Gebze Technical University

The MODOMICS database has been, since 2006, a manually curated and centralized resource, storing and distributing comprehensive information about modified ribonucleosides. Originally, it only contained data on the chemical structures of modified ribonucleosides, their biosynthetic pathways, the location of modified residues in RNA sequences, and RNA-modifying enzymes. Over the years, prompted by the accumulation of new knowledge and new types of data, it has been updated with new information and functionalities. In this new release, we have created a catalog of RNA modifications linked to human diseases, e.g., due to mutations in genes encoding modification enzymes. MODOMICS has been linked extensively to RCSB Protein Data Bank, and sequences of experimentally determined RNA structures with modified residues have been added. This expansion was accompanied by including nucleotide 5'-monophosphate residues. We redesigned the web interface and upgraded the database backend. In addition, a search engine for chemically similar modified residues has been included that can be queried by SMILES codes or by drawing chemical molecules. Finally, previously available datasets of modified residues, biosynthetic pathways, and RNA-modifying enzymes have been updated. Overall, we provide users with a new, enhanced, and restyled tool for research on RNA modification. MODOMICS is available at https://iimcb.genesilico.pl/modomics/.

Purpose Corporate image, perceived service quality, trust and customer switching costs are the major antecedents of customer loyalty, and loyal customers may buy more, accept higher prices and have a positive word‐of‐mouth effect. Also we know that the cost of selling to new customers is much higher than the cost of selling to existing customers. Although this fact is apparent to everyone, many companies are still losing customers at a formidable rate. In this context the main aim of this paper is to examine the relationships between these factors and customer loyalty, and the relationships among these factors in the Turkish GSM sector. Design/methodology/approach Data was obtained from 1,662 mobile phone users in Turkey via questionnaire. The data was analyzed by structural equation modeling (SEM) in order to test all the relationships between variables in the model. Findings The findings supported the proposed hypotheses, which are consistent with the theoretical framework. Analysis results showed that perceived service quality is a necessary but not sufficient condition for customer loyalty. Research limitations/implications In order to generalize the findings from the paper, the model should be studied in different sectors. The contribution of this paper is to model all the relationships between customer loyalty and its antecedents, and to test these relationships simultaneously. Practical implications In order to better understand customer loyalty, as well as perceived service quality, corporate image, perceived switching costs and trust should be taken into consideration. Lately, technological change has shifted competition in the GSM sector from price and core service to value‐added services. Therefore, operators should differentiate their services and guarantee their services' quality because of this shift in competition. Originality/value In this paper, the effects of all the factors on customer loyalty are analyzed simultaneously via SEM.

Phthalocyanines exhibit superior photoproperties that make them a surely attractive class of photosensitisers for photodynamic therapy of cancer. Several derivatives are at various phases of clinical trials, and efforts have been put continuously to improve their photodynamic efficacy. To this end, various strategies have been applied to develop advanced phthalocyanines with optimised photoproperties, dual therapeutic actions, tumour-targeting properties and/or specific activation at tumour sites. The advantageous properties and potential of phthalocyanines as advanced photosensitisers for photodynamic therapy of cancer are highlighted in this tutorial review.

According to many, we are at the brink of the fourth industrial revolution. The theme of Industry 4.0 is "Smart Manufacturing for the Future". Now, some futurists even discuss what the fifth industrial revolution's theme will be. There are a few visions for Industry 5.0. One emerging theme is human-robot co-working. In recent years, we have seen significant advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) research. Today, there are robots for various purposes at affordable prices in the market. It is not long before we closely interact with robots in our lives and workplaces. Testing autonomous cars in traffic is a promising example of this upcoming trend. There are companies having an employee record for robots or AI applications. While there are many studies on human-robot collaboration for low-level tasks with a focus on robot development, we lack studies focusing on organizational issues emerging from human-robot co-working. In this study, we discuss the possible issues related to human-robot co-working from the organizational and human employee's perspective. We believe the issues identified in this study will be the focus of many upcoming organizational robotics research studies.

