Fırat University is a state university based in Elazığ, Turkey. The university was founded in 1975 and named after the Turkish name of the Euphrates River which originates near Elazığ. Being one of the major academic institutions in the Eastern Turkey, the university has twelve schools, four institutes, one state conservatory, three vocational high schools and twenty one research centers with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological advancement and research..
Freeze–thaw cycles severely degrade clay soils in cold regions, threatening infrastructure stability. This study utilizes cherry marble powder (CMP), an eco-friendly industrial by-product, to enhance soil resilience. Experimental results show CMP increases unconfined compressive strength by up to 97.75
Boron plays significant roles in various biological systems, including mineral, lipid, and energy metabolism, immune and endocrine systems, and brain function. It has been suggested to enhance performance and may prevent conditions such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and arthritis. Despite these known benefits, its effects on growth performance and mineral metabolism in horses remain understudied, particularly in young animals like Purebred Arabian foals. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different doses of boron supplementation (0, 5, 10, and 15 mg/day per animal) on the performance (live weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio) and bone and mineral metabolism in Purebred Arabian foals. A total of 32 Purebred Arabian foals with similar initial live weights were randomly divided into four groups, each consisting of eight animals. The experimental groups were as follows: Control Group (K Group): No boron supplementation. B5 Group: Received 5 mg/day of elemental boron. B10 Group: Received 10 mg/day of elemental boron. B15 Group: Received 15 mg/day of elemental boron. Boric acid was used as the boron source, and the study spanned 90 days. Feed intake, live weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were monitored. Measurements of metacarpal diameter, withers height, and chest circumference were recorded. Serum samples were analyzed for ALP, P, Mg, Ca, B, PTH, cortisol, calcitonin, osteocalcin, and vitamin D3 levels. Performance: Feed intake was similar across all groups (P > 0.05). However, the B15 group exhibited the highest live weight gain, daily weight gain, and feed conversion efficiency (P < 0.05). Bone and Mineral Metabolism: Serum levels of ALP, P, and Mg showed no significant differences between groups (P > 0.05). While no significant main effect of group was found for metacarpal diameter (P > 0.05), a highly significant time × group interaction was detected (P < 0.001), indicating that boron supplementation modulated the developmental trajectory of the skeleton. Serum calcium (Ca) levels on day 90 were significantly higher in the B15 group compared to the control group (P = 0.03). Serum boron (B) levels increased linearly with the administered dose (P < 0.001). Serum cortisol levels on day 90 were significantly higher in the B10 and B15 groups compared to the control (P = 0.004). Calcitonin and osteocalcin levels showed a dose-dependent linear increase, peaking in the B15 group on day 90 (P < 0.001). Vitamin D3 and PTH levels did not differ significantly among the groups (P > 0.05). Boron supplementation positively influenced growth performance and bone and mineral metabolism in Purebred Arabian foals, with the 15 mg/day dose showing the most pronounced benefits. These findings suggest that boron supplementation could be an a promising nutritional strategy to enhance growth performance and mineral metabolism in young horses. Further research is warranted to explore long-term effects and potential applications in equine nutrition and management. However, further long-term studies are required to confirm these findings and determine optimal supplementation levels.
OBJECTIVES:This multicentre cohort study aimed to describe the clinical and demographic features of paediatric patients diagnosed with chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis in Turkey and to identify patient clusters based on bone involvement. METHODS:A total of 334 paediatric chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis patients from 21 paediatric rheumatology centres were included. Data on clinical presentation, imaging, and biopsy results were collected. A two-step cluster analysis was performed to classify patients by bone-site involvement, resulting in four distinct clusters. RESULTS:Axial-thoracic cluster, involving the vertebra, clavicle, and sternum, was more common in female patients and showed higher rates of skin involvement. Lower-extremity cluster, characterized by lower extremity bone involvement, included the largest number of patients. Unlike previous reports, the Turkish cohort had a higher proportion of male patients and a lower frequency of skin involvement. At a median follow-up of 42.4 months, 77.3% of patients achieved remission, while 22% experienced a relapse. Mandibular involvement, additional rheumatologic diseases, and localized bone pain were associated with an increased relapse risk. CONCLUSIONS:This study highlights the clinical profile of paediatric chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis in Turkey, marked by male predominance and low skin involvement. The identified bone-site clusters may help guide prognosis and should be validated in other populations.
Stroke is a life-threatening neurological condition that requires rapid assessment to reduce mortality and long-term disability. Accurate lesion segmentation and reliable stroke type classification from brain computed tomography (CT) images are essential to support timely clinical decision-making. In this study, a deep learning-based framework is proposed for automatic stroke lesion segmentation and CT-based stroke type classification. In the segmentation stage, the developed TransCBAMSegNet model achieved an accuracy of 99.60%, a mean intersection over union (mIoU) of 75.98%, and a Dice Similarity Score (DSS) of 75.50%. In the classification stage, a hybrid MaxxViT-ViT-SwinV2 feature fusion strategy achieved an accuracy of 97%, enabling reliable differentiation between acute/hyperacute ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic stroke, and normal cases. Experimental results show that the proposed multi-transformer fusion approach provides improved performance compared to single-backbone configurations under identical evaluation settings. The framework is designed as a computer-aided CT-based stroke assessment tool and may support early-stage imaging-based decision processes. Overall, the proposed methodology offers a robust and reproducible approach for automated stroke analysis using CT imaging data.
In this work, we propose a halogen-tuning framework that links electronic reactivity descriptors to enzyme recognition for halomethyl acetates (fluoromethyl, chloromethyl, and bromomethyl acetate). Density Functional Theory calculations were performed at the B3LYP/6-311G(d, p) level to explain structure property relationships across the F/Cl/Br substitution axis. Geometry optimization shows a systematic elongation of the C5-X bond (F < Cl < Br), while the ester carbonyl remains nearly invariant, suggesting a localized substituent effect. Frontier orbital energies analysis and global descriptors reveal that bromomethyl acetate is the softest and most electronically labile derivative, exhibiting the smallest HOMO-LUMO energy gap, whereas the fluorinated analogue demonstrates the highest kinetic stability. Simulated FT-IR, 1H/13C NMR (GIAO), and TD-DFT UV-Vis spectra provide complementary fingerprints showing halogen-driven electronic modulation. Topological analyses (MEP, DOS, RDG/NCI/DORI) map the redistribution of electron density and weak interaction regions that rationalize the observed trends. Molecular docking against acetylcholinesterase (AChE; PDB: 1EVE) indicates a monotonic enhancement of binding affinity with increasing halogen polarizability, with bromomethyl acetate exhibiting the strongest predicted affinity. Collectively, these results establish a predictive structure reactivity recognition reasoning for halomethyl acetates and support their consideration as electrophile-tuned model systems for exploring substituent-dependent recognition tendencies.
