Publications with Fulltext
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14288/6
Browse
3574 results
Filters
Advanced Search
Filter by
Settings
Search Results
Publication Open Access Emergence of near-infrared photoluminescence via ZnS shell growth on the AgBiS2 nanocrystals(American Chemical Society, 2024) Department of Chemistry; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Önal, Asım; Kaya, Tarık Safa; Metin, Önder; Nizamoğlu, Sedat; Department of Chemistry; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; College of Sciences; College of EngineeringAgBiS2 nanocrystals (NCs), composed of nontoxic, earth-abundant materials and exhibiting an exceptionally high absorption coefficient from visible to near-infrared (>105 cm(-1)), hold promise for photovoltaics but have lack of photoluminescence (PL) due to intrinsic nonradiative recombination and challenging shell growth. In this study, we reported a facile wet-chemical approach for the epitaxial growth of ZnS shell on AgBiS2 NCs, which triggered the observation of PL emission in the near-infrared (764 nm). Since high quality of the core is critical for epitaxial shell growth, we first obtained rock-salt structured AgBiS2 NCs with high crystallinity, nearly spherical shape and monodisperse size distribution (<6%) via a dual-ligand approach reacting Ag-Bi oleate with elemental sulfur in oleylamine. Next, a zincblende ZnS shell with a low-lattice mismatch of 4.9% was grown on as-prepared AgBiS2 NCs via a highly reactive zinc (Zn(acac)(2)) precursor that led to a higher photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 15.3%, in comparison with a relatively low reactivity precursor (Zn(ac)(2)) resulting in reduced PLQY. The emission from AgBiS2 NCs with ultrastrong absorption, facilitated by shell growth, can open up new possibilities in lighting, display, and bioimaging.Publication Open Access Multifunctional alginate-based hydrogel with reversible crosslinking for controlled therapeutics delivery(Elsevier, 2020) Ekinci, Duygu; N/A; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Batool, Syeda Rubab; Nazeer, Muhammad Anwaar; Kızılel, Seda; Şahin, Afsun; PhD Student; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM) / Koç Üniversitesi Translasyonel Tıp Araştırma Merkezi (KUTTAM); Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; College of Engineering; School of Medicine; N/A; N/A; 28376; 171267Glycan-based alginate hydrogels have great potential in creating new vehicles with responsive behavior and tunable properties for biomedicine. However, precise control and tunability in properties present major barrier for clinical translation of these materials. Here, we report the synthesis of pH responsive anthracene modified glycan-based hydrogels for selective release of therapeutic molecules. Hydrogels were crosslinked through simultaneous photopolymerization of vinyl groups and photodimerization of anthracene. Incorporation of anthracene into these gels leads to reversible control on crosslinking and transition between gel/sol states through dimerization/dedimerization of anthracene groups. Chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin-loaded hydrogels were then tested in a cancer mimetic microenvironment where 85% of the drug was released from anthracene-conjugated hydrogels at pH 2 for 6 days. Control on gelation with anthracene incorporation was observed through alterations in modulus, where storage modulus was increased two-fold with anthracene conjugation during photopolymerization and photodimerization. Furthermore, cell survival analysis revealed that anthracene conjugation could selectively compromise cancer cell viability without inducing significant toxicity on healthy fibroblasts. This study combines light-induced control of crosslink density due to anthracene and pH-triggered therapeutics delivery with alginate. The approach would be applicable for systems where multiple control is required with high precision.Publication Open Access Recommendations for clinical decision-making in children with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease: type 1 diabetes and celiac disease joint working group report(Galenos Yayınevi, 2022) Dalgıç, B.; Gökşen, D.; Aydoğdu, S.; Savaş, Erdeve Ş.; Kuloğu, Z.; Doğan, Y.; Aycan, Z.; Keser, A.; Beşer, Ö.F.; Özbek, M.N.; Bideci, A.; Ertem, D.; Evliyaoğlu, O.; Eliüz Tipici, B.; Gökçe, T.; Muradoğlu, S.; Koca, T.; Tütüncüler, F.; Baş, F.; Darendeliler, F.; Selimoğlu, M.A.; Hatun, Şükrü; Yeşiltepe Mutlu, Rahime Gül; Kızılkan, Nuray Uslu; Taşkın, Orhun Çığ; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; School of Medicine; Koç University Hospital; 153504; 153511; 221274; 166686It is well-known that in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D), the