Large-scale carbon fixation requires high-volume chemicals production from carbon dioxide. Dry reforming of methane could provide an economically feasible route if coke- and sintering-resistant catalysts were developed. Here, we report a molybdenum-doped nickel nanocatalyst that is stabilized at the edges of a single-crystalline magnesium oxide (MgO) support and show quantitative production of synthesis gas from dry reforming of methane. The catalyst runs more than 850 hours of continuous operation under 60 liters per unit mass of catalyst per hour reactive gas flow with no detectable coking. Synchrotron studies also show no sintering and reveal that during activation, 2.9 nanometers as synthesized crystallites move to combine into stable 17-nanometer grains at the edges of MgO crystals above the Tammann temperature. Our findings enable an industrially and economically viable path for carbon reclamation, and the "Nanocatalysts On Single Crystal Edges" technique could lead to stable catalyst designs for many challenging reactions.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of eight dimensions of green supply chain management (GSCM) on economic, environmental and social performance, which are the three dimensions of corporate sustainability. The eight dimensions covered in this study are: green purchasing, green manufacturing, green distribution, green packaging, green marketing, environmental education, internal environmental management and investment recovery. Design/methodology/approach The relationships between dimensions of GSCM and sustainability performance are tested by using a plant-level survey. A proposed research model and hypotheses are tested by using cross-sectional face-to-face and e-mail survey data collected from manufacturing firms in Turkey. Structural equation modeling is used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings Except for green purchasing, all GSCM dimensions are found to be related with at least one of the performance dimensions. Practical implications The results are important in highlighting the importance of GSCM in improving sustainability performance. Originality/value This paper enhances the understanding of the relationship between different dimensions of GSCM and the three sustainability performance factors. While there are very few studies examining the relationship between GSCM and corporate sustainability, this study is important in terms of exploring the effects of dimensions of GSCM applications on economic, environmental and social performance one by one, by examining these applications in the form of eight dimensions.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the nomological relations among market‐orientation, learning‐orientation and innovativeness in medium‐sized business (SMEs) of developing countries. Design/methodology/approach The study involves a questionnaire‐based survey of managers from small‐sized‐firms operating in Turkey. A total of 157 usable questionnaires were received from managers. These were subjected to a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. Findings The results show that firm innovativeness positively affects firm performance; firm learning‐orientation positively influences firm innovativeness; firm market‐orientation positively impacts firm learning orientation; firm learning‐orientation mediates the relationship between firm market‐orientation and firm innovativeness; and firm market‐orientation indirectly impacts firm performance via firm innovativeness and learning. Practical implications This study has implications for SEMs aiming at increasing their performance and innovativeness. Originality/value The interrelationships among a firm's market‐orientation, learning‐orientation, and innovativeness are an important research area for investigators in the literature of management, strategy, and marketing. However, most of the empirical studies were conducted in large‐scale firms in developed countries and ignored small and medium‐sized business (SMEs) in general, and in developing countries in particular. The results offer both theoretical and managerial implications.

Active packaging technologies offer new opportunities for the food industry, in the preservation of foods. Important active packaging systems currently known to date, including oxygen scavengers, carbon dioxide emitters/absorbers, moisture absorbers, ethylene absorbers, ethanol emitters, flavor releasing/absorbing systems, time-temperature indicators, and antimicrobial containing films, are reviewed. The principle of operation of each active system is briefly explained. Recent technological advances in active packaging are discussed, and food related applications are presented. The effects of active packaging systems on food quality and safety are cited.

The degradation of photovoltaic (PV) systems is one of the key factors to address in order to reduce the cost of the electricity produced by increasing the operational lifetime of PV systems. To reduce the degradation, it is imperative to know the degradation and failure phenomena. This review article has been prepared to present an overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge on the reliability of PV modules. Whilst the most common technology today is mono- and multi-crystalline silicon, this article aims to give a generic summary which is relevant for a wider range of photovoltaic technologies including cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium selenide and emerging low-cost high-efficiency technologies. The review consists of three parts: firstly, a brief contextual summary about reliability metrics and how reliability is measured. Secondly, a summary of the main stress factors and how they influence module degradation. Finally, a detailed review of degradation and failure modes, which has been partitioned by the individual component within a PV module. This section connects the degradation phenomena and failure modes to the module component, and its effects on the PV system. Building on this knowledge, strategies to improve the operational lifetime of PV systems and thus, to reduce the electricity cost can be devised. Through extensive testing and failure analysis, researchers now have a much better overview of stressors and their impact on long term stability.

