Kafkas University

The present systematic review aimed to determine discrimination experiences of sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals and attitudes toward SGM among health care staff in health care settings. Following PRISMA guidelines, the review was conducted in 3 databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Science Direct) using keywords of sexual and gender minority, including “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” “transgender,” “LGB,” “LGBT,” “health care discrimination,” “stigma,” “homophobia,” “transphobia,” and “attitudes of healthcare professionals” from May to September 2016. Predetermined inclusion criteria were selected. Thirty quantitative studies were eligible for inclusion in this review. Discriminative behaviors experienced by SGM individuals were stigma, denial or refusal of health care, and verbal or physical abuse. Knowledge and educational levels, beliefs, and religion of health care providers affected their attitudes toward SGM patients and their homophobia level. These findings revealed that health care providers needed more education about SGM issues, and SGM-friendly policies should be created for improving health care for SGM individuals.

Journal Article Poultry as a source of Campylobacter and related organisms Get access J.E.L. Corry, J.E.L. Corry Division of Food Animal Science, University of Bristol, Langford, North Somerset, UK Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar H.I. Atabay H.I. Atabay Kafkas University, Veterinary Faculty, Department of Microbiology, Kars, Turkey Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Applied Microbiology, Volume 90, Issue S6, 1 June 2001, Pages 96S–114S, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2672.2001.01358.x Published: 01 June 2001

Abstract The measurement of the luminosity recorded by the CMS detector installed at LHC interaction point 5, using proton–proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13\,{\text {TeV}} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msqrt> <mml:mi>s</mml:mi> </mml:msqrt> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>13</mml:mn> <mml:mspace/> <mml:mtext>TeV</mml:mtext> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> in 2015 and 2016, is reported. The absolute luminosity scale is measured for individual bunch crossings using beam-separation scans (the van der Meer method), with a relative precision of 1.3 and 1.0% in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The dominant sources of uncertainty are related to residual differences between the measured beam positions and the ones provided by the operational settings of the LHC magnets, the factorizability of the proton bunch spatial density functions in the coordinates transverse to the beam direction, and the modeling of the effect of electromagnetic interactions among protons in the colliding bunches. When applying the van der Meer calibration to the entire run periods, the integrated luminosities when CMS was fully operational are 2.27 and 36.3 $$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mspace/> <mml:msup> <mml:mtext>fb</mml:mtext> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> in 2015 and 2016, with a relative precision of 1.6 and 1.2%, respectively. These are among the most precise luminosity measurements at bunched-beam hadron colliders.

Abstract Measurements from the CMS experiment at the LHC of dihadron correlations for charged particles produced in PbPb collisions at a nucleon–nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV are presented. The results are reported as a function of the particle transverse momenta ( p T ) and collision centrality over a broad range in relative pseudorapidity (Δ η ) and the full range of relative azimuthal angle (Δ ϕ ). The observed two-dimensional correlation structure in Δ η and Δ ϕ is characterised by a narrow peak at (Δ η ,Δ ϕ )≈(0,0) from jet-like correlations and a long-range structure that persists up to at least |Δ η |=4. An enhancement of the magnitude of the short-range jet peak is observed with increasing centrality, especially for particles of p T around 1–2 GeV/ c . The long-range azimuthal dihadron correlations are extensively studied using a Fourier decomposition analysis. The extracted Fourier coefficients are found to factorise into a product of single-particle azimuthal anisotropies up to p T ≈3–3.5 GeV/ c for at least one particle from each pair, except for the second-order harmonics in the most central PbPb events. Various orders of the single-particle azimuthal anisotropy harmonics are extracted for associated particle p T of 1–3 GeV/ c , as a function of the trigger particle p T up to 20 GeV/ c and over the full centrality range.

