Comments to "Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio compared to N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide as a prognostic marker of adverse events in elderly patients with chronic heart failure".

We have read the article which entitled “Neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio compared to N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide as a prognostic marker of adverse events in elderly patients with chronic heart failure” published in Journal of Geriatric Cardiology with great interest. However, we have some comments regarding this study. First of all, it has not been stated that any inflammatory marker was analyzed in study patients. The authors reported that patients with known evidence of infection, chronic inflammatory conditions were excluded. But there is no data to support it in any way. At least C-reactive protein (CRP) or hypersensitive CRP could have been examined. Thus, the relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (N/L) ratio ratio and CRP could be investigated. Secondly, in the study, it is highlighted that heart failure and AF often coexist and each condition can promote the other, with an associated increase in overall morbidity and mortality. So a higher N/L ratio was associated with an increased risk of AF which may make the prognosis of heart failure become worser in the elderly with CHF. Although the N/L ratio was higher in the major cardiovascular events (MCEs) group, AF was reported as lower at this study. How do you explain this contradiction? At the same time, the contribution of N/L ratio to NYHA III-IV group is limited because it is known that there is already more MCE in NYHA III-IV patients. In addition NYHA class IV patients are still considered unsuitable for survival studies and have been systematically excluded from clinical trials because of the expectation of a much shortened lifespan. In the present study 51.9% of the major cardiovascular events (MCEs) group was composed of NYHA III-IV patients. It might be better to investigate the predictive power of N/L ratio for MCE in patients with NYHA I-II. As the third NYHA was mistakenly written as HYHA in all parts of the text. Future studies should be directed towards larger randomized trials with more emphasis on long term clinical endpoints.

Controlling the shape of membrane protein polyhedra

Membrane proteins and lipids can self-assemble into membrane proteinpolyhedral nanoparticles (MPPNs). MPPNs have a closed spherical surface and apolyhedral protein arrangement, and may offer a new route for structuredetermination of membrane proteins and targeted drug delivery. We develop herea general analytic model of how MPPN self-assembly depends on bilayer-proteininteractions and lipid bilayer mechanical properties. We find that thebilayer-protein hydrophobic thickness mismatch is a key molecular controlparameter for MPPN shape that can be used to bias MPPN self-assembly towardshighly symmetric and uniform MPPN shapes. Our results suggest strategies foroptimizing MPPN shape for structural studies of membrane proteins and targeteddrug delivery.

Mutations in GABRB3

To examine the role of mutations in GABRB3 encoding the β 3 subunit of the GABA A receptor in individual patients with epilepsy with regard to causality, the spectrum of genetic variants, their pathophysiology, and associated phenotypes.

A Different Flow Field Design Approach for Performance Improvement of a PEMFC

Flow fields influence the deployment of the reactant gases over the surface of catalyst layer and the removal of the produced water from the cell. An optimum flow field design should provide lowest energy loss, uniform mass distribution and minimize pressure drop between inlet and outlet of the gas stream. An even reactant distribution reduces the mass transport losses and thus allows higher power density. This study is focused on flow fields inspired by veins of the tree leaves, which have effective performance improvement by minimizing the pressure drop and even deploy reactant gases without water flooding. The branching of flow channels corresponds to the Murray’s law, which is also applicable to plants. Additionally semi cylindrical obstacles were fabricated at the bottom of the daughter channels to increase the diffusion into the gas diffusion layer. Cylindrical obstacles were applied to reduce the concentration losses, especially at the high current densities. Cell performance and current density vs temperature distribution measurements show that the new innovative designs shows a better performance compared to standard serpentine design by 42.1% at 0.4 V operating voltage. Furthermore, homogenous current and temperature distributions and better water removal are achieved.

The Investigation of Radionuclide Concentrations in Soil and Lifetime Cancer Risk Due to Gamma Radioactivity in Zonguldak, Turkey

The Investigation of Radionuclide Concentrations in Soil and Lifetime Cancer Risk Due to Gamma Radioactivity in Zonguldak, Turkey A. Koraya,∗, G. Akkaya, A. Kahraman, G. Kaynak and R. Baldık Ereğli Education Faculty, Bülent Ecevit University, Kdz. Ereğli, Zonguldak, Turkey Physics Department, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey Physics Department, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Turkey

Parenting Practices Scale: Its Validity and Reliability for Parents of School-Aged Children

