Current status, core problems and future directions of wood-drying industry in Turkey

Türkiye’de son yıllarda ihracatın ve kalite beklentilerinin gelişmesiyle ahşap kurutma endüstrisine yönelik yatırımlar fırın üretimi ve kullanımı bazında artmıştır. Bu çalışmada ahşap kurutma fırını üreten ve kullanan firmalardan yarı yapılandırılmış anketlerle elde edilen veriler kullanılmıştır. Türkiye’de mevcut 16 adet fırın imalat ve ithalatçısının bulunduğu, fırın kullanıcısı bazında ele alınan 60 firmanın toplam 20401,5m3 kapasiteli 205 adet kurutma fırınına sahip olduğu ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Fırın imalatçısı ve fırın kullanıcısı olan firmaların kriz dönemlerinde ne şekilde ayakta kalabildikleri ve teknolojik olarak ne tip politikalar izledikleri de kıyaslanmıştır. Yapılan istatistiksel analizlere göre, kullanıcı ve imalatçı firmaların teknoloji yönetimi politikalarının birbirinden farklı olduğu, kriz ortamında başarılı olmada da çoğunlukla etkin maliyet kontrolü yapmayı tercih ettikleri görülmüştür.In Turkey, investments in production and use of wood drying kilns have developed as the export rates and quality expectations increased in recent years. In this study, data obtained via semi-structured interviews from wood drying kiln producers and users were used. The results reveal that there are 16 kiln producers and importers in Turkey, and 60 firms use 205 kilns that have 20401,5 m3 drying capacity. Wood drying kiln producers and users were also benchmarked in terms of crisis management and technology policies. Statistical analyses demonstrated that technology management policies of producers and users are different from each other, and they both prefer cost control strategy to get out of economic crises in turbulent times

Longitudinal 16S rRNA data derived from limb regenerative tissue samples of axolotl ambystoma mexicanum

WOS: 000469960800002PubMed ID: 31123261The Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a critically endangered species and a fruitful amphibian model for regenerative biology. Despite growing body of research on the cellular and molecular biology of axolotl limb regeneration, microbiological aspects of this process remain poorly understood. Here, we describe bacterial 16S rRNA amplicon dataset derived from axolotl limb tissue samples in the course of limb regeneration. The raw data was obtained by sequencing V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA gene and comprised 14,569,756 paired-end raw reads generated from 21 samples. Initial data analysis using DADA2 pipeline resulted in amplicon sequence variant (ASV) table containing a total of ca. 5.9 million chimera-removed, high-quality reads and a median of 296,971 reads per sample. The data constitute a useful resource for the research on the microbiological aspects of axolotl limb regeneration and will also broadly facilitate comparative studies in the developmental and conservation biology of this critically endangered species

Türkiye Ahşap Kurutma Endüstrisinin Mevcut Durumu, Temel Sorunları ve Gelecek Yönelimleri

In Turkey, investments in production and use of wood drying kilns have developed as the export rates and quality expectations increased in recent years. In this study, data obtained via semi-structured interviews from wood drying kiln producers and users were used. The results reveal that there are 16 kiln producers and importers in Turkey, and 60 firms use 205 kilns that have 20401,5 m3 drying capacity. Wood drying kiln producers and users were also benchmarked in terms of crisis management and technology policies. Statistical analyses demonstrated that technology management policies of producers and users are different from each other, and they both prefer cost control strategy to get out of economic crises in turbulent times.Türkiye’de son yıllarda ihracatın ve kalite beklentilerinin gelişmesiyle ahşap kurutma endüstrisine yönelik yatırımlar fırın üretimi ve kullanımı bazında artmıştır. Bu çalışmada ahşap kurutma fırını üreten ve kullanan firmalardan yarı yapılandırılmış anketlerle elde edilen veriler kullanılmıştır. Türkiye’de mevcut 16 adet fırın imalat ve ithalatçısının bulunduğu, fırın kullanıcısı bazında ele alınan 60 firmanın toplam 20401,5m3 kapasiteli 205 adet kurutma fırınına sahip olduğu ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Fırın imalatçısı ve fırın kullanıcısı olan firmaların kriz dönemlerinde ne şekilde ayakta kalabildikleri ve teknolojik olarak ne tip politikalar izledikleri de kıyaslanmıştır. Yapılan istatistiksel analizlere göre, kullanıcı ve imalatçı firmaların teknoloji yönetimi politikalarının birbirinden farklı olduğu, kriz ortamında başarılı olmada da çoğunlukla etkin maliyet kontrolü yapmayı tercih ettikleri görülmüştür

Long-Term Outcomes of Chest Wall Resection in Non- Small Cell Lung Cancer in Geriatric Patients