The variability of mtDNA was analysed in local sheep breeds reared throughout Turkey, for which a fragment of the D-loop region and the complete cytochrome b were sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses performed independently for the D-loop and the Cyt b gene revealed three clearly separated clusters indicating three major maternal lineages, two of which had been previously described as types B and A. The new type, C, was present in all the breeds analysed and showed considerable mtDNA variability. Divergence time was obtained on the basis of Cyt b gene and was estimated to be around 160,000-170,000 years ago for lineages B and A, whereas the divergence of lineage C proved to have occurred earlier (between 450,000 and 750,000 years ago). These times greatly predate domestication and suggest that the origin of modern sheep breeds was more complex than previously thought and that at least three independent sheep domestication events occurred. Our results, together with archaeological information and the current wild sheep populations in the Near East region support the high importance of this area in the sheep domestication process. Finally, the evidence of a third maternal lineage has important implications regarding the history of modern sheep.

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Brown, Miller ve Lawendowski (1999) tarafından davranışsal öz-düzenlemeyi ölçmek amacıyla geliştirilmiş olan Öz-Düzenleme Ölçeği’ni Türkçeye uyarlamak, geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışmasını yapmaktır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Gazi Üniversitesi, Gazi Eğitim Fakültesi’nde öğrenim görmekte olan 591 öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Öncelikle ölçeğin Türkçeye uyarlama çalışmaları gerçekleştirilmiş ve çalışma grubundan elde edilen veriler üzerinde ölçeğin geçerliği ve güvenirliği için gerekli istatistiksel analizler yapılmıştır. Ölçeğin yapı geçerliğine kanıt sağlamak amacıyla yapılan açımlayıcı faktör analizi sonucunda üç faktörlü 51 maddeden oluşan ölçek elde edilmiştir. Madde geçerliğine kanıt olarak da alt ve üst grup ortalamaları farkına dayalı madde analizi yapılmıştır. Ölçeğin güvenirliğini test etmek için hesaplanan iç tutarlık katsayısı Cronbach alfa değeri (α) ,87 olarak bulunmuştur. Elde edilen bulgular ölçeğin Türkçeye uyarlanmış formunun ülkemizde kullanılabilir, geçerlik ve güvenirlikte olduğunu göstermektedir.

The objectives of this experiment were to determine interrelationships among mastitis indicators and evaluate the subclinical mastitis detection ability of infrared thermography (IRT) in comparison with the California Mastitis Test (CMT). Somatic cell count (SCC), CMT, and udder skin surface temperature (USST) data were compiled from 62 Brown Swiss dairy cows (days in milk=117+/-51, milk yield=14.7+/-5.2 kg; mean +/- SD). The CORR, REG, and NLIN procedures of Statistical Analysis System (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) were employed to attain interrelationships among mastitis indicators. The diagnostic merit of IRT as an indirect measure of subclinical mastitis was compared with CMT using the receiver operating characteristics curves. The udder skin surface temperature was positively correlated with the CMT score (r=0.86) and SCC (r=0.73). There was an exponential increase in SCC (SCC, x10(3) cells/mL=22.35 x e(1.31 x CMT score); R(2)=0.98) and a linear increase in USST (USST, degrees C=33.45+1.08 x CMT score; R(2)=0.75) as the CMT score increased. As SCC increased, USST increased logarithmically [USST, degrees C=28.72+0.49 x ln(SCC, x10(3) cells/mL); R(2)=0.72]. The USST for healthy quarters (SCC <or=400,000 cells/mL; n=94) was different from that for subclinical mastitic quarters (SCC >400,000 cells/mL; n=135) (mean +/- SE; 33.45+/-0.09 vs. 35.80+/-0.08 degrees C). The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 95.6, 93.6, 14.97, 0.05, 95.0, and 93.6, respectively, for IRT and 88.9, 98.9, 83.56, 0.11, 99.2, and 86.1, respectively, for CMT. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for IRT and CMT was not different. In conclusion, as a noninvasive and quick tool, IRT can be employed for screening subclinical mastitis via measuring USST, with a high predictive diagnostic ability similar to CMT when microbiological culturing is unavailable. However, the reliability of IRT among cows with different characteristics and those living under various environmental conditions remains to be determined.

