As the demand for energy increases worldwide, the construction industry, one of the most energy-intensive sectors, requires lightweight and high-thermal-performance materials. To address this, a ...multi-objective optimization approach was used in this study to identify the most suitable solutions for producing strength-fired clay bricks with low thermal conductivity. Porous bricks were produced with organic waste additives to illustrate the relationship between compressive strength and thermal conductivity. A 3-factor and 3-stage Box-Behnken experimental design was utilized, with a pore-forming additive ratio (0–10% by weight of pine nut shells), firing temperature (850–1050 °C), and firing time (2–6 h) as the variables. The fired bricks' physical, mechanical, and thermal properties were determined using standard analysis methods. The bricks' compressive strength and thermal conductivity functions were generated using neuro-regression systematics. Multiple targets were defined, including minimizing the thermal conductivity and maximizing the compressive strength of the bricks. The genetic algorithm was employed to identify Pareto-optimal solutions, and the final sets of low thermal conductive-strength brick production were chosen based on these solutions. Two sets were proposed to achieve the lowest thermal conductivity, and the results confirmed the validity and feasibility of the optimization study.
Membranous Nephropathy (MN) is a rare autoimmune cause of kidney failure. Here we report a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for primary MN in 3,782 cases and 9,038 controls of East Asian and ...European ancestries. We discover two previously unreported loci, NFKB1 (rs230540, OR = 1.25, P = 3.4 × 10
) and IRF4 (rs9405192, OR = 1.29, P = 1.4 × 10
), fine-map the PLA2R1 locus (rs17831251, OR = 2.25, P = 4.7 × 10
) and report ancestry-specific effects of three classical HLA alleles: DRB1*1501 in East Asians (OR = 3.81, P = 2.0 × 10
), DQA1*0501 in Europeans (OR = 2.88, P = 5.7 × 10
), and DRB1*0301 in both ethnicities (OR = 3.50, P = 9.2 × 10
and OR = 3.39, P = 5.2 × 10
, respectively). GWAS loci explain 32% of disease risk in East Asians and 25% in Europeans, and correctly re-classify 20-37% of the cases in validation cohorts that are antibody-negative by the serum anti-PLA2R ELISA diagnostic test. Our findings highlight an unusual genetic architecture of MN, with four loci and their interactions accounting for nearly one-third of the disease risk.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs that regulate posttranscriptional gene expression. In this study we characterized the circulating and urinary miRNA pattern associated with reduced glomerular ...filtration rate, using Affymetrix GeneChip miR 4.0 in 28 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Top miRNA discoveries from the human studies were validated in an Alb/TGFβ mouse model of CKD, and in rat renal proximal tubular cells (NRK52E) exposed to TGFβ1. Plasma and urinary levels of procollagen III N-terminal propeptide and collagen IV were elevated in patients with decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Expression of 384 urinary and 266 circulatory miRNAs were significantly different between CKD patients with eGFR ≥30 vs. <30 ml·min
·1.73 m
Pathway analysis mapped multiple miRNAs to TGFβ signaling-related mRNA targets. Specifically, Let-7a was significantly downregulated, and miR-130a was significantly upregulated, in urine of patients with eGFR <30; miR-1825 and miR-1281 were upregulated in both urine and plasma of patients with decreased eGFR; and miR-423 was significantly downregulated in plasma of patients with decreased eGFR. miRNA expression in urine and plasma of Alb/TGFβ mice generally resembled and confirmed most, although not all, of the observations from the human studies. In response to TGFβ1 exposure, rat renal proximal tubular cells overexpressed miR-1825 and downregulated miR-423. Thus, miRNA are associated with kidney fibrosis, and specific urinary and plasma miRNA profile may have diagnostic and prognostic utility in CKD.
Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and the severity of AKI is linked to adverse outcomes. In this study, we investigated the factors associated with ...in-hospital outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and AKI. Methods In this multicenter retrospective observational study, we evaluated the characteristics and in-hospital renal and patient outcomes of 578 patients with confirmed COVID-19 and AKI. Data were collected from 34 hospitals in Turkey from March 11 to June 30, 2020. AKI definition and staging were based on the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. Patients with end-stage kidney disease or with a kidney transplant were excluded. Renal outcomes were identified only in discharged patients. Results The median age of the patients was 69 years, and 60.9% were males. The most frequent comorbid conditions were hypertension (70.5%), diabetes mellitus (43.8%), and chronic kidney disease (CKD) (37.6%). The proportions of AKI stages 1, 2, and 3 were 54.0%, 24.7%, and 21.3%, respectively. 291 patients (50.3%) were admitted to the intensive care unit. Renal improvement was complete in 81.7% and partial in 17.2% of the patients who were discharged. Renal outcomes were worse in patients with AKI stage 3 or baseline CKD. The overall in-hospital mortality in patients with AKI was 38.9%. In-hospital mortality rate was not different in patients with preexisting non-dialysis CKD compared to patients without CKD (34.4 versus 34.0%, p = 0.924). By multivariate Cox regression analysis, age (hazard ratio HR 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.01 1.0-1.03, p = 0.035, male gender (HR 95%CI: 1.47 1.04-2.09, p = 0.029), diabetes mellitus (HR 95%CI: 1.51 1.06-2.17, p = 0.022) and cerebrovascular disease (HR 95%CI: 1.82 1.08-3.07, p = 0.023), serum lactate dehydrogenase (greater than two-fold increase) (HR 95%CI: 1.55 1.05-2.30, p = 0.027) and AKI stage 2 (HR 95%CI: 1.98 1.25-3.14, p = 0.003) and stage 3 (HR 95%CI: 2.25 1.44-3.51, p = 0.0001) were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. Conclusions Advanced-stage AKI is associated with extremely high mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Age, male gender, comorbidities, which are risk factors for mortality in patients with COVID-19 in the general population, are also related to in-hospital mortality in patients with AKI. However, preexisting non-dialysis CKD did not increase in-hospital mortality rate among AKI patients. Renal problems continue in a significant portion of the patients who were discharged.
Maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients are at increased risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to describe clinical, laboratory, and radiologic characteristics and ...determinants of mortality in a large group of MHD patients hospitalized for COVID-19.
This multicenter, retrospective, observational study collected data from 47 nephrology clinics in Turkey. Baseline clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics, and COVID-19 treatments during hospitalization, need for intensive care and mechanical ventilation were recorded. The main study outcome was in-hospital mortality and the determinants were analyzed by Cox regression survival analysis.
Of 567 MHD patients, 93 (16.3%) patients died, 134 (23.6%) patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) and 91 of the ones in ICU (67.9%) needed mechanical ventilation. Patients who died were older (median age, 66 57-74 vs. 63 52-71 years, p = 0.019), had more congestive heart failure (34.9% versus 20.7%, p = 0.004) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (23.6% versus 12.7%, p = 0.008) compared to the discharged patients. Most patients (89.6%) had radiological manifestations compatible with COVID-19 pulmonary involvement. Median platelet (166 × 10
per mm
versus 192 × 10
per mm
, p = 0.011) and lymphocyte (800 per mm
versus 1000 per mm
, p < 0.001) counts and albumin levels (median, 3.2 g/dl versus 3.5 g/dl, p = 0.001) on admission were lower in patients who died. Age (HR: 1.022 95% CI, 1.003-1.041, p = 0.025), severe-critical disease clinical presentation at the time of diagnosis (HR: 6.223 95% CI, 2.168-17.863, p < 0.001), presence of congestive heart failure (HR: 2.247 95% CI, 1.228-4.111, p = 0.009), ferritin levels on admission (HR; 1.057 95% CI, 1.006-1.111, p = 0.028), elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (HR; 3.909 95% CI, 2.143-7.132, p < 0.001) and low platelet count (< 150 × 10
per mm
) during hospitalization (HR; 1.864 95% CI, 1.025-3.390, p = 0.041) were risk factors for mortality.
Hospitalized MHD patients with COVID-19 had a high mortality rate. Older age, presence of heart failure, clinical severity of the disease at presentation, ferritin level on admission, decrease in platelet count and increase in AST level during hospitalization may be used to predict the mortality risk of these patients.
The data regarding primary FSGS (pFSGS) from different parts of the world differ. While the prevalence of pFSGS has been increasing in Western countries like the USA, it follows an inconsistent trend ...in Europe and Asia and a decreasing trend in Far Eastern countries such as China in the last two decades. There are undetermined factors to explain those national and geographic discrepancies. Herein, we aimed to reveal the current prevalence with clinical and histopathological characteristics of pFSGS in Turkish adults. This study includes the biopsy-proven pFSGS patients data recorded between 2009 and 2019, obtained from the national multicenter primary glomerulonephritis registry system of the Turkish Society of Nephrology Glomerular Diseases (TSN-GOLD) database. 850 of the 3875 primer glomerulonephritis patients(21.9%) have pFSGS. The mean age is 40.5 ± 14.2 and 435 (51.2%) of patients are male. Nephrotic syndrome is the most common biopsy indication (59.2%). 32.6% of patients have hematuria, 15.2% have leukocyturia and 7.8% have both. Serum creatinine, albumin, and proteinuria are 1.0 mg/dL (IQR = 0.7-1.4) mg/dl, 3.4 ± 0.9 g/dl, 3400 mg/day(IQR, 1774-5740), respectively. Females have lower mean arterial pressure (- 2.2 mmHg), higher eGFR (+ 10.0 mL/min/1.73 m
), and BMI (+ 1.6 kg/m
) than males. Thickened basal membrane(76.6%) and mesangial proliferation (53.5%) on light microscopy are the major findings after segmental sclerosis. IgM (32.7%) and C3 (32.9%) depositions are the most common findings on immunofluorescence microscopy. IgM positivity is related to lower eGFR, serum albumin, and higher proteinuria. The prevalence of pFSGS is stable although slightly increasing in Turkish adults. The characteristics of the patients are similar to those seen in Western countries.
•We studied effect of tea waste on properties of fired clay bricks.•TW usage decreases mechanical properties of bricks.•Specific gravity is decreased by the usage of TW while porosity increased.•TW ...increases thermal isolation property of bricks.