frequency of Celiac disease (CD) is increased due to mechanisms which are not fully elucidated but include autoimmune injury as well as shared genetic predisposition. Although histopathologic examination is the gold standard for diagnosis, avoiding unnecessary endoscopy is crucial. Therefore, for both clinicians and patients’ families, the diagnosis of CD remains challenging. In light of this, a joint working group, the Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease Joint Working Group, was convened, with the aim of reporting institutional data and reviewing current international guidelines, in order to provide a framework for clinicians. Several controversial issues were discussed: For CD screening in children with T1D, regardless of age, it is recommended to measure tissue transglutaminase-immunoglobulin A (tTG-IgA) and/or endomysial-IgA antibody due to their high sensitivity and specificity. However, the decision-making process based on tTG-IgA titer in children with T1D is still debated, since tTG-IgA titers may fluctuate in children with T1D. Moreover, seronegativity may occur spontaneously. The authors’ own data showed that most of the cases who have biopsy-proven CD had tTG-IgA levels 7-10 times above the upper limit. The decision for endoscopy based solely on tTG-IgA levels should be avoided, except in cases where tTG-IgA levels are seven times and above the upper limit. A closer collaboration should be built between divisions of pediatric endocrinology and gastroenterology in terms of screening, diagnosis and follow-up of children with T1D and suspicious CD.Publication Open Access DNA methylation profiling identifies novel markers of progression in hepatitis B-related chronic liver disease(BioMed Central, 2016) Vatansever, Sezgin; Hardy, Timothy; Sarı, Aysegül Akder; Çakalağaoğlu, Fulya; Avcı, Arzu; Zeybel, Gemma Louise; Bashton, Matthew; Mathers, John C.; Ünsal, Belkis; Mann, Jelena; N/A; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Zeybel, Müjdat; Karahüseyinoğlu, Serçin; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; School of Medicine; 214694; 110772Background: Chronic hepatitis B infection is characterized by hepatic immune and inflammatory response with considerable variation in the rates of progression to cirrhosis. Genetic variants and environmental cues influence predisposition to the development of chronic liver disease; however, it remains unknown if aberrant DNA methylation is associated with fibrosis progression in chronic hepatitis B. Results: To identify epigenetic marks associated with inflammatory and fibrotic processes of the hepatitis B-induced chronic liver disease, we carried out hepatic genome-wide methylation profiling using Illumina Infinium beadarrays comparing mild and severe fibrotic disease in a discovery cohort of 29 patients. We obtained 310 differentially methylated regions and selected four loci comprising three genes from the top differentially methylated regions: hypermethylation of HOXA2 and HDAC4 along with hypomethylation of PPP1R18 were significantly linked to severe fibrosis. We replicated the prominent methylation marks in an independent cohort of 102 patients by bisulfite modification and pyrosequencing. The timing and causal relationship of epigenetic modifications with disease severity was further investigated using a cohort of patients with serial biopsies. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a linkage of widespread epigenetic dysregulation with disease progression in chronic hepatitis B infection. Cpg methylation at novel genes sheds light on new molecular pathways, which can be potentially exploited as a biomarker or targeted to attenuate inflammation and fibrosis.Publication Open Access Early/fast VLF events produced by the quiescent heating of the lower ionosphere by thunderstorms(American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2017) Kabirzadeh, R.; Marshall, R. A.; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; İnan, Umran Savaş; Faculty Member; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; College of Engineering; 177880Large and easily distinguishable perturbations of the VLF transmitter signals due to interactions with thundercloud-driven ionospheric modifications have been observed and studied for about three decades. These events are called "early/fast VLF" or "early VLF" events due to their immediate detection (similar to 20 ms) after the causative lightning flash on the ground and the fast rise time of the perturbed signal. Despite many years of study, the physical mechanisms responsible for these perturbations are still under investigation. Modifications of the sustained heating level of the ionosphere due to a lightning