Aim:Lung cancer has become a global health problem today. Both patients and physicians prefer oncologic treatment approaches rather than surgery in T3 and T4 lung cancers in the geriatric age group. The objective of this study was to assess the long-term survival outcomes of patients aged 70 years and older, who underwent chest wall resection due to non-small cell lung cancer, and the prognostic factors affecting morbidity.Methods:Eighteen patients, who underwent chest wall resection due to non-small cell lung cancer, were assessed retrospectively.Results:A total of 18 patients (16 male and 2 female) with a mean age of 74.28±3.81 years were included in the study. The most common surgery was right upper lobectomy (55.6%, n=10). Complications were detected in nine patients (50%). The most common complication was arrhythmia. Mortality was detected in four patients (22%). The mean two-year and five-year survival rates were 77.9% and 41.4%, respectively. Lymph node status, adjuvant treatment and tumor stage were prognostic factors affecting survival (p=0.001).Conclusion:Age should not be the only criterion for surgery. Appropriately selected patients should be offered anatomical resection. Long-term survival can be achieved in these patients

ADAMTS4, 5, 9, and 15 expressions in the autopsied brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease: A preliminary immunohistochemistry study

Objective: Recent studies performed in the central nervous system highlight the pathophysiological relevance of A disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) genes and their protein products. The determination of alterations in expression profiles of ADAMTS family genes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients may contribute to the explanation of tissue pathology and also new ideas for remedial approaches for this incurable but preventable disease. Therefore, the goal of this study was to describe and identify the distribution, characteristics, and any changes in the expression, in other words, immunoreactivity, for aggrecanases (ADAMTS4, 5, 9, and 15) proteins in AD brain. Methods: Nine cases that were autopsied in the Council of Forensic Medicine, Bursa Morgue Department in 2013, were selected. All of the cases were sent for autopsy to the institution within 8 hours after death. At autopsy, tissue samples were obtained for histopathological examination of organs for determining the cause of death. Out of these, two cases were diagnosed with AD by neurologists when they were alive. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on the brain slides by using relevant primary and secondary antibodies against aggrecanase proteins. All images were acquired using a X200 objective of a microscope (Olympus BX53) and evaluated by the staining intensity using a semi-quantitative scoring system. Results: ADAMTS4 and 5 were slightly under-expressed in the brains from autopsied AD cases compared to those of control brains and suggested that extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation was not endorsed in AD brain. On the other hand, ADAMTS9 and 15 aggrecanases were not found to be expressed in correspondent brain sections of AD and control cases. Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that some aggrecanases were found to be under-expressed in AD brains. Additional studies in which all ADAMTS enzymes will be studied in terms of mRNA and protein levels are needed to understand the relative contributions of ADAMTS genes and proteins in AD brains

Clinical Study An Evaluation of Effects of Different Mydriatics on Choroidal Thickness by Examining Anterior Chamber Parameters: The Scheimpflug Imaging and Enhanced Depth Imaging-OCT Study

Aim. To assess the effects of mydriatics commonly used in clinical practice on choroidal thickness and anterior chamber change. Methods. This was a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blinded study including a single eye of the participants. The subjects were assigned into 4 groups to receive tropicamide 1%, phenylephrine 2.5%, cyclopentolate 1%, and artificial tears. At the baseline, anterior chamber parameters were assessed using a Pentacam Scheimpflug camera system, and choroidal thickness (CT) was measured using a spectral-domain OCT with Enhanced Depth Imaging (EDI) modality. All measurements were repeated again after drug administration. Results. Increases in pupil diameter, volume, and depth of anterior chamber were found to be significant ( = 0.000, = 0.000, and = 0.000, resp.), while decreases in the choroidal thickness were found to be significant in subjects receiving mydriatics ( < 0.05). Conclusions. The study has shown that while cyclopentolate, tropicamide, and phenylephrine cause a decrease in choroidal thickness, they also lead to an increase in the volume and depth of anterior chamber. However, no correlation was detected between anterior chamber parameters and choroidal changes after drug administration. These findings suggest that the mydriatics may affect the choroidal thickness regardless of anterior chamber parameters. This study was registered with trial registration number 2014/357

A novel composed index to evaluate the right ventricle free-wall adaptation against ventricular wall stress in acute pulmonary embolism