Marketing academics and practitioners have acknowledged that consumers look for brands that provide them with unique and memorable experiences. As a result, the concept of brand experience has become of great interest to marketers. The present field study, conducted with actual consumers, addresses the question whether different consumers prefer different experiential appeals and whether experiential types create the relationships between brand experiences, satisfaction, trust and loyalty. Brand experience is conceptualized as sensations, feelings, cognitions, and behavioral responses evoked by brand-related stimuli that are part of a brand's design and identity, packaging, communications, and environments. Brand experience affects satisfaction, trust and loyalty. From the customer viewpoint, brands are relationship builders. In this present research, we propose the effects of brand experiences to build long-lasting brand and customer relationship with brand trust, satisfaction, and loyalty. The study was conducted on 258 respondents. As a result of this study, brand experiences, satisfaction, trust have positively effects brand loyalty.

Abstract Molecular catalysts that combine high product selectivity and high current density for CO 2 electrochemical reduction to CO or other chemical feedstocks are urgently needed. While earth-abundant metal-based molecular electrocatalysts with high selectivity for CO 2 to CO conversion are known, they are characterized by current densities that are significantly lower than those obtained with solid-state metal materials. Here, we report that a cobalt phthalocyanine bearing a trimethyl ammonium group appended to the phthalocyanine macrocycle is capable of reducing CO 2 to CO in water with high activity over a broad pH range from 4 to 14. In a flow cell configuration operating in basic conditions, CO production occurs with excellent selectivity (ca. 95%), and good stability with a maximum partial current density of 165 mA cm −2 (at −0.92 V vs. RHE), matching the most active noble metal-based nanocatalysts. These results represent state-of-the-art performance for electrolytic carbon dioxide reduction by a molecular catalyst.

Numerical calculations of the 2-D steady incompressible driven cavity flow are presented. The Navier–Stokes equations in streamfunction and vorticity formulation are solved numerically using a fine uniform grid mesh of 601 × 601. The steady driven cavity flow solutions are computed for Re ⩽ 21 000 with a maximum absolute residuals of the governing equations that were less than 10−10. A new quaternary vortex at the bottom left corner and a new tertiary vortex at the top left corner of the cavity are observed in the flow field as the Reynolds number increases. Detailed results are presented and comparisons are made with benchmark solutions found in the literature. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used for land cover classification using remotely sensed data. Training of a neural network requires that the user specifies the network structure and sets the learning parameters. In this study, the optimum design of ANNs for classification problems is investigated. Heuristics proposed by a number of researchers to determine the optimum values of network parameters are compared using two datasets. Those heuristics that produce the highest classification accuracies are tested using two independent datasets. Comparisons are also made among the ANNs designed using optimum settings, the ANNs based on the worst performing heuristics, and the maximum likelihood classifier. Results show that the use of ANNs with the settings recommended in this study can produce higher classification accuracies than either alternative. A number of guidelines are constructed from the experiences of this study for the effective design and use of artificial neural networks in the classification of remotely sensed image data.

