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Electric vehicle charging through mobile charging station deployment in coupled distribution and transportation networks
No full textThe interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has prominently increased in the recent years due to their state-of-the-art and environmentally-friendly structure. The fixed charging station (FXCS) investments, however, have lagged behind this increase, leading to many challenges for both the system operator (SO), such as power system reliability and stability, and the EV users, such as long charging times and range anxiety. In order to reduce the burden of FXCSs, in this study, mobile charging stations (MCSs) are considered and a novel energy management strategy is proposed for their optimal operation from the perspective of both the SO and EV users. The proposed optimization algorithm minimizes the total operation cost of the MCSs, which serve EVs located throughout the city, while accounts for the battery degradation cost of the MCSs. Furthermore, the proposed approach ensures the fairness between the MCS and FXCS operations by utilizing the Time-of-Use (TOU) tariff prices. The results are discussed in detail based on the operational costs, waiting time and power system impacts
The effect of temperature distribution on parabolic triangular-based CPVT system performances: Electrical and thermal perspectives
No full textThe performance of photovoltaic (PV) and photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems is affected by environmental parameters and working conditions such as, partial shading, refrigerant and operating temperature. This study focuses on the investigation of the operating conditions and performance of a low concentrated parabolic-trough PVT (CPVT) system. Electro-thermal (electrical and thermal) analysis of the CPVT system was investigated. In the electrical analysis, the effect of series, serial-parallel (SP), total cross-tied (TCT) and grouped connection forms were investigated using a single diode model. In thermal analyses, temperature distribution of the CPVT system was investigated using finite volume methods considering different fluid inlet temperatures. Firstly, thermal analysis was carried out under certain conditions of the CPVT system. Then the obtained temperature distribution was applied to the electrical model. Thus, the electrical and thermal performance of the CPVT system under certain conditions was estimated. Obtained results show that series connection is negligibly better than TCT connections. According to identical mass and pressure and under operating conditions, fluid inlet and outlet temperature differences is 8.77 °C for water. PV module temperature increases up to 110 °C, when fluid inlet temperature is 50 °C for R134a. So, the PV module output power significantly decreases. When the electrical and thermal efficiencies of the CPVT system were evaluated, water obtains better results than the other fluids due to its high specific heat. Therefore, fluid, fluid mass and pressure have to be carefully selected and designed before system's experimental design. Finally, fluid mass should be selected at more and more rates in high temperature applications
Do Patients With Arterial Occlusive Disease of Different Etiologies Benefit Equally From Cilostazol?
No full textBackground: Cilostazol is a guideline-recommended drug that improves intermittent claudication and quality of life in patients with chronic atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease. The drug is used for most etiologies of arterial occlusive diseases in clinical practice. This study aimed to evaluate whether patients benefit equally from cilostazol regardless of etiology.
Methods: Patients on cilostazol were divided into 4 groups according to arterial occlusive disease etiology: (1) atherosclerosis, (2) diabetic angiopathy, (3) embolism/thrombosis, and (4) Buerger disease. Patients' maximum walking distance, ankle-brachial index score and distal tissue oxygen saturation (Sto2), clinical improvement onset time, ability to reach maximum benefit time, vascular surgeries, and wounds were compared before they started cilostazol and after 12 months. Results were evaluated at a statistical significance of P < .05.
Results: In 194 patients, 307 target extremities were evaluated in the 4 disease groups. After cilostazol use, maximum walking distance, ankle-brachial index score, and distal Sto2 increased significantly in all groups (P < .001), but distal Sto2 in the diabetic angiopathy and Buerger disease groups was significantly lower than in the atherosclerosis group (P < .001). Ankle-brachial index and distal Sto2 differences in the Buerger disease group were significantly lower (both P < .001). The vascular surgery counts decreased significantly in the atherosclerosis and embolism/thrombosis groups (P = .019 and P = .004, respectively).
