bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flea and tick infestation of a wild rodent in an anthropogenic landscape of the semi-arid Chile
Authors: Beltrami Esperanza , Verdugo Claudio , Beldomenico Pablo , González-Acuña Daniel , Moreno Lucila , Acosta-Jamett Gerardo
Published: March 2022

Background: A series of abiotic and biotic modifications occur in an anthropogenic landscape which influence the ecology and physiology of wild hosts and their parasites. How these changes affect the parasitism is highly context-dependent, based on the host-parasite system and the type of perturbation. We aimed to investigate the differences in infestation with fleas and ticks of the native rodent Phyllotis darwini in three sites with different anthropogenic impacts and to evaluate environmental and host factors associated with parasite richness and load. Methods: We studied wild, rural and peri-urban sites of the semiarid region of Chile in the spring and summer seasons between 2018 and 2020. We applied a multi-level analysis to assess environmental and host variables at the individual and microhabitat level. We used Generalized Linear Mixed Models and Generalized Linear Models to test factor effects on the richness and load of ectoparasites of adult rodents.Results: Overall, out of 310 rodents trapped, 71% were flea-infested and 22% showed tick infestation. We identified six flea genera, being Hectopsylla sp. and Neotyphloceras sp. the most abundant fleas across sites. Flea richness was significantly higher in male rodents and during the spring and was positively affected by the micromammal species richness. The flea load was also higher in spring, in males, and positively associated to tick load. Hectopsylla sp., one of the most abundant fleas, showed a higher load in the peri-urban site and at grids with lower vegetation index values (NDVI), and Neotyphloceras sp. fleas were associated with tick load and lower temperatures. All ticks were larvae or nymphs of Ixodes sp. and showed a higher load in summer months and higher temperatures. Conclusions: We discuss possible environmental requirements of fleas and ticks, the association between their loads and male-biased parasitism. Further experimental investigations are needed to seasonally precise microclimate thresholds required for the survival of these ectoparasites.
Comparative polyhydroxyalkanoates production by anaerobic bacteria through submerged and solid-state fermentation
Authors: Samal Swati , Pati Swayamsidha , Mohapatra Swati , Maity Sudipta , Tanaya Ksheerabdhi , Devadarshini Deepika , Samantaray Deviprasad
Published: March 2022

PHAs are the bio-polyester synthesized by aerobic and anaerobic bacteria as energy storage granule. However, its synthesis by anaerobes is an imperative part of their physiology via assimilating broad range of substrates than aerobes. Thus, 03 Gram positive anaerobic/facultative PHAs producers viz., Bifidobacterium sp. FM3, Actinomyces sp. CM4 & Bifidobacterium sp. FM5 were selected. Among them, Bifidobacterium sp. FM3 showed higher biomass production in mineral salt medium comprised of glucose & peptone as carbon & nitrogen source at pH 9, temperature 37 oC, inoculum 10% and incubation period 72 h. Under optimized condition, Bifidobacterium sp. FM3 produced 0.89 and 1.5 g/L of PHAs through submerged and solid-state fermentation. IR spectra of PHAs illustrated a strong absorption peak at 1718.50 cm-1 representing C = O functional group of PHB. It is the first report demonstrating PHAs production by Bifidobacterium sp. through different bioprocess technology, which may pave the way of further research.
Factors Affecting COVID-19 Disease Severity in Breast Cancer Patients: Single-Center Experience
Authors: OzkanOzturk Semra , Kocaman Zehra , İnal Ali
Published: March 2022

Background
COVID-19 is one of the pandemics affecting the whole World. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Therefore, the prevalence of COVID-19 increases in breast cancer pateients. In this study, it is aimed to examine the factors that may be effective on COVID-19 disease severity in breast cancer patients.
Method
This study was carried out as a single-center and retrospective study with a total of 65 patients with a pathological diagnosis of breast cancer who were hospitalized between April 2020 and June 2021, and PCR positive in COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swab sample. The patients were divided into two groups, mild and severe. 35 patients were in the mild groups and 30 patients were in the severe group. Patients with oxygen saturation below 93 percent, followed and treated in the intensive care unit, more than 50% lesion increase in chest imaging in the first 24–48 hours, needing non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, shock and multiple organ failure were included in the severe group.
Results
a total of 17 parameters that may affect disease severity were analyzed with univariate logistic regression analysis of the Kaplan- Meier test. As a result of the univariate analysis performed to evaluate the potential factors that may affect the severity of the disease, statistically significant differences were found: the patient had diabetes mellitus (P = 0.050), the neutrophil count increased during hospitalization (P = 0.002), the lymphocyte count decreased at admission (P). =0.001), high d-dimer level during hospitalization (P = 0.007), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio above 2.55 (P = 0.016).
Discussion
As a result, the presence of diabetes mellitus, neutrophilia, lymphocytopenia, high D-dimer, increased lymphocyte to monocyte ratio in patients with breast cancer may aggravate the course of COVID-19 disease. These parameters may be predictive for closer follow-up in terms of clinical deterioration of the patients. More recent studies are needed.
COVID-19 testing: A qualitative study exploring enablers and barriers in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana
Authors: Ha Solip , Yangchen Sonam , Assan Abraham
Published: March 2022

