The aim of the study was to examine whether the TGF-beta1 T(861-20)-C gene polymorphism might be ... more The aim of the study was to examine whether the TGF-beta1 T(861-20)-C gene polymorphism might be useful in identifying individuals with increased susceptibility to postmenopausal bone loss within the Turkish women population. T(861-20)-C polymorphism was genotyped in 616 postmenopausal women selected from the Turkish population: 311 postmenopausal osteoporotic women (OP) aged 45-65 years (mean age 58 years) and a control group (CG) of 305 postmenopausal women in the same age range (mean age 53 years) with normal bone mineral density. We have not found any significant differences in the frequency of the individual genotypes between the osteoporotic and control groups. The distribution of the T(861-20)-C genotypes was for Lumbar spine, CC, 74.0% in OP, 75.1% in CG; TC, 24.1% in OP, 23.9% in CG; TT, 1.9% in OP, 1.0% in CG; and for femoral neck, CC, 76.8% in OP, 72.8% in CG; TC, 22.1% in OP, 25.5% in CG; TT 1.1% in OP, 1.7% in CG. T(861-20)-C polymorphism was not found to be associated with bone mineral density in postmenopausal Turkish women. It was argued that this will be a pioneering study for the future research and therapies.
The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between fear of childbirth and anxiety lev... more The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between fear of childbirth and anxiety levels of Turkish population. 49.4% of the pregnant women were nulliparous, and 50.6% were multiparous. 41.1% of them have clinical level of fear of childbirth. As a result of correlation analysis, a significant relationship was determined between fear of childbirth and anxiety (r= 0.42, p<0.01). According to the findings, fear of childbirth was positive and moderate correlated with anxiety. Fear of childbirth is a major problem during pregnancy. Anxiety and fear of childbirth must be handled carefully by health care professionals.
Mediterranean countries have noticeable affect on the world wine exportation. Among
these countri... more Mediterranean countries have noticeable affect on the world wine exportation. Among these countries France, Greece and Turkey are selected for this study because of different wine market, trade systems and wine policies they have. In this study, cointegration analysis was conducted for real wine export prices and real exchange rates for France, Greece and Turkey. The long term relationships between real exchange rates and real wine export values were explored by using cointegration analysis. Annual data from 1970 to 2003 was used for this analysis and the data sets were found to be integrated of the same order. It was also found that they move together in the long run by Johansen Cointegration Test. Then, Error Correction Model (ECM) was applied to search any short term relations and impacts of exchange rate variations on wine exports. French and Greek monetary policies affect their wine export volume by the years. Therefore, any depreciation of local currency in dollar terms will lead to increase of exports vice versa. On the other hand, Turkish wine real export value and real exchange rate were found not cointegrated. Since, there was not any cointegrated vector, any exchange rate volatility do not influence Turkish real export wine value. Subsequently, the reasons of wine market failures in these countries and pursued policies were discussed.
Fitting non-linear models to the milk yield records of dairy cows is of particular importance
for... more Fitting non-linear models to the milk yield records of dairy cows is of particular importance for both breeding and management purposes as they provide a summary of the pattern of milk production with a few parameters that are biologically interpretable in animal science. In this study, hierarchical modeling of the test day milk yield data collected on monthly interval was considered and the non-linear three parameter Wood’s incomplete gamma function was used to obtain the lactation curves of 200 Holstein cows. Bayesian approach was utilized in estimation of model parameters. Some characteristics of lactation such as persistency, peak time and peak yield were also derived as well as total milk yield for each cow.
The aim of this study was to estimate the heritability for some
growth traits of Japanese quail t... more The aim of this study was to estimate the heritability for some growth traits of Japanese quail through the estimation of variance components by Bayesian methodology. For this purpose, 340 progenies of 34 sires were used. Live weight (LW42) and absolute and relative growth rates at 42 days of age (AGR42 and RGR42, respectively) were submitted to single-trait analysis under a sire model. A software (package MCMCglmm) was used for the estimations, and a single chain with 65,000 rounds was run for each trait with a thinning interval of 50. Burn-in was set at 15,000 and inferences were built on posterior samples of 1,000 draws for each trait. All marginal posterior densities were unimodal and marginal posterior distributions of sire variance are slightly skewed to the right. The results of the analyses showed high, moderate, and low heritability of LW42, AGR42, and RGR42, respectively.
In this study, an application algorithm has been introduced to explore structural
optimisation fo... more In this study, an application algorithm has been introduced to explore structural optimisation for gear pump housing. In the study, experimental and theoretical (analytical and numerical) methods are utilised. A commercial external spur gear pump which has 17.1 Lmin−1 volumetric flow rate with maximum pressure capacity of 250 bar has been considered for an application case study. In the experimental section of the study, four pressure sensors (emitters) were placed with angle intervals of 45◦, 90 ◦ , 135◦, and 180◦ on the pump’s housing to measure operating pressure values at specific pressure regions of the housing from inlet to outlet. According to experimental results of the pressure measurements, a response surface analysis (RSA) was carried out and then an estimation model (empirical equation), which could be used to calculate pressure values at any specific region of the housing, was obtained. According to the RSA results gained, it appears that the estimation model has 99.9% R2 value which can be used for adequately predicting accurate pressures at any region of the housing. Subsequently, this estimation model has been adapted for commercial finite elementmethod (FEM)-based engineering software and from which stress distributions on the housing were simulated three dimensionally. FEM-based simulation outputs showed that there were no failure signatures on the pump housing. As the main conclusion of the study, it is seen that an estimation model gives an adequate approach to predict pressure values at any specific pressure region of the pump housing and, especially, stress distribution results has highlighted that a structural optimisation study may be suitable for the pump housing.
Purpose: To translate and test the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Infertil... more Purpose: To translate and test the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form (TISE-SF). Methods: The convenience sample consisted of 120 infertile women. A psychometric research design was used with content and construct validity and reliability. Results: Cronbach’s alpha of .78 showed moderate reliability, whereas item–total correlations ranged from .30 to .54. Factor analysis extracted a single component, explaining 40.3% of the variance. Kendall W showed agreement with each expert regarding the appropriateness of the items, confirming the content validity of the translated TISE-SF. Conclusion: The results supported the construct validity and reliability of the TISE-SF for measuring infertility self-efficacy in a population of Turkish women. Implications: Evaluating infertile women’s perception of self-efficacy with the TISE-SF may be useful in clinical studies in Turkey. TISE-SF can be used by professionals as a counseling tool to help guide women in managing their treatments at infertility centers.
The goal of selection studies in broilers
is to obtain genetically superior chicks in terms of
ma... more The goal of selection studies in broilers is to obtain genetically superior chicks in terms of major economic traits, which are mainly growth rate, meat yield, and feed conversion ratio. Multiple selection schedules for growth and reproduction are used in selection programs within commercial broiler dam lines. Modern genetic improvement methods have not been applied in experimental quail lines. The current research was conducted to estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations for growth and reproduction traits in a Japanese quail flock. The Gompertz equation was used to determine growth curve parameters. The Gibbs sampling under a multi-trait animal model was applied to estimate the heritabilities and genetic correlations for these traits. A total of 948 quail were used with complete pedigree information to estimate the genetic parameters. Heritability estimates of BW, absolute and relative growth rates at 5 wk of age (AGR and RGR), β0 and β2 parameters, and age at point of inflection (IPT) of Gompertz growth curve, total egg number (EN) from the day of first lay to 24 wk of age were moderate to high, with values ranging from 0.25 to 0.40. A low heritability (0.07) for fertility (FR) and a strong genetic correlation (0.83) between FR and EN were estimated in our study. Body weight exhibited negative genetic correlation with EN, FR, RGR, and IPT. This genetic antagonism among the mentioned traits may be overcome using modern poultry breeding methods such as selection using multi-trait best linear unbiased prediction and crossbreeding.
The aim of this study is to model the test day milk yields via time series methodology and to det... more The aim of this study is to model the test day milk yields via time series methodology and to determine the number of test days which provide the most accurate forecasts. For this purpose, 10700 test day records belonging to 1070 dairy cattle were used. Data were divided into two groups of 5350 records in each. One set of observations was used to model parameters, while the remaining was used for evaluating the forecast power of the model and for determining the number of test day records which provide the most accurate forecasts. ARIMA(2,0,0)(1,1,1)10 model was determined to be suitable and it was used to obtain the forecast values. The expression of the model using estimated parameter values is (1-B10)1yt = [(1-0.99129B10)/(1-0.36889B-0.06934B2)(1-0.08352B10)]at. Statistically significant and high correlations were determined between the actual and forecast values. The results indicated that the time series approach can be useful for prediction of milk yields.
