The osseointegration of titanium implants within the host tissue holds crucial importance. The introduction of functional coatings at tissue-implant interface enhances the bioactivity of titanium implants, improves their therapeutic outcomes, and enhances the effectiveness of treatments. In this study, we focused on enhancing the bioactivity of titanium-based implant materials by coating the titanium surfaces with chitosan microspheres, which are loaded with osseointegration-promoting agent dexamethasone (DEX). Initially, chitosan microspheres were successfully produced, followed by DEX loading through diffusion, resulting in a drug loading efficiency of around 50.2 (wt %). The subsequent drug release profile displayed a 24-hour duration, releasing approximately 32.6 (wt %) of the loaded DEX. In cell proliferation assays using human osteosarcoma (SAOS-2) cells, Ti surfaces coated with DEX-loaded chitosan microspheres initially exhibited lower cell numbers compared with DEX-free ones. This observation was attributed to transient osteogenic differentiation effects of DEX, since a notable increase in cell proliferation was observed on the 7th day. Von Kossa staining revealed mineralization beginning on the 14th day, particularly evident in DEX-loaded samples. Moreover, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity displayed a pattern of initial increase and subsequent decrease, with DEX release from chitosan microspheres showing a clear influence on the osteogenic differentiation, especially on the 7th day. These findings align with literature, highlighting DEX's potential to enhance osteogenic differentiation and cellular behavior on chitosan microsphere-coated titanium surfaces. This study emphasizes the promising implications for functionalizing surfaces of implant materials with DEX-loaded chitosan microspheres to improve their biocompatibility and bioactivity.

Mitigating precipitation extremes is a major issue due to destructive global warming and climate change. Heavy rainfall and drought have posed a threat to human life and ecology. That said, new strategies and new action plans are needed at local and global levels through needed cooperation from different stakeholders to handle the possible risks associated with precipitation extremes. Turkey has become one of the most vulnerable countries involved in climate change due to its geographical location, rapid urbanization, and deforestation. Many forests have been destroyed to make room for agriculture, animal grazing as well as for manufacturing and construction. The impact has caused complications in landscapes. Precipitation extremes, such as heavy rainfalls and drought, are posing significant threats for many cities in Turkey. In recent years Turkey has faced a large number of extreme events regarding precipitation. In this line, the present study aims to explore the potential benefits of rainwater harvesting (RHH) in mitigating precipitation extremes by overviewing regulatory actions of rainwater harvesting and best practices worldwide. In addition an interview-based survey was conducted with domain experts in the water management field to better understand the current challenges of stormwater management in Turkey and discuss the role of rainwater harvesting against precipitation extremes. The results of the study have shown that Turkey has several problems with infrastructure to mitigate precipitation extremes, such as shortcomings in capacity and old water management systems, unseparated water collection and sewage systems, and lack of green infrastructure. In addition to urbanization, expansion in industry and tourism may cause water unavailability. The study has also indicated that many authorities around the globe try to boost RWH use by stipulating or encouraging RWH through incentives to save a large amount of water by implementing different projects. This research has argued that RWH promises several benefits thanks to its cost-effectiveness and contribution to water storage. Therefore, this study has recommended that policymakers should take immediate action against precipitation extremes by introducing new regulations, such as mandating rainwater harvesting for old buildings, industrial and touristic places. Preparing new guidelines and applying rooftop RWH systems that comply with Building Code requirements should also be considered for the widespread use of rainwater in rural and urban areas.

