Forecasting and Technical Comparison of Inflation in Turkey With Box-Jenkins (ARIMA) Models and the Artificial Neural Network

Inflation refers to an ongoing and overall comprehensive increase in the overall level of goods and services price in the economy. Today, inflation, which is attempted to be kept under control by central banks or, in the same way, whose price stability is attempted, consists of continuous price changes that occur in all the goods and services used by the consumers. Undoubtedly, in terms of economy, in addition to the realized inflation, inflation expectations are also gaining importance. This situation requires forecasting the future rates of inflation. Therefore, reliable forecasting of the future rates of inflation in a country will determine the policies to be applied by the decision-makers in the economy. The aim of this study is to predict inflation in the next period based on the consumer price index (CPI) data with two alternative techniques and to examine the predictive performance of these two techniques comparatively. Thus, the first of the two main objectives of the study are to forecast the future rates of inflation with two alternative techniques, while the second is to compare the two techniques with respect to statistical and econometric criteria and determine which technique performs better in comparison. In this context, the 9-month inflation in April-December 2019 was forecast by Box-Jenkins (ARIMA) models and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), using the CPI data which consist of 207 data from January 2002 to March 2019 and the predictive performance of both techniques was examined comparatively. It was observed that the results obtained from both techniques were close to each other.

A rapid-prototyped moulding system towards optimised scalable fabrication of elastomeric microfluidic devices

3D printing and makerspace technologies are increasingly explored as alternative techniques to soft lithography for making microfluidic devices, and for their potential to segue towards scalable commercial fabrication. Here we considered the optimal application of current benchtop 3D printing for microfluidic device fabrication through the lens of lean manufacturing and present a straightforward but robust rapid prototyped moulding system that enables easy estimation of more precise quantities of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) required per device to reduce waste and importantly, making devices with better defined depths and volumes for (i) modelling gas exchange and (ii) fabrication consistency as required for quality-controlled production. We demonstrate that this low-cost moulding step can enable a 40 – 300% reduction in the amount of PDMS required for making individual devices compared to the established method of curing approximately 30 grams of PDMS prepolymer overlaid on a 4” silicon wafer master in a standard plastic petri dish. Other process optimisation techniques were also investigated and are recommended as readily implementable changes to current laboratory and foundry-level microfluidic device fabrication protocols for making devices either out of PDMS or other elastomers. Simple calculators are provided as a step towards more streamlined, software controlled and automated design-to-fabrication workflows for both custom and scalable lean manufacturing of microfluidic devices.

Alternative Techniques for Treatment of Thoracic Aneurysms without Ideal Anatomy

The combination of open surgery and thoracic endovascular repair [TEVAR] are considered hybrid procedures, they are used today to solve the different pathologies of the thoracic aorta, these procedures are presented as a therapeutic alternative for those patients who are not candidates for a procedure conventional surgical procedure, either because they are considered “high risk” patients, due to their pathological history, or in those patients who present a complex anatomy that makes it difficult to complete the repair with endovascular therapies in its entirety. To familiarize ourselves with these therapies, we consider it important to classify them by anatomical segments according to the Ishimaru classification to facilitate their understanding.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): Pathogenesis and Noninvasive Diagnosis

The global prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), as it is now known, has gradually increased. NAFLD is a disease with a spectrum of stages ranging from simple fatty liver (steatosis) to a severe form of steatosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which could progress to irreversible liver injury (fibrosis) and organ failure, and in some cases hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although a liver biopsy remains the gold standard for accurate detection of this condition, it is unsuitable for clinical screening due to a higher risk of death. There is thus an increased need to find alternative techniques or tools for accurate diagnosis. Early detection for NASH matters for patients because NASH is the marker for severe disease progression. This review summarizes the current noninvasive tools for NAFLD diagnosis and their performance. We also discussed potential and newer alternative tools for diagnosing NAFLD.

A rapid-prototyped moulding system towards optimised scalable fabrication of elastomeric microfluidic devices

3D printing and makerspace technologies are increasingly explored as alternative techniques to soft lithography for making microfluidic devices, and for their potential to segue towards scalable commercial fabrication. Here we considered the optimal application of current benchtop 3D printing for microfluidic device fabrication through the lens of lean manufacturing and present a straightforward but robust rapid prototyped moulding system that enables easy estimation of more precise quantities of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) required per device to reduce waste and importantly, making devices with better defined depths and volumes for (i) modelling gas exchange and (ii) fabrication consistency as required for quality-controlled production. We demonstrate that this low-cost moulding step can enable a 40 – 300% reduction in the amount of PDMS required for making individual devices compared to the established method of curing approximately 30 grams of PDMS prepolymer overlaid on a 4” silicon wafer master in a standard plastic petri dish. Other process optimisation techniques were also investigated and are recommended as readily implementable changes to current laboratory and foundry-level microfluidic device fabrication protocols for making devices either out of PDMS or other elastomers. Simple calculators are provided as a step towards more streamlined, software controlled and automated design-to-fabrication workflows for both custom and scalable lean manufacturing of microfluidic devices.