flash has been previously proposed as the causative mechanism of early/fast VLF events. The perturbations predicted by this mechanism, however, have been much smaller than experimental observations of 0.2-1 dB or higher. In this study, by using an improved 3-D thundercloud electrostatic upward coupling model which uses a realistic geomagnetic field, we find that the sustained heating model can predict perturbations that are consistent with reported experimental observations. Modifications in the quiescent heating of the lower ionosphere by thundercloud fields by individual lightning flashes may thus account for some observations of early/fast VLF events. Large and easily distinguishable perturbations of the VLF transmitter signals due to interactions with thundercloud-driven ionospheric modifications have been observed and studied for about three decades. These events are called "early/fast VLF" or "early VLF" events due to their immediate detection (similar to 20 ms) after the causative lightning flash on the ground and the fast rise time of the perturbed signal. Despite many years of study, the physical mechanisms responsible for these perturbations are still under investigation. Modifications of the sustained heating level of the ionosphere due to a lightning flash has been previously proposed as the causative mechanism of early/fast VLF events. The perturbations predicted by this mechanism, however, have been much smaller than experimental observations of 0.2-1 dB or higher. In this study, by using an improved 3-D thundercloud electrostatic upward coupling model which uses a realistic geomagnetic field, we find that the sustained heating model can predict perturbations that are consistent with reported experimental observations. Modifications in the quiescent heating of the lower ionosphere by thundercloud fields by individual lightning flashes may thus account for some observations of early/fast VLF events.Publication Open Access User interface paradigms for visually authoring mid-air gestures: a survey and a provocation(CEUR-WS, 2014) Department of Media and Visual Arts; Department of Computer Engineering; Baytaş, Mehmet Aydın; Yemez, Yücel; Özcan, Oğuzhan; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Department of Media and Visual Arts; Department of Computer Engineering; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; College of Engineering; N/A; N/A; 12532Gesture authoring tools enable the rapid and experiential prototyping of gesture-based interfaces. We survey visual authoring tools for mid-air gestures and identify three paradigms used for representing and manipulating gesture information: graphs, visual markup languages and timelines. We examine the strengths and limitations of these approaches and we propose a novel paradigm to authoring location-based mid-air gestures based on space discretization.Publication Open Access Generation of transgene-free iPSC lines from three patients with Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) carrying GAA triplet expansions in the first intron of FXN gene(Elsevier, 2021) Kelekçi, Simge; Uğurlu Çimen, Deniz; Demir, Ata Berk; Özçimen, Burcu; Yıldız, Abdullah Burak; Karakuş, Mehmet Batuhan; Börklü Yücel, Esra; Önder, Tamer Tevfik; PhD Student; Undergraduate Student; Other; Faculty Member; Graduate School of Health Sciences; School of Medicine; Koç University Hospital; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; 42946Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder which is caused by triplet repeat expansion (GAA) in the first intron of FXN gene. In this present study, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) lines from fibroblasts of three unrelated FRDA patients using integration-free episomal vectors. All iPSC lines express the pluripotency markers such as OCT4 and SSEA4, display normal karyotypes and can differentiate into all three germ layers via in vivo teratoma formation assay.Publication Open Access Irritable bowel syndrome demographics: a Middle Eastern multinational cross-sectional study(Iranian Association of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2022) Alavinejad, Pezhman; Ghanavati, Parvin Mousavi; Alboraie, Mohamed; Emara, Mohamed; Baghaee, Siamak; Daryani, Naser Ebrahimi; Farsi, Farnaz; Hajiani, Eskandar; Hashemi, Seyed Jalal; Lak, Elena; Taheri, Yasaman; Dangi, Abhijit; Baran, Bülent; Faculty Member; School of Medicine; Koç University Hospital; 167583Background: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most frequent functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the different aspects of IBS among Middle Eastern residents. Methods: during the study period, patients attending gastroenterology clinics of nine tertiary referral centers in four Middle Eastern couturiers (Iran, Egypt, Kuwait, and Turkey) were evaluated by Rome IV diagnostic criteria, and those who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of IBS were asked to fill in a questionnaire covering different demographics and clinical aspects. Results: overall, during a 6-month period, 509 patients with IBS were included. 