Dünyanın en eski dillerinden biri olan Türkçenin öğretim tarihi, tespit edildiği kadarıyla oldukça yenidir. Yaklaşık iki asır öncesine kadar Türk çocuklarının aileden veya çevreden öğrendikleri düzeyde Türkçe okuma, konuşma ve dil bilgisi becerisine sahip olduğu görülmektedir. Türkçe öğretimi alanında 1850’li yıllara kadar yazılan eserlere bakıldığı zaman bu eserlerin büyük ölçüde yabancılara Türkçe öğretmek amacıyla kaleme alındığı görülmektedir. Sultan II. Abdülhamid’in tahta çıkmasıyla anayasayı (Kanun-ı Esasi) teşkil etme çalışmalarının başlaması dil sorununun, bir kez daha resmî çevrelerce tartışılmasını sağlamıştır. Anayasanın 18. maddesinde, Osmanlı Devleti’nin resmî dilinin Türkçe olduğu ve devlet hizmetine girecekler için bu dilin bilinmesi gerektiğine dair hüküm (1876), Tanzimat döneminden önce ve Tanzimat döneminde Sarayın ve aydınların dil üzerine yapmaya çalıştıkları bazı reformlara resmiyet kazandırmıştır. Sultan II. Abdülhamid’in devletin resmî dilini Türkçe yapması Türkçe öğretimi sürecinin seyrini değiştirmiştir. Türkçenin resmî dil kabul edilmesi, Türkçe ile ilgili gramer kitaplarının sayısının artması ve okullarda Türkçenin müfredatta yerini alması hem Türklerin kendi ana dillerini öğrenmesini hem de yabancıların Türkçeyi önemsemesini sağlamıştır. Bu çalışmada, Sultan II. Abdülhamid döneminde Türk çocuklarına Türkçe öğretimi konusu ele alınmıştır. Çalışmanın kapsamı dolayısıyla azınlık okullarındaki Türkçe öğretimi çalışmaları ile yabancıların kendi toplumlarına Türkçe öğretme faaliyetlerine yer verilmemiştir. 1876-1909 yılları arasını kapsayan süreçte ana dili olarak Türkçe öğretimi alanında yaşanan gelişmeler ve kaydedilen ilerlemeler incelenmiştir.

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are inspired by human learning. However, unlike human education, classical ANN does not use a curriculum. Curriculum learning (CL) refers to the process of ANN training in which samples are used in a meaningful order. When using CL, training begins with a subset of the dataset and new samples are added throughout the training, or training begins with the entire dataset and the number of samples used is reduced. With these changes in training dataset size, better results can be obtained with curriculum, anti-curriculum, or random-curriculum methods than the vanilla method. However, a generally efficient CL method for various architectures and datasets is not found. In this article, we propose cyclical CL (CCL), in which the data size used during training changes cyclically rather than simply increasing or decreasing. Instead of using only the vanilla method or only the curriculum method, using both methods cyclically like in CCL provides more successful results. We tested the method on 18 different datasets and 15 architectures in image and text classification tasks and obtained more successful results than no-CL and existing CL methods. We also have shown theoretically that it is less erroneous to apply CL and vanilla cyclically instead of using only CL or only the vanilla method. The code of the cyclical curriculum is available at https://github.com/CyclicalCurriculum/Cyclical-Curriculum.

Alcohol is a general term used to refer to chemical structures containing the hydroxyl (-OH) radical group. In daily life, it refers to a type of alcohol, usually called ethanol. When alcohol is ingested into the body, a series of chemical effects occur, especially in the liver. The elimination process that begins when alcohol is ingested is usually absorbed through the stomach and small intestine. This absorption process varies depending on the type of alcohol, the type of food and drinks consumed, the physical condition of the person and other factors. Once in the bloodstream, alcohol is distributed to various tissues of the body, with the majority being metabolized in the liver. However, a small amount is excreted through sweating, urine and respiration. Alcohol metabolism in the liver is carried out by the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Compounds such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADH) play an important role in this metabolism process. Ethanol can also be eliminated by non-oxidative pathways. The effects of alcohol on the body include acetate formation in the liver, impaired metabolism of long-chain fatty acids, altered glucose homeostasis and changes in brain function. Long-term alcohol consumption can have adverse effects on the heart, muscles, brain and other tissues. Alcohol detection is important in forensic toxicology, especially to determine the role of alcohol in forensic events such as traffic accidents and homicides. Biomarkers are important tools used in the detection of alcohol. These include direct biomarkers (EtG, EtS, PEth, YAEE) and indirect biomarkers (MCV, CDT, GGT). These biomarkers help to identify alcohol consumption over different time periods and in different biological samples. Biomarkers are important for the detection of alcohol dependence and alcohol consumption. However, it is important to choose the right biomarker, taking into consideration the characteristics and limitations of each biomarker.