The aim of this study was to examine the
use of a nonlinear mixed modeling approach to growth
stu... more The aim of this study was to examine the use of a nonlinear mixed modeling approach to growth studies of Japanese quail. Weekly BW measurements of 89 female and 89 male quail were used in the study. A well-known logistic growth function was used in the analysis. The function was expanded to include a sex effect and random bird effects in β0 and β2 parameters. Analyses were performed via SAS 9.2 software. The performance of 3 models, a fixed effects model (model 1) including only sex effect, a mixed effects model (model 2) including sex effect in β0 and β2 parameters and random bird effect in β0, and a mixed effects model (model 3) including sex and random bird effects in β0 and β2 parameters, was compared. The minimized value of −2 times the log-likelihood, Akaike information criterion, corrected version of Akaike information criterion, and Schwarz information criterion values indicated a better fit of model 3 relative to other competitive models. Furthermore, the error variance reduction in model 2 and model 3 compared with model 1 was 60 and 65%, respectively, indicating the better fit of the mixed effect models. Significant differences between sexes were also determined in β0 and β2 parameters, in which the males, on average, had lower β0 and higher β2 parameters than females.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the
genetic parameters of several breast meat quality trait... more The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic parameters of several breast meat quality traits and their genetic relationships with some slaughter traits [BW, breast yield (BRY), and abdominal fat yield (AFY)]. In total, 1,093 pedigreed quail were slaughtered at 35 d of age to measure BRY, AFY, and breast meat quality traits [ultimate pH (pHU), Commission Internationale d’Eclairage color parameters (L*, lightness; a*, redness; and b*, yellowness), thawing and cooking loss (TL and CL, respectively), and Warner-Bratzler shear value (WB)]. The average pHU, L*, a*, and b* were determined to be 5.94, 43.09, 19.24, and 7.74, respectively. In addition, a very high WB average (7.75 kg) indicated the firmness of breast meat. High heritabilities were estimated for BW, BRY, and AFY (0.51, 0.49, and 0.35). Genetic correlations of BW between BRY and AFY were found to be high (0.32 and 0.58). On the other hand, the moderate negative relationship between BRY and AFY (−0.24) implies that selection for breast yield should not increase abdominal fat. The pHU was found to be the most heritable trait (0.64), whereas the other meat quality traits showed heritabilities in the range of 0.39 to 0.48. Contrary to chickens, the genetic correlation between pHU and L* was low. The pHU exhibited a negative and high correlation with BW and AFY, whereas L* showed a positive but smaller relationship with these traits. Moreover, pHU exhibited high negative correlations (−0.43 and −0.62) with TL and WB, whereas L* showed a moderate relationship (0.24) with CL. This genetic study confirmed that the multi-trait selection could be used to improve meat quality traits. Further, the ultimate pH of breast meat is a relevant selection criterion due to its strong relationships with either water-holding capacity and texture or low abdominal fatness.
In this study, long-term egg production
was monitored in a Japanese quail flock, which had not
un... more In this study, long-term egg production was monitored in a Japanese quail flock, which had not undergone any genetic improvement, for 52 wk as of the age of sexual maturity. The study aimed to detect some traits with respect to egg production, to determine the cumulative hen-housed egg numbers, and to compare goodness of fit of different nonlinear models for the percentage of hen-day egg production. The mean age at first egg was 38.9 d and the age at 50% egg production was 45.3 d. The quail reached peak production at 15 wk of age (wk 9 of egg production period) when the percentage of hen-day egg production was found to be 94%. The cumulative hen-housed egg number for 52 wk as of the age of sexual maturity was 253.08. The monomolecular function, a nonsigmoid model, was used in the nonlinear regression analysis of the cumulative egg numbers. Parameters a, b, and c of the monomolecular model were estimated to be 461.70, 473.31, and 0.065, respectively. Gamma, McNally, Adams-Bell, and modified compartmental models, widely used in hens previously, were used in the nonlinear regression analysis of the percentages of hen-day egg production. The goodness of fit for these models was compared using the values of pseudo-R2, Akaike’s information criterion, and Bayesian information criterion. It was determined that all the models are adequate but that the Adams- Bell model displayed a slightly better fit for the percentage of hen-day egg production in Japanese quail than others.
This methodological study was planned to translate the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/
Experience Ques... more This methodological study was planned to translate the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/ Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) into Turkish and to investigate its reliability for both nulliparous and parous women in Turkish population. A total of 660 healthy women with normal pregnancies at gestational ages of between 28 and 40 weeks were recruited. The internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s a) was used for determining the reliability of the W-DEQ. Construct validity was also determined utilizing the known-groups method. In this study, independent sample t-tests were used to compare the nulliparous and parous groups differing in known fear status. In order to test the construct of the W-DEQ, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale and Brief Measure of Worry Severity scales were chosen as these scales are expected to correlate with the W-DEQ. Analysis of the construct validity of the W-DEQ version A using Pearson’s correlation coefficients was performed for both nulliparous and parous women separately. All the scales in both groups showed a statistically significant correlation with the W-DEQ. The alpha coefficient (0.89) is well above the 0.70 criterion for internal consistency reliability. Turkish form of Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire Version A was fixed as reliable and valid means to measure the level of fear of childbirth among Turkish pregnants.
The selection index is a linear weighted combination of observed measurements constructed so as t... more The selection index is a linear weighted combination of observed measurements constructed so as to maximize genetic gain. The study is focused on the construction of optimum selection methods using analysis of variance, maximum likelihood and restricted maximum likelihood methods in a balanced univariate half-sib sire model. Data sets are simulated employing the Monte Carlo simulation method. Information on candidates themselves and their relatives are incorporated into a selection index. The conventional theory of selection index using analysis of variance method is compared with the likelihood based ones. Both ANOVA and likelihood based methods give similar results of selection responses due to setting the heritability estimates from ANOVA to zero if it is negative. It is found that the predicted response is more sensitive to the heritability and phenotypic variance estimates than the achieved response.
Multilevel modeling is considerably useful way to analyze hierarchical data sets. The main
purpos... more Multilevel modeling is considerably useful way to analyze hierarchical data sets. The main purpose of this paper is to apply multilevel analysis in animal science and also show that this modeling technique is appropriate to analyze this kind of data. Thus multilevel modeling technique is used to analyze the milk yield data which has hierarchical structures, sires nested within cows. As a result of the analysis done in this paper, it is obvious that multilevel modeling is needed to use for analyzing this data. This illustrates that it is a convenient way to use multilevel analysis for the data which obtained from animals when the data have hierarchies.
It is believed that there is an association
between the weather and rheumatic symptoms. We aimed
... more It is believed that there is an association between the weather and rheumatic symptoms. We aimed to investigate what kind of association is present and what are the factors which determine the nature of this association. Fifty-six subjects with rheumatic disease (31 RA, 15 SpA, 10 OA) who live in Antalya were followed between December 2005 and July 2006. Patients were asked to fill diaries which contain questions regarding the symptoms of their rheumatic diseases everyday. In every monthly visit, disease activity measurement, laboratory assessment and Beck depression inventory assessment were recorded. The symptomatic and psychological measurements were matched with the meteorological data of Antalya Regional Directorate of Meteorological Service of Turkish State. Correlation of symptoms with weather variables was investigated. Contributory effect of weather and of psychologic factors on symptom scores were evaluated by stepwise multiple regression analysis. Eighty-four percent of subjects belive in an association between weather and rheumatism, while 57% claimed to have ability to forecast weather. The maximum correlation coefficient between weather and arthritis symptoms was -0.451 and the maximum contribution of weather on symptoms was 17.1%. Arthritis symptoms were significantly contributed by Beck depression score. The belief about presence of weather– arthritis association was found to be stronger than its statistical power. Our results did not prove or rule out the presence of weather–rheumatism association. As long as the scientific attempts result in failure, the intuitive support in favour of the presence of weather–arthritis association will go on forever.
Capsule The presence of Krueper’s Nuthatches can be predicted by variables describing topography,... more Capsule The presence of Krueper’s Nuthatches can be predicted by variables describing topography, vegetation structure and tree species, and knowledge of these can be used to determine sites for conservation action. Aim To analyse the relationships between habitat suitability, as characterized by the presence or absence of Krueper’s Nuthatches, and different predictor variables of forest and landscape diversity by building a logistic regression model. Methods We investigated the influence of 11 environmental variables on the occurrence of Krueper’s Nuthatches. Logistic regression, a particular case of GLM with binomial error distribution, was used to identify vegetation and topographical variables that provide an explanation for the presence/absence of Krueper’s Nuthatches in the study region of South Anatolia, Turkey. Results Tree height, and north and southeast directions of slope were positively correlated with the probability of occurrence of Krueper’s Nuthatches. Altitude, the presence of Red Pine and Syrian Fir trees, the presence/absence of bushes, and southwest direction of slope were all negatively associated with the occurrence of Krueper’s Nuthatches. Conclusion The constructed habitat model could be used to predict locations suitable for the creation of reservoirs for the conservation of Krueper’s Nuthatches in this region of southern Turkey.
