Relationship between quality of life and child traffic fatalities

Traffic injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality of children around the world. Economic development and quality of life are main components of public health. Using canonical correlation analysis, this study examined the relationship between quality of life and traffic fatality among children. Data were collected from 19 countries by using World Health Organization and OECD statistics. The results indicated that there is a strong relationship between quality of life and children traffic fatality. Growing quality of life has become protective against child traffic accident mortality. Increasing in gross national income per capita, life expectancy at birth number of years, road motor vehicles per thousand population, and share of persons of working age (15-64 years) in employment also increases children traffic safety.     

Artificial neural networks to predict daylight illuminance in office buildings

A prediction model was developed to determine daylight illuminance for the office buildings by using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Illuminance data were collected for 3 months by applying a field measuring method. Utilizing weather data from the local weather station and building parameters from the architectural drawings, a three-layer ANN model of feed-forward type (with one output node) was constructed. Two variables for time (date, hour), 5 weather determinants (outdoor temperature, solar radiation, humidity, UV index and UV dose) and 6 building parameters (distance to windows, number of windows, orientation of rooms, floor identification, room dimensions and point identification) were considered as input variables. Illuminance was used as the output variable. In ANN modeling, the data were divided into two groups; the first 80 of these data sets were used for training and the remaining 20 for testing. Microsoft Excel Solver used simplex optimization method for the optimal weights. The model's performance was then measured by using the illuminance percentage error. As the prediction power of the model was almost 98%, predicted data had close matches with the measured data. The prediction results were successful within the sample measurements. The model was then subjected to sensitivity analysis to determine the relationship between the input and output variables. NeuroSolutions Software by NeuroDimensions Inc., was adopted for this application. Researchers and designers will benefit from this model in daylighting performance assessment of buildings by making predictions and comparisons and in the daylighting design process by determining illuminance.     

Intermittent Ozone Application in Aerobic Sludge Digestion

Excess biological sludge, WAS, produced during activated sludge process is a growing problem for the utilities owing to the stringent regulations now imposed worldwide. One method of handling the excess sludge is to digest it, to reduce its amount and to stabilize it. Aerobic digestion is particularly suitable for nutrient treating plants as sludge should not be exposed to anaerobiosis since this will lead to release of accumulated phosphorus. A novel and patented ozone-assisted aerobic sludge digestion process (PCT/TR2010/000213) is shown to appreciably shorten the 15–30-day aerobic digestion period and the extent of solids destroyed. WAS samples were ozonated for different periods in Erlenmeyer flasks, once a day, on each of four consecutive days. Flasks were continuously aerated between ozone applications. The MLVSS, MLSS, COD and OUR parameters were measured routinely during the course of four days of digestion in order to optimize the process. As a result 22.6%, 40%, 75% and 84% MLVSS reductions were obtained at total ozone applications of 0.42, 0.64, 0.85 and 1.27 mg O₃ g^?1 MLSS, at the end of the fourth day. Hence, it became possible to save on contact time as well as achieving a bio-solids digestion far exceeding the standard aerobic process, which is 40–50% in 15–30 days, at the expense of a minimum of ozone dose. The developed process is deemed superior over side-stream ozonation where ozone is applied to the return activated sludge, RAS, line; in that it does not cause any reduction in active biomass amount maintained in the aeration tank. Conversely, reduction in active biomass concentration results in reduced treatment efficiency.     

Analysis of tweets about football: 2013 and 2018 leagues in Turkey

ABSTRACT

Football has recently developed into a unique sector with complex management and marketing functions, where novel communication technologies are employed. In this paper, we aim to contribute to the numerous fields involving emerging European sports marketing literature, social media analytics, and digital consumer behaviour. Our purpose is to explore Twitter use related with football by analysing real-time streamed data in offering a longitudinal perspective by focusing on 2013 and 2018 leagues in Turkey via the use of social media analytics framework. Retrieved dataset involved randomly selected publicly available 370 thousand and 6.8 million real-time tweets in 2013 and 2018 leagues, respectively. We report that majority of tweets about the football was posted within the three-hour window before the match independent of the match result and the importance of the result. Moreover, pre-match tweeting volume was almost a crystal ball signalling match winning. Our findings are valuable for sports managers and marketers where some key suggestions provided are to involve particular contexts of winning or losing in their after-match marketing plans, to value weekdays as much as the weekends, and to utilise the after-work prime time of social media engagement.     

Enhanced immunological detection of epigenetic modifications of DNA in healthy and cancerous cells by fluorescence microscopy

Epigenetic modifications of DNA, including methylation, hydroxymethylation, formylation, and carboxylation of cytosines, are proposed to function in gene regulation during reproduction and development. Changes in cytosine methylation are associated with a range of diseases, such as cancer. Immunofluorescence uses specific antibodies to quantitatively detect the global amount of cytosine modifications by fluorescence microscopy. The most critical stage of immunofluorescence is the antigen retrieval to remove the protein content around the DNA, allowing specific antibodies to bind to DNA epitopes. Acid treatments have commonly been used for antigen retrieval. Previously, trypsin was added after acid in the protocol, which increased the amount of detectable DNA methylation. In this study, the protocol was further enhanced by the addition of pepsin, which is able to target charged hydrophobic amino acids in proteins, unlike trypsin, which breaks positive hydrophilic amino acids. The global levels of cytosine modifications in CF‐1, HeLa, and AR42J cells were compared using this protocol. In all cells, the sequential treatment of trypsin and pepsin increased the specificity of the staining. With the synergistic effect of the two enzymes, it is possible to target different protein groups packaging DNA molecules and removing them effectively. The findings suggest that this revised protocol can be conveniently used for each cytosine modification in the cells examined, and should be optimized for other cells. These new antigen retrieval conditions may more accurately detect the changes in cytosine modifications during development and in diseases.     

Detection of central nervous system tissue as bovine spongiform encephalopathy specified risk material in traditional Turkish meat products

BACKGROUND: This study used enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kits to investigate the presence of central nervous system (CNS) tissue in commercial raw and processed traditional Turkish meat products offered for consumption in various markets. RESULTS: Ninety‐six raw traditional Turkish meat products (32 fresh raw beef patties, 32 cig kofta, 32 pastirma) and 64 processed traditional Turkish meat products (32 doner kebabs and 32 fresh processed beef patties) were analysed. CNS tissue was not found in pastirma, doner kebab, or fresh processed beef patty samples. The levels of CNS contamination in fresh raw beef patties were low (0.1% absorbance standard; 3.1%) and moderate (0.2% absorbance standard; 6.2%). The level of contamination in the cig kofta was low (0.1% absorbance standard; 18.8%). CONCLUSION: CNS tissue was present in all raw traditional Turkish meat products except for pastirma. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Determination of the optimum material parameters for intermediate band solar cells using diffusion model

In this study, the optimum material parameters capable of providing high efficiencies close to the detailed balance limit are determined for intermediate band solar cells. A diffusion model, including the overlap effect between absorption coefficients, is used during the calculations for the first time. It is obtained that to achieve high efficiencies close to the detailed balance limit; the effective density of state value, N_CV, should be higher than 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ and the carrier mobility should be larger than 200 cm²/Vs, where the light concentration should not be higher than nearly 1000 sun. Besides, it is found out that the optimum intermediate band level and the base width depend on the mobility and effective density of state values. So they need to be optimized according to the material parameters. The effect of overlap between absorption coefficients on the performance of intermediate band solar cells is also investigated. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.