Let $R$ be a commutative ring with nonzero identity, let $\I (R)$ be the set of all ideals of $R$ and $\delta : \I (R)\rightarrow\I (R) $ be a function. Then $\delta$ is called an expansion function of ideals of $R$ if whenever $L, I, J$ are ideals of $R$ with $J \subseteq I$, we have $L \subseteq\delta(L)$ and $\delta(J)\subseteq\delta(I)$. In this paper, we present the concept of $\dt$-ideals in commutative rings. A proper ideal $I$ of $R$ is called a $\dt$-ideal if whenever $a$, $b$ $\in R$ with $ab\in I$ and $a\notin \delta (0)$, we have $b\in I$. Our purpose is to extend the concept of $n$-ideals to $\dt$-ideals of commutative rings. Then we investigate the basic properties of $\dt$-ideals and also, we give many examples about $\dt$-ideals.

Enstrümante edilmiş kazık yükleme deneyleri ile kazık boyunca oluşan yük dağılımının belirlenmesi, Performansa Dayalı Kazık Tasarımına (PDK-T) imkan vermekte ve temel kazıklarının tasarımındaki belirsizlikleri asgari düzeye indirmektedir. Ancak, çekme yüküne maruz betonarme kazıklarda (fore kazık, prekast çakma kazık, yerinde dökme çakma kazık Vibreks, vs.) oluşan çekme gerilmeleri sebebiyle oluşan çatlak gelişimi kazıklarda bütünlük ve uzun vadede durabilite problemlerini gündeme getirmektedir. Bu makalede çekme yüküne maruz betonarme kazık davranışının kazıklar ile incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu kapsamda ara mesafesi yaklaşık 6m olan komşu iki kazık üzerinde eksenel statik çekme kazık yükleme deneyi (S-KYD/Ç) gerçekleştirilmiştir. Kazık çekme deneylerinde birinci tip TK-2 (TİP-A) deney kazığı konvansiyonel olarak kazık başından çekilmesi ve ikinci tip ise TK-3 (TİP-B) ise özel bir tertibat ile kazık tabanından çekilecek şekilde imal edilmiştir. Kazık başından çekilmesi durumu (TİP-A) için deneyde uygulanan eksenel çekme yükü altında betonun çekme deformasyon kapasitesine ulaşıldığında çatlak gelişimi birim deformasyon ölçümlerinde tespit edilmiș ve tahribatsız deney uygulamalarıyla da teyit edilmiştir. Bu durum yaklaşık 70-120 mikroStrain mertebelerinde gözlenmiș olup literatürdeki eksenel yük ve momente maruz beton kesitindeki çatlak gelişimini inceleyen çalıșmalar ile uyumludur. Bu menfi etkilerin bertaraf edildiği betonda çekme gerilmesinin oluşmadığı tarzda orijinal bir düzenek tasarlanmıştır. Bu düzenek vasıtası ile aynı şartlardaki komşu kazık, tabandan yukarı istikamette çekilerek betonda basınç gerilmesi mobilize edilerek çekme yükü altında test edilmiştir. Bu geliştirilen orijinal deney ve imalat usulü konvansiyonel olarak kazık başından çekilerek tatbik edilen çekme yükleme durumundaki problemleri bertaraf ettiği kazığın yük deplasman performansında ve yük transfer ilişkisinde hatırı sayılır bir şekilde performans artışı sağladığı gözlemlenmiştir. TİP-A ve TİP-B yük tatbik noktasının farklı olması sebebiyle doğrudan karşılaştırma yapmak mümkün olmamakla beraber genel bir kıyaslama maksadıyla, kazık taşıma kapasitesi tahmin yöntemi Davisson Yöntemi ile kazık başı yükü ve kazık başı deplasmanı için yapılan analizde kazık kapasitesi TİP-A için 6.1MN iken TİP-B için 8.9MN ve kazık tabanı yük - kazık tabanı deplasman için yapılan analizde ise TİP-B için 7.3MN olarak belirlenmiştir. Bu da benzer şartlarda iki komşu eş fore kazığın farklı tarzda yüklenmesiyle elde edilen kapasitenin kazık başı yük - kazık başı deplasman ilişkisine göre “Davisson Kazık Kapasitesi Tahmin Yöntemi” ile ~%146 mertebelerinde yine TİP B için kazık tabanı yük - kazık tabanı deplasman ilişkisi kıyaslamasına göre ise ~%120 mertebelerinde daha yüksek çekme kapasitesine ulaştığı anlamına gelmektedir.

