Critical hermeneutics: contemporary philosophical perspectives in Turkey on the understanding and interpretation of the Qur'an

From the moment of its revelation, the Qur’an has held a pivotal importance for Muslims. However, reverence for the Qur’an did not by default mean an indiscriminate application of its message. On the contrary, as old as the Qur’an is, there is also an equally old tradition of hermeneutics that ponders upon the operations and conditions in which the meanings of the Qur’an become intelligible and significant for different contexts. In this dissertation I have explored the hermeneutical theories of three Turkish thinkers by asking the following question: what is the status of new and variant interpretations of the Qur’an in contemporary Turkish Qur’an hermeneutics as exemplified by the works of Cündioğlu, Alpyağıl, and Öztürk? Accordingly, I have discovered that new and different interpretations of the Qur’an are only meaningful and justified if they fulfil the right subjective and objective requirements an interpreter must impose on him or herself as a subject. On the objective side these requirements include the following of a formal method and understanding of the historical use of Arabic. However, on the subjective side, other requirements are stipulated, such as faith, conscience, and self-knowledge. By integrating subjectivity in interpretation, the Turkish authors open a constructive theoretical path to new readings of the Qur’an that are informed by the subject’s relative context. However, despite reaching new thresholds of interpretation, the Turkish authors have chosen to defer the full potential of their hermeneutics to the prudence of future interpreters, rather than having chosen to explicate these themselves

A research on Kirghiz students’ before and after their internship period about perceptions of Turkey

Among Turkic speaking countries there is solidarity in economic, political and military fields. Moreover, they carry out common studies within the universities of these countries. As a result, the relationship among the communities is getting stronger via these studies. This research serves as an example of this development. The problem sentence of the research; “Do students’ perceptions change about Turkey after they’ve completed an internship period in Turkey?”. In this research, it was studied to determine Kyrgyz students’ impression about our country Turkey, before and after their intership period in Turkey. The study was implemented within the survey model design. Research’s universe is the students who study in Yusuf Balasagun Krygyz National University, Liberal Arts University (Bugu), in Kyrgyzstan Turkey Manas University during their education in the year of 2018-2019. As for the research sampling, students who are in the city of Antalya for the purpose of internship were selected from Yusuf Balasagun Kyrgyz National University, Liberal Arts University (Bugu), in Kyrgyzstan Manas University. A total of 49 students were attented the research. According to the results of the research; internship students have generally positive opinions about Turkey and Turkish people. This is pleasing result for our country. The students think that the Language Enhancement Program will be useful for them to learn Turkish better

10 W DC-DC converter based LED driver circuit design

Considering the total amount of energy consumed in the world, energy used in lighting is of utmost importance. For this reason, systems used in lighting should be energy efficient, and mıre efficient lighting elements should be preferred. LED, as a solid-state lighting system, is more energy efficient than the lighting systems with conventional lighting elements. Some of the LEDs used in solid-state lighting systems are named as standard 5mm LEDs and power LEDs. Because power LEDs have more light efficiency than standard 5 mm LEDs, they are produced as an alternative to conventional light sources. Power LEDs draw much more current than standard 5 mm LEDs. LEDs need LED drivers that provide them with constant current to run efficiently, and have a long life. The present research studies 10 W DC-DC converter based current limited LED driver circuits. Simulations were created for these LED driver circuits, and they are analysed through their simulations. Efficiency, input current, total circuit loss, output current and power values are measured. In this context, output current and efficiency values of the driver circuits are analysed in terms of energy efficiency, and optimised in accordance with energy efficiency