The lifestyle of modern society has changed significantly with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL) technologies in recent years. Artificial intelligence is a multidimensional technology with various components such as advanced algorithms, ML and DL. Together, AI, ML, and DL are expected to provide automated devices to ophthalmologists for early diagnosis and timely treatment of ocular disorders in the near future. In fact, AI, ML, and DL have been used in ophthalmic setting to validate the diagnosis of diseases, read images, perform corneal topographic mapping and intraocular lens calculations. Diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and glaucoma are the 3 most common causes of irreversible blindness on a global scale. Ophthalmic imaging provides a way to diagnose and objectively detect the progression of a number of pathologies including DR, AMD, glaucoma, and other ophthalmic disorders. There are 2 methods of imaging used as diagnostic methods in ophthalmic practice: fundus digital photography and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Of note, OCT has become the most widely used imaging modality in ophthalmology settings in the developed world. Changes in population demographics and lifestyle, extension of average lifespan, and the changing pattern of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, DR, AMD, and glaucoma create a rising demand for such images. Furthermore, the limitation of availability of retina specialists and trained human graders is a major problem in many countries. Consequently, given the current population growth trends, it is inevitable that analyzing such images is time-consuming, costly, and prone to human error. Therefore, the detection and treatment of DR, AMD, glaucoma, and other ophthalmic disorders through unmanned automated applications system in the near future will be inevitable. We provide an overview of the potential impact of the current AI, ML, and DL methods and their applications on the early detection and treatment of DR, AMD, glaucoma, and other ophthalmic diseases.

The yellow fever and dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti previously flourished around the Mediterranean and Black Sea for decades until the 1950s, and was responsible of large outbreaks of both yellow fever and dengue The first well-described large dengue outbreak in Greece in 1927-28 caused more than 1 million cases (90% of the population in Athens) with 1000-1500 fatalities. The disappearance of Ae. aegypti from the European continent in Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Macaronesian biogeographical regions [2] is not well understood and its return in these regions raises concerns about a possible resurgence of the pathogens that can be transmitted by this vector species. Besides, the tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus is extending its distribution range worldwide, and it has already invaded large parts of the Mediterranean [1].

Functional foods including kefir have increasingly become as popular as before in the developing world. The health benefits of kefir including the antioxidative effects are still under evaluation. Vitamin E is also a well-known antioxidant. The biologically damaging effects of reactive oxygen species are controlled in vivo by a wide spectrum of antioxidant defence mechanisms. Dietary constituents of antioxidative vitamins and other nutrients may play an important role in protecting the body against oxidative damage. The study was carried out to investigate the protective effect of kefir against oxidative damage of CCl4 in mice, compared with the well-known antioxidant vitamin E. Three-week-old Swiss Albino mice, weighing 22-26 g were used for the experiment. At the end of the microbiological analysis of kefir, the averages of the total mesophilic aerobic colony counts, lactic acid bacteria, lactic streptococci, enterococci, and yeasts were found to be 1.04 x 10(9), 9.87 x 10(8), 4.38 x 10(8), 7.80 x 10(4) and 1.26 x 10(5) CFU/ml, respectively. While both vitamin E and kefir were found to have a protective effect against CCl4-induced damage, kefir was more protective. This may probably be the first study to compare the antioxidative action of kefir and vitamin E in the animal model.

Abstract The aim of this research was to examine the effect of health consciousness, environmental concern and food safety concern on both the intention to buy organic foods and the attitude towards organic foods, and the effect of attitude towards organic foods on the intention to buy organic foods. It had also a specific aim to explore whether attitude has a mediation effect on the relationship between the intention to buy and health consciousness, environmental concern and food safety concern. Data were gathered from consumers using a survey. The questionnaire used was administered to a convenience sample of 385 consumers from A dana, T urkey, through a self‐administered questionnaire. Regression and mediation analysis were used to test the hypotheses. The findings suggested that the attitude and the intention to buy were affected by health consciousness, environmental concern and food safety concern. They also showed that the attitude plays a fundamental role both in terms of the direct impact on the intention to buy and the indirect effect as a mediator on how the health consciousness, environmental concern and food safety concern affect the intention to buy. This research is useful to fill the gaps in the literature regarding the mediation effect of the attitude on the relationship between the intention to buy and food safety concern. Another contribution is being one of the first to examine the attitude as a mediator on the relationship between the intention to buy organic foods and health consciousness, environmental concern and food safety concern of T urkish consumers.