The sustainability of raw materials used in construction industry consumed large quantities of material has great importance. The use of pore-makers in the brick production is reducing the consumption of clean clay resources as well as lightness of the baked brick body. Many organic or inorganic additives have been used as pore-making in brick production for improving thermal performance. In this study, tea waste (TW) were used at different concentrations in the brick clay mixtures to examine its effects on baked brick properties. In addition to micro-structure investigations, physical, mechanical and thermal properties of bricks produced were investigated. It is concluded that tea waste additive up to 10% in brick body can be used for structural application and isolation while ratios more 10% tea waste additive for only isolation purposes. Tea wastes can be used as a pore-making additive in the brick production.
We aimed to present the demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, and outcomes of our multicenter cohort of adult KTx recipients with COVID-19.
We conducted a multicenter, retrospective ...study using data of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 collected from 34 centers in Turkey. Demographic characteristics, clinical findings, laboratory parameters (hemogram, CRP, AST, ALT, LDH, and ferritin) at admission and follow-up, and treatment strategies were reviewed. Predictors of poor clinical outcomes were analyzed. The primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and the need for ICU admission. The secondary outcome was composite in-hospital mortality and/or ICU admission.
One hundred nine patients (male/female: 63/46, mean age: 48.4 ± 12.4 years) were included in the study. Acute kidney injury (AKI) developed in 46 (42.2%) patients, and 4 (3.7%) of the patients required renal replacement therapy (RRT). A total of 22 (20.2%) patients were admitted in the ICU, and 19 (17.4%) patients required invasive mechanical ventilation. 14 (12.8%) of the patients died. Patients who were admitted in the ICU were significantly older (age over 60 years) (38.1% vs 14.9%, p = 0.016). 23 (21.1%) patients reached to composite outcome and these patients were significantly older (age over 60 years) (39.1% vs. 13.9%; p = 0.004), and had lower serum albumin (3.4 g/dl 2.9-3.8 vs. 3.8 g/dl 3.5-4.1, p = 0.002), higher serum ferritin (679 μg/L 184-2260 vs. 331 μg/L 128-839, p = 0.048), and lower lymphocyte counts (700/μl 460-950 vs. 860 /μl 545-1385, p = 0.018). Multivariable analysis identified presence of ischemic heart disease and initial serum creatinine levels as independent risk factors for mortality, whereas age over 60 years and initial serum creatinine levels were independently associated with ICU admission. On analysis for predicting secondary outcome, age above 60 and initial lymphocyte count were found to be independent variables in multivariable analysis.
Over the age of 60, ischemic heart disease, lymphopenia, poor graft function were independent risk factors for severe COVID-19 in this patient group. Whereas presence of ischemic heart disease and poor graft function were independently associated with mortality.
Objective: This study was conducted to examine the technological device usage states and sleep habits of 5-12 year-old children before and during the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. ...Materials and Methods: It is a descriptive study. This study was conducted with the parents of 488 children who were aged between 5-12 years old and studying in a kindergarten, 3 elementary schools and 3 secondary schools between March 2021 and June 2021. Data were collected by “Descriptive Information Form” and the “Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ)” in the study. Descriptive statistics and parametric tests were used to analyze the data. Results: In the study, a statistically significant difference was found in technological device usage and times of children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic period (p<0.05). It was determined that 100% of children had sleep problems clinically. A statistically significant difference was found between the mean scores of students from the CSHQ based on the education and income states of their parents (p<0.05). Additionally, a statistically significant difference was found between the mean CSHQ scores based on the duration of child’s daily technological device usage (p<0.05). Conclusion: Longer time spent with technological devices by 5-12 year old children during the COVID-19 pandemic was found to show a negative effect on the sleep habits of the children.
This paper introduces an effective Foreign Object Debris (FOD) clearance system based on multi-robot coordination. The main objective of this study is to minimize the amount of time airports need to ...close for the execution of the FOD collection process. At the present time, FOD collection is done by human-operated follow-me vehicles, which is time consuming, expensive and error-prone. Time is a very critical parameter for the aviation domain and a delay of even one minute may cause the failure of a critical military mission or the loss of thousands of dollars at civil aviation. To this end, a multi-robot coordination approach based on auction-based task allocation is proposed in order to handle dynamic task occurrences on the runways of an airport. Robots that are located at stations are coordinated to collect active FOD in the shortest time. An agent-based experimental simulation framework is developed and several FOD collection scenarios are executed on Istanbul Ataturk Airport. The proposed model, which is based on effective robot locating by using heat maps and optimal task assignments, has provided promising results when compared to existing well-known techniques. Application of this study will enable a fully autonomous, safe and fast system that collects FOD, and human-operated vehicles will no longer be needed.
•Foreign Object Debris (FOD) is dangerous threat for aviation that it costs 12 B dollars annually.•It is important to minimize the amount of time airports need to close for FOD collection process.•We propose employing coordinating mobile robots to pick up FODs and move them out of the runways.•Multi-robot task allocation helps decreasing traverse path length and operation time.•Fully automated multi-robot FOD collection system is also cost effective in the mid-term.
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