41.3% of the participants were male (210 patients), and 37.4% of them had academic education. 50% of the participants were Caucasian, and 34% were Arab, and originally, they were citizens of 18 countries. 77.4% of the participants were residents of subtropical areas, while 22.2% were living in temperate regions. The average age of the participants during the first presentation in subtropical and temperate areas were 38.4 ± 12.19 and 38.06 ± 12.18 years, respectively (P = 0.726). The most common subtypes of IBS in subtropical areas were unclassified (IBS-U, 44.4%), constipation dominant (IBS-C, 27.6%), mixed pattern (IBS-M, 21%), and diarrhea dominant (IBS-D, 6.8%) in descending order while in temperate areas the most common subtypes were IBS-U (43.3%), and IBS-D (22.1%), respectively (P < 0.001). Besides abdominal pain, the most common symptom of patients in each region was bloating (62.2% and 68.1%, respectively, P = 0.246). The rate of depression and anxiety were significantly higher among the residents of temperate areas in comparison with subtropical regions (41.6% vs. 16.5% and 80.5% vs. 58.4%, respectively, P < 0.001). Conclusion: although the average age of IBS presentation is the same in subtropical and temperate areas, it seems that in temperate areas, the rate of IBS-D is more prevalent than in subtropical regions. The rate of anxiety and depression are significantly higher among those who searched social media and the internet to get information about their problems.Publication Open Access Engagement rewarded actor-critic with conservative Q-learning for speech-driven laughter backchannel generation(Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), 2021) Department of Computer Engineering; Bayramoğlu, Öykü Zeynep; Erzin, Engin; Sezgin, Tevfik Metin; Yemez, Yücel; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Department of Computer Engineering; Koç Üniversitesi İş Bankası Yapay Zeka Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi (KUIS AI)/ Koç University İş Bank Artificial Intelligence Center (KUIS AI); College of Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; N/A; 34503; 18632; 107907We propose a speech-driven laughter backchannel generation model to reward engagement during human-agent interaction. We formulate the problem as a Markov decision process where speech signal represents the state and the objective is to maximize human engagement. Since online training is often impractical in the case of human-agent interaction, we utilize the existing human-to-human dyadic interaction datasets to train our agent for the backchannel generation task. We address the problem using an actor-critic method based on conservative Q-learning (CQL), that mitigates the distributional shift problem by suppressing Q-value over-estimation during training. The proposed CQL based approach is evaluated objectively on the IEMOCAP dataset for laughter generation task. When compared to the existing off-policy Q-learning methods, we observe an improved compliance with the dataset in terms of laugh generation rate. Furthermore, we show the effectiveness of the learned policy by estimating the expected engagement using off-policy policy evaluation techniques.Publication Open Access A stochastic representation for mean curvature type geometric flows(Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS), 2003) Touzi, N.; Department of Mathematics; Soner, Halil Mete; Faculty Member; Department of Mathematics; College of Administrative Sciences and EconomicsA smooth solution {Gamma(t)}(tis an element of[0,T]) subset of R-d of a parabolic geometric flow is characterized as the reachability set of a stochastic target problem. In this control problem the controller tries to steer the state process into a given deterministic set T with probability one. The reachability set, V(t), for the target problem is the set of all initial data x from which the state process X-X(v)(t) is an element of T for some control process v. This representation is proved by studying the squared distance function to Gamma(t). For the codimension k mean curvature flow, the state process is dX(t) = root2P dW(t), where W(t) is a d-dimensional Brownian motion, and the control P is any projection matrix onto a (d - k)-dimensional plane. Smooth solutions of the inverse mean curvature flow and a discussion of non smooth solutions are also given.