As a main research area of psychology, parenting is a rather comprehensive field that is explored by many researchers in various disciplines throughout the world from the perspectives of biology, genetics, sociology, anthropology, history, and law. Parents mainly focus on three basic goals all over the world. These goals are providing children with the necessities of health and safety, preparing them for life as adults, and transmitting cultural values to them (American Psychological Association, 2010). In this field, the transmission process is known as socialization.In psychology, parenting is defined as giving the necessary support to a child in order for them to develop physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually/ cognitively (Baydar, Akcinar, & Imer, 2012). This definition of support that is given to a child in their growth process and the first studies by psychodynamic and learning theorists on its effects on child development, in parallel with the research done on child socialization, date back to the 1930s. That research has intended to answer two main questions: Which parenting model should be adopted in child rearing, and what are the developmental consequences of different child-rearing patterns on children (Darling & Steinberg, 1993)?Psychodynamic theorists in their effort to answer these questions have focused more on quality of the emotional relationship and satisfaction in the parent/child relationship, while learning theorists focus more on observable parent behaviors, such as the principles that are reinforced, observance of the determined common-space usage rules, and administration of physical punishment onto the child (Cavell, 2002).In the field, although parents' child-rearing patterns, namely the child's socialization process, have been studied systematically for quite some time, the phenomenon began being studied empirically when Baumrind (1971) defined the concept of parenting style. Baumrind defines parenting style as the values and beliefs about the child-rearing process that reveal the nature of the child, the emotions of the parents for the child, and parents' child-rearing practices. Unlike earlier researchers, Baumrind classified the different authority styles parents adopt in the child-rearing process into three groups: democratic, authoritarian and permissive. Thus, promoting the concept of parenting style as operational, she claimed these styles had different developmental consequences on children.Using Baumrind's approach as their base, Maccoby and Martin (1983) claimed it would be better if parenting styles are dealt within the four categories that emerge from the intersection of two main dimensions: parents' sensitivity toward the demands of their children (interest/acceptance) and parents' demands from their children (control/ discipline). These styles were identified as democratic/balanced (high sensitivity, high demand), authoritarian (low sensitivity, high demand), permissive (high sensitivity, low demand), and uninvolved/negligent (low sensitivity, low demand) parenting styles.Darling and Steinberg (1993) suggested a holistic model for better understanding of how parenting styles affect child socialization. In this model, researchers claimed that parenting goal, parenting practice, and parenting styles together create parenting. They stated that to evaluate elements affecting child development, making a distinction between parenting style and parenting practice is really important because parents can have similar parenting styles but different parenting practices (Stevenson-Hinde, 1998; Steinberg, Lamborn, Darling, Mounts, & Dornbusch, 1994). For instance, both use the democratic/balanced parenting style and explain the logic behind a rule, but where one mother lets her child play in the park to feel energetic about preparing for studying, another mother demands her child to study as soon as the child comes home from school. Therefore, even though parents have the same parenting style, performing different practices also changes a child's developmental process. …

PRECISE POSITIONING OF DIAMAGNETICALLY LEVITATED MICROROBOT

: In this article, we present a microrobot manipulation technique with high precision positional ability to move in a fluid environment with diamagnetic levitation. Untethered manipulation of microrobots by means of externally applied magnetic forces has been emerging as a promising field of research, particularly due to its potential for medical and biological applications. The decreased size of the robots makes them suitable for both in vitro applications such as sorting, moving, filtering micro particles (e.g. cells) within lab-on-a-chip platforms and in vivo applications such as minimally-invasive surgeries or targeted drug delivery inside a human body. Precise (nano) positioning of the levitated microrobot on the pyrolytic graphite is demonstrated in the liquid. Positioning is achieved by the movement of a "lifter" magnet on the sensitive microstage. The suspended microrobot successfully tracked the identified roots. Our study is about controlling the microrobot suspended on the pyrolytic graphite with nano-precision via fixed lifting magnets. The purpose of the presented method is to eliminate the friction force between the surface of the substrate and the microrobot. Thus, high accuracy motion can be achieved.

Öznel Sıkıntıları Açma Ölçeği: Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışmaları

Eğitsel Ajan Araştırmalarında Güncel Eğilimler: 2009-2014 Yılları Arasındaki Makalelerin İçerik Analizi

Modelling of steady-state mechanical power losses in planetary gear trains of automatic transmissions

In this study, steady-state mechanical power loss model of an automatic transmission gear train consisting of multiple stages of planetary gear sets is developed. Load dependent (mechanical) power losses at the internal (ring-planet) and external (sun-planet) gear meshes and planet bearing interfaces are included through elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) based power loss formulations. At the end, efficiency of an 8-speed automatic transmission is studied under representative operating conditions to quantify the contribution of various loss mechanisms to the total loss under variable speed, load and temperature conditions. Impact of gear surface roughness amplitudes on the resultant power losses is also described.