Hastane Yönetim Etkinliğinde Yerleşim Planının Önemi ve Bir Model Çalışması

Günümüzde talebin gittikçe arttığı ve her gün daha fazla insanın sağlık hizmeti alabilmek için başvurduğu sağlık kuruluşları, fiziksel olarak çok geniş alanları kaplamakta ve çoğalan uzmanlık alanları sebebiyle gittikçe artan sayıda poliklinik ve laboratuar birimleri ile hizmet vermektedirler. Niteliksel olarak önemli gelişme gösteren ve başvuru sayılarının hızla arttığı hastanelerde, hastaların hastane içindeki birimlere ulaşımları büyük ve beklenmeyen sorunlar oluşturmaya başlamış ve hastanelerde biriken yoğun kalabalıklar bu durumu kronik bir sorun haline getirmiştir. Geçmiş dönemlerde hastaların muayene sonrası tanı birimlerine yönlendirilme oranları çok yüksek değil iken, günümüzde teşhis amaçlı yapılan birçok muayene, tanı birimlerinden alınan sonuçlarla desteklenmektedir. Benzer şekilde poliklinikler arası konsültasyon istem sayıları da fazlalaşmış, sağlık kurumları içerisinde birimler arası ulaşım ve etkileşim sıklıkla yapılır hale gelmiştir. Bu durum, hastane yöneticilerini, hastane mekân organizasyonu ve özellikle poliklinik, laboratuar ve radyoloji birimlerinin hastane içerisindeki yerleşim düzenleri üzerinde planlama yapmaya sevk etmiştir. Bu çalışmada, en uygun hastane yerleşim planlarını oluşturarak hastane içi ulaşım problemlerini en aza indirebilmek amacıyla karınca kolonisi algoritması temelinde bir yazılım geliştirilmiş ve bu yazılım vasıtasıyla en uygun hastane yerleşim planlarının oluşturulabilmesi için bir model önerisi yapılmıştır. Çalışma sonuçlarına göre, örnek modelde, poliklinik hastalarının ilk başvuru yapabilmek için gerçekleştirdikleri hastane içi sirkülasyonda %62, konsültasyon istemlerinde gerçekleşen hastane içi sirkülasyonda %78, polikliniklerden laboratuarlara gönderilen hastaların ulaşımında %23, polikliniklerden radyoloji birimlerine gönderilen hastaların ulaşımında ise %53 oranlarında kazanım sağlanmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında geliştirlen model önerisi, özellikle mekansal olarak çok geniş alanlarda hizmet veren, çok sayıda uzmanlaşmış poliklinik ve labaratuvara sahip ve her gün binlerce hastanın başvurduğu sağlık kurumlarının poliklinik, labaratuvar ve radyoloji birimlerinin mümkün olan en doğru şekilde konumlandırılabilmesi için yön gösterici olabilecektir. Çalışmada geliştirlen sistem, hastanede hizmet veren birimlerin tercih edilen fiziksel büyüklüklerini, poliklinik konsültasyon sayılarını ve polikliniklerden labaratuvar ve radyoloji birimlerine parametrik olarak aldığı için farklı çalışma ve iş düzenine veya farklı fiziksel tasarıma sahip olan sağlık kurumlarında kolaylıkla uygulanabilecektir

Assessing Postgraduate Students’ Satisfaction with Quality of Services at a Turkish University Using Alternate Ordered Response Models

The aim of this study is to determine postgraduate students’ general satisfaction with the quality of academic services. For this purpose, a written-questionnaire was conducted to 400 graduate students at Atatürk University, Turkey. The dependent variable of the study was the satisfaction level of graduate students which has a natural order. Hence, four different ordered logit models were performed to determine factors that may influence satisfaction levels of graduate students with the quality of academic services. Along with standard ordered logit model, other alternative ordered response models were also performed including generalized ordered logit model, partial constrained generalized ordered logit model, and heterogeneous choice model. Results reveal that a variety of factors are associated with quality of higher education services including age group, tuition fee, undergraduate education, monthly individual income, monthly household income, type of graduate school, current status of postgraduate education, advisor’s academic degree, and time elapsed for postgraduate education. The outcome of this study may give a valuable information for decision-makers of higher education institutions and may provide a benchmarking option in terms of past, present and future higher education policies

