Showing papers by "Ahi Evran University published in 2020"

Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa

Abstract: This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi. i.e. dispersed spores, mycelia, sporophores, mycorrhizas). We treat 19 phyla of fungi. These are Aphelidiomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomophthoromycota, Entorrhizomycota, Glomeromycota, Kickxellomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Mortierellomycota, Mucoromycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Olpidiomycota, Rozellomycota and Zoopagomycota. The placement of all fungal genera is provided at the class-, order- and family-level. The described number of species per genus is also given. Notes are provided of taxa for which recent changes or disagreements have been presented. Fungus-like taxa that were traditionally treated as fungi are also incorporated in this outline (i.e. Eumycetozoa, Dictyosteliomycetes, Ceratiomyxomycetes and Myxomycetes). Four new taxa are introduced: Amblyosporida ord. nov. Neopereziida ord. nov. and Ovavesiculida ord. nov. in Rozellomycota, and Protosporangiaceae fam. nov. in Dictyosteliomycetes. Two different classifications (in outline section and in discussion) are provided for Glomeromycota and Leotiomycetes based on recent studies. The phylogenetic reconstruction of a four-gene dataset (18S and 28S rRNA, RPB1, RPB2) of 433 taxa is presented, including all currently described orders of fungi.

A generalization of truncated M-fractional derivative and applications to fractional differential equations

Abstract: In this paper, our aim is to generalize the truncated M-fractional derivative which was recently introduced [Sousa and de Oliveira, A new truncated M-fractional derivative type unifying some fractional derivative types with classical properties, Inter. of Jour. Analy. and Appl., 16 (1), 83–96, 2018]. To do that, we used generalized M-series, which has a more general form than Mittag-Leffler and hypergeometric functions. We called this generalization as truncated M-series fractional derivative. This new derivative generalizes several fractional derivatives and satisfies important properties of the integerorder derivatives. Finally, we obtain the analytical solutions of some M-series fractional differential equations.

Augmented reality in STEM education: a systematic review

Abstract: This study aimed to systematically investigate the studies in which augmented reality (AR) was used to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) education. In this framework, t...

The nexus between tourism, economic growth, renewable energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions: contemporary evidence from OECD countries.

Abstract: The relationship between tourism development, economic growth, renewable energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions has been examined in a variety of contexts; however, the extant studies report contradictory findings mainly due to utilizing arbitrary empirical techniques. We present a comprehensive literature review and the effects of tourism development, economic growth, and renewable energy consumption on the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Specifically, the effects of gross domestic product, renewable energy consumption, and tourism receipts on carbon dioxide emissions in OECD countries are examined utilizing the bootstrap panel cointegration technique and the augmented mean group estimator. The results showed that tourism development has negative and significant effects on CO2 emission in Canada, Czechia, and Turkey, while tourism development has positive and significant effects on CO2 emission in Italy, Luxembourg, and the Slovak Republic. Also, Belgium, France, New Zealand, and the Slovak Republic have shifted towards sustainable tourism practices. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Assessing the impact of topography and land cover data resolutions on two-dimensional HEC-RAS hydrodynamic model simulations for urban flood hazard analysis

Abstract: This study assesses the effects of topography and land cover data resolutions on the estimates of flood extent, inundation depths, flow velocities, and arrival times of a two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic HEC-RAS model under differently sized mesh structures, with the example of the urban floodplain of Kilicozu Creek (Kirsehir, Turkey). To analyse these effects under a wide range of data conditions, seven different resolution digital surface models (DSMs) (from 0.0432 to 10 m/pixel) and Manning’s roughness layers (MRLs) (from 2 to 25 m/pixel) are produced for the subject floodplain by processing the high-quality DSM and orthophoto of the Kirsehir city centre. Additionally, seven different computational point spacings (CPSs) (from 2 m × 2 m to 25 m × 25 m) are tested to evaluate changes in the model outputs depending on the dimensions of mesh grids. Simulations are carried out for 19 different DSM, MRL, and CPS configurations under the 500-year flood scenario. The simulation performed for the most detailed model configuration is utilised as the base model simulation to compare the performances of other simulations. The model simulation configurated with the 2 m cell size DSM, 10 m cell size MRL, and 10 m × 10 m CPS shows comparable performance to the base model simulation with a small loss in the accuracy of the estimates, indicating that very-fine-resolution (less than 2 m) topography and high-resolution (less than 10 m) land cover data may not be indispensable to produce reliable simulations with 2D urban flood modelling using HEC-RAS software.