Bu çalışmada yumurta verimi yönünde ıslah çalışması yapılması düşünülen bir Japon bıldırcını sürü... more Bu çalışmada yumurta verimi yönünde ıslah çalışması yapılması düşünülen bir Japon bıldırcını sürüsünde yumurta verimi ile ilgili bazı özellikler için varyans unsurları farklı yöntemlerle tahmin edilmiştir. Araştırmada bıldırcınlarda ölçülen eşeysel olgunluk yaşı (EOY), eşeysel olgunluk ağırlığı (EOA), yumurta ağırlığı (YA) ve kısmi yumurta verimi (YV) özellikleri kullanılmıştır. Bu özellikler için varyans-kovaryans unsurları REML (restricted maximum likelihood), Gibbs örneklemesi, ML (maximum likelihood) ve MIVQUE (minimum variance quadratic unbiased estimation) yöntemleri ile tahmin edilmiş ve çok özellikli genetik parametre tahminleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. En küçük hata varyansı Gibbs örneklemesi ile tahmin edilmiş, sözü edilen yöntemin en sapmasız sonuçları verdiği saptanmıştır. Dört yöntem ile elde edilen varyans-kovaryans matrisleri karışık model eşitliklerinde kullanılarak bıldırcınlara ait BLUP değerleri tahmin edilmiştir. Kalıtım dereceleri, EOA özelliği için 0.28-0.38 aralığında, EOY özelliği için 0.18-0.21 aralığında, YA özelliği için 0.36-0.43 aralığında, YV özelliği için 0.38-0.43 aralığında tahmin edilmiştir. En yüksek pozitif genetik korelasyon dört tahmin yönteminde de EOY ile YA özellikleri arasında tahmin edilmiştir. Farklı varyans-kovaryans matrisleri kullanılarak elde edilen BLUP değerleri arasındaki Spearman sıra korelasyon değerleri EOY için 0.90-0.99, EOA için 0.96-0.99, YA için 0.97-0.99, YV için 0.96-0.99 aralıklarında bulunmuştur. Söz konusu özellikler için damızlık değer tahmininde Gibbs örneklemesi yönteminden elde edilen varyans-kovaryans unsurlarının karışık model eşitliklerinde kullanılması uygun bulunmuştur.
The aim of the study was to examine whether the TGF-beta1 T(861-20)-C gene polymorphism might be ... more The aim of the study was to examine whether the TGF-beta1 T(861-20)-C gene polymorphism might be useful in identifying individuals with increased susceptibility to postmenopausal bone loss within the Turkish women population. T(861-20)-C polymorphism was genotyped in 616 postmenopausal women selected from the Turkish population: 311 postmenopausal osteoporotic women (OP) aged 45-65 years (mean age 58 years) and a control group (CG) of 305 postmenopausal women in the same age range (mean age 53 years) with normal bone mineral density. We have not found any significant differences in the frequency of the individual genotypes between the osteoporotic and control groups. The distribution of the T(861-20)-C genotypes was for Lumbar spine, CC, 74.0% in OP, 75.1% in CG; TC, 24.1% in OP, 23.9% in CG; TT, 1.9% in OP, 1.0% in CG; and for femoral neck, CC, 76.8% in OP, 72.8% in CG; TC, 22.1% in OP, 25.5% in CG; TT 1.1% in OP, 1.7% in CG. T(861-20)-C polymorphism was not found to be associated with bone mineral density in postmenopausal Turkish women. It was argued that this will be a pioneering study for the future research and therapies.
The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between fear of childbirth and anxiety lev... more The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between fear of childbirth and anxiety levels of Turkish population. 49.4% of the pregnant women were nulliparous, and 50.6% were multiparous. 41.1% of them have clinical level of fear of childbirth. As a result of correlation analysis, a significant relationship was determined between fear of childbirth and anxiety (r= 0.42, p<0.01). According to the findings, fear of childbirth was positive and moderate correlated with anxiety. Fear of childbirth is a major problem during pregnancy. Anxiety and fear of childbirth must be handled carefully by health care professionals.
Mediterranean countries have noticeable affect on the world wine exportation. Among
these countri... more Mediterranean countries have noticeable affect on the world wine exportation. Among these countries France, Greece and Turkey are selected for this study because of different wine market, trade systems and wine policies they have. In this study, cointegration analysis was conducted for real wine export prices and real exchange rates for France, Greece and Turkey. The long term relationships between real exchange rates and real wine export values were explored by using cointegration analysis. Annual data from 1970 to 2003 was used for this analysis and the data sets were found to be integrated of the same order. It was also found that they move together in the long run by Johansen Cointegration Test. Then, Error Correction Model (ECM) was applied to search any short term relations and impacts of exchange rate variations on wine exports. French and Greek monetary policies affect their wine export volume by the years. Therefore, any depreciation of local currency in dollar terms will lead to increase of exports vice versa. On the other hand, Turkish wine real export value and real exchange rate were found not cointegrated. Since, there was not any cointegrated vector, any exchange rate volatility do not influence Turkish real export wine value. Subsequently, the reasons of wine market failures in these countries and pursued policies were discussed.
Fitting non-linear models to the milk yield records of dairy cows is of particular importance
for... more Fitting non-linear models to the milk yield records of dairy cows is of particular importance for both breeding and management purposes as they provide a summary of the pattern of milk production with a few parameters that are biologically interpretable in animal science. In this study, hierarchical modeling of the test day milk yield data collected on monthly interval was considered and the non-linear three parameter Wood’s incomplete gamma function was used to obtain the lactation curves of 200 Holstein cows. Bayesian approach was utilized in estimation of model parameters. Some characteristics of lactation such as persistency, peak time and peak yield were also derived as well as total milk yield for each cow.
The aim of this study was to estimate the heritability for some
growth traits of Japanese quail t... more The aim of this study was to estimate the heritability for some growth traits of Japanese quail through the estimation of variance components by Bayesian methodology. For this purpose, 340 progenies of 34 sires were used. Live weight (LW42) and absolute and relative growth rates at 42 days of age (AGR42 and RGR42, respectively) were submitted to single-trait analysis under a sire model. A software (package MCMCglmm) was used for the estimations, and a single chain with 65,000 rounds was run for each trait with a thinning interval of 50. Burn-in was set at 15,000 and inferences were built on posterior samples of 1,000 draws for each trait. All marginal posterior densities were unimodal and marginal posterior distributions of sire variance are slightly skewed to the right. The results of the analyses showed high, moderate, and low heritability of LW42, AGR42, and RGR42, respectively.
In this study, an application algorithm has been introduced to explore structural
optimisation fo... more In this study, an application algorithm has been introduced to explore structural optimisation for gear pump housing. In the study, experimental and theoretical (analytical and numerical) methods are utilised. A commercial external spur gear pump which has 17.1 Lmin−1 volumetric flow rate with maximum pressure capacity of 250 bar has been considered for an application case study. In the experimental section of the study, four pressure sensors (emitters) were placed with angle intervals of 45◦, 90 ◦ , 135◦, and 180◦ on the pump’s housing to measure operating pressure values at specific pressure regions of the housing from inlet to outlet. According to experimental results of the pressure measurements, a response surface analysis (RSA) was carried out and then an estimation model (empirical equation), which could be used to calculate pressure values at any specific region of the housing, was obtained. According to the RSA results gained, it appears that the estimation model has 99.9% R2 value which can be used for adequately predicting accurate pressures at any region of the housing. Subsequently, this estimation model has been adapted for commercial finite elementmethod (FEM)-based engineering software and from which stress distributions on the housing were simulated three dimensionally. FEM-based simulation outputs showed that there were no failure signatures on the pump housing. As the main conclusion of the study, it is seen that an estimation model gives an adequate approach to predict pressure values at any specific pressure region of the pump housing and, especially, stress distribution results has highlighted that a structural optimisation study may be suitable for the pump housing.
Purpose: To translate and test the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Infertil... more Purpose: To translate and test the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form (TISE-SF). Methods: The convenience sample consisted of 120 infertile women. A psychometric research design was used with content and construct validity and reliability. Results: Cronbach’s alpha of .78 showed moderate reliability, whereas item–total correlations ranged from .30 to .54. Factor analysis extracted a single component, explaining 40.3% of the variance. Kendall W showed agreement with each expert regarding the appropriateness of the items, confirming the content validity of the translated TISE-SF. Conclusion: The results supported the construct validity and reliability of the TISE-SF for measuring infertility self-efficacy in a population of Turkish women. Implications: Evaluating infertile women’s perception of self-efficacy with the TISE-SF may be useful in clinical studies in Turkey. TISE-SF can be used by professionals as a counseling tool to help guide women in managing their treatments at infertility centers.
The goal of selection studies in broilers
is to obtain genetically superior chicks in terms of
ma... more The goal of selection studies in broilers is to obtain genetically superior chicks in terms of major economic traits, which are mainly growth rate, meat yield, and feed conversion ratio. Multiple selection schedules for growth and reproduction are used in selection programs within commercial broiler dam lines. Modern genetic improvement methods have not been applied in experimental quail lines. The current research was conducted to estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations for growth and reproduction traits in a Japanese quail flock. The Gompertz equation was used to determine growth curve parameters. The Gibbs sampling under a multi-trait animal model was applied to estimate the heritabilities and genetic correlations for these traits. A total of 948 quail were used with complete pedigree information to estimate the genetic parameters. Heritability estimates of BW, absolute and relative growth rates at 5 wk of age (AGR and RGR), β0 and β2 parameters, and age at point of inflection (IPT) of Gompertz growth curve, total egg number (EN) from the day of first lay to 24 wk of age were moderate to high, with values ranging from 0.25 to 0.40. A low heritability (0.07) for fertility (FR) and a strong genetic correlation (0.83) between FR and EN were estimated in our study. Body weight exhibited negative genetic correlation with EN, FR, RGR, and IPT. This genetic antagonism among the mentioned traits may be overcome using modern poultry breeding methods such as selection using multi-trait best linear unbiased prediction and crossbreeding.
