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Article Citation - WoS: 39Citation - Scopus: 44A Novel Treatment Strategy for Preterm Birth: Intra-Vaginal Progesterone-Loaded Fibrous Patches(Elsevier, 2020) Cam, Muhammet Emin; Hazar-Yavuz, Ayse Nur; Cesur, Sumeyye; Ozkan, Ozan; Alenezi, Hussain; Sasmazel, Hilal Turkoglu; Edirisinghe, MohanProgesterone-loaded poly(lactic) acid fibrous polymeric patches were produced using electrospinning and pressurized gyration for infra-vaginal application to prevent preterm birth. The patches were intravaginally inserted into rats in the final week of their pregnancy, equivalent to the third trimester of human pregnancy. Maintenance tocolysis with progesterone-loaded patches was elucidated by recording the contractile response of uterine smooth muscle to noradrenaline in pregnant rats. Both progesterone-loaded patches indicated similar results from release and thermal studies, however, patches obtained by electrospinning had smaller average diameters and more uniform dispersion compared to pressurized gyration. Patches obtained by pressurized gyration had better results in production yield and tensile strength than electrospinning; thereby pressurized gyration is better suited for scaled-up production. The patches did not affect cell attachment, viability, and proliferation on Vero cells negatively. Consequently, progesterone-loaded patches are a novel and successful treatment strategy for preventing preterm birth.Article Citation - WoS: 50Citation - Scopus: 53Recrystallization and Grain Growth Kinetics of In718 Manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion(Elsevier, 2022) Dogu, Merve Nur; Davut, Kemal; Obeidi, Muhannad Ahmed; Yalcin, Mustafa Alp; Gu, Hengfeng; Low, Thaddeus Song En; Brabazon, DermotThe recrystallization and grain growth behaviour of IN718 alloy additively manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is presented herein. The effects of three different temperatures (1050, 1150 and 1250 degrees C) and holding times (15, 45 and 90 min) were investigated. The texture evolution of the samples was recorded via electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The as-built sample is composed of bowl-shaped melt pools, a chessboard-like grain pattern and has a cube texture {100}<001>. Recrystallized grains were observed in the samples treated at 1150 degrees C for 15 min, as well as the samples treated for longer periods and at higher temperatures. Recrystallization was observed to start from high dislocation density regions, including the overlapping melt pools and the borders of the chessboard-like pattern. The initial cube texture transforms into a first-generation cube-twin texture {122}<212> via a twinning-assisted recrystallization mechanism. Then, those recrystallization nuclei sweep through the high defect density matrix; during which almost no new twins are formed. The samples treated at 1250 degrees C are almost completely recrystallized, which forms a weaker cube texture and a stronger P-orientation {011}<112>. However, the growth of recrystallized grains is very limited due to the presence of non-coherent precipitates. (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.Article Citation - WoS: 24Citation - Scopus: 27Effect of Solution Heat Treatment on the Microstructure and Crystallographic Texture of In939 Fabricated by Powder Bed Fusion-Laser Beam(Elsevier, 2023) Dogu, Merve Nur; Ozer, Seren; Yalcin, Mustafa Alp; Davut, Kemal; Bilgin, Guney Mert; Obeidi, Muhannad Ahmed; Brabazon, DermotThe effect of various solution heat treatment temperatures (i.e., 1120, 1160, 1200 and 1240 & DEG;C) on the microstructure, grain morphology and crystallographic texture of IN939 fabricated by powder bed fusion-laser beam (PBF-LB) was investigated. Microstructural analyses showed that the high-temperature gradient and rapid solidification of the PBF-LB processing caused different resulting microstructures compared to conventionally pro-duced counterparts. The melt pool morphologies and laser scanning paths were examined in the as-fabricated samples in the XZ-and XY-planes, respectively. After the application of solution heat treatment at 1120 & DEG;C, the as-fabricated PBF-LB initial microstructure was still apparent. For solution heat treatments of 1200 & DEG;C and above, the melt pool and scanning path morphologies disappeared and converted into a mixture of columnar grains in the XZ-plane and equiaxed grains in the XY-plane. On the other hand, large equiaxed grains were observed when the samples were solutionized at 1240 & DEG;C. Additionally, g' phase precipitated within the matrix after all solution heat treatment conditions, which led to increase in the microhardness values. According to electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analyses, both as-fabricated and solution heat-treated samples had intense texture with {001} plane normal parallel to the building direction. The first recrystallized grains began to appear when the samples were subjected to the solution heat treatment at 1160 & DEG;C and the fraction of the recrystallized grains increased with increasing temperature, as supported by kernel average misorientation (KAM) and grain spread orientation (GOS) analyses.