Effect of Saliva Contamination on Microleakage of Open Sandwich Restorations

Svrha istraživanja: Željela se procijeniti mikropropusnost konvencionalnih staklenih ionomera, smolom modificiranih staklenih ionomera i hibridnih staklenih ionomera u otvorenim restauracijama II. razreda kontaminiranih slinom ili nekontamitiranih slinom. Materijal i metode: Korišteno je 60 ekstrahiranih zdravih ljudskih kutnjaka i preparirano je 120 kaviteta II. razreda na mezijalnim i distalnim plohama. Rubovi gingive nalazili su se 1 mm ispod caklinsko-cementnog spojišta. Svi uzorci nasumično su podijeljeni u četiri skupine (n = 15): skupina I – visoko viskozni stakleni ionomer (Fuji IX GP); skupina II – smolom modificirani stakleni ionomer (Fuji II LC); skupina III – hibridni stakleni ionomer (Equia-fil Forte); skupina IV – kompozitna smola (G’aenial Posterior). U skupini s otvorenim sen-dvič-restauracijama staklenoionomerni materijali postavljeni su na gingivno dno u debljini od 1 mm, a ostatak kaviteta ispunjen je kompozitnim materijalom. Nakon izrade restauracije na mezijalnim plohama, distalni kaviteti restaurirani su prema istom protokolu nakon kontaminacije slinom. Uzorci su podvrgnuti termocikliranju od 10 000 ciklusa na temperaturi od 5 °C do 55 °C i uronjeni tijekom 24 sata u otopinu metilenskog modrila (% 0,5). Zatim su se prerezani dijamantnom pilom, uz vodeno hlađenje, vertikalno kroz središte restauracije od mezijalne plohe prema distalnoj na debljinu od 1 mm. Nakon toga je prodiranje boje procjenjivano softverom za analizu slika. Podatci su statistički analizirani (p 0,05). Uz to, nije bilo statistički značajne razlike između skupina kontaminiranih slinom i nekontaminiranih slinom, neovisno o testiranim dentalnim materijalima (p > 0,05). Zaključak: Uzimajući u obzir ograničenja ovog istraživanja, u otvorenim sendvič-restauracijama kontaminacija slinom nije štetno utjecala na mikropropuštanje, bez obzira na testirane dentalne materijale. Hibridni stakleni ionomeri i stakleni ionomeri modificirani smolom pokazali su lošije rezultate u mikropropusnosti na gingivnim rubovima u odnosu prema visokoviskoznim staklenoionomernim materijaloma u skupini bez kontaminacije.Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the microleakage of conventional glass-ionomer, resin modified glass-ionomer and glass hybrid ionomer Class II open sandwich restorations with or without saliva contamination. Material and methods: Sixty extracted sound human molar teeth were used and 120 class II slot cavities were prepared in mesial and distal surfaces. The gingival margins were located 1 mm below the cementoenamel junction. All specimens were randomly divided in 4 groups (n=15): Group I: High-Viscous Glass Ionomer (Fuji IX GP) Group II: Resin Modified Glass Ion-omer (Fuji II LC) Group III: Glass Hybrid Ionomer (Equia-fil Forte), Group IV: Composite Resin (G’aenial Posterior). In open sandwich restoration groups, glass ionomer materials were placed to gingival floor in 1 mm thickness and rest of the cavity was filled with resin composite. After the restorations in mesial surfaces had been performed, distal cavities were restored with the same protocol after saliva contamination. The specimens were thermocycled for 10000 cycles at 5 0 C to 55 0 C and immersed in methylene blue dye solution (% 0,5) for 24 hours. Then, they were sectioned vertically through the center of the restorations from mesial to distal surface with a water-cooled diamond saw with 1mm thickness. Subsequently, the dye penetration was evaluated with image analysis software. Data were statistically analyzed (p0.05). Additionally, there was not a statistically significant difference between the no contamination and saliva contaminated groups regardless of dental materials tested (p>0.05). Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, in open sandwich restorations, saliva contamination did not show an adverse effect on microleakage irrespective of dental materials tested. Glass hybrid ionomers and resin modified glass ionomers showed lower microleakage scores in gingival margins compared to high-viscous glass ionomer material in no contamination groups

Kardiyak resenkronizasyon tedavisine yanıtın öngörülmesinde sistemik bağışıklık-inflamatuvar indeksinin rolü