The aim of this study is to model the test day milk yields via time series methodology and to det... more The aim of this study is to model the test day milk yields via time series methodology and to determine the number of test days which provide the most accurate forecasts. For this purpose, 10700 test day records belonging to 1070 dairy cattle were used. Data were divided into two groups of 5350 records in each. One set of observations was used to model parameters, while the remaining was used for evaluating the forecast power of the model and for determining the number of test day records which provide the most accurate forecasts. ARIMA(2,0,0)(1,1,1)10 model was determined to be suitable and it was used to obtain the forecast values. The expression of the model using estimated parameter values is (1-B10)1yt = [(1-0.99129B10)/(1-0.36889B-0.06934B2)(1-0.08352B10)]at. Statistically significant and high correlations were determined between the actual and forecast values. The results indicated that the time series approach can be useful for prediction of milk yields.
The aim of this study was to examine the
use of a nonlinear mixed modeling approach to growth
stu... more The aim of this study was to examine the use of a nonlinear mixed modeling approach to growth studies of Japanese quail. Weekly BW measurements of 89 female and 89 male quail were used in the study. A well-known logistic growth function was used in the analysis. The function was expanded to include a sex effect and random bird effects in β0 and β2 parameters. Analyses were performed via SAS 9.2 software. The performance of 3 models, a fixed effects model (model 1) including only sex effect, a mixed effects model (model 2) including sex effect in β0 and β2 parameters and random bird effect in β0, and a mixed effects model (model 3) including sex and random bird effects in β0 and β2 parameters, was compared. The minimized value of −2 times the log-likelihood, Akaike information criterion, corrected version of Akaike information criterion, and Schwarz information criterion values indicated a better fit of model 3 relative to other competitive models. Furthermore, the error variance reduction in model 2 and model 3 compared with model 1 was 60 and 65%, respectively, indicating the better fit of the mixed effect models. Significant differences between sexes were also determined in β0 and β2 parameters, in which the males, on average, had lower β0 and higher β2 parameters than females.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the
genetic parameters of several breast meat quality trait... more The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic parameters of several breast meat quality traits and their genetic relationships with some slaughter traits [BW, breast yield (BRY), and abdominal fat yield (AFY)]. In total, 1,093 pedigreed quail were slaughtered at 35 d of age to measure BRY, AFY, and breast meat quality traits [ultimate pH (pHU), Commission Internationale d’Eclairage color parameters (L*, lightness; a*, redness; and b*, yellowness), thawing and cooking loss (TL and CL, respectively), and Warner-Bratzler shear value (WB)]. The average pHU, L*, a*, and b* were determined to be 5.94, 43.09, 19.24, and 7.74, respectively. In addition, a very high WB average (7.75 kg) indicated the firmness of breast meat. High heritabilities were estimated for BW, BRY, and AFY (0.51, 0.49, and 0.35). Genetic correlations of BW between BRY and AFY were found to be high (0.32 and 0.58). On the other hand, the moderate negative relationship between BRY and AFY (−0.24) implies that selection for breast yield should not increase abdominal fat. The pHU was found to be the most heritable trait (0.64), whereas the other meat quality traits showed heritabilities in the range of 0.39 to 0.48. Contrary to chickens, the genetic correlation between pHU and L* was low. The pHU exhibited a negative and high correlation with BW and AFY, whereas L* showed a positive but smaller relationship with these traits. Moreover, pHU exhibited high negative correlations (−0.43 and −0.62) with TL and WB, whereas L* showed a moderate relationship (0.24) with CL. This genetic study confirmed that the multi-trait selection could be used to improve meat quality traits. Further, the ultimate pH of breast meat is a relevant selection criterion due to its strong relationships with either water-holding capacity and texture or low abdominal fatness.
In this study, long-term egg production
was monitored in a Japanese quail flock, which had not
un... more In this study, long-term egg production was monitored in a Japanese quail flock, which had not undergone any genetic improvement, for 52 wk as of the age of sexual maturity. The study aimed to detect some traits with respect to egg production, to determine the cumulative hen-housed egg numbers, and to compare goodness of fit of different nonlinear models for the percentage of hen-day egg production. The mean age at first egg was 38.9 d and the age at 50% egg production was 45.3 d. The quail reached peak production at 15 wk of age (wk 9 of egg production period) when the percentage of hen-day egg production was found to be 94%. The cumulative hen-housed egg number for 52 wk as of the age of sexual maturity was 253.08. The monomolecular function, a nonsigmoid model, was used in the nonlinear regression analysis of the cumulative egg numbers. Parameters a, b, and c of the monomolecular model were estimated to be 461.70, 473.31, and 0.065, respectively. Gamma, McNally, Adams-Bell, and modified compartmental models, widely used in hens previously, were used in the nonlinear regression analysis of the percentages of hen-day egg production. The goodness of fit for these models was compared using the values of pseudo-R2, Akaike’s information criterion, and Bayesian information criterion. It was determined that all the models are adequate but that the Adams- Bell model displayed a slightly better fit for the percentage of hen-day egg production in Japanese quail than others.
This methodological study was planned to translate the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/
Experience Ques... more This methodological study was planned to translate the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/ Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) into Turkish and to investigate its reliability for both nulliparous and parous women in Turkish population. A total of 660 healthy women with normal pregnancies at gestational ages of between 28 and 40 weeks were recruited. The internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s a) was used for determining the reliability of the W-DEQ. Construct validity was also determined utilizing the known-groups method. In this study, independent sample t-tests were used to compare the nulliparous and parous groups differing in known fear status. In order to test the construct of the W-DEQ, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale and Brief Measure of Worry Severity scales were chosen as these scales are expected to correlate with the W-DEQ. Analysis of the construct validity of the W-DEQ version A using Pearson’s correlation coefficients was performed for both nulliparous and parous women separately. All the scales in both groups showed a statistically significant correlation with the W-DEQ. The alpha coefficient (0.89) is well above the 0.70 criterion for internal consistency reliability. Turkish form of Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire Version A was fixed as reliable and valid means to measure the level of fear of childbirth among Turkish pregnants.
The selection index is a linear weighted combination of observed measurements constructed so as t... more The selection index is a linear weighted combination of observed measurements constructed so as to maximize genetic gain. The study is focused on the construction of optimum selection methods using analysis of variance, maximum likelihood and restricted maximum likelihood methods in a balanced univariate half-sib sire model. Data sets are simulated employing the Monte Carlo simulation method. Information on candidates themselves and their relatives are incorporated into a selection index. The conventional theory of selection index using analysis of variance method is compared with the likelihood based ones. Both ANOVA and likelihood based methods give similar results of selection responses due to setting the heritability estimates from ANOVA to zero if it is negative. It is found that the predicted response is more sensitive to the heritability and phenotypic variance estimates than the achieved response.
Multilevel modeling is considerably useful way to analyze hierarchical data sets. The main
purpos... more Multilevel modeling is considerably useful way to analyze hierarchical data sets. The main purpose of this paper is to apply multilevel analysis in animal science and also show that this modeling technique is appropriate to analyze this kind of data. Thus multilevel modeling technique is used to analyze the milk yield data which has hierarchical structures, sires nested within cows. As a result of the analysis done in this paper, it is obvious that multilevel modeling is needed to use for analyzing this data. This illustrates that it is a convenient way to use multilevel analysis for the data which obtained from animals when the data have hierarchies.
It is believed that there is an association
between the weather and rheumatic symptoms. We aimed
... more It is believed that there is an association between the weather and rheumatic symptoms. We aimed to investigate what kind of association is present and what are the factors which determine the nature of this association. Fifty-six subjects with rheumatic disease (31 RA, 15 SpA, 10 OA) who live in Antalya were followed between December 2005 and July 2006. Patients were asked to fill diaries which contain questions regarding the symptoms of their rheumatic diseases everyday. In every monthly visit, disease activity measurement, laboratory assessment and Beck depression inventory assessment were recorded. The symptomatic and psychological measurements were matched with the meteorological data of Antalya Regional Directorate of Meteorological Service of Turkish State. Correlation of symptoms with weather variables was investigated. Contributory effect of weather and of psychologic factors on symptom scores were evaluated by stepwise multiple regression analysis. Eighty-four percent of subjects belive in an association between weather and rheumatism, while 57% claimed to have ability to forecast weather. The maximum correlation coefficient between weather and arthritis symptoms was -0.451 and the maximum contribution of weather on symptoms was 17.1%. Arthritis symptoms were significantly contributed by Beck depression score. The belief about presence of weather– arthritis association was found to be stronger than its statistical power. Our results did not prove or rule out the presence of weather–rheumatism association. As long as the scientific attempts result in failure, the intuitive support in favour of the presence of weather–arthritis association will go on forever.
Capsule The presence of Krueper’s Nuthatches can be predicted by variables describing topography,... more Capsule The presence of Krueper’s Nuthatches can be predicted by variables describing topography, vegetation structure and tree species, and knowledge of these can be used to determine sites for conservation action. Aim To analyse the relationships between habitat suitability, as characterized by the presence or absence of Krueper’s Nuthatches, and different predictor variables of forest and landscape diversity by building a logistic regression model. Methods We investigated the influence of 11 environmental variables on the occurrence of Krueper’s Nuthatches. Logistic regression, a particular case of GLM with binomial error distribution, was used to identify vegetation and topographical variables that provide an explanation for the presence/absence of Krueper’s Nuthatches in the study region of South Anatolia, Turkey. Results Tree height, and north and southeast directions of slope were positively correlated with the probability of occurrence of Krueper’s Nuthatches. Altitude, the presence of Red Pine and Syrian Fir trees, the presence/absence of bushes, and southwest direction of slope were all negatively associated with the occurrence of Krueper’s Nuthatches. Conclusion The constructed habitat model could be used to predict locations suitable for the creation of reservoirs for the conservation of Krueper’s Nuthatches in this region of southern Turkey.