Introduction: Despite the rolling out of vaccines, the importance of extensive testing along with effective tracing and treatment is still crucial to slowing transmission of the COVID-19 virus. However, testing barriers can be significant impediments to effective COVID-19 response. This study explored enablers and barriers to COVID-19 testing in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. We envision lessons learned from this study could serve as a roadmap to strengthen the current response to COVID-19 and preparedness for future outbreaks, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Methods: A qualitative design was undertaken to explore the phenomenon. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews with key informants with a purposively selected sample of 20 participants. Interviews were conducted using flexible semi-structured interview guides. Depending on the participant's position and involvement in COVID-19 testing, the guides were modified, and key elements were drawn from a tailored version of the WHO Health System Framework incorporating the Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF). The interview findings were augmented by reviewing published literature.
Results: Better health governance and political leadership, community participation, multisectoral collaboration, effective resource management and information systems were key enablers of COVID-19 testing. Findings also revealed a strong political willingness to committing financial resources to enhance testing. The primary barriers to testing were mainly COVID-19 infodemic, inadequacy of material resources to meet growing health needs, and lack of opportunities to have equal and easy access to testing services. Further, although human resources were adequate, they were unevenly distributed across settings.
Conclusion: To effectively be prepared for COVID-19 testing and respond to future outbreaks, the following are recommended: there should be improved political commitments to ensure even distribution of all resources across the country; financial supports should be provided for the poor to protect them from the financial burden of paying for expensive testing services; improving community participation should be encouraged to address socio-cultural barriers to testing hesitancy. However, multilateral cooperation with diverse stakeholders beyond the scope of health will be essential in facilitating pandemic responses such as scaling up testing strategies
Feature importance measures to dissect the role of sub-basins in shaping the catchment hydrological response: a proof of concept
Authors: CAPPELLI FRANCESCO , Tauro Flavia , Apollonio Ciro , Petroselli Andrea , Borgonovo Emanuele , Grimaldi Salvatore
Published: March 2022

Understanding the response of a catchment is a crucial problem in hydrology, with a variety of practical and theoretical implications. Dissecting the role of sub-basins is helpful both for advancing current knowledge on physical processes and for improving the implementation of simulation or forecast models. In this context, recent advancements in sensitivity analysis tools could be worthwhile for bringing out hidden dynamics otherwise not easy to discriminate in complex data driven investigations. In the present work seven feature importance measures are described and tested in a specific and simplified proof of concept case study. In practice, simulated runoff time series are generated for a watershed and its inner 15 sub-basins. A machine learning tool is calibrated using the sub-basins time series for forecasting the watershed runoff. Importance measures are applied on such synthetic hydrological scenario with the aim to investigate the role of each sub-basin in shaping the overall catchment response. This proof of concept offers a simplified representation of the complex dynamics of catchment response. The interesting result is that the discharge at the catchment outlet depends mainly on 3 sub-basins that are consistently identified by alternative sensitivity measures. The proposed approach can be extended to real applications, providing useful insights on the role of each sub-basin also analyzing more complex scenarios.
Build Back Better: The Role of Green Monetary and Fiscal Policies
Authors: Benkhodja Mohamed Tahar , Ma Xiaofei , Razafindrabe Tovonony
Published: March 2022

We establish a two-sector model to simulate the potential effects of green fiscalpolicies and unconventional green monetary policy on the economy during a recoveryor in case of a stimulus policy. We find that instruments such as carbon tax, implicittax on brown loans, and subsidy for the purchase of green goods are all found to bebeneficial to the green sector in contrast to green quantitative easing. The carbon taximposed directly on firms in the brown sector is the most efficient tool to reduce pollution.More importantly, the marginal effects of green instruments on the economydepend on consumer preferences. Namely, the marginal effects are the most prominentwhen consumers start to develop the habit of purchasing green goods. Furthermore,the effects of environmental policies are more efficient when the elasticity of substitutionbetween green and brown goods increases. This finding suggests that raisingconsumers’ awareness and ability to consume green goods reinforce the efficiency ofpublic policies designed for low-carbon transition of the economy.
The Impact of Professional Midwives and Mentoring on the Quality and Availability of Maternity Care in Rural Government Hospitals in Bangladesh
Authors: Anderson Rondi , Williams Anna , Jess Nicole , Read Jonathan , Limmer Mark
Published: March 2022

Background
This study examined whether the introduction of professional midwives with and without facility mentorship improved care quality and availability in sub-district hospitals in Bangladesh. It also analysed the experiences of non-midwife maternity care providers and managers.
Methods
Using mixed-methods, differences between hospitals without midwives, with midwives, and with mentorship were explored. Quantitative analysis comprised observations of facility readiness and clinical care to assess implementation of World Health Organization maternity care guidelines. Participants also completed a survey on their knowledge, perceptions, and utilization of the guidelines. Focus groups and interviews explored midwives’ experiences of their roles, and the experiences of the maternity staff and managers in relation to the midwives and the improved care practices they introduced. Logistic regression was used to identify differences between hospital types following the deployment of midwives and also mentoring.
Results
There were 641 clinical observations, 237 completed surveys, 18 interviews and five focus groups. The analysis found facilities without midwives to be the least likely to implement quality care practices, and those with midwives and facility mentoring to be the most likely. Of the eight quality practices, hospitals with midwives but no mentors were significantly more likely than hospitals without midwives to use four: partograph (56% vs. 14%; p < 0.001), upright labour (94% vs. 63%; p = 0.001), delayed cord clamping (88% vs. 11%; p < 0.001), skin-to-skin (94% vs. 13%; p < 0.001). Hospitals with mentors were significantly more likely to use six: ANC card (84% vs. 52%; p < 0.001), partograph (97% vs. 14%; p < 0.001), upright positioning for labour (95% vs. 63%; p = 0.001), delayed cord clamping (98% vs. 11%; p < 0.001), skin-to-skin contact following birth (93% vs. 13%; p < 0.001), and upright positioning for birthing (86% vs. 26%; p < 0.001). In addition, attitudes among the other maternity staff and managers toward midwives’ capabilities and improving quality of care were found to be more positive with mentoring.
Conclusion
Facilities with professional midwives had better availability and quality of maternity care across multiple components of the health system. Care quality further improved with facility mentors who created enabling environments, provided training, and facilitated supportive relationships between existing maternity staff and managers and the newly deployed midwives.
Disruption of ER ion homeostasis maintained by an ER anion channel contributes to ALS-like pathologies
Authors: Jia Yichang
Published: March 2022