Conclusion: Patients with nonatherosclerotic arterial occlusive disease also benefit from cilostazol, but patients with Buerger disease or diabetic angiopathy seem to benefit less. Combining cilostazol with anticoagulant or antiaggregant agents and closer monitoring of these patients may produce better results
Predicting how climate change and globally invasive piscivorous fishes will interact to threaten populations of endemic fishes in a freshwater biodiversity hotspot
No full textFreshwater ecosystems are highly vulnerable to the detrimental impacts of both biological invasions and climate change. Piscivorous alien fishes drive populations of small-bodied native fishes to extinction and warming is already driving extreme temperature events in lakes and rivers globally. Here, we use Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) to predict how climate change will alter the geographical space of six alien fishes and five native fish genera (which include multiple endemic species) in Turkey, a hotspot of freshwater fish diversity. The models predicted that the geographical space of the alien fishes already present in Turkey would generally increase (including pikeperch Sander lucioperca and perch Perca fluviatilis), but with the most substantial increases in largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, a species not yet present in Turkey but that is invasive in countries nearby and is highly popular for sport angling. For the native fish genera, general predictions were for reduced geographical space, especially in the south and east of the country, suggesting the endemic species will become increasingly imperilled in future. Their populations will also be at increasing risk of deleterious impacts from the alien piscivores, as the predictions were also for increasing overlaps in the geographical space of both the alien fishes and native fish genera. These predictions suggest that the conservation of these endemic species need to consider measures on preventing both the introduction of alien species (e.g. largemouth bass) and the further dispersal of extant alien species (e.g. pikeperch), as well as habitat interventions that will limit the effects of climate change on their populations. These results also indicate that the combination of climate change and alien invasions could have substantial impacts on—and similar—hotspots of freshwater diversity
Relationship between serum Betatrophin, GPIHBP1, and LDL subfractions in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus
No full textObjectives: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) leads to changes in the lipid metabolism. In this study, we aimed to compare serum levels of LDL subfractions, betatrophin, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high-density lipoprotein binding protein 1 (GPIHBP1) between patients with GDM and healthy pregnant women. Design and Methods: We designed a prospective case-control study with 41 pregnant women. Subjects were divided into two groups: GDM and control. Betatrophin and GPIHBP1 levels were measured by ELISA method. Lipoprint LDL subfraction kit was used to perform LDL subfraction analysis electrophoretically. Results: Serum levels of LDL6 subfraction, betatrophin, and GPIHBP1 were found to be higher in GDM group compared to the controls (p < 0.001). The mean LDL size were also found larger in GDM group. A positive correlation was found between betatrophin and GPIHBP1 levels (rho = 0.96, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that betatrophin, and GPIHBP1 levels were found to be increased in GDM. This maybe the result of adaptive mechanisms in response to insulin resistance, but also this relationship should be evaluated for their effects on impaired lipid metabolism and lipoprotein lipase metabolism. There is a need for further prospective studies with larger samples to fully elucidate the mechanisms of this relationship both in pregnant patients and the other patient groups
Internalized stigma and the quality of life and self-esteem of individuals with bipolar disorder
No full textObjectives: This study was conducted in order to examine the effect of socio-demographic and clinical characteristics that are thought to have an impact on the internalized stigma, quality of life, and self-esteem of individuals with bipolar disorder and to determine the relationship between these variables. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 105 participants during the remission period in a community mental health center in İzmir City, Türkiye. The participants were interviewed face-to-face, and data were collected in December 2017 and April 2018 using the Socio-Demographic Data Form, Internalized Stamp Scale in Mental Diseases (ISMI), World Health Organization Quality Life Scale-Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF), and the Rosenberg Self-Respect Scale (RSES). The number, percentage, and average were used in descriptive statistics. Comparisons of inter-group socio-demographic and clinical variables are made using Spearman’s correlation analysis, while the relationship between internalized stigma, quality of life, and self-esteem, which are conceptual variables, is evaluated using the Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis variance analysis. Results: The patients' mean ISMI score was 58.56±18, and the mean WHOQOL-BREF score was 96.48±19.98. In addition, it was determined that 26% of the patients had low self-esteem. The socio-demographic and descriptive characteristics of the patients included education (p<0.05), income (p<0.001), employment status (p<0.01), a physical illness accompanying their mental illness (p<0.05), and the presence of a suicide attempt (p<0.05). It was determined that there was a significant difference between the groups on all scale scores. There is a strong negative relationship between ISMI and WHOQOL-BREF (r:−0.782, p<0.001) and RSES (r:−0.773, p<0.001), and a positive relationship between RSES and WHOQOL-BREF (r:0.749, p[removed