Bu çalışmada yumurta verimi yönünde ıslah çalışması yapılması düşünülen bir Japon bıldırcını sürü... more Bu çalışmada yumurta verimi yönünde ıslah çalışması yapılması düşünülen bir Japon bıldırcını sürüsünde yumurta verimi ile ilgili bazı özellikler için varyans unsurları farklı yöntemlerle tahmin edilmiştir. Araştırmada bıldırcınlarda ölçülen eşeysel olgunluk yaşı (EOY), eşeysel olgunluk ağırlığı (EOA), yumurta ağırlığı (YA) ve kısmi yumurta verimi (YV) özellikleri kullanılmıştır. Bu özellikler için varyans-kovaryans unsurları REML (restricted maximum likelihood), Gibbs örneklemesi, ML (maximum likelihood) ve MIVQUE (minimum variance quadratic unbiased estimation) yöntemleri ile tahmin edilmiş ve çok özellikli genetik parametre tahminleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. En küçük hata varyansı Gibbs örneklemesi ile tahmin edilmiş, sözü edilen yöntemin en sapmasız sonuçları verdiği saptanmıştır. Dört yöntem ile elde edilen varyans-kovaryans matrisleri karışık model eşitliklerinde kullanılarak bıldırcınlara ait BLUP değerleri tahmin edilmiştir. Kalıtım dereceleri, EOA özelliği için 0.28-0.38 aralığında, EOY özelliği için 0.18-0.21 aralığında, YA özelliği için 0.36-0.43 aralığında, YV özelliği için 0.38-0.43 aralığında tahmin edilmiştir. En yüksek pozitif genetik korelasyon dört tahmin yönteminde de EOY ile YA özellikleri arasında tahmin edilmiştir. Farklı varyans-kovaryans matrisleri kullanılarak elde edilen BLUP değerleri arasındaki Spearman sıra korelasyon değerleri EOY için 0.90-0.99, EOA için 0.96-0.99, YA için 0.97-0.99, YV için 0.96-0.99 aralıklarında bulunmuştur. Söz konusu özellikler için damızlık değer tahmininde Gibbs örneklemesi yönteminden elde edilen varyans-kovaryans unsurlarının karışık model eşitliklerinde kullanılması uygun bulunmuştur.
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of the pregnant women were nulliparous, and 50.6% were multiparous. 41.1% of them have clinical level of fear of childbirth. As
a result of correlation analysis, a significant relationship was determined between fear of childbirth and anxiety (r= 0.42, p<0.01).
According to the findings, fear of childbirth was positive and moderate correlated with anxiety. Fear of childbirth is a major
problem during pregnancy. Anxiety and fear of childbirth must be handled carefully by health care professionals.
these countries France, Greece and Turkey are selected for this study because of different wine
market, trade systems and wine policies they have. In this study, cointegration analysis was
conducted for real wine export prices and real exchange rates for France, Greece and Turkey. The
long term relationships between real exchange rates and real wine export values were explored by
using cointegration analysis. Annual data from 1970 to 2003 was used for this analysis and the
data sets were found to be integrated of the same order. It was also found that they move together
in the long run by Johansen Cointegration Test. Then, Error Correction Model (ECM) was applied to
search any short term relations and impacts of exchange rate variations on wine exports. French
and Greek monetary policies affect their wine export volume by the years. Therefore, any
depreciation of local currency in dollar terms will lead to increase of exports vice versa. On the
other hand, Turkish wine real export value and real exchange rate were found not cointegrated.
Since, there was not any cointegrated vector, any exchange rate volatility do not influence Turkish
real export wine value. Subsequently, the reasons of wine market failures in these countries and
pursued policies were discussed.
for both breeding and management purposes as they provide a summary of the pattern of milk
production with a few parameters that are biologically interpretable in animal science. In this
study, hierarchical modeling of the test day milk yield data collected on monthly interval was
considered and the non-linear three parameter Wood’s incomplete gamma function was used
to obtain the lactation curves of 200 Holstein cows. Bayesian approach was utilized in
estimation of model parameters. Some characteristics of lactation such as persistency, peak
time and peak yield were also derived as well as total milk yield for each cow.
growth traits of Japanese quail through the estimation of variance
components by Bayesian methodology. For this purpose, 340 progenies
of 34 sires were used. Live weight (LW42) and absolute and relative
growth rates at 42 days of age (AGR42 and RGR42, respectively)
were submitted to single-trait analysis under a sire model. A software
(package MCMCglmm) was used for the estimations, and a single chain
with 65,000 rounds was run for each trait with a thinning interval of
50. Burn-in was set at 15,000 and inferences were built on posterior
samples of 1,000 draws for each trait. All marginal posterior densities
were unimodal and marginal posterior distributions of sire variance
are slightly skewed to the right. The results of the analyses showed
high, moderate, and low heritability of LW42, AGR42, and RGR42,
respectively.
optimisation for gear pump housing. In the study, experimental and theoretical
(analytical and numerical) methods are utilised. A commercial external spur
gear pump which has 17.1 Lmin−1 volumetric flow rate with maximum
pressure capacity of 250 bar has been considered for an application case study.
In the experimental section of the study, four pressure sensors (emitters)
were placed with angle intervals of 45◦, 90 ◦ , 135◦, and 180◦ on the pump’s
housing to measure operating pressure values at specific pressure regions of the
housing from inlet to outlet. According to experimental results of the pressure
measurements, a response surface analysis (RSA) was carried out and then
an estimation model (empirical equation), which could be used to calculate
pressure values at any specific region of the housing, was obtained. According
to the RSA results gained, it appears that the estimation model has 99.9% R2
value which can be used for adequately predicting accurate pressures at any
region of the housing. Subsequently, this estimation model has been adapted for
commercial finite elementmethod (FEM)-based engineering software and from
which stress distributions on the housing were simulated three dimensionally.
FEM-based simulation outputs showed that there were no failure signatures
on the pump housing. As the main conclusion of the study, it is seen that an
estimation model gives an adequate approach to predict pressure values at any
specific pressure region of the pump housing and, especially, stress distribution
results has highlighted that a structural optimisation study may be suitable for
the pump housing.
Form (TISE-SF). Methods: The convenience sample consisted of 120 infertile women. A psychometric research design
was used with content and construct validity and reliability. Results: Cronbach’s alpha of .78 showed moderate reliability,
whereas item–total correlations ranged from .30 to .54. Factor analysis extracted a single component, explaining 40.3% of the
variance. Kendall W showed agreement with each expert regarding the appropriateness of the items, confirming the content
validity of the translated TISE-SF. Conclusion: The results supported the construct validity and reliability of the TISE-SF for
measuring infertility self-efficacy in a population of Turkish women. Implications: Evaluating infertile women’s perception of
self-efficacy with the TISE-SF may be useful in clinical studies in Turkey. TISE-SF can be used by professionals as a counseling
tool to help guide women in managing their treatments at infertility centers.
is to obtain genetically superior chicks in terms of
major economic traits, which are mainly growth rate,
meat yield, and feed conversion ratio. Multiple selection
schedules for growth and reproduction are used
in selection programs within commercial broiler dam
lines. Modern genetic improvement methods have not
been applied in experimental quail lines. The current
research was conducted to estimate heritabilities
and genetic correlations for growth and reproduction
traits in a Japanese quail flock. The Gompertz equation
was used to determine growth curve parameters.
The Gibbs sampling under a multi-trait animal model
was applied to estimate the heritabilities and genetic
correlations for these traits. A total of 948 quail were
used with complete pedigree information to estimate
the genetic parameters. Heritability estimates of BW,
absolute and relative growth rates at 5 wk of age (AGR
and RGR), β0 and β2 parameters, and age at point of
inflection (IPT) of Gompertz growth curve, total egg
number (EN) from the day of first lay to 24 wk of
age were moderate to high, with values ranging from
0.25 to 0.40. A low heritability (0.07) for fertility (FR)
and a strong genetic correlation (0.83) between FR and
EN were estimated in our study. Body weight exhibited
negative genetic correlation with EN, FR, RGR, and
IPT. This genetic antagonism among the mentioned
traits may be overcome using modern poultry breeding
methods such as selection using multi-trait best linear
unbiased prediction and crossbreeding.
use of a nonlinear mixed modeling approach to growth
studies of Japanese quail. Weekly BW measurements
of 89 female and 89 male quail were used in the study.
A well-known logistic growth function was used in the
analysis. The function was expanded to include a sex
effect and random bird effects in β0 and β2 parameters.
Analyses were performed via SAS 9.2 software. The performance
of 3 models, a fixed effects model (model 1)
including only sex effect, a mixed effects model (model
2) including sex effect in β0 and β2 parameters and random
bird effect in β0, and a mixed effects model (model
3) including sex and random bird effects in β0 and β2 parameters, was compared. The minimized value of −2
times the log-likelihood, Akaike information criterion,
corrected version of Akaike information criterion, and
Schwarz information criterion values indicated a better
fit of model 3 relative to other competitive models.