Although anion channel activities have been demonstrated in sarcoplasmic reticulum/endoplasmic reticulum (SR/ER), their molecular identities and functions remain unclear. Here, we link rare variants of CLCC1 (Chloride Channel CLIC Like 1) to ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)-like pathologies. We demonstrate that CLCC1 is a pore-forming component of an ER anion channel and that ALS-associated mutations impair the channel conductance. CLCC1 forms homomultimer and its channel activity is inhibited by luminal Ca2+ but facilitated by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). We identified conserved residues D25 and D181 in CLCC1 N-terminus responsible for Ca2+ binding and Ca2+ luminal inhibition on channel open probability and K298 in CLCC1 intraluminal loop as the critical PIP2-sensing residue. CLCC1 maintains steady-state [Cl-]ER and [K+]ER and morphology and regulates ER Ca2+ homeostasis including efficiency of internal Ca2+ release and steady-state [Ca2+]ER. ALS-associated mutant CLCC1 increase steady-state [Cl-]ER and impair ER Ca2+ homeostasis, and animals with the ALS-associated mutation sensitize to stress challenge-induced protein misfolding. Phenotypic comparisons of multiple Clcc1 loos-of-function alleles, including ALS-associated mutations, reveal a CLCC1 dosage-dependence in severity of disease phenotypes in vivo. As CLCC1 rare variants appear dominant in ALS, ~10% K298A heterozygous mice displayed ALS-like phenotypes, underscoring a mechanism underlying channelopathy dominant-negatively caused by a loss-of-function mutation. Conditional knockout of Clcc1 cell-autonomously causes motor neuron loss and ER stress, misfolded protein accumulation, and characteristic ALS pathologies in the spinal cord. Thus, we argue that disruption of ER ion homeostasis maintained by CLCC1 underlies etiology of neurodegenerative diseases.
The impact of epistasis in the heterosis and combining ability analyses
Authors: Viana José Marcelo Soriano
Published: March 2022

The current theoretical knowledge concerning the influence of epistasis on heterosis is based on simplified multiplicative model. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of epistasis in the heterosis and combining ability analyses, assuming additive model, hundreds of genes, linkage disequilibrium (LD), dominance, and seven types of digenic epistasis. We developed the quantitative genetics theory for supporting the simulation of the individual genotypic values in nine populations, the selfed populations, the 36 interpopulation crosses, 180 doubled haploids (DHs) and their 16,110 crosses, assuming 400 genes in 10 chromosomes of 200 cM. Epistasis only affects population heterosis if there is LD. Only additive x additive and dominance x dominance epistasis can affect the components of the heterosis and combining ability analyses of populations. Both analyses can lead to completely wrong inferences regarding the identification of the superior populations, the populations with greater differences of gene frequencies, and the populations with maximum variability, when the number of interacting genes and the magnitude of the epistatic effects are high. There was a decrease in the average heterosis by increasing the number of epistatic genes and the magnitude of their epistatic effects. The same results are generally true for the combining ability analysis of DHs. Surprisingly, the combining ability analyses of subsets of 20 DHs showed no significant average impact of epistasis on the identification of the most divergent ones, even assuming a high number of epistatic genes and great magnitude of their effects. However, a significant negative effect can occur.
Türk Mutfak Kültürünün Dönemsel Olarak İncelenmesi ve Günümüz Restoran Menüleri Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme: İstanbul Örneği (Periodic Analysis of Turkish Culinary Culture and An Evaluation on Contemporary Restaurant Menus: The Case of Istanbul)
Authors: Çakar Serdar , Erol Günay
Published: March 2022

Türk mutfağı, hem içinde yaşanılan coğrafyanın değişmesi hem de farklı mutfak kültürleri ile etkileşim sonucunda sürekli olarak değişime uğramıştır. Dolayısı ile Türk mutfağı üzerinde etkili olan bu durum beraberinde kendine has ve farklı bir mutfak kültürünü de oluşturmuştur. Bu çalışmanın amacı Türk mutfağının farklı dönemlerine ait yemeklerin, İstanbul’da bulunan Türk mutfağı konseptine sahip restoranların menü içerikleri bazında incelenmesidir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda araştırmanın örneklemini İstanbul’da bulunan ve Türk mutfağı servis eden 56 restoran oluşturmuştur. Bu 56 restoranın menüsünde bulunan 276 farklı ürün çeşidi incelenmiştir. Verilerin toplanmasında nitel araştırma yöntemleri tercih edilmiştir. Bu yöntemlerin en bilinenleri arasında olan pasif ve ikincil veri analizi ile, restoranların web sitelerinde yer alan içerikler çözümlenmeye çalışılmıştır. Türk mutfağı servis eden restoranların menüleri dönemsel olarak incelendiğinde, işletmelerin en fazla Osmanlı Dönemi’ne ait yemekleri sundukları görülmüştür. Çalışmada yabancı mutfaklara ait ürünlerin de önemli oranda sunulduğu belirlenmiştir. Restoranların menülerinde en fazla yer alan yemeğin Orta Asya Dönemi’ne ait “şiş kebap” olduğu belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca çalışmada Türk mutfağının tarih boyunca etkileşimde bulunduğu mutfaklar da incelenmiş ve diğer milletler ile sahip olunan ortak mutfak kültürüne dair yemekler de ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır.
Kayseri İlinin Gastronomi Destinasyonu Olarak Pazarlanması (Marketing of Kayseri Province as a Gastronomy Destination)
Authors: Eren Duygu , Karamustafa Ahmet Tuğrul
Published: March 2022

