Encapsulating and representing the knowledge on the evaluation of an engineering system

This paper proposes a cross-disciplinary methodology for a fundamental question in product development: How can the innovation patterns during the evolution of an engineering system (ES) be encapsulated, so that it can later be mined through data mining analysis methods? Reverse engineering answers the question of which components a developed engineering system consists of, and how the components interact to make the working product. TRIZ answers the question of which problem-solving principles can be, or have been employed in developing that system, in comparison to its earlier versions, or with respect to similar systems. While these two methodologies have been very popular, to the best of our knowledge, there does not yet exist a methodology that reverseengineers and encapsulates and represents the information regarding the complete product development process in abstract terms. This paper suggests such a methodology, that consists of mathematical formalism, graph visualization, and database representation. The proposed approach is demonstrated by analyzing the design and development process for a prototype wrist-rehabilitation robot

Effect of Vermicompost on Chemical and Biological Properties of an Alkaline Soil with High Lime Content during Celery (Apium graveolens L. var. dulce Mill.) Production

The aim of this study was to investigate impact of vermicompost on chemical and biological properties of an alkaline soil with high lime content in the presence of plant under the open field conditions in semiarid Mediterranean region of Turkey. The study also included farmyard manure and chemical fertilizers for comparison and was conducted in two consecutive growth seasons in the same plots to observe any cumulative effect. Plots were amended with fertilizers in different rates and celery (Apium graveolens L. var. dulce Mill.) was grown as the test plant. In general, vermicompost appeared to be more effective to increase organic matter, N, P, and Ca compared to farmyard manure. Soil alkaline phosphatase and β-glucosidase activities, especially in the second growth season, were significantly elevated by the vermicompost application. Urease activity, however, appeared not to be influenced by the type of organic fertilizer. A slight but statistically significant difference was detected between organic amendments in terms of number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria with vermicompost giving the lower values. Results showed that, in general, vermicompost significantly alters chemical and biological properties of the alkaline soil with high lime content during celery production under field conditions compared to farmyard manure and that it has a high potential to be used as an alternative to conventional organic fertilizers in agricultural production in the Mediterranean region of Turkey

Pediatric Shock

Millions of children die of shock due to various etiologies each year. Shock is a state of circulatory dysfunction where the metabolic demands of the tissue cannot be met by the circulation. Several different etiologies from hypovolemia to severe infection can result in shock. This review focuses on the definition of different types of shock seen in children and summarizes treatment strategies for the acute care practitioner based on pertinent recent literature. Early recognition and timely intervention are critical for successful treatment of pediatric shock. A strong index of suspicion by the treating clinician and early fluid resuscitation followed by ongoing assessment and timely transfer to a higher level of care can make the difference between life and death for the child who presents in shock

Essays on Applied Econometrics

This dissertation consists of three essays. The first essay analyzes the determinants of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the food products sector in Turkey. An Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model which is originally proposed by Pesaran and Shin (1999) and popularized by Pesaran et al. (2001) is applied to the monthly data over the period of January, 2009, to December, 2016. In the model, FDI inflows are modeled as a function of degree of openness, exchange rate, export price, and wage rate. The empirical results confirm there is evidence of a long-run equilibrium relationship among these variables in Turkey. Findings indicate that degree of openness, and export price have a positive sign and are statistically significant, while the wage rate presents a negative sign and is statistically significant. Finally, the cumulative sum (CUSUM) and the cumulative sum of squares (CUSUMQ) stability tests are employed to check the stability of short-run and long-run coefficients in the ARDL error correction model, and the results confirm that the model is structurally stable. Essay 2 examines the relationship between the exchange rate and tourism trade balance in Turkey from year 1970 to 2016 by applying three Vector autoregression (VAR) models. The main findings of this paper can be documented as follows: (i) there is no long-run co-integration relationship among the variables (ii) the reaction of the export revenue to an unexpected 1% depreciation exchange rate shock is positive and statistically significant at the 95% level (iii) the import tourism spending exhibits a robust significant positive response to home demand shock (iv) the response of trade balance to 1% shock in exchange rate is negative and significant, which shows the evidence of J-curve behavior for the selected eight European countries The final essay uses household survey data to analyze the relationship between education and poverty in Turkey. To obtain robust estimates of the determinants of household poverty, we applied five different econometric techniques, each relying on a different set of assumptions. such as Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Linear Probability Model (LPM), Probit and Logit Models, and Instrumental Variable (IV) Probit Model. Both Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Linear Probability Model (LPM) model show that the level of education, being female and married, having a job or being retired are the important factors in determining the household head’s poverty conditions. However, employing probit and logit models, the results from the analysis provide evidence that married head of households are significantly more likely to poor than single head of households. In addition, the probability of being poor decreases with the household head’s educational attainment. However, based on the findings from Instrumental Variable (IV) Probit model, the policy reform, which was implemented in 1961, only increases the household head’s years of education for rural residents. Further, the higher the level of education of the household head, the higher the household per capita income

Assessment of rotatory laxity in anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees using magnetic resonance imaging with Porto-knee testing device

