An evaluation of urban open spaces in Historical City Center of Konya in the context of pedestrian mobility

Cities are organisms that live in a balance of continuity with the structures they possess and the urban open spaces that connect them. For this organism, staying alive and healthy is possible if urban dwellers, who are the users, utilize the spaces in a manner that preserves their integrity and locate each space in mental perception. Research problem/aim; Squares, which are one of the urban open spaces, are the breathing centers of the city that play important roles in maintaining this integrity. This study aims to test the relation of squares and pedestrian movement for each square and for the whole historical city. Method; In the present study examining the squares and their relationships in the historical city center of Konya province, 7 squares that have a semantic relationship resulting from being located on a specific axis with one another were analyzed with respect to pedestrian use and the respective physical characteristics of the squares. The main criteria defined in the study constitute the 3 steps of the method. These were identified as function-diversity, accessibility-form and livability–identity. Analyses were conducted based on the 3 established criteria and the 7 sub-criteria that measure the relationships among these at certain levels. Each analysis constitutes a step of the method and enables to achieve a result by using different measurement techniques. In the context of the analyses and findings, qualitative and quantitative studies such as a questionnaire study, land use, dominant land use, function diversity, global and local accessibility, form and geometry, urban open space and symbolic elements analyses were conducted for each square. Findings, Conclusions; As a result of this study carried out with the aim of reinforcing urban continuity and enhancing the relationship among squares, the primary data for each square were obtained and suggestions were presented for eliminating the deficiencies. With the implementation of these suggestions, the holistic perception of the squares, which are focal points located within the historical city center, will be stronger and these squares will have more enhanced functional and semantic connections with one another. In this way, significant contributions will be made regarding the users’ getting to know the city center, the use of squares for different needs and the protection of the integrity of the historical city center with regard to cultural identity.  

Forest fire risk analysis via integration of GIS, RS and AHP: The Case of Çanakkale, Turkey

Forest fire is one of the high-risk natural disasters in the north-western Anatolia section of Turkey. This paper suggests a new approach based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for the development of forest fire-risk model. The proposed approach includes human factors as well as environmental factors. In this context, the 12 variables defined under anthropogenic and physical factors in the proposed model are the slope, elevation, aspect, vegetation type, crown closure, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), distance to road, settlement, and agricultural areas, population density, previous fires, and Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI). For each variable, a layer was created in the GIS database environment. GIS-layers were classified, considering the risk of potentially generating forest-fire of the relevant variables. In addition, to generate risk maps, the weights used in these GIS-layers were obtained by applying the AHP technique. One of the major results of the study shows that the rates of “extreme”, “very high”, “high”, and “moderate” risk areas are 3.87%, 63.46%, 32.13% and 0.53%, respectively. Another important result is that there are not observed the so called “no risk" and "low risk" classes in the region. The results let us to make a conclusion that the natural and human factors having significant contributions the region to be fire-prone. Yet, these results also indicate that rather than emphasizing forest-fire preparedness and mitigation, policy-makers manage forest-fires through reactive, crisis-oriented approaches. In contrast to crisis-based management plans, this study suggests that risk-based preventive plans should be developed and implemented

Cultural leadership behaviors of the primary school principals regarding certain variables

This study was carried out in order to analyse the primary school teachers’ perception of the cultural leadership behaviours of the primary school principals regarding the personal and vocational qualities of the principals and certain features of the school in which they work, and in order to develop suggestions based on the findings. “The Scale for Cultural Leadership Behaviours of the School Administrators” Yıldırım (2001) was used as data collection tool.  The scale tool used in the study was applied to 859 teachers working in randomly selected 51 primary schools in four central districts (Konak, Buca, Karşıyaka and Bornova) of İzmir-Turkey. Arithmetic average, standard deviation, t- test, ANNOVA and Scheffe Test were made us of in the analysis of the study. These findings were attained in the study: The perceptions of the primary school teachers for the cultural leadership behaviours of the primary school principals are at a good level. The perceptions of the primary school teachers for the school principals’ cultural leadership behaviours indicate significant discrepancy in terms of gender, age, training of educational administration and school type variables. However, the perceptions of the primary school teachers for the school principals’ cultural leadership behaviours indicate no significant discrepancy in terms of vocational seminars or school size.