Destinasyon çekiciliği birçok bileşene bağlıdır ve genel olarak doğal ve insan yapımı olmak üzere iki ana boyutta değerlendirilebilir. Bu bileşenler içerisinde hem doğal hem de insan yapımı bileşenleri içeren gastronomik unsurlar, her geçen gün daha da önem kazanmaya başlamıştır ve destinasyon çekiciliğinde hem doğrudan hem de dolaylı etkiye sahiptir. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışma, gastronomik unsurların destinasyon düzeyinde pazarlama faaliyetlerinde kullanılmasına ilişkin ilgili bilgi birikimine katkılar sunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu çerçevede, Kayseri İli örneğinde değerlendirmeler yapılarak, Kayseri’nin tanıtımına ilişkin materyallerde yerel gastronomik unsur olarak yerel yiyecek ve içeceklere yer verilme düzeyi araştırılmıştır. Tanıtım materyallerinde sunulan yiyecek ve içecekler, içerik analizi yöntemi ile incelenmiş ve ilgili bilgi birikimine katkılar sunulmaya çalışılmıştır. Sonuç olarak, Kayseri’nin bir gastronomi destinasyonu olarak tanıtılabilmesi için pazarlama çabalarında yerel mutfak kaynaklarının daha iyi nasıl kullanılabileceğine ilişkin öneriler ortaya konulmuştur.
Örgüte ve Yöneticiye Bağlılığın İş Performansına Etkisinde Gelirin Düzenleyici Rolü: Otel Mutfak Çalışanları Üzerinde Bir Araştırma (The Moderator Role of Income in the Effect of Commitment to Organization and Supervisor on Job Performance: A Research on Hotel Kitchen Workers)
Authors: Şimşek Evren Emine , Çakıcı A. Celil
Published: March 2022

Çalışmanın amacı, kurumsallaşmış otellerde mutfak çalışanlarının örgütsel bağlılıkları ile iş performansları arasındaki ilişkide aşçıbaşına bağlılıklarının düzenleyici rolünü tespit etmektir. Bu kapsamda, 2019 yılı Mart-Nisan aylarında, ulusal zincir otellerden birinin mutfak personelinden, anket tekniği ile veri toplanmıştır (n=124). Bulgulara göre, yöneticiye ve örgüte bağlılığın iş performansı üzerinde pozitif yönde anlamlı etkileri vardır. Gelirin düzenleyici rolü örgütsel bağlılık – iş performansı ilişkisinde anlamlı iken; yöneticiye bağlılık – iş performansı ilişkisinde anlamlı değildir. Aşçıbaşına bağlılığı yüksek olan çalışanlar, gelir düzeyleri ne olursa olsun yüksek performans sergilemektedirler. Örgüte bağlılık ise ortalamanın altında gelir grubunun iş performansını yükseltmekte, ortalamanın üstündeki gelir grubunda belirgin bir artış yaratmamaktadır. Örgütsel bağlılığın boyutları kapsamında gelirin düzenleyici rolü devam bağlılığının iş performansıyla ilişkisinde anlamlı; normatif ve duygusal bağlılıkların iş performansıyla ilişkisinde anlamsızdır. Normatif ve duygusal bağlılıklar yükseldikçe gelirden bağımsız bir şekilde iş performansı da yükselmektedir. Öte yandan, devam bağlılığı yükseldikçe ortalamanın altında geliri olanların iş performansı artarken; ortalamanın üstünde geliri olanların iş performansı düşmektedir.
Turizm Lisans Öğrencilerinin Memnuniyetlerinin En İyi-En Kötü Yöntemi ile Değerlendirilmesi: Türkiye-Portekiz Örneği (Assessing Student Satisfaction in Undergraduate Tourism Education Using the Best-Worst Method: The Case of Turkey and Portugal)
Authors: Özdemir Akgül Seda , Silik Cemal Ersin , Uşaklı Ahmet
Published: March 2022

Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, turizm eğitimi alan öğrencilerin öğrenim gördükleri üniversite ve bölüme yönelik memnuniyet düzeylerinin ölçülmesinde etken olan kriterlerin önem derecelerinin belirlenmesidir. Nitel araştırma tasarımının kullanıldığı bu çalışmada, Gazi Üniversitesi (Türkiye) ve Aveiro Üniversitesi (Portekiz) turizm bölümlerinde öğrenim gören ve kolayda örnekleme yöntemi seçilen 16 öğrenci ile yüz yüze mülakat yapılarak veriler toplanmıştır. Elde edilen verilerin analizinde, çok kriterli karar verme yöntemi olan En İyi-En Kötü Yöntemi (Best-Worst Method) kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda beş ana kriter tespit edilmiştir: 1) üniversite olanakları, 2) fakülte olanakları, 3) akademik nitelik, 4) üniversite başarı durumu, 5) fakülte başarı durumu. Söz konusu beş ana kriter arasında en önemli kriterin her iki üniversite öğrencileri için de “üniversitenin genel başarı durumu” olduğu belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca üniversitelerin kaliteyi ve böylece öğrenci memnuniyetini artırmak için dikkate alması gereken en önemli alt kriterler ise şunlardır: öğrenci geri bildirimlerini ciddiye almak, öğrencilerin mezuniyet sonrası istihdam beklentilerini artırabilmek, araştırmaları ile öne çıkan bir üniversite olmak, yükseköğretim kalitesi ile tanınan bir üniversite olmak ve uluslararası düzeyde tanınırlık.
Otel İşletmelerinde Örgütsel Sessizliğin İşten Ayrılma Niyeti Üzerine Etkisi (The Effect of Organizational Silence on Turnover Intention in Hotel Businesses)
Authors: Pekerşen Yeliz , Alagöz Gürkan , Karakaş Eda Nur
Published: March 2022

