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Article Role of Latissimus Dorsi-Thoracolumbar Fascia Complex Stretching on Pain and Pain-Related Parameters in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomised Clinical Trial(Wiley, 2025) Ulug, Naime; Kodak, Seyde Busra; Kodak, Muhammed Ihsan; Aslan, Sema NurBackground Fascial stretching is gaining interest as a potential intervention for pain management. However, evidence regarding the effect of latissimus dorsi-thoracolumbar fascia (LD-TLF) complex stretching in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of LD-TLF complex stretching on pain-related factors and disability in patients with CLBP. Methods Thirty patients with CLBP were randomly assigned to a study group (n = 15; 7 men, 8 women) and a control group (n = 15; 7 men, 8 women). The study group received 4 weeks of LD-TLF complex stretching in combination with conventional physiotherapy, while the control group received conventional physiotherapy only. Outcomes were assessed before and after the interventions, including primary measures of pain pressure thresholds (PPT) at thoracolumbar fascia levels (L1, L3 and 12th costa), and secondary measures included the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ), the effects of pain on daily activities measured by the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and disability assessed by the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (ODQ). Results Pre- and post-treatment PPTs, at the L1, L3 vertebrae and 12th costa levels, demonstrated significant differences between the study group and control groups. Post-treatment thresholds were significantly higher compared to pre-treatment thresholds (p < 0.001, eta p(2) = 0.67; p < 0.001, eta p(2) = 0.61; p < 0.001, eta p(2) = 0.74). Additionally, significant improvements were found in PSC, BPI and ODQ scores in the study group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that stretching the LD-TLF complex may be a beneficial addition to the conventional physiotherapy approach for patients with CLBP. Specifically, LD-TLF complex stretching, when used in combination with conventional physiotherapy, appears to provide improved pain thresholds, decreased pain sensitivity and pain during activity, as well as reduced disability compared to conventional physiotherapy alone in patients with CLBP.Article Epistemic Extraction Zones in Migration Studies: Rethinking Over-Research and Research Fatigue Among Syrian Refugees in Turkey(Wiley, 2025) Ozdemir, ZelalThis paper explores the phenomenon of over-research among Syrian refugees in Turkey, highlighting how sustained and repetitive research attention has created research saturation zones that shape both refugee experiences and knowledge production. Drawing on unstructured conversations with six Syrian refugees in Ankara, the study examines how research fatigue manifests not only as reluctance to participate but also as strategic responses through which refugees navigate frequent encounters with researchers. While existing literature has addressed research fatigue and ethics in refugee studies, less attention has been given to how academic incentives, humanitarian logics, and policy imperatives intersect to produce systematic inequalities in knowledge production. To address this gap, the paper advances the concept of epistemic extraction zones, referring to contexts where knowledge is persistently mined from marginalized communities to satisfy institutional demands with limited reciprocity or epistemic agency. This conceptual lens shifts the debate from individual withdrawal to the structural political economy of knowledge production. The analysis identifies three key dynamics. First, the emergence of research saturation zones in contexts of protracted displacement, where the same communities are repeatedly targeted for study; second, refugees' strategic yet ambivalent engagement with research, combining pragmatic hope with critical awareness of its limited effects; and third, the paradoxical consequences of over-research, where intensified attention produces epistemic extraction that narrows the circulation of knowledge and reinforces hierarchies. The article also reflects critically on the researcher's own position within these dynamics. By theorizing epistemic extraction zones, the paper contributes not only to refugee studies but also to broader sociological debates on power, inequality, and the ethics of knowledge production, highlighting the need for more reflexive and politically accountable research practices.Article Citation - WoS: 14Citation - Scopus: 14How Can We Get Benefits of Computer-Based Testing in Engineering Education?