, some increases were observed for the steel-concrete bond strength

Hematological Manifestations in Brucellosis Cases in Turkey

The hematological findings of 233 patients with brucellosis are presented and the possible pathologies discussed. Anemia was present in 128 patients (55%), leukopenia in 49 (21%) and thrombocytopenia in 59 (26%). Bone marrow aspirates of 18 patients (8%) with pancytopenia were examined. The bone marrow was hypercellular in 15 and normocellular in 3 patients. Granulomatous lesions were detected in 12 cases (67%), and slight to moderate cytophagocytosis of erythrocytes, granulocytes and platelets existed in all patients. Blood cell counts reverted to normal within 2-3 weeks of initiating chemotherapy with recovery from the disease.</p

Simple vaginal trachelectomy for early stage cervical cancer: A tertiary cancer center experience

Objectives: Less radical fertility sparing procedures have been introduced to reduce morbidity and adverse obstetric outcome in cervical cancer. Our objective was to describe oncological and obstetric outcomes of women with early-stage cervical cancer who underwent a simple vaginal trachelectomy (SVT). Material and methods: From 01/2013 to 05/2017, 14 women underwent SVT preceded by laparoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection. Results: Patients’ median age was 32 years and all of them were nulliparous. Histology included squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma in 12 (85.7%) and 2 (14.3%) patients, respectively. Three patients had stage 1A1 with lymphovascular space invasion, 4 1A2 and 7 1B1. After obtaining final histopathology, one patient underwent radical hysterectomy due to positive surgical margin and excluded from analysis. None of the patients had lymph node metastasis. None of the 13 patients developed a recurrence within a median follow-up of 27 (6–56) months. Seven patients have conceived: 4 were term deliveries, 2 were late preterm deliveries and 1 was spontaneous abortion. Conclusions: SVT in well selected early-stage cervical cancer patients seems to be a safe treatment option with excellent oncologic outcome, preserving reproductive function. Literature data will need to be confirmed in large prospective series

What influences women’s contraceptive choice? A cross-sectional study from Turkey

Objectives: In our study, we tried to investigate the determinants of women’s choices about contraception with the aim of discovering whether or not there is a difference in their preferences before and after consultation with a gynaecologist. Material and methods: A total of 1058 women were enrolled. They were given detailed information regarding contraception and contraceptive methods. Subsequently, a survey which was made of 21 questions was administered. Results: Contraceptive counselling significantly changed the contraceptive choice of women. However, influences from social media and friends, their partners and religious belief affected their contraceptive choices. Significant differences in contraceptive choice were observed when women were categorized according to their marital status, education level, household income, age, and number of children. Conclusions: Although contraceptive counselling influenced Turkish women’s choices, there were still other determinants like social media and input from outside sources such as clerics and husbands, which should be overcome

İlköğretim Birinci Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Kalem Tutma Biçimleri ve Kavrama-Sıkıştırma Kuvvetlerinin Yazma Hızı ve Hatalarına Etkisi

This is a survey model descriptive study which aims at testing the impact of the way the first grade students in primary school hold the pencil, grip the pencil and the compressive strength on the writing speeds and mistakes. The survey has been made with the first grade students (n=412) in the primary schools located in the city center of Kütahya. According to the data obtained, it can be said that the pencil gripping style of the students is a kind which is supported with thumb, index and middle finger; there is low negative level meaning correlation between writing mistake point and compressive strength and there is low positive level meaning correlation between writing speed and gripping strength.İlköğretim birinci sınıf öğrencilerinin kalem tutma biçimleri, kavrama ve sıkıştırma kuvvetlerinin yazma hızı ve hatalarına etkisini test etmeyi amaçlayan bu çalışma tarama modelinde betimsel bir çalışmadır. Araştırma Kütahya il merkezinde bulunan ilköğretim okullarının birinci sınıf öğrencileriyle (n=412) yapılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgulara göre öğrencilerin tercih ettikleri kalem tutma şeklinin baş, işaret ve orta parmakla desteklenen tutuş şekli olduğu, yazma hata puanı ile kavrama ve sıkıştırma kuvveti arasında düşük negatif düzeyde anlamlı bir ilişkinin olduğu bulunmuştur. Bunun yanı sıra yazma hızı ile kavrama kuvveti arasında düşük pozitif düzeyde anlamlı bir ilişkinin olduğu söylenebilir

Cutaneous manifestations of anthrax in Eastern Anatolia: a review of 39 cases.

Anthrax is essentially a disease of grazing herbivorous animals. The most common form of the disease is cutaneous anthrax, which accounts for 95% of all cases. We report here 39 cutaneous anthrax cases in humans that were seen in Eastern Anatolia over a six-year period. The clinical presentation was malignant edema in 16 of the cases (41%) and malignant pustule in 23 (59%). A secondary bacterial infection was present in 13 patients (33.3%) in the vicinity of the lesions. The agent was observed using Gram-stained smears in 25 patients (64%), and Bacillus anthracis was isolated from 15 patients (38.5%). All of the patients were treated with penicillin G or penicillin procaine, except one patient who had a penicillin allergy. One patient with cervical edema (2.5%) died as a result of laryngeal edema and sepsis syndrome. In conclusion, we found that the appearance of the skin lesion of cutaneous anthrax may vary, and this fact, combined with the rarity of this disease, which contributes to a general lack of experience among medical personnel, may make diagnosis difficult in nonagricultural settings</p

Quercetin protects the retina by reducing apoptosis due to ischemia-reperfusion injury in a rat model

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of quercetin on apoptotic cell death induced by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in the rat retina. Methods: Twenty-four rats were divided into four equal groups: control, ischemic, solvent, and quercetin. I/R injury was achieved by elevating the intraocular pressure above the perfusion pressure. Intraperitoneal injections of 20 mg/kg of quercetin and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were performed in the quercetin and solvent groups, respectively, immediately prior to I/R injury, and the researchers allowed for the retinas to be reperfused. Forty-eight hours after injury, the thicknesses of the retinal ganglion cell layer (RGCL), inner nuclear layer (INL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), outer plexiform layer (OPL), and outer nuclear layer (ONL) were measured in all groups. Moreover, the numbers of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end-labeled [TUNEL (+)] cells and caspase-3 (+) cells in both INL and ONL were evaluated in all groups. Results: The administration of quercetin was found to reduce the thinning of all retinal layers. The mean thickness of INL in the quercetin and ischemic groups was 21 ± 5.6 µm and 16 ± 6.4 µm, respectively (P<0.05). Similarly, the mean thickness of ONL in the quercetin and ischemic groups was 50 ± 12.8 µm and 40 ± 8.7 µm, respectively (P<0.05). The antiapoptotic effect of quercetin in terms of reducing the numbers of both TUNEL (+) cells and caspase-3 (+) cells was significant in INL. The mean number of TUNEL (+) cells in INL in the ischemic and quercetin groups was 476.8 ± 45.6/mm2 and 238.72 ± 251/mm2, respectively (P<0.005). The mean number of caspase-3 (+) cells in INL of ischemic and quercetin groups was 633.6 ± 38.7/mm2 and 342.4 ± 36.1/mm2, respectively (P<0.001). Conclusion: The use of quercetin may be beneficial in the treatment of retinal I/R injury because of its antiapoptotic effect on the retinal layers, particularly in INL