Yöneticiler fikirlerini ifade eden çalışanlara ihtiyaç duymaktadır. Örgütlerde fikirlerini ifade eden ve bilgilerini paylaşan çalışanlar, işletme performansını olumlu şekilde yükseltmekteyken, sessiz kalmayı tercih eden çalışanlarda, aidiyet duygusu azalmakta ve işten ayrılma niyeti ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu bağlamda çalışmanın amacı, otel işletmeleri çalışanlarının örgütsel sessizlik düzeylerinin işten ayrılma niyetleri üzerindeki etkisini incelemektir. Araştırma Konya ilinde faaliyet göstermekte olan 3, 4 ve 5 yıldızlı otel işletmelerinde yiyecek ve içecek bölümünde çalışan 194 kişi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda örgütsel sessizlik ve işten ayrılma niyeti arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Örgütsel sessizliğin alt faktörlerine bakıldığında kabullenici ve korunma amaçlı sessizliğin işten ayrılma niyetiyle ilişkisi varken, koruma amaçlı sessizlik işten ayrılma niyetiyle ilişkili değildir. Örgütsel sessizliğin işten ayrılma niyetini %11,6 oranında açıkladığı tespit edilmiştir.
Hepçil Beslenmeye Kıyasla Vejetaryen ve Vegan Beslenmenin Çevreye Etkisi (The Impact of Vegetarian and Vegan Diet on the Environment Compared to Omnivorous Diet)
Authors: Islakoğlu Ünal Gönen
Published: March 2022

Hayvansal kaynaklı ürünlerin kısmen veya tamamen kullanılmadığı beslenme çeşitleri olan vejetaryen ve vegan beslenme, öncelikli motivasyon olarak hayvan etiğine saygı sebebiyle tercih edildiği için, sıklıkla çevreci bir beslenme olarak algılanmaktadır. Fakat vejetaryen ve vegan beslenmenin doğal kaynak kullanımı veya karbon salınımı gibi ölçütler üzerinden çevreye gerçek maliyeti Türkçe literatürde göz ardı edilmiştir. Bu boşluğu doldurmak adına, bu çalışma vejetaryen ve vegan beslenme türlerinin çevreye etkisini literatür taraması yöntemiyle araştırmayı amaçlamıştır. Sonuç olarak, vejetaryen ve vegan beslenmenin hayvansal kaynaklı beslenmeye göre çevreye maliyetinin daha az olduğu fakat organik tarım ve yerel yiyecek anlayışı ile desteklenmesi gerektiği ortaya çıkmaktadır.
Optimization of Water Distribution System within Tented Camps
Authors: ALHAMAD Abdullah , GÜNAL Ayşe Yeter
Published: March 2022

This paper proposes an optimized, gravity-looped water network for tented camps as a replacement of the water trucking method, which depends on conveying water from resource to water tanks set up within camps by trucks, allowing people to carry water through containers to their tent; this method is used to supply people live in tented camps with water when providing water cannot be met in other ways. The

cost of installing the gravity-looped network is minimized using Linear Programming to select pipe diameters from commercially available pipes. The method proposed was developed by Alperovits and Shamir (1977) and modified by Goulter and Coal (1986); linear formulations were solved by MATLAB, builds upon results obtained from EPANET. Tulol camp, located in Syria, was chosen as a case study, being supplied with water by trucking. Diameter changes, after optimization, are observed where the total cost of pipes decreased by 9.75%.
Enhancement of Surface Area of Cordierite Structure by Oxalic Acid Treatment for SCR Applications
Authors: ÖZARSLAN Himmet , KESKİN Ali
Published: March 2022

Cordierite (2Al2O3-5SiO2-2MgO) is the main carrier structure that enables the positioning of catalytic nanoparticles on the exhaust pipe in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) applications. In order to be loaded more catalytic nanoparticles into this structure, it must be modified by acid treatment. In our study, these structures were treated with the different oxalic acid ratios for 2 and 4 hours. Brunauer, Emmet and Teller (BET) analysis were employed to measure the surface areas of acid-treated cordierite structures and scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis was used to examine morphological structures of them. In consideration of BET analysis result, the surface area measurements of these structures reached up to 163.601 m2/g. The obtained value was about 327 times greater than the surface area of no treatment cordierite. In result of the SEM analysis, while the percentage of aluminum (Al) and magnesium (Mg) elements on the surface of these structures decreased, that of silicon (Si) increased. The reason of the high surface area is the formation of the pure amorphous silica due to the removal of Al and Mg ions from the surface of the cordierite. Thus, further coating of the catalytic nanoparticles on the cordierite surface could be allowed. As a result of this study, it could be said that the acid amount of the solution and the acid treatment duration enhances the surface area of the cordierite.
Examination of the Physical Properties of Saturated and Dry Marbles via P-S Wave Velocity
Authors: MOHAMMADI Eshaq Ali , KILIÇ Özen
Published: March 2022