Horse breeding studies in the ottoman empire between the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century (1800-1920)
No full textThe Turks were the first to tame the horse. With horses, they spread over large areas in a short time. They took the Central Asian horse with them to the new lands they went to. The Seljuks brought this horse with them to Anatolia and bred it. Among the Anatolian Principalities, the Germiyan sons came to the fore in horse breeding. The Ottoman Principality also continued to raise horses by taking this heritage from the Anatolian Principalities. In the Ottoman Empire, horses were raised for the army by the nomads in Anatolia, especially in Eskisehir, Kutahya, and Karaman. Arabian horses were bred by Aleppo Turkmens in and around Aleppo in Erbil and Mosul in the Iraq region. The lack of animals, including transport and mounts, in the army of the Ottoman Empire XIX. emerged in the middle of the century. After the Crimean War, it started to meet its horse needs by purchasing them from Hungary and Russia. This brought temporary relief and was not permanent. The period when the army's need for horses reached the highest level was the Ottoman-Russian war. The lack of transport animals and riding horses during the war caused many deaths
Antibiofilm and Anti-Quorum Sensing Potential of Safely-Synthesized Hydrated Zirconium Oxide-Coated Alginate Beads against Some Pathogenic Bacteria
No full textWater is essential to life, but access to uncontaminated water remains a global challenge. Metal oxides possess particular characteristics required for removing heavy metals, inorganic and organic pollutants from wastewater as well as inhibiting microorganisms. Zirconium oxide and alginate which are nontoxic materials were used to synthesize hydrated zirconium oxide-alginate coated materials, ZAB-1 (1.5% alginate) and ZAB-2 (2.0% alginate). FT-IR was used to characterize the functional groups while surface morphology was characterized using SEM. XRD was used to characterize the material structure of the resulting composite. Against Chromobacterium violaceum CV12472, minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were 0.625 mg/mL for ZAB-1 and ZAB-2 while against C. violaceum CV026, the MIC values were 0.625 mg/mL and 1.25 mg/mL for ZAB-1 and ZAB-2, respectively. At MIC and sub-MIC concentrations, the synthesized beads inhibited the production of violacein in C. violaceum CV12472 and C. violaceum CV026, indicating that they can reduce QS-mediated virulence factors in bacteria. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Candida albicans, and Candida tropicalis, and MIC values ranged from 1.25 mg/mL to 10 mg/mL. Biofilm inhibition percentages were relatively high against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans. It is observed that the increase in the alginate amount from 1.5% to 2.0% improves the antimicrobial, anti-QS, and antibiofilm effects. The alginate makes the zirconium oxide particles biocompatible and easily recoverable from water after treatment. ZAB-1 and ZAB-2 materials can therefore be sustainable materials for water treatment since it can inhibit pathogenic bacteria in water and equally satisfy environmental friendliness. The synthesized particles reduced the chances for antimicrobial resistance since they disrupted QS in bacteria and eliminated biofilms, thereby preventing biofouling of microbial communities in water. Future prospects of this study involve biofiltration, that is, the use of the synthesized composite in the development of a safe and compatible biofilter for water purification
The first data of a newly recorded native goat genotype called Manavlı in Türkiye: growth traits of kids
No full textThis study aimed to define growth traits of kids named Manavlı goat from six flocks under the breeder’s conditions in Denizli Province. The average birth weights of the kids were 3.63 kg, 4.28 kg, 3.85 kg, 4.11 kg, 3.83 kg, and 3.64 kg for the six flocks, respectively. The average live weights of male and female kids on 60th, 90th, and 150th day of age were 16.50 kg, 22.35 kg, and 34.82 kg and 15.33 kg, 20.14 kg, and 32.06 kg, respectively (p < 0.05). While the average live weights of single kids on 60th, 90th were 16.70 kg and 21.96 kg, the values for twins were 15.13 kg and 21.03 kg, respectively (p < 0.05). Body measurements of male kids such as height at withers, rump height, rump width, body length, heart girth, head length, ear length, tail length, and front and back wrist girth were measured as 70.26 cm, 70.21 cm, 16.23 cm, 66.80 cm, 70.11 cm, 19.51 cm, 22.16 cm, 18.59 cm, 11.85 cm, and 11.57 cm, respectively, on the 150th day of age. This study is the first research related to growth traits of Manavlı kids, for which no features have been reported to date. It was thought that the results obtained will help to characterise the Manavlı goat and will provide a database for the following studies