Production of microporous Cu-doped BTC (Cu-BTC) metal-organic framework composite materials, superior adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue (Basic Blue 9)

Abstract: Cellulosic woven waste was used as a biomass material to prepare a Cu-doped BTC (Cu-BTC) adsorbent, which was then used to remove methylene blue (Basic Blue 9) from wastewater. Cellulosic woven waste was used as a biomass material to prepare a Cu-doped BTC (Cu-BTC) adsorbent, which was then used to remove methylene blue (Basic Blue 9) from wastewater. The Cu-BTC had higher adsorption capacity for methylene blue (BB9) than pure woven waste because it had high specific surface area and electrostatic interaction with cationic methylene blue molecules. The Cu-BTC removed methylene blue from wastewater rapidly and effectively and had an excellent adsorption capacity (197.90 mg/g). In batch process, the adsorption efficiency of the adsorbent for removal of BB9 was evaluated within 20 °C–60 °C, with initial BB9 concentrations of 50−200 mg/L and initial pH of 2−11. The Cu-BTC activation tailored the topological and textural properties of the obtained adsorbent, leading to a relatively large surface area of 1418.3 m2/g and pores with a volume of 0.491 cm3/g and an average size of 2.11 nm. The adsorption process fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The possible mechanism for methylene blue removal mainly involved electrostatic attraction and micro pores. This study can serve as a guide for value-added utilization of cellulosic woven waste and as a practical method for the removal of methylene blue from wastewater. Adsorption of methylene blue onto the Cu-BTC is an effective and eco-friendly method for its removal from wastewater.

Assessments of anxiety levels and working conditions of health employees working in COVİD-19 pandemic hospitals

Abstract: The study aims to identify health care workers’ risk of COVID-19 and to determine employees’ views on working conditions and the fight against COVID-19 in general, and to present their concerns. The study utilized a survey form developed by researchers as a data collection tool. The research was conducted on 736 health workers in the Turkish population using the online survey method. Descriptive statistical methods, chi-square analysis, and correlation analysis were used in the analysis of the data. The data was carried out in a 95% confidence range. According to the study’s findings, 31.7% of the health care workers involved in the study had contact with 19 cases of COVID-19; 27.3% provided services to patients diagnosed with COVID-19. There is a relationship between the professional groups of health care workers who have been contacted by COVID-19 cases and the professional groups of those who provide services. Among the participants, only 35 people had a diagnostic test, 15 of which were positive for COVID-19 results. Although health care workers find working conditions and authorities to be moderate in tackling COVID-19, their anxiety levels are high. Although health care workers provide services to COVID-19 diagnosed patients, they are not protected against the risk of infection by adequate testing. The risk of transmission threatens more groups of nurses. Considering that COVID-19 is a global threat, measures should be taken to protect health care workers and their families and professional support should be given to address their concerns.

Ensemble residual network-based gender and activity recognition method with signals

Abstract: Nowadays, deep learning is one of the popular research areas of the computer sciences, and many deep networks have been proposed to solve artificial intelligence and machine learning problems. Residual networks (ResNet) for instance ResNet18, ResNet50 and ResNet101 are widely used deep network in the literature. In this paper, a novel ResNet-based signal recognition method is presented. In this study, ResNet18, ResNet50 and ResNet101 are utilized as feature extractor and each network extracts 1000 features. The extracted features are concatenated, and 3000 features are obtained. In the feature selection phase, 1000 most discriminative features are selected using ReliefF, and these selected features are used as input for the third-degree polynomial (cubic) activation-based support vector machine. The proposed method achieved 99.96% and 99.61% classification accuracy rates for gender and activity recognitions, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate that the proposed pre-trained ensemble ResNet-based method achieved high success rate for sensors signals.

The mean operators and generalized products of fuzzy soft matrices and their applications in MCGDM

Abstract: In this paper, we first generalize the products of two fuzzy soft matrices. Through these generalizations, three or more fuzzy soft matrices in the different types can be multiplied. Furthermore, we introduce the mean operators and normalized fuzzy weighted mean operators of the fuzzy soft matrices. We discuss the theoretical aspects of these operators. We describe the multicriteria group decision making (MCGDM) problem with different evaluation criterion sets, and then we create two algorithms using the mean operators and generalized products of fuzzy soft matrices to deal with such problems. To show the advantages of the proposed ones, we present the comparison results with some of the preexisting decision making algorithms of fuzzy soft sets. Finally, we create Scilab codes of our algorithms to expedite and facilitate the decision making process.

Investigation of structural, electronic, magnetic and lattice dynamical properties for XCoBi (X: Ti, Zr, Hf) Half-Heusler compounds

Abstract: Structural, electronic, magnetic, mechanical and lattice dynamical properties of XCoBi (X: Ti, Zr, Hf) Half-Heusler compounds have been investigated according to density functional theory and generalized gradient approximation. Among α, β and γ structural phases, γ-phase structure has been found as the most stability characteristics depending on the calculated formation enthalpies, energy-volume dependencies and Cauchy pressures. Energy-volume plots of possible magnetic orders of γ-phase XCoBi compounds have been analyzed and the most stable order has been found as paramagnetic nature. The theoretical studies on γ-phase structures resulted in band gap energies of 0.96, 0.99 and 0.98 eV for TiCoBi, ZrCoBi and HfCoBi semiconducting compounds, respectively. Born-Huang criteria applied on elastic constants of interest compounds has indicated that γ-phase is also mechanically stable for all studied compounds. In addition, various mechanical, lattice dynamical and thermodynamical parameters of XCoBi compounds have been calculated in the present study.