In this study, ten marble samples collected from different regions of Turkey were tested in the laboratory in terms of physical properties and P-S wave velocity. The destructive method used to determine the physical properties of marbles is time-consuming, can only be tested in the laboratory, and high cost of equipment. For this reason, in order to obtain an easy to apply method, not expensive and time

consuming, the relationship between saturated and dry P-S wave velocity and physical properties was investigated by regression analysis. Results of regression analyses showed satisfactory correlations.
A Content Based Product Recommendation Approach
Authors: BİTİRİM Yıltan
Published: March 2022

In this study, a content-based recommendation approach is proposed. It utilizes the preprocessed 245 top movie summaries of IMDB and the favorite movie genres of the user elicited with the questionnaire method and then, recommends potential products -from a product pool- that the user can “like”. For testing; a test dataset that consists of real products from Amazon.com was created, and a Web application that uses the proposed approach and leads the users to evaluate the results of this approach was designed and developed. 52 volunteered subjects attended the test. The subject examined and graded each of the 10 products displayed. Grading was based on the five-level Likert-type scale “Not at all” (0%), “Slightly” (25%), “Moderate” (50%), “Very” (75%), and “Extremely” (100%). It is possible to say that the subjects are moderately liked the products. When the product evaluations are categorized in two categories as “liked” and “disliked”, it is possible to say that the subjects liked ~78.65% of the products. This approach could be integrated into e-commerce applications like Amazon.com for recommending potential products that the user can “like”.
Yünlü ve Pamuklu Kumaşların Yer Fıstığı Tohum Kabuğuyla Boyanması ve Renk Haslıklarının İncelenmesi
Authors: ÖZDEMİR Halil
Published: March 2022

Çalışma kapsamında ilk önce ham ve kurutulmuş fıstık tohum kabukları tedarik edilmiş, daha sonra kabuklar temizlenmiş, öğütülmüş ve ekstrakte edilmiştir. Daha sonra elde edilen doğal boyarmadde ile IR numune boyama makinesinde çektirme boyama yöntemine göre yünlü ve pamuklu kumaşlar boyanmıştır. Boyama işleminde farklı mordan (demir, bakır ve alüminyum sülfat) ve farklı mordan teknikleri (ön, birlikte ve son) kullanılmıştır. Boyanan numuneler için spektrofotometrede renk analizleri ve boyalı kumaşlara sürtünme, yıkama ve ışığa karşı renk dayanımlarını tespit edebilmek için haslık testleri yapılmıştır. Spektrofotometrik renk değerleri ve haslık değerlerine mordan, mordanlama tekniği ve pH değerinin etkisi istatistiksel olarak belirlenmiştir. Boyamalar sonucunda fıstık kabuğundan genel itibariyle kahverengi ve tonlarında renkler elde edilmiş, mordan kullanılarak yapılan boyamalar neticesinde özellikle yünlü kumaşlar için daha yüksek K/S değerlerine ve daha koyu tonlara ulaşıldığı tespit edilmiştir. Haslık testleri değerlendirildiğinde ise doğal boyamalar için yüksek sayılabilecek değerlere ulaşılmıştır. Mordan ve mordanlama tekniğinin L* (açıklık-koyuluk) ve K/S (renk kuvveti) değerleri üzerinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı etkisi olduğu belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak fıstık tohum kabuğunun tekstil terbiyesinde boyarmadde olarak kullanılabileceği ortaya konulmuştur.
Assessment of Biogas and Syngas Potentials of Cotton Stalks in Turkey
Authors: HAYKIR Nazife Işık
Published: March 2022

Turkey, being one of the largest producers of world cotton production, utilizes biomass through direct incineration for electricity generation which accounts for 1.5% of the total electricity generation in Turkey. In this work, biogas potential of cotton stalks was assessed to present a foresight to the future biomass valorizations in the country. Cotton stalks harvested in six cities located in the Southeastern, Aegean and Çukurova regions of Turkey were evaluated and discussed with respect to their potential in electricity generation and the invoiced electricity consumption in 2019. These cities were found to yield 15.6 million tonnes of cotton stalks with an annual 3.1 billion m3 of methane and also, 12 TWh of electricity generation that could meet almost 32% of the electricity demand. For Southeastern region, region’s electricity consumption could be met by 99.5% with the anaerobic digestion of cotton stalks (9 million tonnes/yr). Methane potentials of cotton stalks were compared with the corresponding syngas yields and lower percentages were obtained for syngas. Anaerobic digestion and thermochemical conversion of agricultural residues, being proposed as energy strategies in this study, could help to accelerate the activities on bioenergy share in Turkey.
Water quality modelling and quantitative microbial risk assessment for uMsunduzi River in South Africa
Authors: Ngubane Zesizwe , Bergion Viktor , Dzwairo Bloodless , Troell Karin , Amoah Isaac Dennis , Stenström Thor Axel , Sokolova Ekaterina
Published: March 2022