Furthermore, the error variance reduction in model 2
and model 3 compared with model 1 was 60 and 65%,
respectively, indicating the better fit of the mixed effect
models. Significant differences between sexes were
also determined in β0 and β2 parameters, in which the
males, on average, had lower β0 and higher β2 parameters
than females.
genetic parameters of several breast meat quality traits
and their genetic relationships with some slaughter
traits [BW, breast yield (BRY), and abdominal fat yield
(AFY)]. In total, 1,093 pedigreed quail were slaughtered
at 35 d of age to measure BRY, AFY, and breast meat
quality traits [ultimate pH (pHU), Commission Internationale
d’Eclairage color parameters (L*, lightness;
a*, redness; and b*, yellowness), thawing and cooking
loss (TL and CL, respectively), and Warner-Bratzler
shear value (WB)]. The average pHU, L*, a*, and b*
were determined to be 5.94, 43.09, 19.24, and 7.74, respectively.
In addition, a very high WB average (7.75
kg) indicated the firmness of breast meat. High heritabilities
were estimated for BW, BRY, and AFY (0.51,
0.49, and 0.35). Genetic correlations of BW between
BRY and AFY were found to be high (0.32 and 0.58). On the other hand, the moderate negative relationship
between BRY and AFY (−0.24) implies that selection
for breast yield should not increase abdominal fat. The
pHU was found to be the most heritable trait (0.64),
whereas the other meat quality traits showed heritabilities
in the range of 0.39 to 0.48. Contrary to chickens,
the genetic correlation between pHU and L* was
low. The pHU exhibited a negative and high correlation
with BW and AFY, whereas L* showed a positive but
smaller relationship with these traits. Moreover, pHU
exhibited high negative correlations (−0.43 and −0.62)
with TL and WB, whereas L* showed a moderate relationship
(0.24) with CL. This genetic study confirmed
that the multi-trait selection could be used to improve
meat quality traits. Further, the ultimate pH of breast
meat is a relevant selection criterion due to its strong
relationships with either water-holding capacity and
texture or low abdominal fatness.
was monitored in a Japanese quail flock, which had not
undergone any genetic improvement, for 52 wk as of the
age of sexual maturity. The study aimed to detect some
traits with respect to egg production, to determine the
cumulative hen-housed egg numbers, and to compare
goodness of fit of different nonlinear models for the
percentage of hen-day egg production. The mean age
at first egg was 38.9 d and the age at 50% egg production
was 45.3 d. The quail reached peak production at
15 wk of age (wk 9 of egg production period) when the
percentage of hen-day egg production was found to be
94%. The cumulative hen-housed egg number for 52
wk as of the age of sexual maturity was 253.08. The
monomolecular function, a nonsigmoid model, was used in the nonlinear regression analysis of the cumulative
egg numbers. Parameters a, b, and c of the monomolecular
model were estimated to be 461.70, 473.31, and
0.065, respectively. Gamma, McNally, Adams-Bell, and
modified compartmental models, widely used in hens
previously, were used in the nonlinear regression analysis
of the percentages of hen-day egg production. The
goodness of fit for these models was compared using
the values of pseudo-R2, Akaike’s information criterion,
and Bayesian information criterion. It was determined
that all the models are adequate but that the Adams-
Bell model displayed a slightly better fit for the percentage
of hen-day egg production in Japanese quail
than others.
structures of the W-DEQ, originally developed on UK and Swedish
women, were confirmed in Turkish samples, and to obtain a new
modified factor structure appropriate to Turkish culture. Statistical
analyses of the data obtained were performed using SPSS© for
Windows version 13.0 and the SAS statistical software Version
9.1. Both confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis of W-DEQ
were performed in the study. Factor analysis yielded four factors
related to hope, fear, lack of positive anticipation and riskiness.
The alpha estimates of the total W-DEQ score were somewhat
higher, being 0.92 for the parous and 0.90 for the nulliparous
sample. These are well above the accepted limit of 0.70 and
indicate excellent levels of internal reliability, thus showing that
the questions were appropriate to the Turkish culture and useful
scale for the evaluation of fear of childbirth in Turkish pregnants.
Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) into Turkish and to investigate its reliability for
both nulliparous and parous women in Turkish population. A total of 660 healthy
women with normal pregnancies at gestational ages of between 28 and 40 weeks were
recruited. The internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s a) was used for determining
the reliability of the W-DEQ. Construct validity was also determined utilizing the
known-groups method. In this study, independent sample t-tests were used to compare
the nulliparous and parous groups differing in known fear status. In order to test the
construct of the W-DEQ, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale
and Brief Measure of Worry Severity scales were chosen as these scales are expected to
correlate with the W-DEQ. Analysis of the construct validity of the W-DEQ version A
using Pearson’s correlation coefficients was performed for both nulliparous and parous
women separately. All the scales in both groups showed a statistically significant
correlation with the W-DEQ. The alpha coefficient (0.89) is well above the 0.70
criterion for internal consistency reliability. Turkish form of Wijma Delivery
Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire Version A was fixed as reliable and valid means
to measure the level of fear of childbirth among Turkish pregnants.
genetic gain. The study is focused on the construction of optimum selection methods using analysis of variance, maximum likelihood
and restricted maximum likelihood methods in a balanced univariate half-sib sire model. Data sets are simulated employing the
Monte Carlo simulation method. Information on candidates themselves and their relatives are incorporated into a selection index. The
conventional theory of selection index using analysis of variance method is compared with the likelihood based ones. Both ANOVA
and likelihood based methods give similar results of selection responses due to setting the heritability estimates from ANOVA to
zero if it is negative. It is found that the predicted response is more sensitive to the heritability and phenotypic variance estimates
than the achieved response.
purpose of this paper is to apply multilevel analysis in animal science and also show that
this modeling technique is appropriate to analyze this kind of data. Thus multilevel modeling
technique is used to analyze the milk yield data which has hierarchical structures,
sires nested within cows. As a result of the analysis done in this paper, it is obvious that
multilevel modeling is needed to use for analyzing this data. This illustrates that it is a convenient
way to use multilevel analysis for the data which obtained from animals when the
data have hierarchies.
between the weather and rheumatic symptoms. We aimed
to investigate what kind of association is present and what
are the factors which determine the nature of this association.
Fifty-six subjects with rheumatic disease (31 RA, 15
SpA, 10 OA) who live in Antalya were followed between
December 2005 and July 2006. Patients were asked to fill
diaries which contain questions regarding the symptoms of
their rheumatic diseases everyday. In every monthly visit,
disease activity measurement, laboratory assessment and
Beck depression inventory assessment were recorded. The
symptomatic and psychological measurements were matched
with the meteorological data of Antalya Regional
Directorate of Meteorological Service of Turkish State.
Correlation of symptoms with weather variables was
investigated. Contributory effect of weather and of psychologic
factors on symptom scores were evaluated by
stepwise multiple regression analysis. Eighty-four percent
of subjects belive in an association between weather and
rheumatism, while 57% claimed to have ability to forecast
weather. The maximum correlation coefficient between
weather and arthritis symptoms was -0.451 and the maximum
contribution of weather on symptoms was 17.1%.
Arthritis symptoms were significantly contributed by Beck
depression score. The belief about presence of weather–
arthritis association was found to be stronger than its statistical
power. Our results did not prove or rule out the
presence of weather–rheumatism association. As long as
the scientific attempts result in failure, the intuitive support
in favour of the presence of weather–arthritis association
will go on forever.
vegetation structure and tree species, and knowledge of these can be used to determine sites for
conservation action.
Aim To analyse the relationships between habitat suitability, as characterized by the presence or absence
of Krueper’s Nuthatches, and different predictor variables of forest and landscape diversity by building
a logistic regression model.
Methods We investigated the influence of 11 environmental variables on the occurrence of Krueper’s
Nuthatches. Logistic regression, a particular case of GLM with binomial error distribution, was used to
identify vegetation and topographical variables that provide an explanation for the presence/absence of
Krueper’s Nuthatches in the study region of South Anatolia, Turkey.
Results Tree height, and north and southeast directions of slope were positively correlated with the
probability of occurrence of Krueper’s Nuthatches. Altitude, the presence of Red Pine and Syrian Fir trees,
the presence/absence of bushes, and southwest direction of slope were all negatively associated with the
occurrence of Krueper’s Nuthatches.