(Wiley, 2013) Cagiltay, Nergiz; Yaman, Seniz-OzalpUsing computers for assessment can provide several benefits for educators and test-takers. However, in the literature, there is no consensus on the equivalence of paper-and-pencil (P&P) and computer-based test (CBT) environments. Additionally, these studies fail to address the engineering domain. Our main assumption is that, if we could define the confounding factors to satisfy that these two versions of the tests provide equivalent results, then especially in the first year courses of the engineering education programs, we could get several benefits of the CBT environments. Accordingly, in this study, students' performance on different test modes was evaluated on 209 first year engineering students of a chemistry course. The results of this study showed that there is no significant performance difference between P&P and CBT. By comparing results with the previous studies, this study concludes that personal characteristics of test takers, the features of CBT systems, and the test content are all possible confounding factors when comparing test modes and need to be considered by the implementers. The results of this study show that once these factors are controlled, students' performance on CBTs and P&P tests in chemistry courses will not vary. This finding is encouraging the educators to get benefits of CBTs without any affect on students' performance. (c) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 21: 287293, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.20470Article Citation - WoS: 19Citation - Scopus: 21Development of Effective Bimetallic Catalyst for High-Temperature Pem Fuel Cell To Improve Co Tolerance(Wiley, 2021) Al-Tememy, Mogdam Gassy Hussein; Devrim, YilserIn this study, it is aimed to examine the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotube doped graphene nanoplatelet (MWCNT-GNP) supported PtPd bimetallic catalyst on the performance of the high-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). In addition, PtPd/GNP and PtPd/MWCNT bimetallic catalysts were also investigated for performance comparison. The characterizations of these catalysts were examined by ICP-MS, XRD, HR-TEM, and TGA analysis. The electrochemical characterizations of the catalysts were performed for both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and CO stripping experiments, as well as HT-PEMFC tests. The specific surface area (SSA) for PtPd/GNP and PtPd/MWCNT catalysts was obtained as 148 and 137 m(2)/g, respectively, while the highest SSA was achieved as 164 m(2)/g for PtPd/MWCNT-GNP. The performance of the catalysts was confirmed with the HT-PEMFC tests, based on the H-2/air and reformate gas/air experiments. The electrocatalytic results display that PdPt bimetallic catalysts exhibited higher catalytic property than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst. The highest performance was achieved with PtPd/MWCNT-GNP catalyst as 0.390 and 0.310 W/cm(2)at 160 degrees C for H-2/air and reformat/air, respectively. The obtained results indicate that the PtPd/MWCNT-GNP catalyst is appropriate for HT-PEMFC operations.Article Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 1Electrochemical Polymerization and Characterization of Polyether-Substituted Aniline Derivatives(Wiley, 2007) Tirkes, Seha; Cihaner, Atilla; Oenal, Ahmet M.New compounds consisting of aniline units linked by polyether bridges have been synthesized and their electrochemical polymerization was performed via constant potential electrolysis and cyclic voltammetry in an aqueous solution containing 3.0 moI L-1 H2SO4. Chemical polymerization was carried out using (NH4)(2)S2O8 as oxidizing agent. It was found that both methods gave the same polymer product without any cleavage of the polyether bridge between aniline rings. The polymers were characterized using the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic technique and the thermal behavior of electrochemically prepared polymers was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis. Spectroelectrochemical properties of the films were investigated using the in situ UV-visible spectroscopic technique. (c) 2007 Society of Chemical Industry.Article Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 3Boundary Value Problems on Half-Line for Second-Order Nonlinear Impulsive Differential Equations(Wiley, 2018) Akgol, S. D.; Zafer, A.We obtain sufficient conditions for existence and uniqueness of solutions of boundary value problems on half-line for a class of second-order nonlinear impulsive differential equations. Our technique is different than the traditional ones, as it is based on asymptotic integration method involving principal and nonprincipal solutions. Examples are provided to illustrate the relevance of the results.Article Citation - WoS: 21Citation - Scopus: 21Investigation of Hydrogen Production From Sodium Borohydride by Carbon Nano Tube-Graphene Supported Pdru Bimetallic Catalyst for Pem Fuel Cell Application(Wiley, 2022) Al-Msrhad, Tuqa Majeed Hameed; Devrim, Yilser; Uzundurukan, Arife; Budak, YagmurIn this study, hydrogen (H-2) generation from the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) catalyzed by bimetallic Palladium-Ruthenium (PdRu) supported on multiwalled carbon nanotube-graphene (MWCNT-GNP) hybrid material is investigated. The effect of various parameters such as temperature, NaBH4 concentration, and catalyst loading and effect of base concentration are examined to observed optimum operating conditions. Experimental results show that the PdRu/MWCNT-GNP bimetallic catalyst has high catalytic activity on NaBH4 hydrolysis reaction. It has been found that PdRu/MWCNT-GNP