Gravitational Lensing of Continuous Gravitational Waves

Continuous gravitational waves are analogous to monochromatic light and could therefore be used to detect wave effects such as interference or diffraction. This would be possible with strongly lensed gravitational waves. This article reviews and summarises the theory of gravitational lensing in the context of gravitational waves in two different regimes: geometric optics and wave optics, for two widely used lens models such as the point mass lens and the Singular Isothermal Sphere (SIS). Observable effects due to the wave nature of gravitational waves are discussed. As a consequence of interference, GWs produce beat patterns which might be observable with next generation detectors such as the ground based Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, or the space-borne LISA and DECIGO. This will provide us with an opportunity to estimate the properties of the lensing system and other cosmological parameters with alternative techniques. Diffractive microlensing could become a valuable method of searching for intermediate mass black holes formed in the centres of globular clusters. We also point to an interesting idea of detecting the Poisson–Arago spot proposed in the literature.

MeasureIce: Accessible on-the-fly measurement of ice thickness in cryo-electron microscopy

Ice thickness is arguably one of the most important factors limiting the resolution of protein structures determined by cryo electron microscopy. The amorphous atomic structure of the ice that stabilizes and protects biological samples in cryo-EM grids also imprints some addition noise in the TEM images. Ice that is too thick jeopardizes the success of particle picking and reconstruction of the biomolecule in the worst case and, at best, deteriorates eventual map resolution. Minimizing the thickness of the ice layer and thus the magnitude of its noise contribution is thus imperative in cryo-EM grid preparation. In this paper we introduce MeasureIce, a simple, easy to use ice thickness measurement tool for screening and selecting acquisition areas of cryo-EM grids. We show that it is possible to simulate thickness-image intensity look-up tables using elementary scattering physics and thereby adapt the tool to any microscope without time consuming experimental calibration. We benchmark our approach using two alternative techniques: the "ice-channel" technique and tilt-series tomography. We also demonstrate the utility of ice thickness measurement for selecting holes in gold grids containing an Equine apoferritin sample, achieving a 1.88 Ångstrom resolution in subsequent refinement of the atomic map.

The FDM Technique in Processes of Prototyping Spare Parts for Servicing and Repairing Agricultural Machines: A General Outline

The aim of this research was to determine the possibility of applying alternative techniques for the production of prototypes for spare parts in agriculture and to determine the possible directions of development of their applications in the engineering industry. Then, to determine which spare parts could be produced using the FDM technique, comparisons of the most important parameters of spare parts produced independently (using the FDM technique) and obtained from producers (produced using traditional methods in professional factories) were made. A number of factors were analysed, from technical parameters such as machine type, processed material and its consumption including required as support structures, to economic issues such as manufacturing or purchase delivery total time and cost. The FDM technique has proven itself in many ways in the production of spare parts for agricultural machinery.

Collisions model between magnetic nanoparticles and the arterial wall

At present, there are different treatments against cancer, however, some of them, such as chemotherapy, are very invasive for the human body, since they affect healthy tissues. Magnetic targeting of drugs by means of magnetic nanoparticles is one of the alternative techniques that has emerged in the last decade, it is based on the targeting of drug delivery to the tumor without affecting healthy tissues, via of injected nanoparticles with diamagnetic properties directly into the bloodstream, driven by external magnetic fields produced by permanent magnets. This technique in literature is often come upon as MTD for its acronym in English. In this work, a numerical model was developed in order to quantify the loss of nanoparticles in the process of interaction with the walls of the bloodstream. For this model, the Kinetic technique was used, quantifying the probability of adsorption and absorption taking into account the following parameters: diameter of the nanoparticle (200 nm), density of the nanoparticle (6450 kg · m -3), diameter of the cell endothelial (0.1 μm - 1 μm), transcellular pores of the fenestrated endothelium (70 nm) and modulus of elasticity of the endothelium (4.1 ± 1.7 kPa).

Experiences of Bromelain-Based Enzymatic Debridement (Nexobrid) in Burn Patients: A Clinical Report

Early debridement (i.e., eschar removal) is regarded as a cornerstone for treating burn wounds. Although surgical debridement is the standard method for complete removal of eschars, it has inefficiencies such as blood loss, heat loss, and poor selectivity, the latter of which means that both viable and necrotic tissue are affected. To make up for the shortcomings, various alternative techniques have been developed. Nexobrid, a mixture of proteolytic enzymes with high bromelain content, has emerged as a viable option in recent years due to its selectivity and efficiency. This product enables dissolving eschar without sacrificing viable or healthy tissue, preserving the potential for spontaneous epithelialization, which accelerates wound healing and leads to better aesthetic outcomes in burn wounds. Herein, we present our experience with proteolytic enzyme debridement using Nexobrid.