An investigation of occupational accidents and safety risks in policing: Views of employees

Policing is one of the riskiest and dangerous professions by its nature. Police officers face a range of risks at work: homicide, assaults, attacks, communicable diseases, car crashes or explosions. The risks vary according to the task being undertaken such as arresting offenders, attending street disturbances or performing traffic duties. These risks, having the characteristics of occupational accident in a way, have institutional losses like compensation, loss of manpower and reputation besides individual results like injury, death, mutilation, and posttraumatic stress disorder, exposure to psychological disorders or decrease in quality of life. Opinions and suggestions of 1066 employees currently working at different ranks and units in Turkish National Police in regards with reducing the risks of occupational accidents and safety risks were studied in this research. Suggestions of the participants were reviewed under total nine headings (themes) consisting of training, physical fitness and health, security measures, institutional policies and procedures, managerial policies, working conditions, equipment, uniforms, and patrol cars

Evaluating the vocational thoughts of university students about the departments they are studying

The aim of this study is to reveal the vocational thoughts of university students about departments they are studying. The sample of the study consists of 1040 students; 608 (60,6%) of them are female, and 396 (39,4%) of them are male students who are studying in the different faculties of the Selçuk University (Health Sciences, Law, Veterinary, Collage of Science, Faculty of Letters, Communication, Agriculture, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Engineering),and they selectedby random sampling method. The average of age of the students is varying between 19 and 39. The average of age is 22. During the data collection phrase “Demographic Information Form”; during the evaluation of the data frequency polygon is used.At the end of the study it is detected that 743 (74%) of the students are willingly, and 261 (26%) of the students are unwillingly came to the department they are studying. Also; the uneasiest situation for the students’ future is to not find a job for 492 (49,0%) of them, financial difficulties for 282 (28,1%) of them, mate selection for 230 (22,9%) of them. At the same time, it is confirmed that 679 (67,6%) of the students want to work in public sector, and 325 (32,4%) of them want to work in private sector after graduation. It is seen that 198 (19,7%) of the students define unemployment as not to find a job in public sector, and 806 (80,3%) of them define unemployment as not to earn income. 458 (45,6%) of the students who participated to study are pleased with the employment opportunities, but 546 (54,4%) of them are not. It is detected that students of the departments of Social Work, English Language and Literature, Civil and Mechanical Engineering are pleased with employment opportunities after graduation, but the students of the departments of Statistic, Biology, Chemistry, History of Art, Sociology are not. Also, 395 (39,3%) of the students stated that they think they will be unemployed when they graduated, 609 (60,7%) of them do not think they are going to be an unemployed; departments of Social Work, English Language and Literature, Civil and Mechanical Engineering students stated that they are not going to become unemployed when they graduated,but the students of the departments of Statistic, Biology, Chemistry, History of Art, Sociology stated that they are going to become unemployed.Most of the university students choose their departments willingly. What makes university students anxious most is being unemployed.  Students want to work in public sector when they graduate. For the unemployment anxiety that students are experiencing, state has to develop new policies related with employment. In order to make students believe that they would find job easily, apart from the departments they enroll in, alternative ways for career development can be provided

Nigerian foreign policy approach towards ECOWAS

The foreign policy of a state actor towards inter-governmental organizations has become a predominant feature in the contemporary world order, and Nigeria is an active member of the international community. Its foreign policy towards ECOWAS since its formation in 1975 is examined based on its contributions to the regional organization. The objectives of this article are; to explain the historical background of Nigerian foreign policy after gaining independence from Great Britain in 1960; to analyze Nigerian foreign policy approach towards ECOWAS at the early stage of the organization and, finally, to evaluate Nigerian foreign policy in the direction of ECOWAS after its return to democratic rule in 1999. The application of the content analytical method is to realize the objectives set out in the article to allow the author gives a basic conclusion. Therefore, the evolving geopolitics of the world has shown that foreign policy is an effective mechanism in projecting a country’s image and policy direction abroad in modern international relations system.