Aim: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a reliable treatment modality in patients with systolic dysfunction. However, not every patient appears to benefit from CRT. The systemic immune inflammation index (SII) is closely linked to the poor prognosis of various cardiovascular disorders. However, there is no study investigating whether SII has predictive value in determining response to CRT in dilated cardiomyopathy patients. Therefore, we intend to investigate the association between SII and response to CRT. Methods: A total of 220 patients (mean age 61.2±10.8 years; 120 men) implanted with CRT were involved in this study. Echocardiographic and laboratory measurements were evaluated prior to CRT. Response to CRT was determined as a≥ 15% decrease in left ventricular end-systolic volume at one-year follow-up. Results: Patients grouped as CRT responders and non-responders. Of these, 143 (64.6%) were considered to be CRT responders, while the remaining 77 (33.4%) were non-responders. Female sex (OR: 3.823, CI: 1.568-9.324 p=0.003), QRS duration (OR: 1.224, CI: 1.158-1.335 p<0.001), and SII (OR: 0.996 CI: 0.995-0.997 p<0.001) were shown to be independent predictors of CRT response in multivariate analysis. A cut-off value of SII >825 estimated no response to CRT with 80% sensitivity and 75% specificity. Conclusions: SII was associated with unresponsiveness to CRT. Therefore, it may be used to determine optimal patient selection for CRT implantation in routine clinical practice.Amaç: Kardiyak resenkronizasyon tedavisi (KRT), sistolik disfonksiyonu olan hastalarda güvenilir bir tedavi yöntemidir. Ancak, KRT'nin faydası belli hasta grupları ile sınırlıdır. Sistemik immün inflamatuvar indeks (SII), çeşitli kardiyovasküler bozuklukların kötü prognozu ile ilişkilidir. Bununla birlikte, dilate kardiyomiyopati hastalarında SII'nin KRT'ye yanıtı belirlemede prediktif değeri olup olmadığını araştıran bir çalışma bulunmamaktadır. Bu nedenle, bu çalışmada SII ile KRT'ye yanıt arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmak amaçlandı. Yöntemler: Bu çalışmaya KRT implante edilen toplam 220 hasta (ortalama yaş 61,2±10,8 yıl; 120 erkek) dahil edildi. KRT öncesi ekokardiyografi ve laboratuvar ölçümleri değerlendirildi. KRT'ye yanıt, bir yıllık takipte sol ventrikül sistol sonu hacminde ≥ %15 azalma olarak belirlendi. Bulgular: Hastalar, KRT'ye yanıt verenler ve yanıt vermeyenler olarak gruplandırıldı. Bunlardan 143'ü (%64,6) KRT'ye yanıt veren olarak kabul edilirken, kalan 77'si (%33,4) yanıt vermeyendi. Kadın cinsiyet (OR: 3.823, CI: 1.568-9.324 p=0.003), QRS süresi (OR: 1.224, CI: 1.158-1.335 p<0.001) ve SII (OR: 0.996 CI: 0.995-0.997 p<0.001) çok değişkenli analizde KRT yanıtının bağımsız öngörücüleri olarak bulundu. SII >825'lik bir sınır değeri, %80 duyarlılık ve %75 özgüllük ile KRT'ye yanıt olmadığını öngördürmüştür. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada SII’nin KRT'ye yanıtsızlığı öngördüğü gösterilmiştir. Bu nedenle SII rutin klinik uygulamada KRT implantasyonu için optimal hasta seçimini belirlemede kullanılabilir

Prospective observational study on antibiotic-associated bloody diarrhea: report of 21 cases with a long-term follow-up from Turkey

WOS: 000303826200012PubMed ID: 22433794Objective Antibiotic-associated hemorrhagic colitis is a distinct form of antibiotic-associated bloody diarrhea (AABD) in which Clostridium difficile is absent. Although the cause is not exactly known, reports have suggested the role of Klebsiella oxytoca and/or C. difficile. Materials and Methods Between 2001 and 2006, stool samples of 21 consecutive patients with AABD were cultured for common enteric pathogens and K. oxytoca, and were tested for the presence of parasites and C. difficile toxin A + B within the first 24 h of their initial admission and a colonoscopy was performed when available. The patients were followed up prospectively by telephone interviews. Results The occurrence of symptoms ranged between 6 h and 14 days following the first dose of the antibiotic responsible and the duration of the AABD ranged between 6 h and 21 days. The antibiotic responsible was oral ampicillin/sulbactam in 18 (85%) cases. C. difficile toxin A + B production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and K. oxytoca growth in stool cultures were detected in six (29%) and 11 (51%) of 21 patients, respectively. Endoscopic morphology and histology in a limited number of patients revealed no more than a nonspecific inflammation and acute colitis, respectively. Conclusion This study confirms that antibiotic-associated hemorrhagic colitis, as a distinct entity in relation to K. oxytoca, is seen in half of the patients with AABD. Most of the cases are seen within a week following the antibiotic use. Almost all of the patients did not develop any flares during the long-term antibiotic-free follow-up. In some of the patients with AABD, there was coexistence of K. oxytoca with C. difficile toxin A + B. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 24: 688-69