Abstract This work finds several new traveling wave solutions for nonlinear directional couplers with optical metamaterials by means of the modified Kudryashov method. This model can be used to distribute light from a main fiber into one or more branch fibers. Two forms of optical couplers are considered, namely the twin- and multiple- core couplers. These couplers, which have applications as intensity-dependent switches and as limiters, are studied with four nonlinear items namely the Kerr, power, parabolic, and dual-power laws. The restrictions on the parameters for the existence of solutions are also examined. The 3D- and 2D figures are introduced to discuss the physical meaning for some of the gained solutions. The performance of the method shows the adequacy , power, and ability for applying to many other nonlinear evolution models.

This study aims to analyze the effect of leadership styles and innovativeness on business performance. Theory and research suggest that both leadership and innovativeness have important consequences for business performance. However this relationship is not the same because of sector, location, size and other variables. The leadership styles undertaken are transformational and transactional leadership. This study is designed as explanatory and its data gathering method is questionnaire. 576 people working in service sector and industry sector from Istanbul comprise the case study. The results show that two leadership styles and innovativeness have positive effect on business performance. It is found that innovativeness, transformational leadership and transactional leadership have higher effects on business performance, respectively.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Despite major advances in reperfusion therapies, morbidity and mortality rates associated with cardiovascular disorders remain high, particularly in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Therefore, identifying prognostic variables that can be used to predict morbidity and mortality in STEMI patients is critical for better disease management. The HALP (hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet) score, a novel index indicating nutritional status and systemic inflammation, provides information about prognosis. In this context, this study was carried out to investigate the relationship between HALP score assessed at admission and in-hospital mortality in STEMI patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The population of this retrospective study consisted of 1307 consecutive patients diagnosed with STEMI and who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). The 1090 patients included in the study sample were divided into two groups based on the median HALP score value of 3.59. In-hospital and all-cause mortality rates during the follow-up were obtained from the registry. RESULTS: In-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with a HALP score of less than 3.59 compared to those with a HALP score of more than 3.59 (7.5% and 0.7%, respectively; P < 0.001). Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses revealed that the HALP score is independently associated with in-hospital mortality. The optimal HALP score cutoff value of <3.72 predicted in-hospital mortality with 95.56% sensitivity and 49.19% specificity. CONCLUSION: This study's findings indicate that HALP score may be a significant independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in patients with STEMI treated with pPCI.

Hospitals, especially their emergency services, receive a high number of wrist fracture cases. For correct diagnosis and proper treatment of these, images obtained from various medical equipment must be viewed by physicians, along with the patient's medical records and physical examination. The aim of this study is to perform fracture detection by use of deep-learning on wrist X-ray images to support physicians in the diagnosis of these fractures, particularly in the emergency services. Using SABL, RegNet, RetinaNet, PAA, Libra R-CNN, FSAF, Faster R-CNN, Dynamic R-CNN and DCN deep-learning-based object detection models with various backbones, 20 different fracture detection procedures were performed on Gazi University Hospital's dataset of wrist X-ray images. To further improve these procedures, five different ensemble models were developed and then used to reform an ensemble model to develop a unique detection model, 'wrist fracture detection-combo (WFD-C)'. From 26 different models for fracture detection, the highest detection result obtained was 0.8639 average precision (AP50) in the WFD-C model. Huawei Turkey R&D Center supports this study within the scope of the ongoing cooperation project coded 071813 between Gazi University, Huawei and Medskor.

In the literature, quite limited research exists on the subject of Society 5.0. The present study examined the existence of Society 5.0 and the effectiveness of Industry 4.0 and evaluated the efficiency of United Nations Development Goals (SDGs) in this process, especially in Turkey. The research was carried out based on data obtained through a survey form with 30 questions which was conducted with 335 academicians working at Kafkas University. The data were analyzed by means of exploratory factor analysis with the SPSS program, confirmatory factor analysis with AMOS, and structural equation modeling with Smart PLS. The analysis results indicated that SDG9, SDG10, SDG11, SDG12, SDG13, and SDG14 had a low influence (i.e., R2: 0.172) on the application of Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0. Moreover, it was observed that the participants were heavily affected by order of the day and gave responses to the questions with that impact. The study also revealed that Turkey did not have a leading philosophy in the field of Society 5.0 and Industry 4.0 and made progress by concentrating on out-dated processes.

