The blood levels of trace elements (Mn, Cr) and heavy metals (Pb, Cd) were determined upon arrival and one month after arrival of 71 male and 63 female cynomolgus monkeys. Blood samples were obtained from the cephalic vein within 30 minutes of administering ketamine hydrochloride (10 mg/kg) in the cynomolgus monkeys. The Cr levels in both sexes were increased one month after arrival compared with those on arrival, whereas the Pb levels of both sexes were decreased 1 month after arrival. The Mn and Cd levels changed significantly in the males than those in the females. However, these changes in the Mn, Cr, Pb and Cd levels were within the limits of the human reference range. The alteration in levels of Mn, Cr, Pb and Cd for one month after arrival suggests that the differences in environmental conditions (housing, food, and water composition) may cause the changes in the blood metal concentrations. The hematological parameter changes were also evaluated in monkeys. The changes in the RBC, Hb, HCT, and WBC values were within the limits of reference range, indicating that the physiological variation in hematological parameters was not directly associated with the alteration in the levels of heavy metals and trace elements. Our data would be useful in interpretation of heavy metal toxicological study results obtained from monkeys.

In this study, we present a numerical scheme to solve the telegraph equation by using the Fibonacci polynomials. This method is based on the Fibonacci collocation method which transforms the equation into a matrix equation and the unknown of this equation is a Fibonacci coefficients matrix. Some numerical examples with comparisons are included to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the proposed method. The results show the efficiency and accuracy of this paper.

The purpose of this study is to predict the storey displacement of a structure affected by earthquake. In order to obtain the required training and testing data for developing an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based prediction model, the vibration analysis of the structure has been performed. For the analysis, the time history of ground motion of the Northridge earthquake as a disturbance input has been applied to modeled four-degree-of-freedom (4-DOF) structure. By using time response of the structure, storey displacement has been estimated with the developed ANN model. The ANN topology has been adopted as a predictive tool. The ground motion of earthquake has been used as the input parameters. The displacement of the third storey was the output. The results of the predictive model have been found to be in a good agreement with the test data.

The purpose of this study is to identify whether there is a relationship between learning Turkish as a foreign language, and in what extent, if there is such a relationship. A screening model was used in this qualitative research study. Finding out the existence of a relationship between the subjects’ self-confidence, and their success in learning Turkish as a foreign language was aimed without modifying or influencing them. The target population of the study included 53 students attending the A1 level Turkish as a foreign language program of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Two different tools including a survey and a final exam were used to collect data. The final exam results and the survey data were transferred into SPSS. All percentages, statistical comparisons, and ratings were figured out using the SPSS software. At the end of the study, it was concluded subjects that have higher self-confidence were more successful than the subjects that have lower self-confidence, and self-confidence led to a more positive outcome in learning Turkish. It was also concluded that speaking more than one language had a positive effect on learning Turkish.