Freeze-thaw cycles are prevalent climatic phenomena with substantial effects on soils, leading to alterations in soil strength, stiffness, and hydraulic properties due to disruptions in the soil structure. With the ongoing climate change, weather patterns have grown progressively erratic, resulting in more frequent occurrences of extreme weather events, including heavy snowfall, intense rainfall, and windstorms, even in regions characterized typically with mild climates across the globe. The climate change can potentially threat man-made infrastructure constructed within or upon local soils, regardless of their susceptibility to freezing in temperate climates. The principal objective of this study is to assess the influence of freeze-thaw cycles on the California Bearing Ratio (CBR %) across 12 distinct soils with variations in granulometry and mineralogy. The freeze-thaw cycles resulted in a notable decrease in CBR (%) within the range of 40% to 70%. A strong inverse correlation with D50 was observed regarding the decrease in CBR (%). Nevertheless, it was discerned that the decrease in CBR (%) subsequent to freeze-thaw cycles varied among soil samples sharing identical D50 and liquid limit characteristics. The aim of this study is to enhance our comprehension of how freeze-thaw cycles can impact the bearing capacity of these soils, thereby providing essential insights for predicting their behavior and potential influence on infrastructure in the context of climate change.

Malaria is a global health problem that causes 1.5-2.7 million deaths worldwide each year. Resistance to antimalarial drugs in malaria parasites and to insecticides in vectors is one of the most serious issues in the fight against this disease. Moreover, the lack of an effective vaccine against malaria is still a major problem. Recent developments in nanotechnology have resulted in new prospects for the fight against malaria, especially by obtaining metal nanoparticles (NPs) that are less toxic, highly biocompatible, environmentally friendly, and less expensive. Numerous studies have been conducted on the synthesis of green NPs using plants and microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae, actinomycetes, and viruses). To our knowledge, there is no literature review that compares toxicities and antimalarial effects of some of the existing metallic nanoparticles, revealing their advantages and disadvantages. Hence, the purpose of this work is to assess metal NPs obtained through various green synthesis processes, to display the worth of future malaria research and determine future strategies. Results revealed that there are very few studies on green NPs covering all stages of malaria parasites. Additionally, green metal nanoparticles have yet to be studied for their possible toxic effects on infected as well as healthy erythrocytes. Morever, the toxicities of green metal NPs obtained from various sources differed according to concentration, size, shape, synthesis method, and surface charge, indicating the necessity of optimizing the methods to be used in future studies. It was concluded that studies on the toxic properties of green nanoparticles would be very important for the future.

This study examined the significance of self-worth as a crucial factor in human mental health and psychosocial development. The study explores self-worth interventions, mental disorders, and available resources. A comprehensive analysis of the conceptual and theoretical aspects of self-worth is undertaken. To begin with, the study offers conceptual justifications drawn from the self-worth literature, elucidating theoretical perspectives on the formation of self-worth in individuals. It elaborates on related concepts and their interconnections with self-worth. Furthermore, the examination extends to the influence of culture on self-worth development and emotions. Theoretical discussions on self-worth are approached through Psychoanalytic theory, Psychosocial development theory, Transactional analysis theory, and Attachment theory. The research scrutinizes the association between various mental disorders and self-worth, investigating how a lack of self-worth may exacerbate or precipitate certain psychopathologies. Previous interventions aimed at enhancing self-worth are outlined, accompanied by an exploration of methods for measuring self-worth. The study emphasizes the pivotal role of self-worth in individuals' mental health, considering the implications of concepts like unconditional self-worth and contingencies of self-worth. Recommendations are provided for individuals, parents, and mental health professionals based on the findings.