Conclusion The constructed habitat model could be used to predict locations suitable for the creation of
reservoirs for the conservation of Krueper’s Nuthatches in this region of southern Turkey.
ilgili bazı özellikler için varyans unsurları farklı yöntemlerle tahmin edilmiştir. Araştırmada bıldırcınlarda ölçülen eşeysel olgunluk
yaşı (EOY), eşeysel olgunluk ağırlığı (EOA), yumurta ağırlığı (YA) ve kısmi yumurta verimi (YV) özellikleri kullanılmıştır. Bu özellikler
için varyans-kovaryans unsurları REML (restricted maximum likelihood), Gibbs örneklemesi, ML (maximum likelihood) ve MIVQUE
(minimum variance quadratic unbiased estimation) yöntemleri ile tahmin edilmiş ve çok özellikli genetik parametre tahminleri
gerçekleştirilmiştir. En küçük hata varyansı Gibbs örneklemesi ile tahmin edilmiş, sözü edilen yöntemin en sapmasız sonuçları
verdiği saptanmıştır. Dört yöntem ile elde edilen varyans-kovaryans matrisleri karışık model eşitliklerinde kullanılarak bıldırcınlara
ait BLUP değerleri tahmin edilmiştir. Kalıtım dereceleri, EOA özelliği için 0.28-0.38 aralığında, EOY özelliği için 0.18-0.21 aralığında,
YA özelliği için 0.36-0.43 aralığında, YV özelliği için 0.38-0.43 aralığında tahmin edilmiştir. En yüksek pozitif genetik korelasyon
dört tahmin yönteminde de EOY ile YA özellikleri arasında tahmin edilmiştir. Farklı varyans-kovaryans matrisleri kullanılarak elde
edilen BLUP değerleri arasındaki Spearman sıra korelasyon değerleri EOY için 0.90-0.99, EOA için 0.96-0.99, YA için 0.97-0.99, YV
için 0.96-0.99 aralıklarında bulunmuştur. Söz konusu özellikler için damızlık değer tahmininde Gibbs örneklemesi yönteminden
elde edilen varyans-kovaryans unsurlarının karışık model eşitliklerinde kullanılması uygun bulunmuştur.
of the pregnant women were nulliparous, and 50.6% were multiparous. 41.1% of them have clinical level of fear of childbirth. As
a result of correlation analysis, a significant relationship was determined between fear of childbirth and anxiety (r= 0.42, p<0.01).
According to the findings, fear of childbirth was positive and moderate correlated with anxiety. Fear of childbirth is a major
problem during pregnancy. Anxiety and fear of childbirth must be handled carefully by health care professionals.
these countries France, Greece and Turkey are selected for this study because of different wine
market, trade systems and wine policies they have. In this study, cointegration analysis was
conducted for real wine export prices and real exchange rates for France, Greece and Turkey. The
long term relationships between real exchange rates and real wine export values were explored by
using cointegration analysis. Annual data from 1970 to 2003 was used for this analysis and the
data sets were found to be integrated of the same order. It was also found that they move together
in the long run by Johansen Cointegration Test. Then, Error Correction Model (ECM) was applied to
search any short term relations and impacts of exchange rate variations on wine exports. French
and Greek monetary policies affect their wine export volume by the years. Therefore, any
depreciation of local currency in dollar terms will lead to increase of exports vice versa. On the
other hand, Turkish wine real export value and real exchange rate were found not cointegrated.
Since, there was not any cointegrated vector, any exchange rate volatility do not influence Turkish
real export wine value. Subsequently, the reasons of wine market failures in these countries and
pursued policies were discussed.
for both breeding and management purposes as they provide a summary of the pattern of milk
production with a few parameters that are biologically interpretable in animal science. In this
study, hierarchical modeling of the test day milk yield data collected on monthly interval was
considered and the non-linear three parameter Wood’s incomplete gamma function was used
to obtain the lactation curves of 200 Holstein cows. Bayesian approach was utilized in
estimation of model parameters. Some characteristics of lactation such as persistency, peak
time and peak yield were also derived as well as total milk yield for each cow.
growth traits of Japanese quail through the estimation of variance
components by Bayesian methodology. For this purpose, 340 progenies
of 34 sires were used. Live weight (LW42) and absolute and relative
growth rates at 42 days of age (AGR42 and RGR42, respectively)
were submitted to single-trait analysis under a sire model. A software
(package MCMCglmm) was used for the estimations, and a single chain
with 65,000 rounds was run for each trait with a thinning interval of
50. Burn-in was set at 15,000 and inferences were built on posterior
samples of 1,000 draws for each trait. All marginal posterior densities
were unimodal and marginal posterior distributions of sire variance
are slightly skewed to the right. The results of the analyses showed
high, moderate, and low heritability of LW42, AGR42, and RGR42,
respectively.
optimisation for gear pump housing. In the study, experimental and theoretical
(analytical and numerical) methods are utilised. A commercial external spur
gear pump which has 17.1 Lmin−1 volumetric flow rate with maximum
pressure capacity of 250 bar has been considered for an application case study.
In the experimental section of the study, four pressure sensors (emitters)
were placed with angle intervals of 45◦, 90 ◦ , 135◦, and 180◦ on the pump’s
housing to measure operating pressure values at specific pressure regions of the
housing from inlet to outlet. According to experimental results of the pressure
measurements, a response surface analysis (RSA) was carried out and then
an estimation model (empirical equation), which could be used to calculate
pressure values at any specific region of the housing, was obtained. According
to the RSA results gained, it appears that the estimation model has 99.9% R2
value which can be used for adequately predicting accurate pressures at any
region of the housing. Subsequently, this estimation model has been adapted for
commercial finite elementmethod (FEM)-based engineering software and from
which stress distributions on the housing were simulated three dimensionally.
FEM-based simulation outputs showed that there were no failure signatures
on the pump housing. As the main conclusion of the study, it is seen that an
estimation model gives an adequate approach to predict pressure values at any
specific pressure region of the pump housing and, especially, stress distribution
results has highlighted that a structural optimisation study may be suitable for
the pump housing.
Form (TISE-SF). Methods: The convenience sample consisted of 120 infertile women. A psychometric research design
was used with content and construct validity and reliability. Results: Cronbach’s alpha of .78 showed moderate reliability,
whereas item–total correlations ranged from .30 to .54. Factor analysis extracted a single component, explaining 40.3% of the
variance. Kendall W showed agreement with each expert regarding the appropriateness of the items, confirming the content
validity of the translated TISE-SF. Conclusion: The results supported the construct validity and reliability of the TISE-SF for
measuring infertility self-efficacy in a population of Turkish women. Implications: Evaluating infertile women’s perception of
self-efficacy with the TISE-SF may be useful in clinical studies in Turkey. TISE-SF can be used by professionals as a counseling
tool to help guide women in managing their treatments at infertility centers.
is to obtain genetically superior chicks in terms of
major economic traits, which are mainly growth rate,
meat yield, and feed conversion ratio. Multiple selection
schedules for growth and reproduction are used
in selection programs within commercial broiler dam
lines. Modern genetic improvement methods have not
been applied in experimental quail lines. The current
research was conducted to estimate heritabilities
and genetic correlations for growth and reproduction
traits in a Japanese quail flock. The Gompertz equation
was used to determine growth curve parameters.
The Gibbs sampling under a multi-trait animal model
was applied to estimate the heritabilities and genetic
correlations for these traits. A total of 948 quail were
used with complete pedigree information to estimate
the genetic parameters. Heritability estimates of BW,
absolute and relative growth rates at 5 wk of age (AGR
and RGR), β0 and β2 parameters, and age at point of
inflection (IPT) of Gompertz growth curve, total egg
number (EN) from the day of first lay to 24 wk of
age were moderate to high, with values ranging from
0.25 to 0.40. A low heritability (0.07) for fertility (FR)
and a strong genetic correlation (0.83) between FR and
EN were estimated in our study. Body weight exhibited
negative genetic correlation with EN, FR, RGR, and
IPT. This genetic antagonism among the mentioned
traits may be overcome using modern poultry breeding
methods such as selection using multi-trait best linear
unbiased prediction and crossbreeding.
use of a nonlinear mixed modeling approach to growth
studies of Japanese quail. Weekly BW measurements
of 89 female and 89 male quail were used in the study.
A well-known logistic growth function was used in the
analysis. The function was expanded to include a sex
effect and random bird effects in β0 and β2 parameters.
Analyses were performed via SAS 9.2 software. The performance
of 3 models, a fixed effects model (model 1)
including only sex effect, a mixed effects model (model
2) including sex effect in β0 and β2 parameters and random
bird effect in β0, and a mixed effects model (model
3) including sex and random bird effects in β0 and β2 parameters, was compared. The minimized value of −2
times the log-likelihood, Akaike information criterion,
corrected version of Akaike information criterion, and
Schwarz information criterion values indicated a better
fit of model 3 relative to other competitive models.
Furthermore, the error variance reduction in model 2
and model 3 compared with model 1 was 60 and 65%,
respectively, indicating the better fit of the mixed effect
models. Significant differences between sexes were
also determined in β0 and β2 parameters, in which the
males, on average, had lower β0 and higher β2 parameters
than females.
genetic parameters of several breast meat quality traits
and their genetic relationships with some slaughter
traits [BW, breast yield (BRY), and abdominal fat yield
(AFY)]. In total, 1,093 pedigreed quail were slaughtered
at 35 d of age to measure BRY, AFY, and breast meat
quality traits [ultimate pH (pHU), Commission Internationale
d’Eclairage color parameters (L*, lightness;
a*, redness; and b*, yellowness), thawing and cooking
loss (TL and CL, respectively), and Warner-Bratzler
shear value (WB)]. The average pHU, L*, a*, and b*
were determined to be 5.94, 43.09, 19.24, and 7.74, respectively.