Purpose The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the direct and interactive effects of organizational support and human capital on the innovative performance of companies. Individual effects of the organizational support dimensions, namely: management support for generating and developing new business ideas, allocation of free time, convenient organizational structures concerning, in particular, decentralization level or decision‐making autonomy, appropriate use of incentives and rewards, and tolerance for trial‐and‐errors or failures in cases of creative undertakings or risky project implementations, are also to be investigated. Design/methodology/approach The study develops and tests a theoretical research model where the organizational support dimensions are the independent variables, innovative performance is the dependent variable, and the human capital has a moderating role in this relationship, via a questionnaire study covering 184 manufacturing firms in Turkey. Findings Among the individual direct effects of the dimensions of organizational support, management support for idea development and tolerance for risk taking are found to exert positive effects on innovative performance. Availability of a performance based reward system and free time have no impact on innovativeness, while work discretion has a negative one. As for the role of human capital (HC), it is found to be an important driver of innovative performance especially when the OS is limited. However, when the levels of both HC and OS are high, innovative performance does not increase any further. Originality/value Two distinct research streams, namely organizational support literature and human capital literature, have already focused on their individual impacts on the innovative performance. However, a combination of these separate streams was not tried before. The paper discusses and investigates what will happen when both positive drivers interact with each other. Moreover, it also investigates how organizational support and human capital are complementary.

Over the last decades, the fabrication of 3D tissues has become commonplace in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, conventional 3D biofabrication techniques such as scaffolding, microengineering, and fiber and cell sheet engineering are limited in their capacity to fabricate complex tissue constructs with the required precision and controllability that is needed to replicate biologically relevant tissues. To this end, 3D bioprinting offers great versatility to fabricate biomimetic, volumetric tissues that are structurally and functionally relevant. It enables precise control of the composition, spatial distribution, and architecture of resulting constructs facilitating the recapitulation of the delicate shapes and structures of targeted organs and tissues. This Review systematically covers the history of bioprinting and the most recent advances in instrumentation and methods. It then focuses on the requirements for bioinks and cells to achieve optimal fabrication of biomimetic constructs. Next, emerging evolutions and future directions of bioprinting are discussed, such as freeform, high-resolution, multimaterial, and 4D bioprinting. Finally, the translational potential of bioprinting and bioprinted tissues of various categories are presented and the Review is concluded by exemplifying commercially available bioprinting platforms.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is the most widely used raw material in extrusion-based three-dimensional (3D) printing (fused deposition modeling, FDM approach) in many areas since it is biodegradable and environmentally friendly, however its utilization is limited due to some of its disadvantages such as mechanical weakness, water solubility rate, etc. FDM is a simple and more cost-effective fabrication process compared to other 3D printing techniques. Unfortunately, there are deficiencies of the FDM approach, such as mechanical weakness of the FDM parts compared to the parts produced by the conventional injection and compression molding methods. Preparation of PLA composites with suitable additives is the most useful technique to improve the properties of the 3D-printed PLA parts obtained by the FDM method. In the last decade, newly developed PLA composites find large usage areas both in academic and industrial circles. This review focuses on the chemistry and properties of pure PLA and also the preparation methods of the PLA composites which will be used as a raw material in 3D printers. The main drawbacks of the pure PLA filaments and the necessity for the preparation of PLA composites which will be employed in the FDM-based 3D printing applications is also discussed in the first part. The current methods to obtain PLA composites as raw materials to be used as filaments in the extrusion-based 3D printing are given in the second part. The applications of the novel PLA composites by utilizing the FDM-based 3D printing technology in the fields of biomedical, tissue engineering, human bone repair, antibacterial, bioprinting, electrical conductivity, electromagnetic, sensor, battery, automotive, aviation, four-dimensional (4D) printing, smart textile, environmental, and luminescence applications are presented and critically discussed in the third part of this review.

Numerical calculations of the 2-D steady incompressible driven cavity flow are presented. The Navier-Stokes equations in streamfunction and vorticity formulation are solved numerically using a fine uniform grid mesh of 601x601. The steady driven cavity solutions are computed for Re<=21,000 with a maximum absolute residuals of the governing equations that were less than 10-10. A new quaternary vortex at the bottom left corner and a new tertiary vortex at the top left corner of the cavity are observed in the flow field as the Reynolds number increases. Detailed results are presented and comparisons are made with benchmark solutions found in the literature.