The Investigation Of The Relationship Between The Level Of Organizational Cynicism, Job Performance And Organizational Identification Among Health Employees

Bu araştırma sağlık çalışanlarında örgütsel sinizm, iş performansı ve örgütsel özdeşleşmedüzeyleri arasındaki ilişkilerin incelenmesi amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmanınevrenini, Kırıkkale’de faaliyet gösteren bir eğitim ve araştırma hastanesinde Şubat 2015-Nisan 2015 tarihleri arasında fiili olarak çalışan hekim, hemşire, ebe, diğer sağlıkpersoneli ve idari personel oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada örneklem seçilmeyip evrenintamamına ulaşılmaya çalışılmış ve 1164 çalışandan 492’sine ulaşılmıştır. Araştırmadakatılımcıların örgütsel sinizm düzeyini ölçmek için Brandes (1997), örgütsel özdeşleşmedüzeyini belirlemek amacıyla Mael ve Ashforth (1992) ve iş performanslarını saptamakiçin Kirkman ve Rosen (1999) tarafından geliştirilen ölçekler kullanılmıştır. Araştırmasonucunda, katılımcıların örgütsel sinizm ve özdeşleşme düzeylerinin orta düzeyde ve işperformansı düzeylerinin ise orta düzeyin üzerinde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Çalışmadayapılan regresyon analizleri sonucunda, örgütsel sinizmin iş performansı üzerindekitoplam varyansın %7,5’ini; örgütsel özdeşleşme üzerindeki toplam varyansın %44,2’sinive örgütsel özdeşleşmenin iş performansındaki toplam varyansın %30,8’ini açıkladığıbelirlenmiştir.This study aimed to investigate of the relationship between the level of organizationalcynicism, job performance and organizational identification among health employees.The research population was composed of physician, nurse, midwife, and other healthprofessionals as well as administrative workers in a teaching and research hospital inKırıkkale, and the study was carried out between February and April 2015. There wasno attempt to select a sample. Instead, the researchers tried to reach all workers in theresearch population, and 492 of total 1164 workers were interviewed. In the study,organizational cynicism level was measured by using the questionnaire (or scale)developed by Brandes (1997) while organizational identification and job performancelevels were measured by using the questionnaires developed by Mael and Ashforth(1992) and Kirkman and Rosen (1999), respectively. At the end of the study, it wasdetermined that the level of organizational cynicism and organizational identificationwas at the middle, but job performance was found to be higher than middle level. Theresults of regression analyses showed that organizational cynicism explained 7.5% oftotal variance on job performance and 44.2% of total variance on organizationalidentification while organizational identification explained 30.8% of total variance onjob performance

Perception of Risk Factors and Determination of Risk Management Strategies According to Agricultural Enterprise Typologies

In this study, it was aimed to determine the risk management strategies and the level of risk perception of the entrepreneurs in agricultural enterprises classified according to production activities. Risk behaviours of entrepreneurs were examined according to the enterprise typologies, and the reference game was used for this purpose. The success of the economic activities of the enterprises was determined by an analysis of the annual operating results. The risk perception was investigated according to the enterprise typology. As a result, it was determined to be perceived as risk factors: drought, fluctuation of input and product prices in the livestock enterprises; drought, precipitation, pests, frost and hail in the mixed plant enterprises; drought, precipitation, frost and hail in the mixed plant and livestock enterprises; pest, diseases, hail, drought and precipitation in the specialized perennial enterprises; storm, capital shortage, loans, price fluctuation, yield fluctuation and fire in the specialized horticulture enterprises; drought, frost, hail, insufficient and unpredictable precipitation in the crop enterprises. The general information on agricultural issues, the implementation of new farming techniques, the diversity in production, the planned debt, the contract production, agricultural protection and the market follow were found out as management strategies for these risk factors