In addition, a very high WB average (7.75
kg) indicated the firmness of breast meat. High heritabilities
were estimated for BW, BRY, and AFY (0.51,
0.49, and 0.35). Genetic correlations of BW between
BRY and AFY were found to be high (0.32 and 0.58). On the other hand, the moderate negative relationship
between BRY and AFY (−0.24) implies that selection
for breast yield should not increase abdominal fat. The
pHU was found to be the most heritable trait (0.64),
whereas the other meat quality traits showed heritabilities
in the range of 0.39 to 0.48. Contrary to chickens,
the genetic correlation between pHU and L* was
low. The pHU exhibited a negative and high correlation
with BW and AFY, whereas L* showed a positive but
smaller relationship with these traits. Moreover, pHU
exhibited high negative correlations (−0.43 and −0.62)
with TL and WB, whereas L* showed a moderate relationship
(0.24) with CL. This genetic study confirmed
that the multi-trait selection could be used to improve
meat quality traits. Further, the ultimate pH of breast
meat is a relevant selection criterion due to its strong
relationships with either water-holding capacity and
texture or low abdominal fatness.
was monitored in a Japanese quail flock, which had not
undergone any genetic improvement, for 52 wk as of the
age of sexual maturity. The study aimed to detect some
traits with respect to egg production, to determine the
cumulative hen-housed egg numbers, and to compare
goodness of fit of different nonlinear models for the
percentage of hen-day egg production. The mean age
at first egg was 38.9 d and the age at 50% egg production
was 45.3 d. The quail reached peak production at
15 wk of age (wk 9 of egg production period) when the
percentage of hen-day egg production was found to be
94%. The cumulative hen-housed egg number for 52
wk as of the age of sexual maturity was 253.08. The
monomolecular function, a nonsigmoid model, was used in the nonlinear regression analysis of the cumulative
egg numbers. Parameters a, b, and c of the monomolecular
model were estimated to be 461.70, 473.31, and
0.065, respectively. Gamma, McNally, Adams-Bell, and
modified compartmental models, widely used in hens
previously, were used in the nonlinear regression analysis
of the percentages of hen-day egg production. The
goodness of fit for these models was compared using
the values of pseudo-R2, Akaike’s information criterion,
and Bayesian information criterion. It was determined
that all the models are adequate but that the Adams-
Bell model displayed a slightly better fit for the percentage
of hen-day egg production in Japanese quail
than others.
structures of the W-DEQ, originally developed on UK and Swedish
women, were confirmed in Turkish samples, and to obtain a new
modified factor structure appropriate to Turkish culture. Statistical
analyses of the data obtained were performed using SPSS© for
Windows version 13.0 and the SAS statistical software Version
9.1. Both confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis of W-DEQ
were performed in the study. Factor analysis yielded four factors
related to hope, fear, lack of positive anticipation and riskiness.
The alpha estimates of the total W-DEQ score were somewhat
higher, being 0.92 for the parous and 0.90 for the nulliparous
sample. These are well above the accepted limit of 0.70 and
indicate excellent levels of internal reliability, thus showing that
the questions were appropriate to the Turkish culture and useful
scale for the evaluation of fear of childbirth in Turkish pregnants.
Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) into Turkish and to investigate its reliability for
both nulliparous and parous women in Turkish population. A total of 660 healthy
women with normal pregnancies at gestational ages of between 28 and 40 weeks were
recruited. The internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s a) was used for determining
the reliability of the W-DEQ. Construct validity was also determined utilizing the
known-groups method. In this study, independent sample t-tests were used to compare
the nulliparous and parous groups differing in known fear status. In order to test the
construct of the W-DEQ, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale
and Brief Measure of Worry Severity scales were chosen as these scales are expected to
correlate with the W-DEQ. Analysis of the construct validity of the W-DEQ version A
using Pearson’s correlation coefficients was performed for both nulliparous and parous
women separately. All the scales in both groups showed a statistically significant
correlation with the W-DEQ. The alpha coefficient (0.89) is well above the 0.70
criterion for internal consistency reliability. Turkish form of Wijma Delivery
Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire Version A was fixed as reliable and valid means
to measure the level of fear of childbirth among Turkish pregnants.
genetic gain. The study is focused on the construction of optimum selection methods using analysis of variance, maximum likelihood
and restricted maximum likelihood methods in a balanced univariate half-sib sire model. Data sets are simulated employing the
Monte Carlo simulation method. Information on candidates themselves and their relatives are incorporated into a selection index. The
conventional theory of selection index using analysis of variance method is compared with the likelihood based ones. Both ANOVA
and likelihood based methods give similar results of selection responses due to setting the heritability estimates from ANOVA to
zero if it is negative. It is found that the predicted response is more sensitive to the heritability and phenotypic variance estimates
than the achieved response.
purpose of this paper is to apply multilevel analysis in animal science and also show that
this modeling technique is appropriate to analyze this kind of data. Thus multilevel modeling
technique is used to analyze the milk yield data which has hierarchical structures,
sires nested within cows. As a result of the analysis done in this paper, it is obvious that
multilevel modeling is needed to use for analyzing this data. This illustrates that it is a convenient
way to use multilevel analysis for the data which obtained from animals when the
data have hierarchies.
between the weather and rheumatic symptoms. We aimed
to investigate what kind of association is present and what
are the factors which determine the nature of this association.
Fifty-six subjects with rheumatic disease (31 RA, 15
SpA, 10 OA) who live in Antalya were followed between
December 2005 and July 2006. Patients were asked to fill
diaries which contain questions regarding the symptoms of
their rheumatic diseases everyday. In every monthly visit,
disease activity measurement, laboratory assessment and
Beck depression inventory assessment were recorded. The
symptomatic and psychological measurements were matched
with the meteorological data of Antalya Regional
Directorate of Meteorological Service of Turkish State.
Correlation of symptoms with weather variables was
investigated. Contributory effect of weather and of psychologic
factors on symptom scores were evaluated by
stepwise multiple regression analysis. Eighty-four percent
of subjects belive in an association between weather and
rheumatism, while 57% claimed to have ability to forecast
weather. The maximum correlation coefficient between
weather and arthritis symptoms was -0.451 and the maximum
contribution of weather on symptoms was 17.1%.
Arthritis symptoms were significantly contributed by Beck
depression score. The belief about presence of weather–
arthritis association was found to be stronger than its statistical
power. Our results did not prove or rule out the
presence of weather–rheumatism association. As long as
the scientific attempts result in failure, the intuitive support
in favour of the presence of weather–arthritis association
will go on forever.
vegetation structure and tree species, and knowledge of these can be used to determine sites for
conservation action.
Aim To analyse the relationships between habitat suitability, as characterized by the presence or absence
of Krueper’s Nuthatches, and different predictor variables of forest and landscape diversity by building
a logistic regression model.
Methods We investigated the influence of 11 environmental variables on the occurrence of Krueper’s
Nuthatches. Logistic regression, a particular case of GLM with binomial error distribution, was used to
identify vegetation and topographical variables that provide an explanation for the presence/absence of
Krueper’s Nuthatches in the study region of South Anatolia, Turkey.
Results Tree height, and north and southeast directions of slope were positively correlated with the
probability of occurrence of Krueper’s Nuthatches. Altitude, the presence of Red Pine and Syrian Fir trees,
the presence/absence of bushes, and southwest direction of slope were all negatively associated with the
occurrence of Krueper’s Nuthatches.
Conclusion The constructed habitat model could be used to predict locations suitable for the creation of
reservoirs for the conservation of Krueper’s Nuthatches in this region of southern Turkey.
ilgili bazı özellikler için varyans unsurları farklı yöntemlerle tahmin edilmiştir. Araştırmada bıldırcınlarda ölçülen eşeysel olgunluk
yaşı (EOY), eşeysel olgunluk ağırlığı (EOA), yumurta ağırlığı (YA) ve kısmi yumurta verimi (YV) özellikleri kullanılmıştır. Bu özellikler
için varyans-kovaryans unsurları REML (restricted maximum likelihood), Gibbs örneklemesi, ML (maximum likelihood) ve MIVQUE
(minimum variance quadratic unbiased estimation) yöntemleri ile tahmin edilmiş ve çok özellikli genetik parametre tahminleri
gerçekleştirilmiştir. En küçük hata varyansı Gibbs örneklemesi ile tahmin edilmiş, sözü edilen yöntemin en sapmasız sonuçları
verdiği saptanmıştır. Dört yöntem ile elde edilen varyans-kovaryans matrisleri karışık model eşitliklerinde kullanılarak bıldırcınlara
ait BLUP değerleri tahmin edilmiştir. Kalıtım dereceleri, EOA özelliği için 0.28-0.38 aralığında, EOY özelliği için 0.18-0.21 aralığında,
YA özelliği için 0.36-0.43 aralığında, YV özelliği için 0.38-0.43 aralığında tahmin edilmiştir. En yüksek pozitif genetik korelasyon
dört tahmin yönteminde de EOY ile YA özellikleri arasında tahmin edilmiştir. Farklı varyans-kovaryans matrisleri kullanılarak elde
edilen BLUP değerleri arasındaki Spearman sıra korelasyon değerleri EOY için 0.90-0.99, EOA için 0.96-0.99, YA için 0.97-0.99, YV
için 0.96-0.99 aralıklarında bulunmuştur. Söz konusu özellikler için damızlık değer tahmininde Gibbs örneklemesi yönteminden
elde edilen varyans-kovaryans unsurlarının karışık model eşitliklerinde kullanılması uygun bulunmuştur.