Background: Pulmonary embolism severity index and simplified pulmonary embolism severity index have been utilized in initial risk evaluation in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. However, these models do not include any imaging measure of right ventricle function. In this study, we proposed a novel index and aimed to evaluate the clinical impact. Methods: Our study population comprised retrospectively evaluated 502 patients with acute pulmonary embolism managed with different treatment modalities. Echocardiographic and computed tomographic pulmonary angiography evaluations were performed at admission to the emergency room within maximally 30 minutes. The formula of our index was as follows: (right ventricle diameter × systolic pulmonary arterial pressure-echo)/(right ventricle free-wall diameter × tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion). Results: This index value showed significant correlations to clinical and hemodynamic severity measures. Only pulmonary embolism severity index, but not our index value, independently predicted in-hospital mortality. However, an index value higher than 17.8 predicted the long-term mortality with a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 40% (areas under the curve = 0.652, 95% CI, 0.557-0.747, P = .001). According to the adjusted variable plot, the risk of long-term mortality increased until an index level of 30 but remained unchanged thereafter. The cumulative hazard curve also showed a higher mortality with high-index value versus low-index value. Conclusions: Our index composed from measures of computed tomographic pulmonary angiography and transthoracic echocardiography may provide important insights regarding the adaptation status of right ventricle against pressure/wall stress in acute pulmonary embolism, and a higher value seems to be associated with severity of the clinical and hemodynamic status and long-term mortality but not with in-hospital mortality. However, the pulmonary embolism severity index remained as the only independent predictor for in-hospital mortality

Romatoid Artritli Hastalarda Koroid Kalınlığı ve Koroid Kalınlığının Maküla ve Retina Sinir Lifi Kalınlığına Etkisinin Araştırılması

Amaç: Romatoid artrit hastalarında koriod tutulumunun varlığını, koroid kalınlığını ölçmek ve retina üzerindeki etkisini maküla ve retinasinir lifi kalınlığını ölçerek araştırmak.Gereç ve Yöntem: 96 romatoid artritli hasta grubu ile 88 normal sağlıklı gönüllülerden oluşan kontrol grubunu karşılaştırdık. Kontrol gru-bu rastlantısal seçildi. Romatoid artrit hastalık aktivitesi; hastalık aktivite 28 (DAS 28) ile değerlendirildi. Romatoid artrit hastaları DAS 28skoruna göre düşük ve yüksek aktiviteli olarak iki alt gruba ayrıldı. DAS 28 skoru 2,6 - 3,2 arası düşük hastalık aktivitesi, DAS 28 skoru 5,1’inüzerinde olanlar ise yüksek hastalık aktivitesi olarak kabul edildi. İki gruba ayrılan romatoid artrit hastaları ile kontrol grubu, retina sinir lifi,maküla ve subfoveal-peripapiller koroid kalınlığı açısından karşılaştırıldı.Bulgular: Romatoid faktör, C-reaktif protein, anti siklik sitrüllenmiş peptid düzeyleri yüksek DAS grubunda daha yüksek saptandı (p0,001herbiri için). Hastalık süresi de yüksek DAS grubunda anlamlı olarak daha yüksek bulundu (p=0,014). Koroid kalınlığını, romatoid artrit gru-bunda kontrol grubuna göre, subfoveal, perifoveal ve peripapiller alanlarda daha ince saptandı (p0,001). Bu sonucun retina ve maküla üzeri-ne olası etkisini araştırmak için yaptığımız gruplar arasında maküla ve retina sinir lifi kalınlıkları ölçümleri arasında fark saptanmadı (p>0,05).Sonuç: Romatoid artritte koroidde incelme izlenebilir. Bu incelmenin tüm koroidde izlenmesi altta yatan sebebin daha çok vaskülit olabile-ceğini düşündürür. RNFL ve maküla kalınlığının etkilenmemesi koroiddeki değişimin retinaya yansımadığını göstermektedir

Effect of torsional mode phacoemulsification on cornea in eyes with/without pseudoexfoliation

AIM: To evaluate the effect of torsional mode phacoemulsification on central corneal thickness, corneal endothelial cell density, and morphology in eyes with/without pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome. METHODS: Fourty-two consecutive patients with and 42 patients without PEX as a control group scheduled for cataract surgery was studied. Phacoemulsification, using OZiL IP system, was performed with quick chop technique. Using noncontact specular microscopy, the central endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation, percentage of hexagonal cells, and the central corneal thickness (CCT) were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively at 1, 7 and 30d. RESULTS: The ECD in PEX syndrome was statistically significantly lower than that in the control group preoperatively and postoperatively (P≤0.001). Percentage change in ECD was statistically significantly higher in PEX than that in control group after surgery follow up (P≤0.04). There was no statistically significant difference between both groups comparing percentage of hexagonal cells and coefficient of variation in the cell size before and after the surgery. At 1 and 7d after surgery, percentage change in CCT was statistically significantly higher in PEX group than that in the control group (P≤0.041). CONCLUSION: Although torsional mode phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation provided a safe and favorable surgical outcome in patients with/without PEX, torsional phacoemulsification led to significantly higher ECD loss in the PEX group than that in the control group during the whole follow up period. In addition, more corneal swelling in the PEX group than that in the control group during the early postoperative period has indicated that the corneal endothelium, in presence of PEX endotheliopathy, seems to be more susceptible to the effects of phacoemulsification surgery in eyes with PEX. The increased risk of anterior chamber manipulations in patients with PEX should be taken into account for an increased risk of bullous keratopathy