The relationship between climate change and political instability: the case of MENA countries (1985:01–2016:12)

Abstract: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between climate change and political instability in the MENA region. To this extent, 18 Middle East and North African (MENA) countries are analyzed covering the period 1985:01–2016:12 with monthly data. In econometric analysis, at first cross-sectional dependency analysis is applied, and existence of cross-sectional dependency among countries is found. Therefore, CADF-second generation panel unit root test applied, and finally, Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) panel causality test that consider the cross-sectional dependency are utilized. For empirical analysis, temperature and precipitation data representing climate change, political instability, and conflict data are employed. According to the findings, there is a causal relationship from climate change to political instability in 16 countries and to conflict in 15 countries. In addition to this, at least one causal relationship is determined from climate change to political instability or conflict in all MENA countries. Therefore, empirical results support the assumption that climate change acts as a threat multiplier in MENA countries since it triggers, accelerates, and deepens the current instabilities.

Workplace injuries, safety climate and behaviors: application of an artificial neural network

Abstract: This article proposes and tests a model for the interaction effect of the organizational safety climate and behaviors on workplace injuries. Using artificial neural network and survey data from 306 metal casting industry employees in central Anatolia, we found that an organizational safety climate mitigates workplace injuries, and safety behaviors enforce the strength of the negative impact of the safety climate on workplace injuries. The results suggest a complex relationship between the organizational safety climate, safety behavior and workplace injuries. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in light of decreasing workplace injuries in the Anatolian metal casting industry.

Psoriasis and COVID 19: A narrative review with treatment considerations

Abstract: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) COVID-19 outbreak has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 2020 The pandemic has affected the management of psoriasis not only for those who are under treatment but also for those who are about to begin a new therapy to control their disease An increasing number of studies in the current literature have focused on the relationship between psoriasis and COVID-19 from different perspectives This narrative review includes searching the PubMed and Web of Science databases using the keywords "psoriasis," "psoriatic arthritis," "coronavirus," "COVID-19," and "SARS-CoV-2" The search was supplemented by manual searching of reference lists of included articles A total of 11 relevant original investigations and 6 case studies was identified The search was updated in May 2019 Due to the absence of randomized controlled trials, it is not likely to have a robust evidence-based approach to psoriasis management in the era of COVID-19 However, the current literature may provide some clues for safety considerations Conventional immunosuppressive therapies such as methotrexate and cyclosporine, and anti-tumor necrosis factor agents should not be preferred due to increased risk of infection, especially in high-risk areas The use of cyclosporine may pose additional risk due to the side effect of hypertension, which has been reported to be associated with susceptibility to severe COVID-19 Considering that the current literature has provided no conclusive evidence that biologics increase the risk of COVID-19, withdrawal of these agents should be reserved for patients with COVID-19 symptoms The treatment approach should be personalized, considering the advantages and disadvantages for each case separately

Cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19: A review of the published literature.

Abstract: COVID-19 is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. COVID-19 outbreak, which caused thousands of deaths, has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. The infection has been reported to demonstrate different types of cutaneous manifestations including urticarial, maculopapular, papulovesicular, purpuric, livedoid, and thrombotic-ischemic lesions. Given the high mortality rate of the infection, timely and accurate identification of relevant cutaneous manifestations may play a key role in the early diagnosis and management. In this study, we provide a review with a focus on the reported cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19.

The Impact of STEM Attitude and Thinking Style on Computational Thinking Determined via Structural Equation Modeling

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the relationships among computational thinking (CT) skills, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) attitude, and thinking styles with the help of structural equation modeling and to determine to what extent the variables of STEM attitude and thinking styles explained CT skills The study, conducted with relational screening model, included 703 secondary school students “STEM attitude scale,” “thinking styles scale,” and “computational thinking scale” were used as data collection tools The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling Based on the study results, it was concluded that the proposed model was valid and STEM attitude and thinking styles had a significant effect on CT skills It was found that STEM attitude and thinking styles together explained 43% of CT skills

Solar energy-economic growth nexus in top 10 countries with the highest installed capacity

Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between solar energy production and economic growth for top 10 countries with the highest installed solar energy production capacity as of 2017 (China, the ...

Application of Response Surface Methodology for the Optimization of Copper Removal from Aqueous Solution by Activated Carbon Prepared Using Waste Polyurethane

Abstract: Activated carbon was prepared from commercial polyurethane and polymer waste by chemical activation using zinc chloride. The prepared activated carbon was characterized by Fourier transform infrare...