& COPY; 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Article Citation - WoS: 5Citation - Scopus: 6Clinic-Oriented Injectable Smart Material for the Treatment of Diabetic Wounds: Coordinating the Release of Gm-Csf and Vegf(Elsevier, 2024) Kinali, Hurmet; Kalaycioglu, Gokce Dicle; Boyacioglu, Ozge; Korkusuz, Petek; Aydogan, Nihal; Vargel, IbrahimChronic wounds are often caused by diabetes and present a challenging clinical problem due to vascular problems leading to ischemia. This inhibits proper wound healing by delaying inflammatory responses and angiogenesis. To address this problem, we have developed injectable particle-loaded hydrogels which sequentially release Granulocyte-macrophage- colony-stimulating-factor (GM-CSF) and Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) encapsulated in polycaprolactone-lecithin-geleol mono-diglyceride hybrid particles. GM-CSF promotes inflammation, while VEGF facilitates angiogenesis. The hybrid particles (200 -1000 nm) designed within the scope of the study can encapsulate the model proteins Bovine Serum Albumin 65 +/- 5 % and Lysozyme 77 +/- 10 % and can release stably for 21 days. In vivo tests and histological findings revealed that in the hydrogels containing GM-CSF/VEGF-loaded hybrid particles, wound depth decreased, inflammation phase increased, and fibrotic scar tissue decreased, while mature granulation tissue was formed on day 10. These findings confirm that the hybrid particles first initiate the inflammation phase by delivering GM-CSF, followed by VEGF, increasing the number of vascularization and thus increasing the healing rate of wounds. We emphasize the importance of multi-component and sequential release in wound healing and propose a unifying therapeutic strategy to sequentially deliver ligands targeting wound healing stages, which is very important in the treatment of the diabetic wounds.Article Citation - WoS: 28Citation - Scopus: 31A Model for the Prediction of Thermal Runaway in Lithium-Ion Batteries(Elsevier, 2024) Azuaje-Berbeci, Bernardo J.; Ertan, H. BulentThe increasing popularity of electric vehicles is driving research into lithium -ion batteries (LIBs). Thermal runaway (TR) in LIBs is a serious concern for the safe operation of these high-energy-density batteries that is yet to be overcome. A reliable model is needed to predict voltage variation, heat generation, temperature rise, and the process leading to TR of a LIB battery under its operating conditions (charging-discharging). Such a model can be used to design battery packs more resilient to thermal runaway or assess how a battery pack would perform under hazardous conditions. Furthermore, it can be used for generating a warning signal if there is a possibility of the battery going towards TR. This paper presents an approach to solving this problem, which is not currently well addressed in the literature. The approach adopted in this paper is based on a numerical analysis of a multilayered electrochemical-thermal model of LIB. Tuning the parameters of a LIB for accurate results from this numerical model is presented, as well as the details of the approach in the paper. Experiments are performed under several LIBs, and their voltage and surface temperature variations are measured under various operating conditions, including thermal runaway. The results of the experiments are compared with the predictions of the numerical simulations. An excellent agreement is observed with the experimental results, proving the accuracy of the proposed approach. This approach can be configured to give results in a few minutes. The paper also discusses how the developed approach can be used to create a TR warning during operating conditions or to change the mode of operation of a LIB before a hazard occurs.Article Citation - WoS: 142Citation - Scopus: 148Carbon Dispersed Copper-Cobalt Alloy Nanoparticles: a Cost-Effective Heterogeneous Catalyst With Exceptional Performance in the Hydrolytic Dehydrogenation of Ammonia-Borane(Elsevier, 2016) Bulut, Ahmet; Yurderi, Mehmet; Ertas, Ilknur Efecan; Celebi, Metin; Kaya, Murat; Zahmakiran, MehmetHerein, we report the development of a new and cost-effective nanocatalyst for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane (NH3BH3), which is considered to be one of the most promising solid hydrogen carriers due to its high gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity (19.6 wt%) and low molecular weight. The new catalyst system consisting of bimetallic copper-cobalt alloy nanoparticles supported on activated carbon was simply and reproducibly prepared by surfactant-free deposition-reduction technique at room temperature. The characterization of this new catalytic material was done by the combination of multi-pronged techniques including ICP-MS, XRD, XPS, BFTEM, HR-TEM, STEM and HAADF-STEM-line analysis. The sum of their results revealed that the formation of copper-cobalt alloy nanoparticles (d(mean) =1.8 nm) on the surface of activated carbon (CuCo/C). These new carbon supported copper-cobalt alloy nanoparticles act as highly active catalyst in the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane, providing an initial turnover frequency of TOF = 2700 h(-1) at 298 K, which is not only higher than all the non-noble metal catalysts but also higher than the majority of the noble metal based homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts employed in the same reaction. More importantly, easy recovery and high durability of these supported CuCo nanoparticles make CuCo/C recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane. They retain almost their inherent activity even at 10th catalytic reuse in the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane at 298K. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Article Citation - WoS: 14Citation - Scopus: 14Low Temperature Thermoluminescence Behaviour of Y2o3< Nanoparticles(Elsevier, 2019) Delice, S.; Isik, M.; Gasanly, N. M.Y2O3 nanoparticles were investigated using low temperature thermoluminescence (TL) experiments. TL glow curve recorded at constant heating rate of 0.4 K/s exhibits seven peaks around 19, 62, 91, 115, 162, 196 and 215 K. Activation energies and characteristics of traps responsible for observed curves were revealed under the light of results of initial rise analyses and T-max-T-stop experimental methods. Analyses of TL curves obtained at different stopping temperatures resulted in presence of one quasi-continuously distributed trap with activation energies increasing from 18 to 24 meV and six single trapping centers at 49, 117, 315, 409, 651 and 740 meV. Activation energies of all revealed centers were reported in the present paper. Structural characterization of Y2O3 nanoparticles was accomplished using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy measurements. (C) 2019 Chinese Society of Rare Earths. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Article Citation - WoS: 10Citation - Scopus: 19Effectiveness of Smart Toy Applications in Teaching Children With Intellectual Disability(Elsevier, 2018) Ekin, Cansu C.; Cagiltay, Kursat; Karasu, NecdetPlay is an important element in a child's social and intellectual development and toys are indispensable play tools. This study investigates the effectiveness of smart toys in teaching social studies concepts to children with intellectual disability (ID). A single-subject design is used to identify such effects on teaching social studies concepts to children with ID with the help of smart toys developed within this study. The smart toys are also developed within the scope of present work. Three special education teachers and three children with moderate ID participated in the study, which was carried out in two schools in Turkey. According to the results, smart toys have a positive effect in teaching social studies concepts to children with moderate ID which is significant in development of academic and social skills for individuals with ID.Article The Impact of Quaternization Degree in Polyepichlorohydrin-Based Anion Exchange Membranes on Salinity Gradient Energy Generation by Reverse Electrodialysis(Elsevier, 2025) Cihanoglu, Aydin; Guler, Enver; Kabay, NalanAnion exchange membranes with tailored fixed-charge densities can improve monovalent ion selectivity and performance in reverse electrodialysis for salinity gradient power generation. In this study, poly(epichlorohydrin) was blended with polyacrylonitrile and quaternized with 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane at three different molar ratios to produce AEMs with systematically varied quaternization degrees via a one-step amination/ crosslinking procedure. The resulting membranes were characterized for their physicochemical, electrochemical, and RED performance using ATR-FTIR, XPS, SEM, AFM, water uptake, swelling degree, contact angle, surface zeta potential, ion exchange capacity, fixed charge density, and electrical resistance. Higher quaternization increased the IEC, reduced resistance, and shifted surface charge, leading to improved stack power output in model NaCl solutions. In the presence of Na2SO4, power loss was reduced for more highly quaternized membranes, indicating enhanced exclusion of divalent anions (SO42-) and reduced uphill transport. Fouling tests with humic acid/fulvic acid mixtures showed greater stability for quaternized membranes compared to a commercial benchmark. Moreover, stability tests conducted on fouled membranes revealed that the tailor-made membrane exhibits superior durability and lower fouling-induced power loss than commercial Fujifilm Type II AEMs. Overall, these results demonstrate that tuning the degree of quaternization is an effective strategy to balance conductivity and ion selectivity in AEMs for RED applications.Article Sustainable Stabilization of Expansive Soils Using Waste Marble Powder and Expanded Polystyrene Beads: Experimental Evaluation and Predictive Modelling(Elsevier, 2026) Akis, Ebru; Citak, Mete; Lotfi, BahramExpansive soils exhibit considerable volume changes with moisture fluctuations leading to serious challenges for civil infrastructure, causing structural instability, pavement distortion, and foundation damage. While lime and cement remain widely used stabilizers, recent research has increasingly focused on waste-derived materials such as marble powder (MP) and expanded polystyrene beads (EPSb) as promising alternatives. These materials provide a practical approach to soil stabilization while contributing to the reuse of industrial by-products. In this study, the engineering behavior of high-plasticity clay was improved through the inclusion of MP and EPSb as additive materials. MP was added at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, and EPSb at 0%, 0.3%, and 0.9% by dry weight of the high plasticity clay. Both additives were used alone and in combination. Laboratory tests, including Standard Proctor, free swell (FS), and unconfined compressive strength (UCS), were conducted. The results confirmed that the additives effectively reduced the liquid limit (LL) by 20.1% and the plasticity index (PI) by up to 22.4%. Results showed that EPSb effectively reduced FS and UCS, while MP decreased FS and increased UCS up to an optimal content. The most effective mixes achieved a maximum reduction of 54.7% in free swell (FS) (at 20% MP and 0.9% EPSb content) and a maximum increase of 13.1% in unconfined compressive strength (UCS) (at 5% MP content) compared to the untreated soil. The compaction tests further revealed a general decrease in optimum moisture content (OMC) and a slight increase in maximum dry density (MDD) with increasing MP content. Accordingly, the free swell (FS) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the treated soils were predicted using multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models, developed from both the current experimental dataset and previously published studies. Input variables included untreated FS and UCS values, additive percentages, and one index property. The ANN model demonstrated superior predictive capability, achieving R2 values of 0.955 and 0.874 for FS and UCS, respectively, compared to 0.411 and 0.618 obtained with MLR. These results highlight the robustness of ANN in capturing nonlinear soil behavior and underscore its reliability and accuracy, particularly under limited data conditions.