South African rivers generally receive waste from inadequate wastewater infrastructure, mines, and farming activities, among others. The uMsunduzi River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is among these recipients with recorded poor to very poor water quality. To identify parts of the uMsunduzi River that are polluted by Cryptosporidium and Escherichia coli (E. coli), this study mapped out pollutants emanating from point and non-point sources using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Streamflow calibration in the upper and lower reaches of the catchment showed good performance with R2 of 0.64 and 0.58, respectively. SWAT water quality output data were combined with a Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) to understand the microbial health implications for people using river water for drinking, recreational swimming, and non-competitive canoeing. QMRA results for Cryptosporidium and pathogenic E. coli showed that the probability of infection for most users exceeds the acceptable level for drinking and recreation as outlined in the South African water quality guidelines, and by the World Health Organization (WHO). The results of this study can be used as a baseline to assess the economic and health implications of different management plans, resulting in better-informed, cost-effective, and impactful decision-making.
Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Clinical Manifestations: A Systematic Review
Authors: Abdel-Gawad Muhammad , Zaghloul Mariam S. , Abd-elsalam Sherief , Hashem Mai , Lashen Sameh A. , Mahros Aya M. , Mohammed Ahmed Q. , Hassan Amro M. , Bekhit Ahmed N. , Mohammed Weam , Alboraie Mohamed
Published: March 2022

Background:

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic health problem
that causes a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations and considerable mortality rates. Unfortunately,
recovered patients who survive COVID-19 may continue to report a wide variety of clinical
manifestations of multisystem affection such as pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis,
acute myocardial infarction, depression, anxiety, myalgia, dyspnea, and fatigue.

Objective:

We aimed to summarize the current literature regarding the prevalence of post-COVID-
19 manifestations.

Methods:

We conducted a systematic review of post-COVID-19 manifestations by searching
MEDLINE via PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), EBSCO, Wily, and World health organization
(WHO) databases. Screening, study selection, data extraction, data synthesis, and quality
assessment were made by two independent reviewers.

Results:

Of 1,371 references, 817 references remained after removing duplicates. Reviews, case
reports, commentaries, and any article containing non-original information were excluded. According
to the eligibility criteria for this systematic review, 12 studies were included for qualitative
synthesis. The overall prevalence of post-COVID-19 manifestations ranged from 35% to 90.5%.
Fatigue, dyspnea, neuropsychological disorders, and pain were the most frequent post-COVID-19
symptoms.

Conclusion:

This systematic review showed that 35% to 90.5% of recovered patients who survive
COVID-19 continue to have a wide variety of clinical manifestations, including fatigue, dyspnea,
neuropsychological disorders, and pain as the most frequent post-COVID-19 symptoms.
Wisdom Mining: Future of Data Mining
Authors: Khan Salma , Shaheen Muhammad
Published: March 2022

Data mining has been instrumental in the extraction of some useful knowledge from data.
The purpose of data mining has always been to focus on searching for methods to extract instead of
revealing the implicit models of the data. The outcome of the process of data mining is the
knowledge that is represented by different visualization techniques. Knowledge obtained through
data mining is not effective without the intervention of a domain expert who uses that knowledge to
make a decision. On the other hand, human participation has the potential to influence and predispose
decisions. Human participation in the process of data mining is still subjective and cannot be
automated. A possibility to look into this quandary is the conversion of these subjective factors into
some measurable parameters. This predicament leads to the development of an area that can be referred
to as "Wisdom Mining," which will consist of procedures to add wisdom to the extracted
knowledge. Wisdom mining, if it is proposed as an extension to data mining, exhibits the need for
certain factors, methods, and measures beyond the methods and measures used in the data mining
process. The factors proposed in this article for a seamless transition from data to wisdom mining
are context, utility, time, and location. There are two possibilities to use these factors for the extraction
of wisdom from data. One is to develop new algorithms for wisdom mining from scratch, keeping
these four factors as major placeholders. The second approach is to add these four factors to the
existing algorithms of data mining to get wise patterns as outcomes. The paper proposed a second
approach for laying the foundation of this new domain of wisdom mining.
WITHDRAWN: Traditional Therapies Involving Nutrition for the Management
of COVID-19
Authors: M Ramesh , Muthuraman Arunachalam , Anand Krishnan
Published: March 2022

The article has been withdrawn at the request of the editor of the journal Coronaviruses.

Bentham Science apologizes to the readers of the journal for any inconvenience this may have caused.

The Bentham Editorial Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://benthamscience.com/editorial-policies-main.php

Bentham Science Disclaimer:

It is a condition of publication that manuscripts submitted to this journal have not been published and will not be simultaneously
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the article for publication the authors agree that the publishers have the legal right to take appropriate action against the
authors, if plagiarism or fabricated information is discovered. By submitting a manuscript, the authors agree that the copyright
of their article is transferred to the publishers if and when the article is accepted for publication.
Особенности индуцированного фазового перехода в монокристаллических твердых растворах Na-=SUB=-1/2-=/SUB=-Bi-=SUB=-1/2-=/SUB=-TiO-=SUB=-3-=/SUB=--5%BaTiO-=SUB=-3-=/SUB=-
Authors: Камзина Л.С.
Published: March 2022

Исследованы диэлектрические и оптические свойства, а также временные зависимости диэлектрической проницаемости в электрическом поле, приложенном вдоль направления [001], в монокристаллах Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3-5%BaTiO3, расположенных по составу вблизи морфотропной фазовой границы. Показано, что даже в отсутствие электрического поля в широком диапазоне температур наблюдаются диэлектрический и оптический гистерезисы, связанные с сосуществованием тетрагональной и ромбоэдрической фаз, причем относительные объемные доли двух фаз в значительной степени зависят от температуры. Обнаружено, что при температурах ниже температуры морфотропного фазового перехода индуцирование сегнетоэлектрической фазы происходит без времени задержки, что отличает исследуемые образцы от твердых растворов PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-x%PbTiO3. Полученные результаты объясняются разными размерами полярных нанообластей в низкотемпературной фазе. Ключевые слова: сегнетоэлектричество, релаксоры, индуцированный фазовый переход.
Types of Racism and Twitter Users’ Responses Amid the COVID-19 Outbreak: Content Analysis
Authors: Lloret-Pineda Amanda , He Yuelu , Haro Josep Maria , Cristóbal-Narváez Paula
Published: March 2022

Background

When the first COVID-19 cases were noticed in China, many racist comments against Chinese individuals spread. As there is a huge need to better comprehend why all of these targeted comments and opinions developed specifically at the start of the outbreak, we sought to carefully examine racism and advocacy efforts on Twitter in the first quarter of 2020 (January 15 to March 3, 2020).