The Urological Association of Asia, consisting of 25 member associations and one affiliated member since its foundation in 1990, has planned to develop Asian guidelines for all urological fields. The field of stone diseases is the third of its guideline projects. Because of the different climates, and social, economic and ethnic environments, the clinical practice for urinary stone diseases widely varies among the Asian countries. The committee members of the Urological Association of Asia on the clinical guidelines for urinary stone disease carried out a surveillance study to better understand the diversity of the treatment strategy among different regions and subsequent systematic literature review through PubMed and MEDLINE database between 1966 and 2017. Levels of evidence and grades of recommendation for each management were decided according to the relevant strategy. Each clinical question and answer were thoroughly reviewed and discussed by all committee members and their colleagues, with suggestions from expert representatives of the American Urological Association and European Association of Urology. However, we focused on the pragmatic care of patients and our own evidence throughout Asia, which included recent surgical trends, such as miniaturized percutaneous nephrolithotomy and endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery. This guideline covers all fields of stone diseases, from etiology to recurrence prevention. Here, we present a short summary of the first version of the guideline - consisting 43 clinical questions - and overview its key practical issues.

value of 5.70 nM against AChE.

We previously culture isolated a strain of Ehrlichia canis, the causative agent of canine ehrlichiosis, from a human in Venezuela. In the present study, we examined whether dogs and ticks are infected with E. canis in Venezuela and, if so, whether this is the same strain as the human isolate. PCR analysis using E. canis-specific primers revealed that 17 of the 55 dog blood samples (31%) and all three pools of four Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks each were positive. An ehrlichial agent (Venezuelan dog Ehrlichia [VDE]) was isolated and propagated in cell culture from one dog sample and was further analyzed to determine its molecular and antigenic characteristics. The 16S rRNA 1,408-bp sequence of the new VDE isolate was identical to that of the previously reported Venezuelan human Ehrlichia isolate (VHE) and was closely related (99.9%) to that of E. canis Oklahoma. The 5' (333-bp) and 3' (653-bp) sequences of the variable regions of the 16S rRNA genes from six additional E. canis-positive dog blood specimens and from three pooled-tick specimens were also identical to those of VHE. Western blot analysis of serum samples from three dogs infected with VDE by using several ehrlichial antigens revealed that the antigenic profile of the VDE was similar to the profiles of VHE and E. canis Oklahoma. Identical 16S rRNA gene sequences among ehrlichial organisms from dogs, ticks, and a human in the same geographic region in Venezuela and similar antigenic profiles between the dog and human isolates suggest that dogs serve as a reservoir of human E. canis infection and that R. sanguineus, which occasionally bites humans residing or traveling in this region, serves as a vector. This is the first report of culture isolation and antigenic characterization of an ehrlichial agent from a dog in South America, as well as the first molecular characterization of E. canis directly from naturally infected ticks.

BACKGROUND: Syntax score (SS), which is an angiographic tool used in grading the complexity of coronary artery disease (CAD), has prognostic importance in coronary artery disease (CAD) and provides important information regarding selection of revascularization strategy. C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin are indicators of inflammation, and high levels of them are associated with high SS. We aimed to investigate whether baseline CRP to albumin ratio C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio (CAR), an easily available and novel inflammatory marker, is associated with SS. METHOD: A total 403 consecutive patients with stabile angina pectoris, who underwent coronary angiography for suspected CAD from January 2015 to June 2016, were classified into two groups, low SS (≤22) and intermediate-high SS (>22). RESULTS: C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio was significantly higher in patients with intermediate-high SS group (P < .001). In multivariate regression analysis, CAR remained an independent predictor of intermediate-high SS group together with hypertension and LDL. The predictive performance of CAR, CRP, and albumin was compared by ROC curve analysis. CAR surpassed CRP and albumin in predicting intermediate-high SS group. CAR >6.3 predicted an intermediate-high SS with sensitivity and specificity of 86.8% and 43.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio was more tightly associated with the complexity and severity of CAD than CRP and albumin alone and was found to be an independent predictor for intermediate-high SS group.