Purpose Objective evaluation of both antero-posterior translation and rotatory laxity of the knee remains a target to be accomplished. This is true for both preoperative planning and postoperative assessment of different ACL reconstruction emerging techniques. The ideal measurement tool should be simple, accurate and reproducible, while enabling to assess both ‘‘anatomy’’ and ‘‘function’’ during the same examination. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a new in-housedeveloped testing device, the so-called Porto-knee testing device (PKTD). The PKTD is aimed to be used on the evaluation of both antero-posterior and rotatory laxity of the knee during MRI exams. Methods Between 2008 and 2010, 33 patients with ACLdeficient knees were enrolled for the purpose of this study. All patients were evaluated in the office and under anesthesia with Lachman test, lateral pivot-shift test and anterior drawer test. All cases were studied preoperatively with KT-1000 and MRI with PKTD, and examinations performed by independent observers blinded for clinical evaluation. During MRI, we have used a PKTD that applies antero-posterior translation and permits free tibial rotation through a standardized pressure (46.7 kPa) in the proximal posterior region of the leg. Measurements were taken for both knees and comparing side-to-side. Five patients with partial ruptures were excluded from the group of 33. Results For the 28 remaining patients, 3 women and 25 men, with mean age of 33.4 ± 9.4 years, 13 left and 15 right knees were tested. No significant correlation was noticed for Lachman test and PKTD results (n.s.). Pivot-shift had a strong positive correlation with the difference in anterior translation registered in lateral and medial tibia plateaus of injured knees (cor. coefficient = 0.80; p\0.05), and with the difference in this parameter as compared to side-to-side (cor. coefficient = 0.83; p\0.05). Considering the KT-1000 difference between injured and healthy knees, a very strong positive correlation was found for side-to-side difference in medial (cor. coeffi- cient = 0.73; p\0.05) and lateral (cor. coefficient = 0.5; p\0.05) tibial plateau displacement using PKTD. Conclusion The PKTD proved to be a reliable tool in assessment of antero-posterior translation (comparing with KT-1000) and rotatory laxity (compared with lateral pivotshift under anesthesia) of the ACL-deficient knee during MRI examinatio

A Shop Where You Can Find a Piece of Yourself

My first days in Dublin were, unsurprisingly, very hard for me..

The impact of global technology companies and civilian technologies on the battlefield : the Starlink case in Ukraine

Nowoczesne technologie od dekad odgrywają coraz większą rolę we współczesnym świecie. Od ich wpływów nie jest wolne także prawo międzynarodowe, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem MPHKZ. Niemniej jednak to dopiero działania wojenne w wojnie rosyjsko-ukraińskiej, tak wyraźnie zwracają uwagę, że na naszych oczach być może otwiera się zupełnie nowy rozdział w historii konfliktów zbrojnych. Jak dotychczas bowiem nigdy jeszcze globalne firmy technologiczne, będące podmiotami prywatnymi (m.in. SpaceX, Google, ICEYE, Maxar Technologies), nie odgrywały tak bezpośredniej i istotnej roli w działaniach wojennych i nie wnosiły tak znaczącego wkładu do wysiłku wojennego jednej z wojujących stron. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest próba odpowiedzi na pytanie, jak w świetle MPHKZ należy ocenić udział prywatnych spółek technologicznych w konfliktach zbrojnych i jakie działania wobec nich mogą być legalnie podejmowane przez strony konfliktu. Rozwadze poddane zostanie także, czy i ewentualnie w jaki sposób rosnąca zależność państw od prywatnych korporacji technologicznych i oferowanych przez nie technologii w zakresie m.in. państwowej infrastruktury krytycznej oraz potencjału militarnego może wpłynąć na ewolucję paradygmatu prowadzenia działań zbrojnych w przyszłości oraz czy ugruntowane normy i zasady MPHKZ wymagają redefinicji w związku z tymi zmianami. Zasadnicza część analizy została oparta na kazusie wykorzystania systemu Starlink na Ukrainie, który jak w soczewce skupia najważniejsze problemy, kontrowersje i zagrożenia związane z zaangażowaniem prywatnych spółek technologicznych w sytuacje konfliktów międzynarodowych.Modern technologies have been playing an increasingly significant role in the contemporary world for decades. This influence extends to international law, especially to the International Humanitarian Law of Armed Conflict (IHL). However, it is the war in Ukraine that has so vividly highlighted the possibility that we are witnessing a completely new chapter in the history of armed conflicts. Until now, global technology companies, being private entities (including SpaceX, Google, ICEYE, Maxar Technologies), have never played such a direct and significant role in military operations nor contributed so significantly to the war effort of one of the warring sides. The aim of this article is to attempt to answer how, in the light of IHL, the participation of private technology companies in armed conflicts should be assessed and what actions can be legally taken against them by the parties to the conflict. Consideration will also be given to whether and how the growing dependence of states on private technology corporations and the technologies they offer, including critical state infrastructure and military potential, might influence the evolution of the paradigm of conducting military operations in the future and whether established norms and principles of IHL require redefinition in light of these changes. The main part of the analysis is based on the case of the use of the Starlink system in Ukraine, which highlights the most important issues, controversies, and threats associated with the involvement of private technology companies in international conflict situations