The evaporation process for small, 1-2-mm-diameter droplets of water from patterned polymer surfaces is followed and characterized. The surfaces consist of circular pillars (5-15 microm diameter) of SU-8 photoresist arranged in square lattice patterns such that the center-to-center separation between pillars is 20-30 microm. These types of surface provide superhydrophobic systems with theoretical initial Cassie-Baxter contact angles for water droplets of up to 140-167 degrees, which are significantly larger than can be achieved by smooth hydrophobic surfaces. Experiments show that on these SU-8 textured surfaces water droplets initially evaporate in a pinned contact line mode, before the contact line recedes in a stepwise fashion jumping from pillar to pillar. Provided the droplets of water are deposited without too much pressure from the needle, the initial state appears to correspond to a Cassie-Baxter one with the droplet sitting upon the tops of the pillars. In some cases, but not all, a collapse of the droplet into the pillar structure occurs abruptly. For these collapsed droplets, further evaporation occurs with a completely pinned contact area consistent with a Wenzel-type state. It is shown that a simple quantitative analysis based on the diffusion of water vapor into the surrounding atmosphere can be performed, and estimates of the product of the diffusion coefficient and the concentration difference (saturation minus ambient) are obtained.

The Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equations depending on the extent of liquid/solid interfacial contact area were generally used to estimate water contact angles on superhydrophobic surfaces. In this study, a simple method is proposed on the criterion to use the Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equations to evaluate the contact angle results on superhydrophobic surfaces. In this method, the difference between the theoretical (geometric) and experimental contact angle-dependent Wenzel roughness parameter, Delta r(w), and Cassie-Baxter solid/liquid contact area fraction, Delta f(s)(CB) were determined, and the validity of these equations was evaluated. We used the data of eight recent publications where the water drop sits on square and cylindrical pillar structured superhydrophobic model surfaces. We evaluated the contact angle results of 166 patterned samples with our method. We also found that the effect of contact angle error margins was low to vary these parameters. In general, the use of the Wenzel equation was found to be wrong for most of the samples (74% of the samples for cylindrical and 58% for square pillar patterned surfaces), and the deviations from the theory were also high for the remaining (26% for cylindrical and 42% for square) samples, and it is concluded that the Wenzel equation cannot be used for superhydrophobic surfaces other than a few exceptions, especially for cylindrical patterns. For the Cassie-Baxter equation, two situations are possible: for positive Delta f(s)(CB), there is only a partial contact of the drop with the top solid surface, and, for negative Delta f(s)(CB), the penetration of the drop in between the pillars is possible, and thus the liquid drop is in contact with the lateral sides of the pillars. We found that 65% of the samples containing cylindrical pillars (52-77% with error margins) and 44% of the samples containing square pillars (38-50% with error margins) resulted in negative Delta f(s)(CB)(red) values. In addition, large deviations of experimental water contact angle results, theta r(e) from the theoretical theta r(CB) were also determined for most of the samples, indicating that the Cassie-Baxter equation should be applied to superhydrophobic surfaces with caution.

Abstract The commercial breakthrough of Li‐ion batteries (LIBs) in the 1990s irrevocably shaped today's energy storage landscape, but the disposed batteries represent a growing hazard to the environment. One may initially assume that recycling processes are commendable technologies to ensure a counterbalance to LIBs manufacturing. However, the question remains whether current state‐of‐the‐art in LIBs recycling technologies can be considered as green. This problem is due to the application of toxic chemicals or the in situ generation of harmful substances during the recycling process. Besides the potential toxicity, current solutions are accompanied with intense energy consumption, causing carbon dioxide emissions, in disagreement with the circular economy principles. This review provides a critical assessment of both published research articles and patents to derive a broad picture on the sustainability of LIBs recycling technologies. Although the efficiency of industrially applied recycling technologies can exhibit a high overall efficiency, their general process design is generally based on waste reduction and downcycling. Contrariwise, sustainable recycling of LIBs should rely on circular processes ensuring upcycling of all materials toward zero waste and minimized energy utilization. Current solutions and expected development in LIBs recycling are presented, ranging from dismantling over components separation to application of bioderived materials.