catalyst shows low activation energy of 22.33 kJ/mol for hydrolysis reaction of NaBH4. The PdRu/MWCNT-GNP catalyst also exhibits H-2 generation rate of 79.2 mmol/min center dot g(cat) at 45 degrees C. It shows good cycle stability in the catalyst reusability test and retained 89% of its initial catalytic activity after fifth use. The high catalytic activity of the PdRu/MWCNT-GNP catalyst makes it promising in H-2 generation from NaBH4 hydrolysis for commercial proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications.Article Citation - WoS: 3Citation - Scopus: 5Particle Swarm Optimization of the Spectral and Energy Efficiency of an Scma-Based Heterogeneous Cellular Network(Wiley, 2022) Noma-Osaghae, Etinosa; Misra, Sanjay; Ahuja, Ravin; Koyuncu, MuratBackground The effect of stochastic small base station (SBS) deployment on the energy efficiency (EE) and spectral efficiency (SE) of sparse code multiple access (SCMA)-based heterogeneous cellular networks (HCNs) is still mostly unknown. Aim This research study seeks to provide insight into the interaction between SE and EE in SBS sleep-mode enabled SCMA-based HCNs. Methodology A model that characterizes the energy-spectral-efficiency (ESE) of a two-tier SBS sleep-mode enabled SCMA-based HCN was derived. A multiobjective optimization problem was formulated to maximize the SE and EE of the SCMA-based HCN simultaneously. The multiobjective optimization problem was solved using a proposed weighted sum modified particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO). A comparison was made between the performance of the proposed weighted sum modified PSO algorithm and the genetic algorithm (GA) and the case where the SCMA-based HCN is unoptimized. Results The Pareto-optimal front generated showed a simultaneous maximization of the SE and EE of the SCMA-based HCN at high traffic levels and a convex front that allows network operators to select the SE-EE tradeoff at low traffic levels flexibly. The proposed PSO algorithm offers a higher SBS density, and a higher SBS transmit power at high traffic levels than at low traffic levels. The unoptimized SCMA-based HCN achieves an 80% lower SE and a 51% lower EE than the proposed PSO optimized SCMA-based HCN. The optimum SE and EE achieved by the SCMA-based HCN using the proposed PSO algorithm or the GA are comparable, but the proposed PSO uses a 51.85% lower SBS density and a 35.96% lower SBS transmit power to achieve the optimal SE and EE at moderate traffic levels. Conclusion In sleep-mode enabled SCMA-based HCNs, network engineers have to decide the balance of SBS density and SBS transmit power that helps achieve the desired SE and EE.Article Citation - WoS: 7Citation - Scopus: 6Oil and Stock Prices: New Evidence From a Time Varying Homogenous Panel Smooth Transitionvecmfor Seven Developing Countries(Wiley, 2022) Ceylan, Resat; Ivrendi, Mehmet; Shahbaz, Muhammed; Omay, TolgaThis paper investigates the relationship between international oil price and stock prices applying the time varying causality testing over the period of 2000(M1)-2017(M3). The panel unit root and panel cointegration tests considering cross-section dependence are also employed. A time varying panel smooth transition vector error correction (TV-PSTRVEC) model is a developed and estimated for testing the presence of non-linear short-run and long-run causality, and cointegrating relationship between stock and oil prices. The empirical findings indicate that short and long-run causalities between oil price and stock prices are time-dependent. Moreover, oil price cause stock prices in the long-run. In the short-run, neutral effect exists between oil price and stock prices. These two findings are evidence of a strong exogeneity of oil price in time-dependent regimes which is also supporting the recent arguments and empirical findings.Article Citation - WoS: 8Citation - Scopus: 8A New Rf and Microwave Engineering Course Enriched With Advanced Technologies(Wiley, 2012) Aydin, Elif; Cagiltay, NergizIn this study, a curriculum model including recent developments and technologies in the Radio Frequency (RF) and Microwave Engineering field by using a blended approach is proposed. This study covers the description of the content of theoretical and hands on applications, the integration model of the technological tools into the proposed curriculum, and the instructional approaches used in the new course design. The main goal of the course is to prepare students for future professional careers in RF and Microwave Engineering by supporting them with new instructional technologies. The secondary goal of the course is to better prepare the students for the sequence of senior courses in the Electrical and Electronics Engineering program of Atilim University. The course is structured with a balance between theory and laboratory, including remote and in lab measurement experiments as well as modeling and designing microwave components by means of computer tools and design fabrication. The newly designed course is implemented at the Atilim University. The study also reports the first semester implementation. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 20: 634645, 2012