Objective

The first research question aimed to understand the main type of racism displayed on Twitter during the first quarter of 2020. The second research question focused on evaluating Twitter users’ positive and negative responses regarding racism toward Chinese individuals.

Methods

Content analysis of tweets was utilized to address the two research questions. Using the NCapture browser link and NVivo software, tweets in English and Spanish were pulled from the Twitter data stream from January 15 to March 3, 2020. A total of 19,150 tweets were captured using the advanced Twitter search engine with the keywords and hashtags #nosoyunvirus, #imNotAVirus, #ChineseDon’tComeToJapan, #racism, “No soy un virus,” and “Racismo Coronavirus.” After cleaning the data, a total of 402 tweets were codified and analyzed.

Results

The data confirmed clear sentiments of racism against Chinese individuals during the first quarter of 2020. The tweets displayed individual, cultural, and institutional racism. Individual racism was the most commonly reported form of racism, specifically displaying physical and verbal aggression. As a form of resistance, Twitter users created spaces for advocacy and activism. The hashtag “I am not a virus” helped to break stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination on Twitter.

Conclusions

Advocacy efforts were enormous both inside and outside the Chinese community; an allyship sentiment was fostered by some white users, and an identification with the oppression experienced by the Chinese population was expressed in the Black and Muslim worldwide communities. Activism through social media manifested through art, food sharing, and community support.
Seasonal Cycles, Veintena Rituals, and Yearbearer Ceremonies in Central Mexico / Rituales de las veintenas y cargadores de los años en el México central
Authors: Milbrath Susan
Published: March 2022

La exploración del ciclo del año en el Códice Borgia en relación con las ceremonias de fin de año representadas en las páginas 49-52 del Borgia permite entender mejor el ciclo de las 18 veintenas (periodos de veinte días) en las comunidades orientales nahuas, especialmente del valle de Puebla-Tlaxcala, lugar de origen de este códice. Los rituales de las veintenas representados en este almanaque y la sección narrativa de las páginas 29-46 proporcionan evidencia de que las veintenas realmente estaban ligadas a las estaciones. Las fechas del año, sin embargo, siguieron un sistema diferente, coordinado con el ciclo continuo de 260 días en el tonalpohualli. Ningún ajuste fue posible en el ciclo de 52 años, pero este no es el caso de las veintenas, que nunca se nombran como parte del xiuhmolpilli. Parece probable que la flexibilidad del sistema de las veintenas permitiera que los «meses» se ajustaran para mantenerse en sintonía con las estaciones.Abstract: An exploration of the cycle of the year in the Codex Borgia in relation to the year-end ceremonies represented on pages 49-52 of the Codex Borgia allows us to better understand the cycle of 18 veintena festivals (periods of 20 days) in the eastern Nahua communities, especially the Puebla-Tlaxcala Valley, the point of origin of the Codex Borgia. The veintena rituals depicted in this almanac and the narrative section on pages 29-46 provide evidence that the veintenas were tied to the seasons. The year dates, however, followed a different system, coordinated with the continuous cycle of 260 days in the tonalpohualli. No adjustment was possible in this cycle of 52 years, but this is not the case with the veintenas, which were never named as part of the xiuhmolpilli. It seems that the flexibility of the veintena system allowed the «months» to be adjusted to stay in tune with the seasons.Keywords: calendars; seasonality; annual rituals; Codex Borgia; Aztecs.Résumé : L’exploration du cycle de l’année dans le Codex Borgia en relation avec les cérémonies de fin d’année représentées dans pages 49-52 nous permet de mieux comprendre le cycle des 18 « vingtaines » (période du 20 jours) dans les communautés orientales nahuas, en particulier de la vallée de Puebla-Tlaxcala, lieu d’origine du Codex Borgia. Les rituels des « vingtaines » représentés dans cet almanach et dans la section narrative du page 29-46 prouvent que les « vingtaines » étaient vraiment liées aux saisons. Les dates de l’année, cependant, ont suivi un système différent, coordonné avec le cycle continu de 260 jours du tonalpohualli. Aucun ajustement n’était possible au cours d’un cycle de 52 ans, mais ce n’était pas le cas avec les « vingtaines », qui ne sont jamais mentionnées comme faisant partie du xiuhmolpilli. Il semble probable que la flexibilité du système des «vingtaines» permit d’ajuster les «mois» pour rester en phase avec les saisons.Mots-clés : calendriers ; saisonnalité ; rituels annuels ; Codex Borgia ; Aztèques.
NEW DATA OF SAUROPHAGY IN Sceloporus variabilis (SQUAMATA: PHRYNOSOMATIDAE) AND CONFIRMATION OF CANNIBALISM
Authors: Cruz-Elizalde Raciel , García-Rosales Aaron , Becerra-López Jorge Luis , Hernández-Austria Raquel , Ramírez-Bautista Aurelio
Published: March 2022

Sceloporus variabilis is a species of wide distribution and occupies different types of habitat. This paper reports new data on the consumption of lizards, both in tropical and cloud forests, and confirms the occurrence of cannibalism.