The level of satisfaction of primary health services evaluation about Syrian women refugees who took refuge in the town Bucak

This study, women who took refuge in the Syrian town of Bucak in order to investigate satisfaction to basic health services by women and 43 is performed. The participants ' socioeconomic status, number of children and birth hospital were assessed with the questionnaire created by the researchers to assess the service questions. The number of data in statistical analysis percentage and Chi square test was used. The average age of women who participated in the research 43 30.19 ± 3.12 were found. 34 women (74.4 %) hospital conditions described as good. 22 women in terms of the provision of health services (52.2 %) stated he didn't see a difference between Syria and Turkey. The supply of the drug in 30 women (69.8 %) expressed in the form of comfortable, I can assure you. The average number of children was 2.7 (max:7) as were found. In our country the number of the mother who gave birth 38 (88.4 %). Women 26 (60.4 %) are not using any family planning method. Their children have not been immunised mother, who had number 5 (11.6 %). Women 97% of the country has stated that he wants to return to. The study found that refugees are lacking in receiving basic health services. Refugees' family planning, vaccination implementation deficiencies need to be addressed. It is thought that the attitudes of mothers who have not vaccinated in order to prevent infectious diseases should be changed

Investigating and comparing the relationship between parental monitoring types and perceived parenting styles of the Turkish students

The relationship between parental monitoring and parental styles are considered as an important subject for child development field. The aim of this article is to analyze the perceptions of the adolescents about their parents’ parental monitoring and parenting styles in terms of the participants’ gender, family education and family jobs status. The sample size is 252 adolescents with 158 female nd 94 male students. The data were collected by the Parental Monitoring Instrument (PMI) and the Parenting Styles Scale. The sample was chosen from one Anatolian high school in Ankara, one Multi-Programme High School in Çankırı and one Multi-Programme High School in Yozgat with simple and random sampling. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences between mother acceptance/warmth and gender scores t(250)=3,281 and mother control and gender scores t(250)=2,263; p<0.05. The study also analyzed the relationship between adolescent ages and grades as well as the number of children, mothers’ ages and fathers’ ages and the parental style with some statistically significant results. The one-way ANOVA results indicated that there are statistically significant differences between adolescents’ perceptions of parental monitoring sub-scales and the mothers’ parenting styles sub-scales. Except computer monitoring, in all parental monitoring sub-scales, the mothers parenting styles have shown statistically significant differences.

Impact of marbling art therapy activities on the anxiety levels of psychiatric patients

Purpose: Study was conducted to explore the impact of marbling art therapy on the anxiety levels of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.Methods: Data for the study were at a university hospital and in the psychiatric service,polyclinic of a State Hospital with 34 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 34 patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Investigations were carried out with study groups and a control group.Findings:Following marbling, it was found that there were significant decreases in the PANSS negative, in the positive, general psychopathology in terms of the scores of the group of schizophrenia patients  and in the BAI scores of patients with bipolar disorder.There was no significant difference in the BAI scores of the control group.Clinical relevance:The study showed that the method of marbling therapy led to improvements in the negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenic patients and in both patient groups, it contributed to decreasing levels of anxiety

Undercover fear of elderly people in nursing homes: Death anxiety and depression

Aim: To find out the level of death anxiety and depression level among Turkish elderly people.Methods: This research was carried out on 106 elderly people aged 60 years and older from three different nursing homes. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, t-test, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, and correlations were used for the analyses.Results: The 25.4% of elderly were between 65-69 years old, and included most of the elderly who were male (83%), single (92.5%) and retired (35.8%).The overall mean on depression was 14.43, and the death anxiety was 7.57.  Mild depression was found in 69.8%, and no symptoms of depression were reported by 16% of the subjects. A positive correlation was found between total score of GDS and TDAS (r: 0.304, p<0.01).Conclusion: Healthcare professionals working with elderly people in nursing homes should be aware about death anxiety of the elderly